Chapter 40. Cursed Vault of Fear -1.

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As the clock struck 11 pm, I wrapped the Cloak of Invisibility around myself, concealing my presence as I ventured towards the library.

With the information from the book I found in the first cursed vault, I now knew the location of the second one - hidden behind a bookcase in the Restricted Section.

Ensuring that Filch was nowhere in sight, I carefully pulled a book that might unveil the path to the hidden vault.

As the bookcase shifted, revealing the secret passage, I stepped into the dark corridor and stowed away the Cloak of Invisibility within my shadow.

*Thud!!*

The door closed with a resounding thud behind me, but I paid it no mind. The room exuded an eerie atmosphere, enveloped in darkness and coldness.

*Tip* *Tip*

The sound of water droplets echoed in the silence as I cautiously explored further.

Snapping my fingers, I generated fireballs above one of them, illuminating my surroundings.

The room was adorned with towering knight armor, as if guarding its secrets.

As I moved toward the center of the room, a gust of strong wind extinguished the flames on my finger, plunging me back into darkness.

Unfazed, I continued onward, my senses heightened as I searched for the entrance to the second cursed vault.

As I was about to ignite another flame, a voice shattered the silence, a voice I thought I would never hear again.

"Severus...!!!"

My heart froze as I turned towards the corner of the room, where the voice seemed to be coming from. There, before my eyes, stood the haunting image of my mother - her body bloodied and in pain.

"Why... Why Severus... why didn't you save me?!!"

Her agonizing words pierced through my soul, reopening wounds I thought had healed.

The guilt and grief overwhelmed me as she crawled towards me, her accusations echoing in the darkness.

"You are just like him, your father!!!!"

"I hate you!!!"

"You shouldn't have been born!!!"

I stood there, paralyzed by the nightmarish vision of my mother's suffering. It was an illusion, I knew that, but the pain was all too real.

'Ah, so finally I am out again,' a sinister voice slithered into my mind, 'It's been a long time since I have awakened. Oh, look just as I predicted, you got the girl, started an organization, and are happy. But you still can't let go of this, can you?'

Struggling to regain my composure, I was met with another tormenting sight. A weak voice called out from the opposite corner of the vault.

"Please don't hit us... Severus!!"

I turned my gaze, and there they were - Narcissa and Lily, cowering in fear, their bodies battered and bruised.

"Please don't come near us...!!"

Their sobs echoed in the cold room, and as I tried to approach them, they moved away in terror.

"I would... never..."

My voice trembled with emotion as I tried to assure them, but my words fell short in the face of their fear.

It was all an illusion, a cruel manifestation of my inner demons, but it felt so real - as if my past and present were colliding, tormenting me in the darkest depths of my mind.

'We would. Believe me, I would.' Whispers echoed in the dark chamber, forming in front of me.

I tried to reassure Narcissa and Lily, but their fear seemed to deepen merely by my presence alone.

"Please... don't!!" they pleaded, their voices quivering with dread.

Before I could offer any further comfort, a series of eerie claps reverberated through the room.

*Clap* *Clap*

My heart sank as I saw the form of my own self - a twisted version, drenched in blood, with lifeless, glowing red eyes.

'Oh, Oh. So I am your deepest fear. I do look handsome though. I should merge with it. Since it and I represent the same,' the voice hissed, attempting to merge with my own reflection.

"We don't need them. They will all leave us one day," the other Severus spoke in an emotionless, chilling tone. "I killed everyone who stood in my way - Lily, Cissy, Mud-bloods, Half-bloods, Purebloods - anyone who dared to oppose me. I reached the pinnacle of magic."

As the Boggert-me loomed over me, taking on a celestial size and casting an ominous shadow, I found myself floating helplessly in its monstrous grip.

Tentacles slithered toward me, and its enormous wings seemed to cover my entire vision.

Sinister, crimson eyes bore into my very soul, sending chills down my spine. The voice taunted me, "You should give in. Leaving your desire behind. Give into me, for I am part of you as much as you are."

I knew this wasn't real, that these were merely illusions conjured by boggarts, but the images they projected struck at the core of my deepest fears.

Grief, guilt, sadness, and insecurities - all amalgamated into this nightmarish scenario.

The haunting memories of the night I couldn't save my mother came rushing back, and with it, the fear that I might turn out like him.

In the recesses of my mind, I had created an image of myself as a ruthless, heartless murderer, a facade I wore to mask my emotions.

