Harry Potter: I am the Legend

"Where's Ankel? Where did he go?"

Hoffa heard someone addressing him and broke out of his meditation. It was Aldo, now awake and leaning against the campfire, glancing around.

"The moment you wake up, you're already looking for him," Hoffa mocked. "Do you feel safer with him around than with us?"

Aldo sighed. "That's just the way he is. Nothing can be done about it."

"You sound like a battered wife defending her abusive husband," Hoffa sneered. He glanced at Chloe, expecting her to chuckle, but she didn't. Instead, she coldly gestured toward a newly appeared cavern opening in the ground. "There. Your friend went in. If you want to find him, be my guest."

Aldo leaned over the dark hole, peering inside for a long moment. "Is this also something I imagined? I don't recall ever seeing anything like this before."

After staring into the pitch-black tunnel for some time, Aldo showed no intention of going in. Instead, he straightened up and pulled out some beans to roast over the fire. Where he got the food from was a mystery—perhaps military rations or something conjured out of thin air.

Hoffa suddenly realized he hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days, yet he felt neither hunger nor thirst. Oddly enough, it didn't bother him.

As the beans roasted, their faint aroma filled the air. Aldo carried them over to Chloe, who was hugging her knees.

When he approached, Chloe shrank back slightly.

Aldo did nothing aggressive, instead bowing his head before her. "Back in that room, I never expected you to help me. Thank you."

His tone was sincere and tinged with guilt.

Chloe shook her head without speaking or meeting his eyes.

Sighing, Aldo dropped to one knee and offered the roasted beans in his hands. "I'm sorry for everything I've done before, Miss Lemaire."

Is he actually feeling remorse? Hoffa thought, surprised. Aldo's demeanor didn't seem deceitful at all.

Smack!

Chloe slapped the roasted beans from Aldo's hands, scattering them across the ground. A few rolled over to Hoffa's feet, and he sneakily picked one up, popping it into his mouth. It tasted like nothing, as though he'd lost his sense of flavor.

"I only helped you because the gods demanded it," Chloe said coldly. "On a personal level, I will never forgive you for your actions or the atrocities you committed against the Tyrell Abbey."

Her voice was as icy as a winter wind, cutting to the bone. Aldo, thoroughly humiliated, slinked back to the fire.

Still chewing the tasteless bean, Hoffa raised an eyebrow. Even in her angriest moments, Chloe had never spoken in such a frigid tone. It piqued his curiosity—clearly, the nun had a dark past she had yet to share.

The cavern trembled slightly.

At first, Hoffa thought the strange creature from before had returned, but the vibrations were faint, almost imperceptible, unlike the violent attacks they'd endured earlier.

"Does it feel like the cavern's shrinking?" Chloe suddenly asked.

Prompted by her observation, Hoffa noticed the unsettling truth: the space around them had silently decreased by about one-fifth of its original size. It was subtle enough to escape notice at first glance.

"It is shrinking," Aldo confirmed.

The ground quivered faintly once more.

Hoffa studied the glowing patterns on the floor, which seemed to ripple and contract like the stomach walls of a living creature, gradually squeezing inward.

Initially, the changes were subtle, but soon they grew more pronounced. The decrepit, rusted locomotive at the cavern's center groaned under the pressure, its structure warping like a helpless tin can.

For the trio, the situation was even more dire.

"This isn't part of my imagination!" Aldo exclaimed in panic. "I swear, I've never seen anything like this in my life!"

"Shut up!" Hoffa snapped at him.

His heart pounded as he fixed his gaze on the black tunnel at the cavern's center.

The tunnel wasn't shrinking.

Of course, Hoffa thought bitterly. If someone was controlling this nightmare, they clearly wanted him to venture into that ominous, narrow passageway.

With the train car now crushed to a third of its original size, there was no time for hesitation. The trio hastily grabbed a few torches and scrambled into the tunnel.

No sooner had they entered than the cavern behind them erupted with the sound of metal collapsing. Rusty screws and fragments flew everywhere, leaving no doubt that if they had delayed even a second longer, they'd have been flattened like meat patties.

"Stop imagining things!" Chloe scolded Aldo sharply. "Isn't our situation bad enough already?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Lemaire," Aldo apologized hastily. "I'll try not to think of anything."

