"So that's how it is." Will didn't look surprised at all.
"You don't seem surprised."
"He used so many people's souls to sustain himself. Nothing he does would surprise me. Can you get rid of this?" Will had already guessed the answer.
"This mark is very similar to Voldemort's Dark Mark." Dumbledore adjusted his glasses. "That's why the Death Eaters couldn't remove theirs. Something that reaches into the soul takes a certain mastery of souls to undo."
"So you can do it?"
"I have some preliminary ideas, but it's connected to your soul. Removing it will take time and research. I'm hardly an expert in this field."
"You're being modest."
"I'm not, Will. What do you think Voldemort truly wanted?"
What did Voldemort truly want? Will considered it. Power? Authority? Reform? A better life for wizards?
None of those seemed quite right. Voldemort had pursued power in his youth, formed the Death Eaters as a young man, then launched a war across the Wizarding World in the name of Pure-blood Supremacy.
But what had he spent most of his life doing?
Only one thing had run through his entire life—Horcruxes.
"I think Voldemort wanted to escape death. He wanted immortality, to stay beyond death's reach."
"Exactly." Dumbledore nodded. "Tom never sought power for its own sake. He wanted to escape death. Voldemort and Ramesses II wanted the same thing.
"They simply took different paths. One used Dark Magic alone; the other used ritual-based Dark Magic. Those who pursue immortality often study the soul, and their mastery of it far surpasses mine.
"I haven't studied the soul nearly as deeply as I have Transfiguration. I think we should begin treating you this term. It isn't safe to leave that thing on you."
Dumbledore released Will's arm and began eating the cake