While artillery thundered across Jerusalem, magical creatures fled in every direction, and Dawn explained the ritual of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to Voldemort...
Time also continued to flow inside the dream world.
That day, the woman once again took the young boy to the same tennis club. They didn't leave until the sun had begun to set, then hailed a taxi to return home.
Dawn followed them as usual.
Invisible, he sat atop the taxi's trunk, letting the car carry him back to the Richter residence.
The ride was unbearably bumpy.
His vision blurred from the constant jolting until he used magic to anchor himself tightly to the vehicle's surface.
Only then did he feel slightly better.
Tilting his head back, he stared absentmindedly at the evening sky.
A flock of birds flew overhead.
Crimson clouds drifted across the horizon.
The brilliant sunset dyed the entire world red, eerily reminiscent of the flames consuming Jerusalem.
It carried the same oppressive atmosphere.
Dawn watched silently for a while.
Then he reached into his robes and withdrew a black stone with sharply defined edges, idly turning it over in his palm.
The Resurrection Stone.
More precisely...
The Resurrection Stone that belonged to this dream world.
Unlike his previous experiences entering someone's consciousness, which had always been brief, this connection had already lasted several days and nights since entering Dumbledore's dream.
Yet there was still no sign of it ending.
Clearly, entering another person's mind through excessive consumption of Felix Felicis was far more stable than doing so through powdered Resurrection Stone.
He still had no idea why.
But for Dawn, there was no question.
This was the perfect opportunity to explore the nature of mind-linking.
As a result...
These past few days had been remarkably productive.
While battling Voldemort in Jerusalem, he had also spent his days inside the dream world observing his younger self.
At night...
He went wandering.
The Resurrection Stone now resting in his hand had been taken from the Gaunt shack not long ago.
The process...
Had been virtually identical to reality.
The stone was still mounted on the Horcrux ring.
The traps Voldemort had left throughout the shack were exactly the same as the ones Dawn had encountered before.
The illusion and reality were indistinguishable.
The more he thought about it, the more unsettling it became.
For someone like Dawn, who had spent his life separating truth from illusion, it was particularly disturbing.
Sometimes...
He even forgot this was merely a dream.
Instead, it felt as though he had genuinely traveled into the past using a Time-Turner.
Screech—
The tires rubbed against the pavement.
Lost in thought, Dawn didn't realize the taxi had already reached its destination.
The woman, the child, and Dumbledore stepped out. Dawn jumped down from the trunk as well.
Night had begun to fall.
The Richter home was brightly lit.
The aroma of dinner drifted from the kitchen.
Mr. Richter was already seated at the dining table, waiting for his family to return.
The scene was warm.
Peaceful.
Perfectly harmonious.
Dawn merely glanced at the family of three without expression before climbing the stairs.
He walked straight to the butler's room with practiced familiarity and quietly waited inside.
There were a few things he needed to discuss with Dumbledore.
Time passed.
Only after the moon had risen high into the sky did Dumbledore finally finish the day's endless responsibilities.
The old headmaster looked utterly exhausted.
For a man over a hundred years old who had lost his magic, spending every day constantly on the move was no easy burden.
Listening to the distant hooting of owls outside the window, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
All he wanted was a good night's sleep.
Unfortunately...
The moment he opened the bedroom door and saw the red-eyed boy sitting cross-legged on his bed...
He knew he'd have to stay awake a little longer.
"How strange, my boy. I wasn't expecting to find you here today."
"I thought you'd gone elsewhere after leaving the tennis club."
Dumbledore asked, forcing himself to remain alert.
Over these past several days within the dream, Dawn had never once returned to this house.
Dumbledore had assumed there was some psychological reason behind it.
Not wanting to waste time, Dawn got straight to the point.
"Headmaster."
"I came because there are two things I want to discuss."
Hmm?
"Two things?"
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. His weary mind immediately became alert again.
"What are they?"
