Lilith wrinkled her nose. "What did you do to Priscilla? How were you able to descend into her body? And weren't you supposed to be asleep because you absorbed Death's authority?"
'Priscilla' smiled faintly. "I did not descend. In truth, this fragment of consciousness was left behind when the Numinous Episcopate attempted to awaken the God of Death inside her using the power of artificial Death. It had simply remained dormant until now.
"Now that I have fully absorbed Death's authority, this consciousness will be extracted from her body together with artificial Death's power…Even though your messenger contributed the power of the River of Eternal Darkness, it is still not enough."
"If you wish for her to survive unharmed, you must add more power from the River of Eternal Darkness."
Edward roughly understood what She meant, yet he still asked, "So?"
The Evernight Goddess replied, "So, I wish to accompany you to that world on the other side."
"…"
After a few seconds of silence, Edward suddenly raised an eyebrow. "When I first came to this world, I somehow ended up in Tingen. That was Your doing, wasn't it, Goddess? And later, Priscilla just happened to be kidnapped by the suddenly-appearing Numinous Episcopate—that was Your arrangement as well, all for today?"
The Evernight Goddess said lightly, "I am no author. I merely went along with the flow."
Only then did Lilith fully register the implications, and she exclaimed, "Wow, Amanises, you really are…"
She failed to find a suitable adjective.
"Right, what about the three evil spirits—Medici and the others? Are You planning to bring Them along as well? Medici? Medici!"
The Evernight Goddess shook Her head. "Medici is already free."
Lilith: "…"
She frowned. "What exactly are you all playing at? Does this have something to do with the Red Priest?"
The Evernight Goddess only smiled without answering.
Beside them, Audrey listened with a completely bewildered expression. She hesitated and asked, "You…what are you talking about? What happened to Priscilla? And who is Amanises?"
Lilith puffed out her cheeks. "Oh, that's the Evernight Goddess you people always talk about."
"???"
Audrey's entire body froze. Her eyes widened until they became perfectly round.
When facing a newly ascended deity such as Emperor Roselle, she could at least force herself to calm down after the initial shock. But the Evernight Goddess was different. This was a being whose name lay deep within legends and faith itself—Her majesty and mystery far exceeded imagination. To suddenly learn that She now stood before her, Audrey's heart instantly surged with crashing waves.
Especially because…she had worshipped the Evernight Goddess for nearly sixteen years, only to immediately shift her faith to Mr. Fool upon meeting Him. How was that not "apostasy"?
Now, after realising that the consciousness within Priscilla belonged to the Evernight Goddess, Audrey's heart was full of guilt, fear, and terror. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Susie, who had sensed the Goddess's aura earlier, was already cowering behind Edward with her tail tucked tightly between her legs, too frightened to even breathe.
At that moment, the Evernight Goddess gently waved Her hand. A serene and peaceful aura spread through the room like a spring breeze, soothing the chaos in Audrey's heart. Then She even told a cold joke, "Don't be so nervous. I don't bite."
"…"
Audrey stared blankly. Oh my god…the Evernight Goddess…just told me a cold joke?!
The Goddess turned to Edward again and asked, "Well? Have you decided? Will you take Me to see that world?"
A smile appeared on Edward's face. "Of course. We welcome Your Eminence's guidance."
He extended his hand toward the Evernight Goddess. "Come."
The moment their fingers touched, countless overlapping, illusory Doors materialised out of thin air, enveloping all four people and one dog within the room. As the lights flickered, everyone's figures slowly faded out of sight.
Immediately afterwards, that familiar sensation of falling overcame them, and the scene before their eyes blurred rapidly.
After a brief spell of disorientation, the scene before them shifted quietly. They found themselves once again inside the Room of Requirement within Hogwarts Castle.
Nothing had changed since the last time they left—dim, silent, covered in layers of dust. Tables, chairs, cabinets, brooms, and all sorts of clutter were piled together chaotically. Yet perhaps because so much time had passed, the familiarity of it all felt unexpectedly comforting.
The Evernight Goddess stepped forward slowly and glanced around. "This place…I seem to recognise it."
Lilith asked in surprise, "You've been here before?"
—Audrey had the same question, and normally she would have blurted it out immediately. But remembering the identity of the one before her, she hurriedly pressed her lips shut.
"No, I mean from the movies."
She turned her head toward Edward. "I recall going through the entire series several times." She paused. "So—is this the movie version or the novel version?"
