บท 34: Oracle Depths
Harry sighed deeply and shook off the faded memories of Primal Daoists, took a step forward, and immediately froze. Something felt different about even that simple movement. His body seemed lighter, more responsive, as if he'd been wearing weights his entire life and had suddenly taken them off.
Curious, he reached out and pressed his hand against one of the stone blocks making up the alley wall. The rough surface barely registered as uncomfortable against his skin. When he pushed, the stone cracked slightly under his fingers. Harry quickly pulled back, startled by his own strength.
He looked down at his hands. They appeared the same as always, if perhaps a bit more refined in structure. Yet he could feel the difference - layers of dense muscle and reinforced bone that hadn't been there before. Even standing still, he sensed his body was operating on an entirely different level.
A cat darted past the entrance of the alley, and Harry tracked its movement with ease. Every detail was crystal clear - the individual whiskers, the subtle shift of muscles under fur, even the slight displacement of air as it passed. The cat seemed to be moving unusually slowly, though Harry quickly realized it was his perception that had changed, not the cat's speed.
He needed to test this properly. Looking around to ensure no one was watching, Harry coiled his legs and jumped. He barely managed to stop himself from shooting straight up through the hanging clotheslines above the alley. Even that careful hop had lifted him eight feet into the air with minimal effort.
Harry landed silently back on the ground, and his control over his body made even that instinctive. The sheer ease of the movement struck him - he'd jumped higher than most adults could with barely any effort at all.
"Amazing," he whispered, thinking back to the potions he'd studied with Nicolas. The Strengthening Solution could grant similar strength, but it took time to brew and required powdered chimera bone for the better quality versions. Even then, the effects only lasted an hour and repeated use would eventually cause organ failure that couldn't be fixed with magic. The weaker version they'd actually brewed only took one day, but its effects were far less impressive.
Yet here he was, permanently enhanced beyond what even the strongest potions could safely provide… While raw strength and speed weren't particularly useful against competent dark wizards who could simply fly and apparate away from danger, better reaction time alone could make the difference in a fight, letting him dodge spells that might otherwise hit.
Harry shook his head, forcing his mind back to the present moment. Fascinating as it all was, he had a puzzle to solve. The Hero's Journal's hint had mentioned:
"Beyond the silver door lies the first step. Where every seeker's journey begins, the most forgotten path lies beneath their feet. The Oracle's first words were spoken in silence, and her last breath opens the way..."
He'd already completed the first part by leaving through Alexandros' silver door. Now he stood in Oracle's Way, surrounded by fortune tellers and their customers. But where exactly was he supposed to go?
The riddle mentioned "every seeker's journey." Since this was Oracle's Way, that had to mean all the people who came seeking prophecies. And if he was thinking about where their journey began...
Harry turned around, looking back toward the entrance of the street. Of course - everyone who came seeking answers would start their journey at the same spot. The very first step into Oracle's Way.
He walked back toward the entrance, ignoring another fortune teller's attempts to catch his attention. The stone archway marked the boundary between the magical underground and mundane ruins of Delphi. Tens of thousands of people must have passed under it over the centuries, each hoping for a glimpse of their future.
Harry looked at the steps beneath his feet. If there really was a hidden passage, this would be the perfect place to hide it. After all, who would think to look for secrets right at the entrance, where everyone walked every day?
Harry knelt down to examine the worn stones, remembering what he'd read about the Oracle just days ago before they arrived at Greece. Apparently the Muggle version claimed Apollo spoke through her, but wizarding histories painted a different picture. According to "Ancient Greek Magical Sites", the first Oracle had been a powerful witch who discovered gases seeping from a crack in the earth. These vapors, when breathed in, enhanced her ability to See years beyond her normal Sight.
"First words spoken in silence," Harry muttered, tracing the grooves between stones. The history books mentioned the Oracle would sit in complete silence, breathing in the vapors before speaking prophecies. But that wasn't quite right - there had to be more to it. The first Oracle wouldn't have just stumbled onto magical vapors by accident, right?
He sat back on his heels, thinking harder. The books had glossed over how she found the crack in the first place. Almost like they were... hiding something? Harry had noticed similar patterns in Hogwarts' histories, where obviously important details were conspicuously absent.
