13 CHAPTER 13

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CHAPTER 13

Mr. Cipriano's demeanor took a sudden, serious turn, and a hint of concern etched across his face. He uttered with a sense of urgency, "Something is wrong."

He moved towards the unicorn colt with a careful yet hastened pace, his senses on high alert. Elizabeth, perceptive to the shift in atmosphere, followed closely behind. Elizabeth pulled her wand and drew Elmi closer to herself, ready to defend.

As they drew nearer, their hearts sank at the sight before them. The young unicorn colt was desperately nudging its parents. Both adult unicorns were lying in the tall grass. Their magnificent forms sapped of their vitality, they were immobilized, unable to stand or respond to their child's pleas for attention and comfort.

The source of their suffering became apparent when they noticed the ominous apparatus attached to the unicorn couple. A complex contraption with a pump was connected to their bodies, siphoning their silvery blood from them. It was a grievous situation, and it weighed heavily on Mr. Cipriano, Elizabeth, and Elmi. Mr. Cipriano, in shock, couldn't believe what he was seeing,

"But, how? How did they enter here?"

Right at that moment, Samuel demonstrated his skill by flicking his wand and successfully deflecting a spell that had been directed at him. Elizabeth and Samuel swiftly joined forces to defend against the relentless onslaught of attacks. Bolts of magic in various colors rained down upon them, creating a dazzling and chaotic display of power.

As the formidable attackers, three men and one woman continued to display their powerful magical abilities, Elmi realized that he lacked the knowledge of attack or defense spells with a wand; the only thing he knew was to use a levitation charm. As a seven-year-old, he was too weak to use wand spells. He knew that time was of the essence, and the lives of those he cared about were at stake. There was no room for hesitation.

In the midst of the chaotic magical battle, the attackers' distinctive animal masks—monkey, wolf, fox, and bird—added an eerie and enigmatic element to the conflict. The one wearing the monkey mask appeared to be the most experienced, as he had managed to engage Mr. Samuel Cipriano, an experienced auror, leaving Elizabeth to fend off the remaining three adversaries. She was rapidly being pushed back, and it seemed unlikely she could hold out much longer.

Elmi's fear and terror were palpable, but he knew that he couldn't let his apprehension paralyze him. With his mother's life hanging in the balance, he couldn't afford to stand idly by. He slapped himself, a wake-up call to focus on the urgent task at hand. This was his first real combat, and a deadly one at that. Summoning every ounce of courage within him, he started to pull the winds of magic around him, then raised his wand and acted like he was using that to cast his spell:

"Toxicus Nebula."

The incantation hung in the air, and a small, swirling cloud of toxicity manifested in response to Elmi's command. The mysterious cloud rained down a faint, non-lethal toxin upon two of the attackers. As the toxin touched them, it had a dual effect. Firstly, it began to mildly corrode the surface of their belongings, making their objects appear weathered and aged. Secondly, it induced mild drowsiness in the two adversaries, causing them to stagger and lose their focus.

Elizabeth, seizing the opportunity created by Elmi's spell, managed to strike one of the attackers with a powerful Repelling Spell. The force of the spell sent the man with the fox mask hurtling toward a nearby tree with a resounding crash. You could hear the unpleasant sounds of breaking bones.

As the man with the bird mask shifted his attention to Elmi and prepared to launch an attack, Elmi's mother valiantly stepped in to block the incoming spell, shielding her son from harm. However, her selfless act provided an opening for the woman wearing the wolf mask.

The woman's wand began to glow with a foreboding pale blue light, signaling the impending danger. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Elmi acted swiftly and cast a spell he was familiar with:

"Wingardium Leviosa."

With the incantation, he aimed to levitate an object, and in this case, his focus was on the woman's wand. The wand rose a tiny bit into the air, pulled by Elmi's magic. Her spell missed his mother's head by a few centimeters. Elmi directed another spell while maintaining his hold on the woman's wand through the "Wingardium Leviosa" incantation.

"Tempestus Spectralis."

