"What do you think?" asked the Curator, looking at the white crystal on his desk.
"He's compassionate with a knack for leadership," replied Mimir casually.
"There is also his ability to spot talent or teach." Christian was correct about Titus' talent regarding combat magic. Unfortunately, his weak personality hid such talents, and he probably would never have been discovered without this event.
"We've met people and seeds with [Aura of Charm], which can naturally make people like them. People with [Aura of King], capable of turning people into their dying followers, and we even met that woman with an [Aura of Domination], capable of forcefully enslaving people's minds," said Mimir calmly. "Why do you care about such an insignificant leadership ability?"
"The only way for these seeds to survive their initial seven shifts is to be masters of all trades; they need versatility. And this kid has already demonstrated plenty of abilities and skills," said the Curator calmly. So what if that woman was born with an [Aura of Dominion]? That was her only ability, so she almost died in her fourth shift."
The Curator sneered. Without her powerful family, her fate would have been like the other Planeswalker Seeds.
"You have an answer for everything, don't you?" Mimir said sarcastically while licking her palm.
"Why do you dislike him?" He was puzzled by his companion's reaction.
"It's the contrary: I see and appreciate his talent and skill," replied Mimir, slightly intrigued and interested as she looked at the crystal ball. "But I can see the signs that you're becoming too attached and, even worse, hopeful. Everyone has already given up and is preparing for an alternative solution, but you seem not to want to give up."
"I voted for Project Eighth, didn't I?"
"Reluctantly," countered Mimir. "And now, this kid is fueling your false hope."
The Curator did not continue arguing. Mimir has been his Familiar since he was 12, so she knew him better than he knew himself.
…
Christian left the fighting stage to wait for his next battle, ignoring the strange gaze of the referee. The crowd murmured about his fight, mostly discussing the tips he had given Titus. He sensed something, and Aurelius Ignitus stared at him like a volcano about to explode. Christian remained calm and cool until his next fight.
He faced a thin kid, around 12 to 13 years old, with blonde hair and black eyes. The kid held a mirror and looked at his face with great reverence. Once the battle started, the mirror turned into a ring on his finger.
"Don't you dare treat me like you did to that bloodless bastard," declared the narcissistic child, making Christian frown. So, he ended the fight with one spell, knocking down the child and not giving him an opportunity to react. For the next few battles, which took place over five days, Christian won all the matches in his group. He usually allowed his opponents the time to display their skills, unless they were disrespectful; however, he never taught anyone like Titus, with one notable exception.
This young girl caught his attention, but her magic was different from his. She seemed to be singing instead of using incantations. Christian knew he could not help, so he did not bother.
The tournament lasted until two people remained for the top position in the group: Christian and a young black girl, around 13 or 14 years old, named Amenirdis.
'I remember there was a princess from the Kush Empire with the same name. Are they related?' thought Christian, who immediately decided this was unlikely. He remembered Amenirdis as a princess who existed around the 8th century BCE, and he was currently in the third century. In this period, the Kush Kingdom was conquered by the Ptolemaic Empire.
"I saw your battles," said Amenirdis, holding her wand, which could be described as a staff, given its length of more than 20 inches. "I respect you as an opponent, so I will not show mercy." Christian frowned as he remembered her battle method: conjuring animals to attack her opponents. His brow furrowed deeper as he noticed a crest materialize in her eyes before disappearing. Christian had never seen any Blood Crest family use a wand, so he was slightly surprised.
Amenirdis's wand released a green light, and a white wolf with green stripes ran down its back. The creature looked at Christian with pure blue eyes filled with intelligence and ferociousness.
'Merlin's beard: did she just conjure a magical creature? Is this summoning magic?' thought Christian, followed by countless other ideas. Did she use normal conjuration that "creates something from nothing, or summon the creature from an unknown realm or dimension? Another possibility is that she made a pact or contract with the magical creature and used a spatial spell to summon it to her aid.
'Regardless of the answer, now I know Summoning Magic is possible, and I cannot wait to try replicating it,' concluded Christian. He prepared for an intense battle. Luckily, the arena was surrounded by protective enchantments to protect the audience.
The wolf howled before opening its mouth to fire what looked like a wind slash. Christian acted swiftly to create a protective shield before him, but he ensured the shield materialized at least 3 meters in front of him so he could have enough time to evade in case his shield did not hold.
His approach proved wise as the wind blade slashed through his defense, so he used the Expulso Curse to destroy the wind blade. He moved his wrist ninety degrees, conjuring binding ropes to tie the wolf. However, the creature was nimble and swiftly jumped to the side to evade.
Christian took this opportunity to attack Amenirdis directly, firing a blue light. However, two tornadoes more than 2 meters materialized before her to block his attack. Simultaneously, the wolf jumped on him. He blocked the creature with a conjured shield charm, but the wolf's claws suddenly contained wind properties, allowing it to tear apart his defense.
Under normal circumstances, Christian could use a second spell with his left hand. However, currently, he could only draw magic from his body with the Elder Wand, making this method of fighting impossible. Luckily, he was smart enough to use a Protego Maxima spell, making it harder for the wolf to break his defense.
Christian increased the bouncing effect of his shield to send the creature flying away from him.
"Snarr…shiiee…siidoou," chanted Christian, summoning hundreds of snakes. He ordered a small group to attack before flickering his wand to transform the snakes into daggers, swords, and needles. He then used the Oppugno Jinx to send the objects flying to the wolf, who was slaughtering the snakes. The wolf opened its mouth to release an intense breath of wind, blowing the objects away.
Christian used the Summoning Charm on the weapons before using the Banishing Charm to return them to the creature, who was about to use the same tactic. But Christian demonstrated a brilliant transfiguration charm as he turned all the daggers, swords, and needles into an iron cage that captured the wolf.
He turned his attention to Amenirdis and attacked her with a Disarming Charm, but to his surprise, a second wolf appeared. This one seemed more aggressive with red eyes and immediately fired five wind blades. Christian returned the favor with five Bombarda spells, completely annihilating the opponent's attack.
The red-eyed wolf rushed toward him with immense speed. Christian's reflexes took the reins, and he used the Leg-Locker Jinx, but the wolf evaded before jumping into him. He remained calm in this situation and raised his left arm for the creature to bite. He ignored the pain before using a Vanishing Spell, forcing the creature to disappear into nothingness or return to its dimension.
He acted swiftly as he used Waddiwasi in one of the needles he had previously transformed from the snakes; he kept one of them just for this sneak attack. So, before Amenirdis could react, a small needle headed directly for her arm. Christian would not target vital parts despite knowing the referee was an experienced mediwizard.
A blue light flashed before Amenirdis, then disappeared. 'Was that a shield or an arm?' thought Christian. The thing was so fast that his memories only saw a blur when he reviewed them in his Mind Palace.
"Christos is the winner."
"I am?" Christian was confused. He thought she had used a potent defensive spell to deal with his sneak attack. Amenirdis looked at him, "I accept this defeat, but know this is not the full extent of my strength." After these words, she left the fighting area; meanwhile, the referee approached Christian to hand him an amulet with the number one engraved on it.
"As the first in your group, you can add one more person to your team for the next test."
"One more person?"
"You'll understand." The referee said nothing more but asked him if he needed medical attention. Christian agreed to see what spell the latter would use, but the referee only placed a green paste on his arm, and the bite mark and muscle damage healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.