"Ugh, where am I?" Aiden opened his eyes and saw a glimmer of light piercing through the surrounding darkness.
A Billywig was nuzzling gently against his cheek with curious wings.
"Ah!" The Manipulator's enormous power instinctively pushed the Billywig away, sending it tumbling through the air to crash against a nearby wall.
Releasing his enhanced senses, Aiden discovered he seemed to have been placed inside some kind of magically expanded spatial device. The surrounding environment had been deliberately crafted by a skilled wizard, creating various habitats perfectly suited for magical creatures to thrive.
"Carrying around an ecological box, raising all sorts of animals, with tremendous achievements in the Undetectable Extension Charm and advanced alchemy," Aiden mused, stroking his chin as he roughly deduced where he was.
"And I'm in the past, apparently." Recalling the mysterious man's words from the Deep Realm, Aiden clenched his left fist and struck his palm in sudden understanding.
"So that's why Newt seemed particularly familiar with me and even taught me his special techniques without hesitation." The pieces were finally falling into place.
"But now, how do I get out of here?" Aiden wandered through the miniature ecosystem until he found a wooden room with stairs leading upward.
He approached and knocked firmly on the door above, but no one outside responded to his calls.
Since he was apparently an 'old acquaintance' of Newt, Aiden felt too embarrassed to directly break his magical case, so he could only find a comfortable spot to sit down and wait.
What Aiden didn't realize was that at this moment, carrying the Bone Church and part of the Deep Realm King's core within his very essence, he was emanating powerful, unsettling pressure. The magical creatures sharing the enchanted space with him were gradually becoming more and more agitated by his presence.
Outside the case, Jacob Kowalski, the unfortunate No-Maj who had just experienced a bizarre incident at the bank, was sitting dejectedly in a worn chair in his shabby apartment.
Because Aiden had knocked on the case door from within, the brass latches on top of the leather case automatically popped open with audible clicks.
Due to Newt's carefully woven protective magic, the larger creatures inside couldn't escape until someone physically opened the case from the outside.
Jacob, drawn by curiosity and the strange sounds emanating from within, walked over and lifted the lid.
Inside the case, the creatures who suddenly saw an escape route immediately rushed out en masse in a chaotic stampede, leaving Aiden stunned by the sudden exodus.
Outside the case, Jacob, who had opened the magical container, was immediately pounced upon and bitten by an angry Murtlap with sharp teeth.
Large numbers of magical creatures rushed past him into his apartment, systematically destroying his already shabby living space with wild abandon.
Feeling responsible for causing such chaos, Aiden shrugged apologetically and followed the creatures up the stairs and out of the case.
"Look at you, basically causing explosions wherever you go. The largest magical exposure incidents always seem to have you involved," the system mocked with obvious amusement.
"You... sigh, forget it." Remembering his future self's parting words about treasuring time with the system, Aiden decided to tolerate its attitude just this once.
"What do we do now?" Looking at the thoroughly destroyed room around him, Aiden momentarily didn't know how to handle the situation.
"Why don't you transform into a dragon, then ask Newt to keep you as his exotic pet? I'm sure such a rare dragon species would definitely capture his professional interest," the system suggested with barely concealed glee.
"Absolutely not."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Newt was being led to the scene by Tina Goldstein.
Outside Jacob's apartment building, concerned residents were loudly complaining to the bewildered police officers, claiming they had witnessed something absolutely gigantic...
Newt quickly cast a subtle Confundus Charm on the gathering crowd, successfully making them complain to the police about a dangerous gas leak instead of magical creatures.
Walking through the narrow hallway, Newt entered Jacob's devastated room.
Inside the wreckage, sitting calmly amidst the settling dust, was a fourteen-year-old boy of striking beauty. His features were delicate with a touch of youthful innocence, silver hair flowing like liquid mercury, and a pair of gem-like heterochromatic eyes that immediately drew attention.
"Oh, you're awake. I found you unconscious on a ship earlier, and worried you'd be discovered by No-Majs, so I placed you safely in my case," Newt explained with gentle concern.
"Forget explanations for now, let's repair this place first," Aiden said, snapping his fingers with practiced ease.
The scattered debris around the room began flying back to where it originally belonged, furniture reassembling itself and walls mending their cracks.
"Mr. Scamander." Tina called Newt's name as she entered the apartment.
Seeing that Aiden meant no harm and was actually helping, Newt stepped forward and picked up his precious case to inspect it for damage.
"How many creatures escaped?" Newt asked with professional concern.
"Quite a few, I'm afraid." Aiden gave him an awkward, apologetic smile.
