The laughter lasted only a moment.
Then it vanished.
As if it had never existed.
Yet the moment it echoed through the depths beneath Hogwarts, countless creatures reacted.
The giant squid sleeping within the Black Lake suddenly opened one eye.
Deep in the Forbidden Forest, several Acromantulas retreated into their nests.
Even the centaurs stopped what they were doing and turned toward the castle.
Something had awakened.
Something old.
Very old.
Inside the abandoned chamber.
Dust continued falling from the ceiling.
Voldemort stared at the trembling ritual circle.
Quirrell stared at Voldemort.
The silence stretched.
Finally—
"My Lord?"
Voldemort's expression remained perfectly calm.
Too calm.
Suspiciously calm.
"My Lord?"
"A minor fluctuation."
Quirrell almost laughed.
Almost.
He valued his life too much.
"Of course."
"Nothing unexpected."
"Naturally."
The Dark Lord folded his arms.
"Theodore merely triggered a reaction ahead of schedule."
Quirrell nodded.
"Naturally."
"The overall plan remains unchanged."
"Naturally."
"The situation is still under control."
"...Naturally."
Even Voldemort began finding Quirrell's tone irritating.
His eyes narrowed.
"You seem skeptical."
Quirrell immediately straightened.
"Impossible."
"I have complete faith in your wisdom."
The chamber shook again.
A chunk of stone fell from the ceiling and landed directly in the center of the ritual circle.
Smashing three runes.
The ritual instantly fizzled.
Voldemort stared.
Quirrell stared.
Neither spoke.
After several seconds, Voldemort slowly looked away.
"A minor inconvenience."
Meanwhile.
Theodore stood at the edge of the Black Lake.
The night wind stirred his robes.
His attention wasn't on the lake itself.
It was beneath it.
Far beneath it.
The third node had awakened.
And unlike the previous two, this one was different.
Much deeper.
Much older.
Much more dangerous.
The moment it activated, Theodore sensed a foreign presence brushing against Hogwarts.
Not fully descended.
Not even close.
More like...
A finger pressed against a window.
Testing the glass.
The sensation disappeared quickly.
Yet it left Theodore with one undeniable conclusion.
The things hiding behind the Ten Absolute Arrays were becoming impatient.
Theodore's lips curved upward slightly.
Good.
That meant he was doing something right.
Behind him, the ground shifted.
A willow root emerged from the earth.
Then another.
Then dozens more.
Willow Immortal's consciousness was waking faster than expected.
The vast root network beneath Hogwarts had nearly doubled over the past few days.
Theodore could feel it spreading through the castle grounds.
Protecting.
Observing.
Growing.
It was still far from becoming the true core of the Wuzhuang Temple Grand Array.
But the foundation existed now.
Once a foundation existed, everything else became easier.
"Not bad."
The roots wiggled slightly.
Theodore almost laughed.
Willow Immortal seemed absurdly pleased with the praise.
The following morning.
The Great Hall was unusually lively.
Every conversation eventually returned to the same topic.
The tournament.
Teams.
Players.
Predictions.
Arguments.
Fred and George were currently attempting to convince several first-years that they had secretly signed contracts with three professional teams.
Nobody believed them.
Except one Hufflepuff.
That Hufflepuff believed everything.
At the Gryffindor table, Hermione had three books open simultaneously.
Harry was reading tournament information.
Ron was busy eating.
An activity he treated with remarkable dedication.
Then Hermione suddenly paused.
"Hm."
Harry looked up.
"What?"
"My pendant."
The fire crab hanging around her neck glowed faintly.
Ron immediately stopped chewing.
That got his attention.
Every time one of Theodore's gifts reacted, something strange followed.
Hermione frowned.
"It's warm."
Harry instinctively touched the willow branch tied around his waist.
The branch vibrated slightly.
Ron slowly looked down at the cabbage bracelet around his wrist.
Several tiny cabbage heads were staring toward the windows.
The three exchanged glances.
"...That's probably fine," Ron said.
Nobody sounded convinced.
At the staff table.
Dumbledore quietly watched the students.
Most appeared happy.
Excited.
Normal.
Which made the hidden tension beneath the castle feel even stranger.
His gaze drifted toward Theodore.
The boy looked completely relaxed.
As if nothing unusual was happening.
Yet Dumbledore knew better.
Theodore only became that calm when something important was already underway.
The old wizard's fingers lightly tapped the table.
A habit he rarely displayed.
Fawkes, perched nearby, tilted its head.
Dumbledore smiled.
"Yes."
"It feels familiar."
The phoenix chirped softly.
The headmaster's eyes reflected the morning sunlight.
"I haven't felt this since Grindelwald."
Back then, a storm had been gathering too.
Most people hadn't noticed until it arrived.
By then, it was too late.
That evening.
Theodore finally followed the trail connected to the third node.
The path led away from the castle.
Past the grounds.
Past the forest.
Toward the deepest region of the Black Lake.
The air grew colder.
The surrounding magic became increasingly distorted.
Eventually, Theodore stopped.
Water stretched before him.
Dark.
Silent.
Still.
At first glance, there was nothing unusual.
At second glance, there was also nothing unusual.
That was the problem.
The Black Lake should never be this quiet.
Theodore's eyes narrowed.
Then he extended his hand.
A ripple spread through space itself.
Heaven and Earth in My Palm.
The lake surface trembled.
For a moment, the hidden layers of reality peeled away.
And Theodore saw it.
Something beneath the water.
A shadow.
Enormous.
Motionless.
Waiting.
It wasn't the giant squid.
The giant squid was tiny compared to this thing.
The shadow stretched across the lakebed like a submerged mountain.
Ancient symbols covered its body.
Array symbols.
Tribulation symbols.
Something in between.
The third node wasn't simply connected to this creature.
It was growing from it.
Theodore's expression finally changed.
Not fear.
Not concern.
Interest.
Genuine interest.
Because for the first time since discovering the Ten Absolute Arrays...
He had found a piece that didn't belong to Voldemort.
Not even remotely.
A low sound echoed from the depths.
The water began to ripple.
Then the shadow moved.
Just slightly.
Yet the entire Black Lake shuddered.
And deep within Theodore's mind, the system exploded with scarlet warnings.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[A remnant from the Mythological Era has been detected!]
[The third node has completed partial fusion!]
[Array of Heaven's Extinction progress increased!]
[Ancient Entity awakening...]
Theodore looked into the darkness beneath the lake.
The darkness looked back.
And somewhere far away, a sleeping Saint opened its eyes.
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