Only Asterion's footsteps echoed in the room, holding Arcturus in his arms as you descended the spiral staircase.
"Grindelwald has asked me to succeed him." Asterion whispered to the frail old man in his arms.
Arcturus frowned at his great-grandson's words, but relaxed again. "Remember Asterion, just go on without looking back, regret is a cruel poison that runs through your mind and destroys your determination."
Arcturus knew he couldn't help Asterion for much longer, especially when his death was getting closer with every step his great-grandson took.
But he wanted to help Asterion clear up some doubts in his mind. After all, his great-grandson was just a boy who, with the blessing of his ancestors, would outlive himself.
"I know, but what he's being offered is too tempting." Asterion sighed, commenting on the Dark Lord's proposal. Even he felt his heart race at what he would gain by succeeding Grindelwald.
The smallest gain was the colossal power of the Dark Lord's organization - the Acolytes.
The greatest gain was to personally possess all the knowledge that Grindelwald had amassed. This was not just knowledge, but hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years of research into witch gods and other beings beyond human comprehension.
This was the most attractive thing to Asterion, this knowledge was so tempting to him to create a god that he almost accepted Grindelwald's proposal on the spot. Fortunately, he said he would think about it, and then the two of them would meet in a certain place.
"You already know your answer, you just need a nudge to accept it." Arcturus laughed when he heard Asterion's helpless tone.
Asterion rolled his eyes and didn't deny his words, he already knew his decision.
"You have to be careful Asterion, taking on something like this makes you a Dark Lord in the eyes of the world, your image that you've created so much will crumble like a sand castle. Your enemies will use this to undermine your foundations and destroy everything you've built so far." Arcturus closed his eyes and said in a gentle tone that he would not influence his great-grandson's choices. Everyone must bear the consequences of their actions. That's what he taught Asterion the first day he came to Black Manor.
Asterion answered in silence after a while. "I know, I'll try to control the acolytes from the shadows, I am going to be a Dark Lord in the shadows and a Light Lord in the daytime."
"If that doesn't work, I'll steal all the knowledge Grindelwald has accumulated and be a good boy in the eyes of the world." Asterion finished with a laugh.
A laugh Arcturus shared. "Fooling Grindelwald will never be so easy, you impertinent brat."
Asterion nodded and fell silent.
Arcturus asked with a smile. "How is your relationship with Daphne?"
"It's going well, but she wants me to marry Rose." Asterion commented, remembering what Rose was like, the woman was not at all feminine, but she was pleasant to live with, with her bold aura.
"Henry's great granddaughter." Arcturus laughed as he remembered the white-haired girl, or at least what he had heard about her from his great-grandson Asterion. "Henry was a good man, unlike me, maybe that's why his political career was a complete mess. Especially after he took his Pro-Trouxa stance. His son and grandson inherited it from him, it seems his spirit still lives on in his great-granddaughter."
"Accept the marriage, having a witch of special rank at your side when the chaos of this world begins will be precious." Arcturus finished, hearing Asterion finally stop in front of the old metal door.
"I just think my life will be a complete mess with two completely different women." Asterion sighed at his words.
"At least it will be a fun life." Arcturus commented with a weak laugh.
Asterion didn't answer and said quietly. "We have arrived."
"Yes, we've finally reached that point." Arcturus replied in a calm tone. At his age, after living between life and death for so long, death never seemed frightening to him.
He would gladly let death come for him, he was a bad husband, his wife had been waiting for him for a long time.
Asterion bit his lips and opened the iron door, which moved with a loud creak, revealing a stone chamber of dark stone, lit by torches.
In the center of the stone chamber was a red pentagram, and in the center of the pentagram, a coffin lay cold on the cold floor.
Walking over to the pentagram, Asterion crouched down and gently placed Arcturus' frail, skeletal body inside the coffin.
Asterion smoothed out the wrinkles in his great-grandfather's clothes and made them perfect. Arcturus wore an elegant black suit from the last century, shoes and his favorite pocket watch.
As he looked up at the ceiling where his ancestor Corvinus Black had looked when he was about to die, Arcturus whispered with a peaceful smile. "I am in the same place where all my ancestors came before me."
For some reason, something so simple brought a sense of peace to the dying Arcturus.
"Asterion."
"Don't hesitate any longer."
"Do it."
Arcturus said, looking at his great-grandson beside his coffin.
Asterion gritted his teeth and made a cut on his wrist, he reached out and red blood ran down his wrist and dripped onto Arcturus' forehead.
When the drop of blood hit Arcturus' forehead, the entire pentagram lit up.
"I, Arcturus Black, third of my name, Patriarch of House Black, like my ancestors before me, pass on the sacred and honorable right to lead House Black to my great-grandson, Asterion Black, from this day forward." Every word that left Arcturus's lips seemed to add weight to Asterion's shoulders.
"I, Asterion Black, like my ancestors before me, accept the sacred duty to honor and lead House Black forward."
