"It hasn't stopped!" Harry suddenly grabbed Rove's arm. "That voice... it's moving! It's going upstairs!"
Rove glanced at the new writing on the wall, which was still dripping blood.
"It seems the 'Heir of Darkness' is not satisfied with mere intimidation."
"It is hunting prey. Since it has spoken again, it means it has entered a hunting state. The hunt has begun."
"We have to stop it!" Harry said urgently, the feeling of being pulled by killing intent making him uncomfortable all over.
"Not stop," Rove corrected. "Intercept. All units, maintain radio silence, Condition One battle readiness! This will be an encounter battle, possibly even an ambush."
Although Ron and Hermione had no idea what "Condition One battle readiness" meant, they subconsciously held their breath and followed Rove and Harry toward the stairs to the second floor.
The second-floor corridor was terrifyingly quiet. Apart from their rapid footsteps, there was only the sound of wind and rain beating against the glass.
Suddenly, Rove stopped abruptly, raising his left fist to signal a halt.
"What is it?" Ron asked nervously, his teeth chattering. "Did... did you see something?"
"Look at the floor." Rove pointed at the ground, his voice low. "Nature's warning."
Under the torchlight on the corridor walls, a mass of small black things was moving on the floor. Spiders. Hundreds upon thousands of spiders, forming a panicked long line, desperately squeezing through the cracks in the window.
> [Mass Migration Detected]
> [Type: Mirkwood Spiders]
> [Status: Extreme Panic / Fleeing Predator]
> [Warning: Apex Predator Nearby]
> [Note: Even these creatures that feed on fear have become fear itself.]
"Spiders fleeing."
"In Middle-earth, there is only one explanation. An older, more evil power has awakened, and even these spawn of darkness feel the trembling deep in their souls. Like Orcs fleeing a Balrog."
"I've never seen spiders act like this..." Hermione's voice trembled as she took a step back; clearly, she had trypophobia, especially with spiders. "They usually don't swarm unless... unless their nest has been destroyed."
"It's nearby," Harry suddenly clutched his forehead in pain, the voice becoming clearer. "I hear it... hungry... so hungry... rip... kill..."
"Around that corner!"
Rove quickly pulled a small mirror from his pocket, lit the surface with the tip of his wand, and carefully peeked around the corner.
"This is basic tactics against Medusa or a Basilisk," Rove whispered. "Never look directly at the unknown with the naked eye. Mirror reflection reduces the field of view, but it can save your life."
However, the mirror showed nothing but a long, dark corridor.
"Safe?" Ron peeked over and breathed a sigh of relief.
"No," Rove narrowed his eyes, gripping his wand. "Something's wrong. Too quiet. Even the wind has stopped."
Just then, a faint shutter click came from deep in the corridor.
Click.
Immediately after, Harry heard the voice roar: "Rip you!"
> [Warning: Lethal Gaze Locked!]
> [Judgment: Instant Death Attack!]
"Get down!"
Rove reacted almost instinctively. His body moved faster than his brain, launching himself forward toward a small figure in the middle of the corridor.
It was Colin Creevey.
The first-year student was holding up his large camera, looking blankly at Rove charging out.
"Wha..."
Before Colin could finish, Rove tackled him heavily to the ground. The impact was like being hit by a charging wild boar.
BANG!
The moment they hit the floor, the camera in Colin's hands let out a loud pop. A smell of burning plastic filled the air instantly; the camera lens seemed to have been melted by high heat, emitting thick black smoke.
"Close your eyes! Don't look up!" Rove pressed Colin's head firmly against the floorboards, waving his wand wildly with his other hand and scattering a large handful of lime powder from his sleeve.
"Be gone! Flame of Udûn! Be gone!"
Rove roared, and his wand erupted with blinding light—actually an overloaded version of the Lighting Charm.
Intense white light instantly filled the entire corridor, banishing the shadows completely.
In the glare, Harry thought he saw a massive, thick shadow flash across the ceiling.
HISS!
The voice let out an angry hiss, moving away rapidly and disappearing deep into the pipes.
