Chapter 9 is out! I said that I was finally free on the last chapter, but well, it turned out that I really wasn't! Jokes aside, in this chapter I'm going to dig a bit deeper into the art of Allomancy and how does it really work.

Hope you all enjoy it!


Scala ad Caelum

Chapter 9: Research Team

Ronald Weasley POV

Saturday 11th November 1991 (Quidditch Field, Hogwarts) – Middle of the Morning

The Quidditch season had officially begun, and even though Ron was not as enthusiastic about it as he had thought he would be, it was always good to have something entertaining to divert his mind from all the recent stress.

To be honest, his heart was a bit divided today.

On the one hand, both the twins and Harry were playing for the Gryffindor team, and he wanted them to win. However, on the other hand, the redhead had come to understand that the environment was far better within Slytherin when they were doing well in the race for the House Championship, and winning the whole thing without getting good results at Quidditch was almost impossible.

"Damn," Blaise whistled, quite impressed with some of the plays. "This year both of the teams are pretty good."

He was totally right.

The game had started with the lions taking the advantage thanks to some fast-tempo combinations which ended up with a few goals from Angelina Johnson, but the snakes had quickly replied with three goals. Three-quarters of the spectators roared with rage when Harry was fouled by the Slytherin captain—some brute by the name of Marcus Flint—whose play prevented the young seeker from capturing the snitch.

"Potter is so good," Tracey commented from his left with a little awe in her voice. "This is his first game, but he still beat Higgs like he had been competing for his entire life!"

On that, he agreed with her. Harry is a bloody natural! Hell, the way he flies reminds me a lot of Charlie's. The four first-year Slytherins had come to see a good spectacle, and so far, none of the two teams was disappointing them. However, not everyone was enjoying the game as much as Tracey and him.

Much to his surprise, Blaise seemed to be really interested in the game; if it wasn't because he saw it firsthand, the redhead would not have believed it. After two months of friendship, Ron had started to think the dark-skinned boy was not interested in a single thing outside of his card game and potions.

Then, there was Daphne. The blonde girl had been complaining for the whole morning about having better things to do than watching some stupid game of Quidditch. In the end, after muttering some curses between her teeth, she tagged along when they were making their way to the field.

Even though she had been trying very hard to let the others know about her boredom and lack of interest in the game, it was her who noticed something was off with Harry's broom. "Hey," Daphne called them. "If Potter is so good, why does it seem like he has no control over his broom? I'm just asking."

"That's very weird," Tracey commented. "He was doing incredible a few seconds ago. Do you reckon it has something to do with the encounter he had with Fli-" She was cut by a collective gasping from the spectators.

What had started as some weird movements had turned into very sharp turns that ended up with Harry hanging with one arm from his broom. What the hell, Harry? What are you doing! He tried to hop on it again, but as soon as the boy raised one leg over it, the broom started to shake even more aggressively.

"Hey," Gerd said from atop of his head. "Since one of your friends is having a good time up there, don't you think it is a bit weird for that bushy-haired girl to run away like that? Look there, under those snake banners. Her name was Hermione, right? Where do you think she is going?"

Ron looked to where the Essentia was pointing with her finger. There, sprinting under the Slytherin stands, was Hermione, trying to reach where… "I need to pee," the redhead almost exclaimed to his friends, as he jumped up from his seat. "I'll be back in no time. Don't you dare to finish my sweets, Tracey!"

He did not even wait for their response and started to run towards the bushy-haired girl. Thankfully for him, she was not very far from their spot, and he could run faster than her, so he reached her in less than a minute. "Hey!" Ron called. "Hermione! What are you doing?"

She turned almost instantly to look at him with a surprised look. "Ronald? Did you follow me?" Hermione asked. Even though since Halloween night the four students had become some sort of friends, Ron could understand that it could be a bit unsettling to find someone following you.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I saw you running towards here while Harry was trying to regain control, and I kinda thought that you were onto something." Actually, he had no idea what she could or could not know about it, but it was the first thing that came to his mind as an excuse.

Hermione bit her lip for a moment, but she ended up answering his question. "I think Professor Snape is doing something to him," she started. "Don't interrupt me, let me finish first! I know that he's the head of your house, but he was mouthing something while not averting his gaze from Harry! Just when Harry started having problems! You know what that means!"

What? Professor Snape? I know he can be a git, especially to the Gryffindors, but that's too much... "Look, I don't have time to wait for you to think," Hermione interrupted his thoughts. "You either come with me and let me work or stay here and do nothing!"

Merlin, this girl... I know that she isn't the best at talking to others, but she really needs to work on it. "You don't need to be like that," Ron shot back, bitterly. "Come on, let's go and see what you want to do."

Hermione sent him a sour look, but she decided to drop it off and keep walking towards where Professor Snape was sitting. They both made their way walking sneakily under the stands, trying not to draw any attention from anyone. Ron could hear how the students were gasping or commenting on Harry's situation, and the bushy-haired girl must have heard it too because she started to walk faster and faster.

"Stop," she mouthed to him, once they reached where Snape was sitting. "All I need is to make him lose his focus, and for that..." Hermione drew her wand and muttered some words, pointing it to Snape's robes. From the tip of the wand, some light blue flames emerged, setting the robes on fire.

Bloody hell, that's wicked! Ron wanted to ask her about the spell she used, but the girl just mouthed him to run like she was about to do, so he had no other option but to follow her. "Professor, your robes are on fire!" Someone shouted from above them, which only incited them to run even faster.

With all the noise they made in their escape, a few students must have noticed them; a thing that only fueled their sprint. In no time at all, the two of them were back at the point in which Ron had intercepted her. "Wow," Hermione gasped as she fell to the wooden floor, totally out of breath. "I never thought I would say this, but that was so exciting!"

"You could have warned me before starting to run like that," Ron complained, his legs and lungs about to give up. "We were lucky that no one heard us running beneath them," he sat and leaned back on the wooden wall behind him. "By the way, I think you really need to tell me why you were so sure that Snape was the one cursing Harry. There's gotta be something serious after it, otherwise, you would have never done something like that."

Hermione bit her lip once again before answering. "Ehm... that's something we should really not talk about here. I need to consult with Harry and Neville first."

So you three are keeping secrets now, eh? He was about to keep inquiring about the matter when the people started to get loud. They both walked out from beneath the stands to see what was happening. Harry rocketed towards the ground, now back in control of his broom, but he stopped midair with a sharp turn just to... "Wait!" Ron exclaimed. "What the hell is he doing?"

Harry suddenly clapped his hand to his mouth. The next second, much to everyone's shock, he was waving the snitch above his head to the whole school. "Did he just..." Hermione started. "Catch the snitch with his mouth?"

That's gotta be the first time I've ever heard of something like that. Ron saw how all the Slytherin team gathered around Madam Hooch, howling at her; with Marcus Flint, the team's captain, being the loudest. I mean, that is not written in the rules, but there is nothing against catching a snitch by swallowing it.

Out of a sudden, Hermione grabbed his arm to catch his attention. "You still want to know about Snape and all those things?"

"Of course!"

"Then, come with me," she almost ordered.

Ron tried to complain, but the girl did not even let him say goodbye to his friends. They waited until the crowd made their way down, and then, Hermione practically dragged him towards Hagrid's hut. There, the other two Gryffindors were already waiting for them. "What took so long?" Neville asked the girl as soon as they got inside. A second after that, he saw the redhead. "Hermione? Why did you bring him along?"

"Nice to see you too, Neville," Ron greeted back with sarcasm. "I guess it takes more than saving you from a troll to be greeted with a bit of friendliness."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, his entire face reddening. "It's just that... after what Snape just did... well, he is the Head of your house, after all."

"What has Snape done?" Hagrid asked, pouring them all some tea. The gigantic man was wearing a very funny-looking apron, with many little dragons heating up some pots with their fire.

"He was cursing Harry's broomstick," Hermione explained as if she was commenting on the weather. "I saw it as clear as water. What is more, when I interrupted him, Harry suddenly got the control over his broom back."

"Rubbish," the gatekeeper answered with a grunt. "There is no way Professor Snape would do something like that. I know he is a bit... scary and grumpy, but Dumbledore trusts him. In the end, that is all that matters." That being said, the gatekeeper started to water the few plants he had inside the hut; still muttering about how barmy the students were.

The Gryffindor trio looked at each other, and then, they looked at Ron and Hagrid. "Should we...?" Hermione left the question hanging in the air.

