Adelaide's lips curved into a slight, confident smile as she swiftly drew her wand from within her robes.
She raised her wand aloft with elegant, practiced grace and began to murmur an ancient, obscure incantation in a low voice.
With each syllable she uttered, the surrounding air seemed to grow restless, faintly emanating waves of scorching energy.
Within mere seconds, a jet of crimson-black flame erupted from the tip of Adelaide's wand. Unlike ordinary fire, it did not spread wildly but rapidly coalesced into a vividly lifelike flaming falcon.
The fire-constructed falcon spread its blazing wings and darted through the air with astonishing speed.
It streaked past like a bolt of crackling flame, illuminating its path with a dazzling, fiery trail as brilliant as shooting stars streaking across the night sky—a breathtaking spectacle of beauty that concealed boundless peril and lethal intent.
Dumbledore watched the small, swiftly darting fire-falcon intently, a flicker of concern in his wise, deep-set eyes as he gripped his wand tightly, prepared for any sudden development.
He knew full well that this seemingly harmless creature possessed terrifying power; the consequences of anyone accidentally touching it would be unthinkable.
Was it truly wise to entrust such a dangerous curse to Adelaide, who was only eleven?
Gellert Grindelwald, lying nearby, also wore a grave expression. He too understood that this small fire-falcon was no ordinary thing; the potent magical energy radiating from it was deeply unsettling.
"The most brilliant fireworks are often the deadliest... Has Adelaide already grown to this extent? Truly, the student surpasses the master!"
Gellert murmured to himself, then smiled with a sense of release.
"It seems we old-timers will soon be left behind by the times. The world, after all, belongs to the young."
"Albus, please lend me your wand."
Gellert Grindelwald's deep gaze turned towards Dumbledore, who stood not far away, his voice tinged with a barely concealed longing and urgency.
Ever since that earth-shattering, century-defining duel that shook the Wizarding World, he had been imprisoned, and the elder wand, once his and famed throughout the world, had been placed in Dumbledore's care and use.
Time had flowed on, and through all these years, he had not once touched a wand.
Gellert Grindelwald couldn't help but wonder to himself: after such a long hiatus from practice, would those once-masterful spellcasting skills have grown rusty?
His heart held both nostalgia for past glories and apprehension about the unknown extent of his decline.
Upon hearing Gellert's request, Dumbledore frowned slightly, sinking into brief contemplation.
By both regulation and common sense, he absolutely should not lend a wand to a serious convict still serving his sentence.
Moreover, Adelaide had already demonstrated astonishing prowess far beyond her years. The mere fact that she could master the Fiendfyre was shocking and formidable enough.
Dumbledore sighed. Before this visit, Adelaide hadn't mentioned that the purpose was to upgrade the Fiendfyre... She's only eleven, her judgment not yet mature. If she were to acquire Gellert's unique techniques on top of this, the consequences of any mishap would be unimaginable!
He should refuse Gellert's request and make it clear to Adelaide that her current strength was sufficient; she should focus on enjoying school life at this stage, not on improving the Fiendfyre.
But when Dumbledore met Gellert's expectant blue eyes, his resolve instantly softened. He knew all too well the disappointment and pain a refusal would bring to the man before him.
Sigh. He would make an exception this time and lend Gellert a wand, as a sort of compensation for not visiting him for two weeks.
After an internal struggle, Dumbledore did not hand over the wand he himself held, as Gellert had hoped. Instead, he turned and walked out of the room towards the guard stationed outside.
After a brief exchange, he successfully borrowed an ordinary wand from the guard and gently offered it to Gellert Grindelwald.
Gellert's brow furrowed slightly, his lips turning down in a clear expression of disdain.
Yet he said nothing more, silently accepting the wand from Dumbledore's hand.
"Adelaide, watch closely now!"
Gellert declared in a raised voice, his eyes gleaming with confidence and pride, as if he had returned to the era of his former glory.
He sat up straight on the bed, leveled the wand, and proclaimed loudly, "This is my unique technique, perfected over three full years by meticulously fusing the Fiendfyre with multiple laws of magic—the Fiendfyre Loyalty Curse! Once cast, its raging flames will incinerate all things in this world. Anything that dares block its path will be reduced to ashes. Only creatures absolutely loyal to you, and Phoenixes, can survive its touch."
When mentioning Phoenixes, Gellert Grindelwald couldn't resist casting a meaningful glance in Dumbledore's direction.
Adelaide also pursed her lips, thinking to herself: With Gellert's abilities, patching the 'loophole' of Phoenixes being immune to Fiendfyre shouldn't be difficult. He just couldn't be bothered to perfect it.
But it didn't matter. Phoenixes were the rarest of magical creatures anyway. The only publicly known Phoenix in Britain right now was Fawkes, so the Fiendfyre's inability to harm Phoenixes wasn't a hindrance.
Adelaide focused intently on Gellert's next movements. He pointed his wand at the fire-falcon still cavorting freely in the air, then, like a skilled orchestra conductor, began to wave his wand with elegant, fluid, and perfectly measured motions.
Simultaneously, he clearly intoned the modified incantation, his low, magnetic voice possessing a magical quality that Dumbledore found himself involuntarily drawn into.
As the incantation rose, the red fire-falcon flapping its wings in the air was instantly enveloped by a powerful surge of magic. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a dazzling cluster of blue-purple flame.
This cluster of flame, as if possessing life, joyfully spun, leaped, and continuously changed shape—finally, to Adelaide's astonished gaze, it morphed into a beautiful, noble blue swan, spreading its wings and dancing lightly in mid-air.
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