A graveyard is a place of death, and to absorb pure Dark power here, night is the optimal time.
By the time Rey Apparated to the graveyard in Godric's Hollow, night had already fallen.
The Hollow was quiet at night, with only a few houses still lit by candlelight.
Entering the town was quiet, but entering the graveyard was silent.
Rey had been here once before. Last time, it had felt peculiar. Now, the chill was even more intense, seemingly mixed with something else.
The dilapidated church remained as worn as ever, with dim candlelight flickering inside, suggesting the gravekeeper still lived there.
Rey didn't go to the church. He found a spot near the center of the graveyard. First, he took out his wand and cast Muffliato as a protective charm.
This spell functioned similarly to a Disillusionment Charm in effect. It created a magical barrier that rendered life forms within it invisible to outsiders and muffled sound. Of course, if someone outside used a spell like Homenum Revelio or had enhanced magical sight, that would be a different story. Magic wasn't absolute.
In addition to that, Rey cast a second protective ward inside the barrier. Even if it couldn't stop an intruder, it would at least alert him.
Meditation was the fundamental method for absorbing Dark power: visualizing the Specter Bead within one's soul and using it to complete the absorption process.
The Specter Bead absorbs Dark power, and the wizard then draws upon that power to cast Dark Magic.
After setting up his protections, Rey sat on the ground, relaxed his body and mind, and began to meditate.
Without anyone to guard him, Rey dared not enter Deep Meditation. To collect Dark power, he only needed to meditate until he could visualize the Specter Bead within his spiritual soul.
A foggy world, a Specter Bead the size of a fist—Rey entered the meditative state easily.
Focusing his consciousness on the Specter Bead, he felt a slight spiritual tremor before his consciousness slipped inside smoothly. Instantly, Rey's perception of the entire world changed.
From the moment his consciousness merged with the Specter Bead, Rey's vision shifted to a 360-degree X-ray perspective.
The bones buried beneath the graveyard became clearly visible in this state. Some emitted a faint, hazy glow; others were just white bones.
The scene was eerie. It shocked Rey initially, requiring a moment to adjust. After all, seeing buried skeletons everywhere was gruesome and unsettling.
Besides the bones, Rey could also see tiny specks of black mist mixed within the grey fog in the air.
This black mist was pure Dark power—Rey's target for absorption.
With a mental command, the Specter Bead emitted a suction force that spread outward. The wisps of black energy in the air began to gather toward the Specter Bead, drawn by the continuous pull.
As the strands of Dark power slowly entered the Specter Bead, Rey felt no adverse effects. Encouraged, he increased the suction force, rapidly pulling in the surrounding black mist.
---
Inside the dilapidated church.
The gravekeeper, with matted grey hair and dressed entirely in black, held a candle in his left hand and rested his right hand on an open Bible, muttering incantations.
He was routinely reciting the spells written at the back of the Bible. His pronunciation was unique, likely pure Latin.
Some time ago, a young wizard had come here to absorb Dark power. Thick black mist had seeped out from beneath the church, drawn away by that suction force.
He recognized that young wizard.
Terence Barrow, a noble wizard.
Noble wizards had abundant resources, and many researched powerful Dark Magic. However, wizards capable of absorbing pure Dark power in a graveyard were incredibly rare.
He hadn't stopped him because the noble wizard's teacher was Salazar Slytherin—one of the four greatest wizards in the world today.
Since Terence was his disciple, he should know what he was doing.
If it had been anyone else, the gravekeeper would have driven them away without hesitation. This graveyard was different from others; beneath the church lay the bones of Morgana, the most evil witch in history.
He wondered if that thick black mist originated from Morgana's remains, and whether absorbing it would cause problems for Terence Barrow.
Finishing the incantation, the gravekeeper closed the Bible. Just as he was about to extinguish the candle, he froze. He felt another wave of suction from the surroundings. compared to the noble boy last time, this suction was much stronger.
Simultaneously, he saw several humanoid black shadows outside the window rush directly toward the source of the suction. They moved like wolves and tigers, impatient and hungry.
These humanoid black mists were Dark magic formed from the accumulated evil thoughts of numerous wizards during their lifetimes. This magic carried a certain consciousness. If absorbed into a wizard's body, it could very likely drastically alter their temperament.
"Damn it!"
The gravekeeper cursed, immediately blew out the candle, and threw on a cloak lying nearby.
The cloak was none other than the one Helena had borrowed—the Cloak of Invisibility. The moment he put it on, he vanished. The Invisibility Cloak not only hid the wearer but also allowed them to see things invisible to the naked eye.
---
The graveyard was indeed rich in Dark power; Salazar Slytherin hadn't lied.
Places of death produce pure Dark power. Though mixed with impurities, the quantity made up for it. As he absorbed it, Rey could feel the Dark power in his Specter Bead increasing strand by strand.
Through his absorption vision, Rey naturally saw three humanoid black shadows rushing from the direction of the church, drawn in by the suction.
They were fast, giving Rey a strange feeling of unease. A moment later, he realized: these three black figures weren't being pulled in; they were lunging at him.
"Bad news!"
Alarmed, Rey prepared to stop the absorption. He had a feeling that letting these three shadows enter the Specter Bead would cause massive trouble.
However, although his consciousness sent the command, the Specter Bead refused to obey.
On the contrary, the suction force of the Specter Bead suddenly doubled. It seemed to be in a state of excitement.
Rey's eyelids twitched. He tried to open his eyes, intending to end the meditation physically to stop the Specter Bead's suction.
But it was futile. His eyes wouldn't open, and he remained in a state between sleep and wakefulness. He was stuck in meditation.
Rey hadn't entered Deep Meditation. theoretically, he should have been able to wake up whenever he wished.
So what was this situation?
Panic rose in Rey's heart. An impossible situation had occurred—it was as if his Specter Bead possessed its own consciousness and was temporarily preventing him from exiting meditation.
No matter how powerful a wizard is, they are most vulnerable while meditating. Rey was no exception.
Helplessly, he watched as the three black shadows treated his protective barrier like air. They smashed right through and drilled frantically toward the Specter Bead. Their movements—violent twisting and burrowing—resembled eels trying to burrow into mud.
"These three masses of Dark magic... they're conscious!"
Rey was astounded. Conscious magic? Salazar hadn't mentioned this, and none of the materials he had researched ever described such a thing.
The shadow magic twisted, thinning into mist-like strands. He could clearly see the front parts beginning to drill into the Specter Bead.
Just as Rey thought he was doomed, the Specter Bead suddenly vibrated, sending out ripples of energy. The three burrowing masses of Dark magic were all shaken off.
Simultaneously, the Specter Bead flashed with light, and a transparent black barrier rapidly formed around it, encasing the bead. The Dark magic that had just been repelled shook itself off and lunged at the Specter Bead again.
But this time, they entered with ease, like flax being stripped of its fibers. All the pure essence drilled into the Specter Bead, settling obediently at the bottom. Meanwhile, the impurities and evil consciousness were completely blocked outside the black barrier.
Those three streams of Dark magic provided more power than everything he had absorbed up to that point combined.
---
"It actually automatically filtered out the impurities and evil consciousness..."
Standing outside Rey's protective charm under the Invisibility Cloak, the gravekeeper watched everything in astonishment.
From his perspective, the shadow magic drilled into the target, only for a thick layer of "sludge" to be scraped off and scattered into the air. Only a small portion of pure essence was absorbed by the young wizard before him.
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