(A/N): This is a bit of an experiment. Sorry about the long-ish prologue stuff; more for those who aren't familiar with Mahouka and to set the stage for the upcoming events. The history is basically the same as in Mahouka canon, except where I say otherwise. Let me know what you think with a review!
Chapter 1: Prologue
Magic. A power thought to be the stuff of myth and legend was made public in the year 1999. An individual had used a Superpower to prevent a terrorist group from attaining nuclear weapons. This power was caught on camera for all the world to see. Governments quickly sought to harness and develop this power for their own ends.
Magic had been harnessed since ancient days by secretive groups the world over, their secrets, knowledge and techniques refined and passed down through the ages. With magic now a known existence, the various nations of the world set up their own magic research and development programs by making agreements with these Ancient Magicians. By taking their wisdom, then analyzing and developing it with scientific precision, Modern Magic was born.
Having systematized magic theory and execution over the early decades of the 20th century, magicians quickly took on the role of human weapons in the militaries of the world. Ancient Magic - with few exceptions - was quite slow to activate. Because these magics utilized talismans, chants and the like, it was cumbersome to have more than a few magics available to use at a given time. But with the birth of modern Systematic Magic, casting speeds and access to a plethora of magics became a reality via Casting Assistant Devices: CADs. Technology was harnessed to make magic efficient and versatile, of particular use on a battlefield.
In the middle of the 21st century, World War III broke out after the world experienced a decade of the devastating affects of climate change. Thanks to the solidarity of magicians worldwide, the world was spared a nuclear catastrophe. By allowing themselves to become ever-stronger human weapons, magicians were put in key locations that allowed them to use magic to prevent nuclear arms from successfully detonating. The programs to bolster the abilities of magicians took many forms, with the 28 Families system in Japan and Noble Houses of the East European Union being among the most successful.
This naturally led to the birth of Strategic-Class Magic, magics which could rival nuclear arms in terms of output with without the resulting nuclear radiation and waste. Though there were only 13 publicly acknowledged magicians who possessed such a magic, the ability to wipe out 50,000 people or an entire fleet of ships with a single magic served as as deterrent much like nuclear arms served in the 20th century.
Despite the horrors of the war and the population decline from 9 billion to 3 billion, the world survived. Many heroes were born and many eminent battles fought before peace was precariously restored. Japan's Retsu Kudou and the East EU's Albus Dumbledore became widely acknowledged as among the craftiest and strongest magicians around, having made legendary accomplishments in the war.
While Retsu was in part the product of one of Japan's Modern Magic Research facilities, Dumbledore was a hybrid magician of sorts. Born in the 1970s, Dumbledore was trained as an Ancient Magician prior to the revelation of magic and had gained notoriety among his then-reclusive magician colleagues. This made him a natural candidate to undergo the same sort of strength enhancement procedures Retsu underwent in Japan.
Because of his Ancient Magic background, his thirst for knowledge and his prodigious intellect, Dumbledore did not shun Modern Magic as some of his fellow Ancient Magicians did. He adopted it into his repertoire while retaining the ancient methods where they were suitable. Modern Magic excelled at activation speed and ease of use due to having been systematized. Ancient Magic excelled at firepower, specialized attacks and surprise assaults. The utilization of Modern Magic for direct offensive attacks while preparing Ancient Magic for surprise attacks or large scale finishing magics became so associated with Albus Dumbledore that it was named after him: the AD-Style.
Although they were quite old as the the end of the 20th century drew nearer, Retsu and Dumbledore were still active in their respective magic communities despite their old age. Retsu showed much deference to Dumbledore, given that the man was 30 years his senior and his immense skill. Although the war had ended, peace was as elusive as ever, sadly...
The world hoped for lasting peace after such a terrifying war. It was not to be. Before the last war, Europe had once again been split in half as the East EU and the West EU. Although Albus Dumbledore had defeated the West EU's top magician Gellert Grindlewald, another group of upstarts arose in the decade after World War III: the Death Eaters.
Led by the enigmatic Lord Voldemort, the Death Eaters caused havoc all over the East EU, particularly in the UK where they were based. Despite their power, Dumbledore and the Noble Houses of the UK were not able to defeat this terrorist group nor its leader. There were even rumors that the leader was immortal, though it was rather difficult to confirm.
