Rousseau Inn was a modest three-story hotel near Alexandria's port, mostly frequented by sailors and passing tourists. It was evening, and most of the guests were enjoying dinner in peace.
But if anyone had walked into that room at the moment, they'd be met with utter disbelief.
That is, assuming they weren't instantly shredded by the violent magical forces raging within. Ordinary people wouldn't even have time to be dumbfounded—the surging magic would tear them apart the second they stepped over the threshold.
The room was a wreck—splintered furniture, shattered glass, debris flung across every surface, all swept around by wild magical currents.
Oka panted heavily, desperately countering another oncoming burst of blue fire, while hastily transfiguring broken debris into projectiles to buy himself a moment of breathing room.
His eyes locked onto the smiling young man before him, and one singular, maddening thought consumed him:
Where the hell are the Egyptian Aurors?!
Even if they arrested him and threw him into Nurmengard, he'd at least die knowing he warned the magical world—Grindelwald's heir was a monster.
He was thirty-two, a veteran enforcer for his family since leaving Durmstrang. Over the past decade, more than a few adult Wizards had died by his wand. His skill placed him among the upper tier of combat-trained Wizards in Europe.
Sure, compared to someone like Dumbledore, he was no match—but next to most Hogwarts Professors? He'd eat them alive.
Yet now, facing a twelve-year-old brat, not only was he struggling to gain the upper hand, but judging by the boy's calm expression, Oka himself might be staring down defeat.
Had this damn kid started practicing magic in the womb?
Kai Adler casually flicked his wand, another spell spiraling toward Oka.
He hadn't started in the womb, but Kai's soul carried strength and experience beyond his years—a blend of two lifetimes' worth of power. And this wasn't as simple as basic reincarnation. His magical reservoir dwarfed what a child his age should possess.
Even so, Kai hadn't relied on his Obscurus once during the fight. He'd avoided using heavy Black Magic altogether, cautious of triggering the volatile, destructive backlash from the Obscurus that pulsed within him.
Instead, he'd chosen to transfigure a shield using Vera Verto to block Oka's Avada Kedavra earlier, rather than unleashing the darkness inside him.
Oka's face twisted with frustration, his eyes flicking between Kai's calm expression and the wreckage surrounding them.
"You're probably wondering," Kai's voice cut through the haze, "why the Aurors aren't here yet. All this noise, and yet… silence?"
Oka's heart sank.
The boy's smirk confirmed his worst fears—Kai had planned this from the start. An Anti-Apparition Ward covered the room. Sound-dampening spells cloaked the area. No one would interrupt this.
Only one reason to set up such layers of containment.
"You're going to kill me." Oka's voice cracked slightly.
Kai chuckled, eyes gleaming with quiet menace. "Bit rich coming from someone who opened with the Killing Curse, don't you think?"
Oka flushed, rage and humiliation bubbling beneath his skin.
"Don't flatter yourself, kid. You can't take me down."
The words sounded hollow, even to himself.
Kai frowned faintly. He had the advantage, but to finish Oka without resorting to Unforgivable Curses was… tedious. And Hermione would come knocking soon—he didn't want the girl seeing this mess.
And yet… he truly didn't want to risk a direct kill spell. Who knew how the Obscurus would react to that kind of violent release?
His wand rose. A sphere of crimson flame crackled to life before him, the temperature spiking instantly.
Oka's eyes widened. "Fiendfyre?!"
The flames roared, unstable, lashing the room with heat. But Kai's expression was strained, focused—clearly struggling to control it.
"You're insane! You'll burn us both alive!"
Of course, Kai had no intention of a suicidal inferno.
Fiendfyre was his most refined Black Magic. He could manipulate the flames' shape, temperature, even color—sometimes summoning elegant blue fire that obeyed his every command.
But the unstable display wasn't entirely an act—the Obscurus inside him always stirred when casting Fiendfyre. Years of habit made the darkness react instinctively, even if he fought to suppress it.
Oka, oblivious to the Obscurus's presence, only saw the wild, growing inferno, panic tightening his chest.
If he didn't act now, regardless of whether the brat survived, he would be ash.
The only counter to Fiendfyre was—
"Finite Incantatem!"
Golden light burst from Oka's wand, wrapping around the flames, forcing them back—but tendrils of fire still licked through, dangerous and unrelenting.
Sweat beaded on his brow as he poured more magic into the counter-spell.
"Expelliarmus."
The familiar, taunting voice echoed through the room.
Oka's wand wrenched itself free from his grasp, flipping neatly into Kai Adler's waiting hand.
The moment Oka's grip broke, the yellow containment spell faltered. The Fiendfyre swelled, roaring with renewed fury, driving the room's temperature so high even distant paper began to curl and smoke.
"You lunatic!" Oka shouted, voice cracking. "You're really going to—"
His voice cut off as his jaw slackened.
The raging flames condensed, spiraling inward with eerie precision. The inferno shrank rapidly, coiling into Kai's palm—forming a small, sinuous, blue serpent of flame that curled obediently around his wrist.
Oka stared, mouth agape.
"You… you… fxxk…"
There were no words—only raw disbelief.
Total, effortless control over Fiendfyre? The wild chaos from before had been an act. The boy never lost control—the monster before him had played him like a fool.
Kai's fingers stroked the flame-serpent gently. Had he known Oka's thoughts, he'd protest—his earlier panic hadn't been fake; the Obscurus had nearly broken loose. His performance was far from intentional.
The Expelliarmus, however, had been too perfect to resist. With Oka's focus entirely on suppressing Fiendfyre, the opportunity had been too clean to ignore.
Now disarmed, Oka raised his empty hands, glaring at Kai with the bitter defiance of a man cornered.
A Wizard without a wand was powerless. Oka might manage minor wandless magic—lighting a candle, fetching small objects—but battling like this? Impossible.
Kai leveled the wand at him, flashing that infuriatingly pleasant smile.
"We've chatted so long, yet I never caught your name."
"Oka."
"Oka… what?"
"Just Oka."
Kai's eyes narrowed faintly. "Not feeling cooperative, I see."
Oka shrugged, feigning bravado.
Kai's expression darkened. He knew this man came to kill him—the Avada Kedavra the moment he entered left no room for negotiation.
Still, Kai wanted answers—who sent him? What family? What force was behind this?
His wand twitched.
"In that case… don't blame me for digging them out myself."
Their gazes locked.
"Legilimens."
Ten minutes later, a knock came at the door.
Kai opened it. Hermione, standing on tiptoe, peered past his shoulder, eyes scanning the room behind him.
The room looked pristine—furniture intact, no sign of combat, only faint traces of dissipating heat.
Kai steadied her with a gentle hand. "What are you looking for?"
"Nothing." Hermione hummed lightly, unconvinced. "Come on, it's dinner time."