Chapter 139: Forbidden Forest, Centaurs, Underworld

Three days after Friar gave Quinn the riddle, he was walking across Hogwarts' grounds. There was short green grass under his steps as he moved north, away from the castle. The sun was bright, although there were clouds skidding along the sky that provided a much-needed aide from the heat to the inhabitants of the land.

Ahead, Quinn could see the Whomping Willow standing in all its glory. It swayed gently, as if performing a dance to the sound of nature. While it seemed gentle, it wasn't. If you stepped close without precautions, the big Willow wouldn't show mercy, and branches as thick as pythons would assault whoever approached without mercy. However, a pinching hex from afar to the knot at the base of the tree would calm the woody guardian.

He walked past the Whomping Willow and started walking on a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into thick black trees. While Quinn was looking at the forest, a light breeze lifted his hair.

"Dark in the forest and deep, and overhead, hang stars like seeds of light," sang Quinn. He stepped into the forest that was dark as coal.

The bright and sunny day rapidly shifted into darkness. Quinn lifted his chin to look up at the thick canopy that covered the sky from his view. Thin beams of light would occasionally sift through the spaces between the leaves like... stars in the night sky.

"In vain, though not since they were sown, was bred, anything more bright." His hands brushed against the dark bark of one of the trees. Quinn stopped near one of them and scouted the area ahead.

He could see beech, oak, and yew filling the forest. Kneeling down, Quinn let his hand ruffle through the grass. He plucked a small herb that growed in the darkness of an encompassing canopy.

"Knotgrass," said Quinn in identification. Quinn twisted the grass-like herb with his fingers. "Essential for Polyjuice. I wonder if Barty has come to pick some up."

Quinn got up and continued his walk. A place where more than a few students had disappeared over the centuries since the school's inception (that was the reason the forest had been named 'Forbidden Forest').

As Quinn continued to walk deeper, the forest started getting denser; its trees started growing closer to each other, and not a peep of noise could be heard except his footsteps.

"And evermore mighty multitude ride about, nor enter in; of the other multitudes that dwell inside," he continued to sing the riddle.

He didn't have to walk in silence for long, as Quinn heard knocking of hoovers and a gallop from his right, beyond a maze of trees, just outside of his vision.

"Oh, they found me, huh," whispered Quinn. Precisely what he wanted.

Quinn patted his chest, and the Noir transformative suit, which had been in the green camouflage mode, changed to a black camouflage to suit the dim lighting and dark trees around him. He pulled up the hood over his head, and with a wave of his hand, a black mask covered his face.

And into the view came... Was it a man or a horse? The figure had the waist of a man with red hair and beard, but below, he had a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. A centaur. Behind that centaur were six more of different shades and colors, bringing up the tally to an auspicious seven.

The half-men galloped around Quinn with arrows drawn upon their bows pointing at Quinn. After seeing that the human wasn't making any movements, they stopped running around and surrounded him. Their arrows, though, were still pointed at the unknown figure.

"Human… Why have you intruded into our home?" asked the red centaur.

Quinn turned in his spot and observed the seven centaurs. He had seen centaurs during his travels and talked to a few, but this was the first time he had met some with their weapons pointed at him.

Seeing that the human in front of him wasn't replying, one of the more hot-hearted centaurs pulled the bowstring tauter.

"Speak human!"

"Centaurs... residents of the forest," started Quinn, his voice distorted. "I have no qualms with your kind. I want nothing from your kind. I solely desire to reach my goal." He turned towards the calmer leader and asked, "Lead me to the vault that is cursed, and I will be on my way, not to be seen ever again."

The Forbidden Forest was too big and clustered for Quinn to spend his valuable time searching for the vault. He needed a guide.

The mention of "the vault that is cursed" sent a wave of whispers among the centaurs. They were not prepared to hear those words, and a few of them rested their bowstrings and lowered their weapons.

"Human, how do you know about the cursed mines," asked a centaur, his horsetail swaying gently. He looked older than the rest of his companions.

'Hmm… so the mine in the riddle is literal,' thought Quinn back to the last paragraph of the riddle. "I am a challenger who aspires to test my mettle against the cursed vault that is here in the Forbidden Forest."

"Impossible! There hasn't been a human challenger for the cursed mines," exclaimed the hot-hearted centaur. The hot-headed centaur hadn't been born back then, but he had grown up listening to stories about challengers from the elders. Stories about multiple centaurs that had ventured the vaults and paid it with the ultimate price; their lives.

"Show me which way to go, centaur, and I will be off," said Quinn. He didn't need a guide. He could find the path on his own.

"We won't do that."

"Why," asked Quinn with his magically distorted voice.

"We don't trust you," answered the head of the small herd. He looked Quinn up and down. He wasn't impressed by his attire. "Shed that disguise of yours, and then we talk."

"That isn't needed, centaur," said Quinn. "Show me the correct path, and I will leave your kind alone, just as your kind desires."

