allendalepharm Chapter 209 Catching the Last Tails of Youth
Chapter 209 Catching the Last Tails of Youth
Chapter 209 Catching the Last Tails of Youth
The Mind Manifestation Charm that Grindelwald taught him is an extremely advanced form of dark magic.
Successfully casting this spell is not easy; making the wizard's body reveal the truest nature of his soul is more difficult than transforming the wizard into a weasel.
The latter is merely a curse, while the former requires a high degree of control over the existence of life.
Of course, from the academic perspective of modern magic systems, it is Transfiguration.
In the dark Chamber of Secrets in Slytherin, the children stood guard vigilantly as the Basilisk slowly coiled its body, raised its head to face Lockhart, and flicked its tongue.
Hiss—Professor, come on!
Lohat nodded, slowly waving his wand, meticulously following the exact requirements of the spell, enunciating each syllable clearly, "Mind~~ Manifest!"
A terrifying surge of plasma erupted from the tip of the wand, hurtling towards the basilisk.
The basilisk instinctively wanted to resist and avoid the magic, but because Tom controlled its body, it had to feel the tearing sensation of the magic penetrating its body as its pupils constricted.
Yes, a tearing, an indescribable, strange pain emanated from the depths of my soul, as if something had been broken, and my whole body felt an eerie sensation of my pores opening to their fullest extent.
It made me feel uneasy.
When its life was under the most direct and extreme threat, the Basilisk finally broke free from Tom's control and the suppression of Parseltongue. It began to writhe and twist its body, opening its mouth to reveal its terrifying fangs, and staring at Lockhart with bloodshot eyes.
It's quite strange. Magical creatures' magic has always manifested in a fixed form, but at this moment, it's starting to exhibit the chaotic state that the little wizard was in when his magic surged. His soul is stirring up magic, releasing a powerful self-defense force.
The magical light surged like plasma.
The dark, secret room was brightly lit, so bright it was blinding.
Lockhart had to take a step back, holding his wand high to maintain the spell's casting, took a deep breath, and strode forward, while the basilisk wriggled backward to create distance.
A silver light emanated from the serpent, and the guardian pegasus leaped out, placing one foot on the snake's neck at its seven-inch mark, bowing its head and neighing.
Black smoke billowed, and the vicious werewolf floated among it like a shadow, stretching out its long arm to grab the basilisk's tail, pinning it firmly to the spot.
But they soon lost their grip on the basilisk.
膨~
A violent tremor shook the basilisk, which suddenly exploded, spraying debris in all directions.
There was no bloody or gore-splattered scene, but rather something like the Obscurial, whose magic was so potent that it completely dissolved the body, turning it into a churning, sticky, gel-like substance.
"Hiss~~~Hiss~~~Hiss~~~Hiss WxNy"
The air was filled with the strange, desolate hiss of snakes, seemingly emanating from the most ancient and distant time, transcending the constraints of time and space, and resonating in the hearts of everyone present.
Lockhart understood the call; it said—snake! snake! snake!
It's not just the word "snake," but rather a word that seems to encompass all information about snakes.
He held his wand high, maintaining the presence of the magical plasma, his eyes vacant as if he saw nothing, only the echoing call of the 'snake' remained.
This is magical bloodline.
A certain point in the universe, not a point existing in time and space, can only be barely identified by Lockhart's current knowledge and wisdom as the 'snake' element.
This means that a magical power exists in this world called "the snake," from which all things related to the serpent are derived.
The creature, bloodline, and magic of the "snake".
It is a kind of "origin" of the world.
Lockhart marveled at the resounding voice, feeling a part of his body resonating and vibrating with this "source" because he had stolen and merged with Voldemort's Parseltongue ability.
In this resonance, countless spells about "snakes" sprang to mind.
It is not the kind of indoctrination that bestows knowledge from the "snake" source, but rather the extension and growth that comes from all one's own knowledge, wisdom, experience, and so on, in resonance with the source.
How to possess snakes, how to transform into a snake, how to obtain venomous milk imbued with life energy from snakes, how to feign death inside a snake's belly, and the applications of all snakes in the field of potions.
So many ideas kept popping up like bubbles, then bursting, churning and intertwining in my mind.
"I see!"
Lockhart was filled with amazement, murmuring, "Magical bloodlines traverse time and space in such a wondrous way—"
His earlier guess was indeed correct!
Magical bloodlines are passed down through three means: soul, mind, and body!
The body is the easiest to understand; it extends to the bloodline of one's parents and naturally carries magical blood. This is the continuation of life through bloodline inheritance.
The transmission of the soul lies in knowledge, emotion, and magic; it is a manifestation of individual wisdom resonating with a magical bloodline that transcends time and space. This is the continuation of life's existence brought about by the transmission of the spirit.
