Questioning Fate - Darcie's Thunder Calamity!

The sheer absurdness and craziness of the situation made Darcie laugh suddenly.

Even Daphne would have never heard her laugh so, with such madness in her voice. Blood dripped down her chin, and there were countless scratches over her body.

Yet, for the first time, Darcie felt truly free.

None could see her here.

None could stop her.

Boom!

Boundless Magic exploded around her, and she crouched, picking up a stray, tiny twig, her eyes never leaving the red, murderous gaze planted on her.

In the next moment, the twig transfigured, becoming a needle-like lance.

Darcie lifted her left hand, and her eyes narrowed to the size of a needle's tip.

Three fireballs popped into existence, burning like three tiny suns. Then an even tinier hurricane appeared around her, bringing pieces of rotten leaves with it.

They, too, transfigured, becoming several icicles.

Darcie had learned much. And now was the time for her to turn all her knowledge into practice; into power…

… Or die!

The creature with red eyes circled Darcie, its gait quieter than silence.

It was like a lion, but dark gray and green of color that bordered black.

Its body was spotted with lighter patches of faded yellow, but they weren't easily distinguishable.

The neck of this creature looked puffy, with several needle-like hairs pinned backward, and even its tail ended in a lock of hair that looked like long, flexible needles.

It was a cub, Darcie could tell.

But even then, it felt like a dragon to her, with her being the size of a finger.

She had brewed the Shrinking Potion meticulously, but the amount she drank was little. So, there were still a few minutes remaining for her to regain her size.

Yet, these weren't the facts that made her heart palpitate with boundless fear.

There was a smile on her face, her magic thundering along with the endless rumbles above. This smile wasn't because of confidence, but rather because of helplessness.

What were the chances of her landing here, in front of this cub? For a moment, she even wished it had been a dragon and not a creature of this race.

Then, she might have some chances of survival, perhaps.

Nundu! Darcie hissed in her mind, her pupils trembling. A Nundu's cub! That means the adult might be nearby as well.

Nundus were infamous throughout the world for their viciousness and ferocity.

They resembled a leopard in appearance. Moreover, no adult Nundu had ever been defeated by less than a hundred wizards working together.

They were almost impervious to Magic, and their breath was toxic and filled with disease so potent, that it could wipe out entire villages of people.

Not to mention, despite its size, it moved so silently that it might as well have been flying.

No wonder the magical species of Nundus were considered one of the most dangerous in wizardkind, from past to present, and to the foreseeable future.

The creature Darcie was facing was precisely the cub of this race; her one foot was already in the realm of the dead.

Yet, the smile didn't go away.

Grrr!!!

The cub let out a beastly growl, and its puffy throat ballooned, gaining the shape of a ball.

All the needle-like tiny hairs on its neck stood at their end, and even the lock of hair at the end of its tail tightened, now looking like a weapon similar to a morning star.

Flashes of bolts of lightning lit up the arena of sodden and rotten earth in their surroundings.

And the very darkness loomed over them, watching them with its dead eyes.

Darcie had only one thought.

Survive!

Survive before this cub could use its breath.

There wasn't much known about this species, anyway.

 She didn't know how many of its dark powers the cubs of this species had developed by this age.

Then there was the fact that an adult Nundu might come here, for this was only a cub, separated from its leap. (-leap: a group of leopards-)

With no sound, the young Nundu pounced.

To Darcie, however, it felt like an ancient mammoth had thrown itself at her. Her face was pale, her skin white and drenched, and her expression hard.

Specific. Belief. Intention.

These had always been the source of Darcie's magical prowess.

Today, the world put them to the test.

And failure meant death.

The three fireballs burned like little flames, hurling themselves at the incoming cub. With a shua sound, they exploded near its mouth.

They achieved absolutely nothing.

The hurricane of icicles around her moved, then.

Several dozen needle-like shards of ice thrust themselves at the cub from different angles.

The young Nundu growled at them, trying to bite them off.

But it wasn't because they were hurting him, but because of its playful mentality. Even Darcie was nothing but a game for it, perhaps.

The icicles shattered as they contacted its skin, and the cub lost interest.

It did give Darcie a dearly-needed breather, though.

What she needed was a moment to focus, as being specific and her intentions weren't an issue for her.

With the transfigured lance in her right hand, Darcie outstretched her left hand, her eyes narrowing at the cub's mouth.

Suddenly, ropes appeared out of nowhere, and coiled themselves around the cub's mouth, shutting it tight.

A puff of purple-blackish smoke escaped from the corner of its mouth, corroding the rope instantly.

Darcie's face paled even more, and more ropes appeared, wrapping above the last ones and sealing the creature's mouth for good.

The cub thrashed its paws at its mouth, trying to take the ropes off.

How could Darcie give it this chance?

A great magical force churned around her and the air under her feet blasted outward, throwing Darcie towards the young Nundu.

Darcie greeted her teeth and lifted the lance, pointing at the creature's shoulder.

Tink!

The tip of the lance bent.

In the next moment, one of the wildly thrashing paws found her midair.

Darcie's eyes widened. She flicked her hand, creating a protective shield in front of her.

The paw landed on the shield, broke it, and then blasted her figure out, sending it rolling on the ground.

Whack!

Darcie's eyes rolled back in her head, and every inch of her body ached, going numb by seconds. If it wasn't for the shield, her bones would have snapped on the impact.

If she is fated with a magical creature, then she can naturally take it with her, the Witch of Endor's words surfaced in her mind at this moment unannounced.

…

"Cough! Cough!" Darcie sat up, coughed out blood and spit, and smiled. "I understand now… there is no such thing as fate."

An incredible change was happening to her personality now, a change that none could have predicted.

For the first time in her life, today Darcie had felt like her existence had almost no value when she met those six figures; the ones who don't belong to this era.

No matter how great she would become, could she reach their heights?

Darcie had trust in herself, believing that she could be as great a witch as the wizard, Professor Dumbledore, in the future, and even greater.

But what about King Solomon, Circe, and the likes of the Witch of Endor?

Meeting them was as great a setback for her as it was a motivation.

Then there was the matter of repetitive failures.

Darcie had been hearing whispers about her dark origins, her birth, and her family ever since she could make a sense of them.

Even then, she had never faced such humiliation, for she was a brilliant witch.

For her to not share a fate with those grand magical creatures dealt quite a blow to her self-esteem.

Yet, she preserved. But what her perseverance had brought her?

The young Nundu growled under its throat, its needle-like hair trembling and throbbing.

Its murderous gaze locked on Darcie's figure, and once again it pounced toward her…

… to finish the game.

***************

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