Ch 25 Double Surprise Part 2

The creature's fur was a mesmerizing blend of gold and black, shimmering like molten lava in the dim light. Its eyes, large and glowing with an otherworldly radiance, fixed upon Sirius and Celine with an intensity that sent shivers down their spines.

In spite of its immense size, the Nundu moved with astonishing grace, gliding effortlessly through the toxic mists as if they posed no hindrance. Each colossal paw barely made contact with the ground, leaving no trace of its passage. A palpable aura of power and lethality surrounded the creature, causing the surrounding animals to cower and seek shelter in fear.

Under the mounting pressure, Celine's hand trembled involuntarily as the renowned wizard killer approached Sirius, who continued his relentless chanting. Celine's instinctively raised her wand, whether to attack or defend she didn't know, but as if sensing her intention, Sirius raised his offhand, signalling her to stand down.

Just as Celine began to question Sirius's sanity, a resounding thunderclap resonated through the sky, and when she looked up, she saw that all the dark clouds had been somehow concentrated into a single spot just above their heads, morphing into the darkest shade of black.

A hiss from the Nundu drew her attention back to the imminent threat. The creature, too, had noticed the unnatural phenomenon in the sky, and it swiftly identified the two figures before it as the source. Its jaws parted, preparing to unleash its infamous poison bomb attack, and Celine, torn between her frustrations and fear, refrained from casting any spells.

"I swear, if I die because of you, Black, I will come back as a ghost and haunt you forever!" Celine cursed loudly, watching with trepidation as a luminous sphere formed within the beast's gargantuan maw.

Just as the Nundu had opened its mouth halfway to throw its infamous poison bomb attack that was sure to vanish them from the face of the earth, its eyes widened in sudden alarm. It recoiled, arching its back and fixating its gaze on Sirius with a vigilant intensity, as though the giant cat had stumbled upon a similar-level predator.

Celine looked at Sirius's back in surprise, she didn't what he did as she was only able to notice that he seemed to have gained a couple of inches and buffed up a little similar to the previous time, but whatever he had done appeared to have momentarily halted the Nundu, a creature of XXXXX ranking, in its tracks.

However, the creature's brief moment of confusion dissipated, and it prepared to unleash its poison bomb once more. Thankfully, that momentary hesitation was all that Sirius needed, as he completed his chant in that exact instant.

The abyssal clouds that had been incessantly thundering fell silent as if holding their breath. Even the wind seemed to pause in anticipation. Celine experienced the world around her slowing down, each moment stretched out as she witnessed the Nundu, for the second time, abort its poison bomb attack. It turned its massive head, eyes filled with alarm and realization, directed at the cloud above, finally comprehending the peril that the human had been orchestrating.

Realizing the imminent threat to its life, the Nundu prepared to leap away. Yet, it was too late. In an instant, a deafening roar erupted from the heavens. A colossal bolt of lightning, blinding and magnificent, cleaved the sky with a thunderous crack. Guided by Sirius's unyielding will, it descended like an unstoppable force of nature.

The air crackled with electric energy as the lightning connected with the creature, engulfing it in a dazzling embrace. A brilliant explosion of light bathed the field, casting dramatic shadows and revealing every intricate detail of the Nundu's majestic form. Its titanic body convulsed and quivered, its roar echoing through the night.

Celine instinctively covered her ears, assaulted by the piercing howl that accompanied the spectacle. The sheer magnitude of the event stole her breath away. She stood in awe, watching the Nundu writhe in the grasp of the lightning, its immense power struggling to contain the raw strength of the creature. The hairs on her arms stood on end as the electrifying charge permeated the air, sending exhilarating shivers down her spine.

Surprisingly, even after being struck by the meter-thick bolt of lightning, the creature continued to struggle and remain alive for a dozen seconds. Sirius's voice, strained with effort, broke Celine out of her awe. "Now, Celine!" he exclaimed, struggling to maintain his grip on his wand and keep the uncontrollable lightning connected to the writhing beast.

"Huh?" Celine was confused for just an instant before she realised what he wanted, "Y-Yes!" She said and immediately raised her wand to point it toward Sirius before she cast the sharing spell.

"Magiam Participo!"

Celine focused her intention and visualized her magical energy flowing from her body to Sirius's. It was an unsettling and unique sensation as if she were willingly depleting her own strength with every passing moment.

It lasted a lot longer than Celine had thought, he hands eventually started shaking and she started seeing spots in her vision which let her know that she wasn't far from Magical exhaustion; a very serious condition. Just as she was on the verge of fainting, the cries of the Nundu, which had been steadily weakening, grew fainter, until they eventually ceased altogether.

Sirius kept the spell going for a few seconds more just to make sure before broke his wand's connection and almost instantly collapsed to his knees, panting heavily from exhaustion. His wand felt scorchingly hot in his hands as if it had been pushed beyond its safety limits. Despite the discomfort, Sirius held onto it firmly while looking at the front.

