Bryan felt his face contort into a ridiculous expression, but he was too horrified to close his gaping mouth. He gazed at the red-haired man who radiated a domineering aura, rubbing his eyes frantically, hoping that he was seeing things.
"This can't be real."
Bryan muttered under his breath, trying to make sense of the absurd scene before him, but he could find no rational explanation that could account for his shock and disbelief.
He had indeed sensed the anomaly of the time flow that pervaded this space, but that did not mean that he would accept the sight of Godric Gryffindor standing alive in front of him!
He was one of the four legendary founders of Hogwarts, a formidable wizard who had been almost mythologized by history. His thoughts and ideals still influenced the magical world profoundly even after a millennium.
What kind of power could bring Godric Gryffindor across a thousand years and make him appear in front of him? A Time-Turner? Bryan briefly entertained this idea, but he dismissed it in less than a blink of an eye.
That was a joke, for a wizard like Gryffindor, whose magic was as deep as the ocean, there was no Time-Turner that could affect his temporal stability. Even for wizards like Dumbledore or Bryan himself, if they gathered all the power of all the Time-Turners in the magical world, they probably couldn't rewind their time by even a single day!
Besides, the past was fixed, but the future was uncertain. The power of the Time-Turner could only cut into the cracks of time and take people back to the past, but it was impossible to take people to the future, especially a thousand years ahead! Not even the most mysterious and powerful ancient magic could achieve that!
"Who are you!"
Cold sweat broke out on Bryan's forehead like dewdrops on green leaves at dawn. He took a shallow breath and pushed everything like 'Merlin's ruins', Cliodna and prophecy out of his mind. His brown pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks and stared at the man who was only a few steps away from him!
The man who had suddenly appeared seemed to have not noticed Bryan behind him at all. He looked around with curiosity and fascination, examining the surroundings and the ground under his feet. He stood there casually, but the whole world of ruins seemed to be wary of him.
Red hair that shone like fire, a sword scar on his square face that added to his rugged charm, a sturdy body that resembled a knight in armor, and a delicate mithril sword on his waist that did not require a wand. All these details indicated that he was Godric Gryffindor.
But wait, that sword.
Bryan's body jolted slightly, and his eyes widened in astonishment. The sword on this man's waist was not Gryffindor's sword! A few months ago, in Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, Bryan had witnessed Potter fighting with the Basilisk using that famed sword. It was a shiny silver sword with dazzling rubies as big as eggs embedded on the hilt. The overall shape had a strong style of fairy-tale made objects.
The sword on this mysterious man's waist was also silver, but there was no ornamentation on the hilt. The style of the sword was also simple and plain. Compared with Potter's sword that looked like a masterpiece of art, this sword was more practical and efficient.
Bryan pursed his lips and his eyes gradually lost their panic. Instead, he showed some gloominess.
Could it be that this man just resembled Gryffindor and was also an avid admirer of Gryffindor? So he deliberately imitated his appearance and style?
This explanation was more plausible than Gryffindor himself coming to modern times across a thousand years and easier to digest. But Bryan still didn't dare to lower his guard because although he couldn't detect any magic in this man's body, he felt intimidated by his strong sense of danger. This level of intimidation was something that even Dumbledore couldn't produce.
He wanted to ask again about the man's identity, but before he opened his mouth, the man's self-talking words had already answered Bryan's doubts and once again shattered his psychological defenses.
The red-haired man who was examining the man in front of him suddenly lifted his head and looked at the sky that was cloudless and pale gray. Then he broke into a grin and said,
"I found you., ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, it seems that the shattered stone pillars that Rowena found and Helga's prophecy were not wrong!"
Rowena and Helga. Bryan could no longer deceive himself. This man was indeed Godric Gryffindor! But this brought him back to the original question, how did Gryffindor manage to do it?
"Mr. Gryffindor. You."
Bryan's voice was hoarse and he opened his mouth with difficulty, but the red-haired man still ignored Bryan. Instead, he unsheathed his sword from his waist.
Under Bryan's startled gaze, he conjured a lion that was half bigger than the normal size, with two eyes that sparkled like rubies and a mane that blazed like fire. Then he leaped up and landed on the back of the majestic lion.
And this effortless and natural scene overturned a fixed notion in Bryan's mind.
He didn't find it strange that Gryffindor could use the silver sword as a wand. Mithril was a kind of magic metal with excellent magic conductivity, but because of its scarce output and high price, and its compatibility with modern spells was not as high as wooden wands, it was gradually phased out.
Bryan was also not surprised that Gryffindor's Patronus was a magical creature.
Many books that recorded history had mentioned this sporadically. It was extremely rare for magical creatures to be Patronuses, but not impossible. Just like Dumbledore's silver phoenix and his own Patronus, they were both magical creatures.
