Adrift

The carriage braked suddenly, throwing the interior into chaos. Yulian and Elizabeth were flung to the side, while the man with the severed finger sprang up like a leopard, his wand instantly appearing in his hand.

The carriage door was blasted open with immense force, and a burly man in black clothes leaped inside. A ferocious scar ran diagonally across his face, and his eyes were fierce.

"Cassian Thorne!" the scarred man sneered. "Hand over the item! You dare touch something belonging to the Moon Shadow Council?"

So his name is Cassian Thorne, Yulian thought to himself.

"The item is safe in my hands," Cassian's voice was cold and steady. "Get lost, Wolfgang. This is no place for you to run wild."

"Then let's see whose wand is faster!" Wolfgang roared, and a sickly green light shot from the tip of his wand.

A fierce duel erupted within the confines of the small carriage. The lights of the spells intertwined and collided, making the carriage creak and groan.

Fortunately, there were no other passengers on the carriage.

However, the Thestrals seemed to be startled, letting out piercing whinnies as they galloped wildly down the invisible road, pulling the carriage.

Yulian and Elizabeth pressed themselves tightly against the carriage wall, not daring to breathe. They knew that this level of combat was far beyond the reach of first-year students.

Amidst the chaos, a red light struck the item in Cassian's arms. The wrapping cloth scattered, revealing an ancient bronze pocket watch.

The pocket watch flew out of his grasp, arcing through the air and landing precisely between Yulian and Elizabeth.

Almost instinctively, both of them reached out their hands simultaneously, their fingertips touching the cold metal surface.

In an instant, an irresistible pulling force emanated from behind their navels! The world spun, and colors and sounds stretched into long, thin lines.

Yulian only had time to grab Elizabeth's wrist before they were swept into a violent vortex of magic.

When the dizziness subsided and their feet touched solid ground again, they found themselves in a cold, damp, abandoned warehouse. The air was filled with the smell of rust and mildew.

Cassian and Wolfgang had also been brought along. The two immediately began fighting again, clearly indicating that the pocket watch was an unstable portal key.

"Damn it!" Cassian roared.

Just then, two figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the warehouse. Both wore identical black robes. On the left arm of one of them, a striking mark was visible—a black crescent moon entwined with thorns.

"Well, well, it seems our 'messenger' has brought us an unexpected gift,"

One of the tall men sneered, his voice hoarse. "Two brats, and a Department of Mysteries lackey who doesn't know his place."

"Kill them," the shorter man licked his lips. "Make it clean. The Council doesn't like leaving any traces."

Cassian's face changed drastically. He stepped in front of Yulian and Elizabeth, his voice urgent: "Run! Don't look back!"

But it was too late. Wolfgang had already moved behind them, blocking their escape route. The two men in black simultaneously raised their wands, their tips gathering a deadly green light.

Yulian's heart sank to the bottom. He gripped his wand, his mind racing, trying to recall every defensive spell his grandfather had taught him. But facing opponents radiating such murderous intent, he knew his chances were slim.

Elizabeth's face had also turned deathly pale, but her eyes were unusually stubborn. The wand in her hand trembled slightly, yet she did not lower it.

Just as the two green lights were about to be unleashed at the critical moment, "Protego!" Cassian, Yulian, and Elizabeth shouted the Shield Charm simultaneously, and three beams of light, one large and two small, illuminated them all at once.

Cassian glanced at the two children with a hint of surprise. "Not bad."

"Hoo, I didn't expect them to be little geniuses," the tall man also seemed surprised, but then he sneered, "Good, I'd like to see how many more times you can block this."

"Avada Kedavra!" The tall and short men shouted the Killing Curse in unison. Two green lights, far more intense than before, surged towards them.

"Protego!"

This time, the green lights not only shattered their protective charms but also pushed the three of them back a significant step.

"Alright, Balthazar! Stop playing around," Wolfgang said from behind. "You're not going to make me transform to help you, are you? Though I'll be attacking indiscriminately then."

"Hmph! No need!" Balthazar, the tall man, was enraged. "Hartwell, this time we're getting serious."

"Dermis Trahere!"

Two strange pink lights coalesced at the tips of their wands.

Cassian's face grew serious. He had never heard of this spell before. Could it be a new dark curse developed by the Moon Shadow Council?

The incantation "Obscurum Flecto" was about to be uttered by Yulian. This was the Black family's ancestral "Shadow Deflection Charm," but he didn't know if it would work.

Just then, the roof of the warehouse was suddenly blown open by an immense force!

A biting cold wind swept snowflakes inside, and a white light poured down like mercury.

A woman, so tall she almost brushed the broken rafters, stood at the edge of the ruins. She had olive skin and a waterfall of golden hair, her eyes as majestic as a lion's.

Beside her stood a girl of about thirteen or fourteen, her silver-white hair shimmering. Her delicate face bore a calmness and pride unbefitting her age.

"Scum of the Moon Shadow Council," the tall witch's voice boomed, filled with undeniable authority. "Your evil deeds end here."

"Madame Maxime!" Cassian exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing the lady's stature and hearing Cassian's exclamation, Yulian knew this was Olympe Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The two men in black clearly recognized their visitor, and their faces instantly turned deathly pale. "Retreat!" the tall man shrieked, turning to apparate.

But Madame Maxime merely waved her hand gently, and an invisible force field enveloped the entire warehouse. "Trying to escape in front of me?"

The girl beside Madame Maxime elegantly waved her wand, uttering a string of fluent incantations. A silver-white light, like a ribbon, coiled out and precisely struck the wrists of the two men in black, their wands clattering to the ground.

"Headmistress, they have markings on their arms," Fleur said, pointing to the left arm of one of the black-clothed figures.

Madame Maxime stepped forward, her gaze sharp as she examined the emblem of a black moon, a flicker of cold anger in her eyes.

"It is indeed them. We've been tracking these rats for a long time, trying to recover a stolen ancient magic artifact."

Seeing that Cassian had also subdued Wolfgang behind them, Maxime turned to the shaken Yulian and Elizabeth, a gentleness appearing on her stern face. "Children, are you alright?"

Yulian and Elizabeth helped each other up and shook their heads. The relief of surviving the ordeal left them speechless for a moment.

Cassian stepped forward, picked up the bronze pocket watch from the ground, and solemnly handed it to Madame Maxime. "Madam, this is what they were trying to steal. It's connected to a very dangerous ancient relic."

Madame Maxime took the pocket watch and nodded. "You've worked hard, Cassian. Leave the rest to us at Beauxbatons."

At that moment, with a few "poof" sounds, several more grey-clothed men appeared out of thin air. They looked like Cassian's colleagues. After greeting Maxime, they took the three prisoners and left.

Maxime then looked back at the two children. "You were very brave. Now, let me send you home. Elizabeth, your aunt's house isn't far from here, is it?"