Hydrus tilted his head to the side and let the Killing Curse pass him by harmlessly. "Umbra Bestia!" He countered. From the boy's shadow a three-headed, red-eyed, shadowy Cerberus arose. His opponent, some random wizard who had the misfortune of being his opponent, froze from the overwhelming malice.
"Trifecta!" Hydrus ordered. The three heads opened their mouths, each filled with a different spell. The middle head unleashed a devastating Firaga, the left head fired a simple Tonitrius, and the right let loose a full power Aeroga.
The three spells merged together to form a beam of pure destruction that easily broke his opponent's shields and erased him from the face of the Earth.
Hydrus sighed in boredom. His Umbramancy had improved leaps and bounds in the few days he had spent training in America. With the legilimency he got from Orchid, Hydrus had gotten a passive ability to control shadows with telekinesis.
It wasn't just his own shadow; it was all shadows. As long as he had enough magic to fuel the ability, in theory he could do whatever he wanted with shadows. The reason Hydrus had taken such a massive step forward in power so quickly was because of his Mana Promise.
Hydrus had made a vow to restrict twenty five percent of his magic for the next six years. Orchid and Bellatrix had helped him form this Promise for a reason. In six years, he would be seventeen and would reach the beginning of his majority years. From seventeen to seventy-seven a witch or wizard was considered to be in their prime overall, magically, mentally, and physically. After the age of seventy-seven the average magical person would have a noticeable decline in the amount of magic they had and the amount of power they could output.
When Hydrus reached his majority, he'll have successfully kept his end of the Promise and get an extra boost in power while being allowed to keep his Restricted Power.
Right now he was busy experimenting with his Restricted Power, Umbra-kinesis, on random wizards across New York. His mother was nearby and keeping an eye on him to make sure he was safe. Hydrus was starting to get bored though. He had killed about twenty witches and wizards in about an hour and there was nobody strong enough to really push him.
With his shadow magic powered up so much, Hydrus had even found a way to imbue it with different properties. Like giving shadows the power of moon magic, allowing them to absorb magic, even at a distance. It was because of moon magic that Hydrus's shadows could absorb ambient magic from the air allowing him to do truly devastating magic. For a cost of course. Regardless of what form it took, ambient magic was physically and mentally exhausting to control.
Just then, Bellatrix appeared and wrapped him up in a tight hug. "You killed all of them!" She said happily, an expression of pure delight on her face. Her aura of joy permeated all of Hydrus's senses making it hard to think as he was overwhelmed with his mother's happiness. He couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as Bellatrix's joy quickly became his own. Over the last couple of days, Bellatrix and Hydrus had committed atrocious, heinous evils and Bellatrix had been nothing but sunshine and rainbows through it all.
She laughed and cheered when Hydrus used the Imperius Curse to force a muggle father to choose between which of his children he would kill. Hydrus would watch with wide eyes, completely engrossed as Bellatrix would cast a horrible withering curse that made people slowly and very painfully disintegrate. When Hydrus had expressed interest in learning the spell, Bellatrix had actually told him no. Not until he could successfully charge his magic with negative emotions consistently.
He had pouted at that for a little bit before Bellatrix relented and taught him the incantation, 'Putro'. To Bellatrix's surprise Hydrus had managed to pull it off. Occasionally. Sometimes the spell worked, sometimes it didn't. Until Hydrus could get it to work all the time, the higher dark magic spells of his family would remain out of his reach.
Bellatrix, feeling how dejected he was, opted for something fun to do before heading back home.
"Are you done testing? The show is about to start soon." Bellatrix said, smiling like a maniac. Hydrus could only chuckle in response, Bellatrix's overwhelming aura was infectious. The woman in question took her son's laugh as confirmation and apparated away.
The Pit:
Bellatrix and Hydrus appeared in a fancy wizard tent. Through wizardspace, the inside was easily the size of a convention center. Bellatrix held her son's hand as they walked past various people and stands. They made their way up to one of the V.I.P sections and kicked out the fools who were occupying it. As Hydrus got comfortable on the luxurious sofa, Bellatrix rang a little golden bell before she cuddled up next to him.
The door opened and a wizard dressed like a server entered. "Hello, how may I help you this afternoon?" He asked politely.
"I want the premium package." Bellatrix said snappishly, flashing a card with the crest of House Black. "Of course, right away." The server said, leaving quickly. Just then, Hydrus felt a strange tingling at the back of his neck and figured high-powered wards must have just gone up.
