The Yellow Warlock watched as Lord Black Phoenix disappeared in a mass of black flames, carrying Despair along with him.
The sky overhead regained its hopeless colors, and the black flames—burning almost all Death Eaters from within, including the three Lords of the Dark Alliance—retreated as well.
The mere presence of such an indefensible and unstoppable magic suggested that Professor Dumbledore had begun to understand the mysteries of Reality Marble.
Lord Black Phoenix had already been getting stronger even before Kai had returned, it seemed, devouring more and more Dumbledores from the various Key and Mirror Timelines. The only reason he hadn't become an abomination already, attracting Timeline and Death's ire, was because he was doing it sparingly, only selecting those Dumbledores who had become the epitome of evil in their timelines.
Not only that, but his mastery over Despair was increasing exponentially as well, the Yellow Warlock observed.
Then there was the deal Lord Black Phoenix had mentioned.
The Yellow Warlock hung in space silently for a few moments.
Then, slowly, his hands reached up and took off the hood, letting the stale gusts of wind kiss… red hair?
Meg eyed the spot where Dumbledore had been standing, two yellow crystals bobbing up and down in her eyes.
She blinked several times and regained control over her body.
This was one of the greatest benefits Kai had obtained after his journey to the Fate Bubble.
Kai was still at Avalon, acting as Darcie, hoodwinking not only the Six Seats but now Herpo the Foul as well. Meanwhile, Black was at Diagon Alley, having fun in his own way, tapping into the mysteries of emotional bonds.
Yet neither of the two needed the Cloak of Disguise anymore. At least, not in the Harry Potter Bubble.
That allowed a third party to use Death's Artifact, like Morning Mist.
With her mind willingly hosting Kai's Echoes, it would have been a miracle if Lord Black Phoenix, despite his ridiculous powers, had found out the true face under the hood.
"… He is getting desperate, Master," Meg commented.
"That's obvious," Black replied, his voice buzzing directly in her mind through the Ad Infinitum's Echoes. "The revelation that the people who died at Diagon Alley died less because of the Yellow Warlock and more because of the Order of the Immortal Lotus' stupidity must have hit him harder.
"Now, he knows that the Six Seats care little about his timeline and wouldn't bat an eye if even more people died, as long as they got their hands on me. No wonder he came here. It was either this or… devouring one of the remaining Pillar Dumbledores."
"… Why not take the latter route, then, Master?" Meg inquired.
"All Pillar Characters, especially major Storyline Characters like Dumbledore, remain on the brink of surpassing the Pillar Timelines," Black explained. "The only reason they don't step on that path, other than facing their respective Timelines head-on, is because of each other. They know that the only way forward is to assimilate and become unique, like Herpo the Foul. But not all want that. So, imagine if one of these Pillar existences suddenly disappears one day…"
"They must be waiting for our Dumbledore," Meg concluded, narrowing her eyes.
"Exactly," Black replied. "Not only does Lord Black Phoenix not want to devour the good ones, but he also can't go after the Pillar ones by himself… in the worst-case scenario."
"So, the first time it happened, it was only because of the meddling of the Phoenix at Avalon, one of the two Half-Deep Ones?" Meg guessed.
"Hmm…" Black said. "Only Phoenix assisted, but both He and the other Half-Deep One, Qilin, must have acted together to mask Dumbledore from Death. These things can only be done once… If They acted again, it would give Death the reason to annihilate Avalon itself."
"I don't understand, Master," Meg admitted. "Why hasn't Death already…"
"… killed the Order of the Immortal Lotus' members?" Black asked, humorously. "I haven't asked Him this yet. Even I can only make an educated guess…"
Meg let out a sigh, letting the matter drop.
"So, are you planning to honor this deal, Master?" she asked.
"It's never a good idea to tickle a caged, starving beast," Black told her. "We will have our hands full this year, anyway. A good part of the next year's break, too, perhaps… if all goes according to my plans. It's best not to push Dumbledore. Death might be on our side because of His interest in me, my status, and some personal grudge. Timeline…"
"… you fear Timeline would drop Darcie's Supreme Providence and select Dumbledore, instead?" Meg guessed.
"Nothing more beautiful than intelligence, Meg," Black remarked, making her blush again. "Yes. One way or another, Timeline will keep on advancing toward Pillar status, no matter who possesses the Supreme Providence. The ideal path before us right now is to let Dumbledore focus on children and their growth, rather than taking more drastic, desperate actions. Once I am done with the Verse Fusion business… it would already be too late for him."
Meg nodded, understanding a great part of His Majesty's schemes, if not in their entirety.
"Just one more question, Master," she asked, "… are you really planning on giving Voldemort a body? And, if you are, then wouldn't it go against the deal we just agreed to?"
"… The Dark Alliance will not act against the Order of Black Phoenix," Black repeated what Dumbledore had suggested. "In return, he will let me access the Cursed Vaults freely, and he will also help me against Herpo the Foul… To go as far as to make an Unbreakable Vow with his greatest enemy… Dumbledore sure is something."
Morning Mist chewed her lips, feeling the binding magic on her soul.
Lord Black Phoenix had made an Unbreakable Vow with Lord Yellow Warlock, but she was the one who actually entered the agreement, resulting in her getting a Magic Contract.
If the Contract broke, she would cease to exist as well.
"Haha!" Black laughed, clearly knowing her thoughts. "Can't you see the loophole in all this?"
"… loophole?" Meg asked, surprised.
"Go…" Black smirked on the other side. "Declare that Voldemort is no longer part of the Dark Alliance…"
*****************
AN: Up to 60 more chapters are available in advance across three Tiers. [Use the link in my Webnovel profile to access all options.]
You can even subscribe to the Trial Tier for just 1 dollar to have an experience of exclusive chapters for an entire month. I hope a few of you will consider supporting the work.
100 Power Stones/day: +1 Bonus Chapter next day