Another Soul

Hogwarts Castle was deserted late at night. Filch, the warden who usually patrolled daily, was still lying in the Hospital Wing bed. Professor Sprout's Mandrake hadn't matured yet, and the warden would have to wait until the end of the term to continue his battle of wits with the students.

However, since news of Sean's disappearance had spread throughout the castle, the students, who had just experienced the Chamber of Secrets incident and witnessed the Basilisk's corpse, dared not wander around at night.

Sean walked quickly through the quiet stone corridor, heading towards Professor Dumbledore's office.

He had just come up with an excuse, but he didn't know if the headmaster would believe it.

However, before he could even reach the Seventh Floor, he encountered three people after passing through the Great Hall's Entrance Hall.

Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Scamander.

"Merlin's beard! Sean!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, professors, good evening," Sean replied somewhat awkwardly.

He was surprised to find that several professors were still awake in the middle of the night, seemingly having just come out of the Staff Room.

The three professors practically ran over, muttering "Thank God..." as they carefully examined Sean's body.

"Sean, where have you been?!" Professor Flitwick shouted.

He had just cast several spells in succession, all of which were physical enhancement spells. His wand was still glowing; it was a Courage Charm, which could effectively counteract a weakened state and had a certain suppressive effect on curse spells.

He felt a warm current rising within his body, and Sean's previously weak and cold body suddenly warmed up.

"Thank you for your spell, Professor Flitwick, I feel much better," Sean said gratefully.

Professor McGonagall was carefully examining Sean for any injuries, but apart from his haggard appearance due to prolonged fasting, Sean was actually fine.

The Unicorn's Favor can replenish energy, but the human body still needs food and water.

"Sean, where have you been?" Seeing that he was alright, Professor McGonagall breathed a sigh of relief before asking him in a serious tone.

"Oh...actually, I don't know either," Sean scratched his head helplessly. "I think I accidentally entered some Chamber of Secrets in the castle and then I passed out."

"Chamber of Secrets?" Upon hearing this word, the professors' expressions turned serious.

Of course, more importantly, Sean had been in a coma.

Professor McGonagall didn't press Sean for details; instead, she took Sean hand and led him toward the Hospital Wing.

"Hopefully Bobby isn't asleep yet... I need her to give you a full check-up right away. Newt, could you please tell Albus that he shouldn't be asleep at this hour either?"

"Professor, actually, I don't think I have any major problems... I'm just a little hungry. Can I eat something first?" Sean knew his physical condition very well, and he didn't want to trouble Madam Pomfrey.

The key point is that Madam Pomfrey will most likely keep him in the hospital to rest and be observed—to be honest, the beds in the Hospital Wing aren't very comfortable...

"No, many times, people have hidden injuries in their bodies without their knowledge. Moreover, some unknown curses don't show up on the surface. You must check," Professor McGonagall firmly refused him.

"Oh, okay..." Knowing Professor McGonagall's temper, Sean could only helplessly be dragged to the Hospital Wing.

Madam Pomfrey was clearly asleep; when Professor McGonagall called her, she was only wearing a robe over her silk nightgown.

However, her drowsiness did not affect her professional competence. After a thorough examination, Madam Pomfrey said, "There is nothing wrong. However, you are right, Minerva. I think it would be better to have Mr. Wallop stay in the hospital for observation overnight."

"Can I eat something first..." Sean said pitifully, sitting on the hospital bed.

Professor McGonagall looked at Madam Pomfrey, and after the latter nodded, she said, "I have already informed the kitchen, and your food will be ready in a little while."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

After a short wait, the food was brought over. However, before Sean could even break open the fragrant pie, two figures appeared at the door of the Hospital Wing.

Newt brought Dumbledore over.

This was the first time Sean had seen Dumbledore with such a complex expression. He strode up to Sean and grabbed his wrist.

Dumbledore's grip was strong, even somewhat rough, and the food Sean had just picked up fell back onto the plate.

My pie...

Madam Pomfrey was about to explode on impulse. "Albus, you can't treat my patient like this, he..."

Professor McGonagall interrupted her before she could finish speaking, and the ward fell silent.

Dumbledore didn't meet Sean's gaze. He held Sean's wrist with his right hand, while his left hand, hidden in his robes, seemed to be doing something.

The sharp-eyed Sean noticed that Dumbledore's left hand seemed to be drawing some kind of symbol.

Runes... Sean immediately understood; this must be some kind of Ancient Magic for checking things out.

His Magic Talent is now ridiculously high; he can instinctively understand the magical trajectory of ordinary spells, except for Potions which are not spells. He is now hopelessly gifted with Runes...

Sean couldn't understand Dumbledore's actions at all. Hmm, that proves it's Runes...

After a while, Dumbledore released his grip and looked at Sean.

He smiled and said, "Sean, it seems you're alright."

"Oh," Sean blinked, "That would be perfect."

Dumbledore turned to the others and said softly, "I'm sorry, everyone, but could I have a moment alone with Sean?"

The other professors exchanged glances, then pulled Madam Pomfrey out of the Hospital Wing.

"Alright, Sean," Dumbledore sat down on the edge of the bed, "You can enjoy your food now, and tell me about your experiences over the past few days?"

Sean nodded, picked up the soft, fragrant pie, took a bite, chewed it casually a few times, and quickly swallowed it.

Feeling the explosion of deliciousness on his taste buds and the groaning of his hungry stomach, Sean swallowed hard before saying, "I seem to have wandered into some kind of space..."

Dumbledore nodded, signaling him to continue.

"I have almost no memory of this period. I passed out and then saw some things..."

