The ritual was both grotesque and terrifying.
Well, how should I put it?
I wonder what sins this couple committed in their past lives.
To think we would encounter such a predicament.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!"
Suddenly, they opened their eyes, their eyeballs bulging and bloodshot from the pain and fear, and they let out incoherent screams that sounded like they were dying.
"Clang clang clang" The two people's bodies convulsed and twisted violently, as if countless insects were wriggling under their skin, and their facial features were distorted and Transfiguration due to extreme pain.
certainly.
As the ceremony proceeded...
They couldn't make a loud sound—the cave was already shrouded in a soundproof barrier, and only their inhuman expressions of pain and silent screams appeared even more eerie and terrifying against the backdrop of the dim light and distorted shadows.
At Voldemort's sacrifice.
Their Life Force, the trembling of their souls, and the intensely negative emotions, like lit black incense candles, transformed into an invisible and intangible "energy flow" that Voldemort could clearly perceive. Guided by the dark matter, it flowed into the patterns of the altar. Then, following some mysterious path, it surged upwards, outwards, towards the mysteriously summoned source of " Deep Space "! Voldemort was incredibly adept at performing such Dark Magic Ritual.
The altar suddenly shone brightly!
Dark red, eerie green, dark purple, filthy yellow... all sorts of blasphemous colors swirled and mixed wildly, forming a chaotic halo that enveloped the entire altar and Voldemort.
"Giggle giggle!"
Voldemort was still ecstatic.
I felt proud of my masterpiece.
The cave began to tremble slightly, tiny pebbles fell from the ceiling, and puddles on the ground rippled unnaturally. The sweet, spice-like scent in the air was replaced by a stronger, more ancient, salty, decaying, and icy aroma, as if from a deep sea trench or a star graveyard. "It's here! It's here! I have been chosen!"
Voldemort could feel that the "gaze" had become clearer! It was no longer a vague sensation, but a real "connection" that transcended incomprehensible dimensions had been established!
A massive flow of information, so vast it made his soul tremble slightly, surged into his consciousness like a flood bursting its banks, forcefully breaching the "gap" he had forcibly pried open with rituals and sacrifices!
Voldemort is trembling!
It was both fear and excitement! There were no concrete words, no clear images. It was a more direct, more essential "indoctrination" of knowledge. It was countless fragmented, Self-Contradiction "concepts" and "perceptions" that seemed to reveal some crazy truth about the universe! The eternal stillness of the cold starry sky and the indescribable, writhing shadows lurking within it;
Time and space are like fragile bubbles, subject to vague laws that can be twisted, folded, and manipulated at will;
The boundaries between matter and spirit are blurred; flesh and blood can transform into starlight, and thoughts can shape the absurd possibilities of reality.
And... power!
An endless, chaotic, and primal force capable of tearing reality apart, reshaping logic, and reducing so-called "order" and "common sense" to laughable toys! The essence of that force is this... "freedom," unbound by any morality, rules, or even causality, following only the most primal chaos and the will to exist!
"Heh... heh heh..."
Voldemort let out a suppressed, intensely excited gasp. His body trembled slightly from the overwhelming flow of information. A sickly blush even appeared on his snake-like face.
but.
The physical strain did nothing to dampen his current ecstasy!
because!
He could "hear"! Not with his ears, but with indescribable "voices" echoing directly in the depths of his consciousness—like the whispers of billions of stars, the sighs of deep-sea monsters, the first chaotic roar at the birth of the universe, and the final, mad laugh at the end of all things! The "voices" were "telling" him, telling him the mysteries of power, the "truth" of the universe, and how to break free from the shackles of insignificant life!
Then, embrace that endless, chaotic, and cold "greatness"!
"I heard it... I heard it! An echo from Deep Space! This is... this is the power I've been searching for! Beyond all! Above all!" Voldemort roared inwardly, his crimson pupils seemingly dripping blood, filled with indescribable ecstasy, greed, and signs of being gradually eroded and distorted by mad knowledge.
only.
Voldemort himself seemed oblivious.
He felt his Magic Power resonating and merging strangely with this surging " Echoes of Deep Space ".
