...
Vid was unaware that his aesthetic was being quietly criticized as he examined a cloak sent by Delaine's people.
It was a plain cloak with pure black long sleeves, displaying the Witch Pure Party's emblem on the chest and back. The spacious pockets could easily conceal a whole Magic Wand, and there were secret pockets on the sides for storing items.
"Try it on," the witch with a severe expression and a bun said, "The size should be just right."
Vid did not refuse. He donned the cloak, pulled up the hood, and prepared to look at himself in the mirror, only to be surprised by the fact that he couldn't see his face at all!
The wide hood cast his entire head in shadows. Even in bright surroundings, Vid couldn't meet his own gaze in the mirror, nor discern any specific features.
The cloak also blurred his silhouette, making the figure in the mirror indistinguishable in terms of gender or physique, aside from the general height.
Vid's stature had already surpassed 1.6 meters. With the cloak on, no one could tell he was still underage.
The witch behind him reached out, tugging vigorously at the hood from behind, yet failed to pull it down.
Vid pulled down the hood, silently looking at her.
"You see, others cannot forcibly lift the hood. Only you can take it off,"
The witch explained, "Now, the Witch Pure Party's power cannot be compared to before, so hiding one's identity during actions is crucial—this is the lesson we learned from previous painful experiences."
She packed away her needlework kit and basket of fabric, looking at Vid with a sigh, her gaze faintly revealing sympathy and pity.
"You're so young, yet you must join their operations... No matter what, follow that gentleman closely, under any circumstance—even if he asks you to walk into the flames—never doubt him! Remember my words!"
A knock at the door interrupted, the witch quickly concealed her expression, picked up the basket, and bowed her head as she exited the room.
Delaine stood at the door, glanced at Vid with a satisfied expression, and said, "Let's go, the gentleman is waiting for you."
Both donned hoods and walked along the corridor. Vid saw the appearance of this place for the first time.
It was a stone castle, perhaps rivaling Hogwarts in scale, with gray-brown stones forming thick walls. The corridor was carpeted with soft and exquisite rugs, muffling footsteps almost completely.
The windows above were narrow and dim, and the walls on both sides were lined with countless candles, with twisted, lifelike human-shaped sculptures beneath each sconce.
Some portraits hung on the wall, but none moved, seeming like ordinary Muggle portraits.
As they progressed, more people from other rooms gradually joined them, and the crowd around them grew denser. They all wore identical cloaks, obscuring their appearances, moving silently like a group of Ghosts wandering the Human World.
Vid followed the crowd into the hall, where Grindelwald stood before a colossal painting, gazing up at the scene within.
It was a painting of Hell, where countless people struggled, tormented layer by layer in Hell. At the top, angels bathed in bright light looked cold and even mocking, with even the supposedly pure and cute angels appearing malevolent.
Only Grindelwald hadn't hidden his appearance with his cloak.
The crowd stood quietly behind him, uttering no words.
Grindelwald turned around and said, "Hell and Heaven, separated by a thin line, often make us unable to distinguish the boundaries between the two. But in the Human World, we can hear the anguished cries of the souls."
"I know some of you might be here due to your parents' legacy, some might be here with the desire to destroy me, while others have lost hope in reality and long to find meaning in existence here."
"Children, I do not care... I do not care why you stand here, but today I want to tell you—why am I still here?"
"When you have bread, a job, Gobstones, and Quidditch, why do I still need to create chaos, make people bleed?"
"Because Wizards still lack freedom, dignity! Because you wear the masquerade of peace, pretending to live a perfect life, while being mere beasts locked in cages at the zoo! Because you still fear, still tremble, still suffer harm!"
"When the bloodshed doesn't involve you, can you pretend not to hear? When it's not your loved ones getting killed, can you assume you still possess peace?"
"Wake up, Wizards! This world is no different from fifty years ago, still filthy and ugly!"
"Pale words float aimlessly, powerless, but today, I will show you the truth of the world!"
With a wave of Grindelwald's Magic Wand, the outermost ring of the chandelier suddenly turned, enlarged, and rapidly descended. Some wizards hurriedly stepped aside, watching as the ring landed among them, spinning slowly.
Moments later, Delaine stepped forward, touched the ring, and his body instantly vanished.
Then one, two, three... countless wizards approached in succession, their pace quickening, causing the originally crowded figures in the hall to quickly thin out.
Vid hesitated for a moment, then touched the ring, finding his body suddenly pulled upwards, losing contact with the ground, everything around him becoming a blurred afterimage. He only felt like he was flying extremely fast.
Vid abruptly landed on the ground, barely stabilizing himself before being tugged by a surge of Magic Power.
"Kid, stay by my side," Grindelwald said.
Vid wondered how this man had recognized him among the identical figures. Having surveyed his surroundings, Vid quickly enveloped himself with layers of Defensive Magic.
The Portkey's other end was a completely unfamiliar place. The white buildings nearby felt vaguely familiar, and the Muggle Soldiers were startled by the sudden intrusion of this group of wizards. Yet, amid shouts, they quickly pulled out guns.
Weapons within the building moved as well, turning their barrels toward the numerous wizards.
The black-robed wizards appeared intimidating, but not everyone responded swiftly, and many couldn't even cast the Iron Armor Spell.
After several gunshots, some wizards emitted blood and screamed as they fell down.
Grindelwald forcefully waved his Magic Wand, blue flames appeared out of nowhere, rapidly proliferating, overwhelming the wizards like a torrent, surging toward the terrified Muggle Soldiers.
"Fire! There's a fire!"
"It's the Devil!"
"Quick, fire! Kill that person!"
The soldiers panicked, some trying to flee, others attempting to retaliate. Yet, in the blink of an eye, the flames reached them, reducing dozens to heaps of black ash, frozen in defensive or running postures.
The remaining soldiers completely lost their will to fight, throwing down their guns and turning to flee.
Weapons on the walls, twisted and deformed by Magic Power, exploded with a deafening roar.
Vid saw even some black-robed wizards consumed by those blue flames, yet a portion unwaveringly walked through the fire without harm.
Perhaps spurred by their companions' blood and screams, perhaps coerced with no choice, or perhaps fearing Grindelwald... Numerous black-robed wizards, one after another, walked through the flames, casting Magic Spells at fleeing soldiers.
Not everyone could kill just as Grindelwald did, unrestrained. Yet even being hit by the Stunning Spell meant being overtaken by flames coming from behind.
"I know you participated in the recent operation," Grindelwald suddenly said, "Are you familiar with this place?"
Vid asked, "Is this another research base of that organization?"
"Research?" Grindelwald laughed softly, "No, this is a transform area."
Like an orchestra conductor, he wielded his Magic Wand, letting the blue flames devour everything ahead like a raging beast, almost incinerating the very air, suffocating.
Vid followed Grindelwald, tightly gripping his Magic Wand. He stared at the seemingly unguarded back ahead, expressionless, then shifted his gaze aside.
With a flick of his Magic Wand, an invisible Iron Armor blocked a stray bullet, a series of semi-transparent ripples appearing in the air.
"Boom!"
In the deafening explosion, the thick wall collapsed, startling the wizards who went in first.
He was one of Grindelwald's most loyal followers, seasoned and steadfast.
But now, he froze in place, pupils contracting violently, completely forgetting to react.
"What... what's this?" The wizard couldn't help but retreat in fear.
Beyond the wall, the horrors of a Hell on Earth unfolded before them.
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