Quinn's words caused their bows to be aimed at him again. This time, though, the threat didn't go unanswered. The centaurs heard a crackle and saw icy blue beneath the human's feet. The temperature dropped. Suddenly an unnatural cold enveloped them.

"I don't wish to fight," said Quinn in warning.

"This is our territory, human. You won't tell us what to do!"

Quinn turned to the centaur who had said that. "Be careful, centaur. I'm not of your kind, so think carefully before you decide to shoot at me."

The tension between the two parties grew, as some of the centaurs felt the need to launch their arrows with cold growing increasingly chilly around them. And just when the dam was about to break —

"Stop!"

A voice gave a pause to everything. Eight pairs of eyes turned to see another centaur; he had blond human hair and the body of a palomino horse. He looked younger than the rest of the centaurs.

"Firenze, what are you doing?" asked the leading centaur.

"Mercury has left the House of Secrets and has entered the House of Ambitions," said Firenze. "The stars were clearer than ever last night. I believe they were showing me something."

Quinn tilted his head in confusion. If there was one magic that Quinn didn't understand, that was Divination-slash-Seer magic. He had no aptitude for it. Although he used the stars and planets' positions when he brewed some potions, when he performed alchemy, and when he needed to do some runic interpretations.

"Have you gone senile, Firenze?! Planetary movements don't trouble themselves with actions of worthless humans," yelled the oldest centaur of the group.

Quinn ignored the rude jab. In a way, living beings had no worth at all, considering the size of the universe.

"He wants to challenge the cursed mines. As far as I know, no human has ever challenged it. Even we ourselves haven't dared in decades. This is big enough for the stars to show me something," declared Firenze.

Quinn stayed silent. This Firenze was making his job easier. He didn't mind letting him do the job for him.

"Besides, we can't harm a child. It's against our honour."

Occlumency came faster than ever and clamped on Quinn's surprise. Donning his Noir transformative suit hadn't been a fashion statement; he used it to stay hidden, to keep his identity confidential. And now that centaur just revealed his age.

"Child? I don't see it," muttered the red-haired centaur and turned to look at Quinn.

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"He has the vitality of a child. Look closer, and you will see it. The sun illuminates him," instructed Firenze. His younger age didn't make him a lesser Divinator. No. Firenze had a more potent Seer blood running through his body, which gave him a stronger connection to his Sight.

Three of the seven centaurs found Firenze to be correct and put down their weapons. The rest who weren't well-versed in Divination followed the others. A centaur's honour didn't allow them to hurt a child.

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Firenze gazed at the figure dressed in pitch black, and even though he couldn't see the face, much less the eyes, he knew that the human child was looking back at him.

"I shall guide you to where you want to go. Follow me."

Quinn stared at Firenze and at the rest of the centaurs for a while before finally stepping forward. The chill that enveloped the area subsided. Though he didn't drop his vigilance, as he exited the circle of centaurs. He moved to Firenze's side.

The centaur and the human lead the way. The seven other centaurs followed behind, keeping their distance from the human who had intruded in their home.

"Why do you desire to enter the cursed place, human?" asked Firenze. "I never understood why even my kind wanted to go there. So many have lost their lives, saddening their families, just because they wanted to explore the unknown."

Quinn didn't reply. He just walked through the forest, occasionally snapping the branches, tendrils, and roots that threatened to trip him.

"Tell me, child. How did you know about the cursed pits? We thought that the pits were the secret of our forest. I wonder how you, a human, know about them."

The question was returned with silence. Quinn saved in his memory the path they were taking. He didn't want to interact with the centaur, but he couldn't concentrate on his task when he could feel Firenze's intense gaze looking at him from his side.

"What are you doing, centaur?" Quinn gave Firenze a side look.

"It's strange, very strange," muttered Firenze. His eyes stared at Quinn as if looking through him. "There seems to be a haze over your fate. I can't see through it. I haven't seen something like this before.. ."

Quinn's eyes widened a fraction, and his distorted voice warned, "Stop it, centaur. Stop whatever you're doing. I don't want the Sight to be used on me."

"Why?" asked Friar in surprise. Looking for signs of the future was a part of centaur culture; he couldn't understand why Quinn would refuse.

"I and fate don't get along. I don't want to hear what she wishes for me. I stay outside of her interventions. The last thing I want is for her to take notice of me," explained Quinn.

He didn't want anyone with the Sight or power of a Seer to tell his fate to him. Quinn feared that someday, a Divinator would make a prophecy about him. That was the last thing Quinn would ever want. He preferred to have freedom instead of knowing something vague about an uncertain future where there was a high chance of him getting involved.

"We are here," noted Firenze. He pointed out the way with his hand.

Quinn looked at the place the centaur's hand indicated. The place he stood in was dim by all standards; the canopies did a good job in blocking the majority of the light. It was almost impossible to see what lay ahead. It was too dark. The trees looked darker than ever, and the eerie chill didn't seem to welcome many living beings. It looked like the pitch-black darkness of the place seemed to suck in everything, not even letting the light escape.

