Dylan tugged at the anchor chain.
A rumbling sound of gears turning echoed from the ocean floor.
Dylan glanced around, then waved his wand, sending a flurry of silencing charms shooting out to envelop the surrounding sea.
Then, all of a sudden, the entire ocean surface sank sharply.
Dylan thought for a moment and waved his wand again.
An illusion charm cloaked the area.
He wasn't sure if Ravenclaw, when setting up this treasure hideout, had considered the possibility of someone claiming her treasure in the future.
Would it cause too much of a commotion?
Had she put any precautions in place?
Dylan didn't want to draw anyone's attention.
So, he figured he'd better take some defensive measures.
As he watched the sinking seawater, Dylan's eyes caught sight of a marble palace, long submerged underwater.
"So, Ravenclaw hid this treasure in a virtual space overlapping with reality? Or did she cast some other spell on this stretch of sea?" Dylan mused, smacking his lips.
He slowly approached the palace.
On the lintel above the entrance, a maxim was carved:
Wisdom is the key to unlocking truth.
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
At that moment, the two stone statues flanking the palace doors suddenly opened their eyes.
"The key," one demanded.
Dylan recalled the key he'd obtained from the treasure map and pulled it out.
The blue-eyed stone beast on the left opened its mouth. "Put it in my mouth."
Dylan: (._.) …
Why did that sound kind of weird?
With a hint of reluctance, Dylan tossed the key into the stone beast's mouth.
The blue-eyed statue swallowed it instantly.
Dylan expected the door to open, but instead, the ruby-eyed statue on the right burst into laughter.
"You failed the test! So gullible, trusting others without a shred of wisdom! Get out! The key's not coming back!"
Dylan paused.
The two statues stared at him, expecting to see frustration, helplessness, or even anger on his face.
But instead, a faint, amused smile spread across the human wizard's lips.
The statues froze.
What was up with this guy?
Blocked by such a simple test, he was clearly an idiot. And with the key already swiped, how could he still be smiling?
The red-eyed statue, which hadn't appeared in the mortal world for ages, wasn't in a rush to shoo this human away. Curiosity got the better of it. "Why aren't you angry?" it asked.
Dylan chuckled. "Angry? Why would I be angry?"
The blue-eyed statue's voice was hoarse and low. "You got fooled so easily, and now you'll never step foot in this palace. Shouldn't you be furious? This must've taken you forever to find."
The red-eyed statue suddenly piped up, "Wait a sec! This guy's just a kid!"
The blue-eyed statue's gemstone eyes flashed. "A kid?"
Both statues scrutinized Dylan.
But Dylan just kept smiling, his grin growing wider.
"What the hell are you smiling about?" the blue-eyed statue demanded, frowning.
"Oh, I just realized you two are pretty interesting. You're giving me all sorts of research ideas," Dylan said, lightly rubbing his temple.
It had been a while since anyone dared to mess with him like this.
"Doesn't matter where you got that key from—scram! Everything in this palace belongs to us now!" the red-eyed statue snapped, its voice sharp.
At that moment, a spark of light flickered at the tip of Dylan's wand, conjured from thin air.
"Oh? So you're not just statues, huh? Did Ravenclaw trap you in these stones?" Dylan asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
"What's it to you? Get lost! You failed the test!" the red-eyed statue barked.
"You're telling me to get lost?" Dylan pointed his wand at the red-eyed statue.
To his surprise, it didn't flinch. Instead, it cackled wildly.
"Kid! You think you can hit me with a spell? You're young, but you sure act tough!"
"Come on, hit me with your best shot, right on my forehead! If I'm scared of you, I'll call you grandpa!"
"I'm an indestructible statue! You think I'm afraid of a little punk like you?"
Dylan nodded at the statue's bravado. "That tough, huh? Let's see how you like this."
"Cruciatus Cures!" (Crucio)
In an instant, a beam of holy light shot from the tip of Dylan's wand.
It was blindingly fast.
In a split second, it struck the red-eyed statue right between its brows.
The statue, which had been scoffing at Dylan's spell, froze.
Its expression shifted.
Then came the agonizing screams.
"Ahhh! Ah—! What did you do to me? What did you do?!"
The blue-eyed statue jumped at the bone-chilling wails. "Hold on! What spell was that? Crucio? The Cruciatus Curse?!"
It was dumbfounded.
Since when did the Cruciatus Curse glow with such a holy light?
And why was a kid casting a spell like that?
Had the curse been tweaked this much over the years?
Spells evolve with the times, adapting and changing.
In a way, Voldemort had perfected the three Unforgivable Curses, earning him the title of their modern founder.
But that didn't mean the curses didn't exist before him.
Just like now, Dylan had taken the Unforgivables and improved them, adding new abilities.
If he shared the properties of his spells with the world, he'd be the founder of these new curses.
Of course, back in the day, they might not have been called Unforgivables.
Maybe just dark curses.
Or something like "inhumane curses" or "despicable curses."
Spells keep evolving, but that doesn't mean similar effects didn't exist before.
So, seeing this young wizard cast such a bizarre spell—one that looked like Crucio—the blue-eyed statue was floored.
