Lucian ignored the shock behind him.
He stepped into the filthy shack, glanced around once—
and immediately located the target beneath a few loose floorboards.
With a slight lift of his hand—
the boards flipped open.
Inside lay a small, dust-covered golden box.
It opened on its own.
A ring.
Ancient. Gold.
Silent.
The Curse
But in Lucian's eyes—
It was anything but ordinary.
Thick, ink-like black energy coiled around it.
Alive.
Writhing.
Filled with hatred, pain, death, and malice.
A Horcrux.
Direct Contact
Lucian picked it up.
Barehanded.
The curse surged—
then instantly recoiled.
Like prey encountering a predator.
It couldn't even scratch him.
"Lucian, put it down!"
Dumbledore's voice was urgent.
"That curse is bound to the soul fragment itself! If you try to remove it improperly, it could trigger catastrophic backlash!"
A magical bomb.
One wrong move—
and everything explodes.
Lucian's Answer
He casually spun the ring between his fingers.
Smiling faintly.
"Professor… your approach is wrong."
"Wrong?" Dumbledore froze.
"You're all thinking in terms of energy confrontation."
"Light versus dark. Purification versus corruption."
He paused.
"Crude. Inefficient."
"And… inelegant."
A Different Philosophy
"True power," Lucian said calmly,
"is not about fighting."
"It's about removing the problem at its root."
New Spell
Concept: Precisely separate curse + soul fragment without damaging the host
Traditional methods:
Fiendfyre → destroy everythingBasilisk venom → same
Dumbledore's method:
"Treat the infection" → unstableLucian's Method:
Access the source layer.
Treat curse + soul as:
Redundant codeMalicious plugin
Then—
select → delete
Spell Name:
[Root Extraction]
The Miracle
Lucian raised his free hand.
No incantation.
Just—
a gentle grasp.
And reality changed.
The ring trembled—
but remained intact.
The curse?
Was being pulled out.
Not dispersed.
Not destroyed.
Extracted.
Like tearing something embedded deep within existence itself.
A mass of condensed black energy formed above his palm.
Twisting.
Screaming silently.
Pure malice.
Even the air turned cold.
Hermione and the others felt their souls tremble.
Lucian?
Unmoved.
Deletion
He closed his hand.
"Pop."
The black mass vanished.
Completely.
No residue.
No trace.
Silence
The oppressive darkness—
gone.
The shack—
cleansed.
Aftermath
Lucian tossed the ring to Dumbledore.
Casually.
Like flipping a coin.
Dumbledore caught it.
Stared.
The ring was now—
just a ring.
No curse.
No Horcrux.
No danger.
Collapse of Understanding
He looked at his own cursed hand.
Then back at the ring.
Then at Lucian.
The realization hit.
Everything he knew—
was wrong.
He had spent years suppressing that curse.
At great personal cost.
Lucian?
Just… peeled it off.
"...What have I been studying… all these years?"
For the first time—
Dumbledore doubted himself.
Deeply.
Next Stop
Lucian glanced outside.
"Still early."
"Let's continue."
Snap.
Transition
The shack vanished.
A freezing wind hit them.
They stood on a cliff.
Dark sea below.
Storm clouds above.
"A cave beneath here," Lucian said.
"Another Horcrux."
The Entrance
They found a hidden crack in the rock.
Inside—
darkness.
Cold.
Oppressive.
They traveled by conjured boat.
Until—
a stone wall blocked the way.
Blood Magic Barrier
Dumbledore raised his wand.
"This requires blood sacrifice."
"A portion of life force."
"Only those willing to pay the price may pass."
The group fell silent.
Disturbed.
"I'll do it," Dumbledore said.
"Not necessary."
Lucian stepped forward.
"This kind of rule…"
"Is beneath me."
New Spell
Concept: Override blood magic without sacrifice
Method: Create superior "life authority"
Spell Name:
[Sacred Blood Decree]
Activation
A crimson energy appeared.
But unlike dark magic—
it radiated warmth.
Life.
Purity.
Authority.
Dumbledore's hand trembled.
"This… this power…"
Command
Lucian touched the wall.
The runes ignited.
But not violently.
Reverently.
They rearranged—
like soldiers welcoming a king.
Opening
The wall split apart.
On its own.
No resistance.
No cost.
Reaction
Hermione whispered:
"He didn't break it…"
"He outranked it."
Dumbledore sighed.
Half disbelief.
Half acceptance.
"At this point… I'm not even surprised anymore."
The Lake
They descended.
Into a vast cavern.
At its center—
a black lake.
Still.
Endless.
An island in the middle.
Glowing faint green.
"The Horcrux is there," Lucian said.
The Horror Beneath
Dumbledore illuminated the water.
And everyone froze.
Bodies.
Thousands.
Floating beneath the surface.
Layer upon layer.
Silent.
Watching.
Inferi.
"They will attack anything living," Dumbledore said gravely.
"An endless swarm."
"A death trap."
The cave fell silent.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
All eyes turned—
to Lucian.
~~--------------------------
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