Theodore's eyes opened.
The Room of Requirement was silent.
Moonlight filtered through the windows.
Nothing appeared unusual.
Yet the sentence still echoed within his mind.
A disciple of Yuxu?
Not "cultivator."
Not "wizard."
Not even "immortal."
Yuxu.
The Jade Void Palace.
The place associated with Primordial Beginning Heavenly Venerable.
One of the highest inheritances of the Investiture era.
Theodore slowly sat upright.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he had encountered something that wasn't merely influenced by the Mythological Era.
This thing beneath the lake remembered it.
Remembered it personally.
That was a completely different matter.
Theodore's expression became thoughtful.
Then he vanished.
Space folded.
The next moment he appeared beside the Black Lake.
The surface remained calm.
Too calm.
As if waiting.
Theodore looked downward.
And the lake looked back.
For several seconds neither side moved.
Then the ancient voice sounded again.
Not through the ears.
Directly through the soul.
"You carry Yuxu's aura."
Theodore replied calmly.
"And you remember Yuxu."
A pause followed.
The creature seemed to be examining him.
Carefully.
More carefully than before.
Then came a strange response.
"You are weak."
Theodore laughed.
That wasn't an insult.
Merely an observation.
Compared to something that had survived since the Mythological Era, his current cultivation truly was weak.
The voice continued.
"Too weak."
"Yet... your foundation is correct."
"Strange."
Another silence followed.
Theodore didn't rush.
The more powerful the existence, the less useful impatience became.
Eventually the creature spoke again.
"What year is this?"
Theodore answered.
The lake became silent.
Completely silent.
Several moments passed.
Then—
The creature laughed.
Not mockingly.
Not maliciously.
Almost sadly.
"So much time has passed."
Theodore's eyes narrowed.
"What are you?"
The answer came immediately.
"I do not remember."
That made Theodore pause.
The creature continued.
"I remember war."
"I remember heaven collapsing."
"I remember saints."
"I remember blood."
"I remember chains."
"I remember being buried."
The golden eyes opened beneath the lake.
Ancient exhaustion filled them.
"Everything else is gone."
Theodore felt a faint chill.
Not fear.
A sense of scale.
Whatever this thing was, it had existed through events that modern wizards couldn't even imagine.
Then suddenly—
The creature's tone changed.
"Something is feeding on me."
Theodore's eyes sharpened.
"The third node."
"Yes."
"The thing connected to the formation."
"Yes."
The creature's voice carried faint annoyance.
"It itches."
Theodore nearly laughed.
A Saint-backed fragment of the Ten Absolute Arrays.
A terrifying formation capable of influencing fate itself.
And this ancient being's description was:
It itches.
Somehow that made the situation even more absurd.
Theodore asked,
"Can you remove it?"
"No."
"Why?"
"I am chained."
The lake trembled.
Ancient runes lit beneath the water.
For an instant Theodore saw them.
Chains.
Thousands upon thousands of chains.
Wrapped around a colossal body.
Some stretched into space itself.
Some vanished into dimensions beyond sight.
Some connected to the very foundations of Hogwarts.
Theodore finally understood.
This thing wasn't sleeping.
It was imprisoned.
Meanwhile.
Inside Hogwarts Castle.
Dumbledore abruptly stopped writing.
His quill froze.
Fawkes looked up.
The old wizard slowly turned toward the window.
His blue eyes reflected the distant lake.
Something had happened.
He couldn't explain it.
But for a brief moment—
The magic of Hogwarts had changed.
Not weakened.
Not strengthened.
Acknowledged.
As if something ancient had stirred beneath the castle.
Something that had always been there.
Something that had suddenly become aware.
Dumbledore stood.
"I believe."
He smiled faintly.
"We may soon receive visitors."
Fawkes chirped.
Dumbledore didn't elaborate.
Because he wasn't entirely sure what he had just sensed.
Elsewhere.
Voldemort was feeling wonderful.
For the first time in weeks.
No explosions.
No interruptions.
No murderous vegetables.
No life-threatening encounters with decorative accessories.
Everything was progressing smoothly.
The ritual circles were being prepared.
The array nodes continued strengthening.
The tournament was approaching.
Even Theodore Snow had seemingly disappeared from his path.
Perfect.
Exactly as planned.
The Dark Lord folded his arms proudly.
"I told you."
Quirrell immediately became nervous.
Whenever Voldemort said that sentence, reality usually took it as a challenge.
"I told you everything would proceed according to my expectations."
Quirrell silently prayed.
To whom?
He wasn't sure anymore.
At this point he'd accept assistance from nearly anyone.
Back at the lake.
Theodore continued speaking with the imprisoned being.
"What happens when the formation completes?"
The golden eyes slowly opened wider.
For the first time—
A trace of seriousness appeared.
"The chains weaken."
Theodore frowned.
"The formation weakens your prison?"
"Yes."
"And then?"
The creature looked upward.
Toward the distant stars.
Toward Hogwarts.
Toward the future.
Its answer was quiet.
Very quiet.
"If the chains break..."
The lake began trembling.
The third node pulsed violently.
Somewhere deep underground, other nodes responded.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
The network awakened further.
The creature's voice echoed through the darkness.
"If the chains break..."
"...something far worse than me wakes up first."
Theodore's smile slowly faded.
For the first time since discovering the Ten Absolute Arrays—
He realized the board might be larger than he thought.
And somewhere beyond mortal sight, hidden behind layers of fate and tribulation, something ancient stirred in its sleep.
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