At this moment, Dudley finally understood everything.
His intuition hadn't deceived him. The previous dream had indeed originated from the Nightmare abilities of the Darkness pathway. But wielding such powers didn't necessarily require a Beyonder from that pathway. Possessing a sealed artifact from the Darkness pathway could accomplish the same effects.
"That mirror..." Dudley gradually recalled the dirty mirror, replaying the image in his mind. He had glanced at it briefly when passing by.
The mirror hadn't displayed any obvious abnormalities at the time, and Dudley hadn't considered such possibilities. Now, recalling the encounter, he suddenly recognized many familiar aspects about that artifact.
Dudley frowned, struggling to search his memories for information about this particular mirror. He could now confirm that what had traveled back with him wasn't just himself and the Trunsoest Brass Book. There were other sealed artifacts as well.
This mirror was one of them.
"Soul Requiem Mirror, probably a Grade 3 sealed artifact, not under official supervision, belongs to the category of items with moderate dangers requiring careful handling."
"Its appearance resembles an unremarkable mirror that looks perpetually dirty and cannot be cleaned. It cannot accurately reflect reality. What it presents appears severely distorted, similar to a funhouse mirror. During daylight hours it records everyone who looks into it, and when midnight arrives, it forcibly pulls all recorded individuals into the dreamscape within the mirror. This isn't absolute. It may fail due to external interference or distance factors."
"There are considerable risks within the dreamscape. Countless nightmare monsters condensed from negative emotions may manifest, possessing the ability to kill people within dreams."
"Negative effects: When using it, the user also enters a sleeping state, unable to move or attack enemies. After prolonged use, one gradually sinks into the dreamscape, becoming a monster within the dream and disappearing from the world entirely."
As Dudley concentrated, information about this mirror gradually surfaced in his mind. He could confirm that this artifact had belonged to him in that otherworldly realm.
He had rarely used this mirror, though. If he hadn't encountered it this time, he might not have recalled any details about its properties.
"The effects of this sealed artifact aren't particularly terrifying. It has numerous usage restrictions and can hardly prove effective in random combat situations, but it's excellent for ambush tactics and offers a certain degree of concealment," Dudley quickly assessed.
First, this mirror couldn't pull people into dreams at any moment. They had to look into the mirror first, then it could only drag them into dreams at midnight specifically.
Beyond that, this mirror didn't provide much enhancement to its user. Even if it could pull people into dreams, it would be difficult to kill those stronger than oneself.
Its function was more about control effects: pulling people into the dreamscape while others attacked the person trapped in the dream, thus completing the assassination.
"The monster composed of countless tentacles and eyes that I encountered earlier should be the nightmare formed from the negative emotions of those pulled into dreams, as well as people killed by previous nightmares," Dudley recalled the situation in the dream and had roughly pieced together this entire incident.
While Dudley was thinking, Harry had already brought Kingsley and the others to where the mirror had been located.
"When we came upstairs earlier, we saw a dirty mirror here, but now it's completely gone," Harry pointed to that spot.
Kingsley and the other Aurors exchanged meaningful glances. They could confirm this represented another murder case connected to that mirror.
"We need to locate that mirror as quickly as possible," Kingsley said with grave concern.
"Sir, what exactly is happening here?" Harry asked with obvious confusion and curiosity.
"That mirror is very likely a Dark Magic object. We still can't determine exactly how it kills people, but whenever this mirror appears, such tragedies occur," Kingsley explained.
"A mirror can hardly kill people independently. Someone must be controlling that artifact," Dudley said as he approached them.
"That's also our speculation. There might be a dark wizard orchestrating all this, but we haven't discovered any related evidence," Kingsley admitted.
"We've examined some Muggles' memories, but aside from that mirror, we haven't gained any useful information."
The expressions of several Aurors appeared troubled. They had been severely challenged by this case recently.
Every time something similar happened in the Muggle world, they needed to intervene and investigate. The Ministry of Magic was under considerable pressure, and if they didn't solve it soon, the Muggle Prime Minister might not be able to maintain secrecy much longer.
"Let's examine the fifth floor," Dudley suggested.
The person at the third-floor corridor's end had been killed by a nightmare monster condensed from negative emotions. It appeared random and wasn't the Soul Requiem Mirror user's primary target.
But the fifth floor was different. A person strangling herself with her own hands was obviously deliberate.
Her manner of death differed dramatically from those killed by nightmares. It was very likely that the Soul Requiem Mirror's user had acted personally.
"Agreed," Kingsley said without further discussion and led Dudley and Harry toward the fifth floor.
"My parents..." Dudley suddenly remembered something important.
"Don't worry, we cast a simple spell on them. They're currently drinking tea and resting in another room. The other Muggles will soon forget about this incident as well," Kingsley assured him.
"Alright," Dudley nodded, unsurprised by this response. This was the officials' standard procedure.
Soon, the group arrived at the door of a room on the fifth floor. This was a luxury suite, far more elaborate than the rooms below.
"Are you certain you want to enter and investigate? Honestly, the scene is quite disturbing," an Auror warned them.
After all, Harry and Dudley were only eleven-year-old children. Such scenes would prove traumatic for most people their age.
"It's fine. I've witnessed things far more terrifying than this," Dudley replied with calm certainty.
Kingsley looked at Dudley meaningfully. Few people knew about the Forbidden Forest incident, but as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore had shared details with Kingsley. He knew Dudley had once faced Voldemort directly while riding a dragon.
Harry also nodded firmly. Although he felt afraid, he was forcibly suppressing this emotion. He understood clearly that he might face such scenes in the future. He had to adapt. He couldn't hide behind Dudley forever.
Kingsley acknowledged their determination, and the group pushed open the washroom door.
This was a spacious, luxurious washroom with exquisite decoration. A woman stood motionless in the bathtub, back pressed against the wall, her hands gripping her own throat with deadly force. Her face had turned purple-blue, hair disheveled in wild disarray.
Her mouth hung open wide, as if desperately trying to breathe fresh air, but her own hands remained locked around her neck in a fatal grip.
The entire scene was both eerie and terrifying. Everyone present could almost hear the sounds of this woman's violent struggle before death.