pertwk Chapter 225 The Whisper of the Horcrux
Chapter 225 The Whisper of the Horcrux
Chapter 225 The Whisper of the Horcrux
The warm afternoon sun bathed her in its gentle rays, carrying the fresh scent of grass and magical plants. In the courtyard, the meticulously tended magical flowers swayed gently in the breeze, shimmering with a soft glow. Karen had just stepped onto the soft lawn with her suitcase when two figures came to greet her.
"Welcome back, our little explorer!" Nico's voice carried its usual gentle smile. He wore a comfortable linen robe, and his silver-grey eyes gleamed with wisdom through crystal lenses. Madame Perenel stood beside him, elegant and with a kind smile on her face.
"Professor Nicole, Mrs. Perenel." Karen put down her suitcase and bowed slightly.
"Was the journey smooth? Is everything alright at home?" Mrs. Perenel asked with concern.
"It went very well, madam. Everything is fine at home, thank you for your concern." Karen straightened up, a relaxed smile on his face. "Lily asked me to give her my regards, saying she wanted a French mini-cake that could sing." He added, remembering his sister's words.
Nico chuckled softly. "Ah, our little Lily, her wish list is always so whimsical. Perenel, it seems our snack stock needs an update." He turned to Karen, his gaze gentle and profound. "Time spent with family is the most stable anchor in life, nourishing the soul. No need to think about heavy topics today. Your room is ready; settle in and get some rest. We'll talk again at dinner."
"Thank you, teacher," Karen said sincerely. He did need some time to fully transition from the family atmosphere of Plymouth back to the rhythm of his upcoming Horcrux research. He picked up his suitcase and, at Nico's prompting, headed towards his usual room on the second floor, which overlooked the Magic Garden.
The day of rest was peaceful and pleasant. Karen strolled leisurely around the manor, admiring the moon roses that Lady Perenel had carefully cultivated, whose colors changed with the light. He quietly read a book about ancient Norse runes by the window of the library, and listened to Nico recount interesting anecdotes about the magical world from centuries ago at dinner, the atmosphere relaxed and warm. Only when night fell did he drift off to sleep, his mind and body at ease.
The atmosphere in the workshop was completely different the next morning. Somberness replaced the warmth of the previous day.
Nico changed into a dark blue robe. Castor, still dressed in a neatly tailored dark casual suit, stood a short distance from the stone platform like a silent guard, his gray eyes sharp as an eagle, scanning every detail of the scene. Even Madame Perenaar was standing to the side.
"The analysis of the external structure is complete," Nico's voice was deep and clear. "We have a basic grasp of the data regarding the ancient magical craftsmanship, material composition, and degree of corruption and erosion by dark magic on the crown itself." He walked to the stone platform, and with his fingertips, he gently brushed across the dense black magic layer around the crown through the air, causing subtle ripples to spread across the surface of the magic layer.
"So, our core objective now," Nico turned to Cullen, his gaze serious, "is to try and sever the connection between Voldemort's soul fragments and the diadem itself, to prevent the connection from becoming too deep and damaging the diadem when dealing with Voldemort's soul later. This is the direct way to remove the Horcrux's curse without harming the artifact itself. We need to find that theoretically necessary 'gap' between the Horcrux's protective layer and the core of Voldemort's soul that is forbidden inside. That is the delicate connection between the diadem itself and the point of soul parasitism, and it is the possible breakthrough for our current solution."
Karen nodded, her mind racing. The crown before her was indeed a good example. Karen knew that there would be similar precious artifacts among the Horcruxes in the future. If the soul could be successfully extracted without destroying the artifact itself, it would be very useful, and it might even be able to be used on Harry in the future.
"Understood. I'm ready, teacher." He took a deep breath and maximized the perception of his "Eye of Truth."
The scene before them was instantly analyzed and magnified: the crown's deep blue aura, the black, thorny patterns of pollution, the dark red soul light spots, the dense black magic layer, and the imperceptible energy flow between the three.
