Neptune

~~December, 1918~~

Four years have passed in a blink of an eye. The Muggle war had just come to an end after the arrival of winter of the current year. Destiny read the newspaper and placed it on the table. Destiny looked outside the window and released a content sigh. 

With a small twitch of her hand, the Wand of Destiny appeared in her hand. This Wand has fared extremely well for her but today she was going to part from the Wand of Destiny. Today she was going to return the Wand to Gellert as she had promised. 

Destiny had waited for this day for quite some time. Today she was going to get her own custom Wand. But to be honest, she didn't know if she should get a Wand or not… for months she had been having this dilemma. 

A Katana has been a pretty common Magical Foci in Japan but Wizards and Witches of the Japanese Magical Community stopped using Katana's as a Magical Foci because it was hard to master and at the same time it was pretty inconvenient to carry. 

A Wand was much smaller and you could easily move it around for the necessary Wand Movements. You can't wave around a Katana like a Wand, that's pretty inconvenient. So, Katanas lost their appeal as people started to choose easier means. 

But Destiny saw the undeniable appeal of having a Katana, it would be simply… impactful. Not only that, Katanas are better for stronger Spells. Gellert didn't know anything about this matter. Gellert simply knew that Destiny would be getting her own Wand today, as today was her 11th birthday. 

Destiny had decided to use 6th December as her date of birth. It was 6th December 1914 when she was named Destiny Grindelwald by Gellert. A lot has changed since then… while Gellert was busy making his name in the Duelling Circuits around the World, Destiny was busy learning magic.

The Wand of Destiny had helped her a lot… she would never deny that. Using Magic has never been easier, but that is why she had decided to return it. Gellert needed it more than her. 

Having the Wand of Destiny would make it easier for Gellert to achieve his dream. Now that Gellert's Magical Core had Crystalized, he would be unstoppable with the Wand of Destiny. 

Destiny perked up when she heard a knock on the door… she knew it was Gellert or it would have tripped her Ward. She had learned how to cast some basic Wards in the last few years. She found them very useful if she was being honest.

"Come in" Destiny called out and moments later, the door clicked open and Gellert walked in with a smile on his face. 

"Happy birthday, Destiny" Gellert said with a smile and ruffled Destiny's beautiful crimson hair with a caring smile on his face. 

Destiny started to pout as she glared at the man. She hated it whenever he messed with her beautiful crimson hair, she gave him a filthy look and swatted away his hand. Gellert simply chuckled due to her antics. 

"Thank you, Gellert" Destiny grumbled but it was clear that Destiny was faking it. Destiny wanted to call him father in the past as he was practically her father… but she knew that Gellert was uncomfortable with that. 

So, she kept calling him Gellert, and to be honest, she was completely fine with it. Ultimately, it didn't matter for either of them. Throughout these years, Gellert had been telling her stories about his younger days. 

From what she knew Gellert's family life was so-so. Neither of his parents were good with Magic. His father could be called a Squib as he could only cast a few of the weaker Spells while his mother was somewhat better. 

His father and mother were married due to a contract signed by their families. There was a lot of friction in their relationship and it was his father who passed away before he had even turned eleven. 

Gellert never felt connected with either of his parents. He was 14 when his mother passed away too and he didn't even shed a tear. They were somewhat strangers to him even though they were his parents. 

"Are you excited about your Wand?" Gellert asked as he sat down on the opposite side of the table. Destiny simply cocked her head. 

"Well… about that…" Destiny trailed off with an unsure look on her face. She didn't know how she should approach this topic. Gellert raised his eyebrows curiously. Destiny took a deep. "I don't want a Wand" just like that she came to a decision. 

Gellert furrowed his brows and frowned but moments later, a caring smile appeared on his face. "You want to keep the Wand of Destiny? I have no problems with that" Gellert said in a soft and gentle tone. 

"No! I would be returning it to you just like I had decided years ago" Destiny said in a determined tone. "I won't be getting a Wand, I want a Magical Katana" Destiny said and Gellert simply gave her a blank look. 

'Yes, I should have expected that' Gellert thought dryly as this wasn't the first time Destiny had decided to go with something bizarre and unconventional. 

Her choices in clothes were somewhat bizarre too. She had grown a taste for leather suits… once again a bizarre choice. Then she had also started to dislike bland food… she had started to like impactful food. Food that will leave an impact on your mind. 

Only last month she had decided that she wanted to try Fugu sushi. Gellert had immediately backed out when he had heard that the fish was more toxic than cyanide. Destiny had found that she had fallen in love with that dish. 

Then lastly her obsession with bright crimson colour. That was still understandable with her bright crimson hair and bright crimson eyes but she had decided to make a point of it. She had long stopped caring about what other people thought about her. Now, everything was about making an impact. 

'Well, a Katana is fine. After all, Destiny has always ignored silly Wand waving' Gellert thought with an amused look on his face. 

"Sure, if you want to have a Katana, then Katana it is" Gellert said with a grin and Destiny beamed at his words as a bright smile appeared on her face. 

Destiny has grown quite a lot in these last 4 years. All the signs of malnourishment were gone. She was quite tall for a girl of her age and with her unusual hair and eyes, she looked a lot more imposing. Not only that she had grown a lot in the Magical Department too. 

Destiny's Magical Core was 4 times bigger than Gellert's, and it stopped growing after that. Half a year ago, her Magical Core reached its first maturity and turned into Liquid Magical Core from Gaseous Magical Core.

Gellert had been shocked to his core when he had seen the massive boost she had received. Destiny still wasn't anywhere near Gellert's level but with the Wand of Destiny, she could still defeat most of the average Witches and Wizards out there.

Gellert didn't know what to think of that… she was just 11 years old and she could already defeat some grown Witches and Wizards with ease. Yes, having the Wand of Destiny helped but it was still an impressive feat.

So, after that, Gellert had started teaching her how to Duel and fight. Duelling was a sport while fighting wasn't. There were a lot of rules in Dueling but in a fight, there was only one rule. You just have to make sure that you live while your opponent doesn't. 

"So, when are we going?" Destiny asked curiously, bringing Gellert out of his internal musings. 

"As soon as we finish our breakfast" Gellert said with a nod… 

An hour later the Grindelwald duo found themselves standing in front of an ancient-looking workshop. Gellert turned his eyes towards Destiny and gave her a 'Are you sure about this?' look. 

Gellert wasn't thrilled with the Katana idea after he saw the Ancient looking shop. "Yes, don't worry. I am sure" Destiny said in a determined tone so Gellert could only nod his head. Both of them entered the shop. 

The inside of the shop wasn't much better than the outside. There were a lot of Katanas hanging by the right wall. Destiny started to check out the Katanas but she didn't touch them… 

After a moment, an ancient-looking man emerged from the back of the shop. The man was bald but he had an extremely long beard reaching down to his knees. The man was leaning on a cane and his steps were slightly shaky. 

"Ha… ha… it is good to know that this old man's ears aren't playing games with him…" the man said in a shaky tone as he approached the Grindelwald duo. 

"Ah… how may I help you?" the man asked slowly as his old eyes focused on Destiny. 

"I want a Katana" Destiny said with a smile on her face and the old man gave her a small nod. 

"...That is quite surprising… nowadays, most of the younger generation would rather prefer a Wand over something bulky like a Katana" the old man said slowly as he waved his hand towards the wall where the Katanas were hanging. 

"...Forgive me, young lady but you would have to choose a Katana from there… I am way too old and I can't make a custom Katana for you…" the old man said while shaking his head. 

"That's fine…" Destiny mumbled as she approached the wall so that she could have a closer look. After a couple of minutes, her eyes finally landed on an extremely long Katana with a crimson blade with gold aesthetics. It was nearly 3 and a half feet long. 

The Katana didn't have a hilt or tsuba. Destiny pointed towards the Katana and the old man seemed to hum as he stroked his beard. Gellert simply decided to stand aside as he wanted Destiny to choose what she wanted. 

"...A peculiar choice…" the man said and with a flick of his hand, he summoned the Katana towards him. "Follow me, young lady. Now we have to choose a fitting wood and a fitting Core for you…" the man added. 

Destiny quickly followed him but once again he stopped. "You can come too… or else you might get bored" the old man said while staring towards Gellert. So, Gellert also joined the two of them. The three of them finally entered the man's workshop. 

"Young man, can you summon those boxes?" the old man requested. Gellert summoned the boxes with a twitch of his Wand. "Ha… you are a powerful Wizard" the old man complimented as he started to rummage through the boxes. 

The old man took out various types of wood from the boxes and laid them on his workshop platform. "Young lady… tell me which one of them is calling you…" the old man said and Destiny approached the platform so that she could touch them but the old man stopped her by raising his cane. 

"Don't come any closer… tell me which one of them is calling you… your Magic is extremely strong, the strongest I have seen in my entire life. You would be able to feel that…" the old man said and Destiny scrunched her face. 

She knew how to sense her magic. Destiny closed her eyes and she could feel her Magic being drawn in a certain direction. She opened her eyes and pointed towards a piece of wood… the old man's eyes glittered as his eyes landed on the wood piece. 

"Yew… once again a peculiar choice" the old man drawled. Destiny had expected that. The Wand she had bought from China was made of Yew. 

"Yew would never choose a mediocre or timid owner…" the old man said and once again rummaged through the boxes and he took out several vials and two bones pieces. 

"What is that?" Destiny asked as she pointed towards one of the bones. The old man nodded his head and put back all the vials and the other bone piece back in the box. 

"I understand that you feel your magic calling to this bone?" the man asked and Destiny nodded her head. "This is the spine of a white river monster" the man said and he put the bone piece along with Yew wood. 

"White river monster is a type of fish found in the western countries. There were only a few who knew how to lure these monsters, unfortunately, I am not one of them and the process is lost" 

"I only have a few of them in my shop… though this Core is rarely used. This is the first time I am going to work with this Core. Your Spells are going to have a lot of force and elegance" the man said and pulled out a jar from the boxes. The jar was filled with various types of gems. 

"Now… we would need to select a stabilizing agent for the Katana" the man said and he poured the gems on the platform. 

"Stabilizing agent?" It was Gellert who asked the question. 

"...Yes, a stabilizing agent, you use a Wand so you won't know… a Katana can produce much stronger Magic than a Wand, so a stabilizing agent is necessary" the man said and gestured towards the pile. 

After a few moments, Destiny pointed towards a crimson gem. The old man raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Once again curious… a Blood Stone. These come from a certain type of crabs only found in Transylvania…" the old man drawled as he picked up the Blood Stone. 

"Young man, a little help" the old man called out and with a wave of his Wand, Gellert put back all the gems inside the jar. With another jab of his Wand, he put the jar inside the box and then he put away the boxes from where he had summoned them. 

"All of the components you have selected are peculiar… I am sure that you will become an extraordinary Witch in the future… now, please stand aside while I work" the old man said and chuckled lightly. 

"You don't mind us watching you craft the Katana?" Gellert questioned and once again the old man chuckled lightly. 

"No… this is a dying art, young man. Even if you are able to learn something, no one will use a Katana in favour of a Wand… like I said, this young lady is quite peculiar… but in a good way" the old man said softly as he started to work on the wood. 

It took the old man three hours to finish crafting the hilt and tsuba of the Katana. The Wand Core was safely embedded in the hilt of the Katana which was made of Yew while the stabilizing agent was embedded at the centre of the tsuba. 

So, after that, he dipped the blade into the furnace. After another 15 minutes, he finally revealed the Katana to Destiny. She stared at the Katana with awe and excitement in her eyes. Destiny wanted to grab the Katana but she held herself back as it was still inside the furnace. 

(Image Here) 

The old man used Magic to pull out the Katana from the furnace and plunged the Katana into a tub of water. After 5 minutes, Destiny was finally able to grab a hold of her Katana. She felt her Magic hum as soon as her fingers touched the hilt. 

She felt a connection form between herself and the Katana. The Wand of Destiny gave a completely different type of feeling… it gave her the feeling of power but the Katana was completely different. She felt herself in harmony. 

She tried to pick up the Katana but she could. It was way too heavy for her. The old man chuckled and touched the rune he had engraved on the hilt. The Katana immediately lost most of its weight and Destiny was able to pick it up. 

"That rune is a bonus… seeing your stature I was pretty sure that you wouldn't be able to lift the Katana" the old man said as Destiny kept staring at the edge of the Katana with awe in her eyes. She couldn't wait to try using Magic with it. 

"The rune works on Ambient Magic, trace the rune with your finger to activate and again trace the rune to deactivate it… Simple as that" the old man said in a cheerful tone and Destiny's eyes glittered in understanding. 

All of a sudden the old man froze as he gave a melancholic look towards the Katana he had just made. "...That is the finest Katana I have made in my entire life… and it is probably my last" the old man said in a saddened tone. 

"Young lady, would you humour this old man and allow him to name this beautiful Katana?" The old man asked and Destiny immediately agreed. 

"...Nepuchun… (Neptune)" the old man muttered with a soft smile on his face. 

"Neptune" Destiny repeated and the old man nodded his head with a kind and melancholic smile on his face. 

"Take care of it, young lady" the man said in a firm tone and Destiny nodded her head with a serious look on her face. 

"How much do I need to pay?" Gellert asked and the old man shook his head. 

"Just one Galleon. I don't have any use for money… Like I said, this is probably the last Katana I will make. I simply can't put a price on it… for me it is priceless" the old man said with a longing smile on his face. 

Gellert nodded his head and paid the man a Galleon. Destiny gave the old man a last look who gave her an appreciative nod while waving at her… Destiny gave him a bright smile as she waved back. 

Gellert and Destiny finally walked out of the ancient shop and after that, Gellert grabbed her shoulder and the two of them Apparated away… 

Destiny felt bad for the old man but there was nothing she could do. So, she decided to honour the man by using Neptune. At first, Destiny was having minor problems with the spells as a Katana is completely different from a Wand but she quickly got the hang of it. 

After some time, Destiny finally approached Gellert with the Wand of Destiny in her hand. "Gellert, disarm me" Destiny said, her voice filled with determination. 

Gellert pulled out his Wand and cast the disarming charm. The Wand of Destiny sailed out of Destiny's hand and landed on Gellert's hand. Destiny felt that her connection with the Wand of Destiny was gone. 

'Thank you' Destiny thought with her eyes still focused on the Wand of Destiny. Gellert couldn't stop himself from smiling and started to ruffle Destiny's hair. Destiny shot him a filthy look before she swatted away his hand. 

Destiny returned to her room so that she could continue practising her Magic. The two of them were currently living in a Muggle house. The Muggles had gratefully left the house for them after Destiny had killed them. 

Destiny continued practising magic until she was exhausted. Casting Magic with the Katana was vastly different than with the Wand of Destiny. Her Magic hummed whenever she would cast a Spell. After exhausting herself, Destiny started to read a book on Transfiguration. 

She wasn't reading about conventional Transfiguration, she was reading about human Transfiguration. According to the book, it was pretty dangerous, that is why she was going to practice it on a bunch of unsuspecting Muggles. 

If anything went wrong then she would simply pick another target. After all, you can learn a lot from your mistakes. But she won't be doing that today… today she was going to relax and enjoy. Today was, after all, her birthday. 

Destiny entered the dining room for dinner and several party poppers went off. Gellert was sitting on the other side of the table with a smile on his face. "Happy Birthday, Destiny" Once again he wished her and Destiny beamed with a brilliant smile on her face. 

"Thanks a lot, Gellert, this means a lot for me" Destiny said with a smile as she pulled back a chair and climbed up. Destiny placed Neptune on the table beside her as she picked up the knife and fork. Both ate their food in complete silence. 

After finishing his dinner, Gellert placed his knife and fork on the plate and wiped his mouth with a Conjured napkin. "Destiny, I think it is time for you to start learning Occlumency" Gellert said and in a firm tone. 

"I understand, when do we begin?" Destiny asked. 

"From tomorrow morning, tonight I have another lesson for you" Gellert said and he got up from his seat. Destiny nodded her head and got up from her and grabbed Neptune. 

Gellert placed his hand on Destiny's shoulder and both of them Apparated away. Both Gellert and Destiny appeared near a beach. "So… what am I going to learn?" Destiny asked curiously and Gellert simply gestured her towards the wet sand. 

Gellert jabbed the Elder Wand towards the sand and an intricately designed sand castle rose from the sand. "I want you to make an exact copy of this one…" Gellert said and Destiny didn't know why Gellert asked her to do something like that but it was a lesson so she won't complain. 

Destiny scrunched her face in concentration as a similar sand castle rose from the sand. Destiny furrowed her brows as she kept Transfiguring the sand castle until it became a perfect replica of Gellert's. When Destiny was finally done, nearly an hour had passed. 

"You need to work on your timing… from today, you will practice making this sand castle from any type of material. When you can successfully raise the sand castle at once, I will teach you the Firestorm Spell"

(A/N: The spell Albus Dumbledore had used in the Cave to destroy the Inferi where Voldemort aka Tom Riddle had hidden it in the year 1997)

"To learn that Spell you must be adept in both Transfiguration and Conjuration. Come on, let's go back now" Gellert explained as he extended his hand towards Destiny. Destiny grabbed his hand and both of them Apparated back to their temporary residence…

The next day, Destiny found herself sitting in front of Gellert after they finished their daily Dueling and combat training. Destiny was going to start learning Occlumency from today. 

"To learn Occlumency, first of all, you must learn how to clear your mind" Gellert said and took a small pause. "But doing something like that is very time-consuming… there is an easier and faster method" Gellert said and Destiny eagerly listened to him. 

"You need to think about something that makes you feel at peace… it could be anything" Gellert said and Destiny nodded her head in understanding. 

Destiny closed her mind as she started to think about something that could make her feel at peace. 'A crimson sea… hmm… it feels like something is missing. Ah…' Destiny thought and started to think about a crimson sea surrounded by various types of storms. 

Destiny felt herself at peace… she didn't know how this was going to help. "So, what did you think about?" Gellert asked curiously. 

"A crimson sea filled with various types of storms" Destiny said like it was the most obvious thing in the World and Gellert's eyebrows started to twitch. 

'At least that would be a good defence' Gellert mused internally. "Good… now try imagining that your mind is surrounded by this crimson sea and the storms" Gellert said with a thin smile on his face. 

Destiny bobbed her head as she started to imagine her mind being surrounded by the crimson sea and the storms. After a few minutes, Destiny gave a small nod. 

"Good. Now, I will use Legilimency to attack your mind… even if your mind isn't surrounded by the sea and storms, I will let you know of my presence" Gellert said and Destiny gave him another nod. 

"Legilimens" Gellert muttered as he gently entered Destiny's mind. After two minutes, Gellert averted his eyes as he pulled out of Destiny's mind. 

"You need to do a lot of work… you might think your mind is protected by the sea and the storms but it isn't… you were also unable to feel my probes even though I wasn't being subtle. Hah… no need to frown… you simply need time and practice" Gellert pointed out his findings to Destiny. 

Destiny nodded her head in understanding. "I will continue probing your mind until you can feel my probes. You need to figure out how… there is no way I can help you with that if we are taking this route" Gellert said and Destiny gave him a determined nod. 

For the next two hours, Gellert kept probing her mind but unfortunately, Destiny wasn't able to sense his probes so Destiny didn't make any more progress in Occlumency. Destiny was slightly bitter about the fact that she didn't make any progress but she knew that getting frustrated won't help her. 

"Unfortunately, we need to stop here… I need to run some errands" Gellert said and got up from the floor. Destiny could only nod her head as Gellert left their makeshift training room. 

Destiny released a defeated sigh as she got up from the floor. Even though Gellert was gone, she needed to practice on her own as she had taken a break yesterday. With the Wand of Destiny, she had started to practice Elemental Magic even though Gellert had mentioned the shortcomings. 

Destiny picked up Neptune and Conjured a simple tub in front of her. She won't deny that doing this with the Wand of Destiny was much easier but that was the reason why she gave up such a powerful tool. 

Now came the harder part… she had to create water without the Aguamenti Charm. She needed to create water with pure intent. The creation of an element with pure intent was necessary if you want to learn Elemental Magic. If you can't even create an element without a specific Spell then Elemental Magic is not for you. 

Destiny scrunched her face as her hand holding Neptune slightly shook. Slowly water started to form inside the tub. By the time she finally finished filling up the tub with water, Destiny's forehead was filled with sweat. 'This time it was much harder' Destiny thought and used magic to wipe away her sweat. 

Destiny's Magical Core was extremely large so if she wanted to exhaust her Core, she needed to use Magic for every little thing. After that, Destiny started to transform the water into ice with pure intent… doing that with a Spell would have been pretty easy but she needed to do it the hard way. 

Destiny released a tired sigh when she finally finished transforming the water into ice. 'It took me around 10 minutes to achieve that' Destiny thought and she started to transform the ice into its previous state. 

'This is not going to be easy' Destiny thought but she wouldn't give up as she remembered Gellert's words. 'Listen to me, those who take the easier routes will always turn out mediocre. They are simply cowards as they refuse to accept something new. Pave your own path and your name will be written in history' those were Gellert's exact words. 

She didn't know if it was a good thing or not but she understood that she needed to walk down her own path. Destiny finally finished transforming the ice into water… After taking a deep breath, once again she started to transform the water into ice. She continued doing that until she exhausted her Magical Core…

The same routine continued for months without a change. Destiny had made a lot of progress in Occlumency. She had received a letter from Mahoutokoro in January which she obviously denied because there were no wizarding schools where Destiny could learn what she was learning right now. 

