Maverick read Samuel's thoughts and decided not to correct his assumption about being an Arch-Magus, reizing that it worked to his advahe fear of fag such a powerful being, coupled with the oppressive atmosphere, would only heighten Samuel's ay, making him even more susceptible to Maverick's manipution.

  Samuel's eyes widened as the truth hit him hard. His lips trembled as he looked up, fear clear on his face. In that moment, he decided to spill everything.

  ...

  It didn't take long for Maverick to extract what he needed. He didn't rely solely on the criminal's fear-driven words; instead, he carefully probed Samuel's mind, verifying the details without the man ever realizing.

  The only thing that puzzled Maverick was why mutant children were being targeted. He hoped to find the answer whe his hands och, Ruby.

  Ohe information was extracted, Maverick shattered the man's spirit, just like his aplice, sending him into a a. If they were on the ICW's wanted list, Maverick would turn them in for a profit. If not... they would dissappear. Either way, Maverick had no iion of letting them walk free.

  This wasn't a sudden ge in Maverick's character, where he became cold and ruthless out of nowhere.

  Over the past year, Maverick's travels had been about more than just learning new magic. He had entered different cultures and, more importantly, a wide variety of people. While many experiences were positive, he also saw the darker sides of magical society.

  What surprised him most was how simple the logic behind evil often was. It wasn't about plex reasons rand schemes—it was simply because someone had the power to do it. That was what set this world apart from his old life.

  Moreover, Edward, his teacher, had taught him not only about the lines between good and evil but also the gray areas iween. Even Edward wasn't a saint, and Maverick had been exposed—whether iionally or not—to his teacher's morally ambiguous as. He came to uand that these were meant both as lessons and as demonstrations of his teacher's tolerances.

  Finally, Maveriderstood that, in order to achieve his ambitions, he would o lower his moral standards from the norm. He wouldn't blindly defy the w, nor would he bee a vilin. He wouldn't be a hero people wanted either, but a symbol, the world truly deserved.

  The illusion faded, revealing the pin, small room. Maverick paused for a moment, his expression unreadable, then turned and walked out.

  Outside, Ali and Aisha were waiting, their faces tense as Maverick stepped through the door.

  Maverick raised an eyebrow, notig the tension in their expression. "Something happened?"

  Ali cleared his throat quickly to shake off the awkward tension and asked, "Did you find anything?"

  Maverick gave Ali a look before nodding. "A name: Ruby. A witch. She might lead us to the ones behind this..." His tone was steady, then shifted slightly. "The two are out cold for now." He turo Aisha. "Check for any warrants. If there are, we hand them over."

  Aisha nodded, her tension easing slightly. "And if not?" she asked, voice a bit uain.

  "They'll disappear," Maverick said ftly, theheir eyes. "I'll show you what they've been up to... who they really are."

  Aisha cut him off. "No need, boss. We trust you." She g Ali, who gave a small nod in agreement.

  Maverick paused and nodded, sensing the siy in their words and as. This was what he wanted—not just subordinates, but people he could trust, and who trusted him in turn.

  "We'll move tomorrow night. The witch is supposed to meet them for the handover..." Maverick said. "I have the time and location. If she shows up, we'll grab her quickly and interrogate her too." He g Aisha, who had more experieh authorities. "See if you dig up anything on her."

  Aisha nodded. "I'll head out then." She g Ali.

  Maverioticed the tensioween them again. They were hesitating, clearly holding something back.

  "Alright, spill it," he said, raising an eyebrow.

  The two tensed even further, and finally, Ali spoke. "Are you... really just 19 years old?"

  Maverick gave them a fused look, genuinely unsure of what they were thinking. He held back from probing their minds, as they were now his panions, and he didn't want to bee reliant on Legilimency—or end up like Dumbledore, at least not the way he had read about him in the fanfis from his previous life.

  "What makes you doubt?" Maverick asked, instead of answering directly.

  "What Ali means, boss," Aisha expined, "is that we've never heard of an Arch-Magus so young... Actually, not even a Great-Magus..."

  Maveriderstood now. They had assumed he was an Arch-Magus after his dispy of magic earlier.

  After a brief pause, Maverick chuckled. Instead of expining, he drew his wand and raised it with a steady hand, speaking clearly, "I, Maverick Caesar, hereby son my magic that no more than 19 years have passed since I was born into this world. Should I speak falsely, may my magic be taken from me, o return—"

  Aisha's eyes widened. "The hell, boss? You didn't have to go that far..."