"Very good." A pure, starlight-like silver gleam appeared at Nico's fingertips. The light wasn't dazzling, but it possessed a strange quality that seemed to penetrate the boundaries of matter. "I will use the 'Soul Probe' spell to try and touch that crevice. Karen, your eyes are our best means of observation. Although I can also use magic to detect anomalies and gaps, I can't see them as directly as you do. Capture any manifestation of the crevice, any feedback fluctuation from the soul within, analyze its stability, and find the possible 'soul connection point'—the deepest entanglement between Voldemort's soul and the diadem's magical structure. That's where we need to sever it precisely in the future."
He turned to Castor: "Castor, be on guard. Any signs of soul backlash or anomalies, immediately sever the connection."
Castor nodded silently.
"Begin." Nicole's voice was firm and decisive.
The silver glint detached from his fingertips, transforming into a silver ray thinner than a strand of hair. With extreme slowness and unwavering deliberation, it probed towards the dense, flowing black magic surrounding the crown. The air seemed to freeze; only the clearly audible breathing of the three figures remained in the workshop.
The silver thread carefully touched the surface of the black shield.
Zi—
A faint, almost imperceptible crackling sound of electricity rang out. The point on the black shield that was touched instantly lit up with a tiny, blinding white spot of light, which then quickly dimmed, as if the shield's rotation had paused for a moment.
In that very instant!
Karen's "Eye of Truth" suddenly caught sight of its target! At the boundary between the black shield and the crown's main body's azure halo, a "gap" several times thinner than a hair and constantly twisting and changing flashed by! It was like a living thing, struggling, healing, and then cracking open again at the edge of the energy field.
Nico's will, like the most precise probe, guided that silver thread, accurately and tentatively touching the edge of the crevice.
hum!
An invisible mental shockwave spread out instantly!
Nico's body swayed almost imperceptibly, his brow furrowed, and a flicker of disgust crossed his face. Karen, on the other hand, felt as if a cold needle had pierced her brain, countless fragments of malice, curses, and arrogance trying to flood in like sewage.
That was Voldemort's soul fragment's instinctive, corrupting reaction after being disturbed! He groaned, forcibly calming his mind, repelling the filth from his senses, his eyes fixed on the crevice, recording every energy tremor it experienced after being touched.
Each time the form distorts.
Castor's eyes instantly sharpened like knives, ready to strike at any moment.
"Don't rush, Karen! Stay calm!" Nico shouted in a low voice, his tone slightly suppressed, but his fingers, controlling the silver probe, remained as steady as a rock. He skillfully adjusted the frequency and intensity of his magic output, maintaining the probe's presence while avoiding overstimulation that could trigger a violent backlash from the Horcrux.
Time slipped by in intense focus. The silver wire performed an extremely subtle "scanning" motion along the edge of the gap.
"The energy tremors occur at a frequency of 372 times per second, with periodic fluctuations in the amplitude decay!" Karen spoke rapidly, his voice slightly hoarse from intense concentration. His brain processed the information from the "Eye of Truth" like the most sophisticated instrument. "The slit's shape—an irregular spiral twist—has a faint energy accumulation point at the right end, possibly a secondary anchor point! The main anchor point is located slightly to the lower left of the core! The energy entanglement is extremely high!"
While maintaining the probe, Nico responded quickly: "Continue monitoring the energy flow at the sludge deposits! Try touching the edge of the main anchor point to simulate low-frequency resonance!"
The tips of the silver threads trembled extremely slightly, emitting a faint chirping sound that was imperceptible to the human ear but perceptible to the soul. This time, the feedback was much stronger! The dark red spots inside the crown suddenly lit up, like a sleeping serpent opening its eyes. It seemed to realize that its weakness had been exposed, and an even stronger hatred and desire for destruction surged forth!
Karen's vision went black, and her temples throbbed.
