Once Alexander returned home from the Strongman estate, the first thing he did was grab a quick snack from the kitchen.
He barely tasted it as his mind was elsewhere.
He went straight to his room, shut the door, and sat at his desk.
He spread everything out neatly and began reading.
The more he read, the more impressed he became.
The Strongman family wasn't just famous for dueling.
They had built an entire combat philosophy around it.
Spell layering.
Power amplification cycles.
Endurance casting drills.
Magical recovery timing.
It was structured.
Refined.
Alexander leaned back in his chair.
"…A true dueling lineage, and this was only the basic stuff. If I could get the true legacy of Strongman..."
Alexander laughed and shook his head. Knowing that Kyle has already given him more than enough.
He tapped the desk lightly.
Maybe I should get proper guidance…
Two names came to mind instantly:
Professor Flitwick — a dueling champion.
Professor McGonagall — master of precision and transfiguration combat.
Private tutoring from either of them would refine his path far faster than self-study.
He nodded to himself.
"This might be the best route."
He pulled out parchment and began drafting training plans.
Morning endurance casting.
Afternoon spell theory.
Evening wand-core synchronization.
He mapped weekly cycles.
Growth targets.
Then he stared at it…
Frowned… and scratched the entire thing out.
"No… wrong focus."
He started again.
This time, prioritizing offensive spell diversity.
Halfway through—
He tore that one up, too.
Hours passed.
Plan after plan.
Idea after idea.
Each one was flawed in some way.
Too inefficient.
Too narrow.
Too slow.
By the time the sun began to set, parchment scraps covered his desk and floor.
He leaned forward, rubbing his temples.
"…There has to be a perfect balance."
A soft pop sounded behind him.
Silver appeared.
"Young Master… dinner time."
Alexander blinked, pulled from his thoughts.
"…Already?"
Silver nodded.
He hadn't even noticed the day pass.
At the dinner table, Alexander looked… absent.
He ate robotically, eyes unfocused.
Mrs. Chen noticed immediately.
"Honey dear… are you okay?"
Alexander looked up slightly.
"Yeah… just got a lot on my mind."
She still looked worried.
But Mr. Chen spoke calmly.
"Then stop thinking."
Alexander blinked.
"You're still young," his father continued. "You can figure things out later."
Alexander exhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
He tried to relax.
But even while eating, his mind drifted back to spell structures and training cycles.
Suddenly, Mr. Chen stood up from the table and left the room.
A minute later, he returned holding several old textbooks.
He placed them in front of Alexander.
"I didn't want to give you these yet."
Alexander looked up, curious.
"But after watching your duel… I realized something."
"You're lacking offensive spells."
Alexander opened the books.
Advanced combat curses.
High-tier blasting spells.
Spell chaining methods.
His eyes lit up instantly.
"These are…"
"Family combat texts," Mr. Chen said. "You're ready for them."
Alexander grinned brightly.
"Thanks, Dad. These are perfect."
Mr. Chen nodded.
"Now stop overthinking and enjoy your summer."
Then he added casually:
"We leave in a few days. We're heading to see Mr. Scamander. He's expecting us."
Alexander blinked in surprise.
"…Oh. Okay."
Mrs. Chen saw how happy he had started to look and chose not to ask any further questions.
For the rest of dinner, Alexander actually ate properly.
Near the end of the meal, Alexander suddenly spoke again.
"Hey… can I get a dragon?"
Both parents choked on their drinks.
Mrs. Chen coughed.
"Why?!"
Alexander answered casually:
"Wouldn't it be cool to have the title Dragon Rider?"
Mrs. Chen burst out laughing.
Alexander added innocently:
"I might need one for… harmless experiments."
Mr. Chen immediately shut that down.
"Stop. Don't even think about it."
"Maybe when you're an adult. Not now. Not anytime soon."
Alexander shrugged.
"…Worth a try."
The next few days were spent making more memories.
Visiting friends.
Flying around the city.
Taking photos with Silver and Copper.
Eventually, the Chen family attended one final goodbye dinner.
Hosted by Nick's family.
Halfway through the evening, Nick suddenly challenged him.
"Duel me before you leave."
Alexander laughed but agreed.
They stepped onto a small clearing by the garden.
The duel began and ended almost instantly.
Alexander cast Protego Maxima immediately.
Nick fired spell after spell… but the barrier didn't budge.
One minute later—
Nick dropped his wand.
"I quit."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Nick groaned.
"Next time I'm breaking that stupid barrier."
Alexander just smirked.
"I'll be waiting."
After jokes, laughter, and a warm final dinner, the night came to an end.
The next morning—
The Chen family gathered around their Portkey.
With a flash—
They disappeared.