The inside of the rusty yacht in the İçmeler shipyard was filled with the heavy smell of solder, strong coffee, and dark magic. As Alaz made final adjustments to Meltem's shock discs at the workbench, sparks flying from the welding machine illuminated the Bodrum map spread across the table. Darius's facial muscles twitched as he listened to the crackling voice coming from the encrypted radio in the corner. On the other end of the radio was Efsun, sitting deep within the Ministry. Her voice carried a sharpness that belied her age. "With Haldun's death, the Ministry is completely paralyzed, kids," Efsun said, choosing her words carefully. "The administration is more terrified of an off-the-books execution squad like you roaming around than of Nazir's men. And they are right to be. There are energy fluctuations around the first Port at the Antique Theatre. Nazir has sealed it off from the outside with a blue shield, a Cave Inimicum spell. Inside are mortal rebels and a masked lieutenant. Official Aurors won't set foot there. You are on your own." "Tell us something new, Efsun," Darius said, turning off the radio. He turned his eyes to his team. CORE was ready for the hunt, fully staffed and in their pitch-black cloaks. "Let the Ministry tremble in fear. We will bring down that shield and take the lieutenant alive without leaving a single scratch on Bodrum's historical fabric." Half an hour later, four silhouettes had taken their positions in the shadows among the pine trees overlooking the centuries-old stone steps of the Antique Theatre. The theatre was covered with a massive blue dome that made infiltration impossible. Beneath the dome, about ten mortals, with Zehra's dark brewed potion Sanguis Vinculum coursing through their veins, were pacing nervously. Their hands trembled, and the toxic red light from their wands struck the ancient stones. In their center, one of Nazir's masked lieutenants was forcing the invisible gateway with the tip of his wand. Kuzey rested his 1.5-meter dark ebony wand on his shoulder, just like a sniper rifle. Squinting one eye, he watched the fluctuations of the shield. "The lieutenant wove the shield using brute force," he whispered to Darius through his earpiece. "The rune alignment is so weak... I'll shatter the shield in ten seconds. But it'll make a sound. The rabid dogs inside will wake up." "They won't wake up," said Lidya, gliding out of the darkness. The pitch-black robe she wore merged so seamlessly with the night that only the whites of her eyes were visible. She had no wand in her hand; she directed her magic with the silver rings on her fingertips. "The moment the shield falls, I will extend the shadows. Only a blinding darkness will fill the theatre. Meltem, are Alaz's discs ready?" Meltem drew the faintly buzzing discs from the leather sheaths on her thighs. "They're all charged. You bring down the darkness, I'll finish off the mortals, and you guys package the lieutenant." Darius extended his wand forward. "We're starting. Kuzey, take it down." Kuzey held his breath and aimed the tip of his wand at the blue dome. "Diminuendo Maxima."
The thin, golden beam of light shooting from the tip of the wand glided through the night and pierced the blue dome. A sharp sound, resembling the cracking of massive glass, was heard, and the shield melted away and vanished within seconds. That millisecond when the shield lifted was the moment the jaws of the trap snapped shut. Lidya raised her hands in the air, her eyes turning completely white. "Tenebris Illusio!" The shadows around the wanded mortals and the silver-masked lieutenant on the stage suddenly lengthened. The shadows rose from the ground and began to move on their own. Panicking, the mortals started swinging their wands left and right, hurling distorted, red fireballs at their own shadows. The sparks produced disappeared into a thick layer of fog thanks to Lidya's illusion. The moment the masked lieutenant realized the situation and yelled, "Shield is down! Go on the defensive!", Meltem had already begun gliding down from the topmost steps. She was as silent as a panther. Utilizing her speed and gravity with a perfect angle, she landed right between two panicking mortals. Before the mortals could even realize what was happening, Meltem slammed the shock discs in her hands onto the men's chests. As both collapsed silently to the ground, Meltem didn't hesitate, spinning on her heel to blast the wand out of the third mortal's hand and delivering a hard blow to the back of his neck. Watching everything from his spot at the top, Kuzey shifted his long wand with millimeter precision, taking down the other mortals trying to flee one by one, shooting them in the knees with small, silent paralyzing curses he fired. Left alone in the middle of the stage, the silver-masked lieutenant drew a runed short sword— a move betraying he was a student of Tariq—and unleashed a wind blade blindly into the darkness. "Diffindo!" As the blade struck empty air and severed an olive branch, Darius's silhouette emerged from the pitch darkness in the stage area of the theatre. The tip of his wand glowed with a dull purple that seemed to absorb the darkness. "Silencio," whispered Darius. His voice echoed perfectly in the theatre's flawless acoustics. The lieutenant opened his mouth to call for help, but not a single sound came from his lips. As his screams choked in his own throat, Darius thrust his wand forward swiftly. "Incarcerous." Thick, magical ropes writhed in the air like snakes and wrapped around the lieutenant's body. As the man dropped to his knees, his sword fell to the stone floor with a clatter. The operation had taken only thirty seconds, and not a single piece of damage had been inflicted on the surroundings. When Lidya slowly lifted the illusion, the moonlight once again illuminated the ancient steps. On the ground lay ten groaning mortals and a tightly bound lieutenant.
Kuzey slung his long wand over his back and descended the steps with heavy strides. Meltem pushed the sword on the ground away with the tip of her foot and joined Darius. Darius, meanwhile, was bent over in front of the bound lieutenant, having ripped off the man's silver mask and tossed it aside. "We secured the first gateway," Darius said, looking at the breathless man with a cold expression. "But I know Nazir isn't stupid enough to choose this place as his actual target. You and these mortals were just a distraction, weren't you?" The man couldn't speak due to the silencing charm, but the mocking, sickly smile in his eyes said it all. The earpiece in Darius's pocket crackled. This time, Efsun's voice was frantic. "Darius... I was wrong. The energy fluctuation at the theatre was just an echo. The real surge is about to explode in an entirely different place right now. And with all of Nazir's men present." Darius stood up. "Where, Efsun? Where are they tearing down?" "Pedasa," said the old woman. "They've amassed an army at the Ancient City of Pedasa." 36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvHyCOtMji
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