The most wondrous thing is the soul. It is an independent entity, yet it is also part of the collection of countless souls. Thus, it can be a blank sheet of paper with nothing in it, or it can be a touch of spiritual white in a giant picture that possesses all cognition and ability.
Thus, Lockhart gained a clear understanding of all the magic he had previously encountered in this area.
"I understand!"
"Hahaha~~~"
He laughed wildly with excitement, a joy that came from the bottom of his heart, a euphoric joy of profound enlightenment.
So he cut off the magical plasma, and with elegant and light movements, waved his wand. "Tom, so this is how you use this spell. Experience it for yourself!"
With a gentle flick of the wand.
The viscous substance flying in mid-air exploded again, ejecting Tom's soul. Before Tom could fully recover from his chaotic thoughts, a basilisk quickly formed within the viscous substance, pounced on him, and swallowed him whole.
"Forget everything, and all is emptiness!"
This is designed to target the basilisk, concealing all its knowledge and memories.
"Mind Manifestation Spell!"
The basilisk exploded again, turning into a bursting state, then collapsed again, exploded again, and collapsed again to take shape.
Each explosion is a deconstruction of Tom's own magical bloodline by magic, and each collapse is a deconstruction of Tom's soul state.
The soul is the soul, and cognition is cognition. Although cognition affects the state of the soul, each individual has their own original soul state. What Lockhart does is to separate them and then re-integrate them with the magical bloodline.
He refers to the life existence derived from the original soul stripped of all external elements as the "true self body".
A life form that has been fused with magical blood is called a "magical body".
Interestingly, Tom and the basilisk in front of us kept changing their forms as they exploded and merged.
From basilisk to snake-man, and from snake-man to gradually approaching a human state.
At this point, we need to give it another push.
He swung his wand in a dazzling and stylish flourish, then suddenly gripped it tightly, "Restore Human Form Charm!"
A hammer!
Boom!
A loud bang, like the extremely strange explosion that comes from a phantom teleporting through space.
Tom Riddle, a flesh-and-blood character, truly exists in the material world!
Tom has come back to life!
"Professor, I—" Tom shouted excitedly, but then suddenly realized something, looked down at his hands in horror, and trembled all over. "I think I've lost my magical abilities?"
"Don't rush~" Lockhart looked at him with a smile, "I want you to feel this carefully, this is 'the true self, the purest you, you—'"
"No! No! No!" Tom roared angrily, interrupting Lockhart. His eyes were bloodshot with rage as he glared at Lockhart. "Change me back right now! I don't want to be a dirty Muggle! I don't want to at all! What have you done to me?!"
Lockhart rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed. "Do you know how rare it is to be in your true self right now? It allows you to face yourself more authentically. Why is it that the moment your interests are threatened, you stop treating me like a professor and look at me like I'm your most wanted enemy?"
Tom was trembling with rage. He tried his best to sense the magic within his body, but his body felt so unfamiliar, and the feeling of magic surging in the past was completely gone.
He glared at Lockhart with venomous intent, his eyes filled with malice. "Change me back to normal!"
Lockhart didn't seem to mind, looking at him with a touch of admiration, and lightly waved his wand. In an instant,
Tom exploded again, turning into a sky full of viscous matter, which then collapsed back into human form.
As the most essential magical bloodline layered upon itself, Tom began to feel the power of magic surging within his body once more.
"Ha!" Tom laughed excitedly, his laughter sharp and unrestrained. "It's back! The magic is back!"
Lohat nodded. "Now feel it again."
Tom still wouldn't listen, only shouting impatiently, "No, this isn't all I have! My magic can't be that weak! Turn me back into who I was!"
Lockhart raised an eyebrow and waved his wand again.
And so, Tom kept refreshing the screen.
Yes, refresh.
The method used at this moment was actually the technique from the book "The Unceasing Flame of Life" that Voldemort traded with Lockhart. It inexplicably fit the scene before him, and Lockhart used it naturally and smoothly.
Finally, with a burst of hearty laughter, Tom's body settled completely.
He could feel his own power, a power that had always been his, manifested after traversing time and space. At this moment, he was no longer the 16-year-old Tom Riddle.
Rather, it was Voldemort's current state at 68 years old, where his magical power was so immense that it made him feel incredibly exhilarated.
"I never imagined I could become so wonderful."
Tom squinted, tilted his head back, and twisted his now energetic and flexible young body, feeling the unprecedented surge of magic within him. He couldn't be more satisfied.
To reach the pinnacle of magical power while retaining the best physical condition from one's youth—what could be better than that?
Oh~
Actually, there are still some.
He looked down and saw that his smooth skin was gradually turning a dark green, and below his waist, a large number of snake scales shimmered with an eerie light.
