Can't Tell, Really Can't Tell

Welcome to Cola, where tons of delicious treats await your discovery!

This is difficult; the darkness is clearly only directed at him, and for Orion, this is home turf.

Orion could see him, sense him, move freely in this darkness, and Spellcasting at will.

But he was blind, so he could only passively take the beating.

Regulus's mind raced.

The principle behind the Shadow Trace Charm is to blend into the shadows; this darkness is the super shadow created by Orion.

To break the spell, you either need to use a more powerful CD player to disperse the darkness, or find the caster and interrupt the spell.

His light wasn't strong enough; the Silver Light of the Starry Sky Kite could only disperse within a two-meter radius before being suppressed beyond that.

A stronger light, perhaps Spark Spell enhanced with the Supernova Explosion Imagery, could be tried, but that would require time to construct the imagery, Orion wouldn't give him that chance in the darkness.

Then we can only look for the original entity.

He constantly adjusted the frequency of his Magic Perception as he moved, attempting to penetrate the shield of darkness.

Spatial Perception is also maximized. The Shadow Trace Charm blends into the shadows and uses them to teleport. Although it's not true spatial movement, theoretically there will be spatial fluctuations left behind.

I don't know how much time passed; my sense of time was distorted in the darkness—maybe a minute, maybe five minutes—when a slight unusual fluctuation was detected.

First, a spatial fluctuation was sensed; it was very subtle and might have been overlooked had it not been in absolute darkness. It appeared about four and a half meters to the left and in front of Regulus.

Next came Magic Fluctuation, from the same location, but its intensity was rapidly increasing.

Orion is preparing the spell.

Without hesitation, Regulus raised his wand in his right hand, simultaneously preparing Spatial Warp and Spatial Anchor.

To prevent Orion from having a passive defense like the Constant Shield Charm, he decided to open Spatial Channel directly onto the opponent's skin.

He even considered driving it under the skin, but immediately rejected the idea.

Firstly, that was his father, so he couldn't kill him; secondly, with the intervention of living Magic Power, the passage would be difficult to form stably.

The passage instantly formed four and a half meters to the left front.

Regulus pointed his wand forward, and the Cruciatus Curse's crimson beam shot out, piercing through the passage and landing precisely on Orion's chest.

The moment the spell was cast, Regulus couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.

This battle was incredibly difficult; the darkness was overwhelming us, and we were on the defensive, which was quite frustrating.

The Cruciatus Curse might not necessarily paralyze a wizard with a strong will, but if his father showed even half a second of weakness, he could follow up with an attack and tear the situation apart.

But the expected result did not occur.

In the darkness ahead, spatial and Magic Fluctuation still lingered, but the Cruciatus Curse seemed to have struck the void, without any feedback of hitting a physical entity.

Regulus's heart sank.

The next moment, excruciating pain exploded throughout his body.

It felt like countless red-hot needles were simultaneously piercing every inch of skin, drilling into muscles, and embedding themselves in bones.

But the pain doesn't invade from the outside; it erupts entirely from within, tearing apart at the cellular level.

Regulus's body stiffened instantly, his breath caught in his throat, and his vision went black.

Although it was already dark-skinned.

He immediately realized he had fallen into a trap, and not only that, he had also been hit by the Cruciatus Curse.

The fluctuations I just sensed were a trap, a decoy deliberately placed by Orion. The real attack came from...

There was no time to think; the pain slowed my thinking and slowed my body's reaction.

He endured the excruciating pain, trying to sink his consciousness deep into the depths, using the technique of Legilimency to peel away the awareness of the pain he was experiencing, but it would take time.

In the darkness, a hand rested on his shoulder.

The hand pressed down on his shoulder, not with much force, but in the right spot, just enough to block the point where he could unleash his Swift Charm.

At the same time, something was pressed against my throat—the tip of a magic wand, cool to the touch, pressed against my skin.

Then, the darkness faded.

Like a curtain being drawn back, light flooded back into the Training Room, the runes on the walls Rune up, the torches burned, and everything returned to normal.

Orion stood before Regulus, his right wand pressed against his throat, his left hand on his shoulder.

The two were less than a foot apart. Regulus could see the fine sweat on his father's forehead and smell the faint but distinct acrid odor of the Fire-Making Spell emanating from him.

Orion no longer seemed as composed as he had at the beginning.

The dark gray combat suit had several scorch marks and corrosion marks, and the left cuff was torn open, revealing the protective layer underneath.

Her hair was a little messy, with a few strands of black hair sticking to her forehead. Her breathing was slightly rapid, and her chest rose and fell slightly.