"Come on," Harry interrupted her. "We can trust in Ron. Either way, he already knows about that thing."

Is he talking about that bloody monster? Do they know something about it that I don't? With the corner of his eye, the redhead saw Gerd getting into the hut thanks to some open window. The Essentia was using her usual form: a little and bright woman with a long dress covering her four limbs, shining with the familiar ethereal-blue light as always.

Gerd glided through the air until she reached his left shoulder. "I got a bit lost out there," she said. "I take my eyes out of you for one second and you ditch me in the middle of nowhere; what a discourteous thing to do to a lady like me," the Essentia smirked when the boy rolled his eyes. "However, that half-troll player shouting all those obscenities just because he lost at some stupid game was so entertaining!"

He must have gotten distracted from the conversation because the next thing he heard was Hagrid spitting out his tea. "How do you know about Fluffy?" He asked, anxiously.

"Fluffy?" The four of them asked at the same time.

"Yeah, he's mine," Hagrid answered, his forehead getting sweaty as the seconds passed. "Bought him from some Greek guy I met in a pub this very summer. He was quite eager to sell him, and cuties like him are my weak point."

Did he just say cutie? This man is barmy! But now that I think about it... what is a creature like that doing in a school? Didn't Hermione say that it was guarding something under its feet? Since he had tried very hard to forget that night, this was the first time he had dedicated a single thought to the creature, but now that he was on it, it certainly looked very strange.

"Yes?" Harry tried to keep the big man talking.

"Now, don't ask me anymore bout it," Hagrid said, gruffly. "That's none of your concern. And also, Snape would never try to do… anything about it. He is a Hogwarts' teacher."

"But then," Hermione jumped in. "If he's so clean, why did he try to kill Harry this very morning? I know a jinx when I see one!"

Both of them kept arguing about whether Snape was innocent or the culprit, but he could not follow the conversation, mainly, because Gerd suddenly asked him: "What is all of this about? What is that demonic dog the chubby kid mentioned?"

Oh, crap. I forgot she doesn't know about that night. He gestured for her to wait. Instead of answering her, the redhead got closer to Harry, who was eyeing the argument with a boring look. "Hey there," Ron called him. "I've just remembered that I got a very important thing to do this morning. If he slips about something else, keep me in the loop. Whatever the hell you are planning, I want in."

"Sure," Harry answered with a nod of his head. "I hope that if Hermione keeps pushing him, he will slip some other thing. See you!"

Ron sent him a farewell with a wave of his hand and made his way out of the hut as silently as he could. The sun almost blinded him, but it was good to escape from the smell of Hagrid's tea. "Sooo," the voice of Gerd hummed in his ear. "Can you give me an answer now? What was all of that about?"

"Well, this might be a bit difficult to explain," Ron started. "Back when you were… absent, there was one night in which we—thanks to some very unfortunate events—ended up at some forbidden corridor in the castle. The thing is there was some gigantic dog with three heads in one room. Now, I saw nothing, but Hermione thinks the creature was guarding a trap under it. A horrible experience, I'm telling you."

"Did you just say that the beast had three heads?" Gerd asked, her chirpiness totally gone

Ron turned his head almost instantly to look at her, but she was averting his gaze. "Do you know something about that creature?" He asked, almost afraid of her possible answer. Not as if it mattered since the Essentia said nothing; if she knew a thing, she was not planning on sharing it with him.

With a tired sigh, Gerd abandoned her spot atop his shoulder and glided through the air in circles, just in front of him. Then, the little woman stopped, her arms crossing under her chest and her foot tapping nervously in the wind. "I might know a few things about it," she admitted, after some eternal seconds. The fact she was biting her lip did not help him to relax at all. "However, to be sure of what kind of creature it is, I would need to see it with my own eyes."

"No way," Ron told her. The situation was not comical, but the boy failed to contain a snort. "There is no way that I'm going back to see that thing for a second time!"

"Come on, you don't need to get very close to it! I just need to see that beast!"

"I said no," Ron refused. "It is not only that I don't want to be in the same room as that beast again. We were almost caught by Filch that one time! I'm sure he has been keeping a closer watch on the corridor since that day. If I get caught in that damned place in the middle of the night, I might be signing my own death warrant as well! I will get expelled, and then, my mother will kill me!"

"Okay, you didn't need to be so dramatic," Gerd sighed, now back in her usual relaxed and playful demeanour. "I just thought that you wanted to know what that beast was doing in the school. If you don't really want to know it, it's okay. I'm sure it is nothing important, after all."

"You can't be serious," Ron huffed. "Are you really trying to provoke me?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Me?" Gerd gasped, failing pretty hard at looking indignant. "How dare you to imply something so horrible about me! I would never act that way!"

This damned woman is going to kill me someday… But she knows something about the dog. Of that he was sure. Her whole demeanour changed as soon as she heard about its three heads. Then, there is also that whole thing with Professor Snape. Could all of this be important for the future? Since the redhead knew so little about what was coming, he understood the importance of having ears and eyes everywhere; even the smallest details could be so important…

Agh, to the hell with Filch and everyone else, this could be so important to know about. He really hated to admit it, but there was nothing he could do on his own this time. If Gerd knew so much about the beast—even to a point of startling her—the boy would do as she needed. Did the Essentia want to see the creature with her own eyes? So it would be.


"It's all clear," Gerd announced. "You can get out." Ron appeared from behind a rusty, big armour, which had been his hiding spot for some minutes.

Having a weird woman—like Gerd was most of the time—following him around had many advantages. Among them, the best one might have been the fact no one else could see her. It turned her into the perfect candidate to scout the forbidden corridor without him needing to risk his neck. "Great," Ron let out a relieved sigh. "That damned classroom is not far from here, so the worst part should be done. I gotta give it to you, this idea of coming here in the middle of lunchtime instead of in the night has probably kept us from some trouble."

"What else is new? I'm great and my ideas are the best."

Ron just rolled his eyes to her comments and kept walking until he was right in front of the door. Here we are once again, even though I swore I would never come back here. "Alohomora," he chanted, and with that, the door opened with a soft click.

Just like the first time, the room was as dark as coal. Had he not known what was awaiting him behind the darkness, he could have pretended that it was just another classroom he had stepped into without any specific reason. Thankfully for him and his heart, that was not the case. This time, he only freaked out a little when three big, bright pairs of eyes gleamed in the middle of the colourless room.

"Light the room," Gerd whispered from his left. "I need to see it."

"Lumos!" Ron chanted with a shaky voice. From the point of his wand, a little ball of light emerged. This isn't nearly enough... He focused more on the spell, and the ball of light started to get bigger and brighter. Soon after that, it became good enough to reveal the gigantic dog that was metres ahead of him, showing its teeth in a rather menacing way.

"There is a trapdoor right under it," he could hear Gerd talking. "They are using him as a guard... Whatever the hell this creature is guarding must be very important, otherwise, no one in their sound mind would use such a beast to keep a simple thing under its watch."

"What the heck are you muttering?" Ron asked, sending the Essentia a sour look. "Can we go now?"

His words pulled her out of her little trance. "Oh, sorry," she apologized while shaking her head. "I started to ramble, didn't I? Let's get out of here, I already have what we came looking for."

Without losing sight of the grunting beast, Ron walked backwards until his back hit the wooden door. Then, once he was out of the room, the boy sprinted towards the other side of the corridor. I better get out of here before someone spots me. Step after step, the redhead left the forbidden corridor behind him. He did not stop until he found an abandoned classroom as far as possible from that hellish creature; it looked to be chained, but who knew if a second visit were the limits of his non-aggression politics?

Completely out of breath, he sat on the floor after closing the creaking door. "Well, there it was your desired sneak peek," Ron grunted as he leaned his back on the cold wall. "Now, you better tell me why the hell did that bloody creature had you so stressed all of a sudden."

Gerd, with her calm features back on her face, sat on the floor in front of him; hell, she even took a few seconds to cross her legs in a relaxed position before answering! "That beast is called a Cerberus," the Essentia explained. "It is… Wait, what would be the correct translation? Maybe…, I think the appropriate word is Nightmare."

"What the hell are you on about? A nightmare? Like a bad dream?"

"I think it is time for some history lessons," Gerd sighed. "Back when I was alive and even way before that, many centuries ago, there were two major powers fighting for the control of the world. That was us, your ancestors, known as the Ancient Wizards, and some of the worst magical creatures to ever exist, the Nightmares. That three-headed dog was once considered as one of those dangerous creatures."

