The Chronicles of Blood and Fire (HP Fanfic)

The map Talwyn recovered was drawn hastily, copied from memory and patched together from forgotten blueprints Caelum had found in the archives. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. If they followed the service tunnels beneath the old infirmary, they could reach the west perimeter—a section where surveillance charms had decayed beyond function.

They descended into the corridor beneath Wing C, the enchanted light flickering above them, casting long shadows that twitched like nerves. Caelum led in silence, the air around him slightly warmer than it should be. Fire, banked but never gone.

They didn't expect to encounter resistance so soon.

A Greystone enforcer—broad, scarred, half-asleep—stepped into the hall just as they rounded the bend. His eyes widened at the sight of them, his hand already moving to his wand.

Julian didn't hesitate.

"Now!"

Talwyn moved first, slamming a shoulder into the man's side. Lina and Mara followed, throwing what little magic they could muster—weak stunners, deflection charms. It was barely enough to unbalance him.

Caelum surged forward, fingers sparking with residual heat. But before he could unleash the flame, Talwyn struck the enforcer across the temple with a rock.

The man dropped.

For a heartbeat, they froze.

Then Mara rushed forward, rifling through the enforcer's belt.

"Got it," she said, holding up his wand.

Caelum reached for it instinctively, then stopped himself. No—better they keep moving. One wand would have to do.

"Let's go," he said. "Before anyone notices he missed check-in."

They took off again, running now, the cold stone biting at their feet as they moved deeper into the tunnel system.

They didn't make it to the exit.

The shadows ahead twisted unnaturally, folding in on themselves—and then a figure stepped out. Robes brown and unmarked, face obscured by a seamless enchantment glass mask that shimmered like oil.

Talwyn skidded to a stop. Mara raised the wand—

The masked agent moved with impossible speed. A slicing hex sent sparks from the wall beside Julian's head. Another gesture, and a silencing wave hit the entire corridor, muffling their footfalls and spells alike.

Panic hit.

Caelum shoved Lina behind him, raising his hands. He felt the heat rising in his palms, the whisper of fire against his skin. But the others couldn't fight back the same way.

They were outmatched. And the agent knew it.

They weren't meant to escape, Caelum realized. They were being herded.

The agent stepped forward. No words. No wand raised. Just silent pressure, magic held in brutal tension.

Talwyn lunged—and was thrown back by a force wave that left him groaning on the stone.

Mara tried to cast—only for the stolen wand to be ripped from her hand, slammed against the wall by an unseen force. It clattered across the stone floor, sparking slightly, then skidded out of reach.

Then the agent looked directly at Caelum.

Not at his hands. Not at his stance. At him.

Caelum felt it—recognition. And then something worse.

I'm the target, he realized. The rest are expendable.

The heat inside him flared.

Not yet. Not again. Not here.

Caelum didn't move.

His body buzzed with fire, humming just under the skin—ready to ignite. The corridor stank of burned stone and tension. Behind him, Mara crawled toward Talwyn. Lina hadn't made a sound since the fight began. Julian hovered near the wall, searching for anything that could resemble a way out.

Then the agent raised a hand—not in threat, but to pause.

To speak.

A voice, magically filtered, male but smooth like polished steel, filled the space.

"This isn't necessary."

Caelum narrowed his eyes. "Then stop chasing us."

The agent tilted his head, mask catching torchlight like a mirror.

"You're not the target, Caelum Sanguine. You're the asset."

Caelum's jaw clenched. "And them?"

"Collateral—unless you stop this now."

He gestured behind Caelum, where the others struggled to regroup.

"You've made a mess. One staff member injured, Ministry traces nearly triggered. That alone earns removal for all involved under internal security codes. But if you surrender, we'll spare the rest."

Caelum stood very still.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Believe what you want. But understand: this is your last chance. You come quietly, and they walk free. Try to fight again, and I take you—burned or breathing—and no one else leaves this tunnel."

Caelum looked over his shoulder. Mara was bleeding. Talwyn couldn't stand. Julian looked one spell away from collapse.

They weren't soldiers. They were kids pretending not to be terrified.

He turned back toward the agent.

"And what happens to me?"

"Containment. They need you for something else."

Caelum's fists tightened.

"Choose, Sanguine. Now."

A heartbeat.

The fire in him flickered, alive and aching. But his eyes—his mind—were cold.

He spoke softly.

"I'll choose."

He raised both hands…

And made his decision.