Time seemed to slow as the lightning dissipated, leaving behind an ethereal glow around the Nundu. It stood, momentarily as if it still had fight left in it but a moment later with a resounding thud, its colossal body crashed onto the forest floor. Sirius's body sagged with relief, and he uttered in disbelief, "We did it!"

A soft thud behind him drew his attention, and when he turned, he saw Celine sprawled on the ground, her gaze fixed on the lifeless Nundu, a look of incredulity on her face. "We... we killed a fucking Nundu," she murmured.

They exchanged a glance, and suddenly, Sirius erupted into loud, manic laughter—surprised, exhilarated, and incredulous. "We killed a 'Wizard Killer'... HAHA!"

Celine shook her head at Sirius's foolish expression but soon found herself joining in his laughter. They laughed for what seemed like an eternity until exhaustion overcame Celine, and she gasped for breath, saying pantingly, "I think I'm done for the day... probably going to faint..."

"Well we don't have anywhere else to be so—" Sirius was suddenly interrupted by a massive earth-shaking that reverberated through the entire forest. Both of them instinctively raised their torsos and locked eyes in dread and Sirius gasped, "The Dragon!"

Before they could fully comprehend the situation, the ground beneath them began to violently tremble, accompanied by an even more piercing hiss that echoed through the forest. Simultaneously, they both exclaimed, "The basilisk!" They yelped and scrambled to their feet.

"B-But you said that they were hibernating a-and were bound to a single location!" Celine said in a panic as they started to hear the sound of trees uprooting from the forest ground which was coming closer to them at an alarming speed.

"I thought so too," Sirius replied, his gaze fixed on the direction where the two beasts had previously been restricted. "But it seems that killing the Nundu triggered some sort of predetermined condition, awakening and releasing them simultaneously."

"Shit! What do we do then? The basilisk could be here any moment, and we die the moment we look into its eyes! We can't even fight it, and I don't have an ounce of magic left," Celine cried, her fear mounting. It seems today's ordeal was too much for her as she didn't even take into consideration the fact that she was almost completely naked and her jumping around was giving him a visual treat.

"Calm down! And besides if I am not wrong then the one who'll reach here first is not the Basilisk but the Dragon," Sirius said smoothly, as he swiftly collected their belongings from the surroundings—his wand, magical bag, and other essential items, "Besides as long as we apparate out of here we'll be fine,"

"Didn't you hear me? I don't have an ounce of magic! I can't even cast a Lumos, let alone apparate," Celine hysterically pointed out, tempted to punch Sirius's calm face in her fright.

"But I still have some magic left," Sirius reassured her. Fortunately, his magical reserves were substantial, even after the exhausting ritual they had just performed.

"You do?" Celine asked incredulously.

"Yes. Now, take my hand. Let's go," Sirius instructed.

Celine immediately complied, gripping his hand tightly. In an instant, she felt a pull at her navel, indicating the apparition process had begun. However, before she could fully register the sensation, it abruptly ended—too quicky for it to be normal and just like she was dreading... when she opened her eyes it was to find that they were in the exact same position as before, she turned to Sirius, confusion etched on her face, and asked, "What happened?"

For the first time, fear-filled Sirius's wide eyes as he looked at her and replied shakily, "An anti-apparition ward has been placed over the entire forest."

"What—"

Before she could comprehend his explanation, the sound of massive wings flapping echoed overhead. Celine looked up and saw the Monstrous Black Dread hovering just above them, its arrival unnoticed in the chaos.

Its wrathful eyes immediately focused on them before it opened its mouth and unleashed a deafening roar that threatened to rupture their eardrums and almost instantly a massive steam of fire was spewed straight at their location. It was too fast for Celine to even raise her wand, thankfully for her someone else had faster reflexes as Sirius lunged, carrying Celine behind a tree, narrowly evading the incinerating flames.

The searing heat enveloped them, making Celine feel as if she had been thrust into an enormous oven. Though the ordeal seemed to last for hours, it was only a fleeting moment. Sirius shook her, snapping her out of her daze. "Huh..."

"...Quick get on my back!" He said urgently while keeping the Huge black Dragon in his line of sight.

"What!"

"Just do it!" Sirius said impatiently while kneeling down in front of him with his back to her. Celine unconsciously complied with Sirius's command and climbed onto his back while holding onto his neck with her hands.

Under any other circumstances, she would have been conscious of the fact that she was still half-naked and their bodies were pressed closely together. But at that moment, the only thought that raced through her mind was, 'Is he really going to outrun a fucking dragon on foot through the forest?'

Her question was answered swiftly as the two-legged human she had been riding on began to grow exponentially. Before she knew it, a massive beast was running beneath her, carrying them swiftly through the forest. As the realization dawned on her, all she could do was scream at the top of her lungs.

"AHHHHhhh..."