area51novel Chapter 572, page 581: Deep Space Echoes March 1
Chapter 572, page 581: Deep Space Echoes March 1
Chapter 572, page 581: Deep Space Echoes March 1
"All curses return to one!"
That was one of Dumbledore's signature skills.
It combines the power of countless spells into one, possessing the binding power of the Binding Spell, the solidifying power of the Petrifying Spell, and the impactful power of the Stunning Spell.
Furthermore, he possesses several ancient magic spells that he created himself and have never revealed to outsiders!
Golden light, like a falling sun, hurtled toward Ian!
Ian looked up at the golden light that was getting closer and closer.
He didn't move.
He simply raised one finger.
The complex magic, capable of destroying everything, suddenly stopped just as it touched his fingertips!
It hovered in front of his fingertips, trembling wildly, but unable to move forward even an inch!
Dumbledore's pupils contracted sharply!
Ian looked at him, a smile flickering in his deep eyes: "Headmaster Dumbledore, your magic is indeed exquisite. But you've forgotten one thing."
He flicked it lightly.
The golden light instantly flew back, shooting towards Dumbledore at an even faster speed than it had come!
Dumbledore's expression changed, and he waved his Elder Wand repeatedly, unleashing one defensive barrier after another in front of him! The golden light crashed into the first barrier, shattering it; it crashed into the second, shattering it as well; the third, the fourth, the fifth—seven barriers in a row crumbled like paper before the flying golden light!
When the last barrier shattered, Dumbledore had already retreated a hundred meters away. He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, his Elder Wand deeply embedded in the ground, barely managing to steady himself.
When he looked up, his deep blue eyes were filled with shock.
Ian remained standing in the same spot.
He didn't move an inch from beginning to end.
Grindelwald and Dumbledore exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock in each other's eyes.
There was also a hint of unbelievable awe.
They are legends.
They were able to join forces and slay an ancient dragon from ten thousand years ago.
But when faced with this twelve-year-old child, they tried their best, but they couldn't even get him to move an inch.
Ian looked at them, a gentle smile appearing on his youthful face: "Professors, shall we continue?"
Grindelwald stood up and took a deep breath. His heterochromatic eyes, far from losing their fighting spirit, burned even brighter. He looked at Dumbledore, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Albus, let's join forces."
Dumbledore nodded and slowly stood up. He understood Grindelwald's meaning—if one person couldn't do it, then two would do it together. They had just joined forces to slay an ancient dragon; now, they would try to deal with this mysterious child together.
The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously raised their wands.
Grindelwald's wand erupted with a deep black light, which spread and expanded like a living thing, eventually transforming into a black sea of fire that blotted out the sky! Within that sea of fire, countless creatures formed from Fiendfire roared and surged, awaiting the command to devour everything!
Dumbledore's wand emitted a dazzling golden light, which condensed into countless complex runes, forming a huge, slowly rotating magic circle above his head! With each rotation of the magic circle, a new rune lit up, each rune containing the power to alter reality!
"go!"
The two shouted at the same time!
A black sea of fire descended from the sky, as if the end of the world had come!
The golden magic circle closed in from all directions, like a cage tightening its net!
That was their strongest combined attack! Enough to level an entire mountain range!
Ian looked up at the destructive power surging in from all directions.
A hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes.
Then, he raised his hands and gently clasped them together.
The black sea of fire stopped.
The golden magic circle stopped.
The entire sky seemed to freeze.
The next second—
The black sea of fire collapsed with a roar, turning into countless fire snakes that scattered in all directions!
The golden magic circle shattered with a deafening roar, turning into countless specks of light that drifted down!
The shockwave spread outwards from Ian, tearing up layers of rock and uprooting giant trees, sending them soaring into the sky! The power of that shockwave was several times greater than a combined attack from the two of them!
Grindelwald and Dumbledore were both struck by the shockwave and flew backward like two kites with broken strings! They struggled to steady themselves, their feet carving deep furrows in the ground as they slid for nearly a hundred meters before finally coming to a stop!
