Chapter 482: Let Go
The Stone Necklace, which had moments ago twisted into an “8” shape, now spiraled like a tangle of rope, wrapping tightly around Wade, Haley, and Mabel’s wrists. Fortunately, all three were still young, their wrists slender, so the necklace’s length was just enough.
Wade looked at Haley, whose face was pale, and spoke gently: “Don’t be afraid. No matter what you see, just stay close to me. When I say ‘Depart,’ you must leave immediately. Understand?”
Dumbledore had discovered in his experiments that the Spirit World was not a prison. If a Master did not illuminate their spirit, they could easily expel outsiders. And those who entered another’s Spirit World via the Necklace could depart with nothing more than a single thought.
Haley nodded weakly. Then, in a whisper: “I’m not afraid… I just… I don’t know how to deal with Mabel like this…”
Her lips trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill.
Wade said, “The Silent Shadow has been consuming her life. That’s why she’s growing weaker. We have to drive it out of her body.”
“I understand,” Haley said, forcing a nod. “If it helps Mabel, I’ll do anything!”
Though still a child, she had endured so much and never abandoned hope—like a fragile yet stubborn little plant growing from a crack in stone. Her small frame housed a soul of extraordinary strength and maturity.
Wade nodded back, then turned to Dumbledore. As the headmaster’s voice chanted the spell, Wade’s eyelids grew heavy. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
In the blink of an eye, he awoke—his surroundings completely transformed.
This place resembled a village. Narrow, towering houses stood like open book pages along the roads. Each home had tiny windows and tightly shut doors. It had once been a place sealed off, like a prison—but now it was nearly all ruins. Most buildings had collapsed, some smothered in black smoke, others buried under thick layers of soil, their doors and windows blocked.
A cold wind swept through the world, biting and relentless, chilling everyone to the bone.
“Wade,” Haley murmured, trembling. She instinctively stepped closer, clutching Wade’s hand.
Wade steadied himself, took her hand, and led her away from the ominous black smoke. They walked down the muddy path toward the distance.
The village didn’t seem large, yet they walked for a long time—still, the road ahead stretched endlessly.
Suddenly, a clear, joyful laugh rang out.
Wade spun around—there, inside a collapsed house, a scene like a playground unfolded. A little girl, holding a balloon, ran past with a bright smile.
She laughed freely, but her form was translucent. Behind her, a shadowy figure followed—indistinct, blurred. The surrounding scenery flickered, as if from a low-quality hologram.
In an instant, the girl vanished. The entire playroom disappeared. In her place stood an empty, ruined house. Only a shriveled red balloon remained on the floor.
“Wade… does the Spirit World have ghosts?” Haley asked, her voice trembling.
“No,” Wade said. “That’s not a ghost. That’s Mabel’s memory.”
But the memory had been tampered with by a Forgetting Charm. Fragmented and incomplete, it had left the entire world in ruins. Only this fleeting image remained.
Haley turned back, staring long and hard at the collapsed house. Then, suddenly—there she was again. The girl ran forward, balloon in hand. But her colors were even paler now, the image fading as if about to evaporate.
—Mabel is dying.
Haley knew it with absolute certainty.
She had been walking, pulled by Wade—now she turned, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward, scanning the sides of the path with anxious eyes.
Through broken windows, tangled with webs, they glimpsed fragments of Mabel’s memories: reading books, staring thoughtfully out the window, crouched in a corner weeping. These glimpses of Mabel—small or large, real or ghostly—flickered in and out of existence, vanishing the moment one blinked.
Haley grew frantic. “Mabel! Mabel! Come out! I’m here! I’ve come to find you!”
The entire Spirit World shuddered violently. The ground shook beneath them, and they nearly lost their footing. Wade barely managed to hold onto Haley. Then, as if in a blur, the houses on both sides began to rocket backward.
In an instant, they had traveled miles. The houses slowed, then stopped.
The buildings now looked whole, spacious—evidence of Mabel’s memories before the wizards had tampered with her. But half the homes were already swallowed by black fog. The smoke spread like vines, creeping toward the remaining intact houses.
Wade saw a full scene unfold: a lifeless, vacant Mabel lay on an operating table. A man in a doctor’s coat inserted a long needle into her arm. Around him, three or four others watched with interest, discussing the procedure.
Then—crack!—the glass shattered.
Black fog surged in. The doctors vanished instantly, like deflated balloons. A moment later, Mabel appeared at the window—her body now almost entirely consumed by the black mist. Her eyes, dull and lifeless, stared outward—seeming to lock onto Wade and Haley, or perhaps yearning for the next intact house.
Then the fog surged again, and she too disappeared.
Wade took a deep breath. Then—something caught his eye.
He turned sharply. “Over here!” He pulled Haley toward a room on the verge of being engulfed by the black fog.
Inside, two Mabels stood side by side.
Not just Mabel—there was also a younger Haley, and several other children who had been taken for experiments. They sat in a circle, playing Rock-Paper-Scissors.
“Mabel! Mabel!” Haley cried, leaping up and pounding on the window. But neither Mabel responded.
Wade gripped the doorknob, pulled hard—click!—the door swung open.
Haley didn’t hesitate. She darted inside.
Both Mabels wore the same gray robes. But one clutched a black doll. Upon closer inspection, the doll’s face bore a faint resemblance to Mabel’s.
As Wade and Haley entered, the doll’s eyes snapped toward them—two lifeless, hollow orbs staring coldly.
In the Spirit World, Wade still carried his wand. He raised it slightly. The doll yawned, then slowly closed its eyes.
Haley didn’t notice. She rushed to the Mabel holding the doll, threw herself forward, and wrapped her arms tightly around her.
The Mabel, who had seemed absorbed in the game, snapped awake. She stared, stunned. “—Haley?!”
