Kael surveyed the Chamber of Secrets.
Not only had Riddle disappeared, but even the traces left by Sectumsempra on the column to the left were gone.
Everything that had happened before felt like an incredibly vivid dream.
But the pain in his thigh and the diary in his hand clearly told Kael… it was all real.
Kael walked around, finally looking up at the statue of Slytherin.
Though he didn't know what had happened, he decided to destroy the diary first… just in case the Basilisk was still inside.
"Speak to me…"
Kael uttered Parseltongue, but the statue's mouth didn't open like before; instead, the snake-shaped statues on the columns began to move.
They came to life… slithering down the columns like real snakes, gathering around Kael.
This familiar scene made Kael feel uneasy all over.
He realized he was indeed dreaming!
He figured he hadn't pinched himself hard enough earlier, which is why he hadn't woken up.
Gritting his teeth, just as Kael was about to pinch himself again… a deep voice suddenly came from above the Chamber.
"Alright, what do you want to say."
"Who!" Kael looked up abruptly.
At the same time, as the voice appeared, the animated snake statues began to interlock, quickly forming a large circular arch.
A layer of water-like, soap-bubble-like transparent veil gradually emerged, filling the arch.
After the veil shimmered a few times, a middle-aged wizard in a green robe appeared.
He looked at Kael, expressionless, and asked, "Didn't you want to talk to me just now?"
"You… I…" Kael opened his mouth, but was too shocked to speak.
He thought of a name, but the idea was too absurd.
"Salazar, I think you should be more proactive; that child doesn't know what's happening."
At this moment, a second person appeared in the arch, a chubby witch… she looked exactly like the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff in the common room.
"I must be dreaming!" Kael muttered softly.
"You're not, I assure you." said a wizard wearing a red cloak, who appeared as the third person in the arch.
Behind him stood a witch with a cold, serene expression.
Four people, all there.
It took Kael quite a while to gather himself, and he scratched his head, "No, this can't be…"
"I guess you know who we are." the wizard in the cloak said with a smile.
He even tapped the pointed hat on his head, as if giving Kael a hint.
"Yes… and I'm trying to convince myself to believe in such an incredible thing."
Kael looked at the four people in the arch, "In fact, in my understanding, you all should be from over a thousand years ago… what I mean is, how could I possibly see you."
"Because of time."
Salazar Slytherin said calmly, "You awakened the Basilisk, but couldn't put it back to sleep because a specific command was missing. The Basilisk instinctively destroyed the special Time Turner inside the statue."
He pulled a golden pocket watch from his pocket.
"There are two, one in the future and one in the past. If the future one is damaged, it will create a certain link with the past."
Kael nodded with vague understanding.
The implication seemed to be that when he first summoned the Basilisk, Salazar Slytherin from a thousand years ago had already known about it.
This unbelievable method was something Kael had never even heard of, let alone seen.
This could already be considered as foreseeing the future.
"But you… why didn't you show up then?"
"Because he couldn't."
Gryffindor laughed heartily and said, "His trick was originally meant to guard against me, fearing I might stew his precious Basilisk. Unexpectedly, by coincidence, he discovered you a thousand years later.
The span of time was too long, and the link between the devices alone wasn't enough to support direct conversation between us and you…
Unless you had also altered time, making yourself less 'stable.'
I think, you must have been particularly persistent in using the Time Turner at some point in time…"
Kael did not speak.
No wonder he had always felt something was amiss before; now it all made sense.
He wasn't interested in those certificates yet uncharacteristically chose twelve courses… and applied for the Time Turner twice…
"It was you!" Kael realized, "The voices I heard back then…"
"Just some insignificant side effects." Gryffindor said, "Salazar thought you wanted to use the Basilisk for something bad, so his approach was a bit harsh.
But mostly it was Rowena; she wanted to see how far you could go, so she used a very interesting magic… let's call it a Confundus Charm. Using the statues in the castle as a medium, it made you subconsciously hide the existence of the Basilisk from others."
Rowena Ravenclaw looked at him with an indifferent expression but did not refute.
In an instant, Kael felt his mind exceedingly clear, and all previous doubts were resolved.
No wonder every time he tried to tell Dumbledore about the Basilisk, he would inexplicably hesitate. Unexpectedly, this was also related to the Four Founders.
Upon learning the truth, Kael had a belly full of questions he wanted to ask, but suddenly, the veil flickered, and the images of the Four Founders blurred significantly.
"Our time is running out." Helga Hufflepuff stepped forward, pushing Gryffindor aside,
"Listen to me, child, I know you have many questions, but they are no longer important. What you need to do now is find a way to get time back on the right track, or you might be trapped in a time loop forever."
"Here's a piece of advice, kid." Gryffindor said, "Never mess with a Time Turner; you'll lose the protection of time."
"As compensation, I'll erase the impact brought by the Time Turner this time for you." Slytherin gave him a sidelong glance, "You can also take the Basilisk with you. The command for it to sleep is… 'Slumber, awaiting tomorrow's glory.'"
"Your Occlumency is really poor." Rowena Ravenclaw spoke for the first time.
Her voice was very calm, "The spell isn't as simple as you think. Don't slack off. Wear my Diadem when you find yourself at a standstill."
As soon as Ravenclaw finished speaking, the image in the arch turned into a thick mosaic and then completely disappeared.
The snakes forming the arch crawled back onto the columns, and the Chamber returned to its calm state.
Kael stood in place, letting out a long breath.
He had actually met the Four Founders of Hogwarts from a thousand years ago, and even spoke with them face to face.
This was not scientific… but very magical.
Kael intended to trace back his bizarre experience just now, but he quickly remembered what Hufflepuff had said.
According to her words, he seemed not to be in the original timeline, and he could very likely be stuck here forever.
Kael didn't hesitate and immediately rushed out of the Chamber.
Outside the Chamber there was no Professor McGonagall, nor Harry… Kael ran all the way to the end, through the pipe, and back into the castle.
All around were echoes of voices and laughter, a lively atmosphere Kael hadn't seen in a long time.
He followed the corridor and quickly found two students walking together.
"Hello." Kael greeted them.
"Oh, I know you, Kael from Hufflepuff." One of them said with a smile, "Hello, I'm Terry Boot from Ravenclaw."
"Sally-Anne Perks." The other said, "We are both second-year Ravenclaws."
"It's an honor to meet you." Kael replied, "May I ask, where are you heading now?"
"Of course, we're going to the Halloween feast."
The student named Terry Boot said, "I heard Headmaster Dumbledore invited a Skeleton Dance Troupe; this year's Halloween feast is going to be amazing!"