Years of war left their population war-weary and terrified of another outbreak of conflict. Voldemort's assortment of magics in particular were a force to be reckoned with. Specializing in Outer-Systematic Magic - magic which manipulated spirits/souls - he was a notoriously tricky opponent. In particular, his unique Mental Interference Magic - the "Killing Curse" - laid waste to many talented magicians and innocents alike. Its unholy power to disperse a person's soul imbued fear of the name "Voldemort" itself.
The Ancient and Noble House of Potter had long since allied itself against forces like the Death Eaters, putting a target on their backs. Despite their part as one of the genetically engineered and enhanced Ancient Magician families in the UK, their numbers were whittled to a single family in the span of a few years by the Death Eaters.
Then on Halloween night in 2080, a miracle happened. Having discovered their location through torture and mind reading, Voldemort showed up at the residence of the remaining Potters. Voldemort cast his Killing Curse to eliminate James Potter in his front yard, killing him before he could grab his CAD.
Heading upstairs, Voldemort saw the redheaded mother trying to shield her son.
"Stand aside, Mudblood. Your life is already spoken for. One of my men will enjoy having his way with you." Voldemort's almost non-existent lips curved into a sinister smirk.
"P-please, don't harm my son! I'll do whatever you want!" Lily Potter was in hysterics.
"I shall not ask again, wench. Move or be destroyed!" Voldemort roared.
"I'm begging you, please let Harry live!" Lily screamed.
"Enough of this. Severus will have to settle for some other commoner whore. But first your son. I'm sure your expression at having failed him will be most… appetizing."
Voldemort directed his CAD at Lily. Executing a Movement-Type Magic, he blew the woman out of the way so he could have a clear shot at her infant son.
Smiling the devil's smile, Voldemort spoke gleefully "And so ends the Potters!" The bright green light of Voldemort's magic enveloped the room in an eerie light as it flew toward the young boy.
Before Voldemort's magic could hit the boy, Lily Potter activated a generic Speed-Type magic. Because she didn't have a CAD on her, the magic was basic and could only be used to move in one direction.
Without an ounce of hesitation, she intercepted Voldemort's Killing Curse, taking the attack for her son. Her soul shattered, Lily Potter's corpse collapsed on the ground next to her baby's crib.
Speaking barely in a whisper, Voldemort said "A useless gesture, woman. Lord Voldemort always gets to them in the end…"
Voldemort directed his pistol-type CAD at the infant Harry Potter and cast his deadly curse once more. For the final time, as it turns out.
As soon as the Killing Curse hit Harry, Voldemort realized something was wrong. The boy began to emit a massive amount of Pushion light. Pushions are the particles which make up the soul, and correspond with a person's emotional thoughts. These are the particles which are manipulated by magicians using Outer-Systematic Magic. Voldemort's Mental Interference Magic (a type of Outer-Systematic Magic) targeted the information of a person's soul and dispersed it, killing them instantly.
And yet, the boy was alive. An instant after Voldemort's spell impacted the boy's soul, it rebounded back into Voldemort himself. Because Voldemort had Pushion-sensitive eyes, he saw what caused his downfall.
The information body of the boy's soul had been protected. To cast magic, magicians must create a Magic Sequence in their mind and use it to overwrite information in the Information Dimension. When such information is overwritten, it causes the desired effect in the physical world corresponding to the Magic Sequence one used. This is the nature of what "Magic" is: overwriting data in the Information Dimension to temporarily rewrite events in the physical world.
Yet,Voldemort's magic couldn't reach the boy's soul. Surrounding his soul was a secondary structure of Pushions in a shape that vaguely resembled a woman. The structure had its "arms" enclosed around Harry's soul in a protective gesture. After deflecting Voldemort's magic, the structure returned to it's natural state as a cloud of Pushions surrounding the boy's soul.
As he seemingly died by his own hand, Voldemort realized what Lily Potter had done. "Damn whore… her extreme emotional state... allowed her to cast a magic far above her ability… by casting her life aside..."
Voldemort's body unexpectedly exploded into a bloody mist due to the rebounded magic. All that was left behind was the villain's CAD.
Lily's love for her son saved him that dreadful night, permanently shielding Harry's soul from the effects of Mental Interference Magic. By taking advantage of the fact that Voldemort's magic shatters the soul, she set up a delayed Magic Sequence that would use her soul's scattered Pushions to perpetually surround her son's soul and generate more Pushions as needed. The boy's triumph over Voldemort took the world by storm. All were in awe of The Boy-Who-Lived and the miracle he seemed to perform.
