The End Nears
A/N: Pat-reon: HelloDarkness07
ooOoo
28th February, 1945:
I sit still, staring at a picture in front of me. The picture was one we had taken of the entire Howling Commandos.
I was at the centre, to denote my position as the team leader, with Steve to my left, and Tim to my right. Bucky, Dugan, and Jones came to Steve's left, in that order, while Falsworth, Jacques and Morita came on Tim's Right.
This was one of the many pictures that we have of the Howling Commandos, but it was the one I was currently staring at, because this.. this is the one picture where Tim's smile is the most radiant.
It has been an hour or so since I returned to London, from Norway, and I have been holed up in my room for the entire time, not saying anything.
And what am I even supposed to say? That Wizards ambushed us, killed Tim? That a Pseudo-immortal Scientist from Victorian era Britain tried to kidnap me for his experiments? That a Ninja tried to kill me, with the very Weapon that I was supposed to protect from getting into the bad hands? That I almost failed?
"Captain?" A voice says, bringing me out of my morose thoughts, making me look up at the open door.
Gods, I'm getting sloppy already. I didn't even notice the door open, or hear the man walk in.
The Corporal at the door salutes me once, and says, "I apologise, Sir. But you're being called for a briefing in the Colonel's office."
Sighing, I place the picture back in my pockets, and follow after the Corporal towards Colonel Phillips's office. Walking in, I distractedly nod at Agent Peggy Carter, and Special Agent Watson of the MIS.
Huh, wonder why he's here, last I knew the MIS believed me to be their own Agent.
"Captain, you already know Agent Watson, or so I've heard." The Colonel says, as we sit down to begin with the briefing.
Nodding, I say, "We met at the Buckingham Palace. How do you do, Agent?"
Agent Watson smiles and says, "I'm good, thank you. I wish this meeting was held under better circumstances, but alas, it's not. We need to ask you a few questions."
"What happened out there?" Agent Watson asks, already beginning with the hard questions as soon as I nod at him to continue.
I sigh, once again, my mind flashing back to the initial infiltration, the explosion, and then.. chaos.
"It was a trap, it was always a trap." I whisper, not looking at any of them. I turn towards the Colonel, my eyes red from all the anger and tears, trembling, and say, "They had laid the trap specifically for me, or for Steve, whichever one of us was sent to Norway."
As I pause, taking a few breaths to control my breathing, the Colonel softly asks, "What do you mean, son?"
Closing my eyes, I say, "There was no Divine Weapon, no. They were digging into the Earth, to make it convincing. The General who was incharge of it, someone named Nosferatu, wanted to experiment on us, to create more people of Steve's strength, or my physical conditioning."
"I've heard about this Nosferatu character, yes. He's a sadistic Nazi who experiments on Children, women, and old people alike." Agent Watson whispers, looking horrified.
Nodding, I continue, "We went there well enough, Tim stayed away to grant me cover fire, and I went in. As soon as I was near the Hole they were digging, however, someone blew it up. I was thrown away, miraculously safe, and Tim, he lost his balance, and fell. The explosion killed or knocked out the majority of the Nazis, but there were some people still alive. We fought, and one of them killed Tim while trying to hold him hostage. After that, I killed all of the remaining ones, and hid away with Tim's body, so Stark could extract us."
The three people in front of me keep staring at me, until finally Agent Watson says, "Well, the story checks out, according to our recon. Agent Carter, would you mind leaving the room for a moment?"
As Peggy leaves the room, after giving me sympathetic glances, Agent Watson asks, "Now, what is it that actually happened? Our reports say that there were signs of a Magical battle in Asgardstrand. How did Flight Sargeant Roth actually die?"
I frown at Watson, and say, "What happened is what I just said. We were ambushed, Tim lost his life, and I had to fight just so I can get Tim's body home. Does it truly matter that the people who attacked us, the people that killed Tim, were Grindelwald's men, Wizards who wanted to capture me?"
The Colonel sighs, and says, "You know he didn't mean anything by that, Aves. We need to know such things for future preparations. Please.. tell us what happened.. off the books."
