After crossing the last undulating stone bridge, a circular stone altar stands alone above the abyss.
All around were sheer cliffs, and the undulating bridge behind them collapsed with a crash after Draco crossed it, cutting off their escape route.
Several spiral stone pillars are regularly distributed along the edge of the altar, leading straight to the towering dome.
The moment Draco stood in the center of the altar, the ancient runes engraved on the ground suddenly burst forth with a blinding light.
From within the cracks in the rocks, ancient, liquid-like blue Ancient Magic surged forth, continuously condensing and taking shape at the very center of the altar.
Accompanied by a deep magical hum, a Pensieve Guardian slowly "grew" out from the rune array.
This warrior was enormous, nearly matching the largest runeguard in the deepest part of Gringotts.
However, he was not carrying any weapons.
The strangest thing is,
A cloak made of pure liquid draped over his back moved automatically without wind, fluctuating with the flow of magic.
Draco knew this was going to be a tough battle.
So it tentatively launched a few ordinary spells, only to find that the ordinary spells had no effect on it; the red and green lights were absorbed or deflected the moment they touched the warrior's body.
It seems we have no choice but to continue using shockwaves to deal with this.
The battle erupted the moment the rune warrior was hit.
The guard suddenly raised his arms high and slammed them heavily onto the ground, creating a shockwave that spread outwards from him.
Draco reacted quickly, leaping high into the air to avoid the jolt of the ground.
Immediately afterwards, the warrior's chest glowed, and he fired a homing magic bullet straight at Draco in mid-air.
" Protego Maxima." Draco twisted his body forcefully in mid-air, waving his wand to unleash a sturdy Shield Charm. With a crisp clang, the magic bullet was firmly blocked by the shield.
Since the ground is unfavorable,
Draco simply took out his flying broom, flipped himself onto it, and used his mobility to engage in hit-and-run tactics with his opponent.
Once airborne, the massive rune warrior's earth-shaking shockwaves became completely ineffective.
The opponent had no choice but to use other means. A ball of light, interwoven with yellow, purple, and red colors, gradually gathered around the soldier's chest.
The light grew brighter and brighter, clearly accumulating enormous energy, before it was suddenly launched, Draco easily dodged.
Then...
The battle quickly turned into an asymmetrical massacre.
This is like an air battle versus a ground battle:
Draco nimbly traversed the high skies on his broomstick, possessing powerful protective abilities, while the warrior's charged energy ball, though immensely powerful, could not be tracked.
They could only watch helplessly as Draco dodged each and every one of the magic bullets, and the only ones that could be tracked were repeatedly and easily blocked by Draco.
"Let's end this!"
Draco seized the opportunity, swooping down from above, his wand tip gathering the strongest Ancient Magic shockwave, which struck the warrior's core three times in succession.
Amidst the continuous explosions, the massive rune warrior finally succumbed, its body disintegrating and ultimately transforming into a pool of blue water that vanished completely into the air.
As the Pensieve Guardian dissipated, the broken, undulating bridge in the distance rejoined, emitting a dull thud as it landed.
Draco put away his broom, straightened his slightly disheveled robe, and strode towards the final area.
Crossing the reconnected bridge, he finally entered the final sanctuary— the Pensieve Hall.
Behind the Pensieve, there was a huge stone sculpture, almost as tall as the hall. Draco looked up and saw that it should be Rackham, after all, this was his trial.
The statue was half-crouched on the altar.
His long, curly beard cascaded down to his chest like a waterfall.
With arms outstretched, enormous stone hands rested on the heavy stone platforms on either side of the Pensieve, completely embracing the Pensieve filled with silver liquid in the center.
The moment Draco activated the Pensieve, the previously still white light in the statue's eyes suddenly began to flow, and a crystal-clear white tear, like liquid, slowly dripped from the corner of its eye.
The "tear" hovered directly above the Pensieve. Draco lightly touched the "tear" with his wand, then plunged his head into the silver vortex in the Pensieve without hesitation.
After a dizzying spin, the surrounding scenery rapidly changed, and Rackham's memories slowly unfolded before his eyes.
In the image, young Rackham stands on the edge of a desolate cliff, with a little girl Morgana beside him.
The girl had bright, intelligent eyes and was surrounded by strange energy; she was clearly also an inheritor of Ancient Magic.
As soon as Morgana waved her hand,
A powerful surge of Ancient Magic energy erupted, and a magnificent spiral stone pillar rose directly from the cliff face, with rocks flipping and rearranging, and clouds swirling around it.
This ability far surpasses modern Transfiguration; it's not just about changing the shape of objects, but more like directly rewriting reality.
It can easily manipulate the terrain and even influence local weather, demonstrating a creator-like power.
In his memory, Rackham looked concerned as he patiently guided Morgana, advising her to make good use of this power.
But Morgana's eyes were always filled with unbearable pain. She seemed to want to do something with Ancient Magic, but no matter how much Rackham reminded her, she couldn't listen to a word.
The scene abruptly shifts, time passes, and it seems that after graduation Morgana has embarked on a long journey to clear her mind.
When she returned to Hogwarts, she was a fully-fledged wizard, ready to take over as a professor.
She appeared much calmer at this moment, preparing to share her insights and experiences from her journey with the four Keepers of Ancient Magic, attempting to find answers within herself.
At this point, the silvery mist surged, the memory abruptly ended, and Draco was abruptly pulled back to the reality of the stone hall.
Draco lifted his head from the Pensieve, his mind racing. He already had a guess in his mind: it must be related to Morgana's attempt to forcibly intervene in emotions or life and death using Ancient Magic.
The core of this trial is not to demonstrate how powerful the power is, but to warn the inheritor not to let emotions cloud their judgment and not to abuse this world-changing power.
Draco turned and walked out of the testing grounds, crossing the reconnected bridge back to the entrance hall.
Hermione and Professor Babbling were still busy among the mountain of books, their faces beaming with the excitement of discovering a new continent, the stacks of books they were carrying almost completely blocking their view.
" Draco? Where did you come from? We didn't even notice you were back!" Hermione poked her head out from the side of the pile of books.
"I have completed the first trial."
"What?!" Hermione and Professor Babbling stared in shock. "So fast? How much time has passed?"
"Aside from the magnificent ancient architecture, there are just some traps, obstacles, and rune-engraved warriors inside; it's not difficult at all," Draco said casually.
"That's it? The legendary Ancient Magic Trials are this simple?" Hermione asked, her face full of disbelief.