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The seat next to me was empty, leaving only a faint scent of pine snow and the lingering warmth of the blankets.

She groggily turned over and buried her face in the pillow. Her nose brushed against a soft piece of fabric—Sera's shirt that she had casually tossed aside on the bedside last night.

Most of the clothes were left on the floor, and it's unclear whether they were put away or not.

A slight noise came from downstairs, like the sound of porcelain clinking together, and the soft rustling of sea breeze through the French windows.

Vera propped herself up and sat up. The blanket slipped down to her waist, revealing several faint red marks on her neck. She was stunned for a moment, and her cheeks instantly flushed.

The chaotic images from last night flooded back, making her wish she could bury her head back and pretend to be dead.

That's... way too crazy.

She slowly put on a loose bathrobe, quickly washed up, and then leisurely walked to the terrace in her slippers.

The early morning air in Athens was still cool with a sea breeze, and the distant sea shimmered with a pale golden light. The silhouette of the Acropolis stood quietly in the morning light.

Sera was leaning against the railing, holding a cup of coffee. When she saw her come out, the corners of her lips immediately curved into a smile.

"Awake?" She gestured with her chin to the breakfast on the table. "Breakfast is ready. You'll need to eat well to have the energy to go to the Acropolis."

Vera walked over, rubbing her messy hair, and immediately saw warm milk, crispy croissants, and a small dish of fresh berries on the table.

She didn't touch the food, but instead walked straight to Sera and slightly raised her head.

Seeing this, Sera chuckled softly, reached out and pulled her closer to his waist, then lowered his head and kissed her deeply. His free hand gently brushed over the ambiguous marks on her neck, his fingertips carrying a slightly cool temperature, causing Vera to tremble slightly.

Vera pushed away, her breathing unsteady, and gently pushed her shoulder, but the other woman took the opportunity to hug her even tighter.

"Stop it." She complained softly, her voice incredibly gentle.

Sera chuckled softly, her forehead pressed against hers, the slightly bitter aroma of coffee mingling with the scent of pine cedar filling her nostrils: "Who refused to admit defeat last night?"

Vera's cheeks flushed, and she reached out to cover her mouth: "Don't say it!"

Sera obediently shut up, but took the opportunity to gently kiss her palm, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy.

Sunlight fell on the two of them, the sea breeze gently caressed their hair, and the distant sea shimmered. The lovers embraced tightly.

By the time Vera finally recovered from her embarrassment and sat down to eat breakfast, Sera had already sat down opposite her with her coffee, her gaze fixed on Vera's slightly flushed earlobes, her smile undiminished.

"If your back hurts, would you like to rest for another day? I can give you a massage."

Vera paused in her croissant-biting motion, looked up at her helplessly, and said, "I'm not that delicate."

Besides, if she continued to stay in the villa and let this guy massage her, she wouldn't get a proper rest until the end of her vacation!

Sera suppressed a laugh and didn't say anything more.

After breakfast, the two changed into comfortable Muggle clothes and Apparated directly to the Parthenon.

The winter weather in Athens is relatively mild. In the early morning, the sunlight shines through the mottled stone columns of the Parthenon, casting a chessboard-like pattern of light and shadow on the cracked marble floor.

Vera stood in the center of the temple, looking up at it. Sera stood beside her, her wand already slipped into her palm, her crimson eyes warily scanning the shadows of every pillar around them.

“Don’t be so tense,” Vera said, pressing down on her hand that was holding the cane. “I’ve been in contact with the will here, and it’s not violent.”

She released her grip and held the stone she had picked up from the crack in the temple in her palm.

Sunlight pierced through the dilapidated colonnade and fell on the stone surface, slowly revealing a warm, jade-like hue to the originally grayish texture, and the fine lines seemed to pulsate gently like blood vessels.

Vera closed her eyes and quietly activated her magic circuits. As golden patterns appeared along her skin, she quickly found that ancient and profound "presence".

She meant no harm; she simply wanted to express her gratitude and return the stone the temple had given her.

Striving to convey her meaning to that being, Vera slightly raised her palm and gently pushed the softly glowing stone into the air.

For a moment, even the surrounding air trembled slightly.

There was no vibrant, intimate response like at Hogwarts, only a profound silence and weight, almost like the very origin of heaven and earth, as if a mountain range that had been asleep for a thousand years was slowly opening its eyes.

Soon, the stone floated in mid-air, its surface patterns becoming increasingly bright, eventually transforming into a soft stream of light that slowly merged into the ruins of the temple.

The next moment, the entire Parthenon seemed to take a gentle breath.

