In the pitch-black environment, deathly silence spread like a plague——
If someone's gaze could pierce through this darkness, they would see in the center of the darkness, a thin figure kneeling before a tall statue——Lucius Malfoy had to admit that he was a bit panicked because he had been kneeling here for two and a half hours, without the slightest movement——
It wasn't that he didn't want to move, but he simply couldn't.
The "rescue" device was right at his waist, but that invisible force suppressed him completely, making him unable to move——
Yes, that's right, the "rescue" device——as time passed, the brainwashing effect would deteriorate, now he must quickly crush that rune stone to make himself forget all the "plans" and return to the mode of fanaticism towards Voldemort, otherwise...
That damned "mind reader", the master of Legilimency hidden behind the statue, would definitely dig Richard's "plan" out of his brain.
If it came to that point, his fate would not be much better.
"..."
The feeling of dancing with danger face-to-face made Lucius, who had always been accustomed to keeping a low profile in various situations, even feel an urge to retch now.
It's been over a week since that "Tribulation Prison", then being taken into a cave and forced to drink a basin of unknown magic potion, and over this period of observation, Lucius gradually figured out the situation of this organization——his "master", Voldemort, here was merely...
An experiment subject? That was probably the most positive description Lucius could think of.
Voldemort had changed——Lucius could feel it——though Lucius could always maintain himself in a state of brainwashing, but then he would be no different from a real Death Eater. So, William used a very new method——
First, let Lucius use Occlumency-created barriers to save his true self, and then, floating outside Occlumency as a disguise, was an ardent Death Eater consciousness woven by William with Dream Magic. This consciousness could dominate Lucius's body, but Lucius's true consciousness could influence his actions——
Simply put, William transformed Lucius into a "Mecha."
Controlled by Lucius's own consciousness and using the consciousness woven by William as fuel, although this posed a risk of exposure, since fuel always needed replenishing——but it gave Lucius greater freedom, allowing him to freely plan and share all information with William in real time at the right moment.
And it was in this way that even though Lucius discovered Voldemort's oddness, this newly emerged "Tom" seemed not to recognize him.
No matter how he pretended to be very familiar, that guy was not the capricious Dark Lord Lucius knew at all——
And after becoming suspicious, Lucius made a special effort to observe this point, and finally he concluded——
This Tom merely urgently needed a servant to show his importance, while the one sent to fetch another Soul Artifact for him needed a scapegoat to drink the magic potion, so under such circumstances, Lucius was rescued——
Because now, there were no other "fanatical Death Eaters" left in the world, those guys all perished in that green rain.
And ever since the collapse of Malfoy Manor, Lucius, who remained hidden and never exposed in the public eye, naturally became the lone last Death Eater.
Not to mention, even his son was targeted by this organization——
William successfully portrayed him as a logistician at the last resurrection of Voldemort, after all, on that night, all who might have tattled were wiped out. Indeed, ruthless William once again tasted the benefits of never being soft-hearted.
But obviously, this plan was still not perfect——
Now, the real Lucius, hidden beneath that veneer of fanatical Death Eater, had encountered the greatest crisis of all time——
He didn't know if he had exposed any flaw, but now, those who viewed Voldemort as an "experiment" brought him to this secret chamber, and he could perceive, behind that statue, as if an invisible hand was reaching out, stirring chaos in his mind.
Those people seemed to want to get to the bottom of him just like that.
An invisible pressure like a cold tide seeped through every inch of Lucius Malfoy's soul, he must ensure that his external protective layer did not show any defects, this extreme torture as if walking on a tightrope with his brain made him break out in cold sweat.
And just when Lucius was almost unable to bear the inner pressure, and the barrier formed by Occlumency was about to show a slight ripple of instability——
The enormous invisible force on his soul finally vanished.
A barely audible breath came from behind the statue, immediately followed by the heavy door of the dark chamber sliding silently open behind him, a sliver of faint light seeped in from outside, bringing a trace of stale warmth, a cold yet emotional voice directly echoed in his mind, "Leave."
At this moment, the force restraining his body simultaneously disappeared.
It was almost out of survival instinct that Lucius didn't immediately collapse on the floor, he braced against the numbness in his knees, his face twisted beneath his disheveled platinum hair, and the moment he stepped over the dark chamber's threshold, his left hand, previously concealed in his sleeve, swiftly reached out, accurately clasping the coolly textured rune stone fastened to the inside of his belt.
His knuckles tightened suddenly.
"Crack..."
With a barely audible sound of shattering, a faint blue light coursed through all his veins in the blink of an eye, then vanished completely in the next instant.
All real emotions were brutally washed away by this power, replaced by a sinking, blissful heat——a total reverence for the dark power, an absolute loyalty to his master Voldemort, a fervent emotion willing to sacrifice everything for his master's grand ideals.
The core chamber constructed by Occlumency was wrapped in a thick "faith magma", the "real Lucius" temporarily submerged to the bottom.
Now, he was a true and devoted Death Eater reborn because of the "master's great power", the shrewdness and fear once burning in his eyes completely extinguished again, leaving only the burning, almost hollow fanaticism, making one feel uncomfortable just at a glance.
He straightened the robes on his body, stood upright, his face flushed with a morbid red glow and intoxication, he did not look back at the silently closing dark door behind him, nor did he explore the presence hiding in the nearby shadows, now only a single thought occupied his mind——
Return to the "master's" side.