Chapters 75 and 76

By: Asa Montreaux

 

Chapter 75: High Alert

The air crackled with tension as the school grounds remained on high alert. Though a brief victory had been achieved by securing the control centers, everyone knew this was only a reprieve before the inevitable final clash with Crimson Dawn. Students gathered in small, tight-knit groups, discussing strategies, fears, and hopes for the coming days. 

Hugh felt the weight of it all pressing on his shoulders. His mind raced with thoughts of what they had accomplished and what still lay ahead. The knowledge that they had temporarily stopped planes from being used as weapons brought a fleeting sense of relief. Yet, Crimson Dawn had proven more resilient, more dangerous, than anyone had anticipated.

Eliza sat beside him in the common room, her hand gently resting on his arm. "You okay?" she asked, her voice soft yet tinged with concern.

Hugh glanced at her, his usually sharp eyes now clouded with uncertainty. "I'm not sure how much more we can do. We’ve pushed ourselves beyond anything I ever imagined...but it feels like Crimson Dawn always has another layer, another trap waiting for us."

Eliza squeezed his arm. "We’ll figure it out. We’ve come this far, haven’t we? We can’t stop now."

Across the room, Mish and Sam were poring over old spellbooks, trying to dig deeper into the ancient magics they had recently discovered. Mish, especially, had been pushing herself harder than anyone. Her belief in her ability to prevent further catastrophe—to stop planes mid-air, to somehow control the destructive chaos that Crimson Dawn intended to unleash—was unwavering. Sam, on the other hand, had been more reserved, but Hugh could sense the quiet intensity in his newfound telepathic abilities. It had been growing, sharpening, especially in moments when Hugh faltered. 

"We're almost there, Hugh," Sam said, looking up from the pages. "The final move is coming. I can feel it."

Hugh nodded, not needing to rely on telepathy to sense the truth of Sam’s words. The calm before the storm was waning. Soon, Crimson Dawn would reveal their final hand.

As night fell, Dean Cauldwell called another urgent assembly in the Great Hall. The faculty members, visibly worn but resolute, stood before the students like pillars of strength. The elder wizards, too, had gathered, casting long shadows in the dimly lit room. It was clear that the fight had taken its toll on everyone, but the worst was yet to come.

“The enemy grows desperate,” Cauldwell began, her voice firm. “We believe Crimson Dawn is planning their final assault. We’ve intercepted intelligence that they’re preparing to hit not just one city but several—all at once. They are targeting key locations across North America and Europe.”

A collective murmur spread through the students like wildfire. Hugh felt a chill run down his spine. This wasn’t just a battle for survival—it was a full-scale war.

“The guidance systems are still under threat, but their new objective is to create chaos across these cities, crashing planes into key government buildings, financial hubs, even magical landmarks hidden within major cities.” Cauldwell’s expression hardened. “We must stop them, and this time, there’s no margin for error.”

Eliza’s breath caught beside him. “They’re targeting magical landmarks too?”

Cauldwell nodded. “Yes. They aim to reveal our world in a devastating way, shattering the barriers between the magical and non-magical communities. The consequences would be catastrophic.”

Hugh’s mind whirled as he processed the enormity of it. This was no longer about planes or hacked systems. This was about keeping the entire magical world from being exposed—ensuring the safety of both magical and non-magical people alike.

The elder wizards stepped forward, led by Agent Macomb, who had been a constant, mysterious presence throughout this ordeal. He had taken on a new role, revealing layers of expertise and knowledge about spells, wards, and technical wizardry that no one had known he possessed.

“We’ll need every capable witch and wizard to help,” Macomb said, his voice carrying the weight of the task ahead. “But this isn’t just about casting the most powerful spells. We need precision. We need creativity. The key to stopping them lies in thinking beyond traditional magic.”

Hugh exchanged a glance with Mish. Creativity. They had been discovering that very thing—how to push magic further, how to blend their skills in new ways.