Ignoring Warson, I look at the Colonel, just stare at him for a minute, and say, "Grindelwald sent some of his soldiers to capture me, luring me with an infiltration mission to extract a Divine Weapon. 7 of his Wizards ambushed us, one of them died at the hands of this Nosferatu character, one captured Tim, and the rest of them battled me. I.. I tried, I really tried to save Tim.. but I was too slow.. I'm a Medic, and I was too slow in saving my own friend's life. In the end, all of them died, and I took Tim away, hiding from the remaining Nazis, so I can bring him home. That's it. There truly was no Divine Weapon, no Weapon that could turn anyone into a God, nothing of the sort. Grindelwald fabricated all of it with the help of Hitler, so he can have me killed, or captured. Now, can I leave? There are a few things I need to do."
I wasn't going to tell them about the Dark Sword, or the fact that I had it. Better everyone believes it was a complete trap, and leave thoughts of the Divine Weapon of Gods alone.
The Colonel looks at me, sympathising with me. And he should, he's also had to face such helplessness in his life, he's also seen many of his friends die in Wars.
Sighing, Colonel Phillips says, "You may leave. I'll have some men prepare Flight Sargeant Roth for transportation. I'm assuming you're going to personally take him home?"
I nod, not saying anything. It's the least I can do, he did die because of me..
Shaking my head, I walk out, belatedly realising that the Colonel had actually dismissed me, but I just hadn't heard it. Time to take Timothy Roth to his home.
ooOoo
In a small neighborhood in London, called Greater Whinging in a house looking very similar to all the other houses here, I sit still, sipping the tea I was given.
In front of me, were the parents and wife of Timothy Roth, along with his 7 year old daughter. Jacob and Ellie Roth had adopted Tim when he was just shy of 14, and raised him the rest of his adult years. He hadn't forgotten their kindness, and was still living with them, taking care of all their needs.
He married his wife, Olive, when they were both 21, and had their daughter, Holly within the year. But then, two years later, War broke out, and he had to leave, having been called to arms.
"Timmy always spoke highly of you, in his letters. Said you're a good leader, that you would never lead anyone astray." Tim's mother, Elaine says, as she sips her own tea with trembling hands.
Sighing, I mumble, "I used to think that too. I guess we were both wrong."
Tim's father, Jocob scoffs, and says, "If you keep that attitude, then sure, you're wrong. My Tim believed in you, believed in the fact that you would help them all win this War. He might not get to see the end, but are you really going to just give all hopes up just because you failed to save our son? Are you really going to spit on all his hopes that he laid on you?"
"Jacob!" "Father!" Elaine and Olive whisper, both at the same time.
Staring at Jacob, I say, "No.. I'm not giving up. I do want to, hell, everything in me is telling me to just say, 'to hell with the War' and go hide away somewhere, away from all this Death, but I can't.. if I do that, then Tim's Death will be for nothing. It'll be as if I turned my back on Tim, and I.. I want to see this through to the end, to make sure his soul gets the peace it deserves."
For a few seconds, no one says anything, but Jacob nods ar me in approval. I know, he has some anger against me, because I was the one who led Tim to his death. Doesn't matter that it was a Mission gone wrong, I know he blames me somewhat, and I understand. But, he also understands that it's a War. Death, mostly that of your loved ones, is something far too common in this period.
"The last time.. we got just a letter, saying that Tim got captured by the Nazis, and was presumed dead. We believed that, believed that we had lost him. We mourned him, just like we're doing now. Then, we heard that he's alive, and that you rescued him from his Prisons. It wasn't until he himself came to visit us that we believed it." Olive says, hugging her daughter close. She then looks up at me, and says, "Thank you for bringing him to us, thank you for not leaving us with our hopes up of him returning to us once again."
I nod, understanding her feelings completely. My eye catches the small smile on her daughter, Holly, and I can't help by smile myself. I whisper, "She has his smile."
"Sorry?" Olive asks, as she lifts Holly up into her lap.
Smiling in reassurance, I say, "I remember one evening, at the Orphanage, Tim and his friends were playing cricket, and I was reading some book or the other. I remember his smile then, when he was enjoying the game, right before he hit the ball at my head." Chuckling, I add, "He was a twat then, but he was also very young." I turn towards his parents, and say, "Thank you for giving Tim the life he learned to treasure. Thank you for turning him into the Man, the Soldier that I knew, and respected."
Standing up, I look at them all, and say, "I think I should leave now. If any of you needs anything, feel free to send me a post, and I'll be there immediately."
