Gringotts' Bronze Door

The moment they stepped into Diagon Alley, their senses were plunged into a boiling cauldron of magic.

The air was a mixture of countless scents: the sweet aroma wafting from Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, the pungent smell of sulfur from the cauldron shop, the inky scent of old books, and the odors of various strange, indescribable magical ingredients. Their ears were filled with the calls of owls, the shouts of vendors, the conversations of wizards, and the rustling, humming, and popping sounds of various magical items. The colors were dazzlingly vibrant—shop signs shifted and changed in a riot of hues, the windows of robe shops displayed shimmering fabrics, and the metal components of the latest broom models in the Quidditch supply store gleamed in the sunlight.

Tom stood at the entrance of the archway, his body stiffening for a moment. His dark eyes, accustomed to hiding emotions, widened uncontrollably, reflecting the bizarre and wondrous sights. After the initial shock came an overwhelming, burning desire. He was like a dry sponge, frantically absorbing every bit of information around him—every shop, every wizard, every magical creation he had never seen before stirred immense waves within him. This was where he belonged! He was born to be here!

Ares felt equally dazzled, but his reaction was more one of confirmation and emotion. The descriptions from books had become reality, and the feeling was incredibly wondrous. The light and dark magic within him flowed more joyfully, and the Blood Pact Mark beneath his left eye continued to emit a gentle warmth. He could feel Dumbledore's gaze, subtle yet present, resting upon them, especially on himself.

"First item on the agenda," Dumbledore's voice gently cut through the din, rousing the two boys lost in their own thoughts, "we need to visit Gringotts, the wizarding bank. You'll need to exchange some currency, and Ares, you seem to have a key that needs using?"

Tom immediately looked at Ares, his eyes sharp. A key? What key?

Ares nodded and took out the "Twin Soul Key" from his inner pocket. As the key was exposed to the air, it seemed to resonate more strongly with the rich magical environment around them. The pale elder wood and the golden metallic veins appeared to flow with a faint light, and the miniature Blood Pact bottle and the battling Phoenix and Thestral on the hilt were lifelike.

Dumbledore's gaze fixed on the key. Even from a distance, he could sense the ancient and powerful magical aura emanating from it, an aura closely connected to himself and Grindelwald. Especially the design of the Blood Pact bottle... a complex emotion flickered deep within his blue eyes, but his surface remained calm.

"Follow me," Dumbledore said without further questions and turned, leading them down the crowded street.

Gringotts was a towering snow-white building nestled among the shops, its bronze doors gleaming. Small, intelligent, and arrogant goblins in scarlet and gold uniforms stood guard at the entrance, carrying an air of subtle disdain for wizards.

Tom looked at the bronze doors and the goblin guards, a hint of assessment in his eyes. A bank meant wealth and power. And goblins were non-human intelligent beings he needed to understand and possibly control.

Beyond the entrance was a second, silver door, inscribed with a warning poem. Passing through the silver door, they entered a vast marble hall. Behind long counters, hundreds of goblins sat on high stools, busy weighing coins, inspecting gems, recording accounts, and rapidly manipulating abacuses with their long, fingernailed fingers, producing crisp clicking sounds.

The hall was bustling with people, but the atmosphere was much more solemn than outside. Many wizards appeared somewhat reserved and respectful in front of the goblins.

Dumbledore walked directly to an empty counter. The goblin behind the counter lifted its large, wrinkled head and scrutinized them with sharp, dark eyes.

"Good morning," Dumbledore said. "We need to conduct some business for these two young gentlemen. This is Mr. Tom Riddell, who needs to exchange Muggle currency for Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. This is Mr. Ares Phoenix, who needs to access a vault."

The goblin turned its gaze to Tom, accepting the Muggle currency he handed over with professional efficiency, counting and converting it skillfully. Tom watched the goblin's every move intently, as if trying to engrave the process into his mind.

Then, the goblin looked at Ares. "The key?"

Ares took a deep breath and handed over the "Twin Soul Key."

The moment the goblin's rough fingers touched the key, the arrogant expression on its face changed abruptly! It suddenly looked up, staring at the strangely shaped key in its hand with disbelief, then sharply at Ares, particularly his heterochromatic eyes and the markings on his face. Finally, its gaze even swept over Dumbledore standing beside them, filled with surprise and uncertainty.

