Chapter 126: The Oath of Submission
Magorian's sudden action terrified everyone present.
"Magorian!" Bane shouted, his voice cracking with shock. But the kneeling centaur didn't respond, didn't even acknowledge him.
The other centaurs in the shadows stared at their leader in utter disbelief, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
Why would Magorian kneel to that boy?
But it wasn't just kneeling. The gesture Magorian was making—right hand over heart, head bowed, front legs folded—had a very specific meaning among centaurs.
It was surrender.
Complete, absolute surrender.
Immediately, angry roars erupted from the centaurs behind Bane. They shouted accusations, demanding to know why their leader would submit to a human, of all things. It was unthinkable. Unbearable.
They could not accept what they were witnessing.
But Bane whirled around and roared for silence, his voice cutting through the chaos like a whip. The herd fell quiet, though their faces remained twisted with confusion and rage.
In the centaur herd, leadership was shared between Bane, Ronan, and Magorian. Most major decisions required consensus among the three. But of the three, Magorian held the most influence. His word carried the most weight.
Which meant that this act of submission—this betrayal, as many were already calling it—would send shockwaves through the entire community.
This was worse than Firenze becoming a teacher. This was their leader kneeling before a human child.
Bane's expression was complicated, conflicted. He'd seen Magorian's eyes go strange and unfocused. Something had happened—something that explained this bizarre behavior. But what?
Meanwhile, Hagrid had pulled Hermione, Ron, and Harry to the side, positioning them away from the line between Magorian and Elian. He didn't want them caught in the middle if things went wrong.
"This... how is this possible..." Hagrid muttered, his face pale with shock. "Why would Magorian... this isn't normal... why would he..."
"Hagrid," Harry asked urgently, keeping his voice low. "Is—is the centaur surrendering to Elian?"
"Surrendering?" Ron gasped, staring at Elian's back with a mixture of horror and intense envy. How does he keep doing this? How?
"Yes," Hagrid said faintly. "That's... that's what it looks like. Surrender. Complete submission. But how could these stubborn centaurs choose to bow to anyone? They don't even show this kind of respect to Professor Dumbledore!"
His mind was reeling. This was something he needed to report to Dumbledore immediately. This was incredible. Incomprehensible.
Only the Headmaster might be able to make sense of it.
Everyone who could think clearly was utterly baffled by Magorian's actions.
Even Elian.
He'd been prepared to teach the centaurs a lesson—maybe a show of force, a demonstration of power to make them back down. He certainly hadn't expected this.
For a wild moment, he considered breaking the silence. Standing up and telling Magorian to stop this ridiculous display before it went any further.
But then he saw the expression on the centaur's face—solemn, reverent, utterly sincere—and realized this wasn't a trick or a game.
This was real.
Magorian's voice rang out across the clearing, formal and ceremonial.
"Honored Master Mage," he said, each word deliberate. "The centaur Magorian pays tribute to you. I ask to be the first to pledge my loyalty to you. I ask that my herd be allowed to live in peace under your leadership."
Whoosh—
Another wave of shocked gasps and angry muttering erupted from the other centaurs.
But Magorian ignored them completely, his attention focused entirely on Elian.
"Please accept the goodwill of the centaurs, my respected Mage," he continued. "We will be your feet, carrying you wherever you wish to go. The centaurs will sweep away all enemies that threaten you. We will give everything to aid you—including our lives, if necessary."
BOOM.
The words exploded in everyone's minds like thunder.
The muttering stopped.
Every centaur stood frozen, staring at Magorian with expressions of complete shock. Their minds had simply stopped processing.
What did he just say?
An oath of absolute loyalty. Servitude. Everything, including their lives.
Why? Why?
All the centaurs shared the same thought, unable to comprehend why their leader—who moments ago had been expelling these humans from the forest—would suddenly pledge himself to this boy.
Perhaps they were too stunned to react. Perhaps they were waiting for an explanation that made sense.
