The Journey Is Over

Joachim simply watched them without making any aggressive gesture, and then pulled something out of his pocket.

It looked like the skeleton of an unknown marine creature, about the size of a palm, and glowed with a faint green light.

Shaped like the spine of some kind of fish, each vertebra is engraved with fine patterns, as exquisite as a work of art.

He held the skeleton to his mouth and silently recited a prayer.

Regulus and Freya remained motionless, merely watching him with heightened vigilance.

The surface of the skeleton began to change; the existing patterns gradually deepened, and new patterns spread and grew.

After a while, the light dimmed.

Joachim tossed the skeleton over, and it slowly floated between Freya and Regulus, hovering there.

"Activate it; as long as it's on the sea, it will be sensed by the nearest organization members, and they will respond to the call."

He didn't say anything more, nor did he mention what Abyssal Whisper could do, what it was good at, or to what extent it could be accomplished.

They didn't even mention the members they had killed before.

After he finished speaking, he just stared at them.

Regulus understood the other party's meaning, and they made peace, reconciled, and established contact.

He thought to himself that there would inevitably be times in the future when he would need to do something on this sea.

The North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and further afield, the Norwegian Sea, the Icelandic Waters.

The ocean is so vast that many places have no wizard settlements at all, only seawater, small islands, and storms.

The Abyssal Whisper are ever-present in this sea.

And it's not just this area; the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean —the seas they can reach are likely much wider.

They have existed for hundreds of years, and their entire staff is elite. Even those who died at their hands were not ordinary people in the outside world.

This is a force that cannot be ignored; in fact, it could be said that at sea, they are the group most familiar with the rules.

The gap between ordinary wizards and elite wizards is sometimes greater than the gap between wizards and Muggle.

Complete trust is impossible, but limited contact can be initiated first.

Regulus knew he didn't have much influence with this organization, even with Freya's help.

Although the Black family and Eisenhardt families are prominent and among the most influential in Europe, Abyssal Whisper primarily operate at sea, and their spheres of influence hardly overlap.

Even if the heirs of these two families were harmed, it would be difficult for either family to retaliate.

In the Great Sea, we don't even know where to look. Even if we do find it, a real fight would come at a huge cost.

In wizard battles of this caliber, especially on the open sea, the numerical advantage is not actually significant.

Given the wizard's high mobility, if you can't catch him, you can't catch him; if you can't stop him, you can't stop him.

It's even hard to say which side can send out more wizards.

Even so, the other party still chose to befriend them.

Why?

Because of the ruins.

Because of Grindelwald.

It's definitely not because of him.

Regulus looked at Freya, and Freya looked at him. They exchanged a glance but made no further move.

Freya reached out and grasped the floating skeleton. She looked at it, then handed it directly to Regulus.

Joachim was moved by what he saw, but he said nothing and simply took a step back politely.

Goodbye, Miss Eisenhardt, Mr. Black.

After saying that, he instantly vanished through Apparition, and the other four followed closely behind, disappearing one after another from the sea.

Only moonlight, only seawater, only that ship remain.

Freya maneuvered the ship, changed direction, and headed back.

Inside the cabin, the two sat facing each other.

Regulus played with the skeleton in his hand. It was very light and had a warm, smooth feel. It didn't feel like bone; it felt more like some kind of jade. The newly carved patterns gleamed faintly under the light.

He looked at Freya: "Why me?"

Freya looked at him and said directly, "All the spoils this time are yours."

Regulus paused, then asked, "What does he mean?"

Freya was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Regulus knew in his heart that this matter was not over and there would definitely be more to come.

He let his mind wander, thinking about the whole sequence of events.

In hindsight, even the Abyssal Whisper knew the documents were in Eisenhardt's house might have been orchestrated.

It's easy. Just find someone to whisper a sentence, let it drift across the sea, and let it reach the Abyssal Whisper. They will naturally come to you.

That the Dark Lord doesn't need to get involved at all, doesn't need to personally direct, doesn't need to worry; they just need to know how things will unfold.

Regulus thought that Grindelwald had seen him through precognition, and had seen what he might become.

At some point in the future, he may possess some kind of power, stand in some position, or make some kind of choice.

That future might not be what Grindelwald wants to see.

Or perhaps what Regulus does in the future, or what he himself is like, is not what Grindelwald expected.

What shapes a wizard's final form?

The experiences, the Magic mastered, the path chosen.

Magic can influence wizards. Prolonged exposure to a certain type of Magic or long-term research in a particular field can change a wizard himself; this is a well-known fact in the Wizarding World.

Excessive use of Dark Arts can make people cruel and indifferent; excessive use of Patronus Charm can make people optimistic and pure; excessive use of healing Magic can make people accustomed to giving and unable to bear harm.