Gerd paused for a moment as if there were some details she could not remember. "After many years of death and blood, the magical race, led by one of the most prominent clans in the Ancient Times, the Alazthi, managed to eradicate them for good," she resumed. "We more than paid a high price to win the said war, of course. However, we won. I thought that most of the races which were considered Nightmares once had been completely wiped out. In the end, it turned out I was wrong. That is why I got so unsettled when you mentioned the existence of a creature with three heads."

"Okay, let me get this straight," Ron raised a hand in the air to stop her tale. "So, you are telling me that beast back there is some very dangerous creature that should be extinct? Great. Nice move, Headmaster."

"The specimen we just saw might be one of the last remnants from a very ancient race," the Essentia nodded. "That being said, I don't think we should consider it as a Nightmare. It has nothing to do with those creatures of the past; that Cerberus was much smaller and way less dangerous than its ancestors."

"Say what you want, but it doesn't change the fact the Headmaster is keeping a very dangerous creature under the same roof as us," Ron went on. "At least, thanks to this visit, I was able to see that Hermione was right; that bloody dog is guarding some kind of trapdoor! Bloody hell, it didn't even make a move to attack me. It just stood there, growling and trying to intimidate me."

"Yeah, I also saw that."

"And what do you make of it?" Ron asked her. "You are the clever one here."

"I think the Cerberus is indeed guarding something," Gerd confirmed. "It must be something very important because that is one very dangerous guardian they chose."

"Something very important," Ron muttered to the air. "What the hell could it be? This is Hogwarts, one of the safest places in the world, why would they tighten the security even more? Wait, do you reckon they could be keeping it so another person can't steal it?" It was at that moment when the redhead remembered one of the visions the Essentia showed him; a black mist, red eyes gleaming through it and a dozen masked wizards kneeling under its presence. "I-It can't be him… right?"

Gerd just looked upwards, to the classroom's ceiling, and crossed her arms under the chest. "The wizard whose name became a taboo after the War?" She asked him, getting an answer in the form of an affirmative nod. "We can't overlook that possibility, but no, I don't think it is him. From what the Great Sight showed me, he shouldn't be a complete individual yet. It is his Heir the one we are talking about, I should have felt it if that was the case," the Essentia ended up whispering the last part, but she regained her composure with a quick shaking of her head. "However, it doesn't mean that some ally of his could be the one after everything; powerful men always have blind followers under their service."

"Great!" Ron exclaimed with mirthless enthusiasm. Facing a troll to save a friend was one thing, but this new situation scared the hell out of him. "This is way out of our reach, Gerd! We can't do anything if You-Know-Who is somehow involved!"

"Breath," the Essentia tried to calm him. "Don't let fear control your mind; that is the only moment when we can't fight. Besides, you've just said it yourself a few moments ago, remember? This castle is one of the safest places in the world. If they want to steal whatever the Headmaster is keeping under the trapdoor, let them try. We will limit ourselves to keeping an eye on everything. This time, we don't need to be warriors. We will be the eyes that act from the darkness."


Alexander Shawn POV

Sunday 26th November 1991 (Emerald Valley, Ilvermorny, USA) – Midday

Ilvermorny roared with life.

Not the castle itself, of course, but the expansion that was built around the fifties. Alex looked to the sky, even though he knew the school could not be seen from down there. Still, he was always left mesmerized by how different the castle and the Emerald Valley were. Up there, at the highest peak of Mount Greylock, nothing but a deep, dense mist could be seen; much less the castle hid behind it.

A fortress made with walls of different stones; from the cold elegance of marble and basalt to the eye-catching colours of the many minerals which decorated the said walls. The magnanimity and austerity of one of the Eight Wizarding Schools. A story is written in blood and symbolised in the great Snakewood Tree; the pride of Ilvermorny.

When comparing it with the Emerald Valley, it was like comparing night and day.

Many years ago, the current Headmistress of the School, Alycia Lessard, built the Valley so the students could spend their free time in a more lively place. Down there, on those lower grounds lost in the middle of the mountain, there was a constant fight among all the colours that formed the exotic forest which enveloped the Quidditch field. Plants cultivated by the Headmistress herself; a pristine river that crossed the whole grounds from one corner to another; the little magical village that was built along with the expansion.

As if the whole picture was nothing but the greatest piece of art of a generational genius.

Even though the Emerald Valley had always been very colourful, it had nothing to do with how it had been for the past week. That year, the 98th edition of the World Duelling Series; The Final Eight was being held at the School. The event came hand in hand with a huge festival, people from all over the world gathering at Ilvermorny for such an important competition.

The said festivity was a fight of colours in which none of them wanted to lose to the others; the only winners from that combat were the students and the spectators.

"This curry is the most delicious dish I've ever tasted!" Lara exclaimed, her mouth full of food. She was a short girl with shoulder-length, brown hair; the same colour as her eyes. Like most of the students sorted in Wampus, she had a very outspoken personality.

Lara had been one of Alex's closest friends since they were toddlers, even though she was not a member of any important family. In fact, since her parents were killed not long after the Dark Lord's demise—by a group of American fanatics who went rogue—no one really knew about the purity of her blood. However, her adoptive father was no other than Nathan Miller, one of the most trusted subordinates of Lord Elend Shawn. Because of that, the two children had spent a lot of time together since they were crying babies.

"You say that every time you try a new dish," Alex groaned. "I don't know how you are so short with all that food you stuff into your stomach."

Lara was about to answer back—probably, with one of her sarcastic remarks—but someone else beat her. "At least, she knows how to enjoy things," a new girlish voice piped in. "You could try to smile a bit from time to time, you know? I get that you like to act all high and mighty around people you don't know, but I didn't think you would turn into such a jerk thanks to this festival; at least not this much, of course."

The voice belonged to Laure Smith, the other girl from Alex's group of friends in the School. She was a pretty girl with long, curly and blond hair, styled in a messy ponytail for the day. Much to his annoyance, they were of the same height, not to mention that her athletic capacities were at the same level as his.

"Give me a breath, woman," Alex let out a loud sigh. "I have some expectations to meet, you know? It ain't easy to be the heir of an important Great House."

"What can't be easy is having an ego of that size," the blonde punched once again, taking the ice cream off his hands as she walked by his side. "Hmh, tasty," Laure approved with a content hum. "Anyhow, we already knew that, so how about we got to the stadium to watch the semifinals? Killian and Russ should already be there by now."

"This soon?" Lara complained. "I wanted to try the Italian Gelato! This isn't fair at all!" Her rambling was interrupted by the blond girl, who grabbed her arm to drag her forward.

I'm surrounded by weirdos. Alex tagged along with a shake of his head. After all, the semifinals were about to start, and duelling was one of the few passions he had. The road to the stadium was truly a sight to behold. There were dozens of merchants' posts; food stands of every kind; gatherings of people from all over the world… A clash of cultures would be the appropriate word to describe it all.

The stadium had been settled where the Quidditch field was, so there were many seats for the public to enjoy the competition. Despite it, all the seats had been booked, which was not a surprise considering that only the top eight duellists of the year were left to fight for the title; no one wanted to miss how the trophy was lifted. With all those thoughts on his mind, Alex let the girls lead the way as he looked everywhere. By the time he realized how much calmer the atmosphere was, the boy was already sitting at the stands his father had booked for him and his friends.

"Took you three long enough," Russ greeted. "The first duel is about to start."

"This one is not so interesting," Alex answered as he stretched his back. "Lord James Nott has nothing to do against Leon Krause. It's going to be a stomp, just like every other of his duels."

"Is he that good?" Killian asked from the last seat.

He was a muggle-born wizard from Canada. His features were exotic, to say something; short and messy hair of a light blond that could almost be considered white, and a pair of bright, azure eyes. If it wasn't because he was the son of two muggles, Alex would have thought for the boy to have Alazthi blood. Hell, his friend even had more royal features than him, a descendant of one of the few bloodlines that still carried the legacy of the Ancient Wizards; especially, since his hair was far lighter.

Truth to be told, Killian was a very interesting person.

The boy was the friendliest and most easy-going guy Alex had ever met in his life. It was not much of a feat when considering that most of the people he associated himself with had been heirs or children from pureblood families, but it was rather refreshing. However, those were not his only virtues. That damned softie was one of the most intelligent and talented people he had ever known! It reached a point in which the albino was starting to prove to him that, maybe, muggle-born wizards could be as talented as true purebloods were.

