Yet, right now, his fingertips also detected an extremely faint pulsation, almost frozen by the cold.
"It's alive," Dylan murmured, his fingertip hovering above the bloodstain, as if he could feel that faint lingering warmth of life. "This blood still carried life when it left the body. The injured unicorn must have still been alive then."
And, it seemed, it was even the same unicorn he'd been drawing blood from.
He picked up a tiny, dark red ice crystal and held it up to the moonlight. Faint silver lines seemed to flow within the crystal. That was the unique, pure magic within unicorn blood, though now it was shrouded in a grayish film, carrying a heavy, sluggish sensation.
"The curse's aura has faded quite a bit," he added, his thumb brushing the edge of the bloodstain. The snow there wasn't completely red but had an eerie, scorched appearance. "But something's not right." He looked up at Orell, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. "It's not easy for a living unicorn to leave blood like this."
Normally, once a unicorn's blood leaves its body, its pure magic quickly dissipates, and the chilling sensation of the curse spreads like ink in water. But in this puddle of blood, the warmth of life hadn't completely faded, and the curse's aura seemed to be suppressed by something, curled up in the deepest part of the bloodstain, betraying a sense of unwilling struggle.
Dylan stared at the dark red patch, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing it. He knew exactly how to handle drawing unicorn blood and how difficult it was to "tame" this creature's blood, especially blood still carrying life and not yet fully corrupted by a curse.
Dylan thought for a moment, then opened his palm upwards. With a nimble flick of his wrist, a diamond-shaped blood gem appeared out of thin air in his palm. The surface of the diamond swirled with bizarre, distorted patterns, and a reddish, almost black, luster flowed between its facets. Each shift in light and shadow was like a faint heartbeat, exuding a chilling vitality—and the power of a curse.
Orell's pupils contracted, and he instinctively stepped back half a pace, his front legs stiffening. His gaze, fixed on the blood gem, shifted from surprise to sharpness. His nostrils quivered slightly, clearly catching a familiar scent.
"How do you have such a thing?" His voice was tight with suppressed tension. "The curse power on this... it's almost identical to the blood on the ground! Wait—is this a unicorn's heart?!"
Alertness shot up like sharp thorns, and Orell even slightly arched his back, ready for any sudden shift. "You really killed a unicorn! And you viciously dug out its heart to make such an evil thing!" Orell raised his bow and arrow again. He was so foolish! To be tricked by this human's few words! Humans truly were cunning and wicked!
Luna, standing nearby, also paused, her dangling radish earrings stilling, her light golden eyelashes fluttering gently. Her eyes, usually so distant, now clearly reflected the red glow of the blood gem. Surprise flickered in their depths. Yet, she merely pursed her lips, not rushing to speak like Orell, but quietly observing Dylan.
Dylan's fingers caressed the cold surface of the blood gem, feeling that faint, elusive pulse. When he first acquired it, Dylan had already researched this item. The results were pretty much what Riddle had said. This thing seemed to be a diamond infused with curse power. Wizards could use the power within the diamond to study curse magic. Furthermore, with many types of curses, the wielder of this blood gem could even nullify the negative effects of a curse, or even transform a curse into a power that nourished them. This was also the main reason why Riddle, after becoming Voldemort and possessing Quirrell, would instruct Quirrell to hunt unicorns. Voldemort knew that a unicorn's curse was actually useless against him; instead, it would transform into a power that nourished him and prolonged his life.
And the blood gem Dylan found in Lockhart's house, he had experimented with it using unicorn blood. It was indeed true. The blood gem could weaken the curse in the blood, instead transforming it into an even more sinister power. Dylan had not only gotten blood from the unicorn that was free of curses and only had pure life force but also some blood containing curse power. As for how he got it, it's quite something how the unicorn, despite having its blood drawn so many times by Dylan, didn't hold a single grudge. Of course, there was a tiny bit of resentment, but that was more like a mild sulkiness. There was absolutely no animosity. But without animosity, the blood he drew couldn't carry curse power. This forced Dylan to resort to some drastic measures.
Such as... flogging. Yes, literally. Dylan used a vine to mercilessly whip the unicorn's backside about a dozen times until it bled, yet the unicorn still held no animosity towards him. Finally, Dylan had to beat the unicorn for almost half an hour. In the end, it was only when he accidentally hit its head instead of its backside that it finally produced some blood containing a curse. Although it was a winding path, and the curse-infused blood was minimal, thankfully, Dylan had a backup plan. He had also collected some of the cursed blood when Quirrell attacked the unicorn. He just wanted the unicorn's blood to be fresh, at least as a control group. For better experimental accuracy, comparison is key! That's a widely known principle.
Dylan looked up at Orell, his eyes calm and fathomless, as if the forbidden object in his hand was just an ordinary stone. "Why the panic? I didn't create this thing."
Orell knitted his thick brows, glaring at Dylan. "You say you didn't create it? How do I know you're not lying to me!"
Dylan looked at Orell with an expression that said, "Are you an idiot?" "Are you stupid? If I killed a unicorn and made this thing, why would I have you bring me here to look at this useless blood? You're a stubborn, mule-headed brute, remember you're a centaur, not a mule."
A stubborn, mule-headed brute, a mule. Orell was so insulted it was like he'd been struck by lightning. His eyes widened, still holding the sharp alertness from before. Now, they simply froze, looking like glass covered in a thin mist. He opened his mouth, as if to retort, but the words caught in his throat, only a mumbled gasp escaping. "You... how can you scold me like that? That's too nasty!"
