Evan's attention shifted to the Time-Turner before him, and he examined the dial plate on its surface. It appeared to have no limitations, allowing him to freely travel through time. It was truly a magical marvel.
When he had first obtained the Time-Turner, he had felt that it was extraordinary, but he hadn't fully grasped its true significance. At that time, his knowledge of magic had been limited, and the Time-Turner he had acquired was incomplete. Ravenclaw had claimed it was damaged.
After Evan had returned to Hogwarts a millennium ago, the Time-Turner had been collected by Ravenclaw. Back then, he hadn't realized how profound its meaning was. The Time-Turner he now possessed had been intentionally left behind by Ravenclaw, who had known that a student would eventually use it to return to Hogwarts. Whether she had known that student would be Evan remained uncertain.
However, when Evan obtained the Time-Turner, he unwittingly became entangled in a complex series of events. It had been a deliberate part of Ravenclaw's plan for the student who would eventually wield it.
"This Time-Turner is a part of my power source. I can sense its location," Kronos explained. The pale blue Time-Turner hovered before Evan. "All the remaining Time-Turners are stored in one place, underground in London."
"The Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries?" Evan recalled the location where Time-Turners were kept.
"Yes, it seems you are familiar with the place," Kronos acknowledged. "Evan, I'm giving this Time-Turner to you. I understand you have many questions, but I can't explain everything now. Some things must be experienced firsthand. Find the Time-Turner, repair it, and it will help you unravel the mysteries that weigh on your heart."
Evan hadn't answered yet. Gaining access to the underground Department of Mysteries was no simple matter. It was a highly classified area protected by numerous magical defenses, and only individuals with specific authorization were allowed entry.
Evan realized that Voldemort must have obtained the Prophecy Record through this means and had been intent on preventing that from happening. But this might be his only opportunity if he wanted to retrieve the Time-Turner. He couldn't simply break into the Ministry of Magic, especially now that Voldemort had taken control of it. Evan would need to act carefully and discreetly.
"Evan, when you return with that Time-Turner, it will assist you in retracing Rowena Ravenclaw's steps to find what you seek in this place," Kronos added, "and it will provide you with the answers she intended to give you a thousand years ago."
"Are you referring to the key to Ravenclaw's secret treasure?" Evan asked, surprised. He had never imagined that Ravenclaw had hidden such a treasure, let alone that she had intended for him to find it a millennium ago.
Thanks to the mysteries of time magic, Evan realized that he might have the opportunity to meet and communicate with Rowena Ravenclaw again.
"Regarding that secret treasure, I know many things," Kronos replied. "When Ravenclaw sought my assistance, she shared some of her thoughts. It was a clever plan, but there isn't time to explain it all now."
Kronos looked up at the hourglass above him. "Well, Evan, if you have no further questions, I believe..."
"Wait!" Evan interrupted, realizing that time was running out. The hourglass had almost emptied, and the buildings within the cavern were beginning to blur and distort. He urgently asked, "What about the creature that arrived in the sunken city? What should I do about it?"
While other matters could wait, the threat summoned by the Raven's Claw was of immediate concern.
"I mentioned that creature," Kronos replied. "The Oynya wizards once sought my assistance and left behind an intriguing magic in this place. It is still in effect and can disrupt the creature's ceremony, causing a temporal disturbance. I will help you with it, as there is no time for a decisive battle now."
"What should I do?" Evan asked.
"Place the flagstone back in its original position," Kronos instructed.
Evan followed Kronos's gesture and returned to the obsidian statue from which he had taken the flagstone. The flagstone in his hand perfectly matched the empty slot on the ground. Green magical traces encircled the area, extending to the statue and emitting a soft glow.
Evan placed the flagstone into the slot, and in the next moment, the entire temple emitted a faint sound as if something had happened, yet nothing appeared to have changed.
"Is that it?" Evan called out but received no response.
He turned around hastily to look at Kronos, but Kronos was waving at him, his form growing paler and eventually disappearing along with the temple.
Suddenly, the cavern grew dimmer, and the magnificent temple transformed into a ruined building. The giant hourglass returned to its original position within the shrine.
Everything had concluded, but the green-rayed flagstone had disappeared.
"Fear, mortals, your suffering brings me joy. I shall make you experience the most terrifying thing in the world," the eerie voice from the sunken city continued to echo. The form of the ancient monster was becoming clearer, and it was approaching this world. It intended to submerge everything in the abyssal waters and make humanity taste the fear of its impending doom.
Deep within the abyssal city's center, the Calamity Emissary chanted ancient incantations while performing a spell. The shadows beneath his hood deepened, concealing his face like the abyss, impenetrable darkness.
The ghost ship that had just departed had left him with doubts. Something unusual seemed to have occurred, but Calamity Emissary was too preoccupied with his current task to investigate further. The ritual had reached a critical point, and he was now focusing on gathering the energy ball containing the essence of the Cyclops.
As the formidable energy dissipated, it coalesced into intricate purple magical runes. Under the increasing gravitational pull, the ghosts and the deceased within the city ruins were irresistibly drawn to this location. Their faces bore expressions of terror, but their bodies were compelled to move, even after a millennium in death. They became part of the ritual, their fear mingling with the energy.
These spectral energies merged into the magical runes before Calamity Emissary. He watched as the purple ray grew stronger, with a sound that seemed to penetrate the depths of their beings, instilling fear within.
