Chapter 301 Chapter Title: Whispers From The Darkness
The gathered Acromantulas dispersed in all directions. Evan had no time to deal with them. Instead, he urged Buckbeak to pursue the spider that had taken Malfoy.
He led them straight to Aragog's Lair. Due to the lack of wind, the fog within the slope was so thick that it obscured Evan's view.
He didn't hesitate. He knew the Acromantula was heading there. Just as it was about to drag Malfoy into the cave behind the vaulted spider web, Evan and Buckbeak spectacularly appeared in front of it through the dense fog.
"Help!" Malfoy weakly shouted, reaching out his hand towards Evan.
Buckbeak advanced swiftly, intending to claw at the web filled with corpses in front of him, but the vaulted spider web remained intact.
The solidity of this tangled web surpassed all imagination.
With a powerful rebound, Evan leaped off Buckbeak.
He waved his wand vigorously in the air. With a loud crash, several decomposed corpses hanging from the web fell, blocking the Acromantula's path.
Click, click.
Cornered, the Acromantula released Malfoy, turned around, and lunged towards Evan, its large, sharp pincers snapping in desperation, ready to fight to the death.
Evan gently pressed his wrist downward, and a beautiful silver light swiftly passed, leaving a faint trail in the air. The Acromantula's body split in two and fell to the ground.
Evan had enough magic and skill to make that spell cast quickly enough. He made the green sticky blood of the spider spurt in one direction, splattering Malfoy who was paralyzed behind.
As Evan approached, Malfoy fell to the ground, gasping, coughing, and vomiting repeatedly.
Buckbeak tried several more times and found the massive vaulted spider web could not be damaged. After that, he gave up and landed on the ground.
Goyle and Crabbe, who had been running at full speed with him, lay there panting, still unconscious.
"Get up, we need to get out of here quickly," Evan said abruptly.
"She's dead, this spider has been killed by you, and the monsters are fleeing..." Malfoy sobbed, daring to meet Evan's gaze.
"These Acromantulas are nothing at all. If we don't get out of here quickly, you'll know what a real problem is," Evan said, looking around vigilantly, quickly focusing magic on his wand. He didn't holster the wand.
It was highly unusual that there wasn't much apparent movement in Aragog's lair.
Who knows what cunning old spider was hiding in the depths of the earth? It didn't feel right to be at ease.
This, coupled with the large number of Acromantulas outside the slope, ready to move.
After all, when Evan first arrived here a few months ago, he saw that any Acromantula was several times larger than the one he had just killed.
With the increase in body size, so does the strength and danger of the Acromantulas.
Evan had no plans to waste time here, especially with those three burdensome individuals with him. Instead of giving Malfoy time to rest and recover, he turned around and asked Goyle and Crabbe to carry him on Buckbeak's back. He ventured beyond the spider web and gazed deeply into Aragog's lair.
Before him, there was a gentle slope downward, not too deep.
The cave was dark, and a warm wind and mist rose from below.
Although it was only his second time here and his first close observation, Evan couldn't explain why he always felt this was familiar, as if he had been in this cave many times before, even descending this gentle slope...
He shook his head and stayed in this position. He could sense more clearly the strange trace of dark magic.
It was certain that this was no magic he was familiar with.
Gusts of warm wind mixed with a strange and bloody scent made him uneasy, like the dense air in Divination class.
Evan was confused. It seemed like he could hear a voice speaking to him.
Fragments of vague memories resurfaced in his mind, and the forgotten illusion would reveal a surprising secret, the meaning of the ancient emblem...
He only had to follow this gentle slope, and all the truth would unfold.
"Come on, come on, I've been waiting for a long time!" A deep voice sounded from somewhere, "You're stubbornly resisting; clinging to your tiny life as if you could truly change everything. It's just an unreal illusion. All resistance is futile. You will understand..."
"Everything has a soul, all souls can be devoured, and souls will tremble in the darkness. This is your ultimate destiny." A voice whispered, "I have devoured their souls, now it's your turn!"
"Come, come, lamb lost in the dark forest, your soul has been marked by me. Endless fear has enveloped you, will you sleep to escape fear?" he whispered softly. "Do you dream when you are asleep? In your dreams, you will experience fears more terrifying than reality."
"No one knows this secret. Deep underground, you can only redeem yourself if you find the emblem I left behind..."
Evan stood there, feeling a voice speaking in his mind. But he didn't understand what it meant.
This was truly too strange. Where was this sound coming from?!
It wasn't until Malfoy called him that he showed his surprise.
"Did you hear something just now?" Evan asked hurriedly.
Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe shook their heads slowly and looked around horrified, not understanding what he was referring to.
Evan wanted to say more, but he immediately stopped. He could feel something rising from below.
There were many of them, perhaps Aragog and his descendants, or something worse!
He turned hastily and climbed onto Buckbeak's back as fast as he could.
Just as he sat down, Buckbeak flapped his wings and they soared upwards.
The misty slope grew smaller and smaller beneath his feet. Finally, they managed to leave unharmed, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Behind him, Malfoy was pale.
He looked at Evan's back and hesitated, as if about to thank him.
However, giving up his dignity to thank a half-blood was absolutely very difficult for Malfoy.
Not to mention that this half-blood used to be one of the most annoying people to him.
Malfoy hesitated, then considered why he was in the Forbidden Forest today, why he was caught by the Acromantulas. The underlying reasons were all due to Evan and Harry. This thought made him even more reluctant to thank him.
He opened his mouth and said nothing. He vowed to find an opportunity to repay Evan's favor, or to compensate him with Galleons.
In short, he would never utter those words!