Just then.
While he was still recalling and counting in his mind.
"Didn't I tell you that day? I can no longer see your future." Aurora squeezed Ian's hand, tried to summon magic power for a moment.
In the end, she reluctantly chose to give up.
"Looks like I have to strive to be kind and try not to do anything annoying..." Ian sighed, poking at the beef on his plate.
After listening to him.
The German girl was instantly astonished.
"So you knew you were always bad before?"
She seemed to recognize Ian anew.
"..."
The slightly speechless Ian immediately threw down his utensils. Seeing Aurora pull out a lollipop again, he furiously snatched the lollipop from her hand and stuffed it into his mouth.
"I need to find Dumbledore to understand the situation."
Feeling the effects of dopamine, Ian's mood slightly improved, and he hurriedly left the dining hall under Aurora's somewhat thoughtful gaze.
Unfortunately.
Ian not only failed to spot Dumbledore's figure on the Living Map, but also didn't find anyone in the Headmaster's Office. He even searched many hidden corners and places.
Still to no avail.
Feeling some discomfort in his stomach, Ian went to the restroom and instinctively said to the toilet.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, are you here?"
He lifted the toilet lid.
Of course, Dumbledore couldn't be inside.
But he did encounter a terrified Myrtle.
They stared at each other.
A moment later.
"I've hidden in other bathrooms! You still won't let me go! Ahhh! Help!!" Myrtle's ear-piercing scream instantly sent the Little Wizard fleeing.
"This is the men's room!"
Ian ran outside, confirming he hadn't entered the wrong restroom. He felt as if he'd been cursed by Voldemort today, as everything seemed stiflingly uncomfortable.
"Do you eat curses? How about nibbling on me?" Returning to the Room of Requirement, Ian grabbed his Black Phoenix from the top of the Dementor.
"Caw caw caw caw caw~"
The Black Phoenix struggled to escape.
"Hey, really, you look like both a Phoenix and a Raven. Could it be... no wait, could you actually be a hybrid species?"
Ian plucked the Black Phoenix's feathers, trying to pull one out for research, but found that after plucking a feather, a burst of black-purple flames rose from it.
This flame not only didn't burn him, but it couldn't even ignite a piece of wood.
"There must be something special about this."
Ian slightly pondered, then brought the burning feather close to the Dementor. As expected, the Dementor instantly shrieked in terror and fled into its cage.
"Attacking souls specifically? No... it should be more than that." Ian didn't want to ruin his only Dementor, but he knew he could capture a few soul-bearing creatures from the Forbidden Forest.
Without delay.
Ian immediately entered the Forbidden Forest through a secret passage.
"Centaur doesn't feel pain! Especially a wicked Centaur!" The Little Wizard realized the improvement of wielding the Dismembering Nimbus manually, searching like a crab in the Forbidden Forest.
Just then.
His luck seemed indeed not very good today. Over two hours passed, and he hadn't found an evil Centaur who's constantly cursing his whole family and threatening him with various spells.
"I'll come back tomorrow!"
Had it not been time to enter the Misty Illusion Realm tonight, Ian would have surely pulled an all-nighter like someone ranked loss after loss. He was somewhat discouraged and just planned to tidy up and return to the school.
"Tick~"
The watch on his wrist made a slight sound.
It was the reminder for midnight at twelve o'clock.
Before Ian lifted his hand to check the time, he realized everything around him suddenly became exceptionally quiet, as if time was slightly pressed by an invisible membrane.
All things stood still in this moment of eternity.
"The moon... has turned red..."
Ian somewhat doubtfully looked up, his eyes just reflected the shape of the blood moon. The next moment, he noticed everything around him seemed to be moving away from him.
Blurry and indistinct.
The world turned upside down.
This familiar feeling returned once more.
For the first time in a conscious state, Ian stepped into that region—a vast expanse of Black Sand greeted his eyes, like a boundless abyss devouring all colors and life.
He looked up at the sky.
There were similarly no stars or daylight, only a deep black curtain, as if the darkest corners of the universe were condensed here.
Oppressive and suffocating atmosphere loomed.
The previously seen blood moon still hung in the sky. Its scarlet and eerie light, like the fire of Hell, cast an ominous hue over the dead desert.
Incredibly malevolent.