13 Greed(Rewritten)

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Author Note: I took a few hours to rethink what I had written. Eventually deciding to redo a few parts to fit the story and narrative better. I apologize for the inconvenience, hope you continue reading the fic and enjoy it.

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The people gathered here gawked at me. Seemingly suspended in disbelief.

"Boss... since when did you have a kid?", a man with a sharp scar across his face questioned.

"My affairs are none of your business." Dalton gave an abrupt response, but his words only seemed to rile up the crowd.

I heard a few hushed voices, gossiping.

-Did boss have an affair?.... "Oh wow, he's so young".....Scandalous.

At this moment, all my respect for underworld wizards flushed itself to the drains. Subtle my ass, these guys just loved to gossip. I stared at them with the most hateful gaze I could muster, but seeing my frown, a few of them couldn't help but smirk in amusement.

"That's enough." Dalton barked a few orders. His authority was super effective, all the people clamoring about, tensed up and fled.

He guided me towards the hallway once again, this time initiating a small tour of the whole place.

I had to say, I was impressed. The place was secretive and reserved, nothing was apparent at the first glance, the doors would always shift, changing from one hall to another. If someone had ever managed to sneak in? He would be mesmerized by this maze, possibly lost without any means of escape. Even the entrance we had come from, had somehow turned away from us.

An odd observation, there absolutely no windows in any room whatsoever. It was a measured detail, this whole place was perhaps some sort of underground bunker. I couldn't tell. The insides were decorated similar to a mansion, but no telltale signs of the space ever being used. Possibly a cleaning charm at work. Erasing any presence left behind its residents.

Once Dalton had showed me the inner working of the place, I met a few of his confidants. They were all morose and reticent. Their actions matched Daltons every word. There was absolutely no measure of error within their executions of his orders.

Their eyes also respect for Dalton, and deep within they housed loyalty. I was quite astonished at this discovery. I expected this place to be a bit more... treacherous?

But every person I met, had passed my slight mental probes. The clearly relied on him, and also appreciated his authority.

There weren't any reservations in my mind about his confidants. But I couldn't quite get an idea of their personalities either.

Notably, there were three.

Ivan, a man with sly eyes, and a cunning demeanor. He possessed a gaunt figure, his voice followed a hushed pitch. If not for his own greeting, I possibly would have just looked him over as someone irrelevant. A frightening lack of presence, but I also felt his genius, he controlled the flow of any conversation masterfully, I barely noticed as he had brought my words to a halt.

Nikolai, was a gruff man, his voice felt harsh to my ears. His body almost oversized for his own head. He didn't talk much, I could tell he wasn't much for words. He towered over his accomplices, causing my eyes to be glued on him, but his gaze stifled any words I had. Truly, possessing an overwhelming presence.

Last, but definitely not the least, was Raina. She was the most peculiar of the three. Barely acknowledging my presence with a slight nod. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion at all. In fact, when I tried to look into her, all I saw was my own eyes staring back at me.

While the others were slightly curious about me, her eyes never strayed from Dalton.

Terrifying composure....She looked uninterested in the whole affair, excusing herself promptly after the greetings. I saw her retreat into a room, fairly busy with her work.

After introducing me to his companions, Dalton walked towards a separate room. Opening the door, he walked in and stood behind a table. Gazing at the room, I saw nothing out of the ordinary, just what you would expect a normal office to have. Numerous documents, and a few files scattered throughout the room.

Dalton leaned on the chair, his back facing me.

Glancing towards him, I was now more curious than ever about his past. What had this man gone through to build such a thing from the ground up? It wasn't just some back alley group.

A sophisticated society of wizards, that possessed every tool you would expect them to. Hence, I was curious on their next steps towards this war. They had obviously known, seeing the members busy with work and hustling about. They were preparing for something.

Dalton stood still, his hands caressed a painting on the wall. He could see the frame tilted out of place. He gently nudged the painting to adjust its position, then continued admiring the work.

It wasn't anything I would consider amazing, just a picture of a family, seemingly posed in front of a large fort. I didn't recognize any of the people within the painting.

Dalton's eyes finally turned to me.

"What do you think about the place?" he implored.

"It's amazing", my response was honest, there was nothing more to say.

"When did you start.... all this?" I questioned.

"When I was a young man, Romania was run by a few factions. But I had always felt that our voices were drowned out at every occasion. The leaders were ours, but the decisions they made to govern us, were influenced by greed and incompetence. Once I had strength, I decided to change that. I gathered likeminded people, promising only one thing in return, a voice. A vow that with my strength and their loyalty, their voices would always be heard."

His answer only mesmerized me further, it sounded exactly like a fairytale. I waited with bated breath for him to continue, noticing my restless eyes, he decided to finish his story.

"Once, I had the support of the people, I decided to mask my whereabouts. No one would know where we were. But our impact would be felt across the nation. Eventually, we couldn't be ignored. Our words held weight, and the fools in the ministry couldn't accept that. However, their efforts were futile, which ended only in us replacing the board to be on our payroll."

It was really a badass story, replacing the ministry of a nation? Easier said than done, he had said it casually. But just imagine someone replacing the government entirely.... He clearly downplayed the facts, probably watered down the story to its elements.