"We are almost there. Come forth, ancient and great existence..." Calamity Emissary shouted, but suddenly, he stopped.
With astonishment, he looked up, sensing an unexpected surge of magical power in the surroundings.
Calamity Emissary was taken aback by the sudden interruption of his summoning ritual. His wand stopped, and the ceremony he had been conducting began to lose control, causing the magic to become chaotic.
He sensed an unfamiliar and powerful presence that seemed ancient, formidable, and strangely familiar. He had encountered this presence multiple times, particularly in the Charybdis Whirlpool remnants. The same power had been continuously tracking Claw of the Raven and was linked to Rowena Ravenclaw's work.
Though he didn't understand the essence of this power, Calamity Emissary believed that it could help them escape death, conquer the world, create a new future, and even summon masters from the void to achieve true immortality. This was what he had hoped for when he had joined Claw of the Raven, willingly abandoning his status as a mere pure-blood wizard.
Before this, he had been an ordinary wizard obsessed with family inheritance and the restoration of ancestral honor. But after joining Claw of the Raven, he had been entrusted with a grander purpose.
"Enlightenment day is drawing near, and this world, along with me, will welcome a new era amid its destruction," he thought.
The master he believed in sought to harness this power, and Claw of the Raven had prepared for this day by gathering five decades of cursed souls nearby. They had glimpsed dawn amid darkness, a magnificent feat that Calamity Emissary was determined to complete under his master's guidance.
"Ha, have I succeeded?" he exclaimed excitedly but abruptly stopped. Something felt wrong.
His summoning ritual had not been completed, and the sudden appearance of this new power was unsettling. Above him, a green light flashed over the sunken city ruins and then another. The green ripples spread, and the seawater surged violently, causing the surrounding area to tremble.
Thumping sounds echoed from the depths of the ocean floor, and the floating souls of the dead, which had been dancing in the air, suddenly accelerated, rushing toward the abyss.
This was highly unusual. The ceremony they had been conducting was supposed to transform the dead into pure energy, slowly draining them like prey caught in a spider's web. The dead should not be drawn toward the ceremony on their own.
Calamity Emissary realized that something was amiss. These souls were not compelled by their own will but were passively and rapidly swept into the abyss.
A massive vortex was forming in the dark abyss before him, and the space and time in the area were becoming chaotic and disordered. The power he had sensed earlier, which he knew was tied to time magic, was slowly gathering by his side.
The energy stone containing the Cyclops' power began destabilizing with a series of crashes. The power that had suddenly appeared seemed to suppress the Cyclops' strength. Calamity Emissary was gasping for breath as if his magical prowess was malfunctioning. His wand felt like a useless wooden stick.
"No, what is this power?" he cried out in panic, waving his wand desperately. "Tell me, who are you? Who are you?!"
But there was no response. The oppressive force continued to build.
Calamity Emissary shivered as he looked up at the formidable presence that had arrived. However, what he saw in the vortex was equally terrifying. The entity forming within the vortex seemed to lack a physical body and was tearing apart mercilessly. Countless souls of the dead surrounded it, and the ghosts began emitting a green light that was rapidly transformed into energy.
The green brilliance grew brighter, and Calamity Emissary felt he had a choice on a dial. The needle was spinning rapidly.
"The flow of time, it's the magic of the Oynya wizards!" the entity wailed. "No, it's not that accursed Titan's power. Release me, give up... I won't return. Stop, you fool! Darkness will eventually cover this world!"
Calamity Emissary panted heavily, but the entity's voice gradually faded, growing weaker and weaker.
"It's the magic of time, the dreaded magic of time!" he suddenly understood.
In the next moment, he turned and attempted to flee. Although he couldn't grasp the full picture, he knew something was amiss. His summoning ritual had failed, and staying here was now dangerous.
But as he took a couple of steps, he realized he was being lifted off the ground and began to float uncontrollably. He was drawn into the vortex along with the other souls of the dead.
As Calamity Emissary was pulled into the vortex, his hood fell back, revealing a ghastly visage. His skin was pale and lifeless; he no longer resembled a living being. Evan would have recognized this transformation from the dark wizards deep within the Crux of the Earth. Calamity Emissary had given himself completely to his master and had become a shadow creature.
He could no longer move as he tried to escape the vortex. He was being inexorably drawn in, and his struggles were in vain.
In the darkness, the city ruins remained, bereft of life. With the souls of the dead gone, it appeared even bleaker. This city was destined to be forgotten by humanity, and its magical history was now sealed within the confines of history.
When Evan returned to the lighthouse, Sirius was waiting for him. Evan wasn't sure what had become of the creature that Calamity Emissary had summoned, but Kronos had assured him there wouldn't be any problems.
With his meeting with Kronos concluded, his journey in Italy was nearing its end. All that remained was to persuade the giants and deal with the Death Eaters. Faced with such formidable powers, these matters would be easily resolved.
Evan intended to pour the strength of the Cyclops into Grawp, helping him unite the giant tribe. Once the other Grawp giants were defeated, Grawp would become the new leader of the giants, and Evan could command the entire tribe. Even if some giants resisted, they would have to challenge Grawp, and there was little chance of victory against a Cyclops-blooded giant, given the hierarchy within their lineage.