Ring

"Oh, I have a small question. I wonder if you could help me answer it."

"Ask away."

"How did you come back by yourself, Mr. Ominis?" Grindelwald asked with a malicious grin.

When it came to poking each other's sore spots, he and Cyberlina had always been experts.

The amusement in Cyberlina's eyes deepened. She narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at Grindelwald for several seconds before letting out a soft laugh. Then, gently shaking her head, she turned and walked toward the stairs, looking every bit like an exasperated adult indulging a mischievous child.

The malice vanished from Grindelwald's face at once. Expressionless, he followed Cyberlina down the stairs. Looking at her appearance—she seemed even younger than when he had first met her—he drawled, "You need to learn to respect your elders, child."

"Elders? If I read my information correctly—" Cyberlina glanced around. "Our great Mr. Grindelwald seems to have spent nearly fifty years without leaving this place. It must be difficult for you to count all that stagnant time as part of an age that only grows in number."

"..." Grindelwald stared at Cyberlina with a strange expression. "Where did you learn to talk like that?"

"From a child." Cyberlina turned and smiled at him. "A child Albus trusts very much."

"Trusts?" Grindelwald snorted disdainfully. "At most, he's using him."

"You certainly know a lot for a Mr. Grindelwald who's been in prison." With her hands behind her back, Cyberlina continued down the stairs. "But you're right. How could Albus trust someone covered in the aura of Dark Magic now? Wouldn't you agree?"

"...You're the last person qualified to say that about someone else." Grindelwald gave a derisive laugh.

"True. But no matter how much Dark Magic I use, I can't harm a soul. Unlike you—" Cyberlina stopped and looked Grindelwald up and down before giving him a faintly contemptuous smile. "Even after repenting for so many years, your soul is still like this... No wonder Albus ignores you."

"..." Grindelwald felt that Cyberlina had become even more infuriating than she had been decades ago!

Cyberlina stopped on the third floor, then walked straight into the empty level.

Grindelwald was somewhat surprised. If he remembered correctly, Cyberlina had lived around this part of the third floor when she had been in Central Europe. But—even though Nurmengard had not been completely abandoned, it had indeed been cleared out decades ago and had never been repaired. There was no way she could have left anything in a place like this.

"What are you looking for?" Grindelwald stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at Cyberlina, who stood amid the ruins.

"Do you remember how I split off part of my power in order to better merge Ancient Magic into Omi's soul?"

Grindelwald, who had participated in Cyberlina's experiment, nodded. Then he suddenly froze. Slowly lifting his head, he stared at Cyberlina suspiciously. "You didn't happen to hide part of it here, did you?"

Cyberlina tilted her head and smiled brightly at him. "I have to thank Mr. Grindelwald for guarding it for me all these years."

Grindelwald: "..." He wanted to curse.

Grindelwald took a deep breath and sighed. "So you still had some sanity back then..."

Cyberlina did not answer. After giving a soft laugh, she raised her wand.

Grindelwald stared intently at Cyberlina as she waved her wand. White flames suddenly sprang to life in his field of vision. Cyberlina and her phantom image began waving their wands together—it was a movement different from her usual habit, larger and slower. The Cyberlina in reality lowered her wand calmly, but the phantom smiled as it dissolved into the flames.

Grindelwald took a step back and leaned against the rust-covered railing beside the stairs. Folding his arms across his chest, he calmly watched Cyberlina wave her wand and direct the traces of magic he could not see.

A strange wind he had not felt for decades passed by his side. The powerful magical force he could faintly sense brought a nostalgic look to his eyes, reminding him of many things from his youth. But the longing and desire for the unknown and powerful that he had possessed in his youth were completely gone now.

"Cyberlina..." Grindelwald suddenly spoke. "I saw it."

Cyberlina paused in the act of putting away her wand and looked at Grindelwald with a smile. "And the result?"

"You'll still fail."

"Is that so? Thank you for your prophecy."

Cyberlina smiled, apparently not taking Grindelwald's words to heart at all. She put away her wand and, after confirming that none of her power remained nearby, walked toward the stairs. Grindelwald followed her, but the moment he straightened up, Cyberlina grabbed his arm and spun him around.

Grindelwald: "?"

"Mr. Grindelwald, I told you that your age only increased in number, and you still wouldn't believe me."

