Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

"How long do you want it to burn?" Freya asked in her usual tone.

Regulus stared at her for a while longer before turning to the island. The Fiendfire was still burning, but its intensity had diminished.

"It'll be soon. The Fiery Blaze will extinguish itself after burning everything it can. There are only a few buildings and some rocks on the island, so it won't burn for long."

Freya nodded and said nothing more.

The two hovered in the air, watching the flames in the distance gradually weaken. After another ten minutes or so, the raging fire finally went out.

Its extinguishing was sudden and without any process; it was gone in an instant, as if the flame had been drawn away by something and vanished into the air.

All that remained was a charred island, its surface several meters lower than before, with a sunken pit in the center and black glassy material formed from the resolidification of molten reef around its edges.

Regulus looked at the island, sensing something from the release of Fiendfire.

The process from complete control to complete loss of control was very brief, but in those few seconds, he clearly sensed the changes in Li Huo.

How it expanded, how it split, how it escaped his control.

That feeling was vague, but it definitely existed. If it happened again, he probably still wouldn't be able to suppress it.

But he could have done better; at least, he could have delayed the loss of control.

Regulus looked away: "Let's go."

The two flew back to the ship, which then turned around and began its return journey.

Regulus stood at the bow of the ship, watching the island in the distance grow smaller and smaller until it became a black dot and disappeared below the horizon.

He didn't expect the other side to have set up the battlefield on the small island.

He definitely won't go to the island; it's such a small island, it's too easy to set a trap there.

A few trigger spells or explosive traps can easily cause great harm to those who come to the island.

As for what was in that stronghold, once the Fiery Blaze burned down, even if there was anything there, it would all be gone.

The buildings, supplies, magic, and those masked men who didn't escape—all gone.

And the naval operations he was looking forward to never even happened.

Because he didn't give the masked men a chance to make a move, the battle ended before it even began with just two spells.

Regulus and Freya remained standing at the bow of the ship, neither of them making a move to talk. They simply stayed quietly, looking at the sea, the sky, and the occasional dolphins that followed the ship.

Several gray-blue figures darted around the side of the boat, leaping out of the water and diving back in, splashing white water droplets.

It was quite pleasant.

When the ship was nearly halfway back, it suddenly stopped, and Regulus knew that Freya was in control.

He wondered if this was the moment for a showdown.

After a series of preparations, all the cards that needed to be revealed were revealed.

The blue flames reappeared without any concealment, and this time not only he saw them, but also the masked figures from the Whispers of the Abyss.

His power has been further proven, as demonstrated by the second form of the Disintegration Curse and the destruction caused by the uncontrolled Fiendfire.

From resisting the spiritual erosion, to the changes in Betelgeuse, to this battle, it's almost over.

Regulus had been wondering what role Freya played in this arrangement.

Guide?

The tester?

Or is it simply a task giver, like an NPC in a storyline?

He thought about it many times and considered many possibilities, but he never asked. He just watched and waited to see how things would develop.

This was one of his expectations; he wanted to see how Freya would act next and where all the foreshadowing would ultimately lead.

But regardless of her role, Regulus could sense that this witch was real after spending these days with her.

She is not the kind of person who is simply a tool to carry out tasks.

She had her own thoughts and judgments, and she asked him twice if he should ask her anything.

She showed him the blue flames right from the start, though it was only a fleeting glimpse. During their conversation, she occasionally mentioned "that person," her tone carrying complex emotions.

Freya herself had no intention of completely hiding it.

Perhaps they are unable to tell us proactively for some reason.

It's like a task progress bar; you have to achieve certain accomplishments to unlock certain progress levels.

Just now, the blue flames reappeared, and he proved his power once again with two spells.

The progress bar should be full.

Regulus suddenly looked at Freya, his gaze fixed on her, as if trying to see through her eyes the person who had orchestrated all of this.

He recalled what he had learned about Freya over the past few days, this witch, who was completely different from what she appeared to be.

On the surface, he is a heroic and handsome combat elite, taciturn, capable, and efficient in action.

But after getting to know her better, you'll discover that she has another side to her.

She would roll her eyes, bump people with the tail of a broom, and quietly look away when she felt uncomfortable being stared at.

She's a bit straightforward, a bit cute, and has a lively side that seems completely out of place with her cool and aloof face.

