The moon hung low over Hogwarts.
The castle slept.
Most students were already in their dormitories. Even the ghosts had become quieter than usual.
Only Theodore stood alone near the edge of the Black Lake.
His gaze remained fixed on the invisible trail beneath the earth.
It was faint.
Extremely faint.
Had he not gained a deeper understanding of spatial principles through the Wuzhuang Temple Grand Array, he would never have noticed it.
Someone had hidden it well.
Very well.
Unfortunately, they had underestimated one thing.
Theodore's curiosity.
A ripple spread beneath his feet.
The surrounding space folded inward slightly.
The world seemed to blur for an instant.
Then everything became clear again.
The hidden trail appeared before him like a silver thread buried deep beneath the ground.
It stretched away from the first array node.
Toward the depths of Hogwarts.
Toward somewhere ancient.
"Interesting."
Theodore followed.
He did not walk.
Nor did he fly.
Space itself shortened.
Each step carried him dozens of meters forward.
The world shifted around him.
Trees appeared.
Vanished.
Appeared again.
A few minutes later, Theodore stopped.
Before him stood a ruined stone structure almost completely swallowed by vegetation.
Most Hogwarts students had never seen it.
Most professors probably hadn't paid attention to it for decades.
It looked like nothing more than a forgotten relic.
But the silver trail ended here.
Theodore crouched beside one of the broken stones.
His fingers brushed the surface.
Immediately, countless runes flashed through his mind.
Not magical runes.
Something older.
Something closer to the language hidden within the Ten Absolute Arrays.
Theodore's eyes narrowed.
"This wasn't built by Voldemort."
That much became obvious instantly.
Voldemort lacked the knowledge.
More importantly, he lacked the patience.
The Dark Lord preferred domination.
This place felt like calculation.
Layer upon layer of concealment.
A foundation hidden beneath another foundation.
Like a seed planted centuries ago.
Waiting.
Theodore closed his eyes.
His divine sense expanded outward.
The surrounding space trembled.
The earth below the ruins gradually revealed itself.
Five meters.
Ten meters.
Twenty meters.
Thirty.
Then—
Something stirred.
Theodore opened his eyes.
At the exact same moment, a violent pulse erupted from deep underground.
BOOM!
The ruined structure exploded.
Stone fragments shot into the sky.
A column of black mist burst upward like a volcanic eruption.
The entire Black Lake shook.
Waves crashed against the shore.
Thousands of birds took flight from the Forbidden Forest.
Far away inside Hogwarts Castle, dozens of professors jumped to their feet.
Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore slowly raised his head.
His blue eyes reflected the distant burst of darkness.
Fawkes let out a sharp cry.
The old wizard remained silent.
For several seconds.
Then he stood.
The room around him became strangely quiet.
Not fearful.
Not nervous.
Thoughtful.
Very thoughtful.
"Not another accident."
Fawkes tilted his head.
Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles.
"No."
"The game has changed."
At the same moment.
Deep beneath the ruined structure.
Something awakened.
Not a complete array node.
Not yet.
But close.
Black mist spread across ancient stone walls.
Countless twisted symbols lit up one after another.
Theodore looked down calmly.
He could feel it now.
The source.
This was where the first node connected to the rest of the formation.
One of the hidden anchors supporting the future Ten Absolute Arrays.
And now—
Because the first node had been disturbed—
The entire network was beginning to react.
The ground trembled again.
This time more violently.
Theodore felt something subtle brush against him.
Like cold wind.
Like invisible fingers.
Like fate itself shifting.
Several possibilities flickered before his eyes.
A falling tower.
A shattered broomstick.
A dead student.
A burning stadium.
Countless futures.
Countless outcomes.
Most disappeared instantly.
But they had existed.
For a brief moment.
The Array of Heaven's Extinction was already trying to rewrite reality.
Theodore's expression finally became serious.
Not because he was threatened.
Because this thing was becoming interesting.
