Booom!
Wade wasn't the kind of person who liked meddling in others' business, but his curiosity and thirst for knowledge were undeniably strong.
So, he decided to keep himself hidden under the Disillusionment Charm and go take a look at what was going on.
If it turned out to be something he could handle, Wade didn't mind earning a few merit points out of it.
Even if the system's virtue shop hadn't refreshed anything interesting lately...
Although the Disillusionment Charm didn't make him completely invisible, under the cover of night, Wade was still able to silently approach the source of the noise.
"No! Wake up! It's me!"
Hiss-roar!
Boom!
"I can't hurt you! I… Please, wake up... I'm begging you…"
Boom!
"Ugh… I… I'm losing control… I can't hurt you, I can't…"
Wade found the voice incredibly familiar.
Hiding behind a large tree, he carefully poked his head out and looked toward the source of the noise not far ahead.
Because the trees in that area had already been toppled, the bright moonlight clearly illuminated the chaos.
When he saw the people there, Wade's pupils contracted slightly.
Amid the wreckage and disorder, Aurelius was looking battered and exhausted, frantically dodging the attacks of a massive serpent!
Oh..
That serpent—Wade recognized it instantly. It was Nagini, the same one who had briefly regained her sanity and let him and Tom go all those months ago.
Right. The situation now was pretty clear: old acquaintances had reunited, and then Nagini had suddenly lost control again.
And now, with her beastly instincts taking over, she had decided to treat Aurelius like a late-night snack...
Still, Aurelius Dumbledore truly lived up to the name of the Dumbledore family.
Even while facing Nagini's relentless storm of attacks, he was managing to wield his wand and use various spells to defend himself with considerable skill.
However, from the look of things… Aurelius wasn't doing so well.
If he were in good health, Nagini wouldn't be able to harm him—but right now, Aurelius's condition was clearly far from ideal.
That much was obvious from the wisps of black smoke constantly seeping from his body.
There was no doubt about it: Aurelius was on the verge of losing control over the Obscurial inside him...
If this kept up, there were only two possible outcomes—either Aurelius would be swallowed whole by Nagini, or, losing all control, he'd transform into an Obscurial and tear her apart!
Wade sighed. At this point, he couldn't just stand by and watch…
During his time lodging at the Hog's Head, Aberforth had treated both him and Tom kindly.
Wade had asked him for help on several magical matters, and Aberforth had never once turned him away.
Now that Aberforth's son was in danger, Wade couldn't ignore it... It'll get me a lot of Merit Points kekeke~
Thankfully, saving Aurelius wasn't all that difficult—all he needed to do was grab him and Disapparate away.
Snap!
Wade anticipated the direction in which Aurelius was dodging and Apparated to that spot ahead of time.
When someone suddenly appeared in his escape path, Aurelius was startled nearly out of his skin.
"You—"
"Hold on tight!"
Crack!
Wade grabbed Aurelius and vanished on the spot.
The moment their figures disappeared, Nagini's gaping jaws snapped down—right where they'd just been—biting nothing but air…
Crack!
When Wade and Aurelius reappeared, they were already inside the hallway on the 1st floor of the Hog's Head Inn.
Aurelius clutched Wade's arm tightly.
"No… I can't stay here! Get me out of here! I… I'm about to lose control!"
As he spoke, the black mist pouring off his body grew even denser.
Wade rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on. "Come on, man—knowing your condition, why'd you run off like that?"
"I… I saw an old friend. I just wanted to see her one last time… If nothing unexpected happened, this would've been our final meeting… So…"
"Get back to the attic now—Professor Dumbledore reinforced the protective enchantments for you," Wade said with a frown.
"It's useless… Once I've left, those enchantments stop working."
"Tch… That's not just irresponsible toward yourself, it's reckless toward everyone else's lives and property!" Wade said sternly.
"I… I'm sorry… But…" Aurelius's eyes were filled with sorrow.
Seeing him like this, Wade couldn't bring himself to say anything more.