Hearing his great-grandson's words, Arcturus closed his eyes in satisfaction and smiled softly as the red light of the pentagram began to expand, forming a ball of red light that covered the entire coffin.
"Melania, my love, I have finally come to find you. Let us burn in the fires of hell together." Arcturus, seeing the red light, seemed to see his beautiful sword for a moment and murmured with a peaceful smile on his face. His heart beat less and less, until finally the last beat of his heart stopped and his heart no longer beat.
Asterion wanted to cry as he watched the scene, but he felt that if he cried, he would dishonor his grandfather, who had faced death so bravely.
Suddenly, thousands of cursed ghosts emerged from Arcturus' body, all released when House Black's Innate Technique was undone.
One skeleton in particular was a cursed spirit of a special degree. It emitted its terrifying aura and spread throughout the Black House.
However, whether it was him or the other cursed spirits, none of them managed to escape from the pentagram, all of them seemed trapped and unable to be truly free.
Asterion showed an unparalleled coolness when he saw this, he waved his hand and exorcised them all at once, his simply unparalleled magical energy rising into the sky like a pillar of blue light, attracting the attention of every witch and wizard in England at that moment.
Rose, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and all the wizards and witches of the Special Grade raised their heads and looked at the blue pillar rising into the sky with thoughtful expressions.
"Another of my generation has died, I seem to be getting lonelier and lonelier." Dumbledore muttered as he watched the pillar of blue light cross the clouds in the sky.
He raised his wine glass to the pillar and muttered. "Go in peace, old rival."
Arcturus Black was a difficult political rival to defeat, Dumbledore didn't know how many of his plans had been thwarted by the cunning fox's mind.
Rose, standing by the window, looked at the magical energy and knew almost immediately that it was Asterion's. She clenched her fists and stared at the pillar without saying a word.
In the library, Daphne looked up at the pillar of light in the sky with a worried and sad expression. She knew that Arcturus had died, and looking at her fiancé's hand, she couldn't imagine what Asterion was feeling right now.
"I'll be there as soon as I can, Asty, I won't leave you now." Daphne muttered as she hurried out of the library.
---------------
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 161 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (1), Chapter 162 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (2), Chapter 163 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (3), Chapter 164 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (4), Chapter 165 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (1), Chapter 166 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (2), Chapter 167 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (3), Chapter 168 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (4), Chapter 169 - Torture and Secrets (1), Chapter 170 - Torture and Secrets (2), Chapter 171 - Conspiracies and Secrets (1), 172 - Conspiracies and Secrets (2), 173 - Conspiracies and Secrets (3), 174 - Conspiracies and Secrets (4), 175 - Conspiracies and Secrets (5), 176 - Conspiracies and Secrets (6), 177 - Conspiracies and Secrets (7).
As the overwhelming pressure subsided, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; standing next to a Special Grade Warlock unleashing all of his power was stressful to say the least.
As the pressure subsided, an even sadder atmosphere filled the room. They all knew that Arcturus was dead.
"I'll begin the funeral arrangements." Narcissa replied with a cold expression, but everyone could see that the woman was suffering more than anyone else in the room.
She had buried too many relatives in one lifetime, her parents, her uncles, her cousins and now her great-uncle.
"I'll help, Cissy." Andromeda wiped the tears from the corner of her eye and spoke, rising from the sofa. She wasn't going to let her sister go through this again alone.
Dorea also got up and stood next to her mother, even though she didn't know her mother's family very well, she knew how important they were to her mother, who was so proud to be a member of them.
Sirius just picked up a bottle of whisky and started drinking like never before, his eyes were red, but the man hadn't cried once.
He hated it, he hated feeling those painful feelings in his chest, he had been to too many funerals in his own family. He drank to forget the pain, but only an overwhelming emptiness remained in his chest.
Tonks had also gotten up from the sofa and gone to help her aunt and mother, who seemed to be suffering so much at the moment.
In this sad, desolate and cold environment, only Bellatrix showed an expression of boredom.
"Don't you feel sad, Bella? Or the monster inside you can't feel anything." Sirius drained the bottle of whisky and spoke, looking coldly at his cousin. A seething anger bubbled up in his chest at the sight of that smile on her face.
"Why should I be sad? It's as natural to die as it is to be born." Bellatrix looked at Sirius and spoke in a cheerful tone, as if she enjoyed seeing the look of anger on Sirius' face.
"You're just an unfeeling monster." Sirius said coldly, his words as cruel as they could be.
"Sirius!!!" Andromeda and Narcissa looked at Sirius Black in anger.
"Am I wrong? Look at her, laughing like she thinks the whole situation is funny!!!" Sirius yelled, pointing at Bellatrix, who looked perfectly happy despite the cold nature of Sirius' words to her.
"She even has a daughter, but she doesn't care about the child." Sirius, completely out of his mind from drinking, pointed at the crying Ophelia and shouted even louder.
