A/N: There will be a proper author's note at the end of this chapter!
Today was Light's presentation day. It was a moment that every 18 year old in Japan waited eagerly - or nervously- for, the one meant to define their life's trajectory. His father had been praying for years that he'd follow in his footsteps and become an earth acolyte, using his practical skills and pragmatics to climb the ladder of the NPA. After all, it was said that those who held affinities to earth made the best practitioners of the law. Sachiko on the other hand, was not particular about her son's affinity as long as he was happy. She herself was Soichiro's opposite, a compassionate woman who held considerable sway over the air and atmosphere they breathed. Sachiko could make any environment feel homely and warm, as well as rob an enemy of their oxygen, if they were ever to touch her kids. Contrary to popular belief, people who held affinities to air were not pushovers.
For once, Light was afraid he'd disappoint them.
Like all teenagers his age, he'd tried to see beforehand what element would call to him, would bind itself to his very being and become pliant under his command. He thought a candle's flame might bend towards his touch, the earth beneath his feet might reach for him, and the air may just surround and comfort him like a blanket. But no, when Light had tried, nothing happened. Not even a flicker, or a whisper in the breeze. Yet he knew he couldn't just be element-less, he was Light Yagami for God's sake. Of all people, surely he was not destined for squalor and ridicule. It just couldn't be.
Light would not be... Beneath others, especially when he'd been on the top for so long. He'd spent years mastering his facade of perfection, drawing his expressions into flawlessness as his smiles showed only sincerity, and his tears displayed genuine sorrow. Light wouldn't let it all be for nothing.
Unable to shake the sense of dread rutting in his stomach, Light slipped on a smile as he stood by the doors to the clinic. It was a tiny concrete building with blacked out windows, intending to secure the privacy of the individual inside. They were also narrow, allowing only enough air for ventilation.
The clinic itself was unassuming, despite being so significant to the people who entered it. The building had a simple buzzer to speak through, door clearly locked otherwise. Light considered it strange that the door was made of metal, rather than wood. How expensive is that door? Is it bulletproof? Why were they necessary?
Only one person may visit per hour to be tested, the staff inside sworn to secrecy about the results. After all, not all children were born with the affinities, and to be without element was to be condemned to the lowest rung in society. It was the unspoken horror that was never mentioned in public media.
If Light believed in God, he would've prayed.
"Good morning, you must be Light." A gravelly voice said through the small speaker, watching as the door swung open in front of him. He wandered to the reception area, trying not to stare at his surroundings in case it made him look nervous. Scribbling his name on a list, a receptionist with bleach blonde hair and gaudy acrylic nails pointed to the test room. "We're already prepared for you, so whenever you're ready just step into the room. Try and relax." Light resisted the urge to scowl at her as he headed towards the door. Try to relax? Before such an important test? What stupid advice. Squaring his shoulders, he shoved the white door - which was also strangely made of metal -with reasonable force and tipped his chin up to mask his uncertainty. Light Yagami would not show fear, never.
Inside was a large room consisting only of a pool of water, a fireplace, a bed of rocks and an empty jar. Weird, he thought it'd be more dramatic than this. And where were the testers? What was he supposed to do?
"Stand in the centre." A mechanical voice ordered, echoing his thoughts from a speaker above his head. Smirking, he complied by planting his feet in the ground and remaining silent. He might not have any idea what was going to happen, but he'd work it out. He would at least look like he knew what was coming.
"The test begins now." Was all the voice said next, leaving Light to peer around with mild annoyance. He thought it was supposed to be a major test, yet here he was, stood in a practically empty room? What a load of over hyped bull-
The fireplace flared into life, heat surging towards him before the flames even licked at his skin. Gasping with surprise, he tried to take a step back, expecting his whole body to spark with pain, to literally set alight, to be singed and burned and God, it was going to hurt. He scrunched his eyes shut and waited, heat assaulting his fragile face. Man, his skin was going to be wrecked after this...
What kind of test was this? This was so dangerous! Light didn't want to do this, afraid he'd be reduced to a crisp. He'd never thought fire was his element anyway, how was he going to stop it?
Shit, it hurt!
