Several miles away from the village of Little Hampton, in the open wilderness, the flat plain shows some undulations here, surrounded by a vast area of farmland, with a few isolated hills. The completely rocky mountains stand out as barren throughout most of the year, but in recent days, the falling snow has covered these mounds with a somewhat dignified silver cloak.
As snowflakes fell, the distortion of space disrupted their trajectory. Under the deep gray sky, a figure wrapped in a black cloak with a hood appeared in the neglected wilderness, surrounded by a vast area of farmland.
The newcomer appeared extremely vigilant, the moment he landed, the cautious gaze under the hood had already been rapidly scanning the surroundings. A fair-skinned arm held a wand under the cloak, visible but not completely.
Sand, sand, sand...
The snow on the ground is deep enough to cover the knees, blurring the boundaries between fields and farms. However, the footsteps of the newcomer only leave a faint impression on the soft snow layer, and from the speed at which snow falls, these shallow footprints will disappear completely in just a few minutes.
The black-cloaked figure ascended the hillside, completely ignoring the winding and steep, rocky path. It seemed as if she was suspended in the air, easily arriving at the halfway point of a rock mountain to the west.
After a careful inspection, the black-cloaked figure extended her fair hand to brush away the snow layer on the sharp edge of the rock. Upon the rock, a ferocious and poisonous snake with a cold aura was vividly displayed.
She tapped the small snake on the rock with her wand. Then, in the quiet wilderness, a faint "ssss..." sound suddenly echoed through the air. The venomous snake carved into the rock stretched its body, flicked out its tiny tongue to sniff the air, and then twisted its body, quickly sliding down the rock towards the mountain. In an instant, it disappeared into a crack in the mountain stone.
The feedback came quickly; only a few seconds later, the small snake returned to this sharp rock. It coiled its body and calmly closed its vertical pupils.
A heavy sound of mountain stone rubbing together rang out, sharp stones spinning and rolling aside. A black, bloody hole appeared in the vision of the black-cloaked figure.
Huff! The evil wind appears!
A barely noticeable shadow suddenly darted out of the cave mouth.
It was a massive venomous snake, which abruptly lunged at the visitor. The black scales scraping against the rock emitted a sound like metal, and in the cool air, the snake revealed its ferocious and bloody fangs. The vertical pupils reflected a coldness that was more chilling than the snow covering the mountains and plains.
The venomous snake approached the visitor in a posture ready to attack, with its pale and sharp fangs aimed directly at the visitor's neck. Only when the tip of its shining teeth was only an inch away from the visitor's neck did it suddenly stop, followed by the snake's tongue emerging and gently licking the visitor's chin.
A strand of green hair slipped out from under the hood, and throughout this whole process, the black-cloaked figure maintained a calm demeanor.
Sssss—
The cruel look in the venomous snake's vertical pupil disappeared abruptly. It slowly withdrew its body, giving a resentful glare at the black-cloaked figure before disappearing back into the dark cave mouth.
Dap, dap, dah—
The blackness of the cave mouth was like a curtain. Crossing over it, the feeble, dim yellow light squeezed into the view, barely able to illuminate the path ahead. The descending passage was very dry, and because it was located in the mountain's belly, it was much warmer than outside. The heat no longer left white smoke marks in the air.
There were many deceptive bifurcations in the cave. Each seemingly ordinary bifurcation concealed deadly traps. If you made a wrong turn, the cost would be your life.
The black-cloaked figure followed the tracks left by the venomous snake on the gravel ground and walked slowly. After two minutes, the narrow view expanded.
In front of the black demons standing in the cave, a stone wall appeared. A circular stone door was on the stone wall. Nine lifelike stone-carved venomous snakes were crawling on the stone door, lifting their heads coldly and staring at the visitor.
The stone door was open, but the black-cloaked figure halted.
Perhaps it was because of the faint chill behind the door, or because of the indistinguishable wails that fell into his ear, causing a black-cloaked figure that had always remained calm since appearing in the wilderness to show some hesitation on the sand below where his shadow was cast by the light from behind the door.
If fate exists, it is beyond escape.
Yawning heavily, the black-cloaked figure blinked wearily and then resumed his steps towards the stone door. He stopped again at the threshold.
This is a rectangular room, with hard stone walls on the ground, four walls, and the ceiling. The room's furniture is very simple. There is a long table used for dining, and several chairs lined up next to it. At the back of the room, there is a makeshift fireplace made of rough stone, with the flickering flames and the wooden candleholders on the table providing lighting for the room.
The room is very shabby, but the one thing commendable is that it is still clean. Not only the table, but even the floor is free of any dust. However, the faint blood smell in the air cannot be dispelled.
There was another door on the right side of the wall, and the howls heard before were coming from behind that door.
Gazing at the door, the black-cloaked figure seemed slightly distracted.
"Ah, the guest has arrived--"
A light and cold voice emerged from the back of one of the chairs, entering the black-cloaked figure's ears.
The domestic spirit kneeling beside the chair shivered even more intensely after hearing the sound, its expression concealed in the shadows where the black-cloaked figure could not see.
The small spirit trembled weakly and stood up, moving to the back of the chair. As it slowly rotated the chair, it remained deeply bowing, only for a moment did the black-cloaked figure see the pain and fear in the spirit's eyes.
Sitting on a specially designed chair like a child's dining chair, there was a monster with skin that seemed to have been deeply burned and melted, giving it an oddly twisted appearance. Its features were distorted as if they had been melted. It could barely be described as a three or four year old child without any hair at all.
In the moment of eye contact, an irresistible urge to vomit arose from the black-cloaked figure's heart. It was not because of the monster's ugly appearance, but rather because of the indiscernible world where the monster radiated a dark magic as black as ink and was surrounded by persistent, mournful cries, which filled her with deep aversion.
In silence, Vittiya lifted the hood, and her face still looked somewhat pale under the light of the fire.
"Please come in, please come in, Miss Cleoona--"
Voldemort slowly put down the Daily Prophet in his hand, extended a withered hand to the ViTiya standing at the door, making an inviting gesture with his fingers. He smiled, but his snake-like eyes held an unfathomable chill.
"Welcome to my humble abode, Miss Cleoona, please come in and rest for a while --"
ViTiya pursed her lips and walked silently into the room.
"So, Shiny?"
Upon seeing ViTiya entering, Voldemort nodded in satisfaction. He slightly twisted his head and called the domesticated house-elf who was kneeling behind him.
"Great Black Lord, Shiny is immensely honored to serve you --"
The small elf behind the chair came crawling to Voldemort's feet, its forehead pressed against the ground, gently sobbing.
"Do you think we should bring some hot tea for Miss Cleoona?"
Voldemort's polite tone was like that of a gentleman,
"I suppose Miss Cleoona must have traveled a long distance --"
"Shiny will follow your orders, Great Dark Lord."
Under ViTiya's gaze, Shiny quickly climbed to the fireplace, shivering as he took down the teapot and cups from the mantelpiece.
Voldemort chuckled, a sound filled with cruelty, as he noticed ViTiya's gaze directed towards him.
"Perhaps you know it, Miss Cleoona? Shiny worked at Hogwarts before coming here. I must admit, these little creatures can be useful, don't they? At the very least, since it came here, I've finally been able to enjoy piping hot delicious food --"
(End of this chapter)
