"The Beginning of the Purge: When the Magical World Bleeds"
With great regret, we've reached the end of the Coliseum Arc.
Though its story still holds much to be told and will return in the future, the time has come to shift our focus to the main arc.
Prepare yourselves for a darker plot, steeped in death, blood, and destruction. But I can't do this alone " I'll need all the help I can get.
So, if you have any suggestions or ideas, I'll be more than happy to hear them.
For now, we're going back to Hogwarts.
But here's a small spoiler: this return is only temporary.
...…..
"Then… it's time to introduce the final two contestants of the day," Jordan announced solemnly, as the coliseum still echoed with the cheers from the previous battles.
All week long, the fights had been a display of power, technique, and ferocity. Every participant had proven worthy of standing in that arena.
Jordan frowned, noticing something strange on his interface.
"Hmm? It seems one of the contestants changed their name at the last moment…" he murmured, as a series of floating letters appeared before him, projected in the air.
Upon reading the name, Stephen immediately frowned. A chill ran down his spine.
"This contestant hails from France," Jordan continued, now with a more reserved tone. "Curiously, he's not listed in any records of recognized magical schools. It appears… he's an unknown. Please welcome Alec Vallois."
In the stands, Natasha " seated beside Harry " instantly grew serious. Her siblings mirrored her expression: they all knew that name.
Even Sirius, approaching with his usual confident stride, came to a sudden halt. His face hardened, marked by unease and distrust.
A young man with blond hair and immaculate attire entered the arena. He walked with elegance, his smug smile and disdainful gaze fixed on the crowd. But what truly unsettled everyone was how his body seemed to flicker " as if made of unstable pixels, glitching in and out like a flaw in reality.
"Metis, what's happening?" Stephen asked, his voice low and urgent.
Metis appeared beside him, her face expressionless and cold. Lines of code and data streamed through her eyes like a river of information.
"The system was tampered with," she stated flatly. "The signal was intercepted."
"Can you trace it?"
"Yes. I just need a few seconds."
Meanwhile, Jordan, unaware of the hidden chaos, tried to carry on with his role.
"It seems Mr. Vallois is experiencing some… connectivity issues. While we wait for stabilization, let's welcome the next""
"There's no need," Alec interrupted from the center of the arena, his voice sharp as a blade. "A corpse can't compete."
Silence fell over the stadium. No one understood what he meant.
"Trying to find me is pointless," he said with a twisted grin. "I'm only using this contestant's body to deliver a message."
His face flickered, and for a brief moment, it changed " revealing a young man with long black hair, his face contorted in horror, blood spilling from his mouth and a torn neck.
Terror gripped the audience. A collective gasp spread through the stands.
"Relax. I can't do anything from here," Alec continued, disdainfully. "This is merely a channel. A means to warn you."
He turned slowly, his eyes scanning every wizard in attendance.
"It's fascinating, watching you all enjoy this pathetic circus while the magical world bleeds. You celebrate… while everything burns. You are despicable. And the best part? None of you will escape what's coming."
His deep, maniacal laughter echoed like a sinister omen.
Stephen clenched his jaw. He glanced at Natasha and the others, waiting for the precise moment Metis would have the location.
"Insult me all you want, magical scum," Alec went on, ignoring the rising chorus of boos and curses. "But the true masters of this world aren't you. They are the humans. And they will find you. Drag you out. And burn you at the stake like the beasts you are."
He paused, smiling like a phantom.
"Don't believe me? Leave the coliseum. Go see with your own eyes what's left of the wizards in Uganda."
"Uganda… wasn't that the country where the ministry refused to join the Confederation?" Jordan whispered, stunned.
"A warning," Alec declared, his form beginning to dissolve. "They were the first… but they won't be the last.
The Purge has begun."
And with that, he vanished. The connection was abruptly severed.
Chaos erupted in the coliseum. Many fled their seats, rushing toward the exits to confirm the truth of his words.
Stephen saw a brief flicker on his interface: Metis had the location.
Without uttering a word, he and his nearby siblings disconnected, their faces shadowed by the storm that was now inevitable.
...…..
Outside the booth, Wanda stepped out alongside Stephen, while Natasha approached at high speed, accompanied by Harry and Sirius.
"Harry, contact Tony and Loki. Have them investigate what the hell just happened"now," Stephen ordered gravely, opening a portal which they crossed without wasting a second.
On the other side, they found themselves inside a mansion engulfed in chaos. The metallic stench of blood was almost tangible, thickening the air to a suffocating degree. The walls and floor were stained with puddles and splashes of dark red. Even the corpses of house-elves lay mercilessly scattered along the hallway.
The booth at the center of the room was completely destroyed, barely standing. Right in front of it, the body of a man lay motionless, covered in dried blood, his eyes blank.
Stephen approached in silence, staring at the man for a few seconds before speaking in a low, harsh voice:
"Necromancy…"
"Stephen!" Natasha suddenly shouted, sensing imminent danger.
