Maurise bought a live chicken at a nearby stall. Heaven knew why anyone would be selling chickens at a Quidditch World Cup campsite.
As expected, the thought processes of wizards were just a bit different from the norm.
He paid the vendor and walked back to the tent carrying the chicken coop. Kyle was busy packing up his cauldron, but seeing the thing in Maurise's hand made him pause in surprise.
"Why did you buy a chicken?"
"To run an experiment."
Maurise walked into the tent, placed the chicken on the floor, and took out the Death Energy Crystal.
A tiny wisp of black mist seeped from the crystal's surface. It was an infinitesimally small trace of Death Energy drawn from within the stone. He gave his right hand a gentle wave, and the black mist immediately drifted toward the bird, sinking effortlessly into its body.
The chicken did not even have time to let out a single squawk. It instantly stiffened, collapsed, and ceased breathing.
Maurise stared in slight shock.
Could this energy truly snatch away a life in an instant? Was it really that vicious? Then why did it have absolutely no effect when he touched it himself? Was it simply a matter of differing physical constitutions?
Lost in thought, Maurise absentmindedly rolled the crystal between his fingers. He wondered just how lethal it would be against an ordinary wizard. Despite his intense curiosity, Hardey's warning kept him from testing it recklessly. It would be a terrible mess if he accidentally killed someone.
Just then, Kyle walked in after finishing with the cauldron. He immediately spotted the dead bird on the floor.
"Oh, what kind of experiment did you run? How did this chicken die?" He squatted down and asked, "Are we going to eat it? There is a kitchen in here, and I have a magical cookbook."
Maurise quickly pocketed the crystal. "Er, it is probably best if we do not eat it."
He wasn't entirely sure what would happen to someone who consumed a creature killed by pure Death Energy.
---
As the sky gradually darkened, everyone began making their way toward the Quidditch stadium. Maurise and Kyle joined the massive flow of the crowd.
The stadium was absolutely colossal, far more magnificent than any sports arena Maurise had ever seen. Its golden exterior walls shimmered in the night, and gigantic magical screens were embedded in the structure, displaying the team logos and player rosters in glowing letters.
Maurise and Kyle's tickets were top tier, granting them seats in the highest box. While climbing the stairs, Maurise even spotted Harry and his friends. They were also heading to the Top Box, right next door.
For the next few hours, Maurise enjoyed a thrilling, high level Quidditch match. The game was spectacular.
After leaving the stadium and returning to the tent, Kyle was still reliving the excitement. He sank deep into an armchair, muttering to himself.
"That dive from Krum. Did you see it? Absolutely brilliant."
Maurise, however, was far more interested in the Bulgarian National Team's mascots. They were a group of Veela. Outwardly, they appeared to be breathtakingly beautiful women, but they were actually highly intelligent magical creatures. He had heard that when angered, they transformed into monstrous, half human and half bird creatures.
When the Veela danced, many of the men around him had fallen into a deep trance. Their intelligence seemingly plummeted, and they involuntarily attempted to perform exaggerated stunts to attract the Veelas' attention.
Maurise naturally hadn't lost his composure, but he could sense a peculiar magic attempting to influence his mind. They were fascinating creatures indeed.
Aside from the mascots, another detail had caught his attention. The entire Irish National Team flew on Firebolts. Speaking of which, several professional Quidditch teams had already contacted him, hoping to negotiate a partnership to use the Phantom as their official team broomstick.
He had no idea when he would finally be able to solve his production capacity issues.
After chatting for a while, Kyle let out a huge yawn.
"Let us get some sleep," he said, his eyelids drooping heavily. "It is getting late."
Maurise returned to his room, lay down, and fell into a deep slumber.
---
Barely two hours later, Maurise woke up.
It wasn't because of poor sleep quality, but rather due to the faint sounds of a disturbance outside. He walked out into the living room and found Kyle just coming through the front entrance, his hair blown into a messy nest.
"What happened?" Maurise asked.
Kyle sat down in his armchair and took a sip of water. "I just went to ask the neighbors. It sounds like someone is causing a riot, but it shouldn't affect us. Our spot is quite remote."
'Just as I suspected, something big is going down,' Maurise noted mentally. He had a feeling this Quidditch World Cup wouldn't end peacefully. After all, Harry Potter was here.
Barely two minutes after Kyle spoke, the chaotic sound of footsteps erupted, mixed with terrified screams that were rapidly drawing closer.
Kyle pulled back the window curtain for a peek. "It looks like they are heading this way."
Maurise nodded. "Should we leave first?"
The match was over anyway, so there was no point in staying here.
"It is fine," Kyle waved a hand dismissively. "Go back to sleep. It probably has nothing to do with us."
Since Kyle was so unbothered, Maurise didn't press the issue. He sat in a chair, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.
Right at that moment, a burst of flames suddenly ignited on the inner wall of their tent, rapidly growing more intense.
Kyle panicked and screamed, "My tent!"
He hurriedly drew his wand and aimed it at the burning wall. "Aguamenti!"
A jet of clear water erupted from the tip of his wand, crashing directly into the flames. However, more fires began breaking out from all sides.
"Someone is casting spells outside," Maurise stated calmly, opening his eyes.
Kyle stomped his foot in sheer panic. "Don't just sit there, help me!"
Maurise would have intervened even if Kyle hadn't asked. It would be a crying shame to let such a nice tent burn to the ground.
"Finite Incantatem!"
He gave his wand a light flick. In the blink of an eye, the flames extinguished with a soft poof, leaving behind only a few scorched marks and a couple of large holes in the fabric. Cold wind constantly blew in through the gaps.
Kyle was absolutely furious. "Who did this?!" he bellowed.
He charged aggressively out of the tent. Seeing this, Maurise immediately followed close behind.
Outside, a group of seven or eight people stood in the clearing in front of their tent. They were all dressed in black hooded cloaks, their faces completely hidden behind masks.
"We burned the wrong one!" Maurise heard one of them shout. "The owner of this tent is a wizard, not a Muggle."
"Never mind," another masked figure replied. "Let us go. Find a different target."
They turned, ready to leave.
Kyle stood frozen, his fists clenched tight and his eyes burning with fury, yet he didn't dare say a word. Why was his luck so rotten? He wasn't a reckless fool. The group before him clearly wasn't one to be trifled with, and speaking up would only make things worse.
But Maurise wasn't about to just let them walk away.
You have got to be kidding. He hadn't learned magic just to sit back and watch.
Maurise snapped his fingers. Three skeletons materialized out of thin air, dropping down to completely block the masked wizards' path.
Recognizing the skeletons as Maurise's handiwork, Kyle immediately shot him a deeply worried look. He knew Maurise possessed powerful magic, but they were heavily outnumbered. Was this really a wise decision?
Forget it. The arrow was already on the bowstring; it had to be fired. Kyle drew his wand, ready to support Maurise at a moment's notice.
By now, the three skeletons had already raised their massive bone weapons, swinging them viciously down at the nearest masked wizard.
...
If you're enjoying the story and would like to read ahead, you can find advance chapters on my Patreon!
Support me here:
patreon/Dark_Peace
Thank you so much for reading and for your support!