The next moment, Lucian stepped past the three of them and moved forward alone.
Calmly.
Facing the terrifying beast that was rumbling with threatening growls.
He didn't take out a musical instrument.
He didn't even draw his wand.
He simply looked quietly at the three enormous heads, which looked even more grotesque in their rage.
In his deep eyes there was no fear—only the absolute calm of someone observing an insect.
In his perception, the monster's seemingly violent will was actually simple—like a blank sheet of paper.
Its mental world is extremely primitive…
Only the most basic instincts exist—"guard," "hunger," "irritability"…
For a creature with intelligence this low…
His heaven-defying comprehension activated again.
Research Topic: How to bypass all magical rituals and incantations and directly issue an irresistible command to the mental core of a low-intelligence creature—one that functions like a biological instinct.
Solution: Use the mental domination model of the Imperius Curse as a base, strip away all its dark attributes, and elevate it into a more fundamental principle—
the absolute authority of higher life over lower life, where speech itself becomes law.
Spell Constructed.
Name: Edict of All Things.
Lucian slowly raised his head.
Looking at the three-headed dog—now scraping the floor impatiently with its claws, ready to pounce at any moment—he spoke two words.
His voice was calm, devoid of emotion.
Yet every syllable seemed to resonate with the underlying rules of the world itself.
"Sleep."
The voice was quiet.
But it carried the unquestionable authority of a creator.
Instantly—
The ferocious three-headed dog, which had been preparing to tear the intruders apart, stopped roaring.
As if an invisible divine hand had gently brushed across its three restless souls.
The savage light in its six lantern-sized eyes faded like a receding tide.
In its place came something else—
An overwhelming, childlike drowsiness.
The middle head even let out a gigantic yawn.
Then, under the frozen, ghost-struck stares of Harry, Ron, and Hermione—
The mountain-sized beast whimpered softly.
The sound no longer held any threat.
Instead, it carried a tone of contented dependence—almost like a pet acting cute toward its master.
Slowly, the massive creature curled its body inward.
Carefully.
As if afraid that making noise might disturb a god.
Finally, it lay down obediently—
Like a kitten that had just been petted and was preparing to sleep.
Moments later, the three-headed dog was completely asleep.
Three rhythmic snores soon echoed through the chamber.
Harry's hand, still holding the wooden flute, remained frozen in midair.
Ron's mouth hung open wide enough to fit an entire pumpkin pie.
Hermione had both hands clamped over her mouth to stop the shocked gasp that almost burst out of her throat.
The silence in the chamber now felt almost sacred.
After confirming that Fluffy had fallen into a deep sleep, the four of them wasted no time.
Harry carefully pushed the heavy trapdoor fully open.
A damp, cold wind rushed up from the darkness below, carrying the smell of soil and rotting plants.
"I… I can't see anything," Ron said nervously as he leaned over the opening, his voice trembling.
"We'll have to jump," Lucian said calmly, as if discussing something completely ordinary.
As soon as he finished speaking, Harry took a deep breath, gathered his courage—
and jumped into the pitch-black hole.
Ron and Hermione followed immediately after.
For a brief moment they felt the sickening sensation of falling—
Then—
Puff!
Instead of crashing onto stone, they landed on something incredibly soft and springy, like the leaves of a giant plant.
"Thank goodness… something's catching us," Ron gasped with relief, trying to climb up from the soft surface.
But the moment he struggled to stand—
Everything changed.
The "plants" beneath them suddenly came alive.
The previously soft vines twisted violently like the tentacles of an awakened octopus.
Countless cold, slimy tendrils shot up from all directions like black serpents.
"What is this thing?!" Ron screamed in panic.
Instinctively, he began struggling violently.
But that only seemed to signal an attack.
The vines reacted immediately—tightening and multiplying.
They wrapped around him faster and faster, squeezing harder and harder.
In the blink of an eye, his legs and waist were completely bound by dozens of thick vines.
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