Stephen felt it too. He looked up at the ceiling, and with a quick gesture of his hand, shattered it into a thousand pieces"revealing the impossible: missiles plummeting toward the house.
With precise movements, he opened multiple portals, redirecting the projectiles to safe locations. As he did, he noticed the surrounding area was populated. This wasn't just any zone… it was a magical settlement. An entire village.
For a fraction of a second, horror appeared on his face. They were attacking a magical center.
Once the sky was clear of missiles, several helicopters began circling overhead. In the distance, the thunder of military vehicles speeding toward them filled the air.
The locals panicked. Many vanished on the spot via Apparition, but others weren't fast enough. Stephen acted quickly, opening portals and transporting the slower ones before it was too late.
And then he saw it.
The approaching vehicles weren't simple transports. They were tanks, armored trucks"entire army columns.
"What the hell…?" muttered Sirius, baffled.
"Let's go," Stephen said firmly, opening a portal to return.
They reappeared in the mansion, where Tony and Loki were waiting.
"We've got a problem," Tony announced, pointing to a screen.
The image showed dozens of people being arrested by military forces. They were wearing robes"they were wizards.
"What's going on?" asked Wanda, her expression hardened.
"Wizards aren't as hidden as we thought," replied Loki grimly.
"The school of magic in Uganda was completely destroyed by an airstrike. Several magical villages in Africa and Europe were attacked almost simultaneously. All of it happened the day after Uganda left the Confederation and revoked martial law on its own," Tony reported, his face tense.
"So that's what that bastard meant," Natasha muttered angrily.
"Does this mean… we're at war with the Muggles?" asked Sirius, incredulous.
"No… not yet. But we're heading that way. We have to wait for the Confederation's statement and see if the ministers step forward. Though honestly, I hope they fire that idiot Fudge for pushing that suicidal anti-martial-law coalition," Stephen growled with disdain.
Tony switched the image on the screen. Now it showed several hooded figures in handcuffs, being dragged by soldiers with high-caliber weapons.
"Looks like it all started with an attack on the U.S. Senate. Worst part is, they've already found the culprits. They were captured by the military shortly after the bombing. They were screaming on camera that they were just the spearhead," he added, zooming in.
The faces of the captives were unknown to most, but Natasha and Sirius noticed something they had in common: visible tattoos on their necks and hands.
"Shadow Claw?" said Sirius in surprise.
"So that's what they were preparing," murmured Natasha with a cold stare.
News of the destruction of several magical villages spread like wildfire. Especially among the attendees of the Coliseum, where thousands of witches and wizards gathered to get information. Panic quickly swept through the magical world.
Meanwhile, Fudge and the ministers who had pushed their absurd anti-martial-law coalition were under immense public pressure. The magical population pointed directly at them for exposing so many secret locations to the Muggles. They tried to defend themselves, blame others, even hide… but there was no escape.
At the British Ministry of Magic, Amelia Bones acted decisively. Backed by her authority as Head of the Department of Magical Security and the support of the International Confederation, she ordered the immediate arrest of Cornelius Fudge for endangering the magical world out of sheer arrogance. She temporarily took control of the Ministry and reinstated martial law with a firm hand.
This time, no one dared protest.
Especially after the attack on a magical village in France, where it was discovered that several Squibs had collaborated with Muggles, revealing the location of the settlement. This sparked widespread mistrust and resentment toward them. Even Muggles who lived in magical communities"many of them related to wizards"began to be constantly monitored. Fear and tension filled the air.
Amelia then decided to concentrate all resources on a single objective: reinforcing the security of the only place where hope still remained.
The amusement park island. Now renamed: Lumina"a way to help everyone accept the island as a safe, radiant place for wizards.
She asked Stephen to expand its structure and turn it into a true refuge, a safe zone magically linked to every magical village in the UK. That way, in case of emergency, the inhabitants could escape immediately. It would become the second safest island in the magical world"after the legendary Flamel Island.
Stephen had no objections. He created semi-permanent portals in every settlement, coordinated with Ministry workers, hired experts in enchantments and security, and even secured the cooperation of the Gringotts goblins. Within days, the island was transformed into a stronghold protected by all kinds of magical barriers. Muggle-style residential zones were built to house thousands of people.
This time, no one complained about the non-magical design. As long as the place was safe, they were willing to adapt.
Of course, not everyone abandoned their homes. Many chose to stay in their villages, relying on Stephen's emergency portals, which could be activated at the first sign of danger.
The situation remained tense… but at least, with this new protection network, there was a chance to stabilize the magical world.
Especially because, since then, no further incidents had occurred. Everything had suddenly gone quiet. Though the Flamel brothers knew that the magical world's existence was spreading rapidly into the Muggle one"and they couldn't stop it.
"This is obviously being encouraged by someone," said Tony as he kept watching a screen where Muggles were trying to access places that used to have magical entrances.
"What a nuisance," said Loki, showing clear disdain for humans.
"This is about to start looking a lot like them," said Stephen, staring intently as many Muggles began to fear wizards and demanded they all be quickly captured.