"You don't need to blame yourself. It's entirely my responsibility for allowing a No-Maj to handle my case," Newt said kindly, trying to comfort the young wizard.
While the two were talking, Tina walked deeper into the room. "Mr. Scamander, oh my..."
She paused upon seeing the battle-worn Aiden. "I didn't expect you to be traveling with a child companion."
"No, that's not the important issue right now. Your case opened, and that troublesome Niffler escaped again, didn't it?" Tina looked at Newt with growing concern.
"Most likely," Newt nodded with resignation.
"Then we need to catch it immediately. Oh, and look at this poor No-Maj." Tina crouched down to check on Jacob's condition.
Jacob was still groaning softly from his injuries. Tina examined his neck wound when suddenly a Murtlap burst out from under some debris.
Tina, drawing on her former Auror training, was quick-eyed and fast-handed, swatting the aggressive creature away with precision.
"Mercy Lewis, what in the world is that thing?" Tina exclaimed, falling back beside the two wizards.
Newt stepped forward calmly, grabbed the Murtlap by its thrashing tail, and efficiently stuffed it back into his case. "Don't worry, it's just a Murtlap. They're generally harmless."
"You?" Jacob looked up at Newt with glazed, confused eyes.
"Relax, sir. Allow me to introduce..." Tina stepped forward, wanting to shake Jacob's hand in greeting.
"Uh, I'm Jacob Kowalski," the delirious No-Maj managed to say, shaking Tina's offered hand.
Newt drew his wand smoothly and pointed it toward Jacob, preparing to erase the man's memory of everything he'd witnessed.
But Tina quickly blocked his arm. "We can't erase his memory just yet. We need him as a witness for the investigation."
"I apologize, but I've been walking around half of New York while you've been lecturing me the entire time," Newt said, feeling somewhat unfairly treated.
Aiden, positioned off to the side, was thoroughly enjoying the unfolding drama.
"Mr. Newt, are you familiar with the current situation of our wizarding community here in America?" Tina asked, placing her hands firmly on her hips.
"Speaking of which, there's a question I've always wanted to address. Don't you Americans constantly claim to be the most tolerant country in the world? So why do wizards have such a miserable existence here?" Aiden interjected with genuine curiosity.
"Excuse me, but who exactly are you?" Tina turned to ask the silver-haired boy.
"Aiden Prewett." Aiden performed an elegant gentleman's bow.
Tina walked over and gently ruffled Aiden's distinctive silver hair. "These serious matters don't concern children."
"Ha." The system transmitted its amusement directly into Aiden's mind.
Shut up.
"I'm aware that your laws are rather backward. You can't befriend No-Majs, can't marry them," Newt said, shaking his head disapprovingly.
"Who would want to marry him anyway?" Tina looked at Jacob with obvious distaste.
"Your sister might," Aiden suggested, tilting his head with innocent curiosity.
"How could you possibly know about... oh, you're also one of them!" Tina realized with dawning understanding.
"One of what?" Newt asked, confused.
"A Legilimens," Aiden explained with a playful wink. Something about that expression seemed oddly familiar to Newt, as if he'd seen it somewhere before, perhaps at school.
"Alright, enough talking! Both of you need to come with me immediately!" Tina pointed authoritatively at both Aiden and Newt.
"I don't understand why I should accompany you anywhere," Newt complained mildly.
"Come help me with him," Tina said, gesturing toward Jacob. She had attempted to carry the delirious No-Maj herself, but he was simply too heavy for her.
"I'll handle it," Aiden stepped forward and effortlessly lifted Jacob with one hand as if the grown man weighed nothing at all.
"How did you manage that?" Tina asked, genuinely surprised by such casual strength.
"Didn't you notice his horns? He's clearly a dragon-man. Oh, but your American magical community's history is too recent, so it's perfectly normal that you wouldn't recognize the bloodline," Newt explained while not missing an opportunity to gently mock American magical education.
Tina looked more closely at Aiden's small horns, ignored Newt's commentary entirely, and reached out to touch them. The cool dragon horns felt remarkably smooth under her fingertips.
Meanwhile, across the city, members of the Second Salem organization, led by Langdon Shaw, were meeting with New York's influential media tycoon Henry Shaw Sr., Langdon's father, in his luxurious office.
The three powerful men erupted into a heated argument about magical policy, and finally Mr. Shaw's son, Henry Shaw, made a dismissive comment about taking those dangerous freaks away from decent society.
When Henry Shaw was leaving the meeting, he also repeated the word "freak" with particular venom while walking past Credence Barebone.
In a shadowy corner that no one else noticed, Credence looked up and fixed his dark eyes on the departing senator with an expression of barely contained rage.