Deep within the mist,
a sleek black cat was moving through it.
Its tail was curled around a sword, and whenever that scarlet glow swept past, even the mist refused to draw near.
Gryffindor's sword—
As the black cat studied it, it raced across the field.
When the mist retreated a little, the black cat discovered that the sky was almost unreal in its height. The pale red mist overhead thinned all the way into the distance, until it became that gray haze along the horizon.
The white expanse of the Borderland had no mountains, no trees—only grass. Endless grass, pushed by the wind, rolling wave after wave toward the sky like a silent, surging sea.
The grass had grown as high as the black cat's head. Some food-like plant drooped heavily, rustling in a great sheet whenever the wind passed through.
Nearby, the green was dark and thick, almost impossible to dissolve. Farther out, it softened into fresh emerald; farther still, it was tinted pale yellow, and in the farthest distance only a fuzzy golden edge remained.
The air carried a hot grassy smell, mixed with the scent of soil steamed through after being baked by the sun.
The wind swept past again, and the whole world of green began to sway.
The black cat had always stepped on mist. It had never imagined that beneath the mist, the Borderland could also be so lush.
Or had the ground beneath its feet gained shape?
The black cat did not know.
Ever since the Void Talisman cracked, its connection with the Borderland seemed to have become even closer.
Before this, it would never have felt the Borderland to be so real.
It should have been hazy and white.
Even if there were lakesides, mountains, or marshes, they should have been wrapped in mist.
"Say no to the Borderland…"
The black cat murmured unconsciously.
It studied the sword curled in its tail. The scarlet sheen gave off a power that seemed capable of invading and ravaging everything.
What kind of magic did Gryffindor's sword possess that made it so sharp?
When it struck the stone giant, the black cat had clearly felt something strange.
It had wondered: could the sword cut off the stone giant's arm?
At the beginning of the battle, the black cat did not know.
But later, it believed it could not.
And then the sword truly failed to harm the stone giant.
At that time, the black cat had not considered that the stone giant's head was already tall enough to be buried in the clouds.
Or rather, the complete version of Vine-Stone Warden.
A cat's tail always had thoughts of its own. It swung the sword and cut a patch of stalks flying.
The black cat's whiskers trembled along with it.
In the middle of the field, rice paddies appeared again.
One scarecrow after another stood there. The black cat had not realized Ariana was so far away from it.
Its tail was becoming more and more outrageous. It actually wanted to chop down the scarecrows.
The black cat stopped it, at the cost of having to hold the sword in its mouth.
"Oh, we meet again, little Sir Knight. Looks like you still need me."
A scarecrow suddenly sprang up, startling the black cat. Its tail seized the sword again and nearly brought the blade down on the scarecrow's head.
Cold sweat almost broke out on Gryffindor.
"If it's this sword, I might really have to lie down for quite a while."
He raised his head, amber eyes staring at the sword inches away without blinking.
A sentence suddenly appeared in the black cat's mind:
Why aren't you afraid?
"What a vast place…"
Gryffindor sat down beside the black cat with his usual careless confidence. The straw gave a crisp rustle beneath him.
"Someone once told me that the vastest thing in the world is the ocean. And vaster than the ocean is the sky. Do you know what is vaster than the sky?"
The black cat treasured this chance to meet Gryffindor again, so it thought carefully.
"I don't know."
"It's the human heart."
Gryffindor smiled meaningfully.
"You have a vast heart."
"What?"
The black cat did not immediately understand.
"Oh, now I understand why I can still see you."
Gryffindor did not answer the black cat. Instead, he looked roughly around the area.
"You've always wanted that witch to have a wooden house, haven't you?"
The black cat nodded.
Last time, after Ariana saw the two Dumbledores in her dream, four wooden walls had appeared.
It thought that if Ariana dreamed of them again, perhaps she would have a place that could shelter her from wind and rain.
She had wandered for so long, all alone. The black cat wanted to do something.
After all, it was her god.
Besides that, every minute and second the black cat stayed in the Borderland, its Soul Transfiguration proficiency rose. Sometimes it would even jump sharply. That had happened when the Void Talisman cracked earlier, though the black cat had not had time to check it yet.
It had been studying Gryffindor's sword.
"Dreams are not as wonderful as you imagine. Of course, they are not as terrible as people imagine either. But their effect is limited."
Gryffindor smiled openly.
"And a true knight is willing to fight generously for another's happiness. But in that fight, both the recipient and the knight must wager their lives and their honor."
Gryffindor looked at the sword curled in the black cat's tail.
"You mean—"
The black cat heard its own heart thumping.
It seemed to understand.
Last time, it had taken Sirius deep into the Borderland, but they had failed.
The negative double had been extremely powerful, and the Borderland had not allowed wizards to stay there for long.
Yet Gryffindor had told it to say "no" to the Borderland.
Now, this was practically an open hint.
"I must tell you, little knight. If happiness were so easily obtained, it would not be happiness."
The black cat listened in partial understanding.
"Happiness is like treasure guarded by a dragon on a magical island. To obtain it, one must go through a fierce battle."
Gryffindor boldly planted his left foot on a rock in the field.
The black cat thought he looked majestic.
"A knight must always do something excessive."
Gryffindor laughed heartily, patted the black cat on the head, and once again vanished into the depths of the mist.
"He doesn't look very clever…"
In the distance, Gryffindor scratched his own head.
"Just like me. I like him too much. Speaking of which, that little Sorting Hat didn't drag him over to my side."
The beautiful witch beside him responded only with a slightly disdainful look.
Strangely, Gryffindor also sensed a hint of evasiveness in it.
"You didn't use that agreement, did you?"
he asked cautiously.
Ravenclaw was expressionless.
"It was the Sorting Hat fulfilling that agreement, wasn't it?!"
Gryffindor was shocked and furious.
"You challenged a fourteen-year-old wizard to a duel."
Ravenclaw said.
"At the time I—no, you, Rowena, you stole—"
Gryffindor was furious.
"You challenged a fourteen-year-old wizard to a duel."
Ravenclaw repeated each word slowly.
Gryffindor was left speechless, and dull red mist rose from his head.
Meanwhile, in another deep part of the dream realm,
"It has been a long time since I last saw you here, Mr. Green."
Dumbledore smiled at the black cat.
"Headmaster Dumbledore,"
the black cat said seriously,
"let us go seize the treasure guarded by the evil dragon."