In the silver-white consciousness space, the youth resembling a 17-year-old Gryffindor suddenly shined with a radiant light. His figure took on a ghostly appearance, gradually becoming translucent and paler. Evan understood that this was due to the rapid dissipation of the core within him—the thought left behind by Gryffindor.
In less than several minutes, he completely disappeared, transforming into a pure energy state and attaching himself to the scabbard.
"The Raven's Claw, those dark wizards, will return. They are conducting dark magic ceremonies," the youth informed Evan. He seemed to be unaware of his own transformation or didn't care.
"What are they planning? Are they trying to resurrect the Cyclops?" Evan inquired.
"No, the Cyclops below cannot be revived; it's permanently gone. These dark wizards are aware of that fact. They seek the enormous strength left behind by the Cyclops' body. They intend to harness these strengths," the youth explained.
"They want to harness the Cyclops' strength?" Evan asked in astonishment.
"Yes, as you've felt before, it's an incredibly pure and powerful strength, exuding a primal destructive aura. They plan to use this strength in some evil ceremony. I overheard them mention something about summoning an entity that should not exist in this world," the youth said. The smile that had graced the corners of his mouth slowly vanished as he regarded Evan thoughtfully. "We must stop them. As the guardian of the Cyclops' seal, it is my duty, and now yours as the Gryffindor successor."
"What should I do?" Evan asked, looking at the nearly transparent youth.
"Prevent their magic ceremonies from reaching the core of the cavern. Do not let them take away the magic they're after. As for the Cyclops' remaining tremendous strength, you must insert the scabbard back into its one eye," the youth continued to explain in a weakening voice as if his words were coming from a great distance.
Evan nodded thoughtfully. Preventing 13 fully-armed dark wizards was no simple task. If things went awry, he might need to rely on the power of the Philosopher's Stone. However, these dark wizards were not ordinary foes; they would likely not allow Evan to draw complex magic runes.
"Don't worry, Gryffindor's successor!" The youth seemed to sense Evan's unease, offering a reassuring smile. "Utilize the power within the scabbard; it will assist you. I believe you will succeed."
The next moment, before Evan could ask more questions, the youth departed the ethereal space and returned to the real world.
Evan and Sirius stood at the edge of the grotto, the space still vibrating. The cavern was filled with dust and mist. Although Evan had engaged in a lengthy conversation with the Gryffindor consciousness, in reality, only a few seconds had passed in the real world.
The scabbard in Evan's hand still contained formidable power, but it lacked the presence of thought. It had now transformed into pure energy, slowly flowing into Evan's body. This energy differed from Evan's magical power; it neither repelled nor assimilated with it. It followed a specific path within Evan's body, returning to the scabbard.
Evan recalled Gryffindor's instructions about using the scabbard's power. He raised his wand but refrained from uttering an incantation. Instead, he directed his internal magic towards the scabbard, causing it to emit a red beam of magic. The beam struck a distant giant stone, creating a tremendous crimson lightning bolt, shattering the stone. The lighting was incredibly potent, rivaling high-level attack magic, but discharged much faster.
Evan was astonished by the outcome. He hadn't expected the scabbard to unleash thunder and lightning. This was a form of magic that he had never seen before. Standard wizarding spells did not typically involve thunder and lightning; they were considered natural forces and required specific magical artifacts to harness.
"What was that lightning, Evan?" Sirius asked, clearly surprised. "I've never seen magic like that before."
Sirius had every reason to be startled since thunder and lightning were not typically a part of wizarding spells. They were considered natural forces that required specialized magical artifacts to manipulate.
"It was the scabbard," Evan explained, providing Sirius with a simplified version of the information he had received within the ethereal space. He couldn't believe that the scabbard after Gryffindor's consciousness had departed, could be used by anyone. For many years, the scabbard had served as the core of the seal, absorbing the source strength of the Cyclops from the deep core and maintaining the seal. Over time, it had become a powerful magical artifact, rivaling Gryffindor's sword in value.
Sirius examined the scabbard for a moment and then returned it to Evan. The dark magic ceremony and Gryffindor's request to confront the Raven's Claw dark wizards had been discussed. Clearly, they needed to act swiftly and decisively, solving the impending problem before the dark wizards could react.
However, they faced a significant numerical disadvantage, as Gryffindor's successor, Evan, believed they had a good chance of success with the scabbard's power. Their primary objective was to disrupt the dark magic ceremony, dealing with the immediate threat. Depending on the circumstances, they could then determine their next steps, which might include Apparition or other countermeasures.
However, the insertion of the scabbard into the Cyclops' eye was a task that required special attention. Evan needed to ensure that it was done discreetly without drawing the attention of the dark wizards.
After about ten minutes of searching, Evan and Sirius discovered a stone door deep within the giant cavern. It was an old-style, grand, imposing door, even larger than a giant's hand.
Evan waved his wand, accompanied by a low, deep sound, and the stone door obediently swung open, revealing the darkness beyond.
"Be cautious," Sirius cautioned, taking the lead.
