Altair didn't expect to see the ceiling of the Hogwarts infirmary again in his lifetime. His body felt heavy, and it took effort to get up. He scanned the room, looking for any signs that he was being mentally manipulated. A precaution.
[Mana (Evans): 419,624 (-74,051)]
Altair activated the Shared Core ability.
[Shared core: magic flows from you to your partners and vice versa. You can share your magic reserves with members of the coven, and you can also take a part of their magic reserves for yourself. Consequences: 1.- Severe fatigue if more than ninety-five percent of magic is taken. Requires recovery for at least seven days. 2.- Risk of death or becoming a squib if all magic is taken. 3.- If an amount of magic greater than three times the recipient's natural reserves is accepted, the body will go into rest mode after the skill ends, permanently losing fifteen percent of magic reserves. Note 1: Taking more than eighty percent of magic requires the consent of the donor. Note 2: Reserves will return to their standard size when the ability is canceled or twenty-four hours after activation.]
Point number three explained why he had lost part of his Evans. He wondered if he had done so out of stupidity or if his attack had been justified. Vali seemed to have ended the fight. Altair didn't know if it was because he already considered himself the winner and was going to deliver the final blow, or because he had no intention of continuing.
Either way, the fire ended everything. Altair didn't know if the boy had died or what the hell had happened next.
'I didn't consider Serafall,' he thought. He realized his mistake immediately. He had taken magic from all the witches in his coven, 80%. That should be about three times his magical capacity. Most of it came from Katerea. But he hadn't thought about Serafall. A serious mistake. He wondered if any innocent people had died in the fight. Anyone from Rias' peerage? Was Lavender okay?
"Sir!" he heard a distinctly feminine voice in the room.
Kalawarner greeted him with a smile. It wasn't one of happiness, but instead of relief. She was wearing a nurse's uniform, similar to the one Poppy had worn.
"Tell me what happened," he ordered, and she began to tell him.
"After you defeated Vali," she said with a complicated expression, as if she couldn't believe it. "Lord Azazel intervened, spoke with Lord Dumbledore, and agreed not to escalate the matter to war," Altair nodded, although he didn't believe Albus would speak for the devils.
"And the matter was settled?" Altair asked.
"No. Instead of war, peace was sought. There was a conference between the three factions and the magical world. Sirzechs and Serafall were there on behalf of the devils, Azazel on behalf of the fallen, and Michael on behalf of heaven. Dumbledore represented the magical world," said the fallen angel quickly. Her expression seemed to become more complicated. "There was an attack on the conference. The Chaos Brigade and, in addition... Vali betrayed Grigori," she growled.
"So Vali is still alive, huh?" Altair commented to the air. The truth was that, despite his victory over the silver-haired man, he still felt a bitter taste in his mouth. "What about Rias and her Peerage... and Lavender?" he asked, voicing his main concerns.
"They're all safe," Kalawarner said. "The infernal fire didn't hurt anyone, though it left an incredible mark on the place," she commented.
"What happened to the humans then? Did they discover the supernatural world?" After his family, maintaining the status quo was his second priority.
"No. Azazel was watching the fight and managed to put up a second barrier. You probably didn't notice because you were too focused on Vali," she replied.
Altair sighed with relief. Honestly, he wasn't worried about the Muggles at all. He didn't think they stood a chance against the magical world, let alone the devils.
He believed that many overestimated Muggles compared to wizards. As if the latter weren't capable of creating and inventing wonders like Muggles. Altair was sure that Lily could develop a nuclear bomb so powerful that it would make the Tsar's bomb look like a mere firecracker.
A war between wizards and Muggles would not be entirely between those sides. It would end up becoming a war of wizards against wizards and Muggles, not to mention the countless children who would end up being kidnapped once Muggles learned to identify magic. All of that would turn into a huge hassle he didn't want to deal with.
Kalawarner continued talking, explaining in more detail what had been discussed at the meeting between the biblical factions and the magical world.
In the end, despite the attack, a treaty was signed. An alliance was formed to hunt down the Chaos Brigade. The magical world would not be of much use in combat; despite the magnificence of their magic, they were far behind the destructive potential of the three factions. Their role had been more focused on trade.
This agreement was known only to the upper echelons of the magical world; they feared that if it were announced to the public, the public would react badly to the devils and fallen angels. Altair wondered what the reaction of the magical world would be when they learned he was a devil.
"Alti!" he heard behind the door before it flew open. He had recognized his girlfriend even before seeing her.
Lavender ran towards him quickly, her supernatural speed bringing her to his side in seconds. She refrained from hugging him for fear of hurting him. Altair stood up, pretending he didn't feel dizzy as soon as he moved, and hugged her. He rested his chin on Lavender's head, and she began to cry on his chest.
Lavender held him tightly, and Altair swallowed the pain he felt, not allowing a noise to escape from his mouth. His body was in bad shape; the use of Shared Core had damaged him beyond losing part of his magical ability. Every cell in his body protested at the slightest movement. But Lav's hug was worth every moment of pain.
"It's okay, Lav," he said as he kissed her forehead. "How long was I asleep?" he asked Kalawarner, who seemed to be staring intently at a stain on the floor.
"We'll be entering Hogwarts next week," Lavender said instead.
"That's quite a long time," Altair said. "The trip to Kyoto—"
"It's been postponed, we'll go at Christmas. You better not have any commitments by then or you'll have me to deal with!" she warned him, trying to sound intimidating, but her wet red eyes couldn't keep up with the tone of her words.
Altair answered: "Nothing in the world will make me miss it," which seemed to make her nod in satisfaction.
"Did you give him the potion yet?" Lavender asked suddenly, looking at Kalawarner. The fallen's face turned red as she began searching the nightstand for a potion and Phoenix Powder.
"Poppy said it's possible your body rejected the magic from the outside... something to do with all the magic filling your body. That same magic prevented the Phoenix Powder from fully penetrating your body... even when it was inserted directly into your stomach, your body continued to reject it. They said it was a defense mechanism..." Lavender explained as she took the potion already prepared with the Phoenix Powder. "Open wide," she said.
Altair opened his mouth as he glanced at Kalawarner, who seemed a little amused by the whole spectacle. The fall was immediately reversed. Then he felt the taste of the potion in his mouth and then in his throat. He drank the entire potion in one gulp as Lavender told him he was doing well. Altair felt a little bit of Mommy Issues.
'I really did grow up without a mother...' Altair thought with a bit of sadness.
"I feel better now." The pain in his body subsided as soon as he drank the potion. The relief was almost instantaneous.
"Good boy," Lavender said as she caressed his face. "Did you blush?" she smiled.
"Kalawarner, not a word about this," Altair said to the fallen angel, who nodded quickly.
As Lavender continued to embarrass him, another woman entered the room. Serafall was dressed like an executive, wearing a black pencil skirt, a white shirt, and a jacket to match. Her hair was pulled back into a bun worthy of McGonagall.
"Altair," she said thoughtfully. "We need to talk about your ability," she said as she looked at Lavender and Kalawarner. The latter moved and left the room immediately. Meanwhile, Lavender tried to get in front of Altair, as if she wanted to protect him from any harm the Maou might cause. "I don't want any trouble, I'm just looking for explanations," Serafall said, in that same serious tone that didn't suit her at all.