The Power of Words

"You're such an idiot..." Sean sighed, like a father who was disappointed in his son.

Thomas, suspended in mid-air by magical chains, let out a shrill laugh, "Wallerup, you're getting impatient."

Sean slowly crossed one leg. "Thomas —watch my words, I said you are like, not that you are an idiot."

"Should I thank you for leaving me with the little bit of dignity?" Thomas scoffed.

"No, because I think you still have room to become smarter."

"Ambience? To tell you all the news?" Thomas gave a mocking smile. "Wallerup, who is the idiot? After all these days, you still have such delusions. I have to say, whether it is the arrogant and proud Grindelwald or the cunning and shameless Dumbledore, they have both chosen a not-so-bright successor."

Sean shrugged. "I have to correct your wording—they didn't choose me as their successor, but there are a lot of things I have to get involved in right now."

"Ha, you didn't even refute my assessment of those two old geezers. Looks like you don't respect them very much either." Thomas licked his lips.

"I suggest you say that in front of the two of them—" Sean smiled slightly, "Let's get back to the point, Thomas, I've found a way for you to look less like an idiot."

"What new tricks are you up to today? Last time's Scourging Charm, tsk, so-so." Thomas still had that fearless look on his face.

During the time Sean imprisoned him, no amount of coercion, bribery, or torture could reveal any useful information.

One reason is the Unbreakable Vow. Because of this supreme magical contract, if Thomas reveals any specific information about the Returners, he will be killed by its backlash.

On the other hand, Thomas seemed to have been trained in this resistance to interrogation. The Imperius Curse would only turn him into a brainless idiot. The torture method that Sean had used to make that Calchas suffer so much only made Thomas grit his teeth. The Cruciatus Curse and the Scourging Charm had very limited effects on him, like using a spell on a Troll with high Magic Resistance.

Aside from Thomas, the other two remained completely silent no matter what Sean tried. If it weren't for the fact that they needed to eat every day, Sean would have thought they were two Inferi.

Overall, the interrogation of Thomas did not go smoothly; Thomas even tried to provoke Sean.

However, his experience at Black Lake made Sean think of some possibilities that only existed in theory.

"Thomas— " Sean smiled slightly and spoke slowly, "What exactly is your relationship with those inhuman freaks?"

"Is that even a question—"

Before the other person could speak, Sean interrupted him with his monotonous words, since it was impossible to tell the truth from the falsehood anyway—but Thomas had one characteristic, which could be seen from his arrogant remarks to Dumbledore; he was an extremely arrogant person.

And this arrogance clearly stems from the allure of the Sin of Sloth.

Furthermore, the fact that the Returners allowed him to act alone and gave him this magic suggests that Thomas has a close relationship with one of the Returners who holds real power.

For example, that person's direct descendants...

In other words, Thomas was convinced that he held a relatively important position among the Returners, and he firmly believed in his own specialness...

"Let me guess, you and one of the Returners are probably direct relatives? That person might be your grandfather, great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather or something... Hmm, it just so happens that your clan isn't very large, maybe you're the only one left? Even after I captured you, you maintained a strange confidence. Although I can't rule out the possibility that you're bluffing me, I still think you have something to rely on—you think I wouldn't dare to kill you?"

A glint of cunning flashed in Thomas's eyes, but he concealed it well, revealing only a mocking smile.

"Kill me—ha, Wallerup, based on my observations over these past few days, you're not a good-natured fellow, yet I'm still keeping my heart beating. I think Dumbledore must have told you not to touch me?"

Sean's eyes narrowed slightly.

Seeing Sean's expression, Thomas laughed even more wildly, "Ha, Dumbledore knows far more than you do. He knows why he can't kill me, but he can't tell you. I also know why you can't kill me, and I won't tell you either. Hahaha, I love this feeling."

"Do you enjoy being tortured here?" Sean replied calmly.

Thomas thrust forward with all his might, and the magic chains snapped taut with a clanging sound.

"Wallerup, I love this situation where you can't do anything to me. And soon, someone will be there to welcome me back. Then we'll switch places, and my pleasure will reach its peak!"

"Thomas ..." Sean's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"You see right through me, ha, Wallerup ... no, let me call you Sean. Sean, my dear buddy, once I get out of here—" he laughed maniacally, "You will be hanging from this very chain that once bound me, and beside you will be your father, your mother, your lovely little sister, and yes, all your friends."

His eyes were filled with fanaticism and bloodlust. "What was that thing you used on me last time called again?! Haha, right, Powerful Stimulating Potion. I'm going to give each of them a whole bottle, and then, right in front of you, little by little... little by little... little by little, I'll peel off all their skin and hair. You'll live every day to the sound of their most agonizing screams—"

"Hahaha~" he laughed maniacally, "They'll ask you in anguish, 'Oh~ oh~, why is this happening, Sean? Why am I being treated like this because of your mistakes?'"

Sean didn't say anything, but silently stood up and looked directly at the other person.

Thomas looked back at Sean without fear, gritting his teeth and saying in the most disgusting voice, word by word, "What I say today will come true, Wallerup —I guarantee that you and the people you love most will be subjected to the most painful magic in the world."

An invisible whip lashed across Thomas's face, leaving a horrifying bloody mark.

Thomas laughed even harder, "Ha, this burning sensation is so irresistible—what do you think of putting this Scourging Charm on your lovely little Ayla's face? Hahaha, maybe I can do something before that..."

An invisible hand gripped Thomas's throat tightly, and blood slowly oozed from his mouth, nose, and the corners of his eyes.

