69novels Chapter 137 A Trouble That's Hard to Solve
Chapter 137 A Trouble That's Hard to Solve
Ian Stanley had a long and bizarre dream.
He dreamt that he was in a darkness where no light could be seen. The darkness was so thick and deep that he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face, and he couldn't even perceive his own existence.
In this darkness, he lost his sense of space and time, and gradually lost his clarity and rationality. In his dazed state, fragments of the past kept flashing through his mind.
There is the bitterness of becoming an orphan at a young age, the weakness and helplessness when studying at Beauxbatons, the inferiority and self-pity of seeing the girl he loves but not daring to approach her, the perseverance of studying hard day and night, the high spirits after completing his studies, and the hard work of investigating and exploring the world for the obsession in his heart...
In the end, it was his experience at Hogwarts that dominated his memories—those ordinary yet fulfilling days, all sorts of people, the laughter and banter with them, and the silly, boring things he did…
He saw that boy from the East again, saw that long sword, saw the starry sky they had looked up at together when they were drunk that day...
He heard people calling his name, people saying goodbye, and people hoping he would come back again...
In the very end, he vaguely heard the familiar voice of the boy, who said, "I kind of miss Swinton..."
It was a very impolite way of addressing him; they neither called him professor nor brother, but simply used his surname.
He really wanted to whack the kid on the head with his wand to express his dissatisfaction.
However, he was surrounded by darkness, and even he himself was part of the darkness.
He couldn't break free, he didn't have the strength to break free, and he didn't know how to break free.
All that remained was darkness, darkness, and more darkness…
……
……
Looking at the wooden ceiling above him, Ian Stanley, lying on the bed, was still unable to fully recover from the nightmare he had just experienced.
Despite the cool autumn weather, he broke out in a cold sweat.
Recalling the various experiences in his dream, he felt a nameless fear and unease that lingered for a long time.
He knew that he hadn't had this dream for no reason; it must have something to do with that damned Stephen Swinton.
He, or rather they, discovered the dark magic that could split the soul by chance. However, Swinton, as the master of the body, was only interested in investigating the so-called family secrets and finding out where his family members had disappeared or died. He was not particularly enthusiastic about this kind of magic.
Hidden deep within his soul, Ian Stanley, as if he had discovered a treasure, devoted a great deal of energy to studying it. He even used his rare "dominant" time to peruse ancient magical texts, searching for clues. Only then did he barely grasp the casting conditions and incantation of that dark magic. Ultimately, he cast that evil dark magic in the Egyptian pyramid, completing the soul-splitting ritual and expelling Stephen Swinton from his body.
As part of the ritual, Stephen Swinton's soul was trapped inside the mummy in the pyramid—presumably, the guy didn't have an easy time inside the mummy.
"Could it be that the dream I just had was Stephen's current predicament?" Ian Stanley muttered to himself.
After calming down, given his sharp mind, it would be easy for him to come to this conclusion.
After all, magic related to the soul has always been the most taboo, mysterious, and evil of all black magic. He had only mastered the basics of the spellcasting ritual, and had only pieced together the information from various sources. As for whether there would be any side effects, he really couldn't be sure—or rather, there would definitely be side effects, but he didn't know exactly what they would be.
So, as a possible side effect, he just experienced, to some extent, what Stephen was feeling.
So, that guy is in a terrible state right now, constantly trapped in that indescribable, oppressive, and despairing darkness?
Thinking of this, Ian Stanley's lips curled into a smug yet cruel smile.
"This is your reward for suppressing me for so many years!" he said bitterly.
However, after saying this, a deep sense of worry still arose in his heart.
This dream not only made him realize Stephen Swinton's current situation, but also made him realize once again that the connection between the two of them was far from being completely severed.
Perhaps we should find a way to completely resolve this problem!
He made this decision in secret.
However, as of now, there's no clue. He's already put in a lot of effort to expel that damn Stephen from his body, and he still doesn't know how to completely "kill" the guy.
He had considered destroying the mummy that Stephen was possessing, but he almost died along with it, so he had to give up. He thought that as long as he stayed far away from that damned mummy, there would be no problem. Now it seems that it was indeed a big hidden danger.
"In any case, doing the job right now is the most important thing."
A jumble of thoughts flashed through his mind, and he finally let out a breath and got out of bed.
The magical world is full of dangers, and without a powerful organization to rely on, it is difficult to achieve one's own "ambitions" or to completely eliminate the troublesome Stephen Swinton.
So what he needs to do now is to be a good working person.
Yes, I heard the term "working class" from that kid Qin.
He shook his head, clearing away the irrelevant emotions, and he became the cold and cruel Ian Stanley again.
Then, he left his lodgings and headed to his planned destination.
Saturday was approaching, and his job was to completely integrate the wizarding forces of Salem.
It's not a very difficult job, just a bit tedious, and you have to deal with a bunch of really stupid, useless people.
However, in order to join that organization called "GA", I have no choice but to do this kind of small thing first.
Thinking about these things, Ian Stanley's steps gradually became casual and languid.
……
……
"What's wrong, Qin?" Hermione asked curiously while they were having breakfast.
She noticed early in the morning that Qin was in a bad mood.
"Have I mentioned Professor Swinton to you? I haven't been able to contact him for a long time," Qin Yu said, putting down his sandwich with some concern.
“Yes, you mentioned before that Professor Snape received a letter from him, but you don’t have Professor Swinton’s mailing address, so you can’t write back.” Hermione remembered this and nodded.
"I haven't received any more letters from him since then. I don't know why, but lately I feel a little uneasy whenever I think about him. Maybe I'm just overthinking it," Qin Yu said, pursing his lips.
Using the alchemical mask at night reminded him of Professor Swinton, and he couldn't help but feel a little worried.
At the same time, he cursed Swinton in his heart, saying that not only was he always up to no good, but he also didn't know how to write more letters while on a long trip.
"Don't worry too much. Maybe he's just been busy lately and hasn't had time to write to you," Hermione reassured her.
"That's possible. After all, he said he was going to embark on a long adventure that might not end for a while. Oh well, I'm not thinking about him anymore. He should be able to take care of himself. We should hear from him in a few days," Qin Yu said with a shrug.
“Well, let’s wait and see,” Hermione agreed.
In fact, Qin Yu had another unconventional way to contact Professor Swinton: through the longsword made of alchemical material. Since the longswords of him, Snape, and Swinton all came from the same alchemical material, they shared some commonalities and could be used to communicate.
However, this method of communication requires rather strict conditions; it is a combination of meditation and alchemy, and it would be somewhat difficult for him to achieve it with his current abilities.
Okay, I still need to study hard and strive to improve myself.
Qin Yu thought to himself that this gave him more motivation and direction for his studies.
Then, he quickly finished his breakfast, dragged Hermione to the library, and found some books related to alchemy to read.