Chapter 80. The Breath of the Abyss

Author's Note!!!

There was a massively large volcanic eruption on 23rd of April 2001 of the Masaya volcano, it would have been nice if the fight aligned with that date but we don't always get what we want.

Also, this chapter took forever to write, i'm exhausted.

The usual update schedule should resume tomorrow, if I can feel my hands when I wake up.

PS: If you see any typos please don't hesitate to inform me.

-*-

Willard Carleton adjusted his maroon-red robes in front of his floor-length mirror.

Today was the last day he would have to put them on because after the Gem of the Abyss was successfully retrieved, there would be no use of the charade that was 'The Cabal'.

He turned away from the mirror and strode to his door, his hands clasped behind his back.

Carleton had genuinely not been expecting Albeline to complete all of the tasks that had been set out for him in under a year.

He had been almost hoping that the boy would die in the gruesome process, the rate at which he had been growing more powerful was starting to terrify him.

He wanted the battle with 'The Abyss' to be over with, housing a powerhouse like Albeline with the Imperius curse as his only leash on him was a dangerous risk to take.

If Albeline successfully slayed the Dragon, Carleton would kill him. If he did not, he would end up dead. It was a win-win.

"Master Carleton." Maguire bowed when he held open Carleton's study door for him. "I still feel it's a year too early to make Albeline fight off 'The Abyss'..."

"If you do not have anything of use to tell me, make yourself useful and fetch the boy." Carleton lashed out in an icy tone.

Maguire hesitated, unsure of how much he could push before the consequences came.

It wasn't that he cared for the wellbeing of the boy but that he was able to see spells, methods, and procedures that he had only read about being brought to fruition.

Maguire wanted to document it and make books out of it but if Albeline was made to fight the Dragon today, his chances of survival were slim if not nonexistent.

All of Maguire's plans would go down the drain if that happened.

He knew his place though, Carleton's word was supreme so he bowed again and slipped away.

Maguire wasn't surprised to find Albeline already waiting outside his door. He didn't mention it to Master Carleton but he suspected that Albeline was aware of every single thing happening in the mansion at every moment.

It made Maguire want to crack open his skull and inspect his brain but Carleton wouldn't allow that.

As a matter of fact, Carleton forbade him from asking Albeline any questions whatsoever.

That might have still not stopped him from going ahead to ask anyway but Carleton also gave orders to Albeline to not answer any of his questions.

There was no getting past that.

"Come with me." He said to Albeline, unable to look the tall teenager in the eye.

From the records he had of him, his 18th birthday had been over a month ago. The day had been like all of the other days he spent in the little cubicle he had for a room.

He woke up at dawn, cleaned up, ate, and then worked till sundown before getting to eat again.

Maguire couldn't look Albeline in the eye, not because of the menacing scar running down his left eye but because of the dark emptiness lurking in those icy blue eyes.

Even if he broke free of Master Carleton's curse now, his brain was probably damaged beyond repair and he would go insane.

How sad, he was quite promising too.

It was a cold snowy day in February; Carleton had decided that the 10th day of February was the perfect day for fighting ancient Dragons for no reason other than it was a day he was free.

He knocked on the door that led to Carleton's study, waiting patiently for a response.

Albeline hovered over him, his physique was intimidating. Although he had been put through things that would kill an average teenager, he had somehow managed to not only stay alive but also flourish.

He had shot up a handful of inches in the recent month which made him look even lankier.

But Maguire had seen him daze a fully grown troll with a single punch so he wasn't deceived by his lanky build.

"Come in." Carleton's derisive voice finally came through after making Maguire wait for two stonily silent minutes.

Carleton had already come around his desk when they stepped into his study, reaching for his usual pocket watch.

It was decided during the previous meeting that they would all gather at the mouth of the Masaya volcano or better said, the mouth of hell.

"Step up." Carleton bit out, holding out the pocket watch. "We have not all day."

Maguire wisely kept his mouth shut and did as was told, knowing that it was his irrational protest that put the Master in such a testy mood.

Audric had long gotten used to playing the part of the controlled robot that did nothing but follow orders.

They warped away to their destination, the surroundings quickly coming into focus.

The members of the Cabal were already waiting there, looking ridiculous in their masks and bright red robes which fluttered in the cool afternoon breeze.

Portkeys were rather useful, they had traveled a journey that would have taken hours in mere seconds.

Although it had been sometime after 6 am in London, it was already afternoon in Masaya. The sun shone brightly overhead.