It haunted me relentlessly, haunting my sleep and tormenting my every waking moment. But I couldn't allow these fears to consume me.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to steady myself. "These are just boggarts," I reminded myself, trying to ground myself in reality. "I would never hurt Cissy and Lily—"

As I tried to regain my composure, a sudden, sharp pain pierced through my shoulder as an arrow impaled into it.

"Argh! ...What the fuck?!!" snapped back to reality.

The monstrous form still loomed over me, its gigantic hand reaching out menacingly.

Stumbling back from the force of the arrow, I gritted my teeth and yanked it out, tossing it aside.

But there was no time to react as another arrow swiftly flew toward my head. Reacting on instinct, I quickly moved to the right avoiding the deadly projectile.

Realizing that the light wasn't effective in here, for the illusion still persisted, I conjured a veil and covered my eyes, allowing my magical senses to take over.

[Eye of Lumina Mortis]

On activating it, the room's true nature became clear to me.

I saw the giant Knight armors standing behind the boggart, their forms pitifully manipulated to attack the intruder's mind.

The other illusions ceased their forms, turning into replicas of myself as they witnessed my unaffected state.

Two knights, crafted from enchanted armor, charged toward me with swords in hand.

It became apparent that the armors had been bewitched to attack anyone who dared set foot in this cursed vault.

Realizing the danger I was in, I knew I had to act quickly. My wounds were still bleeding, and I could ill afford to waste time.

Gathering my composure, I focused on my shadows, commanding them to come to my aid.

"Cover me!!"

In response, two massive ice knights emerged from the darkness, rising to shield me from the incoming attacks of the armored knights.

The clash of metal echoed throughout the room as my Shadow Ice Knights engaged in battle with their enchanted counterparts.

With my shadows protecting me, I took the opportunity to catch my breath and strategize. The monsters before me were nothing more than illusions, but the enchanted armors posed a real threat. I needed to find a way to neutralize them.

Ice Knight 1 skillfully blocked the incoming sword strike from Armored Knight 1 with its shield, while Ice Knight 2 deflected Armored Knight 2's sword with its own, engaging in a fierce sword fight.

In the midst of the chaos, I conjured water in my palm and used its healing properties to tend to my wound. The pain eased as the wound started to close, thanks to my proficiency in manipulating water and combining two spells into one.

To prevent the voices of the illusions from distracting me further, I focused my mind and employed Occlumency, shielding my thoughts from the boggarts' attempts to unsettle me.

I spotted three boggarts, their true form visible to me now, casting spells in my direction. In response, I raised my hand, and the stones on the floor rose to form a protective barrier, blocking the spells.

With the clash between my shadows and the enchanted knights creating loud echoes, I cast Muffliato to cover the entire room, preventing any sound from escaping.

I knew that the sounds from earlier might have alerted someone if the room wasn't enchanted to be soundproof, but I preferred to be on the side of caution.

Despite the lingering unease from the illusions, I continued to focus on the battle at hand.

*Clank*

The sound of metal meeting metal rang out as Ice Knight 1 stopped an incoming arrow aimed at me with its shield. However, in doing so, it left itself vulnerable to an attack from Armored Knight 1, which struck it with a swift blow.

Responding quickly, I created a protective shield around myself, guarding against any incoming spells from the boggarts.

With my defenses in place, I assessed the situation, calculating my next move carefully.

The room was a flurry of movement, but I remained calm and composed, anticipating my opponents' moves and directing my shadows and Ice Knights accordingly.

With augmented speed and precision, I dashed toward Ice Knight 1, using it as a blindspot, I jumped behind Armored Knight 1.

My fist crackled with the power of an explosive spell, the intensity of which circled around my fist. As I landed the punch, an explosion erupted, propelling the armored knight across the room.

My landing was graceful, protected by a spell I had cast earlier to nullify any adverse effects of my own magic.

I directed my attention to Ice Knight 1, calling out, "Aid No.2!"

The ice knight immediately responded, rushing towards Ice Knight 2 and freezing the legs of Armored Knight 2.

With its movements restricted, Armored Knight 2 became an easy target for Ice Knight 1's massive sword, which swung with great force from behind. The armored knight was cleaved in two by the ice knight's powerful strike.

Both ice knights turned their focus to the remaining armored knights, freezing them with their icy breath.

The knights were no match for the relentless onslaught of my Shadow summons, their lifeless forms unable to feel fear.

As I observed the aftermath of the ice knights' assault, I noticed Armored Knight 1 attempting to rise.

Swiftly, I closed the distance between us, moving with blinding speed. I leaped into the air, bringing my fist down on the armor with incredible force.