"He is the best duellist I've ever seen," Alexander admitted. "His father sent him to the best duelling academy in Germany when he was a kid. As soon as he turned old enough to participate in the Junior Series, he was listed in. In fact, he is the youngest winner ever in each one of the three categories. Moreover, if he wins this year, he will become the first person to ever win the Senior Series for three straight years."

Lara let out an impressed whistle as Killian nodded his head. "Have you read his biography or something?" The white-haired boy asked.

"I admire him, that's all," Alex shrugged it off.

"Your uncle could have been the first one to accomplish that," Russ piped in. "Why did he retire?" The black boy also shared a passion for duelling, both watching and practising it.

"He dropped it after being accepted in the Royal Knights," Alexander told him. "It was a shame, though. My uncle was even more refined in combat than my father."

"What the hell is a royal knight?" Killian asked with curiosity. "It doesn't sound very friendly at all."

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that not everyone was supposed to know every detail about the magical world. "Well, that's because they aren't meant to be friendly at all," Alex started to explain. "How can I tell you this…"

"The Royal Knights are some kind of pureblood peacekeepers, more or less," Russ continued as the announcer shouted the name of the duellists. "Let's just say that when there is a dispute among two Great Houses, the Knights are the ones to shut the whole thing down before it gets out of control. Most of the time, there isn't any blood spilt, but there are others when… well, you can imagine what happens. Not everyone deserves a happy ending."

"Woah, you purebloods are sure a bunch of freaks," Lara whistled. "By the way, how do you know all of that, Russ? I thought you weren't fond of purebloods and their things."

"I'm not," the boy pointed out. "But my maternal family, the Great House of Scamander, is still part of the Ancestral Council, so they hammered all of what I just said in my head when I was a kid. Besides, even if I don't like it, it is always good to know as many things as you can."

Alex was about to tell them to shut up when a flash of red caught his attention from the other side of the stadium. It was a red-haired woman who was walking towards the British lord's section; a private stand booked for the friends and supporters of Lord Nott, their fellow comrade. However, just before she got to the restricted area, something weird happened.

A few steps before their gallery, she suddenly turned to the right, going downstairs to a common stand. Instead, a man who wasn't there a few instants ago made his way towards the private section. What the actual hell? That man… His cape is moving in a weird way… Could it be?

"I need to go to the bathroom," Alex announced as he practically jumped up from his seat. "Get me something from the trolley to eat during the opening ceremony!"

The boy made his way towards the other side of the stadium, avoiding as many people as possible. "Stupid kid! Look where you are going!" A man cursed him when they bumped.

Alexander ignored him and resumed his walk to meet those suspicious individuals; both the woman and the man. It took him a few minutes, but he managed to reach the British section before the ceremony began. Damn, I can't get inside with those guards at the entrance. I guess I'll have to check on the woman first. He went downstairs, but when he got there, there was no trace of the witch. What? The last time I checked she was there!

"I'll be back in a few minutes," a hoarse voice said from above. "I have to meet some partners for future business."

"Of course, Lord Yaxley!" A guard answered. "Be careful!"

So, Yaxley it is, eh? Alex started to follow the man from a few corridors under his. In no time at all, they reached the exit of the stadium. He was not a master of spying, but he tried to look as unsuspicious as possible; buying some ice cream from a trolley to eat casually; eyes set on the opening ceremony; looking at the seat's number as if he was looking for his.

Once he got outside, Yaxley made his way towards the Emerald Valley's forest, getting farther and farther from the packed areas. It was at that moment when Alex doubted whether he should continue or not, but in the end, he decided to keep going. Come on, bring that Thunderbird spirit of yours, the boy encouraged himself.

Not as if it mattered.

Not even a minute after getting into that forest of tall trees, the man he was following was banished in front of him. What the heck? Did he apparate out of the School? No, that's impossible. Alex stood there, totally confused until a snickering alerted him.

"Didn't your parents teach you not to meddle in other people's business, kid?" A feminine voice asked from above.

He turned his head upwards as fast as he could, his wand ready at hand. However, it was useless. Before he could even blink, it flew away from him. "Is this yours?" The woman asked from another place. After a few seconds, the boy managed to locate her at some branch of a tall tree. It was the same red-haired woman he had observed in the stadium, only that this time, she was smirking at him with his wand in her hand.

"You should be more careful," she smiled in a mocking way. "Your wand appeared in my hand out of nowhere. I'm a nice woman, but if you drop your wand in front of another person, he might not give it back to you." Just like that, she threw the wand back at him.

Alex grabbed it midair and stared at the smirking woman. "You shouldn't follow other people like that," she went on. "You can upset someone who isn't as kind as me."

"Thanks for the advice," he answered with a frown on his face. Had he really been disarmed so easily? "I was looking for you, though."

"It doesn't change the fact that I could have kidnapped you or something like that."

"In the middle of a School? Nah, it ain't happening. Besides, you don't kidnap an heir of a Great House just like that. Not unless you are ready to face consequences."

"Are you always this smartass?" The woman groaned.

"I know how you are," Alexander stated out of nowhere.

That definitely startled her. "What?" She asked. "How would you know? Oh, I see. Say my name, then. Come on, kiddo, tell me who I am."

Damned woman, you weren't supposed to say that. His bluff had been caught in an instant. "I mean, I don't know who you are exactly," Alex admitted. "But I can tell you are some partner or ally from my father." A raised brow let him know how far from being correct he was. "Well, I needed to give it a try," he shrugged it off.

"Actually, I don't know how the hell you know that information, but you weren't far from nailing it," she told him, her lively demeanour completely gone now.

His neck was starting to hurt thanks to all the time he had been looking upwards, but he ignored it. "To be honest, it was just a guess," he answered. "I don't know who you are or what kind of partnership you do have with my father, but I've seen you twice at my manor and my old man is busier than a few months ago. That's pretty much why I followed you. I wanted to know something about what you and he are planning."

The woman looked at him eye to eye before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Like father, like son; or so they say," she groaned. "I'm going to give you some life advice, kiddo: stay away from adult's things and enjoy doing whatever the hell kids like you do nowadays," she was about to continue, but something made her suddenly stop.

A look at the road they just walked was all the signals she gave before moving. Before the boy could react, the witch jumped down from the tree to embrace him with one arm by the hips without uttering a single word. The next second, the two of them were ascending towards the thicket of some very tall tree.

How the hell did she move like that? It was so bloody fast! For a few moments, the only thing he could hear was his heart beating faster and faster as they ascended. Then, they suddenly stopped and the boy found himself sitting at some branch of the tree, with the red-haired woman by his side gesturing him to not talk.

"Are you sure this was the way that bastard took?" A voice cursed from beneath, just where Alex had been standing seconds before. "Hell, if we don't find him we are in trouble!"

"I bloody know!" Another voice exclaimed. "I listed myself here because this was supposed to be an easy job! Now, I have to find some bastard who had the balls to impersonate Lord Yaxley! Keep looking that way, I will follow the road!" It sounded just like the guard at the entrance of the British stands.

How did she know they were coming? Is she using some weird technique or did she feel their magic? Alex had many questions on his mind, but the witch softly slapped him in the back of his neck just before he could ask them. What?

"That was a close one," the woman pointed out as soon as the men's voice disappeared. "You almost got us caught. Eh, why the hell are you smiling?"

Now, it was his time to smirk. "I knew my father and you were planning something," he hummed. "So, it has to do with Lord Yaxley and the British lords, eh?"

"Bloody kid," the woman cursed. "Did I tell you how much I hate you?" The boy just shook his head in denial, a perfect smirk still on his face. "Well, now you know it."

"My father often says that I got my meddling and infuriating skills from my mother," Alexander added. The witch had mocked him to no end; it was payback time.

"Listen," she grunted. "I also was a curious brat when I was your age, but you need to drop this, okay? I don't think Elend would be very enthusiastic about you sticking your nose where you shouldn't," the red-haired witch stood up and offered him a hand. "Come on, take it if you want to get down."

They jumped from the tree, and just when their feet were about to hit the ground, the fall was reduced greatly. It was very similar to what I felt when we ascended… I don't know what it is, but it is wicked! "What kind of magic did you use?" Alex asked her. "Both for the ascension and for the freefall. Because they were the same, right?"

"I used magic," the woman replied. "Let me ask you something before I tell you to sod off. Why did you follow me? As far as you knew, I was Lord Yaxley. It makes no sense to me."

"Oh, that is pretty simple," Alex said. It was not, but he wanted to look more knowledgeable than he was.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Tell me how."