Three wailing spectral skulls accompanied by strong winds manifested swiftly and moved across the ground. They crashed into the woman, causing her to scream in pain. Although she staggered, it was not enough to knock her down. She managed to summon the strength to break his hold on her wand, freeing it from the levitating charm and cast a spell directed toward Elmi.

"Noxus Guardium"

The incantation brought forth shadows that enveloped Elmi's body, forming a protective barrier. Recognizing the potency of an adult's spell, Elmi knew he couldn't afford to underestimate it. He attempted to leap out of the spell's path with all the agility he could muster, but his reaction was not fast enough.

The red bolt of magic struck the shadowy shield that had formed around Elmi, and for a moment, the shield succeeded in deflecting it entirely. However, the spell caused pain as it made contact with the shield. The shadowy shield shattered under the force of the impact.

The pain surged through him, but Elmi's determination remained unbroken. As he was falling to the ground, he cast,

"Invisibilis Fumus"

The spell granted him temporary invisibility for a short duration. He got up and started running, but because of the grasses around them, she was able to see his general direction. Her wand sent a spell that created a Concussive Blast.

"Protegus Repellus"

As Elmi cast a spell just in time to defend himself, the powerful blast from the adversary's wand threw him to the ground. The protective shield he had summoned shattered under the force of the spell. Pain coursed through his body as he lay on the ground, his heart racing with adrenaline and fear. The ordeal had ended his invisibility, leaving him vulnerable and exposed.

In his dire situation, Elmi's vision was filled with the menacing smile of the woman wearing the wolf mask. Her wand ignited with flames, and she spoke the incantation, "Incendio." It was a life-threatening moment, and it seemed like there was little hope of escape.

As the flames charged toward Elmi, Elizabeth, with remarkable bravery, leaped in front of her son, conjuring a "Protego" shield spell to protect him. While Elmi had engaged the woman with the wolf mask, Elizabeth seized the opportunity to eliminate the other male attacker, coming to her son's aid.

However, the force of the spell had a powerful recoil, pushing Elizabeth back. In this critical moment, Elmi had to think swiftly. With a whispered incantation, he cast:

"Malediccio Bladae."

Elmi's quick thinking and clever use of the "Malediccio Bladae" spell on a seemingly harmless stone became a turning point in the battle. He threw the stone toward the woman with the wolf mask, and although she didn't have time to dodge it, she didn't see being hit by a small pebble as a threat. The stone struck her leg, and the mild shock it delivered was like being stung by a swarm of bees. Her leg went numb, and she winced in agony, causing a momentary distraction.

Taking advantage of the opening created by Elmi's spell, Elizabeth launched an attack. The woman had already recovered from the pain and managed to put up a defense. However, Elmi, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion, cast another spell:

"Ossum Fragilis."

The curse took effect, causing the woman to sprain her ankle as she attempted to dodge his mother's attack. This sprain left her vulnerable, and Elizabeth seized the opportunity to bring the confrontation to a close.

With their combined efforts, mother and son managed to defeat the remaining adversary. His mother had hit her with a Diffindo charm, and her blood was everywhere. After a few more seconds, Samuel managed to kill the man with a monkey mask.

Elmi felt some wetness on his hands, and when he looked, he saw his hands were crimson with blood. He began to tremble as the full weight of what had transpired settled upon him. Panic and heavy breathing consumed him as he grappled with the reality of what he and his mother had been forced to do. He felt relieved that they were the ones who died, but at the same time, he felt guilty for killing them. His gaze fell upon the dismembered adversary before him, a gruesome sight that threatened to overwhelm him.

Elizabeth, recognizing her son's distress, embraced him and attempted to shield his eyes from the horrifying scene, sparing him further trauma. While caressing his head, she whispered soothing words to him, trying to offer comfort in this dire moment.

"My brave boy, my good boy," she murmured, her voice a soothing lullaby, "you protected your mother. Now, everything is okay. Don't worry. Just sleep."

In an effort to calm Elmi and allow him some respite from the horrors of the battle, Elizabeth cast a gentle sleeping charm upon him. She didn't want her son to witness any more of the carnage, sparing him from further distress.