The future, however, is linear, evolving, and shaped by the choices of countless individuals and the collective efforts of countless small events.

If influence can be exerted at key junctures--

For Regulus, the process of Bellatrix lighting up may have been a turning point.

Grindelwald first orchestrated the mental corruption of the Abyssal Whisper, allowing Regulus to experience that kind of attack for the first time.

Then Freya brought him to the Abyssal Slumber to face the Magic reconstruction and cognitive shock of that thing.

But he didn't force him to do anything; he simply set up the stage and paved the way.

Whether Regulus leaves or not is his own business.

He went ahead with it and got a good result, at least in hindsight; it was beneficial to him.

Thinking further, since Grindelwald already knew about the Abyssal Slumber, he must have already obtained that document.

It would be hard to believe he hadn't been in contact with that core, so he must know the Abyssal Whisper of the Abyss organization.

Bringing in Abyssal Whisper might also be intended to allow them to continue their contact with Regulus.

Thinking of this, Regulus shook his head inwardly, perhaps he was just overthinking it.

He lacks that broader perspective; he cannot see further beyond inferences derived from limited information.

We can only take it one step at a time.

He snapped out of his thoughts and realized that Freya had been staring at him.

He recognized that look; it was that same look in her eyes the first night she wanted to ask him about the Severing Charm.

I'm a little curious, and I want to ask, but I'm too embarrassed to ask directly.

He smiled and began to recount what he had encountered in the ruins.

How did that thing appear? How did it exist directly in my consciousness? How did I deconstruct its Magic by piece? How did I demonstrate the existence of another path?

It describes how he faced those restructurings, how he thought about them, and how he responded.

Freya listened, seemingly lost in thought.

Indeed, she was right not to go through with it; she wasn't sure she could have remained as composed as Regulus in the face of that level of cognitive shock.

What if they get led astray and embark on that cold, self-destructive path?

She took a deep breath and then asked a question.

Her face remained expressionless, and her tone was steady, but her eyes held a hint of caution, as if she were observing his reaction.

Aren't you angry?

She hadn't originally planned to ask that question.

At first, she thought that the Black family boy should feel honored to be arranged this way.

That the Dark Lord, a wizard of that level, was willing to go to the trouble of arranging for a young wizard from another family, who was only twelve years old.

But the situation is different now; they've become so close, they're friends.

Moreover, Regulus doesn't look his actual age at all; he's not a simple child, he's much more mature than you'd imagine.

Such a person, upon discovering that they have been assigned tasks, may feel uncomfortable or angry.

She didn't want to lose this friend.

Regulus looked at her, then simply shook his head, his expression gentle. "Not angry, on the contrary, I'm grateful."

Freya looked puzzled.

This Taiyi she expected. She thought he might be pretending to be magnanimous, or directly express his dissatisfaction, or subtly suggest that he could be more direct next time.

But he just said he wasn't angry, and was even grateful.

She looked him over carefully again and realized that he really wasn't angry.

That expression wasn't feigned; there was nothing hidden in his eyes. He was simply genuinely not angry.

She didn't care what he was thinking anymore; anyway, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She relaxed, but her posture remained upright, her back straight, her arms crossed on the table, making her look rather cute in her prim and proper manner.

Then she asked, "Did you find anything?"

Regulus thought for a moment.

Star Orbit Meditation is fundamental; even if you trust Freya in your heart, you can't tell her everything.

He simply raised his hand and clenched his fist.

When I opened my palm again, a small orange-red thing appeared in my palm—an egg.

The egg, formed from Fiendfyre, has fine lines on its shell, just like a real egg.

Then the eggshell cracked, a little bird popped out, shook its feathers, flapped its wings, and landed on his fingertips.

It's exactly the same as the previous one, but also a little different.

It stood there, its eyes bright, looking at Freya, then at Regulus, then preened its feathers, sending up Mars of orange-red that quickly went out.

"Some Magic related to mental will has improved," Regulus said.

With mental control over the Fiendfyre and willpower to suppress Fiendfyre, things that used to require great effort to maintain are now much easier.

He watched Freya stare at the little bird, her eyes slightly shining, and added, "And, she has more confidence in herself now."

This statement was pointed, but that was all it was about.

Freya glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

The two sat quietly, listening to the sound of the waves outside the boat.

This journey, ostensibly a family mission, has come to an end.

When the boat returned to Reef Town, a faint golden hue was already visible on the distant sea.

The two disembarked and walked back along the stone path until they reached the door of the Cabin by the sea, where they stopped.

Goodnight, Freya.

Goodnight, Regulus.