"Okay, if you insist so much," Alexander sighed after his bluffing failed for a second time. "Actually, I had no idea. I just saw your cape moving weirdly and followed you. My intention was to track both the woman and the man I had just seen, but the latter one disappeared from my sight as soon as I realized it, so there was no other option but to go after the wizard. That's pretty much why I ended up following you."

"You gotta be kidding me," she snorted. "What the hell have I done to put up with your crap, kid? You followed just because of that?"

"Actually, it was a bit more than that. When you were near the British section and the woman went downstairs, it is true your cape moved weirdly as if its movement didn't fit your stride, but what caught my eye the most was the fact a man had appeared out of thin air. It set me off, and I decided to give it a try."

"You have a sharp eye, kid," the woman complimented him, much to his surprise. "The fact you noticed it is on me. I hate to admit it, but capes and clothes usually give me trouble, especially while moving."

"You ain't telling me how did you do it, right?"

"Nope."

"Please?"

"I've given you enough details already," she stated. "If you can't guess it, try harder," the witch paused for a second to tighten her ponytail and to look at him dead in the eyes. "Now, let's talk a bit more seriously. I won't tell what happened today to Elend; it will be our secret. But please, just forget my face and what you saw. Trust me, it will do you no good to meddle into this."

Just like that, the red-haired woman disappeared in front of him. That must be a Disillusionment Charm, but it isn't the same as the way the fake Lord Yaxley disappeared. Damn, I don't have a single clue about this. If there was anything in this world that made him go nuts, it was magic. She used the word impersonating, but how the hell can someone be at two different places at the same time?

It had been a far more interesting day than Alex thought it would be. Hell, he should be spectating a duel between Leon Krause and Lord Nott instead of trying to know what his father was up to. So, is there something going on in England or related to the British lords, eh? I guess it's time to visit my dear friends from overseas this Christmas. The witch had told him not to meddle in, but she did not make him promise it; that was also on her.


Ronald Weasley POV

Monday 18th December 1991 (Slytherin common room, Hogwarts) - Early morning

Christmas had yet to come, but its cold days and snows were already there.

Most of the students were excited about the winter holidays, especially in Slytherin, as he noticed. His three friends were going home for the vacations, but Ron had no idea about what to do. If someone had asked him a few days ago, the redhead would have answered that he was going to spend the holidays at the school; it was the only possible answer due to the problems with his mother. But as of today… I'll read it once again, just in case I missed something…

Dear Ronnie.

I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am because of how I've treated you in these months. I know I can't excuse myself with just a letter, by any means, but you needed to know why I acted the way I did.

I had my reasons to be wary of Slytherin. I still do. However, I've been reading the letters you sent home in these months, in which you talked about your friends and your new life. They sound like good people to be around.

I don't expect you to forgive me so easily, after all, I know better than anyone how temperamental our family can be. Also, I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you, even if I didn't want to see it back then when we had that meeting at the Headmaster's office. It took me a long time to understand it; to realize the only thing you were doing was to follow the principles we've always instilled in you and your brothers.

You tried to judge others by how they are rather than hating them because of what their blood was or under what roof were they raised; pretty ironic on my part to act just like some of their parents, eh?

This winter, we are going to visit Charlie in Romania. I've also sent a letter to the twins and Percy to know if they wanted to come, but yours is different. I would understand if you don't want to come with us because of me, but I just wanted to tell you that I miss you and that you are very welcome to come.

I love you, don't ever forget that.

Ron smiled as he grabbed his quill, ready to write a reply. "Hey there!" Tracey shouted at him from the common room's entrance. "Come on, sleepyhead! We are gonna be late for potions!"

Oh shit, it's true! This is going to be the last class of the year; better not be late. The redhead put the letter back in his bag and ran to meet the brunette. The others must already be on their way. That is what friends are for. Actually, he was pretty happy with how things had progressed since the first days. It looked very bad, but much to his surprise, they were able to get past their differences and become friends.

Blaise still acted as if he did not care about a single thing, but now, Ron knew the boy really enjoyed their company; even if he tried to hide it behind a facade of indifference. In fact, it was pretty similar to Daphne, who acted like she was all royalty and nothing could bother her; unfortunately for the blonde, she was much easier to read than the black boy.

Back during the first day, she had been the ice queen—a very insufferable one, to be exact—but now, the redhead had seen how frustrated she could get when things did not go according to her expectations; how she smiled when Ron helped her to archive something; her smug smirk when it was the other way around or when she kicked his ass in a game of chess.

Who would have guessed it? Certainly, not him.

On the other hand, it was true they were not very happy about his friendship with Harry and the Gryffindors, but they understood that knocking a troll out together could even make the worst of the foes be friends. Blaise and Daphne just looked the other way when the redhead met with the lions.

Talking about lions and snakes, it was their time to share a double period of Potions.

Ron was sat at his usual bench with Daphne by his side. Since Blaise was the best out of them in Potions, he sat with Tracey, who was the worst. It worked out very fine since both the redhead and the blonde had a pretty similar level. They could cast some Warming Charms here, Merlin, I'm about to freeze!

"I really do feel sorry for those who have to spend Christmas here at Hogwarts," the horrible voice of Malfoy echoed in the dungeons. "It would be such a pity not to be wanted at home."

If it was not because the blond boy and his two gorillas had been ignoring him for months, he would have thought the cruel remark was directed at him. Had it been the case, his blood would not have boiled as much as it did, knowing to whom it was directed.

After how hard Gryffindor humiliated Slytherin and their brand-new brooms in the first game of Quidditch of the year, Malfoy had been going at Harry for an entire month. Much to Ron's admiration, his friend managed to keep his composure and acted as if he had heard nothing. It was the best decision ever, especially since Professor Snape was roaming around, waiting for the perfect chance to strip some points from the lions.

After that, the class ended without any accidents, which was a surprise given that Neville must have broken the school's record for the most cauldrons melted in a year; the most incredible part of the feat was that there still were six more months to increase the numbers, truly remarkable. Once they were out of the classroom, Ron and his friends turned a corner just to find Harry, Hermione, and Neville talking in whispers with the gatekeeper, who carried a tree on his shoulder.

Could it be they've found out another clue about that mysterious package? Maybe, even something about Nicolas Flamel, the man Harry told me about. It was a name Hagrid had dropped in the spur of an argument. His face clearly regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth, so it had to be important. "You guys can wait for me in the common room," Ron told his friends with a silly smile on his face. "I think I've left my potion's ingredients in the dungeons."

"Only you could be so forgetful," Tracey teased him.

Ron scratched the back of his head and sent her an accusatory look. "You didn't need to be so mean," he said with a funny grimace. "I was just hoping for the class to end and I kinda rushed everything to get out of there. It was bloody freezing!"

Blaise huffed as if forgetting something in class was the most stupid act someone could ever do, while Tracey just shook her head and started to walk back to the common room. However, Daphne raised a brow at him as she sent some weird looks, even though, in the end, she also made her way back to their safe place.

Damn, I'm getting better at this lying thing! The redhead was practically sweating for the silly lie, but a win was a win. Never thought I'd say this, but living with snakes has its advantages! When he looked around, Gerd was not in sight. The Essentia did not like the dungeons, so she often left him to fly along with the birds when there was a class down there. I guess I'm on my own this time; time to not screw everything up!

He waited for the lions to end their conversation with Hagrid. The second he left in a hurry, Ron stepped out from behind the corner he was hiding. "Hey there!" He announced his presence. "Just by looking at how rushed he left, I'd say you asked him something about our little… thing, right?"

The two boys nodded as they greeted him back with a wave of their hands, but it was Hermione the one to talk. "Hello, Ronald," she said. "You are right. We tried to ask him about many things to see if he would slip anything else; either Fluffy, Nicolas Flamel or that mysterious package. Unfortunately, he didn't take the bait. Did you find any information on your own?"

"Come on, I've already told you many times to not call me Ronald," the redhead groaned. His full name was only meant to be said by his mother when it was chastising time; it just looked weird in other people's mouths. "Anyhow, I didn't find a bloody thing about that man. I even asked some fifth-year prefect about it, but he didn't know either."

"Will you stay in the castle for the holidays?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," he answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "My parents are going to Romania to visit my brother Charlie, so I think me and my brothers will spend Christmas here."

"Great!" The bushy-haired girl exclaimed. "You can help Harry in his research about Flamel! Eh, what's with that face?"

