In another space-time.
In the sky.
Heavy clouds stirred swiftly as if by an invisible hand.
The lead-gray clouds swirled like ink stirred by an unseen giant hand, that kind of metamorphic ink, soluble in water. The original clouds seemed to disappear in an instant.
Sunlight poured down like a waterfall, astonishingly fast. One second it was overcast, the next it was clear skies, as if the world had been forcibly switched to a new backdrop.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, casting golden rays. This sudden change left Ian filled with disbelief, as if time had fast-forwarded in that instant.
"Was prehistoric weather like this?"
Ian looked up.
Pensively. The air was filled with a humid atmosphere, mingling with the scent of earth and fresh grass. Distant mountains appeared especially clear under the sunlight.
Like a vivid painting.
"Indeed, did the gods control the laws and steal the power of the Titans?" Ian stood on the barren plain, glanced up at the unnaturally clear sky, and his mouth twitched slightly.
"What a... perfunctory weather."
He looked ahead.
After the clearing, the sky was a piercing blue, and sunlight poured like molten gold, yet it didn't illuminate the scars on the land before him. It looked entirely different from peaceful forests of bygone times.
Like an apocalypse.
The area where the Sky City fell had become a sea of flames, the blaze devoured the remnants like a monstrous beast, black smoke billowed upward, gradually staining a small patch of horizon into a filthy gray.
However.
Due to the influence of certain mysterious forces, this murkiness did not spread elsewhere—Ian guessed that the black-robed wizards were intervening, which also made it easier for him to pinpoint their specific location.
But before that.
He had to try to mitigate the situation somewhat. After all, Ian didn't know if he had returned to the past, and if this fire accidentally burned to death some mammalian ancestor of his.
Then the grandfather paradox would come into play.
He might be fine.
But nobody wants to return to Hogwarts and find that the students now attending classes are all lizard people, or simply dinosaurs, right?
Even though Ian felt such a possibility was unlikely, he knew he should still take some precautions. He couldn't quite judge the current world accurately.
"Anyway, it's just doing a favor in passing."
The young man looked towards the distance.
The earth trembled. Ian stepped over the scorched ground, slowly advancing towards the ruins. The land beneath his feet was scalding, and with each step, he felt heat rising from below.
He gazed out, seeing countless dinosaurs, animals, and Fantastic Beasts fleeing desperately amidst the ruins. The ground shook violently under their stampede, as if experiencing an earthquake.
Many creatures cried out in pain.
After all, it was a disaster descending from the heavens.
Countless beings fled—a huge Triceratops, its massive form stood out in the firelight, capturing Ian's attention.
"Dinosaurs, huh? I'd love to capture a few to take back."
He saw the most primitive maternal instincts, the Triceratops running desperately with its calf, eyes filled with terror. The offspring clung close to its mother, glancing back anxiously, as if something dreadful pursued from behind. Suddenly, a Velociraptor lunged from the side, aiming to attack the Triceratops' calf.
"Roar!" The Triceratops roared in rage, raising its forelegs to fiercely kick at the Velociraptor. The Velociraptor deftly dodged, swiftly maneuvering to the other side of the Triceratops to launch another attack.
The Triceratops guarded the calf, zigzagging and struggling to advance within the sea of flames.
"Bang~"
Ian unleashed a magic spell, directly sending the Velociraptor to its demise.
He was moved.
Whether the Velociraptor was hunting to feed its own offspring was not something Ian concerned himself with, for the emotions of people are often fixated on matters before their eyes.
"Booming~"
The chaos intensified even more fiercely, a massive Thunder Dragon shattered the scorched earth, its long neck swayed like a mast, flames erupted from its body, emitting a deafening wail.
Many creatures fleeing from the inferno showed similar distress, Saber-toothed Tigers had their fur ignited by sparks, frantically thrashing about, leaving burning claw marks in the ashes. Swarms of Fire Crabs emerged from underground, their shells glowing red-hot, scattered like blazing coals.
In the distance, a group of Horse-shaped Water Monsters galloped across the blazing lake, the water boiled, steam enveloped their cries, rising skyward, indicating their doomed fate.
"Poor things."
Ian lacked the chance to save these animals.
Fortunately, most Fantastic Beasts were stronger than ordinary animals.
Compared to these weaker creatures.
In the face of a celestial disaster.
Those Fantastic Beasts appeared more composed, though still very panicked. A small Elf Dragon, its dainty body shimmering with dazzling colors.
A gigantic Spider Monster, its form towering over ten meters high, with eight sturdy legs rampaging through the ruins. The Spider Monster's eyes gleamed with red light, its mouth dripped green venom, corroding the ground into smoking pits. Flames and falling metals seemed incapable of harming it.
And it seemed to be enraged by the Sky City's fall.
Furiously destroying everything around it. Some small animals rushed away in fear, accidentally collided with its legs, instantly wrapped in webbing and dragged into its lair.