“We can stop them,” Hugh said, his voice steady but determined. “We’ve been working on spells that combine telekinesis and telepathy with more ancient incantations. We can control the planes remotely, manipulate their paths, and stop the crashes from happening.”

Mish chimed in, her eyes blazing with conviction. “And I’ve been practicing stopping mechanical failures. I know I can manipulate the energy that keeps planes from falling apart mid-air.”

Agent Macomb’s gaze lingered on them, a mixture of approval and concern crossing his features. “It will be dangerous. You’ll be battling not just Crimson Dawn’s hackers but their operatives—people who have been trained in both magic and modern warfare.”

Hugh nodded. “We know the risks.”

As they prepared for what could be their final confrontation, the atmosphere among the students was a mix of determination and dread. Groups huddled together, going over last-minute spells, planning their roles in the defense.

Hugh, Eliza, Mish, and Sam gathered on the rooftop of one of the school’s towers, looking out over the dark horizon. The distant lights of the city twinkled, oblivious to the looming danger.

Eliza leaned into Hugh’s shoulder, her voice quiet but strong. “We’ve got this, right?”

Hugh wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. “Yeah. We’ve got this.”

But even as he said the words, the weight of what was to come pressed down on him. It wasn’t just about the planes or the control centers anymore. The final battle would decide the fate of their world, magical and otherwise. 

By dawn, the warning came: Crimson Dawn was making their move. The cities were being targeted, just as predicted. It was now or never.

As they activated the teleportation circles, the world seemed to blur around them. Hugh and his friends were whisked away, arriving in a city under siege. Planes loomed in the sky, but the real threat was hidden within the layers of magic Crimson Dawn had cast over the city, like a suffocating blanket.

Hugh’s heart raced as he took a deep breath. The final battle had begun. 

And they were ready.

Chapter 76: Explosions on the Streets

The city was in chaos as Hugh and the others arrived. Buildings stood tall in the distance, silhouetted against a sky that felt ominous, the air thick with tension and the hum of magic. Planes hung in the sky like blades about to fall, barely held back by the wards the elder wizards had managed to conjure in time. But those wards wouldn’t last forever.

Hugh’s pulse quickened as he surveyed the scene. The battle had started, but the real fight was still ahead. People were fleeing the streets below them, panic rippling through the city. A magical shimmer in the air hinted at the presence of hidden magical landmarks—places Crimson Dawn wanted to destroy to expose the magical world once and for all.

"We need to find where they're hiding the control centers," Eliza said, her voice urgent. She pointed to a skyscraper that towered above the city skyline. "It’s got to be one of those buildings."

Mish nodded. "It’s a distraction. They want us focused on the planes, but the real control is happening somewhere else. They’re trying to crash the systems first, then the planes."

Sam, standing close by, closed his eyes, using his growing telepathic abilities to scan the minds of those around him, searching for hints, anything that could lead them to the terrorists’ base of operations. His brow furrowed. "I can sense them. There’s a building, not far from here...but there’s something off. They’re masking it. We’ll have to break through the defenses."

Hugh looked at him. “Can you lead us there?”

Sam opened his eyes, determination flashing in them. "Yeah. Follow me."

They moved swiftly through the city streets, ducking into alleys and keeping to the shadows. The sound of sirens and the distant screech of aircraft engines filled the air. They had no time to lose.

As they neared the building Sam had sensed, Hugh could feel the pulse of magic thickening around them. The closer they got, the more the environment seemed to shift—a subtle warping of space, like reality itself was bending.

"This is it," Sam whispered, stopping in front of a seemingly ordinary office tower. "The spell they're using is strong. It’s hiding them and everything they’re doing inside."

Eliza’s eyes narrowed. "Then we break through it."

Mish stepped forward, her hands already crackling with energy. "I’ve been working on this," she said confidently. "I can break the veil. But you’ll need to cover me while I do it."

Hugh nodded. "We’ve got you."

The moment Mish began to weave her spell, the air around them shimmered. It was as if the building in front of them rippled like water, its true form revealing itself—dark, twisted, with magical wards wrapped around it like chains.

