Through his training with Elrohir and Elladan, Sylas's martial skills advanced at an astonishing rate. Once a fragile wizard, he could now stand toe-to-toe with orcs even without magic, wielding either the Brisingr sword or the divine spear Aegros with deadly precision.
During this period, he drank another measure of Ent-draught. The effect was immediate, his height increased, finally surpassing two meters, making him one of the tallest even among Elves. More importantly, his body grew noticeably stronger. For days afterward, before the draught's effect faded, he was brimming with energy, able to endure even Elrohir and Elladan's grueling training without fatigue.
Eager to preserve this benefit, he brewed several cauldrons of growth potion and sent them to Fangorn Forest via Thorondor, the great eagle. Thorondor was no longer a fledgling; under Arwen's careful care and a steady diet, he had grown powerful, his wings strong enough to circle near the peaks of the world. After drinking Ent-draught himself, Thorondor's size doubled, surpassing even the mightiest eagle of the Misty Mountains.
His wingspan stretched nearly thirty meters, and with each beat, he scattered clouds and bent the wind like the legendary Roc that could blot out the sun.
Treebeard, delighted by Thorondor, shared his Ent-draught freely. When the eagle returned to the mountaintop, Sylas could only marvel at his companion's good fortune. From then on, Thorondor no longer needed feeding; at dawn, villagers in Hogsmeade would watch the giant eagle vanish into the wilderness to hunt, returning at sunset to his nest in the towering maelstrom tree.
On Bilbo's birthday, Sylas gifted him a small bottle of Ent-draught. To Bilbo's delight, it made him eight centimeters taller, earning him the title of tallest Hobbit in the Shire. He threw a celebratory feast in Hobbiton, inviting neighbors to witness his "miracle growth."
Time passed quickly in this rhythm of training, brewing, and quiet courtship with Arwen, until one day, a raven arrived with grave tidings from Gandalf. The Dwarves had decided to march on Moria.
The leader was none other than Sylas's old acquaintance, Balin. Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain, would not join the expedition, but he pledged full support for Balin's mission to reclaim Khazad-dûm and restore the glory of Durin's folk.
Ordinarily, such a decision would not be made so hastily. Moria was no simple conquest; it teemed with orcs, and worse still, a Balrog, the true terror of the mines. Its might had destroyed the once-great kingdom of Khazad-dûm in a single night, a horror even more feared than the dragon Smaug. For this reason, many Dwarves remained hesitant, divided on whether Moria could ever be retaken.
But as Gandalf went north, he brought news that Sylas was willing to take action. The dwarves suddenly gained confidence. Not to mention that there were two powerful wizards, Gandalf and Sylas, willing to help, and Sylas also had a giant dragon, Smaug, at his command. They believed there was a high probability of winning.
"Sylas, long time no see!" Inside the castle, the dwarf elder Balin stepped out from the green flames of the fireplace and greeted Sylas warmly. Then he looked up at his tall figure with surprise.
"Oh my goodness, Sylas, what did you eat? How did you grow so tall?"
"A little gift from the Ents," Sylas explained with a smile.
Balin looked at Sylas with some envy, shaking his head regretfully. "The tree people are not very friendly to us dwarves. It is said they even had conflicts with our ancestors. Fangorn Forest has always been a forbidden place for the dwarves."
Sylas thought about how dwarves loved mining and forging, which inevitably meant cutting down trees, so it would be strange if they had a good relationship with the tree people who protected them. After all, he had nearly been declared unwelcome by the Ents himself for burning trees in the Old Forest.
It was quite strange that Yavanna, the goddess of plants, and Aulë, the god of craftsmen, were husband and wife, yet their creations, the Ents and the dwarves, were so hostile toward one another. This could be considered another kind of fate.
The two then began to discuss the terms of their cooperation. As the representative of the dwarves and leader of the expedition, Balin had full authority to work with Sylas. Once Moria was reconquered, Thorin Oakenshield would not rule it directly, Balin would become Lord of Moria, enjoying autonomy like Dáin Ironfoot of the Iron Hills.
Balin was very generous. As a collaborator, he promised Sylas half of Moria's treasure after it was recaptured, and also promised him permanent ownership of one-tenth of the mithril vein. This meant that in the future, one-tenth of all mithril mined in Moria would belong to Sylas.
