Severus arrived at Buttes-Chaumont Park, northeast of Paris.
There was a shield-shaped lake in the park, with an island at its center. On the island stood a viewing pavilion called the "Witch Temple," built for the seer Sybill.
There were five hills in the park, all remnants of artificial reshaping. Severus had originally hoped Gong Saiyi could hold the ritual here, but things seemed to have changed.
Count Leroy could not possibly know the location of Snow Mountain Cabin. Who had leaked the information?
He had no choice but to be cautious. He set up defensive magic in the pavilion, then looked over the place once he was done.
Creation Hill was the first piece of land built by the Sun God. It rose above the waters of Nun. Sometimes, when the Nile River flooded, even the base of the pyramid would become a watery marsh. Anyone who did not know this would not grasp the mood of it.
But what did knowing change? It was not real anyway.
Almost every myth contained a creation story. The Aztecs of South America also had pyramids. Were those pyramids, like those in Egypt, imitations of Creation Hill?
People could not rely on dreams and forget to live. Many wasted their time before the Mirror of Erised. It could give people neither knowledge nor truth, only illusions.
And yet...
Severus looked down at the lake below the hill. It was as calm as a mirror, reminding him of the "game" they had once played in the dressing room.
Whenever that happened, Pomona would become very obedient, nothing like the way she dared to defy him when she was sober.
He looked at that mirror. It was not the magical Mirror of Erised, merely an ordinary mirror. Had he been wasting his time then?