Inside the box was a ring - black, simple and rustic - without any precious stones, just an apparently normal ring. It was made of a material that resembled Obsidian, and its surface showed some irregularities.
However, whether it was Asterion or Dumbledore, they both looked at the ring and showed extraordinarily dignified expressions. From the object, they sensed such a large amount of magical energy that it would make you wonder if the ring was really a ring and not a nuclear bomb.
Asterion took the ring under Dumbledore's calm eyes and examined it with a calm gaze. After a while, he came to the conclusion that the ring was not the ring, at least not the only form of the ring.
Injecting a little magical energy into the ring, Asterion and Dumbledore were surprised when the ring transformed into something similar to a spear, but with two points instead of one. It resembled a trident, but with only two blades.
It was a Bident.
Asterion and Dumbledore looked at each other and saw the surprised looks on each other's faces; they both already had an idea of how Organization R was going to break Merlin's seal.
"That's a Witch God's weapon..." Asterion commented, stroking the shaft of the Bident, he could feel the intense cold that the weapon emanated. It was a frightening cold that didn't resemble something climatic, but a pure feeling of coldness involving death.
"I have to admit, I underestimated this organization." Dumbledore commented while watching the weapon with a glare.
"I never imagined that rats could have something so valuable." Dumbledore wasn't lying in his words, he really wasn't giving much thought to such a secret organization that liked to lurk in the shadows. He even despised such organizations, but now he had discarded that mentality.
Organization R wasn't just a secret organization with an extremely large ego, they had the capital to be arrogant and had even conspired against him and Asterion.
"It looks like we've really pissed them off, I never thought they'd use something so valuable to break the Merlin Barrier. But if you think about it, if their plan works, they won't have to worry about the hatred of three Special Grade Wizards." Asterion said, he ceased the supply of magic and the Bident changed back into a plain-looking black ring.
"According to the crest on the box, we know who this weapon belongs to." He continued as he put the ring back in the box.
Dumbledore nodded, agreeing with Asterion's words, the identity of the Witch God wasn't really difficult to know. In addition to the three-headed Cerberus crest, the magical energy contained in the ring was contaminated with another cold and indifferent energy, it was the aura of death.
Hades, a Witch with an innate technique related to death, is said to have raised an army of Undead so large that it could occupy a quarter of the European continent. With his army, the man was practically unstoppable. Hades was known as one of the most powerful of his time, along with Zeus and Poseidon, making it a trinity, which would later be known as the Age of the Three Kings, at least in Greece. It was a name that brought terror in times gone by, now the weapon of that same being was in his hands.
"I really want to see what their faces look like when they find out they've lost something so valuable." Asterion said, his lips curving into a smile that seemed very amused by the whole situation.
Closing the box, Asterion handed it to Dumbledore, who accepted it without a second thought, the man looked at the wooden box for a while and said. "I'll see if the Seer or the box have any enchantments that the R Organization can use to track or even make the item Apparate on its own."
Asterion nodded and focused his gaze on the rat that had been hiding at Hogwarts; during the time he and Dumbledore had been talking, Morgan had eaten all of Peter's arms and legs. The man was completely terrified. That he hadn't pissed himself was already a great achievement in the eyes of Patriarch Black.
"Hello, Peter." Asterion greeted the man with an icy stare, his red eyes looking at him with a clear sadistic pleasure reflecting in them.
"Help me, I beg you! I don't want to be near that monster any longer." Peter tried to crawl towards Asterion, his voice difficult to hear accurately because of the crying and sniffling. However, his response was a magic-reinforced kick to the face.
Peter's nose was broken and teeth were thrown into the air as the man lost consciousness for a moment before waking up again to a pain in his face. He let out a groan of pain and blood covered his face.
"I beg you not to address my lovely sister like that. And you don't deserve pity or mercy, I'll give you to someone who will love to know you." Asterion spoke, his foot still on Peter's face, prolonging the worm's pain.