The entrance led to a downward-sloping path, incredibly spacious and constructed under Cyclops' specifications. Evan and Sirius lowered the tip of their wands to create a dim light to illuminate their path. The air was cold and damp but not musty.
They descended the road in silence, remaining impressively straight without twists or turns. Considering the Cyclops and giants were not known for meticulousness or patience, this level of craftsmanship was quite astonishing.
Evan and Sirius continued their descent for two hours, eventually reaching a profound underground location where the temperature began to rise. When they reached the end of the path, they were met with a breathtaking sight.
An intense heat radiated from the cavern's entrance, and within, a sea of flames stretched out before them, created by a continuous flow of crimson magma. The magma moved slowly, cascading from above, surging from the cavern's core, and converging into rivers that filled the space.
This underground environment somewhat resembled Gringotts' underground tunnels, but there were distinct differences. The magma did not occupy a fixed space; instead, it flowed freely in rivers, with no islands in sight.
Evan couldn't determine where these magma rivers led; they seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. A stone-paved road followed alongside the magma rivers, with faint yellow crystal formations glistening on the walls and ceiling. The crimson light from the magma cast reflections on these citrine crystals, giving the impression that the crystals themselves emitted light.
While Evan knew it was an optical illusion, he couldn't help but be captivated by the natural beauty and grandeur of the scene.
"These citrine crystals possess powerful magical energy—a natural power source!" Evan remarked in a hushed tone. He touched one of the exposed crystals on the side wall, sensing the unusual magical energy.
In response to his touch, the turquoise owl on his left wrist emitted a green glow as if absorbing the magical energy from the crystal. This was a reaction to magical energy; the crystal was a natural energy source.
"They indeed hold potent magical energy. But what concerns me are these markings on the ground," Sirius said, squatting to scrutinize the floor. "It appears that someone has been here recently. We need to be cautious."
"It's likely the work of the Raven's Claw dark wizards," Evan said. His information, gathered from Gryffindor's consciousness, indicated that apart from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Evan, and Sirius, the Raven's Claw dark wizards were the only other humans to have ventured into this location in millennia.
"That goes without saying. Let's investigate that object there. It seems to be a house-elf's skeleton," Sirius pointed in a direction.
Following Sirius's indication, Evan noticed a small bone in front of a large citrine crystal, roughly the size of a house-elf. Nearby lay a shattered pickaxe.
"A house-elf?" Evan examined the skeleton solemnly. "It appears to have been attempting to extract these crystals."
"That's right. These citrine crystals contain powerful magical energy. These dark wizards may have intentions regarding their use," Sirius said, extinguishing the light at the tip of his wand. "Put on your Invisibility Cloak, Evan. We need to proceed with caution."
Evan retrieved his Invisibility Cloak, which Dumbledore had given him, and helped Sirius conceal himself. They vanished from their previous location and continued forward, their wands tightly gripped under the cloak.
The magma cast a bright red glow, and the flames flowed calmly within the lava rivers, dispelling the darkness in the cavern. Despite the rising temperature, they couldn't cool their surfaces with magic. It was a challenging test, with Evan observing a peculiar red hue on his and Sirius's skin.
He knew they were experiencing dehydration, their bodies rapidly losing moisture. They felt as though they might combust at any moment, like withered wood. Evan silently endured, avoiding using magic to prevent any detection by potential enemies.
They pressed on cautiously. The presence of a large, powerful, and malevolent organization like the Raven's Claw nearby added tension to the situation. Evan hadn't delved deeply into the information about this mysterious cult, but he had read introductory passages in his books.
He knew this group scoured the world for traces of ancient energy and sought lost magical knowledge. They aimed to destroy the world and summon ancient gods to reclaim their dominion. It was a fanatical and dangerous wizarding organization, distinct from muggle cults that preached the apocalypse to recruit followers. The Raven's Claw aimed to bring about the world's end and summon ancient gods.
Evan had gathered from Gryffindor's thoughts that the Raven's Claw referred to these ancient gods as dreadfully evil deities. He wondered if these individuals had obtained clues from Ravenclaw's relics that convinced them that these evil gods were destined to return.
Gryffindor's thoughts also indicated that the Raven's Claw planned to use the strength of the Cyclops to summon something unnatural into this world. Evan couldn't help but ponder what monstrous entity they intended to summon. And how did this relate to the small coastal town near the lighthouse?
The mysteries of this sea area continued to deepen. Ravenclaw might have found what she sought within the ancient energy remnants in the Charybdis Whirlpool, and Gryffindor had indicated that the sunken magic city held secrets.
The frequent discoveries of ancient magical remnants made Evan uneasy. Significant events seemed to unfold, and he couldn't help but feel that a major event was imminent.
As they continued along the magma river, Evan and Sirius turned a corner and suddenly stopped. Evan could see that the end of their path led to a massive stone door surrounded by a dike.
The stone door was wide open, and magma slowly surged from its interior, indicating it was the source of the lava river. At the center of the stone door, Evan spotted the massive form of a Cyclops, partially submerged in the scorching magma pool.
This sight confirmed Evan's earlier suspicion that this was their destination—the one he had seen in his dreams. However, what truly surprised him was what lay around the dike.