"Grindelwald," Dumbledore said coldly, "After so many years, the first thing you do upon leaving Nimongard is target a child. That truly surprises me."
Grindelwald laughed heartily, his laughter echoing over the ruins.
"Dumbledore... Albus! How high do you expect my moral standards to be? You know, if necessary, even a baby..."
His voice abruptly stopped, as Dumbledore suddenly stepped forward, the Elder Wand steadily pointed at his heart, its tip faintly glowing with a golden-red light.
The hidden but powerful force was like a blade, not yet unsheathed but already causing a sharp pain that felt like being cut.
Grindelwald slightly tilted his head back, yet his face bore a smile.
"Why avoid it, Albus? You know what I've done recently, so why not question me on behalf of the Muggles who were killed? Why not accuse me of disrupting the balance and peace between the Magic World and the Muggle World?"
"You always stand by those weak and foolish people, always opposing me to protect them... Why not mention it this time?"
Grindelwald's smile widened.
"Because you also think I'm right, don't you? Deep down, you feel these people deserve to die! The world is decaying, Muggles are creating an apocalypse, my actions are the ones saving it!"
"And you, Albus, you're praised as a saint, hiding your weakness with pathetic compassion! But we all know, back then you were also..."
At the mention of the past, Dumbledore's face seemed as if struck by a punch, showing a bit of disarray, with pain glinting behind his half-moon spectacles.
Grindelwald abruptly swallowed the rest of his words, his emotions surging, magic power welling up, causing a dull pain in his chest, with deep red blood seeping from the corner of his mouth once again.
The two remained silent for a while, the cold winter wind carrying tiny ice crystals across the ravaged ground.
After a long pause, Dumbledore asked coldly, "Where is Vid?"
"Kill me, and you can take the child back."
Grindelwald stepped forward, the tip of the Elder Wand pressed against his chest, deeply indenting his clothing and flesh.
Dumbledore's arm remained unmoving, while Grindelwald grasped the other end of the wand, his eyes flickering with a strange frenzy and murderous intent.
"Kill me, Albus, just like you've always wanted... Don't worry about tarnishing your nobility, I was the one who killed Ariana, it's what I deserve."
Dumbledore's eyes widened, his pupils slightly dilating, a flicker of pain flashing across his face. Amid the shock and sadness, he suddenly felt a sense of relief and ease.
Many years ago, a fierce conflict erupted between Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and Abeforth, with the argument quickly escalating into a duel, during which Grindelwald cast the Cruciatus Curse on Abeforth.
In the anguished screams of her brother, the mentally unstable little sister Ariana was provoked, causing the Obscurus within her to run wild.
Such a horrifying destructive force suddenly erupted beside them, and the young men had to use all their strength just to survive, employing their strongest spells to resist the Obscurus... After an indescribable chaos, the Obscurus vanished, and Ariana was dead.
This was the deepest scar in Dumbledore's heart, the thing he feared most... He feared that he might have been the one to deliver the fatal blow to Ariana, he feared he had killed his own sister.
When he heard these words from Grindelwald's mouth now, Dumbledore felt as if a mountain that had weighed down on his back for a hundred years was removed, his breath momentarily halted, and he felt a sudden urge to cry.
But he couldn't avoid thinking about one question—
Grindelwald knew what he feared the most... Did he say this on purpose? Was this the truth of what happened back then?
The two silently met each other's gaze, their similar blue eyes shadowed by the passage of time, with ruins seemingly lying deep within their gaze.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
"Professor."
A soft call shattered the scene.
Vid, who had previously moved far away to avoid the same situation, approached not far behind Dumbledore, and spoke softly.
Dumbledore blinked, turned to look at Vid, his eyes slightly shifted, and his tense expression relaxed.
"Are you okay, Vid?"
"I'm fine, Professor," Vid replied, pausing for a moment before adding, "Do you want to ask me something?"
After Dumbledore had brought him to see the memory visions related to Grindelwald, Vid had once said the exact same thing to Dumbledore.
This statement not only confirmed that he was Vid Gray himself, not some impostor using Polyjuice Potion, but also that he remained himself, with his thoughts, honesty, and trust towards Dumbledore unchanged.
A subtle hint of a smile appeared in Dumbledore's eyes as he said, "After we return, I'd like to hear the part you're willing to tell me."
"Alright," Vid nodded, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Seeing the Headmaster appear, it suddenly dawned on him that although he hadn't been mistreated in life before, he had indeed been under indescribable pressure.
But with a mere glance around, Vid noticed Grindelwald's deep gaze fixed on him, his lips slightly downturned, looking rather displeased.
Vid's eyes flickered, avoiding direct contact, a thousand words racing through his mind, wanting to retort.
Dumbledore raised his left arm, signaling Vid to hold onto it, while he slowly lowered his wand.