It was also hot, not from the sun but from the large crater of boiling lava that was a few meters away from where they stood, thick smoke rising out of it.

It was an attraction, as the area around, the volcanoes inclusive were all part of a national park. Masaya Volcano National Park.

So they had to pay for a whole day of using the park, which wasn't difficult as there were quite rich and influential figures from around the world in the secret organization.

The rest of 'The Cabal' gathered around Carleton when their group showed up. Carleton had insisted that everyone had to be present for it and as the leader, no one could dispute him.

Plus, there were a good number of them that were wary of Carleton disappearing after acquiring the gem so it wasn't difficult making it so that they were all present for the final fight.

Even Malark had showed up and he brought with him Ji-hun, even though school was still in session.

"I take it the seal has been broken?" Carleton inquired.

"I was forced out of bed at rats o'clock in the morning for this, what do you think?" A fiery French Witch snapped, unhappy that they had to be here hours before Carleton.

Carleton ignored her upset. "Splendid, we will quickly begin then." He turned to stare at the silent teenager that had done nothing but stare at the black sand beneath his feet.

-*-

I listened blankly, keeping my eyes on my shoes. Couldn't have hurt them to feed me this morning.

What if I died? Dying hungry would suck really.

I had no plans to die though, I glanced up when I felt Carleton's gaze on me, I hope they all did.

Carleton simply snapped his fingers at me, expecting me to follow his unspoken command.

I had grown numb to the anger and irritation I felt whenever Carleton ordered me around. I walked to the edge of the crater, I would let myself feel it when I came back up.

I glanced down at the roiling pool of molten rock bubbling meters below me. I had to jump in.

I had faced worse during my training that jumping into lava was very basic stuff. Plus, I was immune to heat and fire but if I got caught in the middle of cooling rock, it might actually get problematic then.

Without a twinge of hesitation, I jumped right in, flipping around to get one last look at the expressions of the people watching me get forced into jumping to what could possibly be my own death.

They had taken their masks off to see better and I could see the excitement on the faces of old and powerful Witches and Wizards who were hungry for power but weren't willing to take the risks themselves.

I scoffed, compared to them, Voldemort was somewhat honorable.

Carleton's expression was guarded while Maguire looked like a precious toy had been ripped from him.

Malark looked relieved, and Ji-hun couldn't look at all, he had his face turned to the side, his hand covering his eyes.

My eyes widened in the split second that I saw it happen but I couldn't stop it even if I tried. Malark had been standing right behind Ji-hun and while Ji-hun was distracted and overwhelmed from me jumping right inside an active volcano, he made his move.

He pushed Ji-hun harshly, Ji-hun stumbling headfirst into the volcano. I could see him falling above me, horror etched on his face.

"Fucking bastards." I bit out under my breath, glaring up at Malark.

There was an invisible seal over the volcano which was apparently blocking off the magical path to the cave that housed the Dragon.

Even if that was the case, I doubted that Ji-hun would have the presence of mind to stop himself from crashing to the stone floor of the cave we were heading to.

I had to wait till we fell through the volcano but what if the magical path wasn't real either and what was waiting for us was just a pool of molten rock? I might survive just fine but there was no way Ji-hun would survive something like that.

I just had to bank on being able to quickly recover after falling into the volcano to be able to save Ji-hun in time.

Still, those bastards. I had been expecting them to try to kill him after I got back up but it seemed like they didn't even believe that I was going to survive it.

I didn't feel the thick consistency of lava, instead, I fell right through like it was made of air, finding my footing immediately.

Right after I found my footing on the ash-filled stone floor, a screaming Ji-hun came falling through.

I caught him with levitation and gently put him down to his feet. His legs were too weak to hold him up though because he crumpled to the ground as soon as I stopped casting the charm.

"I thought I was going to die." His small voice filled the quiet space. "Thank you." He choked out, his shaking voice had a teary quality to it.

I noticed that it wasn't just his voice that was shaky, his entire body was trembling and I doubted that he could get on his feet even if he wanted to.

I crouched, keeping my distance from him. "It's fine, just stay here, I'll be back after a while." I placidly said, whipping out the Elder wand from the jacket I had on.

I had to get a new wardrobe after my growth spurt, so now I sported jackets, jeans, and plain shirts. Carleton couldn't be bothered to buy more expensive clothes for me.