"Please let me live, I beg you. I will be your slave, your humble servant." Peter didn't care about Asterion's words, he just went on begging endlessly, making promises as empty as the man's character, although his words were more incomprehensible babble than words.
Asterion snorted coldly and realized that he had lost the bet with Dumbledore. Something the old man noticed and smiled. "I expect ten pounds on my table at the beginning of the day, Asterion." With that said, the man looked disgustedly at Peter on the floor and walked off carrying the box, leaving Asterion and Morgan alone with Peter.
Now alone, Asterion turned his gaze to the huge black dome covering almost the entire cave. The cave was about three kilometers long, which showed the colossal size of the monster inside the seal - Albion, The White Dragon.
"Morgan." Approaching the barrier, Asterion spoke in a calm tone.
Morgan understood her master's intentions and opened a breach in Merlin's Barrier, which proved not to be necessary in the first place. When Dumbledore's Barrier opened, Merlin's Barrier appeared and Asterion could see a large crack in the dome.
"When the core of Hogwarts exploded, it hit this place too, causing the barrier to crack. That's why Albion was able to force its influence on Luna." Asterion muttered as he crossed the Barrier without any problems.
It didn't prevent people from entering, but it did prevent Albion from escaping. Perhaps Merlin himself never imagined that anyone would have the courage to enter the White Dragon's cell.
As soon as Asterion stepped inside the barrier, he ignored the gigantic dragon and focused on the sword proudly stuck in the dragon's head. It simply looked like a perfect, flawless work of art. The sword's blue enamel was a symbol of royalty while the sword itself shone with a golden glow of hope and determination.
"Excalibur." Asterion muttered, staring at the sword. With the sword in hand, he wasn't worried about re-establishing the monarchy in England. Believe him when he says that England was one of the most superstitious countries on the planet.
Especially in the Wizarding World, where luck and misfortune were tangible and even accessed by a clever Potions Master. With Excalibur in hand, Asterion would have almost zero percent resistance from the English Witches and Wizards. The only ones who would resist was parliament itself, but he could get around that after the Third Wizarding World War, making him even more popular.
Suddenly, Asterion snapped out of his trance, feeling a gaze fall on him. Raising his gaze, he saw a pair of golden eyes staring at him coldly.
"Before you speak, I'll fulfill my own wishes on my own, I don't need a seemingly useless Djinn." Asterion spoke, his voice tinged with a strong sarcasm towards the owner of the draconic golden eyes.
Albion wanted to roar, to vent and express his anger. Three times! The three times he had met humans he had been scorned, teased and treated with contempt. He was the damned White King, Albion, the King of Camelot, a being who was considered a God in the eyes of all the races on the planet!!!
"I haven't introduced myself, but I'm Asterion Black, future king of these islands and your probable assassin." Asterion didn't mind Albion's gaze and commented, looking curiously at the gigantic white dragon before him.
Ancalagon looked exactly like Albion, the only difference between them being the absence of forelimbs, which his dragon didn't have.
Albion, who heard Asterion's words, looked at the human cub with surprise, then let out an arrogant laugh full of contempt.
"False King, you'd better go back to sucking on your mother's teats. You haven't yet reached the strength of a Witch God, and you're far from it. It would take more than the bite of a mosquito to hurt me." He spoke, his voice thick and powerful, but undeniably filled with a prestige that only belonged to a real king.
Asterion showed no reaction of anger at Albion's words, as the dragon said, he really didn't have the strength to kill a being of that level, but the only reason humanity was able to persevere in the face of all human evolution was because humans could kill beings much larger than themselves!
"We'll see about that in the future, Your Grace, but I'll have to say goodbye for now, World War III is approaching." Asterion commented, his smile sending shivers through Albion's body. He had never seen a human with such intense and determined eyes in his entire life,
Watching the human cub's back disappear, Albion wasn't angry. On the contrary, he was excited, for the first time after being sealed away, he saw the chance to fight someone worthy again.
