"I've opened the path for you," Rookwood pointed behind him, "You can now interact with the geyser again."
Draco looked back and saw the previously dim fountain burst into a dazzling light once more. Without hesitation, he stepped forward to interact with it, and a rotating portal unfolded in front of him.
Draco leaped in and was instantly teleported to the high platform. He quickly activated the surge point there, passed through the portal at the other end of the hall, and the scene before him began to distort and change.
After quickly climbing onto another suspended platform, Draco walked forward. At the end of the platform was a sheer cliff, with light blue clouds swirling below, the bottom unseen.
In the center of the cliff, a cylindrical stone platform floats, level with the platform beneath Draco's feet.
A tall rune guardian is kneeling on one knee above, deeply embedding a greatsword into the stone platform.
As Draco approached, a miracle occurred:
Below the cliff, countless stones float in mid-air, automatically piecing together to form a stone passageway spanning the abyss.
Draco stepped onto the platform, the stones beneath his feet trembled slightly, and then three smaller but equally ferocious rune guardians descended from the sky, surrounding him and rushing towards him.
"That trick again!"
Draco waved his wand, unleashing several precise Ancient Magic shockwaves that instantly pulverized the guards. Without pausing, he continued his advance.
Upon arriving at this lobby,
The layout was similar to the first trial, Draco, familiar with the process, quickly defeated the second trial boss guarding the place, thanks to his understanding of Ancient Magic mechanics.
As the warriors vanished in a stream of light, the path to the final memory space suddenly opened up.
This is Professor Rookwood's giant stone sculpture, but unlike the one in Rackham, this time a crystal-clear tear has dripped from the statue's left eye, hovering above the Pensieve.
Draco's wand lightly touched the teardrop.
He then plunged into the silvery liquid, his consciousness sinking once more, and memories of the ancient guardians flooded back.
The scene then transitions to the previous memory: Morgana invites four professors to her home and enthusiastically recounts her experiences and insights from traveling to various places.
The four professors gathered together, but after listening to Morgana's account, everyone's expression changed drastically, and they were all shocked.
During her journey, she actually discovered a dark magic that allowed her to extract emotions directly from living people.
To prove its effectiveness, she actually used her own father as a test subject in front of these four professors.
She waved her wand,
The sadness in the old father's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling emptiness and calm.
At this point, his memory abruptly ended, and a surge of silver mist pushed Draco back to reality.
Draco abruptly lifted himself from the Pensieve, his brow furrowed tightly, a chill creeping into his heart.
"Extracting emotions..." he murmured to himself.
How terrible it would be if a person lost a certain emotion. Without sadness, a person becomes cold and heartless; without joy, life becomes indifferent and withered.
If all emotions are removed,
The person is left with nothing but an empty shell.
Draco was almost certain that the four Ancient Guardians would never allow Morgana to continue this experiment.
The core message of this trial is this: Ancient Magic can not only alter matter, but also corrupt the soul.
Morgana's decision was not made on a whim.
She must have conducted countless cruel experiments on many people and accumulated enough "data" before daring to formally apply it to her own beloved father.
Such behavior, which tramples on humanity in pursuit of power or so-called "liberation," is truly chilling.
Draco could already foresee that the subsequent trials would be even darker and heavier, perhaps revealing more deeply how Morgana gradually descended into the abyss of depravity.
As the dizzying sensation of spatial distortion dissipated, Draco's figure re-coiled in the center of the Map Chamber, where portraits of Rackham and Rookwood waited silently in the mirror.
Seeing him return, Rookwood's face showed relief:
"I'm very pleased that you completed the second trial so quickly, child. Now, please allow me to introduce you to Professor Fitzgerald, the former Hogwarts Headmaster."
As he finished speaking, silver ripples, like waves, appeared on the ancient mirror on the left side of the Chamber of Secrets.
As the light converged, a majestic woman dressed in a deep purple robe slowly "walked" out of the mirror.
"It's a pleasure to meet you so soon, young Mr. Malfoy." Headmistress Fitzgerald's voice carried a calming quality.
"To be able to break through the first two trials in such a short time not only requires courage, but also proves that the ancient magic within you is resonating perfectly with you."
"You flatter me, Professor."
Draco remained as calm as ever.
"Humility is a virtue, but excessive humility can hinder self-awareness." Professor Fitzgerald smiled slightly, then got to the point, "Let's look at the map; I think it has already shown us the way."
Upon hearing this, Draco looked at the huge glowing map at his feet and noticed that the lights of the Tower of San Bakar and Rookwood Castle had stabilized.
At that moment, a new, brighter beam of pale golden light rose from a certain location on the map, and the outline of the location enveloped by the beam was all too familiar to Draco —it was a magical miniature model of Hogwarts Castle.
"The next trial is at Hogwarts?" Draco turned around, looking at Professor Fitzgerald with some surprise.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy." Professor Fitzgerald nodded, seemingly amused by his reaction.
"Have you forgotten that I was once the headmaster of Hogwarts? So, isn't it perfectly reasonable to have a portrait of me hanging in the Headmaster's Office?"
Draco instantly understood. "So, the entrance to the next trial is in the Headmaster's Office?"
"That's right," Professor Fitzgerald affirmed.
"I think, given your relationship with the current headmaster, Professor Albus Dumbledore, and his knowledge of this matter, there shouldn't be any obstacles for you to get in there."
"I understand, Professor. I'll be right there!"
"Go, trial seeker." Fitzgerald nodded with satisfaction, his figure gradually becoming transparent.
" Draco," Dumbledore said casually, setting down his quill, "What brings you here?"
"There's no other way, Headmaster." Draco walked to his desk and got straight to the point, "The entrance to the third trial of Ancient Magic is right in your office."
"Oh?" Dumbledore somewhat surprised.
"So you've completed the second trial."
"It was relatively easy for me," Draco shrugged, then casually asked, "By the way, Old Dumbledore, how did things go with that group of poachers?"