"It's Christmas," Ron sighed as Harry nodded behind the girl's back. "Spending my time in the library, searching through hundreds of books about a man we know nothing about, isn't the plan I looked forward to the most in holidays," a hard look from Hermione made him shake his head in defeat. "Okay, I'll help Harry…"

Neville sent him a sorry look. So this must be a little demonstration of what studying with her is… Merlin, I'm so sorry for you, guys. Harry was about to speak, but the girl beat him. "Oh, God, we got so caught here that I almost forgot we have History of Magic in a few minutes," she gasped. "Come on, you two, we need to go!"

Hermione practically dragged a stressed Neville with her, but Harry remained by his side, looking at his housemates with a smile on his face. "She still is a bit awkward around people, but she means well," the Gryffindor started. "Hermione is the main reason me and Neville are doing fine with homework and classes."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Ron also smiled. "That little adventure we had with the troll changed us, eh? Funny, I never thought I'd make friends that way, but there's gotta be a first time for everything, I guess."

Harry sent him a funny look. "Seems like we both are going to be a bit busy this Christmas," he pointed out.

"Yep, what a pity. Just when we get rid of the daily homework, we decide to punish ourselves with more library work; the twins would be horrified if they knew."

"I know this could be very important, but don't expect me to spend all my time in the library; I'm not barmy enough yet," Harry said. "Everyone is going home in Gryffindor, if your friends do the same, we can always come to our Tower to play. You know what? I think it's time for you to try my Nimbus. It's just amazing!"

Wait, me on a Nimbus Two Thousand? That's something I never believed to be possible! "For real?" The redhead asked. His friend just nodded in response. "Blimey, I'm gonna teach you how a real wizard flies!"

"You are gonna bite dust," Harry smirked. "We'll talk later, I'm gonna be late for class if I don't move now. I don't want Hermione to kill me, so bye!"

Ron observed the retreating boy for a few seconds, then, he also made his way back to the common room since Slytherin did not have any more classes for the morning. He found himself smiling and rather happy. Damn, it's been a while since I felt this good! I got too stressed about things that are out of my reach… That must be why Gerd advised me to relax and not get so immersed in our mission. Yeah, he really needed to listen to her more often.

He turned a corner and stepped into the corridor which led to their common room. Ron was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice the person waiting for him. "Who is Nicolas Flamel?" Daphne asked out of a sudden, making him jump on the spot. "Why is he so important to you four?" For a few seconds, the boy was left rooted on the spot. He turned his head to look at the blonde, who stared at him with a raised brow.

Daphne stood there, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed behind her back in a relaxed posture; as if what she did was the most normal thing in the world. "Why have you turned all white?" She kept asking, now a bit more worried. "If it is so important to you and your friends, it shouldn't be something to discuss in the middle of a corridor where everyone can hear you."

She spied on us. His brain needed a few instants to process the information. Then, the initial shock was replaced by anger and betrayal; friends were not supposed to do those kinds of things. "You spied on us," Ron muttered as the redness replaced the paleness in his face. "I can't believe what you just did… Are you bloody mental or what?"

"Eh, you better relax a bit," Daphne replied as her face also reddened a bit. "I was worried about you!"

"Why in the bloody hell would you need to worry about me in a moment like this?"

"Because you lied to us out of nowhere!" She accused him. "You didn't forget your ingredients in class, that was a lie! When I saw that you weren't coming back, I went after you. Then, I found you surrounded by three Gryffindors in a deserted corridor! I was left with no option but to listen to your conversation! They could have been blackmailing you!"

What? The situation was so absurd that Ron even forgot how angry he was seconds ago. "They could be blackmailing me?" He repeated. Is this girl in her sane mind? Now, he was totally perplexed. "Why the hell would they be trying to do that? We are friends! We've been since the troll!"

"Don't curse so much," Daphne chastised him. "I don't know, okay? It was the first scenario that came to my mind. It is a very common thing to do among purebloods. You wouldn't believe how many times I've seen it at the forefront; even children do it."

"Okay, let me get this straight," the redhead sighed as he tried to order his thoughts. "You realized that I was lying, so you decided to come in my search, just in case something went wrong. Up to that, I really get it. Now, you tell me that, after watching me talking with three Gryffindors, who happen to be my friends, you thought they were blackmailing me?"

"It sounds way more stupid if you say it like that."

"Blimey, I'm surrounded by weirdos," as soon as the words left his mouth, the blond girl tried to smack him. This time, the redhead was fast enough to dodge it. "Okay! I take that last part back… Merlin, try to give me a warning or something next time."

"Whatever," Daphne grunted as she fixed her hair in a ponytail. "You have yet to answer my first questions, though. Who is Nicolas Flamel? Why is he so important? Shall I remember that you lied to us, your incredibly good friends who only care about your wellbeing, to talk about it with three Gryffindors?"

Merlin, how dramatic is this girl? Then, an unexpected idea crossed his mind. "Now that I think about it," Ron started as a smirk formed on his face. "You are going back home for Christmas, aren't you?"

"Of course."

If I manage to play this right, I might be able to get Daphne to help us in the research without getting her too involved. The smirk got even bigger. "You want to know who Nicolas Flamel is?" Ron started. "Well, it's your lucky day. It turns out I have some homework for you to do this holiday."


Leader Levitt POV

Wednesday 20th December 1991 (Thailand's forest) - Past midnight

That stupid conflict had already taken too much of their time. It was time to finish it for good.

It was just another mundane and stupid dispute between two powerful, pureblood families whose problems had reached a point in which blood needed to be spilled for it to end; the same shit as always. In these kinds of conflicts, no side was right or wrong; they were just too thirsty for money, lands, and other benefits to back down.

They all also ended the same way: with the side that spent the most resources as the victors. In this case, the family who had bought the services of the Wings of Liberty was set to win, as they always were. Because of that, Levitt and his team had been deployed to make that statement true once again.

"Oh, what a pity, I was hoping to find some interesting wards for a change," the voice of a woman lamented from behind. Her name was Ashley Chase; the best ward-breaker in the whole company. She was a muggle-born witch born in the United States who enlisted herself in the company with the hopes of becoming an expert in wards.

Ashley had long, brown hair tidied in a messy ponytail. Her physical appearance might have been pretty normal, but it was her personality that turned her into a freak under the Leader's eyes; no one in his sane mind could be so enthusiastic as the woman was with wards. "All these pureblood lords are so mighty and confident in their power that they don't even bother to protect themselves as they should," she stated with a happy tone. "I know it makes our job easier, but damn, I wanted to see a new ward today!"

Ashley was right on that.

Far too many times, Levitt had seen how the proud lords were so arrogant to a point in which the bastards doubted they could be attacked in their safest properties. Well, maybe this was not the perfect example. Lord Banyat Silalai had put up more than a decent fight; hell, it was enough to make Jordan use his special weapon. However, it did not matter how much of a tough bastard the lord was. He was on the defensive, and so, he could not control the whole battlefield.

Because of that, the Captain of the company had decided to end the conflict the dirty way.

Today, Levitt and his squad had been deployed to attack one of the lord's major lands. The one where his daughter—the most precious person in the world to him—had been hiding since the dispute started. Kidnapping and taking hostages was not an honourable way to fight, but they were mercenaries; money was the only law for them. It was a fact often looked down upon by the most conservative lords, who still thought that everyone had been raised to believe in the honour and glory of a fair war.

It was about time for the old man to let me take part in a fight. I was starting to get rusty. Jordan tried to use him, the company's special weapon, as few times as he could. It was of great interest for them that Levitt's skills remained a mystery. Many people knew he was dangerous in certain ways, of course, but thanks to the allomancy being pretty much a forgotten branch of magic, very few people could imagine the source of his special powers.

Besides, those who saw it firsthand always ended up dead.

Levitt stepped into the property, thanks to the hole Ashely had opened in the barrier. The wards of protection are down. Now, it's all about dealing with the soldiers. Even though the experienced mercenary did not like the killing itself, he had no problems performing it. Especially, when it was meant to end a dispute before more of his comrades could die for some arrogant lord's sake.

Fortunately for him, not many men needed to die that day. The operation was supposed to be an explosive raid; take down the lord's daughter and escape before the reinforcements came.

"We'll be waiting for you here, sir," Mikko Kovanen, his second in command, said. He was a young but very capable wizard. Born as the third son in a very important Great House in Nordic Europe, the boy had to risk his future in order to make a name for himself; just as he had done within the Wings of Liberty. Under those blue eyes and blond hair, there was a very loyal comrade, one who did not hesitate to follow his orders. "As soon as you get the girl, fire the signal and we'll start the escape route!"

