Harry Potter and the Secret Treasures

The Philosopher’s Stone emitted a dazzling light, countless magical essences gushing forth. The previously depleted beam of magical energy was replenished, even radiating a golden glow, dispelling the encroaching fog and the evil god’s magical domain, almost illuminating the entire space.

Evan commanded this staggering torrent of magic and hurled it straight towards the colossal, eye-shaped temple ahead.

Like an arrow loosed from a bow, the powerful beam of magic suddenly accelerated, crashing forward with irresistible force as it collided with the intertwined evil gods.

Evan saw the phantasmal forms of the evil gods rapidly dissolving; both were disappearing at a visible speed. Whether the enigmatic God of Death or the powerful Devouring God, all that remained of them were terrifying howls echoing through the space, growing increasingly hoarse and meaningless, like the wailing of a banshee announcing the demise of two ancient gods.

At last, under the ceaseless battering of the magical beam, the grotesque statue of the evil god lost all vitality and became nothing more than an ordinary wooden carving. It was propelled forward by the magical beam controlled by Evan, crashing into the temple’s enormous eye.

Evan had initially thought it would be like the eye-shaped evil god he’d seen deep within Aragog’s lair, but upon closer inspection, he clearly saw that the evil god’s “eye” atop the temple was a massive ruby, almost the size of a fully grown giant, with countless ghostly lights flickering within, seemingly containing innumerable souls.

This enormous ruby was clearly a legendary magical artifact; Evan could feel its strange power, seemingly capable of sucking away souls. Many discordant sounds emanated from it, like the cries of countless living beings. It was the essence of this space, the nexus of the Land of the Dead.

A voice spoke to him. Phantasmal images surfaced within the ruby, promising that if Evan could take control of this ruby, he would replace Herpo and become the new God of Death. At that point, he would utterly conquer death itself, and everything would belong to him.

He even glimpsed a secret hoard left behind by ancient spellcasters and gods, one that contained the very essence of magic itself. If he could obtain it, Evan would gain unparalleled power and become the master of the world — and this would only be the beginning. Even more enticing secrets lay hidden within that treasure…

With just a glance, illusions began to appear in Evan’s mind, but before he could fully grasp them, the beam of magic struck. It finally seemed to meet resistance, its momentum abruptly checked. The next instant, Evan heard the sound of glass shattering. Under the impact of the magic, a crack appeared at the center of the ruby, and in the blink of an eye, fissures spread across the entire gem.

“Death… draws near…”

The God of Death uttered his final lament, and the enormous “Eye of Death” shattered with a deafening roar, countless fragments flying in all directions.

Along with them surged an enormous number of souls, their faces contorted in rage, howling as they fled in all directions, but immediately dissolved under the influence of the magic beam, turning into specks of starlight.

It was all over!

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Whatever schemes the God of Death, Herpo, might have plotted a thousand years ago, they had now all vanished into nothingness.

Evan tried to rein in the magic, but the overwhelming power had long since slipped beyond his control. He had become part of the magic itself. He couldn’t even sever the connection between the magic and the Philosopher’s Stone. The out-of-control beam of magic carried him forward, as though it would not stop until it was completely exhausted.

Perhaps because he had become one with the magic, Evan felt no panic. His mind was unnaturally clear. After all, this was a thousand years in the past — time held no real meaning for him now. Once the magic fully dissipated, he would find a way to return.

At this moment, the noisy Land of the Dead fell completely silent. Everything was about to end again, but it was also the beginning of a new cycle. Suddenly, Evan heard a strange sound.

Click. Click. Click…

The sound grew increasingly dense from its initial faintness. Evan immediately realized that this was the sound of time. In his numerous time travels, he had become familiar with this sound. Under the influence of the out-of-control magic, the hands of the Time-Turner on his chest began spinning wildly.

The surrounding scenery began to change, time shifted again, and a thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. The magic rapidly disintegrated and scattered, and Evan felt as if he was about to disappear as well. He tried to control the magic again, but still failed. He could only increase the output of the Philosopher’s Stone, focusing on protecting himself.

Just then, a red, eerie light flashed, and the huge, broken ruby, the “Eye of Death,” reappeared out of thin air.

“This is…” Evan reacted at once. He had returned to a point a thousand years in the past, to a time before Herpo had been defeated.

He hurriedly scanned his surroundings and saw a brand-new temple — followed by a horrifying sight.

Mountain-like heaps of flesh and blood were piled before the temple. Beneath the massive “Eye of Death” stood a single figure — Herpo the Foul, still in his human form. He was casting a spell, drawing countless souls and masses of flesh towards himself.

Below the temple, a group of wizards were attempting to charge at Herpo, but they were blocked by numerous indescribable monsters. The battle raged fiercely, spell-light flashing incessantly.

Evan glanced at the wizards fighting below the temple, then his gaze returned to Herpo atop the temple.

The scene before him was undeniably malevolent; the overwhelming stench of blood and the aura of Dark magic were almost tangible, pressing down on Evan.

Worst of all, the area around Evan was unstable, with black spatial rifts appearing intermittently, devouring the magic surrounding him.

These were temporal rifts; Evan had read about them in an ancient magical book, but never expected them to truly exist. The situation was truly excruciating.

In the chaotic flow of time, magic dissipated rapidly. Evan could not control it; if the magic disappeared, he too would be swallowed by the temporal rifts, forced to passively increase the output of the Philosopher’s Stone. In fact, even if he could control the magic, the current situation was a complete mess.

Should Evan destroy the Eye of Death and Herpo, who was casting a spell at this point in time?

He had never expected to be sent back to an even earlier point in time. If he were to do anything here that affected the flow of history — such as killing Herpo — then all the conditions that later allowed the Ravenclaw family to open the Veil of Death would cease to exist. A thousand years later, the world would no longer be the one Evan knew. The entire timeline would fall into chaos, and the world itself might even be destroyed as a result.

But if he did nothing at all, then once Herpo finished his spell, he certainly would not let Evan go. There was no need to think it through: Evan, in his current state, was absolutely no match for the God of Death at the height of his power. He would be killed instantly — no question about it!