And then, after a short bout of goodbyes, I walk towards the Jeep I had been given, and seat in the front passenger seat. Nodding at the Officer who was responsible for driving the Jeep, I say, "Drop me off at my house, why don't you? Tell the Colonel I'll be back at HQ by tomorrow evening."
"Sir, I don't think.." the officer starts, but one of the four officers sitting in the back of the jeep just pats him on the shoulder, to shut him up.
Good men, these guys. God knows they've seen a fair share of tearful goodbyes, and dead bodies themselves.
As we start driving towards Islington, I spend the time looking out the window, and smile, seeing a few wall graffiti arts of Tim, James Falsworth and I, being heralded as the British Heroes. Then, I snort, seeing another 'Chad Was here' art on one building. 'Wot? No petrol?' it said.
Hah, no matter the era, memes are memes.
Tim might by gone, but the War is far from over. And I have already been to lax in my preparations. Thanks to my worries that I was being too paranoid, I've actually stopped being Paranoid enough, and now, Tim paid the price for it.
But not anymore.
Which is why I'm going home, to the Chamber Forge, for God knows how long, to prepare for these upcoming battles. First Hydra, and then Grindelwald. This is surely going to be an uphill battle, with the dangers getting more and more deadly.
Better be completely prepared for anything I might encounter, than to be caught off-guard again. God knows I've already caused the Death of one friend because of my carelessness, I don't want to lose any more. But first, I have one more short stop to make.
ooOoo
Seeing Sister Agnes.. like this, was very depressing. She is bedridden, thanks to being almost 80 now, and has a newer caretaker, Sister Mandy constantly with her, to take care of her.
Smiling sadly, I look at her, wondering if this is another close person I'm going to lose soon enough? Should I try to extend her life.. no, that would be selfish. Sister Agnes has already done so much for me, I'm not going to make her prolong her suffering just because I didn't want to lose another loved one again.
She helped raise my mom, she took care of her throughout her childhood, and she did the same with me. She deserves to pass on peacefully.
"Why.. are you.. here.. Mason? Shouldn't you… be.. at War?" Sister Agnes asks, taking breaths in between her words, and immediately starts coughing.
Handing her a glass of water, I say, "I just missed you, Sister. That's all. Constantly fighting, and not getting to see you? I'd gotten bored."
Seeing the smile on Sister Agnes's face reaffirms my decision of not telling her about Tim. She has good memory, I know she does, and she definitely still remembers Timmy as the one who hit my head with a cricket ball. But, he was also a child of hers, she cares for him just as much as she did for me. I'm humble enough to admit that I'm not special, for her.
And I'm not going to make her last days more sad by telling her about his death. I'll let her live in peace.
ooOoo
Indeterminate Time: Forge, Chamber of Secrets:
Waving my hand, I pull the slab of almost melted iron out of the furnace, using this opportunity to practice my new Telekinesis that I had obtained from Essex's mind, and place it on the table.
Waving my finger over the melted metal, I raise it gently above the surface, so that it creates a Rune, the Rune for Blood. Sighing, once the first Rune rises perfectly, I move on to the next, and the next, until there's a perfect circle of just 6 inches diameter, filled with over 17 Runes, all of them designed to do one thing.
The circular runic scheme, at the end of my carving, is something that is meant to actually be tattooed over someone's heart, on their skin. This Runic scheme is meant to protect a Wizard's blood from being used without his express permission.
However, thanks to my Healing Mutation, tattoos won't stick on my skin. And I'm not going to try and find a Magical Tattoo artist, who can actually make it stick on my skin, and not ask why I need such a tattoo. So, I'm improvising.
Outside the circular Runic scheme, I place a few more symbols, these ones in Sanskrit, with just a single character being repeated 4 times in the North, East, South, and West of the Runic circle. Om.
The Om is supposed to denote stability here, with the energies of the Universe itself helping to keep the Circle intact, even through the Healing mutation that I have. Of course, I've carved all the symbols backwards, other wise all my efforts will be useless.
Placing the branding stamp, once the Symbols have been perfectly written up, back into the Furnace, I turn towards a bottle of Squid ink.
Taking a Goblin Silver dagger out, which I had just enchanted to inhibit Healing factors like mine, two hours ago, I cut into my palm, and bleed into the bottle of ink, until the ratio of Ink to blood is 3:1.