Bryan was astonished that Gryffindor rode on his own Patronus.
As the only spell that could have a positive suppression effect on Dementors, it was well known that the Patronus Charm was a very advanced white magic spell. The core of this spell was not just pure magic, but the product of the combination of magic and the positive power in the wizard's heart.
Of course, the Patronus could not only be used to deal with Dementors, but also as a messenger with some casting skills.
But using the Patronus as a mount? Bryan couldn't comprehend. The Patronus was a magical creature without a physical body, right?
As a wizard with excellent magical talent that Dumbledore called unparalleled and with his outstanding magic perception ability, Bryan could see the general principle of most magic after a few glance. But the Patronus summoned by Gryffindor, Bryan had to admit that he didn't understand how he did it at all. Just like he couldn't sense any magic in Gryffindor's body.
Godric Gryffindor wouldn't be kind enough to explain his magic principles. In fact, he never looked at Bryan from beginning to end, as if he didn't exist at all. He raised his square face and his eyes that were embedded on his face locked on the sky. He jumped up and the lion under him carried him swiftly to the boundless sky.
Bryan's eyes followed him. Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and made a new discovery.
Under the gray-white sky, there was a very inconspicuous black spot in the farthest part of his vision. If you put it in the outside world, you would only think of it as a Muggle plane or a bird or something, but in this empty ruin, it seemed out of place.
"Avalon Island, it's actually floating in the sky"
Bryan squeezed out a sentence from his teeth, but he didn't have time to deal with it for the time being. He looked at the fire-red lion that quickly became smaller in his vision. Bryan took a deep breath and jumped up in the next second. He transformed into a shadow and also soared to the sky!
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Hoo–
In the gray and desolate world, two figures, one red and one gray, soared in the high sky, like two meteors, streaking from the earth to the sky. They left behind a trail of light that contrasted with the gloomy surroundings.
"Mr. Gryffindor!"
Bryan's loud call overpowered the whistling wind in his ears, but the red-haired man seemed oblivious, his eyes only fixed on the island floating in the sky. He had a determined and solemn expression on his face, as if nothing else mattered to him at this moment.
Bryan closed his mouth, the cold and sharp wind made him slightly detached from the absurd fact that Godric Gryffindor appeared alive in front of him, and his brain finally began to work again.
Gryffindor was not deaf and blind, he was right next to him, shouting several times in a row, how could he not even glance at him, even if he was as weak as a bug in Gryffindor's eyes, he would not ignore him so much.
What state was Gryffindor in? Did he really exist?
Bryan soon had no energy to think about this question, when he flew over a certain boundary, Bryan's face changed abruptly, and he almost turned back into human form from the shadow state. He felt a surge of nausea and dizziness that made him want to vomit.
The magic overflowing with strong death and decay made the space viscous, Bryan felt like a stunt diver, suddenly hitting the water surface from high altitude, that nauseating and irresistible magic did not make him faint. He clenched his teeth and endured the pain that seemed to tear his soul apart.
At this time, riding on the lion patronus, Gryffindor who was leisurely and comfortable also looked slightly solemn, he raised his silver sword again, slashing at the void in front of him one after another.
There was no gorgeous spell light flashing, but with his slashing, the dark space became much clearer, like the floating turbidity on the water surface was cut open, revealing a crack-like, much clearer lake surface, and behind him, Bryan who had a faint sense of suffocation breathed a sigh of relief, he did not dare to be careless, closely following Gryffindor's cut 'clean' lake surface flying.
This was too strange, wasn't it?
Bryan did not have much in-depth understanding of the Druid sect, but he at least knew that this sect was advocating nature, from Cliodna's body, he could feel a natural freshness and magic full of vitality.
But as the ancient Druid sect's land of faith, the legendary Avalon Island that appeared in myths and legends why would be shrouded by such strong and unpleasant death and decay?
What secrets were hidden in Merlin's ruins that Cliodna mentioned? Could it be that Merlin had 'turned into a corpse'?
As they flew rapidly in the high sky, the black dot in their sight also enlarged quickly. Ten minutes later, Bryan could clearly see the outline of Avalon Island. He also finally understood why this island had the nickname of 'Apple Island', because from below it looked like a huge island with a peculiar shape similar to an apple. It had a round body and a protruding stem on top. It was covered with lush green trees and flowers that contrasted with the barren land below.
A huge island that floated in the high sky under an unimaginable force. It defied gravity and logic. It was a miracle of magic that Bryan had never seen before. This scene, Bryan could be sure that he would never forget it for life.