"Here they come!" Eliza shouted as a group of Crimson Dawn operatives appeared from the building, their hands raised, spells already flying toward them.

Hugh barely had time to react before a bolt of energy shot toward him. With a quick movement, he raised his hand, summoning a telekinetic shield just in time. The force of the blast pushed him back a step, but he held firm.

Sam ducked behind a nearby car, his mind racing as he sent out telepathic signals to disrupt the attackers' coordination. It was one of his new abilities, something he’d been practicing in secret: not just reading minds, but disorienting them.

Eliza, meanwhile, had already taken to the sky. She levitated above the street, sending waves of magic crashing down on their enemies, using the environment to her advantage. Light poles bent and swirled, windows shattered, and the earth itself seemed to rise at her command.

Hugh focused on the leader of the group—a man wrapped in dark, crimson robes, eyes gleaming with malice. Their eyes met, and Hugh felt the weight of the man's magic bearing down on him, like a crushing force. But instead of backing down, Hugh channeled his telekinesis, feeling the air shift around him as he pushed back with equal intensity.

"I won’t let you win!" Hugh growled, his voice filled with determination.

The man smirked, his hands crackling with dark energy. "You don’t know what you’re up against, boy."

But as the man unleashed a massive wave of energy, Hugh’s mind surged with a new clarity. He felt his telepathy expanding, wrapping around the man’s thoughts like a net, slowing him, weakening him. In a split second, Hugh forced his opponent's hands down, sending his spell crashing into the ground instead.

The explosion rocked the street, but Hugh stood firm.

Behind them, Mish had finished breaking through the veil. The building’s true form was fully revealed now—a dark, fortress-like structure with layers of defensive magic, but one that was slowly unraveling.

"I’ve got it!" Mish yelled. "Go!"

Hugh, Eliza, and Sam didn’t hesitate. They charged into the building, spells already flying from their hands as they fought their way through Crimson Dawn’s defenses. Inside, the air buzzed with the energy of control centers—rows of computers, magical conduits, and hacked systems, all working together to wreak havoc.

"Sam, find the main control hub," Hugh shouted, dodging a spell that ricocheted off the wall. "We need to shut this down."

Sam closed his eyes, focusing his telepathy once again. He could feel the signals, the threads of communication between the different parts of the system. Slowly, he honed in on the core, the place where everything converged.

"There," Sam said, pointing to a central terminal in the far corner of the room. "That’s it."

Eliza rushed forward, her magic swirling around her as she worked to disable the magical wards protecting the system. Mish joined her, adding her own energy to the effort. Together, they cracked the defenses, breaking through layer after layer of protection.

But just as they were about to disable the final controls, a deafening roar filled the room. The walls shook, and the ceiling began to crumble.

Hugh turned just in time to see the leader of Crimson Dawn reappear, his eyes burning with fury. He had survived their earlier encounter and was now summoning a massive spell—one powerful enough to bring the entire building down on top of them.

"We’re out of time!" Eliza cried, panic flashing across her face.

Hugh’s mind raced. If they didn’t stop him now, everything would be lost. In that moment, he reached deep within himself, pulling on every ounce of magic he had, every lesson he’d learned, every instinct he’d honed.

And then it happened.

Hugh’s telepathy surged, not just within the building but beyond it. He could feel the planes in the sky, the computers controlling them, the magic entwined in the systems. He could feel the weight of the entire battle on his shoulders, and yet, somehow, it didn’t crush him.

Instead, he rose.

With a roar, Hugh unleashed a wave of telekinesis so powerful it shattered the spell Crimson Dawn’s leader had been summoning. The energy burst outward, sweeping the man off his feet and slamming him into the far wall.

As the dust settled, Hugh stood there, his breathing ragged, but victorious.

"Shut it down," he said to Eliza and Sam, his voice steady.

They didn’t need to be told twice. Together, they disabled the final control, stopping the attack in its tracks.

The planes, all across the world, leveled out.

They had won.

But Hugh knew this was only the beginning.