"Expelliramus," said Sullivan, using the Disarming Charm as his first spell; this tactic was standard for Aurors, as their first objective was to disarm instead of kill.
Christian waved his wand to create a protective shield, and the charm bounced back. Sullivan was slightly surprised as he did not expect a child to be capable of such a potent shield charm. Sullivan moved his body to evade the counter.
Christian took this opportunity and used a second spell; his objective was to stop his opponent. Sullivan showed his elite training and quickly replied with a shield charm that returned the spell to Christian. Moreover, the returned spell was way faster than he anticipated, forcing him to roll on the ground to evade.
While on the floor and before getting up, Christian used a Transfiguration Spell. The grass near Sullivan turned into ropes, trying to bind his legs.
'Transfiguration from a distance?' Sullivan thought. This is something that only people with years of training or the most gifted individuals in this field can do. With Christian's age, it's obvious what category he falls into.
Sullivan swiftly used a Vanishing Spell (Evanesco), making the rope disappear as if it never existed. He then pointed his wand at Christian, who immediately felt his feet and body bound by a tight rope.
'A non-verbal Incarcerous Spell?' thought Christian as he tumbled on the ground due to a lack of balance. His situation was severe as he had not reached the level of Transfiguration to learn the Vanishing Spell. According to his mother, his next focus will be on Conjuration, and Vanishment will come next.
A flame emanated from his body, burning the rope. "Protego Maxima." Christian conjured a powerful shield as he stood up with a few strands of grass in his palm.
Bang! His shield trembled, but it held up. Christian acted swiftly as he transformed the grass into a tree branch. "Engorgio." The tree branch rapidly enlarged until it could be called a tree trunk. "Depulso." With the Banishing Charm, the large tree trunk lunged toward Sullivan, who used the Cutting Charm to split the trunk in two.
Christian used the Summoning Spell, and his target was Sullivan's clothes, forcing him to rush toward it as if he had used the spell on his body. To his surprise, Sullivan swiftly used a counter-curse to prevent him from flying far. However, Christian only needed some time to wandless and nonverbal cast a spell with his fingers using his mother's unique technique that requires a long time. Although it was not authentic nonverbal casting, it was the closest he could come with.
Once he finished, the tree trunks behind Sullivan silently shot into the air as he used a unique Levitation Charm — Astarte Ascendare. Unlike Wingardium Leviosa, this spell shot objects in the air with great force, like a rocket.
Sullivan's spell tore apart Christian's shield and sent him flying away. However, while in the air, he yelled, "Descendo!" As he crashed on the floor, the giant tree trunks fell with incredible velocity toward Sullivan, who was surprised he did not even notice when these things had reached above his head.
He calmly raised his wand, "Bombarda." He destroyed the two tree trunks with one spell, blasting them into small pieces or splinters. Christian ignored the pain in his back and waved his hand: "Waddiwasi." The tree splinters flew with the velocity of a bullet. Sullivan calmed and raised his wand to conjure a powerful flame that burned everything.
Then, a sound similar to crackers echoed in his location as he disappeared. Christian, still on the ground, reacted swiftly after hearing that sound. He waved his wand around to cast an Anti-Apparition Jinx. His effort worked as Sullivan did not appear next to him, but he was close enough that with a motion of his wand, Christian lost his wand and was once again bound, including his mouth.
"Do you forfeit?" asked Sullivan with a smile, and Christian looked at him with fiery eyes. In the end, he reluctantly agreed, so Sullivan freed him. He sighed, "Couldn't you go easier on me? I'm a child, you know."
Sullivan handed him back his wand and helped him up.
"Do you now know how weak you are?" said Tiara, walking from the back with Arielle.
"What happened to building my confidence?"
"When you believe you can challenge an Auror, that's not being confident but arrogance."
"I didn't think I would win, just last much longer," argued Christian.
"You know he was holding back, right?"
"You cannot fathom how powerful the truly elite Aurors can be," continued Tiara. "Especially when they are ordered to hunt someone instead of catching them. On top of everything, Sullivan is very accomplished in Legilimency and can cast it nonverbally. He can know your next move with one glance in your eyes."
"Tiara," said Arielle.
"This is not the time to cuddle him. Otherwise, his arrogance will fester and lead to his downfall."
Christian did not say another word as he gazed in the distance.
"What? Can't accept the truth."
"Huh? Not all. I was just thinking of this fight and reflecting."
"Is that so? In that case, write them down; it might be helpful to organize your thoughts," suggested Tiara.
"That's a good idea," replied Christian as he ran to the house.
"Your stuff is in my bag," yelled Tiara. "But don't look at your present."
After she watched him enter the house, Tiara looked at Sullivan, "What do you think? Gifted, isn't he?" She had great pride plastered on her face.
"Indeed. He has high magical achievements for his age, great reflexes, excellent situational awareness, and the ability to anticipate and predict actions," commented Sullivan before sighing.
"I'm sorry, but I have to say this: you must raise this kid correctly. The magical world cannot survive another Grindelwald or, worse, another You-Know-Who."
"Sully! You're out of line," said Arielle in a slightly raised voice.
"I'm sorry," said Sullivan.
"No, it's fine," added Tiara. As a mother, she did not want her son to turn to the dark side. Simultaneously, she lamented how the magical world now views gifted individuals with wariness out of fear of turning into Dark Wizards.
"I did not expect you would raise him in our ways," said Arielle, who saw how Christian used his fingers to cast spells.
"Of course. I wouldn't want him to develop an overreliance on his wand."
"Granni would have loved her," sighed Arielle. Their grandmother was their teacher when they were homeschooled; she was the most patient and understanding individual Arielle knew and loved teaching. Many of the magical children in their neighborhood were taught by her, and she never accepted any money despite many parents offering.
"She would," nodded Tiara.
The three continued talking while heading back.
Meanwhile, Christian was already writing some of his thoughts.
[Entry 2: Observation of the application of Focus:]
[During this fight with Uncle Sullivan, I noticed that my or his spells no longer required wand movements; we only used the incantation. I wondered why, and the answer was obvious: concentration due to increased adrenaline. In a state of battle, wizardkind finds it easier to focus, and magic becomes more effortless to wield. In this state of intense focus, wand movements can be emitted for most spells.
[(Side Note: This may not apply to everyone. Some people do not do well in a state of excitement and duress, and their concentration or focus reduces instead of increasing.)]
[This battle allowed me to realize skills like nonverbal casting are simpler than I expected. As long as my focus is deep enough, it becomes easier to wield magic as I see fit. How can I train myself to enter such a state at will?]
[My first thought is a potion that increases focus: a Focus Potion. But I haven't heard of such a thing, and if it exists, I wonder whether the increase is permanent or temporary. The other solution is to continue my daily meditations, which have long-lasting effects. But maybe I can incorporate short meditation throughout the day. However, I'm already meditating twice daily; is that too much? Maybe some short Visualization and Mindful Breathing would be best.]
[I will try to see the result.]
Christian looked at this entry and nodded in satisfaction. Now that he has an objective or goal to increase his magical capability, he only needs to work hard toward it, and he is bound to find success. Although he will be busy with his upcoming book, he will never abandon his training. He had already made a schedule: the morning would be for his research and writing, the afternoon for his magical lesson and others, and the night for reading in his father's study.