In the hotel restaurant, Kai Adler and Hermione Granger sat facing each other across the small table.
The atmosphere between them was strangely quiet, almost tense—anyone watching might think the two had argued.
Hermione absently poked at her plate of lamb and green beans, twisting the food around with her fork, her eyes sneaking occasional glances toward Kai.
Kai, however, ate his meal methodically, bite by bite, though it was clear his mind was elsewhere. His expression betrayed a distracted, absent look.
Even in this state, Kai quickly sensed Hermione's eyes lingering on him. He looked up, meeting her gaze.
"What's wrong? You don't like the food?"
"No!" Hermione immediately shook her head and looked back down at her plate, stuffing a piece of green bean into her mouth. Her foot swung under the table, scraping lightly against the floor in restless little arcs.
Hermione knew Kai too well.
When she returned to her room earlier, she'd noticed it—his abnormal behavior. Normally, even if they booked two rooms, Kai would lounge around her room half the day. Even for naps, he'd stick close to her, reading or talking nonsense.
The fact that he'd voluntarily gone back to his own room to "rest" set off alarm bells in her head.
This guy couldn't even fall asleep without leaning on her like a clingy cat—there was definitely something serious going on.
And she knew why he wouldn't tell her. He didn't want to ruin her mood.
But that didn't stop her from worrying about him.
Kai sighed as he watched her sulking, fluffy-haired head tilt downward, little frown lines forming at the corners of her mouth.
"Hermione…"
Before he could finish, Hermione shook her head stubbornly, interrupting him.
"If it's inconvenient to tell me, you don't have to. But remember—we're in this together." Her nose wrinkled defiantly. "And when I'm strong enough to hex you into next week, you won't be able to keep secrets."
Kai couldn't help but smile. His little lioness—so clever and determined.
Hermione tilted her chin upward, proud of herself for her small victory, flashing him a triumphant smile.
After dinner, Kai escorted her back to her room, lingering by the door.
"Lock the door properly, don't wander around tonight. We leave for Cairo in the morning."
Hermione stared up into his eyes, the words "don't kill anyone" resting at the tip of her tongue… but she swallowed them, choosing not to lecture him.
Instead, she simply nodded. "Okay."
Kai ruffled her curls, earning a half-hearted swat on the hand, then closed the door behind her. He layered protective charms and Black Magic warnings across her door, making absolutely certain no one would disturb her tonight.
Only after did he return to his own room.
Upon entering, Kai's eyes immediately swept the space. No disturbances. No tampering. The Black Magic wards he set earlier were untouched.
He flicked his wand.
With a dull, sliding sound, a body emerged from beneath the bed—it was Oka.
Kai canceled the Petrification Curse, and Oka's limbs collapsed like overcooked noodles, his vacant eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling.
Kai frowned, peering down as though studying an unsolvable puzzle. After a pause, he retrieved his wand.
"Legilimens."
The world around him shifted.
A hazy, dreamlike scene formed—the edges were blurred, indistinct. An old man, seated with his back to him, idly rolled a golden pocket watch between his fingers.
"Kill him… and bring the body back."
Kai recognized this moment—Oka accepting the mission to assassinate him. He'd seen this during his earlier mind-probe. What he wanted was to see the old man's face—to unmask whoever was behind this.
But just as he pushed the magic deeper, a high-pitched, shrieking screech echoed in his mind. His vision shattered, the scene dissolving into blackness.
The air around him grew suffocatingly cold.
In the void, Kai could feel countless unseen eyes watching him, prying into his soul, dragging at his consciousness as though attempting to rip him apart.
He immediately severed the spell.
The darkness evaporated, his vision snapping back to the real world. His heart thudded in his chest, his skin clammy with sweat.
"Again…"
Kai exhaled sharply, pouring himself a cup of strong black tea to steady his nerves.
After subduing Oka earlier, he had intended to comb through the assassin's mind for answers.
It had gone smoothly at first. He traced Oka's recent movements, confirmed his real name—Oka Eber—and followed his thoughts to the meeting with his mysterious employer.
But the moment his Legilimency reached deeper, everything collapsed.
A trap had been laid within Oka's mind.
The Soul-Locking Curse.
A notoriously complex form of Black Magic—one the Old Man had taught him.
The curse embedded magical locks within a wizard's memories. If someone used Legilimency and touched the protected area, the curse would immediately obliterate the victim's mind and counterattack the intruder.
It was not magic for the faint-hearted. Casting it required precision equal to performing Unforgivable Curses. A mistake could reduce the victim to a mindless husk.
And families—powerful, paranoid families—often used it on trusted assassins to ensure no outsider ever extracted information, even in death.
Kai had suspected as much.
That's why, when Oka burst in earlier, he hadn't gone straight for Legilimency. He wanted to corner him, talk, observe—see if the man would slip up naturally.
But Oka had come in wands blazing. Kai had no choice but to fight back immediately.
In hindsight, his tactics still felt clumsy. His control needed refinement.
Now, the result? Oka's mind was gone—his body an empty shell thanks to the triggered curse.
Kai rifled through the man's belongings. Professional, cold, meticulous. Aside from a wand and a pocket watch, nothing identifiable. Not even an enchanted bag.
He inspected the pocket watch—it was magical, but the photograph within had turned blank. Whoever was pictured had obviously left, their magical image wiped clean, and no doubt informed their allies.
Kai didn't mind his power being exposed. If fear kept assassins at bay, perfect. A quiet vacation with Hermione was the goal.
But… he hated not knowing.
Was Oka from within his family? An external threat? Or both? The unknown gnawed at him far more than the idea of revenge.
Kai tapped his chin thoughtfully. It's not vengeance… It's curiosity…
But setting that aside, what to do with the body?
He couldn't leave Oka here. And handing him to the Aurors would drag them into endless questioning, ruining Hermione's holiday.
His eyes narrowed in thought.
There was one obvious choice for handling the mess—Old Man Dumbledore.
Kai lifted his wand.
A misty, silver-white whale materialized from the tip, shimmering with faint magical ripples.
He opened the window, releasing the Patronus. The silvery whale leapt into the air, dissolving into glittering light as it streaked into the night sky, bound for Berlin.
At this distance, Dumbledore should receive the message within the day. As Kai's unofficial guardian, dealing with assassins probably wouldn't faze the old man.
Just as he shut the window—
Squeak.
A faint sound drew his attention. His gaze snapped to the window ledge.
A small black bat had perched outside, wrapped in wisps of dark mist—clearly magical in origin, similar to a shadowy version of a Patronus.
The poor creature shivered, visibly distressed—likely from the silver Patronus that had just passed by.
Clutched in its tiny claws was a tightly wound paper scroll.
The bat wobbled through the window, circled once above Oka's body—confirming its target.
With a soft pop, the bat disintegrated into a cloud of black mist, leaving the note to flutter onto Oka's vacant face.
Oka's dead eyes didn't even blink.
Kai flicked his wand—the note levitated toward him, unfurling mid-air.
The message read:
"To Mr. Oka Eber, esteemed ally of the Eber Family. We humbly request your assistance in a matter requiring your… particular skills…"
Kai's eyes darkened as he read, one brow arching with sharp amusement.