Cyberlina's voice was full of disdain. Grindelwald slowly turned his head and discovered that she was using a silent, wandless Scourgify on his back. After glancing at the section of railing that had been stripped of its rust, Grindelwald silently turned his head back.

The instant they stepped out of Nurmengard, Grindelwald had been about to say something about his release from prison, but Cyberlina grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and made him disappear from the spot.

"That wasn't Apparition." Grindelwald spoke the moment he steadied himself.

"Then what was it?" Cyberlina asked in return. She released him and blinked innocently at Grindelwald.

Grindelwald knew that meant she refused to answer—or would lie if she did—so he stopped asking. Pursing his lips impatiently, he straightened his collar, then gave Cyberlina a look urging her onward.

Cyberlina gave a soft laugh and turned to walk along the snow-covered country lane.

The snow was deep, and the dirt road beneath it was full of potholes, making it difficult to walk. Yet the two of them still moved slowly and calmly, as if they were walking across a marble floor.

The withered branches and brambles around them were all covered in snow. Grindelwald swept his eyes over them and confirmed that they had been cut down while they still bore leaves. Cyberlina had apparently explored the route—or at least tried to—more than a month ago. For some reason, though, she had not completed what she wanted to do and had even dragged him along to help.

Grindelwald had never asked Cyberlina what she wanted his help with, and Cyberlina had never asked why he had left Nurmengard so easily—because he did indeed need a "reasonable" reason for his "escape" to keep a certain White Wizard from becoming too angry.

Grindelwald was simply curious about what kind of difficulty could make Cyberlina "help" him and give him a reason to leave Nurmengard. After all, this teacher who had indeed taught him some things, and who had later become a research partner with him as they helped each other, had only shown him a kind expression for a little over a month.

He still remembered the first time he had seen her after leaving Godric's Hollow. He had not even managed to say a single word before she beat him up. Then, after he had obediently said the word "teacher," the perceptive witch realized that she had been used—he had deliberately displayed his powerful "backer" before the wizard who was obstructing him. The result was that he was dragged somewhere deserted and beaten up again.

The reason Grindelwald could be certain that Cyberlina would come and beat him up after receiving his message was that he knew she would not completely ignore him, even if he and Dumbledore had fallen out. After all, she favored his magical talent—just as she favored Dumbledore's talent, except that Dumbledore possessed much more goodness and kindness than he did.

Cyberlina was indeed easily moved by kind people, such as Dumbledore and Ominis.

But Grindelwald would only acknowledge Albus's goodness. As for Mr. Ominis—he could only say that Ominis was indeed kind, but not purely so, because in the end, he was a—

"Gaunt."

Looking at the serpentine body hanging from the nearly collapsing door, Grindelwald said softly, "This is the home of the last Gaunt patriarch?"

"It would be more accurate to call it Marvolo's hiding place." Cyberlina spoke mockingly. Her entire body seemed to bristle, and she let out several cold laughs in succession. Grindelwald was not surprised by her sudden change.

"So what do I need to do?" Grindelwald asked amiably.

Without looking, Cyberlina knew that his still-bright eyes, despite his age, were filled with anticipation for a good show.

So she did not look at Grindelwald and merely said, "First, you need to know why I chose you to help me."

"Please, enlighten me."

"Among all the people I know and trust who are familiar with Dark Magic, you have the faintest desire to resurrect the dead." A faint smile touched Cyberlina's lips as she looked calmly at the darkness beyond the broken door.

Grindelwald turned to look at Cyberlina. "I refuse to believe I'm the only choice."

"Unfortunately, you are." Cyberlina shook her head. "Actually, Riddle would be the most suitable. After all, this is the mess he made himself... But unfortunately, he doesn't have a true physical body yet."

"You found him?" Grindelwald raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Only something that can't exist independently—I originally thought it could." Cyberlina sighed faintly, her voice full of regret.

"What about that child? I remember he's also quite familiar with Dark Magic, and not lacking in talent."

Cyberlina gave an exasperated laugh and turned to look at Grindelwald. "Sir, aren't you Albus's stalker? How do you not know that he has someone he desperately wants to resurrect?"

"But you wouldn't care about that." Grindelwald looked at Cyberlina with a smile. "You're just looking for an experimental subject who can help you obtain what you want."

Cyberlina paused, then smiled. "But he's only a child."

"Only when compared to your age."

"Not just his age—" Cyberlina looked seriously at Grindelwald. "I can't harm an intact soul."

