The stone necklace, which had been twisted into a figure-eight shape moments ago, was now a tangled mess, wrapping around Wade, Hailey, and Mabel's wrists.
Luckily, all three of them were young with slender wrists, so the necklace was just long enough.
Wade looked at a pale Hailey and said softly, "Don't be afraid. No matter what you see later, just stay with me. When I say 'leave,' you leave immediately, understand?"
Dumbledore discovered in his experiments that the spiritual world was not a prison; not only could its owner easily expel outsiders, but for those who entered someone else's spiritual world with the help of the necklace, leaving was simply a matter of thought.
Hailey nodded, then whispered, "I'm not scared... I just... I didn't know Mabel had become like this..."
The girl pouted, her heart aching so much she was on the verge of tears.
Wade said, "The Obscurus has been consuming her life, making her weaker and weaker. That's why we must expel the Obscurus from her body."
"I understand." Hailey nodded vigorously. "I'll do anything to help Mabel!"
Though still young, she had endured many hardships yet never given up hope, like a resilient blade of grass growing stubbornly from a crack in a rock. Within her small frame lay an incredibly strong and sensible soul.
Wade also nodded, then looked at Dumbledore. Hearing the Headmaster chant a spell, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier until he soon fell into a deep sleep.
In the blink of an eye, Wade woke up, and the world before him had changed.
The place looked like a village, with tall, narrow, page-like houses lining both sides of the road. The houses had small windows and tightly shut doors.
It seemed to have once been a closed-off place, like a prison, but now it was almost entirely in ruins. Most of the houses had collapsed, or were shrouded in dark smoke. Some had their doors and windows blocked by thick mud, sealing them shut.
A cold wind constantly blew through this world, making one shiver.
"Wade."
Hailey whispered, unable to resist taking a step closer and grabbing Wade's hand.
Wade composed himself, took Hailey's hand, and walked away from the ominous black smoke, following the concrete path forward.
The village didn't seem large, but after walking for a while, the road ahead still appeared endlessly long.
Suddenly, they heard a crisp laugh. Wade spun around sharply and saw what looked like a playground scene inside a collapsed house. A little girl, holding a balloon, was running past, giggling.
She was laughing happily, but her figure was semi-transparent. Someone seemed to be running behind her, but that figure was blurry, and the surrounding scenery looked like a low-quality holographic projection.
A second or two later, the girl abruptly vanished, and the playground scene in the room also disappeared, replaced by an empty old house. Only a shriveled red balloon lay on the ground.
"Wade, can there be ghosts in the spiritual world?" Hailey asked, her voice trembling with trepidation.
"No, that's not a ghost." Wade said, "That's Mabel's memory."
But the girl had been subjected to the Obliviation Charm, her memories were incomplete, and even the houses in her spiritual world had become ruins. Now, only that fleeting image remained.
Hailey turned her head, taking a long look at the collapsed house, and suddenly saw the little girl running past with the balloon again, only her colors appeared even fainter, and the entire image seemed on the verge of evaporating.
Mabel is fading fast!
Hailey realized this with absolute clarity.
She had been led by Wade, but now she was pulling him, quickening her pace forward, her eyes anxiously searching both sides.
Through some broken, cobweb-covered windows, they occasionally caught glimpses of Mabel from her memories.
Some were reading, some were leaning by the window, seemingly deep in thought, and others were crouching in a corner crying. These Mabels, whether big or small, mostly appeared for only one or two frames, disappearing if one wasn't careful.
Hailey was frantic in her search, unable to stop herself from shouting, "Mabel—Mabel—come out—I'm here for you—"
The entire spiritual world suddenly shook violently, making them lose their footing. Wade quickly grabbed Hailey to steady her, watching in astonishment as the houses on both sides rapidly receded.
In the blink of an eye, they had traversed dozens of miles before the houses slowed down and gradually stopped.
These houses appeared much more complete and spacious, clearly originating from Mabel's memories before the Wizards tampered with her. However, more than half of these houses had already been swallowed by black mist, and the dark smoke was spreading like vines towards the intact houses.
