Painful Memories

The stone door slowly closed behind us, the heavy thud swallowed up by the thick stone walls, leaving only a faint echo reverberating in the passageway.

The moment Skylar stepped inside, he was immediately gripped by a strong odor—the stench of blood and medicine mixed together over a long period. Dim braziers stretched along the stone walls on both sides, their blue-green flames flickering, making the entire space feel cold and oppressive.

Seven bodies were suspended from the vaulted ceiling by heavy iron chains.

They were neither standing nor kneeling, but with their feet off the ground, forced to dangle in mid-air, like a row of carefully arranged warning specimens.

The iron chain was deeply embedded in his wrist, the skin already peeled and festering. The fingernails of all ten fingers had been neatly removed, leaving only dry scabs and finger bones.

As Skylar approached, he took a deep breath.

The seven people's eye sockets had become two deep, hollow holes. Where their eyeballs once stood, there were only dried scabs and dark red wounds. From then on, they were completely cut off from the light and could no longer perceive any light or shadow.

Below, in the mouth that was stretched open, the tongue was neatly severed from the root by a sharp blade. The remaining cut had long since scabbed over, but the straight and cruel incision was still visible. It was likely that the tongue would never be able to utter another syllable.

Her legs hung limply, lifeless. The Achilles tendons on the back of her calves had been precisely severed, revealing a ghastly white cut surface surrounded by a purplish hue, as if ripped apart by a blunt instrument. The muscles that had once been used for running, struggling, and begging were now completely annihilated, their last vestige of resistance mercilessly extinguished.

These three wounds, without a trace of excess blood, exuded a methodical coldness, as if the caster was not acting out of anger, but with an almost ritualistic patience, crushing living hope bit by bit, completely.

They are still alive.

This is more cruel than death itself.

Skylar stood still, not approaching immediately. His expression turned completely cold in that instant. Reason had long anticipated that the Tomb Keeper Family would not show mercy, but when it was all actually presented before his eyes, it was still difficult to adapt to.

This is not an interrogation.

This is a revenge that vents boundless hatred, and also a cruel act devoid of humanity.

He didn't blame Ashira or anyone in the Tomb Keeper Family. On the contrary, he knew better than anyone that the hatred between the Cairo Black Market and the Gravekeepers had accumulated to the point that this was the only way to barely vent it. If he were in the Gravekeepers' shoes, he might not have been any more merciful.

Skylar took out the Scorpion King Statue.

The obsidian-like statue glowed faintly in the firelight. The scorpion's tail, which had been still, slowly rose, and the Scorpion King's head turned accordingly, finally pointing steadily at the only woman among the seven.

Her condition was no different from everyone else's, but she was unusually quiet. Even though she had lost her eyes, her head was still slightly drooping, as if she was deliberately maintaining her last bit of dignity.

Skylar recognized her--

Isis, one of the Seven Deacons of the Cairo Black Market, known as the "Soul Chaser".

In Cairo Black Market, this name signifies ruthlessness, efficiency, and absolute accuracy. She is not a bloodthirsty person; quite the opposite, every move she makes aims for the shortest and cleanest outcome—the target dies, the mission is accomplished, and the suffering is minimized.

During the sweep of Cairo Black Market, this woman was not the strongest of the Seven Deacons, but she was the last to be captured. It took Skylar quite a bit of effort to catch her.

Skylar walked up to her and reached out to lift her chin.

He raised his wand with his other hand and whispered the incantation, "Legilimency!"

Magic seeped in silently, and the world suddenly turned upside down.

Memories are like a torn curtain—

A scorching sandstorm, a burning altar, corpses strewn everywhere, and the cries of children echoed in layers within the magic circle. A cute little girl with doll-like black braids, who looked no more than five years old, was forcibly abducted by a fierce man wearing an animal bone headdress.

Isis's body trembled and twitched slightly, and she let out meaningless groans from her throat.