"Asterion Black..."
Gradually closing his eyes, he muttered to himself, finally closing his eyes. "World War III... the Aspects of Existence must be celebrating the ever-closer end of the world."
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Author's Thoughts: I'll go deeper into the Witch Gods and the Aspects of Existence in the next Arc, which happened in just a few chapters!!!
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Next Chapter Second Volume: Chapter 220 - The Last Moment Before Chaos (1), Chapter 221 - The Last Moment Before Chaos (2, Chapter 222 - The Labyrinth of Cnossos (1), Chapter 223 - The Labyrinth of Cnossos (2), Chapter 224 - The Labyrinth of Cnossos (3).
Next Chapter of the Third Volume: Chapter 225 - A Dark Day (1), Chapter 226 - A Dark Day (2), Chapter 227 - A Talk Between Two Monarchs (1), Chapter 228 - Preparations for War (1), Chapter 228 - Preparations for War (1), Chapter 229 - Preparations for War (1), Chapter 230 - The French Battlefront (1), Chapter 231 - The French Battlefront (2), Chapter 232 - The French Battlefront (3), Chapter 233 - The French Battlefront (4), Chapter 334 – Battle Between Special Grade Wizards (1), Chapter 335 – Battle Between Special Grade Wizards (2).
Leaving Merlin's Barrier, Asterion saw Morgan wave his hand and the second barrier erected by Dumbledore closed again, blocking the first barrier.
"Thank you for your hard work." Stroking her head, Asterion spoke in a gentle tone as he rubbed her black hair. Morgan looked like a kitten loving the caresses on her head and practically embraced Asterion in a tight hug and buried her head in his chest.
"As for you, my fiancée will love to meet you." Asterion looked at Peter's bruised face covered in blood and tears with an indifferent gaze. He looked back at Morgan and spoke. "Morgan, I want you to write two letters to two different people."
Morgan nodded and didn't even bother to look at Peter on the floor. She disappeared under Peter's shocked eyes. They weren't in Diagon Alley, but at Hogwarts, a place known for its incredible defenses against Apparate. So to see the monster that had devoured his limbs Apparate right into Hogwarts gave Peter a profound shock.
Grabbing Peter by the collar of his shirt, Asterion dragged the Animagus away with a calm look on his face.
-
In the Hogwarts Dungeon.
"So, what's going on?" Rose asked, she was dressed in the Hogwarts universe with the color of her house, red and gold, the girl's white hair was still messy, showing that she had just woken up and hadn't even had time to comb her hair.
Rose's eyes fell curiously on the huge black dog, who for some reason was looking at her with an extremely emotional look, as if she had owned him at some point in her life.
Suddenly, she raised an eyebrow, noticing something unusual about the black dog, more precisely the humanity in its gaze. "Animagus?" She asked with a tone of uncertainty.
The reason for her uncertainty was that the Animagus had a very interesting characteristic, it could hide any fluctuations in magical energy from the wizard. Since the target of the spell were animals without magical energy, the spell practically turned the wizard or witch into a real animal in every sense of the word.
"That's Sirius Black." Asterion commented with a calm look, earning a shocked glance from the white-haired girl. "Your godfather and according to the laws of our society, he should be your guardian should your parents pass away. However, as you can see, you grew up with your muggle family."
Under Rose's surprised eyes, the dog disappeared and a very handsome black-haired man with worn-out robes and appearance appeared in front of her. Remembering Asterion's words about how her parents were murdered and how it all happened, she looked at the man with a complex gaze.
Although it really wasn't so bad living with her aunt, who treated her with relative affection, she would still have preferred to live with someone from the magical world, which would have spared her a lot of questions, feelings of guilt and anger, as well as a more pleasant childhood for a child.
"You look like your mother, you have the same look she had, an indomitable and confident look. Which in your case, I'd say arrogant, but James passed it on to you." Sirius picked up a silver canteen and drank the whisky it contained while looking at Rose with a gentle gaze tinged with a look of pain and guilt.
