"Impossible!!"
Tom Riddle's form abruptly turned translucent, so shaken by the shock that he nearly lost his ability to maintain a physical presence.
"How could he possibly know my secret—know that I'm a fragment?!"
Tom had long been mentally prepared for the possibility that Ken might know about the diary. But the moment the word "fragment" came out of his mouth, a bone-deep sense of exposure slammed into his mind like a hammer.
Even though he no longer needed to breathe, his chest still rose and fell violently.
"Who is he? Who exactly is he?!"
"Was my earlier judgment about him completely wrong?"
"And not just that…"
A trace of fear flashed through Tom's illusory eyes—fear he himself hadn't even noticed.
"He's turned the basilisk against me. The attacks over the past few days were all orchestrated by him, just to lure me here—and I almost walked straight into his trap…"
At that moment, Tom wanted nothing more than to flee at all costs. He no longer cared about purging Mudbloods, no longer cared about Harry Potter—he only wanted to get as far away from that eerie "Ken" as possible!
"But aside from the diary, he also mentioned the ring and the diadem… What are those?"
"Did the original body create other Horcruxes? But isn't one enough? Isn't me enough?!"
"One Horcrux is sufficient for immortality—why would the original body create more?!"
That brief confusion caused him to hesitate for just an instant.
And in that instant, Ken's devilish, honey-laced voice hissed into his ears once more—
"The most likely one is the diadem. It's always been in the school, and as Ravenclaw's diadem—something meant to enhance wisdom—it wouldn't be surprising if it came up with these kinds of schemes… But the diary isn't impossible either. After all, it's the one that was entrusted with the mission of purging Mudbloods…"
"No—actually, the diary is more likely. The diadem, as a Horcrux created only slightly earlier than me, should already know what the original body has become—and it should be even less likely to oppose my plan…"
"What?"
Tom Riddle froze.
The sheer amount of information in those words caused his mind to stall for a split second.
And when he finally processed what "Ken" was actually saying, an indescribable, surreal absurdity slammed into him, pinning him in place.
His entire being went blank.
'He means… the original body created many Horcruxes?'
'And he is also one of them?!'
Tom blinked, instinctively wanting to reject such a ridiculous notion outright.
But after forcing himself to think it through—painfully, step by step—he discovered, in despair, that he was slowly accepting it.
'No wonder… no wonder I felt that blood-linked sensation earlier. No wonder he could control the basilisk with Parseltongue…'
He thought dazedly,
'And that also explains how he defeated the original body, and how he knew about the Chamber and the basilisk from the very beginning. My initial judgment of him was completely wrong—damn Lucius…'
'But why?'
'As a Horcrux of the original body, why would he scheme against the original, cause Dumbledore to seal him away, and even kill the basilisk?!'
After the brief shock came a far more violent surge of fury.
As a part of the original body, Tom was born with absolute, unquestioning loyalty to it. Even after being separated for decades, he had never forgotten the mission he was given.
Thus, upon realizing that the great original body had been betrayed by its own Horcrux, the absurdity and rage he felt surpassed even the day he learned the original body had been defeated.
"This is already the third day in a row that I've been sitting here, repeating the same words to you,"
Ken's voice drifted out again, while the basilisk lay quietly coiled within the pipes, listening without the slightest hint of impatience.
"You must be sick of hearing it by now, right? I really hope the guy who keeps ruining my plans sneaks over this time and hears exactly what I'm saying…"
"Those early Horcruxes are definitely furious at what I'm doing, convinced that I betrayed the original body. The diadem, on the other hand, probably understands me—because it knows exactly what the original body has become now…"
"He plans to split his soul into seven parts."
'Seven?!'
Tom jolted in shock.
Wasn't a single Horcrux enough for immortality?!
"After the first soul split—the creation of the diary,"
Ken's voice carried a trace of exhaustion and helplessness,
"the original body's thinking became… distorted. He believed that seven was a magically powerful number, so he decided to divide his soul into seven parts and create six Horcruxes."
"After the diary, he began collecting priceless artifacts to turn into Horcruxes—Ravenclaw's diadem, Slytherin's locket, the Gaunt family ring…"
"And finally, me—Hufflepuff's golden cup."
Inside the classroom, Ken—sitting there leisurely—slowly took an exquisite golden cup from his robes and raised it toward the door, as if making a toast.
'The original body… obtained the relics of all four founders—and turned them into Horcruxes?'
Tom Riddle felt a surge of pride at the thought, yet an inexplicable unease also crept in. He couldn't quite pinpoint what felt wrong.
"At first, this should've been something to celebrate. More Horcruxes meant more secure immortality. Even if one or two were destroyed, the original body would still persist…"
"But unfortunately, reality proved otherwise."
Ken's voice grew heavy.
"As the number of soul splits increased, the original body's intellect actually declined. He became impatient, incapable of restraint, lazy in winning people over—gradually turning into nothing more than a brute who relied on raw violence."
"And he never realized this himself. It was only after I was split off that I reviewed my life and uncovered this terrifying truth."
"As expected, before the sixth Horcrux could even be created, the original body fell into a trap and lost his physical form."
"No one seriously believes that a newborn baby could defeat the great original body, right? I've already figured it out—the baby was just bait. What truly defeated the original body was a powerful and ancient magic…"
'So that's… how it was?'
Tom found this explanation acceptable.
He, too, had never been able to accept the idea that the mighty original body had been defeated by an infant. If it was due to diminished intellect and falling into a scheme, then it finally made sense.
But even so—
That was still not a reason for a Horcrux to betray the original body!
As he simmered in fury, Ken's voice continued without pause:
"With the five of us in existence, the original body was never going to truly die. As for where he went over the following decade, even I don't know…"
"But one thing is certain: a version of the original body that has lost both reason and clarity is extremely dangerous—and won't go far."
"And reality proved me right. Last year, at his weakest, the original body took an enormous risk and infiltrated Hogwarts. Want to guess why?"
Ken's voice seemed to grind through clenched teeth.
"A trap so obvious that even a first-year could see through it! Dumbledore placed the Philosopher's Stone in the school—and didn't even keep it on his person!"
"And the original body just charged straight in, head down, without leaving himself any way out!!"
He paused, as if taking a deep breath, before his tone turned solemn once more.
"Now you understand. As Horcruxes of the original body, our role is not merely to preserve his life. We should do everything we can to support him—to compensate for his flaws."
"And clearly, the best way to restore his intellect and sanity…"
"…is to reunite the soul."
(End of Chapter)