But the warmth receded, seeming to react to his discomfort. Like an embrace it welcomed him, settling on his skin with ease. It felt like his body coursed with this new energy, humming the sinews of his muscles to life like nothing he'd ever experienced before. He could get used to this.
"Your element is fire, the test is concluded." The mechanical voice piped up, causing the fire on Light's skin to shoot back into the fireplace, as if on command. Without the presence of the fire, his skin felt cold, empty even, like the fire belonged to his being. Part of him yearned to dash towards the fireplace, to somehow resummon its energy and feel invigorated again. It had felt so good, so warm and comforting to have its presence on his skin. Why did he have to walk away?
Sighing, he dragged his feet from the centre of the room, giving into the childish impulse to kick the jar as he walked past. After all, it was just him in the room, what did it matter? The test was over now; it'd barely taken a few minutes. And although he was happy not to be without element, his affinity was fire of all things. He'd never get into the NPA now; they'd consider him too much of a wildcard.
Except he fucked up everything.
The jar fell onto its side, allowing a small chink to form in the glass, the hissing of air indicating that it was escaping. What should've been a small release of air seemed to spiral faster and faster, swirling and spinning until a column of air was forming right in front of his eyes. He tried to take a step back, but the air seemed to have him bound, entranced at how such a small jar could contain such a powerful force.
"Yagami, you must-" the voice started, before feedback filled the room. His ears protested at the sudden influx of noise.
The air rocketed towards him, threatening to completely flatten him. An ache in his chest developed, lungs straining against the outside pressure. Shit, what had he done? There was nobody here to help him, and there was a fucking mini tornado surging towards him. Why did he have to be so damn impulsive? Maybe the fire would respond...
Flexing his fingers, he pointed his hand towards the fireplace and concentrated. He tried to imagine the warmth of the fire, demanding it to help him out. Light could do this; he could do anything. But the fire simply would not respond, no matter how much he flexed and stretched and made awkward grunting noises on the spot.
"I command you to obey me!" He tried, but the fire didn't even flicker in his direction. How was he supposed to do this? Why don't they teach you about this in school? This is ridiculous. Not wanting to look a further fool, he held his hand up to the air, bracing for impact. There was no time to try and save face now. Images ran through his mind of ways for him to land safely without breaking his neck, if he got the chance.
Apart from the impact never came.
The column which had threatened to siphon the air out of his very lungs completely collapsed at his gesture, leaving a faint tickle of a breeze drifting past his feet. It felt mischievous, playful even. Maybe his life hadn't been in danger after all, but he'd sure felt terrified.
"I can't believe it, I-" the mechanical voice was replaced with a lone female one, cutting off the microphone in their utter surprise. "-Amanda will be in with you shortly." It tried to recover its composure, sending loud feedback again through the speakers as the woman coughed and stopped talking.
Light blinked at his hands, turning his palms over to check they hadn't mysteriously changed in the last five minutes. Nope, he was just normal Light. What had happened to the pillar of air? Why hadn't the fire responded? Maybe air was his element after all...
The door creaked quietly as the receptionist scurried in, avoiding his gaze as she shuffled towards him. Her voice was shaky when she spoke, all tones of professionalism lost the moment she stepped inside.
"T-the tester would like you to try... the other elements, to see if they react. " she whispered, carefully pinching a handful of stones between her fingers and dropping them at his feet. She then jumped back, as if she'd given him a firearm. She looked like a feral animal trapped in a barn.
"Okay..." Light did not allow uncertainty to tinge his tone at the weird turn of events, collecting a handful of rocks and placing them in his palm. Honestly, he didn't know what to expect. Were they supposed to explode? Turn into bigger chunks of rock? He flicked them between his fingers as he wondered.
The stones dissolved into grains at his touch, before reforming back into their original shape. Cool.
"N-now the water." She mumbled, grabbing the bowl of liquid and placing it at his feet, once again darting back to the entrance of the room. By now, Light assumed the water would respond to him too, considering all the other objects had done something. But what he didn't know was what it all meant, and why the receptionist had paled at his display. Didn't everyone react to all the elements, but have one that was stronger than the other? He didn't understand why they were being so weird about it.