No matter how angry they got, centaurs usually only called someone "foolish." How could this human's mouth be so venomous? Truly, a malicious human! Scolding so nastily!
Dylan hadn't expected such a burly centaur to almost burst into tears just from being scolded. He was stunned.
Luna, too, blinked beside him. She watched Orell's ears droop, his previously taut back slumping. Then he turned his head, scuffing his hoof in the snow, his mane falling to cover half his face. This centaur… was he really so contradictory? Luna's usually dreamy gaze held a rare, clear flicker of surprise.
Dylan's mouth twitched, his expression softening slightly. But he wasn't about to comfort the centaur. Against such a proud and temperamental centaur, the best approach was never conciliation but provocation.
"Don't tell me, with that teary-eyed look, you're about to cry now."
As expected, this tactic was incredibly effective. It perfectly pierced Orell's fragile sense of grievance. He suddenly lifted his head, his ears snapping upright. The moist haze that had clouded his eyes instantly dispersed, replaced by a renewed spark of anger, though now tinged with a bit of embarrassment.
"I am not!" He retorted almost immediately, his voice rising, his hoof stomping heavily on the snow, kicking up a few flakes. "How could I possibly cry? I'm a centaur—a guardian of this forest!" He deliberately straightened his back, trying to assume his usual haughty demeanor, but the slight redness at the corners of his eyes hadn't completely faded, making him sound a bit less forceful. "It's just a couple of worthless words, they don't affect me! And, and I'm not stupid!" he added, jutting out his neck, as if trying to convince Dylan, or perhaps himself, his mane bristling slightly from the effort of maintaining his composure.
Dylan's mouth twitched again. "Alright, alright, you're not stupid. I guess I must have been mistaken."
Although centaurs have a strict social system, their habitat is, after all, limited to this Forbidden Forest. The Forbidden Forest is vast, yet also small. Centaurs, who spend their lives interacting with the stars and other creatures, might be able to "comprehend" nature, but their social skills are often quite "naive." Of course, for the very old centaurs, it's different. But for young centaurs like Orell... he was truly exceptionally naive. Dylan wondered why the centaurs would allow Orell to wander freely on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.
However—
A faint glint flickered in Dylan's eyes. Orell's status among the centaur tribe might not be simple. He directly called Bane "big brother" and knew Firenze and other centaurs. If he were just an ordinary centaur, he might not even have had the chance to meet them. After all, Firenze was known among centaurs for not adhering to centaur traditions. Normal centaur parents probably wouldn't let their children get close to him. Yet, Orell could still learn divination and star-gazing with Firenze, Ronan, and others. This alone was enough to suggest his unusual status.
"Excellent, it seems letting him go back then was indeed the right choice," Dylan thought with a silent chuckle. The casual move he made back then had brought an unexpected surprise.
He turned to Luna. "Although this unicorn's blood carries a curse, its intensity is not very high compared to what it could be. Besides, I know this unicorn; I saved it once, and the blood it shed then was truly cursed blood. An ordinary person would feel extremely uncomfortable just being near it."
"You saved a unicorn?" Orell was startled. "When? How come I didn't know?"
Dylan pursed his lips. "Why would you know? Do you think you're an omniscient divination master?"
Orell also pouted. "Hmph!"
Dylan rolled his eyes. Was Hogwarts a breeding ground for tsunderes? Why were they all so proud and temperamental?
Luna nodded. "So, this diamond..."
Dylan turned back. "Through my research, I've found that this blood gem seems to be able to show fragmented scenes of the unicorn before it bled, using its blood."
Dylan held the diamond-shaped blood gem in his hand, the red light within its patterns pulsing gently with his movements. He crouched down, holding the blood gem just half an inch above the scattered unicorn bloodstains on the ground.
The next second, the bizarre patterns on the blood gem's surface suddenly lit up, wriggling as if alive. The bloodstains on the ground seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, tiny blood droplets detaching from the snow and turning into red threads, flying towards the blood gem. When the two touched, a blinding crimson light erupted instantly. The pulsing of the blood gem and the flow of the bloodstains strangely synchronized. At the same time, the air filled with an odor of rust mixed with ancient curses.
As the light dimmed, Dylan's eyes briefly unfocused. Fragmented images flooded his mind without warning. Under the moonlight deep in the Forbidden Forest, a unicorn walked slowly, its silver mane swaying among the trees. Indeed, there were scattered bloodstains on its body, dripping down its pristine white fur, leaving small red marks on the dead leaves. But its steps were steady, with no sign of panic or flight, and there were no chasing shadows around it, only the rustling of wind through the leaves. It walked quietly, the blood on its body like an accidental mark, not a wound from being hunted.
However, Dylan observed very carefully. From his understanding of unicorns, he clearly saw a wound on the unicorn's thigh, though it was obscured by its fur, making it less obvious.
The image popped like a bubble. Dylan came back to himself, blinking. At this point, the fusion of the blood gem and the bloodstains had stopped. The bloodstains on the ground had faded by more than half. However, the red glow of the blood gem had dimmed somewhat, and the eerie feeling within its patterns had intensified. Dylan ignored it. He had already discovered this phenomenon when researching the blood gem's uses. This was likely a normal occurrence when using the blood gem, and nothing else would happen.
"Well?" Luna noticed a lot of magic surging in the air just now. Something was happening on a spiritual level.
Dylan stood up. "I saw it go that way." He pointed in another direction.
Orell and Luna looked. Dylan was pointing deep into the Forbidden Forest.
Orell looked puzzled. "Are you sure?"
Luna also spoke up. "The bloodstains I found are on the other side." She pointed too, but her direction was at a right angle to Dylan's.
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