"I have endless sorrow. I have the sort of sorrow that only a person who has lost themselves can have." — Franz Kafka
Regulus was staring into the murky depths of the lake. Hestia sat in front of him, with Charlus and Emma clinging on behind.
They were currently riding the Kelpie to cross the moat. However, what they did not know was that the Kelpie had not taken their need to breathe oxygen into account.
They had all assumed the Kelpie would be ridden like a boat—most of its body submerged, while the part carrying them remained above water.
A few minutes earlier...
"Regulus, are you sure it is safe riding this?" Charlus asked, eyeing the creature warily.
Emma looked a little scared, too.
"Let us find out. Shall we?" Regulus said, mounting the Kelpie which had been bridled by Hestia.
Hestia was already mounted, gently patting the creature's neck. Seeing Regulus climb on, the others had no choice but to gather their courage and follow suit.
Sensing everyone was on board, the Kelpie tossed its head and dove into the water in a matter of seconds.
"I told you, Regulaaa—blub blub blub!"
Charlus shouted in panic as the water rushed into his mouth.
Regulus reacted instantly. He drew his wand and cast a Bubble-Head Charm on all four of them.
"Caput Bulla!"
Instantly, a bubble of clean air formed around their heads, allowing them to breathe again. Charlus was panting, coughing up the lake water he had swallowed.
The Kelpie paid them no attention and dove straight to the bottom of the lake.
Everyone had to marvel at the depth of the water. If they had been abandoned down here and forced to swim to the surface, they would surely have run out of breath long before reaching the air.
The Kelpie seemed to like Hestia and wanted to give her a tour. It took them around the underwater roots of the giant mangrove tree, spinning joyfully through the currents.
Hestia recognised most of the aquatic creatures swimming past. Some were new even to her. She felt the speed of the Kelpie increasing, the water rushing past them in a blur. She gently rubbed the mane of the creature, signaling it to slow down.
The Kelpie obeyed immediately. It only had eyes for Hestia, as she was the one who had placed the bridle. It was under her control until they dismounted.
By the light of their Lumos spells, they could see other creatures swimming away,, daring not to mess with the apex predator carrying them.
After a few minutes, Hestia patted the Kelpie's neck to let it know they needed to surface. The creature seemed momentarily disappointed by the short adventure but swam up to the shore near the giant mangrove tree.
They broke the surface and scrambled onto the muddy bank. The Bubble-Head Charms popped as they dismounted. They waited for Hestia, who was gently caressing the mane of the creature, looking into its eyes.
The creature was undeniably intelligent. It looked at Regulus for a few seconds and blinked slowly. Then it turned to Hestia and bid its goodbye by nodding its massive head. With a splash of its tail, it slipped back into the lake, parting from them.
Emma patted Hestia's shoulder to snap her out of her trance.
They turned to look at the Giant Mangrove Tree.
Up close, Regulus realised that it was not just a tree sitting in the centre of the lake. It was a small island unto itself. The tree covered the whole landmass, and its roots extended far into the water.
He sensed magical signatures inside the mangrove forest—creatures that were not immediately dangerous to the group. He checked the time with a Tempus spell. It was just after 5:00 PM.
"It is getting late," Regulus announced. "I sense there are creatures on this giant island, too. It contains a forest of its own. We need to find food and shelter for the night."
"Alright," Emma agreed. "But where are we going to spend the night in this dense area? We cannot even lie down to sleep; the roots are everywhere."
Hestia and Regulus surveyed the terrain. The branches were too dense to simply walk towards the centre where the main trunk stood. The area they were in contained smaller mangrove trees compared to the giant, but larger than the ones they had crossed earlier.
Regulus took his wand and fired a few Cutting Spells at the branches, clearing a path and scaring away the small creatures hiding within.
In a few seconds, a clearing was made. He felled a large tree, sliding it down into the swampy mud.
He called Hestia to help him Transfigure the fallen tree into a shelter. They worked together, weaving magic over the wood.
Half an hour later, they were looking at a sturdy cabin raised above the swampy ground on wooden stilts. A ladder led up to the entrance.
Charlus and Emma entered to find four beds that looked surprisingly comfy. After the day-long journey, they wanted nothing more than to collapse. Hestia was already claiming her bed.
They still had elk jerky with them, but they were sick of eating it. Charlus suggested hunting outside the cabin to secure fresh food for the night.
Regulus and Charlus went out hunting. Emma and Hestia went to collect nearby herbs. Emma found a significant number of high-quality herbs on the island and momentarily forgot she was drifting away from the cabin. Hestia followed her silently, wandering in her own world.
They would have been lost if Emma hadn't taken the precaution of placing scent-tracking herbs along the way.
