The secret chamber, once a place of dark rituals and hidden secrets, was now overflowing with a dazzling green light that cast eerie shadows on the walls. The cold air was filled with a suffocating pressure that weighed heavily on the lungs of the intruders. The snake monster in the cage, a basilisk that could kill with a single glance, seemed to regain some courage after the initial shock of the intrusion. It slightly raised its head, relying on its keen magic sense to capture the direction of its great master's descendant, who had summoned it from its slumber. The scarlet snake constantly spit out and contracted, exposing its uneasiness and curiosity, but it did not dare to act rashly, for standing in front of it, a few steps away from the source of the huge magic power that filled the chamber, was another wizard who radiated an aura of danger and authority.

Bryan and Tom Riddle looked at each other, their eyes locked in a silent duel. They were both the kind of wizards who could see through many things by sensing, who could perceive the subtle fluctuations of magic and emotion in their surroundings. Although they did not speak, they had already glimpsed each other's strengths and weaknesses.

"You don't have to be like this, Professor Watson, we are friends not enemies, aren't we?"

Finally, it was Riddle who spoke first, breaking the tense silence. He had not fully resurrected yet and was undoubtedly in a disadvantageous position in the confrontation with Bryan. He showed a restrained smile, a gentle and polite voice as if Bryan was really his teacher,

"I heard from Harry Potter some of your past and what happened after you returned to Hogwarts this time, Professor Watson. Without a doubt, you are not the kind of common, mediocre mediocrity that infests this school. We are all the kind of unique elites in the eyes of the great Salazar Slytherin, the heirs of his legacy and vision. And now, Hogwarts and even the wizarding world are occupied by hypocrites and a bunch of fools who only whitewash the peace, who deny the true nature of magic and its potential. The world urgently needs change, and only we can do it."

"Voldemort–"

Bryan interrupted Riddle's speech, he tilted his head slightly, looking straight at the core of this hocrux with a penetrating gaze that seemed to pierce through the illusion. The wand spun at his fingertips with ease and grace, Bryan said lazily,

"How many times do you think I have faced your hocrux?"

Riddle stopped talking, he showed astonishment, his eyes flickered with calculations that quickly turned into a red light that only hungry wolves would show when hunting their prey. His wrinkled nostrils made his handsome face look fierce and ugly, as if his mask of charm and charisma had slipped for a moment.

"What do you mean!"

Riddle seemed to have given up on pretending, he glared at Bryan viciously and asked in a demanding tone,

"Hocrux. What is that thing? You mean you have faced my original body before? Then you should know that Voldemort is the greatest wizard in history! His power is something that those fools can't imagine even if they rack their brains! He is beyond your comprehension!"

Bryan pursed his lips slightly, he saw more things from the illusory figure of this boy in front of him than he had expected. Not evil magic to the extreme, nor heart-pounding magic power that could rival his own. But soul. Soul shining with color! This was really a wonderful thing!

Bryan still remembered the soul fragment that was completely soaked in endless lust and darkness when he destroyed the crown that year. That was something that could not be communicated at all. It would only lure people to give up their lives with tempting magic that promised power and glory.

"–Bryan Watson. You have dealt with Dumbledore. You should know that he is a narrow-minded villain. He is wary of all talented young people and wants to destroy their talents. He fears anyone who could challenge his authority or expose his secrets. I can assure you that Dumbledore will deal with you one day. Oh no. He has already done it. Hasn't he?"

Riddle continued his attempt to persuade Bryan to join him, but his voice betrayed his frustration and impatience.

Bryan's increasingly oppressive gaze made Riddle feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. He flipped his lips and said quickly,

"The professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Was it Dumbledore who persuaded you to do this? Everyone knows that this course has been cursed by the Dark Lord himself. He wants to kill you with this. Take me out of here. Watson. When I recover all my magic power. I can help you deal with Dumbledore together!"

Riddle tried to appeal to Bryan's self-interest and resentment towards Dumbledore, hoping to find a common ground with him.