We continued to chat about the Blood Moon society, as he called it. I was curious, but I couldn't quite get the answers I was hoping for. Eventually, my curiosity got the best of me

"I am curious, why did you bring me here?", I hadn't quite understood the reason he had agreed to show me all this.

"I saw a familiar desire in your eyes. I felt your lust for power, just as I had in my childhood. I saw a part of my past in you, and I wanted you to avoid the mistakes I had made. Just as you spied on me, I also kept a few tabs on you. Borrowing books from Earl, learning new spells, practicing every day. I knew about all of it. But your actions, filled with haste are futile. I too was once consumed with such a desire. I focused on revenge day and night at a young age, but one day it was taken away from me, someone else had defeated and imprisoned the bastard I wanted to kill." (A/N: Can you guess who it is?)

Kept a few tabs on me? I was indeed shocked to know that all what I had done was under careful observation. But I continued listening on.

"I felt like my whole world had collapsed into itself. Losing my goal was harsh, and then it occurred to me that I had dedicated my whole life towards a simple whim. I wanted nothing more than to enact my revenge. But consumed with my greed, I neglected my life. I neglected what could have been, I do not want you to be swept up by your own greed and haste."

His eyes showed a pained expression, whatever he had said was true.

"You are talented no doubt, but your greed for power will only bring ruin upon yourself. You are at an age where others enjoy their childhood, simply being consumed with haste is not something you should do"

His words made sense, but I too wasn't sure how this story would play out. Gaining power was the fastest way to ensure my survival.

"Its true that I am greedy for power, but I simply do not want to be powerless in the coming war. I don't want to run. I don't want to feel hopeless, that's why I am impatient."

Hearing about the war, I could see a small frown on his face.

"What do you think you can accomplish alone? You are merely a child. Unaware about the real horrors of war. Do you believe you can make a difference? No, there are monsters who could kill you with a thought, smite you out of existence on an impulse. Monsters who have been honing their magic for decades. You have talent, it is true, but don't squander it on a tantrum."

However, I too wasn't sure about future. The reality was, Voldemort's army would strike in many different places. His forces would corrupt the rules and bend the law. There truly was no safe haven. I knew, because the first war was described as a brutal and hellish time for all wizards in the British Isles. Even Russia and Romania would be tainted with the influence of Dark magic.

"So you want me to run away? To just leave? What's the point of all the talent that I have, if I can't even survive this war?" These were my true thoughts. Forced to leave the only home I had gotten was not a pleasant feeling. I had worked day and night to achieve something. But my efforts being recognized as foolish, induced unquenchable anger.

"Do not be shortsighted in your anger. War is not a place for victors. It is a hell that only begets survivors. You have not yet experienced such horror. Instead, bide your time. Your talent will ensure power in the future. You must be patient and work earnestly ." He bellowed.

His words struck a nerve. and my emotions welled out of control.

I clenched my fists tight. I knew what I was doing, might not be successful. But hearing that it was futile, was not easy. Everything around me spiraled into a tempest. My magic condensing into a fierce wind above my head.

Soon, the magic died down, as everything scrambled back into place. I realized that I had lashed out unintentionally.

Dalton's gaze held some surprise, but mostly stayed unwavering.

"I understand your concerns. But you must not let your haste fool you. Bloodfly Alley is on the outskirts of Romania. Sooner or later, this place will be infiltrated by enemies. An unstoppable act. The enemy is still unknown to us, their numbers, their identities are masked. Once the war spreads to this region. Any wizard unable to defend himself will be in mortal danger. ." His words rang out forcibly in my ears.

His gaze conveyed his resolute intentions.

"There is another reason I brought you here today." he said.

Another reason?

"I have decided that you and Sophie will be moving away to a more secure place."

I was taken aback by his words. This meant that Dalton no longer considered this place suitable. The war progressed slowly, I did want to contribute. But his words made sense. I was still weak. No matter what I do right now, I won't be able to dent the outcome. This wasn't a time to be trapped in my own hubris. I needed to be logical, even though every instinct in my mind wanted to stay. That was just not an option.

"Where will I be going?" I could only hope to continue my study there.

"A fortress in the mountains. You will be moving to Brasov. It will safeguard your life and keep out any chance of attacks. As long as the war is contained within the outskirts, the mainland will not be affected." His voice commanding me to accept this outcome.

Practically a safehouse.....

"Fine, but I have one request.", If I really wished to be stronger. The current methods wouldn't suffice at all. I needed to do something better. I needed a teacher. Who better than Dalton?

"Teach me magic. I wish to be strong in the future. Please."

"What do you wish to learn, I told you, we cannot influence the outcome of the war right no-"

I cut him off mid sentence, because this was really something I had to fight for.

"You said I had potential, but I don't know how to get stronger. I need a teacher, the more time I spent fleeing from the war, the more time I have wasted in my training. I admit that I am greedy for power, but don't you know how to control it? Teach me, and I will learn from your mistakes."

It was a wishful proposal, I hoped he would accept. Having him as a teacher would skyrocket my progress. Of course, I didn't expect him to agree.

"If it puts you at ease, I will agree to teach you. Do not expect me to spoon-feed you. You must learn and observe with your own eyes. I will have other matters to attend to, so you will have to rely on yourself for the most part." He heaved an annoying sigh..... his hands massaging his forehead.