Hogwarts Raven

Chapter 450, Page 449: The Blind Wizard's Past
The man in black robes stood before the door of the deepest cell, the door made of anti-magic obsidian sliding open silently.

Unlike the other cells, the blind wizard inside seemed to have anticipated his arrival, remaining seated cross-legged and staring at the doorway with his empty eye sockets.

An enigmatic expression appeared on his wrinkled face—a mixture of relief and resignation.

"teacher."

The man in black robes called out softly again.

His deep voice echoed in the cell, trembling almost imperceptibly.

"Ah."

The blind wizard raised his head slightly, a complex smile appearing on his wrinkled face.

"You've arrived." His voice was as calm as if he were speaking to students in the faculty of a magic academy. "I can sense the commotion up there. Is a major purge underway?"

The man in black robes was silent for a moment, his hood slightly lowered, before finally nodding. His voice was hoarser than usual: "The pollution has already occurred, and it must be stopped before it fully erupts. Everyone who has come into contact with that power could become a carrier. We cannot allow that to happen."

This statement also reveals the truth behind all the previous killings—he was carrying out necessary work; it was not a bloodthirsty massacre, but an emergency response to some kind of terrible contamination.

Those prisoners.

Perhaps they have already been unknowingly influenced by the events surrounding the fallen gods.

And it has become a potential source of pollution.

Actually.

This might not be easy for the man in the black robe either.

Sure enough, the black-robed man's hand trembled slightly in his sleeve as he recalled the prison cells he had just passed through, the desperate eyes, and the dying struggles.

"I guessed it; I noticed something was wrong just now."

The blind wizard nodded slightly.

Withered fingers stroked his empty eye sockets: "You're doing the right thing, don't feel guilty. You're averting a much bigger disaster."

His tone carried the wisdom and tolerance unique to a teacher, "I remember you were a kind child since you were little, and you would even take good care of injured magical creatures."

"But now I'm asking you to do this... It's really putting you in a difficult position."

The blind wizard used to be a man, but now he looks much older, perhaps because he used his life to perform some kind of magic after Ian left.

"I……"

The man in black robes stood motionless, silent as a statue. The air in the cell seemed to freeze, with only the faint smell of blood emanating from above serving as a reminder of the brutality of this purge.

Many images flashed through his mind—the lives he had ended.

Those faces that remained bewildered until the very last moment. But he knew all too well that if he didn't do this, the entire magical world could face annihilation.

My inner emotions are very complicated.

and so.

I don't even know how to speak anymore.

"Hey!"

Seeing that the student remained silent, the blind wizard sighed softly.

"It seems it's time to give you some motivation." His voice suddenly became ethereal, as if it had transcended time and space. "Haven't you always wanted to know what exactly happened back then? Why did I lose my sight? Why did I willingly allow myself to be imprisoned in this dark and sunless place?"

As the blind wizard spoke, he slowly raised his hands, and silver light began to flow from his fingertips. The light was not dazzling, but it contained the rhythm of time.

It was as if a thousand years of history had been condensed into this one moment.

"Today, I will tell you the truth." As he finished speaking, a silver light spread throughout the cell, enveloping the two men.

The surrounding scenery began to distort and change, and the obsidian walls gradually faded away, replaced by an ancient scene from a thousand years ago—this was clearly a kind of memory presentation magic.

Similar to the magic Dumbledore used when he took Ian through his own memories, the fact that he could cast this level of memory magic shows that the blind wizard's magical skill was indeed quite high.

He may not be as good as Dumbledore, and most wizards could not compare to Dumbledore, but he definitely possesses the strength of a headmaster or even above.

after all.

To be able to train a high-ranking official in the Department of Mysteries, one cannot be an ordinary wizard; only a good teacher can produce a good student.

When the silver light stabilized, the cell had vanished.

The man in black robes found himself standing on a vibrant, ancient land, the air filled with the fragrance of magic and a pure magical power rarely seen in modern times.

All around were towering ancient trees and exotic flowers and plants never seen before, while the cries of unknown magical creatures echoed from afar. This was an era before even the African Ministry of Magic had been established.

