Chapter 268: First Friendly Meeting with the Diadem Riddle
Dylan walked over to the table and slowly sat down. Riddle stood beside him, his head slightly lowered, not making a sound.
Dylan smiled and asked, "So, you still haven't succeeded?"
Riddle opened his mouth. "He… you know how apathetic I am."
Dylan raised an eyebrow slightly. Did this guy know he was apathetic? Tsk, tsk.
"So the result is, still no?"
Riddle's face twitched. "Yes, that's right. I'm still trying—ah!"
He was about to make a few excuses for himself, but before he could finish, Dylan suddenly pulled out his wand and pointed it at him. A flash of pure light streaked out and hit the diary on the table. The moment the two touched, the ethereal figure of Riddle standing beside it trembled violently, his face twisted, and a sharp, piercing scream tore through the air. His already transparent and ethereal body grew dimmer with each violent convulsion. His arms flailed uselessly, and he fell to the ground, landing on his backside, his feet kicking wildly. But no matter how he struggled, he couldn't escape the tearing pain that came from the depths of his soul!
"Stop! Please stop!"
Dylan sat in the chair beside the table, one leg casually resting on the other, his foot gently swaying. The arm holding the wand rested on the edge of the table, his wrist hanging limply, but the tip of the wand remained steadily pointed at Riddle. The pure white light at the tip of the wand was like a continuous stream of water, gushing out. The other end was connected to Riddle's ethereal figure.
"Please stop! I beg you!"
Riddle's continuous screams filled his ears, and they became even more hoarse and mournful as the curse continued. Dylan showed no reaction. He simply tilted his head slightly, his other hand resting nonchalantly on his knee, his eyes calm and apathetic, as he watched the convulsing and twisting Riddle kneeling before him.
He watched the young Dark Lord, who was being tortured by pain. His once arrogant eyes were now filled with nothing but pure terror and agony. Every part of his body was spasming in torment. Dylan didn't feel much of anything. He had gotten used to it.
At first, Riddle might have been a bit stubborn, but now, as soon as he used the Cruciatus Curse, Riddle would immediately show weakness and plead with him.
The other party didn't resist, like a submissive wife who would let him have his way. And a submissive wife who had been given a obedience potion, like a corpse.
Dylan really had no interest in that. He didn't take pleasure in torturing others. He just found some new and interesting feelings when he used spells, that's all. And most people couldn't survive him using an Unforgivable Curse for a long time.
So, after he got the Horcrux, Dylan naturally wanted to get better at casting spells. That's why he would use spells on Riddle from time to time. He wasn't just torturing the other person. What was the fun in torturing people?
Listening to the painful cries, Dylan slowly retracted his arm. His wand, along with the continuous, scorching white light of the Cruciatus Curse, fell with a slow, deliberate motion, like he was toying with an insignificant trinket.
The moment the light vanished, Riddle's ethereal figure went limp. His transparent body was still twitching uncontrollably, like a drowning man who had just escaped from a feeling of suffocation. He was curled up on the floor, gasping for air.
But each intake of breath was accompanied by a broken sob. His earlier screams had already drained all his strength. His ethereal figure was so faint now that he was powerless to speak, only able to produce weak and intermittent groans.
His eyes, which were once full of arrogance and malice, were now half-open and bloodshot. In his gaze toward Dylan, besides the lingering pain, there was a hint of fear and cruelty.
"No, I have to keep enduring!" Riddle quickly averted his gaze. However, Dylan had only glanced at him and had already noticed the fleeting thought. But he didn't care. Could a boss control an employee from taking a crap? Just let him do it. As long as the work got done.
And Riddle's role now was very clear. He was there to help Dylan feel happy. What he said was also true: he could help him practice casting spells and earn points for his spell mastery missions. He was happy to improve his magic.
So as long as the mission was completed, he could let this employee do whatever he wanted. What else could he do? Next time, he could just add some other spells to the Cruciatus Curse, right? A mix of spells for a healthy and nutritious meal!
Dylan gently raised his wand. Riddle's body trembled. Dylan looked at him. "Why are you so panicked?" The next moment, a pure life force shot in from the window and slowly flowed into the somewhat tattered and still-smoking diary on the table. The diary was mended by this life force, and Riddle's figure next to it became more solid.
Riddle gathered his strength, enduring the searing pain in his soul, and said with a forced smile, "I am just too in awe of your power…" Ah, look at that sweet talk. It seemed even a Dark Lord could be trained! The results were already showing.
Dylan ignored Riddle and turned to look at the Ravenclaw's Diadem next to the diary. After being cleaned, the diadem was now gleaming and was quietly placed on the table, motionless, as if it were a dead object. But even with the object blocking it, Dylan could still faintly feel the sense of dread from the soul fragment hidden in the diadem.
Dylan smiled. Dread was good. He was afraid that the other party was truly fearless and would just grit its teeth and not come out even after enduring a round of the Unforgivable Curse. He had already stated that he didn't want to damage the Ravenclaw's Diadem. But that didn't matter. He could just damage it first and then use life force to repair it. As long as he didn't tell Rowena, who would know?
He was just afraid that the Voldemort in the diadem would endure his spell and not come out. He couldn't actually destroy the diadem. He could only use it as a practice tool for spells to see what kind of sparks a Horcrux and various dark arts could create.
