A chill rose from Ron's spine.
Hundreds of vibrant lives, "protectively" sealed within this underground crypt.
The boundary between protection and imprisonment was unsettlingly blurred.
"Eternal slumber? Just like those Great Wizards in the Court of Truth?"
His voice was unusually dry, recalling those specimen libraries in the Court of Truth.
"No, this is quite different from the specimen library, where there are old zombies long meant to die but yet live. Here, it's vibrant humans being preserved."
Uther moved towards the nearest Crystal Coffin, inside which lay a youth seemingly in his teens.
The youth's visage was as exquisite as a work of art, yet the absolute stillness invoked an indescribable fear:
"This 'bloodline preservation' is rather popular among the Witch Kings."
The old professor's phantom became even more ethereal under the Crystal reflection:
