"Hmm... is it fire elements once again?"
"He is a contractor of the noble bird phoenix... so it shouldn't come as a surprise..."
Calm returned to the island with clear skies and a gentle breeze. At the center of it, standing surrounded by legends, friends, and colleagues, Albus Dumbledore demonstrated to everyone one of the newfound powers he had realized after his recent breakthrough.
It was the power to control fire.
The founders shared their thoughts, studying the small, seemingly unremarkable fireball hovering above Dumbledore's palm, not in the least surprised. They were warlocks themselves and could command the same element or another just as easily.
Maverick as well, though his case was different. He had long since understood this, "Nature Energy Manipulation," as his system panel put it, ever since he became an archmage years ago.
Anyways, the focus now was on Albus Dumbledore.
"What's so special about it?" Edward Garling asked, watching with interest. Summoning flames with magic wasn't anything unusual for mages, especially at their level, but judging by the attention the legendary figures were giving it, there has to be something special about it.
"Can't you tell, teacher?" Maverick smiled faintly. "Feel the flames... what do you notice?"
"Feel?" Edward repeated, eyeing his student for a moment before focusing on the flames again. It's just fire, he thought, but then a moment later, his eyes lit up.
"Wait a minute. This isn't magic, right?" he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Although they, witches and wizards, were extraordinary beings, everything about them, no matter how powerful they became, always centered around one thing.
Magic!
"Precisely..." Godric Gryffindor flashed a wide grin at the man who looked three parts not so different from him. "It's not magic, but something else entirely."
"We call it elemental affinity," Slytherin picked up after him. "As you have correctly assumed, it does not require one to channel magical energy, but is an ability itself. A completely new system of power."
"We also know very little about it. Of the four of us, three awakened an affinity for fire, as you have, while one awakened earth. It stands to reason that other elements exist, perhaps water, air, metal, wood... however, as you can see, the number of warlocks remains exceedingly scarce." Rowena Ravenclaw explained thoughtfully, then turned to Maverick.
"Speaking of, young man, you have yet to reveal which element you have awakened."
"Uh..." Maverick's brows twitched slightly. He had hoped to avoid the topic, not wanting to appear even more different than he already did, and absurdly so at that. It seemed it couldn't be helped.
Sighing inwardly, he raised his hand, then just like Dumbledore, conjured a sphere of steady, well-contained flames. "Fire, it seems," he said, keeping his face as straight as he could. Anyways, not mentioning the other elements shouldn't technically count as lying, right?
"I see..." Ravenclaw said, giving him a skeptical look, which made Maverick inadvertently avoid her gaze.
"Another defining distinction between an archmage and one who has ascended beyond that threshold," Merlin added just then. "As my student has noted, there exist several fundamental elemental forces that govern the natural world, namely fire, water, earth, and air. Upon reaching the rank of warlock, one gains direct dominion over a single element... and as you can observe, such control is exercised without reliance on magical energy."
Interesting... Maverick mused inwardly, quietly listening. Does this old antique also possess all the elements like me?
Merlin, however, did not demonstrate anything to satisfy his hidden curiosity and stopped after explaining that much.
"A new power system... how fascinating..." Dumbledore finally dismissed the flames over his palm, took a breath, and glanced across everyone.
Like Maverick just after his breakthrough, he too felt unprecedentedly powerful at this moment, but he was Albus Dumbledore after all, and still maintained a composed expression before everyone despite the inner exhilaration he was experiencing.
And Merlin seemed to have noticed. "Your magical core still needs a few days to settle... I suggest you take it easy for now," he said, looking at Dumbledore. "Refrain, if possible, from experimenting with your newly acquired abilities... meditation will prove beneficial." He paused briefly, then cast a knowing glance at the Sorcerer Supreme.
"It's fine. I don't mind sharing some of our techniques." The Sorcerer Supreme smiled, inclining her head slightly. "Shall we head back now? How about that tea I suggested earlier... I'll share the knowledge in the meantime..."
Meditation isn't a common practice among witches and wizards. However, it isn't so in the system of sorcery, as it helps them become more and more familiar with channeling eldritch energy from the void.
There's that, plus the effect of calming the heart and mind, and Merlin's suggestion was perhaps more toward that point, because indeed, despite how much Dumbledore was putting up a calm facade, he could sense how inwardly exhilarated the old wizard was at this moment.