She accepted the mission from that person to bring him here and let him experience these things.

But she clearly had her own ideas.

It doesn't necessarily mean they want to cause damage, nor does it necessarily mean they don't want to complete the mission.

Perhaps it's because I don't want to completely follow that person's arrangements, but want to do things my own way and leave some traces of my own in the process.

Perhaps it's because I don't want to completely follow that person's arrangements, but want to do things my own way and leave some traces of my own in the process.

That little bit of rebellion made Regulus feel that the witch was more real.

But then he thought of another layer: was this also arranged?

Freya's flaws, which aren't exactly obvious, stem from her nature. But if someone truly understands her, they'll know that only in this way can she avoid making him feel disgusted, and even find it amusing.

The ability to foresee the future is simply outrageous.

Regulus smirked inwardly. Putting aside these meaningless speculations, he felt that Freya was probably about to reveal her secrets.

Freya didn't do any preamble; she simply took out a silver pendant from her bosom, its surface engraved with intricate runes.

She tapped her wand lightly, whispered a few incantations, and the pendant opened with a click, from which she took out a scroll.

The roll begins to grow larger when it is removed, until it is about the length and thickness of an arm.

The parchment was yellowed and worn at the edges. The scroll was tied with a thin rope, the end of which hung down and swayed gently in the sea breeze.

This must be the maritime document. Regulus glanced at it; it was unremarkable.

Completely different from the ancient, mysteriously engraved relic key I had imagined, it was just an ordinary old scroll, like something that had been sitting in a corner of a warehouse for decades.

Freya looked at him earnestly, but her voice hesitated as she spoke, as if making a decision: "Regrus, you know everything, don't you?"

Regulus lowered his gaze, looked at the document again, and then looked up at Freya.

He didn't say anything, he just smiled and nodded.

The same look he gave her before, with a hint of a smile, a hint of understanding, and a hint that said, "I know what you're thinking."

Freya didn't roll her eyes this time, but the expression on her face became more vivid.

She looked at the boy; although they hadn't known each other for long, it felt as if they had known each other for ages.

But in reality, she knew him much better than she had spent time with him.

Many years ago, that person told her that there would be such a person, when he would appear, and what kind of behavior he would exhibit.

Without further hesitation, she handed him the documents.

"This document has been in the Eisenhardt family for thirty years. That man... entrusted it to my father for safekeeping before his downfall, and it wasn't until this year that my father gave it to me."

Regulus's heart skipped a beat.

Thirty years, longer than he had anticipated. He thought he would be seen after his birth, but now it seems it was even earlier.

But that's normal.

His coming into this world proves that this world is real and is evolving.

He wasn't some alien, nor was he a variable that suddenly appeared in this world. He was just an ordinary member of this world, born, growing up, and moving towards the future like everyone else.

The world moves forward as it has for countless years to come, and his birth will not mark a new turning point.

He won't change the way the world works; he just happened to be seen.

Thirty years ago, long before he was born, everything had already been seen.

Regulus thought that this time might be even earlier.

It's common knowledge that the Eisenhardt family rejected Grindelwald during his prime and didn't try to get close to him.

But now it seems that it was all a facade presented to the outside world.

The truth is that the Eisenhardt family and Grindelwald are much closer than outsiders know or imagine.

Otherwise, why would the documents be entrusted to the Eisenhardt family for safekeeping?

Why was his mission assigned to the Eisenhardt family?

And Freya, why does she have a fire shield?

Those thoughts swirled in his mind, only to be dismissed; they were ultimately meaningless.

He took the document, but instead of opening it immediately, he looked at Freya with a slight smile: "Have you seen it?"

Freya's expression shifted slightly, almost like a pout. Of course she wanted to see, but she wasn't allowed to.

She shook her head and didn't say anything.

Regulus then asked, "Do you want to see it?"

Freya's expression became even more aroused, but she still didn't speak, only looking at him with her eyes, just staring at him.

Regulus found it amusing.

Without further ado, he stepped to the side and approached Freya.

The distance between them shrank to less than half a meter, and he could smell a cool, refreshing scent emanating from her.

He opened the document between her and himself.

Inside was a map, very rudimentary, even excessively so.

A few curved lines outline the coastline, a few small dots mark the location of islands, and an area is enclosed by a dotted line with a few blurry letters written next to it.

I could barely make out that it was the Baltic region.