Thunderbird gave him a weary smile, his eyes softer now.
"Good. One more thing, inside my collection, you'll find a badge engraved with the Deathly Hallows symbol.
If you ever meet the Saints stationed outside Nurmengard, show them that. They'll let you see Gellert Grindelwald himself. You could probably force your way in if you really wanted to, but this way saves everyone some trouble."
He paused again, eyes distant now.
"And if, just if, you ever find yourself here… could you give Gellert a message for me? Tell him, 'I could never forgive him, but he doesn't regret fighting by his side.' That's all."
Then, with a strange calm, he handed his wand back to Alex.
Alex took it, his voice steady. "I'll do it. And I'd like to meet this legendary wizard myself one day."
This Thunderbird was the embodiment of contradiction. He clung to the ideals of the past, never fully accepting that Grindelwald had betrayed everything they once stood for, yet he still longed for those days spent side by side with him.
That ache of nostalgia, twisted with bitterness, was written all over his face. If anyone could define the words conflict and tangle, it was him.
"Thank you, Alex."
The moment Alex gave his word, Thunderbird's demeanor shifted. It was as if a deal had been struck, a silent understanding reached. Then, with a flicker of curiosity in his eyes, he tilted his head.
"So, how do you plan on dealing with the Silver Wand? And with 'Horned Basilisk'?"
Alex didn't answer right away. Instead, he picked up the faceless mask that had once belonged to Thunderbird and turned it over in his hands before slowly placing it over his face.
"Oh, I've had the idea for a while now," he said casually, voice slightly muffled behind the mask. "Don't you think the codename 'Thunderbird' suits me a bit better now?"
Thunderbird blinked, eyes widening as the realization struck.
"You, ? Wait, you mean to," And then, unexpectedly, he burst into laughter. Deep, raspy laughter that shook his whole body.
"Ha! Hahaha! Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I almost wish I could be there to see the look on their faces when the other Silver Wands realize who you really are."
Next to him, Alex's newly masked face had already changed, now a perfect replica of Thunderbird's. A faint smirk played at the corners of his mouth, subtle and unreadable.
With the interrogation wrapped up, Alex returned to the hotel and gave orders for Fang to remain at the camp and keep watch over Thunderbird. The man wasn't dead, not yet anyway. At least not until the blood refinement was complete.
Each Silver Wand mask was bound by blood magic. If Alex wanted to truly impersonate Thunderbird, he had to refine the mask through his blood, just as he had done with Iseron's. That ritual would take time, at least a week.
In the meantime, his attention turned toward the next target: the Sphinx in Egypt.
Thanks to the information wrung from Thunderbird, Alex now had a clearer picture. The Sphinx wasn't just any Silver Wand.
He was one of their rare alchemists, the one who had crafted most of the club's enchanted masks. He had even helped construct the powerful Array at headquarters and played a key role in training specialized units like the Infiltration Squad.
In a twisted way, the Sphinx was the club's model worker, reliable, talented, and burdened with far too many responsibilities. And the reason for that? He hadn't taken the Rebirth Draught.
Most of the other Spears either had already consumed it or pretended they had, retreating into secretive lives and becoming nearly impossible to reach. But the Sphinx? Everyone knew he hadn't touched it. He was one of the few whose presence was still dependable.
So, of course, every dirty job fell to him.
Thunderbird also revealed a bit about the man's personal life. The Sphinx had once been close to Martin, the tavern owner Alex had met before. In fact, Martin had also been a Saint once, one of Grindelwald's old followers. But unlike the Sphinx, who clung stubbornly to the past, Martin had chosen to walk away.
Or rather, he'd been forced to.
The Saints had been falling apart by then, more ghost than organization. Martin hadn't so much left as drifted into exile. He was simply one of many who had once believed in something greater, until it all crumbled around them.
In Thunderbird's eyes, Martin's actions felt like betrayal. There was a time he even considered getting rid of him. But in the end, it was the Sphinx who quietly stepped in to save Martin, there was still some friendship left between them, after all.
The Egyptian branch of the Silver Wand, where the Sphinx was stationed, was a bit of an anomaly compared to the rest. It didn't need to send rare magical creatures to headquarters like the other branches did. Instead, it only had to funnel a portion of its profits back to the main organization. Egypt, being a major hub for international trade, allowed this kind of autonomy.
Because of that, contact between the Sphinx and headquarters was minimal. It wasn't unusual for a year to go by without any communication at all.
This pattern wasn't limited to Egypt, most Silver Wand branches operated the same way. Goods were usually smuggled through black market partners, and the core members only appeared when they had to collect the "Rebirth Draught" from headquarters. Other than that, they kept their faces hidden.
Ironically, this loose structure was perfect for Alex. With Thunderbird captured, he knew the Sphinx would soon try to meet with him. That meant Alex had to vanish from the Sphinx's radar for a while. Showing up at the Alchemy Conference would be a mistake now.
As soon as he got back to the hotel, Alex pulled Azalea aside. He needed her help dealing with Barnabas. He told her to make up a reason, something vague about urgent business, so that no one would expect him to attend the remaining events. That way, Sphinx wouldn't grow suspicious for at least a few days.
Once that was taken care of, Alex began thinking about how to deal with Sebastian. Unlike Thunderbird, Sphinx wasn't the impulsive type. Drawing him into a trap would be harder, especially within the city. But that didn't mean there wasn't a way.
Thanks to Thunderbird's confession and the intel Alex had gathered, he narrowed his focus to the Cairo outskirts, the black market run by the Egyptian branch. That would be the ideal place to strike.
"It's probably safer to ambush him in the black market itself… or maybe along the route there," Alex thought to himself.
"He hasn't taken the Elixir, so he still travels personally now and then. With the crowds pouring into Cairo lately, he's more likely than usual to show up and oversee things in person."
The plan started forming in Alex's head. He would stay hidden for a few days, closely monitor the Sphinx's movements, and wait. Once the man stepped out of the city and headed for the black market, Alex would make his move.