This led Gellert to make a conclusion. Destiny's original birthday had been in January. Destiny wasn't bothered by that but she insisted that her birth date was December 6th. This also meant that Destiny was a month younger than he had thought initially. It wasn't a big deal so it was fine. 

Destiny was finally able to surround her mind with the crimson sea and storms. She still couldn't do anything to stop Gellert's intrusions but it was still a lot of progress. She had been practising Elemental Magic regularly and she had also been working on the sand castle. 

But today the routine was going to change as Destiny was finally able to create the sand castle from anything around them… she could even Conjure the whole thing if needed even though doing that took more time and a lot of her Magic. 

So, as promised Gellert took her to a remote location so he could teach her the Firestorm Spell. "Have you read the incantation and description of the Spell?" Gellert asked and Destiny eagerly nodded her head. Gellert gave her a satisfied nod and took a deep breath. 

"Remember, you need to be careful about this Spell or this Spell might consume you" Gellert said in a warning tone and Destiny quickly nodded her head and paid rapt attention to Gellert. 

Gellert pulled out the Wand of Destiny and with a wave, a lasso made of crimson gold flames erupted from the tip of his Wand. The flames surrounded Gellert and Destiny, making a large ring of fire around them. Gellert kept waving his Wand over his head in a circular motion and the flames kept raging. 

Destiny kept staring at the flames with awe and excitement in her eyes. She couldn't believe that Gellert was showing her such a grandiose Spell. After a minute, Gellert finally stopped waving his Wand and the flames disappeared leaving behind a charred circle on the ground around them. 

"That was brilliant!!" Destiny exclaimed and Gellert simply ruffled her hair while chuckling. Destiny's awe and excitement transformed into a scowl as she gave Gellert a filthy look and swatted away his hand. 

"Now, why don't you give it a try? I will be here so if anything goes wrong, I will take care of it" Gellert urged and Destiny gave him a confident and determined nod. 

Destiny took a deep breath and raised Neptune… moments later, a lasso of crimson gold flames erupted from the end of the hilt of Neptune. Destiny couldn't just wave Neptune on top of her head so she tried to manipulate the flames to form a ring around them but much to her displeasure, the flames went off. 

Destiny gave it another try and once again the same thing happened. After the fifth failure, Destiny couldn't stop herself and released a frustrated groan. Gellert kept staring at Destiny with an amused look on his face. A Katana definitely had its perks but there were cons too. 

Destiny kept practising the Spell for the next three hours. She made a lot of progress as she could form a semi-circle before the flames went off but she couldn't finish the circle. Gellert decided to call it a day and the two of them returned to their house. 

"Destiny, let's have a small Duel before calling it a day. What do you say?" Gellert asked and Destiny immediately nodded her head. They had Duels regularly during the morning training session but sometimes Gellert asked her for a Duel before ending the day, in these Duels they tried everything in their arsenal as long as they were non-lethal. 

"Non-lethal Spells only" Destiny called out and Gellert simply inclined his head in confirmation. It was Destiny who fired the first Spell. Destiny started with the Petrifying Spell followed by the Jelly Leg and Leg Locking Jinx. 

Gellert simply sidestepped to dodge the first Spell and swatted away the other two and attacked Destiny with two tickling charms. Destiny waved Neptune and swatted away both Spells. Neptune didn't have any anti-magic properties, but obviously, the tickling Charms won't have any effect on a Katana. 

The ability to recognize Spells was very important. It comes with experience. Destiny used Lumos Maxima and a bright light erupted from the hilt of Neptune and Gellert flinched due to the extremely bright light. Destiny wasn't affected by the light as she had covered her own eyes as soon as she had finished casting the Spell. 

Destiny took this chance and shot a string of Charms in Gellert's direction. Gellert still had his eyes closed but he twisted the Wand of Destiny and Conjured a flock of birds. All of the Charms Destiny had fired hit the birds instead of their intended target. 

Destiny frowned and continued firing Spells towards Gellert. Gellert was still being protected by the birds and with a small jab of his Wand, he froze the floor on Destiny's side, Destiny yelped as she lost her footing but with a small twist of Neptune, she elevated the floor cracking the ice. 

