The hall of the Trévér estate quaked as spells collided, a cacophony of energy that set the very walls trembling. Scarlet arcs from Alina's wand cut through the golden shockwaves of Isabella's strikes, while Emma's precision curses whispered through the air like blades of midnight. Eira stood amid the chaos, chest heaving, shouting every incantation with raw force, the sound of her voice vibrating against stone.
Alina's gaze never wavered from her. She moved like a living storm, deflecting three assaults at once, her wand flicking with flawless timing. "You are fascinating," she murmured, stepping lightly across the debris-strewn floor. "So raw. So full of fire. But raw fire is dangerous only to itself."
Eira's reply was a roar of magic, a torrent of wild, unrestrained spells flying toward Alina. Sparks collided, echoes of stone shattering, the chandelier's remnants trembling above them. Emma's precision strikes sliced around her, aiming to destabilize, while Isabella's golden blasts pressed relentlessly from another angle.
"Focus on me," Alina breathed, ignoring the two others almost entirely, "I want to see everything you have, Eira. Every ounce of strength you've learned… every weakness I can tease apart."
Eira gritted her teeth, sweat stinging her eyes, and for a moment, she hesitated. Then she remembered the teachings from the system, the spells that had been imparted to her in moments of quiet study: spells that no ordinary duelist could match, spells that could turn the tide if executed perfectly.
"Time to end this," she muttered under her breath, and raised her wand.
"Gravitas Auctus!" she shouted, her voice sharp and ringing, the syllables reverberating like iron striking stone. A wave of magical pressure shot toward Alina, forcing her feet to press against the marble with a crushing weight, her body sagging slightly under the sudden gravitational surge.
Alina stumbled backward, flicking her wand reflexively to counter. "Ah… clever," she said, her tone amused, but a trace of strain laced her words. "Using your little… toys. I see how you learned."
Eira didn't pause. She rotated her wand in a precise, calculated motion. "Gravitas Minuo!" she bellowed, and suddenly the pull reversed. Alina's body became unnaturally light, her movements jerky as though suspended on invisible wires. Her attacks came faster, but the precision faltered slightly, a hint of imbalance she would never admit.
Emma and Isabella glanced at each other, surprised. "She's… she's using something new!" Isabella yelled, dodging a glancing scarlet arc.
Alina's eyes narrowed, flicking to Eira, then back at the two duelists. "Ah," she whispered, almost to herself, "so the little one has grown teeth. But I am not so easily tamed." Her wand flicked, deflecting Emma's strike, and she pivoted elegantly to block Isabella's bolt.
Then Eira went further. Her hands shook with effort, but her voice rang loud and commanding. "Tonitrus Percutiens!"
A jagged bolt of lightning, infused with raw thunder, streaked from her wand and struck Alina squarely. The air vibrated with the thunderclap, and Alina's body convulsed under the electrical surge. Sparks danced across her skin, burning small channels into the fine fabric of her coat, her wand sparking with uncontrolled heat. The hall lit up with a brilliant white flash, casting shadows that leapt along the walls.
Alina staggered, but her reflexes remained uncanny. She conjured a whip of scarlet energy, blocking Emma's next attack, but the Thunderstrike had burned through part of her wand's core. Sparks hissed and coiled along its length, rendering it unreliable.
"Impossible!" Alina hissed under her breath. Her perfect control was slipping. She attempted to deflect another of Eira's gravity-modified attacks, but the combination of weight manipulation and lightning struck her defenses from multiple angles. Her wand trembled in her hand before snapping, black smoke curling from its tip. She was disarmed.
Emma and Isabella stepped back slightly, surprised. Alina's eyes, still focused obsessively on Eira, flashed with something dangerous—a mix of disbelief and thrill.
Eira lowered her wand slightly, panting, adrenaline coursing through her veins. "It's over," she said, though the battle had not yet ended.
Alina laughed, a low, musical sound that seemed to echo unnaturally through the room. She bent her head slightly, a smirk playing on her lips. "You… you have done the unthinkable. The Great Me… could not have imagined being brought so low, so easily, by one so… inexperienced."
She rose her chin, still glaring at Eira with obsession clear in her gaze. "If you want to kill me," she whispered, her voice trembling just slightly with the effort to remain calm, "then it must be you. You must look into my eyes and do it yourself. Remember this moment. Every twitch of my expression, every flicker of my fear or desire. You must see it all."
Eira's gaze never faltered, steady and unwavering. Her wand still thrummed with the lingering energy of the Thunderstrike, a silent testament to her power. "Taking your life… that's never been my goal," she said softly, each word deliberate. "Your life holds no value for me, not as a prize, not as a victory. Ending it wouldn't prove anything—it wouldn't make me stronger, it wouldn't bring me honor. It's meaningless. What matters is standing with those I care for, protecting them… that is where my strength lies."
Alina's lips curved into a small, teasing smile. "Oh no… you do. You want it. The world's rulership. Even if you refuse, others will thrust it upon you. They will demand brilliance, demand results. Just like… Dumbledore." Her eyes softened, almost reverent, as though painting a picture for Eira. "When the world faces disaster, the first question is always, 'Does she know? Is she in control?' That will be you. You will be the fulcrum of magic, of power, of fear and admiration. You will be remembered. Just like Dumbledore is remembered now."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper filled with obsession. "Kill me. Kill me, Eira. Take your place. Show the world what you were always meant to be."
Eira's chest heaved, the hall ringing with the echoes of shattered stone, lingering sparks, and the distant hiss of Alina's burnt wand. The duel was fover—the battle, the tension, and the psychological warfare had finally reached their apex.
Alina, though still elegantly defiant, staggered slightly under the combination of ancient spells. Her movements were no longer as fluid as before. The obsession in her eyes burned brighter than ever, but now it was mixed with the slightest strain, the faintest acknowledgment that she was being truly challenged.
Emma and Isabella, poised and ready, waited for the next moment, giving Eira space to act. The air smelled of ozone, of scorched marble, of magic at its most dangerous.
Alina laughed again, softer this time, almost a sigh. "Remember this, Eira… remember what it feels like to have power. You will need it. You will always need it."