This key... the magic upon it was ancient and powerful, filled with a contradictory aura of intertwined light and darkness, even carrying a hint of... threat?

"This, this is..." the goblin's voice lost its usual calm, trembling slightly, "The 'Twin Soul Key'? The Phoenix Vault?" It clearly recognized the key's origin, but this only shocked it further, as this vault hadn't been accessed in a very long time, and its owner...

"Yes," Ares replied calmly, though his heart was pounding. He knew the key was extraordinary, but he hadn't expected it to elicit such a strong reaction from the goblin.

The goblin looked deeply at Ares, its attitude becoming unprecedentedly... cautious, even tinged with reverence? It carefully placed the key on a special obsidian plate for authentication. When the key emitted a soft glow of intertwined gold and black, it was completely confirmed.

"Authentication passed," the goblin said, its voice dry. "Please follow me. This gentleman will also need a guide." It said to Dumbledore, apparently considering him the guardian.

Another goblin was summoned to escort Tom for currency exchange. Tom watched Ares and Dumbledore follow the goblin, whose attitude had drastically changed, towards the doors deeper inside, a shadow of displeasure flashing in his dark eyes. He was once again excluded. Ares's secrets seemed to be more numerous than he had imagined.

Ares and Dumbledore followed the goblin through a door and down a narrow stone corridor, lit by torches on either side. They were led to a small platform where a rather dangerous-looking cart, driven by a goblin, was parked.

"Please hold on tight," the goblin said stiffly, jumping into the driver's seat first.

Ares and Dumbledore sat in the back of the cart. With a pull of the lever by the goblin, the cart lurched forward, accelerating at an astonishing speed along a maze-like track, constantly turning and plunging deeper underground. The wind whistled past their ears, and the vault doors on either side of the tunnel flashed by.

Dumbledore remained as steady as a rock, even having the leisure to observe Ares's reaction. Ares gripped the handrail tightly, his face a little pale; the speed had indeed exceeded his expectations.

Finally, the cart braked abruptly in front of a small waterfall (they were drenched, supposedly a security measure against thieves), then continued forward, eventually stopping before a massive, ancient, and heavy-looking vault door. There was no keyhole, only complex runic script and magical patterns.

The escorting goblin jumped off the cart and walked to the door. Without using any tools, it respectfully held the "Twin Soul Key" with both hands and slowly brought it close to an indentation in the center of the door.

The moment the key touched the indentation, the runic script and patterns on the entire door suddenly lit up! Golden light and dark flowing streams snaked across the door like living things, eventually converging around the key. A heavy, ancient-sounding mechanical grinding noise emanated from the door.

Click...

The massive vault door slowly, silently slid inward.

A scent mixed with ancient parchment, metal, and faint magical dust wafted from within.

The goblin stepped aside and bowed to Ares. "Mr. Phoenix, your vault. Please."

Ares took a deep breath and, under Dumbledore's profound gaze, stepped into the vault that belonged to him—or rather, to his "fathers."

Inside, it wasn't filled with mountains of gold coins as he had imagined. The space wasn't particularly vast, but the contents made his breath catch.

Against the wall stood several ancient wooden shelves, neatly stacked with books and scrolls of a dull color but in excellent condition, emitting powerful magical fluctuations. On the other side were several locked chests, carved with complex runes. And in the center of the vault, in the most conspicuous position, was a small stone pedestal, upon which lay two items:

A small pile of gold Galleons, not a large amount, but enough for a student's needs for several years.

And a small black box, extremely ancient in style, its surface smooth as a mirror, its material unidentifiable. The box had no keyhole, only a small, dark red gem embedded in the center, like solidified blood.

The "Twin Soul Key" in Ares's hand vibrated slightly, and the blood-red gem at its tip seemed to echo the gem on the box.

Ares knew that the gold coins were merely superficial. The true treasures within this vault were the books, the scrolls, and this mysterious box. And all of it pointed to his enigmatic origins and the pasts of Dumbledore and Grindelwald.

Dumbledore stood at the entrance of the vault, not stepping inside. His gaze swept over the books, finally settling on the black box. For the first time, his blue eyes revealed an unmistakably complex expression, a mixture of shock and heavy memories.

He seemed to recognize the box.