Voldemort let out an enraged hiss, and all the magic within his body erupted at once! The power surged like a tangible shockwave, shattering every insect on him and tearing the enormous web to pieces!
He burst free of the net's encirclement and continued flying forward.
A point of light appeared ahead.
The light was faint, yet it stood out sharply amid the boundless darkness. Voldemort flew desperately toward it. Behind him was an endless tide of insects; before him, the light grew ever brighter—
He burst out of the darkness.
The hall was still there. The stone platform was still there. The mirror was still there.
Voldemort panted heavily, drenched in sweat. The wounds from the insects' bites still throbbed faintly. He lowered his head and looked at his body—there were no wounds. The insects, the biting, the devouring—it had all been an illusion.
He stared at the mirror, wariness filling his three scarlet eyes.
The illusion within the mirror had vanished.
In its place was his own twisted, inhuman face.
"This is a trap!"
Voldemort realized that he had not found the real mirror. Beyond the door lay a narrow passage, its walls on both sides covered in densely packed Titan runes.
Those runes differed from any writing he had ever seen. They were not carved into the stone's surface, but floated an inch before the walls, slowly revolving and giving off a cold, ghostly blue glow.
The moment Voldemort stepped into the passage, the ruins of the bronze door behind him were suddenly lifted by an invisible force and fitted back into the frame without a crack. Immediately afterward, the runes on both walls lit up at once. Their radiance was blinding and fierce, and the entire passage trembled!
The stone slabs beneath his feet began to