The gold dragon looked up at Aaric, tilting its head with a curious expression before leaning into his touch and curling itself contentedly within his arms.
"I will name you Luxarion," Aaric said, his voice carrying the weight of intent. The dragon let out a soft, resonant trill, accepting the name and embracing the magical bond that sparked into existence between them by the act of naming.
Aaric carefully gathered the discarded fragments of the dragon's eggshell. He infused the shards with Vitalis Bloom and a selection of other potent magical herbs, grinding them together before serving the mixture to the hatchling in a bowl.
"His species is remarkably intelligent at birth, but it seems it will take a little time for him to fully manifest that brilliance since he isn't a pure-blooded gold dragon," Aaric muttered.
He and the girls watched with rapt attention as the small creature began to eat with a surprisingly healthy appetite.
"Should I give him some Sand of Morpheus to allow him use of his full powers?" Luna suggested. She had already used her unique sight to peer through the veil, learning everything there was to know about the creature's essence.
Aaric tilted his head, considering it for a moment before shaking it slowly. "No, it is not the right time."
He had peered into the dragon's potential futures and deduced now was not the time to allow the dragon access to his full potential.
Luna simply shrugged and extended a hand to caress the dragon's scales gently, her mind wandering to the friend she had made within the dreamlands.
"Let's make a lair and a proper hoard for him," Aaric suggested once the hatchling had finished his first meal and drifted into a peaceful slumber.
The girls nodded in agreement. Luna carefully took the dragon in her arms before Aaric channeled his magic, teleporting the entire group to Nightshade Island.
They arrived near their castle, standing before the entrance of the cave where the Celestium was being formed.
Aaric beckoned them forward and opened the heavy cave doors with a wave of his hand.
"Beautiful," Fleur whispered as they entered. Above them, the gold scale embedded in the ceiling radiated a warm, constant magic that filled every corner of the cavern.
Aaric smiled, reaching up to collect the scale into his pouch. "We don't need it here anymore," he murmured.
The door of the cave also vanished, sending a wave of near divine magic to the island as the runes that contained the magic were on the door.
He set to work immediately, magically expanding the interior of the cave and planting various magical flora to create a living ecosystem.
He then shaped a massive, central chamber to serve as the dragon's personal sanctum. Fleur took a moment to plant a silver moonlight based magical plant.
While Daphne added clusters of gold and blue vegetation. Luna, however, focused on the hoard, meticulously stacking books, piles of gold, and various precious metals and gems.
"Now he can buy entire worlds if he ever decides to go shopping," Daphne said with a chuckle, eyeing the sheer volume of wealth Luna had amassed in the cave.
The existing Celestium was added to the pile, and with a wave of Luna's hand, everything was sorted into neat, organized sections.
Aaric manifested a cabinet of his own design, placing within it the magical weapons and artifacts he had brought from the Tensura Labyrinth.
There were items of immense power like the Amulet of Magic Channeling, the Minos armor set, and weapons forged from Adamantite, Orichalcum, and Magisteel.
Then, he added the skill scrolls of Poison Breath, Sage, Lightning Attack, Shadow Movement, Absolute Zero and many more he had obtained.
He created perfect copies of these items to leave in the hoard while securing the originals back in his pouch.
"Will he be able to use the skill scrolls?" Luna asked, tilting her head.
"Yes, Angel," Aaric started. "And if he chooses to share these scrolls with others, they will reveal runes and magic symbols. When deciphered and studied, those symbols will grant the person the skill contained within the scroll." He finished by adding several rare magical metals from his own personal stores to the growing piles.
"Now, everything here will grow alongside him, bathed in his own magic," Daphne noted with a satisfied nod.
Days passed in a blur of preparation until the morning of the Second Task finally arrived. The champions stood within the tent, listening as Ludo Bagman explained the rules with his characteristic, boisterous enthusiasm.
"You'll find something you'll miss… at the bottom of the lake! And you have exactly one hour to recover it," Bagman announced.
Fleur and Aaric exchanged a brief, meaningful glance. Both already knew the nature of the task and had taken their own measures to ensure the hostages were safe, even though they knew the school wouldn't truly put the hostages in mortal peril.
Fleur was the first to enter the water. She didn't require any magical assistance to breathe beneath the surface, but she donned the cloak Aaric had given her to keep up appearances and avoid unnecessary questions.
Aaric followed shortly after, utilizing a flawless partial transfiguration on himself rather than his cloak, ensuring it wouldn't look like him and Fleur were helping each other.
Descending into the depths, Aaric found Fleur waiting for him. She offered a smile and held out her hand towards him.
"Let's just get this task over with," Aaric said, taking her hand. "We can visit the tribe here in a day or two." He added, and together they propelled themselves through the dark water at incredible speeds.
They were eventually met by a group of Grindylows and Merpeople who stood guard over the hostages with vigilant, spear-tipped stances.
"Thanks for the hard work, guys. We'll visit you properly after the task," Aaric greeted them with a respectful nod. The Merpeople returned the gesture with simple, formal nods, careful not to show any outward favoritism while the task was officially underway.
Fleur freed her sister, Gabrielle, with a swift wave of her hand and pulled the girl into her arms. Aaric turned his attention to his own hostage, Harry Potter.
The judges had struggled with his selection. They had been unable to choose between Luna and Daphne, as both were equally dear to him and one of his companions was already a champion.
They couldn't choose his parents, as asking a Lord and Lady to act as hostages was a political nightmare and a potential security risk. In the end, they had settled on his male friends and chose Harry at random.
Aaric freed Harry and draped the boy's arm over his shoulder before nodding to Fleur. In a sudden ripple of displaced water, they propelled themselves upward with immense force.
In mere moments, Aaric and Fleur stood atop the wooden platforms floating on the lake's surface.
The hostages were immediately taken to be tended to by the medical staff. A thunderous cheer erupted from the spectators, while several of the older wizards gasped at the sheer ease with which the two had conquered the task.
It took another fifteen minutes for Cedric to emerge with Cho Chang, and ten minutes after that, Viktor Krum appeared with Hermione in his arms.
When it came time for the scoring, the judges, most of whom were genuinely impressed, delivered their verdicts.
Dumbledore, Madame Maxime, and Ludo awarded Aaric and Fleur 10 points each. They found no fault in their execution and were particularly impressed by their cordial interaction with the Merpeople.
Karkaroff, however, offered a mere 7 points with a forced, plastic smile. Try as he might, he could find no justification to lower their scores further.
Both Aaric and Fleur finished the task with a total of thirty-seven points.
Cedric followed with thirty-three points, losing marks for his slower time, while Viktor received thirty-two points due to both his time and the somewhat clumsy nature of his partial shark transformation.
A/n: Give me your thought on the chapter and reviews on the fic.
And.. you got any power stones? Well, hand em over then..