Gellert finally opened his eyes and blinked, still trying to adjust to the light and shook his head. His eyes focused on Destiny's form and with a small twist of his Wand, he sent a jet of water towards Destiny but he wasn't expecting what Destiny did next. 

Destiny saw the stream of water approaching her and with pure intent, she turned the whole stream of water into ice. Gellert's eyes grew wide at the display of such splendid Magic. Gellert knew that Destiny hadn't used any Spell to achieve that as no Spells could have such an effect. The stream of water simply froze in its tracks. 

Destiny raised Neptune and the ground floor beneath Gellert turned into a semi-liquid state. Once again Destiny did that with pure intent and didn't use a Spell. Gellert simply grinned and an invisible shield appeared beneath his feet. Destiny clicked her tongue but continued attacking Gellert with her Spells. 

Gellert simply batted away the Spells and returned some of the Spells at Destiny. Gellert noticed something odd and he was pushed back a couple of feet by a gust of wind. Gellert could only smile proudly, once again Destiny had created the gust of wind with pure intent. 

He had told her that Elemental Magic won't bear any fruits and here she was, using them in a Duel so effortlessly and efficiently. Gellert smiled and pointed the Wand of Destiny towards Destiny. A string of Charms shot out of his Wand in quick succession.

Destiny scowled. Gellert wasn't pulling punches any longer. She didn't have the time to move out of the way of the Charms so she could only raise a shield using the Shield Charm and hope for the best but unfortunately, it wasn't her day. 

The shield was able to protect Destiny from a couple of Charms but her shield was ripped apart before she could even move away and Destiny's world turned black…

Destiny gasped for breath as she shot up from her bed. Oh… she was back in her bed. She tried to remember what had happened to her and finally remembered that she had lost the Duel. Destiny released a defeated sigh as Gellert knocked on her door. 

"Come in" Destiny said and Gellert opened the door and walked in. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the chair and sat down. 

"How are you feeling?" Gellert asked softly. 

"I have a headache…" Destiny deadpanned and Gellert simply smirked. 

"That will go away in a few minutes. I just wanted to say what you did in the Duel was phenomenal" Gellert said and Destiny grimaced. 

"I still lost" Destiny pointed out bitterly and Gellert chuckled. 

"Of course, you lost. You are good but I am way stronger than you. I have a Crystalized Magical Core while you only have a Liquid Magical Core. My Spells are much faster and stronger than yours"

"Not only that, I am way more experienced than you. I am not telling you all this to depress you or make fun of you… I am simply pointing out facts. Then, I also have the Wand of Destiny, no matter how good your Katana is, the Wand of Destiny is still superior"

Gellert explained and Destiny could only release a defeated sigh. Having a Crystalized Magical Core would give you a massive boost and it has been some time since Gellert's Magical Core had reached that state and the Elder Wand helped. 

"One day I will beat you" Destiny said in a determined tone with a fire burning in her eyes. Gellert smiled and nodded his head. 

"I know… you are just 11 years old and you will only become stronger as you keep growing older" Gellert assured her. "The Magic you used was so advanced. You used pure Elemental Magic in a battle so efficiently" Gellert said proudly and Destiny beamed at the praise. 

"What is the most advanced Magic?" Destiny asked and Gellert pondered the question for a few moments until he nodded his head. He would try to answer her question as best as he could. 

"The Unforgivables, Protego Diabolica, and Fiendfyre…" Gellert said with a thoughtful look on his face. "There is another form of advanced or probably the most advanced form of Magic but only a handful of Witches and Wizards have been able to achieve such a feat" Gellert explained. 

Gellert noticed that Destiny was paying rapt attention to whatever he was saying. "It is said that they were able to give their Magic its own will. It would act out on its own if they were in some danger. There are mentions of this in various texts but I am nowhere close to achieving something like that" Gellert explained and Destiny had a look of awe on her face. 

"When can I start learning that?" Destiny asked and Gellert chuckled and shook his head. 

"Not until you have a Crystallized Magical Core" Gellert said with a smile and even though Destiny looked disappointed, she was even more determined to get stronger… 

~~September, 1919~~

With a wave of her hand Destiny created a Wandless Shield Charm and a bullet ricocheted after colliding against the invisible barrier. The Muggle gaped at the display. It wasn't Destiny's fault that the Muggle she had decided to murder was carrying a gun. 

With a small twitch of Neptune, Destiny bound and silenced the man. She couldn't believe that she would have been injured if not for her quick reflexes. She had heard about guns during the Muggle War but she had simply scoffed at that. 