"Very well. It has been a while since I last visited the sanctuary," Merlin replied to the Ancient One. He gave a brief glance to Maverick next. "You as well, young man. I suggest you take it easy first."
"I understand, Supreme Mage." Actually, Maverick really didn't need to do so, because for any new abilities he could just spam a few system points and get them under control in an instant. But Merlin didn't need to know that, and respecting the elder, he didn't make any arguments.
Soon, the group left the seemingly uninhabited island. Without Maverick having to step in, the founders even turned the landscape back to its original state. There were rocks and debris everywhere, the grassy terrain was unrecognizable, first from Maverick's breakthrough, then Dumbledore's, but now, no one could tell that just moments ago anything had even happened.
---
At first, Maverick thought the Sorcerer Supreme would take them to the sorcerers' sanctuary in Nepal. However, it turned out they had arrived at London's Mystic Arts sanctuary instead. Perhaps, since both he and Dumbledore were from there, she chose not to take them too far.
It was Edward, on the other hand, who was most captivated by it all. To him, sorcery was an entirely new world, and throughout, he carried the wide-eyed wonder of a child discovering something extraordinary for the first time.
Maybe because he was Maverick's teacher, the Sorcerer Supreme even had one of her disciples give the man a full tour, like an orientation to their world during the time they stayed.
The tea ceremony was still held, of course, during which Merlin and the Sorcerer Supreme talked about the greater powers of the world with them.
Maverick also learned some new things in the conversation. Already, he knew most of the greater powers in the world apart from witches, wizards, and sorcerers, and so did Dumbledore, as it was touched on during the time when Maverick summoned Merlin and his students to Hogwarts some months ago.
What was new they learned was that, apparently, there existed a kind of covenant among the greater powers of the world, one that had been in place for many hundreds of years.
To summarize, demigod-level beings were not permitted to act, or at least to clash with their full might, even when conflicts arose between them. As such, whenever a new demigod, or someone of comparable strength, emerged, it became the responsibility of the leader of their respective faction to advise restraint.
It was understandable, after all, any battle between warlock-level mages, if it spiraled out of control, would be enough to reshape the landscape across continents.
And should something like that in fact happen and come to the attention of the greater powers, it would be stopped immediately, first by the leaders of the respective faction to which the culprits belonged, and if for some reason they did not or could not act, then other powers would intervene and put a stop to it as well.
And finally, consequences would be enforced depending on how severe the aftermath was, to the point of imprisonment, or even being stripped of their powers, or being sealed by extraordinary means. Merlin and the Sorcerer Supreme both emphasized its importance and advised them to act with restraint.
There seemed to be a delicate balance maintained behind the scenes, for the simple reason that the world is too small and the concentration of powerful figures is too great. When things get even slightly out of hand, it would be disastrous for everyone.
Both Maverick and Dumbledore understood that point. Now, having attained power enough to be considered half a step toward a godlike entity, they fully understood how much destruction they could cause if they ever chose to turn villain.
It was, however, the existence of a hidden council of higher powers, working from the shadows to preserve the world's fragile balance, that drew their attention most. Unfortunately, neither the Supreme Mage nor the Supreme Sorcerer elaborated further on that after the advisory.
In any case, to oversee the magicals and ensure they did not cross any line, Merlin was the leading figure. Though he had been only a legend for who knows how long, apparently, he had always kept a close eye on the magical world and its occasional frictions.
One example he gave was a recent event they were all familiar with, the Second World War. According to Merlin, he and his students were very close to taking action to put a stop to Grindelwald's madness. Although the first-generation Dark Lord wasn't a warlock himself, he came dangerously close to crossing the line of other factions among the greater powers of the world.
As for the second-generation Dark Lord, Tom Riddle, in Merlin's words, the man was simply a madman, not worth wasting a breath on.
On that note, Dumbledore was sharply criticized by the legendary wizard, to the point it even made the old headmaster's face flush. After all, Tom turning out the way he did, or at least his later actions, could in some sense be traced back to Dumbledore's negligence.
Without mercy, Dumbledore was labeled with several cutting remarks by Merlin, poor judgment of character, negligence, emotional detachment, misplaced trust, and a tendency to observe rather than intervene when it mattered most.
