Newt checked Jacob's wound. After confirming it was a Murtlap bite, he plucked a few leaves from a nearby plant, crushed them, and applied the paste to the injury.
He poured out several tablets from a bottle and handed them to Jacob.
Jacob stared at the medicine suspiciously for a moment. After thinking it over, he figured he had nothing to lose anyway.
Resigned, he swallowed the tablets and watched as Newt took some meat from a rack and chopped it into large pieces on the cutting board.
Newt was preparing to check on the magical creatures that had gone missing, and at the same time feed the animals.
He had brought Jacob down because he felt Jacob wasn't a bad person.
That proved to be true.
Faced with all sorts of strange and unusual things, Jacob showed no disgust—only amazement.
…
In the neighboring open plain, the Thunderbird stirred up a heavy rain. John, in dragon form, leaned against a rock, half-closing his eyes as he read a small newspaper.
"Hmm… Grindelwald."
Staring at the familiar name, John murmured thoughtfully, "Looks like the future hasn't changed. Grindelwald is still the same Grindelwald, stirring up revolution in Europe."
His earlier concern had been unnecessary.
He had originally intended to erase the memories of three people, yet Grindelwald had escaped.
"Newt's back?"
He saw the Thunderbird slowly descend—Newt had probably come down to check on the missing magical creatures.
"The one who can handle an Obscurus… Newt Scamander is more capable than I thought."
Recalling the Obscurus Newt had contained, John knew it was a form of dark energy within young wizards.
The Obscurus in Newt's possession was extremely weak, likely because its host had already died.
"Another Obscurial dead…"
John stared at the newspaper, then blew lightly. The paper floated back toward Newt's little house.
Newt's voice calling out to the Graphorn echoed in the distance. John propped his head up with one hand, idly scraping at the rock beneath him with the other.
He guessed that Newt would definitely come looking for him.
After all, as a fire dragon capable of understanding human language, the intelligence he had displayed would surely prompt Newt to ask questions.
…
Jacob was feeding the Mooncalves on Newt's behalf.
Looking at the adorable little creatures, he was certain now that he wasn't dreaming.
His imagination simply couldn't come up with things like this.
"Eat up, little ones, go on, eat."
He genuinely loved the moment.
Just then, a cold voice echoed nearby.
"Did you hear that?" Jacob instinctively turned to ask Newt.
But Newt was already gone.
He saw the curtain separating the areas flutter open, revealing a snow-covered landscape beyond.
Drawn in, Jacob stepped into the snowy scene.
He stared intently at the mass of black substance, which continuously emitted an unstable, turbulent energy.
Jacob slowly reached out his hand. Just as he was about to touch it, Newt abruptly stopped him.
"Step back," Newt said sharply.
Startled by Newt's sudden appearance, Jacob jumped.
Newt repeated firmly, "Step back."
"What is that thing?" Jacob asked, unsettled.
"I said, step back."
"What exactly is it?" Jacob retreated, still shaken.
Newt looked toward it and said, "That's an Obscurus."
Jacob keenly noticed something off in Newt's expression—a pained, contemplative look.
"I need to go," Newt suddenly turned and strode toward another area. "We have to find the escaped creatures before they get hurt."
Jacob followed behind him, confused. "Before they get hurt?"
He recalled his house being smashed apart, and the bite wound on his neck.
The lighthearted atmosphere vanished completely.
"Yes, Mr. Kowalski." Newt led Jacob through a forest. "You must understand, they're in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by millions of the most ruthless creatures…"
They arrived at a rocky area. A vast expanse of black filled their view. Newt said, "Humans."
He let out a breath of relief. The most dangerous one hadn't escaped—what incredible luck.
Jacob hurried after him, about to catch his breath, only for it to catch in his throat.
His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the mass of black before him.
In a shocked tone, he asked, "What is that?"
"A dragon," Newt replied.
Standing below it, the black presence seemed as though it could swallow everything.
Newt walked forward.
He had dealt with dragons on the Eastern Front during the war.
But this dragon surpassed everything he knew. Its massive size was unparalleled.
