Hearing his own words thrown back, Tom Riddle felt unbearable humiliation.
He stopped controlling the fire serpent and pointed his wand at Wizette instead. "Avada—"
Before he finished the incantation, the wand passed through his hand and clattered to the ground.
Not only that—a glass vial fell from him, filled with silvery liquid.
Tom Riddle didn't hesitate. He struggled to gather the glow around him and scooped the vial into his hand.
As he reached for the wand, Wizette spoke first. "Accio wand!"
Just as Tom Riddle was about to grab it, the wand flew into Wizette's hand.
"No! Too much drain! Can't stay here!" Tom Riddle's eyes flickered. He suddenly floated up and quickly vanished into darkness.
"Faster than expected." Wizette looked down at Lockhart's wand. "So this is a soul fragment? Truly bizarre!"
"Normally, detecting him through conventional means would be difficult..." He waved the wand lightly and let the fire serpent dissolve into nothing.
Recalling the vial in Tom Riddle's possession, Wizette murmured. "Something more precious than the wand? What was in that vial?"
"Probably unicorn blood..." Firenze's expression darkened. "Perhaps a unicorn was killed!"
Wizette frowned deeply. "That's why he came to the forest? Besides inciting Acromantulas to attack Hogwarts, he wanted unicorn blood?"
Firenze sighed. "Unicorn blood can sustain life... Even life on the brink of death. More effective than phoenix tears!"
"But the side effects in the blood... That invisible yet deadly curse will make the drinker pay a terrible price!"
Dumbledore had said something similar. Wizette was curious about the specific price.
But whether inside or outside school, he'd found no related information—usually just glossed over as "terrible price."
He couldn't help asking curiously. "Firenze, what terrible price exactly? Do you know?"
Firenze recalled. "In our oral traditions, once you drink unicorn blood, everything you plan afterward may deviate from expectations, unable to achieve..."
Just then, rumbling sounds came from the distance.
Firenze's expression changed. "I should've told you! They're coming! The creatures driven by Acromantulas!"
The ground trembled. Nearby was a hill-like figure—an enraged troll, desperately swinging its arms, trying to catch Acromantulas wandering through the trees.
Wizette snapped his fingers and directly burned the spider web. The Acromantula that fell couldn't flip over before the troll grabbed it and smashed it hard into the ground...
"We should go!" Firenze bent down. "I'll get you out of here."
"I have a better way!" Wizette saw more massive figures and shook his head lightly. "Where's the Acromantula nest?"
"Just ahead." Firenze immediately pointed into the distance.
"Then take me there!" Wizette transformed into phoenix Animagus and flew straight up.
Firenze quickly gathered momentum, four hooves kicking off sharply. He caught Wizette's talons in midair and began guiding direction.
Compared to the distant commotion, this Acromantula territory gave Wizette a sense of tranquility.
Along the way, only large webs hung on trees with bones and flesh stuck within—no traces of other creatures.
Surrounding trees grew more dilapidated and gradually became misty. Firenze spoke quietly. "Put me down! If we're both in the air, we're easier targets."
After returning to ground, Firenze carried Wizette forward until they reached a wide hollow.
The hollow's center was covered in sky-blocking misty haze. Only careful inspection revealed this was a hemisphere-shaped giant web.
Countless Acromantula eggs scattered around the web, crowded densely together, occasionally pulsing like hearts.
Click-click-click...
Click-click-click...
The escaped Acromantulas gathered here, constantly moving pincers, like complaining.
Their audience was an incredibly massive Acromantula that looked like an elephant.
Its bristles no longer black but showed decayed gray, indicating considerable age. Eyes covered with white film—probably blind.
Firenze had said the Acromantula leader lost mobility. Must be this giant spider before them.
"You came... I am Aragog..." Aragog moved his pincers and spoke much clearer than other Acromantulas.
"I am wizard's pet... We are not enemies... Wizards and centaurs are enemies... We are friends... Good friends..."
"Really?" Wizette raised an eyebrow, suddenly turned, and raised his wand toward one spot. "Sectumsempra!"
SLASH!
A blade cut through the web. Then a black shadow fell from above.
Another Acromantula, looking even larger than Aragog. A vicious wound split its carapace with foul blood constantly seeping out.
Guardian's Meditation and night-vision charm enhanced perception worked even better in this relatively quiet environment.
Let him discover the Acromantula hiding in darkness, planning ambush.
"Friends so tasty, right?" He spoke softly. "Still planning ambush?"
"Mosag!" Aragog's tone revealed grief. "Kill them! Eat them!"
But those Acromantulas didn't dare move and even shrank toward Aragog. "Click... Terrible wizard... Can't eat... Will die..."
Wizette asked directly. "Where's the unicorn? The unicorn you caught?"
"Not with us... Taken by something else." Aragog answered. "That thing... It deceived me... I didn't mean to..."
Wizette narrowed his eyes slightly. Compared to other Acromantulas, this one was older and knew better how to communicate with people.
After several Acromantula attacks, facing such naturally cruel dangerous creatures, he certainly wouldn't believe such claims.
He looked at Firenze. "Firenze, is it telling the truth?"
"Nature will tell us the answer..." Firenze looked worried. Obviously like Wizette, he didn't believe the Acromantula's words.
He took herbs from his waist pouch. Just as he planned his next move, the Acromantula named Mosag flipped up and suddenly spat web...
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