Hearing the Basilisk's mournful cry, the soul within the notebook stirred. But perhaps due to insufficient power, the notebook could only weakly flip two pages, revealing nothing more than a feeble [STOP].
The Basilisk writhed across the stone floor in agony, its massive tail lashing out and crashing against the ancient pillars, sending chips of stone flying in all directions. Yet no matter how it thrashed, it couldn't extinguish the terrible burning that had taken root behind its ruined eyes.
The black mist peeled away from the serpent's head, and not far away, Kai Adler slowly reappeared.
He didn't look well—his face was drained of all color, pallid as porcelain. Clearly, channeling the Obscurus under the Basilisk's direct gaze had taken its toll. But the faint curve at the corner of his lips betrayed his satisfaction.
The objective was achieved.
Even though he'd retreated, the ethereal blue flames still burned on the Basilisk's skull, casting a ghostly glow throughout the chamber. Occasionally, the flames hissed or popped, making it clear they were no ordinary fire.
The creature's eyes were gone—reduced to blackened craters by the cursed fire—and the sound of its hoarse, echoing wails made the chamber feel like a mausoleum.
The Basilisk lunged toward a nearby pool, plunging itself into the water, yet the flames clung stubbornly, refusing to die.
Kai chuckled.
"That's Inferi," he murmured. "If I don't will it to end, nothing can put it out."
His voice, however, drew the Basilisk's attention. Its ruined vision useless, it relied on instinct and fury. With a bellow of hate, the great snake surged forward, its blind maw gaping open. Two fangs—long, curved like daggers—flashed with a faint blue light, either coated in venom or tainted by the lingering Inferi flames.
A rush of hot, fetid air blasted into Kai's face. He wrinkled his nose.
"Have you not brushed your teeth in a thousand years?" he muttered, waving his hand dismissively.
The Basilisk's jaws closed in—too fast to dodge.
Then, from the folds of Kai's sleeve, a violet blur erupted. With a sharp, crystalline cry, it expanded in mid-air, revealing a massive creature with the sinuous body of a serpent and the wings of a bird of prey. It coiled itself around the Basilisk in a flash, lifting the monster off the ground.
Luna's emerald eyes blazed with fury. Her scaled body constricted tightly around the older serpent, and her beak stabbed viciously at the Basilisk's crown.
How dare you try to bite my master! I'll peck you to death!
The Basilisk shrieked, helpless in the air. With no leverage, it writhed like a wounded worm, bullied mercilessly by this enraged, younger serpent.
Yet for all Luna's ferocity, the Basilisk's ancient scales held fast. Her beak, sharp as it was, struck with the clink of steel on stone, leaving not a scratch.
Kai narrowed his eyes. It wasn't pain that filled the Basilisk's cries—it was humiliation.
He gave a soft whistle. Luna released her quarry and swooped back, shrinking mid-flight until she curled up delicately on his shoulder.
Bang!
The Basilisk slammed into the ground, stunned. Its head swayed slightly, clearly dazed.
Luna chirped crossly, rubbing her beak against Kai's cheek. She whined softly in his mind—That old beast is tougher than a dragon's hide. My beak still aches.
Kai gently patted her head.
His gaze returned to the Basilisk. Though its head was scorched and its vision gone, it still hadn't collapsed. The magical resistance of its hide was monstrous—even Fiendfyre, one of the most devastating spells known, hadn't breached its scales.
Could it even survive the Killing Curse? Kai wondered.
No matter. If magic wouldn't work, then physical force would.
He whispered to Luna, "Watch me avenge your beak."
As the Basilisk lunged again, he raised his arms, fingers spread wide like a conductor before an orchestra.
The towering stone columns began to tremble.
Suddenly, the great serpent carvings along their lengths stirred and moved.
With a beckoning motion of his left hand, one stone python sprang to life and launched toward the Basilisk. Several more followed, wrapping tightly around the serpent's writhing form. Stone fangs bit into the gaps between the Basilisk's scales.
The monster froze mid-lunge.
Then Kai lifted his right hand. Another set of stone pythons lashed out, hoisting the Basilisk's massive frame into the air like a grotesque marionette.
The Basilisk hung helplessly, suspended mid-air by serpents carved of rock and bound by Kai's will.
His robes flared slightly in the updraft. He looked like a sorcerer-conductor, each flick of his fingers tightening the coils, each movement wringing new hisses and groans from the bound serpent.
The Basilisk's thrashing echoed through the chamber like a tortured symphony.
If anyone had been present, they might have applauded.
He nodded once, pleased. "On the ground, you're dangerous. But up here…"
Kai closed his fists, and the stone pythons constricted further. Their grinding against the Basilisk's scales created a nerve-jarring screech, and fragments of stone rained down from above.
Transfiguration truly is limitless, he mused.
The spell didn't create new matter—it transformed the old. That meant its effects were real, tangible. Physical.
According to Dumbledore, Kai had only just crossed the threshold of Transfiguration. Yet even at this "beginner" stage, very few wizards could trap a creature like this with conjured stone.
But the constant shattering and flaking told him the stone wouldn't hold forever. The Basilisk's defensive resilience was just as absurd as its offense.
If only I had a blade sharp enough to pierce through—
His eyes lit with thought.
From the inside, then.
He made a twisting motion with his fingers. The stone python wrapped around the Basilisk's head split, forming several thin cords. They wrapped tightly around the monster's upper and lower jaws and wrenched.
Its maw opened wide in a forced scream.
Kai lifted his hand again. Stone debris from the ground rose and condensed above his palm, shaping itself into a razor-sharp stone cone.
Not enough.
A whisper of Inferi-blue flame trickled out from his skin, licking up the cone until it blazed like a ghostly torch.
He tilted his head toward the Basilisk, smiling with cruel politeness.
"A little treat for you."
With a flick of his wrist, the burning cone shot toward the Basilisk's exposed throat.
But just before it landed, a flame appeared beside him. In an instant, a figure materialized out of it, robes billowing, silver hair catching the blue light.
The newcomer raised a hand—and the burning cone disintegrated into nothingness. Not even ash remained.
Kai turned sharply, annoyance in his voice.
"Dumbledore. What are you doing?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"And I thought Apparition was impossible within Hogwarts?"