The old version of the formation that Voldemort thought he had created shouldn't possess this capability.
Something else was helping.
Something much older.
Something hiding behind the curtain.
A low chuckle escaped Theodore.
"So you're getting impatient?"
The black mist responded.
A howl echoed from underground.
The earth cracked.
Darkness surged toward him.
Theodore didn't move.
He simply raised his right hand.
Golden-yellow light appeared.
Wutu Divine Light.
The descending darkness froze instantly.
Then—
Yimu Divine Light emerged.
The two divine lights intertwined.
Life and earth.
Growth and suppression.
A massive ancient tree seemed to appear behind Theodore's figure.
Its roots stretched through heaven and earth.
The darkness screamed.
The entire underground chamber shook violently.
Elsewhere.
A certain Dark Lord nearly fell out of his chair.
"What?!"
Voldemort stared at the sensing ritual before him.
The ritual was supposed to monitor the array network.
It was currently having what appeared to be a nervous breakdown.
Half the runes were flashing.
The other half were exploding.
"What happened?"
Quirrell looked ready to cry.
"My lord."
"What?!"
"I think Theodore found another one."
Silence.
Very dangerous silence.
Voldemort slowly turned his head.
"No."
"My lord..."
"No."
The ritual exploded.
BOOM.
Smoke filled the room.
Quirrell closed his eyes.
There it was.
The familiar feeling.
The exact same feeling he experienced whenever Voldemort said everything was under control.
Every single time.
Without exception.
Disaster followed.
At this point, Quirrell almost wanted the Dark Lord to admit uncertainty once in a while.
At least then reality might spare them.
Back beneath Hogwarts.
Theodore stood at the center of the storm.
The darkness continued resisting.
But it was losing.
More importantly—
Theodore wasn't trying to destroy it.
He was studying it.
Learning from it.
Every fluctuation.
Every transformation.
Every hidden principle.
The Ten Absolute Arrays represented destruction.
The Wuzhuang Temple Grand Array represented stability.
One destroyed.
One protected.
Opposites.
But opposites often revealed each other's weaknesses.
As the dark formation struggled against his suppression, Theodore's understanding of the future Wuzhuang Temple Grand Array continued growing.
New insights appeared constantly.
Like puzzle pieces falling into place.
Then—
Something happened.
A green light suddenly rose from beneath Hogwarts.
Then another.
Then another.
The entire castle grounds began glowing faintly.
Countless roots spread through the earth.
Ancient.
Vigorous.
Alive.
Willow Immortal had arrived.
The future core of the grand array had finally awakened completely.
Theodore smiled.
The timing couldn't have been better.
The massive root system spread through the earth.
Everywhere the roots passed, the dark mist retreated.
The hidden anchor trembled violently.
It had encountered its natural enemy.
Order.
Stability.
Life.
The very things the Array of Heaven's Extinction despised.
Theodore extended his hand.
The newly awakened roots immediately wrapped around the hidden anchor.
Not to destroy it.
To claim the territory around it.
To plant a foundation.
A real foundation.
The first foundation of the Wuzhuang Temple Grand Array.
The earth shook.
The Black Lake surged.
Far above, clouds began gathering.
And across Hogwarts, dozens of powerful witches and wizards suddenly sensed something impossible.
The castle was changing.
Slowly.
Subtly.
But undeniably.
Something ancient was taking root beneath Hogwarts.
Something that did not belong to modern magic.
Something that felt older than wizardry itself.
Theodore looked toward the distant Quidditch Pitch.
The upcoming tournament suddenly seemed much more important than a simple sporting event.
Voldemort needed it.
The hidden forces behind the Ten Absolute Arrays needed it.
And now—
Theodore needed it too.
Because the moment the tournament began, every hidden player would finally step onto the board.
The shadows were gathering.
The arrays were awakening.
The battlefield was ready.
And for the first time since arriving in this world—
Theodore could feel the coming storm.
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