The scene in Skylar's memory immediately shifted to a dark, underground Chamber of Secrets. The circular stone chamber descended layer by layer, and the air was filled with the smell of burning metal and decaying medicine.

A group of naked children were strapped to a stone platform engraved with ancient Egypt runes, their limbs stretched to their limits by magical chains, unable to move an inch even as they cried out. Above the temple floated a ritual array formed by Dark Arts, the runes writhing like living things, each flash triggering a heart-wrenching scream.

A group of wizards dressed in black robes coldly recorded the reaction data, as if the people in front of them were not living beings, but experimental subjects that could be discarded at any time.

It contains all sorts of Dark Arts human experiments:

Some children had various Fantastic Beasts blood forcibly injected into their bodies; some children were instantly engulfed in strange flames, their skin carbonized and rapidly cracked; some had deformed bones, their bodies torn apart from the inside by their own power...

Some children's bodies were crawling with Egypt Scarabs that had mutated in color and appearance, crimson Red Sand Scorpion, and multicolored Ghost-Faced Venom Spider; the insects tore at flesh and blood, desperately burrowing into their eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouths, causing the children's eyes to roll back, foam to spit out white foam, and their bodies to convulse continuously...

The most horrific method involves inserting the pupae or eggs of monsters or worms into the body, and then carving magical runes representing gestation onto the outer skin, attempting to fuse the wizard with the monster or worm for evolution...

Although Skylar had heard of these Dark Arts, and Skylar even a practitioner of Dark Arts himself, witnessing such a cruel scene still sent chills down his spine, especially since the subjects of the experiments were children.

Although Skylar acted ruthlessly, that was towards his enemies; he never inflicted such inhuman torture and abuse on innocent people.

He gently closed his eyes and used magic to fast-forward this memory to the next scene. He simply... couldn't bear to watch any longer.

When I opened my eyes, the experiment was already over.

Those who failed in the experiment were quickly dragged away, without even having time to close their eyes. In Isis's memory, there were at least fifty wizard children who were kidnapped like her, but she was the only one who survived.

She lay on one of the stone platforms, her small, young body convulsing violently, yet she remained alive. The bloodlines of three Fantastic Beasts clashed and tore at her, only to be forcibly suppressed by a curse, the pain endlessly prolonged. She heard voices disappearing one by one beside her, but could only keep her eyes open, feeling herself being gradually transformed into a "vessel."

Skylar withdrew from Isis's world of memories.

Isis's birth was completely different from what many people imagined. She was originally a direct descendant of one of the Twelve Tomb Keeper Families, with noble blood and status, but she was kidnapped by Anubi when she was 5 years old.

Anubi kidnapped many wizarding children to conduct human modification experiments on them, combining Fantastic Beasts with human bodies. Perhaps due to her unique physical condition, Isis survived this cruel experiment with a very high failure rate, proving her worth and being taken in as Anubi's subordinate.

From then on, she lost her original name, her original bloodline, and her original identity. Instead, she was reborn under the code name "Isis" and became the most feared henchman in the Cairo Black Market.

Although she was one of the Seven Deacons in the Cairo Black Market, she was not a loyal or devout follower of Anubi. On the contrary, in the darkest corner of her heart, she harbored only a deep-seated hatred for Anubi.

Unfortunately, she dared not openly defy Anubi, nor did she dare to reveal even the slightest thought of revenge. She could only bury her deep-seated hatred in her heart, enduring it like a venomous snake lying in wait, while on the surface she still had to absolutely obey Anubi's orders, carrying out one heinous and blood-stained task after another for him.

This is because, like Astoria and Sarf, she was cursed with Blood Curse and was forced to be controlled by Anubi. In reality, she had no loyalty to Anubi, only hatred, and she only followed orders out of necessity.

