A line of fire appeared in the void above Bryan's head, materializing from nothing. It flickered uncertainly like a piece of burning parchment being slowly consumed by invisible flames.

The line of fire descended steadily, scorching through the pale space they'd been trapped in. Wherever it passed, the colorless world immediately plunged into pitch darkness as the spell dissolved.

Before Sirius and the others could fully react or cry out, their vision went completely black, and the dizzying disorientation they had experienced earlier struck them once more.

Whoosh—

As if awakening abruptly from a great dream, the Aurors of MACUSA found themselves lying among the broken ruins of the former headquarters. They rubbed their drowsy eyes with confusion, struggling to shake off their rigid thoughts and reconnect with their bodies.

"Hiss, Merlin's beard!"

Sirius's gray eyes were the first to regain full clarity and focus. When he saw the horrifying situation around them, when reality truly registered in his system, he instinctively drew a sharp breath of shock and jumped up instinctively.

He leaped onto a large concrete slab that was sticking up at an angle from the debris, desperately seeking higher ground.

Sirius's exclamation of alarm made everyone more urgently want to assess their situation, to understand what had happened. Uriel even casted Aguamenti directly at his own face, the cold water was shocking him to full alertness.

Gasps of horror and disgust arose one after another throughout the ruins. People jumped up from the ground like startled locusts, moving with panicked vigor. They struggled desperately to free themselves from the crimson substance that clung to the earth like tar, sticky and disgusting.

The entire hilltop where the building had stood was stained a horrifying red, in shades of scarlet and burgundy. The air was filled with the rotten, overwhelming stench of blood. It was as if the entire area had been literally drenched in gallons of it.

"What happened, Bryan? What was all that?"

Crouching on the concrete slab for safety and using careful cleaning spells to meticulously remove the blood from his trouser legs and shoes, Sirius wrinkled his nose in disgust. He asked Bryan, who was floating a few feet above the ground with a faint, tired smile on his face, apparently unwilling to touch the contaminated earth.

"Where exactly were we just now? That pale world, was it real? And what's with all this blood covering everything? That monster was completely eliminated by you, wasn't it? Destroyed permanently?"

"Dumbledore and I pulled that vampire progenitor into the spiritual world, where souls can be directly confronted," Bryan explained with patient calmness.

"Purely in terms of soul strength and accumulated power, that vampire's soul force was very strong. So, Dumbledore and I couldn't control the boundaries that precisely, and the effect spilled over to affect you all. You were caught in the edges of the spiritual realm."

Bryan gestured casually toward the blood-soaked ground below.

"After its soul was destroyed in that dimension, its physical body here automatically disintegrated, the two are connected, you see. The body cannot exist without the soul. Which is why it ended up like this, reduced to base components.

Oh, I'm quite tired from all that, so I'll leave the battlefield cleanup to someone else. I'm sure MACUSA has protocols."

"So, you mean—"

Sirius raised his eyebrows with relief and hope.

"All the trouble is finally over? Completely finished?"

"As you can see."

Bryan shrugged and smiled genuinely.

"Excellent work!"

Sirius laughed with genuine enthusiasm, his voice carrying relief and admiration. He wanted to rush over and give Bryan a admiring hug, to physically express his gratitude.

But as he was about to step down from his concrete refuge, seeing the disgusting blood plasma coating the ground, he disgustedly drew his foot back with a grimace of disgust.

"It's all over. Finally, over."

Amelia surveyed their surroundings slowly, taking in the destruction with new eyes. A breeze circled the hilltop, carrying away some of the stench in the air, providing blessed relief. Even the clear glow scattered by the bright moon visible on the horizon, no longer blood-red but natural silver became more dazzling as if celebrating their victory.

After a few moments of contemplative silence, processing everything that had happened, Amelia looked up and asked with concern.

"Graves... what about him? What happened to his soul?"

"Already dead. Truly, dead."

Bryan's smile faded completely, replaced by something more somber. He directed his gaze toward Selena and Uriel, who were leading the gathered Aurors in organizing the survivors.

These two experienced agents, under Bryan's direct scrutiny, showed expressions that were both ashamed and apprehensive. They were clearly thinking that Bryan was about to "settle accounts" with the Department of Magical Security for their treatment of him.

"Managing the aftermath of Graves's death is going to be a rather troublesome matter," Bryan said mildly, his tone was quite tactful.

"If handled improperly, it will negatively affect things in all directions: international relations, domestic confidence, magical law enforcement credibility. Especially at such a critical juncture when MACUSA has just concluded its election and Samuel has resumed his position as President.

The timing could hardly be worse."

Bryan paused, considering his words.

"I suggest you seal off this entire area first with the strongest wards available, block all news from reaching the public or the press, and send someone trustworthy to deliver a message to Samuel explaining the situation in full. He needs to return urgently to handle this matter personally before rumors spread."

"Understood, Mr. Watson!"

Uriel straightened up formally and responded with crisp professionalism, grateful for the clear direction.

"Do you have any other instructions or requirements from us?"

"No more. I trust Samuel can properly handle the subsequent repercussions and political complications—"

Pondering the consequences, Bryan gazed at the blood gradually seeping into the dirt, being absorbed by the earth. After a long while of contemplative silence, he suddenly sighed with what sounded like genuine sadness.

"Oh, tell Samuel that it's good enough if the matter has a resolution. Everything else is unimportant."

