The only creatures in the forest that could make that sound were Centaurs.
Centaurs were always proud. They looked down on Wizards and had no particular fondness for dark creatures like Vampires and Werewolves.
If Lucas and the others were discovered by a group of Centaurs, they would surely be killed for trespassing. Perhaps only the young Werewolf, Morris, would be spared.
The Werewolf extended its claws, leaped, and in a few swift movements, climbed into the tree canopy to hide.
The Vampire had an even easier time; Thomas directly transformed into a bat, hanging from a tree, blending in with the dark leaves around him.
No sooner had they hidden than two Centaurs arrived nearby, using their bows to push aside the grass and investigate.
The grass on the ground bore human-shaped indentations, and the area was stained with blood. The scent in the air was very distinctive, like the smell of decaying meat mixed with the fragrance of roses or fresh irises.
"Disgusting!" A Centaur sniffed, then sneezed, saying disdainfully, "The Vampire is gone."
Another Centaur flicked its dark brown tail, irritably saying, "He must have woken up before we got here, the damned bat!"
"Regardless, he was here." A Centaur with white-blonde hair looked down at the bloodstains on the ground and said calmly, "We need to find him. Vampires aren't allowed to roam freely in the Forbidden Forest."
They issued a summons, and soon, other Centaurs trotted over. Then, a lithe Centaur with a silver-grey tail stepped forward from the group.
"Magorian!"
The Centaurs who had arrived first lowered their heads, made way, and said respectfully.
Magorian knelt, leaning down to dip a fingertip into the blood on the ground. He muttered something, and his pale blue eyes suddenly became somewhat vacant, as if his gaze was focused on an unseen distance.
The Vampire Thomas's eyes immediately widened. He recognized this as an elder of a Centaur tribe, highly skilled in divination, and dared not linger. He silently slid down, flew through the gaps between the leaves, and sped away.
Lucas hesitated, not fleeing immediately.
He didn't believe that, given his size, his movements through the forest could escape the Centaurs' ears.
Moreover, the Centaurs were looking for an outsider Vampire, but Lucas's family was allowed to live in the Forbidden Forest with Dumbledore's permission. As long as he wasn't with the Vampire, he still had room to maneuver.
So the Werewolf simply tucked his son into his clothes, signaling him to keep quiet.
Morris nodded vigorously, his eyes wide with tension.
"He's gone." A moment later, the Centaur elder stood up and said, "He'll leave the Forbidden Forest soon; we can't catch him."
"Damn it!" a black-haired Centaur roared angrily.
"Calm down, Bane." Magorian said with a peaceful demeanor, "At least he didn't cause us any damage."
"He went to the Acromantula colony," the white-blonde-haired Centaur said. "Magorian, perhaps we should warn Hogwarts."
Magorian shook his head. "There's no need. The Acromantula colony suffered heavy losses yesterday afternoon, with over ninety percent casualties."
Another red-haired Centaur slowly approached and added, "So when the Vampire intruded, he was mistaken for the culprit of the massacre. Aragog and its offspring nearly killed that Vampire."
"Precisely," Magorian said. "Whatever that Vampire intended to do has now failed, so there's no need to specifically notify Hogwarts."
"Firenze, you should keep your distance from humans, especially Hogwarts."
Bane, the black-haired Centaur, said coldly, "I don't want to be treated like a servant of that school."
The white-blonde-haired Centaur was Firenze, whom he spoke of. Hearing this, he frowned and said, "Our tribe and Hogwarts are neighbors; we should naturally watch out for each other. Furthermore, more and more dark forces are emerging. To protect our tribe, we need to cooperate with Hogwarts even more."
"What do those things have to do with us? Centaurs need to concern themselves with the prophecies of the stars!" Bane roared loudly. "We've sworn an oath, Firenze, never to defy the will of the heavens!"
"Perhaps the path of the stars is guiding us?"
Firenze said angrily, "I don't believe you didn't see it—two years ago, Jupiter tore apart a Comet! Fragments of that Comet will soon collide continuously with Jupiter! This is a premonition of a major change in the world!"
Bane said, "Precisely why we should remain silent, guard our tribe, and avoid unnecessary contact with the outside world! Just like our ancestors for thousands of years!"
He glared angrily, shouting, "Firenze, do you want the Centaur tribe to be dragged into war too?"
