WebNovels

Chapter 16 - Ch 16: Pieces of Moran

Not long after David's Facebook post went viral, the unthinkable happened… the FBI showed up.

They weren't alone.

Reporters swarmed in like bees to honey, chasing what was now being dubbed online as "The Garfield Cut" of Fantastic Beasts.

After a long, exhausting round of questioning, David finally managed to convince everyone, including several very confused agents, that he was just a bystander, a clueless spectator who'd merely stumbled across this bizarre cinematic anomaly like everyone else.

Meanwhile, the infamous live stream of Garfield's dance with Queenie continued.

At first, the comment section was pure chaos, filled the chat.

But slowly, the messages shifted tone. Viewers stopped commenting on the cinematography or Garfield's surprisingly graceful footwork.

And they surprisingly began begging.

"Garfield, let me hold your paw!!"

"Marry me, orange king!"

"Step on me, please!"

Watching the barrage spiral into unfiltered thirst and chaos, Garfield blinked twice and sighed. He raised a paw… and quietly ended the stream.

After the camera cut, Garfield and Queenie finished their dance and curled up together for a well-earned nap.

Elsewhere in the apartment, Newt was pacing anxiously. Still worried about his friends wandering in uncharted lands.

With a resigned sigh, he grabbed Jacob by the sleeve and rushed out to track them down.

The first to be caught was Niffler, a kleptomaniac little creature with a bottomless pouch and a love for shiny things.

Caught raiding a jewelry store, Niffler had left a trail of coins and tripped alarm systems like confetti at a party.

It didn't take long for Newt to follow the noise and drag the mischievous thief back.

Next up: the Poison-Horned Beast.

Her name was Sally, a rhino-sized magical creature with unpredictable moods and a confusing fondness for Jacob.

At one point, poor Jacob was nearly flattened as Sally playfully (forcefully) rubbed against him, shaking the street with every stomp.

While chaos unfolded outside, Garfield lay peacefully in Queenie's arms, purring contentedly.

Comfortable.

Sometimes, Garfield mused, being an orange cat was a perfect life.

Tina, meanwhile, was lost in thought, plotting how she might leverage Newt to earn back her status as an Auror.

Garfield, uninterested in human politics, decided to observe quietly.

He had his own plans.

Later, after Queenie drifted off to sleep, Garfield slipped from her embrace and padded toward Newt's suitcase.

As Newt returned, Garfield silently followed him back into the magical, ever-expanding interior.

Inside the enchanted case, the space was vast, alive with creatures of all shapes and oddities.

Garfield ignored the Bowtruckles, skittered past the dung beetles, and took a wide arc around the Horned Beast, who was now winking at Jacob again.

Eventually, Garfield found himself near Moran… a strange, shadowy presence cloaked in veils and swirling in an eerie circle of dark light.

A sphere of black energy pulsed at its center.

Jacob was strictly warned not to touch it.

Alone, Garfield crept closer.

He sat by the dark orb, gazing into it.

This was a Silence, born from extreme emotional suppression in young wizards.

When trauma, pain, and fear were locked too tightly within, they mutated into destructive magic.

Left unchecked, this became a parasitic force… one capable of razing cities and consuming the host entirely.

It was like the Qi Deviation in a cultivation novel, where rage and pain warped into chaos.

Back when the wizarding world withdrew from society, countless such tragedies had occurred.

But as the Ministry tightened control and improved magical education, cases of Silences had dwindled.

They were beautiful.

And terrifying.

Garfield squinted into the swirling void. A thought crossed his mind. Maybe… maybe it wasn't just magic.

Maybe there was still something inside, someone.

So, he tried. "Pandora, are you there?"

"Not here."

"Hey, don't be like that."

"I want to ask… do you know how to communicate with this Moran?"

"Tsk, you're pestering that little girl again."

"Wait, little girl?" Garfield blinked. "You mean the… uh… black blob in front of my face?"

