Howling winds whipped the icy rain into long, silver streaks.
Aether the Thunderbird's massive three pairs of wings beat hard with every flap, stirring up cyclones that shredded the downpour.
It let out a shrill cry, which translated straight into Lucien's ear:
"Boss, that long worm down there looks gross as hell! Want me to jump in and help you take it down?"
Lucien sat steady on Aether's back, patting its neck with a calm, easy vibe:
"Nah, you just hang back up here and watch. Guide the lightning my way when I need it."
The wind hurled huge raindrops at him, but an invisible barrier flicked them away before they could touch him—not a single drop soaked his robes.
Right now, Lucien was grinning ear to ear, and it wasn't just the fight ahead. It was the system prompt lighting up his vision:
[Loan Triggered: Advanced Elemental Lightning Rune (Monthly)]
[Loan Details: Acquire Advanced Elemental Lightning Rune. Boosts host's affinity for lightning elements, speeds up learning lightning magic, and amps lightning spell power by 50%.]
[Loan Task: Slay one mature basilisk]
[Does the host wish to accept?]
No way—this was an elemental rune loan, right on cue!
Lucien was thrilled. It was like scratching an itch he didn't even know he had.
He almost wanted to give the system a high-five.
The basic lightning rune had already felt like a steal—it boosted every lightning spell he threw.
Higher-level spells? The power spike was insane.
Plus, these elemental runes helped him connect with natural elements during casting. The basic one could already nudge thunder from the sky, taking his magic to the next level.
Advanced version? The pull on lightning would be way stronger—basically a straight-up affinity upgrade.
Oh yeah, and after he grabbed the basic one, the system hinted at a "little surprise" once he collected all the elemental runes.
He was kinda curious about that.
A mature basilisk? Boom—there was one right below him.
Basilisks only lived eight or nine hundred years, and this beast had been slithering around since Slytherin's time—over a thousand years old. Definitely mature.
"Accept."
[Ding! Loan approved!]
[Rating: One step closer to the full elemental rune collection. Keep it up, host! (¯︶¯)]
Full collection? What game was the system playing lately...
Lucien's gripe got cut short as a scorching, massive surge of power flooded his right hand.
He glanced down—the silver-white lightning mark on his thumb was getting way more intricate and deep, like it held the raw fury of thunder itself.
The purple arcs dancing on its surface now had a sleek blue glow weaving around them.
A faint pressure rolled off him.
Like it was answering the call, the stormy clouds overhead went nuts—silver bolts cracking wild, thunder rumbling deep, the whole sky syncing up with him.
"Oi, boss, you smell even tastier now!"
Aether screeched excitedly—thunderbirds were suckers for pure, powerhouse lightning vibes.
Lucien chuckled and patted his buddy again, then locked his sharp eyes on the rain-soaked ground below.
The basilisk's flashy emerald scales stood out in the gloom, its huge body thrashing and slamming into the muddy grass, trying to shake off the annoyance.
That black-and-red alchemical puppet was trailing bright mana sparks, zipping around the basilisk and poking it just like Lucien ordered—herding it toward this wide-open field with no one around.
Lucien's eyes spun faster with those black vortices.
He muttered to himself, a smug edge to his voice:
"Time to get more than one bang out of this snake."
---
Pouring rain, thunder crashing.
The empty field.
The massive basilisk rolled and twisted like a maniac in the muck, its tough scales scraping the ground.
It kept snapping its huge jaws, spewing corrosive venom that smoked on contact—trying to melt that ghostly puppet darting everywhere.
The puppet was just an inanimate hunk of magic, so the basilisk's yellow death-stare eyes? Useless against it.
But the beast's sheer size and bone-melting poison still posed a threat.
The puppet's surface burned with hot mana flames, flash-vaporizing any rain that got close into steam, dodging head-on hits with slick moves.
Suddenly, the magic stone in its chest lit up like a mini sun.
Zzzzt—
Hundreds of tight mana beams erupted from its body, curving through the air like they were alive, auto-locking onto the basilisk!
The basilisk hissed and didn't even try to dodge—it coiled up tight, shielding its softer eyes and mouth with its armored body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A few beams grazed scales and blasted muddy craters nearby.
Most slammed right into the basilisk's hide!
But they lost most of their juice on impact—hitting with flashy bursts of magic sparks, like fireworks on steel plate. Looked wild, but barely scratched it.
In a blink, the puppet and snake shadow clashed dozens of times.
The second the basilisk blocked another volley—its view totally blocked—
The puppet froze, raised its right arm high. Gears whirred as it unfolded, mana surging with a high-pitched hum.
It was charging up another mega mana cannon!
But that was the opening the basilisk was waiting for.
The instant the puppet started powering up, the coiled snake exploded like a released spring!
Its long body turned into a runaway steam train, barreling forward with unstoppable force!
The puppet tried to cancel and dodge, but forcing the interrupt slowed it down just a hair.
