"As expected, I was tricked again–"
Looking at the stone pillar that vanished in the shimmering barrier, Bryan muttered through clenched teeth. He felt a surge of anger and frustration in his chest.
Logically, since he could follow the faint time trace of Gryffindor and penetrate the barrier to enter the inner space, it seemed to indicate that the safe crack had existed for a thousand years, but now, the crack disappeared strangely after Bryan passed through. It was as if someone had deliberately closed the door behind him, trapping him inside.
"No wonder the priests of the Druids have never found the crack for so many centuries. It seems that this is what Godric Gryffindor left for me specifically–"
Bryan pursed his lips, his voice was gloomy and bitter, without a trace of hope. Without that passage, Bryan could not leave the altar by his own power, which meant that, except for trying to pick up the Twin Serpent Staff again, he had almost no way to think of.
Bryan didn't know why the four founders of Hogwarts left so many arrangements and backups, and what their purpose was to destroy the Twin Serpent Staff, but he couldn't agree with their behavior of involving him unreasonably.
He felt like a pawn in a chess game that he didn't understand, manipulated by forces beyond his control. Staring at the mysterious staff, which lay on the ground like a dead snake, after a long time, Bryan sighed softly, his sigh was full of helplessness.
From the perspective of the modern magical world, Bryan was a powerful wizard in every aspect, but for the Hogwarts giants of a thousand years ago, or even Merlin who had become a mythical figure in the distant past, he was undoubtedly weak. He was like a child facing a mountain, unable to climb or move it.
Weakness is a sin, whether in the muggle society or the wizarding world, this is an unbreakable truth, blaming those who have been swallowed by time and have already died has no use, if you want to blame, you can only blame his own weakness. He realized that he had overestimated his own abilities and underestimated the dangers of the island of Avalon.
The island of Avalon had been sleeping in the embrace of death for more than a dozen centuries, and during this long time, no one had set foot on this mythical island except for the previous priests.
With her arms around her knees, Cliodna looked at the direction of the swamp, and her eyes were worried and anxious. She bit her lower lip nervously, wondering what was happening inside the temple.
From what she heard and investigated, Bryan Watson seemed to be a very powerful wizard, but this kind of power needed to be contrasted with the background of the modern magical world. If placed in the ancient magical era that had been mythologized, Bryan Watson was not so amazing. He was like a candle in the sun, dim and insignificant.
In the depths of her heart, Cliodna had always had doubts about her teacher's prophecy, and she didn't understand why a wizard who had never had anything to do with the Druids was considered to have the ability to help them get the 'holy relic' recorded in the records. She wondered if her teacher had made a mistake or had been deceived by some false vision.
And the reason why she invited Bryan Watson here at the risk of exposing the island of Avalon was actually more of a desperate move when she was forced to do so. She had no other choice but to trust her teacher's words and hope that Bryan Watson could succeed where so many others had failed.
The dead air suddenly rippled with a breeze, and the dust on the ground danced with the wind, drifting to the unknown distance. Cliodna looked at the flying dust with a sense of loss, feeling that her fate was like dust, blown by the whims of the gods. No, how could there be wind on the island of Avalon, it has been clearly dead for more than a dozen centuries!
Cliodna clenched her grapevine wand and stood up in horror. Suddenly, she turned around and saw a thin figure walking down from the ancient altar on the ground behind the quickly dissipating time barrier, and walking towards her! Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat.
Looking at Cliodna's red lips, which were slightly parted in surprise, Bryan, who was gloomy all over, raised the Twin Serpent Staff that had cut off contact with the earth and restrained its own evil magic power, and showed a cold smile. His eyes were dark and unfriendly, and his face was pale and tired.
"I have fulfilled my mission, Miss Coffey–"
When did Bryan Watson enter the temple, how did he break through the chaotic space-time barrier that so many previous priests had no way of, these doubts became insignificant when Cliodna saw the Twin Serpent Staff. She felt a shock and a thrill in her chest, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Give it to me."
She stared blankly at the staff, her delicate body trembling slightly.
For more than a dozen centuries, hundreds of previous priests sacrificed themselves, countless believers died, death and blood haunted them like a curse, those unforgettable hatreds surged like waves, making Cliodna unable to maintain the calmness disguised by magic.
"Give it to me!"
She screamed with a hysterical despair, and hatred made her beautiful face twisted. She felt a burning pain in her chest, as if her heart was being torn apart by the memories of the past. She had waited for so long, endured so much, and sacrificed so much, for this moment, for this staff, for this holy relic that could restore the glory of the Druids.
The tears in the air reflected Cliodna's desperate expression, and her eyes were red and swollen. She looked like a wounded beast, ready to pounce on anyone who dared to stand in her way.
Bryan's eyelids twitched slightly, and his heart throbbed a little, but he stopped and did not move forward. His calm tone was a bit indifferent, and his words were like ice, cold and sharp.
"I have some doubts in my heart, Miss Coffey, unless you can answer my doubts, otherwise, I think it's better to keep this staff in my hand."
Bryan's decisive refusal made Cliodna angry, and she raised her wand with a formidable magic power, as if, if Bryan was unwilling to hand over the Twin Serpent Staff, she would kill Bryan Watson without hesitation.
"Anger often drives us to make stupid moves,"
Bryan said with a mocking smile, as if he could see through Cliodna's mind,
"And stupid moves often make us pay a huge price, Miss Coffey, do you want to test this truth with your own actions?"
"The wizards who are active in the underground world of Knockturn Alley mostly think that you are a wizard who values reputation, not to mention this, we have signed a magical contract, Mr. Watson."
Bryan's cold words were like a cold wind, making Cliodna regain some reason, her reason was struggling hard with those tragic past events, which made her always on the verge of collapse. She tried to appeal to Bryan's sense of honor and obligation, and reminded him of the binding force of the contract. She hoped that he would not break his promise.
"You need to give me the holy relic of the Druids in the 'Land of Merlin's Eternal Sleep'. If you violate the contract, you will receive severe punishment, even a wizard like you can't bear the power of the contract backlash!"
She said with a stern voice, trying to intimidate Bryan with the consequences of his actions. She knew that the contract was her only leverage, and she had to use it to the fullest.
"Magic follows rules, I can't escape the shackles of the contract–"
Bryan nodded slightly, acknowledging Cliodna's words, but before Cliodna showed a happy expression, he suddenly snorted.
"But there is a trivial loophole in the contract, Miss Coffey, I regret that you didn't find it. 'The Land of Merlin's Eternal Sleep' - that is, where Merlin was finally buried, please tell me, where is his tomb, where is his corpse, Miss Coffey, if you can't give a reasonable explanation, it means that this Twin Serpent Staff is just what I found on the island of Avalon, and not in the 'Land of Merlin's Eternal Sleep', whether it is the holy relic of the Druids or not."
Looking at the stunned and speechless Druid priest, Bryan, who was gloomy by the conspiracy, finally showed a happy smile
"You who always like to stay in the woods probably don't realize that the outside world is very sinister, Miss Coffey."
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