Tom's Deathly Hallows

The abode of Death is located in the Underworld.

Surrounded by water on all sides, even a goose feather cannot float, and reeds sink to the bottom; the soul of the dead cannot pass through.

Its name is... the River Styx.

The Human History of Magic

Years after the end of the Wizarding Wars, Hermione Stark, the world's most famous witch, compiled and published Bathilda Bagshot's manuscripts according to her will.

This book, hailed as the most important historical document in wizarding history... originated from Hermione's addition of a volume titled "The Prehistoric History of Magic" at the end of the book.

The terms "Death" and "the River Styx" became widely known to wizards from then on, rather than being passed down as a bedtime story.

Before this, almost no one knew that the River Styx actually existed.

Therefore, the number of wizards who successfully reach this place and find Death is even smaller.

Standing on the River Styx, even though he firmly believed he would reach this place, Tom's emotions were still instantly stirred when he actually stepped onto this land.

The last wizard to arrive here was more than two hundred years ago.

If the conditions were even more stringent... stringent enough that a wizard strictly follows the path of "the Tale of the Three Brothers, walking the trial of Death"...

It all goes back to the Ravenclaw trio.

Tom can be considered the first person in a thousand years.

Thinking of this, Tom felt incredibly proud.

He is comparable to those legends who have left a glorious name in the long river of history.

Considering he's about to collect all three Deathly Hallows by himself and regain his full health...

Tom was incredibly confident:

What trash Voldemort, the first Dark Lord Grindelwald, Dumbledore, Stark...

They will all be trampled under his feet, becoming his stepping stones.

Standing on the riverbank, Tom observed the River Styx for a while.

He threw a thick, Death Worm into the water, and a large patch of blood immediately rose to the surface, like a huge, blooming red lotus.

The water is turbid and swift, and the resentment of countless dead souls from over the years has accumulated at the bottom of the river.

No wizard could possibly go down into this river, and there was practically nothing that could float on it.

According to the old man who claimed to be Slytherin:

There is only one thing in the world that can cross the River Styx: the coffin that carried Osiris's body.

Tom didn't have one, so he planned to finish his business here and go to Egypt to look for it.

He was even planning to come back here repeatedly, exploit bugs, and ask Death for the Deathly Hallows.

It's like fleecing God's wool; why not take it while it's free?

Since they couldn't cross the river or fly across it, they could only build a bridge across it, just like in "The Tale of the Three Brothers".

Even after passing the trial of Death, many wizards who come here get stuck at the final hurdle.

Building a bridge in the wizarding world is incredibly easy for a powerful wizard.

It can be accomplished with any Transfiguration.

However, in the Underworld, a wizard's magic is restricted.

It's safe to say that a wizard who doesn't know the Prehistoric Mysteries has virtually no chance of crossing the river.

But for Tom, it was a piece of cake... He learned many Prehistoric Mysteries from the old man.

Tom waved his wand, and a bridge appeared over the treacherous waters.

Seeing Tom's frenzied behavior, Harry sensed something was wrong and prepared to run away, but was immediately bound by magic.

Tom dragged Harry along and strode toward the center of the bridge.

The bridge wasn't very long, and he quickly reached the middle.

It was still daytime, but the sun suddenly dimmed, and a dark red star hung in the sky.

The surrounding mist gathered, turning a sinister red.

Across the river,

Suddenly, a person appeared.

Across the churning river, he stood beneath a thicket of Elder Wood, facing Tom.

The large hood completely covered the face, obscuring not only the features but also the figure and other characteristics.

It was as if it were an empty robe, floating in mid-air.

Tom hesitated for a moment, then gripped his wand upside down and asked, "Are you Death?"

The black-robed wizard remained unmoved, merely looking down at the three.

Tom quickly took out the emerald.

While infiltrating the United States, Ilvermorny kept a Horned Serpent as a pet.

Before leaving, Tom killed the Horned Serpent, removed the gem from its forehead, and crafted it into Horcrux.

He grasped the gem, and a living eye appeared... The eye blinked, dark and bright.

With Tom's control, the phantom appeared.

It looked exactly like Tom, with black hair and a tall stature, but its features were indistinct, as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

Harry suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his forehead, and the scar burned intensely.

He covered his forehead with one hand, and then felt a sound coming from inside his body into his ears with horror.

It was as if there was another soul inside him.

Harry was in so much pain he felt like he was about to faint. Suddenly, he was terrified because he saw the thing that had made the sound:

The shape was that of a naked child, curled up, with rough, red skin that looked as if a layer of skin had been peeled off.

Beside that child lay an infant, its body blue, lifeless, and long dead.

Harry remembered; he had seen the two babies before.

Five years ago in the Chamber of Secrets Sanctuary, he was captured by Tom in the diary and then suffered the Avada Kedavra.

He witnessed one of the infants die, and soon after, an identical one appeared.

At first, Harry thought it was just a hallucination, but after seeing it again...

At that moment, he became aware of something, as if he had realized something.

That was something he had ignored for many years.

Harry had fallen into a peculiar state, while Tom looked toward Death.

All three soul fragments are here, fulfilling the conditions of the "Three Brothers".

"Each of you will receive a gift as a reward for reaching this point."

Death suddenly spoke, his voice low and deep, as if speaking directly into Tom's head.

The soul within that gem-encrusted Horcrux immediately spoke:

"I want a woman, her name is Elaine..."

In exchange for Slytherin's help, Tom needs to ask Death for something when they find Death.

This is a contract that must be fulfilled, bound by Prehistoric Mysteries magic.

Therefore, of the three Deathly Hallows, the first one has already been reserved by Slytherin.

Tom was initially curious about what Slytherin would want, but it turned out he only wanted a woman.

Death walked to the riverbank, casually grabbed a clump of mud from the River Styx, shaped it into a long, thin clay figure, and tossed it to the Horcrux.

Tom, still controlling the dazed Harry, said, "I hope to gather the souls of the dead."

Death returned to the riverbank, picked up a round bucket he used as a chamber pot, and tossed it to Harry.

The barrel was swaying, and there was still liquid inside.

Then, Death looked at Tom and asked him what he wanted.

In all the Tale of the Three Brothers, the youngest brother survived to the end.

This is also why Tom deliberately asked for the Deathly Hallows at the end.

Tom values most is undoubtedly immortality.

This is his goal that will never change.

But the Horcrux had a major flaw. After much deliberation, he finally looked at Death and said reverently:

"Death, I want something: something that allows me to be resurrected immediately in peak condition, even if I am killed, without any limitations."

Death stared at Tom with his empty eyes, seemingly very reluctant.

Finally, they dug out a triangular urn made of Elder Wood, wrapped inside and out in gold, from under the Elder Wood and tossed it to Tom.

Once Tom got his hands on it, he learned that the name of this Deathly Hallows was... the Ark of the Covenant.