Chapter 65
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Another sign from his vision. The three flames.
According to the vision Ethan had earlier, the white and red paths should hold light within them, while purple had darkness. But somehow, the darkness had felt welcoming and safe at the time, not the light.
The group observed the three paths silently at first before Bill broke the silence. "The colours don't remind me of anything. Was there anything similar on your end of the temple?"
Ethan and Tracey shook their heads to show they did not cross anything similar either, prompting Bill to cast a spell.
"Dissendium."
Nothing happened.
"Revelio."
Still nothing.
"Appare Vestigium."
"Periculo Sensu."
No matter which spells were used, none of them had any effect, as Bill ended up sighing, "The whole thing is protected against Charms, I'm not getting anything. I'm going to need to use Divination. Could you two protect me? If you see anything, just wake me up."
The two nodded, and Bill sat down on the ground, clasping his hands together with his wand in the middle. Ethan and Tracey shared a look before focusing on Bill, interested in this new form of magic.
Divination was an elective class that could only be taken from their third year up, but it was not known for being the most riveting subject. Their professor was reputed to be half-mad, and Astrology, the only class that was related to it, was not particularly liked by either of the two children.
Bill showed them a new side to this particular type of magic; however, after half a minute of silence, he finally moved, placing the tip of his wand against his forehead.
The point of contact lit up with a soft blue light, which remained even as he moved his wand away. Keeping his eyes closed, Bill got up from the ground and oriented himself in the direction of the paths.
It was an eye, Ethan quickly realised, as he observed Bill performing his magic. A third magical eye, right on his glabella.
It lasted for several seconds before the light faded away, and Bill opened his eyes with a gasp. Ethan and Tracey each held one of his arms to stop him from falling, both impressed and worried.
Bill took a couple of seconds to get a hold of himself before he shrugged the two off and said wearily, "I haven't quite mastered this spell yet, unfortunately. But I did manage to get something out of it."
Slowly raising his finger towards the purple path, he said, "This should be the safe one."
Although he inwardly felt happy with the results Bill had gotten as they concurred with his own, which meant he wouldn't have to reveal anything to stir the group in that direction, Ethan still felt obligated to ask, "Are you sure?"
Unexpectedly, Bill sat down, more tired by the spell than he had seemed as he explained, "The white path leads to death, that I am sure of. As for the other two, I admit that I am not 100% sure, but the odds are that purple is the safer one."
"Safer."
Bill nodded grimly. "All three paths are dangerous. But two of them lead to a dead end and have more dangerous traps, while the third one leads further in and has slightly less dangerous traps. This should be purple. That's why I want to rest a little before going in. Although we need to get to the others as soon as possible, it would be wiser to recuperate first."
Ethan nodded matter-of-factly, acknowledging, "You are the main firepower of the team. Rest as much as you need to."
Tracey nodded along, making Bill smile.
Sitting against one of the walls after checking it was not trapped, Ethan remarked, "This spell you used, I never heard of it. Is it taught at Hogwarts?"
"Not that I am aware of, but I never took the elective, so I might not be the best source."
"Where did you learn it, then?"
"India. I exchanged it for a particularly potent magical Vajra. I still miss it to this day."
Tracey chimed in, "Was it worth it? And what's a Vajra?"
Bill took a second to think, "It is a bit hard to describe. Think of a small sceptre that would fit in your hand with two spherical heads. And it was a powerful one; it was capable of striking targets with lightning and enhancing one's resistance to damage."
Tracey's eyes turned comically big as she exclaimed, "And you gave it away?! I'd totally keep something that allows me to smite people!"
Bill laughed. "Yes, it was powerful. But it was a worthwhile exchange. Look here, for example. What use would that Vajra have for me?"
For some reason, Tracey looked a little guilty hearing this. It was well hidden, but Ethan knew her well enough to spot it. Bill did not, and thus continued, "Of course, I would have preferred to have both, but in the end, I am a Curse Breaker, not a Duellist. What I need is not raw power, but the ability to stay one step ahead."
Touching his glabella, Bill added with a sly smile, "Besides, scouting ahead is not the only thing this eye does."
Tracey was obviously curious, so she asked directly, "What does it do then?"
"No idea."
Both of the children were taken aback by the response, making Bill once again laugh as he explained, "This spell draws on both Mental and Divination Magic, which makes it as hard to master as it is potent. The guy who sold it to me probably did because he thought I would never master it, and to be fair, he might be right. But even as it is, the spell is very useful to me."
Scratching the back of his head, Ethan looked embarrassed as he said, "I wanted to ask you to teach me the spell, but seeing what it cost you, I don't think I have anything to exchange for it."
Bill smiled but said nothing.
Ethan would have preferred not to hear about the story of how Bill got the spell; at least he could have asked to learn it innocently, but asking him now would be audacious, to say the least.
He felt it was a shame to miss out on such an interesting spell, especially since he might have an affinity for Divination Magic. Maybe the vision had been a product of the temple and its traps, or maybe he had the rare talent of a seer.
It was a rare form of magic that had hardly been documented, so maybe it was normal that he had never shown any signs of it. Maybe it needed certain requirements before it was activated.
Before Ethan could lose himself in his theories, Tracey asked, "What do you think could be the purpose of the trap next to the pyramid?"
Both Ethan and Bill looked at her, unsure of what she meant. She quickly elaborated, "I'd understand if Ramesses built death traps to kill anyone raiding his tomb. I'd be pissed too if people tried to rob my grave. But that orb took sacrifices, and we were split up. Does that mean that the aim of the traps is not to kill us?"
While Ethan did his best not to play into his paranoia, Bill scratched his chin, mumbling, "You have a point; the traps are quite unique. The only thing this reminds me of would be... a legacy."
Ethan looked around and understood where this train of thought came from. It did feel like they were being tested, but his vision always came back to mind. It did not feel like Ramesses was trying to pass on his knowledge.
"Maybe. But what if it was something darker than this? Something that would somehow be to his own benefit?"
Ethan was feeling the temptation of reading Tracey's mind rising within him, and he was not sure he was being manipulated this time.
She acted like herself, yet at the same time, she was saying the strangest things. Did she have a vision as well?
He felt it was unlikely, but it would explain her apparent lack of knowledge.
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