Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).
Prologue
The woman stared rather absently-mindedly out the window at the city below. Before, under the light of the sun, the buildings and the towers of Orimus would shine remarkably. But now, under the dark dome of the Obsidian Star's constrictive influence, the city was bathed only by shadow. How appearances, ambience, and other attributes could change and be far different depending on the light cast upon them—this fact the woman knew full well.
She was beautiful, a mature woman apparently still short of middle age, with long blond hair and a white dress that was, for lack of a better description, very segmented. It was composed of a top that bared her midriff and revealed her generous bosom, detached sleeves that billowed out from her forearms, a collar that adorned her neck and shoulders, and a knee-length skirt with a slit up to her hip on its left side, and knee-length laced white boots. She also carried an unmistakable aura of magic—a very unusual trait, as magic within humans was seldom perceptible by ordinary folk.
"It's quite a scene, Naarshe," remarked the woman to the well-furnished suite's only other occupant. "It's coming to its culmination…this might be the most exciting finale we've observed yet."
"Exciting, you say," Naarshe murmured in reply. He was a man of indeterminate age, rather homely with a too-large nose and short, rough hair of a nondescript brown, but his eyes were an eerie red-grey that glowed almost like fire. As he was the opposite of his companion, he was dressed in rough, somber-toned shirt, vest, and breeches that proved utterly unremarkable. And yet, while it was not quite so intense, he had the same aura of magic emanating from his form. "I suppose it is, and perhaps too much so. Your interest in it confuses me, however, Vayna."
"Come now, Naarshe! After all this time?" The woman laughed, a musical soprano laugh that had a rather hypnotic effect to it. It always fascinated Naarshe—powerful wielders of illusion magic often used those spells to bolster their appearance, their voice, anything they could to make them stand out or become the idealized versions of themselves they wished they could be, but Vayna used no such enchantments upon herself. She had always been vibrant, beautiful, and generally unconcerned with the physical appearance of others, as she could always use her magic to make everything else appear however she wanted it to be to her. That, perhaps, was the core of it—a woman so self-assured that she had no need to care about her appearance to other people, so self-centered nothing about the outside world bothered her. It had always been such an attractive force to him….
"It's because of the boy," Vayna continued, almost unnecessarily.
"Of course it is," Naarshe replied automatically. "That's been almost your sole occupation over the last few years or decades or however long we've been at it. But what's confusing about this situation is that this isn't even one of yours. He's a natural one. You've been here, playing the role of 'Dolnegus' in secret for a nearly a decade, watching over one that you never had a hand in, and you're not doing anything…just watching. You even left Vandar behind for this, and you'll probably go back no more than a year or so after you left him…."
"Yes…as 'Dolnegus'. He's been a useful name. Enigmatic, secretive business lord of the west. Taking care of slaves, making a path open for the boy…well, I've had to hide, or that rodent would have sniffed me out. He's familiar with me, after all, and that would just complicate things. But this one—this 'Kain Lockeheart'—once again, he bears the same soul, even under such circumstances. When polished, this diamond shines so brilliantly, and reflects those other souls that orbit him so well. This world is a crossroads…like our Magiverse itself, the result of this Armageddon, whether good or ill, will become a significant world. And that boy is at the heart of it."
Naarshe was silent for a moment, mentally nodding to himself. Yes, it was always the same. It elicited a unique combination of jealousy and admiration in Naarshe. Since she met his first incarnation, that man had fascinated Vayna, and every action since had revolved around him. Using his own secrets of magical artifice that would have shamed the Replication of Jade Curtis, Naarshe had, under her persuasions, created clones, copies of that man to be part of her grand experiment, so that she could observe his influence in a wide variety of situations and scenarios. Now, further, natural incarnations of the soul were beginning to attract her attention. He had to admit his own interest in these experiments as well. The souls that existed across worlds and universes; even the supremely powerful Outsiders, Infernals and Celestials that lived above this world, had versions in the realm from which Naarshe and Vayna had come. Like their own native Magiverse, this world was an amalgamation of ideas, souls and stories from across the universes of existence….
Perhaps there were not so many of these worlds that seemed to feature this boy, this man, at its heart, and certainly only tiny periods in the existences of these realms, but always Vayna was drawn to these moments, to this soul.
"Well, returning to the epic scene—what are you going to do about it?" Naarshe asked finally. "Are you going to interfere? The destruction of this world is a real possibility, you know."
Vayna laughed again. "That is a good question—one I honestly cannot answer. I never have interfered more than a wink and a nod, a calm word or direction…I honestly would rather not see this world turned to flame. But I know that I won't have to interfere…I never have before. And I won't now. That child won't let it happen."
Naarshe nodded. That was the truth of it, after all. "Yes…he won't, will he? As you say, this will be a grand finale, and I must admit I have enjoyed them all as much as you. Let us watch this ending…."
F I N
Author's Note: Final Battle, Engage
This intro paints an interesting picture—two immortal humans from a universe beyond this. Again, the main reason behind this is something rather silly and meaningless, but which my neurotic mind demands answered: the identity of Negi's original patron. It never showed who his Dolnegus was, why he was so accommodating to Negi, how it all connected…he was just a story engine, nothing more, but the fact that a slave lord would largely be background beneficial to the hero was…what, shall I say fascinating to me? Whatever, I felt I had to have a bit more behind mine…and so I decided that Vayna made a nice fit.
Vayna is a character I created for 'The Anime Story' or 'The Magiverse', my first attempt at a unique-universe anime-compilation story, where four siblings from Earth are suddenly zapped into a universe where magic rules, enabling even super-science, Gundams, FTL interplanetary travel, and more besides. Many worlds visited in the Magiverse were based on particular anime all on their own that were my favorites at the time, including Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket, and Vandread, but most of the main villainy I actually created myself. In particular, three worlds were ruled by a Council of Nine, nine powerful mages who had, like Kain now, ascended to what they called 'the first level of magic', which gave them immortal bodies. These mages had conquered three worlds and split dominion over them between the nine, and were living in a constant state of paranoid alliance. Vayna, Naarshe, and another mage, Elandar, ruled one of these worlds, but Elandar had grown bored and frustrated with the whole stalemate and decided to throw his lot in with the Archvillain simply for something to do to try living again. Vayna offered tentative assistance to him out of sentimentality, but after he was killed and the villains defeated, she grew fascinated with the conquering hero, as Naarshe expressed above. She convinced Naarshe to aid her in her grand experiment, kidnapping the hero and using his mastery of Artifice magic to construct clones of the man (one before releasing him, and the rest after leaving his presence) and turn them loose upon other worlds and watch the result. After first contriving this story (still unfinished), many of the stories that followed in my idea font revolved around Vayna's grand experiment, visiting a multitude of worlds and putting clones of the hero—alternate versions of Kain Lockeheart—in situations where he would, again, be forced to be a hero.
But Kain Lockeheart is not a clone, just an alternate universe version of that hero—just as my story has alternate universe versions of all the characters I've absconded. And Vayna has decided to come watch this particular drama first hand and do her usual tiny, imperceptible interferences, in this case by becoming a secretive business lord in the uncivilized lands, taking custody of four lost normal girls doomed to a life of slavery or worse, and enabling Kain Lockeheart to obtain lawful possession of them. It just kind of fit, so that's what I went with.
Well, she's inconsequential, and thus was only a Prologue snapshot. Let's move on to the important bits….