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A loud thud resounded in the empty training grounds as I fell flat unto my back.

Mustering the last of my strength, I managed to spring up, and began shuffling around my pockets for a pen.

"What is it now? Thirty-Five....Your losses are piling up pretty fast." Ivan teased, finessing me once again.

"Shut it, I knew I wouldn't win anyways." I retorted angrily, and took out my duelling journal, scribbling down the process for the nth time.

Perhaps I'd taken a liking to documenting my journey, or perhaps I was just clutching onto every source for any margin of Improvement. But documenting the duels had really given me a good perspective on my strengths and weaknesses.

"If only your spells were as sharp as that tongue. Shame." Ivan jeered, as he put on his coat. Indicating he was done for the day.

Walking towards the door, he looked back and mocked

"Don't stay sulking in your misery too long, it's not good for your health", waving me off he exited the grounds.

....

Son of a bi-

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[Intelligence Bureau]

A group of wizards crept up near the windows clamoring, went deathly quiet as they heard Ivan step out from the dueling grounds.

For no particular reason, these men were peeking on their boss as he dueled a kid for quite a few hours. It wouldn't be strange to label it peculiar. But that wasn't their main concern.

"How long was that?" One man asked

"Can't say, I couldn't time it well." Another chimed in

"Daniel... how long was that."

"That duel lasted.....1 minute and 35 seconds." He said carefully examining his pocket watch.

A few curses and swears resounded as three men grew sour in their small group.

"Pay up, don't even think about slipping away." Daniel demanded with his hand outstretched.

The three wizards bitterly handed away a few galleons to Daniel and his partner.

"Fuck...Only 5 seconds...if only he lost 5 seconds earlier." An annoyed wizard mumbled.

That's right.... these freeloaders were gambling on how long the duels would last. Naturally, victory and defeat were never in question. Their boss wouldn't lose to a brat who still stunk of his mother milk. But what really captured their attention was the duration of these small duels.

Granted their boss was going easy, but lasting more than a minute at that age was already freakishly impressive in their eyes. The wizards stuck around to peek at the boy, who seemed to be sulking as he sat in a corner, repeatedly skimming through an old notebook of his.

"Say, why does that kid keep staring at the notebook after every loss...Kinda creepy if you ask me."

"Yeah, I know what you mean...is he... you know?" the man beside Daniel spun his finger beside his head.

"No, let's not be hasty. Maybe he's just reading books. We can't just judge a kid like that." Daniel chimed in with a sagely wisdom.

Or perhaps it was the wisdom...of winning a few galleons just because of the kid...

The wizards chattered amongst themselves, but soon heard a frustrated shout as they glanced towards the kid.

.....

Zack hurled the notebook in his hand, and began shouting, completely exhausted of ideas to gain any advantage in the duels. Annoyed at this shortcomings, he fell onto his back. Feeling the cold ground soothe his anger, he stayed still and exhaled a deep sigh.

...

"Yeah, that kids definitely crazy."

The wizards nodded in unison, even Daniel decided to not approach the kid. Originally, he planned to tip him a few sickles, but it seems he would have to enjoy the rewards alone...How frustrating indeed.

==================================================

[2 Days Later, Bucharest]

A cloudy evening descended upon the city as the hustling capital quieted down.

Zagreus donned in a blue suit paced around the city. In one hand he held a bouqet of flowers, while the other held his hat.

He walked the long winding streets of Bucharest, in hopes of easing his heart. It was a heavy burden to bear.... losing a teammate despite being the one in charge. It definitely made him question his ability as a leader.

As he got closer to the city's outskirts, reaching the end of an empty street, he took towards the right. Slowly coming up on a small cemetery hidden within a few wards. It was all about 20 gravestones marked in the cemetery.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Private grounds they had built for all the people they had lost since the start of the war. Zagreus, skimmed through the gravestone till he found the newest one added a few days ago.

Ironic, he hadn't even bothered to remember the mans name. He laughed at himself bitterly. After all, it was quite hypocritical, disregarding the team, believing he was a good leader, but in the end all he had done was thrown them into their grave.

Placing the flowers near the gravestone, he placed his hat on top of the marked grave. Zagreus wasn't a firm believer, but for once his heart truly wished there was an afterlife to embrace for the man he had let down.

The leaves rustled as he kneeled before the grave. Taking a silent vow, as he heard the wind shift behind him. Taking a quick glance, he spotted Dmitry waiting to have a word.

"I thought you weren't fond of graveyards." Zagreus spoke.

"And here I thought you were a stone cold leader."

Dmitry trudged up to the grave

"It was a noble sacrifice." He whispered.

"No... it was a preventable one." Zagreus retorted.

Getting up from the grave, Zagreus followed Dmitry to a bench, where they both conversed for a few minutes. Reminiscing the past and discussing the future.

"So, are you going to keep sulking here or can we finally leave." Dmitry stood up heaving a heavy yawn.

"I suppose we should leave." Zagreus chimed in, slightly upbeat.

The chat earlier had put him in a good mood and taken the anguish of losing someone away.

Springing up from the bench, the two began to walk away.

"Don't tell anyone I was here" Zagreus blurted out

"Of course, your secret is safe with me"

"I am serious"

A few laughs could be heard as the two men disappeared from view.

======================================================

[Underground base, Cafeteria]

Zagreus and Dmitry both booked a table and sat down, relaxing in their downtime. Due to the high intensity operation in the Chizid Forest, the two had some time off and were able to put their feet up and wind down.