The basilisk's tail—thick as a pillar—whipped through the rain with a shriek, smashing the puppet right in the midsection!
Crack—!
The sharp snap cut through the storm.
The black-and-red puppet flew like a broken kite, slamming hard into the distant mud.
The basilisk reared its head, yellow slit pupils glaring past the field toward the castle, barely visible in the sheets of rain.
So many fresh, warm lives in there...
For a starving beast that had mostly slept through the years—only feeding now and then—it was pure temptation. Last real meal? Years ago.
Plus, that voice commanding it wanted a full-on massacre.
Hunger and orders cranked its bloodlust to max!
It ignored the downed puppet, twisted its body, and started slithering fast toward the castle—
BOOM!!!
A massive bolt wrapped in purple-and-blue arcs slammed down—dead on the basilisk's raised head!
The thunderclap hit after the lightning faded, deafening.
Numbness and searing pain ripped through the basilisk—it shrieked in agony, huge body flopping in the mud, spraying sludge everywhere.
As the glow died, the basilisk shook its charred, smoking head. Its bloodthirsty yellow eyes locked onto the new figure ahead.
A teenage boy stood calm in the storm, arcs of wild lightning crackling around him. Two thick ones—purple and blue—slithered like living serpents, elegant and deadly.
Rain didn't even get close—zapped and steamed away, leaving a hazy mist around him.
Through the rain and mist, the basilisk's cursed yellow eyes met the boy's steady dark-green ones.
No death. No petrification.
The silver-framed glasses on the boy's nose flared with deep black light on contact—swallowing the curse's magic, bending it harmlessly away.
Lucien was fine.
He'd watched the puppet's fight—regular spells barely dented those scales.
His eyes flicked to a spot by the basilisk's side, dark red blood slowly seeping out.
That was from the puppet's max-power cannon earlier. But that was it.
Then to the arcs still jumping on its scales—and some cracked, blackened patches.
Lightning worked better.
Was it a natural counter to this thing?
Time to crank it up.
The basilisk hesitated—its death gaze failing on a living target?
Deep instinct screamed danger—this tiny human was unlike anything it'd faced.
"You... not Harry Potter..."
Malicious hisses rasped from its maw, clear as day in Lucien's ears.
"But... you die too..."
Lucien eyed the basilisk coiling for a strike, mana flooding from his core to his wand like a burst dam.
The wand's surface blazed with mana flames twisted with violent purple-blue lightning, humming low.
Advanced Lightning Rune boost? No joke.
50% power amp jumped his lightning spells up tiers.
It wasn't just raw oomph—the rune skyrocketed his lightning affinity.
One thought, and stray lightning elements rushed to him, smooth and fast.
And...
Lucien felt the massive thunder sea brewing in the heavy clouds above.
Never had natural thunder felt this clear—like he could grab it himself with just a nudge.
Higher runes sharpened your sense of nature.
Borrow the sky's power?
Right then—a clear, piercing cry sliced through the thunderclouds, hitting Lucien's ears through the rain.
Aether's signal. Lucien smirked, glancing at the primed basilisk:
"What're you waiting for?"
"Kill—"
The basilisk's furious roar barely started—
Thick, mercury-silver lightning poured down like a heavenly waterfall, swallowing the beast in blinding wrath!
Then—a thunderclap way bigger than before exploded over Hogwarts!
---
Inside the castle.
The first boom startled some kids, but they just perked up—no big deal.
Moments later—
BOOM!!!
The second one hit like pure destruction.
The whole ancient castle shook, even the portraits went dead silent.
Like a thunder god hurling fury at the world.
It was dinnertime—students scattered everywhere.
The earth-shaking roar sparked mini-panics.
Chatter and yelps echoed through halls and common rooms.
Kids up in the towers spotted it first—best view.
You couldn't look away from the Black Lake field's chaos.
The sky looked torn open—a massive hole swirling with inky clouds.
At the vortex's heart, countless thick, blazing bolts "grew" out of the clouds—defying physics!
Not quick flashes—these poured and built endlessly!
Like an upside-down mountain of pure lightning.
Beams wove and burst, the glare chasing away the dark around the castle—every shocked, frozen face lit ghostly white.
Kids crammed by corridor windows, straining to see.
"Can't make it out! That flash was too bright, and now it's pitch black!"
"Hold on—I got this! Binoculars for Quidditch—didn't think I'd use 'em here!"
He yanked them up, peering at the plowed-up field.
Then—gasped hard, voice cracking:
"Merlin's pants! A snake! Huge snake!!"
"What snake? Lemme see!"
Someone snatched the binoculars— one look, and they nearly dropped 'em.
"Merlin's beard! It's... it's still moving!"
"I know, I know! Read about it—this is a 'tribulation'! Animal turning human!"
" Snap out of it! You got brain-fried on those Seventh Workshop novels! We got magic here—no animal shapeshifting or tribulations!"
Another kid glued to the window, voice shaky with awe:
"Guys... near that big snake... is that... a person? Damn, too dark—can't tell!"