An unnatural silence descended upon the Barren Courtyard in the wake of Clinere's disintegration. The air, once thick with malevolent energy, was now still and heavy. With a groan, Aiden clawed his way out from under a pile of rubble, his body aching with exhaustion.
He patted the thick layer of dust from his clothes, his mind still reeling. 'What in the world was that?' he thought, glancing up at the sky where the terrifying celestial display had vanished. 'System, any idea what that was?'
A calm, mechanical voice responded in his mind.
[Ding. Asset belongs to the Department of Mysteries, Planet Room Division. Designation: Starry Sky Annihilation Matrix.]
Aiden blinked. 'Starry Sky Annihilation Matrix? Sounds like something out of a Muggle science-fiction novel.'
[Ding. An authorized individual will provide a full explanation.]
With that, the System fell silent.
A slow, deliberate clap echoed from his right. "Quite the display, Aiden Prowett."
Aiden's head snapped toward the sound. A man stood there, clad in shimmering platinum robes that marked him as the leader of the black-and-gold-robed figures fanning out behind him. They moved with quiet efficiency, sweeping the ruins with intricate devices that hummed softly. Most wore bracelets etched with glowing runes, though the man in platinum did not.
His focus sharpened, and a jolt of panic shot through him. "Oliver!"
Forgetting the newcomers, Aiden scrambled back toward the debris, his hands digging desperately through the wreckage. Before he could get far, one of the witches in the group raised her wand. With a practiced flick of her wrist, she levitated Oliver's unconscious form from the rubble, guiding him to float gently toward them. She then calmly fastened a runic bracelet, identical to the ones her colleagues wore, around his wrist.
Having secured Oliver, the team began to disapparate one by one, their movements precise and orderly. Soon, only Aiden and the man in the platinum robes remained in the desolate courtyard.
The man produced another bracelet from his robes and tossed it to Aiden. It landed softly in his hands.
"Well?" the man asked, an amused glint in his eyes. "Are you coming with us, or do you plan to stay and admire the scenery?"
Aiden didn't hesitate. He slipped the bracelet onto his wrist. In the space of a heartbeat, the world twisted, and the Barren Courtyard vanished.
When his senses returned, he was standing in a vast, circular chamber that seemed to swallow all light. The walls, the floor, the impossibly high ceiling—everything was fashioned from a seamless, matte-black material. Twelve identical black doors, devoid of any markings or handles, were embedded in the curving walls at perfect intervals.
The only light came from candles flickering with eerie, blue flames. Their cold glow reflected off the polished black marble floor, creating the perfect illusion of a still, bottomless lake of ink.
"Welcome to the Department of Mysteries," the platinum-robed man said, his voice echoing slightly in the immense space. "You can call me the Director."
He gestured vaguely toward one of the doors. "Don't worry, your classmate has been safely delivered to St. Mungo's. Direct contact with the Deep Realm always leaves a mark. He'll need some specialized treatment and time to recover."
"You saved us," Aiden said, the reality of it finally sinking in. "Thank you."
"No thanks necessary," the Director waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, but before you go, you'll need to add your name to the Silencing Stone. A confidentiality agreement is mandatory."
He led Aiden to one of the unmarked doors, which swung open silently at his approach. Inside was a single, colossal stone tablet. It stood several meters high, its surface as smooth and dark as a starless night sky, yet it radiated an ancient power that made the air hum. Intricate runes and swirling patterns were carved along its edges, pulsing with a faint, internal light that seemed to follow Aiden's gaze.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" the Director said with a proud smile. "A marvel born from the zenith of our magical artifice—the Silencing Stone Tablet." He gestured toward it. "Go on. Inscribe your name on its surface using your magic. Once you do, the agreement is sealed. And I should warn you, its power is far more binding than any Blood Pact."
Aiden stepped forward and, following the instruction, channeled his magic through his fingertips, writing his name onto the stone. As he did, he felt the tablet's immense power flow through him, a current of ancient magic that cataloged his very essence. At the same time, he sensed something else—a profound, benevolent consciousness emanating from the stone, conveying an almost paternal sense of welcome.
He took a few steps back, his eyes wide. "This thing… it's alive, isn't it?"
"Of course," the Director beamed. "It's the culmination of centuries of work by our world's greatest minds, and it has guarded the secrets of our civilization for ages. I'll let you in on a little secret," he leaned in conspiratorially, "there are six of them in total."
'This guy is surprisingly unprofessional,' Aiden thought, fighting back a smirk.
"So," the Director began, clasping his hands together, his eyes suddenly twinkling with an almost childish eagerness. "Now that you've signed the agreement, how about you join the Silencers?"
"Join the Silencers? Absolutely not," Aiden refused without a moment's thought.
"But look at you! You're young, you've gone toe-to-toe with a king of the Deep Realm, and you have a natural aptitude for this work. Join us, and I'll mentor you personally. In a few years, you could take over my position, become the Director of a Ministry department! Saves you a few decades of boot-licking, eh?"
Aiden just rolled his eyes. "And what? Abandon my name, live in secrecy, and guard this place like a monk in a monastery for the rest of my life? I'm not falling for that."
The Director's shoulders slumped in theatrical defeat. "Hmph. Worth a shot. Ever since that old codger Dumbledore sweet-talked me into this job, I've been stuck here for years. Can't even find a successor. It's maddening."
He turned and led Aiden out of the room and into a surprisingly cozy office. "Tea or coffee?"
"Tea, thank you."
Aiden sat primly on a chair while the Director collapsed onto a plush sofa, propping his legs up casually.
"Alright," Aiden said, taking a sip of the warm tea. "Are you going to explain what just happened?"
"Hmph," the Director grunted from the sofa. "Do you have any idea what a monumental mess your classmate's father created?"
"Was it that bad?"
"Bad?" The Director sat up, his playful demeanor gone. "The current estimate includes one entire town of two thousand people sacrificed, tens of thousands more in Devon exposed to Deep Realm energy, and the complete collapse of the Kingsport church, leaving a crater in its place. On top of that, a high-ranking politician has gone missing, which has Muggle leadership demanding answers from us. This is the biggest security breach since the New York incident in '27."
"How are you handling it?" Aiden asked, stunned.
"The higher-ups are dealing with it," the Director sighed. "The official story? A large-scale gas leak. They're blaming it on aging Muggle infrastructure. Oh, and they've tipped off a few environmental groups to protest about groundwater extraction causing the church to collapse. Very convenient."
"A gas leak? Environmentalists?" Aiden was speechless. "Who compensates the victims?"
The Director spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "The Muggle government, of course. It's a messy business, but our worlds are separate for a reason. Their incident, their resolution. It's cleaner that way."
"And what about Oliver and me?"
"You're free to go. You're just young wizards who were caught in the crossfire. Officially, you were accidentally involved. No one will bother you about this again."
Aiden took another sip of tea, a wave of relief washing over him. The tension that had kept him going for hours finally dissipated, and in its place, a deep, bone-weary exhaustion set in. His adrenaline crashed, and every muscle in his body screamed in protest. That, and he was starving. He hadn't eaten in over ten hours.
"Um," Aiden began tentatively, "is there anything to eat around here?"
The Director smiled. "Thought you'd never ask."
With a sharp snap of his fingers, a nearby table was instantly laden with a sumptuous dinner. Aiden didn't need a second invitation, attacking the food with a ravenous hunger he hadn't realized he possessed.
***
(End of Chapter)
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