Chapter 1 - 1 A figure awakening from a deep sleep
Chapter 1: A figure awakening from a deep sleep
"Level One Alert!"
"Level One Alert!"
"A large amount of unknown dark energy has appeared in the Cairngorm Mountains. All Aurors, mobilize immediately!"
"Prepare for battle!"
...
The atmosphere at the British Ministry of Magic was extremely tense amidst the blaring alarms.
The Aurors, with grim expressions, formed teams and used Portkeys to investigate the source of the dark energy surge in the Cairngorm Mountains.
Soon, all the Aurors had entered the dark mountain range and began their advance swiftly and orderly.
Among the Auror team, a young Auror with pink hair accidentally lost track of the group and got lost in the complex mountainous terrain.
Nymphadora Tonks, a freshly graduated trainee Auror, was participating in a large-scale operation for the first time. In her haste, she lost contact with her team.
She tried to find her teammates but became disoriented in the dense fog, inadvertently venturing deeper into the dark mountains.
After wandering aimlessly in the fog for a long time, just when Tonks felt utterly dejected, a mysterious figure suddenly appeared ahead, its outline faintly visible through the thick mist.
The young trainee Auror immediately followed her training, raised her wand, and assumed a defensive posture.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Tonks called out loudly.
The figure turned slowly upon hearing her voice.
As he moved, the mist around him strangely parted, making way for him.
This magical sight eased Tonks' intense nerves a bit.
When the figure approached her, all the mist had dispersed to the sides. Behind the mist were two towering peaks, with a giant, bright moon nestled between them.
In the silver moonlight stood a man with long silver hair and a strikingly handsome face.
He looked to be in his twenties, but his deep eyes held the weight of ages.
He spoke slowly and awkwardly, as if he hadn't talked in a long time:
"Hello, could you tell me what time it is?"
His voice shifted from deep to bright, as if it had traveled through centuries to reach the young Auror's ears.
Tonks' pink hair instantly turned a rosy shade, and she stammered, "H-hello, it's around 1 AM."
"I meant the exact date."
"The exact date...?" Tonks hesitated.
"I mean, what year, month, and day is it now?"
"July 31, 1991."
Tonks, in a daze, didn't realize what she had said.
"I see, thank you." The man smiled slightly and started walking towards the mountain's exit.
Only then did the young Auror trainee remember her identity and mission.
"Sir, the Cairngorm Mountains are very dangerous right now, please don't wander around!" She quickly followed, pulling out her Ministry of Magic ID. "I'm a trainee Auror from the British Ministry of Magic, I can protect you!"
Hearing Tonks' confident words, the silver-haired man gave a playful smile and turned to her.
"Oh?" He asked with interest, "What dangers are there?"
"According to our Ministry's detection, a large amount of dark energy has appeared in the Cairngorm Mountains, indicating some evil dark magic creature is about to emerge." Tonks declared confidently. "So you must be careful!"
"I see." He seemed amused, his smile growing.
"I'm very serious, sir!" Tonks protested, her hair turning black in her frustration.
The silver-haired man finally stopped smiling and pointed ahead. "I appreciate your concern, but isn't that the exit of the mountains? Am I not safe now?"
Tonks then realized they had somehow returned to the initial entry point of the Auror team.
"Huh?" She looked back at the intricate mountain path, confused. "How did you find the right way?"
The man smiled slightly, about to say something more.
But then his eyes shifted, and he said instead, "Time's almost up. It was a pleasure meeting you, kind lady."
With a casual wave, he stepped out of the valley and disappeared into the night.
Tonks stared at the night, her mind in a daze.
Just then, a rugged-looking wizard with white hair and numerous scars approached, his wooden leg thumping on the ground, snapping Tonks out of her thoughts.
"Tonks, have you forgotten all your Auror training!" The grizzled wizard sighed in relief upon finding the lost trainee Auror, then began scolding her. "You couldn't even stick with the team during an operation!"
"Sorry, Moody..." Tonks mumbled. "You know I'm not great at 'Stealth and Tracking,' and I lost the group by accident..."
"Since it's your first mission and you handled the emergency fairly well, I'll let it slide this time." Moody growled. "Returning to the safe entry point after losing the team was a smart move."
"Actually, Moody, I got lost." Tonks admitted honestly, head down. "But I met a really handsome man in the valley, and he guided me back."
Moody's brows furrowed at her explanation.
"Anyone in the valley at this time is suspicious." He said gravely. "He could be linked to the dark energy surge!"
"Tonks, which way did he go? We need to follow him!"
But the mysterious figure had already vanished into the night, leaving no trace.
...
The Aurors from the Ministry of Magic were tirelessly searching, but the man was leisurely wandering, curiously observing the scenery of modern Scotland.
His name was Vlad Dracula, a vampire over a thousand years old, who had just awoken from a century-long slumber.
In fact, Moody's suspicion was correct; the dark energy surge was indeed linked to Dracula.
After a hundred years of dormancy, his body had amassed a vast amount of dark energy, and some of it had inadvertently leaked out when he awoke.
This inadvertent leakage had caught the Ministry's attention.
But Dracula wasn't bothered. He adjusted his immaculately preserved black-and-red robes and pulled out an ancient bronze mirror from his pocket.
The back of the mirror was engraved with a golden phoenix, exuding an aura of ancient history.
Dracula smiled nostalgically at the mirror and spoke softly:
"Still alive, old man?"
"Doing well, at least I'm not stuck in a coffin for a century like some people." A grumpy, elderly voice replied from the mirror.
"Old man, a hundred years haven't made you any kinder." Dracula chuckled.
"I'm coming over."
"You need to tell me all the interesting things that happened over the last century..."
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