"Last breath opens the way," he repeated slowly. The vapors came from underground, and the Oracle had to breathe them in. What if the first Oracle hadn't found the crack - what if she'd made it? Created a passage to whatever was producing those vapors?
Harry looked more closely at the stone archway above. Thousands of people seeking prophecies would have walked under it, but how many had stopped to really look? The eroded carvings seemed random at first glance, but there was something about their pattern...
He remembered Nicolas talking about how ancient Greek wizards often hid their secrets in plain sight, protecting them with puzzles rather than straight-forward charms that could be broken. The worn grooves in the stone might not be damage at all, but a spell waiting to be activated.
But how? The clue mentioned breathing, and Harry doubted simply exhaling at the stones would work. There had to be something he was missing about that first Oracle and how she opened the original passage.
The Hero's Journal had never steered him wrong before. Each part of the clue had to mean something specific. First words in silence, last breath opens the way... what was he not seeing?
Harry brushed his fingers against the stone archway, making sure to follow the small grooves. There was something familiar about them - not from books or lessons, but from his painting. The seemingly random grooves flowed like brush strokes, forming shapes that only became clear when viewed as a whole piece rather than individual marks.
"It's not damage," he whispered. "It's a painting done in stone."
The grooves weren't separate lines at all, but one continuous path that wrapped around the entire archway. Harry followed it with his eyes, seeing how it spiraled inward toward a central point just above eye level. The pattern reminded him of air currents, like the ones he'd observed while flying as an eagle.
Then it clicked. The Oracle's first words weren't spoken - they were drawn. The spiral wasn't meant to be seen, but followed. Like a path for breath to travel.
Harry glanced around quickly. The street was still busy, but everyone seemed focused on the fortune tellers and their customers. No one was paying attention to a young boy examining an old archway.
He took a deep breath. The expanded meridians made it easy to gather energy in his lungs. When he exhaled, he didn't just breathe out - he guided his breath with chi, following the spiral pattern carved into the stone.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Harry felt foolish standing there with his breath held, but then a faint silver glow traced along the spiral where his breath had touched. The light spread quickly through the carved grooves, illuminating the entire pattern. Before he could step back, the stone beneath his feet shifted.
A tugging sensation pulled at his navel, and Harry paled slightly at what was about to happen. The world blurred around him as the archway's magic took hold. He had just enough time to think that perhaps he should have told someone where he was going before reality twisted sideways.
The portal deposited him rather ungracefully onto a smooth stone floor. Harry pushed himself up, noting the complete darkness around him. Only the fading silver light from the closing portal provided any illumination, and through it he caught a glimpse of marble columns stretching up into blackness.
"Well," Harry muttered to himself as the portal sealed shut with a quiet hiss, "I suppose this is what I get for solving puzzles without backup." The complete darkness pressed against his eyes, but he wasn't particularly worried.
He gathered chi into his palm, creating a large azure flame that lit up what appeared to be an enormous underground chamber. The architecture reminded him of the temples above, but these stones were unmarked by time. As if they'd been sealed away and perfectly preserved since ancient Greece itself.
The azure flames cast shadows across the chamber walls, but revealed little of interest. No mysterious artifacts, no ancient texts, not even basic furniture. Just an empty space with polished marble floors and towering columns that disappeared into the darkness above. The only notable feature was a large doorway between two particularly thick pillars on the far side.
Harry approached the exit. The pillars flanking the doorway were decorated with thick spiral marble patterns that seemed to catch and reflect his blue flames. He paused then, and wondered for just a moment why the lines were so dangerous.
The "decorative lines" moved.
Harry frowned. "Not decorations after all," he muttered, gathering chi into his legs. The marble snakes unwound themselves, their stone bodies gleaming in his azure light.
Swish!
The first snake struck like lightning. Harry dove to the side, his enhanced reflexes barely keeping him alive. But the second snake had anticipated this, curving around its companion in a perfect flanking maneuver.
Harry raised his left hand to push it away. The moment his palm touched the creature's surface, a horrible cold sensation shot through his arm. He yanked back, but frost-like marble was already creeping past his wrist.
"Not good." Harry's eyes narrowed as he watched the snakes move. They flowed around each other with clear coordination - these weren't mindless constructs, but ancient guardians with battle wisdom.
The first snake's head weaved hypnotically, while the second circled wide. They were cutting off his escape routes. Harry glanced at his arm - the petrification was spreading fast. Perhaps thirty seconds before it claimed him completely.