With the death of Lord Voldemort, Eastern European society was on the fast track to recovery and normalcy. Many returned to broader society claiming mental manipulation by magic. Voldemort was known to possess a mind controlling Superpower - Parsletongue - which could charm a person to such an extent that they would follow almost any command the user issues. Unlike "Magic", Superpowers could be cast with a mere thought and at a very high level of ability. This made them almost impossible to systematize for general use and study, so the veracity of these "brainwashing" allegations were difficult to confirm.
Without their leader's unifying charisma and power, the Death Eaters soon fell apart; many of the remaining were arrested or killed by the magicians of the UK.
Harry Potter was initially raised by his only living relatives. They were a non-magical couple who also had the misfortune of being members of the burgeoning Humanists movement, a group who despised magic in all its forms under the pretense of eliminating discrimination. Nearly starved by his aunt and uncle, and routinely bullied by his cousin, Harry was in a sorry state physically and emotionally by the young age of 8.
Once the government realized that such an important magician was being raised in an abusive home, Harry Potter was put in the care of Albus Dumbledore. Now the headmaster of the top magic high school in the East EU, Dumbledore raised Harry and taught him the ways of magic before he enrolled into his formal magic education.
Unlike Japan, the East EU's magic schooling lasts for 4 years because students also receive training in Ancient Magic. Harry entered the Hogwarts Academy of Sorcery in the Fall of 2094 at the age of 15, only to meet someone who would change his life for good.
But that is a story for another day...
Mayumi Saegusa kept surreptitiously glancing at the object of her affections. Despite being a member of Japan's 10 Master Clans, she was still a young woman enthralled by a member of the opposite sex.
"Does he feel the same way?" Mayumi thought to herself.
Tatsuya Shiba was sitting next to Mayumi at a restaurant in Kyoto. She found him rather dashing, even if others might describe his looks as somewhat plain for a magician. His dark hair and intense icy-blue eyes gave him a commanding aura despite only being 17-years of age.
Mayumi had been captivated by him almost as soon as she had seen him the previous school year. Both she and Tatsuya attended First High School the previous year, the most prestigious Magic High School in Japan.
Mayumi graduated last year, but Tatsuya was only a freshman at the time so he was still attending First High. When Mayumi spotted Tatsuya sitting on a bench alone and mocked by his peers because of his poor skills are magic, she only intended to direct him to the auditorium as per her duty as the Student Council President.
But when Tatsuya turned to face her, her heart skipped a beat and she blushed slightly. Although he was just above average in height for his age, he towered over her diminutive size; she only reached his shoulders.
At the time, she had no clue why she reacted the way she did. Although Mayumi was surprised her captivating looks didn't unnerve Tatsuya as they did his peers, she couldn't explain the draw she felt towards him. When their eyes met, she felt something shift within her but she couldn't explain what.
It didn't help that he showed himself to be so exceptional. Despite being relegated as a Course 2 student, inferior at using magic, he proved himself to be a true diamond in the rough. In the previous year, he helped take down the Japanese branch of the terrorist group known as Blanche. He even made a massive contribution in First High winning the Nine Schools Competition, a magic skills competition between Japan's 9 Magic High Schools.
He initially blew everyone away by performing unparalleled engineering work for their team's CADs, allowing their female contestants to bring out the best of their magic abilities. However after the boy's team in the Newcomers Division were injured via outside sabotage, Tatsuya was brought in to lead a makeshift replacement team for the Monolith Code event (a sort of magic combat sport).
When Tatsuya appeared to be fatally injured in the finals, Mayumi nearly rushed to his side in tears. But miraculously Tatsuya stood up and won the match, with only minor injuries. She recalled berating Tatsuya for his recklessness. He at least had the decency to apologize for worrying her so much.
But the surprises weren't over. While they were participating in a magic scholastic competition in the fall of that year, the Great Asian Alliance launched a surprise attack on Yokohama. Between the GAA's bipedal tanks and magician soldiers, there were many close calls for her and her schoolmates.
But the revelation that Tatsuya was a soldier in the Japanese Special Defense Force shocked Mayumi. It explained Tatsuya's monstrous combat abilities and seemingly emotionless demeanor. When she secretly witnessed Tatsuya vaporize a large truck, she realized how little she knew about him. That ignorance only spurred her desire to learn more about him.
