Chapter 72 - 72: Waiting for You

[Backlund, Empress Borough—the luxurious Hall family estate] Monday, 2:55 P.M. Audrey was anxiously pacing back and forth in her bedroom. Susie looked up at her, head turning in rhythm with her movements. Ever since the Qilangos incident had ended, she'd been out of contact with Edward for several days. The first two days were spent avoiding the Beyonder her father had brought in to protect her. As soon as that person left, she immediately went through the Vanishing Cabinet to find him—only to fail. Alarmed, she quickly set up a ritual to summon Edward's messenger, but received no response. She had then asked Susie to deliver letters and inquire with Fors and Xio. The response she got was that Edward had asked Fors for help a few days ago but hadn't contacted them since. All signs pointed to something having happened to Edward. Now, all she could do was wait for the 3 o'clock Tarot Club. If he still didn't appear then… Audrey shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the dreadful thought. "No… impossible, it's impossible." Susie stared at her for a while and said softly, "Audrey, you've never been this anxious before." "I…I'd be like this if any friend of mine might be in danger." Audrey forcefully pushed down the unease in her heart and patted Susie gently. "Susie, could you please help me keep watch outside?" "Alright." Susie wagged her tail and trotted out, not forgetting to close the door behind her. —— 3:00 P.M. Sharp. As the crimson light engulfed her, Audrey once again arrived at the majestic and grandiose palace above the gray fog. She immediately looked toward Edward's usual seat— Empty! Edward wasn't here! A surge of intense fear instantly overwhelmed her. Her head spun, and the world tilted before her eyes. Klein sat upright at the head of the table, surrounded by dense gray-white mist. He glanced toward the indistinct members of the Tarot Club, his first reaction being: Why didn't Miss Justice greet everyone first today? Wait, her emotions are incredibly strong—fear, panic, sorrow. What is she looking at…? Hold on, why is the seat representing "The Tower" empty? Where's Edward? A bad premonition struck him. Klein subconsciously clenched his fingers. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. Meanwhile, The Hanged Man Alger and The Sun Derrick had also noticed the vacant Tower seat. One was deeply suspicious, the other confused. "Mr. Fool…" Audrey took a deep breath and looked at the figure shrouded in the white mist. "May I ask…where is Mr. Tower?" Klein didn't answer immediately. He opened up his spirituality. Boundless gray fog filled his vision, and crimson stars twinkled near and far, like countless watching eyes. Soon, he saw Edward's star—it was still glowing, bright and dazzling. Klein let out a silent breath of relief, while The Fool said calmly, "Don't worry. Mr. Tower is safe. He simply cannot attend this week's Tarot Club for certain reasons. You may proceed." Relief swept through Audrey's entire being. Strength returned to her limbs. She suddenly realized how inappropriate her earlier reaction had been and quickly stood up, using a cheerful voice to say, "Good afternoon, Mr. Fool. Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man. Good afternoon, Mr. Sun." Wow…Miss Justice really knows how to shift her mood. Audrey sat down again and turned to Alger, "Mr. Hanged Man, about the materials I asked you to help find last week—how did that go?" Alger nodded lightly. "I've gathered everything. But…how should I deliver them to you?" How to give it to me…? Audrey froze for a moment, falling into thought. At the head of the table, Mr. Fool was silent for a moment, then said mildly, "Miss Justice, Mister Hanged Man, do you still remember the sacrificial ritual the Sun once described?" ——— Meanwhile, Edward was slouched against the broken remains of a collapsed wall. He wasn't hurt or sick—just hopelessly bored. After being pulled into the spirit world by that black bird, he'd ended up in this enormous spirit city. He was fine, but the black bird had immediately fallen unconscious, lying sprawled out a few meters away. He'd tried returning to the physical world over the past few days—but Apparition seemed only to work within the spirit realm. And his spirituality warned him that straying too far from the bird could be life-threatening. The Vanishing Cabinet couldn't "cross realms," and even rituals to pray to Mr. Fool failed to "send the message out." In the meantime, he'd explored a few hundred meters around within the safe zone. This place had once clearly been a massive city, now reduced to nothing but a ruined wasteland. Deathly silence hung over everything—not even a single spirit creature was in sight. Finally, Monday 3:00 p.m. came. Just as he was about to be pulled into the crimson light and enter the palace, an invisible force yanked him back. Furious, he'd "crunch-crunch" eaten several pieces of jerky chicken—yep, he'd been surviving on Lilith's cat snacks for the past few days. Luckily, tomorrow was the scheduled time to return to the Harry Potter world. He figured the spirit realm probably couldn't restrict travel between two entirely different worlds. Phew— Edward looked down at the Ravenclaw diadem in his