Chapter 75: The Heirs Growth

Hogwarts had entered its final stretch before the end-of-year exams. 

The usual excitement of the school had given way to a quiet tension, as students buried themselves in textbooks and practice sessions. 

The library was more crowded than ever, study groups huddled in corners, and even the most carefree students had started reviewing their notes.

For Nero and his friends, however, this was just another challenge amidst their already intense schedules. 

Between their rigorous self-imposed training, duels, and secret research into Slytherin's legacy, they had little time to slow down.

Still, Nero ensured he reserved time for training with his closest friends. 

Though their progress in uncovering the mysteries of the Chamber of Secrets had stalled due to Lilith lacking a crucial understanding, they had not been idle. 

Each had pushed their magical prowess further in preparation for what was to come.

Lilith had sharpened her mastery of fire, pushing herself until she had begun to grasp lightning, a volatile and raw extension of her primary element. 

Ember had taken her affinity with earth to new heights, developing an almost instinctive control over terrain, and had recently started experimenting with metal, testing its properties and learning how to shape it with precision. 

Alaric, always nimble and quick-thinking, had deepened his connection with wind, refining it until he could invoke a controlled force of hurricane, bending air currents into devastating tempests.

Now, the four of them had gathered in the Room of Requirement for their usual dueling practice. 

However, this time, the odds were stacked differently.

"Three against one," Lilith said, rolling her shoulders. "We're finally acknowledging how unfair it is when you go all out, Nero."

Ember grinned. "Yeah, you're basically cheating with those blasted barriers of yours."

Alaric cracked his knuckles. "No more holding back. You take this seriously, or we'll make you regret it."

Nero shrugged, an amused smirk playing on his lips. "Cheating? My barriers feel like an extension of myself at this point. But it's more than just defense. Ever since I started working as a curse breaker, I've gained insights into merging barriers with other magical principles. There's potential to use them in ways I hadn't even considered before."

Lilith narrowed her eyes. "Oh? That sounds concerning."

"You'll see."

Nero gestured at them, stepping into a loose stance. "Show me what you've got."

The tension rose as the four moved into position. 

The Room of Requirement had already reshaped itself into a massive stone coliseum, walls towering above them, the ground uneven with scattered debris. 

The air hummed with latent magic.

Then, all at once, the duel began.

Lilith was the first to move.

With a flick of her wrist, lightning arced from her wand, crackling through the air in jagged streaks. 

Simultaneously, Ember slammed her foot into the ground, sending a series of sharp earthen spikes rushing toward Nero. 

Alaric, ever the strategist, used their attacks as a cover, summoning a fierce gale of wind that surged forward, distorting the battlefield and making movement unpredictable.

Nero reacted instantly.

Three translucent barriers shimmered into existence, but unlike traditional shields, each was imbued with a different magical property. 

One redirected Lilith's lightning, dispersing the energy harmlessly into the air. 

Another warped the trajectory of Ember's spikes, sending them flying off course. 

The third was shaped to cut through the turbulence of Alaric's wind, keeping Nero unaffected while chaos surrounded him.

Then, he counterattacked.

A flick of his fingers, and his barrier shifted into an expanding force wave, knocking them all back. 

Ember dug her heels into the ground, using her earth element to anchor herself, while Alaric twisted midair, riding the winds to correct his stance. 

Lilith, however, let the force carry her, twisting her body at the last moment to redirect the momentum, sending another crackling lightning bolt straight at Nero from an unexpected angle.

Nero barely had time to reinforce his defenses before Ember launched metal shards, reshaping them mid-air like daggers. 

Alaric compressed the wind, turning it into a near-solid cutting blade that lashed out like an executioner's strike.

For several minutes, the battle raged, magic crackling in every direction, the room shaking with each impact.

But Nero was relentless.

His movements were precise, almost effortless. 

He adapted too quickly, breaking their coordination apart. 

Where Lilith struck with fire, Nero's barriers bent the heat around him. 

Where Ember manipulated the earth, Nero used it against her, reshaping terrain before she could react. 

Where Alaric tried to control the battlefield with his wind, Nero pierced through the storm, his barriers acting as both shield and blade.

Then, he did something new.

Lilith's fire surged toward him again, only for it to strike a barrier unlike any before. 

Instead of blocking it, the barrier absorbed the fire, transforming it into a cascade of water.

With a wave of his hand, Nero manipulated the newly-formed liquid, freezing it into a barrage of ice spikes, sending them hurtling toward his opponents.

Alaric barely managed to whip up a defensive barrier, while Ember conjured a wall of metal to shield herself.

Lilith glared at Nero, frustration etched across her face. "This is insane…"

She bit back the words, forcing herself to breathe through the burning in her lungs. 

She had one last trick left. One last bet.

Straightening, Lilith shifted her stance. And this time, she did something different.

She spoke.

The hissing syllables of Parseltongue echoed through the room, ancient and resonant.

Nero's eyes sharpened.

Something shifted in the air. 

The torches dimmed slightly, as if something unseen was swallowing the light.

It wasn't magic in the conventional sense. It was something… deeper.

Lilith extended her hand, and for a brief moment, the space around Nero trembled. 

His barrier wavered.

Then, it vanished. Erased.

Nero's eyes widened as his defenses collapsed without explanation. 

He barely had time to throw himself backward as a lance of lightning shot through where he had just been standing.

He landed, breathing hard, but his mind was elsewhere.

That… was impossible.

His barrier wasn't broken. It had ceased to exist.

The realization sent a thrill through his spine. 

He looked up at Lilith, whose face held the same mixture of surprise and understanding.

She flexed her fingers. "Oblivion… and Parseltongue. I think… I finally started to understand."

The duel continued a few moments longer, but the outcome was inevitable. 

Despite their combined strength, Nero's adaptability and refined techniques still gave him the upper hand. 

He took down Alaric first, then Ember, leaving only Lilith standing.

They stared at each other for a long moment before she sighed and lowered her wand.

"You win."

Nero lowered his, still contemplating what had happened.

Lilith rolled her shoulders. "I think I'm close. If I push this a bit further… we might finally be ready to face Slytherin's challenge."

Nero nodded slowly. "Yeah… but I need to understand exactly what you did back there."

She smirked. "Then you'd better help me figure it out."

As they stood together, still catching their breath, a single thought crossed their minds.

They were finally one step closer to solving the Chamber of Secrets mystery.

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Hey everyone! Just a quick update.

I'll be traveling tomorrow and likely won't be able to post for the next 1-2 days. I'll be back to posting as soon as I can.

Thanks for your patience, and see you soon!

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