"Two orders of Wizards Brew" Dmitry shouted to the bar

The bartender nodded and began preparing them right away.

Zagreus leaned back on his chair with his eyes closed, and fingers tapping the table, humming a simple melody.

The bartender slowly scuttled up to the table with drinks in hand, placing them down for the two gentlemen he swiftly retreated back back the counter.

"That really hits the spot." Dmitry exclaimed as he took a sip.

Zagreus opened his eyes, seemingly still stuck humming a melody. He grabbed the mug and began chugging the brew. With one quick gulp the cup was empty and he slammed it back down on the table.

"One more round" Zagreus raised his finger to the bar and then went back to leaning on his chair.

This went on for a few rounds until the two were satiated with food and drink. Now they sat there in peace, not wanting to be disturbed.

Unfortunately that only lasted a few minutes, as they heard two sharp steps shuffle up to their table.

"Sorry for disturbing you, but are you guys free right now?" A somewhat squeaky voice leaked out

Zagreus was slightly startled as he glanced towards the source of the voice...

"Hey kid, what are you doing. You want a drink?" Dmitry teased, it was obvious he was drunk

"Zack right? What's wrong, what do you need." Zagreus wasn't really in the mood, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to hear the kid out.

"Nothing big, I just wanted to ask if you could duel me." Zack responded

An awkward silence took over the table as the two wizards stared at each other, slightly unsure of what they had just heard.

" It's for training, and I tried asking the others. But for some reason they've been avoiding me like the plague" Zack shrugged.

"Well of course, I am not surprised. Rumour has it you're kinda crazy in the head kid." Dmitry mused

Zack and Zagreus appeared confused and stared at Dmitry, unaware of what he meant.

"What? I am not the one spreading them. They're two days old."

Receiving two cold stares as a response, Dmitry finally chose to stick to his drink and not say another word....

" A training duel you say?..... Sure"

Originally Zagreus wouldn't have agreed. However, considering he was completely free and enjoying his time, he figured one practice duel wouldn't hurt him. How strong would an 11 year old be anyway?

===================================================

[Duelling Grounds]

Dmitry stayed around the outskirts of the arena, still sipping his wizards brew.

Zagreus and Zack took either side of the grounds and prepared for a standard duel.

Naturally, there were a plethora of rules discussed beforehand to avoid any fatal injuries.

The duel began shortly after once Dmitry had counted to five.

Immediately, Zack's wand spit out strings of fire that slithered towards his opponent.

Not being fazed, Zagreus conjured a ward to absorb the blow. Instead returning the spell with a stunning jinx thrown back instantly.

Zack hadn't even considered countering the jinx, instead he deftly rolled to the side and avoided it entirely.

Swiftly he flicked his wand and a powerful ball of light sprung towards Zagreus.

Immediately, multiple rock walls shifted up from the ground, sustaining the blow.

The two sides were relatively unharmed despite trading a few blows.

This put a smile on Zack's face and a tinge of astonishment on the two wizards as they tried to process how the kid had even developed this expertise in duelling.

"I must say, you've exceeded my expectations." Zagreus chimed in

- But Iets see what you do now.

As if a switch had been flipped, Zagreus began flinging one spell after another, not allowing Zack to catch his breath.

It was an onslaught of relentless hexes and jinxes, Zack could only endure to block and parry for a while. Hence, he had instantly resorted to dodging the most spells he could.

Darting around the arena with speed as he tried countering every spell he could.

Zagreus was wholly impressed with the boy's reactions. As if eager to see more, he immediately pulled out his trump card.

With a swish of his wand, vines out stretched underground, routing their way towards Zack.

Like slithering grass serpents, the vines pounced on the boy.

With no choice left, Zack sprung forth with every ounce of his energy and a wave of magic flowed through his wand.

Every single vine had seemingly been turned to stone, unable to encroach on him any further.

Dmitry couldn't help but compliment that strategy.

"Excellent choice." He muttered.

He too had faced Zagreus, and the vines were harder to overcome than one might think. They were highly resistant and very durable. Transfiguring them into stone was a viable strategy that he approved of.

Like an unbelievable scene, the countless vines had stopped inches away from Zack, as they remain petrified.

Of course, Zagreus held the ability to produce new vines, but the duel was basically over. It was no surprise that Zack was slightly fatigued after that display, and any move from his side would definitely end the encounter.

"Good due-" As Zagreus approached to congratulate the kid, he saw him pull out a journal and start scribbling

He looked towards Dmitry standing near the walls

But he simply shot back a look of "I told you so".

Needless to say Zagreus immediately asked what the boy was doing.

"Err... What are you doing with that diary?"

Zack looked up from the book and explained

"It's a record of all the duels I've done. Why I think I lost and how to improve." He said casually.

"I see."

Zagreus went quiet. In hindsight that would explain why the kid was extremely good at duelling for his age. He would regularly record his experiences.

It was at this time that Zagreus really wanted to dispute the previous claim. The kid was definitely not crazy, but he was for sure a monster. He couldn't begin to imagine the kid's progress if he continued with his ways for the foreseeable future.

As he was stuck in his thoughts, Zacks voice pierced through the silence.

"Can I try again?" He asked.

Zagreus took a deep breath, and nodded, walking back to position.

It seems, they were truly breeding a monster in their midst.

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