Luckily, the soul fragment in this diadem was only Voldemort's third Horcrux and wasn't made after he had completely lost his mind. Now, the soul in the diadem, while it wasn't as rational as Riddle, might have been a bit twisted and insane, but it wasn't completely brain-dead.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been hiding in the diadem all this time, refusing to come out. It was clear that the other party knew that staying hidden might give it a chance to survive, but coming out would only lead to death, just like with Riddle, the sacrificial lamb.
Dylan reached out and touched the Ravenclaw's Diadem. It was cold to the touch. The moment he touched the diadem, he felt his thoughts become more active.
"It's truly a good thing. Even though it's a Horcrux, it seems to still have some use. But if I use dark arts to damage it, I wonder if it will affect the diadem's power." Dylan thought to himself. At the same time, he felt some emotional fluctuations from within the diadem that he was touching.
Dylan looked up at the diadem, his tone flat. "I'm starting to get a little impatient. I'll have Riddle call you one more time. If you still don't come out, I'll just destroy this diadem. Anyway, I have the diary, so I don't lack Horcruxes to study. Besides, I already have a lead on where the other Horcruxes are."
At that moment, Dylan clearly felt the soul in the diadem fluctuate even more violently.
Dylan chuckled and turned to Riddle. "Now, call him directly. Remember, you only need to call him once."
Riddle was stunned. "Now?"
Dylan narrowed his eyes. "What else?"
Riddle gave a forced smile. He thought this guy would give his other self in the diadem a couple more days. He didn't expect him to be so impatient.
Riddle slowly turned, dragging his still-painful body, and looked at the diadem. "Come out. If you don't, I'll be you next."
Riddle was about to say something else, but Dylan suddenly raised his wand again. "I said once is enough." He twisted his wrist.
And just as the spell was about to shoot out, a soul suddenly flew out of the diadem.
"Stop!" A hazy gray mist accompanied the soul, condensing into a blurry human figure in mid-air.
Dylan looked up. The other person's black hair was as neat as when Dylan first met Riddle. But it was a little more slick, as if it had been deliberately styled. His face was no longer that of a boy, and his features were more defined. Under his high nose, his thin lips were a cruel, straight line. It was Tom Riddle in his twenties, still retaining his human handsomeness and a carefully maintained elegance. The key was that his nose was still there.
The diadem Riddle's voice was deep, and his presence now had an undeniable air of authority. He didn't look as weak as the other Riddle. Instead, he radiated a sense of self-confidence and control.
Dylan stopped, the light at the tip of his wand hovering an inch away from the diadem. His gaze met the diadem Riddle's.
"Finally decided to come out?" Dylan looked at him up and down. The two Horcruxes, two soul fragments of Voldemort, appearing at the same time and in the same place, was something Dylan was looking forward to. After all, this was a soul from a few years later. Compared to the diary-era Riddle, he was a little more mature and had bigger ambitions. It seemed that this was around the time he started to completely lose his mind.
"Who are you?" The diadem Riddle stared at Dylan, his eyes filled with a searching look. At this moment, he hadn't been tortured by Dylan every day like the other Riddle, so he was in a much better state. But he had seen how Dylan tortured Riddle. Just like what happened earlier. The way the other person used the Unforgivable Curse was completely beyond his imagination. How could he use dark arts to this extent? It was even close to the legendary Salazar!
Dylan smiled. "Does it matter who I am?"
The diadem Riddle stared intently at Dylan. "Why did you force me out? What do you want?"
Dylan put his wand away and shrugged. "I really just wanted to get you out so we could have a nice chat. Who knew you would be so ungrateful for the kindness I was offering?"
The diadem Riddle's eyes widened. "Kindness?" He glanced at his other self, whose face still showed traces of pain, and his mouth twitched slightly. Was this kindness a little too intense?
"Of course, my kindness." Dylan smiled. "I like to show kindness to others, but it makes things difficult for me when they don't appreciate it. You've been hiding for so long, making me feel neglected. I'm not very happy, so…" Dylan's smile widened. "You have to accept some punishment, right?"
The diadem Riddle's eyes widened. "What do you mean? Didn't you say that if I came out, you wouldn't hurt me?"
Dylan had already raised his wand again. "You said it yourself. That was before. I'm talking about now."
"You cursed and despicable scoundrel!" The diadem Riddle turned to go back into the diadem. But the spell was faster. Before he could get close, a holy light enveloped him.
"What kind of spell is this?!" The diadem Riddle tried to break free, but he was completely immobilized. He was terrified. He had never encountered this spell before. Even though his future self had updated his memory before hiding him, he still hadn't come across this spell. It could actually sever the life connection between him, a soul that was no longer human but a Horcrux, and his Horcrux! What kind of spell was this?!
"Don't worry. This isn't an Unforgivable Curse." Dylan smiled. "Don't be nervous. I just want to show you something. This is a small punishment—you don't mind, do you? Are you refusing my good intentions?"
The diadem Riddle was speechless. How could he say anything when he was completely unable to move? How could he refuse the other person's "kindness" and "good intentions"?
"What do you want to show me?"
"Something beautiful. You'll never forget it as long as your soul doesn't completely fade away." Dylan's voice was filled with a smile. The next moment, a terrifying amount of magic erupted from his body. Then, a bunch of eyes appeared in the void.
(End of Chapter)
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