He Apparated again, taking Aurelius with him and reappearing deep in the Forbidden Forest—far away from anyone else.
"Go… you need to leave…" Aurelius leaned weakly against a tree and pushed Wade away with effort. "I'm about to lose control… If I do, I'll attack everything living around me…"
"You'll be okay, right?"
"I don't think I'm dying yet… As long as I can hold out… Just go!" Aurelius could barely get the words out now.
Wade didn't hesitate—he turned and vanished from the spot.
And in the very instant he disappeared, a wave of violent black mist erupted behind him, surging like a tidal wave and reducing that part of the forest to rubble.
Even standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Wade could still faintly hear the distant tremors.
The violent surge of magical energy, even from such a distance, still left Wade deeply shaken.
No wonder they call it an Obscurial… the sheer scale of destruction is fucking overwhelming…
Still, Wade had no intention of just standing there doing nothing.
He felt that he had to find a way to notify Aberforth—Aurelius was in desperate need of him right now.
But… how am I supposed to do that?
He couldn't just tell Aberforth directly. If he did, there'd be no hiding the fact that he had already learned Apparition.
And how was he supposed to explain why he was wandering the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night, instead of being in bed?
As Wade mulled over how to come up with a believable excuse—Eh..?
Suddenly, a foul stench burst out from beside him!
"Protego!"
Without hesitation, Wade cast a Shield Charm around himself!
Just as the protective barrier formed, a gaping maw clamped down on it with a bone-crunching snap!
Boom!
Wade, along with his Shield Charm, was sent flying through the air!
"Nagini?! Hi there! I almost forgot about you…"
The snake, teeth still aching from the impact, let out a furious hiss and lunged toward Wade once more, fangs bared.
Crack!
In the blink of an eye, Wade vanished from midair—reappearing behind Nagini in a short-range Apparition.
Even so, Wade was no longer the same as when they'd first met.
With a flick of his wand, he cast a Transfiguration spell.
The dead branches on the ground suddenly writhed to life, twisting and slithering like serpents of their own.
In the next moment, thick vines surged forth, aiming to bind Nagini where she stood.
But Nagini's power was overwhelming—before the vines could fully restrain her, she lashed out with her tail.
Boom!
Wade was flung through the air, crashing hard into the trunk of a massive tree.
If not for the Shield Charm protecting him, Wade wasn't sure he'd have survived that blow.
Even so, his head was still ringing from the impact.
A massive crack had formed across his Shield Charm.
After all, while Wade's magical strength rivaled that of an adult wizard, his body was still that of an eleven-year-old—frail and underdeveloped…
Just as he prepared to Apparate away, a sudden, strange sensation made him pause.
It wasn't danger from Nagini that triggered it, but something else...
Wade quickly rummaged through his pocket and poured out a handful of shattered glass… Oops..?
The vial that had contained the sample of Ancient Magic—it was broken. And the magic inside was gone.
That's when Wade realized what felt off.
Something inside his body had just awakened.
At this very moment, he could clearly sense a strange, potent power stirring deep within him…
It was like being in a game where, underneath his usual mana bar, a second, separate one had suddenly appeared—glowing, full, and unknown.
And that new mana bar—was flashing like crazy!
As if a special move was fully charged and ready to unleash…
Wade immediately realized what was happening: This was Ancient Magic!
Just now, he had accidentally absorbed the Ancient Magic from the vial—And in doing so, he had awakened the dormant force already slumbering within him!
In that instant, Wade felt his entire body surge with power—An intense, overwhelming urge to release it all boiled up inside him!
At the same time, for reasons unknown, Nagini, who had been thrashing wildly against the vines, suddenly slowed down.
Her movements grew sluggish, almost subdued.
Wade narrowed his eyes, locking onto her.
A faint red gleam flickered in his pupils.
Saa!
With a sharp swish of his wand through the air. Nagini's massive serpentine body began to shrink at an alarming speed!
__________
Read ahead: P^treon: Captain69
__________
Every 200 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter
Every 6 Reviews = 1 extra chapter