Death is not the end, but the beginning of another journey. This notion has a more specific interpretation in the mysterious East, where people believe in 'reincarnation', holding that after life ends, the soul will be reborn to embark on another different life.
Realizing that Amortus had been staring at him, Dumbledore continued to fix his gaze on the aura, his face clouded with a complex expression and his voice no longer crisp but aged.
"Do you think this is possible, Amortus?"
Amortus looked away, silent for a while before nodding.
"Yes, it is."
The tone of certainty caused Dumbledore to look on in shock. He looked slightly startled at the calm expression on Amortus' face, and for a moment, he was so bewildered that he couldn't tell who was closer to death. But in the end, he did not ask Amortus for the reason behind his certainty; instead, he just left with a faintly perplexed mood.
"Yes, is it not? The saying of a new life, so wonderful and beautiful. Then, do you really believe that we can meet those souls that have wandered away again?"
Amortus was well aware of what Dumbledore's intention was, just like Snape, he had a regret that couldn't be set aside.
"It's not something that can be easily said, Professor Dumbledore..." After a moment of contemplation, Amortus said.
"The land where we exist is not the center of the universe. Perhaps, this vast universe may contain many 'worlds.'"
But every world has a large group of life, and souls do not only exist in us and muggles, in this planet called Earth. The rebirth of the soul is a shortcut for us who are insignificant before the vast universe to cross infinite star seas. Therefore, the people around us who have passed away may have their souls around us, maybe they have already separated from us by star seas.”
Amortus spoke calmly and without waves. As he delivered his serene narrative, Dumbledore, who was gazing at him intently, showed a subtle change in expression.
Dumbledore stared at Amortus as if he was meeting him for the first time. His turquoise eyes, behind the half-moon lenses, overflowed with astonishment. It was like the first year's opening ceremony where a Muggle-born wizard for the first time witnessed the majestic Hogwarts castle standing among mountains and black waters, which completely overturned their world view.
"What is it, Professor Dumbledore?"
Amortus seemed not to realize what he had said, but instead showed surprise at Dumbledore's emotional fluctuation.
Dumbledore's heart was swept by a storm. He gazed deeply at the outstanding young wizard beside him. No, the word "outstanding" was not enough to describe Amortus' extraordinary prowess; his brilliance was unprecedented. Scouring through the history of magic, his magical talent might only be comparable to the four founders who established Hogwarts a thousand years ago! Tom was far less powerful at his age!
"Those worlds."
Dumbledore's voice was hoarse, he even had an illusion that he didn't have any organs in his spirit body now, his heart was beating.
"What kind of worlds are they, Amortus?"
"Who knows?"
Amortus smiled.
"What's impossible, isn't it? If the universe is infinite, then theoretically speaking, all kinds of worlds we imagine could exist."
"Yes."
Dumbledore seemed to have an insight.
"It's fascinating. Souls crossing the seas of stars, born into new worlds... All that has happened in the past would be abandoned, would you say, Amortus, that memories could be preserved?"
"Reincarnation means abandoning everything, and it's not in line with the rules of the universe to preserve memories."
Amortus smiled.
"But perhaps there are alternatives, aren't there?"
Dumbledore's turquoise eyes were bright and sharp.
"Maybe..."
As Dumbledore's sense of despondency faded, Amortus brought the topic to a close.
"Everything is just our speculation, isn't it? I think we shouldn't waste time."
Amortus turned around to look behind him. The memories of Frank and Elise, brought to them by Dumbledore from the outside world, were floating behind them, rotating like the magnificent galaxies in the vast expanse of space.
"Through the corridor, we need to send the memories to the soul—"
As he spoke, Amortus raised his right hand and held one of the 'galaxies'. His expression was slightly strained. But when Dumbledore also picked up another galaxy, he realized where Amortus' strain came from.
In this magical place, the memories seemed to have weight, adding some pressure to Amortus and Dumbledore's spiritual bodies.
The two people side by side were not talking; they were focused on moving forward. Their pace was not fast, but the thin mist floating in this pure white world was rapidly receding beside them, highlighting their impressive speed. They had already traveled a long distance.
The 'sun' far away became clearer in their sight.
It wasn't a single ring of light, but two rings emitting gentle white glow clung to each other. From a distance, they looked like a single luminous body.
When they crossed a certain boundary, Amortus and Dumbledore stopped their steps simultaneously.
The gravitational pull emanating from the ring in front of them did not attract the surrounding mist, but it had already interfered with Amortus, Dumbledore, and the memories they were holding.
Here, Amortus finally breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression became increasingly relaxed.
"From that Muggle named Pastore, I roughly understand that the differences between individuals come from two parts. One part is because of the soul; each individual's soul is unique, with different radiance. The other part comes from later experiences, which give rise to different personalities of the soul."
As Amortus spoke, he released the grip on the memory, allowing it to freely float towards the ring. Dumbledore followed suit and did the same.
"Just sending the memory into Frank and Elise's mind, it would remain just a memory. But by touching the memory through the soul corridor, the soul will generate a new personality in the sea of souls. This is my conjecture."
Dumbledore nodded slightly, watching as the two stars approached each other under the force of the ring's attraction, eventually disappearing completely like stars caught by a black hole.
The wait didn't last long.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze rippled through the intangible soul corridor. Under their gaze, the static white light emitted by the ring suddenly flowed like water waves. The gray hole at the center of the light also began to stir, as if something was brewing within it, and the ripples intensified.
Boom!
Instantaneously, two brilliant torrents of colors shot out from the gray hole, straight towards the direction Amortus and Dumbledore had come from, and at this moment, the soul corridor also underwent a subtle change. It was difficult to describe; it seemed full of vitality.
The torrents blinked and reached the initial end of the soul corridor, penetrating it and disappearing into another pure space. Dumbledore gazed at the distant horizon, as if the breach formed by space after shattering could see into the world beyond, pondering slightly, he realized that was exactly where he had just arrived - Elise's spiritual world.
It was as if the sky shattered and the celestial river poured down upon the earth.
The clean and pristine spiritual space once again rippled like water. A brand new, unpolluted spiritual sea was forming!
The atmosphere of joyous celebration filled every inch of the space around them, as if the soul itself was celebrating the restoration of this body.
"Based on what you said in Professor Moody's class, Amortus, do you believe that the Killing Curse attacks the soul corridor we are currently in?"
Dumbledore asked.
"I believe so—"
Amortus nodded.
"The Horcruxes... To be honest, this magic is much more profound. Only by partially analyzing the soul itself can one possibly achieve the division of the soul."
"Voldemort will never know what he has truly abandoned."
Looking around the vibrant soul corridor, Dumbledore said joyfully. He seemed to feel that the growing spiritual sea was beginning to awaken the consciousness of the host body.
"Let's go."
Dumbledore smiled and said,
"Elise and Frank must have many questions waiting for us to answer."
(End of chapter)