Turning to the now red hot Branding stamp, I pull it out of the furnace, using Telekinesis, and hold it above my heart, as I lay down on a bed. Another wave of my hand, and a leather belt, made from the hide of the Basilisk of Salazar Slytherin himself places itself in my mouth, between my teeth.
Clenching my teeth tightly on it, my highly sharp teeth not even making a single incision, I start slowly pouring the ink and blood mixture on my heart, and immediately slam the hot brand on my chest.
"Hhnggghmmmmm!" I yell, the pain of the high temperature brand carving itself into my chest, taking the ink with it, causing me to thrash around.
The Basilisk leather is the only thing that's stopping me from actually yelling out loud. I still focus on keeping the ink pouring, and the brand on my chest.
5 minutes later, I stare in the mirror I conjured for myself, looking at the brand new tattoo I have on my chest, which will never disappear. And this is just one of the brands I'm going to have to face today.
The second Brand, that should protect me from being Scryed on from this moment on, sits comfortably in the furnace, still not hot enough. It won't work against the Time Stone, but whatever Precognition powers Grindelwald has, it should work against it perfectly. Or so I hope, since I can only believe the journals of past Wizards, and my own talents so much.
Touching the brand on my heart, I wince, feeling the Om flare up with the Universal Magic, the Circle still not stable enough. I still need to wait an hour or two, before branding the second tattoo into my skin, permanently.
Until then, let's try to see if we can Cleanse the Dark Sword, shall we?
Raising my hand up, I focus on the Wooden box, and snap my fingers, immediately teleporting it next to my feet. Thank you, Blinky, for teaching this to me. Can't believe I didn't try this yesterday.
Opening the box, I raise the Dark Sword out of it, using Telekinesis, and don't touch the sword, at all. With the Sword floating in front of me, I hold my palms together, and breathe in. Breathing out, I start curling my fingers inwards, and then slowly open my hands the fingers still curved, so that my wrists touch each other.
Spinning my hands around my wrists with a snap, I separate them, and smile, seeing two Purple Mandalas raised above my palms. I place both the Mandalas on the Sword, my hand not directly touching it, and keep whispering to myself, "Cleanse the Sword, cleanse the spirit."
Repeatedly.
I doubt it'll be this easy, but this is a start. If it was easy, then the Sorcerer Supreme who defeated the last wielder would have already done it. But, it's not like I have anything better to do. I have the knowledge of thousand years of Sorcerers, Wizards and Witches. I'm sure I'll find something there.
ooOoo
The Stone of Death, the Resurrection Stone. One of the Three Deathly Hallows, that belonged to Cadmus Peverell. I've had this stone in my possession for a few years now, and this.. is the first time I'm actually going to be using it.
Usually, my morals are pretty flexible, when it comes to gaining knowledge. But, disturbing the peace of the Dead, using what might be a Necromantic artefact? Yeah, I was really reluctant to use it. But, it seems I had need of it sooner than I'd thought.
"Sorcerer Supreme Yao." I whisper, turning the ring that contained the Stone of Death in the palm of my hand three times.
Almost immediately, a ghost of a figure floats out of the Ring, as if the Ring was smoking, and forms into the figure of a man. The ghost was of Chinese ancestry, had a moustache to prove it, and had an amazing beard.
He had a red Sorcerer's robe on, one of a far older fashion than the one I've seen the current Sorcerer Supreme wear, and had a top hat of the same colour, with golden trimmings.
As soon as he appears, his eyes moves towards my enclosed fist, as he frowns, and says, "The Stone of Death. Never thought I would be recalled to life by it."
Standing up, I bow a little, and say, "Greetings, Sorcerer Supreme Yao, I apologise for calling you back to the Mortal World like this. I wouldn't have done so if I could have avoided it."
Yao turns his head towards me, and asks, "Then speak, boy. What is it that you want from me?"
"I need your help in cleansing an artefact. I believe you have encountered this artefact before." I say, and with the wave of my hand, I summon the Dark Sword towards me, and float it in between us.
Immediately, Sorcerer Yao scowls at seeing it, and says, "You should have kept it where you found it, boy."
Nodding, I say, "I really should have, but I wasn't the one to find it. A few Wizards, a muggle, and the members of the Hand did. I was there on a mission of my own, and managed to steal it from them. I've seen first hand the effects of wielding this sword, and I didn't want to leave it in anyone's hands, not even my own. And I can't just drop it back into another hole, someone is bound to find it, which is why I need your help."