'Gellert is right. Muggles are really good at making things to kill each other' Destiny mused as she approached the downed man. The man still had the gun in his hand, with a little bit of effort Destiny was able to get the gun. She wouldn't leave something dangerous in a Muggle's hand. 

Destiny gave the gun another look before putting it in her robes. Destiny touched the man and activated the Portkey she was carrying. With a familiar tug around her navel, Destiny and the Muggle man were whisked away from the empty alley. 

Destiny appeared inside their current residence along with the Muggle man. Destiny sneered at the bound man and unceremoniously dropped him on the floor like a sack of potatoes. "Oh… you are back?" Gellert asked as he looked up from the book he was reading. 

"Yes, the Filthy Muggle was carrying a gun" Destiny scowled and Gellert furrowed his brows but didn't say anything else. It wasn't surprising that he didn't hold Muggle guns in high regard. 

"Oh… is that so? I assume that you aren't hurt?" Gellert asked and raised his brow. 

"I am fine, he wasn't able to hurt me…" Destiny said in a dismissive manner but Gellert could clearly see the excitement in her eyes. 

"Good… so, as promised I will teach you the Unforgivables but you would need to work them out on your own…" Gellert said in a firm tone and put down the book. Gellert got up from his seat and with a flick of his Wand, he cleared the Space. 

In the last months, Destiny has made a lot of progress. Her Occlumency was still improving but she had also mastered the Firestorm Spell during last month. Now she could perform the Spell without any movements. Gellert had been quite impressed and just yesterday, she had successfully cast the Spell with pure intent. 

She had replicated the Spell with Elemental Magic, which was a great feat and Gellert had decided to reward her. As her reward, Destiny had asked him to teach her the Unforgivables. Gellert knew that Destiny was strong enough to use all three of them but he wanted to wait longer before teaching her the Unforgivables. 

Then he remembered that he was only 14 when he had learnt how to cast the Imperius Curse. Yes, Destiny was only 11, but she was already a killer so she could very well learn the Unforgivables too… It might help her in the future. 

Even though he had said that he would teach her the Unforgivables, he was going to put up a condition. As long as Destiny doesn't master the Imperius Curse, he won't teach her the Killing Curse, he had planned to teach her the Cruciatus Curse last. 

Gellert pointed the Wand of Destiny towards the Muggle. "Imperio" Gellert muttered and unbound the man. "Bang your head on the floor" Gellert ordered and the man started to bang his head on the floor. "Stop, lie down silently" Gellert gave him the second order. The man stopped banging his head and lied down on the floor. 

Gellert then bound the man and dropped the Spell. "Did you understand how I did it?" Gellert asked but Destiny shook her head in denial. Gellert gave her a small, understanding nod. 

"The Spell Imperio creates a mental bridge between yourself and the victim. Now, not only that, but the Spell also makes your victim's mind very vulnerable by giving them a feeling of euphoria"

"Now, your will must be strong enough to force his vulnerable mind into obedience. Your orders will be whispered into their minds, proficient users can even mentally order their victims like I can do. Following orders gives them a feeling of Euphoria" 

"If you are strong and proficient with the Spell, there will be only a minor chance that the victim could fight back. Controlling Muggles is much easier than Magicals… that's all I can tell you. Now, give it a try" Gellert said and backed away. 

Destiny took a deep breath and pointed the hilt of Neptune towards Muggle on the floor. "Imperio" Destiny said and the man's eyes turned slightly glassy. Destiny felt a connection form between her and the Muggle man. "Dance on one foot" Destiny ordered and unbonded the man. 

Destiny felt the man trying to fight the order. So, Destiny started to put more pressure. For minutes, she kept fighting for control and she ultimately came out victorious. The man started to dance on one foot. After a few minutes, Destiny was having a hard time controlling the man, so she bound him and dropped the spell. 

"That was brilliant for the first try… and you are just 11 years old-" Gellert froze when he noticed the icy glare Destiny was giving her and a grin formed on his face. "Almost 12 years, but you still need to work very hard. I want you to be proficient enough to order him to do anything without any effort" Gellert said and Destiny agreed. 

"If you had given him some self-harming order or an order that goes against his morals, then he would have fought harder… I want you to become strong enough to order a Muggle to kill themselves without them fighting back" Gellert said and Destiny knew that this was another challenge but she didn't mind. Challenges were necessary for improvement…