Bryan had never dealt with Voldemort who had become the Dark Lord. But Tom Riddle in front of him was indeed very good at finding gaps and being cunning. He knew how to manipulate people and use their emotions against them. He was a master of lies and deception.

But Bryan was not fooled by his words. He knew that Riddle was only using him as a tool to escape his 'prison' and regain his body.

"It seems that this diary is the first hocrux you made. Right?"

Bryan said softly a sentence that made Riddle speechless. He seemed to realize that no matter what he said, this new rising star of Slytherin House was not going to spare him.

"–Emotions come from the soul," Bryan said, his voice calm and steady. "And hocruxs are evil magic that will strip away reason and emotion from the soul first. Turning people into madmen controlled by desire."

Dada

When Bryan stepped forward, the purple in his eyes began to fade at a speed visible to the naked eye. Under the influence of his thick magic power that could make fire dragons tremble, the air around Bryan twisted like the space on a scorching hot tar road in summer.

The huge and empty secret chamber suddenly made a rumbling sound, as if it sensed the impending doom of its master. The snake monster in the cage, a basilisk that could kill with a single glance, made a fearful hiss. It hid its snake head in its coiled body, as if it wanted to escape from the sight of Bryan. It seemed to have seen Tom Riddle's end.

Salazar Slytherin's sculpture standing level with the ceiling silently watched Bryan Watson and Tom Riddle at his feet. The founder of Slytherin House had a proud and stern expression on his face, as if he was judging the two wizards. What would he think of their actions and choices? Would he approve of Riddle's ambition? Would he respect Bryan's courage to stand up against him? Would he see them as worthy successors or as traitors to his legacy?

"I saw from your soul the emotions that normal people would have. Riddle. Fear. Hatred. Loneliness. Oh. And many other interesting little emotions."

"Wait. Wait a minute–"

Riddle's pale face was emitting a faint silver mist that was pushed back into his illusory body bit by bit. He couldn't move and he struggled to squeeze out a voice from his teeth.

"You crave power. Don't you? We are all the same kind of people. Slytherin left more than one secret in this castle. Professor Watson. I am willing to share with you the ancient magic he left behind that has great power. As long as you– Ugh!"

Riddle was speechless as Bryan approached him with a blank face. He felt a surge of terror as he saw the young professor's body glow faintly. Riddle had been restless ever since he discovered that Bryan knew of his existence and wanted to reclaim his body as soon as he could. Now he saw Bryan slowly raising his hand, reaching for Riddle's forehead with his fingertips.

Ugh! Bryan ignored Riddle's painful whimper, his fingertips, palms, arms and even his whole body bit by bit into Riddle's body, as if he was absorbing his essence and magic. The diary in Riddle's pocket flew out by itself and floated in mid-air, though there was no wind, but the pages in the diary rustled like they were blown by a strong wind, a wisp of black smoke came out of the pages, in the empty secret chamber, such a scene was eerie and strange!

A brilliant light flashed in front of Bryan's eyes, and when he came to his senses, his body had appeared in a strange space.

This space was like the outer universe, vast and boundless, but devoid of any stars or planets. The silent space was filled with tangible and sharp gray hurricanes, each of these air currents that dyed the space gray contained evil and powerful magic power, presumably, it was Voldemort's protection magic applied to the diary and the hocrux itself.

Huh. Boom boom!

The fluorescence attached to Bryan's body suddenly flourished, forming an oval magic barrier around him, protecting him from the hostile environment. Endless hurricanes hit the slightly reddish barrier with force and fury, but they could not break through it. The magic power of opposite nature counteracted each other and exploded with flashes that made Bryan feel like he was standing in a raging fire!

Bryan looked around, and soon sensed something strange in a space to his right front.

There seemed to be the core of the whole gray world, a ball of light shining with black and white that radiated ominous magic power to all sides. It was the hocrux, the fragment of Riddle's soul that he had hidden in the diary. It was the source of his immortality and his weakness.

"Ah, I found you–" Bryan smiled slightly, he took out a glass bottle from his chest, leisurely tidied up his collar, and walked slowly towards the ball of light.

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