Dumbledore stood atop a reef.
The sea breeze stirred his silvery-white robes, while Fawkes perched quietly on his shoulder. In the massive pit before him, the three-meter-tall giant first called out his name with precision.
Albus Dumbledore.
Then.
In response to his question.
She spoke a name Albus Dumbledore had never expected to hear.
"Ariana."
The Female Titan pronounced it in the English of the future, not the language of the present. She was still lying at the bottom of the pit, her face buried in the sand, looking as though she did not want to face reality.
Those words were like a stone cast into the center of a lake, stirring layer upon layer of ripples in Dumbledore's heart.
Ariana.
The name struck into his mind like lightning, instantly awakening memories he had sealed away for many years.
He closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and tried to remain calm.
"Ariana..." he repeated softly, his gaze gradually growing complicated. His thoughts surged like a storm, countless fragments of memory flashing through his mind.
That little girl.
Her laughter, her fear, and... the tragedy of that summer. Dumbledore knew very well what that name meant. She was his sister, someone who had never truly left his life. More importantly, though, that name should not have appeared in this era, nor should the Titan before him have known it.
Nor did he think Ian was the sort of gossip who would discuss such things with the Female Titan.
Perhaps.
This Female Titan had peered into either his or Ian's memories? Albus Dumbledore was far from calm at that moment, countless guesses and judgments flooding his mind.
However.
His chaotic thoughts prevented him from concentrating enough to sort through and examine those guesses and judgments.
The air seemed to freeze at