In the original story, Grindelwald was killed by Voldemort after the latter broke into Nurmengard Prison, questioned him about the Elder Wand, and got nothing out of him.
At that time, Grindelwald had already been imprisoned in Nurmengard for decades.
For a wizard, the strength of their magic depends mainly on their physical fitness and mental power.
The Ministry of Magic sets the legal age of adulthood for wizards at seventeen because seventeen is the peak stage of a human's mental and physical development, naturally bringing with it a surge in magical power.
Over time, a few wizards like Dumbledore, blessed with talent and constant training of both body and mind, could maintain that peak much longer and even become stronger.
But for a wizard like Grindelwald, who lived in poverty under extremely harsh conditions, no matter how powerful he had once been, time would devour his strength piece by piece, just like any other old wizard.
So, for him to be killed by Voldemort, who was near his prime, while unarmed, was completely reasonable.
Even so, Link had remained extremely cautious toward Grindelwald.
After all, the name Grindelwald itself had become a legend of an entire era.
But now, after real observation, Link was surprised to find that Grindelwald was far weaker than he had imagined.
Time seemed to have completely stripped away his spell-casting ability, leaving behind only a shabby, wandering old man.
A sinister grin spread across Link's face. He paced slowly, not answering Grindelwald's question, but instead circled him, observing the legend from every angle.
Arkam, who had followed Link the longest, immediately understood what Link was thinking.
The seal array on its forehead glowed faintly as its shrunken body expanded into a massive serpent coiled on the ground. It flicked its tongue, its golden slit eyes coldly fixed on Grindelwald, revealing a very human-like sneer, almost identical to Link's own.
"Hissss!"
The terrifying hiss and flicking tongue echoed from Arkam's mouth.
Link stopped walking, feeling for his wand, and translated softly, "Do you have any last words?"
Grindelwald seemed to have long accepted death. Hearing that, no expression appeared on his face. He merely shook his head and said, "You can't kill me."
"What gives you that idea?" Link asked. "Because Dumbledore wouldn't kill you, and you think I was sent by him?"
Grindelwald didn't answer. He just gazed quietly at Link with his one cloudy, exposed eye.
Link didn't mind and continued, "You know, before I came here, an old woman told me that my appearance here wasn't my own doing, that it was all guided by Dumbledore. That I've actually been under his control this whole time.
"Although that old woman probably just said that to save her life, pretending to be some sort of riddle-speaking oracle, I have to admit, her words made me uneasy. Maybe even scared.
"Because, let's face it, Dumbledore could do something like that."
"You and I probably understand him better than anyone else in this world. So you should know exactly what I mean."
"Dumbledore's schemes are terrifyingly intricate."
"Did you know his current enemy is some upstart calling himself the second Dark Lord? He created countless Horcruxes scattered all over Britain, making it nearly impossible for us to kill him completely."
"To deal with that guy, Dumbledore has designed a complex, interlocking plan of unbelievable precision."
"My guess is, that so-called second Dark Lord is going to die from one of Dumbledore's traps."
"The problem is, if Dumbledore really has been controlling me, and I turn out to be just one insignificant cog in that plan, then that's terrifying."
"You understand what I'm saying, right?"
Grindelwald nodded and, for the first time, let out a rare smile.
"Then you're in quite the miserable situation, boy. Albus has always been a bastard. Anyone standing next to him risks being sacrificed at any moment, no matter how close you are to him."
"Exactly!" Link snapped his fingers. "That old woman's words were a wake-up call. They made me realize that my current strength might finally be enough to catch Dumbledore's eye, to make me useful to him.
"She warned me not to get cocky. But it's already too late. I'm in too deep.
"So if I really want to break free from this invisible control, whether it exists or not, I'll have to do something extreme.
"For example, Dumbledore doesn't want you dead, right?
"Then maybe I'll kill you, just to show him I can."
Grindelwald curled his lips.
"A childish method, but understandable. After all, maybe you'll get something from me when I die, some inheritance to strengthen yourself, right?"
Link's brows shot up.
That hit the mark perfectly.
As a legendary wizard who had once rivaled Dumbledore, one of the greatest in history, Grindelwald was absolutely top-tier. Link was almost certain that killing him would grant at least one golden skill point.
That was, in fact, one of the main reasons Link wanted to kill him.
Of course, if he chose to make friendly contact instead, he might gradually earn more skill points from him.
But given the current situation, Link no longer had time to waste.
In this world of wizards, power was the only eternal truth.
He needed to strengthen himself and the Flamel family as fast as possible, to free himself from that subtle control in the coming conflicts. To one day become, like Dumbledore and Voldemort, one of the players of the game, not a piece on the board.
The problem was, how did Grindelwald know what Link was thinking?
After all, throughout this entire encounter, Link's Occlumency had been running at full power.
"I know far more than you imagine," Grindelwald said, rising slowly from the ground.
Only then did Link notice that Grindelwald had been sitting on top of a wooden trapdoor. There were two iron rings on it, one on the door and one on the floor, but no visible lock.
"I told you, boy, you can't kill me," Grindelwald said, pointing at the trapdoor. "The reason I'm still alive here is because I'm guarding this door."
"What's sealed beneath it is an extremely terrifying power. If you kill me, then either you'll have to replace me as its guardian, or that power will escape and cause a catastrophe."