"The ones who live inside aren't kind even to us residents, much less to an outsider like you. Have you made up your mind, young challenger? If you go inside, you might not come out."

"If I go inside, then the ones who live inside might not ever get a chance to get out," said Quinn. His distorted voice and dark attire made it seem like a demon issuing an ultimatum.

He turned to Firenze, "Don't bother to wait, centaur. I'll manage to find my way out." With that, Quinn stepped into the darkness until Firenze couldn't see him anymore.

"May the stars be with you, challenger," said Firenze and he walked away.

- (Scene Break) -

Quinn stood still in the blackness. He was unable to see a single thing around him. But unlike in Tehom's Delight, he wasn't able to move unrestrictedly because of the branches, vines, trees in his path.

'Unlike in Tehom's Delight...' Orbs of light appeared around Quinn. '... I can light things up.' The shimmering orbs of light floated away, cycling around Quinn, creating a circle of visibility, illuminating everything within.

"Much better." He stepped over a now visible over-the-ground root and began his journey to the unknown part of Forbidden Forest.

Slowly making his way inside, he passed through a maze of beech, oak, pine, sycamore, and yew. Every tree had been tainted with a coal-like tinge. A tinge that matched its surroundings. Even with shimmering magical orbs shedding ethereal light, the surroundings remained bleak and morose.

The dead plain through which Quinn passed quickly came alive as a rustling of leaves began to be heard. Suddenly, a horse-sized, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic spider leaped toward him from a crouched position. Quinn turned his head back.

A screech shattered the silence as an acromantula smashed against a magic blue crystal shield. The shield caused its skin to scorch, causing the spider to leave the place screaming.

'Knew that it would come in handy,' thought Quinn. Not a shield spell he would regularly use as he would normally strike from the distance.

Click, click, click.

The spider wasn't alone; he had brought his companions along and they didn't seem to like Quinn, as acromantulas of various sizes threw themselves against his shield.

"What in the world?" Quinn's eyes darted from side to side as his shield was continuously attacked by carelessly lunging acromantula bodies.

Quinn began to worry as he began to see their bodies pierce the shields just before they walked away from the pain of the intense burns.

"I'm not that tasty," gulped Quinn. His mind was racing among the screams, screeches, and click-clack of pincers.

"All right, I've had enough. Time to go on the offensive."

Ice started to form around Quinn. Tens of spikes started hovering around him, growing till they were the size of his arms... And then it began. The spikes shot out towards the spiders, nailing them and drawing their blood. Immediately after, another set of ice spikes would appear, and another wave of spears would hit out.

"I need to get out of here. I'm not equipped for this," sighed Quinn while keeping on shooting out spears towards the horde of spiders. He couldn't see anything outside his cycling lights, and Quinn couldn't have that. Right now, he didn't even have an idea about the number of foes that surrounded him.

He started to ran while firing ice spikes and pouring magic into the shield. The spiders in the meanwhile were trying to ram him from behind, right, left and above. If it hadn't been Quinn, they would have been in trouble from the strain of magic consumption. Having to deploy hundreds of ice spears while maintaining a shield would have been like an impossible feat for most wizards.

"Ah, I can see light," said Quinn. But... "I'm not going to make it out this way... need a little boom-boom." There were just too many spiders in front of him to get out without an explosion, after all.

Quinn melted the ice and clasped his hands together. Suddenly, an orange light started to build up between his palms. Quinn's eyes remained fixed on his hands, ignoring the fact that the acromantula's pincers were coming dangerously close to him, only being safe because the spiders couldn't stand the pain of being burned.

The orange light began to get brighter as the seconds passed. 2... 6... 10... 15 seconds passed before Quinn looked straight ahead and opened his hands. An orange flash covered the entire area. The light was so bright that all the shadows seemed to disappear.

Even though Quinn couldn't see, he believed in his magic, so he ran forward. He didn't meet a single spider in his path. He kept hearing clicks and squeaks in all directions, but his path ahead was clear. With his eyes on the ground, he jumped over a large root. He rolled in the darkness to a comparatively brighter part of the Forbidden Forest.

He did not let go of his shield and immediately prepared himself. Curses with destructive capacity flared over his hands, but there was nothing. The spider seemed to have disappeared as if they had never existed.

Quinn's breathing became laboured, his eyes alert. But nothing came out. He looked at the violet spell on his left and the maroon spell on his right. He shot them into the darkness.... To no avail... not a sound could be heard.

"What the hell."

He hadn't been injured, but that had been the most overwhelming experience Quinn had ever had.

Who knew what creatures awaited inside for him. Quinn for sure didn't know what to expect. What he knew was that if he wanted to achieve his goal, he would've to go through their residence. Residents that lived in the dark, black, and gloom… Residents that lived in the underworld.

Quinn West - MC - Was worried for a second.

Firenze - Centaur - Strong Seer with a connection to the luminaries.

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