When they looked up—
Ian remained standing in the same spot.
It didn't move an inch.
He even straightened the hem of his wind-blown clothes, then looked up at the two disheveled legendary wizards and flashed a bright smile: "Professors, shall we continue?"
Grindelwald opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found his voice stuck in his throat and unable to come out.
Dumbledore took a deep breath and slowly straightened up. He looked at Ian, his deep blue eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions—shock, awe, relief, and a hint of indescribable pride.
"We're not playing anymore," he said softly, his voice hoarse but sincere. "We—lost."
Grindelwald was silent for a few seconds, then straightened up as well. He looked at Ian, his heterochromatic eyes flashing with a complex light—resentment, shock, but more than anything, a heartfelt recognition.
"You won," he said, his voice low. "You won completely."
Ian smiled. The smile on his youthful face was exceptionally bright and innocent: "Then—will you still tickle me?"
Grindelwald snorted and turned his head away, but a smile was clearly on his lips.
Dumbledore shook his head and smiled helplessly. In the distance, the roar of the volcano grew louder and louder. The ground began to tremble violently, and fine volcanic ash began to fall from the sky.
end.
It was about to happen. And in that open space, a twelve-year-old boy was grinning like a little fox who had stolen a chicken, facing two disheveled legendary wizards.
As time went on, the roar of the volcano grew louder and louder, a deep and powerful sound, like the heartbeat of the earth, or the roar of an ancient beast awakening.
Ian looked up at the towering mountain range in the distance.
The snow on the mountaintop was melting at a visible rate, and white steam mixed with gray smoke rose into the sky, forming a huge, ever-expanding mushroom cloud.
"It's starting," he said softly.
The earth trembled violently as soon as the words were spoken!
The tremor was no ordinary shaking; it was an indescribable, terrifying tremor, as if the entire ground was churning wildly. The rocks beneath their feet began to crack, countless fissures spreading outwards like living things, and in the deepest places, a dark red light could be seen surging below—magma!
Magma is surging wildly underground!
In the distance, the enormous volcano finally erupted!
This is not an ordinary eruption, but a real, all-destroying apocalyptic eruption!
A crimson pillar of fire shot into the sky, piercing the clouds! The pillar was astonishingly thick, at least a kilometer in diameter, and its temperature was so high that even the sky seemed to be burning! Wherever it passed, the clouds instantly evaporated, the air twisted wildly, leaving behind a huge, hollow, as if ripped open wound!
Immediately afterwards, countless burning boulders erupted from the crater like meteors, trailing long fiery tails as they fell in all directions! The boulders crashed to the ground, exploding with a deafening roar, creating shockwaves that ignited everything flammable!
Lava overflowed from the crater, flowing down the hillside like crimson rivers!
A power more powerful than magic, it instantly turned trees to ashes and melted rocks wherever it passed, and all life vanished in its blazing light!
In the forest, the animals began to flee in panic.
It was a spectacular sight that Dumbledore had never seen before—thousands upon thousands of ancient creatures surged out of the depths of the forest like a tide, running desperately away from the volcano!
The thunder dragons, as large as mountains and covered in scales, caused the earth to tremble with every step they took. Their eyes were filled with fear, and they let out mournful howls like thunder.
The pack of wolves, larger than horses, were no longer predators, but prey. They ran frantically with their tails between their legs, ignoring even the small animals they usually hunted that darted past them.
Flocks of giant eagles with wingspans exceeding ten meters swept across the sky, desperately flapping their wings in an attempt to escape the ever-approaching death. But no matter how fast they flew, they couldn't outrun the burning boulders raining down from the heavens—
A giant eagle was struck and instantly turned into a fireball, crashing to the ground.
On the ground, countless unnamed creatures mingled and ran together—some like rhinoceroses but covered in scales, some like deer but with six legs, and some like snakes but with countless legs. They were no longer predator and prey, but simply pitiful creatures driven by the instinct to survive.
A young, fawn-like creature stumbled and fell while running.
