Thump. Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It seemed to come from every direction, yet also from deep underground. Like an enormous heart beating. The entire cellar appeared to tremble faintly with that rhythm. Yes, the sound made the whole space quiver, and Ian could feel the "ground" beneath his feet rising and falling with each beat.
The sound did not come from any single direction. It permeated the entire space, as though he had been placed inside the chamber of some gigantic living creature. An absurd and terrifying thought exploded in Ian's mind: Could this be the Evil Deity's heart? Had the whole cellar already been assimilated, turned into one of its pulsating organs?
He tried to use a Legendary Wizard's vision—the extraordinary ability to pierce through fog and see a hundred paces in the dark. Yet the darkness here seemed tangible, a pure, corrupted "void." His vision was like a searchlight cast into the deep sea; its beam was swallowed instantly, and he could not even see clearly a meter ahead.
This darkness itself was part of the Evil Deity's power.
"Damn it..."
Ian cursed under his breath, enduring the severe pain in his body and the dizziness clouding his mind as he struggled to climb to his feet.
"At least the Cushioning Charm didn't fail completely." Ian muttered as he checked himself for injuries. Aside from a few scrapes and bruises, he seemed to be all right.
The darkness here was unusual.
Not even his superhuman vision as a Legendary Wizard could penetrate this thick gloom.
The air was saturated with a sickly-sweet organic smell, like a mixture of blood and musk.
"I need to see."
Ian gave it a moment's thought.
"Lumos."
Ian raised his wand and cast Hogwarts's most basic Lumos Charm. Soft,