Thunderbird’s lips curled into a twisted smile, but the fury in his eyes burned like fire.
“Good. That bastard ruined … ruined all of us. He trampled on our pride and turned the club we poured our lives into into a breeding ground for filth. I want him to suffer. I want him to know what it feels like to lose everything.”
Alex’s expression turned cold. “Then help . I’ll find him, track him down, but I need you to tell everything you know about this 'Horned Basilisk.'”
“No problem,” Thunderbird growled, eyes gleaming with obsession. “If you promise to bring him down, I’ll give you everything I have, my knowledge, my spells, my treasures, everything!”
The truth was, Thunderbird had already been stripped of his dreams and pride the mont he took that potion.
ll that remained was a broken shell of a man, twisted, delusional, and clinging to the very power that had stolen his soul. His usual arrogance, that air of superiority he carried around, wasn’t just pride, it was his way of venting. Of hiding his self-hate. Of distracting himself from the tornt he couldn’t bear to face.
Deep inside, he might’ve even wanted to die, but lacked the strength to let go. That strength had been stolen too, by Horned Basilisk.
He had spent years waiting, unknowingly, for soone who could end it all. Soone strong enough to force him to confront the truth. And when Alex defeated him, sothing inside finally broke free.
For the first ti in ages, he found the courage to face death again. That’s what made it so complicated. Thunderbird hated Alex, hated him for destroying his illusion of safety, for tearing apart the life he’d known. But at the sa ti, he was thankful. Alex gave him back sothing he thought he’d lost forever: dignity.
Still, all that conflicting emotion, all that bitterness, had now coalesced into one single target, Horned Basilisk. The man who had puppeteered his entire life.
So Thunderbird talked.
He told Alex everything, every dirty secret he knew about the Silver Wand. From the leaders down to the foot soldiers, from their smuggling routes to their hidden vaults, from code phrases used in back alleys to contact points scattered across the globe. He laid it all bare.
Nas, black market locations, communication thods, even the inner politics of the club, he held nothing back. The only things he couldn’t say were the core secrets protected by his magical contract, true identities of the highest mbers, the club’s ultimate goals, but beyond that, everything else flowed like water.
It was shocking. Even Alex, who had dealt with his fair share of spies and informants, was taken aback by the sheer detail and scope of the information. Thunderbird wasn’t just betraying them, he was razing the entire foundation of the organization he helped build.
And that was what made him truly terrifying.
A broken man, desperate and beyond salvation, who turned his madness into a weapon, and pointed it right back at the people who made him that way.
Capturing one Thunderbird was very worth it, Alex had no doubt about that now. And yet, as he looked at the man before him, sothing unexpected stirred in his chest. Pity.
He actually felt sorry for the leader of the Silver Wand. Just how hated did soone have to be for their most loyal and powerful follower to turn against them so completely?
The interrogation lasted the entire night. By the ti the sky began to lighten, Alex had filled dozens of sheets of parchnt with notes. Every scrap of information Thunderbird could recall had been recorded in ticulous detail.
“I can only tell you this,” Thunderbird said, voice hoarse but steady. “The club’s main base is in Germany. Most of the resources and magical materials are stored there.
It’s managed directly by the ‘Golden Snidget.’ The leader himself doesn’t actually stay at the headquarters.
He’s a coward, always hiding in the shadows, suspicious of everyone. He doesn’t even trust the people in his own base.”
Alex frowned but said nothing, letting him continue.
“Usually, he only shows up to deliver new batches of the Rebirth Draught or to collect magical creatures. That’s it. He vanishes the rest of the ti.
As for that young Thunderbird you’re worried about, it’s still alive. They won’t drain its life force until it’s fully grown. With its current condition, it should survive for at least another year or two.”
He paused briefly before continuing, voice cold and deliberate.
“But don’t assu it’s being kept at headquarters. There are other storage sites, secret facilities the club uses to house magical beasts. One of them is where they’re keeping the Thunderbird. The address is...”
He rattled it off like reading from a list, betraying the very organization he once helped build. There was sothing destructive in his tone, like a man bent on burning down his own house just to make sure no one else could live in it.
Alex couldn’t help but reassess him again. Dangerous. That was the only word for it. Whether as an enemy or an ally, Thunderbird was a walking disaster waiting to happen.
Then, unexpectedly, Thunderbird stretched out his left hand, the only limb he still had full control over, and looked at Alex. “There are so things I can’t describe in words. Can I have a wand, just for a mont?”
Alex studied him silently for a mont. He wasn’t afraid. Thunderbird had already lost. Besides, the area around the camp was secured. Even if the man tried sothing, he wouldn’t get far. After a pause, he handed the wand back.
Thunderbird took it gently, then gave Alex a rare look of approval. “You’re braver than most.”
He stared at the wand for a long mont before whispering, “Old friend… we’ve been together a long ti. Guess it’s finally ti to say goodbye.”
With a sigh, he raised the wand to his temple, extracted a silvery thread of mory, and handed it to Alex.
“There’s a location marked in here. My vault. Everything I own is there, my treasures, my research notes, and even the full thod I developed for controlling Blue Fiendfyre. I’m giving it all to you.”
He hesitated for a mont, then added, “It might sound dramatic, but that notebook contains the essence of my life’s work. I don’t want it to disappear into darkness. Pass it on. Let it an sothing.”
Alex accepted the mory and gave a solemn nod. “I don’t judge knowledge. If it’s worth preserving, I’ll make sure it lives on. You have my word.”
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