Chapter 352 The Request Of Gryffindor
Evan did not understand what Gryffindor meant by the enemy he would have to face in the future.
It was hard for him to imagine why he would have to confront a nightmare of the void. The next enemy he knew of was simply Voldemort, who was about to return, that was all.
Seeing Evan's doubts, Gryffindor waved his hand and the blood-red Philosopher's Stone reappeared.
It was not as whole as it was just now, but it was split in half and broken into two parts.
The crack was not uniform, as if it had been crushed by something.
"You should know that the Treasure Key I left was split into two parts due to the Centaurs' Civil Strife, and only one of them remains here." Gryffindor picked up a piece of the Philosopher's Stone, swinging it before Evan, "If you want it, you must be prepared to face the Centaurs who took the other half of the Philosopher's Stone and the malevolent entity hiding behind them."
"I heard that they once believed in an evil god called the Forest God, who divided the Philosopher's Stone you left out of its power." Evan replied.
Was that indescribable evil spirit what Gryffindor referred to as the nightmare of the void?
"The so-called evil god is actually a monster that ancient wizards mistakenly summoned from the void. It was sealed in the deep swamp of the Forbidden Forest." Gryffindor said solemnly, "In the Dark Age, wizards seeking great power did many crazy things. They used countless human bodies and souls to summon the undead, demons, and evil spirits. Many evils that existed in ancient times were summoned. But with the end of that mad era, the old dark creatures returned to the void, or were sealed and fell into a slumber."
Evan looked at Gryffindor in surprise. After seeing the evil creature left by Slytherin in the underground ruins, he read many ancient books of magic.
Among them, Evan found some clues, but they were not complete.
This taboo story was rarely mentioned, or even completely forgotten in the world. To be informed about it by a wizard who had lived through it was an extremely rare experience!
"In our time, those powerful dark creatures of the void, called gods by some, had become part of mythology just like the ancient wizards to you now. No wizard had ever seen them. I too, did not believe in the existence of those things before seeing them with my own eyes." Gryffindor fell silent for a moment and sighed. "But what happened afterwards proved my ignorance and stubbornness. When Salazar studied this, I used to laugh at him for wasting his time."
"Not everyone knew that Slytherin left underground ruins on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, and that there was a monster as you said..."
Evan repeated what he had seen in the underground ruins some time ago, as well as his inferences about Herpo the Foul.
Gryffindor did not speak; he pondered and paced back and forth in the room.
"The monster you spoke of is very similar to the evil god I encountered, but it is not the same." He said slowly. "Obviously, that thing was artificially created. Perhaps, as you have inferred, it is the same Herpo the Foul. That evil wizard tried to use unknown dark magics to transform into a god."
"God?!" Evan took a cold breath and did not know what to say.
He looked at Gryffindor and felt a slight tremor throughout his body.
If all of this was true, then Herpo's ambition was far beyond everyone's imagination.
Not only did he want to escape the fate of death, but he also wanted to be a dominant god!
Splitting the soul to create Horcruxes, which seemed to be beyond the general level of the most advanced dark magic, was just a trivial part of all his plans.
"Salazar did not tell us. He had been conducting his research in secret. In fact, his later state was very unstable. I thought it was due to discord on the matter of admissions." A question was visible on Gryffindor's face.
He walked swiftly towards the long Slytherin table, took the grand scepter surrounded by the two snakes, and examined it carefully for a while; then, the expression on his face gradually calmed.
"Evan, I urge you to find all the Keys and unlock the Treasure we have left behind." Gryffindor looked seriously at Evan. "If what I fear has indeed happened, then what remains in the Treasure will be your only chance."
Evan did not understand what Gryffindor was referring to or why he was worried.
Not even Voldemort, whom he had mentioned as Slytherin's evil minion, seemed to be so concerned. But now...
Gryffindor's reaction cast a dense shadow over Evan's heart.
Things did not seem as straightforward as he had thought. He wanted to inquire about the details, but Gryffindor had no intention of explaining.
"In summary, my dear friends, the Centaurs found the 'evil god' in the deepest part of the swamp. They broke the seal left by the ancient wizards, brought it back to worship it, and awakened it from its slumber." Gryffindor motioned for Evan to be silent and continued recounting the story of the Centaurs. "They called it the Forest God and offered it flesh and blood. As the malevolent creature of the void slowly regained its strength, it corrupted the Centaurs with Dark power."
Evan thought of the dreadful statues he saw in the Chamber of the Centaurs and imagined that they were created by the evil god.
"The Centaurs are powerful warriors and do not possess strong magic. They only concern themselves with star observation and healing magic." Gryffindor continued, "But with the malevolent god's transformation, they gained the ability to cast spells. The Centaurs were ecstatic, and no one anticipated the price they would have to pay afterward. They became addicted to the power of darkness and gradually transformed into hideous monsters."
"Fortunately, not all Centaurs believed in that evil god." Gryffindor approached Evan and said, "With my assistance, the sober Centaurs waged war against the monster and its followers, and ultimately emerged victorious; they resealed it and banished the fallen from the tribe."
Evan remained silent, but he pondered the ferocity of the Centaur Civil War.
"Before being sealed once more, the malevolent spirit shattered the Philosopher's Stone I left behind. It seemed not to sense my existence, but merely thought it was a potent source of magic. Since all I left behind was a conscious mind, unable to wield magic in reality, I could not prevent it from doing anything," said Gryffindor, looking earnestly at Evan. "You must be prepared. If you want to obtain the complete Key, you will have to face the evil god and the malevolent Centaurs who support it."
"I understand." Evan nodded, his heart beating wildly.
He too was immersed in Gryffindor's tales, deeply shaken by these unknown mysteries.
"As I just mentioned, there are additional challenges for you." Gryffindor continued speaking, "I will use this illusion magic to teleport you to the Centaur War eight hundred years ago, so you can witness for yourself the enemy you are about to face..."