Rose looked at Sirius with a calmer look than Asterion had expected, it seemed that although she had been surprised by Sirius, she hadn't acted impulsively.
Perhaps noticing this, Sirius flashed a slightly bitter smile and commented. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me, Rose. I really, really wanted to raise you and educate you the way your parents wanted in case something happened to them, but James and Lily's death consumed my mind, I was blinded by revenge and hatred."
"I just wanted to get revenge on James and Lily, but as my father once said, if men can't control their feelings, they're no different than animals. " Sirius continued speaking, lost in ancient memories.
Then a cold, chilling look appeared in his eyes, "I had to get revenge, but I couldn't, the mouse blew up an entire street, and I was blamed for the deaths and thrown into Azkaban."
At the mention of the Mouse, Rose wasn't indifferent either, a cold look appeared on her face, if it wasn't for the traitor, she would still have parents and a happy family. If there wasn't anger, hatred and resentment in her heart, she would be lying.
At the same time, she admitted, although she resented Sirius' decisions a little, she could understand the man's flare for revenge. If anything happened to Asterion, Daphne and Hermione, she certainly wouldn't stop until she had destroyed everyone who dared to hurt them.
Letting out a long sigh, Rose looked at Sirius with a gentler gaze, although it was still distant, which Sirius understood perfectly. He knew he had lost fourteen years, too late. He had to take the first step and start entering his goddaughter's life.
Asterion couldn't help but be speechless at Sirius' emotional face, the man had never shown such emotion towards him, his eldest brother's son! "Now I understand Arcturus' feelings, Sirius has problems with paternal love. I take it my grandfather, Orion Black, wasn't exactly the best of fathers."
Although Asterion's whisper was low, they were in a dungeon which, by the way, was a great place for echoes. As a result, Asterion's every word was heard very clearly by Rose and Sirius.
Sirius' face turned grim in an instant, hearing his own nephew say that he had father issues wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing to hear.
"Why are we in the dungeon, Asty?" Rose asked, her eyes looking around with a curious expression. "A present for you and Sirius." Asterion replied, he stopped in front of a door and looked at them both with a calm gaze, but whether it was Rose or Sirius, they noticed the cold murderous intent hidden in his gaze.
"Present?" Rose looked genuinely confused.
Suddenly, under the surprised eyes of Asterion and Rose, Sirius burst into the dungeon cell with an almost crazed expression.
"I forgot that dogs have very good senses of smell." Asterion shrugged, not caring about Sirius' actions.
Rose was even more confused by her fiancé's words, but she also got into the saddle and what she saw made her stop and widen her eyes in shock. Her best man was going completely mad as he stared at a figure hoisted up by chains attached to the walls.
"PETER PETTIGREW, YOU FILTHY MOUSE!!!" Sirius screamed, his voice coming out of his mouth like a snarl, his dark brown eyes wide and completely consumed with rage and hatred.
It was at that moment that Rose realized that Sirius really did love her parents as family, and this strangely made her feel closer to the man she had never met in her life before that moment.
However, the name of the figure hoisted by chains in the cell made Rose's face transform from a calm look to a cold stare that could freeze the flames of hell. It was the first time in her life that she had felt such a strong murderous intent towards another person.
He was to blame for the murder of her parents, even if only indirectly; without him, Voldemort would never have found his parents' house.
"That mouse tried to get into a rather delicate place for Hogwarts and was captured." Asterion spoke, leaning on the door, with no intention of entering. His eyes fell on the figure hoisted by chains with an indifferent look. What was about to happen was not his problem.
"You two can do whatever you want with him, he's dead according to the country's laws, so even if he dies now, no crime will be attributed to you two." Asterion said, his lips curving into a rather cruel smile. Seeing the sheer horror on Peter's face told me more than I wanted it to.