"No need to be nervous. It's actually good news." Smiling, Dawn hopped down from the bed.
"Headmaster.
I know you've already extracted the identities of Voldemort's Horcruxes from my childhood self through a series of rather underhanded methods.
So...Would you like to know where every one of them is located?"
The sarcastic wording made Dumbledore smile wryly.
He knew he had little ground to defend himself. Yet he didn't answer immediately.
Did he want to know the Horcruxes' locations?
More than anything.
But because Dawn was the one offering...He had to consider what Dawn's true intentions were.
In certain respects, Dawn was rather like Newt.
Each possessed an undeniable reputation in his own field.
"Why?"
Dumbledore finally asked.
"Because I hate Voldemort too." Dawn answered honestly.
Seeing the caution in Dumbledore's eyes, he added, "Of course...The information isn't free."
Not free?
Dumbledore held his gaze for several long moments.
Oddly enough... That made the offer seem more believable.
"What do you want?"
"What do I want?" Dawn rolled his eyes. "I want everything."
Then he threw the question back.
"So, Headmaster...If you want this deal to go smoothly...You'd better start thinking about what you're actually willing to offer."
His reasoning was simple.
He no longer wanted to keep wrestling with Voldemort. Nor did he want to waste time destroying the Horcruxes himself.
But giving Dumbledore everything for free felt equally unacceptable.
So naturally... He intended to squeeze something worthwhile out of the old headmaster.
Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully.
His brow furrowed.
Vague conditions were always the hardest to satisfy. Fortunately...They were still inside the dream.
There was no need to rush.
Returning to the matter at hand, he asked, "And the second thing?"
"The second thing..."
Dawn shrugged.
Instead of answering directly, he took out the black stone and casually tossed it toward Dumbledore.
Thunk.
The old wizard instinctively caught it.
His expression showed only mild confusion. Then his eyes settled upon the stone.
His face changed instantly.
"This...This is..."
"The Resurrection Stone."
Dawn answered calmly.
Dumbledore heard nothing beyond those words. Mist suddenly filled his vision.
Then...
A girl emerged from within it.
A figure he had never forgotten. Someone whose memory had haunted him his entire life.
"A-Ariana..."
His voice trembled.
His blue eyes overflowed with longing.
Guilt.
Pain.
Standing nearby, Dawn raised an eyebrow.
So...
Dumbledore could actually use the dream world's Resurrection Stone.
That surprised him.
Ever since obtaining it, he had spent countless hours turning it over in his hands.
Not once had he seen a single apparition.
He had assumed it was because he existed outside this dream, making the stone ineffective for him.
Apparently...
That wasn't the case.
Then why couldn't he see anyone? Was it because, at this point in time, his mother was still alive?
Or...
Was his status as an outsider fundamentally different from Dumbledore's, who had entered the dream through the consciousness of the dead?
Rubbing his chin, Dawn sank into thought.
Over these past several days, he had thoroughly experimented with the dream world's Resurrection Stone and uncovered quite a few things.
For the inhabitants of this dream...
Holding the stone still summoned the shades of those they wished to see.
Grinding it into powder and consuming it likewise induced the familiar dream-like state associated with mind-linking.
The fact that people who did not truly exist could connect to the minds of the dead through the dream world's Resurrection Stone left Dawn with an indescribably uncomfortable feeling.
It blurred the boundary between truth and illusion even further.
He couldn't help wondering.
Were these truly the minds of real dead people? Or merely creations generated by the dream itself?
Another question troubled him even more.
If this world was already a dream entered through another person's mind...
Then what would happen if someone consumed the powdered Resurrection Stone inside the dream?
Would it lead into an even deeper dream?
Dawn desperately wanted to know. But he wasn't reckless enough to test it on himself.
If something went wrong...The consequences might be disastrous.
So...
The eager student naturally remembered his Headmaster.
°Petrificus Totalus°
Grinning, Dawn cast the Full Body-Bind Curse. A flash of red light shot across the room.
