Chương 392: 0391 The Confrontation
Bryan rolled his eyes dramatically, finding himself utterly speechless in the face of Sirius's stubborn insistence.
"Think about Harry, Sirius, He's still waiting for you, counting on your return. At the very least, don't you think you owe it to him to stay alive until he comes of age? That's the bare minimum of what a godfather should do, isn't it?"
"I've already explained this—" Sirius gripped the doorframe and shouted, "Besides, I can't just leave you alone here to face whatever dangers lie ahead! Harry likes you, and if you were to die here while I snuck away like a coward, I wouldn't have the courage or the right to face Harry and Remus ever again! How could I look them in the eye knowing I'd abandoned you?"
Bryan opened his mouth, ready to counter Sirius's argument, but something in the air suddenly shifted. His expression changed in an instant, from frustration to alert concern. He only threw a quick "Stay put in the cabin" to Sirius before waving his wand to slam the cabin door shut. In the next instant, his form became ethereal, and he materialized on the deck.
Glancing up at the roiling clouds, Bryan exhaled heavily.
The scene before him was too exaggerated, surpassing anything Bryan had ever witnessed or imagined. Even though he had seen the floating island of Avalon high in the sky before, this apocalyptic scene left him utterly speechless. The sheer magnitude of power on display had completely transcended the limits of human capability, entering a realm so unfathomable it bordered on the divine.
The sea before him, once a tranquil expanse of blue, now boiled like a massive cauldron of oil set over an infernal flame. Illuminated by the near-constant flashes of lightning that split the sky, a terrifying new development unfolded before the ship's cabin, causing Bryan's face to darken.
The scattered hurricanes that had been raging across this world were gradually converging, drawn together by some strange, unseen force. They twisted and merged, forming massive tornadoes that reached from sea to sky. Simultaneously, whirlpools of epic proportions began to appear on the churning sea surface, each one resembling the legendary Charybdis from Greek mythology. These monstrous vortexes stretching for twenty to thirty miles in a row, erupted with astonishing suction power that constantly swallowed vast amounts of seawater and air.
Even the dark clouds in the sky were not immune to this overwhelming force. The dense, rain-heavy clouds were pulled downward, stretching and distorting until they connected with the whirlpools on the sea surface. Lightning, rather than striking randomly, now clung to these rapidly approaching pillars of water that bridged the gap between sea and sky, creating a terrifying matrix of elemental fury.
"It's really a bit too exaggerated—" Bryan murmured softly, his words nearly lost in the howling wind. The air around him had grown bitterly cold, his breath leaving trails of white mist that were quickly torn apart by the gale. His gray hair, usually neatly kempt, was tossed wildly by the fierce wind.
Despite the bone-chilling cold, Bryan's cheeks gradually flushed red, not from the biting wind, but from a rising excitement that he couldn't fully suppress. The illusionary magic that had been concealing his eyes suddenly shattered like glass, revealing orbs of the purest purple. The light within them grew increasingly intense, reflecting the magnificent and terrifying spectacle before him.
Bryan's mind raced with possibilities and theories. Who had left this awe-inspiring and deadly spectacle? Was it Merlin? Or perhaps it was the island's original owner? Regardless of who had created this defense, or the method of its creation—whether through intricate spellwork, ancient runes, or some combination of magical disciplines.
Here, across the long river of time, he found himself locked in combat with a wizard who could be considered unparalleled even in ancient times. For Bryan, who was constantly seeking to advance his magical prowess, how could he possibly pass up such an opportunity?
It was simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating, a chance to test the very limits of his abilities against magic that bordered on the realm of gods.
From his vantage point inside the cabin, Sirius pressed his cheek tightly against the cold glass of the window, his eyes wide with speechless shock. The sight of those colossal pillars of water, defying all-natural laws as they connected heaven and earth, left him dumbstruck. His expression was dazed, as if his mind couldn't fully process the impossible scene before him. For a moment, he even believed he must be dreaming.
"Voldemort," Sirius suddenly muttered for some reason, then immediately shook his head in silence.
Voldemort, the dark lord who had brought fear and nightmares to countless wizarding families, undoubtedly possessed power that Sirius could never hope to match in his lifetime. The very mention of his name was enough to send shivers down the spines of even the bravest witches and wizards. But even Voldemort, with all his terrible power and dark magic, what could he do in the face of such heavenly might? Compared to the raw, unbridled force of nature unleashed before them, anyone—even the most feared dark wizard of their time—would be utterly insignificant.
