"You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day — unless you're too busy; then you should sit for an hour." — Zen Proverb
…
Regulus had been meditating since the sword fight.
For him, swords were just another tool in the arsenal. A battle should be won by any means necessary—wand, sword, dagger, or poison. Whichever ended the fight quickly was the correct choice. He replayed the duel with Akiko in his mind, analyzing every strike, every feint, again and again.
Seeing Regulus deep in meditation, the rest of the group went on with their work.
The priority now was breakfast.
Emma was instructing Charlus to hunt a wild boar for them. Since there were more mouths to feed, she wanted to prepare a sumptuous meal before their departure.
While they were discussing logistics, Ximena approached.
"Breakfast is nothing to worry about," she chirped. "We have the ingredients."
Ximena's group had been stationed in the North of the forest, the only direction with direct access to the sea cliffs. Consequently, they had a wide variety of seafood with them.
She pulled out four pairs of live Mackled Malaclaws—lobster-like magical creatures known for their incredibly tasty flesh (though eating them usually caused bad luck, a detail Ximena seemed to ignore or had countermeasures for). With a cheerful smile on her face, she began dispatching the wriggling creatures.
Charlus, witnessing the butchery, looked at her weirdly. He turned to Emma, his expression signaling: Is everyone from your school this weird?
Emma smiled embarrassedly and signaled back: As if everyone in your school is normal?
Noticing the silent exchange between Emma and Charlus, Ximena teased them while cracking a shell. "You guys get along so well."
Both Emma and Charlus replied at the exact same time: "In your dreams."
Ximena laughed and continued preparing the ingredients. Emma joined her to help. Charlus was left standing alone, watching Emma walk away. He shrugged and turned to Sulaiman, who was sitting beside Anders, deciding to join the boys while they waited.
…
Breakfast was served.
Everyone gathered around the fire to eat—except Regulus. He was still meditating near the cave entrance.
Anders, being polite, stood up. He wanted to inform Regulus that food was ready.
Immediately, Charlus, Emma, Hestia, and Akiko all jumped up to stop him.
"Don't!" Charlus hissed.
For Regulus's group, it was an unspoken rule: Never disturb Regulus while he is meditating.
Emma had once mistakenly patted Regulus on the shoulder while he was deep in a trance. He had jolted awake with unprecedented fury in his eyes, his magic lashing out instinctively. Emma had been terrified. He had closed his eyes to calm himself down and later apologized to the frozen girl, explaining that touching him during meditation was dangerous.
It was nothing personal; it was his attempt to control the vast flow of magic around him. If broken suddenly, the magic would run amok, becoming unpredictable and dangerous to anyone nearby. His 'ferocious' reaction was actually him desperately trying to hold the magic back so it wouldn't hurt her.
Akiko stood up for a different reason. In her culture, disturbing a warrior's meditation was a taboo sign of disrespect. Given her cold demeanor, no one in her group dared to disturb her when she was focusing.
So, when Anders approached the meditating boy unknowingly, panic ensued.
Emma, Charlus, and Hestia were about to move, but a shadow beat them to it.
It was Akiko.
She practically teleported in front of Anders, blocking his path with a raised hand. Anders stopped, confused by the sudden wall of people preventing him from being polite.
Charlus quickly explained the situation to the bewildered Norwegian.
It was a small episode during their breakfast, but it highlighted the respect—and fear—Regulus commanded.
…
After everyone finished eating, the two instructors, who had been absent since yesterday, arrived on time.
"Children, I hope everyone is at their best to start the mission today?" asked Mr Morrow.
Everyone nodded.
"Good. The means of transportation is on its way. So, everyone get ready."
At that moment, Regulus opened his eyes.
They twinkled for a second with the remnant magic he had been attempting to control. The heavy atmosphere around him dispersed. He stood up, stretched his body cat-like, and joined the team. He quickly stuffed the remaining breakfast into his mouth and got ready for the task.
While they were waiting, a piercing sound ripped through the sky.
The forest itself shook from the noise.
