The Descent Begins

His mother was dead.

She was murdered and his father had just died in his embrace, he had succumbed to the devastating effects of his wounds left behind by the Hit Wizards.

The last three weeks passed in front of his eyes in a blur. After the course on the assassination was over, he focused on deepening and mastering the massive amounts of knowledge and spells learned over the last three weeks. After he was mostly satisfied with his skills, which took him roughly one week, he went to talk to Professor Krieg and Professor Kageyama, who helped him decide on his future courses, lessons, and skills, he was going to learn.

With his solid base on combat stances earned in the previous weeks, he decided to take a two-week course on intermediate to advanced duelling stances, strategies, and movements, made for fourth and lacking fifth-year students.

This course built upon their already existing foundations, which Sebastian mostly lacked. Luckily, they started with a brief review of basic stances, strategies, and the like, which gave Sebastian the chance to quickly fill in his lacking's, which was relatively easy due to the course on assassination. The course quickly progressed to learning the basics of advanced stances, which emphasized balance and very fluid transitions between defence and offence, not like the first-year stances created to make it easier to dodge.

More sophisticated strategies were introduced, some focusing on psychological aspects of duelling, such as anticipating and manipulating opponents' moves, things already partially covered in the course on assassination. The forty-ish students practised feints, baiting techniques, and maintaining situational awareness to adapt to battlefield conditions as a group, also sometimes overlapping with his former course, though this course offered some fresh perspectives on upholding 'situational awareness' amidst combat.

The movement training focused on agility and precision, teaching several kinds of footwork to minimize unnecessary motion while maximizing their ability to dodge spells and position themselves better. Evasive manoeuvres like side steps and rolls, along with strategic use of the environment, were also covered, though in a different way than fit for an assassin. It was purely focused on winning a fight. The practical sessions included sparring matches under various simulated combat conditions, where they had to use their favourite stances, strategies, and movements in realistic scenarios while receiving detailed feedback from instructors to get better and to decide on how to continue from now on.

New spells like "Invisius short" for brief mid-combat invisibility, lasting one and a half seconds, but easy to cast, "Velocitara" for heightening their senses for a short period (if used longer it became very uncomfortable), and also "Stabilis posa" for maintaining balance, inspired by muggle tech, were incorporated into the practice and their stances. As always, there were many group exercises, which focused on teamwork and coordination, fit for war scenarios, with students practising forming and breaking alliances, using coordinated spells and synchronized movements to outflank opponents. The professors underlined the importance of forgetting and preventing one on one combat, but using pre-planned strategies to out-wit your opponent, and defeating them more quickly and with far fewer casualties.

Sebastians' highlight was a series of mock duels in the German Black Forest, where their abilities to fight in a new, and challenging environment with natural obstacles and magical creatures was put to a test. Although younger and less experienced, he managed to use his learned skills in assassination, charms and his sense for combat to come out on top of 21 of the students, only being defeated by four fifth-year students, who had way more experience and Battle Mages, while he was barely able to use six spells wandless by now, making him a Battle Master a bit into his second year. And he sure wore his new badge proudly.

[A/N: Are you content with his level? I think it isn't unrealistic for a rather talented 5th year to be a Battle Mage, considering the new spells, knowledge and new use of rituals. Normally, 3rd years are Rank three and somewhat into rank 4. What is your opinion?]

The final days were a pure duelling tournament, including night duels and duels on boats, planes, and also zero gravity, why the last one, Sebastian didn't know. Throughout the course, some students managed to develop the first few 'layers' of their own unique styles, preparing them for the future.

But even all of that didn't uplift his mood when his thoughts drifted back to Friday night.

-HP-

-Flashback: Friday night

Sebastian sat at the corner desk in the dimly lit duelling library, pondering over a thick and old tome of advanced duelling techniques used by the Roman special forces. The flickering of a nearby candle cast shadows on the stone walls, giving the room filled with occasional and subtle shifting of the books on their shelves, a magical feeling. He was so deeply immersed in the strategies and styles, that he barely noticed Professor Krieg hesitantly walking up to him, a flop, flop resounding throughout the library. When Sebastian finally looked up, he saw Professor Krieg standing two meters away, his usually stern, but funny face replaced with a seldom, sad and hesitating look.

