Lord Voldemort's soul in Ravenclaw's Diadem was like Louis XVI possessed, utterly clueless.
He had imagined the Diadem being found by a Hogwartsstudent, and after being awakened, he would bewitch and control them to resurrect himself, but he never thought he would be woken up by heat.
Sensing a fatal crisis, Lord Voldemort had no other choice but to expend his remaining power and manifest his soul outside the Diadem.
What met his eyes was a sea of fire all around.
Crazy flame monsters rampaged within it, and violent black Fiendfyre mercilessly incinerated everything.
Lord Voldemort: ┌ ( . Д . ) ┐
"Huh? Where the hell did this bring me? Is this still Hogwarts?"
"What happened? Was the Castle breached by a Dark Wizard? Or did the Wizarding World War break out?"
"What the hell is Dumbledore doing? I haven't even made a move, so how did someone else succeed!"
Lord Voldemort, shocked by the scene and filled with questions, even wondered if he had been asleep for too long, causing hundreds or thousands of years to pass, and the era had changed.
Just as Lord Voldemort was pondering what to do, a light, pleasant, yet incredibly oppressive whistle came from the sea of fire.
He followed the sound and saw a path open in the sea of fire, and a Young Wizard walked from the distance.
As he passed, the flame monsters prostrated themselves on the ground, as if worshipping their king.
Although his clothes were different from what he remembered, he knew this was a Hogwarts student by the crest on his chest.
Lord Voldemort watched the Young Wizard approach and gracefully bowed with his hand over his chest.
"Merry Christmas, Tom."
"Who… are you?"
Hearing this address, seeing the other party's polite demeanor and gentle, friendly smile, Lord Voldemortshowed a bewildered expression, while a strong killing intent rose in his heart.
This kid is seeking death! His mannerisms were exactly like his own when he was a student.
"Karl Olin, a first-year student at Hogwarts School, Hufflepuff House."
"First-year?"
Lord Voldemort looked at the surrounding sea of fire; after Karl arrived, the violent Fiendfyre seemed to freeze. Is this something a first-year Young Wizard can do?
Moreover, Karl's posture clearly showed he was here to kill him, but how could that be possible?
Even if the main soul and later Horcruxes had issues, they couldn't possibly reveal his whereabouts or cut off his chance of resurrection.
Besides, he was confident that no one else knew Ravenclaw's Diadem was hidden here.
"That's right, because it's Christmas, Professor Elvis Heller asked me to bring you a gift."
Karl smiled shyly; if not for the black Fiendfyresurrounding him, he would look like a harmless little white rabbit.
Actually, he was also a little surprised at this moment, because Lord Voldemort's soul was not the classic bald, noseless skin.
Although he looked somewhat effeminate due to his pale complexion and gaunt cheeks, his appearance was still very handsome.
However, Karl understood after a moment's thought: Ravenclaw's Diadem was very likely Lord Voldemort's third Horcrux.
The time should be after he graduated, before he went to work at Borgin and Burkes Dark Arts shop.
He learned the Diadem's whereabouts from HelenaRavenclaw and then created it on the spot in Albania.
At that time, Lord Voldemort had not yet been disfigured, which is why he was able to deceive Hepzibah Smith and obtain Salazar Slytherin's locket and Helga Hufflepuff's goblet from her.
"Elvis Heller? Who is he?"
Lord Voldemort intentionally stalled for time, trying to find a way to bewitch Karl and escape death, so he adopted a posture of wanting to communicate.
"A follower of Herpo the Foul, the ancient Greek Dark Wizard who bred Basilisks and invented the making of Horcruxes—that Parselmouth."
Lord Voldemort: …
How long has the despicable Herpo the Foul been dead, and he still has followers? And he even leaked the secret of Horcruxes!
Damn it!
Lord Voldemort was silent for a while, then looked at Karl expressionlessly, "He sent you to kill me?"
"Of course, who you are and where the Horcrux is, he told me everything, and he even taught me the Fiendfyre Curse."
Karl's answer left Lord Voldemort bewildered; he didn't remember this person existing.
Why would he want to kill him? And why did he know the location of the Horcrux?
But none of that mattered now. Lord Voldemort gathered his spirits and began to bewitch Karl.
"So what do you think? What benefits did he give you? It wouldn't be how to make a Horcrux, would it?"
"Horcruxes can free a Wizard from death, but would that Elvis Heller really teach you?"
"Even if Elvis Heller is willing to teach you, those are just outdated knowledge. With your talent, why don't you learn better Horcrux magic?"
"Karl Olin, even Herpo the Foul himself hasn't walked further than I have on the path to immortality."
"The four founders of Hogwarts cannot, the great Dumbledore, praised by everyone, cannot, only I, Lord Voldemort, am the one who truly conquered death."
"Child, a smart person should make a rational choice. How will you decide?"
Karl smiled and applauded this speech. "Excellent! Absolutely excellent!"
As expected of Tom, he speaks so smoothly, it feels like he'd be a good hand at pyramid schemes too.
Amidst the applause, Lord Voldemort's expression gradually darkened. "I'm very disappointed. You still chose the wrong path."
Karl shrugged indifferently, the Fiendfyre surrounding the Diadem. "Sorry, Tom, do you have any last words?"
"Fiendfyre can indeed kill me, but the Horcrux will also be destroyed. This is Ravenclaw's Diadem, a treasure that can increase the wearer's wisdom. Don't you think it's a pity?"
"Anyway, I pose no threat to you. You can kill me at any time, so why not find a way that can separate the soul without harming the Diadem?"
"I can help you, and at that time, Ravenclaw's Diadem will belong to you alone."
As Lord Voldemort spoke, he continued to secretly use Dark Arts to bewitch people.
Unfortunately, with Fire Treasure guarding his inner fire, Karl's mind was clear and completely undisturbed.
He marveled that Lord Voldemort was simply a lecturer skilled in human nature; if Quirrell were here, he would probably have already knelt down and begged his master to accept him as a servant.
"In the East, there's an old saying: 'When a person is about to die, his words are good.' May I ask, Tom, would you tell others the location of the Horcrux?"
Lord Voldemort stared intently at Karl's face, as if trying to memorize his appearance.
"Absolutely not. The location of the Horcrux is a secret, and the Horcrux itself is even more of a secret. Since it's a secret, it shouldn't be known by others."
"Even if I control everything, even if the Horcrux is threatened, I will only tell others that it is merely my beloved possession."
"So, Elvis Heller is a mysterious and dangerous person. You must be careful not to die by his hand."
After saying this, Lord Voldemort's eyes glowed red, no longer concealing his killing intent and rage.
"You can't kill me! Karl Olin! We will meet again! And it will never be like this then!"
Karl sincerely thanked Lord Voldemort, again gracefully bowing with his hand over his chest.
"Thank you, Tom. I look forward to our next meeting."
The black Fiendfyre rushed towards Ravenclaw's Diadem, burning out something black and viscous like blood.
As the Diadem shattered into pieces, Lord Voldemort let out a painful scream, and this piece of his soul was completely destroyed.
"Goodbye!"