“Okay, Ethan, calm down,” Ethan said as he lightly patted his chest. “First, let’s see if I am dreaming or not.”
The teenage boy pinched his arm so hard that he almost cried out in pain. It was then when he confirmed that he wasn’t dreaming.
“There must be some logical explanation for all of this,” Ethan muttered as he picked up the bag of chips that had fallen on the carpeted floor. “I mean, since I saw it, others might have seen it too, right? But, why isn’t anyone on the train shouting?”
The blue-haired boy thought long and hard and came to a conclusion.
Dragons flying near trains was a very normal thing to happen!
“Maybe it’s because I was raised in the countryside, so I’m not aware of something so common,” Ethan muttered. “Maybe this is the norm for people in the big cities. Maybe Grandma was right. Perhaps I should see the world more, so I won’t remain ignorant.”
After finally finding an explanation that could satisfy him, the blue-haired boy once again started to eat his potato chips, while admiring the picturesque scenery outside of his window.
Although he was still feeling doubtful about what he had just seen a while ago, he believed that he would better understand the situation once he arrived at the Academy and learned a few things from it.
————
“Astraeus, I know that it will be difficult, but please, do your best to arrive at the Academy before the Brynhildr Express does,” Professor Ophelia said as she lightly patted the back of her Gryphon. “My reputation and that boy’s life are at stake.”
The Gryphon gave a low-shriek of acknowledgement as it flapped its mighty wings to traverse the Rostrevor Forest.
The professor, as well as Alice, hurriedly left the station and went to the nearest Magic Gate, in order to go to the Wizard World.
Fortunately, Professor Ophelia left her mount, Astraeus, near the Magic Gate at the station. This gave them the means to immediately pursue the Brynhildr Express, which would arrive at the Brynhildr Station in less than two hours.
“Aunt, will we be able to catch up to it?” Alice asked as she held onto the Professor’s waist. 𝗈𝒱𝗅xt.𝗰𝓞𝐌
Truth be told, she didn’t really care if they caught up to the train or not. For her, what happened in the station was the blue-haired boy’s fault. If he hadn’t blocked her path, she wouldn’t have bumped into him, and they wouldn’t find themselves in the current mess they were in.
“You should pray that we do, Alice,” Professor Ophelia said anxiously. “If not, your father will be very displeased.”
The beautiful young lady who didn’t think that what happened earlier was that big of a deal, immediately shuddered after hearing her Aunt’s reply.
Of all the people that Alice didn’t want to offend, or disappoint, it was none other than her father, who was the current Minister of the Magic Bureau, who managed the concerns of the entire Wizard World.
An hour later…
Astraeus gave a resounding shriek, as if informing Professor Ophelia about something.
Hearing her mount’s report, the Professor took out her wand and lightly tapped it on the monocle on her right eye.
Immediately, her vision zoomed in on the distance. There, she saw the train that they were trying to catch up to, which gave the Professor renewed hope.
Unlike the train that was fixed to how the railway was built, a Gryphon could take shortcuts, and soar over mountains, allowing for faster travel. Now that her target was in sight, Professor Ophelia asked her loyal mount to take the shortest route to the station where the children would disembark.
As Astraeus was about to give a positive reply, a mighty roar reverberated in the surroundings, which forced the Gryphon to take a nosedive towards the ground.
A moment later, searing hot flames flew past the place where the Gryphon was flying earlier. If Astraeus didn’t descend right away, it might have been roasted to oblivion alongside the two witches that were mounted on his back.
“An Adult Red Dragon!” Alice cried out in alarm as the monstrous beast started to chase after them.
Adult Dragons were one of the Apex Predators of the Wizard World, and they took great pleasure in hunting down any Hippogriffs and Gryphons that happened to cross their way.
Professor Ophelia knew that this was a matter of life and death, so she took out her wand and instructed Alice to do the same.
“Repeat after me, Nubes Atra Fumus, do you understand?” Professor Ophelia asked as she pointed her wand at the Red Dragon who was following behind their back.
Alice nodded and also pointed her wand at the Dragon.
“At the count of three,” Professor Ophelia stated. “One, two, three!”
““Nubes Atra Fumus!””
Jet-black-smoke erupted from the tip of their wands, blocking the Dragon’s sight. The smoke then expanded in their surroundings, covering the entire forest in a cloud of black smoke.
This wasn’t the first time that Professor Ophelia had used this spell while traveling in the Wizard World, and her mount, Astraeus, already knew what to do in this situation.
Using the smokescreen as cover, the Gryphon flew as low as possible, nearly touching the ground in the process. It was looking for a safe place to hide in order to escape the Dragon’s pursuit, while the black smoke was still active.
Fortunately, its keen eyesight allowed it to find a dense patch of trees in the distance, which was a perfect cover from the Red Dragon that was hot on its heels.
A moment later, a loud roar of annoyance reverberated in the surroundings, scaring almost all of the wildlife in the forest.
As all the creatures, big and small, ran to find a place to hide, Astraeus landed on the ground and squeezed itself into the dense patch of trees before crouching down.
Professor Ophelia covered Alice’s mouth with her hand, as she carefully observed their surroundings.
The spell she cast was a multi-purpose spell that not only blocked one’s vision, but also erased any scent in the environment. Its effect would linger for half an hour before dispersing completely, which was enough time for them to evade the Dragon’s sharp sense of smell.
Suddenly, a black shadow passed over the trees they were hiding in. Professor Ophelia gripped her wand tightly, while her other hand remained over Alice’s lips, preventing the girl from uttering a single word that might alert the Dragon of their whereabouts.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Astraeus gave a short shriek, telling the Professor that it could no longer sense the Dragon in the surroundings.
“Fly low for now, Astraeus, run if you have to,” Professor Ophelia said as she sighed in her heart. “That Dragon might still be around. It is best that we keep out of its sight for the time being.”
The Gryphon nodded its head in understanding and began to run through the forest like a horse, while looking for a place where it could freely open its wings to fly.
Professor Ophelia felt very bitter about the appearance of the Red Dragon because it was the worst timing ever.
If the Red Dragon hadn’t appeared, they would have definitely been able to beat the train to the station, and apprehend the boy before the Magic Bureau got wind of his existence.