0398 The Discoveries

As one of the world's most powerful wizards, there were very few phenomena in the Wizarding World that could truly unsettle or intimidate Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw, especially when they were working together.

Now, as they stood before what appeared to be the very maw of the underworld itself—the two barely hesitated for more than a heartbeat. With a shared glance of determination glinting in their eyes, they leapt decisively into the gaping darkness.

Bryan and Sirius, being in the memory world, were free from any constraints and followed suit.

The passage that greeted them was a twisting tunnel that burrowed deep into the earth's crust. The air grew increasingly dense and oppressive as they plummeted further from the surface, carrying with it the musty scent of long-forgotten caverns and the faint, briny tang of seawater.

Bryan, his senses oddly heightened despite existing in a memory, found himself marveling at the vividness of these sensations. He assumed that the method used to preserve this particular memory must have been extraordinarily powerful, allowing them to experience some of the sensations that Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had felt during their original journey.

The descent lasted for about two minutes, unimpeded and as swift as a meteor streaking across the sky. As they plunged ever deeper, the air around them underwent a dramatic transformation. The initial coolness of the upper passage gave way to an increasingly oppressive heat, a subtle burning sensation that seemed to sear the air they breathed, making Bryan wonder if the passage might lead them straight to the Earth's core.

Whoosh—

With a sudden whoosh that sent their robes fluttering wildly, the group reached the final curve of the passage. This last bend served as a natural brake, decelerating their meteoric descent to a more manageable speed. Gryffindor landed with catlike grace upon the stone floor below. In a display of both chivalry and practicality, he extended his muscular arm, his hand easily encircling Ravenclaw's slender wrist helping her.

As they regained their senses, the group found themselves standing in what appeared, at first glance, to be a rather unremarkable stone chamber. However, Bryan could still discern from the carving techniques on the stone walls roughly what era this structure was built in.

A faint, ominous glow emanated from the corridor stretching out before them, bathing the chamber in an eerie, reddish light. While it bore a superficial resemblance to magical lighting, but considering the scorching heat in the air, it wasn't hard to guess what was actually producing that glow.

"That Madman!" Gryffindor exclaimed after surveying the surroundings for a moment. "He built his lair in the heart of a lava lake, surrounded by so many magical detection shields. If we hadn't been guided here, I daresay we would never have found this place."

Ravenclaw put her diadem back on her head. Her ice-blue pupils penetrated the barriers of the walls, seeing through many secrets. "The magical concentration in this environment is extremely high, far exceeding that of Hogwarts," she said calmly. "It's the perfect place for any wizard aiming to advance to the Final circle."

'Advance to the Final circle?'

Bryan's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly at Ravenclaw's words, a hint of surprise and intrigue flashing across his features. With renewed focus, he carefully examined his surroundings.

If Bryan was truly present here in person, he would undoubtedly discover more. Unfortunately, what was presented before him was just a memory, similar to the portrait. He had no way to sense more things. With no other choice, he could only firmly remember Ravenclaw's words.

"Let's go, Godric. There are some things here that concern me. I must see them with my own eyes," Ravenclaw said, leaving the stone chamber without lingering.

As they ventured deeper into this underground labyrinth, a palpable aura of malice seemed to seep from the very walls of the narrow corridor. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily upon them causing even the usually boisterous Sirius to fall uncharacteristically silent. Almost unconsciously, he reached out to grasp the hem of Bryan's robe.

Bryan, sensing the sudden tug on his robes, turned back with a look of mild surprise. "What's troubling you?"

Sirius hearing the question suddenly became aware of his actions, and quickly released his grip on Bryan's robe. "It's nothing!" he asserted, shaking his head as if to clear it of unwelcome thoughts. However, after a moment's hesitation, he couldn't help but voice the fears that had been gnawing at him.

"Aren't you... afraid?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know we're just observing a memory, Bryan, but still..." His words trailed off as he cast another apprehensive glance at the narrow, ominously glowing passage that stretched out before them.

After pondering for a moment, Bryan understood what Sirius was trying to express. He pursed his lips and smiled mysteriously, "You mean the environment here? Well, how should I put it... Most magical ruins dating back to ancient Greek times have this style. In recent years—I mean before I returned to teach at Hogwarts—I had explored some tomb ruins with relics, and they were all like this."

Sirius, his eyes widening slightly at Bryan's casual mention of tomb exploration, found himself grinding his teeth as he stared at Bryan's back.

'Explore tomb ruins with relics?' he thought to himself, a mixture of disbelief coloring his inner monologue. 'Isn't that just a fancy way of saying he was grave robbing?'

As they continued their journey through the winding corridors of this underground complex, it became increasingly apparent that Bryan's earlier assessment had been remarkably accurate. The ruins buried deep beneath the surface of Azkaban Island bore a striking resemblance to the ancient tombs he had explored in his past adventures.

Their path took them through a seemingly endless series of twisting passages, occasionally opening up into chambers similar to the one they had initially encountered. Those rooms were shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see clearly what was inside. Interestingly, neither Gryffindor nor Ravenclaw showed any inclination to pause or investigate these shadowy chambers, suggesting that they held little significance to their current pursuit.