"It's starting!" Bellatrix said with excitement. There was a loud crashing and banging sound and Hydrus looked down at the main area. It was empty and arena-like. He wondered if they were there to see a live duel. His question was answered very quickly as several wizards brought two chained, and restricted dragons into the arena.
"A dragon fight!" Hydrus exclaimed with surprise and delight. Bellatrix nodded, seeming pleased with his reaction. "Not just a dragon fight, but a dragon auction as well. I placed a little bet you see; whichever dragon ends up winning this thing, we'll get the egg of. With your Ophidiomancy, you'll be able to communicate and tame even a dragon as long as you imprint on it early enough." She explained, looking very smug.
"I get to have a pet dragon?" Hydrus asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
"You get to have the strongest and best pet dragon." Bellatrix corrected, her eyes never leaving Hydrus's glowing, happy face. "Thank you!" The boy said, hugging her tightly. Bellatrix hugged her son back just as tight, licking her full, pouty lips as she did so. She fully intended on receiving all of Hydrus's thanks.
"You're welcome, my love. It'll be a while before they finish setting up and Mummy could use some kisses right about now." Bellatrix said huskily, not bothering with subtly at all. Hydrus could only smile as his mother began to kiss him eagerly, fondling him through his pants as she did so.
The Shadow Realm:
Agony.
Terror.
Darkness.
These were the only things that existed within this wretched pit of hell, of that Frank was sure. He had no concept of time here and his only saving grace had been the mysterious drug his captives gave him. Unfortunately, that had stopped and had left Frank with no form of escapism. Each and every waking moment he had; he was forced to confront scores of dementors who were trained well enough to keep him alive for as long as possible while they feasted on scraps of his soul.
In order to prolong his life, the Unspeakables had hooked him up to a respirator. Technically speaking, Frank should already be dead. Due to his prolonged stay, he had gone blind in both eyes, and his skin had rotted and fell off, leaving Frank looking like a half decomposed skeleton.
Despite his condition, Frank refused to give up any information after his initial burst of weakness. The only thing that kept him alive was sheer iron will. Frank would never give up the vital information and sell out his comrades. As long as he could hold on, then he could die without regrets.
"Cairo, Egypt. Your boy, Neville, he's supposed to be starting his first year at Uagadou soon, right?" An Unspeakable said. Frank froze for just the slightest of moments.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He crouched out, his voice sounding like grinding stones.
"Is that so? Well in that case I'm sure you won't mind if we send a squad of hit wizards to kill the boy then?" The Unspeakable asked sarcastically.
There was silence between the two as the last of Frank's resolve crumbled away.
"What do you want?" Frank said weakly as the harsh, inescapable reality sunk in. The Unspeakable only smiled as their prey broke.
The Pit:
Hydrus cheered as the Peruvian Vipertooth scored another knockout. It's noxious flame attack was enough to poison most dragons. While Hydrus was rooting for the Vipertooth, the winner of the contest was all but decided. A Hebridean Black egg had been hatched and raised in captivity. One of the most vicious and dangerous breeds of dragons on Earth was clearing the competition with ease.
Right now, the contest was in intermission to give the dragons a chance to rest and to allow the field to be repaired. It was at this time that Druella and Orchid made themselves known and they came bearing gifts.
"I know you've been practicing swordsmanship for a while now, and I wanted to get you something to commemorate that." Druella handed him a long, sheathed, western style curved sword.
Hydrus took it gently, murmuring his thanks as his attention was captured by the remarkable looking sword.
"Don't thank me yet. You haven't even opened it. What if it's something you don't like?" Druella asked anxiously, worried that her beloved wouldn't like the gift. Hydrus shook his head and gave his grandmother a soft smile.
"You got it for me, so I'm sure it's perfect." He said reassuringly. Hydrus could already tell the blade was one of quality from the comfortable grip and the decent, but not heavy, weight it had to it. Unsheathing his blade at last, it was a thing of beauty.
It was made of pure goblin silver, with the tip and its edge being lined with mythril making for a paradoxical means of fighting. The goblin silver was highly reactive to magic, allowing for the potential for it to be used as a wand of sorts, while the tip would negate and suppress magical energy.
"I think I'll call it Antinomy. Thank you again, Grandma." Hydrus said, proclaiming the name of his new sword.
"I got you something also, baby boy." Orchid said, desperate for his attention and praise. She presented to him three encyclopedia sized books with featureless covers.
