After getting a feel for the strength of those three 'non-beings' (referring to the Dementors), Dylan glanced over at the eight dark figures huddled not too far away.
The eight Dementors all took a step back in unison.
Dylan rolled his eyes. "Alright, you lot stay put. Little A (probably referring to one of the Dementors), make sure you teach this one a lesson so he doesn't think about legging it. I'll collect him later."
It was getting late now. Dylan was trying to decide whether to just hit the hay or pop into the Forbidden Forest for a bit. He wanted to check on the Thestrals and see if any unicorns were still about. Time to restock, you see. He was running low on unicorn blood, hair, and even that powdered horn.
The seven Dementors nodded enthusiastically. Dylan stepped back out of the suitcase space.
Peeves, seeing him about to leave, started to float forward, hoping Dylan would take him along. But faced with the seven Dementors who'd just been side-by-side against a common annoyance (likely Peeves himself!) but were now encircling him, the poltergeist just stopped, looking rather sulky.
Dylan slipped on his shadow ring (or similar dark magic item) and, with the help of whatever 'coal ball' is (maybe a creature or charm?), he Apparated right into the Forbidden Forest.
"Oh, blast it, when was I supposed to meet Hagrid again?" he muttered, exploring a small section of the forest but not seeing the half-giant anywhere. "Was it tomorrow or the day after?" He rubbed his chin, deciding not to dwell on it. He'd just find Hagrid tomorrow and ask.
He hurried through the trees, his boots crunching on the damp, fallen leaves. The darkness painted the canopy a thick, inky black. He pulled his cloak tight around him, not bothering to use the invisibility charm from the ring just yet. Dylan had an arrangement with the Thestrals that he might visit them in the evenings, and they had a specific area where Hagrid kept them anyway, so he knew exactly where to find them. (Truth be told, he'd put a subtle Dark Mark on the Thestrals, so he could track them anywhere.)
He slipped through a gap between two ancient trees. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from beneath his feet.
*CRASH!*
Two massive Acromantulas burst from the earth. Their multi-faceted eyes, big as soup bowls, glowed with a malevolent green light, and their furry pincers clicked menacingly. The moment they appeared, thick, acidic webs shot towards Dylan.
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "Didn't your old man (likely referring to Aragog) tell you not to pick fights when you're out and about?"
He raised his wand. Invisible magic surged out. The webs flying at him dissolved instantly, like morning mist hitting scorching heat, turning into fine silver dust that drifted to the ground.
The two Acromantulas shrieked, fixing him with furious glares. Dylan looked them over, noting they seemed quite young.
"Oh? Still in your teenage years, are we? No wonder you're so stroppy," Dylan chuckled. "Want to kill me to avenge your relatives? Well, well, good on you, you've got pluck." It had been a while since an Acromantula had dared rush him head-on.
*ROAR!*
The two spiders opened and closed their mouthparts. Dylan twirled his wand lightly in the air. Fiendfyre flickered into existence.
But then, Dylan paused. His wand changed direction. The Fiendfyre vanished, replaced by a swirling black vortex that enveloped the two Acromantulas. This was the Dementor's Kiss. Dylan wanted to see how effective that particular bit of power was.
The next moment, the spiders' roars cut off abruptly. A greyish-black mist, carrying a palpable chill, spread rapidly from Dylan. He could vaguely make out twisted faces within it.
The instant the mist covered them, the two Acromantulas stopped struggling. Their fierce green eyes seemed to turn a dull grey. They thrashed their legs desperately, but it was no use. They couldn't stop the black mist from consuming them. Their fear, their hunting memories, even their very souls – all were being drained away by the mist.
Because they were spiders, and just beasts, their intelligence wasn't particularly high. It wasn't like draining a human's soul and memories, which takes a little time. Dylan extracted their souls in mere moments. The next instant, they were just empty shells.
Of course, even without souls, Dylan wasn't going to let their bodies go to waste. Their flesh and venom were useful things to him. He wouldn't pass that up.
Dylan first tossed the two Acromantula bodies into the suitcase space, probably for Lockhart to milk their venom (a rather fitting task for Gilderoy, one might say). Then he started examining the spiders' souls.
"Well, that's a curious feeling," he mused, absorbing the souls into his body. It was completely different from using something like 'Soul-Stealing' (likely a dark spell or ability he possesses, distinct from the Kiss) to wrench a soul out of someone. Soul-Stealing let him control or manipulate souls, but not absorb them into himself. The Dementor's Kiss power, however, allowed him to absorb the souls he'd taken from creatures and blend them into his own body.
The moment the souls entered him, Dylan felt his temples throb. But then a cool sensation spread through him, like a feather lightly tracing his veins. The souls didn't go in whole; they shattered into countless 'soul sparks' the instant they integrated. These sparks turned into tiny, glowing blue lights, flowing unimpeded along his magical pathways, deep into his core. Ultimately, they formed a gentle, luminous mist deep within his consciousness.
The starlight in his body seemed to boost his vitality, making his life force feel stronger. The mist in his mind seemed to heighten his mental strength. Subtly, he felt... different. He couldn't quite pinpoint it. He wasn't sure if it meant his lifespan had increased. But as the Acromantula souls were completely 'digested,' Dylan's heartbeat felt lighter and stronger. His whole being felt wonderfully comfortable, as if he'd just had a long soak in a warm bath.