The Sorcerer Supreme waves his hand, surprising me, and Telekinetically pulls the Sword towards himself. Ignoring my shock, at him using his Magic spells even when dead, he says, "I had managed to lock the Spirit away, all those years ago. But, it seems being wielded again has broken those locks. What methods have you already tried?"
Blinking my shock away, I say, "I tried the Purple Rings of Cleansing, one of Lady Saraswati's spells, a few spells that should have Banished any Spirit into one of the Realms of Death, and even a few spells that turn back time until the Sword wasn't even connected to the Dark Elf. I even tried Basilisk Venom, but nothing happened. The other methods all worked, for a minute or two, and then the Spirit returned. Always."
I might not be in a hurry, thanks to my Time Watch, but still, I'd rather like to get this over with sooner than later.
I've literally scoured books in the Room of Knowledge, and the Slytherin Vault, to see if I can find anything to cleanse the Sword. Some methods didn't work at all, while those that did, always failed, returning the Sword to it's Possessed state once again.
Yao hums, and conjures a purple Mystic circle around his right hand, similar to the spell I myself used to try and cleanse it, sans the Symbols, and starts moving it over the sword. It had no symbols, as far as i could see, but I could also feel that it was an actual spell, meant to scan the sword.
Huh, maybe after a while you stop showing Runes for anyone to decipher? Certainly seems like it. I'll have to start trying to make the Runes disappear too.
After a short while, he says, "If Cleansing this Sword was easy, I would have done it after defeating Arankit's spirit myself. I know of a method that should do it, completely, but I'm going to need a few things, some of which are impossible to find."
Getting up, I summon a parchment and quill, and look at him expectantly. As he stares at me, I say, "What does it hurt to try? The things might have been impossible to find during your era, but nothing says they have to be impossible to find now."
Yao sighs, and mumbles, "Youth, always so optimistic." He shakes his head, and says, "Write everything down, and get the ingredients perfectly. Saliva of a Werewolf who hasn't yet transformed even once. Blood of a Chi Dragon, that needs to be alive. Piece of wood from a Wizard's staff, that is at least 500 years old. Ashes from a Phoenix's first burning, and the same Phoenix's first tears. Leaves of a Mango tree, taken right after first Light hits it. Goblin's Silver that hasn't been used in any weapon yet, seven ounces of it. Three complete horns of a Unicorn. Water from a lake that has never seen the light of day…."
On and on the list went, until the number of ingredients was in the dozens, some easy to find, some difficult but not impossible, while some outright impossible. I mean, where would I even find a Chi Dragon? They don't even show themselves to Wizards, or even Sorcerers!
Damn, this is going to be tougher than I thought, isn't it?
ooOoo
Entering the Room of Knowledge, I say, "Dragons." And wait for the room to change. As soon as it does, I activate the Time Slower, and get to work.
Let's see, Dragons. There are three main types of dragons, classification depending upon the Energy they feed on and use, and where they were born.
The first type are obviously the Magical Dragons. These are the Species of Dragons which the Wizarding World has the most access to, and the most knowledge about. Hebridean Black, the Dragon who's heartstring makes up my Wand core, Norwegian Ridgeback, Chinese Fireball, etc are all from this Category of Dragons.
They are born on Earth itself, mostly in Volcanos or places of great heat, and for thousands of years, they have fed on Magic, and other magical animals. They also use purely magic to create their flames, and to toughen their hide. These types of dragons only show themselves to Wizards, preferring to avoid contact with Sorcerers, muggles, and Chi Masters alike.
Next category is the Chi Dragons. They're found almost exclusively in the micro-dimension of K'un-Lun, where Chi is the most dominant Energy around. They feed on Chi, and use it in their flames. These Dragons avoid contact with Wizards, Sorcerers, and Muggles, choosing to only interact with Chi Masters.
And finally, come the biggest, baddest Dragons humans have ever encountered. Outer Dimensional Dragons. These Dragons don't come from our Earth, they're born somewhere else, fed on the highly dense Dimensional energy.
Where the Chi and Magic dragons grow up to be at most 100 feet long, for the biggest species, the Dimensional Dragons can grow up to thousands of feet long, depending on their age, and their raising. These Dragons also have the most durable hide, with their hide able to stop even a few Killing Curses at the same time.