In a trance, he remembered many years ago when Professor Snape came to his orphanage where he lived. He showed him magic in the dormitory. It was just a simple transfiguration spell that overturned Bryan's perception of the world and shattered his worldview.
And now, Bryan once again faced that state of mind. He felt awe and wonder mixed with fear and anxiety. He felt like he was entering a realm that he did not belong to. A realm that was beyond his comprehension and control.
"Incredible. How did they do it–"
Bryan looked at the island above with a magical perspective. He had an illusion that one of his feet was still in the magical world. And another foot had stepped into the illusory myth!
Of course. If he just looked at this magical masterpiece from an observer's perspective. It would undoubtedly make Bryan feel amazed and appreciated. But when he thought that he might have an unclear relationship with such a great relic. Bryan's heart sank.
He seemed to feel that invisibly. There was a terrible hand dragging him into the mud. Wanting to swallow him up. Or more accurately, He had been in the quagmire for a long time. But now. The monster lurking in the quagmire finally stretched out its hideous claws to him!
Hoo la–
A sudden dizziness came without warning. The world in front of Bryan shook violently. The powerful magic field around him also underwent some violent changes. In an instant. He was forced out of the shadow state by this turbulent magic environment and showed his original form. He felt a sharp pain in his head, as if someone had stabbed his brain with a needle.
The world turned abruptly!
The original island above. The behemoth-like island suddenly moved to the bottom of his feet. And the boundless lake that he stepped on when he entered this magical relic suddenly appeared above his head. Becoming another piece of pure sky. It was a bizarre and surreal sight that made Bryan doubt his own senses.
Gryffindor seemed to have expected this change, he just curled his lips and said "interesting", and then grabbed the lion's fiery red mane with his left hand and took the lead in rushing towards the island below, he looked calm and confident, as if he had seen through the secrets of this world.
But Bryan encountered a lot of trouble. The chaotic magic field. The strong and evil magic around him that suddenly increased several times had a great suppression on him. He fell freely in mid-air like a free fall. He threw out several spells in a row to stop his body from falling. But they all ended in failure with the sparks from the tip of his wand! He felt helpless and desperate, as if he was falling into an abyss.
Ridiculous. Was he going to fall to death here?!
Bryan clenched his teeth. Looked at the ground below. Countless gray smoke rising from the bones of various magical animals that had fallen down. His eyes were hateful. He resisted the panic. And suddenly shook his wand again.
Under Bryan's body. The dead air suddenly became windy. The head-on hurricane constantly weakened the downward momentum. Finally, when he was still ten feet away from the ground, Bryan regained control of his body and fell into the mud with a thud.
It was not until a few seconds later that Bryan, who had a wooden head, stood up from the mud. He just glanced at the scene in front of him, and was about to raise his wand to remove the mud, but his movement froze.
Bryan had never seen the end of the world, but he believed that if there really was a day when the end of the world came, the world's end would be nothing more than the scene in front of him!
This place seemed to be a lush forest before, but now it was a graveyard of life.
Those towering trees that used to reach the sky had all broken and lay horizontally under the water, leaving only some sparse and charred wood standing crookedly in the endless swamp. In front of him, countless gray smoke rose from those fallen bones of various magical animals. In his ears, filled with faint ghostly howls.
Everything in sight was obscure and incomprehensible, like the day and night transition in rainy weather, full of death and ominous magic. Invisibly, this suppressed Bryan's mood, making him feel despair uncontrollably.
And in this extremely horrible picture, Bryan's heart strangely rose a trace of enlightenment, he vaguely felt that the culprit that caused this scene was probably the legendary magical item that Cliodna wanted to take out from this island.
'With its power, maybe we can have a peaceful place to live.'
Bryan's mind suddenly recalled what Cliodna had said to him before, he was quite skeptical at that time, but now he did not dare to have any contempt.
"Several generations of Druid priests have entered this world many times, trying to take it out but have failed, but the divination result is that probably only I could take out that item."
Bryan pursed his lips, his eyes drooping, whispered softly, feeling uneasy in his heart, because what was happening to him now seemed to touch on the most unknown mystery of the magical Harry Potter world.
Gryffindor stood on the bank behind Bryan and looked at this world where death was singing and dancing with anger in his eyes.
But as powerful as he was, he seemed helpless against this world of misery, he could only sigh softly. He felt pity and sorrow for the lost lives and beauty of this land. He wondered what had happened here and who had done such a terrible thing.
Bryan turned around and looked at Gryffindor who brought him an unprecedented shock but ignored him with an inexplicable look. After a while, he suddenly raised his wand and shot a spell fiercely at Godric Gryffindor.
Author's Note: I have been sick since yesterday, I have the draft chapters ready but the update time may be few hours early or late.
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