Kavi collapsed, a lifeless heap in the torrential rain. His skin had turned a ghastly white, the spark of life extinguished from his eyes, which remained wide open in disbelief.
Plip, plop...
Footsteps echoed through the downpour. Tom Riddle stood over Kavi's corpse, raising his right hand. A brilliant golden light erupted from the dead man's chest, and a single, radiant feather detached itself. Kavi's body visibly reverted to its original human form.
Tom casually levitated the corpse, his mind already dissecting its secrets. He would extract every last drop of knowledge from Kavi Sharma, maximizing the value of his sacrifice through experimentation with those ancient runes.
The Garuda Feather hovered above Tom's palm. A divine object. So what? Even the One-Eyed Barol, arguably more powerful than this feather, had bowed to his will. The feather's power posed no threat to Tom.
"..."
Tom glanced at the dissipating storm. With a wave of his hand he amplified its power with magic, turning the weather violent once more.
Rumble…
The visible sky turned an oppressive black, laced with churning, blue-white lightning. Bolts as thick as buckets snaked across the dark clouds. The world seemed plunged into darkness, illuminated only by the sporadic flashes.
"I will offer you a chance," Tom said, looking down at the Thunderbird, its emerald green eyes blazing even in the dim light. "Survive, and you shall not only live, but soar freely. Fail… and you will be destroyed."
"..."
The Thunderbird could not answer, but its unwavering gaze spoke volumes.
A faint smile touched Tom Riddle's lips. Without hesitation, he extended his right hand, the golden feather drifting down to land upon the bird. In the blink of an eye, the Garuda feather merged with the Thunderbird's flesh. A flash of golden radiance briefly illuminated the bird, and then, miraculously, it rose to its feet!
"Screech!~"
Spreading its three pairs of wings, each spanning over fifteen meters, the Thunderbird unleashed a piercing cry, as if venting a lifetime of caged emotion. Then, with a powerful beat of its six wings, it launched itself into the storm-lashed sky, creating a powerful gust of wind!
"Harry, even I can see that the lightning up there is far more intense than anything Cassandra conjures," Malfoy said, shielding his eyes. "That bird's going to get fried if it flies straight into it, isn't it?"
"Well… I don't know." Harry Potter shook his head, a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Hmph, typical Potter. Malfoy, did you sleep through Care of Magical Creatures?" Cassandra Volle scoffed. "Thunderbirds are distant relatives of Phoenixes. Though they differ greatly, the potential for rebirth resides within their bloodline."
"…"
Harry's eyes widened in understanding.
Malfoy merely pursed his lips. Not my fault Hagrid didn't teach us anything useful. That oaf just showed us things he found fun in the Forbidden Forest, completely ignoring the syllabus. Severus Snape and Ashok Petil watched in silence, observing the unprecedented storm with calculating eyes.
"Tom, another pet?" Nagini's tone was laced with a hint of weariness. Her Dark Lord did have a peculiar fondness for acquiring unique magical creatures. What am I going to do with so many pets?
I can't just let them roam around like the Zouwu. Even keeping them in a suitcase requires constant care... I need to think ahead. Perhaps find someone to help manage them.
Tom Riddle neither knew nor cared about Nagini's concerns. He trusted her implicitly, entrusting her with the growing responsibilities of the Death Eaters. Nagini was his, and he would support her in all things.
And Nagini felt the same. Everything she did, she did for Tom Riddle. She sought to lighten his burdens, constantly worrying about matters that concerned him.
"This bird…" A rare flash of excitement lit Tom Riddle's eyes. "It truly delights me."
...
Within the dark clouds, terrifying thunderbolts relentlessly hammered the soaring bird. Golden feathers, charred and carbonized by the electricity, fell away. Its battered body was ripped open, bright red blood evaporating instantly in the intense heat.
"Screech!~"
The searing flesh, the draining blood… none of the pain could break the six-winged raptor. On the contrary, it felt exhilarating. An unprecedented surge of vitality coursed through its veins.
All the agony confirmed one undeniable truth: this was what it felt like to be alive!
Gradually… a faint, dazzling golden light began to emanate from beneath its charred surface. The rusty crimson began to transform into pure gold.
The rolling thunderclouds churned in concert with the spiraling golden bird. To the watchers below, the storm seemed to be forming a gigantic vortex, kilometers in diameter, brewing with unimaginable power.
With another beat of its wings, the transformed bird tore a hole in the black curtain that had shrouded the sky.
In the vast expanse, a colossal golden bird soared through the void. Its form remained similar to its original state, save for subtle changes that magnified its majesty. More significantly, its size had nearly doubled, dwarfing even an adult fire dragon.
But the most noticeable change was the dazzling gold, now brighter than a thousand suns!
"Screech!~~"
The resounding cry echoed with a sense of power surpassing even that of a dragon. Yet, defying expectations, the sound brought an unexpected sense of peace to Tom Riddle and his followers.
The reborn Thunderbird, infused with a trace of Garuda blood, had transcended its original form, surpassing even the fire dragon and phoenix in potential.
---
Look some readers already know what the night holds before it arrives. Chapters ahead, deadass. They found p@treon. You're still here waiting. Don't play yourself. You already know what to do.