Lupin's brows knitted tightly together. He stopped before an inconspicuous mound, bent down, and sniffed carefully.
A faint scent, mingling despair, pain, and potent potions, drifted in wisps from deep beneath the soil.
It instantly awakened some dormant wildness deep in his blood, not from excitement, but from extreme fear and anger.
"There's... something wrong in there."
Douglas took out the Magic Radar and inserted a long, slender probe into the soil.
"A cave sealed by magic. The residual magical fluctuations are strong, but there are no signs of life... wait, there are traces of defensive magical traps."
Lupin could wait no longer. He drew his wand and aimed it at the mound, a scarlet gleam flashing through his eyes.
"Thick Earth Separation!"
At his low roar, the damp soil was violently torn to either side as though by a pair of enormous invisible hands, revealing a huge stone door.
The slab was densely carved with runes he had never seen before.
The instant the soil split open, a foul stench of blood and potions hit him in the face. A strangled rasp escaped Lupin's throat. He stumbled back a step, doubled over, and began dry-heaving violently, his face instantly turning white as paper.
"This place..."
He braced himself against a nearby tree trunk, his knuckles whitening with the force of his grip, his voice breaking with his trembling.
"More than one... more than one of my kind was... alive, here... their souls... their wails are still here..."
Douglas frowned at the sight of Lupin on the verge of breaking down.
"Remus, get a grip! This place is a trap, a cage waiting specifically for curious beasts or... people like us to crawl inside."
He grabbed Lupin, keeping him from going any closer.
"The moment we start trying to break