"Uh…"
Audrey and Lilith both looked confused, clearly not understanding what She meant.
Edward thought a moment before answering, "Mostly the novel version, but there are elements from the films as well…For example, you may see some familiar faces."
"I see."
With practised familiarity, She walked toward the wooden door leading out. Extending Her hand, She brushed the air lightly. "I can sense the aura of the River of Eternal Darkness…yet I can't pinpoint where it is. Do you know why?"
"No."
Edward had a guess, of course: most likely it was related to the world inside the Mirror of Erised—the place he had entered before. And this time, he had returned specifically to seek out the "truth" hidden there.
The Evernight Goddess chuckled softly and did not press the matter. She pulled open the wooden door and stepped through.
When Edward and the others followed, they saw Her standing before the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet. She looked back with a smile. "This tapestry artwork—that's the movie version as well."
"I suppose the staircases in Hogwarts Castle must follow the movie versions too?"
Edward shrugged. "In this case, You guessed wrong. The staircases here are far more complicated than in the films. They truly qualify as a labyrinth built from stairs."
"Then I absolutely must take a look."
She strode forward. "Oh, feel free to take care of your own matters. No need to worry about me."
Lilith immediately followed, looping her arm through the Goddess's with a cheerful grin. "How could that be? You're our esteemed guest. Allow Miss Lilith to accompany You on a tour!"
She winked playfully at Edward, then hurried off with the Goddess.
"Phew—"
The instant the two disappeared from sight, Audrey exhaled a long breath, her entire body nearly collapsing as she sagged against Edward. "Ah! That was terrifying! I didn't even dare breathe too loudly just now. If I'd stayed near Her any longer, I swear I'd have suffocated myself!"
Susie muttered quietly, "Same here."
Edward couldn't help but laugh. "You weren't this nervous when you met Emperor Roselle."
"That's different!"
She wrinkled her nose. "Emperor Roselle was an idol to me. And once I learned he was a 'fellow countryman' of yours, I saw him through yet another filter—he felt like one of my own. So meeting him was more excitement and shock than fear."
"But the Evernight Goddess is nothing like that." As she spoke, she instinctively glanced again toward the direction Lilith had gone. "It's like…like if one day Santa Claus—no, God Himself suddenly appeared in front of you. That kind of belief, planted deep in your heart since childhood, makes you afraid whether you want to be or not."
"And yet you didn't hesitate at all when you switched your faith to Mr. Fool. That suggests your devotion to the Evernight Goddess wasn't all that sincere—"
Before he could finish, Audrey hurriedly clamped her hand over his mouth. "Shh! End of discussion! Aren't you here to take care of something important? Hurry up."
"All right, all right."
Edward gently took her hand away. "But first, we should let Professor Dumbledore know we're back. This return took much longer than we'd estimated."
With a stir of his spirituality, he instantly perceived Dumbledore's location. Unexpectedly, the headmaster was neither in his office nor at the Ministry of Magic. Instead, he was outside the Forbidden Forest.
"Huh? Why would he be there?"
Carrying this question, the pair—and one dog—distorted and vanished, reappearing outside the Forbidden Forest a moment later. What they saw left them stunned.
The once-quiet clearing beside the forest had been transformed by magic into a massive ring of spectator stands large enough to seat the entire school. Students and staff alike were staring intently at a large airborne magical "screen." Some were shouting encouragement; others clenched their hands in nervous tension.
The screen had been divided into eight smaller frames, each focused on a different individual—clearly contestants advancing through the Forbidden Forest while fending off various threats with spells.
Dumbledore sat at a long table resembling a judges' panel alongside three others: a tall, broad-shouldered woman; an unfamiliar middle-aged man; and one very recognisable face—Igor Karkaroff, the Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute.
At once, Edward understood: This must be the Triwizard Tournament…no, the Quadwizard Tournament now.
The tall woman was most likely the half-giant Headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. As for the unfamiliar middle-aged man—he was very likely the Headmaster of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States.
With that in mind, Edward dispelled the illusion concealing him from Dumbledore and stepped into a noticeable position, giving the headmaster a small wave. Dumbledore, who had been focused on the screen, immediately brightened.
He also quickly realised that no one around reacted to Edward's sudden appearance—they clearly couldn't see him. Understanding that this was due to some special ability, he turned to the three headmasters beside him and said, "My apologies. Too much sherbet lemon—I need to visit the restroom for a moment."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.