Wade even witnessed a complete process of engulfment—
A numb, lifeless Mabel lay on an operating table. A man dressed as a doctor was inserting a thin needle into her arm, while three or four others watched with interest, discussing.
Suddenly, glass shattered with a "clink," and black mist poured in. The doctor and the others vanished instantly, like punctured balloons. Moments later, Mabel on the operating table appeared by the window, her entire being seemingly transformed into an embodiment of black mist.
She looked out with those dead eyes, as if staring at Wade and Hailey, and also as if coveting the other intact houses.
Then, the black mist surged, and this Mabel also disappeared.
Wade took a deep breath, then suddenly noticed something unusual in a certain room and quickly said, "This way!"
He pulled Hailey along, and they saw that in a room about to be consumed by black mist, there were actually two Mabels.
Not just Mabels, there was even a Hailey in the room, and several other children who had been taken for experiments. They were sitting in a circle, playing rock-paper-scissors.
"Mabel! Mabel!"
Hailey cried out, standing on tiptoe and tapping the window several times. The two Mabels in the room seemed not to hear her at all. Wade reached for the doorknob and twisted it hard. With a "click," it actually opened.
Hailey paused, then immediately ran inside.
Both Mabels were wearing identical robes, but one of them was holding a dark, black cloth doll. On closer inspection, the doll's facial features somewhat resembled Mabel's.
As Wade and Hailey entered, the doll's eyes suddenly darted, its two eyeballs fixed on them, sending shivers down their spines.
In the spiritual world, Wade's Wand was still with him. With a gentle flick, the cloth doll yawned and slowly closed its eyes.
Hailey, completely oblivious to this, walked straight to the Mabel holding the cloth doll, lunged forward, and hugged Mabel tightly.
Mabel, who had seemed engrossed in the game, suddenly startled awake. She looked at the two of them in astonishment and exclaimed, "—Hailey?!"
...
"So, this is my mental world?"
After an explanation, Mabel finally understood the situation. She looked at her friends still playing rock-paper-scissors and, after a moment's hesitation, walked out of the room.
She held Hailey's hand in one of hers, while still clutching the rag doll tightly in the other.
"My world... how did it become like this?" Mabel murmured, asking herself.
"The Obscurus is devouring everything, Mabel," Wade said, walking over to her. "You have to let it go, or you'll die very soon."
"...Let it go?" Mabel didn't understand. "Isn't Mr. Scamander... and Dumbledore, separating the Obscurus with Magic?"
"Yes," Wade said. "But because you're subconsciously unwilling to let the Obscurus leave, their Magic failed."
Mabel was confused for a moment, then asked, "So how do I cooperate?" She looked around and shouted, "Get out of my world, Obscurus!"
"—Is that all it takes?" Mabel then asked.
Wade shook his head. "I need you to put down the rag doll in your hand, Mabel."
"The rag doll? But... my mom gave this to me... What is this thing?!"
It seemed Mabel had only just now clearly seen what the rag doll looked like, and she was startled by it, but even so, she didn't throw the doll away.
"I think this is what the Obscurus looks like in your mental world. It's bewitched you, making you unable to let go," Wade said.
Mabel looked at the black mist covering the house and asked, "But... what are those?"
"Those are also the Obscurus. It's about to take over your entire world, but the key is this part you're unwilling to let go of."
Wade patiently explained, "As long as you're holding the rag doll, the Obscurus will remain tightly entangled with your soul, and Mr. Scamander and the others won't be able to separate it from you."
"Please, throw it away, Mabel," Hailey said, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't want to see you die."
"Okay... okay," Mabel agreed, but when she tried to throw the rag doll away, her arm trembled again, and she couldn't let go.
Hailey simply reached out, snatched the rag doll, and threw it far away with all her might!
The next second, the rag doll reappeared in Mabel's arms, its eyes now open, grinning widely as it looked at a wide-eyed Hailey.
Hailey, infuriated, rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the rag doll again, threw it to the ground, stomped on it with her foot, and shouted, "Wade, help me! Burn this cursed thing with your Magic!"