We had landed at the mouth of an unbelievably dark cave, it would be safer for Ji-hun to remain here, not to mention that he would only impede if I took him along with me.

"W-What about you?" Ji-hun forced himself to sit up, his glassy eyes filled with genuine concern.

"Off to go Dragon hunting." I casually said, taking off my jacket and dropping it beside his feet.

I cast a protective spell around him, in case something expected happened like the rocks falling down or the fight getting to this place.

Also, Ji-hun looked like he was about to get up and follow me, that would cause problems for me so I couldn't allow it.

I walked away from Ji-hun and the mouth of the cave, there was nothing but darkness beyond the entrance of the cave. No doubt if I tried to leave the cave I would end up where I was before, falling into the pool of lava.

There was nothing but darkness waiting for me on the other side as well, there seemed to be a narrow tunnel leading from the cave entrance.

I couldn't see so I guessed from feeling around, lighting a torch was the fastest way to get found out.

I could very well be at a disadvantage already, losing my edge of surprise would worsen my situation further.

The tunnel led to a large cavern. It was clearly magically created because there were giant burning torches high on the walls lighting up the space.

A quick look around showed me that there were multiple entrances like this, which meant that there were other ways of accessing the magical cave that housed 'The Abyss' and we had probably gone through the worst possible one.

There was a raised rocky dais right in the middle of the cave, stalagmites and stalactites grew erratically all around the edges of the cave except for the raised dais.

The raised dais took up sizable space in the cave and for some reason, light couldn't reach it. It was pitch-black.

"Oh shit!" I whispered, realization hitting immediately.

The reason I thought that light couldn't reach the dais was that 'The Abyss' was lying curled up on it. Its scales were so dark that I thought it was made up of darkness.

Now it made so much sense where it had gotten its name from.

It seemed to be fast asleep, it had been a smart decision not to make any noise or use light to approach.

If I played my cards right I would be given one free chance to land a solid hit, it would also be a perfect way to gauge just how thick and magic resistant its scales were.

I had long leveled up to 'Magus', it was the only reason I survived till this point.

My skin was impervious to flames but flames weren't a Dragon's only weapon, they had powerful claws and viciously sharp teeth. And they moved really fast for creatures of their size, I should know, I had the scars to show for it.

The cave might give an advantage to me in that sense, it was restrictive and with how big 'The Abyss' was, it would be difficult for it to move around quickly.

When I leveled up to 'Magus' I was granted the ability to merge with my Animagus.

Dark green scales formed on the sides of my neck and face, making me resistant to most magical attacks and making my skin quite durable to physical attacks.

I could kill with a single look just as when I was fully in my Animagus form, it was one of the best power-ups I had gotten.

Although I doubted that the Basilisk's death stare would work on 'The Abyss' outright, it must have some weakening effects.

I had also perfected the perfect spell that acted as an unbreakable sword. 'Sectumsempra Profundus'.

It was the more powerful version of 'Sectumsempra' and it was a cut that couldn't heal so the Dragon would only continue to take damage.

I apparated behind right above the Dragon, floating a few inches above the mass of darkness beneath me.

From what I could see, it protected its head with a large scaly wing. I couldn't get to its neck without getting the wing out of the way.

Going for its back was like starting from the toughest point, a waste of both our time and a risky move to take.

I wasn't invincible and if I didn't move smartly, I would end up dead.

I lifted the Elder wand high like a sword, striking out with the spell.

I jumped back immediately after the effects of the spell made contact but I wasn't quick enough because as soon as I dealt the blow, the Dragon's front claw caught the side of my shoulder.

Even though I was already moving away after I cast the spell, the Dragon had reacted quickly enough to badly damage me if I didn't have a couple of cards up my sleeve.

I ended up with moderately deep gashes on my arm instead of losing the entire arm and maybe part of my torso. That's how big the Dragon was.

Quickly healing the damage I just took in was no problem but there was no replacing the wing I had sliced clean off.

The Dragon roared, thick black blood just like its scales spurting out in rivers. Luckily, I was far away not to get bathed in the thick muck of blood.

In its confused rage, it spewed out waves of black fire. I was concerned at first, cautious about the suspiciously colored fire but there was no escape in the cave.

The fire flooded the entire space, drowning out the light for a few precious minutes. It was difficult to see when black fire filled the cave, I could still move around but it was risky to do because the Dragon could find me before I found it.

I hoped the fire didn't get to the mouth of the cave and if it did, I hope my protective spell would be able to keep Ji-hun alive.