As this realization washed over him, Sirius felt the weight of his own insignificance pressing down upon him. In the grand scheme of things, in the face of such awesome power, what was he but a speck of dust in the wind? But he quickly snapped back to reality. Now was not the time to think about such irrelevant matters!
"How are you doing, Bryan?" Sirius called out; his voice tight with worry. Locked in the cabin as he was, he couldn't see Bryan's condition on the deck, and this uncertainty gnawed at him relentlessly.
"Come down quickly, Bryan!" he shouted, his voice growing more urgent with each passing second. "Let's use the Portkey to leave now, while we still can. Don't be reckless, no one can handle that! It's suicide to even try!"
In Sirius's eyes, Bryan was undoubtedly the most powerful wizard he had ever seen, aside from Dumbledore himself. The young man's magical prowess was awe-inspiring, often leaving Sirius speechless. But therein lay the problem—Bryan was still a young man, and young people, especially those of exceptional talent, are often driven by an insatiable competitive spirit. Sirius feared that Bryan's desire to prove himself, to push the boundaries of his abilities, had muddled his brain, making him believe he could withstand nature's wrath.
Sirius kept calling out warnings, his voice hoarse from shouting over the howling wind. But no matter how loudly he yelled, no response came. Just as Sirius was about to lose the last shreds of his patience and draw his wand to destroy the magical cage that kept him trapped in the cabin, a violent tremor shook the entire ship. The force of it threw Sirius to the ground, his body slamming against the cold, wet floor with bruising force.
Before he could even attempt to regain his footing, a sudden feeling of extreme heaviness descended upon him. His heart lurched in his chest, a mix of fear and anticipation coursing through his veins as he struggled to lift his head and peer out the window once more.
Many years later, when the world had finally returned to peace.
The Daily Prophet, in a special edition to celebrate the anniversary of that earth-shattering final battle, sent its most talented reporters to interview some of the surviving heroes who had participated in the war that had reshaped their world.
Sir Sirius Black, now a respected figure in the wizarding community and the esteemed Head of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was of course among those chosen for these exclusive interviews. His role in the war, and his own remarkable story of redemption made him a figure of great interest to the public.
When the young, eager reporter found himself face to face with the legendary Sirius Black, he was practically vibrating with excitement. With quill shaking over parchment, he asked what he thought was a simple, straightforward question: "Professor Black, in all your years of adventure and heroism, what was the most thrilling, awe-inspiring scene you ever witnessed?"
The reporter, like many others, assumed that Professor Black would undoubtedly mention the final, climactic battle of the war. After all, it was a moment that had defined their generation, a clash of good and evil that had decided the fate of their world. But to his great surprise, the white-haired Professor Black just chuckled.
With a smile that seemed to shed years from his face, transporting him back to a time of youth and danger, Sirius and began to tell another little-known story—
The story of his adventure with Grand Magus Bryan Watson.
A deafening roar echoed through the void, a sound so primordial and powerful that it seemed to shake the very foundations of reality. It was a sound like the collective howl of gods and demons, a cacophony that suppressed even the never-ending flashing of lightning, the rolling thunder, and the howling wind and rain that ravaged heaven and earth!
Under a sky so dark it seemed to swallow all light, above a sea that raged with unnatural fury, a sight appeared that defied all reason and expectation. A winged fire serpent, its body so vast it seemed to touch the very limits of the sky, burst into existence. In an instant, this phantasmal beast set the already mad world ablaze with its presence.
The fishing boat that had carried Bryan and Sirius to this point now seemed laughably small, just positioned between the serpent's massive, fiery eyebrows and on the top of it stood Bryan. His body was surrounded by fire that flowed like living lava, dyeing his restored eyes golden. He gazed at the whirlpools and waterspouts that were rapidly closing in on him with clear intent, his gray hair wild, his gaze imperious!
Roar—
The sound waves, seemingly substantial, appeared to shatter the air into fragments. The fire serpent soared into the sky, raising waves of heart-pounding howls, illuminating the netherworld!
At the same time, an overwhelmingly strong force descended without any warning.
The suction power scattered by the whirlpools, like the entrance to hell, formed an extremely strong gravitational force. Inside the cabin, caught off guard, Sirius was pressed firmly against the floor by this gravity, unable to move even a finger.
As the gravitational force intensified, the fire serpent began to show signs of strain. The lifelike scales on its body, each one a masterpiece of magical conjuration, began to peel off under the immense pressure. But even as parts of it were stripped away, the Fiendfyre that composed the serpent's form showed its true, terrifying nature.