The sound of the wind passing through the colonnade became clearer, and the sunlight falling on the broken walls seemed to have been gently brushed away with a thousand years of dust, revealing a kind of clarity that was almost like new life.

Vera opened her eyes and saw a snow-white owl that had landed on a stone pillar in the distance. Its amber eyes shone in the morning light, as if it had been waiting there for a long time.

She paused, instinctively wanting to pull Sera closer, but when she turned her head, she realized she was all alone.

Vera's heart tightened suddenly. Just as she was about to turn around to look for someone, she heard an owl open its mouth not far away. It was a female voice that said, "Don't panic. Your partner has not left. He is just temporarily isolated outside this divine realm."

The snow-white owl shook its feathers, its wings gleaming with an almost sacred softness in the sunlight. Its voice was calm and empty, devoid of any emotion, "You returned the lost fragments of the temple's origin, allowing the dormant will to awaken. I have come to fulfill my promise."

Vera clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down, and looked up at the owl: "You wouldn't happen to be... the goddess Athena?"

"Sort of, but not entirely." The owl tilted its head, its wings shimmering with a pale golden light in the morning glow. "I am merely a wisp of His will left here to guard this former temple, and the fragment you brought allowed that wisp of will to be reassembled."

Vera's clenched fingers loosened slightly, and the faint panic in her heart was soothed by this calm voice.

"And the gift you mentioned..."

“You have something on your mind.” The owl’s tone remained calm, yet carried an all-knowing composure. “That fragment has been with you for years, and it has long been imbued with your essence. It knows everything you think and feel.”

Vera's heart skipped a beat.

Now that almost everything is settled, there's only one thing left that concerns Harley, and she has to be careful.

“You possess two extraordinary powers—the imprint of an ancient will and the supreme magic that can create life and death,” the owl said slowly. “By using these two powers properly, you will achieve whatever you desire.”

“So, what I need to do is combine these two forces?” Vera asked softly, as if confirming a complex magic formula.

The owl neither nodded nor shook its head; it simply gazed at her silently with its amber eyes.

Vera remained silent for a moment, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the shaft of her wand as she pondered.

After a long pause, she finally raised her head and smiled slightly, saying, "I understand."

The owl tilted its head, then suddenly flapped its wings and flew up from the stone pillar, circling once in the air before finally landing on a broken stone platform in front of her.

The moment its wings folded, a soft light emanated from it, condensing into lines of golden ancient Greek characters in front of Vera. These characters then quickly reformed into words that Vera could understand, imprinting themselves deep within her consciousness.

Vera stood quietly in the light and shadow, letting the ancient words flow into her mind like a stream.

What first caught her eye was how to use pure creative power to peel away the filth attached to the soul without harming its essence.

This was exactly the answer she wanted.

Of course, this is just the most basic stuff. More importantly, there are more fundamental guidelines on "condensing the source of creation".

The ultimate magic that creates life and death... If it could be upgraded to the highest level, that wouldn't be a bad idea.

“That’s enough,” she said softly, bowing slightly to the other person. “Thank you… However, I have one last question I’d like to ask.”

Vera raised her eyes and looked directly at the owl in front of her. In Greek mythology, owls and snakes are both symbols and messengers of Athena.

But now, only the owl, representing wisdom, has appeared; there is no trace of the giant serpent, symbolizing protection…

She paused for a moment before slowly speaking, "I want to know, in this world today, does God still exist?"

The owl's amber pupils narrowed slightly, and the soft light around it trembled slightly, as if the question had touched a taboo.

It did not answer immediately, but stood quietly on the stone platform, letting the wind pass through the broken colonnade and stir up the fine stone dust on the ground.

After a long while, the calm voice rang out again, carrying a distant, almost sighing quality:

There are no gods left in this world.

Vera's heart sank slightly.

"But the will has not been extinguished." The owl continued, golden light flowing slowly from its wings. "The power spread into mountains, rivers, lakes and seas, merging into plants and living beings. Some slumbered, some forgot, and some... transformed into other forms."

It raised its wings, pointing towards the shimmering Aegean Sea in the distance, then turned back and landed on Vera.

"The temple beneath your feet, the castle behind you, the magic in your palm... are all the lingering warmth left to mortals by the world after the gods have departed."

The owl's light quickly faded, and with a final flap of its snow-white wings, it transformed into a soft stream of light that merged into the depths of the temple, leaving only a faint, almost inaudible echo:

"There is no need to seek a god; you yourself are a miracle."

As soon as he finished speaking, the barrier separating this area from the outside vanished.

The surrounding air began to flow again, and the sunlight, the sound of the wind, and the whispers of tourists in the distance returned to normal.

