After leaving the pyramid, Aiden followed the flow of magic and quickly found Mrs. Weasley.
"Aiden, you've been released?" Mrs. Weasley greeted him with relief.
"Aunt, don't make it sound like I was in prison. Where is everyone else?" Aiden replied, shaking his head.
"They went to find the photographer. I'm waiting here for them to come back," Mrs. Weasley explained.
Not long after, Arthur arrived with the rest of the noisy Weasley clan.
"Aiden, you've been released?" Arthur echoed.
"That's the second time I've heard that today. I really wasn't in jail," Aiden replied, a sweat drop forming on his forehead.
"Never mind, you're back just in time. Let's take a family photo!" Mr. Weasley declared.
The family hurried to pose. Just as the photographer was about to snap the picture, George and Fred tickled Ron, causing Scabbers the rat to leap out of his pocket. The image of a plump, startled rat was immortalized in the newspaper.
After the photo, the family set off to explore Cairo.
Ron and the twins wanted to visit the magical market to buy gifts for their friends, while Aiden decided to stroll through downtown Cairo on his own.
They agreed to meet later at the entrance of the Khan el-Khalili market.
Aiden wandered through the ancient city, the "City of a Thousand Minarets," where the past and present mingled. Ancient mosques stood beside modern skyscrapers, and the air was thick with the scents of spices from colorful street stalls. Vendors called out, hawking their wares with enthusiasm.
Suddenly, a small, skinny boy—no more than ten—bumped into Aiden, apologized quickly, and darted away.
Aiden smiled faintly and checked his jacket pocket. The wand hidden in the lining was gone.
"That kid's pretty good," Aiden said, amused.
"Didn't you let him steal it on purpose?" the system retorted.
"Let's follow and see. Ordinary people can't use a wand, but I don't want him to break it," Aiden replied.
Meanwhile, the boy who'd stolen Aiden's wand ran into a slum, where a girl about his age was waiting.
"Amin, you went stealing again!" the girl scolded, grabbing his ear.
"Noura, let go! Those tourists are so rich—what's wrong with taking a little from them? Call it robbing the rich to help the poor," Amin protested.
Noura sighed. "So, what did you get?"
Amin shrugged. "Just a broken stick. He looked rich, but all he had was this."
He waved the wand carelessly—and a jet of flame shot from the tip. Both kids froze, and Amin dropped the wand in shock.
Watching from his consciousness, Aiden felt his heart clench. He quickly smoothed out the magical disturbance to keep the Egyptian Ministry of Magic from tracking it.
Noura picked up the "little stick" and gave it a wave. A breeze swept up from the ground.
"These two both have magical talent?" Aiden stroked his chin.
"They're about your age," the system pointed out.
"If they're younger than me, they're kids. Is that a problem?" Aiden replied dryly.
The system fell silent.
Aiden walked over and raised his hand. The wand flew straight back to him.
"Thank you both for taking such good care of my wand," Aiden said through gritted teeth.
"Ah, you're that guy from before!" Amin yelped, grabbing Noura and trying to run.
But as he ran, the stone tiles beneath his feet began sliding backward, and the houses around them collapsed row by row. In an instant, the entire slum turned into a vast plaza.
Realizing escape was impossible, Amin pushed Noura forward. "You run first," he whispered, then charged at Aiden, determined to sacrifice himself.
Aiden simply flipped him over his shoulder and pinned him to the ground.
Amin lay there, stunned. Seeing his expression, Aiden couldn't help but laugh.
Seeing there was no danger, Noura approached.
"Great priest, please forgive our ignorance. If you must bring disaster, let it fall on me instead," Noura pleaded earnestly.
"No, it's my fault. Punish me if you must," Amin said, pulling Noura behind him.
"Kid, do you like her?" Aiden teased, raising an eyebrow.
"N-no… I…" Amin stammered, face red.
"Great priest, as long as you spare Amin, I'm willing to give up everything," Noura said, her face the picture of sincerity.
No wonder these street kids survive—if Aiden couldn't read their thoughts, he'd probably be fooled.
"Alright, I'll just take your life then." Aiden's hand "passed through" Noura's chest, pulling out her heart.
"Noura! You bastard, I'll fight you!" Amin charged at Aiden with all his might.
Aiden flicked his wand, sending Amin into darkness.
...
"Amin, Amin."
In endless darkness, Amin heard someone calling him. He forced his eyes open. Noura's face appeared before him—they were still in the same place.
Amin hugged Noura and burst into tears.
'Hey, someone help, he's bullying kids!' the system added a dramatic voiceover.
'Shut up.'
"It's okay, Amin, you're fine now," Noura soothed, gently patting his back.
Through teary eyes, Amin saw Aiden sitting on a box. He jumped up, glaring at Aiden.
"You evil priest, what do you want?" Amin shouted.
"Heh, of course, I'm going to eat little thieves," Aiden replied with a wicked grin, though his aura felt oddly familiar.
"Alright, Mr. Prewett, stop bullying Amin," Noura said, pulling Amin back.
"Hmph, but this brat stole my wand and dropped it. You know how carefully I take care of it," Aiden complained.
Amin was confused by their familiarity. "Noura, since when did you know that pretty boy so well?"
"Pretty boy…" Aiden glared at Amin, but, seeing he'd just woken up, let it slide.
"Amin, this is Mr. Aiden Prewett, a wizard. While you were unconscious, we talked. He told me we're both wizards," Noura explained.
"Wizards? But aren't we just two ordinary slum kids?" Amin asked.
"Think about it—have you ever had anything unexplainable happen when you were extremely emotional?" Aiden prompted.
Amin remembered a time during a theft when everyone blocking him suddenly flew away. "I thought I just ran into them," he muttered.
"Alright, enough talk. I'm going to notify the Ministry of Magic. It's too dangerous for two young wizards to be left in a place like this," Aiden said.
He raised his wand and fired a signal flare into the sky.
Soon, a team of Aurors arrived.
"What's going on?" the lead witch asked, eyeing Aiden.
"Ma'am, I'm a foreign wizard. While traveling, I found these two young wizards living in the slums. It seems they haven't entered the magical world yet," Aiden explained.
The Auror checked Amin and Noura, confirming the magical fluctuations, and nodded.
"The Improper Use of Magic Office has really been slacking lately, letting young wizards end up in the slums," she muttered.
She thanked Aiden, then took the two children away.
Aiden watched them go, a thoughtful look in his eyes, before heading back to meet the Weasleys at the market.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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