*Bang!*

*Crack!*

The impact of my punch caused the armor to crack, but it was not enough to defeat it.

Undeterred, I used my telekinesis to pin Armored Knight 1 to the ground, launching a barrage of heavy punches upon it.

*Crack*

*Crack*

With each punch, the armor began to show signs of wear, but it remained remarkably resilient.

I continued my assault, the echoes of my punches reverberating throughout the room.

The armor was helpless against my telekinetic hold, but I couldn't understand why it hadn't crumbled under the combined power of my physical strength and the Bombarda spell.

In my moment of distraction, I sensed the runes inscribed on the armor, recognizing their significance.

Before I could fully comprehend the implications, I saw a massive hammer hurtling toward me. The impact was brutal, sending me hurtling to the opposite side of the room.

As I landed with a thud, the pain coursing through my body.

*Thud!*

I crashed into the wall, creating a sizable dent upon impact.

*Cough*

Blood escaped my lips as I groaned from the pain, but an exhilarating rush surged through me.

"That...that was a pretty good hit" I couldn't help but shout in excitement at the force of the hit.

As I got up from the ground, my eyes strangely flickered with a intense blue glow, different from the glow they had before.

Wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth, I smiled at the approaching assault from the knights.

I leisurely stretched my arms, feeling the anticipation building up inside me.

"You know, I've been feeling rather bored for the past month without any opponents to challenge my powers. Maybe you'll give me a decent fight!" I taunted the knights, my excitement evident.

The knights showed no reaction to my words, and Knight 3 swung its giant hammer at me.

Swiftly, I ducked to avoid the incoming attack, then dashed toward Knight 3's legs. With a powerful blast of ice, I froze the knight's legs in place.

As Knight 2 spotted me near Knight 3's legs, it swung its massive sword down at me.

I smirked at the approaching strike, "Guess what happens when a metal is frozen?"

My enhanced speed allowed me to easily dodge the attack.

*Crack!*

*Bang!*

"It becomes brittle!"

Knight 3 fell to the ground, its legs shattered from the force of Knight 2's strike.

"Now, let's find out if you can still be dense once I turn you into a popsicle,"

As Knight 2 swung its sword at me again, conjuring ice spears behind me, I jumped high into the air, launching the ice spears at specific joints of the knight, aiming to disable its movements.

The ice spears hit Knight 2 at its neck, legs, shoulder joint, and knee joints, freezing them in place. As I landed back on the ground, I clenched my glowing blue fist.

"You can make wonders happen when you combine magic and pure physical power,"

Without hesitation, I dashed toward Knight 2 and delivered a powerful punch to its stomach.

*Bang!!*

The impact sent the knight flying across the room, embedding it into the wall and creating a massive dent, with cracks spreading around it.

*Thud!!*

Knight 2 fell to the ground with a gaping hole in its stomach area.

But I wasn't finished yet. I felt excited, knowing what came next.

I snapped my fingers.

*BOOM!!!!*

Parts of the armor that were frozen by the ice spears shattered into a million pieces.

The force of the explosion sent fragments of the armor flying in all directions, some embedding into the wall, some colliding with other knights.

This tactic was the result of combining my physical strength with an infused magic spell. When my fist made contact with the knight's armor, the magic acted like a bombarda spell, once infused, can be released upon snapping my fingers.

Knight 2 was completely obliterated, and I turned towards the remaining 11 armored knights who were being held back by my shadow ice knights.

However, they were quickly destroyed by a strike from another armor-wielding scythe.

With a smirk, I unsummoned my shadows, as they were taxing on my Necro, and faced the remaining 11 armored knights.

"It seems I'm going to have fun!"

The adrenaline from the battle made me forget momentarily about the boggarts.

I decided to focus on the armored knights first, setting aside the boggarts for the time being. The illusions could be distracting, and I couldn't afford to lose my concentration during the battle.

As the arrows flew towards me, I quickly levitated knight 3 which was trying to stand up, despite its missing legs, and used its body as a shield to protect myself from the incoming arrows and strikes from other knights.

With Knight 3 held up in front of me, I ran towards the other knights, using it as a shield while closing the distance.

During the brief moment when I had been distracted while dealing with Knight 2, I realized what the runes inscribed on the armors meant.

These runes seemed to draw in and siphon magic from the atmosphere, and I could sense a different type of energy within them.

Using my telekinesis, I launched the armor I had been levitating at high speed toward the remaining knights, slamming them against the wall. I held them in place using my telekinesis to prevent them from getting up.