Vera was still somewhat stunned by its last sentence when she heard Sera's voice from beside her, filled with suppressed urgency: "Vera!"

She turned her head and saw that the person had already walked quickly to her side, his crimson eyes fixed on her, his wand still in his hand, his fingertips slightly white.

"I'm fine." Vera gently took her hand, feeling the slightly cool fingertips gradually warm up in her palm. "I just chatted with the owner of this place for a few minutes."

Sera looked her up and down to make sure she was really unharmed before her tense shoulders finally relaxed.

“You disappeared for three minutes.” Her voice was a little hoarse, as if she was suppressing something. “I almost turned this place upside down.”

Vera gripped her hand tightly, her fingertips threading through Vera's fingers, their fingers intertwined.

"I'm sorry for making you worry," she said softly, tiptoeing to give her a light kiss on the corner of her lips. "Now we can travel around without any worries."

Sera did not immediately respond to the kiss, but looked down at her, the fear in her eyes not yet completely gone.

After a few seconds, she tightened her grip on Vera's hand slightly, making it more secure.

"Is everything resolved?" Her tone was slightly tentative.

"Mm." Vera nodded, her dark eyes sparkling. "The problems that needed to be solved have a direction, and the waiting is over. All that's left is to spend time with you."

Sera looked at her, her crimson eyes swirling with emotion for a moment before settling into a relieved smile.

She reached out and pulled Vera into her arms, resting her chin on the top of Vera's head, her voice muffled: "You'd better remember this."

Vera leaned against her, a smile playing on her lips, without arguing.

The sea breeze swept through the dilapidated colonnade, tugging at the hems of their clothes. In the distance, the Aegean Sea shimmered like scattered gold in the sunlight, and several seabirds soared across the sky, emitting long, drawn-out cries.

“Let’s go.” Sera released her but still held her hand. “Didn’t we say we were going to look around Athens? I want to go somewhere else.”

Vera chuckled softly and let her lead her down the stone steps of the temple.

Sunlight slowly spread along the stone steps of the Acropolis, turning the two people's clasped hands into a warm gold.

Vera walked forward on the shattered light, then suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to look at the person beside her: "Oh right, there's one more thing."

Sera tilted her head slightly, her crimson eyes appearing exceptionally gentle in the sunlight: "Hmm?"

Vera clutched her lower back and whispered, "I'm still feeling a little unwell. How about we go back and rest for a day before coming out for a stroll again?"

Sera paused, glanced at her, and a knowing smile instantly bloomed in her eyes. She gently pulled Sera closer to her waist, her tone carrying a hint of indulgence and ambiguity:

"Great, I like that suggestion."

As soon as she finished speaking, she lightly snapped her fingers together, and Vera instantly Apparated.

The next second, the two landed back on the soft carpet on the villa's terrace.

Next, of course, came the long-awaited massage time.

Author's note: It means that once you reach the highest level, you can have babies, um.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Grand Finale

They spent the entire holiday in Athens, and only returned to Hogwarts reluctantly on the last day of the Christmas break.

To be precise, only Sera was truly reluctant to leave. As for Vera... she had been eager to leave since the second day of her vacation.

But every time she tried to do that, Sera would grab her legs, drag her back off the bed, and then continue with some outrageous positions.

Perhaps it was because he had been suppressed for over a hundred years that, once he was released, he ran wildly in a completely uncontrollable direction.

Unfortunately, Vera became the only one to receive all her passion.

She can only be thankful that the Christmas holiday is only ten days long, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to withstand the ordeal.

Vera rubbed her forehead and couldn't help but sigh softly as soon as she stepped into the Gryffindor Tower. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass and fell on her, but it couldn't dispel the weariness that emanated from her very bones.

Sera, following behind, looked refreshed, dressed in a neat wizard's robe, her eyes radiating the languid comfort of a well-deserved vacation. Seeing her like this, she deliberately lowered her voice and leaned closer, feigning ignorance:

"What's wrong? Didn't you get enough rest yesterday?"

The guy who dragged her to try out different things in the villa for several days in a row actually had the nerve to ask this kind of question?

Vera's ears turned red, and she glared at her fiercely, but she didn't have the energy to argue with her. She just quickened her pace and walked towards the Gryffindor common room.

"Vera." Sera stopped and called out to her from behind.

She stopped in her tracks, turned to look at her, her eyes still holding a hint of languidness and barely perceptible embarrassment: "Is there anything else?"

“Get some rest when you get back,” Sera said as she walked slowly closer, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her fingertips gently brushing against her reddened earlobe. “And also, I’ll always be here for the new year.”