"Daughter?" Bellatrix's green eyes fell on the black-haired, red-eyed girl, her disgust so obvious it made everyone's face look ugly. "She's just a bastard that I don't even remember existed. She should have stayed in the hole she was made for and never come out."
Bellatrix's casual and heartbreaking words made Ophelia's face lose all color. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at her mother in disbelief.
Her words continued to echo in her mind, shattering any innocent dreams she had once had.
It wasn't just her, everyone looked at Bellatrix with wide eyes.
Dorea in particular stared at her aunt in shock, even though she knew her aunt was mad, this was too mad.
Narcissa approached Bellatrix and slapped her older sister across the face.
Pa!
The loud, clear sound echoed around the room.
"Why did you hit me?" Holding her cheek, Bellatrix looked unfairly at her younger sister and asked with a hurt look.
In her eyes, she hadn't said anything that wasn't true. Bellatrix could imagine that she had slept with Voldemort and become pregnant. When the girl was born, the Dark Lord had probably wiped her memory, leaving her unaware that she had a bastard child.
But that was it, if it had been her child with Asterion, she would have loved the child and raised it and taught it everything she knew, but since it was Voldemort's daughter, she didn't care at all, she even felt a deep dislike for the bastard creature. She didn't want to be associated with such a thing.
"Dorea, Tonks, take your cousin to her room." Narcissa spoke coldly and both young women carried the distraught Ophelia out of the room, whispering words of comfort to the girl.
"We'll talk about this later, Bellatrix." Narcissa said in an accusatory tone. The same look Andromeda gave her older sister.
Bellatrix rubbed her cheek, indifferent to the looks she received. If she really cared what others thought of her, she would have taken a rope and killed herself a long time ago.
"What's going on?"
Hearing the sudden voice, everyone looked at the door and saw Asterion standing in front of it with a tired and confused expression, noticing the tense atmosphere hanging over the place.
"Asterion." Narcissa approached him and hugged him tightly, burying his head in her arms.
"I'm fine, Cissy, Arcturus has left this world peacefully and happily." Asterion spoke in a soft tone. Although he was sad inside, he knew that his great-grandfather was truly at peace with his death.
Narcissa looked at him, trying to see any signs of madness or anger, but was relieved to see that he only looked exhausted and tired of the whole situation.
"What happened?" Asterion asked again as he left Narcissa's warm and comforting arms. The atmosphere was too hostile for a wake.
"Humph! Bellatrix acting like Bellatrix." Narcissa muttered, unhappy with her older sister's harsh and cruel words.
Asterion asked no more, he had a good idea what had happened, especially with Ophelia on the scene. As he imagined, his cousin did not react, or rather, did not react in a friendly way to her newfound daughter.
"I have something to do, I'll leave everything to you, Cissy." Asterion said, looking at Narcissa. He wanted to pay tribute to his grandfather, a tribute worthy of being remembered in the history of House Black.
Narcissa nodded in agreement. She had already planned to take on this role. Especially now that she had the help of her sister, daughter and niece.
Asterion kissed Narcissa's cheek and chatted quickly with everyone, then hurried out of the room.
"He seems to be in a hurry." Andromeda commented worriedly, causing Narcissa to sigh helplessly. She felt her family had become even more complicated with so many new members arriving all the time.
-
At the entrance to the manor, Asterion looked at the statue of his ancestor Corvinus Black and waved his hand. Baskerville appeared and placed the statue in the room where he kept all his things.
Asterion nodded in satisfaction and quickly made his way to his secret laboratory, one of the most secure rooms in the entire mansion, which had previously been Corvinus' own bedroom.
Once there, Asterion locked the secret passage by activating the mechanism and ordered Baskerville to place the statue in the middle of his laboratory.
The whole laboratory looked very modern, very different from an orthodox witch's laboratory. Asterion preferred it that way, modern tools were much better than the antiques the wizards used.
"One of the most important people to me died today, I used you as a tribute to him. " Asterion commented calmly, looking into the statue's eyes.
"The day God was born in this world."
---------------------------
Author's thoughts: I apologize for the delay in updates, I was without power for four days due to an idiotic mistake by my power company.
Send me Power Stone!
200 Power Stone = 1 + chapters X
500 Power Stone = 2 + chapters X
1000 Power Stone = 3 + chapters
Support me to write more and read chapters ahead of all regular readers!
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(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 162 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (2), Chapter 163 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (3), Chapter 164 - First Phase of God's Creation Plan (4), Chapter 165 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (1), Chapter 166 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (2), Chapter 167 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (3), Chapter 168 - Vellory of Arcuturus Black (4), Chapter 169 - Torture and Secrets (1), Chapter 170 - Torture and Secrets (2), Chapter 171 - Conspiracies and Secrets (1), 172 - Conspiracies and Secrets (2), 173 - Conspiracies and Secrets (3), 174 - Conspiracies and Secrets (4), 175 - Conspiracies and Secrets (5), 176 - Conspiracies and Secrets (6), 177 - Conspiracies and Secrets (7).
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