"Gone..." Harry gasped, leaning against the wall. "It's gone. It didn't like that light."
Only when he confirmed the voice had completely vanished did Rove release Colin, who was nearly suffocated.
"Cough, cough... Senior Baggins?" Colin scrambled up in shock, still clutching the smoking camera tightly. "What happened? I just wanted to take a few Halloween pictures... why did you tackle me?"
"You nearly became part of the picture, rookie." Rove stood up, solemnly picking up the wrecked camera.
The camera lens was completely shattered, and the film inside was burned into a black, charred lump. The plastic casing was melting, emitting a foul odor.
> [Item: Destroyed Engineering Device]
> [Cause of Damage: Direct Gaze of Demon Eye]
> [Damage Judgment: Lethal (Blocked)]
> [Note: This poor mechanical device took the curse of petrification for its owner.]
Rove looked at the destroyed camera and let out a long breath. If Colin had really pressed the shutter and seen the thing in the viewfinder, a cold stone statue would be lying on the floor right now.
"What... what is going on?" Hermione and Ron ran over, faces pale at the sight of the smoking camera. "What happened to the camera? It looks like it was struck by lightning."
"A snipe," Rove said coldly. "Or rather, a failed hunt. This camera took a life for him. Some power conducted through the lens, burning the film like an overloaded circuit."
Just then, rapid footsteps came from the end of the corridor.
"Here! The noise and light came from here!"
Filch rushed over with his oil lamp, closely followed by Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Snape. Clearly, Rove's high-brightness Lighting Charm had attracted attention.
"You again!" Filch saw Harry and Rove. "I knew it! You're making trouble! Look at this! Messing up the corridor! And this burning smell!"
"Argus, quiet." Dumbledore strode forward, walking straight to Rove, his gaze falling on the camera in Rove's hand.
"What happened, Mr. Baggins?" Dumbledore's blue eyes fixed on Rove.
"A skirmish, Professor." Rove straightened his back. "We tracked the voice here. Found Mr. Creevey in extreme danger. That... thing, tried to attack him."
He handed the still-smoking camera to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore took the camera and opened the back. A pungent smell wafted out.
Professor McGonagall gasped, covering her mouth. "Merlin's beard! What spell caused this? It looks like it exploded from the inside."
"Not a spell, Minerva." Dumbledore looked at the charred film, his expression grave. "No spell can destroy an object from the inside like this. This is some extremely powerful evil magic."
"It melted the lens," Rove added. "Because the lens tried to capture its image. Just as your soul would be scorched if you tried to look directly into the Eye of Sauron. The laws of physics fail before high-level dark creatures."
Snape narrowed his eyes, stepping up from behind to look at the trembling Colin. "Mr. Creevey, what did you see?"
"I... I didn't see anything, sir," Colin stammered, face pale, tears swirling in his eyes. "I just heard a strange noise, wanted to raise my camera... and then Senior Baggins tackled me. Then the camera exploded. I swear I wasn't playing with fire!"
"This is the evidence we were looking for."
Rove pointed to the spiders on the floor. "And these. Spiders fleeing. They sensed the predator's aura. When an elephant walks into the forest, the ants are always the first to know."
Dumbledore looked at the spiders desperately squeezing into the wall cracks and nodded thoughtfully. His expression grew even grimmer.
"It seems," Dumbledore said softly, "the legend of the Chamber... is not just a legend anymore."
He turned to look at the pale-faced students before him, a hint of approval in his eyes.
"You did well tonight, especially you, Mr. Baggins. Your reaction likely saved Mr. Creevey's life. Twenty points to Hufflepuff." Dumbledore said. "Now, for your safety, I suggest you return to your common rooms immediately. Do not linger in the corridors except for classes and meals. The danger is no longer just in the writing on the wall."
"But Professor," Harry couldn't help asking, still recalling the massive shadow. "What exactly is that thing? I feel like it's familiar..."
Dumbledore didn't answer directly. He walked to the window, looking out at the pitch-black night sky, as if a pair of eyes were watching the castle from there too.
"That is what I wish to know as well, Harry."
"But whatever it is, it is already here."