"Obviously. That 'dumpling' is the one you're trying to prod."

"…Well, I wouldn't have known if you hadn't told me. Honestly, it looks just like the thing dragged out by the Ancient One."

"Hmph. You got yourself into this. Don't bother me."

╭(╯︿╰)╮

Pandora was clearly not in the mood to help.

Still, Garfield's ears perked up. So Moran is a little girl?

That meant… maybe she could be reached the same way Ancient One did it… by using dimensional space to connect with her soul directly.

It was worth a try.

Raising his orange paw, Garfield traced a glowing ripple in the air, opening a portal into the soul dimension, and gently nudged Moran's smoky form through.

With a soft push, he followed.

What greeted him inside disappointed him.

Though Moran's soul still lingered, it was fragmented… blurry, like an old photograph. Her human form couldn't even manifest fully.

A shadow of memory, drifting without anchor.

"Hello." Garfield approached.

"Hello…"

"What's your name?"

"…What are you?"

Garfield tried. Really tried.

But it was like trying to talk to fog. The responses were faint and delayed.

He sighed. "That's so sad… do you want me to help you pass on?"

"…"

"Pleaseee… Don't go." came the barely audible reply.

"…Then do you have a wish?"

The soul flickered, wavering like candlelight. After a long pause, a soft answer came.

"…Help Newt."

Garfield's eyes narrowed in understanding. "I'll help Newt fulfill his mission. And if he's in trouble, I'll protect him too."

"…Thank you."

Without hesitation, Garfield opened his mouth and swallowed Moran's essence whole.

Inside his belly, the soul didn't resist. Instead, it curled into itself, settling peacefully.

A pulse of energy surged through him, dark and powerful.

His inner void furnace churned silently, slowly breaking down and absorbing the essence of Moran.

Garfield let out a satisfied burp.

For the first time, he felt truly full… Moran's coiled power becoming a part of him, nestled like a warm ember in his core.

Whrrr…

Huuuuh…

Snooooze...

Soon, he was dozing again, purring softly.

While Garfield slept soundly, Newt had just finished communicating with the Thunderbird and returned to the case to rest.

The next morning, Newt was up early, tending to the magical creatures as usual. Jacob followed him into the box, still yawning.

But when they reached the area where Moran had been contained… the space was empty.

"Oh no. Oh no. Where is it?!" He spun around in panic, but Jacob calmly pointed down.

"Uh… Newt? Maybe… in that orange cat?"

Garfield was curled up on the ground, snoring in a perfect spiral.

Newt crouched, wand at the ready, scanning Garfield carefully. He checked for any residual signs of dark magic leaking from him, but…

Garfield was perfectly fine.

Sighing in disbelief. "I… I think he did eat it, or absorbed it. Or something."

Just then, Garfield yawned and opened one eye.

"Why are you staring at me like I stole your biscuits?"

"Garfield…" Newt said cautiously. "Have you seen Moran? The glowing black smoke thing?"

"Ate it. Want to see?" Garfield stretched and patted his round belly proudly.

Before Newt could stop him, Garfield held up a paw. From it, a pulse of black energy shimmered, then morphed into a floating steak.

It flickered again, becoming a sleek fish. Then, a small black crocodile that wagged its tail and snapped its jaws before vanishing into mist.

Newt and Jacob stood amazed.

It was unbelievable. Newt, amazed by the creature's magical nature, whipped out his notebook and began furiously scribbling notes about Garfield's abilities.

After a few reluctant examinations, Newt confirmed that Garfield was perfectly healthy.

Moran was gone… but at peace and Garfield had safely absorbed the power.

Feeling exhausted, Newt headed back toward the entrance of the suitcase.

He opened the door~

…and walked directly into the U.S. Ministry of Magic.

"What the?"

Tina stood there and looked away from Newt's hurt eyes.

Apparently, while all of this was happening, Tina had taken the liberty of bringing them straight to their next destination.

 

꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂

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