A magic riot.
An unprecedented, uncontrollable magic riot.
The moment it erupted, a vast and violent surge of magic burst from Harry's body, flooding the narrow alleyway in an instant. It was like an enormous flame being forcefully expelled, invisible yet devastating, distorting the air itself.
Loose debris exploded into motion.
Broken bottles, shattered bricks, discarded tools, rusted metal scraps—everything that wasn't anchored was hurled forward at terrifying speed. They screamed through the air like bullets and cannon shells, launching a brutal, indiscriminate assault on everyone present.
At the same time, chaos unfolded in ways that defied reason.
One man's clothes suddenly ignited without warning, flames crawling across his body as he screamed and rolled on the ground. Another man began to swell grotesquely, his skin stretching tight as if air were being pumped into him. Nearby, the space around a third individual violently detonated, invisible explosions tearing the ground apart and flinging him into the wall.
"No… no…"
Harry's voice broke as he cried out. Tears blurred his vision, spilling freely as panic overwhelmed him. His hands waved helplessly through the air, grasping at nothing, desperately trying to reach the figure who had vanished from his sight moments earlier.
"Uncle Albert!"
His voice cracked into a sob.
Just then, a large hand pressed firmly—but reassuringly—against the top of his head.
"You brat," a familiar voice said, faintly amused, "I'm still here. What are you crying for?"
Harry froze.
Slowly, he looked up.
What he saw wasn't the stern yet gentle human face he was used to seeing. Instead, he found himself staring into the soft, fur-covered face of a cat, its expression calm and untroubled.
Albert.
Still alive.
Still standing.
Harry's breath caught in his throat as relief crashed over him, so intense that his knees nearly gave out.
Albert shifted his gaze, surveying the devastated alleyway. The magic riot had reduced it to utter chaos. Cracked walls, overturned stalls, shattered cobblestones—everything bore the marks of raw, uncontrolled magic.
The men who had attacked them were still alive, but barely. They were battered, injured, and utterly terrified.
Fear dominated their faces now.
"How… how is this possible?" one of them whispered hoarsely.
"How could anyone survive the Killing Curse?"
Albert didn't answer.
Instead, a massive wooden wand appeared in his hand.
It was nearly as tall as a grown man, its surface gnarled and twisted as though grown rather than carved. Ancient magical patterns were etched deep into the wood, pulsing faintly with ominous power. At the very top hung a massive crow skull, its hollow eye sockets dark and unsettling.
Albert smiled.
"I take back what I said earlier," he remarked calmly. "The magic of this world is actually quite interesting."
He lifted the wand and lightly tapped forward.
The motion was casual—almost lazy.
A tiny black dot appeared in the air.
At first, it seemed insignificant. A speck. A flaw in reality.
Then, in the next instant, Albert and Harry vanished.
The remaining figures in Knockturn Alley stared at one another in stunned confusion.
Before any of them could react, a crushing gravitational force erupted from the black dot.
Someone tried to Apparate away in panic.
They failed.
Space twisted violently around them, dragging their body back toward the growing singularity. With a sickening sound, their form shattered, bones and flesh torn apart as if crushed by an invisible god's hand. What remained was mercilessly pulled inward.
The black dot expanded.
Like a miniature black hole, it began devouring everything around it.
Trash disappeared first.
Then walls.
Then entire buildings.
And finally—lives.
Screams echoed through the alley, cut short one by one as the singularity consumed all traces of existence.
…
…
A thunderous explosion rocked Knockturn Alley.
Wizards throughout the surrounding area felt the ground tremble beneath their feet. Startled, they turned toward the source of the sound, only to see smoke and dust billowing into the night sky.
From the mouth of the alley, a single figure crawled out.
He was covered in grime, tears, and snot, his face twisted in pure terror. He stumbled forward, screaming hysterically.
"It's a black hole! Someone created a black hole!"
"What happened?!"