The wizards lived in a golden age where tribes and travel coexisted.

Three young wizards stood in front of the man in black robes.

The strikingly handsome silver-haired youth in the center was particularly eye-catching—he had eyes as blue as a lake, a tall and upright figure, and a confident smile on his lips. The man in black immediately recognized him as his teacher from a thousand years ago—Saruman Light-Eyed, the most renowned adventure wizard of his time.

It is hailed as a "walking encyclopedia of magic".

"Look! It's right ahead!" Young Saruman pointed into the distance, his voice filled with excitement. "The legendary Lake of Stars! The forbidden land recorded in ancient texts!"

Beside him stood two loyal companions: the burly warrior wizard Kag, who carried a massive totem battle axe on his back, its surface engraved with ancient protective runes.

And there was the petite prophet Lina, whose eyes always shone with the light of a prophet, and the crystal ball hanging at her waist refracted rainbow light in the sunlight.

A very standard adventure party composition, with a strong medieval feel—besides magic, warriors and swordsmen were indeed popular in this era.

King Arthur is one such example.

It is only because these professions are too weak compared to wizards, and the requirements for willpower and talent are too high, that they have been gradually eliminated and buried in the dust of history.

of course.

It's not that they're completely extinct.

This group still existed in Ian's time, but it was smaller and not as prosperous as in ancient times. Gryffindor, the Sword Saint, may have been the last glorious era.

Far away.

Closer to home.

The man in black robes is still witnessing the past in his teacher's memories. That was a thousand years ago, and his teacher was a wizard who had lived for a full thousand years.

This alone shows how extraordinary his teacher was. At the very least, he achieved what Voldemort had desperately sought but could never attain.

longevity.

"It is said that ancient treasures lie dormant at the bottom of the lake, containing power that could change the world."

"But there's a problem," Kag said gruffly, stroking his battle axe. "The local tribes say this is a forbidden place, and they've put up warning signs by the lake."

“Perhaps those tribesmen are right.” Lina shook her head gently, her silvery voice filled with worry: “My premonition was very vague. I only saw stars that shouldn’t exist reflected in the lake, and endless darkness. In short, this place doesn’t give me a good feeling.”

"No, it should be said that it's very bad; the money inside hides horror." She subconsciously gripped the amulet on her chest, a crescent-shaped silver ornament.

"Where is there any treasure without danger?" Saruman laughed loudly, patting his two companions on the shoulders. "It is precisely because it is forbidden and dangerous that we need to explore it! Don't forget our oath, the 'Eye of Dawn'—to bring the truth of the magical world and its ancient past back to the world!"

His blue eyes sparkled with an endless thirst for knowledge.

You can tell. This is an archaeological team.

The three continued their journey, traversing primeval forests never before trodden by humans. Saruman led the way, his wand lightly parting the thorns to create a path. He would occasionally crouch down to carefully study the ancient runes on the ground, and sometimes pull out parchment to quickly jot something down.

“These symbols do not belong to any known civilization.” Saruman’s fingers gently traced the stone carvings, his eyes gleaming with scholarly focus. “Look at this spiral pattern; it seems to describe something beyond our comprehension. This may be a relic from ancient times.”

Kag looked around warily.

A warrior's instinct kept him constantly on guard: "I sensed something watching us. Not a beast, but something much older."

His combat instincts were alerting him, and his hand never left the handle of the battle axe.

"Is that so?" Lina suddenly stopped, her face ashen. "Wait... I heard singing? It's coming from the direction of the lake."

She covered her ears, her body trembling slightly. "The voice was beautiful, but unsettling. Oh no, I've seen siren, but even siren weren't this terrifying!"

After all, she is a girl.

It's normal to shiver.

Saruman listened intently.

Confusion appeared on his handsome face.

“I didn’t hear anything. But since it was your precognitive ability that sensed it, we need to be even more careful.” He waved his wand, creating a faint protective barrier around the three of them.

The closer you get to the lake, the stranger the surrounding vegetation becomes.