Overall, he was quite presentable, stood steadily, his hands didn't shake, and his eyes were clear.

In comparison, Regulus was in worse form.

His training clothes were torn in many places, and there was still a stiff feeling from the Petrifying Spell on his left shoulder. The cells in his body, which had been baptized by the Cruciatus Curse, were still protesting, bringing waves of phantom pain.

His face was a little pale, but he stood straight; his eyes were tired, but not unfocused.

Regulus looked at his father.

Orion's eyes were practically overflowing with approval.

His lips curled up uncontrollably, and he tried to suppress it, but failed. Finally, he let it go, revealing a clear smile.

He put away his wand and patted Regulus's shoulder forcefully with his left hand.

"Very good," Orion said, his voice brimming with barely suppressed satisfaction. "Regulus, very good."

Regulus lowered his head slightly, took a breath, and then smiled when he raised it again. He didn't say anything, just nodded, and with a little effort.

The two separated slightly, each catching their breath.

The match was short but intense, keeping everyone on edge the whole time. Now that I've relaxed, the fatigue is overwhelming.

Regulus moved his left shoulder, using Magic Power to strike the last bit of petrified remnant.

The phantom pain of the Cruciatus Curse gradually subsided. His father hadn't used his full strength; that blow was merely to expose an opening. If his father had used his full power, his son would probably be lying on the ground convulsing by now.

He was still mentally reviewing the final trap.

Everything felt so real.

The spatial fluctuations, Magic Fluctuation, location, and intensity were all exactly the same as the signs of Orion Spellcasting that he usually sensed.

But that's fake.

Orion simulated the fluctuations in some way to lure him into attacking, while his true form approached from another direction and ended the battle with the Cruciatus Curse.

Moreover, his father was clearly wary of his potential Space Magic.

Although he didn't know exactly what it was, Orion's combat experience allowed him to prepare a plan to deal with a surprise Attacks.

That trap was probably set up for this purpose, to force him to use his trump card, and then to counterattack.

That old guy is something else.

The thought flashed through Regulus's mind, tinged with helplessness, but mostly with admiration.

A father is a father; his decades of combat experience, his grasp of the situation, and his understanding of psychology are all far superior to his.

The two of them looked towards the doorway.

Sirius was still standing there, mouth agape, eyes glazed over, as if he were under Full Body-Bind Curse.

He looked at Regulus, then at Orion, and then back at Regulus.

My mind was still processing the images I had just seen: darkness descending, my father suddenly disappearing, a magic wand suddenly appearing and being pressed against my throat, and finally, the two of them smiling at each other.

Regulus and Orion exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of a smile in each other's eyes.

Orion walked toward the door, patting Sirius on the shoulder as he passed him.

"Do you understand?" Orion asked.

Sirius nodded mechanically, then shook his head, finally managing to stammer, "... I don't understand at all."

Orion's smile faded, and his tone became flat. "Then take your time to think about it."

He walked to the Training Room door, pushed it open, and turned to Regulus, saying, "Take a half-hour break, then come to the Study; we'll talk about our vacation plans."

The door closed.

Regulus and Sirius remained in the Training Room.

Sirius finally came to his senses. He walked up to Regulus, looked him up and down, as if he were meeting his younger brother for the first time.

"You..." he began, then paused, and after a long pause, opened his mouth again. "Are you like this at school too?"

"No," Regulus shook his head slightly, "You can't do that at school."

"And all that... movement, the spell, and that last patch of darkness..."

Sirius's speech was somewhat stammering, and even his eyes, which had lost their stubbornness, were now filled with confusion.

"The result of the practice." Regulus walked towards the door, Sirius instinctively stepped aside.

He then quickened his pace, passing Regulus, turned around, and stared at him. "Do you and Father often fight like this?"

"The second time," Regulus took a sip of water, which the House-elf had prepared, and then said, "I lost last time."

"And this time?" Sirius pressed.

"We lost too," Regulus replied curtly, his tone flat.

Sirius remained silent.

He watched Regulus drink water, put the cup back on the tray, and brush his disheveled hair back to reveal his forehead.

The movements were ordinary, yet they conveyed a sense of composure, poise, and even elegance.

Sirius didn't like this rhythm; he felt it was fake and Restraints.

But as he looked at Regulus, his anger almost vanished, leaving only an indescribable feeling.

He then recalled Regulus in the Training Room, moving at high speed, unleashing spells in rapid succession with astonishing power, his eyes calm and focused.

The person in front of me, so unhurried and deliberate, seemed like a completely different person.

He couldn't tell which one was real.