"Don't you think that was a bit rushed?" Edward asked as they stepped outside.

  Maverick shot his teacher a sideways g stayed silent until they all settled on the seats. Aisha sat down st, her eyes dartiweewo men.

  "I meant every word," Maverick said, his voice steady as he locked eyes with Edward. "You saw what she do. Leavi the orphanage isn't an option..."

  "What about Mike and Arie? Shouldn't you at least talk to them before… I don't know… giving them a daughter?" his teacher asked, his tone sharp.

  Maverick couldn't deny the reasoning. It made sense. Even if he believed they would accept it simply because he asked, making such a decision without sulting them was wrong. But his mind was set, and he'd deal with the apologies ter.

  He g his teacher again. "I'll make it up to them..." He paused, then added, "Sooner or ter, someone's going to notice her. Maybe the gover, maybe someone worse. Terrorists, even. They won't give her a choice. They'll turn her into their pawn. It's only a matter of time."

  Edward leaned back, his expression unreadable. "That's even more hypocritical, don't you think?" he said bluntly, not b to soften his words.

  Maverick didn't flinch at the ent. Instead, he nodded and admitted, "You're right." He paused to collect his thoughts. "But I'll give her a safe home. A pce where she doesn't have to look over her shoulder or face discrimination. My parents will love her like their own—I'm sure of it. She'll have a real childhood, go to sake friends..."

  His tone ged, hardening with vi. "And I won't ask her to work for me or anyone else... Not unless it's what she wants."

  Edward regarded him in silence, his sharp eyes searg for any sign of doubt. For Maverick, it felt like ay before Edward finally shrugged. "Do what you want. Just remember, you always e to me if you need help."

  Maverick let out a quiet breath, a weight lifting from his shoulders. A small part of him had worried that Edward might disagree or even see him differently because of his decision.

  Aisha, meanwhile, sat in silence, her gaze shiftiweewo men. She listened ily but kept her thoughts to herself, her face revealing nothing of what she might be thinking.

  With the matter settled, they turheir attention back to the pn to force Morvain into hiding, and aisha, sitting their with them was gd as was finally able to add her input.

  Time passed slowly as the pn began to take clearer shape, each detail refined as they outliheir steps.

  Half an hour ter, Edward rose from his seat, his face calm but focused. "I'll hahe neers."

  He g both of them, then tossed Maverick a rolled-up part. "This map has his location. Tomorrow, ohe news breaks, he'll be forced into hiding. The ICW will summon him."

  Maveriodded. "He won't go. His ir's been raided, and by now, he should realize that some very important things are missing..."

  At that moment, Ali stepped in through one of the doors. "I found them..." he excimed, quickly walking toward them.

  Edward gnced briefly at him before turning baaverick. "I'll be leaving then."

  Maveriodded, giving his teacher a grateful look. "Thank you, teacher... for your help."

  Edward smirked, then disappeared with a soft pop.

  As soon as he was gone, Aisha spoke up, turning to Ali. "Did you meet both of them?"

  Maverick's attention also shifted to Ali. "All good news, I hope?"

  Ali didn't respond immediately as he approached and stopped, gng between them. "Uh... did something happen?" he asked. "Why did Speaker Garling suddenly leave?"

  "Everything's fine," Aisha answered, speaking quickly. "He went to his neer es to share some of the new materials we collected from Morvain's ir. Tomorrow will be the first leak—just the memory vial tents from the Dark Witch. The day, we'll release the real bombshell."

  Ali's expressihtened. "Great news..." Then, remembering the reason he was there, he turo Maverick. "Uh, yes. Everything turned out fine. I first did some digging while staying hidden... Both cases."

  He paused for a moment before tinuing. "They're still m, still worried, even after all this time. her of the boys' parents had given up searg for them. When I showed up with the news, they were overjoyed. I told them to give me half an hour, and I'll bring them back."

  Maverick smiled. "Let's break the good o the kids..."

  Aisha smiled, her mohtening too as they walked toward the room where the kids stayed.

  ...

  Once Ali had delivered the o the boys, he didn't wait long. He left again aurned a short while ter, this time apanied by four people. The mothers and fathers of the two young wizards.

  Maverick, Ali, and Aisha watched with quiet smiles as the families reunited. Maveriot fetting Sarah, his new sister, walked over to her and sat beside her, making sure she didn't feel left out in that moment.

  The se was filled with tears of joy, the long-awaited embraces between parents and children. The parents' excitement was beyond words, a mixture of relief and gratitude that could hardly be captured. It took a long while before they were able to pull away from their emotional reunion and approach Maverid his team, their heartfelt thanks.

  Maverick took a moment to expin how they had uncovered the truth, carefully pnned, and executed the rescue. However, he made it clear that the details o remain private.

  While the parents were eager to express their gratitude as loudly as possible, they relutly agreed to honor his request and keep everything quiet.

  Before leaving with their children, the parents offered one final round of thanks, assuring Maverick they would help with anything he might need iure. Maverick aowledged their words with a nod, his mind already sidering a pn—though that would have to wait for aime.

  Ohe matter with the children and their parents was settled and they had left, Maverick teleported straight to his home in Engnd without hesitation.