But not a single centaur spoke. They all stood in silence, watching, waiting.
Elian understood now.
At first, he'd been as confused as everyone else. But when Magorian had spoken his first words—when he'd said "Master Mage" instead of wizard—everything had clicked into place.
In the modern magical world, everyone who used magic was called a wizard or witch. No one used the title "mage" anymore. It was an ancient word, one that had fallen out of use centuries ago.
Only the Supreme Mage—only Elian—would be called by that title in the future.
Which meant Magorian knew. Somehow, impossibly, the centaur had seen something. Understood something about Elian's true nature and his destiny.
Elian's eyes went sharp and cold.
A flicker of killing intent rose in his chest, dark and dangerous.
There were secrets others could know. Secrets that were safe to share.
But there were other secrets—secrets that only the dead should know.
"Respected Master Mage," Magorian said quickly, clearly sensing the shift in Elian's mood. "You need not fear. I do not know your secrets—not truly. Centaurs are born with the gift of divination. We have many special methods of reading fate and fortune. What I saw was only a glimpse, a shadow of what is to come. Nothing more."
Elian's expression remained unreadable, his eyes calculating.
The tension stretched out, thick and suffocating.
Finally, Elian reached for his wand. He drew it slowly, deliberately, and placed the tip gently on Magorian's shoulder in a gesture that mimicked a knighting ceremony.
"I accept," Elian said, his voice cold and formal. "Magorian, I acknowledge you as my first follower."
"Thank you, respected Master Mage," Magorian said, his voice trembling with emotion. "The centaur Magorian is honored to serve you."
He rose to his feet, standing tall and proud, his expression solemn as he awaited his first command.
"Return to your herd," Elian said simply. "I will send for you when I have need of you."
Magorian bowed deeply. "As you command."
He turned to face the other centaurs, his expression daring any of them to challenge what had just occurred. None did. They were still too shocked, too confused.
Without another word, Magorian led his herd back into the shadows, their hoofbeats fading into the night.
Elian turned back to Hagrid and the others.
"Hagrid, Hermione," he said calmly. "I think we should go. It's getting late."
But when he saw their faces—saw Hagrid's slack jaw, Hermione's wide eyes, Harry's stunned expression, Ron's pale, shocked face—he realized he'd miscalculated.
They'd seen everything. Heard everything.
And none of them could process what had just happened.
"Elian," Hermione whispered, her voice barely audible. "What... what just..."
She couldn't even finish the sentence.
Harry looked like someone had hit him over the head with a club. Ron looked like he might be sick.
Hagrid was still muttering to himself, his eyes distant and unfocused.
Maybe for a while, Elian thought with a touch of resignation, they won't be able to accept what just happened.
He'd just gained the loyalty of an entire centaur herd.
And he had absolutely no idea how to explain it.
The walk back to Hogwarts was going to be very, very awkward.
When they finally emerged from the forest, the castle looming before them in the darkness, Hermione still hadn't spoken. She walked beside Elian in silence, her hand gripping his cloak so tightly her knuckles were white.
Harry and Ron followed a few steps behind, whispering urgently to each other.
"Did that really just happen?" Ron kept asking. "Did a centaur really just swear loyalty to Elian? Really?"
"I don't know," Harry muttered. "I don't know anymore. Nothing makes sense."
Hagrid had gone quiet, his expression troubled. He was clearly already planning how to explain this to Dumbledore.
As they reached the entrance hall, Hermione finally stopped and turned to face Elian.
"Tomorrow," she said quietly, her voice shaking. "Tomorrow, you're going to tell me everything. No more secrets. No more half-truths. Everything."
Her eyes were bright with unshed tears—not from sadness, but from the overwhelming weight of too many impossible things happening too fast.
Elian met her gaze and nodded slowly.
"Tomorrow," he agreed.
It was a promise he wasn't sure he could keep.
But for Hermione, he would try.
(End of Chapter 163)
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