Balance

"Haha!" Harry rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed. "Things were really touch-and-go back then. I didn't have time to think. I cast the spell on instinct, with nothing on my mind except taking out that artillery squad."

"At a critical moment like that, you have to go all in!" Percy said approvingly, patting Harry on the head. He then looked at Cedric with relief. "And we have you to thank, too. You kept Wood pinned down. It must have been tough holding out that long."

"I only did what I was supposed to do." Cedric smiled shyly. "I should be thanking you. You came up with that trick and left them completely bewildered. Things were actually very dangerous back then. If we'd been even a minute later, the Temporary Respawn Point would've been cleared out."

"Everyone's efforts were crucial to our victory in that decisive battle!" Percy said, glancing around at the others before raising his right hand excitedly. "Now let's keep up the momentum and secure the second-stage objective!"

"Let's do it! Let's go..."

The wizards gathered around them raised their right hands and cheered along. Clearly, they had all gained a lot from this victory. The exhilaration of fighting side by side with their comrades was unlike anything they had experienced before.

After a brief celebration, Percy called everyone over to the map to discuss their second-stage objective.

"According to the map, our next target is this pass deep in the valley." Percy pointed to the middle of the map. "It lies between two mountains, with steep cliffs on either side."

"It's less than ten minutes from our current position. The defenders have probably already teleported inside the pass and started setting up their defenses."

"The pass has two main parts: a wall nearly a