Wade looked as if he wanted to say something but held back. Seeing Hailey's hands clenched tightly into fists and her angry, furrowed brow, he pointed his Wand.
With a *bang*, the rag doll caught fire. Hailey quickly jumped aside, watching it burn to ashes, absolutely thrilled.
But when she turned back, the rag doll was miraculously whole again in Mabel's hand, and the smile instantly froze on her face.
"What's going on?" she asked helplessly, looking at Wade with a panicked expression.
Wade was looking at Mabel, noticing that while she hadn't stopped Hailey's actions, she didn't show disgust or fear when the rag doll reappeared in her hands; in fact, she seemed subtly relieved.
"Hailey, the rag doll is just the Obscurus's manifestation in this mental world. It's actually everywhere, so no matter how many you destroy, it can reappear."
Wade looked into Mabel's eyes and said, "Unless you actively let go of it, Mabel... but you don't seem to want to?"
"I..."
Mabel nervously looked at Wade, then at Hailey. She seemed to want to throw the rag doll away, but her fingers couldn't loosen their grip.
"Mabel!" Hailey cried out in disbelief.
Wade calmly said, "I can understand that the Obscurus possesses immense power, and that feeling of omnipotence might indeed be captivating, but Mabel, if you die, there will be nothing left."
"Perhaps during this time, you've seen the Obscurus as a protector, a friend, but that's not the case."
"It's just a parasite born of pain and darkness, constantly burning your soul to unleash its terrible destructive power."
"Let go, Mabel," Wade gently urged. "Don't dwell in past suffering anymore. Life is a long journey, and you have a very long future ahead. You have Hailey and us; don't stop here."
"That's right," Hailey said, hugging her arm. "I still want to go to the movies with you, travel with you, eat delicious food with you, and chat on the bed together at night... Don't leave me, Mabel, don't leave me alone."
Mabel's hand, clutching the rag doll, trembled. She tried to throw it away several times but couldn't let go, and suddenly, she burst into tears.
"But Hailey... if I don't have the Obscurus... if I don't have it... how will I protect you? ...I don't want to watch you suffer again..."
She cried, trembling all over, and spoke haltingly, "Wade, I know you've been pushing yourself to become stronger... You must have been very afraid of something to do that, right? ...I... I hope I can help..."
"I... I'm really scared... I'm afraid I'll become as weak as I used to be... I'm afraid I won't be able to protect anyone, and I'll just watch the people around me disappear one by one... I'd rather die; I don't want to become like that..."
She sobbed uncontrollably, crying so ugly that the rag doll in her hand even showed a pained expression.
But at that moment, Hailey suddenly opened her arms and hugged Mabel tightly.
"I know, Mabel, I know. Because I was very, very scared before too, but then I gained a lot of courage... Do you know why I'm not scared anymore?"
Mabel looked at her, tears streaming down her face.
Hailey lifted her head, and with tears in her eyes, she tried her best to flash a bright smile: "Because I know you love me! I know that even if we're separated, I still have you; I'm not alone, so I'm not afraid anymore."
"Whether it's blood draws or getting cut by a knife, it hurt a lot, but those are all in the past. As long as you're by my side, I can get through it."
"You've always protected me, Mabel—it's not just about turning into a black monster and killing bad people that counts as protection. From the first time you reached out to me, you were protecting me."
Wade also smiled and said, "You're already amazing, Mabel. It's not just about having to do something to help; your very existence is important to us."
"So... trust me, trust that we can protect you, and trust that your own worth isn't just tied to the Obscurus. Let go, okay? No matter what the future holds, we'll face it with courage."
Mabel gazed at the two of them, tearfully, for a long time, and her fingers slowly loosened their grip.
The black rag doll silently fell to the ground.
The next second, Scamander's Magical aura extended into this world without reservation. Dazzling light streamed down from the sky, and Wade faintly heard the rag doll emit a sharp shriek.
Then, he opened his eyes in the room and saw a dark, struggling mass being pulled from Mabel's chest and sealed within a translucent Magical energy field.
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