Rose frowned, but Sirius only smiled as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, pulled out his new wand and with a quick flick of his wrist, red light bloomed from the tip of his wand.
The Crucio Curse tore through the air like lightning falling on Peter Pettigrew's small body!
"ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" A scream more like a pig came out of the Animagus' mouth, he struggled violently as he was ravaged by the strongest pain he had ever known in his life.
Rose frowned even more, she really thought he should die for what he had done, but she didn't want to torture him, what would be different between her and Peter if she did something like that. So, after a minute, she approached Sirius and took his arm, looking him straight in the eye.
"Just stop, Sirius." She spoke, her voice determined, not flinching at the completely enraged look on the man in front of her. In her eyes, Sirius looked more like a wounded animal than hate.
Sirius didn't want to stop, he had been dreaming of this moment for over fourteen years! More than a decade of being tortured day and night, only revenge able to sustain his body weak from malnutrition and his mind on the brink of madness.
"Godfather." Rose spoke once more, her hand lightly squeezing his arm, her eyes looking straight at him.
Sirius felt a deep sense of shame at those blue eyes staring back at him, and he let out a growl and swung his wand towards the other side of the room, canceling the Crucio.
Turning to look at Peter, Sirius asked in a cold, threatening voice. "Why? Why ally yourself with a Dark Lord? What would you gain apart from innocent lives?"
Peter, who was still shaking from the side effects of the Crucius, raised his head with difficulty and whispered. "If I refused, he would have killed me, you know that, Sirius."
Although it was a whisper, it was like an explosion in Sirius' mind, rekindling the flame of fury in his chest.
"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED INSTEAD OF BETRAYING YOUR FRIENDS, LIKE WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" He shouted in a voice full of fury and resentment.
The words made Peter lower his head and not dare to look at Sirius, regret, anger, hatred, guilt and fury made his expression a mixture of emotions.
Asterion couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he heard Sirius' roar, the man was more emotional at that moment than the death of his own grandfather, which made him look at Sirius with a slightly accusatory look.
However, remembering how Sirius had been treated by his family, he didn't blame the man for finding another family who loved him for who he really was.
Rose felt her mind shaken by Sirius' words. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Peter. "I hate you, I want to torture you just like my godfather wants me to."
Holding up her finger, Rose muttered to herself. "Innate Spell Manipulation - Limitless - Red."
A sphere of red energy formed above Rose's finger, illuminating the surroundings with a pale red glow.
She paused and continued. "But I don't want to live by hate all my life, so I'll kill you quickly, although you'll still feel a lot of pain, Peter Pettigrew."
Despite the pain and the difficulty of moving his body, even now, Peter didn't stop struggling, trying to escape, he didn't want to die! He had betrayed all the people who were important to him in order to survive, he wanted to live!!!
However, no matter how hard he tried to struggle, the red glow blurred his vision. He felt like his body was being pressed down by a mountain. His flesh sank, all his bones broke in an instant, his eyes exploded directly. Blood dripped from his ears, nose and eyes.
Then Peter Pettigrew's entire body exploded, staining the wall a sickly shade of red.
Asterion's face contorted and twitched slightly at the familiar image, his death in his past life no different from Peter's, but instead of extremely high pressure from gravity, it was from a damn truck.
Sirius looked at the red stain on the wall with a silent stare, he let out a bitter laugh, he wanted so much more, but looking at Rose's indifferent face, he let out a heavy sigh and ruffled the girl's white hair.
He had to act like an adult right now. "Well done, Rose. Although your father wouldn't have approved of you killing him, your mother would have applauded you."
Rose felt a wave of emotions hearing this and nodded with an indifferent look, she looked at Asterion and approached him and hugged him tightly, burying her head in his chest.
"Thank you." She spoke, her voice muffled by her position.
Asterion didn't say anything and didn't need to, he just stroked her hair and comforted her.
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Author's thoughts: I've rewritten this chapter three times and I still don't feel that I've written it well. Three chapters until the end of Volume Two.
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