Firenze said disappointedly, "If simply waiting will lead us smoothly to dawn, then why did the gods allow us Centaurs to interpret the signs of the stars?"
He looked around, then at the other Centaur. "Bane, we are not observers of the world; we are a part of it! The path of the stars has shown us the way. If we do nothing, the changing world will leave us behind! Centaurs will also become dust in history!"
"I'd rather turn to dust than be used by Wizards or driven by humans!" Bane snorted coldly and turned to walk deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
The surrounding Centaurs quietly watched the two argue, including the red-haired Centaur who appeared to be the leader, and Magorian, who had just performed divination; no one spoke.
It wasn't until Bane turned and left that the red-haired Centaur let out a long sigh.
He said to Firenze, "Firenze, your concerns are not unfounded, but..."
He looked up at the stars for a long while before saying, "We Centaurs also have our pride. Hogwarts... or rather, Wizards... they don't know how to show respect to other races."
His tone was not as intense as Bane's, but it resonated with most of the Centaurs. Some Centaurs had initially leaned towards Firenze, but after the red-haired Centaur finished speaking, the indecision on their faces vanished.
Firenze frowned. "Ronan, we cannot ignore the changes. You've seen it too; Hogwarts has changed more in the past two years than in the past thousand years combined!"
Ronan said melancholically, "Yes, sometimes when I see those children emerging from the maze, I feel a sense of dread. The Wizard young are transforming into warriors, while Centaurs remain stagnant."
A look of delight appeared on Firenze's face, and he said eagerly, "That's right! Then we should..."
Ronan raised a hand to stop his next words, sighing, "You're too hasty, Firenze, and haste leads to mistakes. We need to observe more patiently and see where the future truly leads."
Ronan also turned and left, followed by Magorian, and then the rest of the Centaurs gradually followed suit.
As a grey-brown Centaur passed Firenze, he turned and said to him, "I like you, Firenze, but I hate those Wizards. They put those damned Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest, and now they've brought Dragons too! The Forbidden Forest is our home, but the Wizards have messed it all up! I hate them!"
Firenze fell silent as well.
Wizards likely thought that the Dragons were far enough from the Centaur tribes. But to the Centaurs, who loved to run, the entire Forbidden Forest was their home. They greatly disliked the uncontrolled dangers that had appeared in the Forbidden Forest.
The Centaurs left one by one, until only Firenze remained.
He gazed at the few scattered stars in the distance for a long time, until the sun's light obscured all their faint twinkles. Only then did he leave, his mind heavy with worry.
Lucas climbed down from the tree, frowning as he watched the direction the Centaurs had left. After pondering for a moment, he pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment and began to write a letter.
When Morris saw the letter starting with "Dumbledore," he asked in confusion, "Dad, don't you dislike Dumbledore?"
"When you promise something, you have to try your best to do it, Morris."
Lucas said with a grim face, "What's more, with Dumbledore around, you were able to be brought into that school, get treated, and still come back safely. If Dumbledore wasn't around..."
He didn't finish his sentence. After his quill paused for a moment, he continued writing.
...
As a fluffy Owl fluttered into the Headmaster's Office, Wade was attending an Alchemy lesson with Professor Murray.
After pouring the tea and setting out the snacks, the lesson officially began. Professor Murray waved his Wand, and a flat box flew off the bookshelf, landing on the table with a *thump*.
"Open it and take a look," Professor Murray said. "This is the item we'll be studying this semester... or at least for the next month or two."
Wade opened the box and exclaimed, "A Quill?"
Professor Murray chuckled. "Wade, you've already created many remarkable Alchemy works, but you've rarely dealt with Quills. In fact, you can learn many interesting things from such a delicate and fragile item."
He picked up a slender, green Quill and said, "This is a self-inking Quill. As long as there's ink in the inkwell, it can keep writing. Can you guess what Spell was used on it?"
Wade observed for a moment, then said, "A Linking Spell... a Filling Spell... and I guess a Levitation Charm? That would make the ink flow more smoothly when in use."
"Not bad."
With a gentle flick of Professor Murray's hand, the Quill completely disassembled, turning into a pile of components.
"The way you combine Spells like that is actually very rare. Normally, when we need to cast different Spells on an object, we place the Spells on its different structural parts."
Wade watched carefully.
The nib, barrel, top and bottom connection points, and a very small wooden ball—each part had a different Spell cast on it, and when combined, they harmonized surprisingly well.