"Go—go see what's going on!"
"Notify the Ministry of Magic!"
"Is this a Dark Wizard battle?"
Panic spread like wildfire. Diagon Alley and its surrounding districts descended into chaos as some wizards fled the area while others rushed toward the scene, curiosity and fear battling within them.
Moonlight Fortress – First Floor
The moment Albert appeared, Mr. Lucifer emerged, his expression tense.
"Albert," he said urgently, "what happened just now? I felt it all the way here."
Albert waved a hand dismissively. He didn't answer. Without another word, he headed upstairs.
"I need some rest," he said quietly.
"I'm… a little tired."
On the third floor, he pushed open the bedroom door. The plaque still read:
Moonlight Queen – Captain
Albert collapsed onto the soft, oversized bed, exhaustion washing over him like a tide. He didn't want to think. He didn't want to speak. Every fragment of his being felt drained.
"The Instant Death Curse…" he murmured to himself.
An advanced spell.
A spell that touched the very origin of existence.
"And it was cast by an ordinary wizard," Albert continued, his voice faint, "using an ordinary wand… just by reciting a spell."
He let out a quiet laugh.
The magic of this world was distorted. Extreme. Dangerous in its simplicity.
And fascinating.
If he hadn't consumed the Eclipse Potion the day before, the outcome might have been far worse.
When the Instant Death Curse struck him, he had reacted instantly—activating a forbidden technique. Drawing upon the lingering madness left behind by the Eclipse Potion, he forcibly created a warped, unstable variant within his soul's origin.
A lunatic persona.
He expelled it outward, using it as a living shield.
Even so, the backlash had been severe. His soul body suffered heavy damage, leaving him in a state of deep exhaustion.
But before leaving, he had given his attackers a gift.
[Singularity]
A spell that erased everything.
As the thought faded, Albert slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Downstairs, Mr. Lucifer listened quietly as Harry recounted everything that had happened. When the boy finished, Mr. Lucifer let out a slow breath.
"So that's what it was," he said. "A soul-related spell."
He and Albert were soul-bound—it was no wonder he had sensed something was wrong.
"He'll be fine," Mr. Lucifer added calmly. "He just needs rest."
Harry clenched his fists nervously.
"Mr. Lucifer… will Uncle Albert really be okay?"
Mr. Lucifer nodded. "Yes."
When Albert finally opened his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was a small figure sitting beside the bed.
Harry.
The boy seemed to sense his movement and looked up instantly, his eyes red and swollen.
"Uncle Albert," Harry said softly. "You're awake."
Albert studied him for a moment.
"You cried," he stated flatly.
Harry flushed. "N-no! I didn't…"
"Don't show your weakness so easily," Albert said calmly, though his gaze was gentle. "If others can see it, all you'll face is bullying."
"I wasn't weak," Harry muttered. "I was just… worried."
"Worried about me?" Albert raised an eyebrow, recalling the moment Harry had stepped forward, trying to shield him from the curse.
"You're not a wizard yet," Albert sighed. "So it's understandable."
"Once you become one," he continued, "you'll realize that worrying about me is the most unnecessary thing you could do."
Harry didn't fully understand, but he nodded anyway.
After a pause, Albert asked, "How long was I asleep?"
"A week!"
Albert stared at the ceiling.
"A week…" he muttered.
"So you guarded me the whole time?" he asked.
Harry jumped to his feet. "No! I cleaned! Most of the castle!"
Albert's eyebrow twitched. "You didn't clean my washroom, did you?"
"N-not yet."
"That's good."
"Is it dangerous?" Harry asked curiously.
"No," Albert replied seriously. "That's where I keep my special hair oil. Well… fur conditioner now."
Harry fell silent.
This man—this cat—was impossible to understand.
Still, he was happy.
"Don't be happy too soon," Albert said suddenly, smiling.
Harry shivered.
He somehow knew—
He was in trouble.
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