"Merlin's soggy underwear!!"
Sirius tumbled awkwardly in the water, nearly swept to the seabed by the surging waves.
The weather had been fine when he left Azkaban, but within two or three hours, the storm had arrived far too abruptly.
In fact, he had been in Azkaban for nearly twelve years and knew the climate there better than anyone.
Although the weather at sea was unpredictable, Azkaban usually experienced frequent and violent storms only after October.
It was only July now, and this storm was unusually strong.
He turned his head and glanced behind him, finding that the distant Azkaban was completely shrouded in darkness. Heavy black clouds almost merged with the sea, and lightning snaked through the clouds like serpents.
This made him worry about Elijah.
"We finally made all the preparations, but who would have thought we'd encounter a storm on the very first day? It looks like he probably won't be able to achieve Animagus this time."
However, Sirius didn't feel much regret; it would be strange if becoming an Animagus were that easy.
It had taken them several years to master it back then, and accidentally swallowing Mandrake leaves was perfectly normal.
Sometimes all four of them would oversleep and forget the incantation, or in rainy weather, they wouldn't be able to tell when the sun rose or set…
"Anyway, you're not afraid of Dementors. Once I kill that traitor, I'll come back and help you slowly—if I'm still alive by then."
Bang!
A bolt of lightning struck the distant sea.
Sirius snapped back to his senses, took a deep breath, and plunged headfirst into the sea.
The thunderstorm was astonishingly powerful, making him suspect that a gigantic Thunderbird was soaring in the clouds, unleashing its power.
In fact, he was entirely correct.
At this moment, within the enormous cloud, a divine bird—entirely golden, with three pairs of wings and wreathed in lightning—was churning the thunderclouds.
Powerful magic transformed into terrifying lightning in the gaps between its feathers, striking down the ugly Dementors floating in the air one by one.
And this Thunderbird was Elijah himself.
The spell that had flashed into his mind had truly succeeded; he had become the first wizard to complete a transfiguration into a Magical Beast.
This was completely different from the failed Quintent.
Thunderbirds and Phoenixes are relatives, classified as five-X-level magical creatures by the Ministry of Magic, and in terms of danger, Thunderbirds are on the same level as dragons.
After transforming into a Thunderbird, Elijah also gained the Thunderbird's power. Controlling thunderstorms became his innate talent, as simple as breathing.
Now he only needed to flap his wings, and thunderclouds would surge forth; with just a thought, lightning would strike down like a heavy hammer.
His body undulated like a dragon in the clouds, and his huge claws, like golden iron, pierced through the dense clouds and seized a Dementor.
There were nearly a hundred Dementors remaining in Azkaban. They frantically surrounded Elijah, but they couldn't get close to his sacred form.
The turbulent airflow and fierce lightning formed an impenetrable barrier.
Ultimately, they couldn't keep Elijah. They could only raise their empty faces one by one, watching the great golden bird carry one of their kin away with a single beat of its wings.
Not a single Dementor had any intention of pursuing.
They were actually completely uninterested in animals; the reason they initially attacked Elijah was merely to defend their territory.
Now that the "Thunderbird" had left, they simply couldn't be bothered to pursue.
And Elijah finally felt what true freedom was.
He flew on the clouds for an unknown length of time, but he could clearly feel the surrounding climate growing warmer.
The dark, shrouded sea around Azkaban was long out of sight, replaced by towering, verdant mountains.
Home was behind him; the world lay before him.
So he immediately folded his wings, preparing to land.
Perhaps it wasn't new land beneath his feet, but for him, it was a new beginning.
At the same time, his posture underwent a slight change.
The two smaller pairs of wings on his back were the first to disappear, and his body began to shrink rapidly, so much so that his claws could no longer hold the Dementor, allowing it to break free.
Then his long tail also became much smaller.
He didn't immediately turn back into a person but first transformed into an eagle.
This was his second transformation form, not a magical creature but a true Animagus.
That miraculous spell not only allowed Elijah to achieve an unprecedented feat but also enabled him to complete Animagus Transfiguration.
At that moment, not only did a second heartbeat resonate in his chest, but also a third.
In fact, he had relied on the size of his Animagus form to pass through the cell bars, which was why Dumbledore didn't detect any abnormalities.
He quickly swooped down, transforming back into human form just as he was about to land.
His body rolled on the ground, and when he stood up, his prison uniform had vanished, replaced by a green robe identical to the one he had intended to escape in that night.
The only difference was perhaps that Elijah's appearance had changed slightly at this moment.
The tips of his hair were tinged with a hint of gold, and his pupils were like an eagle's, allowing him to see very far.
This was probably a side effect of Imago Magus.
Just as Animagus Transfiguration leaves slight characteristics of the transformer, with Imago Magus the situation was reversed.
The Thunderbird's characteristics were manifested in Elijah's original appearance.
However, this actually made him look even more handsome than before.
Fuwaaa~~!
"Finally… finally free!" Elijah let out a deep breath.
No one knew how immense the pressure on him had been that night when he saw Dumbledore.
That was the strongest wizard in this world.
But now, he had successfully deceived the other party and escaped from Azkaban.
Moreover, the Ministry of Magic was busy pursuing Sirius, and the Dementors probably wouldn't care that a "food" they couldn't taste had disappeared.
It would likely be a long time before Dumbledore discovered he had left.
He could completely hide now, live in the United States or another country, and study magic.
As for matters in Britain, he no longer needed to get involved.
The "resurrection" and "freedom" that had weighed on his heart were now completely realized, and all the joy surged forth at once.
The Dementor that had originally intended to flee seemed to sense this soaring emotion.
It found that the terrifying giant bird had suddenly vanished, and the person now appearing in this desolate wilderness exuded enticing happiness.
It swooped down toward Elijah without hesitation, and as its body approached, the suddenly plummeting temperature alerted him.
Elijah raised his head, his yew wand lifted high toward the Dementor. Heh~
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver giant bird trailing bright electric light flew from his wand.
The giant bird's claws pierced through the Dementor's body, and silver lightning exploded instantly, blasting the Dementor into dust and ashes.
After achieving Imago Magus, even his Patronus had changed.
Normally, a Patronus could only repel Dementors, but when the silver Thunderbird unleashed lightning, even Dementors, which true lightning could not kill, perished.
Watching the black smoke fall like ashes, a strong sense of pride welled up in Elijah's heart.
He had succeeded in the magical creature Transfiguration that no one else had, and he had killed Dementors that were supposedly unkillable.
What else could he not do?
The vast world was now beneath his feet.