Dark Lord in Twilight

When Tom woke up in the morning, he changed his clothes and went downstairs. Now he could do some things without using magic. Of course, he continued to do boring and tiring things like cleaning the house with magic. The silence of the house was calming. Ever since his return, Tom had learned to appreciate small moments like these, though he would never admit it aloud.

Tom felt more relieved this morning because his soul was completely healed. His soul fragments had been scattered after the Horcruxes were destroyed. The scattered soul fragments had found their way back and reintegrated into his being. This process had taken time, but now he felt whole again—more powerful than before.

A Few Days Later

Tom heard that there was a theater event at school today. He had to attend because some of his students would be performing. Despite his reluctance, avoiding unnecessary attention was important, so he decided to go.

Tom found such events utterly pointless.

'Why do they waste time on such trivial matters when they could be learning something useful?' he thought, irritated.

Tom compared the school principal to Dumbledore. 'Neither of these old fools can think logically.'

After breakfast, Tom went to school and taught his lessons until the theater event began. As he entered the hall, he chose a seat at the back, hoping to avoid interactions.

Students began to fill the auditorium, chatting excitedly. Tom paid little attention until someone sat beside him. He glanced sideways and saw Alice Cullen. To her right sat the rest of the Cullen family.

Tom briefly met Alice's gaze before closing his eyes. He'd rather sleep than watch amateur performances. The only thing keeping him awake was the lingering curiosity about the vampires' presence in this town. They weren't hiding, yet no one seemed to care. That was unusual.

After some time, Tom felt a weight on his shoulder. He opened his eyes slightly and saw that Alice had leaned her head against him, her eyes closed. He knew she wasn't sleeping.

Instead of moving, he cast a subtle illusion spell so others wouldn't notice their position. Then, leaning slightly toward Alice, he whispered:

"I know you're not sleeping, Ms. Cullen."

Alice remained still, pretending not to hear him. Tom was slightly amused. He had never met someone so shameless.

He didn't say anything more, and when the play ended, Alice finally lifted her head. She turned to him with a small smile.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Miller. I must've fallen asleep. I hope I didn't disturb you."

Tom gave a rare, small smile. "You should sleep at night, Ms. Cullen. Sleep is important for young people like you."

Alice stared at him, slightly surprised. "Okay, Mr. Miller. I will."

"See you later, Ms. Cullen," Tom said before walking away, leaving Alice at a loss for words.

Alice would normally offer a more formal apology, but something about Tom made her lose her train of thought. This was the first time she had been so close to him, and she found herself unexpectedly flustered.

Later That Evening

Tom had some paperwork to finish at school. After completing it, he left for the parking lot, got into his car, and drove home. The drive was quiet, with only the hum of the engine accompanying his thoughts.

During dinner, his mind drifted to a troubling realization—he had yet to encounter any wizards. He had seen vampires openly killing humans here, yet the Ministry of Magic had not intervened. Where were the Aurors? Such events should have drawn attention from the magical authorities.

The fact that they hadn't appeared raised a disturbing possibility.

'Have all wizards been destroyed?' he wondered.

Tom found this difficult to believe. Wizards held no special value to him—they had always been tools in his rise to power. He had deceived them with pureblood ideology and used them as pawns. But the thought that the entire wizarding community might be gone was… unsettling.

To test his theory, Tom attempted to Apparate to his ancestral home. He failed. His brows furrowed. A normal wizard couldn't Apparate across continents—it required immense magical power—but for him, it should have been effortless.

Frowning, he tried Apparating to another location in the wizarding world. He failed again.

This was no ordinary interference.

His mind raced. If he, of all people, couldn't Apparate, then something monumental had happened.

Could it be… that the wizarding world no longer existed?

Tom clenched his jaw. If that were true, who could have possibly been powerful enough to wipe out an entire society of magic users?

One thing was certain—he needed answers. And he would find them, no matter the cost.