The Soulrender was hidden.
Sealed in a dragonbone box and locked away in a sub-dimensional pocket beneath the Room of Requirement—far from the reach of Voldemort or the whispers it carried.
But Aarav had no time to rest.
"If the Elder Wand resonates with me now… then the Resurrection Stone is next," he whispered to himself.
His studies led him back to an old tome in the Restricted Section—"Magicks of the Forbidden Depths."
There, scribbled in the margin by an anonymous hand:
"One gift lies beneath. Not where Riddle sought, but where Salazar wept. The Serpent mourns what even Death fears."
Aarav's eyes widened.
Not the known Chamber of Secrets... but a second one?
Aarav had access now—Dumbledore had granted him quiet clearance for "independent magical research," which he used to uncover ancient blueprints of Hogwarts.
There it was: a sealed pathway beneath the known Chamber. A lower tunnel, lined with spells of grief and shadow.
Before entering, Aarav brewed:
Essence of Basilisk Blood – for defense against ancient enchantments
Silverthorn Elixir – to negate soul illusions
Cleansing Dust of Ashwinder – for rune visibility
Spellcrafter's Lens: Active
System Enhancement: Environmental Spell Detection [ON]
He opened the stone mouth in the second-floor girls' bathroom.
"Open," he hissed in Parseltongue.
The entrance widened again—but this time, he cast a Descent Rune, lowering him deeper than ever before.
This second chamber was… colder. Sadder.
It wasn't built for war—it was built to remember.
The walls held carvings not of monsters, but of people. Wizards and witches of old, their faces twisted in sorrow.
The room centered around a black stone altar. No snakes. No bones. Just silence.
But Aarav saw the sigils carved in a spiraling sequence on the walls—Necros Triad symbols.
"A funerary ward," Aarav realized. "For Salazar's firstborn… who died trying to master Death itself."
That was the secret Tom Riddle never found.
As he approached the altar, the air thickened.
A ghost stood before him. Not translucent like the castle spirits—this was darker, sharper, more aware.
He was tall, thin, eyes like hollow coals.
"You are not of my blood," he rasped.
Aarav held up his wand, calm. "I seek what you left behind. I seek the second Hallow."
The spirit tilted its head. "Many sought. None passed."
"Then test me."
System Alert:
Trial Initiated: Trial of the Forgotten
Guardian: Salazar's Son – Erevan Slytherin
Objective: Answer Three Truths
Reward: Direction to Resurrection Stone
Failure: Memory Drain / Forced Ejection
Question 1: What is stronger than death, feared by all, yet held in the hands of fools?
Aarav answered: "Time."
Correct.
Question 2: Who commands power even when they fall, shaping men with silence?
Aarav: "Legacy."
Correct.
Question 3: What binds the Deathly Hallows—not in myth, but in reality?
Aarav took a moment.
Then spoke: "Choice."
The spirit stared at him… and slowly smiled.
"You may pass."
Aarav stepped to the altar.
A ghostly map shimmered into being: three locations, each flashing once.
One… was marked deep in Albania.
"The Resurrection Stone lies in the hand of a forgotten warlock entombed in the Vale of Hollow Cries. Voldemort passed near it once… but he feared the silence."
Aarav traced the mark with a finger.
System Update:
Clue Unlocked: Resurrection Stone Location (Step 1 of 3)
Path: Vale of Hollow Cries – Albania
Protection Level: Mythic – Requires Spirit Taming Skill or Death Magic Resistance
Questline Unlocked: "Return of the Three"
EXP +4000
Before he left, the chamber offered one final gift.
The spirit of the basilisk, now long dead, coiled through the air, made of green mist.
It bowed to him.
"You speak the language of my kind not just with tongue, but with intent. Accept my echo."
Aarav gasped.
System Trait Gained:
✧ Basilisk Echo (Passive)
— Grants temporary immunity to illusion-based death spells
— Eye of the Basilisk: Once daily, unleash a gaze that stuns any creature of lower will
— Parsel Channeling: Boost Parseltongue spells +25%
He left the chamber stronger than ever.
But also quieter.
For the Resurrection Stone was real. And soon… he would need to choose whether to wield it—or destroy it.