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"Put me on, and you will gain endless wisdom…"
Bang!
Devereux slammed the plaster bust shut.
"Silencio!" he commanded, pointing his wand at the bust to cast a Silencing Charm, effectively muting it.
Leaning weakly against a pile of junk, Devereux's face turned pale as he gasped for breath.
"Damn it! I almost fell for that Horcrux's trick!"
Straightening up with difficulty, he adjusted his breathing, employing principles of Zen meditation. A stream of coolness flowed through his mind, helping to calm his spirit.
Currently, he was in the Room of Requirement. That evening, he had traversed several secret passages mentioned in the original books, as well as some classrooms and towers he hadn't previously explored. His journey led him to the eighth floor of Hogwarts Castle, coincidentally where the Room of Requirement was located.
Devereux decided to explore the Room of Requirement that night, recalling that Voldemort had once transformed Ravenclaw's diadem into a Horcrux and hidden it there in the original story. He was curious to see what kind of treasure this relic, left behind by one of the legendary four founders, would be.
Upon entering the room specifically used to hide things, he was unprepared for its vastness. He searched for nearly half the night without locating the so-called plaster bust. Just as he was about to give up, a realization struck him: he was a wizard!
Waving his wand, he exclaimed, "Accio plaster busts!"
However, the spell was too imprecise. Suddenly, all the plaster busts in the room rushed towards him. Devereux quickly lay down, dodging the various statues flying his way.
Suddenly, his magical intuition alerted him: one of the busts possessed extraordinary power!
Thinking quickly, he used a Levitation Charm to catch it. Driven by curiosity, Devereux opened the plaster bust, leading to the earlier incident.
If he hadn't practiced Zen meditation beforehand, he might have already donned the diadem, potentially facing a fate similar to Ginny's in the original story.
Approaching the plaster bust again, Devereux exercised extreme caution, refraining from opening it hastily. Despite the Silencing Charm, the entire bust trembled with an unsettling rhythm.
Frowning, Devereux sensed that this Horcrux's reaction was peculiar. In the original story, items like the golden cup and the diary required touch to gradually erode the wearer's will. This diadem, however, nearly overwhelmed him instantly. It didn't seem like a typical Horcrux but rather like a living soul inside.
Though aware that Horcruxes possessed some living attributes, constantly tempting their holders—the locket being a prime example—this diadem's behavior was notably aggressive.
To ensure safety, Devereux knew he couldn't confront this potentially dangerous Horcrux directly. A clever idea emerged: he decided to contact the Horcrux indirectly to minimize risk.
Sitting cross-legged before the plaster bust, Devereux closed his eyes, focusing intently. He began adjusting his breathing and heartbeat, striving to bring his body to its optimal state. With each deep breath, his mind gradually calmed, and surrounding sounds faded into the background.
A layer of mist enveloped him as he converged his magic and perception—not to enter the microscopic world, but to observe the diadem through the plaster bust. As his perception deepened, the mist thickened, leaving only the slightly trembling bust in his awareness.
Focusing his attention, Devereux's perception and magic intertwined into sparkling blue threads, which slowly and carefully extended into the cracks of the plaster bust.
As his perception further deepened, he felt as if he had entered a completely dark space.
Suddenly!
Everything within his sight was filled with green light!
"Hello!"
At that moment, Devereux saw a figure in a black robe. The person's face was pale, resembling a skeleton, yet exuding an indescribable charm. The figure smiled at Devereux, speaking in a gentle voice tinged with coldness.
Faced with this unexpected situation, Devereux reacted swiftly, immediately withdrawing from the meditative state. He opened his eyes abruptly, noticing that one corner of the plaster bust had slightly cracked, revealing a faint green light from within. However, the strange vibration had ceased.
Devereux, now alert, observed as a piece of information appeared in his mind:
Name: Tom Riddle's Soul Fragment
Age: Twenty Years Old (Eternal)
Spell Library: Avada Kedavra (Unmatched), Imperius Curse (Unmatched), Cruciatus Curse (Unmatched)...
Entries:
Wilderness of Knowledge (Unique): The knowledge of the world is you; you are knowledge itself.
Horcrux (Gold): You are a Horcrux deliberately created by a powerful dark wizard through murder, inheriting part of the original owner's knowledge and power, and possessing the ability to corrode the hearts of others.
Dark Lord (Gold/Incomplete): You will eventually become a demon king that makes the world tremble. You are extremely charming, and your dark magic talent is unparalleled. You will surely have countless followers, but due to an extremely powerful magic, your destiny is shattered, and the future is uncertain.
Born Ruthless (Purple): A tragic life experience and poor education have made you unable to possess the emotions of ordinary people and unable to empathize with others.
Decayed (Purple): Originally, you shone brightly and had great ambitions, but endless imprisonment has worn away your body and exhausted your spirit, causing you to gradually become decayed.
This Horcrux even had a panel! And it featured a unique-level entry: Wilderness of Knowledge (Unique).
Hiss! Devereux frowned. He hadn't loaded or copied any unique-level entries yet. He wondered about the effects if he attempted to copy it.
Calming his mind, he decided to set that thought aside for now. He immediately stood up and waved his wand.
"Reparo!"
The crack in the plaster bust emitting green light was instantly restored. After waiting for three seconds and observing no unusual occurrences, Devereux felt relieved and began to carefully examine the Horcrux's panel.