"Sebastian, may I speak with you for a moment?", Professor Krieg asked, his voice strangely gentle, unfitting of his crazy getup. Blue bunny flip-flops, a blue robe with his badge, and his orange beard and bald head.

Sebastian, seeing the concern on his favourite professor's face, felt like he had swallowed a heavy stone, but he closed the book and nodded. Professor Krieg smoothly drew a nearby chair closer to himself, settling into it with his trained belly pressed against the backrest.

"Is something wrong, Professor?" Sebastian asked concern and fear apparent in his voice.

Professor Krieg took a deep breath, his eyes softening with empathy and concern for Sebastian and his talent, which looked disturbing on his face. He placed a hand on Sebastian's shoulder, further unsettling Sebastian. "Sebastian, there's no easy way to tell you this, but you need to know. There was an incident near your home... a confrontation between Hit Wizards. Your mother... she didn't make it."

For a moment, the words didn't seem to register in Sebastian's brain. They hung in the air, the meaning surreal and distant like a thunderclap. Then, as he understood what this formerly incomprehensible mix of words meant, a wave of disbelief and pain washed over Sebastian's whole body, from the top of his head, down to his toes. His everyday effort and life, held together by the routine of training, studying, and the yearning to become stronger, began to unravel.

"No," Sebastian whispered, shaking his head, as if trying to deny the reality, "No, that can't be true. She was just -- she was supposed to be safe."

Professor Krieg's grip on Sebastian's shoulder tightened. "I'm so sorry, Sebastian. I know how much she, your parents, mean, meant to you.", he corrected himself, cringing at his words afterwards. "She was a squib and should be uninvolved in the magical conflicts, and, like the muggle civilians should, be completely removed from the worldwide turmoil currently happening. -- She was caught in the crossfire between three fighting Hit Wizards - two foreign ones, and one who was indoctrinated by German Muggles. The German Hit Wizard died, but there was nothing anyone could do, the whole area was ravaged."

Sebastian's vision blurred, and he felt a searing pain in his chest, a hollow void his mother once had been, the excitement to go back home and embrace her once more. His breaths came in ragged and became interrupted by uneven gasps as he struggled to contain his tears and a breakdown. "Why? Why did this have to happen? She had nothing to do with any of this!"

Theodore Krieg pulled Sebastian into a firm hug, his own eyes revealing his concern and a single tear. No student should have to experience something like this, like he did. "I wish I had answers, Sebastian. Sometimes, these things happen without any reason at all. It's unfair and cruel, but all we can do is remember the ones we lost and honour their memory."

Sebastian's body shook, as silent sobs finally broke through his occlumency, and he buried his face in Krieg's shoulder. "She-, she-,", Sebastian choked out between sobs, "I don't know how to-"

Professor Krieg held him tighter, his heart breaking for the young wizard in his arms, remembering the day his tutor came into his study and announced his parents' deaths, the day he became who he was. "You'll find a way, Sebastian. You're stronger than you know, and your mother would want you to keep moving forward. She would want you to live.", he told him, experiences he had made himself.

A few minutes passed by, though they felt like an eternity. When Sebastian finally pulled away, his face was free of tears and there was a flicker of resolve and burning anger in his eyes, "I have to... I have to do something. I can't just sit here."

Krieg nodded, understanding the need for revenge, for a purpose like he needed, "Take your time, but remember, you don't have to face this alone. We're here for you - I'm here for you."

Just as Sebastian began to steady, Krieg's face grew solemn once more, as remembered something else. "There's more, Sebastian. Your father... he was also caught in the crossfire. He's in St. Ulrich Hospital, and he's in a very critical condition. The Healers are doing everything they can, but... he might not make it."

The news hit Sebastian, nearly knocking the anger out of him, "No... not him too!", he whispered, "Why is this happening?".

Professor Krieg placed both hands on Sebastian's shoulders, looking him directly in the eyes. "I can't answer that, but I can take you to him. You should be there, at his side."

Sebastian nodded, "Yes, I need to see him. I need to be there."

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A/N: As the title 'The Descent Begins' promises, we are going to see some change in the MC soon. Sorry for all his crying, but as of now, he is still somewhat of a sobbing child.

Please comment of errors or loopholes.

There will be chapters on Saturday/Sunday, depending on the power stones from now on.

50 = 1 Chapter on Saturday

100 = 1 Chapter on Sunday

200 = Additional bonus chapter