"Since running isn't an option..." Harry gathered chi into his remaining hand, compressing it into a whip of concentrated azure flame. The strength of his muscles made even this move feel stronger than normal.
The first snake lunged again. Harry leapt straight up, using the chamber walls for leverage. As he sailed through the air, he brought the flame whip down in an arc. "Let's see how you handle this!"
CRACK!
The impact sent fragments of marble flying, but the snake's liquid stone body began reforming almost immediately. Harry landed on a pillar, quickly realizing normal attacks wouldn't work. He needed something hotter, more concentrated.
"Hissssss!" The second snake's body suddenly contracted, transforming from a massive pillar-sized creature into something barely thicker than Harry's arm. Its speed doubled instantly.
Harry's eyes widened. "Not good!"
The smaller snake shot through the air like a silver arrow. Harry barely managed to dive away, feeling the wind of its passage brush his cheek. Where the snake struck, marble cracked and splintered.
The first snake, seeing Harry's attention divided, took advantage. Its tail whipped out, aiming not for Harry but for the pillar he stood upon. The impact shattered the ancient marble, forcing Harry to jump.
Mid-leap, Harry realized his mistake. Both snakes had maneuvered him exactly where they wanted - airborne with no way to change direction.
"Then I'll just have to be faster!" Harry's entire body began glowing faintly as he pushed his chi to its limit. The azure flame in his hand compressed further, becoming even more hot at its core.
The first snake opened its maw wide, ready to swallow him whole. But Harry had anticipated this. He shot a thin stream of concentrated flame directly into its mouth, while simultaneously using the heated air to propel himself higher.
"SCREEE!" The snake's crystalline shriek echoed through the chamber as its head began to melt from within.
But the second snake was already moving. It coiled its smaller body into tight loops, then unleashed itself like a spring. The speed was beyond anything Harry had seen before - even with his enhanced perception, the snake seemed to blur.
"My arm's at the limit," Harry whispered, glancing at the marble that had spread past his elbow. He had perhaps ten seconds before complete petrification. "Time to end this!"
Harry gathered large amounts of his chi into his legs, timing it perfectly. Just as the second snake was about to strike, he kicked off the air itself, using the heated currents from his solidified flames as platforms. The snake shot past beneath him, missing by mere inches.
"Now!" Harry unleashed everything he had left in a devastating combination. His flame whip separated into three streams - one to force the second snake down, another to keep the first snake's melting head from reforming, and the third...
The third stream of azure flame curved around in an impossible arc, guided by pure mental control. It struck the second snake from behind just as the creature tried to dodge the first stream.
BOOM!
The impact was tremendous. Both snakes crashed into each other, their marble bodies glowing white-hot from the concentrated flames. Harry landed hard, immediately drawing upon his Hun Soul. The petrification had almost reached his shoulder.
Three waves of divine healing light pulsed out, barely managing to purge the marble from his flesh. Harry collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily as he watched the snake's liquid stone bodies cool and harden into twisted shapes.
A memory flickered through his mind - hazy impressions of watching a young disciple being torn apart by a giant leopard in a nearby forest. The elders had merely nodded, saying death was natural for the weak. Another flash - seeing the mangled remains of a patrol return home after they'd encountered Xiantian Diremonsters in the wilds away from Snowdragon Mountain.
Harry felt his stomach turn slightly. Even if those memories weren't fully his, they carried weight. That world had been infinitely more dangerous than this chamber, yet people had lived there, had grown strong there. They hadn't let fear stop them.
"I can't just stay here," Harry whispered to himself. His voice echoed slightly in the marble chamber. "But I'm not going to be stupid about it either."
He was only seven years old, enhanced body or not. If there were more marble creatures ahead, he needed to be even smarter. The snakes had been wrapped around the pillars - he should watch for similar patterns. And be prepared to create a flame shield around himself, just in case.
Harry looked toward the doorway the snakes had been guarding. Something important had to be through there, or why bother with such deadly guardians?
Taking another deep breath, Harry stepped forward. He was still scared - only a fool wouldn't be after nearly being turned to marble. But he refused to let that fear stop him.
Besides, he thought with a weak smile, at least these monsters couldn't fly or use techniques that could level forests. Yet.
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