"These were put together by the people and creatures of the Dark Forest as a sign of their appreciation and devotion. It's Earth Magic. All of it. Collective centuries of Parkinson style magic, anything you want to know about Geomancy is there." Orchid said, looking at the books with fondness.
Hydrus took the books with extreme care as if they were fragile. "I've never heard of Earth Magic but it makes sense it would exist. Orchid, are you sure you want me to have this?" He asked, looking the wolf-woman in the eyes.
Orchid nodded fervently. Her tail wagged and she was drooling slightly. "Of course, my Master. All magic shall be yours. I can't wait to see how strong you become." She replied, rubbing her face against his legs, expressing her eternal loyalty over their shared mental bond.
Bellatrix was not at all happy with these developments. While she enjoyed the fact that Hydrus was happy with his new gifts, she was not happy that they had been given without her inspection or permission. Or the fact that it happened today of all days. She couldn't help but feel like the others were trying to overshadow her.
She had planned this entire vacation to spoil her son with sex, violence, and dragons, and now he was being distracted by people she considered lesser than herself.
Just as her magic and anger started to flare, Hydrus was there, smiling and holding her hand. The effect was instant, and Bellatrix couldn't help but smile back.
"I think the intermission is just about over." Hydrus commented. Just then there was a knock on the door.
"Enter." Bellatrix commanded. The same server from earlier entered, carrying a mysterious chilled bottle and two shot glasses rimmed with sugar. He placed it on the table, bowed, and left quickly. A smart man.
Bellatrix poured out two glasses and handed one to Hydrus. He tilted his head in curiosity. "What is it?" He asked. The aroma made his head a bit fuzzy and got his blood racing. Hydrus felt exhilarated as gazed upon the blood red liquid.
"Dragon Blood. I had it gathered after the first few rounds, so it's full of magic and nutrients." She explained, looking just as excited as her son.
"Cheers!" Hydrus exclaimed, toasting his glass. Bellatrix rolled her eyes.
"Cheers." They both took the shot and started to glow from the excess magic. After a while, Bellatrix stopped glowing. Hydrus however, continued to glow. And glow. And glow. Hydrus kept glowing until he exploded into a burst of spirit particles.
The spirit particles swirled widely before they gained shape. However, it wasn't Noctis that emerged. Nor was it completely Hydrus either. On the right side, there was Hydrus, glowing softly and ethereal like. On the left side, however, was nebulous purple skin, that had shaped spiraling galaxies within the skin. Atop his head was a half-formed crown that rested on his more godly side.
His overwhelming magical pressure forced everyone in the tent to their knees. The being stretched and flexed as it got used to its body.
"What power! What's happening to me?!" It was Hydrus that spoke, clearly in control. Before he could freak out and lose control of his vast power, he was embraced by his family. Hydrus was still as his mind was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information he now had access to.
"I think I understand what's happening." Hydrus said tentatively.
"This is the result of Wave Overlap. My magic Synchronicity Wave has been pushed to such an extreme frequency that it overlaps with my other waves, causing all three to touch at once without being in perfect sync. How interesting! Mr. Rookwood mentioned that I generated the Space Force, but I never thought it would be something like this." Hydrus rambled, looking at his differently colored hands.
Suddenly, Hydrus seemed very serious. "Mummy? Will you do something for me?" He asked.
"Of course! Anything you ask!" Bellatrix said frantically. She was practically foaming at the mouth at the chance to carry out God's orders.
"I've noticed an unknown magical signature from our home. It would appear an enemy has infiltrated through unexpected means. I want you to take care of it and do your best to keep them alive. Take Ifrit with you."
Hydrus clenched his fist in the air and there was a sudden staggering heat. A ball of flame appeared and danced around Bellatrix before settling into her chest.
"Ifrit is capable of generating psionic flames. I have a feeling those will come in handy." With a lazy wave of his hand a portal appeared, showing Obsidian Venue on the other side.
"Give them hell." Hydrus said with fondness as Bellatrix stepped through the portal with wicked laughter. With Bellatrix gone, Hydrus turned to Orchid. He reached forward, his hand disappearing into a small portal. He withdrew his hand and presented Orchid with a shining crystal ball.
"This contains the next evolution of the lycanthrope curse. Bring to those in the Dark Forest and wait on standby until I contact you." Hydrus snapped his fingers a few times to break Orchid out of her stupor before she energetically complied.
Finally, he turned to Druella. "You've been thinking very loud for a while now, you're practically broadcasting your thoughts." Hydrus said with a strange glint in his eye.