ROAAAAARRRR!
The students readied their wands and magical foci, dropping into battle formations instinctively. A huge shadow covered the sky, blotting out the sun.
Trees were flattened or uprooted by the sheer displacement of air as the massive creature descended.
It was a Ukrainian Ironbelly.
The largest of all dragon species. Its scales were metallic silver-grey, hard as steel. Its eyes were deep red, burning with intelligence and hunger.
The group noticed Mr Mateo sitting on top of the beast's neck. He jumped down from the dragon, landing lightly in front of the group. He was in his usual cheerful disposition, ignoring the terrifying monster behind him.
"Children! I hope you are doing well. Oh! Anders, you have grown large again! Instructors, the means of transportation is ready. It is the courtesy of Gringotts—they have lent their dragon as a means of transport only. It is not advised to use it in the capture of the target."
Mr Mateo didn't wait for anyone to reply, continuing his monologue happily.
Mr Achibe stepped forward. "Thank you, Mr Mateo. Let the children board the dragon and take off for the task. I hope you will drop them off at the preplanned place, right?"
"Yes, Mr Achibe. I will personally accompany them on their journey. I will drop them off and return," he said with a wink.
Mr Morrow looked at Regulus out of the corner of his eye. Fortunately, the boy was occupied by the sight of the dragon and hadn't noticed their conversation.
The original plan was for the instructors to pretend to stay behind while Mr Mateo dropped the kids off. But according to school rules, an instructor must be present during the trial. Mr Morrow and Mr Achibe planned to use a Portkey to follow the group secretly.
The problem was, Regulus already knew Mr Morrow had been following them for the last five months. It was embarrassing for the instructor. If Regulus heard this "secret plan," he would surely look at them like they were playing children's games.
Regulus approached the dragon.
He sensed the magical surge rolling off the creature like a tornado. He let himself immerse in it, his aura brushing against the dragon's.
Suddenly, he pulled back, distancing himself. Compared to the dragon's magic, his own was like a flickering flame. A reckless attempt to confront it mentally would result in damage.
The Ironbelly noticed Regulus's attempt. It snorted, a puff of smoke hitting Regulus in the face, and gave him a look of distinct disdain.
Regulus's eye twitched. A vein popped on his forehead. His hand twitched towards his wand.
Seeing Regulus about to challenge a six-tonne dragon to a duel, Charlus and Sulaiman rushed forward and held him back by the arms. They were sweating buckets.
"Easy, Regulus! Not the dragon!"
Hestia's mouth twitched in amusement. Akiko's mouth formed a smile behind her mask. Ximena and Emma were laughing out loud. Anders just stood there, cluelessly watching the scene.
The instructors arrived and ordered them to board. Mr Mateo communicated with the dragon to stay still. The beast lowered itself, its leg forming a massive, scaled ramp to its back.
Everyone started to climb. They found protruding scales that served as handholds to avoid falling off during flight. They settled in, hugging the scales with their legs and arms.
When it was Regulus's turn to climb, the dragon suddenly stood up, raising its leg out of reach. It looked down at him with a smug, toothy grin.
Regulus narrowed his eyes. He didn't want to waste time playing games with a lizard.
He dissolved into grey smoke.
He reappeared instantly on the dragon's back, sitting comfortably.
The dragon grumbled, irritated that its prank failed.
Regulus: 1. Dragon: 1.
Mr Mateo patted the dragon's neck and climbed aboard.
The Ironbelly unfurled its massive wings. With a single beat, it generated a hurricane of wind. Mr Morrow and Mr Achibe had to hold onto a tree to stop themselves from being blown away.
The dragon levitated, then shot into the sky.
As the dragon took off, deep in the forest, another massive creature opened its eyes. It watched the dragon ascend, satisfied that the intruders were leaving. It closed its eyes and went back to sleep.
Mr Morrow, looking like he had been through a storm, cleaned himself up with a spell. He turned to Mr Achibe.
"Shall we start?"
They nodded and moved towards the school in steady steps to retrieve their Portkey