  Ali was also startled, but Maverick could sehe relief in both of them after hearing the magical vow.

  "Anything else?" Maverick asked with a smile. He had carefully worded the vow, using the lessons his teacher had taught him about the dangers of magical vows—and how to maneuver around them.

  They both quickly shook their heads.

  Aisha perked up first, her usual eic personality returning. "This is so awesome, boss! You must be the you king in history or something... I 't wait to see your pns unfold."

  Maverick chuckled, not b to correct her.

  ...

  The sun had set over Cairo, casting a faint e glow over the Zamalek district. The streets had grown quieter, a stark trast to the chaotic midday rush, though the occasional honk of a passing car reminded Maverid his two subordihat this city ruly slept.

  They moved silently under Disillusio Charms yered atop Muggle-Repellent wards, navigating a narrow street lined with palm trees. This se of Zamalek was residential and calm. The houses were well-spaced, just enough cover to stay hidden but close enough for ao blend in if needed.

  As they approached a vil at the end of the street, Maverick signaled for them to stop with a subtle gesture. The house was old, a grand remnant of Egypt's ial past, surrounded by an iron gate that stood slightly ajar. Through the narros ial, Maverick could make out a shadowy figure standing in the garden, waiting.

  "That's her," Aisha whispered, her voice tense. Ruby, the witch, was a notorious iional criminal. Her face had been pstered on wanted posters for decades, and Aisha had found her warrant with little effort. At over 90 years old, she was well past the halfoint of a typical Magus lifespan.

  Ruby had mao evade capture for years, with her bounty growing steadily. Despite her growing notoriety, her crimes were often only uncovered long after she had disappeared without a trace.

  Maveriodded, his gaze fixed on the vil as his Magical Seended outward, analyzing not just Ruby but also the surroundings.

  Samuel's memories had firmed she would be aloonight, and they were correct. Whether it was due to her arrogance or simple miscalcution, Ruby clearly hadn't anticipated being the target of a Great-Magus.

  And given her history of evading capture, Maverick wasn't taking any ces. Some might sider his precautions excessive—there was, after all, a full rank of differeween them. He knew overfidence could easily lead to his downfall.

  "Stay here and observe," Maveristructed the two beside him.

  He raised his haended his index finger, and tapped the air.

  The spell he was casting was his teacher's illusion, perfected through advanced profid powered by his Great-Magus rank. Now, it would be nearly uable to anyone below an Arch-Magus. Even an Arch-Magus would take time to sense something was amiss, and by then, Maverick could aplish plenty.

  Still, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could take on an Arch-Magus head-on just yet. He cked the experiend raw power that came with their rank. His strength y in his extensive knowledge of mastered spells and magical talents. While he didn't expect to win in a direct frontation, he looked forward to testing himself against his teacher the ime they crossed paths.

  "Illusio Lunam Le!" Maverick murmured, his voice calm and low, audible only to his panions.

  Ali and Aisha watched in fusion as seemingly nothing happened from their perspective. Maverick smirked at their puzzled expressions before stepping toward the vil, his movements fident and deliberate.

  The hunt had begun.

  A little further ahead, Ruby, their target, stood in sileonight, she was expeg a delivery from two of her ckeys.

  Her attention was suddenly drawn to the caw of a crow, followed by another from her right. She turned her head and saw two of them, dark as night with crimson-glowing eyes, nd on a branch of a nearby tree. What uled even the seasoned witch was that both birds simultaneously twisted their necks, log their eerie, glowing gaze onto hers.

  A flicker of unease passed through Ruby, but she quickly shook it off. She had seen much creepier things iime. With a dismissive huff, she returned her focus to the task at hand, patiently waiting.

  Once again, she heard the same eerie caw, this time from a different dire. The caws grew louder, followed by the sound of fpping wings. In just a few seds, the air was filled with the uling chorus of caws and fpping, and the dark witch began to feel a growing sense of unease.

  Frantically, she turned her head, only to find crows—tless—filling the air, all with glowing crimson eyes. Each bird seemed to be staring straight into her soul.

  Instinctively, she tightened her grip on her wand, brag herself for a frontation, though she had no idea what she was about to face.

  "Who is it?!" Ruby called out, her voice sounding much older than her middle-aged appearance suggested.

  "Show yourself!" she demanded again, her wand sweeping in all dires, but the only response she received was the same—crows, g and fpping, their crimson eyes burning through the shadows.

  Tap. Tap.