These Dragons are similar to Magical Dragons, in the way that they use Magic. But, their Magic use is far more dangerous, thanks to whatever Dimensions they are born in.
Sorcerers, Wizards, Chi Masters, muggles, each and every one of them has encountered a Dimensional Dragon at one time or the other.
What I needed, however, was when the last Chi Dragon was seen in the open, or where I can find one.
"Chi Dragon." I say, making the Room of Knowledge change once more, this time into a library containing books all relating to Chi Dragons.
ooOoo
"Easy, easy. Don't pour the blood all at once." Master Yao says, floating behind me as I stand over a cauldron full of a bubbling Potion.
Clicking my tongue, I say, "I know what I'm doing, Master Yao. This isn't my first Ritual."
Slowly, keeping the stream of a constant thickness, I let the blood of the Chi Dragon fall into the Cauldron, while using my Telekinesis to spin the potion three times counterclockwise, followed by a single clockwise turn.
The Cauldron was kept inside a Ritual circle, the symbols too many to count. While I was away, looking for the ingredients Master Yao had ordered me to find, traversing through time to find them all, he was busy with drawing the Ritual Circle.
Some of the ingredients, three of them dark, three light, and three neutral, were kept in the Circle itself, while most of the other items were used in the Potion I was brewing.
"I have to wonder, how did you convince the immortal Dragon to donate his blood?" Master Yao asks, as I add the saliva of the werewolf who has yet to transform into his wolf form into the Potion.
I say, "I had to promise the bastard a tooth made of Goblin's Silver, to replace the one an Iron Fist broke during their fight."
I didn't have to travel into the past, but I did have to visit K'un-Lun. Sneaking past the current Iron Fist wasn't easy, since he has a pretty good control over his chi, but well, I have more than a few methods of sneaking past anyone and the Ninja's memories just helped me out.
Shaking my head, I focus back on the Potion, still pouring the blood, along with adding a few more ingredients in between, and stirring the Potion according to Master Yao's instructions.
Finally, 7 hours after beginning, the Potion is done, and I walk away from it.
"Now, to begin the Ritual. Hold the Sword above the Potion, while standing on that Swastika Symbol." Master Yao says, floating the Dark Sword over to me.
Frowning, I say, "Yeah, about that. I can't take the major part in any ritual for 3 more years. I can create the Potion, but you're gonna have to do the Ritual yourself."
Master Yao scowls, and says, "I'm dead, boy. I can't take part in the Ritual either, you need blood and Magic to carry this ritual forward."
Well, if it can't be me, and it can't be Master Yao..
"Does it have to be a human?" I ask, turning to look at Master Yao's spirit.
We've only known each other for a day or two, but I'm already starting to like the dude. He's straightforward, doesn't play around, and isn't at all cryptic. He tells you things as they are.
"Nothing says it has to be human, no. Blood, Magic, Life is the eligibility for this Ritual. Who are you thinking of calling?" Master Yao asks, after a moment of thinking.
Smiling, I say, "Blinky?"
"Mason Sir called?" Blinky says, apparating right in front of me.
Widening my smile, I ask, "Will this be alright? She has blood, Magic, and Life. She's also my personal Elf, and friend, which means she already has a stake in this Ritual."
Master Yao looks at Blinky, her suit, and then at me. Then he once again glances at Blinky, and floats the sword over to her.
"Don't touch it, please." I say, seeing Blinky hold her hands out.
Blinky snaps her hands to her side, and stares at the Sword warily, as I say, "Now, I need your help.. again. We need you to take part in a Ritual on my behalf."
"I'll do it." Blinky says, before I even tell her what the Ritual is.
For fuck's sake, Blinky, at least ask what the Ritual is.
Sighing, I say, "Blinky, this could be dangerous, but you don't have to worry. I'll be there to protect you if something goes wrong. Just.. listen to each instruction carefully, and then do it. Okay?"
Blinky nods, to which I say, "Good. Master Yao, you may take over now."
Master Yao looks at Blinky, not completely believing she'll be able to so it, and says, "Float the Sword above the Potion Cauldron, but don't drop it."
Blinky does so, as the ghost Master Yao and I walk(or float) out of the Ritual circle.
