Chapter 156: Voldemort: I'm Watching You
"Bella." Voldemort's voice carried no particular volume, no discernible emotion. "How did it go?"
Bellatrix straightened but kept a slight bow, maintaining her posture of deference.
She launched into her report, speaking fast, her voice pitched sharp with excitement, hands cutting through the air to punctuate her words.
"My Lord, the moment he touched the Awakening, it was like he was pulled under! I was right there watching. His whole body seized, his eyes went blank, sweat pouring down his forehead. But he didn't collapse, didn't fall, didn't scream. He froze. That stunned stillness you get after something hits you harder than you can process."
She edged half a step closer, as though proximity would lend the next part more weight.
"And I saw it, my Lord. Pain and struggle on his face, yes, but more than that, it was awe. And greed. Greed for power. He was captivated by what was inside, no question!"
Voldemort listened without moving. Those red eyes didn't blink, fixed on Bellatrix's face as if he were looking through her, reconstructing the scene from behind her retinas.
She pressed on, voice climbing with fervor.
"The key thing is, he held. First contact, and he held right there on the spot. Took him a while. I'd say roughly ten minutes? Face went white as chalk, breathing ragged. But he said it himself, his exact words..."