As for the responsibility of the base collapse, of course it's up to Zick and Veronica to bear it. What does it have to do with him, a mere bookworm who only knows research?
The bell man schemed in his mind and, seeing Mabel still in a daze, kicked her without hesitation—
"Move faster! Do you want to die?"
Being treated so harshly by him, Mabel suddenly felt much lighter, as if she had broken through some barrier, even though she had been in such pain that she couldn't even stand up a moment ago.
She heard the sound of her own heavy breathing, the blood flowing through her body, and even the surge of magic power rising.
"Crack!"
She heard a faint sound... It came from nearby...
From the collar on her neck.
Mabel reached out to grasp the collar, only then realizing it was completely broken in two without her noticing, only barely maintaining a somewhat intact appearance.
The researcher noticed her stillness, suddenly panicked, followed by an overwhelming fury!
He could tolerate the attack from adult wizards, but how could a mere lab rat struggling to survive under his hand dare to defy him?
His first reaction was to teach her a profound lesson, so he unhesitatingly pulled out that oddly shaped gun.
"Bang!"
The blue beam seemed to hit Mabel... but then again, it seemed to pass through... hitting the connection axle of the conveyor belt.
The researcher was stunned, watching Mabel, unable to comprehend why the "glitch effect" would appear on a living person.
Black smoke emerged from the girl's body, she turned her head, her eyes completely white, and the place where the gun should have hit dispersed like smoke, turning into strands of black tentacle-like things.
The researcher was petrified.
He gaped in terror, his heart nearly breaking with fear, and only when the black tentacles wrapped around him did he let out a shrill scream!
...
Vid was originally examining a little girl on the bed.
He didn't understand why a child, one who seemed to have bled out with organs removed, could still be alive.
It elicited no relief, but rather a sense of horror.
After approaching, Vid lightly waved his magic wand, casting several magical checks.
Out of concern for the future, he had learned various types of magic, including healing spells, and the Detection Spell was something he was quite adept at.
Moments later, Vid lowered his magic wand, a look of astonishment on his face.
She had indeed been split open, but her organs remained.
To be precise, her heart and kidneys seemed to have been removed and reinserted within a very short time.
To be able to safely reinsert the taken organs like plugging in a USB, naturally, only magic could accomplish.
Although the girl had no magic ability, her organs had encountered magic.
As for her bleeding without dying, it was due to having ingested a high-quality Blood Replenishing Potion.
The reason for her comatose state was the Life and Death Potion.
—Could it be Dumbledore?
Vid speculated internally, quickly shaking his head.
The explosions and rumblings outside had not ceased. When he flew up earlier, Vid saw a few machines crashing together mid-air, before plummeting heavily, scattering parts everywhere.
Dumbledore wouldn't have spare time, nor would he have the time to save this girl.
Time...
Understanding dawned gradually on Vid.
—It was him.
He himself had saved this child.
—But why?
Too many had died on this island, and while it was indeed a pity for this girl, why would he risk using a Time Turner outside of school?
He had once promised only to use the turner for learning purposes.
Although Vid hadn't always adhered to that promise, those times were always in or near the school.
Reversing time outside Hogwarts could easily be detected by the Ministry of Magic, leading to him losing access to the Time Turner, and possibly facing penalties for breaking the ban.
At this moment, he suddenly heard a scream.
Vid glanced at the comatose girl on the bed, poured a bottle of Healing Potion onto her wound, and then ran in the direction of the scream.
As he dashed out the door, he happened to see a man being pulled into the air by a strange black substance, then violently torn apart.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Vid's pupils shrank sharply!
The black, demonic Qi-like substance immediately reminded him of a term—
Obscurus!
When a wizard overly suppresses their magic ability, or endures physical and mental abuse, the magic inside them can brew a dark power known as an Obscurus.
This thing is uncontrollable, extremely destructive, and even perpetually burns the host's soul.
But this thing... in the movies, only members of the Dumbledore family have manifested it... one being Dumbledore's sister, Ariana, and the other his nephew, Credence.
Vid had never imagined seeing this in an ordinary girl.
But considering the conditions for an Obscurus to form—suppressed magic, physical and mental abuse...
Isn't this exactly what Mabel experienced every day?
Not just Mabel, but every young wizard here endures these sufferings… all potential hosts of Obscurus...
No wonder Dumbledore once said: This would cause very terrible consequences.
Indeed, the terrible consequences seemed to have already occurred, though who knows if it would worsen further.
Time seemed to fly in those moments.
In the seconds Vid pondered, the Obscurus had already shredded the man, and then rampaged throughout the building, tearing conveyor belts, twisting or crushing machines, making walls bulge before cracking violently, bricks flying everywhere.
Terrible and frenzied magic filled the entire space, leaving Vid struggling even to breathe, not to mention stopping or counterattacking.
The Obscurus moved as fast as lightning. He quickly cast the Iron Armor Spell and Impedimenta Curse around himself, barely ensuring he wouldn't be killed by that thing in an instant.
This was the power even Grindelwald once coveted...
Even if the host was merely a young girl with undeveloped magic power, it held such terrifying might.
For the first time in a long while, Vid felt the extent of his own weakness.
Whether Mabel still had her consciousness was unknown. The Obscurus didn't attack Vid, who was close at hand, but instead, after a bout of destruction, plunged through the floor, flying downstairs.
Vid heard the continuous sounds of equipment and building being destroyed, the entire building teetering precariously.
No doubt the Obscurus was destroying the lab downstairs that had caused Mabel so much suffering... so would it be headed for the dungeon next? The children were still there!
Vid's pant leg tightened slightly, and when he looked down, he noticed the two Little Demonic Puppets he had left behind earlier.
"Sorry." One puppet said softly, "We didn't complete the task."
"We couldn't protect her because her magic was too terrifying, we couldn't move..."
The other puppet explained.
The two little beings then bowed their heads in shame.
"It's not your fault... Even I can't handle the Obscurus."
With a wry smile, Vid shook his head and placed them next to Hayley's hospital bed.
"This time, switch to guarding her. I need to step out for a bit."
"Alright."
Both Little Demonic Puppets responded in unison, then sat obediently next to Hayley, watching their master leave the room.
A second later, they saw someone else crawl through the window, their little eyes widening in surprise, their small mouths forming perfect circles.
Vid chuckled, raising a finger to signal them to stay quiet, then walked to the bedside, taking another look at Hayley's wounds.
He sighed.
"The healing speed is too slow... My Magic Potion skills are still far below Professor Snape's..."
Saying this, he uncorked the Crystal Bottle and poured in a new bottle of Magic Potion.
The wounds began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.