"Wait," Hoffa interrupted. "Are you afraid of the dark?"

"What?"

"I asked if you're afraid of the dark."

"No," Aldo said after some thought. "Actually, dark, cramped places kind of make me feel safe."

"It's not his nightmare," Hoffa concluded, turning to Chloe. "There's no point blaming him. The nightmare's host has changed."

"Changed?"

"Yes. The setting has shifted—from horrifying bugs to pure darkness. Someone among us must have severe claustrophobia or a fear of the dark."

Chloe fell silent.

"Ankel," Aldo muttered. "This is Ankel's nightmare. No wonder he's been acting so strange since entering the cave."

"You know him well, don't you?" Hoffa asked.

"I wish I didn't know him at all," Aldo replied with a wry smile. "He's always bossing people around, acting like he's invincible. Though I'll admit he's better at magic than me. Who'd have thought he'd be afraid of the dark?"

After enduring a nightmare that would drive most people insane, Aldo's attitude had noticeably softened. While he wasn't as reverent toward Chloe, he was at least civil.

Hoffa pressed further. "Do you have any idea what kind of monster might show up in this darkness?"

"I doubt there will be monsters. Ankel doesn't read stories," Aldo said dismissively.

"...Fair enough," Hoffa muttered.

The tunnel ceiling sealed itself behind them, leaving no choice but to press forward.

Hoffa took the lead, holding a torch aloft. Its flickering light barely pushed back the oppressive blackness, illuminating only the ground immediately beneath his feet. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear a faint, rhythmic breathing. It wasn't his, nor did it belong to Aldo or Chloe. It came from the very walls, as if the tunnel were alive.

Aldo stayed close to Chloe in the darkness, perhaps trying to protect her, but she clearly didn't appreciate the gesture. When he moved too near, she quickened her pace, eventually walking beside Hoffa, where she felt somewhat safer.

"This passage is narrow," Hoffa grumbled. "Stop crowding me."

Reluctantly, Chloe slowed her steps.

After thirty minutes of walking, the tunnel showed no signs of ending. The unchanging blackness made it feel as though they hadn't moved at all.

Finally, Hoffa stopped.

"Is anyone scared?" he asked.

"Who, me? No," Chloe replied immediately.

"And you?" he turned to Aldo.

"Where is Ankel? Where did he go?"

Hoffa heard someone asking him and paused his meditation. It was Aldo, who had woken up and was now peering around the campfire.

"You ask for him as soon as you wake up," Hoffa remarked sarcastically. "Do you feel safer with him than with us?"

Aldo replied, "That's just the way he is. What can I do?"

"That tone makes you sound like an abused wife defending her husband after the fact," Hoffa sneered. He glanced at Chloe, expecting her to chuckle. But she didn't; she just stared coldly at the two men and pointed to a newly opened cave. "Look, your friend went in there. If you want to find him, go ahead."

Aldo crouched at the cave entrance and peered inside for a long time. "Is this also something I imagined? I don't recall ever seeing anything like it before."

After staring into the dark tunnel for a while, Aldo made no move to enter. Instead, he straightened up and took some beans out of his pouch, roasting them over the fire. It was unclear where the food came from—perhaps military rations or something he conjured up.

Only then did Hoffa realize he hadn't eaten or drunk anything for several days. Strangely enough, he didn't feel hungry or thirsty.

The aroma of roasted beans filled the air. Aldo offered some beans to Chloe, who hugged her knees as he approached.

Without doing anything further, Aldo lowered his head before her. "Back in that room, I didn't expect you to help me," he said sincerely and apologetically.

Chloe shook her head without speaking or looking at him.

With a sigh, Aldo knelt on one knee and offered the beans in his hand. "I'm sorry for what happened before, Miss Leme."

Has this guy actually grown a conscience? Hoffa was surprised. Aldo didn't seem to be lying.

Smack!

Chloe slapped the beans out of Aldo's hands. A few rolled to Hoffa's feet, and he secretly picked one up and popped it into his mouth. It had no taste, as though his sense of flavor had disappeared.

"I helped you because a divine entity demanded it of me," Chloe said coldly. "But personally, I will never forgive you or your group for what you did to the Taylara Monastery."