The Dragon clearly didn't expect me to survive its attack because it was curled up on the dais again when the fire cleared out enough for me to see. It nudged at the stump of where its wing used to be, making a sound of pain.

I kinda felt bad for the poor guy, trapped in here for random creatures looking for a gem that was hidden in your throat to fight you to the death for it.

If I didn't get it now though, someone else was bound to. Someone else with enough power, money, and authority to abuse like Carleton. That someone else would also involve people like Ji-hun and me in their quest for power.

It was best to end it here.

I apparated to its blind spot, I wasn't underestimating the big, old Dragon anymore.

Even though I wasn't underestimating 'The Abyss' anymore, it still caught me off guard. I was aiming for its neck but instead, I only managed to slash its hind claw and get myself thrown back against the wall of the cave.

I absorbed the impact with my feet, pushing off the wall to give myself momentum. I was done with moving stealthily and was going to go all out.

The plan was to cut down the Dragon until it was too weak to stop me from slitting its throat, if one of my slashes hit bullseye and slit its throat, it was a win for me still.

'The Abyss' had probably realized that I was actually a danger to it and was bracing itself for an all-out brawl. It got on its four legs, flapping its one functioning wing as it glared at me, waiting for my attack.

The torches burning on the wall flared when I shot past it to the other side of the cave. 'The Abyss' was a magnificent beast. It had a crown of horns on its head, its center horn the largest of all. Its eyes were just as black as the rest of it, there was not an ounce of color on the Dragon, even its horns were pitch black.

It was also easily 5 times the size of a fully grown Hebridean Black Dragon but I had been put in the middle of a handful of Dragons multiple times, I was well prepared for it.

'The Abyss' was an ancient Dragon, no matter how powerful it was, age was starting to tell on it. It fought viciously for its age though, injuring me a handful of times.

I didn't flinch from the slashes, my pain threshold was incredibly high. Unless I was getting straight-up gutted, it wasn't enough to make me slow down in the slightest.

The fight was defined from this point, 'Sectumsempra Profundus' was truly the perfect weapon against such a powerful Dragon because the damage it impacted was visibly shown and permanent.

Soon there were rivulets of blood dripping down the edges of the rocky dais, bloody splatters staining the walls, and the floor of the cave black. This would be over soon.

I apparated right on the Dragon's head, it was big enough for me to comfortably find my footing, I held onto its horns to anchor myself.

'The Abyss' didn't try to throw me off, instead, it stared agelessly at me like it could see past the System's barrier and into my head.

I had come up here to get the perfect angle to cut off its head but instead, I slashed the biggest horn for no reason. The 5 feet long horn dropped to the ground with a thud and I jumped off its head to slash at its exposed neck.

The Dragon didn't try to stop me, it was missing its left wing and its right wing was in tatters. Both of its front claws were useless and there were cuts of varying depths all over its body.

I just had a couple of gashes in my clothes, it was about to be an overwhelming victory.

The spell cut cleanly through with nothing to protect the Dragon's neck, its gargantuan head bounced off the rocky dais and rolled to the edge of the cave.

I was about to follow after the Dragon's severed head but something caught my eye, its long scaly neck was still standing upright for a while after it lost its head. And right at the center of the spurting blood and dark throbbing flesh was a sparkling gem, it caught the light of the torches and reflected it.

With a wry look on my face, I dug it out. It was a fairly large gem, black as sin and sinister as one too. It was ironic that the gem had the ability to do kind things such as heal incurable diseases.

I apparated to the ground to pick up the large horn and like it was a remote, the head of the Dragon rolled over to my feet, its mouth was open and to my surprise, a trail of black fire spiraled out of its severed head and wrapped around the horn.

I dropped it out of instinct, fire didn't harm me but it could be a curse aimed at the person who ever managed to slay the Dragon. I had already acquired the Draconite that I had come here for, there was no need to do more.

Or it could be a wand.

I stared at the wand on the ground, it was strange looking. For one, it was all black and was smooth like it was carved out of marble.

I had gotten a wand? That wasn't a part of the plan. Instead of wood, the base of the wand was the crown of the Dragon's horns and the core was the final breath of the Dragon if I wasn't mistaken.

What kind of crazy ass wand was that?

I picked it up nonetheless, I had earned it, I might as well take my reward.

I stowed away all that I had plundered from my kill, The Gem of the Abyss, and the wand which I would call the Stygian wand simply because it was black and came from the darkness.

