The stone necklace that was twisted into an "8" shape not long ago now twisted like a braid, wrapping around the wrists of Vid, Hayley, and Mabel.
Fortunately, all three of them were young, with slender wrists, and the length of the stone necklace was just enough to be used.
Vid looked at the pale-faced Hayley and said gently, "Don't be afraid. Whatever you see later, just follow me. When I say 'leave,' you immediately make yourself leave, understand?"
Dumbledore discovered in his experiments that the spiritual world is not a prison. Not only can its owner easily expel intruders, but it also takes only a thought for those who entered someone else's spiritual world using the necklace to leave.
Hayley nodded and then whispered, "I'm not scared... I just... I didn't know Mabel turned out like this..."
The girl pursed her lips, feeling so distressed that she almost cried.
Vid said, "The Obscurus has been devouring her life, making her weaker and weaker, so we must expel the Obscurus from her body."
"I understand." Hayley nodded vigorously and said, "As long as I can help Mabel, I'll do anything!"
Though she was young, the hardships she'd endured hadn't made her lose hope, like a resilient blade of grass growing stubbornly from a crack in the stone, hiding an incredibly steadfast and understanding soul within her small frame.
Vid also nodded and looked at Dumbledore, hearing the headmaster's chanting of the spell, his eyelids grew heavier and he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
In the blink of an eye, Vid awoke to find the world before him transformed.
This place looked like a village, with houses tall and narrow like pages lining both sides of the road, with small windows and tightly shut doors in front of them.
It seemed this once was an enclosed place like a prison, but now it had almost turned to ruins. Most of the houses had collapsed or were shrouded in dark smoke. Some had their doors and windows blocked by thick mud, sealed shut.
A cold wind continually blew through this world, chilling to the bone.
"Vid."
Hayley said softly, unable to resist stepping closer and grabbing Vid's hand.
Vid steadied his mind, held Hayley, and guided her away from the ominous black smoke as they walked forward along the concrete road.
Though this village seemed small in size, they walked for quite a while, yet the road ahead seemed just as long.
Suddenly, both of them heard a burst of clear laughter, and Vid turned sharply to see a scene of what looked like an amusement park in one of the collapsed houses, with a little girl holding balloons, running past with a giggle.
She laughed joyfully, but her figure was translucent. It seemed someone was following her from behind, but that figure was blurry, and the surrounding scene looked like a low-quality holographic projection.
A second or two later, the girl vanished abruptly, and the amusement park scene in the room vanished as well, replaced by an empty old house with only a shriveled red balloon on the floor.
"Vid, can there be ghosts in the spiritual world?" Hayley's voice trembled as she asked fearfully.
"No, those aren't ghosts," Vid said. "That's Mabel's memory."
But the girl had been affected by the Forgetfulness Spell, and her memory was incomplete. Even the houses in the spiritual world had turned to ruins, with only a fleeting scene remaining.
Hayley looked back, staring deeply at the collapsed house, and suddenly saw the little girl holding the balloons running past again, only her colors were even fainter, as though the entire image was about to evaporate.
—Mabel was nearing her end!
Hayley realized this with startling clarity.
Originally, Vid was pulling her along, but now she pulled Vid, walking quickly forward, her eyes anxiously searching the sides.
Through some broken, cobweb-laden windows, they occasionally saw glimpses of Mabel from her memories.
Some reading, some leaning on the window as if thinking, others crying in corners, yet all these versions of Mabel mostly consisted of just one or two frames, disappearing if they weren't careful.
Feeling impatient with her search, Hayley couldn't help but shout loudly, "Mabel—Mabel—come out quickly—I've come to find you—"
The entire spiritual world suddenly shook violently, making it hard for the two to stand. Vid hastily held on to Hayley, startled as he saw the houses on both sides rapidly recede.
In a flash, they had traversed dozens of miles before the motion of the houses slowed and gradually came to a stop.
These houses appeared more complete and spacious, clearly originating from Mabel's memories before the wizard tampered with them. However, most had already been swallowed by the black smoke, which spread vine-like toward the remaining intact houses.
Vid also witnessed a complete devouring process—
Mabel, with a dull and lifeless expression, lay on an operating table, while a doctor-like man inserted a slender needle into her arm, with three or four others watching with interest, discussing.
Suddenly, there came the sound of glass breaking, "crack," and the black smoke rushed in. The doctor and the others vanished in an instant like burst balloons. Moments later, Mabel appeared at the window, seemingly already a manifestation of the black smoke.