Dumbledore froze instantly.
His heart lurched.
The shock of seeing Ariana had finally begun to fade, yet now he found himself completely unable to move.
He assumed Dawn intended to read his memories again.
Instinctively, he began constructing another memory labyrinth inside his mind, hiding everything important.
Instead...
Through his immobilized vision, he watched Dawn unfold a carefully folded sheet of paper.
Inside lay a pile of black powder.
What...
Before Dumbledore could understand...
Dawn tilted his head with a cheerful smile and poured the powder into his half-open mouth.
"Sorry, Headmaster.
But answering a diligent student's questions...Isn't that part of a teacher's responsibility?"
Watching Dumbledore's eyes gradually lose focus as sleep overtook him, Dawn wasted no time.
He immediately Apparated away.
He hadn't forgotten that after drinking from the Fountain of Fair Fortune, the pattern of his magical traits had become layered, making him unusually susceptible to being drawn into rituals.
He didn't know whether the same applied to a consciousness.
Until Dumbledore confirmed this experiment was safe...He preferred not to take unnecessary risks.
Everything could wait until tomorrow.
Pop!
With a sharp crack, the scenery changed.
When Dawn reappeared, he found himself standing on a bustling commercial street in London.
After a moment's thought, he decided against further exploration.
Instead, he slipped invisibly into an upscale hotel, intending to find somewhere to rest.
After all...
The past several days had left him utterly exhausted.
It didn't take long.
Soon he found an empty room.
Using the Unlocking Charm, he opened the door before placing several protective enchantments and a Muggle-Repelling Charm around it.
He silently thanked this era for not yet having electronic key cards.
Even though he had entered without permission...The room still had running hot water.
Rather than using a cleaning spell, Dawn indulged himself in a proper bath.
He transfigured his robes into comfortable sleepwear. Then collapsed face-first onto the bed.
Soft bedding embraced his weary body.
Thinking back to five sleepless days in Jerusalem... Fatigue swept over him like a tidal wave.
Yawning, he closed his eyes.
Just as he was about to enjoy a long-awaited sleep...
A faint tapping noise drifted in from outside.
Was it simply the sounds of the busy street below?
Assuming the hotel had poor soundproofing, Dawn rolled over, unwilling to move.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
The noise only grew louder.
Each strike pounded against his temples like an enraged woodpecker.
"Damn it!"
Dawn shot upright, eyes bloodshot with irritation.
Whoever was making that racket... He fully intended to erase them from existence.
But once fully awake...
He realized the sound wasn't coming from the street below. It was right outside the window.
This was the tenth floor.
His brow furrowed. Something was clearly wrong.
Confident enough in his own abilities, he strode over and pulled the curtains aside.
Swish.
Outside...
Floating in the darkness...
Was a pink brain pressed flat against the window.
It repeatedly slammed its frontal lobe against the glass.
The sight was genuinely horrifying. Even Dawn stood frozen for several moments.
"Hey!"
"Open the window, kid! Hurry up and let me in."
The brain sounded thoroughly annoyed, increasing the force of its knocking.
Dawn's face twitched. Nevertheless, he unlocked the window and allowed it inside.
"...Mr. Flamel. How did you know I was here?"
"Oh, that's actually quite simple." As usual, the brain rubbed its folds together.
"In this state... I'm extremely sensitive to thoughts. Inside this dream, both you and Dumbledore stand out rather clearly."
"I see."
Rubbing his chin, Dawn recalled something he'd been pondering.
"Mr. Flamel...In your opinion...Do all the other people in this dream possess minds as well?"
"They do."
The brain bobbed up and down, waving its translucent tentacles around.
"Every single one."
"They all do?" Dawn considered that for a moment before asking, "If everyone has a mind..."
"What exactly makes mine and Dumbledore's different?"
"What makes them different..." The brain seemed genuinely stumped.
It remained motionless for quite some time before finally spreading its tentacles helplessly.
