Forbidden Forest.
A forbidden area nestled in the woods behind Hogwarts, enchanted by Sebastian, it was impenetrable, and the creatures within could not leave.
Sebastian now maintained a population of approximately ten male and female fantastic beasts within the Forbidden Forest, all of which he had previously modified and cloned.
Today marked a full month since these creatures were released. Sebastian's purpose was to check on the creatures and make adjustments accordingly.
As Sebastian entered the Forbidden Forest, a raven soared overhead, accompanying him. It was Fawkes. In the space of a month, Fawkes had transformed from his original furry, fleshy form into his current form, with black feathers shimmering with golden-red flames and a pair of golden-red eyes. All of this testified to his extraordinary abilities.
The Forbidden Forest, with its trees and rivers, theoretically provided no major challenge for the fantastic beasts. However, upon entering, Sebastian discovered a different problem.
A young hippogriff and a young centaur were facing off, seemingly vying for territory. Behind the hippogriff, another was seriously injured. A closer look revealed the injured one had been poisoned, which was uncharacteristic of a young centaur.
Seeing the young hippogriff and centaur about to engage in a fight, Sebastian addressed Fawkes, "Fawkes, separate them and make them quiet down."
Unlike the other fantastic beasts Sebastian had created, Fawkes was imbued with the power of the phoenix, fundamentally surpassing them by a factor of two. Therefore, when Fawkes unleashed his imposing aura, the young hippogriff and centaur were instantly pinned to the ground, unable to move.
Raising his head proudly, Fawkes flew through the trees, seeking credit for his actions.
Seeing Fawkes's expression, Sebastian immediately smiled and said, "Okay, I will give you a sliver of Phoenix Force when we get back, as a reward."
Over the past month, Sebastian and Wanda had discovered that Fawkes disliked eating food consumed by humans or animals. Instead, he ate only high-energy substances. If necessary, Fawkes could absorb energy directly to survive. Sebastian had previously allowed Fawkes to absorb a wisp of the Space Stone's power, but even after a small sip, Fawkes could not fly for three days.
Conversely, as long as Fawkes did not consume too much, the Phoenix Force would almost instantly integrate into his body, accelerating his growth and significantly increasing his power. Logically, Sebastian should have allowed Fawkes to absorb more Phoenix Force. However, Sebastian discovered that if Fawkes absorbed too much Phoenix Force too frequently in a short period of time, his body and soul would begin to collapse, as if he were about to revert to the Phoenix Force. Furthermore, the Phoenix Force itself was not infinite, so Sebastian only gave Fawkes tiny slivers of it at intervals.
Crouching down to examine the wounded and poisoned hippogriff, Sebastian frowned slightly. With a flick of his wand, he cleared the hippogriff's wounds and poison. Seeing the injured hippogriff's breathing gradually steady, Sebastian addressed Fawkes, "Fawkes, bring me the cockatrice!"
Upon receiving Sebastian's command, Fawkes immediately let out a high-pitched cry and darted into the forest at breakneck speed, searching for the cockatrice Sebastian had commanded. As Fawkes left, the hippogriffs, lacking Fawkes's intelligence, immediately approached the injured one. Sebastian smiled and made way, allowing the hippogriff to take the other away. Seeing the hippogriff's departure, the centaur also quickly departed without lingering. Sebastian gave the centaur a very bad impression, feeling even more dangerous and terrifying than Fawkes.
The injured hippogriff had been weakened and nearly killed by the poison, while the injuries he had sustained were not a major concern for the hippogriffs. Their strong constitutions made many injuries insignificant.
Fawkes, with his body the size of an ordinary crow, clutched a young cockatrice the size of an adult monkey and landed in front of Sebastian. He dropped the half-grown cockatrice from the ground, where it landed with a thud.
Without hesitation, Sebastian's wand materialized in his hand. He pointed it at the cockatrice and immediately read its somewhat garbled memories, confirming that it had indeed harmed the hippogriff. However, the cockatrice had not done so intentionally. Fantastic beasts modified and genetically engineered by Sebastian lacked the instincts inherent to their species, unlike truly natural creatures. The cockatrice's genes were seventy to eighty percent rooster, with only a small fraction serpentine. This meant that when its beak developed fangs and venom sacs, it lacked the necessary instincts, and thus, it nearly killed the hippogriff unintentionally.
Of course, even after killing the hippogriff, the cockatrice felt no regrets. After all, it was just an animal.
In fact, this characteristic of the cockatrice also existed in other fantastic beasts, to varying degrees. For example, the hippogriff retained most of the eagle's habits. While it could grow wings and possess the ability to fly, it preferred to run on land.
Sebastian sighed, neither satisfied nor disappointed with the result. He felt a certain sense of certainty. If fantastic beasts were truly that easy to create, then something truly bizarre would be amiss.
Fawkes was a special case. Remember, in creating Fawkes, Sebastian expended the soul orbs of at least ten people, a wisp of Phoenix Force, and combined the Time Stone, Space Stone, and Reality Stone with his own magic to create this one single creature.
With this level of effort, creating Fawkes was merely an experiment. To do the same with other fantastic beasts would be sheer waste and idiocy.
After examining the other fantastic beasts and confirming that they were living relatively normal lives, Sebastian decided not to linger any longer and headed toward Hogwarts with Fawkes.
But at this moment, dark clouds surged above the sky, and a colorful beam of light shot out from the clouds, landing directly in the forest outside Hogwarts.
Rainbow bridge.
Come support and get the advanced chapters:
patreon.com/Daoist_Kalyug