Thinking of this, as if to verify his inner conjecture, Skylar raised his wand and gently touched the tip of it to the tattered collar of Isis's dress. The silent spell took effect, and the fabric parted to the sides as if unseen by an invisible hand, sliding down her shoulder line to reveal the skin that had never seen the light of day.

The exposed skin was a snow-white that never saw the sun, yet it did not appear weak or pale. Instead, it resembled ivory tempered by moonlight, possessing a cold and resilient luster.

Her body was completely free of excess fat; every muscle was beautifully defined and powerful. Her collarbones were sharply defined, and her abdominal muscles were smooth and firm, like a cheetah ready to pounce at any moment, containing a restrained yet dangerous strength.

What truly caught Skylar's eye was her completely bare back.

Three enormous tattoos run across the spine, extending from the shoulder blades to the waist, with vibrant colors and lifelike details, as if living, Fantastic Beasts were sealed beneath the skin.

On the left, a Phoenix spreads its wings as if about to burst into flames. Its fiery feathers are layered upon each other, and the texture of each feather is clearly visible. Crimson-gold flames dance at the edges. With Isis's breath, the Phoenix's chest rises and falls slightly, and the tips of its feathers actually brush against its skin, trailing strands of crimson-gold light, as if it might break through its skin and take flight at any moment, rising high in the flames.

On her right side, the Thunderbird spread its wings, its broad wingspan almost covering half of its back. The runes outlining the feather patterns were delicate and sharp, faintly revealing blue-purple electric light; tiny arcs of electricity occasionally shot out from the base of the feathers, making a slight crackling sound in the air, and traveled along her spine, like real thunder gathering power under her skin.

At the very center of the spine, perched a Nether Raven, its black feathers as deep as the eternal night, each feather gleaming with a metallic cold light; two cold white flames burned in its eye sockets, its pupils occasionally shifting as if warily surveying everything below, its sharp beak slightly open, as if it might let out a low cry at any moment.

These tattoos were not static patterns, but rather seemed to be alive, moving, breathing, and pulsating across her snow-white skin. The Phoenix slowly spread its wings, the Thunderbird occasionally flapped its wings, sparking electricity, and the Nether Raven fluttered its feathers low. The three maintained a subtle distance, both wary of each other and subtly confronting one another.

Skylar's gaze lingered on the tattoos of the three Fantastic Beasts, a rare sense of solemnity rising within him.

Based on his understanding of magic, this tattoo should be some kind of very obscure Dark Arts. Its principle is to seal the bloodline or soul of Fantastic Beasts into the human body through dangerous magical rituals, thereby modifying the wizard's body and magical form, hoping to gain abilities similar to those of Fantastic Beasts.

He had seen similar research in Merlin's bloodline modification notes, but Merlin's approach was far more gentle and sophisticated, using only careful Bloodline Fusion rituals to enhance a wizard's magical power, rather Anubi's crude method of plundering Fantastic Beasts' abilities through sacrifice and sealing.

The latter method is not only cruel, but also highly susceptible to magical backlash—they directly tear apart, suppress, and seal the souls of living Fantastic Beasts into the human body. This predatory sealing is destined to be unstable and unsustainable. The imprisoned souls will never truly submit; one day, they will find a crack and erupt completely.

Skylar sighed.

Isis was actually a pitiful person. Although she had blood on her hands and committed many evil deeds, she was ultimately powerless to control her own destiny.

Furthermore, considering the reaction of the Scorpion King Statue, it's likely that her miraculous constitution is intricately related to the ancient bloodline of the Scorpion King.

For that reason alone, Skylar had no choice but to save her.

However, Skylar could not ignore the attitude of the Tomb Keeper Family. The two sides had only just established trust and cooperation, and if this matter was not handled well, this fragile alliance could easily be destroyed.

After much deliberation, Skylar concluded that this was the only option.

He then raised his wand, and a dazzling green light suddenly shone from the end of the wand, instantly illuminating the entire stone cell with a chilling and terrifying aura.