Jane Yu felt as though she had a long, wonderful dream.
In the dream, she stood at the buffet counter of a five-star hotel, surrounded by an array of dazzling dishes.
She glanced up at the sign on the wall—
The words were blurry under the dim lighting, but she vaguely remembered the hotel's name being Azkaban.
She didn't quite understand why the hotel's name sounded like a prison, but somehow, it didn't seem out of place.
She looked down at herself—her form was unclear, like a swirling mass of dark, amorphous shapes, unrecognizable.
Yet as Jane surveyed her surroundings, she noticed the dishes were exceptionally abundant. The Chinese cuisine alone was divided into the Eight Great Regional Cuisines, not to mention the international section featuring Mexican, Thai, Italian dishes...
She wandered around with a plate in hand, satisfied to see the British cuisine section nearly empty.
It seemed to be a cuisine she wasn't particularly fond of... but where had she tasted it before? She couldn't quite recall.
Happily, she began picking her food, starting with a roast goose, then a roasted pigeon, followed by oyster omelets and fish head with chili sauce... But the dishes seemed to move on their own, swapping places and scurrying around as if they had grown legs.
Still, this didn't hinder Jane from skillfully using a single chopstick to spear the food, marveling at how her chopstick skills had improved.
Her plate was soon filled with a neatly arranged feast. With a contented smile, she picked up her chopsticks and began to feast.
Filling her stomach brought a deep sense of satisfaction, but the food, while visually appealing, tasted somewhat off... And what was even more unsettling was—
The roasted pigeon on her plate suddenly leapt up, flapping its crispy, golden-brown wings as it tried to fly off the plate.
Food running away—this seemed oddly normal...
After all, chocolate frogs loved to hop away too.
Jane, well-practiced in catching chocolate frogs, swiftly reached out and grabbed the pigeon, taking a big bite... Chew, chew, chew... Her hungry stomach was finally appeased.
Burp.
But trouble arose when the roast goose took advantage of her distraction with the pigeon, struggling to stand up and flap its way off the table.
The oysters, too, wriggled their plump, juicy bodies out of their shells, while the fish in the soup began swimming laps.
To be honest, the dishes at this five-star hotel were somewhat subpar.
Even with magic, they shouldn't disregard the diners' experience like this.
Annoyed, Jane stuffed the nearly-escaped oyster into her mouth—it might not have been her mouth, but rather absorbed it into the swirling black mass that was her form. She then picked up a piece of tender fish and sent it into her "mouth."
Once consumed, the food finally quieted down, trembling slightly on the plate.
She couldn't stop chewing. Though her stomach was already full, she felt she could still eat a bit more.
But as she dined, the other customers queuing for food began to clamor noisily again. They had been jostling with her for food earlier, even trying to snatch her last remaining chopstick.
She didn't understand what they were arguing about. She thought she had been quite polite and hadn't taken all the food, leaving plenty for others.
Yet the other customers directed their anger at her, rushing forward to snatch the roast pigeon, honey-glazed char siu, and other dishes from her table.
Jane was not pleased.
With a few swift moves, she knocked down the customers attempting to steal her food. They collapsed to the ground, groaning and wailing in pain.
Her chopstick, seemingly imbued with magic, transformed into black ropes that bound the food thieves.
Savoring her meal once more, Jane let out a satisfied sigh.
Though she couldn't understand why these people looked at her like she was some kind of monster, screaming in terror, she thought they were rather pitiful—each one gaunt and emaciated.
Perhaps they hadn't eaten in a long time, which was why they attacked her?
Out of kindness, Jane tore off a drumstick from a Peking duck and shoved it into the mouth of a disheveled woman—
But the woman let out a cry of pain and spat the drumstick out.
Not eating?
Jane looked puzzled. She tore off a wing from a saltwater chicken and stuffed it into the mouth of a skinny, bony man.
He began vomiting, clawing at his face, shouting and crying, his face smeared with tears and snot.
The sight startled Jane.
If they didn't want to eat, couldn't they just say so?
How could they waste food like this, going against the traditional virtue of frugality?
After a hearty meal, Jane thought she should call the authorities, as the way these people writhed on the floor seemed like they were suffering from some kind of mental illness.
Could they be escaped patients from a hospital?
And hadn't someone told her to find two people? Who was it again?
She couldn't quite remember. She reached into her pocket to pull out her phone—intending to unlock the screen and dial for help.
But all she retrieved was a silver object.
Was this her phone? It looked more like a lighter.
Jane felt her thoughts come to a halt.
Let's just call it a phone.
She pressed a few buttons on it, hearing clicking sounds, but then the already dimly lit restaurant plunged into complete darkness.
In the darkness, a blue orb of light emerged, seeming to ask her where she wanted to go—
I need to find them and call for help, Jane thought.
Who was she looking for? Two elderly people with white hair?
The blue light blurred her vision. In the chaos of her mind, reduced to primal instincts, she saw a vast blue flame, forming a circle... She felt there should be someone within that circle, someone she needed to find, someone powerful enough to stop...
Her instincts told her she needed to find him to help him. But who was he?
The blue orb of light merged into her body. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, but her heart burned, as if filled with something. She knew she had to go somewhere—the light was guiding her there—
She knew she was flying, following her heart's lead... perhaps guided by her subconscious...
After eating her fill, she felt the blood rushing to her stomach, making her brain drowsy... But she had to find someone...
Stay awake, just a little longer.
She reassured herself.
She didn't know how much time had passed—
It seemed she had crashed into a house, breaking something... She was speaking, but she was so drowsy she didn't know what she was saying or to whom:
"Albus... go to Azkaban..."
Someone seemed to be speaking urgently in her ear, but she couldn't make out the words. She thought she must have completed her task.
Her consciousness grew increasingly blurry. Before complete darkness enveloped her, only two thoughts remained in her mind:
So full...
So sleepy...
She let out a satisfied burp and drifted off to sleep.
What a dream... so filling...
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