The Terrifying Truth of the Blood Pact!

Dark green vines twisted and climbed in every corner, the stone beam seemed to be part of the original castle gate, and the dark hole was where the gate used to be.

It's hard to imagine what happened here over the centuries to turn this once towering entrance into this state.

"Tergeo," Sean's spell, swept away the moss and dirt from a boulder.

Only then did he realize that these were not rocks that had rolled in from somewhere, but huge, neatly Slicing Charm stones, or at least they used to be.

The opening was blocked by a huge stone that was originally used as a city wall, which is obviously not something that Years could have done.

Sean immediately thought of the Baroness in the document.

The Baroness killed Baron Skinner and absorbed the blood seeping from his body, but she did not have enough power to support the immense force. She exploded into a blood sphere and died on the spot.

The explosion destroyed the manor and killed most of the life in the area.

Is it that powerful... Sean frowned.

This abandoned castle covers a considerable area; after all, Baron Skinner and his wife were both wizards, so building a huge structure wouldn't have been too difficult for them.

Moreover, the remains of some former human structures can also be seen near the castle.

The fact that the Baroness's death directly destroyed such a large area is something that an ordinary wizard in the 13th century could not have accomplished.

Sean's mood turned slightly heavy; he knew this was the power of that Blood Pact magic.

"Protego Maxima"

Casting himself a defensive spell, Sean stepped into the cave, wand in hand.

The castle was more than half collapsed, Sean was having a little trouble walking. However, it was clear that someone had been here before, as many of the buried areas had been cleared, and the traces were still fresh.

This is probably the path Dumbledore once walked...

Sean continued walking in the direction he could barely make out.

The interior of this centuries-old castle is even more sinister, with collapsed stone walls, rusted and Transfiguration lampstands, ubiquitous vines, and a quiet, eerie atmosphere that sends chills down your spine.

"Crack—" A crisp sound came from the sole of Sean's foot.

He looked down and saw half a weathered, unrecognizable skeleton.

"Reparo - Sorry, buddy."

After moving the repaired leg bone, which belonged to who-knows-who, a couple more steps later, Sean finally found the place he was looking for.

That was the entrance to a basement, and Dumbledore had clearly already been inside.

Upon entering the basement, the damp, moldy smell immediately hit you.

"Hey buddy, help me clean this up—" Sean pinched his nose and opened the ring, revealing a shiny head.

The Magical Creatures are growing at an unexpectedly fast rate. The Aero-Wing Bird was only the size of Sean's fist when it was born, but now it's several times bigger.

"Wah-woo—(Have you eaten?)" the Aero-Wing Bird chirped happily at Sean.

The intelligence of Magical Creatures seems to develop much faster than that of humans. In just a few months, Sean has already been able to communicate with the Beast Speaker Aero-Wing Bird using the Beast Speaker.

However, the only goal in the life of the Aero-Wing Bird is to eat... eat.

We can't let Dave take this little guy out to play anymore... He doesn't learn anything good, he just learns to be a good-for-nothing.

"We'll let you know when it's mealtime. Come on, help me air out this place."

When the Aero-Wing Bird changes its posture, it inhales nearby air, and this means of survival obviously has other uses— the Aero-Wing Bird can filter out almost all harmful substances in the air, using its magical filter organs and magical skin.

Although the little guy is greedy, he still listens to Sean.

The Aero-Wing Bird opened its beak wide, just like a pelican catching fish, and the skin on its chin and neck swelled up rapidly.

Then, it acted like an exhaust fan, drawing air from the basement and exhaling it outside. Before long, the air in the basement became much fresher.

"Well done," Sean praised. "Lumos Maxima maximum."

A dazzling orb of light emerged from the tip of the wand, and Sean swung it forcefully, sending the orbs floating one after another in all directions.

The entire dark basement was now laid out before him.

The castle's destruction as ruins did not seem to affect this place too much; apart from some rubble along the basement walls and long-old, collapsed bookshelves, it has largely retained its original appearance.

