14 Eldritch in Action: Victory in France

"Eldritch in Action: Victory in France"

And so the months passed. Everyone took their exams, and Stephen finished first in his year, breaking several records. Although he was quite busy with his studies, he always found time to meet up with his group and pull pranks.

After almost a year of studying, at 12 years old, Stephen became more and more handsome, attracting the lovestruck gazes of the girls and the hatred of nearly all the boys. This also earned him the nickname "The Dark Prince," due to his charming appearance and the terrifying pranks he pulled.

Despite the fact that many had fallen victim to his jokes, no one could truly hate him. He always made sure that everyone was okay and looked out for people whenever he went too far.

When the exams ended, the time came for the International Dueling Competition. Stephen had already participated in most of the national matches to qualify, which were nothing special, as a few well-placed stunners while dodging with minimal movement were enough to advance him to the big leagues.

Although Stephen didn't expect much, as most participants were between 11 and 15 years old, the finals were to be held in France.

"It's been months since I last came back," said a blond boy wearing a white cat mask that only revealed a pair of bright blue eyes. Some wondered if he had the blood of a magical creature.

—Alright, Stephen, these are the quarterfinals. Your opponents are two Durmstrang students known for their use of dark magic. Although they don't use highly damaging spells, I'd prefer if you dodged any of their attacks. The other one is from Ilvermorny, highly skilled in transfiguration. It's rare to see, but if he's a good user, he'll be a tough opponent —said Flitwick while accompanying Stephen as his designated mentor, since the Flamels couldn't attend.

However, Misty had come along and brought a tool created together by Nicolas Flamel and Stephen. It was a camera that took moving pictures and connected to serve as a video recorder. This was the best they could achieve in such a short time. Unfortunately, they couldn't use a regular recorder because electricity couldn't function properly in places with high magical concentration, but this would do for now.

After a few suspenseful minutes, the time finally arrived. Stephen was up against Bernard Sven, known for using explosive magic and corrosive dark spells.

—You all know that when one contestant surrenders or is unable to fight, the match is over. Lethal and Unforgivable Curses are strictly prohibited. Now, bow and take your positions —said the referee, stepping back to wait for the judge's signal.

—Hello, everyone, and welcome to the quarterfinals! Today, as our guest commentator, we have the multiple-time dueling champion and current professor at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Filius Flitwick! —announced the commentator, introducing Flitwick, who was there to comment on today's matches.

—Hello, a pleasure to be here today —responded Flitwick with a smile.

—So, Professor, one of today's competitors is one of your Hogwarts students, correct? —the commentator asked.

—Yes, that's right. He's the one about to face Bernard—Steve Rogers —said Flitwick, using Stephen's alias to keep his identity a secret, an obvious tribute to Captain America.

—Indeed. Steve Rogers, the youngest competitor at just 12 years old, is one of the most anticipated participants in this competition. I must say, his outfit is quite stylish —commented the announcer.

The clothing Stephen wore closely resembled that of the monks of Kamar-Taj, a deep blue robe similar to Strange's. This attire provided far better mobility than the usual wizard robes.

—Without further ado, let's witness the battle between Bernard the Demolisher and Steve the Intangible! —announced the commentator.

—Begin! —declared the judge, lowering the flag to signal the start of the duel.

—Bombarda! —shouted Bernard while standing in a defensive stance.

—Wow! Starting off strong with an explosive spell, which Steve effortlessly dodges. For those in the stands, don't worry, we have wizards stationed all around the arena, as well as a protective barrier for the spectators.

—Steve is effortlessly dodging all of Bernard's attacks while steadily closing the distance. Hmm, he's putting his wand in his mouth! What could he be planning? Professor, could you tell us what your student is up to? —the commentator asked Flitwick, who sat beside him, visibly intrigued.

—I see… So that was his plan —muttered Flitwick under his breath with a look of understanding before replying—: If I say it now, the surprise will be ruined, but I assure you, it will be interesting. Don't worry.

Receiving no further answers from the mysterious Flitwick, everyone focused on Steve, who suddenly raised his hands in front of him, clapped twice, and a whip of golden light shot out, ensnaring Bernard and pulling him toward him. As Steve made another gesture, a glowing ring of light encircled his fist, which he then used to punch Bernard, knocking him unconscious.

Stunning the audience, Stephen grinned and said,

—Looks like I win.

—And the winner is Steve Rogers, with a magical punch! —shouted the commentator, snapping out of his shock. He then turned to Flitwick—: What was that?

—Yes, those are magical spells based on light, created by Steve. One is the Eldritch Whip, and the other, I believe, is called the Tao Mandala. It works with fists but can also transform into a shield, a sword, and other weapons. I even saw him using them as fans while training —explained Flitwick, recalling the dueling lessons he had given Steve at Hogwarts.

—Are you saying that a 12-year-old competitor created two spells specifically for the competition? —the commentator asked, astonished.