Her voice was chilling, as cold as a winter gale. Defeated, Aldo slinked back to the campfire.

Hoffa raised an eyebrow. Even in Chloe's angriest moments, she had never spoken with such venom. He couldn't help but wonder what past horrors the nun had endured before meeting him.

The cave trembled slightly.

Hoffa thought the earlier monster had returned and quickly pressed his ear against the wall. But the tremor was faint, almost imperceptible, and completely unlike the violent attacks from before.

"Do you feel like the cave is getting smaller?" Chloe asked suddenly.

Her words brought clarity. Hoffa realized that the cave had shrunk by about a fifth of its original size, an almost unnoticeable change unless one paid close attention.

"It is shrinking," Aldo confirmed.

The ground trembled again, just barely.

Hoffa inspected the patterns on the ground illuminated by the firelight. They were shrinking and writhing, as though the cave walls were a living stomach, slowly closing in.

At first, the changes were subtle. But soon, the transformation became more dramatic. The decaying train engine in the center of the cave groaned under the pressure, crumpling like a helpless tin can.

The three of them fared even worse.

"This wasn't my imagination! I swear, I've never seen anything like this!" Aldo exclaimed in panic.

"Shut up!" Hoffa barked.

His heart pounded as he stared intently at the dark tunnel ahead.

The entrance to the tunnel hadn't shrunk.

As he suspected, if someone was controlling this nightmare, they must have wanted him to enter the narrow, unknown pathway.

The train engine had shrunk to a third of its size. With no time to spare, the three hastily grabbed some torches and crawled into the tunnel.

The moment they entered, the sounds of crushing metal intensified behind them. Rusted screws and broken parts ricocheted wildly. If they had waited any longer, they would've been flattened.

"Could you stop imagining things? Our situation is bad enough already!" Chloe scolded Aldo sharply.

Aldo quickly apologized. "Sorry, Miss Leme. I'll try not to imagine anything."

"Wait, are you afraid of the dark?" Hoffa asked.

"What?"

"I asked if you're afraid of the dark."

"No," Aldo replied after some thought. "Actually, I find dark, confined spaces comforting."

"Not his nightmare," Hoffa said to Chloe. "Blaming him is pointless. The nightmare's host has changed."

"Changed?"

"Yes, the content is completely different. From creepy bugs to pure darkness. One of the four of us must have a fear of tight spaces or darkness."

Chloe hesitated.

"Ankel," Aldo muttered. "It's his nightmare. No wonder he's been acting strange since entering the cave."

"You know him well?" Hoffa asked.

"I'd rather not," Aldo replied with a bitter smile. "He's used to bossing people around, always acting invincible. But yeah, he's better than me at magic. Who would've guessed he's afraid of the dark?"

After experiencing his own nightmare, Aldo's demeanor had changed. While not as deferential to Chloe, he was at least willing to talk.

"Do you know what kind of monster might appear in this darkness?" Hoffa asked.

"I doubt there'll be a monster. Ankel doesn't read stories," Aldo replied.

Hoffa sighed.

By then, the space above them had completely sealed off. With no choice but to move forward, Hoffa led the way with his torch. The flame barely lit the ground beneath their feet, unable to dispel the oppressive darkness.

He could hear faint breathing sounds, not from himself or the others, but emanating from the walls, as if they were alive.

The suffocating darkness persisted as they walked deeper. Suddenly, Hoffa stopped and asked, "Is anyone scared?"

"I'm not," Chloe answered immediately.

"How about you?" Hoffa asked Aldo.

"I think I'm fine," Aldo replied, scratching his head.

"Then it doesn't add up. This isn't a real physical tunnel. Everything we're experiencing is illusory, so there can't be an endless abyss," Hoffa reasoned.

"But we've been walking nonstop," Chloe countered.

"It only feels that way," Hoffa explained. "We haven't moved an inch. Something is deceiving our senses, feeding on our emotions. In Aldo's nightmare, the more extreme his emotions, the scarier the nightmare became. It's like a Boggart, exploiting our weaknesses by constantly changing form. If we maintain a calm mindset, the environment will likely change. So someone here must be afraid."

Neither Chloe nor Aldo spoke. Hoffa turned around, raising his torch to inspect their faces.

The mystery deepens...

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09