"Tell me more about this Nocturnia." He said. Druella pouted and crossed her arms. "It was supposed to be a surprise!" She said stomping her foot with a huff. Hydrus couldn't help but burst into laughter. In regard to temper tantrums, Druella and Bellatrix were exactly the same.
"Sorry, Grandma! But I couldn't help it, honestly! Besides, I've already come up with a few ideas. But that's for later. Right now, I could use your help with something." Hydrus said.
"Anything." Druella said resolutely.
"There's a dragon egg around here somewhere. Take it and keep it safe. I have plans for it later." He instructed. Druella wrapped him up in a tight hug.
"You finish your godly business and come straight home young man. I'll prepare all your favorites." She said doing her utmost best to appear stern.
"Does this mean strawberry Veela blood?" Hydrus asked excitedly.
"I did say all your favorites. Go with care my darling." Druella said, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"Conjunction." Hydrus said, snapping his fingers.
Gaunt Garden:
Hydrus appeared at the veil in an instant before he hissed as loudly as he could.
"Selmi! Show yourself at once! You and I have unfinished business!"
The ground tumbled and trees fell as the ancient snake made itself known.
"You have some nerve speaking to me like that, Little Gaunt. You should know better than to challenge a queen in her own domain." Selmi hissed back, sounding irritated. The air reverberated with her speech, sending a chill down Hydrus's spine.
"And you should know better than to lie to a God." He hissed back. Turning around, Hydrus came face to face with Selmi's humongous, yellow eyes.
They stared at each other, neither of them willing to break the stalemate. Eventually the great basilisk was forced to concede as her deadly gaze proved useless.
"It doesn't matter if you beg for mercy, I won't forgive you no matter what. How dare you lie to me?! How dare you keep my father's soul hostage?! Explain yourself!" Hydrus demanded.
"Because you and your father along with several generations of Gaunts have failed to upkeep the sacred traditions of this House! If Salazar could see the state of his descendants, he would be absolutely ashamed! DON'T THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE SOME POWER MEANS YOU ARE WORTHY OF HIS LEGACY!" The giant snake roared, and for a moment it was like the whole island shook.
Hydrus stared back, unimpressed by the outburst. "Why should I care about some distant ancestor that's been dead for a thousand years? I want to see my dad and now I have the power to make that happen. "I'M GOING TO BRING HIM BACK NO MATTER WHAT, SO GET OUT THE WAY!" Hydrus shouted back. He took some deep breaths as he tried to calm down.
"Get out of the way or I'll cut you down. I won't let anyone stand in the way of my ambitions." He said, much more calmly, resting a hand on the hilt of Antinomy.
"You'll cut me down? Don't make me laugh, despite your appearance you have even less magic than be-"
Selmi's head fell to the ground as Hydrus placed Antinomy back in its sheath. "I warned you." Was all he could say as he walked past the corpse to stand in front of the Veil of Death.
With a thought, Hydrus activated his True Invisibility and stepped through the Veil.
The Afterlife:
Hydrus wasn't quite sure what to expect when he stepped through the Veil, but endless tall grassy fields hadn't even been in the top ten.
The weather was surprisingly nice, and Hydrus felt a strange sense of peace. Using occlumency, he snapped himself out of it, lest he get drawn in by the sensation.
Focusing with all his will, Hydrus called out for his father. "Thomas Gaunt." He whispered, fearful of what would happen if he was caught in Death's domain. There was a rustling of grass and Hydrus froze.
Thomas was tall, had slicked back black hair, and soul piercing red eyes. "Who's there? Who called me?" His voice was deep and oddly soothing.
"Dad, it's me! It's Hydrus! I'm invisible." Hydrus said, taking the older man's hand. Despite being invisible, Thomas seemed to lock eyes with him immediately.
"Is it true? Are you really here, my son?" The Dark Lord exuded an air of sadness.
"I'm not dead if that's what you're thinking. I've come to bring you back to life." Hydrus replied.
"Ah, that explains things, I thought I saw Rodolphus but I wasn't sure. I'm afraid you've wasted your time, my son. I don't have a body to house my soul, and a random body won't do, it'll break down because of my powerful magic." Thomas explained, not letting go of Hydrus's hand for even an instant.
"If I could build you a body, based on my own DNA, would it be strong enough?" Hydrus asked, a note of desperation in his voice.
"Of course." Thomas replied.
"If I could do that, would you want to come back?" Hydrus said, scared of the answer. There was a ghost of a smile on the dead man's face.
"Absolutely." Was all he said.