The Aurors looked at Bryan in confusion, not fully understanding what his cryptic instruction meant or what he was suggesting Samuel to do. But Bryan didn't explain further. He simply waved his hand in dismissal.

"I trust Samuel will understand my meaning. He's a wise man."

Sirius tucked his wand securely into his sleeve, his expression was finally relaxed after the tension of battle.

"I'm going to see Remus immediately. He must be impatiently waiting for me to share all the exciting things that happened tonight! He'll never believe half of it."

Watching Sirius, who was showing a bit of boyish mischievousness despite his graying hair, Bryan's mouth twitched with suppressed amusement.

"That's no problem at all. But you'd better just stay quietly with Remus in his quarters and not wander around the city. Don't forget, you're currently in the United States illegally, without any proper documentation."

Selena opened her mouth automatically. She wanted to say that the Department of Magical Security could easily issue Sirius a supplementary entry permit, under normal circumstances without bureaucratic obstacles, this was actually a very easy matter requiring only paperwork.

But on second thought, her expression fell.

Issuing permits required the official approval of the department head, and their superior, Trask Graves, was already finished, dead, destroyed, and moreover revealed as a criminal. This was unprecedented in the entire history of the Department of Magical Security.

Who had the authority now?

"You're not coming with me to see Remus?"

Catching the implicit meaning in Bryan's careful words, Sirius asked curiously.

"I'm going back to the hotel—"

Bryan showed an inscrutable smile. "Don't forget, officially I'm still under surveillance by MACUSA order. Before the Magical Congress issues a clear order rescinding that surveillance, I'd better not wander around freely. Wouldn't want to give anyone an excuse."

All the Aurors within the hearing range showed expressions of deep shame upon hearing this. They all now knew with certainty that Bryan Watson had been completely framed by manufactured evidence, and the person who had set the trap for him was their own direct superior.

Selena opened her mouth, preparing to offer explanations or apologies, but Bryan raised his hand to stop her before she could speak.

"I'm not targeting you all—"

Bryan smiled gently, without any trace of accusation or bitterness.

"But MACUSA as an institution needs to give me a formal explanation and apology, doesn't it?"

In silence, Selena nodded with resignation.

Although it was summer, the night before dawn still held a hint of coolness in the mountain air. The newly born Fawkes reduced to a tiny, helpless chick after his sacrifice was shivering pitifully in Bryan's palm, chirping relentlessly with distress.

His fragile body, covered in sparse silky feathers, trembled continuously.

Placing Fawkes carefully in his pocket for warmth, Bryan looked toward Amelia with consideration.

"I'm heading back to the hotel. Do you need me to give you a ride home, or are you staying with your colleagues to handle the upcoming troubles and cleanup?"

"I, um, I need to go home—"

This night of chaotic battle had helped Amelia grow considerably, had matured her in ways years of training couldn't have. The bit of youthful naivety that had remained on her pretty face had faded quite a bit, was burned away by reality.

Though when facing Bryan directly, she still couldn't completely shake off her nervous restraint.

"Before I left home tonight, I promised my mom and dad that I would notify them immediately if anything dangerous happened. I think they must have been waiting up for me all this time, probably sick with worry."

In understanding silence, Bryan nodded slightly.

Seeing that he had no other response, that he wasn't offering to accompany her, Amelia bit her lip with disappointment. Her mood suddenly became dejected, and her shoulders were slumping.

"I probably need to have a face-to-face talk with Samuel first, to discuss certain matters," Bryan said thoughtfully. "After that conversation is concluded, I'll visit your parents. Would that be all right with you?"

Bryan asked with a warm smile. Upon hearing this promise, Amelia immediately showed open delight and nodded ardently, her earlier disappointment evaporating.

The exhaustion brought to Bryan by using his soul power so widely and the failure to successfully construct the stable magical domain was real and genuine, not something that could be ignored.

After a refreshing deep sleep in his hotel bed, when he finally opened his eyes again, the sun had already climbed to the highest point in the sky and was beginning to slowly shift toward the western horizon. He'd slept most of the day away.

After being muffled by the reinforced soundproof glass of his hotel windows, the faint and monotonous sounds of traffic that entered the room gave it an air of peaceful tranquility, of normalcy continuing despite last night's chaos.

But Bryan knew this was just an illusion, a temporary calm.

From today onward, for quite some time, weeks, perhaps months, the American magical world would not be peaceful at all. An absolute high-ranking member of MACUSA had suddenly vacated his position under the worst possible circumstances, and multiple ambitious factions would all compete viciously to seize this valuable power vacuum.

The political maneuvering would be intense.

However, that coming commotion had little to do with him anymore. His part was finished.

He was staying in the American magical world for only two specific matters now. One was to deliver the final word after Remus and the goblin negotiating team reached a preliminary consensus with all interested parties on the profit distribution plan for the Learning Machine.

Without him staying here, lending his reputation, Remus would always lack just a bit of confidence in the negotiations. His presence was the stick that made the carrot effective.

As for the other matter—

Tap, tap, tap!

A series of rapid footsteps sounded in the hallway, finally stopping in front of Bryan's door. Sitting comfortably at his desk in pajamas, drinking tea and eating the refreshments room service had delivered, Bryan waved his hand casually. He changed instantly into proper formal clothes and walked toward the door.

'How should I squeeze this situation for all it's worth?'

With this thought surfacing in his mind, a few seconds after the knock sounded, Bryan opened the door with a smile on his face.

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