Although it was only the most initial and weak contact, he could clearly sense that his mastery of Dark Magic was like a stream compared to a vast ocean in the face of this more primal and chaotic power! If he could absorb more, if he could truly grasp even a trace of such power... Dumbledore? The Order of the Phoenix? The entire Wizarding World?
snort!
They're nothing but ants!
Those troubles that once seemed insurmountable will become as insignificant as dust!
He could even glimpse a vague possibility—how to use this power to perfect his immortality and achieve his ultimate dream of ruling and reshaping the world!
Voldemort felt that today was simply his lucky day.
However, he found it difficult to discover.
Along with the ecstasy and the infusion of knowledge of power, something more hidden and dangerous, like a malignant tumor, silently seeped into the depths of his soul.
It was a frenzied whisper, not clear words, but a pollution and distortion that directly affected the mind.
It is a silent mockery and an impulse to dismantle all order, logic, emotion, and moral concepts. It is a temptation that leads the soul to pure chaos and disorder.
It is a vague sense of awe and a restless yearning to approach the " Sleeping God." It is also a cold, detached feeling of being pulled to an infinite height, looking down upon all living beings as if they were ants...
Voldemort's soul was already riddled with holes due to the split Horcrux, filled with extreme selfishness, arrogance, and darkness. At this moment, this chaotic echo from " Deep Space " acted as the most potent catalyst and the most suitable source of contamination, finding the perfect breeding ground. Otherwise, why would everyone else look down on him? He really was somewhat foolish.
Faced with such a dangerous loss, he not only did not resist the crazy whispers and twisted temptations, but instead opened his heart and greedily absorbed everything.
They actually regarded that as part of "power," as an essential path to a "higher level."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
He was overjoyed, completely immersed in this dangerous "blessing." The " Echoes of Deep Space " in his ears seemed to grow clearer and more intimate, as if a great and ancient being was casting an approving "gaze" upon him through the endless void. How honored he was!
The two Muggle on the altar had completely lost their life force. Their bodies were shriveled and withered, like rags drained of all moisture and soul. Their faces were frozen in a distorted expression of extreme pain and fear, their eyes sunken, as if they had stared at something indescribable and completely collapsed. Their deaths provided the final energy for this brief "connection."
Voldemort didn't notice, or rather, he didn't care at all. At the same time, he didn't notice that his own shadow, illuminated by the flickering blue firelight and chaotic magical light of the cave, was undergoing an extremely bizarre change—no longer merely distorted, but seemingly extending out something that shouldn't exist.
Those were wriggling, tentacle-like shadows, gradually merging with his original humanoid silhouette.
Voldemort, obsessed with power, was unaware that deep within his soul, besides the cracks in the Horcrux and the imprint of Dark Magic, an extremely small "mark" or "seed" had appeared, bearing characteristics completely different from the " Raven Mark " in Rowle's soul, and filled with chaotic and mad elements.
It is taking root and sprouting quietly.
That is not the cold imprint of order.
Rather, it was the beginning of chaos and erosion.
Yes.
This moment.
Whether Voldemort originally wanted to or not, at this moment, he had silently become a follower of the Deep Space and been enslaved by the corrupting power of the Cthulhu Pantheon.
The ceremony lasted for an unknown period of time.
The light of the altar gradually dimmed.
The tremors in the cave subsided.
As the salty, decaying aura of " Deep Space " slowly dissipated from the air, Voldemort seemed to awaken from a deep sleep, slowly lowering his hand that was holding his wand. "Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"
He stood there, slightly out of breath, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead, but his scarlet eyes were brighter and more... deeper than ever before.
It is also more dangerous.
The flames burning within were no longer merely ambition and cruelty, but also a distorted understanding—an "insight" into the madness of the universe and a thirst for chaotic power. He succeeded. He successfully established contact with " Deep Space," receiving unprecedented power, knowledge, and Echo of Madness.
This made him feel that he had taken a giant leap closer to his ultimate goal. As for the spiritual pollution and soul erosion that followed? In his view, they were merely insignificant costs that had to be paid to gain great power, or even necessary "baptisms" in the process of "sublimation."