Wade explained the situation. After a long silence, Mabel finally understood.
She looked at the other children still playing, hesitated, then stepped out of the room. One hand held Haley’s, the other still clutched the doll.
“My world… how could it become this?” she whispered.
“The Silent Shadow is consuming everything about you, Mabel,” Wade said, stepping beside her. “You must let go of it. Otherwise, you’ll die soon.”
“…Let go?” Mabel frowned. “Mr. Scamander and Professor Dumbledore—they’re using magic to separate it from me, right?”
“Yes,” Wade said. “But because you’re subconsciously unwilling to let it go, their magic has failed.”
Mabel looked confused. “Then how can I help?”
She looked around, then shouted, “Get out of my world, Silent Shadow!”
“Is that all?” she asked, uncertain.
Wade shook his head. “You have to let go of the doll, Mabel.”
“The doll? But… this was my mother’s gift. What even is this thing?!”
Mabel finally looked at the doll properly—her eyes widened in shock. Yet even so, she didn’t let it go.
“That’s what the Silent Shadow has taken form as in your Spirit World,” Wade said. “It’s deceiving you. It’s making you unable to let go.”
Mabel looked at the black fog covering the rooftops. “But… what are those?”
“Those are also the Silent Shadow,” Wade explained. “It’s almost taken over your entire world. But the key is—this part of you, your unwillingness to let go, is what keeps it bound.”
“While you hold that doll, the Silent Shadow remains entangled with your soul. As long as that happens, Mr. Scamander and the others can’t separate it from you.”
“Please,” Haley pleaded, tears streaming down her face, “just throw it away, Mabel. I can’t bear to see you die.”
“O-okay…” Mabel agreed. But when she tried to let go, her arm trembled. She couldn’t release it.
Haley took matters into her own hands. She snatched the doll from Mabel’s grip and hurled it far away.
Thud.
The doll reappeared in Mabel’s arms—eyes wide open, grinning.
Haley was furious. She grabbed it again, slammed it to the ground, and stomped on it. “Wade! Help me! Use your magic to burn it!”
Wade hesitated. But seeing Haley’s clenched fists, her furious, determined face, he raised his wand.
Boom!
The doll burst into flames.
Haley jumped back, watching it burn to ash. She grinned—then froze.
The doll was back in Mabel’s hands. Whole. Smiling.
“What… what’s happening?” she stammered, panic rising. She turned to Wade, eyes wide.
Wade didn’t look at her. He was staring at Mabel.
She hadn’t stopped Haley. But when the doll returned, she didn’t recoil or fear it. If anything, she seemed… relieved.
“Haley,” Wade said calmly, “the doll is just a form the Silent Shadow takes in this world. It’s everywhere. No matter how many times you destroy it, it will reappear.”
He looked directly into Mabel’s eyes. “Unless you actively let go, Mabel. But you don’t seem ready to do that, do you?”
“I…” Mabel looked from Wade to Haley, her fingers trembling. She wanted to let go—but couldn’t.
“Mabel!” Haley cried, her voice breaking.
Wade spoke gently: “I understand the power it holds. The feeling of being unstoppable… it must be tempting. But Mabel, if you die, there will be nothing left.”
“You’ve treated it like a protector. A friend. But it’s not.”
“It’s a parasite born of pain and darkness. It feeds on your soul, and only grows stronger through destruction.”
“Let go, Mabel. Don’t stay trapped in the past. Life is a long journey. You still have a future—so much of it ahead. You have Haley. You have us. Don’t stop here.”
“Yes,” Haley whispered, hugging Mabel tightly. “I want to go to movies with you. Travel together. Eat delicious food. Lie in bed at night and talk… Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me alone.”
Mabel’s fingers shook as she clutched the doll. She tried to let go—again and again—but couldn’t.
Then, suddenly, she broke down.
“I… I can’t… Haley… if I let go… if it’s gone… how will I protect you? I can’t bear to watch you suffer again…”
She sobbed, shaking uncontrollably. “Wade… I know you push yourself so hard… I know you must have fears too… I… I just hope I can help… I don’t want to be useless…”
“I’m so afraid… I’m afraid I’ll become weak again… afraid I’ll be helpless, watching everyone I love disappear… I’d rather die than become that.”
She wept bitterly. The doll in her hand seemed to twist into a face of pain.
But then—Haley suddenly opened her arms and pulled Mabel into a fierce, tight embrace.
“I know, Mabel. I know. I was scared too—so scared. But then I found courage. You know why I’m not afraid anymore?”
Mabel looked up, tears streaming.
Haley lifted her face, tears mixing with a determined smile. “Because I know you love me. I know, no matter what happens, you’re still here. I’m not alone. That’s why I’m not afraid.”
“Pain—blood loss, cuts, knife wounds—it hurt so much. But it’s over. As long as you’re with me, I can survive.”
“You’ve always protected me, Mabel. Not just when you turn into that black monster and destroy enemies. From the very first time you stepped in to help me, you were protecting me.”
Wade smiled. “You’re already amazing, Mabel. It’s not just about doing something that helps. Your very existence matters to us.”
“So… believe in us. Believe in yourself. Your worth isn’t tied to the Silent Shadow. Let go. No matter what the future holds—we’ll face it together, with courage.”
Mabel stared at them, tears still falling. Slowly, her fingers uncurled.
The black doll fell to the floor—silent.
In that instant, Scamander’s magic surged through the world, bright and unyielding. A beam of radiant light descended from the sky. Wade heard a high-pitched, agonized shriek from the doll.
Then, in the room, he opened his eyes.
A dark, writhing mass—struggling—was being pulled from Mabel’s chest, sealed within a translucent field of magical energy.
(End of Chapter)
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