Tom's eyes fell on the unfinished bone wand on the table. The wand was not complete, and to Riddle, the missing piece was as important as the bone: the core. It was the core that determined the true power, the soul of a wizard's wand. That's why he couldn't choose any ordinary material. This wand, made from the leg bones of a vampire, needed something special.
The fur of wolves in the forest or vampire hair... A faint smile appeared on Tom's face as he thought about it. Vampire hair was a rare magical element and an unknown resource to many mages. However, he had noticed earlier that Ezekiel's hair was not long enough, so he was looking for another solution.
Just then, he had another idea. Maybe the core shouldn't just be a physical element. Riddle, who liked to push the boundaries of wand making, thought of harnessing a vampire's spiritual energy. If he could capture the soul, the essence of a vampire in a wand, its power would increase exponentially.
In the dark air of the house, filled with this thought, Tom ran his hand over the wand made of vampire bones. For a moment, the wand trembled slightly, as if sensing the power to come. Riddle felt that he had been waiting for the right moment to complete the wand. Now it was just a matter of finding the material for the core.
As soon as Tom left the house, he began his slow walk into the darkness of the forest. The chill in the air made the night feel very cold, but he didn't mind. On the contrary, the darkness and the cold were like a friend to him. Occasionally, moonlight filtered through the trees, casting a pale glow on the ground, but mostly, the forest was shrouded in gloomy darkness. The trunks of the trees towered like giant pillars, and the rustle of the leaves suggested that something was moving deep inside.
The echo of their footsteps mingled only with the crunch of dry leaves falling to the ground. An owl hooted once from the top of a distant tree, then fell silent. It was like an echo, a reminder that the forest is a living thing. As Tom moved through this dark corner of nature, his eyes carefully scanned the movement around him.
After a while, Riddle spotted the shadow of an animal moving quickly behind a small thicket of bushes and disappearing. Red eyes flashed in the darkness for a moment, then quickly disappeared into the darkness. A small predator, perhaps a fox or a marten, was stalking its prey. Tom was not easily distracted by such things, but tonight the forest seemed to be whispering something different to him.
The deeper they went into the forest, the more wild and unusual the shapes of the surrounding vegetation became. The trees grew denser and their trunks bent and twisted into strange shapes. Some had cracked bark and were covered with moss, as if these places had not seen a human being for centuries. Weeds and bushes on the ground tangled around their ankles with every step. The forest here had become more mystical and threatening.
Suddenly, a small light appeared in front of Riddle. It was like a firefly or a small spark of magic, slowly gliding through the depths of the forest. The light seemed to be showing him a path as it danced through the air. Riddle decided to follow the light,
As Tom Riddle made his way deeper into the forest, human voices broke the silence. As he took a few more steps through the trees and came out into the clearing, he found a group of nine people camped out. The group was chatting and laughing in the light of the fire they were sitting around. But the voices were interrupted by Riddle's sudden appearance. The attentive eyes of the people turned to him.
It was strange and unexpected for everyone in the group to meet a stranger in such a remote place at this time of night. One of the group stood up cautiously and approached Riddle. The muscular, middle-aged man in mountaineering clothing had a cautious look in his eyes. The others watched silently.
The man spoke tentatively: "Hello, is there a problem? Can we help you?" His voice was soft, but his discomfort was obvious. Meeting a stranger in such a lonely forest had made them uncomfortable.
Riddle recognized the nervousness in the group. There was no need to take advantage of their fear or discomfort, but he kept his distance. "I'm not lost," he replied in a cold voice, "I was just passing through."
The man looked away for a moment and turned back to his group. They were silent; no one wanted to say anything about this unexpected encounter. Adam turned back to Riddle, but this time, his smile was a little weaker.
"Well... well, being alone in the woods at night can be dangerous. We're camping here, but we weren't expecting anyone," he said, frowning slightly. The other members of the group looked at each other, the silence between them growing heavier.
One of the younger members of the group, Daniel, whispered softly without taking his eyes off Riddle: "Who could be in the woods at this hour?" The other members of the group pondered the question in silence, but no one dared to speak out loud.
Riddle, however, remained calm and began to look more closely at the group. He noticed a young woman, Laura, watching him with cautious and wary eyes. She was different from the others; her curiosity seemed to override her fear. Still, there was an air of unease about the whole group.
"What are you doing here?" Laura asked in a shy but curious voice.
Riddle met her gaze and paused for a moment. It was unnecessary to explain to these people what he was looking for, but he thought they might have some information. "I'm looking for something," he replied distantly.
Laura pondered Riddle's answer for a moment. The other members of the group seemed even more uncomfortable with the conversation. Peter, the man who seemed to be the leader of the group, looked nervously at Riddle again.
"It can be dangerous to search the woods at night. Have you been here long?" Peter asked with a cautious look in his eyes.
Riddle, ignoring the group's natural skepticism, answered directly: "A while. You've been camping too, I understand."
Peter nodded slightly. "Yes. Tomorrow morning we climb the summit. But it was... surprising... to meet a stranger... at this time of night." His voice was still soft, but cautious.
Riddle watched the effect he had on the group. They were all disturbed by his sudden presence. The other members of the group were gathered around the fire, watching Riddle intently. Daniel approached Peter and whispered something softly, but his voice was not heard over the crackling of the fire.
Riddle decided not to disturb them any further. This group was not his main target, but he could still learn something from this encounter. "Nothing to worry about," he said coolly. "I'll just finish my work and leave, I don't want to disturb you."
The group looked at each other. No one dared to say anything outright to Riddle, but there was a wary look in each of their eyes. Except Laura. She was still looking at Riddle with curious eyes.
"Be careful in the woods," Laura said, a slight warning in her voice. "I've heard that strange things happen here at night. People disappear... or don't come back."
Riddle found those words interesting. Perhaps the legends Laura spoke of were not for nothing. There could be many things lurking in the woods, maybe he could find a trace of the power he was looking for. "Interesting," he murmured. "Thank you."
The group watched in silence as Riddle began to move deeper into the forest again. The silence continued for a long time after his departure.
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