Chapter 1201: Kai’s Deja Vu - Experience and Potential

In the Great Hall of Hogwarts, a massive round table spanned half the chamber.

The assembly gathered within represented the entirety of the Mirror timeline’s remaining strength.

The Yellow Warlock sat on one side, with Meg, Red Sun, and Shirou seated behind him. Cash had a seat at the round table for herself. Voldemort had brought only Bellatrix, wearing a smug sneer across his pale face. Ekrizdis represented only himself, rather than the Dark Alliance.

The largest contingent, however, belonged to none other than Lord Black Phoenix — Albus Dumbledore — the Supreme Commander of the Order of the Black Phoenix.

The assembly seated behind him far outnumbered the rest: Theodosia Whitethorn (Headmistress of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry), Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn, Filius Flitwick, and Madam Maxime (Headmistress of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic), among others.

Igor Karkaroff — Headmaster of the Durmstrang Institute — had already succumbed to the Black Death.

Despite their catastrophic losses, and even though Dumbledore’s faction was a mere shadow of its former might before the Pillars invaded the timeline, the Order of the Black Phoenix still commanded the greatest numbers and was undoubtedly the strongest of the four factions at the table — excluding Cash, of course.

The only reason Dumbledore had allowed these abominations into Hogwarts — the sanctuary where students and innocents sheltered — was to prevent a disaster like Nurmengard Castle from happening again.

If the Pillars managed to trap them a second time, at least they would be trapped alongside their people.

It was far from ideal, but infinitely better than being severed from those they were sworn to protect.

"Before we begin," Dumbledore said, glaring directly at Voldemort, "release Lucius and Narcissa. Unconditionally. Without that, there is no point to this meeting, even if... I must fight alone."

Every head turned toward the Dark Lord.

Voldemort’s thin lips twitched into a mocking grin. "That’s... surprising. I was wondering why you didn’t bring the more... youthful prodigies to this gathering, Dumbledore. Darcie. Harry..."

"Release them..." Dumbledore began, his eyes flashing blacker than ever.

The smirk on Voldemort’s face broadened. "Or else?"

"He doesn’t have them."

Dumbledore’s head snapped toward the speaker, as did everyone else’s.

Black sat motionless, his features concealed beneath the Cloak of Disguise.

By now, the Order of the Immortal Lotus had to know they had failed to trap him, having realized he had deployed a proxy.

If Kai had to venture a guess, Herpo the Foul was the one who had deduced it.

Regardless, even if they couldn’t unravel precisely how he had deceived them, there was no longer any reason to let Meg continue playing the role of the Yellow Warlock.

The only complication that could have arisen was the Unbreakable Vow.

Dumbledore had certainly seen Meg’s face where Kai’s should have been, confirming that the Yellow Warlock had tricked him a year ago as well.

Presently, however, Lord Black Phoenix was too consumed with containing the Despair churning within his soul.

With the existential threat of the Pillars hanging like an executioner’s blade over his neck, it mattered little with whom he had sealed that Vow.

Not to mention, the one-year period for which the ceasefire between the Order of the Black Phoenix and the Dark Alliance remained valid was already drawing to an end.

"What do you mean?" Dumbledore demanded.

"I mean precisely what I said, Lord Black Phoenix," Black answered calmly. "Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy’s disappearance is the work of... them."

The four major powers seated around the table immediately recognized who Kai meant: the Order of the Immortal Lotus.

However, only Dumbledore and Ekrizdis possessed enough context to deduce their objective.

Darcie was the Candidate for the Indigo Seat.

With the Order of the Immortal Lotus throwing their weight behind the Pillar Timeline, they needed leverage — either to sway her to their side, or...

Dumbledore turned sharply toward the shadows behind him. "Halt the search!" he commanded Snape. "Ensure Darcie and the other children do not set foot outside the castle walls."

Snape gave a curt nod and swept out of the Great Hall, his black robes billowing.

With that matter settled, the council formally began.

As arguments erupted across the Great Hall, every faction chiming in with ruthless strategies of their own, Black let an Echo assume control of his physical body.

He held the single greatest trump card in this meeting — Shirou.

Yet there was no reason to play it right out of the gate, especially not before extracting maximum benefits from the room.

For now, Black was savoring the sensation of déjà vu — an experience that had become an extreme rarity since creating Ad Infinitum.

His first move was to scour his mindscape, checking for any suppressed or partitioned memories.

Finding none, he realized the feeling had to stem from the gathering itself — the layout, the factions, and the weight of their significance.

[Searching for matching scenario profiles...] Ad Infinitum chimed in his thoughts, combing through over a thousand years’ worth of memories. [Search complete. Matches found: 1. Displaying log...]

A notification materialized before Black.

[... Island X will reflect the Candidate’s experiences and potential.]

Potential... Black narrowed his eyes.

Yes.

Now he remembered.

It was the inquiry Kai had posed to the System regarding the nature of the soldiers during the third stage of the Tournament of Worth.

The System’s sole response had been: experiences and potential.

Kai had easily understood "experiences" but until this very moment, he had never truly understood what "potential" implied beyond its literal definition.

This is it, isn’t it? Black mused, looking across the assembled warlords. My potential... The inevitable culmination of my choices... My fate... My destiny... Can the System see future, then?

Because, slowly but surely, the entire world was reshaping itself into another Island X.

Dumbledore served as the Supreme Commander, with Voldemort and others acting as his Generals and Commanders.

The only apparent contradiction was the presence of external factions, yet Black found the answer to that as well.

Aliens and Predators?

Who represented them here?

Black himself did, as Kai’s physical Source had already changed into that of a Yautja.

What about the Game of Thrones and Pokemon factions?

Black tapped his fingers against the polished wood of the round table.

Potential...

The War was far from over.

Was the emergence of The Original Ones and The Eternal Snow inevitable?

What about what ended up playing out on Island X, then?

Black shifted his gaze back to Dumbledore.

And this time, beneath the suffocating cloak of Despair, he identified something more:

Desperation.

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