"That's right. It's a warning. You can think of it as a curse, or something along those lines."
Leonard pointed at Londo's arm. "You'd better treat everything that happened today like a dream. Don't ever try to tell anyone about it. If you do, it'll kill you."
Londo jumped in fright. He stared at his own arm with an expression that looked like he wanted to chop it off on the spot.
"Stop staring. You can't cut it off," Leonard said lazily. "It may look like it's only attached to your arm, but in reality it's perfectly fused with your internal organs. Even if you cut yourself open, you still wouldn't be able to remove it."
"Y... why would you do this?" Londo asked with a miserable face. "You clearly could have just used a Memory Charm to make me forget everything here."
"That wouldn't do." Leonard shook his head. "If you forgot everything, then how would I give you this repayment for your kindness?"
"I don't want it anymore, okay? Can't you just erase my memory and let me go?" Londo pleaded.
"Sorry. Too late for that." Leonard shrugged, looking utterly helpless.
He really could erase Londo's memory and let him go on the spot, but then he would be missing out on a test subject.
This was not a short-term experiment. Leonard intended to use his connection with plants to monitor Londo's condition remotely and confirm the safety of this type of symbiosis.
"All right, you don't need to worry. As long as you never tell anyone anything about me, it won't activate. It'll only help you instead. Didn't you want to study magical creatures? With this, your ability to survive in the wild will increase dramatically."
Leonard patted Londo on the shoulder. "Now then, before I change my mind and kill you, get out of my sight."
Londo's whole body shook. Only then did he remember that the person standing before him was not some patient, reasonable nice guy who could be bargained with. He was a terrifying existence who killed without blinking and could even control corpses.
"I'm sorry, this is all my fault! I'll leave right now!" Londo apologized loudly, raised his wand, and Apparated away at once.
Watching Londo disappear, Leonard closed his eyes and felt for the plant symbiote inside him. It had not moved beyond Leonard's perception. Even as Londo went farther and farther away through repeated Apparition, Leonard's awareness of it remained unaffected.
Satisfied that his guess had been correct, Leonard gathered all the controlled wizards and had everyone Apparate toward the castle where Chercy and the others were being held.
...
Deep within a forest overflowing with life, former Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Harris Raymons was walking farther inward under the guidance of the raven Star.
The forest was saturated with rich vitality. Many magical creatures rarely seen in the outside world, as well as animals that were endangered or even already extinct elsewhere, lived here freely. There were also countless rare plants.
If a magizoologist from the wizarding world or a biologist from the Muggle world discovered this place, it would undoubtedly shake the whole world.
Arriving in such a beautiful place, where rare plants and animals could be seen everywhere, ought to have been a lucky thing.
But Harris Raymons was in no mood to appreciate it.
Following a path through the forest, he eventually arrived before a giant stone pillar so vast that he could not see the end of it at a glance. At the very top of that pillar stood a warm-looking little wooden house.
The raven Star transformed into a pair of wings and carried Harris Raymons up to the house, where an old man with a kindly face sat in a chair.
He looked to be in terrible condition. Tubes like fibrous plant roots stretched up from the ground behind him and pierced into his body. A bubbling sound came from inside the tubes, as though they were pumping some kind of substance into him.
The scene looked especially eerie, making even the old man's benevolent face seem a little unsettling.
Harris Raymons looked at the old man, sighed, and called out, "Teacher."
This man was his teacher, a respected elder, and also the Second Senator of the Ravens' Senate.
Hearing his voice, the old man slowly opened his eyes.
"You've come, Harris." The old man coughed once. "How are your injuries?"
"I'm all right, thanks to your potion, Teacher." Harris Raymons lowered his head in shame. This time at Hogwarts he had caused a huge commotion, and he had even forcibly used ancient magic on the level of Gungnir. If not for the potion the old man had given him afterward, he likely would have died from the backlash of ancient magic.
More importantly, after paying such a heavy price, he still had not completed a single one of his tasks.
"I'm sorry, Teacher. This mission was a failure. I didn't gain Leonard William's trust, and exploring the Chamber of Secrets didn't go smoothly either."
"I'm not surprised..." the old man said slowly, only to suddenly break into violent coughing. His frail body swayed as though he might collapse at any moment.
"Teacher?" Harris Raymons hurriedly supported him. "Do you have any more of that potion?"
"No more." The old man shook his head.
"Damn it." Harris Raymons clenched his teeth. "If that thing hadn't gone missing, you wouldn't have..."
"Harris, this was always meant to be. Trying to force things never ends well. Besides..." The old man waved a hand and stood up with Harris Raymons supporting his arm. "As long as I remain here, I can still drag out my life for a while longer. That's enough."
As he rose, the tubes behind him were pulled free. Not a single drop of blood came from the wounds, and they began healing at once.
"Come with me, Harris. I don't think you've really looked around this place yet, have you?" The old man patted Harris Raymons on the arm. "Come on. Walk with me."
The two of them went to the edge of the stone pillar. The old man looked down at the vibrant forest below and a pleased expression appeared on his face.
But Harris Raymons still looked heavy-hearted. Not even a landscape filled with so much life could move him in the slightest.
"Relax a little, Harris. You won't see scenery like this anywhere outside." Gazing into the distance, the old man asked, "Do you know where this place is?"
Harris Raymons shook his head. He only knew that this was one of the Ravens' hidden strongholds. Beyond that, he knew nothing.
"This is the dwelling place of the legendary eternal wizard, the divine realm of Odin, king of the gods in Norse mythology. Asgard." The old man stamped lightly with his foot. "And beneath our feet is the legendary World Tree, though sadly it has now become half fossilized."
"Teacher, I don't understand..." Harris Raymons looked at him, unsure what he was trying to say.
"What I mean is this. Even the legendary eternal World Tree could not escape death. So how could an ordinary wizard like me hope to?"
The old man patted Harris Raymons on the shoulder. "When we first discovered the World Tree, we were so excited we couldn't sleep. It was thanks to the runes I found on its remains that I achieved what I have today, and that the Ravens came into being. So death isn't frightening. As long as a legacy remains, there is still hope."
"Teacher..." Harris Raymons could feel that the old man no longer cared about his own life.
"Enough brooding over life and death, child. I called you here this time because I have a task for you." The old man turned to look at Harris Raymons and spoke slowly.
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
Also, join as a free member to read free advanced chapters.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/BlurryDream