Then, using the materials Professor Murray had prepared in advance, he also created an identical Quill, taking only two or three minutes.
Professor Murray nodded in satisfaction.
"The barrel and feathers can be further meticulously separated. If we need to, we can also add some extra Spell carriers to it, like this Anti-Cheating Quill."
He took out a second Quill. Its appearance was ordinary, but in Wade's eyes, it shone even brighter than the first.
"Look, there's an Anti-Interference Spell, a Detection Spell, a Recording Spell, and a Restriction Spell. These Spells are all meant to prevent students from using dishonest means to get good grades during exams."
"Of course, I know you've already encountered it, but you still need to examine it properly from Alchemist's perspective."
"Yes."
Wade took the Anti-Cheating Quill, detecting, observing, and learning.
He had used this type of Quill in his final exams for the past two years. But in the examination hall, Wade certainly couldn't dismantle the Quill he was using for the exam to study it himself.
Professor Murray saw that Wade had replicated an almost identical Quill in just over ten minutes. A smile appeared on his face, deepening the wrinkles around his mouth.
At the same time, he saw Wade inexplicably smile as well, but it wasn't the satisfaction of a successful creation; rather, it carried a hint of slyness.
Professor Murray's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said with a smile, "Wade, I'm having you study this, not giving you an opportunity to cheat on exams."
"Oh, no, I just suddenly thought..."
Wade put down his replica and chuckled, "With the Communication Pea, this type of Quill won't be as effective as it used to be. So, this year, perhaps the Communication Pea will be prohibited in the examination hall, and an additional Detection Spell will be added at the entrance."
"That's a good point," Professor Murray said, stroking his chin. "I'll bring that suggestion to Dumbledore."
Wade smiled, somewhat anticipating the scene where some students would genuinely bring Communication Peas, thinking they had found a new way to cheat, only to be discovered by a professor right before entering the exam.
"Let's talk about the third one..."
Professor Murray then picked up a third Quill. This was a pure black Quill, with slight traces of decay on both sides of its feathers, giving it an ominous appearance.
"Try it," Professor Murray handed it over.
Wade gripped the Quill and lightly drew a line on the paper. A sharp pain in his arm made him frown, and a crimson mark appeared on the paper.
He pulled back his sleeve to reveal a thin cut on his arm, with beads of blood slowly oozing out. But then, the wound quickly healed as if nothing had happened.
"It carries a curse," Professor Murray said. "A very ancient Magic. When writing, it uses the user's blood as ink and causes intense pain—a common Dark Magic item."
He took the black Quill back from Wade and placed it in the box, saying at the same time:
"Items like this, where you immediately discover the problem when using them, are actually the least terrifying, Wade. Truly dangerous monsters are often wrapped in splendid attire, making people willingly fall into the abyss."
"I once heard of a wish-granting Quill that would make whatever was written come true, but the ink it consumed was the writer's luck—very terrifying, and yet desired by countless people."
"But that's just a legend. What we're actually going to learn about today is this—"
The last item Professor Murray held was a sky-blue Quill. Its body was the longest among the Quills, and its nib looked somewhat special.
"This is a Quick-Notes Quill. It can automatically record information and even modify it according to the owner's thoughts, making it a favorite of journalists and writers."
He placed the Quill in Wade's palm and said, "The automatic writing Spell on it isn't particularly special, but the way it connects with the Wizard's thoughts is very creative—and that's the focus of our lesson today."
"This is different from imbuing a Magic Golem with thought, which is a one-time thing. This — it uses its current thoughts to have a continuous effect on the Quill."
"Don't underestimate this Spell. A very small number of Wizards skilled in this can make animals understand their thoughts, and can also force others to act according to the caster's will, making them believe it was their own idea."
Wade's eyebrow twitched slightly as he asked, "Like the Imperius Curse?"
"No, the Imperius Curse is nothing," Professor Murray said. "It's like the methods gods or devils use in myths to confuse and manipulate humans. Legend has it that some magical items can even influence the thoughts of everyone in the world."
"...That sounds a bit terrifying." Wade asked thoughtfully, "How does one avoid this influence?"
"That's just a legend, Wade. If some Magic could affect billions of people, the cost it would require, I can hardly imagine."
Professor Murray chuckled, "But once you learn the Spell, you'll naturally learn how to resist it. For now, let's start with the Quill."
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