A glass vial filled with a peculiar golden potion floated gracefully out from Bryan's inner pocket. It hovered steadily before his eyes, reflecting the crimson light from the lava below.
Soul Invigorating Potion.
This was precisely what had been written in runic script on the cover of the stack of yellowed parchments that Slytherin had left in the black box in his sealed vault—ancient parchments that appeared to record the method of crafting this miraculous, unprecedented potion.
As for the full contents within those parchments, just as Bryan had been preparing to carefully read through them in the vault, the sudden ferocious eruption of the lava lake had forced him to abandon his study and leave in desperate haste.
His concentrated gaze fell upon the glossy glass vial with its golden contents, and Bryan's lips grew uncomfortably dry. His heartbeat was unconsciously quickening, pounding against his ribs with increasing urgency.
To this day, he had one final step remaining to climb on his magical journey toward Magus/Saint/legendary status. He had been standing at the foot of this step for some considerable time now, staring up at it, yet he still hadn't managed to take that crucial step forward.
This was because and Bryan also knew that he still lacked the necessary spiritual growth, the vital development required to successfully push through that threshold into true legend.
Compared to ordinary wizards and even most exceptional talents, his rate of magical advancement was already remarkably fast. Even Voldemort, who in his youth had subjected his own body to numerous highly risky Dark Magic rituals and created multiple soul-fragmenting Horcruxes in his pursuit of power, was considerably inferior in speed of advancement by comparison.
This undoubtedly proved Bryan's exceptional, perhaps unique talent in magic—born as he was with the combined soul power of two complete persons merged into one being.
However, when facing that final threshold, when standing before that last barrier, talent alone was insufficient. He also required the patient collection and gradual accumulation of experience over time, spiritual maturity that couldn't be rushed.
But the approaching danger, Voldemort's return, would not afford Bryan sufficient time to naturally prepare, to reach that readiness naturally.
Although Bryan had always been mentally prepared for Voldemort's resurrection, when Voldemort had actually returned, Bryan had to honestly admit he was still somewhat worried about the consequences.
This worry wasn't solely or even mainly because of Voldemort himself. Rather, it was the deeper concern that Voldemort's resurrection might trigger even greater conspiracies lurking in the shadows to surface.
The current magical world was nothing like it had been a thousand years ago in the founders' time.
Not only had there been legendary wizards like the four founders of Hogwarts back then but many members of even the pure-blood families of that era had been far from being mediocre. The average level of magical ability had been significantly higher.
But what of today's weakened magical world?
Not a single truly legendary wizard existed anywhere on Earth.
Whether it was himself, Dumbledore and Voldemort, or Grindelwald self-imprisoned in his tower prison—though they might indeed be considered legendary figures in the awed eyes of ordinary wizards, heroes of their time, Bryan knew the harsh truth.
All of them, himself included, were merely "touching the edge" of true legend.
And among these few exceptional individuals, Voldemort's shattered soul, destined him to never glimpse the higher levels of magic. Grindelwald had lost his revolutionary faith after his defeat, his once-indomitable spirit had collapsed under the weight of failure and regret, and likewise he could not advance further on the path.
Even setting those two tragic cases aside, even if Grindelwald could somehow rebuild his shattered spirit and reclaim his former power through some miracle, both he and Dumbledore were simply too old now.
Their physical bodies were failing. Their souls already showed undeniable signs of weakness and natural decay, and could no longer reach the absolute peak of magical achievement.
Age had defeated them where enemies could not.
When all was said and done, in today's Wizarding world with its reduced population and diminished knowledge, he alone had the realistic opportunity to push through that threshold, to become truly legendary.
And this unique position also meant something heavy: that once an extraordinary crisis erupted that threatened everything, he would have to be the one to step up and face it. The burden would fall on him alone.
So then, had the four founders somehow foreseen the awkward, vulnerable situation of the magical world a thousand years hence? Had they prophesied or calculated Bryan's burden, and thus, at this particular critical juncture in time, decided to give him a helping hand from beyond death?
Gulp—
Bryan swallowed hard. He ceased his active resistance against the erupting lava columns, allowing them to assault the underground cavity's structure freely for the moment. He focused all his attention on the mysterious glass vial floating in his hand, studying it intently.
The Soul Invigorating Potion—could there really be such a miraculous potion that, once consumed by a wizard, could actually strengthen the mysterious, intangible soul itself and substantially nourish one's soul power?
At least according to Bryan's knowledge, such a thing did not exist anywhere within the current context of magical theory. It shouldn't be possible.
The sheer marvel of this substance, if genuine, far exceeded even the legendary Elixir of Life produced by the Philosopher's Stone.
Though the Elixir was indeed miraculous in its effects, granting effective immortality, it was essentially just sophisticated magical reinforcement of the physical body—extending life by maintaining the flesh. It did not exceed or violate current magical theory in any way.
But something capable of strengthening the soul itself, of affecting that which was beyond matter... If it hadn't appeared in Salazar Slytherin's personal vault, left by one of history's greatest minds, Bryan would have immediately dismissed the very concept as an impossible joke or dangerous fraud.
The golden ephemeral creatures swimming within the vial seemed to somehow sense Bryan's increasingly fervent, hungry gaze studying them. They swam even more joyfully within their liquid prison. This made the entire glass bottle radiate an even more dazzling golden luster that seemed to entice Bryan to drink it.
'It should be trustworthy—'
This thought crossed Bryan's mind with growing conviction. After all, it came directly from Salazar Slytherin's own hand, crafted by a founder of Hogwarts.