And it possessed an astonishing level of intelligence.
Jacob quickly followed. Seeing Newt stop, he stopped as well.
The two of them stood before the black dragon like ants.
"Hey!" Newt waved his hand, calling out loudly to get John's attention.
The massive rock shifted slightly as the black dragon responded to the call, sitting upright.
Jacob slowed his breathing, whispering as quietly as possible, "Are you sure it won't eat us?"
"Probably not," Newt replied softly, then raised his voice, "It's me—Newt Scamander."
"Of course I remember you, Newt." John looked down at the two of them from above and chuckled. "We haven't been apart for long."
That put Newt at ease—this didn't seem to be an ill-tempered dragon.
Jacob, on the other hand, was completely stunned. It was already terrifyingly large, and it could talk?
John looked at the frozen Jacob with interest, his voice rumbling as he spoke, "And you, gentleman—what's your name?"
"Me?" Jacob pointed at himself, swallowed hard, and said nervously, "My name is Jacob Kowalski."
"Kowalski?" The name sounded familiar to John. "Nice to meet you, Jacob."
"Nice to meet you, sir." Jacob instinctively responded as if greeting a superior officer.
"No need to call me sir." John shifted a rock casually and said, "Just call me the Shadow of Destruction."
"The… Shadow of Destruction?" Jacob wasn't sure that name sounded friendly at all.
"Uh… Shadow of Destruction, I wanted to ask—have you seen any animals escape?"
As the owner of the case, Newt naturally knew which creatures were missing.
But he still wanted to confirm.
"Quite a few tried to run. I stopped most of them." Resting his chin on a dragon claw, John thought for a moment and said, "That Graphorn got away, along with the Demiguise—and of course, that troublesome Niffler. Sorry, I was asleep when it happened."
"My God, I like him," Jacob declared. In his eyes, this was no longer a terrifying black dragon, but a refined British gentleman.
Newt smiled and said gratefully, "Thank you for your help, Shadow of Destruction."
Though the name was a bit strange, John's manner and conduct made him easy to like.
By preventing a greater disaster, he had earned Newt's gratitude.
Now that he knew which creatures had escaped, he had a direction.
Turning to Jacob, the local, Newt asked, "In your opinion, a medium-sized creature that prefers open plains, trees, and water—where would it go?"
"In New York?" Jacob asked.
"Yes." Newt nodded.
"Plains?" Jacob thought for a moment, concentrating. Then he suddenly brightened. "Ah—Central Park."
Bringing this No-Maj along was clearly the right decision for Newt.
"Where exactly is that place?"
"Where's Central Park?" Jacob paused, as if he had just heard a very funny joke. Then he remembered—this man wasn't from New York.
"Look, I'd be happy to take you there," Jacob spread his hands. "But don't you think that's a bit… two-faced?"
He said with some agitation, "Those ladies took us in—and even made hot cocoa."
Newt glanced at him and snapped the lovestruck soldier out of his daze. "The moment they see you stop sweating, they'll use a Memory Charm on you."
"What's a Memory Charm?"
"Like waking up from a dream—every memory of magic in that dream will vanish completely." The words didn't come from Newt, but from above them.
John watched their conversation; seeing people from this angle was rather interesting.
Jacob looked around blankly and said, "I won't remember any of this?"
He glanced around again. This incredibly strange world—he couldn't even dream up a place like this.
Newt nodded. "That's right."
The answer, both cruel and honest, left Jacob stunned.
"Alright, fine. I'll help you," Jacob said, changing his tone.
Newt picked up the bucket used for feeding the Graphorn and turned to leave with Jacob.
"Hey, Jacob." John's voice made him stop.
"I rather like you too," John rested his head on the rock and said meaningfully, "If you need help, you can come find me."
"Th-thank you, Mr. Shadow of Destruction."
Jacob still found the name a bit hard to say, hurrying off afterward.
John waved at him.
That chubby fellow was quite likable. He kinda reminded John of his father.
"If he were a wizard, he'd definitely be a Gryffindor."
Just like his old man—both of them had that Gryffindor streak.
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