Trees twisted into incredible shapes, flowers emitted a dizzying fragrance, and even the magic in the air began to become viscous and strange.

The man in the black robe and his blind teacher, along with the young blind wizard and his friends, witness this past event in this setting.

Since it's just a memory, it can't be interacted with; it can only be observed.

"teacher."

The man in the black robe wanted to ask something.

"Keep watching."

The blind wizard interrupted him.

The memories are still present.

“The rules of magic here are changing,” Saruman said, frowning, the tip of his wand flashing with an unstable light. “I have never sensed such an alien source of magic.”

Despite this, the group did not back down. They passed through the last dense forest, and the sight before them made all three of them hold their breath.

It was a vast lake, so large that the opposite shore was nowhere in sight. The water was an eerie deep purple, and a faint mist floated on its surface, refracting strange rainbows in the sunlight.

Most peculiarly, despite it being daytime, the stars were clearly reflected in the sky above the lake—but not any known constellations, but rather a strangely arranged, unsettling cluster of stars, arranged in a way that defied all astronomical laws, forming a chilling pattern.

“This is impossible! It’s not magical at all!” Kag muttered, his rugged face filled with shock. “It’s clearly noon now, so what’s with these stars?”

His tone was full of surprise and uncertainty.

Saruman's blue eyes gleamed with a mixture of excitement and wariness: "It seems we've found the right place. The arrangement of these stars is probably the result of some kind of magic within the ruins."

"To be honest, I've never seen such a combination that defies the laws of astronomy." He quickly pulled out his notebook and began sketching the positions of these stars.

"This could be a star map of some lost civilization."

When we get to this point...

Saruman was still visibly agitated.

Indeed, what everyone who walks a brilliant path on the road of magic never lacks is a passion for magic, and only this passion can take them further.

Just as this young, blind wizard, who still had eyes, was excitedly taking notes and chattering about how he and his companions might be about to discover another magical secret,...

"Ahhh!"

Lina suddenly covered her ears.

He crouched down in pain.

“The singing is getting clearer! Something’s wrong! It’s calling to us! No, it’s warning us!” Blood seeped through her fingers.

It is clearly resisting some kind of psychological attack.

Saruman immediately knelt down to support her, while simultaneously drawing an even stronger protective barrier in the air with his wand: "Hold on, Lina. Tell us what you heard?"

"It sings about the sleeping god and the end of reincarnation."

Lina's voice trembled, her eyes filled with fear, "The song also says that when the stars are in their proper places, R'lyeh will rise from the deep sea!"

The woman's face showed terror.

“R'lyeh? What’s that?” Saruman repeated the unfamiliar name, his brow furrowed. “I’ve never seen this place name in any ancient texts.”

obviously.

People in this era still have absolutely no understanding of the Cthulhu Mythos, which is actually normal, since no one has yet written and published a book about the Cthulhu Mythos.

this era.

There's no way anyone could possibly know.

"Should we go back and find some more people?"

When Kag saw Lina's expression, he swallowed hard.

"You know those guys, their only idea about the treasure is to keep it for themselves, which is different from our idea. I'm afraid there will inevitably be some conflict."

"This isn't the first time those treasure hunters have turned against us and fought us to the death. If we get into the ruins, we'll probably not only fail to get any help, but we'll also have to be wary of them."

Saruman's words were not without merit.

Even in the era of the Ministry of Magic, such situations were difficult to avoid, let alone in this era without the Ministry of Magic, where murder and robbery are commonplace.

To know.

This is Africa.

Wizards are even more immoral.

"Right."

Kag agreed with this statement.

"However, we really need to give Lina some help..."

The words are not finished yet.

at this time.

The lake surface suddenly began to ripple, the purple water parting to reveal a stone staircase leading to the lakebed. The staircase appeared to have existed for countless years, covered with thick moss and unidentified aquatic plants.

Within the water walls flanking the stone steps, enormous, inhuman shadows could be vaguely seen moving about, their outlines instilling an instinctive sense of dread.

(End of this chapter)