"I can't really explain it. They just...Feel different."
"...What kind of answer is that?"
Dawn sighed.
He was about to continue questioning when the brain suddenly raised one tentacle and gently pressed it against Dawn's lips.
"Enough, my boy. You'll have plenty of time to think about those questions later.
I came here today... To say goodbye."
Dawn blinked. "Goodbye?"
"That's right." The brain nodded. "Just as I told you before...A Brain in a Vat can't survive very long after leaving its solution."
"I can feel it. I'm about to die."
Its tone remained remarkably calm.
After a brief pause, its usually lively voice softened considerably.
"To be honest, Dawn... I've really enjoyed the time we've spent together. I think we've become friends.
So before I leave... I felt I should say goodbye properly."
Despite its grotesque appearance...
Its sincerity was unmistakable.
For a moment, Dawn found himself overwhelmed by conflicting emotions.
He had to admit...
Having only recently betrayed Nicolas Flamel... Hearing those words left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"...If only you and Dumbledore could trade places."
The words escaped before he could stop them.
The brain froze.
"Huh? What does that have to do with Albus?"
"...Nothing."
Dawn shrugged without explaining.
Silence settled between them. Neither knew quite what to say.
Eventually, Dawn asked casually, "Mr. Flamel... Did you finish dealing with Voldemort's consciousness inside those students?"
"...My boy. Isn't that a rather mood-killing question right now?"
The brain sounded exasperated. Still, it nodded.
"It's finished."
"So quickly?"
Dawn looked genuinely surprised. He knew extracting Voldemort's consciousness wasn't easy.
"How did you manage it?"
The brain proudly patted itself all over with its tentacles.
"Simple. I scared them into mental collapse with my appearance."
Dawn glanced silently at the writhing, slime-covered brain. He had absolutely nothing to say.
The brain, however, seemed eager to complain.
"Dawn. You're honestly heartless. You dumped all the work on me while you were off enjoying yourself."
It huffed indignantly.
"I almost came to drag you away a few days ago.
But when I saw how seriously you were watching that tennis match... I decided to shoulder everything myself.
That wasn't even my job."
Dawn instinctively retorted. Then he paused.
"Tennis club?"
"Wait...The shadow I saw outside the window earlier...That was you?"
The brain bobbed up and down in confirmation.
Dawn sighed. The complicated emotions he'd been feeling had mostly faded.
"So... When exactly are you going to die?"
"Any moment now."
Its voice remained peaceful. It slowly circled around him.
"Don't forget me, alright?"
Dawn pressed his lips together. After a long silence, he finally answered expressionlessly, "...Yeah. I know."
"You're so annoying."
His emotions remained tangled.
Then—
Without warning—
Taking advantage of the brief moment Dawn's attention wandered...The Brain in a Vat suddenly lashed out with all its tentacles.
It leaped onto Dawn's head like some grotesque living helmet.
Splurt!
Its translucent tendrils plunged directly into his skull.
Instantly...
An icy chill spread through Dawn's mind.
It felt as though someone had shoved his head into a frozen warehouse.
Goosebumps erupted across the back of his neck.
"Damn it!"
"What are you doing?!"
His face changed dramatically.
Without hesitation, he grabbed the brain, ripped it free, and hurled it against the wall.
Splat!
The brain flattened like jelly before slowly sliding downward.
"I'm sorry, Dawn."
It spoke softly.
Drops of slime dripped from its folds. Its body was dissolving, slowly melting from solid into something half-liquid.
Death was clearly close.
But Dawn had no room left for sentiment.
Though the brain had been torn away... Strange memories had already begun flooding into his consciousness.
One after another.
Each embedding itself deep within his mind.
"Nicolas Flamel! What did you do to me?!" Clutching his head, Dawn demanded through gritted teeth.
His face twisted with anger.
"They're memories, my boy." The brain sounded almost guilty.
"I gave you..."
"...some happy memories."
___________
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