Orion finally arrived in Bhutan, but as he reached the site of the long-awaited magical election, he realized he was too late. The battle had already begun. Aurors, witches, and wizards were fighting against Grindelwald's forces, spells flashing in bursts of color across the mist-covered mountains. The scene was chaotic, with shouts and cries filling the air.
But what struck Orion most was Grindelwald himself. He looked nothing like the man Orion remembered. Dark, sinister magic pulsed around him like an aura, making him appear monstrous, nearly unrecognizable. Shadows seemed to cling to Grindelwald, swirling around his form, and his once-cold eyes now gleamed with an unnatural darkness. Orion could sense that something was deeply wrong—this wasn't just a powerful wizard in battle; this was dark magic twisted and amplified beyond anything he'd ever seen before.
'He is drawing more dark Magic, fool… though now I know why he lost his magic in the future. And maybe he did it mainly becuase of me being here… Sigh' Orion ponder and everything started to click in his head.
Despite the danger and the changing tides of the battle, Orion stayed focused on his true mission. He scanned the battlefield, looking for any sign of Credence. He'd promised to watch over him, and he intended to keep that promise. After a tense search, he finally spotted Credence off to one side, weakened and pale, barely able to hold himself up. Orion's heart sank as he realized just how fragile the young man had become.
"So, the potion didn't worked after all…" Orion muttered with sad tone.
Credence's time was running out. As an Obscurial, his life had always been marked by a ticking clock. Orion had searched tirelessly for a way to break that curse, to help him live a longer life, but no permanent solution had ever been found.
The Last Potion he created for Credence was a year ago and that was when he last saw him.
"In just one year…" A bitter feeling came to him.
And now, seeing Credence on the verge of death, felt a wave of regret wash over him. He'd thought he would have more time to help him, but it was clear that time was slipping away.
Orion clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay calm. He couldn't change the inevitable, he can only ensure that Credence don't die here and is able to go back to Elenora to spend rest of his time with people he love.
Turning his gaze back to the battlefield, Orion felt a new wave of dread. Grindelwald's power was overwhelming, unlike anything he image he could achieve. Dumbledore had joined the fight, and even he, one of the most powerful wizards alive, technically, was struggling. Spells collided in bursts of light, but Dumbledore's efforts were barely keeping up. Each clash sent shockwaves across the field, and Dumbledore was visibly tiring under the relentless assault.
Something about Grindelwald's power felt unnatural, like he'd tapped into a dark well of magic no human was meant to touch. Orion's instincts told him this was not just dark magic that one can get just like that. Grindelwald surely did something. Like make a deal with a certain powerful being—The magic was twisted, corrupted, and consuming Grindelwald from within.
As the battle raged on, just when it seemed like Grindelwald might actually overpower Dumbledore, something unexpected happened. Grindelwald stumbled, his magical aura flickering and fading. His face twisted in sudden agony as he lost control over his own powers, and the dark magic that had made him nearly invincible began to abandon him. He fell to his knees, weakened and drained, the darkness dissipating from around him like smoke blown away by the wind.
Dumbledore and others were confuse, they didn't understood what just happened.
Orion watched, with a knowing look, as Grindelwald's strength vanished, leaving him a shadow of his former self. The powerful dark wizard who had once instilled fear in so many was now struggling to even breathe. Grindelwald was dying, his body wracked with pain as whatever dark magic he'd used took its final toll.
Seizing the moment, Orion approached him as his magic created a space where only they two exist for few minutes.
He didn't had to, but there was something he wanted to asked Grindelwald. This might be his only chance to learn something concrete about her…
Grindelwald looked up, meeting Orion's gaze with a surprising calm, as if accepting his fate. Orion knelt beside him, lowering his voice so only Grindelwald could hear.
"Now do you see it, the cage which you were trapped in?" Orion asked, his tone a mix of curiosity and something softer, something almost like pity.
Grindelwald's face twisted with a wry, tired smile. "I… I a fool. All this for nothing…" Grindelwald said with dissapointment in his face. His words make Orion understand that now he knows.
The prize that one has to play, now he understand.
"Listened," his expression unreadable, but his eyes held a certain understanding. "You…I saw it, you are the only one who can stop her…." he murmured.
Orion now was a little surprise himself, pondering what he saw his with his eye.
Grindelwald gritted his teeth and look of regret flickering in his eyes. "There is indeed no Greater Good…," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You have to bare the weight of that lesser evil…"
Orion now was getting a little anxious. 'Did he learn about his identity ?'
There was a long pause, then Grindelwald looked at Orion with something resembling humility—a rare sight on the face of the once-feared dark wizard. "I know it's too late… but I want you do do something for me." Grindelwald said and struggle to get up, as much as he could, grabbing Orion's hand he said with struggle.
"I have seen it, you are the only one who can save the magical world. Let me help…give me one last chance…"
Orion was so confuse right now, he didn't know what to do or what the man saw.
'I am starting to hate prophecies.'
"Nurmengard." Grindelwald managed to say, his voice faltering. "Take me there."
Orion purse his lips, even he wasn't sure why but he slowly nodded.
Orion had a feeling that he should do it… a gut feeling which he just listen after a very long time.
It felt like he should do it and after a very long time he actually listen to that feeling.
xxx
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