Thinking of Cyberlina's habit of judging people by their souls, Grindelwald was silent for several seconds before asking incredulously, "Didn't he once follow that arrogant boy who called himself the Dark Lord?"

"So I was shocked at first, too." Cyberlina spread her hands. "But the fact is, that child's soul is almost completely intact."

Grindelwald paused, then frowned and asked seriously, "Does Albus know about this? Is that why he trusts him?"

Cyberlina: "..."

Cyberlina drew her wand and swept it horizontally without hesitation—

"Boom!"

The dilapidated house, which had already suffered an attack at the end of October, took another devastating blow and collapsed halfway.

"Cough, cough cough..." Grindelwald sat up from the ruins and glared angrily at Cyberlina. "Cyberlina! Be reasonable! I'm an old man without even a wand right now. Couldn't you warn me before attacking?"

Cyberlina did not answer him. She merely stared expressionlessly at the ruins, her hands behind her back and her body slightly tense, looking alert.

Grindelwald froze for a moment, then followed her gaze. Amid the filthy rubble, a ring lay quietly between several broken stones. Its black gemstone shimmered faintly beneath the setting sun.

Grindelwald rose and walked closer. Through the light, he saw the emblem of the Peverell Family on the gemstone—it was a Deathly Hallow.

The Resurrection Stone.

He understood what Cyberlina had said.

Did he have anyone he wanted to resurrect?

Grindelwald was not actually sure. Although he had repented for decades, he did not seem to have any definite, independent object of repentance. If he truly had to name someone he wanted to resurrect, it would probably be that little blonde girl.

He had once believed she was unimportant. Or rather, among that family, he had considered only Albus important—he had believed that they were each other's most important person.

But the facts had proven that the little girl and the goat boy mattered far more to Albus than he did.

So he had run away, because he had been furious—at least, he had thought he was furious.

But in reality—

He had fled. He had been afraid—afraid that he had been the one to cast that spell. He had been afraid of the disappointment and pain in Albus's eyes. He had been afraid that Albus would sever ties with him.

So he had run away.

He only understood this when his spell collided with Albus's and Albus's brother's once again.

But the realization came together with the breaking of the blood pact between him and Albus.

As they stared at each other in disbelief, Grindelwald and Albus both understood—everything was over.

Perhaps they still had feelings for each other, but nothing could ever return to the way it had been.

So throughout those decades of endless, lonely repentance, Grindelwald often thought how wonderful it would be if that little girl were still alive.

The ancient ring floated soundlessly in the air under a Levitation Charm. Grindelwald turned to Cyberlina and grinned wildly and arrogantly. "Seriously? You couldn't resist this little temptation?"

"Because I've used it..." Cyberlina relaxed, but the smile took several seconds to return to her face. "I trust Mr. Grindelwald can break the curse on it as well, can't he?"

"You used it... So you knew where the Resurrection Stone was all along, and still didn't tell me or Albus anything." Grindelwald snorted unhappily and examined the ring several times. "No problem, but it'll take time... Tsk, Riddle really does have some skill."

"Then put it away for now." Cyberlina sent a black pouch floating toward Grindelwald.

Grindelwald accepted the pouch with a complicated expression. He opened it and let the ring drop freely inside. Then, as he walked toward Cyberlina, he asked in a strange tone, "What happened when you used it to make you so afraid?"

"You're giving it to me this easily. Aren't you pursuing the Deathly Hallows anymore?" Cyberlina took the pouch and tied another knot over the tightened opening.

Good. She had changed the subject.

"What do you think?" Grindelwald chose to answer Cyberlina in Cyberlina's own manner.

Cyberlina: "..."

Cyberlina smiled and put the pouch away, then looked at Grindelwald with a beaming smile. "I think you should change your appearance."

"?" Grindelwald looked down at his dirty clothes. "You did this to me. You can't blame me."

"Not because of that." Cyberlina waved her wand, and Grindelwald transformed in shock into a white cat with mismatched eyes. "It's because Albus is too clever, and he got here a little too quickly."

Grindelwald the cat: "???"

Cyberlina waved her wand again, and the cat in her arms' eyes changed to a uniform deep blue. She thought for a moment, then waved her wand once more, turning the two cat eyes a clear sky blue.

"Cyberl—"

Dumbledore's voice came from behind them. Cyberlina turned around calmly and raised the cat in her arms toward him with a beaming smile. "Albus, look. I found a kitty who looks a lot like you."