With this increasingly certain thought taking root in his mind, Bryan carefully pulled out the crystal stopper with a soft pop. He slowly brought the vial toward his parted lips.
The incredibly fresh fragrance wafting from within immediately invigorated his spirit. This effect seemed to deepen the potion's credibility substantially.
'It should be trustworthy.'
The erupting lava continuing behind him deepened the sense of urgency in Bryan's heart. His lips had already made contact with the bottle's opening.
Some time ago in New York, he had encountered again in Newt Scamander's possession the ancient basilisk he had once subdued years ago in the Chamber. With his current level of discernment, he could tell upon examination that there was something subtly wrong with that basilisk's soul.
Its soul's vitality was measurably lower compared to normal magical creatures of similar power. This reduced vitality had actually slowed the natural decline of its soul over centuries, which was why this particular basilisk had lived so long... Wait!
The glass bottle, already tilted to pour its contents into his mouth, was suddenly pulled sharply away from Bryan's lips. His previously expectant gaze at the potion abruptly transformed into alarm and deep suspicion!
Lower soul vitality—this was not at all the same thing as supplementing or strengthening one's soul power! These two concepts were completely different things, even diametrically opposed effects!
His face, already flushed red from the intense magma light reflecting off every surface, became deeply clouded with uncertainty and growing realization. In an instant, many interconnected thoughts flashed through Bryan's rapidly working mind, pieces were falling into place.
This was a test!
From the very moment the vault had sunk into the lava, this had been a trial that Slytherin had set for him across a millennium. Testing both his courage to face danger and his wisdom to see through deception!
Rumble—
The lava rose at an even more rapid, alarming pace than before, accelerating. The aggressively erupting lava columns were now striking the cavity's distant ceiling covered in dense stalactites with tremendous force.
One massive pillar of fire swept dangerously close past the passage where Amelia and Bogrod stood watching in horror. The near miss frightened them into screaming and retreating deeper into the tunnel for safety.
Bryan's pupils, illuminated to a brilliant golden color by the light surrounding him, stared sharply down at the churning lava lake below.
At this rate of rise, Diagon Alley was absolutely doomed today!
Everyone above would die!
But this situation was truly perplexing. The eruption of the lava lake was undoubtedly Slytherin's intentional handiwork. But his ultimate purpose was definitely not simply to blow the wizarding commercial center of a thousand years later sky-high!
That made no sense.
If Bryan's deduction was correct, this too was a form of test. But since he had already seen through the fact that the Soul Invigorating Potion was actually fake, then the solution must be...
"I understand now."
A flash of understanding gleamed in Bryan's eyes, and the obscuring fog laid before him by Slytherin's scheme suddenly cleared completely!
The lava lake had already risen to within several dozen meters directly below Bryan's hovering. Seventy percent of the enormous underground space was now filled with lava.
Under the assault of scorching breath and explosive fire pillars, the dense stalactites covering the ceiling fell like deadly rain with sharp, high-pitched whistling sounds!
There was no more time to carefully verify right from wrong!
A fierce, determined light flashed in Bryan's eyes. He raised his arm high and forcefully hurled the glass vial in his hand down into the lava lake far below. The instant the bottle left his grip, a sense of profound loss and immediate regret surfaced in Bryan's heart—what if he was wrong?
But before this dangerous emotion could ferment and grow, it was firmly strangled by his firm rationality and self-belief.
Even without external assistance, even without shortcuts, he could reach that legendary level through his own continuous efforts and natural growth. That brief moment of temptation and confusion just now was merely his long-held obsession with power at work, the impatience that had temporarily prevented him from seeing through Slytherin's clever "little trick."
Bryan's intense gaze followed the glass bottle as it fell, watching it plummet rapidly through the air, gradually approaching the glowing lava surface, and finally making contact with it...
Crack!
Amid the continuous earth-shaking roar of the eruption, the sound of an insignificant glass bottle shattering actually reached Bryan's ears with clarity.
The instant the golden ephemeral potion within the glass bottle made contact with the lava's churning surface, a golden flow of light suddenly spread rapidly across the entire surface of the massive lava lake like ripples.
The magnificent, blazing lava seemed to suddenly encounter extremely low temperature and solidified at a visible rate, its glow was growing dim and fading!
The eruption stopped.
"Hmph—"
A sound suddenly rang out through the vast underground space. The sound carried several parts of dissatisfaction, several parts arrogance, and several parts grudging displeasure in that cold snort!
Bryan looked around in genuine astonishment, searching intently for the source of the mysterious voice.
But just then, before he could locate the speaker, a series of emerald meteors suddenly flew out from the lava that was rapidly solidifying below. These glowing meteors broke through the hardening lava's obstruction and hovered at specific positions above, below, and all around Bryan.
They flickered with faint but steady light while establishing mysterious magical connections with one another!
"Those are the emeralds that were embedded in the vault's rock walls earlier—"
Bryan raised his wand, frowning with concentration as he stared at those emerald gems that, like stars in a constellation, appeared chaotic and random at first glance yet actually maintained hidden, complex connections with one another in three-dimensional space.
He watched as materialized channels of pure magic gradually connected between the gems like glowing threads being woven. He watched as those gems began to "pulse" in perfect synchronization at mysterious, regular frequencies...
"This is... a Field?! An active magical field!"
Bryan's eyes suddenly widened as he cried out in shock, recognizing what he was seeing.
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