Chapter 311 The Tale Of Aragog
"Believe me, friend of Hagrid, this is the final request of a dying old spider. I sincerely ask for your help. Help me and my offspring," Aragog said slowly, "at least in the face of 'that', our interests are aligned."
"It depends on the value of the information you provide," Evan's wand hand was steady, pointing firmly at Aragog. "Who is 'that'?"
"I do not know, I have only heard of it, but never seen it." *Click, click*, Aragog said, "For a long time, since I reached the deepest part of the cave, I could hear its whispers calling me. It claimed to be the God of death, in charge of death and eternal life…"
Upon hearing this, Evan almost chuckled.
That malevolent creature hidden in the depths of the earth, naming itself the God of death, was truly arrogant to the extreme.
Upon hearing this, he knew that Aragog was referring to "that," the being that took Malfoy, the owner of the whispering voice that had been murmuring in his mind before.
He did not know what "that" was, but he was certain it was definitely not a god.
Although he had identified his target, Evan still had too many questions. He had no leads, did not know where to start looking.
He closed his eyes and couldn't help but see the murals he had just carved on the rock walls, depicting the most malevolent dark magic imaginable.
In the last one, countless souls were infused into mysterious globular creatures.
This being hidden deep in the earth must be related to this magic, perhaps being the powerful dark creature that was eventually created.
And the dark wizard who cast this spell kept Evan preoccupied.
As powerful as this malevolent creature was, it was also created by man. The dark wizard who created it was undeniably more malevolent. What was his purpose?
"That voice has been whispering in my ear. It told me it could help me and my descendants gain great strength," Aragog continued slowly, "But I do not believe it, I have always distrusted him."
"Go on, how did you encounter it?" Evan asked.
"About fifty years ago, because the natural enemy of Acromantulas appeared in the castle, I escaped from the castle cupboard and came to the forest." *Click, click*.
Aragog recalled, "Although I was free at that time, I was still very weak. Hagrid was unfairly imprisoned, never came to see me, he was scared, could only roam the edge of the forest. Until I came to this cave…"
"And then, it started talking to you?" Evan asked.
Evan squinted. What Aragog described sounded true.
When he arrived at Aragog's Lair a few months ago, he was unwittingly a target of the malevolent creature in the depths of the earth.
"No, at first, everything was normal here," Aragog waved his pincers and said slowly, "I hid in this cave and used it as my Lair. We enjoy the dark environment. In time, I grew stronger, Hagrid returned. He settled outside the Forbidden Forest and regularly provided me with food. Everything was like the good old days. He even helped me find my first mate. She was a beautiful female spider, physically..."
"Focus!" Evan hastily interrupted, and some sparks shot from the tip of his wand.
He was not interested in wasting time listening to an Acromantula talk about its hairy mate and first copulation.
Just the thought of that scene was disgustingly repulsive.
"My offspring and I lived in this cave. As our numbers increased, we began to dig deep underground." *Click, click*, Aragog continued. "I did not know what was below, but instinctively felt a magic that drew me in. It was a power that Acromantulas favored. We could not resist it."
The magical power that the dark creature Acromantula enjoyed was evidently pure dark power, the magic of that malevolent creature in the depths of the earth.
"In order to secure the origin of this power, we've been delving deep into the earth; after that, it took about twenty years or so, until we excavated here." Click, click, and Aragog continued narrating his tale slowly. "We were astounded to find remnants left by human wizards, with statues and peculiar murals everywhere, but nothing related to that force..."
"What statues?" Evan inquired hurriedly, "I didn't see any statues when I first entered."
The information revealed in the malevolent murals was too vague. If there were a clear statue, Evan could deduce from it who had built the ruins near Hogwarts, and perhaps all the mysteries would be elucidated.
"It was a crazy day, and we destroyed many things, including statues, in pursuit of great power," Aragog informed Evan, "The statues were all of human wizards; if you wish to see them, you can look down here. I recall there was a huge stone statue left there."
Evan gazed back at the deep pit in front of him, the wind blowing upwards making a buzzing sound.
He couldn't help but step back and ponder how insane it would be to descend there.
Moreover, even if he desired to proceed, there was no way.
There was no broomstick or Hippogriff here, and it was impossible for him to leap directly.
"Think carefully about how those statues look. Do they bear any markings on them?" Evan sighed, adding, "This is crucial, and it may aid us in deciphering what we're up against."
"The appearance of humans is nearly identical to me. It's been too long for me to recall," Aragog clicked slowly, "I only recall those statues with small green snakes on them. That's how our natural enemies appear when they shrink. I can't say that name. Yes, I remember that very well. That's why we destroyed the statues in our wrath."
"Small green snakes," Evan repeated, this shouldn't be...
"Acromantulas detest snakes. They are natural foes to us. Those statues and the stone doors and pillars in the chamber below all had..." Aragog stated stubbornly, "There is also a strange sinuous curved sign that seems to be..."
"It looks like this, doesn't it?"
Evan raised his wand and, with brilliant golden sparks, drew in the air the distinctive S-shaped emblem of Slytherin.
Upon finishing, he realized he was too excited and had actually forgotten the fact that Aragog was blind. He couldn't see anything at that moment.
The golden sparks gleamed and soon dissipated in the air, much like Evan's excitement.
"I can't see what you're doing, but I once asked Hagrid about that sign," Aragog clicked, "He told me it's not a snake, nor our natural enemy, but the letter S that you humans created for writing and spelling!"