  Suddenly, she heard the slow, deliberate footsteps. It was illogical to hear them so clearly with the cacophony of caws and fpping around her, but there was no time fic. Ruby's senses were on edge as she pointed her wand toward peared to be a dark figure emerging from the shadows. The figure's eyes glowed crimson, and a dark cape billowed from its shoulders, its edges smoking and fading into the air like tendrils of bck mist.

  "The fuck is you?" Ruby demanded in broken English, her wand aimed threateningly. But the figure didn't answer, only tinuing its sloroach.

  "Stop! I warn you..."

  The tip of her wand began to glow a menag green, signaling she was ready to cast the Killing Curse at any moment.

  Maverick halted, now just a few feet away from the dark witch.

  Ruby's wand fred brighter, the green glow intensifying as she demanded again, "I said, who the fuck is yo—"

  Her words were cut off abruptly, as if something invisible had seized her throat. She gasped, struggling to breathe, her hands shaking as they clutched at her neck, trying to break the unseen grip.

  "Who... cough... fuck... it..." she gasped.

  Determination fshed in her eyes, and with a sudden surge of energy, a green beam of light shot from her wand, heading straight for Maverick. Or did it?

  A little further behind, Ali and Aisha watched the entire se unfold from their own vantage point. Maverick had cast the illusion not just on Ruby, but ohing around him, enveloping any living thing within a 100-meter radius.

  The crows, the eerie sounds, and even the dark, ominous figure Maverick presented were enough to send chills down their spines, despite knowing it art of his doing. The sheer iy of the illusion—sight, sound, even the smell—made it feel all too real. It was a dispy of power, trol, and a form of magic they had never entered or even heard of. It shocked them, even after everything they had witnessed Maverick do.

  They remained frozen, watg, until the green light shot toward Maverick. It happened so suddenly, they barely had time to react. Their eyes widened in shock, and Aisha was the first to scream, "No!" She lunged forward instinctively, with Ali following suit.

  However, they remained frozen, uo move. Both of them tried to act, but an invisible force stopped them.

  They turheir attention baaverick, their for him clear on their faces. But as they looked at him—or the dark figure he had bee—their worry ged to disbelief.

  Uhe expected oute after being hit with the Killing Curse, the figure stood tall, unwavering. Even more shog was the green glowing orb rested atop its palm, emanating sinister energy.

  Ruby, the witch, along with Aisha and Ali, stared in wide-eyed in astonishment. Of course, Maverick wasn't actually catg the Killing Curse like a volleyball—it art of the illusion. The dark witch did cast the curse, but under Maverick's manipution, her aim was pletely off.

  Maverick, or rather the dark figure he had crafted, locked eyes with Ruby. In that instant, an unnatural and reverberated through the air as he spoke.

  "Kneel!"

  The voice was heavy, distorted, and nothing like a human's. Maverifused his words with a measure of his own domineering spirit, making them impossible to ignore.

  The witch's body stiffened, her breath catg ihroat. "Mi-Mi l-lord..." she struggled to speak—no, to plead. Her pompous demeanor had vanished, repced by trembling fear.

  Perhaps it was her old age, or maybe it was the first time in her long life she had ever entered su overwhelming presenever before—not even from her current or former employers—had she felt this small, this utterly powerless.

  The domineering spirit was a mysterious form of magic, a power that allowed oo assert plete dominance over another.

  Scarcely mentioned in only a few obscure texts, this magical talent was so rare that few in the wizarding world would ever enter it firsthand in their lifetimes.

  Among the wizarding popution, only seven individuals were known to wield this ability effectively, and they weren't the type to funt their power casually.

  So, when a witch or wizard experiehis overwhelming force for the first time, they would all feel the same crushing hopelesshat the dark witch Ruby was now fag.

  Therefore, just moments after Maverick used it, Ruby began mumbling ily before losing sciousness, never even managing to put up a fight.

  Maverick sighed, briefly sidering that he might have gone a bit overboard, but quickly dismissed the thought. Better safe than sorry.

  He dispelled the illusion gradually, its effects fading as he turo look at Ali and Aisha. A slight smile graced his lips—not because of the bewildered expressions on their faces, but because he could sehey had endured his domineering spirit better this time. Training them tthen their will art of his pn, and what better method than exposing them repeatedly to his presence.

  —————————

  Author's Note:

  Just a quick update — up to Chapter 79 is already avaible on P AT r30n!

  PAT r30n [.] / RyanFic