Ian got his bearings. Based on the fragmentary information he had obtained through Legilimency, the Black wizards had probably come from the east, where there was a better chance of finding human settlements.
He cast several protective and tracking spells on himself, took a deep breath of air filled with wild scents, and set off.
At least this time, his adventure sounded much more normal—he was merely lost in the African jungle. At worst, the Fantastic Beasts he encountered might have a bit more firepower.
That sounded far better than facing some era of wizard extinction.
As long as he fixed the Time Machine.
Ian could resume his material-gathering journey, and once he finished collecting the materials, perhaps Dumbledore could take him back to the correct time.
How should he put it? It was not as if Ian had never considered finding a way back to his own era himself. But Dumbledore was still trapped in ancient times. He could not just abandon his headmaster.
"Should be this way."
Stepping through the morning dew, Ian made his way through the basin's primeval rainforest. Towering Baobab Trees stood like ancient giants, their twisted branches resembling dragon claws, their canopies blotting out the sky. Vines hung like pythons, wrapping around millennia-old trees; the air was thick with humid heat, mingled with the fragrance of rotting leaves, soil, and unknown flowers.
Ahead, in an open swamp, a group of strange creatures was drinking.
Nagini, a species of giant long-necked serpent unique to Africa, had skin as black as night and scales with a metallic sheen. Dozens of slender tentacles extended from their necks, dancing through the air as if alive.
They were powerful magical predators, capable of paralyzing prey with their tentacles before swallowing it whole with their massive jaws.
Ian did not