"Hmm? What was that?" Suddenly, Dylan felt as though he could see inside himself. He saw his body, his veins, the depths of his mind... An infinite space, ancient and silent. And deep within his soul, shimmering threads of light – like markers of his life force.
This internal vision lasted only a moment. Dylan was surprised. He tried again but couldn't replicate it. "Does that only happen when I'm absorbing souls?" He'd only had a feeling about those life threads, that they were connected to how long he had to live, but he hadn't been able to count them. "Next time I see my spiritual domain, I'll definitely count those threads properly."
He clicked his tongue, recalling the memories of those two Acromantulas. He paused again. "So, they spent all their time in Aragog's nest listening to the old folks grumble about some fearsome monster outside slaughtering their kin, and then got goaded by some other spiders into trying to ambush me?" And the kicker? In the vast Forbidden Forest, these two actually *stumbled* right onto him. Whether that was lucky or unlucky for them was debatable.
He licked his lips, a slight smirk playing there. "Why do I feel like eating their souls was... tasty?"
Dylan glanced around but didn't see any other Acromantulas. However, a few small snakes were hanging upside down from branches, watching him slyly. One of them happened to meet Dylan's gaze.
Dylan smiled. "Care to do me a little favour?"
*Hiss?* The little black snake tilted its head.
The next moment, greyish-black mist shot from the tip of Dylan's wand, enveloping the unsuspecting snake. Then, a soul was ripped right out, drifting towards Dylan along with the black mist.
Compared to the Acromantulas, this little snake's soul was much weaker. Its soul was completely stripped from its body almost instantly, barely registering any emotion. Dylan swallowed the snake's soul in one gulp.
"Hmm, souls actually have flavours?" Dylan didn't trigger that internal vision again. But he could tell a clear difference between the Acromantulas' souls and the snake's. In richness, aroma, flavour... it was like night and day.
But the comparison confirmed something for Dylan. "So, memories are like the aroma, emotions are the richness, and soul strength is the flavour..." Unlike the two Acromantula souls, which broke into fragments and integrated further into his body after being eaten, the snake's soul was instantly refined after he consumed it. Dylan didn't feel any significant boost to his vitality or soul strength. And lifespan? Even less so.
However, even if the feeling was weak, it didn't mean the snake's soul was useless to him. On the contrary, after eating the snake's soul, he noticed his magical power had slightly increased. He was better at sensing the nuances of his own magic. So, Dylan figured that even with ordinary creatures, absorbing their memories, emotions, and souls would provide him with some benefit.
If that was the case, it was simply a matter of accumulating small gains. He could even just pop into some Muggle world slaughterhouses and devour all the souls of ordinary animals. That single move could give him a massive boost in magical power. And his lifespan would increase too.
"Hang on, do I feel like a vampire now?" Dylan blinked. Though his kind of vampirism involved souls, not blood. "But this confirms it again. The Dementor power, combined with my space (the suitcase world)... I think I might actually be immortal."
Even without relying on slaughterhouses or other places and creatures in the real world, Dylan could just raise animals himself – chickens, ducks, fish, even creatures that spontaneously appeared in his space. They could all be a source for him to continuously increase his lifespan. What else could you call that but immortality?
"Suddenly got the urge to just relax and do nothing... *NOT!*" What's the point of immortality just from sucking up souls? What Dylan wanted to do was figure out a way for *other people* to achieve longevity without paying some horrific price!
And while absorbing souls might extend his life, the system hadn't actually *said* it granted true immortality. Dylan might interpret it that way, but it didn't necessarily mean he could become truly immortal just by taking souls. Besides, he had concrete proof to consider:
If he was already immortal, why hadn't the system given him an 'Immortal' achievement?
Dylan glanced at his system panel. Suddenly, the achievement icon was flashing! Clearly, he'd just unlocked something.
"Huh?" Dylan froze, blinking his eyelashes. "You're kidding me, I *just* said that, and an achievement popped up?"
Dylan stood in the shadow of the large tree. The black snake he'd taken the soul from, which had been hanging from the branch, now lost its grip and fell to the ground with a quiet *thud*. Dylan ignored the snake's body, focusing on his system panel.
He clicked on achievements. A message appeared.
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**[Achievement]: Soul Buffet - Junior Diner**
**[Description]:** While most wizards steer clear of the Dementor's Kiss, you've already mastered the essence of this soul-based cuisine. In the dark Forbidden Forest, you captured the volatile souls of two Acromantulas as if picking dessert, and even bagged the ordinary spirit of a rather unlucky black snake. You've added them all to your 'Soul Menu,' the entire process as elegant as afternoon tea.
**[Completion Requirement]:** Use the Dementor's Kiss to absorb the souls of two or more magical creatures at once.
**[Achievement Reward]:** Alchemical Creation - Soul Carving Knife.
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He quickly scanned the achievement. It wasn't the 'Immortal' one he'd half-expected. Dylan felt a wave of relief, mixed with a tiny bit of disappointment. Well, achieving eternal life first wouldn't have been *so* bad, would it?
But... a Soul Carving Knife?
Dylan immediately extracted the reward. The next moment, a silver dinner knife appeared in his hand. Dylan examined it. The knife's blade was covered in tiny, densely packed carvings that looked like piranhas – so many that they seemed more like intricate runes. He stared for a couple of seconds and was startled to see strange afterimages moving on the blade's surface. But when he blinked, they vanished.
"That shadow I saw... looked like a piranha?"
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