"Then wait for just a little longer. Two years maximum. I know just what to do." Hydrus promised.
"Take as much time as you need. I'll come back to life eventually. But before you go, I wanted to let you know that I'm proud of you, Hydrus. My son is going to conquer the entire world. I hope that I'll get to be by your side when it happens. Now go, living people really shouldn't stay here." Thomas pushed Hydrus away ever so slightly.
Hydrus nodded and left the way he came. There was no need for words any longer. He would bring his father back to life.
Obsidian Venue:
"Klutzy! Clumsy! Have everyone evacuated. No need to be entirely wasteful after all." Bellatrix commanded. There were two pop sounds as the elves went to carry out her orders.
"Mama! The treasure room!" Ifrit informed urgently. Bellatrix wasted no time and apparated immediately.
Arriving at the treasure room she saw Amelia standing guard, looking bored. "Amelia. Come with me, we have something to torture." It was like someone told Amelia Christmas was coming early.
"Of course, Mistress. I'm always eager to serve." Amelia said with a cruel grin on her face. "Ifrit! Which way is it now?" Bellatrix called out.
"It's coming to us. Be careful."
With her enhanced eyesight, Bellatrix caught sight of their supposed foe. It was Hydrus's pet snake. Bellatrix huffed at all the fuss and sent a flawless killing curse at it.
Only for the snake to weave out the way, grow thirty times its original size, and start to glow with a golden aura.
"What the hell? What is that thing?" Amelia asked as she let loose a flurry of spells all to no effect.
"Magikus Extrema: Salamandra!" A magic circle appeared at the tip of Bellatrix's wand and from it blasted forth a white-hot fireball, so large and hot that one could mistake it for the sun itself. The snake fired a laser beam from its mouth and detonated the fireball, causing a large explosion.
WHAM!
The large snake tail slammed into Bellatrix and sent her flying backwards. Spinning in the air, she managed to land on her feet and used the newly created distance to think.
"Ifrit! Hydrus mentioned you could use psionic flames. What are those?"
"It's an element that's psychically generated using legilimency. Which means it can also be used as a psychological attack! That's probably what Dad meant." Ifrit said, pouring more of its power into the air to displace the ambient magic.
"Amelia! Keep it busy!" Bellatrix called out as she cast a wind spell to mitigate the toxic fumes the giant snake was now spewing.
"The hand that holds the sword must never waver. The steel that rends the flesh must never dull. The knight that serves the True King must never cower." Amelia chanted, over and over again. The red-head moved strangely, almost as if she was dancing.
Bellatrix's eyes widened. "Oh shit! Magikus Extrema: Aegis!" A golden dome erupted from her wand and surrounded her as Amelia continued to chant.
"Exploding Iron Storm!" Amelia shouted. An endless stream of sharp and jagged metal blasted forth from Amelia's wand.
For the first time all battle, the giant snake showed trepidation. It opened its mouth wide, gathering and condensing all the light it had before it unleashed a devastating attack.
"Photon Stream of Destruction!" The difference in power was apparent almost immediately as the heavy beam of light turned Amelia's spell to dust. Before the red head could be vaporized, she was summoned by Bellatrix, pulling her out of the line of fire.
"It's ready! Give me an opening!" Bellatrix shouted. Amelia merely smirked and flicked her wand. The iron dust that lingered in the air and clung to the walls suddenly exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere.
There was a loud roar that shook the whole castle and when the smoke cleared it revealed the giant snake with its scales shredded and bloodied, and a large chunk of the marble floor embedded within its underbelly.
"Ignis Audere!" Bellatrix cast. It wasn't an ordinary fire spell. It was a high powered legilimency attack using the concept of fire to induce a powerful emotion that would deal psychic damage.
And that emotion was fear.
The fear of being burned.
The fear of suffocating on thick black smoke.
The fear of everything being consumed by flames.
The giant snake let out a tremendous scream before it lost its golden hue and began to shrink. It lost its scales and tail in favor of a more human appearance, revealing someone thought dead.
Fourth Ranking Luminary: Daphne Greengrass.
Bellatrix fell to her knees, panting. Between using so much of Ifrit's power and her inexperience using legilimency, it had left her exhausted, physically and mentally.
"Amelia, treat her wounds and restrain her with mythril. Hydrus wants her alive. No interrogation until he gives the word." Bellatrix ordered, slowly getting to her feet. With her enemy defeated, Bellatrix sent a message to her beloved, before she started fixing the damage the castle had taken over the course of the battle.