Pain -- endless pain. Pain smashes all clear cognition and reason.
The darkness before his eyes suddenly lifted, and when the light returned, Ammosta stood amidst a world filled with endless chaos.
Above his head, the dark and somber sky occasionally flashed with pitch-black lightning. Beneath him, a vast and tumultuous sea stretched out, and the wind that howled around him was composed of wails and cries.
Ammosta stood stern and cold, rooted in the void, his gaze calmly descending upon the turbulent ocean below.
This chaotic sea is Pasternak's consciousness. Every drop of flowing water in the ocean is a thought that has appeared in his consciousness since he was born into the world. However, amidst the lash of the black thunder and the fierce collision of water currents, all the thoughts that resided in those 'water droplets' have been shattered.
Ammosta watched the raging sea, longing for a moment, then he slowly lifted his head to look at the culprit causing such chaos in the consciousness ocean.
With a step taken, Ammosta appeared at the edge of the consciousness sea. This expanse floated in boundless void, and beyond its boundary lay absolute darkness.
A massive whirlpool comparable to the mythological Carybdis churned and devoured the entire consciousness sea. Every second, this whirlpool endured thousands of thunderous lashes, causing the already turbulent whirlpool to emit agonized howls.
Ammosta's brow furrowed slightly as he looked up at the dark red sky canopy. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly raised his right hand, his fingers spread wide in an act of support towards the heavens.
Golden flames began to emanate from his palm, taking on a changing shape.
In the shape of an umbrella, the golden canopy expanded outward with great care. Even so, the piece of consciousness world that Ammosta stood in trembled slightly as the flames spread, and everything within sight shook with vibrations.
Ammosta's brow furrowed deeper and deeper. He had to carefully control the flames to avoid using his power to destroy the fragile spiritual world of a Muggle.
It seemed like a long time had passed. Finally, a huge fiery curtain appeared on top of Ammosta's head, completely hiding the turbulent vortex beneath him. However, Ammosta's expression did not seem to ease as a result.
Those thunder bolts that descended from the sky pierced through the protection he had created—no, this was not piercing; it was non-interference.
These black thunder bolts were not formed by magic but by the spiritual attacks brought about by the dark thoughts contained in the Cruciatus Curse. This was fundamentally a power from a different dimension.
Huff--
Since he had confirmed that it was a fruitless attempt, Ammosta waved his hand to dispel the flames. He looked up at the black thunderbolts that emerged from the void, squinting his eyes as if lost in thought.
If this were in the material world, over forty minutes would have passed since Ammosta had ceased his silence. He finally took action again.
He pressed his index and middle fingers together on his forehead. A transparent substance, resembling clear running water, flowed out slowly from the spot where his fingers met his brow.
This seemed to be an extremely difficult task for Amostar, as he pulled out the previously unused force from his spiritual body, 'pulling' it out like a plant. The transparent substance, resembling clear running water, flowed out slowly at first, and tend to return to Amostar's spiritual body naturally. However, under his persistence, the transparent substance finally formed a 'canopy' that covered half of the vortex.
But, Amostar had also reached his limits from this exertion. It wasn't due to a lack of power, but rather that using the power of the soul was beyond the realm of what Amostar could currently accomplish.
But the defensive effect of the soul force against evil thoughts was immediate. The malevolent black thunderbolts struck against the transparent canopy like rain, unable to penetrate it, much less cause any ripples. As a result, the vortex below, which had been lashed continuously, was able to catch its breath.
The speed of the vortex slowed down, giving some semblance of order to the ear-piercing screams of the water. Amostar, who had stopped compelling the soul force to leave the spiritual body, squinted his eyes and listened attentively.
"Bastard! Stop it, you bastard! Leave Valeria alone, please don't do that—stop!"
Hearing the repeated pleading, along with the cruel laughter and the sobbing of a young girl, a frosty light flashed briefly through Ammostar's narrowed eyes.
"Mr. Brain!"
Though it had seemed like a long time had passed within the spirit world, only a few seconds had gone by in the outside world. Seeing Ammostar stoop and then retreat backward before standing up, Kingsley guessed what he was doing and immediately asked,
"What have you found—"
"Very limited, Kingsley--"
Ammosta's eyes lost their shine, and he shook his head solemnly,
"As I said before, Mr. Pasternak is suffering under the Cruciatus Curse. Muggles' spiritual power is very fragile; his consciousness has been completely shattered."
Kingsley's gaze fell on Pasternak's face, which was devoid of any expression. His eyes were filled with empathy, while at the same time, his mood dimmed.
"It sounds just like what the Longbottoms experienced. St. Mungo took over a decade to restore them to normality—"
"But there is some progress--"
Amostar had also heard of the torment the Weasleys' parents endured. He moved his eyelids slightly and suddenly had an idea, but now was not the time to consider this. He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers with a tap.
The sudden laughter resounded in the narrow room, a youthful voice but filled with cruel undertones. This was precisely the sound left by the wizard who had tormented Pasternak in his consciousness sea. Despite his consciousness being shattered, the fear and hatred for this voice remained deeply ingrained in Pasternak's consciousness, nearly imprinted into his soul.
Facing Kingsley's slightly puzzled look, Ammostar said,
"I guess the master of this voice isn't Field Vonentzbach, but there's no doubt that he should be in the core position of the group of people who study magic. If we're lucky, he might be the one who sent--"
"Angus Escroule."
Ammostar was preparing to have Kingsley arrange for his Death Eaters to take this 'recording' and compare it with the memories of those involved in the smuggling. If they were lucky, it might be the person who secretly infiltrated Britain to send packages to Hermione.
Even if it wasn't this one, he still had to have Kingsley send poor Mr. Pasternak to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Without new leads emerging, Amostar could try to work with Dumbledore to dig up more clues from Pasternak's memories before the investigation into the 'Curse Masters' produced results.
At this moment--
"Angus Escroule..."
After witnessing Ammostar Breyn shield her from the bullet, Louise's worldview collapsed suddenly. She stood dazed at the doorway, watching Ammostar wave a small wand like a magician and make the drifter quiet and float in midair. She listened to the conversation between Ammostar and Kingsley--
Muggles, the Cruciatus Curse, shattered consciousness, cruel laughter echoing around her--
The intense absurdity even made Louise faint. She held onto the doorframe, struggling to stay upright, and deeply gazed at the two wizards who seemed to ignore her?
Thoughts arose in Louise's mind, and at the same time, she also remembered some things.
Angus Escouise.
Ammostar and Kingsley exchanged glances, then both looked at Louise.
Looking at the pale girl standing at the door, Ammostar silently sighed in his heart. He could completely imagine the kind of devastation her mind was suffering at this moment.
Ammostar's face remained calm, and the slight pity soon faded from his heart. Since Louise insisted on seeing the truth, she would have to bear the cruelty of the truth.
"I'm sorry, Louise--"
Ammostar turned to face Louise, calmly asking,
"The name you mentioned just now—"
The list of smugglers brought by the Death Eaters was long, but both Ammostar and Kingsley had memorized it by heart. They realized that the name Louise blurted out had come from that list.
"Is there any particular significance to it?"
Ammostar asked.
"So--"
Louise didn't answer Amostar's question. She stared at Amostar Breyn with a gaze that had no longer the slightest hint of shyness or nostalgia, but was unfamiliar and cold.
"Does the magic Frase is pursuing really exist?"
Louise clutched her fists tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly as she glared at the two silent figures.
"Please answer my question, Mr. Breyn!"
(The end of this chapter)