Known for its ability to burn anything in its path, the cursed fire ignited the surging sea itself. The deep, cold whirlpools that had seemed so threatening just moments before were transformed into fiery vortexes that looked even more like the gates of hell. The contrast of fire and water, two elements eternally at odds, created a scene of both beauty and terror.
Everything in sight, no matter where one looked, was burning with a violence that defied description. The world had become a canvas of flame and fury, a sight that seared itself into the memory of all who witnessed it.
Contrary to Sirius's worried assumptions, Bryan was not blinded by just the desire to win or prove himself. In fact, he was well aware of the vast gulf that still existed between his own considerable powers and the level of the person who had set up this defense. This clarity of mind, this ability to accurately assess the situation even in the midst of such chaos, was perhaps Bryan's greatest strength.
And indeed, the following events quickly proved the wisdom of Bryan's caution.
The serpent, in all its fiery majesty, finally flew into the encirclement created by several massive waterspouts. In that instant, an indescribable pressure fell upon Bryan.
The strong gravity continuously stripped away the Fiendfyre serpent that Bryan had conjured with such effort. Layer by layer, the magical construct was peeled apart, its essence scattered to the winds. But the true threat came from those pillar-like waterspouts, which proved to be far more than simple columns of water.
The strange power contained within them possessed an unimaginable might. Even the Fiendfyre, a curse that struck fear into the hearts of the most powerful wizards, did not display its usual overwhelming dominance when it came into contact with the waterspouts. Instead, like ordinary fire, it was extinguished in large quantities, hissing and steaming as it died.
Sizzle—
White steam wafted everywhere, creating a fog that obscured vision and added to the surreal nature of the battle. Through this veil of mist and mayhem, the fire serpent was rapidly stripped away, visibly weakening at a speed perceivable to the naked eye.
Bryan knew all too well the stakes of this confrontation. The road ahead had no visible end, but he understood with perfect clarity that once the protective serpent was completely dissipated, it would mark the moment of doom for both him and Sirius.
Enduring wave after wave of magical exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm his body and mind, Bryan roared in anger, and the frustrated fire serpent was immediately replenished somewhat. With a movement, its wings slashed horizontally through the air, severing two nearby waterspouts at their waists.
The result was as spectacular as it was short-lived. A truly enormous volume of seawater, suddenly freed from the magical forces that had lifted it skyward, fell from the heavens. It created a magnificent, terrifying waterfall that stretched across the horizon, the roar of its descent drowning out even the thunder for a brief moment.
But before Bryan could catch his breath or savor this small victory, the laws of nature reasserted themselves with vengeance. The seawater that had just fallen, defying all logic and gravity, reversed its course. As if pulled by some cosmic hand, it surged back towards the sky, reforming the waterspouts that Bryan had so momentarily disrupted.
At the same time, more whirlpools suddenly appeared ahead, rapidly forming into waterspouts, with the clear intention of not stopping until the intruders were annihilated!
Inside the cabin, Sirius, who could barely lift his head against the crushing gravitational force, watched the battle unfold with a mixture of awe and terror. Though this earth-shaking confrontation had nothing directly to do with him, it didn't mean that Sirius was blind to the dire nature of their situation. With growing dread, he realized that despite Bryan's incredible display of power, they were fighting a losing battle against forces that seemed truly limitless.
"Bryan!" Sirius shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse and strained as he fought against the pressure pinning him down. "Give it up, Bryan! We'll find another way in. Don't waste your life on this impossible fight!"
Outside, waves of magical exhaustion were crashing against Bryan's nerves with increasing intensity. Each spell, each moment of maintaining the massive fire serpent, drained more of his considerable reserves. He gritted his teeth to support himself, staring ahead, a sense of unwillingness continuously welled up from the bottom of his heart.
He knew, with the rational part of his mind, that Sirius was right. At this point, giving up was the only sensible option if they wanted to survive.
Bryan was breathing heavily. He pressed his lips tightly together, staring intently at those 'heavenly pillars' that never seemed to tire, as if trying to engrave this 'humiliation' into the very fabric of his soul.
'Give up,'
Bryan told himself this too. Just as he was about to dispel the fire serpent and quickly transfer out of here using the Portkey, he suddenly felt an unexpected heat blooming in his chest. He instinctively looked down, and his expression froze.
In this apocalyptic scene, two objects were emitting a strange light, rising slowly towards the sky under his astonished gaze!
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