His habit of keeping secrets, along with his reluctance to act decisively in Tom Riddle's early years, were all pointed out as flaws that, in one way or another, allowed the boy to grow into what he eventually became.
And boy, was Maverick surprised. And... wasn't that a little too detailed? Was Merlin keeping tabs on all the wizards? An inexplicable chill ran down Maverick's spine as he listened to him put Dumbledore in his place.
Basically, Merlin dubbed the old headmaster an indecisive character with all muscle and no brain. Ironic, considering the greater magical world of the modern day had named Dumbledore the wisest wizard of the age.
Edward, on the other hand, looked practically delighted during that brief exchange, clearly enjoying seeing the man embarrassed like that. Maverick even had to remind him a few times to wipe the stupid grin off his face.
It wasn't all criticism though. Perhaps to balance it out, the legendary wizard pointed out a few noteworthy actions as well taken by Dumbledore in the past century that he had taken note of.
If anything, Dumbledore's role as the unofficial leader of the wizarding world was undeniable. He had long served as a stabilizing force between the archmages of different magical communities, mediating conflicts before they could escalate and maintaining a fragile balance that affected the entire wizarding world.
Yes, apparently, frictions had occurred between archmages over the past century, and it was Dumbledore who mediated those conflicts. Though none of it ever reached the public eye, Merlin made it clear he was well aware of these matters and commended the old man for his efforts.
Maverick also had no idea that such dramas had occurred behind the scenes, then gave the old headmaster a thumbs up as well. It turned out there was a lot of small episodes happening between major powers of the wizarding world, even in recent history, that he didn't know about.
Anyways, after the tea, which, to the Sorcerer Supreme's credit, was remarkably refreshing to the taste, the legends all departed, ofcourse, not forgetting to remind Maverick once again not to try shouldering everything on his own.
Today had indeed been a lesson for him. Though the Sorcerer Supreme and Merlin himself did not say exactly who, or how many others' attention Maverick had drawn, he knew there had to be more than one.
And it was the two Supremes who had taken action to keep them from getting too close, or worse, from appearing and causing a disaster at that critical moment of breakthrough.
Because a breakthrough to a higher realm, especially when there was little to no record of it, was an unknown, and when dealing with unknowns, it was best not to assume the outcome. He should have sought the best help while it was available and prepared for the worst.
Next time, he made a firm mental note to keep that in mind.
Meanwhile, Edward returned to America afterward, and it went without saying he was told to keep most of what he had learned that day to himself. Before that, though, the man insisted Maverick come for a "chat," teacher and student, but by then Maverick had fully understood why his old teacher was so pissed, so he made up an excuse on the spot and skipped straight to Hogwarts.
At the same time, Maverick and Dumbledore both agreed to keep their breakthrough a secret, at least until the plan for the coming month was carried out and concluded.
Perhaps even beyond that. But Maverick had a feeling that in the aftermath, when dealing with the ICW and a world that would be left in complete shock, he might have to flex some muscle to put a few people in their place.
No doubt many would still want to preserve the status quo. A lot of politics would be involved, and he would be at the center of it.
And really, the most difficult part of the plan set to begin next month was not dealing with Riddle or the drama, but handling the aftermath and the public reaction, both in the wizarding world and the human world.
---
By the time he returned to his office, dawn was close, the sun only minutes from rising. He took a quick shower first, then only made his way to bed and slumped down comfortably, before finally bringing up the system panel.
[ Name: Maverick Caesar ]
[ Class: Wizard / Sorcerer ]
[ Rank: Warlock / Demigod ]
[ Magical Energy: 66,931 ]
[ Points: 7,816 ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristic Points: 0 ]
[ Extraordinary Characteristics: ]
[ Excellent grade: Spellcasting, Independent Expanded Dimension, Flight, Vitality, True Concealment, Cosmic Voidgate Conduit ]
[ Talents: ]
[ Magical Energy Manipulation (Master +) ]
[ Magical Sense (Master +) ]
[ Spacial Rift (Master +) ]
[ Dominant Spirit (Master +) ]
[ Nature Energy Manipulation (Master +) ]
[ Transfiguration (Advanced +) ]
[ Alchemy (Advanced +) ]
[ Potions (Intermediate +) ]
[ Eldritch Meditation (Advanced +) ]
[ Spells: ]
[ ... ]
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Author's Note:
π₯ Drop those Power Stones! π₯
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