Levitt nodded at him as he looked at the castle in front of him. These prickly lords sure like big and expensive houses. However, that was a point in his favour; the bigger a battlefield was, the less control you had over it. In that case, there was a large amount of terrain before reaching the castle.

"If you are going to sneak up once you get inside, don't use the Disillusionment Charm," Ashley advised him. "Most of the time, lords like to ward the entire property against it. I couldn't deactivate that one, so you'll instantly set the alarms as soon as you cast it. I'd wish you good luck, Leader, but you don't need it… Well, I guess it is waiting time for us."

He nodded once again as he picked his hair up with a leather cord so it would not fall over his eyes mid-battle. Then, with a steady stride, he made his way towards the castle. Levitt kept a vigilant stance as he walked near some leafy trees, using them as a cover. Not far from him there was a little lake, with some soldiers patrolling nearby; that was the area he would need to avoid the most.

Just as their informant told them, there were not many soldiers in the outskirts of the state. The majority of Lord Silalai's forces were out, following the orders from their superiors. On top of that, most of the property's guards were supposed to patrol the insides of the castle rather than the outside. Then, you also had the human factor; probably, those soldiers were so bored of their monotonous duty that they did not carry it out as well as they should.

A fatal mistake on their part.

Levitt used his allomantic skills to burn a bit of steel. The sources of metal from the castle reached him; ethereal, blue lines coming out of his chest towards them. It was a talent he had been blessed with since he was born. As far as he knew, there were very few metal users in the magical world, even though it was a very common art in the Ancient Times. It was so simple and effective that it almost felt unfair. He just needed to ingest a solution that—among other components—contained the metal to burn, then, his allomantic core did the rest.

A silver coin was tossed to the ground. With that simple action, he could push against it with an allomantic pulse to move in the opposite direction; it was a simple action-reaction move. The coin sank a bit on the grass while he got rocketed upwards, to the dark sky; so effortless. It had its limitations, of course. At that moment, elevating himself metre after metre, Levitt could not change the direction of his push. For that, another allomantic push against a different source of metal was required.

Fortunately, it was not his objective.

He reduced the force of his push, enough to allow himself to float midair, but too weak to continue the ascension. Up there, his white cape waving with the wind, the mercenary eyed the whole state. Just as he had observed from the breaching point, it was a very large property built around the stone castle that lay in the centre. With his squad at the rear and barely any soldier in the front, he could do nothing to suppress his bored sigh. This is going to be easier than I thought. Hell, even the roof had been left unpatrolled!

It was time to use the counterpart of the steel: iron. If the first one worked with pushes, the second did it with pulls. In that case, he chose the bars of a window on the third floor. It is far from me, but a violent combustion will do. Since the bars were embedded on the stone wall—which meant they weighed more than him—the allomancer was hauled towards it, literally.

Levitt flew across the state at a great speed. Had any soldier looked upwards, they would have seen him. Fortunately, they were too busy taking a piss or eating their dinner. As he got closer to the window, he reduced the intensity of his allomantic push to decrease the speed; just in time to land in the wall with his legs upfront. There, the mercenary hanged from the iron bars by one hand with his legs still pushing against the castle.

"Diffindo," Levitt muttered as soon as his wand was drawn out from his robes. The bars were cut with little effort, then, he opened the window to get inside the little fortress.

He realized his first mistake a bit too late.

Levitt could also burn the Enhancing Metals; tin and pewter. The first one allowed him to increase his senses, while the second was used to increase his physical capacities. Due to them being so useful, he had developed the habit of constantly combusting the two metals at a very low pace; that way, he could benefit himself from them without getting too exposed to the consequences, both temporal and permanent. However, due to that, the soldier was blinded by the many torches which illuminated the corridor. How can I be so stupid?

He stood there, waiting for his eyesight to get used to the sudden brightness. As he waited, the wizard adjusted his tight robes; a simple, red tunic to cover some ordinary clothes and a white cape that ended in a hood of the same colour. The colours which represented the House of Silalai.

In theory, it was a short walk to the girl's bedroom. However, luck had never been on his side. "Hey, you!" A voice exclaimed at his back, not even a minute after his intrusion. "Where are you going? You are supposed to guard the north wing!"

This one is on you, my dead friend. With delicate movements, the mercenary unsheathed his most precious possession; a sword made of goblin steel, earned with sweat and blood. Then, he stood there, in the middle of the corridor, and waited for the soldiers to lose their composure.

His increased senses—thanks to the tin—allowed him to hear the whispers from those men he was about to kill. It did not matter they were a bit too far for a normal person; it was not Levitt's fault to be born special. There are four different voices. The one who exclaimed at me seems to be the leader, while the other three are starting to mutter their worry. Well, four wizards was a fight he could deal with rather easily.

"Hey, answer me!" The leader shouted. "Who are you?"

With a sudden, violent combustion of pewter, Levitt turned with the speed of lighting as his wand sent two large Severing Charms at the enemy squad. The leader and the one on his left were not quick enough to dodge it; their heads fell to the floor under a rain of red blood. As he sprinted towards the two remaining wizards, he observed their faces; surprise and terror were the only emotions they showed.

One of them, the lad who seemed to be more skilled than his comrade, opened his mouth to scream for help. Levitt shut him up with a barrage of curses that put them both on the defencive. The other one is abusing the shielding too much. I just need to wait for the right moment and… It came. "Avada Kedavra," the allomancer chanted. It was a brief, painless death as the forbidden curse went through the shield. Despite that, his enhanced senses allowed him to see the green light of his curse reflected on his enemy's eyes.

Now, the last one. Levitt jumped at the corridor's wall. Once his foot made contact, he burned steel to push against a candelabra that was embedded just behind him. That action rocketed him forward, towards the young lad who opposed him. Their eyes met as he was midair; the enemy wizard was no longer scared, now, his eyes wanted revenge.

One swift cut is all I need. He raised the sword to strike the wizard down, but he was faster than Levitt thought. The bastard managed to roll out of the way in the last second; despite his enhanced speed, the allomancer had been baited. He could not even land before the soldier got on his knees to send a Killing Curse in his direction. It came at incredible speed, so fast that if it had not been thanks to his enhanced senses, he would have been dead in just one instant after the mistake.

Levitt parried the curse with his sword, green volutes of magic flying everywhere after the clash.

The assault did not stop there. "Confringo!" The wizard exclaimed as he pointed his wand to the ceiling just above Levitt. It instantly collapsed, sending chunks of rock in his direction.

Shit, this lad is good! With a quick spin, the allomancer used his sword to cut through the curses that were sent at him in rapid succession. Meanwhile, he used his wand to redirect the debris towards the enemy soldier. Obviously, the bastard had to be a real pain in the arse until his last breath.

Just before the chunks of rock could turn his body into a holed mass of flesh, he was able to destroy the corridor's wall with another Blasting Curse. Then, an instant before abandoning the realm of the living, he sent a bright, blue fire through it. Shit, he gave the alarm to his comrades, Levitt cursed as the man's body was massacred by the debris. Fuck you, Jordan. It has been too long since I had a decent fight! Gotta give it to this lad, though; he was very decent.

Many shouts of alarm and curses could be heard around; both from the outside and the inside. What a bunch of shitheads, took them long enough to realize they were under attack. Levitt ignored everything and sprinted towards his destination. In the way, he felt about his belt. Shit, I only have one vial of pewter left. It was the signal to reduce the combustion. His speed was affected by that, but it still was fast enough to carry out the rest of the mission, or so he hoped.

Finally, after many turns and large corridors, the allomancer made it. The south wing of the castle should have been the most protected area of the state, however—unfortunately for Lord Silalai—the men he paid to defend his daughter lacked the discipline to keep a strict watch for more than a month. There, in front of the girl's bedroom, only two young lads stared back at him; their faces white and sweaty.

I don't have time for any of you! Levitt used the allomantic powers of the iron to pull from the door's knob as he jumped forward. The two enemy wizards threw a constant barrage of curses at him. They did not use the Killing Curse, and that meant a simple but powerful Shield Charm was all it took to cover himself as he rocketed through the corridor. His wand sent the shield forward, enveloping all the curses and spells.

They realized their mistake a bit too late. "Avada Kedav-" one of the soldiers started to chant.