How had the world changed so fast?
Even dark magic had gotten this fancy?
"Stop! Stop it! Make it stop!" the red-eyed statue howled.
Dylan, however, just kept his wand raised.
The holy light from his wand was like a laser, unwavering, relentless, piercing the red-eyed statue's brow.
The blue-eyed statue felt a chill.
All it could think was: This is freaking terrifying! What's wrong with the wizarding world these days?!
Dylan looked at the screaming red-eyed statue, his tone curious. "What's wrong? Don't you like it? Didn't you just beg me to loosen you up?"
The red-eyed statue felt like it was about to pass out from the pain.
But its soul, fused with the stone by Ravenclaw, couldn't faint.
It could only endure the soul-deep agony.
Why did this Crucio hurt so much?
The Crucio it knew only caused brief, stabbing pain!
Damn it!
How was a kid, barely old enough to grow facial hair, casting such a terrifying spell?
And what the hell!
Who casts a spell like this?
Shooting a freaking laser?!
The red-eyed statue's consciousness was starting to blur.
Even if a soul couldn't faint, it could still shatter!
If this kept up, its soul would break apart, maybe even dissolve completely!
"I'm sorry! Grandpa, I was wrong! Please, have mercy and let me go! We'll give you the key back! Please, stop!" it begged.
But Dylan didn't stop. He listened to the statue's wails a bit longer, then, satisfied, gave his wand a slight flick.
The beam of light from his wand vanished.
Dylan's control over his magic was now razor-sharp.
Not a drop of magic was wasted—every bit was used with precision.
Looking at the red-eyed statue, its surface now dulled, Dylan kept his elegant smile. "Knowledge is power, and the key to truth. Seems that saying's spot on."
The blue-eyed statue wanted to shrink back, but it couldn't move. Only its face twitched slightly.
The red-eyed statue, weak and trembling, gasped, "You—you're no ordinary person. Why didn't you say so? This is like a flood washing away Merlin's underwear!"
Dylan didn't bother arguing with the statue.
Any questions could wait until he'd claimed the entire palace for his own world.
"As the gatekeepers here, shouldn't you be opening the door already?" he said.
The blue-eyed statue replied, "You need the key and to answer a question correctly to enter."
Dylan raised an eyebrow.
The red-eyed statue, terrified, quickly added, "That's true, but we can ask the question ourselves, and we can give the key back!"
Its eyes darted to the side. "Spit out the key already! You trying to keep it for yourself? Look at this guy—think you can mess with him?"
The blue-eyed statue hesitated, then opened its mouth. "You'll have to take the key yourself."
Dylan frowned slightly.
He didn't stick his arm in its mouth.
Instead, he twirled his wand.
A flash of magic, and the key floated out of the blue-eyed statue's throat.
Part statue, part living creature…
How the heck did Ravenclaw make these things?
"What about the question? Hurry up," Dylan said flatly.
"Y-y-yes! Please answer—" The red-eyed statue, still reeling from the pain, didn't dare slack off, terrified of another round of that spell.
It blurted out, "What color are my eyes?"
Dylan's mouth twitched. "Yellow."
The blue-eyed statue started, "Wrong—"
"Correct! Absolutely correct! My eyes might look red, but they're actually yellow!" the red-eyed statue cut in, frantically signaling its partner.
The blue-eyed statue glanced at it, then said, "My test—please answer, can I move right now?"
Dylan gave it a sidelong look. "Yes."
The blue-eyed statue opened its mouth, but the red-eyed one jumped in. "Nailed it! Our mouths, eyes, faces—even our heads can move a little! That answer's perfect! You're basically wisdom incarnate!"
The blue-eyed statue paused, then nodded. It wasn't entirely wrong. Without the key, their bodies were stuck, but their faces could move.
"Fine, you passed. Toss the key into his mouth, and the door will open."
The red-eyed statue nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! No tricks this time—just toss the key in my mouth!"
Dylan narrowed his eyes.
With a flick of his hand, he tossed the key into the red-eyed statue's mouth.
Sensing Dylan's suspicion, it swallowed the key and quickly said, "This time it's real! I swear on my whole family I'm not messing with you!"
The blue-eyed statue muttered, "You don't have a family anymore."
The red-eyed statue: …
Did you have to point that out?
It hurriedly explained, "Sorry, forgot I'm on my own now—maybe not even human—but I'm not lying, I swear!"
Dylan frowned. "Less talk. If you're not tricking me, open the damn door."
The red-eyed statue snapped to attention. "Oh, my bad—brain's not what it used to be without a brain! I'll open the door right now!"
With that, it strained, almost like it was… pushing something out.
Suddenly, the heavy stone door creaked, slowly swinging inward.
"Go on in! Once you claim the treasure, you can leave!" the statue urged.
Dylan glanced at the two statues, not calling out the red-eyed one's little scheme.
He stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the threshold, it felt like he'd entered another dimension, another world.
A strange fragrance hit him.
It was otherworldly, like the scent of the stars themselves.
Of course, stars don't have a smell.
But this scent, the moment it hit him, made him feel like he was gazing at a sea of stars.
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