He continued speaking in an almost choked voice, "Yes... yes... that's it, but... but you don't dare... kill... me... but... I... I will definitely... do this to everyone around you..."

Sean's face turned ashen, while Thomas's smile grew even wider.

Feeling the increasing pressure on his neck, his eyes almost bulged out.

"Wallerup... who... who is the imprisoned person... ha, ha ha, ha... come on, do it... ah..."

Suddenly, the invisible hand that had been gripping his neck vanished.

Thomas coughed violently, spitting out some blood, and looked up, ready to continue his taunts.

However, he saw Sean's smiling face, and a bad feeling welled up in his heart.

Sean stepped forward, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the blood from Thomas's seven orifices.

"Tsk, I've never understood why the Returners don't seem very smart. From you, I've come to the conclusion that it's innate. Tsk, your inherent stupidity has been well inherited."

Thomas was somewhat taken aback, but he didn't show it, maintaining his manic smile, "Wallerup, you will eventually..."

"Shh—" Sean crouched down, looking at Thomas's face, the handkerchief gradually burning. "You want to die, don't you?"

Thomas instinctively hesitated for a moment, but immediately replied, "But would you dare kill me? Hmm? Wallerup?"

"Certainly--"

Thomas was delighted to see Sean's eyes turn cold, but just as he was about to continue his mockery, he saw the other man's smile return to its peaceful state.

"Once your true intentions are exposed, sarcasm becomes less useful," Sean laughed. "Thanks for your hard work, I can confirm one thing: you really want to die."

Thomas's eyes darkened.

Sean continued cheerfully, "After I learned that you wanted to die, many bold guesses were also moving closer to the right path— Thomas, those other two people, they share a soul with you, right? When I tortured you, you could transfer some of the pain to those other two bodies, so it wasn't very effective... The Imperius Curse is the same; your soul is incomplete, so of course the Imperius Curse won't work."

Thomas forced a smile, "You're only realizing this now, Wallerup?"

Sean laughed even harder, "No, no, no, I had my suspicions about this as soon as we met. After all, your movements were so synchronized, and the one who ran away was that black-cloaked, mute guy. Hmm, that guy is your true form?"

Thomas's eyes flickered slightly, and he chuckled, "And then?"

Sean walked up to the man in the black cloak. "Do you think I'm going to torture your true form? No, no, no, 'true form' isn't accurate. Didn't I just say you really want to die..."

"You have a backup with the Returners, right?" Sean flashed a white tooth. "How could you not know about Horcrux? And how could an idiot like you... possibly master the magic of Sloth? Let me think... a normal wizard couldn't withstand it, so you created multiple vessels to hold that powerful magic? To be honest, your research on Horcrux surpasses mine, but I don't need to know the principles. I just need to know..."

He leaned closer. "You've divided your soul into several parts, but your main soul isn't among these three. You're just using the current Soul Fragment as the main body... If I kill you, your backup with the Returners will become the main body, and you're so eager to provoke me. Hmm, your development of Horcrux must be quite advanced. For example, after these three bodies die, the memories will still magically return to the backup."

"Then you can pass on the message between me and Dumbledore, right?"

Thomas lowered his head and said nothing more.

He was starting to panic. Why? Why could this person have guessed so much just from his actions...?

Moreover, he didn't know how he should react.

Continue his manic behavior? Wouldn't that make him seem guilty?

Silence? Does this mean acquiescence?

Looking at Thomas, Sean gave a satisfied smile.

He sat down in front of the other person and said, "Alright, let's get back to our original topic."

Thomas stared at him, a strange look in his eyes.

"Are you wondering why I guessed so much all at once?" Sean laughed. "Logically speaking, you haven't revealed this much, have you?"

"Tsk, not saying anything now? Let me tell you the answer, Thomas, you've been abandoned."

Upon hearing this, Thomas could no longer contain himself and raised his head, his eyes filled with malice. "Wallerup, do you think you're some kind of Seer god? Don't think so..."

"Shh—" Sean held up a finger. "I already said my guesses were all guesses, but your reaction is basically telling me, 'Oh, my dear, you're so smart, you were right all along!'"

Thomas fell silent, only staring resentfully at Sean.

This was the first time he had felt such a profound sense of powerlessness, and the other person was much younger than him.

"And aren't you curious? Why I'm saying that the Returners have already given up on you..." Sean said calmly.

Thomas managed to squeeze out a "humph" after a long pause.

"You're intrigued, you want to know the answer—" Sean clapped his hands. "I'm much more honest than you. Let me tell you—all my guesses come from the Returners ' new actions, which, of course, you are unaware of."

"A guy just like you attacked me."

Thomas's eyes widened. "That's impossible!"

They've taken the bait...

Sean continued calmly, "Of course it's possible. I've been thinking that the Returners have found a way to transfer magic, but how can the magic of sin be given to others without any cost? I am Pride, you know better than I do. Even I can't lend the magic of Pride to others, so how can the Sin ones do it? I got an inspiration from the Obscurus ..."

"You cultivated the magic of [Sloth] into something like the Obscurus, and then planted the seed in other people—yes, that person is you, planted it in you. Obviously, the success rate is very low, and there are probably only a few seeds left..."

"As the embodiment of Sin, I understand even more clearly that the magic of Sin is unique. That is to say, normally, no second person will appear besides you as the vessel... But you have been captured by me, so the Returners have chosen someone else..."

"Would you like to experience it?" Sean smiled.

Grandpa is back.

In short, I had a major meltdown, to the point where I didn't want to do anything. I'll resume updates in November, and I apologize to everyone.