As they progressed deeper into the heart of this maze, Bryan's noticed clear evidence of protective magic having once been employed throughout the complex. However, these ancient wards and enchantments now lay in ruins, their power long since shattered by some unknown force. It required little deductive reasoning to surmise who might have been responsible for dismantling these magical defenses.

With each step they took, the reddish glow that had been their constant companion since entering this underground realm grew steadily more intense. The air around them became increasingly oppressive, thick with heat and an almost tangible sense of ancient, slumbering power. Although Gryffindor and Ravenclaw's expressions remained calm as they strode forward, beads of sweat had formed on their foreheads.

Sirius, who was so depressed by the dull atmosphere that he could not say a word, while Bryan remained lost in thought throughout the journey.

Soul-splitting wizards—Horcruxes—Dementors—

Over the course of the past year, he had many speculations regarding the true identity of the shadow lurking within Morgan le Fay's body shown in the nine murals on Avalon Island. So, when Gryffindor mentioned the name 'Herpo The Foul' with a weary sigh, Bryan wasn't particularly surprised. It just confirmed the suspicions he had long harbored.

However, the hidden content in the other information exchanged between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor was worth pondering deeply.

Boom!

Suddenly, a faint but distinct rumbling sound emanated from somewhere ahead of them, causing the very air around them to vibrate with ominous energy. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw immediately quickened their pace, moving swiftly towards the source of the disturbance and the increasingly bright light.

"Bryan—" Sirius called out, his voice strained and filled with a complex mixture of emotions. Having spent so much time in Bryan's company, he had developed an almost supernatural sense of when they were about to face something truly extraordinary—or terrifying.

"Madness—" Bryan just shook his head, uttering this word before falling silent.

As they crossed the threshold of the final doorway, the world before them erupted into a sea of crimson light so intense it was almost painful to observe. After traversing the long, shadowy corridor, their eyes struggled to adapt to this sudden, blinding radiance. For several long moments, they could do nothing but squint against the overpowering radiance.

When their pupils finally adjusted to the hellish glow, the scene that greeted them left not only Bryan and Sirius utterly speechless but also caused the two legendary Hogwarts founders to draw sharp, ragged breaths.

Before them stretched an extremely huge cave, even more vast than the cave in Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets that concealed that unopenable door!

Everything in sight glowed a dazzling red, and the air in view distorted violently.

Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had both cast spells on themselves to resist the high temperature of the environment.

Behind the door was a small, not particularly spacious flat stone platform, with the edge being a cliff.

Sirius, driven by curiosity that overpowered his fear, was the first to approach the cliff. As he peered over the edge, his face twisted as if he had seen a huge dementor.

Two miles below, a vast lake of molten lava churned and boiled. From this sea of liquid fire, colossal pillars of flame periodically erupted, shooting skyward. As these titanic columns of fire exploded in the air high above, the sound they produced was eerily similar to the earth-shattering roar of an enraged dragon. The resulting display, a cataclysmic ballet of golden-red fire raining down like 'fireworks' from the cave's distant ceiling, might have been considered breathtakingly beautiful were it not so utterly terrifying.

The heat emanating from this inferno was so intense that the rocks lining the shore of the lava lake were in a constant state of flux, melting and reforming in a never-ending cycle of destruction and creation. Over eons, this process had carved out the cavern's unique shape—a colossal, roughly circular space similar to an enormous, narrow-mouthed vessel with a bulbous body.

"How... how is this even possible?" Sirius managed to rasp out, his face ashen and his entire body trembling as he struggled to grasp the scene before him. "How on earth did they do this... Is this still within wizard's power?"

Merlin had suspended Avalon Island in the sky, while Herpo had dug a huge hole in his lair and brought up lava.

Shaking his head in a mixture of awe and disbelief, Bryan couldn't help but wonder at the mindset of these ancient wizards. What drove them to push the boundaries of magic to such extremes? What price had been paid for power on this scale?

"The concentration of magical energy here is... beyond anything I've ever encountered," Gryffindor observed, his voice barely audible over the constant rumble of the lava below. He waved his hand through the scorching air, as if testing its properties. "This abnormal saturation of magical power... it emanates from the lava lake itself. It seems, Rowena, that our path forward is clear—we must find a way to get down there."

"Get down there? You must be joking!" Gryffindor's solemn words nearly made Sirius tumble headfirst into the lava lake. He trembled with fear as he watched the massive lava bubbles bursting on the lake's surface far below. In that moment, Sirius was absolutely certain that even the slightest contact with that molten inferno would mean instant, agonizing death.

Bryan was also slightly shocked, though he was much calmer than Sirius. "Don't worry, there must be some way," he said.

Bryan was quite familiar with the patterns of such ruins. Although he couldn't sense it, he was sure that this enormous cave must be filled with powerful sealing magic. Since Gryffindor said they needed to go down to the lava lake, there must be a correct path. If they tried to force their way through relying solely on their strength, the pillars of fire shooting up from the lava lake below would probably not be so 'gentle'!

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