Sean exhaled, carefully choosing his words, and then said, "I was on a Sky Island, but strangely, the clothes I was wearing weren't the ones I'm wearing now. It felt strange... intimate and comfortable. However, below the Sky Island was a land made of lava, all the ground was lava, and it felt terrible, like a lot of negative emotions had gathered together... When I woke up, I was already lying in a castle..."

Sean explained his reasoning, which was that strange place within him—the place where ' Pride ' resided.

This wasn't just to conceal his recent experience; Sean intended to use it to reveal some information about his internal condition. He knew nothing about it, and Dumbledore clearly possessed far more knowledge of this ancient subject than he did.

Sure enough, after listening to his words, Dumbledore frowned and fell into deep thought.

Sean stuffed a pie into his mouth, trying to keep the sound of him swallowing as quiet as possible.

After a moment, Dumbledore said slowly, "Sean, that is very likely the world in your soul."

Sean swallowed the last bit of food, licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, and nodded. He had long had this idea about the Soul World.

Dumbledore continued, "You should also understand your own specialness... In fact, I've been thinking about a question all along."

His lake-blue eyes met Sean's. "I'm wondering, what is the essence of ' Pride '?"

"Essence?" Sean frowned; this was a question he hadn't thought about in detail.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded, "I initially thought it was a special bloodline or some powerful dark force residing within you, but based on your description, I have a bold idea..."

He gave Sean a deep look, and his voice suddenly carried an unspoken meaning.

"Pride, perhaps, is another soul..."

Sean stood there, stunned. He never expected Dumbledore to come to such a conclusion.

The power within him was another soul... Sean almost couldn't help but look down at his own body.

Dumbledore continued, "Remember the Realm of Illusion Realm of Illusion I mentioned to you? I told you it's a place between reality and the Underworld, where you often find souls who haven't made up their minds and all sorts of strange Magic Creature. You can't enter the Realm of Illusion without the key."

"To put it somewhat inaccurately, as a wizard, you can usually only see the Realm of Illusion after you die—yes, except in very special circumstances, the living cannot see the Realm of Illusion."

Sean took a deep breath; he understood what the other person meant.

"Professor, are you saying that the place I entered was not just my Soul World, but also Realm of Illusion?"

Dumbledore nodded. "It's just a guess, but it's very likely—given your special circumstances, I'm inclined to believe that the world you entered is actually your part of the Realm of Illusion."

"Remember the Prophecy? ' Sin is born from darkness.' In the Wizarding World, most people believe that the power of darkness comes from various negative emotions in the human world, and its essence originates from the Underworld. So, if ' Pride ' really comes from the Underworld, then it makes sense that the world inside you is Realm of Illusion."

Sean nodded with a grim expression. He had originally thought that ' Pride ' was an uncontrollable and enormous force, but the existence of another soul within him was somewhat hard to accept.

The power of thought and another soul are two completely different concepts.

Dumbledore. "Don't dwell on it, Sean. The more we understand the nature of things, the stronger our problem-solving abilities become. The more you understand ' Pride,' the more opportunities you have to control it. In the face of what has already happened, thinking about other possibilities is actually a good thing, isn't it?"

He shrugged. "No matter what, you are still Sean Wallerup now, and you will always be Sean Wallerup. You are you."

Sean gave a wry smile, "Professor, that's true, but I'm feeling a little down."

"Let's change the subject," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I didn't expect you to have wandered into some mysterious space in Hogwarts —forgive me, this castle has too many secrets for me to know them all. Fortunately, you are safe and sound, and even have a good appetite."

Looking at the bare plate, Sean scratched his head. "Oh, I'm starving, and the pie is delicious."

"It's best not to eat too much after being hungry for a while—but it seems you don't need to restrain yourself. Another late-night snack will be brought over when you get back to the Common Room."

"That's wonderful—oh, Professor, you mean I can go back to the Common Room now?"

"Of course, you can go back and get a good night's sleep—I have to go out for a bit because there are some misunderstandings about your disappearance that need to be cleared up." Dumbledore straightened up.

"A misunderstanding?" Sean asked, puzzled.

Dumbledore shook his head helplessly. "It's a rather serious misunderstanding. Some old man took advantage of the situation and picked on a few unlucky people. However, things should still be under control... I think..."

After saying this, Dumbledore offered no further explanation. He said goodbye and then disappeared into the firelight.

"Huh... Professor?" Sean was dumbfounded. He hadn't even had a chance to mention that he had used the Phoenix Feather but hadn't had any effect. Who knew that Dumbledore retreat so quickly?

"Never mind, I'll wait until tomorrow. I can bring up the matter of wanting to learn Runes with Professor Dumbledore again... "Sean muttered to himself.

After greeting the professors, Sean headed toward the Ravenclaw Tower.

As he climbed the last few steps of the spiral staircase, he heard two familiar voices.

"It's been a week, Hermione..." Her soft, gentle voice was tinged with sadness.

"He's just missing... just missing..." another voice said firmly and seriously, but then became dejected.

Hermione and Daisy? Why are they still outside the Common Room...?

Sean walked up a few steps and saw two girls at the entrance of the Common Room.

The two looked downcast and listless, and even Sean behind them didn't notice.

"Let's go look in the Restricted Section again tomorrow. Maybe some books mention other Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts..." Hermione said.

Daisy nodded vigorously, then stepped forward and pulled the door knocker.

In the cycle of the world, which comes first, life or death?

Both of them frowned and began to think.

Just then, another boy's gentle voice rang out.

"The two cycle endlessly, establishing rules and creating the world."

The door opened with a click, and Hermione and Daisy turned their heads simultaneously.

"Sean!"

"Sean!"

Two surprised voices rang out at the same time.