"And of course, it will come for you first, since you're the closest living thing."
Link's gaze fixed on the trapdoor.
He already believed Grindelwald's words, because ever since that door entered his field of vision, sharp pain had been pulsing between his brows.
It was his "Super Sensory" skill warning him.
And what shocked Link most was the intensity of that warning, it was terrifying.
If not for his Occlumency holding firm, he would have already turned and run by now.
That only confirmed what Grindelwald said, the power under that door was real and dangerous.
'Wait…'
'If that's true, then how did Voldemort kill Grindelwald and walk away fine?'
'Did Voldemort seal or destroy whatever's down there?'
'Impossible. If it were that easy, Dumbledore would've acted long ago. No way he'd have left it to Voldemort.'
'Maybe the International Confederation of Wizards intervened afterward?'
'That's possible. Maybe the reason they later ignored Voldemort's rampage in Britain was because they'd already suffered heavy losses trying to contain whatever was sealed under this door.'
'Or… is Grindelwald bluffing?'
Link quickly shook his head.
No. The danger he felt from that door was far too real.
If Grindelwald had the power to fake that kind of aura, then he could've just killed Link outright.
———
As Link's mind raced, Grindelwald smiled.
"Stop overthinking. I'm not lying to you, and I won't harm you.
"And I can also tell you clearly, the old woman was only trying to scare you.
"Albus may be a bastard, but he's nowhere near as terrifying as you described. He can't control a person without them realizing it.
"For someone as wary and clever as you, the most he can do is predict your choices to some extent.
"That pendant around the neck of your Snidget is proof enough.
"Now, could you hand it to me?"
Yoyo, who had followed Link for quite some time, could already respond to simple speech and gestures.
Seeing Grindelwald point at it, Yoyo bared its razor-sharp teeth menacingly. As it moved, the diamond-shaped pendant hanging from its neck swayed back and forth.
That pendant was something Dumbledore had given Link long ago, together with a magical scroll.
After some testing, Link hadn't found anything special about it, so he'd given it to Yoyo. He hadn't expected Grindelwald to ask for it.
"What's so special about this thing?"
Link asked, turning the pendant over in his hand, though he made no move to give it away.
Grindelwald sighed.
"It's the blood pact between Dumbledore and me. You know what a blood pact is, don't you?"
Link froze for a second, then nodded.
He had indeed read about it in the Flamel family's archives.
It was said to be an ancient magical contract that prevented both parties from harming each other in any way.
The key was that the pact required absolute trust between both sides, each willing to give everything for the other.
Under such extreme conditions, a blood pact was practically a love token between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
For a moment, Link's expression turned odd. He glanced at the pendant and then at Grindelwald, his eyes filled with faint disgust.
"The reason I said Dumbledore sent you," Grindelwald continued, "is because you're carrying our blood pact."
"I'm guessing he gave it to you quite some time ago, didn't he? That proves my theory. He didn't control your actions, he simply knew you would one day come to me."
Grindelwald seemed increasingly excited, shaking his head and saying, "Enough. Don't look at me like that.
"In any case, there's nothing to worry about. You can't, and don't need to, kill me.
"After all, what you want, I can give you without dying."
With that, Grindelwald stomped hard on the trapdoor.
A terrifying roar erupted from beneath it, and an immense force blasted the door open, revealing darkness even deeper than darkness itself.
Buzz!
Link didn't even have time to react before an overwhelming power swept over him.
He could feel it coursing through every vein in his body. He could feel Mike, the consciousness he had trapped within his mind, screaming madly. The complete loss of control over his body nearly drove him insane.
Thankfully, that power retreated just as quickly as it came.
Because Grindelwald had thrown himself back onto the trapdoor, using his frail, bony frame, barely a hundred pounds at most, to hold it down.
Despite the monstrous force raging beneath, it couldn't break free.
Finally, Grindelwald pulled a wand from somewhere and jammed it into the latch between the trapdoor and the floor, sealing it completely.
Link stood there, dumbfounded.
He wanted to ask what the hell that was, but before he could, his usually-hidden data panel suddenly appeared, flickering and distorting like a black-and-white TV with static interference.
After a few seconds, it stabilized, and golden text appeared in front of him.
[Golden Skill Point +1 Acquired!]
[Free Skill Point +1 Acquired!]
'…What the...'
'No reason? Just, free skill points?'
Was the system bugging out?
Link was dumbfounded. His face was full of disbelief.
Because that burst of power hadn't just granted him skill points, it felt like it had taken something away from him too.
His mind suddenly cleared. Even the dark, violent thoughts that had been brewing in him for days faded.
He didn't dislike the feeling. It wasn't like brainwashing, it felt more like his entire mind had been cleansed.
Only now did he realize how much his thoughts had darkened since setting foot in Germany.
And now… they were finally back to normal.
"The darkness was eating away at your heart," Grindelwald said quietly. "This kind of subtle corruption can't be stopped by Occlumency or mental strength, because deep down, you never truly rejected it."
"Do more of what someone your age should do."
"Like get drunk with a few good friends. Or play a few Quidditch matches back at school."
"And if all else fails, find a woman to sleep with."
"Release it all. Only that way can you slow the corruption."
"Remember, stay yourself."
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