Prologue

The British Ministry of Magic, Department of Mystery,

Ethan Frost could be seen sitting hunched over his desk, his eyes darting back and forth as he scanned the ancient tome in front of him.

The book was bound in leather that had long since lost its sheen, and the pages were yellowed with age. But, the words inscribed on them were clear as if they had just been written yesterday.

Since obtaining the authorization from the Minister of Magic, Ethan had been studying the enigmatic structure within the depth of the Department of Mystery known as "The Veil."

Ethan was a renowned wizard and metamorphmagus who had a massive contribution in the entire wizarding world for his unique perception and research approach toward magic.

Naturally, being a thaumaturgist, Ethan had a strong curiosity and desire to get in touch and obtain an opportunity to study one of the Six Great Wonders of the Wizarding World.

While there are a lot of speculation stating that "The Veil" is the manifestation of the barrier between the land of the dead and the land of the living, Ethan thinks that is not the case.

Though in the five years he get in touch with "The Veil," he would indeed feel like something was staring at him, making him feel creepy and ominous, but he did not think this is related to the speculations of outside world.

Later, his years of research finally bear fruit and he understood that "The Veil" can imprison the soul of those who pass through it, which is why people who are around it would feel like they are being stared at or someone was calling them from the other side.

Given how "The Veil" is used as the death sentence for wizards that had done grave offenses in the past, you can already know who are the one you feel and hear from the other side.

Despite this, Ethan's understanding of this enigmatic structure are still superficial and he had not even touch the depth of its mystery. However, it was still a step forward that cannot be ignored, especially when very few people have capability comprehending its existence.

To this day, Ethan's research still continues, and his mind concocted theories and ideas about the origin and purpose of "The Veil." Unfortunately, even after rummaging through countless of books, he could not find anything useful regarding what its origin really is.

Leaning his back in his chair, Ethan carefully rubbed his tired and weary eyes. He pulled a drawer under his desk and took a vial, opened its lid, and drunk its content in one gulp.

This was "Noxomia Potion," a potion that restores one's spirit, allowing them to stay awake for whole day without any adverse effect. Though, it could only be taken thrice a week.

After he finished drinking the entire vial, the room suddenly shook violently, and Ethan was thrown from his seat. But, his trained combat reflex allowed him to quickly steady his footings.

He looked at the books and papers that went flying in all directions. He took out his wand and cast a Restoration spell, causing the books and papers in a mess to flew back to their original location, as if the time itself was being reversed.

"What the hell was that?" he muttered to himself as he turned around and went out to his office. Sensing the magical energy, Ethan immediately located where the violent outburst occurred and couldnt help but changed his face.

That place was in the deepest part of the Department of Mystery, where "The Veil" was located. Is someone making trouble? What's their purpose with "The Veil?"

As he was thinking, Ethan gripped his wand and ran to the location of "The Veil." However, the moment he arrived, he saw greeted by a group of people dressed in a long, black cloak and silver skull masks covering their faces.

Raising his wand and pointing it at them, Ethan furrowed his brows and said in a low, yet powerful voice. "Who are you? the Department of Mystery is not a place where you can wander."

Although he was better known for the result of his research, Ethan was a powerful duelist himself. In fact, there are very few in his generation that can be equal to his skills. Even when he was busy researching magic, he did not neglect his combat training.

"Ethan Frost. We meet at last," A figure in the center of this group sneer, removing the cloak covering his head, and show his horrendous face that seems to have been distorted by unknown dark magic.

"Your research on "The Veil" had helped me a lot. As long as my ritual succeeded, I can summon a large army of dark creatures into this world."

Ethan furrowed his brows, but become vigilant feeling the ominous and foreboding power coming from this person.

He looked at the inscription around the place with "The Veil" as the center. At a glance, Ethan could see that the inscriptions can indeed unseal part of the power of "The Veil."

To be exact, it could free the souls inside "The Veil." Knowing the peculiarity of this structure, Ethan wasnot sure if a normal human soul is what will be released once this ritual succeeded or... something else.

Turning his head at this person, Ethan raised his wand and said "Who reveals my research to you? And, who are you?"

You must know that as an Unspeakable, every research and work he had done are all classified information. It is not something anybody can access, as some of their research are extremely dangerous, or just plain cruel to be published in public.

However, this unknown person could know of his research despite not working in the Department of Mystery. It seems, there are traitors in the rank of Unspeakable.

"Ah, how forgetful of me." The man acted as if he was ashamed, then said with a strong voice. "I am Lord Voldemort. Remember this name for you will die in my hands-!"

As his voice fell, Voldemort's wand released a flash of green light that darted straight to Ethan. But, without much effort, Ethan throws a gold piece in front of him and hit the spell.

*BOOM!*

The gold shattered into pieces the moment it comes in contact with the spell, but it effectively stop its advancement.

This was a specially minted gold by Goblin and contains their unique magic that can effectively resist strong magical force. Best in defending against malevolent dark spells, but Goblin crafted items are pricey as hell!

However, Ethan still understood the gravity of the situation and immediately cast a Smoke-Screen spell, covering the area with a thick cloud of mist.

Then, Ethan cast a spell that created a thin layer of screen on his eyes, allowing him to see the body heat of anything within his line of sight despite the thick smoke around.

Ethan consecutively cast a stunning spell, directly hitting the Death Eaters he targeted. However, after defeating several Death Eaters, the smoke screen he created slowly gathered on Voldemort's hand under the effect of his spell.

"A futile resistance." Voldemort aimed his wand at Ethan, and a swirling black smoke violently rushed to his target.

Ethan conjured a sharp shield pointing forward, making the swirling black smoke to be cut and spread into two directions, lowering its strength.

However, Voldemort wasnot the only wizard he had to pay attention to. While he was busy defending and counter-attacking, the remaining Death Eater had surrounded him and cast a Killing curse at him.

Sensing this, Ethan quickly given up the offense and waved his wand, sending dozens of gold pieces in his surroundings, accurately hitting the killing curse flying toward him

However, Ethan felt he couldnt continue this battle any longer. Voldemort was powerful enough to cause trouble for him, and there is still his followers to pay attention with.

He also couldn't depend on immediate support from the incompetent Ministry of Magic given there is already a traitor within the Unspeakable. He didn't know how deep this mysteirous force had penetrated the Ministry.

Scanning the entire area, Ethan made a reckless decision. He gathered all his magical power and aimed his wand at "The Veil." This spell is untested, but he did not have time to care about what the consequences it could have.

Voldemort noticed his intention and quickly sent a killing curse directly to Ethan's location. However, it was already too late.

The moment Ethan's spell hit the translucent screen between the arch of "The Veil," it suddenly turned into a vortex that sucked everything within its range, including Ethan and the killing curse that was flying toward him, effectively removing its power.

Having exhausted his magical power, Ethan couldnt help but feel tired and weary. Eventually, he lost consciousness, and his body disappeared from the vortex.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Voldemort and the Death Eater retreat, with Voldemort fuming in rage for having his plan failed.