With a gentle twist of its body, the snake-like form below its waist writhed, every tiny muscle stretching or contracting exuding such powerful and vigorous vitality and magic, as if it were inexhaustible.
Tom didn't care at all about his half-human, half-snake appearance; he was simply feeling an unprecedented surge of power.
strength!
So perfect!
"Professor!" He slowly raised his head, a slight smile playing on his handsome young face. The reflection of snake-like vertical pupils overlapped in his black eyes, making him look exceptionally sinister. "To reward you for all that you have done for me, and also to prevent my future self and Dumbledore from discovering my existence."
He slowly raised his hand, his fingers slightly spread, and a powerful surge of magic swept out, instantly causing Lockhart's wand to fly out of his hand and land in his.
"A disarming spell?" Lockhart stared in astonishment at the move. "A divine skill!"
Tom gently rubbed his wand, a stubborn and smug smile spreading across his face. His snake-like tail slithered around Lockhart, finally arriving before him. "There's something even more interesting. Would you like to see it?"
Lockhart raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Use the Killing Curse to unleash the wizard's life force, allowing them to unleash the most powerful magical energy they have ever possessed, and use this power to create Horcruxes."
Tom slowly raised his wand, the tip pointing at Lockhart. "Professor, thank you for everything you've done for me, but I can't repeat the foolish mistakes I made in the future. I can't let you leave this Chamber of Secrets until I've killed Voldemort and Dumbledore!"
Lockhart stared blankly at Tom, looking incredulous. "Tom, I helped you!"
"Yes, I thank you," Tom sneered, "but that has nothing to do with my decision to kill you. According to Dumbledore, it's called 'for the greater good'!"
Lockhart yelled, "Tom, are you really going to kill me?"
"Yes, I will miss the time I spent learning from you; it was wonderful." Tom waved his wand lightly. "Avadakun"
Before he could finish his incantation, he suddenly heard an extremely eerie snap of fingers.
slap~
The snap of his fingers seemed to pierce through time and space, resounding in his heart.
The entire Chamber of Secrets began to shake violently. Tall pillars collapsed and fell, the Slytherin statue cracked, and gaps appeared in the dry ground. Lockhart looked at him with great disappointment and let out a strange, snake-like hiss.
"Hiss~"
Tom snapped his mouth shut, his teeth clenching violently with a sharp clanging sound, nearly biting off his own tongue. His right hand involuntarily opened, holding the wand in front of Lockhart.
Tom watched this scene in horror, constantly resisting his body's actions, but he found that he couldn't stop himself no matter what he did. His trembling arm finally straightened, and he presented the wand to Lockhart in his palm.
Lockhart took the wand from his hand and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.
"What's going on?!?!" Tom finally regained control of his body, twisting his snake tail in terror as he quickly retreated to create distance. He stared at Lockhart in disbelief, shouting, "What on earth is happening?!"
Lockhart shrugged. "It's simple. Now you're the basilisk, or rather, the snake-man, and I—"
A slight smile played on his lips. "And I, Tom, speak Parsley!"
"!!!"
What shocked Tom even more was that everything around him began to change, transforming in an instant from the Chamber of Slytherin into a boundless green meadow.
"Apparition? Where are you taking me?" Tom exclaimed, then suddenly realized something, his expression changing. "No, that's not right, we're still in the same place. Is this all an illusion?"
Lockhart clicked his tongue, looking him up and down. "Tom, don't be so loud. It seems that besides possessing Voldemort's magic, your cognitive level is still stuck at the age of 16. You haven't acquired his wisdom?"
"Us—"
He looked up at the sky, only to see the sky and grass shatter once more, turning into a colorful vortex that churned rapidly around him. "My magic experiment isn't over yet, Tom. Of course, we're still in the river of time."
Boom!
Everything collapsed and crumbled.
Tom transformed back into a viscous substance and spun rapidly in mid-air, his thoughts flashing with streaks of electricity.
Faintly, from within the lightning, came an old and furious roar, "Giddro Lockhart! What are you doing to me?!?!"
"Voldemort?!" Tom shouted, his voice filled with terror.
"Impossible! How can there be another me here?" Voldemort roared angrily. An old arm slowly emerged from the lightning, seemingly resisting some powerful force. The movement was extremely slow, but it finally viciously grabbed a smooth snake tail from the vortex.
Lockhart didn't say anything, but just watched the scene with interest, his hands behind his back.
Old Fu, keep it up! You've already caught the last bit of your youth!
He thought for a moment, then, with a mischievous grin, pulled a wand from his ring and tossed it to Tom in the vortex, anticipating a passionate exchange of Killing Curses between Tom and Voldemort—that would be hilarious.