A little deeper into the thicket, they came across a patch of Nettle plants. Drifting above the plants were small, grey, fly-like creatures.
Hestia looked at them and confirmed it: Glumbubles.
They had finally laid eyes on their target. They didn't follow the insects to their nest, though; it was getting dark. They simply noted the location, collected the herbs, and went back to the cabin.
They found Regulus and Charlus sitting on the ladder. Four rabbits were tied upside down, their blood draining into a transfigured container.
Charlus was spewing nonsense about something trivial. Regulus noticed the girls arriving and transfigured a stone stove for cooking. They roasted the rabbit with the spice herbs Emma had collected; it was juicy and flavorful.
They ate their fill and went to bed. Charlus, unsure if dangerous creatures roamed the island, placed an advanced Protection Charm around the cabin with Emma's help. They discarded the waste and blood far from the cabin before locking themselves in.
"Charlus, Regulus," Emma said as they settled in. "We found the Nettle plant and Glumbubles nearby. But we didn't follow them to the nest, thinking you guys would be worried if we were late."
Charlus nodded. "It is alright. Since it is confirmed that they are on the island, we do not have to rush. We will look for the nest tomorrow."
Regulus agreed, noting how mature Charlus was acting. He knew Charlus was capable, but his presence usually made the boy playful. After all, they were only kids.
Emma also had a better impression of Charlus now compared to the start of their journey. She didn't show it, but their bickering had softened.
The comfortable atmosphere was broken when Hestia, failing to read the room entirely, took an arm-length centipede she found crawling on the floor with her pincers and put it in her collection bag.
The sight sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Without a word, the other three climbed into their beds and pulled the covers up tight.
What if the centipede escapes from her bag?
They fell asleep fearing Hestia far more than the unknown dangers of the island. Hestia, oblivious to their terror, tucked herself in and slept peacefully.
The Next Day (Day 5)
Everyone woke up early and prepared for the day's exploration. They didn't want to waste time cooking breakfast, so they chewed on jerky and headed straight for the spot where Hestia and Emma had found the Nettles.
When they reached the place, they found a few Glumbubles collecting leaves.
Regulus focused on the creatures to register their unique magical signature. He then closed his eyes and extended his senses across the island, searching for similar signatures.
He was surprised to find two distinct nests.
One was at the centre of the island, deep within the hollow of the Giant Tree itself. The other was nearby in a smaller mangrove cluster.
The nest at the Giant Tree was massive. It surely contained jars upon jars of the Melancholy treacle. Regulus informed the group, and they decided to target the large nest first.
They reached the base of the Giant Tree within an hour. Up close, the trunk was like a mountain—sturdy and rock-solid.
As Regulus approached the hollow, he felt a strange pressure on his mind. His Occlumency shields were being probed.
Alerted, he looked around to see if anyone was using Legilimency on him. He found no one.
However, he found that his group was in an abnormal state. Emma and Hestia had started to cry silently, tears streaming down their faces. Charlus was staring into space dejectedly, lost in a trance.
Regulus cast a Sonorus charm immediately.
"EVERYONE! HOLD YOURSELVES TOGETHER!"
His amplified voice snapped them out of their trances. They looked around, confused and clearly in an unpleasant mood.
They retreated to a safe distance.
"What happened to us?" asked Charlus, shivering.
"It is the effect of the Melancholy," Hestia replied in a cold, shaky voice, wiping her tears. "It induces profound sadness. We drifted into our most unpleasant memories."
Regulus looked at them, then at the tree. They hadn't even laid eyes on the nest yet, and the aura alone was enough to break them.
Emma noticed that Regulus hadn't been affected. She asked if he could try approaching the nest alone to collect the treacle.
Regulus agreed to try. He made them wait at a safe distance and started entering the radius of the Melancholy influence.
As he moved closer, the pressure on his Occlumency shields intensified. He found he could not maintain a blank state at all. Memories of his past life, his grandmother's harsh lessons, and every unpleasant thing he had ever experienced started to resurface. It was a constant battle of domination and suppression.
Regulus finally reached the hollow entrance of the tree. He looked up to find the nest occupying half of the massive hollow.
The Glumbubles noticed the intruder. In defense, they released a concentrated wave of Melancholy.
Regulus was stunned in a trance.
The memory of his death, his failures, the darkness of the Black family—it all crashed down on him.
He couldn't suppress it.
Acting on pure instinct to escape, he transformed into his falcon form and flew away as fast as his wings could carry him.
He landed at a safe distance, panting. His Occlumency started to work again, and he slowly collected his scattered thoughts.
He approached the group, pale and shaken. He simply shook his head.
"We cannot take that one."
They had no choice but to approach the smaller nest on the island.