Master Yao then starts chanting, "Honorable Vishanti, hear my plea. Cleanse the Sword of the Malicious Spirit living within, and banish it into the Nether realms!"
A white glow surrounds his hands, and Master Yao points his fists at Blinky. The white Mystic bolts travel towards Blinky, and covers her completely, while a single tendril moves towards the Sword and covers it too.
Sensing danger to itself, the sword starts glowing a dark grey colour, as I hear thunder rumbling outside the Hogwarts grounds. A grey wisp of clouds exits out of the sword's handle, where a dark red gemstone sat, and forms into a giant head.
The head was of an Elf, with dark grey skin, red eyes, and pointed ears. He had on his forehead, the same gemstone that now sat within the sword.
"SORCERER!" the Elf howls, as soon as he catches sight of Master Yao. He then notices Blinky, with her hands raised towards the sword, holding it up by her magic, glowing with the white Magic of Master Yao.
"Arankit, the Dark Elf! You have over stayed your welcome into the Mortal Realm! Begone!" Master Yao yells, firing another blast of White Magic at the sword.
The Dark Elf winces, but he does not dissipate. He instead keeps staring at Blinky, and I see his gemstone start shining brighter.
I immediately raise my hand, Conjuring a Telekinetic shield around Blinky, the Potion Cauldron, and the Ritual Circle, just in time for a dark red Lightning bolt to slam into it. The Lightning veers off towards the walls, and I raise my other hand too, to conjure a lightning rod to absorb the Lightning.
Master Yao ignores him, and yells at Blinky, "Cut your finger, and draw a small circle on the Cauldron, with your own blood. And as soon as the circle is drawn, throw the damn Sword in."
Blinky does so without question, while I protect her from the Lighting bolts fired by Arankit the Accursed, and Master Yao keeps the White Magic connected to Blinky as well as the Sword.
As soon as Blinky waves her hand at the sword, sharply sending it crashing into the Cauldron, the giant Head of Arankit follows after it, screaming in pain. Master Yao's hands stop glowing with the White Magic, and so does Blinky.
For a second, there's only silence, and then.. BOOM!
The Cauldron explodes, sending Blinky flying towards me, and leaving the now inert Sword floating in the empty air.
Catching Blinky, I start feeding her a few energising potions, while casting healing charms, ignoring the Sword for now. It is only when Blinky opens her eyes, that I breathe out, relieved.
"Thank you, Blinky. And I'm really sorry you had to go through with this." I whisper, feeling regretful of still behaving like a Wizard Master.
Blinky smiles up at me, and says, "You're my friend, Mason Sir. I will always help you."
I smile at her, wondering how she turned out to be so kind even after everything she's been through.
Turning towards Master Yao, I see him near the Dark Sword, which is still floating, waving his hands over it. For a minute or two, I just sit there, healing Blinky, thanking her again and again in my mind.
Hearing him sigh, I ask, "What?"
Master Yao floats the sword towards me, and says, "The Sword has been cleansed, completely. The Dark Elf's Spirit has left for the Realm of Souls. Unfortunately, this has taken most of the Sword's gifts away from it. Arankit's magic is what had allowed the Sword to turn anyone stronger, summon lightning, and absorb magic spells. Now, the sword is just a highly durable sword made of Dark Uru, that can cut into almost anything."
Ah, so it is Uru. I'm guessing the sword wasn't forged by the Dwarves.
Shaking my head, I say, "I don't care. I wasn't going to use the Sword anyway. I'm going to reforge it, so that those who come looking for it don't recognise it."
"Oh? You plan on reforging Uru? Unfortunately, my time here has come to an end, so I won't get to see you fail." Master Yao says, as he comes to stand near me.
Thank you for the vote of confidence, Master Yao.
Sighing, I look up at him, thankful for his help, and say, "I really appreciate you helping me, despite it not being your responsibility, Master Yao. Truly, thank you."
Master Yao snorts, and says, "It was partly my responsibility, I should have cleansed the Sword completely when I first defeated my foolish student. What are you going to do now?"
Holding the Dark Long sword in my left hand, I summon the Light Sword to my right, and say, "Now, I'm going to embrace myself. The people out there call me the Knight of Britain, Captain Avalon. It's time I actually become that."
But first, I'm going to reforge both these swords into something suitable for my own use. Something.. impressive.
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A/N: Thank you for your support! Tata!