Can't Escape
The Runic script on the door began to flow, meandering along the stone surface, detaching from their original positions, suspending in the air and recombining to form new patterns.
The Stone Gate slid open Silencio to both sides in the next moment.
Behind the door was a space filled with Grey Mist, so thick it seemed solid, slowly churning.
The outlines of the buildings, broken stone pillars, collapsed archways, and floorboards shattered into irregular pieces could be vaguely seen through the fog.
Everything was shrouded in that layer of Grey Mist, its outlines blurred, its edges melting away.
However, although the Stone Gate was opened, a glowing Magical Barrier still stood in the way.
The barrier was translucent, as if it were condensed light, with silvery-white Rune flowing across its surface, flashing at a fixed Rune.
The barrier firmly sealed the Grey Mist inside; the fog collided with the membrane, creating ripples, but it couldn't penetrate.
Darren stared at the barrier, his eyes filled with both fanaticism and fear.
He put the Crystal back in the box, took out his wand, and aimed the tip at the center of the barrier.
He began reciting another incantation.
This time the incantation is longer and more complex.
Each syllable sounded like it was being forced out of his lungs, and Darren's face turned white at a visible speed, from pale to ashen, and finally to a chalky white.
The hand holding the wand trembled violently, the wand tip tracing a broken path in the air, but the incantation continued.
The Rune on the barrier began to flicker.
The light from the Rune was fading, becoming chaotic and rapid, turning from silvery-white to grayish-white, and then to dark gray.
Regulus narrowed his eyes, focusing his Magic Perception on the boundary between the barrier and the Grey Mist.
The barrier was weakening, as if Darren was using a spell to persuade it, temporarily disabling its protective logic and making it believe that opening it at this moment was reasonable.
The process was very slow; every second felt like it was being stretched out.
The air in the passage grew colder and colder. Regulus knew it was a change in the nature of Magic Power, like stepping from spring into the eternal night of the Arctic.
The aura of curse within the Grey Mist seeped through the weak points of the barrier; though faint, Regulus recognized it immediately.
It was exactly the same as the one inside Hermes' body, only the concentration was many times higher—it was like the difference between a drop of water and the ocean.
Darren was finishing his incantation.
As the last syllable fell, he swayed, his knees buckled, and he almost knelt down.
But he held on, extending his wand forward until the tip touched the surface of the barrier.
The barrier became completely transparent, revealing every detail of the churning Grey Mist behind it.
Regulus could see clearly that it wasn't Grey Mist at all; it was an illusory human face, its features distorted to an inhuman degree, its mouth gaping open, and its eyes appearing as two Black Hole.
And it wasn't just one, it was tens of thousands, densely packed, layer upon layer, crammed behind the barrier, each one screaming silently.
Regulus's breath hitched for a moment. How could such a thing exist in Hogwarts?
No matter how you look at it, it's not a respectable style.
If each face represents a lost life, then how many tens of thousands of people died here?
The barrier is still there, but it has lost all its protective properties.
He suppressed his doubts and assumed a retreat posture.
Darren took a step forward, raised his wand, its tip glowing a dark red light, and aimed it at the center of the barrier, preparing to cast another spell.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The barrier remained intact, but the Grey Mist behind it suddenly contracted towards the center, coalescing into a dense, impenetrable darkness.
The darkness remained still for a moment, then suddenly exploded.
A visible gray-black ripple struck the barrier, causing it to shake violently and crack open on its surface. The cracks spread at an astonishing speed, covering the entire barrier in the blink of an eye.
Darren was jolted backward, his wand flying out of his hand and striking the stone wall of the passage with a crisp cracking sound.
His eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints, his mouth opened but no sound came out; fear gripped his throat.
The cracks are spreading and deepening.
Grey Mist seeped out from the cracks. The first wisp of mist touched the hem of Darren's robe, and the black cloth instantly turned gray, then crumbled into powder, which drifted in the air.
"Ah--"
Darren's scream finally burst forth, filled with primal fear.
He retreated frantically, tripped on the stone threshold, and fell backward. When he braced himself on the ground, his skin was scraped and blood seeped out, leaving a dark red handprint in the dust.
He crawled toward the broken wand, but his fingers trembled so much he could barely hold it.
More fog surged out, spreading towards Darren, leaving charred, decayed marks on the stone slabs in its wake.
The barrier shattered completely.