Either way, he placed his hand above the bowl and instinctively scrunched his fingers. The water made small ripples, mimicking his hand movements. It was a pretty cool party trick, but it wasn't exactly mind-blowing. The water bubbled and bent at his command, but nothing more. As he manipulated the liquid, the stones dropped from his hands, no longer in his control.
"There." He said to Amanda, who peeked up at him like a rabbit in the headlights. She stammered again, awaiting further instruction.
"Y-you just wait here, I'll get Mikami." Blabbering, she sped from the room as fast as her stumpy legs could carry her, clearly afraid of what she had seen and slamming the metal door behind her.
Resisting the urge to smirk again, Light continued toying with the water, seeing if he could lift it out of the bowl. He turned his palm towards the ceiling, watching as the liquid bounced into his hands, yet his skin remained bone dry. This was almost fun, in a way.
"I've never seen a spirit acolyte in my years as an examiner." A deep voice spoke from the door, and Light turned to assess the new figure. He had shoulder length, unruly black hair that sat atop a pressed pinstripe suit. He dusted the invisible specks of dirt off his trousers, lips pressed into a thin line as he did so.
"Sorry, did you just say a spirit acolyte?" Light almost caught himself sputtering, before trying to appear composed in front of the mysterious man.
"Indeed I did. You're one of a kind, Yagami." Mikami smiled at him, pushing his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "It means you have an affinity for all the four conventional elements, and the fifth, spirit." It was clear from Mikami's straightened posture that he was curious, resisting the urge to step forward and scrutinise Light. The boy in front of him was indeed an anomaly, one that must be protected from those who would seek to harness his power.
"What does it mean? Why haven't I heard of this before?" Light sensed there was something he was not being told, something that could prove to be his undoing. He just had to know, he had to discover what it meant to hold an affinity to spirit.
"Only extraordinary people can control all of the elements. Usually spirit callers are... Subdued or neutralised in some fashion. And believe me, you do not want to find out what tests will be performed on you if you are discovered. You cannot tell anyone of your affinity to spirit, and I will record you down as a fire acolyte for your safety. To be a spirit caller is to hold immense power." Mikami's tone was grave, trying to assert just how dangerous Light's situation had become, but Light had stopped listening after the word "extraordinary". He was... Powerful? Stronger than anyone else before him? It was excellent; it meant he had so much potential.
"I understand, thank you for aiding me, Mikami." Light smiled with his appreciation, his signature grin that usually held any woman or man under his sway, revealing flawless teeth and posture.
"It is my duty to protect my clients, and please, call me Teru." The older man stepped forward, slipping a card into the pocket of Light's trousers. "If you ever experience any difficulties, do not hesitate to contact me. I do not know much of spirit that is not myth, but I'm sure you will unlock your powers on your own." He stepped away from the door, allowing Light passage from the testing room. Nodding in response, he turned to the Examiner before he left.
"I'll be seeing you, Teru." With that, Light held his head high and exited the clinic, feeling more confident than he ever had before.
Unlimited potential...
"I saw it myself, sir, there's a spirit acolyte in Kanto." A voice babbled into his ear, causing him to hold the phone at arm's length.
"Thank you Amanda, would you do me the favour of offering his name?" The robotic voice responded, hunched figure attempting to straighten at the new information.
"I can't, I'll be fired! My boss will know it was me!" Panic seeped into her tone, the stumpy secretary peering around the clinic to check nobody was eavesdropping.
"Then this information is enough, thank you again." The dial tone echoed in her ears as she carefully placed the receiver on the table, making sure to wipe the call history from the company phone. Sighing, the blonde set the alarm code for the clinic, closing it up behind her. If she hadn't been concentrating so intently on locking the heavy doors, maybe she would've noticed the way the air had still around her, how even the birds had stopped singing their melodies, how time seemed to freeze on the spot.
A cold hand curled around her shoulder, with a low, predatory voice murmuring into her ear.
"A spirit acolyte, you say?"
She screamed.
A/N: Hi there and welcome to my fic! I've been a massive LxLight BxLight shipper for a while so thought i'd give the DN universe a magical twist and write my own fic for it! Any reviews would be greatly appreciated, and any questions you may have should be answered in the story in due time... I'll be updating very soon!
As a side note, I am also getting an Ao3 account so you'll be seeing my fic there too. yay!
Max
