Name: Lucian ?????
True Name: —
Rank: Aspirant
Soul Core: Dormant
Memories: —
Echoes: —
Attributes : [Mark of Divinity], [Child of Magic]
Aspect : [Resonance]
Aspect Description : [You find yourself sensitive to the energies in the world]
Lucian stared at the glowing runes.
That was it.
No explanation, no instructions, nothing except that vague line about being "sensitive".
"Very helpful," he muttered under his breath. "Thank you, Spell, for absolutely nothing."
As they walked, he tried to feel something, anything really. A shift, a tug or even an itch. He had no such luck. The damp tunnel around him remained the same, the drip of water, the irregular sound of steps, Lockhart's uneven breathing.
Not making any progress, he decided to move on to his attributes instead, hoping for better luck.
[Mark of Divinity] - Attribute Description: "You bear a scent of divinity, as though someone briefly touched by it once, a long time ago. "
[Beloved to Magic] - Attribute Description: "Magic herself, favours you."
Lucian sighed.
From what he remembered from the Director's books, [Mark of Divinity] allowed access into certain areas of the dream realm and helped with certain types of sorcery.
The other one, however ...
In short, he had no clue. He'd never heard of a similar one, not even in the Director's dusty collection. But it couldn't be a coincidence that he happened to be with two wizards.
He swallowed back the urge to ask Ron for his wand, deciding to focus on the route instead. They walked in silence for a while, accompanied by the crackling of the torches. Eventually, the passage began to slope downwards. The air became more humid, the stone more slick. Somewhere ahead, the tunnel began to widen.
Ron slowed first, then came to a complete standstill.
'Harry, there's something up there ...' he said hoarsely.
Lucian walked forward, following his gaze; he felt his stomach twist.
The husk filled the chamber in front of them. Pale, papery scales coiled over and over again in an endless curve. It was giant, nearly 5 metres in diameter. It tapered towards the end, where the skull would have been; eye sockets gaping empty, skin thin and brittle. A snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green.
Even hollow, a mere shadow of the creature that had shed it. It gave off a sense of oppressive malice. Like a gun pointed at their head.
Ron swallowed audibly beside him.
"That's…" he started, then trailed off. "That's it. That'ss the Basilisk."
His voice lacked the bravado from earlier, his fingers tight around the handle of his wand; knuckles white.
Lucian said nothing. He had never heard of a Basilisk before.
Instead, he tried imagining the weight of the real thing. Its mouth was big enough to swallow the three of them whole.
"The real thing is bigger," he said eventually, trying to keep his voice steady. "It must be bigger. This is only the shedding."
Next to him, Ron let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a swear.
Behind them, Lockhart finally mustered up the courage to come forward, taking in the scene.
He went still.
"Oh," he breathed. "Oh my."
Whatever colour he'd had left, drained from his face. His eyes were wide with panic, hands were trembling.
Ron took a hesitant step forward, towards the direction of the husk.
"We have to keep going," he said, his voice shaking. "Ginny's still down there."
There was a sudden movement behind them. Lockhart's knees had given way.
"Get up," said Ron sharply, turning to point his wand at Lockhart.
It happened in a heartbeat.
Lockhart got to his feet – then he lunged at Ron, knocking him to the ground.
Lucian turned to help, but he was too far.
Lockhart was already getting to his feet, a wand in his hand. Except this wand wasn't like the one Ron held; it seemed beat up and disjointed, held together in the middle with a thick covering of tape.
"OI!" Ron shouted, stumbling onto his feet. "What are you-"
Lockhart interrupted, retreating a few steps, brandishing the wand in front of him like a knife. Causing Lucian and Ron to stop in their tracks.
"That will do," he said, a gleaming smile on his face. "Yes, quite enough of that, I think. No need for you boys to do anything else. I'll take it from here."
He tried for a smile. It didn't reach his eyes.
'The adventure ends here, boys!' he said. 'I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body. Say goodbye to your memories!'
Before either of them could react, Lockhart had already raised the wand and yelled.
"OBLIVIATE"
Lucian could feel danger as the wand lit up with a red glow, and also when it exploded with the force of a small bomb. The explosion tore through the tunnel, the force of it knocking the wind out of him.
Then came the sound that made his stomach drop
The tunnel shook, stones and rocks falling from the ceiling. An ominous groaning noise cut through the kicked-up dust. The noise of centuries-old rock shifting, giving way.
He didn't have a plan. He just knew he had to move. Lunging to the left, Lucian skidded across the wet floor, his hands coming up to shield his head as the air filled with the grating rumble of shifting rock. Huge slabs of certain death crashed down where he had been standing just a heartbeat before. He kept moving, half-crawling and half-sprinting through the choking dust, his dress shoes slipping on the wet floor as he threw himself across the tunnel.
When the dust settled, he couldn't hear any more rocks falling. Lucian stayed down for a second, coughing his lungs clear of the stone dust. He stood up, shaking grit from his hair, and looked back the way he had come. Where he had been standing was a huge, solid wall of broken rock.
Lying at the base of the rubble was Lockhart, his chest rising and falling weakly. The man's expensive robes were shredded, his legs pinned beneath a massive chunk of the ceiling. A deep, jagged gash had opened on the side of his head, dark blood seeping into his blonde hair.
Lucian nudged his head with the edge of his now creased dress shoes.
No response.
"Harry! Are you there? Harry!" came Ron's muffled voice from behind the wall.
"I'm okay!" Lucian yelled back, "Lockhart isn't though, He's pinned under the rocks."
"What now?" Ron sounded desperate, "We can't get through, it'll take ages."
Lucian didn't respond straight away; too much had happened in the last few minutes, leaving him dazed. He recalled Blackwood's words. That the spell always left a way out. There was always an objective to complete.
He tried to recall any clues the other two had mentioned.
'It has to be one of two things. Either killing the Basilisk, or it's saving that girl - Ginny.'
Lucian's face dropped. Internally cursing the Spell.
'And both of them need me to go further into the tunnels.'
Gritting his teeth, he firmed his resolve. Hesitating wouldn't do anything. It wouldn't get him out of the nightmare. It wouldn't earn him a decent aspect, nor would it help the orphanage.
"Ron", Lucian called, breaking the silence. "You need to go back. Find some help. I'll save Ginny."
After another short silence, Ron finally responded.
"But Harry, I can't just-"
"I'll see you in a bit." Lucian interrupted him; he didn't have time to wait around. For all he knew, the Spell had a time limit.
"I-. I'll be quick, okay?" Ron said, giving in, reluctance filling his voice. "Just don't die, will you?"
And with that, he was gone. Lucian heard his footsteps grow quieter as he retraced their earlier steps.
Lucian, however, was ready to carry out his plan. He looked down at Lockhart, expression conflicted, brows furrowed, trying to build up some courage.
After all, he had never killed anyone before.