Levitt—sword in hand—just spun midair to sever their heads with a swift cut an instant before he landed on the wooden door with his feet upfront. He allowed himself a moment to look downwards. They were fresh recruits, the mercenary thought as two pairs of lifeless eyes stared back at him. That's why they hesitated to use the Killing Curse. It was the most disgusting part of his job, but time and experience had hardened him enough to not ponder too much about it in the middle of a mission.

Levitt just shook his head and stormed into the room by kicking the door open.

Jia Silalai pointed her wand at the mercenary with trembling hands. For an instant, the wizard froze on the spot; everything looked so wrong. Levitt knew the Lord's daughter was supposed to be young, but he was not expecting to find a girl in her early teens; neither was he expecting for the room to be so colourful and decorated. "There is no point in that, kiddo," he told her with his best calming voice.

It must not have been good enough, because the only answer he obtained was a terrified scream and some weak stunners. Levitt just sidestepped them with ease as he closed the distance. This is stupid. With a simple flick of his wand, a strong gale was conjured, blowing the wand away from her hand. The girl fell on her arse, but she was brave enough to stand up as soon as she recovered from the impression. Hell, she even tried to slap him as the last resource.

Levitt just stopped it with his cheek. "I told you there was no point," the wizard sighed as his hand made a soft contact with her temple. "Sleep," with that, her eyes rolled back as her body fell to the floor. He picked up the girl and threw her onto his left shoulder.

Footsteps could be heard in the corridor. "You son of a bitch!" A grave voice cursed from his back. He had been too slow, and now, it was time to pay the consequences.

As soon as he turned around, six men were there to face him. "You got nowhere to run," one of them, who must have been the squad leader, threatened him. To prove his point, the bastard opened his arms to signal his men to step between the allomancer and the door. "You are completely surrounded. Drop the girl on the floor very carefully and I might start considering the option to give you a quick death."

"He already killed six of our men, Randall," the man at the leader's left said with a cautious voice. "We shouldn't take our eyes out of him for a second until the bastard's head is rolling on the floor."

As if you could. However, his main exit was blocked, and he did not look forward to fighting six wizards with an unconscious girl over his shoulder. These fuckers won't try anything dangerous as long as she is exposed. It was time to put on a show.

Levitt tried to feel their magical auras, just to find they were doing the same with him. Now, it was just a matter of guessing whether they were conceiving their true strength or not; how he hated that silly game! The six of them had a decent flow of magic around their body. It was not as polished as his—not even close—but they still had good control over their magic.

It was a decision taken in the spur of a moment.

A very large wave of magic was sent towards the six soldiers. They felt it the instant it came from Levitt's body, of course, but he did not care about it. The fools took a defencive stance as if the wave was meant to hurt them; who could blame them? It was the most logical decision, after all. Just as a large shield was created to protect the enemy squad, the wave of magic was transfigured into a very dense cloud of smoke. It was a very simple Smokescreen Spell, but often, simplicity was more efficient than complexity.

Levitt shut down his magical aura to hide his presence from the soldiers. Had he been a normal wizard, he would have been left totally unprotected. Fortunately, he had also been blessed with an allomantic core. Thanks to his augmented physical capacities, he was able to reach two of the enemies before they could scatter the cloud of smoke. His sword was guided by the noise of their ragged breaths amid the darkness, and just like that, their guts were cut open.

His camouflage was terminated as a Killing Curse was thrown in his direction. Levitt also parried it with his sword, only stopping for an instant to tighten his grip on the unconscious girl. "He's there!" One of the remaining soldiers exclaimed. "What the fuck did he do? He killed Ralf and Haki before I could blink!" He was terrified. They no longer had the mental edge.

Levitt kept sidestepping the many curses that were thrown at him; mainly unforgivables since the bastards did not seem to be creative fighters. However, now that his magical aura was expanded once again, the allomancer could only detect three presences in the room; there was one missing enemy. Shit, one copied my trick! When a wand was millimetres away from touching his head—the lethal spell already gleaming in its tip—Levitt thrust his sword backward. It sank into someone, as the pained and confused gasp indicated.

He had been saved by the tin and the increased senses it conceded him.

With a swift tug, the sword was back in front of him. "You can't imitate the way I fight," he suddenly told his enemies, much to his surprise. "There is no point in conceiving your presence if you can't kill me without magic. This fool thought he could beat my reflexes and now he is dead," as he finished, his head nodded at the dying man behind him.

"What kind of monster are you?" The squad leader grunted, his face full of sweat and lack of colour.

"I'm an allomancer; a man who was blessed with the skill of the Ancient Wizards," Levitt confessed. It was his most kept secret, but it did not matter; those men were not going to live to see another dawn.

One of the three remaining soldiers dropped his wand and sprinted away from the room. "Come back, you cowar-" the second man in command could not finish his sentence as his neck was skewered by a fire poker. For an instant, he looked surprised, as if he could not believe the mere thought of being dead. Then, he fell on his back as the blood poured out from the lethal wound.

"How…?" The leader muttered, his knees about to give up due to fear.

"I can use four of the eight allomantic metals," Levitt said as he walked toward his enemy, who no longer had the spirit to fight back. "One of them is iron. It allows me to manipulate nearby sources of metal, or rather, to pull from them if they weigh less than me. That fire poker had been in the room's fireplace the whole time, but it was a few seconds ago when your friend put himself in the middle of its trajectory. I just pulled from it."

The two mercenaries stood side by side. "Seasoned wizards like you and some of your men can detect spells with great mastery, but a metal object coming from your back with the speed of a bludger is something which doesn't tick the magical sense," the allomancer continued. "I'm sorry, but it wasn't a fair fight." Just like that, a green gleam illuminated the room. A quick, painless death was the minimum he could grant to a man who carried out his orders to the end.

Levitt raised his head to look around. The once pink bedroom had been completely destroyed by the battle; many holes in the walls due to the impact of the curses; smoke pouring out from it; ripped carpet and furniture… One of the men escaped, the thought came to his mind. That bastard knew his secret, but he had dropped his wand before escaping. Probably, he will run back to his family and drop his profession, so he shouldn't be a problem. Whatever, I don't think he understood a single thing given how scared he was.

The Thai made his way towards the closest hole, one big enough to allow him to jump from there. As he fell to the ground at an alarming speed, the allomancer tossed a metal coin downwards and pushed against it. Once it touched the grass, he was launched upwards. Levitt repeated the process, but that time, he pushed against the shield of the House of Silalai—which had ornaments of silver and gold—when his ascension reached the top of the fortress.

One of the things he loved the most was to feel the air hitting his face mid-fly. As the allomancer rocketed through the state, he closed his eyes. I killed eleven men today. Well, he had orders to fulfill; he was not the one to sentence them, just the man who did the dirty job. Suddenly, his augmented senses caught the noise of an object plowing through the winds.

"We heard many explosions, so we rushed the escape plan," Mikko explained as soon as the younger man reached him. The blonde was mounted atop of Nimbus, just like the rest of his squad, who had just caught up with them. "Give the girl," he extended his arm forward to grab the unconscious hostage by the hips. "Okay, it's time for us to leave, boys! Ashely is waiting with your broom back at the breaching point, Captain!"

As his squad abandoned the Silalai State, the allomancer stopped his pusch progressively. Levitt fell to the ground in an oblique trajectory, and when he was just about to impact with the ground, he combusted—quite violently—his last reserves of pewter to land on the grass with a pained grunt. Due to the speed, his body kept moving forward, his feet leaving two large furrows on the ground as he moved. "Damn, what an entrance," a feminine voice surprised him. "I always knew you were one of those dramatic men, Captain!"

Ashley threw his broom at him. "It's time to go," Levitt cut in as he mounted the broom the second it fell onto his hands. "There still are some men I didn't kill, so we ain't safe here!" With a potent kick to the ground, the young wizard found himself back in the air in no time; the muggle-born witch right behind him. His body and head hurt due to the abuse of the allomancy, but it was bearable. He had it way worse on other occasions, after all.

"It was about time for this stupid conflict to end," Ashley said as soon as the state disappeared behind them. "However, I'm not so stupid to believe this is gonna be a long rest for us, right? We got deployed here for a reason. Jordan wanted to end this contract as soon as possible… What is going to be next, Captain?"

"A big fucking mess," Levitt confessed with a tired sigh. This was a child's game compared to what is about to come at us. That damned Jordan is leading us to a much bigger conflict, against far more dangerous people. He shook his head almost instantly. Levitt was a soldier, it was not his duty to question his Commander. He followed orders and tried to protect as many of his comrades as he could; that was what he excelled at. Farewells, Lord Silalai. Now, it is time to face the Order of Merlin.