Even Sylas was a little surprised when he heard this. Moria was rich in mithril, and mithril, as a precious magical metal, had immense value. The mithril armor Thorin gave Bilbo alone could buy the entire Shire. Before the Balrog awoke, Khazad-dûm had built a prosperous kingdom on the wealth of its mithril, far richer than the Lonely Mountain.
Now Balin was willing to give a permanent tenth share, a huge, continuous source of wealth. Since Balin was so sincere, Sylas naturally accepted with a smile. Smaug had been complaining about being poor anyway, so Sylas decided to involve him in the expedition to Moria.
After agreeing on the partnership, Balin did not linger. They arranged to meet again in a month, and he returned to the Lonely Mountain to gather manpower and weapons. Sylas also began preparing for the journey ahead, he would be facing the Balrog, a Maia-level being.
Unlike Gandalf and the other Maia whose strength was limited, the Balrog had no such restrictions. Although Middle-earth was nearly torn apart in the War of Wrath, and the Valar had set limits on power in the material world, the Balrog's strength was beyond question. Even Sauron without the One Ring could not be sure of victory.
According to Gandalf, the Balrog was a spirit of fire and shadow, with mastery over flame and devastating skill in close combat. Originally a Maia of fire, a "Guardian of Flame," the Balrog had once followed Morgoth before becoming corrupted, falling into darkness and terror.
To counter its fire attacks, Sylas brewed a fireproof potion based on Professor Snape's potion notes. In Harry Potter's first year, Snape had conjured a wall of black flame in the Hogwarts basement to guard the Philosopher's Stone, even Voldemort, possessing Professor Quirrell, had been unable to pass through it.
He could only guess the answer to the logic puzzle designed by Snape, obtain the fireproof potion, and drink it before passing through the flames. This potion could resist all magical fire except for Fiendfyre. Sylas didn't know how the flames of a Balrog compared to Fiendfyre, but he still needed to be prepared for both situations.
So, over the next month, he began trying to recreate this potion. For potion ingredients unavailable in Middle-earth, Sylas consulted the brown-robed wizard Radagast, master of Middle-earth's herbs, using Snape's notes on the medicinal properties of each component. Radagast, a Maia serving the goddess of plants, Yavanna, knew every plant and animal in Middle-earth as well as he knew his own hands. He immediately provided substitutes with equivalent medicinal properties.
With Radagast's help, Sylas replaced several ingredients with Middle-earth variants, and after several failed attempts, finally succeeded in brewing a fireproof potion, one even stronger than the original.
To test it, Sylas captured a lone Orc, forced it to drink the potion, and then unleashed Fiendfyre upon it. Though the Orc was eventually reduced to ash, it withstood the flames for several seconds longer than expected. Surprised, Sylas tried again. The second Orc lasted over a minute before being consumed.
Though the time was still short, Sylas was satisfied. With this potion, he would face the fire demon with greater confidence. Still, he continued brewing over the following days. By the time he was due to meet Balin, he had prepared five cauldrons' worth. If the potion had been simpler to make, or if there had been more time, he would have brewed even more.
As the castle's fireplaces flared with green flame, Gandalf and Balin stepped out, the latter carrying an iron box.
"Sylas, I haven't seen you for a while," Gandalf said in surprise. "You look more like a warrior. Have you been training?"
Sylas nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting with a trace of wry memory. "Uh… Elrohir and Elladan trained with me."
Gandalf's eyes twinkled knowingly. "I remember when the Man Beren sought to wed Princess Lúthien, Thingol of Doriath opposed it so fiercely he demanded a Silmaril from Morgoth's crown as a bride-price, hoping to deter him."
He smiled. "You're lucky. Elrond is a gracious lord, he wouldn't set impossible tasks merely to torment you. Instead, he'd use the opportunity to make you stronger."
Sylas smiled back, without a hint of resentment. "I know that Gandalf, Lord Elrond, and Elrohir all cherish Arwen deeply."
Then he asked, "Gandalf, where have you been all this time?"
After all, persuading the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain to march on Moria shouldn't have taken so long.
Gandalf did not hide the truth. "I went to Dunland. That man not only allied with Orcs but also sought to win over the Dunlendings. I wanted to see if there was a way to stop them."
Read chapters ahead @/Keepsmiling818