Regulus's desire to explore was instantly abruptly cut short. Behind the Stone Gate, in the churning Grey Mist, countless human faces exuded a chilling and eerie aura.
The heavy despair and pain didn't need to be consciously perceived; it seeped into the body through the air, making the chest feel suffocated and even breathing difficult.
With a wave of his hand, the Disillusionment Charm vanished instantly, and he then cast a dispelling spell on Avery and Alex respectively.
The invisibility effect on the two faded simultaneously, revealing their frozen figures in the dim light.
The invisibility effect on the two faded simultaneously, revealing their frozen figures in the dim light.
At this point, hiding one's whereabouts is pointless; it's essential to ensure that each other can see each other clearly.
Evacuation as soon as possible was the only option; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as an escape. Everything before him had exceeded his expectations.
Regulus's gaze fell on Darren Macnair, who was sitting slumped on the ground not far away, clutching a broken staff and waving it wildly, his face filled with despair and fear.
Absolutely stupid, stupid beyond belief.
Clearly, he only prepared methods to break the Protective Charm, and had no way to collect or suppress the items inside.
A thought suddenly occurred to them: Could it be that their orders from higher command were to detonate this cursed bomb at Hogwarts?
Voldemort?
But no, this is too crude, and where is this place?
Hogwarts!
Voldemort really dared to do that, wouldn't he be afraid that Dumbledore would stop at nothing to get rid of him?
Most likely, it's just that Darren Macnair is simply stupid.
The thought flashed through his mind for only a moment before Regulus lifted his foot and rushed out of the passage, uttering only one word in a deep, urgent voice. "Run."
Avery and Alex were already stunned into silence, their faces ashen, their eyes fixed on the churning Grey Mist.
Avery managed to steady himself and stand firm, his fingers gripping his wand tightly.
Upon hearing Regulus's call, he almost instinctively lifted his foot, reacting without the slightest hesitation, and rushed forward to keep up with Regulus.
Alex panicked completely. His legs felt like lead, and he stood rooted to the spot, his eyes wide with terror, his breathing rapid and labored.
Regulus and Avery had already run three body lengths ahead, but out of the corner of their eye, they saw Alex still standing there.
Without turning around, he raised his left hand and Gripping Charm.
This spell was originally intended for Gnomes, but it was just the right amount of power to deal with a defenseless little wizard.
The spell gripped Alex's waist, Regulus pulled him forcefully to his side, his right hand seizing Alex's arm.
His physical abilities far surpassed those of the young wizard; Avery ran with all his might, but still couldn't keep up with his pace.
Regulus paused briefly, then cast a Gripping Charm on Avery, pulling him to his side as well.
At the same time, he raised his hand and unleashed an Shield Charm behind him. The Magical Barrier was thick and sturdy, standing in the middle of the passage and blocking the first wave of the Grey Mist's advance.
He then cast two more Slowing Charm, which struck the stone walls on both sides, causing pebbles to fall and form a makeshift stone barrier.
The Grey Mist surged faster than anyone could imagine. In the blink of an eye, Darren Macnair's wailing echoed behind them, a voice filled with terror, sharp and piercing.
Regulus glanced quickly and saw that Darren's location had been completely engulfed by the Grey Mist, but a glimmer of white light was still flashing, barely managing to block the erosion of the Grey Mist.
It's that Crystal, and it shares the same origin as the Protective Charm on the Stone Gate.
But Regulus had already noticed that cracks had appeared on the surface of the Crystal, and he didn't know how long it could last.
However, this was irrelevant to Regulus; his only goal now was to leave with Avery and Alex as soon as possible.
He cast a Levitation Charm on himself and the two of them, but they didn't float completely; they were just used to counteract gravity and reduce their weight.
The three rushed forward through the passage, but the Grey Mist behind them followed like a persistent leech, never letting up.
The stone barrier created by the Slowing Charm was woefully inadequate; the swirling Grey Mist instantly submerged the rubble, leaving not a trace.
Regulus's mind raced, his feet moving without stopping, calculating distance and speed.
The main passage they were in was wide enough that he could maintain full speed even with two people with him.
But not far ahead was a narrow passage that could only allow one person to pass at a time; it was the only way, there was no other choice.
They would have to slow down there, passing through one after the other, but the speed of the Grey Mist would not give them that time.
Regulus concluded in his heart that at this speed, he couldn't escape.