"I! I will ascend to Legend!" He glanced at the two horrifying mummies on the altar, and with a casual wave of his wand, the two corpses turned to ashes and vanished into the air without leaving a trace. The dark red patterns on the altar's surface also returned to silence, as if the terrifying scene had never happened.
"Power..." Voldemort murmured, a strange, satisfied tremor in his voice, "More power... deeper knowledge... ' Raven '... and Dumbledore... you can't understand... what a great being I'm touching..." He turned, his steps lighter and more... ethereal than when he came, as if treading on some inhuman rhythm, slowly walking back up the stone steps. The eerie green light of his wand rekindled, illuminating the indescribable, mad complexion on his pale, snake-like face. A sinister smile of joy, madness, and absolute confidence. The London underground lair returned to deathly silence. But deep within Voldemort's soul, a more secretive and dangerous transformation and erosion had already begun. The power of the Cthulhu Mythos, the old madness that Ian had ended in R'lyeh, was once again relentlessly extending its invisible and terrifying tentacles through the most greedy and darkest soul in this rewritten Timeline, attempting to pry open the cracks that were eroding this world. And Voldemort, the Dark Lord who believed he was pursuing ultimate power, was ecstatically and willingly transforming himself into the bridge and vessel of that mad erosion.
In London under the Night Curtain, the crisis extends far beyond the Death Eater ' atrocities and the mystery of the " Raven." A chaotic and ancient darkness, originating from Deep Space, is quietly seeping into the deepest recesses of reality, resonating dangerously and deadly with an evil soul thirsting for power. "Tap tap tap~"
Footsteps sounded.
Leaving the underground cave filled with blasphemous atmosphere and Echo of Madness, Voldemort did not return to the hall where the Death Eater gathered, nor did he go to his other secret hideouts in the United Kingdom. An irrepressible urge, born from the impulse and desire of his newly acquired "knowledge" deep within his soul, drove him to take the next step.
"I can do it! Of course I can!" He knew that merely establishing initial contact and receiving echoes of knowledge was not enough. He needed to truly internalize the chaotic yet powerful force bestowed upon him by " Deep Space "!
Integrate your own Magic Power essence and achieve a qualitative leap!
The vague guidance from the Echo of Madness in his mind, and the treasures he had amassed over the years, contained something that seemed to resonate inexplicably with this newfound power, helping him break through the barrier to higher levels that had long troubled him and many other high Wizard. " Legend! I will become the first Legend of the Deteriorating Magic Era!" Voldemort needed a place that was absolutely quiet, undisturbed, and where magical elements were relatively primitive and active. The area near London was clearly unsuitable. After a moment's thought, a glint of light flashed in his crimson eyes, and he had made his decision. Silencio, he appeared in a secluded corner of the stronghold, where his personal, heavily guarded Apparition coordinates were located.
Then.
Voldemort closed his eyes, and the image of a desolate island somewhere in the North Atlantic, far from all major shipping routes and areas of Wizard activity, came to mind. It was a place he had discovered by chance many years ago while chasing a traitor who was trying to escape, and he had secretly converted it into a private storage point and emergency shelter.
The island is covered with various protective, concealment, and counter-detection magic.
" Apparition!"
Long-distance Apparition is absolutely impossible for most Wizard.
But Voldemort was different.
His Magic Power is indeed powerful enough.
All I saw was...
This was accompanied by Voldemort's spellcasting.
The next moment, a sensation of space violently distorting and compressing came over me.
"Smack!"
The faint popping sound was exceptionally clear in the silence. The cold, dampness of the London underground lair was instantly replaced by the biting, salty sea breeze of the North Atlantic night.
Voldemort appeared in a dark area, on a basalt platform smoothed like a mirror by the waves.
The platform is located atop a cliff at the edge of the island, with thunderous, surging waves crashing against the rocks below, creating clouds of cold, salty foam.
"On this island, I will do what no Wizard can do! I will stand in the heavens! I will become the only Legend in this world!"
Voldemort looked up and saw an astonishingly clear night sky, free from the pollution of London's lights, with billions of stars scattered like shattered diamonds across the velvety Night Curtain.
The Milky Way stretches across the sky, magnificent yet... cold.