Chapter 312 Sequence Of Events
The curve uppercase letter S, the characteristic emblem of the Slytherin family. In the history of magic over thousands of years, this ancient family of pure-blood wizards had a profound influence on the process and development of magical circles, among which Salazar Slytherin was the most famous.
Undoubtedly, he was a great wizard, but also the most deranged.
"Curse it, I should have thought of it. Only that old madman Salazar Slytherin would leave something so dangerous near Hogwarts."
Suddenly, Evan thought of Salazar Slytherin's past experience...
Given that he was able to leave a basilisk snake in the Chamber of Secrets in the castle, it was not impossible that he had hidden any other strange dark creature in the Forbidden Forest.
Although Evan believed that Salazar himself had no malice towards Hogwarts, his dark nature, his obsession with dark magic, and his research, however, were extremely dangerous in themselves.
"It took another ten years, but we finally destroyed the statues in the cave!" Click, click, then Aragog slowly described the statues in detail, "I still remember, the night after the last statue was destroyed, a great earthquake occurred in the Lair. It was like the end of the world. Everything was shaking, the rock walls began to crack, the sand of the floor and springs sprouted from the earth, and finally formed the deep pit in front of you..."
Evan rested his head in his hands with an exasperated sigh. Salazar Slytherin and the unknown dark creature were enough to give him a headache, and these Acromantulas could only make it worse. Those statues were apparently the magic arranged by Salazar, and their purpose was likely to seal the unknown evil creature underground and hide it from outsiders.
And these Acromantulas, in ten years, destroyed the foundations of that sealing magic in the most primitive and crude way...
If Salazar knew that his proud magic had been broken in this way by a group of inferior non-human magical creatures, he would be furious and come to settle the score with them.
"Since then, whenever I fell asleep here, I could hear a voice whispering to me. It told me that it was the God in charge of death and eternal life. Only by believing in him and dedicating one's soul could redemption be achieved." Click, click, Aragog's strange voice echoed in the dark cave. "I didn't believe it. Unlike you humans, Acromantulas do not need redemption. But I was very old back then. An Acromantula could die at any moment reaching that age. I started to fall asleep more often. In my dream, that voice promised to make me stronger and even to escape death. This was a deal..."
"If it was a deal, what did it need you to do?" Evan asked.
"It needed sacrifices, many sacrifices, and it needed the souls of other creatures to restore its strength," Aragog said. "I ordered my children to bring live prey back to this deep pit. They died alone in the darkness of despair, and their souls were devoured by him. In return, he infused power into me in my dream, the dark power that an Acromantula enjoys, to help me keep living. I don't want to die. He helped me fulfill my wish. I never told anyone about this matter, not even Hagrid, who thought I lived for so long under his care..."
Aragog seemed tired, and fell silent for a long time.
Evan didn't rush either. He could imagine such a scene.
Year after year, day after day, to extend Aragog's life, the Acromantulas dragged captured animals from the Forbidden Forest to the underground depths.
The prey thought they could escape the fate of being killed and eaten, but the reality was even more gruesome.
They were trapped in that place, gradually falling into despair in the endless darkness.
There was no food, no light, no hope.
As soon as they drifted off to sleep, the deep whispers echoed in their ears, pushing them towards madness.
Upon waking, filled with panic and yearning to escape, yet finding no way out.
They resisted slumber, but their spirits grew sorrowful, further disturbing them.
Like the murals painted on the rocks behind them, they trembled in the darkness out of fear, their souls silently tormented.
Unknowingly, they would begin to believe in the voice that whispered in their ears, believe in its words, and slowly lower their guard to fall asleep.
In their dreams, their souls would be gradually devoured by the monster until they were destroyed…
However, this was something exceedingly wicked and dreadful.
"As I just mentioned, I did not believe him. I could feel his malice." Click, click, Aragog began speaking again, slowly as if short of breath, "I once told the Dark Wizard called Voldemort that I rejected his plea and refused to join his side in the human war, despite his very, very generous offer. Similarly, I do not need the power promised by the voice in my dream, for it serves me no purpose. I do what Hagrid taught me, to restrain my instincts, not harm humans, and to control my offspring. Over the past two decades, I have managed the number of prey and offered the least sacrifice possible in exchange for my survival…"
The Acromantula is a dark, malevolent, bloodthirsty, cruel, and hard-to-tame creature, but Aragog was truly different.
It must be acknowledged that Hagrid played a significant role in this. If not for Aragog's gratitude towards Hagrid, which delayed the awakening of this ancient creature, what would have occurred in the Forbidden Forest would truly be unknown.
Of course, the Acromantulas also, to some extent, avoided their own demise.
Evan could be certain that if Dumbledore's attention were drawn, he would certainly not stand idly by, and these Acromantulas might have long been extinct.
"According to what you said, that monster should be very weak, only able to speak to you when you enter your dream." Evan wondered, "But what I just saw and experienced is quite different from what you described."
"Just a few months ago, everything changed, the night your fire burned my offspring." Click, click, Aragog accelerated the movement of his large pincers. There was a slight resentment in his voice. "They were burnt to death by you, but their souls were devoured by that monster. Its power strengthened, things spiraled out of control, and it no longer needed to offer sacrifices. Even if I did not sleep, I could hear its voice, it began to affect my children and confuse them…"