Chapter 684: It's a Magic Puppet
Clementine’s ears twitched suddenly, her head snapping up. Her wand instantly snapped toward the sound source, crumbs of bread still clinging to her face.
"There's something coming!"
Hope dropped the water kettle in an instant, rolling away from her previous position before grabbing her wand.
The bushes rustled violently, and out stepped Natalia, disheveled and flustered, her clothes stained with fresh blood.
She froze at the sight before her, her forward stride instantly reversing into a retreat. Her wand leveled at Clementine, while the trees between them blocked the line of fire from Hope’s wand.
Hope’s brow twitched slightly. Her legs shifted slowly, her eyes locked onto the gap in the foliage where a hint of fabric peeked through.
Three wands faced off in the dim forest. The air hung heavy, tense—battle seemed inevitable.
Then, Clementine suddenly smiled and lowered her wand.
"Calm down, Natalia. I’m not here to fight you." Her voice was sweet, almost playful. "Why don’t we all put our wands down and talk like civilized witches?"
Natalia tilted her head. "Don’t tell me you don’t know this Champion competition only has one winner."
"I’m very aware," Clementine shrugged, puffing out her cheeks. "But do you really think the odds are good for all three of us to make it to the end?"
Natalia fell silent. Her rigid posture softened slightly.
"I know you’re aware," Clementine continued, her gaze lingering on the bloodstains on Natalia’s robes. "Compared to you, Wade Gray, Jabari Wiven, and Viktor Krum are far greater threats. Even Harry Potter—just a child—feels dangerous. The Savior’s title isn’t earned for nothing. Who knows what hidden tricks he might have?"
She took a breath, then added, "You’re clearly hurt. Fighting us both would only drain your strength. Why not form an alliance? Help each other through the Forbidden Forest, no betrayal. If we all make it to the Triwizard Cup, then we’ll see who truly earns victory."
Natalia considered it. "Sounds reasonable."
Clementine smiled. "So your answer is…?"
"Sorry." The blonde girl’s expression remained blank. "I’d rather rely on my own strength. If I lose, I’ll accept it without complaint."
Clementine studied her eyes, sighed helplessly—but didn’t raise her wand. She raised her hands in surrender. "Fine… but at least we don’t have to be enemies, right? Just getting through the dangers of the Forbidden Forest is hard enough." She tilted her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. "We don’t have a blood feud, do we?"
Natalia slowly nodded. Her wand lowered a few inches. She stepped back, creating distance, then suddenly spoke:
"Warn you both—Wade Gray’s Magic Puppet is already active. I just ran into one—a gorilla."
Clementine’s smile faltered. "One? You were injured because of…?"
Natalia nodded. "Don’t mistake these puppets for toys from a shop. The one I faced was intelligent. And deadly."
Without another word, she turned and vanished into the forest, her footsteps fading among the rustling leaves. Clementine’s expression darkened instantly.
"Wade Gray isn’t just increasing numbers this time. He’s focusing on quality." She turned to Hope. "We’re going to need to—"
Her voice cut off abruptly.
Hope had been standing just behind her—now, the spot where she’d been was empty. Only Hope’s backpack lay tilted on the ground, the water kettle overturned against a stone, still dripping water in a steady rhythm.
Clementine felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"Hope?"
She called out, her voice echoing through the Forbidden Forest.
Then—realization struck. Her body jolted. She snatched up the backpack and bolted, fleeing for her life.
Whoosh!
A long, thin tongue shot down from the treetops—striking her back. But at impact, it bounced off like hitting an invisible barrier, whipping through the air in a shimmering arc.
"I knew it!" Clementine spun around, wand raised. "Disintegration Spell!"
The tree above exploded in splinters—but the treetop was empty. No monkey. No gorilla. Nothing.
"Damn it!" She darted sideways, unwilling to run deeper into the forest, her breath ragged. Her eyes darted wildly around, scanning for movement.
Shh-shh…
A whisper of rustling foliage. She spun.
"Disintegration Spell!"
Boom!
A blackened scar split the tree trunk.
Crack!
Something—large—stepped on a branch.
"Blazing Flame Spell!"
Fire erupted through the undergrowth, igniting a pile of leaves. But the flames sputtered and died within seconds, smothered by damp earth.
Swish—
Shuffle-shuffle-shuffle…
Crack…
Boom!
Random, chaotic sounds came from every direction. Each spell she cast only tore into trees, sending up showers of splinters.
Her breath grew sharper, her limbs heavy with exhaustion.
"This can’t go on…" Clementine gritted her teeth, whispering under her breath. Then—she feigned a move to the left, pretending to flee that way. When she heard the sounds in the forest shift in response, she whipped out a sudden flash of light—
A brilliant beam erupted, flooding the clearing in blinding white.
Now!
Seizing the moment, she sprinted toward the direction Natalia had gone, her clothes torn by thorns, her backpack abandoned. Behind her, she heard a dull thud.
She didn’t look back. She plunged across a small stream, only stopping once she was safely on the far bank.
Then—she glanced behind.
Her blood turned to ice.
On the rocks beside the stream, a massive lizard lay motionless—its body blending seamlessly with the water plants. The visible parts stretched over two meters long. Along its jagged spine, rows of metallic-looking spikes glinted in the dim light. Its claws dug deep into stone cracks. Yellow, clouded eyes fixed on her—reflecting the fear of prey.
—A Magic Puppet? Or a real creature from the Forbidden Forest?
Clementine’s mind raced. But then she noticed something: the lizard’s scales bore intricate patterns of plant life. At the joints where claws met flesh, smooth, round stones were embedded.
So… it’s a Magic Puppet after all.
Her breath caught.
As she stared, the creature slowly retreated, its body merging with the surrounding reeds—until it vanished completely into the forest.
Clementine shuddered violently.
(End of Chapter)
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