Harry Potter: Archmage of Another World

Beneath the azure sky, a gentle breeze stirred, causing branches to sway gracefully, leaving green traces in the air. In the misty light filtered through tall trees, the group paused in the valley for a brief rest.

"It's clear that aside from the small animals and birds, there's no sign of human activity here. Did we come the wrong way?" Parvati stretched her arms lazily. "Maybe there's another path we missed earlier. Perhaps we took a wrong turn."

"That's impossible. This path doesn't branch off," Hermione responded, her gaze lingering on the golden mist above the valley. "I've been calculating the slope and direction of the path since we started. Given the terrain, any divergence would have to be at an angle of 30 degrees or less, or the structural integrity of the path wouldn't hold. We're on the only viable route."

"If Hermione's right, those missing students must be somewhere in this valley. Should we split up and search for them?" Ron suggested casually, soaking in the pleasant sunlight. The journey so far had been anything but relaxing—drenched by rain, navigating dark caves, and constantly on edge. Now, in this serene and beautiful valley, Ron saw little point in rushing. He had already decided to find a shady spot to relax under the pretense of searching.

Loki nodded slightly. "That's a reasonable suggestion. If we spread out, we can cover more ground and finish the search quickly. From what I can tell, there's no danger here, so there's no need to worry. If no one objects, let's start the search in five minutes."

The calm surroundings and the absence of any immediate threats convinced even the most timid among them, like Neville, to agree. Soon, everyone consented to splitting up.

Hermione hesitated, wanting to voice her unease, but ultimately decided against it. On the surface, there was no danger in this idyllic setting. Still, the valley seemed unnaturally perfect—too harmonious, devoid of predators or competition among species. Such a self-contained and safe ecosystem felt oddly artificial. Then again, she reasoned, perhaps this was a rare anomaly. Shaking off her concerns, she joined Harry and Ron to search one section of the valley.

"You three, come with me," Loki called out, beckoning Lilian, Thor, and Malfoy to his side. Pointing in a direction, he said, "We'll start our search over there."

Although some members of the group were mildly displeased—Loki had gathered the team's strongest members into one group—they didn't object. After all, this place seemed safe enough.

The four of them moved deeper into the forest, soon disappearing from the others' view.

"Alright, what's going on that you couldn't say in front of everyone?" Lilian suddenly stopped, her crimson eyes narrowing in suspicion. Despite the valley's tranquil appearance, the situation didn't sit well with her. Splitting up in an unfamiliar environment was tactically unwise. If danger were to strike, scattered individuals could be picked off one by one.

"You still haven't noticed?" Loki asked, glancing at Lilian and Malfoy.

"Noticed what?" Malfoy replied, looking around, confused.

"This place is well-crafted, almost too convincing," Thor said with a faint smile.

"Crafted?" Lilian felt a chill run down her spine. "Are you saying—?"

Loki nodded. "Yes. If you look closely, you'll see that this valley bears a striking resemblance to the illusions created by Professor Augustus in the Room of Requirement. It's vibrant and picturesque, but it lacks depth and complexity. More importantly, the elemental energies here are unnaturally sparse. In a place teeming with life like this, the ambient elements should be much denser. The only explanation is that this valley isn't real. It's an illusion."

"An illusion?" Malfoy touched a nearby tree trunk, feeling its solid, cool surface. "You're telling me this is fake? It's too realistic. If someone created this, what's their motive?"

"We don't know the motive yet," Lilian interjected. "But if you already know this place is an illusion, why didn't you tell everyone?"

Loki shook his head with a faint smile. "I wanted to, but there's a problem. Someone in our group doesn't belong."

Thor's gaze sharpened. "So, you've found evidence?"

"Not definitive evidence, but there's a logical deduction," Loki replied. "Whoever set this up infiltrated our group before we started keeping watch in the cave. After I set up the magical ward that night, it would have been impossible for anyone to enter or leave undetected. I checked the ward myself—there was no damage. This means someone was already among us, influencing the five missing students to leave, one by one."

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