Chapter 579: Treasure Guarded by the Dragon
Deep within the shifting mists of the World Behind the Veil, a sleek black cat
padded with silent, rhythmic grace.
His tail was coiled tightly around the hilt of a magnificent blade. Whenever the
ruby light from the sword flashed through the air, the heavy white vapor
recoiled as if burned, leaving a clear path before him.
The Sword of Gryffindor...
Sean mused on the weapon's weight and power as he crested a ridge. As the mist
thinned, he realized the sky above was high—impossibly high. The pale red vapor
overhead faded into a distant, leaden grey at the horizon.
In this part of the Lands Between, there were no mountains or trees. There was
only grass—an infinite sea of it, pushed by a silent wind, surging toward the
edge of the world in emerald waves. The blades were tall enough to brush against
the Cat's ears. Strange, wheat-like plants bowed their heavy heads, whispering
in a dry, rustling chorus whenever the breeze passed.
Close by, the color was a deep, impenetrable forest-green. Further ahead, it
paled to a vibrant turquoise before bleeding into a tender yellow at the edge of
his vision. The air smelled of sun-baked earth and warm, crushed stalks.
The wind shifted again, and the entire world of green swayed in unison.
In his previous visits, Sean had always stepped on clouds of vapor. He hadn't
realized that beneath the mist, the Lands Between could be so lush—so vibrant.
Or is it that the ground is taking shape because I am standing on it? he
wondered.
Ever since the Void Rune had cracked, his connection to this realm had changed.
It felt more intimate, more visceral. Before, the realm had been a blurry, white
void. Even the lakes and marshes had felt like suggestions rather than reality.
"Say 'no' to the Lands Between..."
The Black Cat whispered the words, his whiskers twitching. He looked down at the
ruby-hilted blade. It radiated a predatory, all-consuming light. What kind of
magic allowed a piece of steel to be this sharp?
He remembered the battle with the stone titan. He had wondered if the sword
could sever the giant's arm. At the start of the duel, he hadn't known. But by
the end, he had decided it couldn't.
And so, the blade had failed to leave a single scratch on the granite.
At the time, the Cat hadn't considered the fact that he had summoned a
Vine-Stone Guardian so massive its head was literally buried in the clouds.
A cat's tail always has a mind of its own. Sean's tail gave the sword a playful
flick, neatly decapitating a clump of dry stalks.
In the center of the field, a series of rice paddies began to emerge from the
fog. Ragged scarecrows stood sentinel over the crops. Sean realized with a start
that Ariana was much further away than he had initially predicted.
His tail was growing bolder, swinging the sword with an itch to topple one of
the wooden sentries. Sean suppressed the urge, eventually resorting to carrying
the sword in his mouth to keep his tail under control.
"Ah, we meet again, my little Knight. It seems you still have need of me."
One of the scarecrows suddenly hopped out of the mud, making the Black Cat jump
in surprise. His tail instinctively snatched the sword back and swung it in a
wide arc, the tip of the blade narrowly missing the scarecrow's head.
Godric Gryffindor wiped a bead of ghostly sweat from his brow. "If that bit of
steel had connected, I suspect I'd be horizontal for a decade."
He looked up, his amber eyes fixed on the blade inches from his face,
unblinking.
A question flared in Sean's mind: Why isn't he afraid?
"A vast place, isn't it?"
Gryffindor sat down heavily on a rock, the straw of his "disguise" crunching
beneath him. "Someone once told me the most expansive thing in the world is the
ocean. Another told me the sky was wider still. Do you know what is more vast
than the sky, lad?"
Sean cherished these moments with the Founder. He considered the question
seriously. "I don't know, sir."
"The human heart," Gryffindor said with a meaningful smile. "And yours... yours
is a kingdom."
"What?" Sean blinked.
"Oh, I see now why I keep running into you," Gryffindor said, ignoring the
question and looking around at the forming landscape. "You're still trying to
build that girl a home, aren't you?"
Sean nodded. During his last visit, after Ariana had seen her brothers in the
dream-trance, four wooden walls had sprouted from the marsh. He wondered if
another dream would provide her with a roof—a sanctuary to shield her from the
eternal highland chill of the Veil.
She had wandered alone for a century. Sean, as her "Deity," felt he had to act.
Furthermore, every second Sean spent in this realm, his Soul Transfiguration
proficiency was ticking upward. It had spiked violently when the Void Rune
cracked, though he hadn't yet had time to check the exact numbers.
"Dreams," Gryffindor said, his tone turning philosophical. "They aren't as sweet
as you imagine, but they aren't as bitter as people fear. But their power is
limited. A dream can offer a moment of peace, but it cannot fix a broken soul."
The warrior's eyes drifted to the ruby blade. "A true Knight is one who is
willing to fight for the happiness of others. But in such a quest, both the
Knight and the person they serve must stake their life and their honor on the
outcome."
"What do you mean, sir?" Sean's heart began to hammer against his ribs. He felt
he was on the verge of a revelation.
In his previous attempt to help Sirius, they had failed. The Inverse Soul was
too powerful, and the realm's natural defenses had evicted them. But Gryffindor
had told him to say "no" to the realm's rules.
"I'll tell you a secret, little Knight. If happiness were easy to grasp, it
wouldn't be worth the naming. Happiness is like a treasure on a magical isle,
guarded by a dragon of unthinkable power. To claim it, one must endure a battle
that leaves scars."
Gryffindor stood up, his left foot resting on a rock in the middle of the field.
He looked every bit the legendary hero of the sagas.
"A Knight must always be prepared to do something... improper."
With a booming laugh, Godric Gryffindor reached out and patted the Cat on the
head before vanishing back into the deep mists.
"He doesn't seem particularly bright, does he?"
In a distant, sheltered corner of the realm, Godric Gryffindor scratched the
back of his head.
"He's just like me. I like him immensely. I'm still annoyed that little scrap of
a Hat didn't put him in my House."
The beautiful witch standing beside him offered a look of pure, unadulterated
disdain. Curiously, Godric noticed her eyes darting away for a split second—a
look of guilt.
"You... you used that 'Pact,' didn't you?" Godric asked suspiciously.
Rowena Ravenclaw remained expressionless.
"It was the Hat! The Hat fulfilled the Agreement, didn't it?!" Gryffindor
barked, his face turning a shade of indignant red.
"You challenged a fourteen-year-old boy to a duel, Godric," Rowena said flatly.
"I... well, no, you—Rowena, you stole—!"
"A duel. With a child," she repeated, each word punctuated like a hammer.
Gryffindor went silent, a plume of frustrated red mist rising from his head.
Meanwhile, in another pocket of the dreamscape...
"It has been a long time since I've seen you here, Mr. Green."
Dumbledore smiled warmly as he looked down at the black cat.
"Headmaster," Sean said, his voice full of resolve. "Let's go and take the
treasure from the dragon."
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you