A crystal bottle covered in dust, Cauldron was surprisingly rust-free, a spellbook weathered beyond recognition, and even a few Flying Broomstick with only their handles remaining.

This place is like a witch's workshop from a medieval novel.

In the very center of the inner wall of one of the rooms, there is a hidden door that has been opened.

There was a slightly darker mark at the entrance to the basement from the hidden door.

Baron Skinner may have been discovered by his wife through that secret door, where the betrayal hidden in the Blood Pact was revealed, and then he was dragged out...

Sean slowly approached the hidden door, trying to find some useful information there.

Unfortunately, in the small room accessible through the hidden door, nothing was found except for a stone platform in the very center.

Perhaps it was taken by a researcher, or perhaps Dumbledore took it...

Sean wasn't too disappointed; this was something he had anticipated before he came.

The key question is, what exactly did Dumbledore see here...?

Sean, who had been searching everywhere, finally found something on the stone platform with strange markings.

"This is..." Sean picked up a tiny metal particle with his fingertips.

He continued his search and found many particles in various hard-to-find corners. These particles were either pale silver or dark blood red, and they did not seem to have faded in color over Years.

"This..." An idea popped into Sean's mind.

He raised his wand and pointed it at the particles. "Reparo."

The gathered particles trembled slightly.

For items that have been broken for a very long time, the effect of the Repairing Charm will be greatly reduced...

But as long as it's not ineffective, that's fine... Sean's eyes lit up.

"Reparo"

"Reparo"

"Reparo"

After casting over thirty Repairing Charm in succession, the fine particles finally reacted.

They floated up slowly and then converged towards the center, with even some particles that Sean hadn't found popping up from other places.

The particles slowly combined, and finally, an incomplete pendant appeared before Sean's eyes.

The pendant was still broken, seemingly only barely pieced together. Moreover, there were gaps in various parts of the pendant, which were fragments that could not be found.

However, Sean's attention was completely focused on the design of the pendant.

The tangled chains, the silver casing adorned with intricate patterns, and the blood-red particles Sean had found earlier—they weren't gemstone fragments at all, but rather, at the very center of the pendant...blood...

This pendant is so similar to the blood oath token between Dumbledore and Grindelwald!

Was the Blood Pact that Baron Skinner and the Baroness made Blood Pact?!

No way, my guess... seems to be coming true...

Sean's breathing had become heavy.

Before he could think any further, a sinister, sorrowful voice suddenly rang out.

"I really miss... what this thing looked like..."

There couldn't possibly be any living person here... Sean suddenly turned his head to the side.

A pearly white ghost floated in mid-air, staring intently at the pendant with its melancholy and sorrowful eyes.

A flat-topped felt hat, a half-circle cloak, a robe resembling ancient Roman clothing, pantyhose, and calfskin boots—this typical 13th-century aristocratic attire allowed Sean to immediately recognize the middle-aged man with curly hair and a beard.

Baron Skinner...

Baron Skinner was emaciated, his skin withered, and there was a large, shrunken hole in his chest, but he would never feel pain again, only sadness.

Not Returners, but a normal ghost, Sean concluded.

"Skinner?" he asked.

Baron Skinner remained staring blankly at the pendant that Sean had restored, before finally turning to him and saying in a heavy, sorrowful voice, "Yes, yes... I am that shameful Skinner..."

"Have you been wandering around here in a ghost form the whole time?" Sean sized up the other person.

Baron Skinner remained lost in grief, nodding listlessly. "Yes, yes... I didn't want to talk to anyone, but you restored this pendant; it was me and Corinna's..."

Skinner immediately clutched his head in pain at the mention of Corinna's name.

Sean immediately realized that Corinna must be the Baroness.

He was slightly puzzled. The information mentioned that although Corinna killed Baron Skinner, the real traitor in their relationship was Skinner.

Why does the ghost in front of me look so pained?

