Chapter 757: Prologue, On to the Giants
After that night, whenever he looked at the owl pendant on his left wrist, this rough and simple carved turquoise, Evan thought of Shukrya, the girl with a smile on her lips and a wise and calm expression, the girl who willingly became a devil for the sake of love…
He didn’t know the name of the shaman’s relic on his wrist. He just called it “Shukrya’s Shield”.
This pendant had a very strong natural force, which was a very unique magical power. But Evan was not a witch doctor and could not use this power to its full extent. He could only use this pendant to become an owl in energy form. The Transfiguration would last for about an hour. Then, it would take about three days for the pendant to regain its magical power.
This was useful enough, however; an energy owl could go through walls and even enter many special places restricted by magic.
It was very helpful and convenient for Evan whenever he needed to move quickly, or become a bird…
In short, everything ended on that night, and no owl ghosts could be found in this sinister dark fortress anymore.
Evan didn’t know if that was good or bad for the local magical tourism industry in Dijon, but at least, no more murders would occur.
He and his two companions found the horrible Owl-Woman in the side hall on the ground floor of the castle. After Ariane was killed, she lost the source of her power. Now she was just a monster with owl feathers, without any magic, lying weakly on the ground.
Ironically, the Owl-Woman was actually Mary, the murdered witch.
She had killed herself, although that was to be known as the horrifying Dijon murder. She dedicated her soul to the devil, and acquired a new body. But in the end, she gained nothing from turning herself into a monster.
Perhaps this was the nature of power. If reached through twisted shortcuts, it would have a hefty price!
Evan and Sirius handed over the Owl-Woman to Hélène and burdened her with explaining the situation to the French Ministry of Magic and dealing with the aftermath. But this was just what she needed: An opportunity to prove to the Ministry that she was a qualified Auror.
The bizarre twists and turns of this case were to be enough to shake the entire French wizarding community and make Hélène its most renowned rising star.
But that was what was to come, and on that night, the three returned to the bar to meet Hagrid and Madame Maxime, and to prepare to leave Dijon at dawn.
When parting, Hélène hugged Evan, but only blushed and shook hands with Sirius. Sirius didn’t say much either, just telling her to be more careful.
‘Being stuck together in that wicked room, perhaps they were tired of hugging one another…’ thought Evan naughtily.
If Hélène wanted to start a thing with Sirius, he would love to see it happen… Sirius had it rough for too long, and the innocent yet daring young Auror seemed like a good fit for him. But now, the two of them were on a mission.
Hélène invited Evan and Sirius to visit Paris when they were free, and gave them her address.
The journey continued, and the carriage flew all the way to Italy. After Dijon, they did not stay in towns. Most of the time, they camped in the wild, far away from large Muggle cities, and there was no accident during the rest of their journey.
Well, in a forest on the border between France and Italy, they met two crazy trolls, but Hagrid quickly cleared them away!
When the carriage passed by far from Rome, Evan saw through the window a very thick beam of light rising from the heights in the northwest corner of the city. It could be clearly seen even from a long distance. That was the holy city of the Vatican, the seat of the Holy See.
Sirius told him that the beam of light was a holy light from a relic owned by the Pope.
No one knew what that sacred thing was and why it had such powerful magic. All they knew was that all Dark creatures dared not approach it.
This had been the case for centuries, and the huge pillar of light never died out.
Only wizards and magical creatures could see it, and see the miracle that could light up almost half the night sky.
Evan had seen descriptions of Rome, the Vatican and the Holy See in many magic books before. This historical city they were flying over was full of special magic, but unfortunately, they had no time to go in and have a look.
Maybe, after contacting the giants, they could stay here for a few days and go for a proper visit.
After leaving Rome, they headed south along the coastline, passed Pompeii, entered the Mediterranean and headed for Sicily at the southern end.
After arriving in Sicily, the carriage stopped on the side near the forest and did not go on.
The giants were in the mountains. There were many legends about them nearby. Sirius and Hagrid decided to collect information first.
Besides, they had to go down the mountains to find the giants’ camp following Dumbledore’s plan.
In the dense mountain forest, the flying carriage had lost its use. Because of protective magic, no giant could be seen from the air.
With the other two busy with preparations, Evan was free. He changed into Muggle clothes and toured around the island, just like any ordinary thirteen-year-old boy coming from England. Sirius told him not to go too far.
As the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, its beauty was simply picturesque!
This was a perfect holiday destination with many spots worth visiting. In terms of natural landscapes, mountains, sea, hills, volcanoes, almost all the essence of Italy was captured within this huge island, with its passionate residents, white sandy beaches, amazing ancient culture, delicious food…
Unlike Muggle travelers, Evan’s focus was primarily on magic.
Throughout history, ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Spaniards, Arabs, Austrians, and others had ruled here successively, and their spellcasters had also left their own traces on this land. All kinds of ancient magic relics and abandoned ancient fortresses could be seen everywhere. Historical buildings from various periods going back all the way to the ancient warlock area were perfectly integrated within one homogeneous island.
The magic detailed in the ruins included not only the magic left by wizards, but also many forces that Evan did not understand, such as a shaman temple made of boulders, as well as mysterious spells from Africa and the ancient East. It filled him with wonder, as he learned more and more.
Of course, almost all of the magic in the ruins had lost its effect, which was something that Evan regretted.
While there, he inquired about the Scylla and the great whirlpool of Charybdis, and got some interesting information…
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