"Strong feedback from the main anchor point! The energy entanglement shows signs of temporary loosening! Lasting less than 0.1 seconds!" Karen shouted, enduring the discomfort.
"Record the energy characteristics of the moment of relaxation!" A glint flashed in Nico's eyes.
In the brief interval between this intense mental shock and energy feedback, Karen's "Eye of Truth" pierced through the chaotic inky black and dark red, once again capturing a faint existence that was almost completely submerged—at the very core of the crown's faint, eerie blue aura, an extremely tiny, pure white point of light, flickering like a candle in the wind! Clearer than the last observation, it was pure, ancient, and carried an aura of wisdom bordering on compassion. It was being suppressed by Voldemort's dark soul and corrupted patterns, only able to emit an almost imperceptible, regular, and faint pulse in an extremely small corner.
"Wait!" Karen's voice was filled with disbelief and surprise. "I have rediscovered the spiritual consciousness of the crown itself!"
It still exists! On the left side of the core! Very faint! Suppressed to the point of almost—almost extinguishing!
For the first time, Nico's hand, controlling the probe, paused noticeably, and even the silver threads trembled. He abruptly looked at Karen:
Are you sure?!
"Confirmed! White light spot! Pure aura of wisdom! Regular pulsation! It's the same as the blue halo we observed last time, but this time it's even deeper and clearer!" Karen declared decisively.
"Merlin's Beard," Nico murmured, then immediately regained his composure. "Mark the location! Record the pulse frequency!"
This is an unexpected and momentous discovery! Perhaps... perhaps this is the real key! The key to helping us find a way to separate them. Castor, be careful! The Horcrux core is behaving strangely!
Sure enough, as soon as Karen pointed out the existence of the white light, the dark red light inside the crown suddenly became frenzied. The inky black pollution patterns, like living poison vines, frantically wrapped around and squeezed towards that corner, trying to completely extinguish that faint light!
"Detection complete!" Nico declared decisively, flicking his fingertips. The wisp of silver thread vanished instantly.
Immediately afterward, Castor activated the device to shut down the Horcrux, forcibly stopping its unusual activity.
The invisible mental pressure vanished abruptly. A deathly silence fell over the workshop.
Karen felt a wave of intense dizziness and exhaustion; her back was soaked with cold sweat, and her temples still throbbed. Nicole also let out a long sigh, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Castor slowly lowered his wand, his tense body relaxing, but his eyes remained warily fixed on the crown.
"The data has been collected! It's been a long time since I've been this dedicated to research!" Nico's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement. He strode to a table piled high with parchment and crystal recording plates, tapped his wand lightly, and all the key information Karen had just dictated instantly transformed into clear text and energy diagrams, imprinted on the parchment. Several transparent crystal plates nearby also lit up, displaying complex waveforms and energy node diagrams.
"The shape and dynamics of the rift, the anchor point and energy entanglement pattern of Voldemort's soul fragment, and—" His finger excitedly pointed to the diagram marking the white dot, "This! The remnant crown consciousness of Lady Ravenclaw! This is priceless! Cullen, your talent—has made an unimaginable contribution!"
Mrs. Perenel, who had been watching them closely, came over, her face filled with relief and amazement. She gently patted Karen on the shoulder: "You've worked hard, child. This is truly a miraculous discovery."
Karen wiped the sweat from her brow, staring at the faint signal graph representing the white dots on the white screen, her heart pounding with excitement. That faint pulse seemed to have traversed a thousand years, carrying a glimpse of Rowena Ravenclaw herself.
"Next," Nico's eyes sharpened again, filled with fighting spirit, "we need to delve deeper into how to stabilize and strengthen this residual consciousness, while precisely mapping the dual entanglement points between Voldemort's soul and it, as well as with the crown magic structure. The stripping plan finally has a clear beacon!" He picked up the crystal plate recording white light spots, gazing at it with a kind of fascination.