Its mother glanced back, her eyes filled with pain and reluctance, yet she could not stop and could only continue forward. The cub struggled to stand up, but was swallowed up by the surging tide of beasts.
A colossal, mammoth-like creature halted before the river of lava. Before it lay crimson death.
Behind it are countless others like it.
Helpless, it could only roar to the sky, uttering its final lament, before being swallowed by the lava. The volcanic ash in the sky grew thicker and thicker, blotting out the sun.
The whole world was shrouded in a gray, dim gloom.
The volcanic ash fell like snowflakes, covering trees, rocks, and running animals. Wherever it passed, all life struggled and died in suffocation.
Dumbledore stood on a relatively safe boulder, watching all of this.
His hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles white. His deep blue eyes were filled with pain and unbearable sorrow. He saw the running animals, the lives swallowed by the lava, and the creatures struggling in the volcanic ash. He knew this was nature's choice.
This is the inevitability of history, an unchangeable destiny.
But he still couldn't bear it.
He had lived for so many years, experienced countless life-and-death situations, and witnessed countless tragedies. But every time he saw a life slip away, his heart ached.
Grindelwald stood beside him, his heterochromatic eyes flashing with a complex light. He didn't speak, but simply watched the apocalyptic scene in silence.
Ian walked up to Dumbledore and looked up at him. His youthful face held no smile, only a calm and compassion beyond his years.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, you love magical creatures," he said softly. "I know you're not feeling well."
But this is history, history from ten thousand years ago. These lives were destined to perish in this apocalypse. All we can do is avoid becoming part of this apocalypse ourselves.
He paused, then pointed to the forest that was about to be swallowed by lava.
"They would still have died if we hadn't come here. We came, killed the dragon, and ate the game, but that only brought it a few hours earlier. The final outcome wouldn't have changed."
Ian's words were concise and to the point.
Dumbledore was silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away from the running, struggling, and vanishing lives.
"I know." His voice was hoarse and weary. "I know, Ian. It's just—"
He didn't finish speaking.
Ian gently squeezed his hand. That small palm, at that moment, conveyed an indescribable warmth and strength: "We should go."
Grindelwald turned to look at them. His robes fluttered in the hot wind, his silver hair danced in the air, and his heterochromatic eyes gleamed with a complex light: "Albus, stop looking. If we don't leave now, we'll be stuck here in this apocalypse too."
Dumbledore took one last look at the world that was being destroyed, then turned away.
Ian pulled the time machine from his pocket. The intricate device slowly rotated in his palm, emitting a soft, silvery-white light that contrasted sharply with the surrounding apocalyptic landscape.
"Stand closer," he said.
Dumbledore and Grindelwald did as he was told and walked to his side, the three of them standing close together.
Ian took a deep breath and channeled his magic into the time machine.
The silvery-white light surged instantly, completely engulfing the three of them!
At the last moment, Dumbledore couldn't help but look back at the forest, which was being swallowed by lava. The running lives were being consumed by flames. The volcano was erupting madly.
Everything was reduced to ashes.
It also erased all traces left by the three people.
then.
The light completely enveloped everything.
In the light, everything became blurred.
Time lost its meaning, space lost its coordinates, and only endless, flowing light, like a river, swept past the three of them. Dumbledore felt his body being stretched, compressed, twisted, and then reformed, but this time it was more stable and more comfortable than before.
It was as if the time machine had become familiar with their magical frequency.
Grindelwald closed his eyes, savoring this feeling that transcended time. His prophetic abilities already allowed him to glimpse fragments of time, but truly being immersed in the torrent of time was a completely different experience. Those past...
Images of the present and the future flashed wildly through his mind.
Like countless shattered dreams.
I don't know how much time has passed.
The light suddenly disappeared.
A solid feel came from beneath my feet.
The three of them opened their eyes.
They stood in a familiar night.
On a quiet street in London's West End, in a little pub called "Raven's Feather," the dim light shone through the windows, warm and serene. In the distance, the faint sound of cars could be heard—the sound of the twentieth century, the sound of their time.