Tom rushed out through the white light.
His body re-formed in a lifeless darkness, and he immediately sealed the passage behind him.
There were no pursuers, and no strange Consciousness Space.
Cold, silent, completely cut off from the outside world—
To a fragment of soul, every magical vessel capable of holding a soul felt almost the same.
He naturally assumed he was back inside the Golden Cup.
Tom looked down to inspect his soul.
The Memory Charm had torn away a few scraps of memory, and the cracks left by the Cruciatus Curse still ached faintly. But once he activated the Golden Cup and drew life force from anyone who touched it, the damage would soon heal completely.
"You insolent little brat..."
Tom gave a cold laugh.
"I admit you have some talent if you managed to hurt me in a clash of minds. But that suits me perfectly... Your body will make barely adequate fuel for the great Voldemort's return to the world."
The second-year student had gained a small advantage in the Consciousness Space, but he had no idea that those who dared touch a Horcrux directly usually ended up drained dry or possessed.
Tom hesitated no longer. He dropped every defense around his soul and poured his magic and consciousness at full strength into the vessel's core, ready to force the Horcrux's devouring curse into action—
"Wake up! Drain every living thing outside!"
But the expected surge of life force and Dark Magic never came.
The moment he connected to the vessel's core, the darkness beneath his feet suddenly rolled like water.
Countless enormous white pages unfolded in every direction, and the entire space rang with a crisp, cheerful chime.
In the darkness, a cold, flat voice responded almost instantly:
``` [High-quality computing node detected initiating high-intensity