I slipped my hands into my pocket and started for the path I had come from after taking enough of the Dragon's blood and scales, they would be extremely useful for certain potions.

This time, there was no need to walk in the dark, I brought out the Stygian wand, might as well test it to see if it actually work or if it was a figurehead, just an award to show that I slayed an ancient Dragon.

I squinted when the light from the tip of the wand almost blinded me and I had to tone it down a bit to get anywhere. It made me extremely curious, between the Elder wand and the Stygian wand, which was more powerful?

I mean, the Elder wand was quick to change sides, which was already a disadvantage on its part but in the same vein, it meant that while I was still the master of the Elder wand, it couldn't be used to attack me.

While the Stygian wand was probably like every other wand, very little was known about it, for now. I would do justice to researching the unexpected wand.

Ji-hun was right where I left him, he had picked up my jacket from the ground and held it instead, staring at me like I was a ghost.

I crouched again. "What? Were you betting on the Dragon?" I asked in a dry voice, undoing the protective spell.

Ji-hun scrambled to his feet. "No… no… I…"

I stared at the wall of darkness that was apparently our only exit, getting to my feet as well. "Ready to head back out?"

"Yeah, here." He offered my jacket back to me. "You… uh, you have a little something on your face." He pointed out nervously.

I swiped my arm over the spot he pointed out and came away with a smear of black blood. "Oh, thanks." I replied flippantly, holding out my arm. "Hold on, the journey back is not going to be as fun as the journey here was."

Ji-hun huffed under his breath but did as was told.

I stepped out of the cave, Ji-hun being smart enough to keep close to me. Just as I had predicted we were back to falling into the volcano.

At first, we were falling upwards, then gravity took hold and we started falling down to the boiling pool of lava again.

I had to give Ji-hun props for not screaming, he must have been scared shitless, if his fingers digging into my skin were any indication.

Getting out wasn't a problem, I just flew out of the crater using unsupported flight with Ji-hun clinging to me so that he didn't literally fall to his death.

Carleton and the rest of The Cabal were still waiting at one edge of the crater, it made me wonder how long I fought the Dragon.

"Ji-hun? Do you know how long it took me to kill the Dragon?" I asked casually as I slowly levitated to the top of the crater.

Ji-hun was caught off guard by me randomly calling his name. "I… wait, what? You killed it?" His eyes bulged.

"What did you think I was doing? Answering riddles?"

"I thought only Sphinxes did that." He muttered. "You were gone for 45 minutes."

"Ooh! I made good time." I smiled to myself.

Ji-hun stared up at me in worry. "A-Are you alright?"

My smile grew, I dropped carefully a couple of feet away from where Carleton and The Cabal were standing. "Never better."

Ji-hun didn't seem to share my ecstatic mood though. "I don't think you were supposed to save me."

I frowned at this, I hadn't seen Ji-hun for almost a year but even though I went through hell daily, I hadn't forgotten about our conversation. Did he…

Oh, that added up. I did a quick search of his memories, the idiot had performed a memory-altering charm on himself so that he wouldn't be a liability to me.

"Your sister is still alive right?" I asked seriously.

Ji-hun looked confused. "M-My sister… she's… yes she is but how do you kno…"

"Come here, Albeline." Carleton's voice intruded on our conversation.

I glanced at him with dead eyes, making no move to obey. "How about no?"

Sharp gasps rippled through those present as they stared in horror from Carleton to me. Carleton, who was starting to turn a sickly shade of grey.

I slipped on my jacket and dusted invisible flints off it. "I want to push you all into the lava and listen to your screams but unfortunately I need evidence." I said steadily, walking closer.

Carleton took a couple of steps back when I did this, the other members hiding behind him.

I took out the Stygian wand and immediately used my specialty before knocking them all out.

'Concutere'.

The wonderful spell that would put them all in hell in a week or two, there was no escaping the curse. Hopefully, if they managed to survive it, they would spend the rest of their days in Azkaban.

I sat on the ground when they were all down, dropping my head to rest on my knees. It had been a really long year, I was really exhausted.

For a full year, I had to keep my guard up the entire time while being put through brutal training. I wanted to close my eyes a bit. I wanted to rest a little. Maybe I would feel better after.

The sound of the bubbling lava faded into the background as I started to lose my balance. I was human, after all, I could only take so much.

I think Ji-hun shouted for me, or maybe he didn't. I couldn't tell because my sight went dark.