hand. The only silver lining in all this was that, after he'd failed to be drawn into the castle above the gray fog, a wisp of white mist had been left behind and absorbed by the diadem. It had purified Voldemort's soul and triggered a transformation, turning the diadem into a mystical item with three abilities: First, [Quick Thought]—an active ability that accelerated the user's casting speed. Second, [Erudition]—a passive effect that made it easier for the wearer to perceive items with Beyonder properties. Both abilities were fairly easy to understand. Quick Thought essentially increased spellcasting speed, while Erudition enhanced one's ability to discern the supernatural. The drawback was that after using the diadem, one would enter a temporary state of "compulsive answering". The longer it was worn, the longer this effect lasted. "Tsk, anyone on the Reader Pathway would love this thing." Edward put on the Ravenclaw diadem and casually cast a few spells. He noticed that his spirituality consumption had dropped by about one-third—a considerable amount. He activated [Quick Thought]. Instantly, everything in his vision turned viscous and sluggish. He tried thinking and noticed that his thoughts didn't speed up—they just seemed faster in comparison to the world around him. "Got it. The speed of Quick Thought is relative. When everything you see and feel slows down but your mind doesn't, it feels like you're thinking faster." He deactivated Quick Thought. The world suddenly sped up as if someone had hit fast-forward, then stabilized a few seconds later. A distinct discomfort settled in his head. "Seems like the disorientation comes from the sudden shift in cognitive speed." "Let's test spellcasting under its effect." Edward pulled out his pocket watch. As the second hand crossed 12, he reactivated Quick Thought, flicked his wand, and unleashed twenty spells in quick succession. Then he immediately canceled the ability and looked at the watch. "Spellcasting speed increased twofold." He took off the diadem, frowning. "The problem is, once Quick Thought is activated, it's best to keep it going until the end of the fight. If you stop mid-battle, even a few seconds of disorientation could be fatal." "So what am I supposed to do?" As he pondered this, a crisp voice rang out, "What are you doing?" Edward answered reflexively, "I'm testing the Ravenclaw Diadem's mystical properties and considering ways to minimize the post-Quick Thought disorientation…Crap. It really is a compulsive answering effect!" "What's the Ravenclaw Diadem?" "The Ravenclaw Diadem is the only surviving relic of Rowena Ravenclaw, founder of Ravenclaw House. She enchanted it to enhance the wearer's intelligence." "Ravenclaw…" "Stop! Stopstopstop!" Edward waved frantically at the now-awake black bird. "I—I'm trying to think. Can you hold your questions for a minute?" The black bird flapped its wings and hopped up onto the broken wall, tilting its head. "Think about what?" "Think about how to trick you into not asking any more ques—damn it!" "..." "You're alright now?" "I'm fine. I only passed out due to energy overload—just a protective mechanism." It gave a light hop, hovering in front of Edward, eyes sparkling. "Give me…five sticks!" "..." Right. He'd almost forgotten—the bird had dragged him into the spirit world at great risk, even fainting in the process, all for the five wands he'd promised. But now he only had two phoenix-feather-core wands left. Edward pulled out the remaining two and tossed them over. The bird snatched and swallowed one in each beak with practiced ease, then blinked expectantly for the third. "Sorry," Edward said, "I only have two sticks left right now. I'll give you the remaining three next time." The bird's pupils turned cold. A chilling aura radiated from it. "You…lied to me!" "No no no!" He shook his head emphatically, then his eyes lit up with an idea. "How about this—next time, I'll give you six sticks. Deal?" The black bird froze for a moment, the sinister aura dissipated, and it nodded seriously. "Deal." Heh. That was easy~ "Alright then, could you send me back now? I've been out of contact with my friends for days." "Sure." It flapped its wings and tore open a rift in the air. On the other side was the place he'd come from—still showing traces of the battle between Mr. A and the Saint of Secrets. Who knew how that had ended? "Well then, goodbye." Edward stepped forward, then suddenly turned back. "Oh right—can you pass a message to my friends for me? Tell them I'm back safe." "No! Not unless you give me the rest of the sticks right now!" "There's no need to be so—" Before he could finish, the bird kicked him through the rift with a clawed foot. ——— [88 Minsk Street, Cherwood Borough] Lilith curled up all alone on the wooden floor, in the exact spot where Edward had left five days ago. Suddenly, her ears twitched. She sprang to her feet in an instant, her sapphire-blue eyes lighting up, gazing beyond like a lake reflecting the vast universe. She looked up at her master and opened her mouth, trembling the air with unfamiliar human speech, "You…are back…I…waited...here…the whole time~" ——— [Note]: Here is the promised Extra Chapter! Enjoy~ I'll post another one if we reach 480 Powerstones by tomorrow. Go, VOTE!