"The moment I learned of the original body's failure, I began designing this plan—to reunite us into one whole again, to restore a complete soul, and to recreate the true, great Voldemort."
Ken sighed softly. "The original body entrusted me to the Lestrange family, and just after his defeat, every member of the Lestrange family was arrested and sent to Azkaban. I then manipulated their house-elf, took control of its body, and gained the ability to act."
"For ten long years, I remained alone in the Lestrange family's ancestral manor, poring over records, experimenting with magic, and searching for a way to reunify the soul. After an unknown amount of time, I finally discovered a line of thought—a ridiculous one."
"The Remorse Effect."
"After extensive experimentation and study of the Lestrange family's secret archives, I discovered an absurd phenomenon: if the creator of a Horcrux genuinely repents for the killings they have committed, their soul will reunify. But I would never use such a method—why should I repent? What's wrong with pursuing immortality?"
"However, since this phenomenon does exist, its very existence proves that soul reunification is possible, and that some deeper truth must lie behind it. Fortunately, as the final Horcrux, I inherited nearly all of the original body's research on the soul. Combined with the Lestrange family's records and the cooperation of that house-elf, I finally found the correct method of fusion…"
Ken paused. Then a torrent of theorems, formulas, and data poured from his mouth—so technical and dense that it exceeded even the expressive limits of Parseltongue. He was forced to switch to English at times just to fully convey his thoughts. Outside the classroom, Tom stood listening intently, carefully analyzing every word Ken spoke…
'His knowledge surpasses mine in several areas—there's a lot I never mastered. Still, my foundations aren't weak. After all, I possess memories of soul research and Horcrux creation as well…'
Tom struggled to keep up with the logic and data in Ken's explanation. Fortunately, he still had considerable mental strength left; otherwise, he truly might not have been able to follow the "Cup's" train of thought. As the explanation continued, his eyes gradually lit up…
'It's completely reasonable!'
'Everything I know about the soul checks out—and there's even deeper analysis layered on top of it. The path he's proposing actually seems feasible…'
The deeper Tom thought, the more shocked he became at the ingenuity of the Horcrux who had devised this method.
'How did he come up with something so sharp and subtle? It's brilliant…'
'No—of course. The original body was a genius to begin with. The fact that such an elegant solution exists only proves his capability. So while I was gone, had the original body's knowledge really advanced this far? If he could regain his clarity and intellect, he'd surely be capable of ideas like this too!'
'It seems the Cup is right—the original body does need treatment… But then why hand him over to Dumbledore?'
'Could it be that he intends to replace the original body himself?!'
'No—that doesn't add up. If that were the case, he'd have even less reason to kill the basilisk…'
Tom Riddle was confused. He couldn't grasp the Cup's true motive.
If the Cup truly wanted to help the original body, then why deliver him neatly into Dumbledore's hands—and even leak the basilisk's existence to ensure its destruction?
But if the Cup had betrayed the original body, then why spend a full decade searching for a method of soul reunification?
'Should I… reveal myself and ask directly?'
A dangerous thought surfaced—only to be swiftly rejected.
'No. Too dangerous. The location of my vessel must never be exposed to anyone. Not even Lucius knows that I've been restricted by that damned man…'
'But… what if I communicate using only my spirit?'
'Yes. Use the invisibility cloak to protect the diary, and speak to him only as a spirit…'
Once the idea formed, it became impossible to suppress. Driven by it, Tom once again manipulated the unconscious student he was possessing, hid the diary inside their clothing, and wrapped the body tightly in the invisibility cloak before tucking it into a corner. Then, slowly, he condensed his spiritual form and walked up to the empty classroom.
After standing in silence for dozens of seconds, he finally clenched his teeth and made his decision. His form flickered between solid and insubstantial as he passed straight through the door, appearing before Ken—who was holding up the golden cup.
"Oh."
Ken seemed startled by his sudden appearance. Then he smiled faintly and raised the cup toward Tom in greeting.
"So you finally came. You heard what I said earlier, didn't you?"
"And judging by your age… you're the diary, right? I'm the cup."
That blood-linked sensation surged even stronger now, confirming Tom's certainty—this being before him truly was one of his own kind, a Horcrux of Voldemort.
"There are some things I want to ask you," Tom said.
"Oh?"
Ken smiled and gestured for him to sit across from him.
"You want to ask why I sealed the original body, don't you?"
"And why you killed my basilisk," Tom added in a low voice, his gaze cold and serpentine—ready to disperse his form and flee at the slightest hint of treachery.
"Sealing the original body was part of the plan," Ken replied calmly, seemingly oblivious to Tom's hostility. "Right now, his mind is consumed by that grand vision of splitting his soul into seven parts. He hasn't realized that there's something wrong with his thinking. In that state, do you really believe there's any chance he'd willingly abandon five completed Horcruxes and restore his soul to wholeness?"
"…No."
After a long silence, Tom lowered his head and answered reluctantly—then snapped it back up.
"Then why give him to Dumbledore?!"
"As you can see, the body I'm controlling now belongs to a third-year student—last year, a second-year. No matter how weakened the original body was, he was still Voldemort. Strategy rarely triumphs over absolute power. I needed Dumbledore to ensure the original body could be successfully sealed."
Ken sighed, then smiled with faint satisfaction.
"After that, I also hinted to Dumbledore about the Horcruxes. With his knowledge, he'll figure it out soon enough. That means that until he's certain all Horcruxes have been destroyed, the original body won't face any real danger."
"And my current identity has already earned his absolute trust. Borrowing the original body from him temporarily—for research or some other excuse—do you really think that would be difficult?"
"..."
Tom said nothing.
"As for killing the basilisk, that was to prepare an alternative path to immortality. After all, reunifying the soul means losing the protection of Horcruxes, greatly increasing the risk of death."
Ken continued calmly. "This method came from the Lestrange family. By incorporating basilisk flesh and blood while reconstructing the body during resurrection, one can inherit its millennium-long lifespan and immense vitality. As for the other requirements of the ritual—father's bone and enemy's blood—those are trivial…"
"But with my current strength, killing the basilisk myself was impossible. That's why I revealed its weakness to Dumbledore, hoping it would die in the Chamber, so I could retrieve its corpse later when the time came to resurrect."
"Instead, even the Chamber's password was changed. That was your doing, wasn't it?"
"..."
"I won't press you for your reasons," Ken said softly. "But at the very least, you should be able to trust me a little now. I've laid my original body bare before you—yet I still have no idea where you are."
He smiled, raised the golden cup once more, then lowered his voice.
"I need your help."
(End of Chapter)