"I shouldn't damage these armors too much," I thought to myself. "I want them in good condition to study those runic scriptures and that odd energy inside them. That energy seems interesting."

I then used my freezing spell, commanding the floor beneath me to turn into ice. The ice slowly spread toward the fallen knights, trapping them in its freezing embrace. They struggled to break free, but my telekinesis kept them in place.

"While they try to break free from the ice prison, I can study one of the armors," I thought, formulating a plan. "I need to avoid destroying the parts with the runic inscriptions."

One by one, I immobilized the armored knights with ice, leaving only one knight with its legs partially frozen, positioned at the back of the others.

I reminded myself to dissect them carefully, avoiding the destruction of any areas with the runic inscriptions.

*Crack!!*

Suddenly, the last knight, wielding a hammer, broke free from the ice and charged towards me with surprising speed. It seemed faster than the other knights I had faced before. I remained calm and focused, analyzing its movements.

I stood my ground as the hammer swung dangerously close to me. With swift precision, I caught the hammer mid-swing and yanked it away from the knight's grasp using telekinesis.

Drawing the knight closer to me, I grabbed the giant hammer with m telekinesis and swung it with all my force at the approaching armor.

*Crack!!*

*Thud!!*

The impact cracked the armor, sending it flying up into the ceiling, leaving a sizable dent before crashing back down to the ground.

I created ice arrows on both sides of the knight, impaling it all around its body except for the head.

Approaching the frozen armor, I realized that this room provided magic to sustain the armors.

I quickly grasped the magical connection between the room and the armors.

As long as I remained inside the room, the armors would know my exact location, making them able to attack anyone who entered.

With this knowledge in mind, I stepped on the throat of the armored knight, exerting pressure until I heard a satisfying *crack*.

The armor's body ceased struggling against the ice as soon as its head was severed from the rest of its body.

Levitating the head of the armor into my hands, I examined it closely with keen interest.

The energy emanating from the runes was familiar, yet distinctly different from regular magic.

There was an extra property present in both the armors and the frozen boggarts, something unique that I couldn't fully comprehend yet.

My mind worked tirelessly, comparing and contrasting the two energies.

As I studied the head of the armor, I couldn't help but relish the joy of exploring new aspects of magic.

It was in my nature to delve deep into magical and scientific phenomena alike, always seeking to understand the intricacies of the subjects I encountered.

These armors, unlike the sub-sentient ice knights in the first vault, were more like complex machines governed by a set of preprogrammed enchantments.

They were purpose-built for specific tasks, following a predetermined code of actions.

In contrast, the ice giants had a simpler, more instinctual role of guarding the vault.

Even as I studied the head of the armor, I remained vigilant of the other knights attempting to break free from the ice.

My mind analyzed the magical connection between the room and the armor, and with a swift incision of my will, I severed the link. I kept the head of the armor and swallowed the body into my shadow, intending to study this intriguing energy further at a later time.

Shifting my focus back to the battle, I recognized that it was time to end the fun and games.

The armored knights were breaking free from the ice that had held them in place. I decided to deal with them more decisively.

*Click!!*

With a flick of my fingers, dozens of spears and arrows made of ice materialized behind me.

These armors were dangerous, and I would have to dismantle them carefully to study their runic inscriptions without causing unnecessary damage.

"Let's finish this,"

With a precise calculation, I launched the ice spears and arrows at the armored knights, aiming to immobilize them without causing extensive damage.

*Thud!!*

Some of the knights managed to block the attacks with their shields, but others were impaled right in the neck, splitting them into two parts.

*Crack!!* *Crack!!*

*Crack!!* *Crack!!*

Rapidly closing the distance, I approached the knights whose shields had frozen due to the ice spears.

*Bang!!*

In an instant, I unleashed a powerful punch that shattered the shields into countless pieces.

*Crack!!* *Crack!!*

The remaining knights, taken by surprise, couldn't react in time before I crushed their necks, disabling them completely.

Storing the broken armors in my shadow realm, I severed their connection to the room to render them inert.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I pondered the battle, contemplating the possibility of creating golems similar to these armors for future practice.

The Room of Requirement had been inadequate in providing me with sufficient challenges, and I need to improve my skills further.

As the battle dust settled, my focus shifted toward the frozen boggarts. Despite my triumph in defeating the armored knights, facing my fears was another challenge altogether.

A wave of hesitation washed over me as I considered the task at hand.

'I should have faced these fears a long time ago.'

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A/N:- Hope you liked the combat. This is the last chapter today.

Don't forget to give the story STONES.