Chapter 76.5- Doom Days

He began a complicated wand movement that would have done….something, but I wasn’t all that interested in seeing what he could cook up. Instead, I released my hold on the flames from hell, and shot a disarming charm right at him. Without my strict hold on them, the fires spiked, going out of control for a brief moment and drawing all of his attention instead.

He didn’t manage to dodge the disarmer, and the fires swallowed him whole a second later. While they ate their full with him, I reasserted dominance. A feat that was much harder than any could really express. Controlling fiendfyre could best be described as trying to forge something by gathering the molten iron with your bare hands.

Controlling fiendfyre that had been let out of control— even briefly? Well, that was more like trying to forge molten iron with bare hands while drinking lava and dipping your balls in acid. Needless to say, it was a far from pleasant experience. Especially when the flames had their eyes set on a target of inviting magic— the philosopher’s stone which I was only just managing to prevent the fire from consuming. With his hungry fiendfyre could be and how much magic there was inside the stone, I doubted most other people would have been able to sate the fires from hell before they got their fill. But I had a ritual-enhanced affinity for both fire and the dark arts that allowed me to do what most would consider impossible. Even if just barely.

With an exhale, I allowed the fires to calm, forcing them to still and snuff themselves out even as they fought me every step of the way. As I sent the fiendfyre back to the realm from which I had called it, it fought me for every second of space, every half second of time.

But thankfully, the. Fire died with a hiss. I turned to the stone, but fell to my knees instead. Yup, the pepper up had basically worn through this duel. Using the fiendfyre had been a last-minute gamble. He’d probably been able to tell that keeping me engaged for even a few more minutes would probably have guaranteed his victory. Sadly, it didn’t play out for him the way he must have expected it to.

I walked towards the Dias, finding the stone was shockingly warm to the touch— warm and pulsing like it was almost alive.