The betrayer's guilt?

Sean moved closer to the other man. "Baron, what exactly happened?"

Skinner was clearly in great pain, and he almost cried out, "I am a shameful traitor! I betrayed my love for Corinna... I am a coward! A coward!"

Perhaps because he hadn't interacted with anyone for so many years, the ghost was extremely agitated.

"I... I... why was I deceived... I'm a beast... a beast..."

Sean silently watched Baron Skinner's sudden emotional breakdown, and finally said, "However, Corinna is dead, and you are dead too..."

Skinner collapsed, muttering listlessly, "I deserve it all... but she shouldn't have died, she shouldn't have died..."

Sean grabbed the pendant, and some of the fragments fell off the pendant, which was not yet Reparo. Baron Skinner's eyes widened as he lunged at it, but the fragments passed through his palm and fell to the ground.

Sean glanced at him, his tone devoid of any emotion. "It can't be fixed."

The latter gaped, then slumped down in dejection. "It can't be fixed..."

Sean sat down cross-legged, mimicking his posture. "Aren't you going to tell me?"

Before the other person could answer, he shook the pendant in his hand. "I can help you secure this pendant, and then you can put it here."

Baron Skinner stared blankly at Sean, then finally lowered his head in dejection.

"There's nothing new about it, just the story of a shameful traitor..."

Sean frowned at the ghost's dejected and painfully regretful voice.

The story is indeed very cliché. Skinner and Corinna were originally a couple who loved each other very much. In order to prove their love, they, as wizards, found a Blood Pact.

The Blood Pact bound the two together tightly, and they could not harm each other—this was not a problem for two people in love.

The problem lies in an ancient book that Baron Skinner found.

Skinner, who was passionate about studying spells, devoted a great deal of effort to studying the book, from which he learned the true name of the Blood Pact he and his wife had made: Blood Pact.

"As expected, Skinner and the Baroness also made Blood Pact..." Sean's mood grew heavy.

Throughout history, magic has contained the power of emotions—anger, hatred, joy, and naturally, love. According to records, Magic of Love seems to share a common thread: the use of the power of blood.

Blood Pact are like this: two people who have made a vow through blood cannot harm each other. If even the slightest thought of betrayal arises, the Blood Pact will kill the traitor.

"I...I've discovered another function of the Blood Pact, or rather, that's its true function—" Skinner clutched his hair in anguish, "I was seduced by the immense power described..."

The Ministry of Magic's assessment of Blood Pact includes the statement, "Unimaginable risks and enormous costs are exchanged for high returns; this is the essence of Blood Pact."

Skinner himself once mentioned in his notes that "hate is based on love, Equivalent Exchange, and great power is bestowed upon it..."

Sean's breathing became heavy involuntarily. He stared intently at the other person and asked almost urgently, "What is its real function?"

Skinner sobbed a few times, whether out of cowardice or guilt, and murmured, "Behind the Blood Pact lies another contract..."

"Another contract?"

"Yes, yes..." Skinner lowered his head, his voice growing softer and softer.

"Love is the most powerful force in the world, a consensus shared by many Ancient Magic... Other forces pale in comparison, even hatred... But there is a force stronger and more terrifying than love... That is—"

"Hatred born from the deepest love."

Sean's pupils suddenly contracted.

Skinner murmured, "Those who make Blood Pact must, if one of them... if one of them willingly abandons this love, deceives themselves with the most powerful Memory Magic, gives up this love, and leaves the deepest pain in their former lover... I chose to do this..."

"When the Blood Pact shatters... the fragments are stained with the blood of hatred, and a new pact begins to take effect... At this moment, reclaim your love and drink deeply the blood of your beloved, blood that was once loved but is now hated..."

Skinner looked up at Sean —no, at the pendant in his hand—his eyes glazed over, filled with endless regret.

"By killing your lover with your own hands, letting their hatred sprout from your love, you will gain... endless magic..."