  This wasn't the first time he had visited since his travels began. As a wizard with the ability to Apparate effortlessly, he would occasionally return home, though for brief visits, just to ease his parents' worries.

  This time, it was important. He was holy worried—or rather, unsure—of how they would react to the bombshell he was about to drop on them. But Sarah's situation o be expined, and the soo was, the better.

  Luckily, when he appeared that evening, both his mother and father were home.

  Maverick wasted no time. He first showed them her memories, starting with her life at the orphanage and tinuing through her kidnapping and rescue. Though, the rescue part was expined in a heavily watered-down version.

  The to the point. To say they were surprised would be an uatement. After all, who expects their son to suddenly e home and... ask to adopt a child?

  They hesitated, not because they cked sympathy or were unwilling to take on the responsibility, but because it all came so suddenly.

  Maverick had expected their rea. He had walked in knowing it. So, slowly and with a pleading look that came from the heart, he spoke to them, his reasons.

  He promised not to dump all the responsibility on them, assuring them he would visit more often to che everything. He even suggested hiring a sitter to care for her, but his mother firmly rejected the idea. She'd rather have her not stay than hire someoo look after her.

  Since Maverick's request was to adopt her, it had to be done properly. Their care for this child couldn't be faked—it had to be genuine.

  After some bad-forth reasoning, his mother was the first to accept. It still felt odd, of course, but for her son, she vinced herself. Once her mind was made up, she even showed signs of excitement.

  Michael, well, he agreed as well. He had simply been waiting for his wife's decision.

  They talked a bit longer as Maverick added more details about their soon-to-be adopted daughter. Fortunately, they didn't flinch when he mentioned Sarah's powers. They only asked if she could trol them, and once Maverick assured them that she could, they didn't bring it up again.

  Maverick then briefly expihat he would be busy for the few days, w on something with Edward. His parents had no obje, and they asked him t Sarah over as soon as possible.

  Maverick returo Egypt, and while ter brought a nervous Sarah to his family home in London. To help her settle in, Maverick stayed with her, all while she was showed around the house, and for her to get fortable with his parents.

  It took some time, but eventually, everything fell into pce. Though it all felt rushed, Maverick had no other choice. Tomorrow, the pn to take down Morvain would begin, and he couldn't afford to stay here. He couldn't keep Sarah at the underground base i either. He promised himself he would spend a week at home before tinuing his journey, after everything with Morvain was dealt with.

  After Sarah had drifted off to sleep, Maverick quietly let his parents know that he was leaving, then Apparated back to Egypt.

  ....

  The following day, thanks to Edward's arras, the major wizarding neers erupted with headlines exposing the dark deeds of Morvain, an ICW high cil member and the man in charge of anding the iional polig Aurors.

  The reports were filled with magical images from the memories of his aplices, revealing him pnning kidnappings, itting murder, and perf forbidden spells and rituals.

  The wizarding public was thrown into an uproar. Morvain's kidnappings had spread far beyond one try, affeg nearly every region. The children he had taken were all hybrids, a highly specific detail. Families who had reported missing children of that descriptiohe first to protest, their anger quickly spreading throughout the wizarding unity.

  The rea was far more intehan Maverick or Edward had anticipated. The ICW prosecutors and justice departments had no choice but to issue a worldwide summons for Morvain.

  But the man had vanished without a traot a word to any authority, not even a denial of the accusations—he simply disappeared. Except, of course, for one person, who tio track his name, moving silently across a piece of part.

  The day, even more explosive material leaked, some of it even mysteriously found its way to the doorstep of ICW prosecutors. The public rew louder, and protests started to erupt outside magical ministries in several wizarding unities.

  Faced with mounting pressure and undeniable evide just memories, but physical proof—the ICW had no choice but to ge the summons into a "dead or alive" warrant for Morvain.

  Maverick, Ali, and Aisha stayed at their safe house he Nile River while everything unfolded. For the past two days, their movements had been quiet, mostly spent reading the news, and more importantly, trag Morvain's movements on the magical part.

  Maverick received the news of the "dead or alive" warrant before it even hit the neers. Edward had returned shortly after it was issued, bringing the information straight to him.

  It was now the waiting game. Maverieeded to lure Morvain to a location far from civilization, somewhere uninhabited. The duel would not be quiet, and the st thing he wanted was i bystanders getting caught in the crossfire.

  The evil old wizard, turies old and at the peak of the Great-Magus rank, would be Maverick's stro oppo yet. Although Maverick had retly achieved that same rank, in terms of experience, he was still a plete beginner.

  But Maverick wasn't scared. He had his own cards up his sleeve. Still, he khis wouldn't be easy, and victory wasn't guaranteed.

  This duel was important. Until now, he had been pying everything on easy mode, never fag a true challehis time, it would be a real duel—one where her side would hold back for fear of injuring the other.

  His teacher, Edward would still be there, but remain hidden, as he had specifically requested not to intervene unless it became a life-or-death situation.

  This was an experience Maverieeded. Both of them uood that. Most of all, Maverick was determio put ao the man himself.

  —————————

  Author's Note:

  Just a quick update — up to Chapter 84 is already avaible on P AT r30n!

  PAT r30n [.] / RyanFic