Several giant Flow Mirrors were erected in front of the audience seats, each displaying the real-time status of different contestants.
The second task didn't completely prohibit the use of various tools, so the Champions each came up with their own ways to handle the underwater environment. Some used the Bubble Head Charm, others Transfigured part of their bodies into fish, some consumed Gillyweed, and others took the Water Lung Potion. There was even someone using Muggle diving equipment.
Due to Vid's "outstanding" performance in the previous match, there was always a camera tracking his movements.
The audience saw Vid first claim the cylinder and the disc, while some of the other contestants were still battling Grindylows. In comparison, Vid's progress was nearing completion.
Bagman excitedly said:
"An amazing performance, everyone! Vid Gray may be the first Champion to complete the task! In fact, this might give him a slight advantage in the third task…"
Before he could finish speaking, everyone saw the scene following Vid suddenly spinning round and round. The rocks, swimming fish, and water plants at the lake bottom twisted into blurred blotches, as if the Flow Mirror filming it had been tossed into a washing machine.
The young wizard disappeared from the camera in an instant.
But before he vanished, he evidently got caught in... no, he himself plunged into a vortex.
Bagman pointed his Magic Wand to amplify the sound from that Flow Mirror.
But there were no sounds of underwater creatures, nor did the audience hear Vid Gray casting spells, only the deep sound of water flow and the sound of the Mother Mirror being squeezed and slightly deforming from the water pressure.
Occasionally, a clear image would flash by—a monstrous fish with a mouth full of sharp teeth, the mast of a half-sunken ship, fluorescent underwater plants, and so on.
But most of the time, that mirror showed only dark and murky water.
A subtle stir and murmurs arose among the audience, Karkaroff leaned slightly forward, Madam Maxime furrowed her brows, Barty Crouch raised his eyes, and the other headmasters each had their own reaction.
Bagman, who was responsible for narrating the match, couldn't help but pause for a moment. After staring for a while, he said offhandedly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I guess the Mother Mirror got caught in a vortex at the lake bottom, and we've temporarily lost sight of contestant Vid Gray…"
As he spoke, Bagman quickly glanced at the expression on Dumbledore's face at the judges' table.
Behind the crescent-moon glasses, those blue eyes squinted slightly, but otherwise showed no extra expression, and his posture remained as still as an ancient tree.
Bagman couldn't discern worry or surprise from the headmaster's face. He didn't know if Vid Gray was encountering unexpected danger or if this was part of his plan.
——Could the kid be setting a trap for the other contestants again?
Bagman couldn't help but wonder silently and, after a pause, he continued speaking in an upbeat tone:
"Alright, I think Vid Gray will soon reappear in our view. Let's first take a look at the other contestants… ah, Victor Krum is already nearing the Giant Squid. Will he wake up this behemoth…"
"Dumbledore," Agilbert, the headmaster of Ilvermorny, leaned in and asked quietly, "Aside from those we've seen, are there other dangerous creatures in the Black Lake? I mean creatures as dangerous as the Merperson Tribe."
Dumbledore, with his fingers interlocked on his belly, leaned against the back of his chair. His long, silver-white beard gently fluttered in the wind.
"Ah, Agilbert, I wish I could tell you I know that lake thoroughly, but in truth, I don't."
Dumbledore said gently, "The dark waters of that lake are older than Hogwarts' walls. Even I can't say for certain how many ancient creatures dwell below."
"Aren't you worried, sir?" Ms. Fujiwara of the Magic Institute lightly covered her face with a paper fan, speaking softly, "Your student has gone missing down there... or do you have a way to rescue him in time?"
The headmasters all knew that to ensure the students' safety, the Ministry of Magic had long ago informed the Giant Squid and the Merperson Tribe. They guarded the "Treasure" sought by the Champions but would not attack the wizards seeking them.
Even if these young people attempted to break the rules or launched reckless attacks, the two would only pretend to strike back, driving them out of the lake.
However, to avoid interference, the Aurors hadn't gone underwater this time, so if the Champions met with unforeseen danger, those on the shore might not be able to act in time.
Moreover, they didn't even truly know what was happening to Vid Gray now.
Upon hearing Ms. Fujiwara's words, a calm smile appeared on Dumbledore's lips, and he said:
"I don't know what lies beneath the Black Lake, but I trust my students. When faced with a crisis, they are sure to show astonishing courage and wisdom."
Ms. Fujiwara smiled, turned to look at the Flow Mirror, and adjusted her skirt in passing.
Karkaroff drew a cold smile and said insincerely, "Let's hope he makes it out alive from the Black Lake… ah, I hope there's no Scylla in there."
...
Vid, carried by the vortex to an unknown depth underwater, barely managed to stabilize his body. Staring at the towering black rock wall before him, he happened to think of that legendary creature.
Legend has it that Scylla is a six-headed, twelve-legged, man-eating water monster. Its underwater body is as vast as a mountain, capable of merging with the cliffside, and destroying human fishing boats with ease.
Of course, Scylla is akin to the God of Death in the Magic World, a sort of existence continuously surrounded by legends, but no one knows for sure who has actually seen one.
Vid, touching the smooth underwater wall, realized that his previous assumption was wrong.
The reason was simple: this place was an under-lake canyon in the Black Lake, of unknown depth, but the immense pressure was already making Vid feel very uncomfortable.
He breathed extremely slowly, feeling as though the surrounding water had turned to gel. His ears could clearly hear the roar of his blood coursing through his veins, and his body felt gripped by an invisible giant hand, even his internal organs experiencing the terrifying pressure.
Only by transforming into a merperson could he survive in such an environment. Anyone else, whether using a bubble or a shark head, would be moments away from peril.
The Ministry of Magic couldn't possibly set the second task's competition location in such a dangerous place; otherwise, it would only lead to a result where no one survived.
Vid didn't open his mouth, but instead, slowly waved his Magic Wand, and the glow of several spells fell on him, making him feel a bit better.
With another wave of his wand, a white orb of light shot from the tip, hovering in front of Vid, illuminating a vast area of the water around him.
Vid looked up at the dark lake water above, flicked his fish tail, and moved away from the vortex-covered area, taking care not to swim too fast as he slowly headed upward.
The water was not entirely dark and silent; there were some wondrous plants and animals emitting beautiful fluorescence, and faint snoring was audible, though its direction was unclear.
Suddenly, Vid's movement paused slightly.
A white, semi-transparent figure floated silently ahead, its long hair spread like water plants, glowing faintly. Its robe floated like thin smoke, and its figure hung between illusion and reality.