—No, not just two. He wrote an entire book called Eldritch Magic, and all the spells are based on light and burning energy. I can even say that many of them are as powerful as dark arts, if not stronger, but without the risk of falling into darkness. Since it's based on true light magic, it could change the wizarding world significantly. However, some people might not like it because this magic combines close combat and requires physical endurance, along with magic. So, many who dislike exercise won't be too fond of it —explained Professor Flitwick, taking the opportunity to promote his student's book.

He even demonstrated that he could use some of that magic himself, duplicating the whip that Steve had used and using it to grab a water bottle from several meters away.

—Amazing, Professor Flitwick! I'm very interested in that book. But for now, let's call the next contenders: Igor Sven, Bernard's brother, known as Igor the Tower for his powerful defensive spells, and Richard Simons, The One-Man Army, famous for his incredible transfiguration magic, creating numerous soldiers.

—Begin! —declared the judge.

The duel started with Igor focusing on defense while Richard cast spells, forming stone soldiers. A solid strategy—building his army while keeping his opponent at bay. Once he had between 50 and 60 soldiers surrounding him, he sent them forward while shielding himself behind them.

As expected, Igor couldn't withstand the fight against so many opponents at once. Although he managed to destroy a few, he couldn't hold out and was knocked out.

—This looks fun. It's been a while since I fought against so many at once —Steve commented as he watched the end of the match.

After a nearly 30-minute break to allow the competitors to recover, the moment for the final battle arrived.

—This is the last battle of the International Magical Dueling Competition! —announced the commentator.

Ignoring him, Richard watched Steve closely, studying him. Finally, Steve spoke up:

—How many of those can you control at once?

—Why should I tell you? —Richard replied suspiciously.

—Come on, if you tell me, I'll let you summon all of them before I even start moving —Steve said with a smirk.

—What? A hundred? —Richard hesitated.

—Hahaha! Why the hesitation? Is it a hundred or not? —Steve laughed.

—Yes, it's a hundred. I hope you keep your word —Richard finally answered, no longer in the mood to argue.

—You know the rules. Now, begin!

After hesitating a bit and seeing that Steve wasn't attacking, even motioning for him to go ahead, Richard began creating all the soldiers he could.

The audience watched in shock as Steve allowed Richard to build his army, which turned out to be twice as large as the one he had used against Igor.

After a few minutes, Richard, now sweating profusely, finished transfiguring his last soldier and shouted at Steve:

—I hope you're ready!

Steve, wearing a wide grin, didn't even grab his wand. Instead, he clapped his hands together, and two short swords of light appeared in his grip.

—Time to let loose a little. Let's go! —Steve yelled as he sprinted forward, dodging soldiers. With every dodge, his blades cut through the soldiers, slicing them in half.

He even used the light whip to grab one soldier and hurl it at the others around it. Whenever he couldn't dodge an attack, he formed a glowing ring that became a shield.

Suddenly, he created a ring of light and launched it forward, cutting through everything in its path like a saw. The barrier protecting the arena was almost destroyed, but fortunately, it was deactivated in time. The wizards maintaining it were visibly shaken.

When only ten soldiers remained, Steve attacked. With a simple gesture, the soldiers exploded into millions of butterflies. Then, he approached a stunned Richard and, with a small light in his hand, lightly tapped his head, awakening him. Richard immediately raised his hand in surrender.

—... —As Steve turned around, he saw everyone staring at him in silent shock. Even the commentator had forgotten to do his job. The first to snap out of it was Flitwick, who gave the commentator a couple of nudges to get him back on track.

—The winner of this competition is Steve Rogers, demonstrating truly incredible magic! No, wait, it's not just the magic that's impressive—Steve Rogers himself, with his fluid movements, fought like a warrior. That skill, that control, they're on another level! I hereby take the initiative to give him the title he truly deserves! So, the winner of this season's International Dueling Competition is… Steve Rogers, The Magical Warrior!

—Aaaah! Warrior! Steve! Amazing! That magic is incredible!

After narrowly escaping the roaring crowd, Stephen had to disguise himself—or rather, remove his disguise—to slip away.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Professor Flitwick gave him half a day, until nightfall, before they had to return. Stephen used this time to visit his friends, going to each of their houses to let them know he'd be around for the holidays and leaving them a copy of Eldritch Magic.

The last house he visited was the Delacour mansion. He stood at the entrance for several minutes, remembering that over the past few weeks, he had completely forgotten to send letters to Fleur, as he had been incredibly busy.

Finally summoning the courage of a true Gryffindor, he knocked on the door. After a few seconds, he heard footsteps, and the one who answered was a smiling, breathtakingly beautiful young girl—someone who, in ancient times, could have started wars and enchanted kings to fall at her feet.

It was Fleur Delacour, who, at 13 years old, was already beginning to show the effects of her Veela heritage.

But Stephen, even if he were to see the Veela queen herself, wouldn't be affected. Not because of the many protective charms his grandfather made him wear, nor because of the magic he controlled, but simply because he was utterly clueless about women.

As Strange would say: A simple but unbreakable spell.

The moment Fleur saw who it was, her smile instantly vanished, replaced by a furious expression, and she slammed the door in his face.

—Well… I wasn't expecting anything less, but I did expect something… stronger —Stephen muttered.

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