As if determined to show off how incredible he was, Tatsuya showed off a miraculous power, even by the standards of magicians. When 2 of their classmates were critically injured by a barrage of bullets, Tatsuya used an unknown magic called "Regrowth" to reverse all the damage done to them. When Tatsuya's sister revealed that Tatsuya had to receive all the victim's pain multiplied by the time they were injured, she became terrified on his behalf. Such a magic was as much a curse for its user as it was a miracle for the saved.
Speaking of Tatsuya's younger sister, Mayumi's thoughts turned to her: Miyuki Shiba. Miyuki's stunning beauty was equalled only by her prowess in magic. Her delicate features, fair skin and the eyes she shared with her brother made Miyuki practically revered at First High. While Mayumi quite liked Miyuki, she was rather jealous of her as well.
Although Tatsuya and Miyuki were siblings, their relationship was extremely close, almost like lovers. Miyuki doted on her brother, although she also made him do what she wanted much of the time. What was worse for Mayumi was that Tatsuya put his sister before everything else. His desire to eliminate the Blanche organization was entirely because his sister would be in their cross hairs.
Although they shared a number of close moments, they only seemed to go so far before Tatsuya would remove himself from the situation. Even though Tatsuya was currently helping her avenge the murder of her previous bodyguard at her personal request, Mayumi couldn't tell what he felt for her, if anything. Besides Miyuki, it seemed like he possessed few emotions or desires at all.
Mayumi's breathing sped up a bit as her heart rate increased. She had to know if he felt for her the same as she felt for him. Although Mayumi had rejected the words her friend Mari had voiced, she was certain that she had fallen in love with the enigma that was Tatsuya Shiba.
As their bartender had left to assist other customers, Mayumi took the opportunity to find truth. Still, she didn't know if she could handle rejection from him. The pull she felt toward him was beyond anything she'd experienced before.
"Hey, Tatsuya," she said.
"Did you need something, Mayumi?" Although he responded in a somewhat distant tone, his expression seemed to soften when he turned to look at her.
The look he gave her convinced her to take the plunge.
"W-what's your opinion of me?"
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow. "You're a great person. You've high skill in magic and you seem to captivate everyone."
"Oh that's not what I meant…" she sighed and steeled herself. "I meant, do you like me… that way, as a woman." Mayumi was blushing furiously.
Tatsuya turned from her a faced forward. He closed his eyes, seemingly in a trance of sorts.
Mayumi was beginning to panic. "Why isn't he responding?" she thought. "Is he trying to let me down easy?!"
She reached for his right hand and grasped it.
"Please… I have to know if you feel the same way as I feel about you." Tatsuya turned to her with a surprised expression.
"Y-you like me?" He seemed genuinely shocked by her words.
"Like isn't the right word… I-I-... I'm in love with you!"
Tatsuya became silent for a few moments after she bared her heart to him.
"I don't know what to call what I feel for you Mayumi." he said evenly. Her heart began to fall before he continued. "However, I do know that I care for you deeply, more than I thought possible for me." His eyes became hooded, causing her heart to skip a beat.
She realized Tatsuya intended to kiss her, causing her to grasp his hand tighter. She leaned in as he did. They each closed their eyes as their lips met. Mayumi couldn't believe she was kissing Tatsuya and how right it felt to be with him.
Then suddenly, the world exploded…
...into light. As their kiss grew more intense, suddenly a burst of Psions and Pushions exploded from the two kissing figures, lighting up the night. Psions are the paranormal particles magicians use to create magic. Although magicians could see Psions with the naked eye, a release of Psions at this magnitude was unheard of. Although it was faint, a chiming sound could be heard as well.
Even the burst of Psions that Tatsuya released in Yokohama didn't compare to this. The Psions enveloped the restaurant in an intense light, while the Pushions caused all nearby to experience a strange warmth throughout their bodies. While the non-magician customers couldn't see the Psions, much less the Pushions, they became very disturbed by the paranormal assault they felt. Their bartender had once been a magician so he could see the Psionic release; he was staring at the kissing couple in shock.
All of this went unnoticed by Tatsuya and Mayumi, however; they had yet to open their eyes as they kissed. As the kiss ended, and the two looked into each other's eyes. He had felt a slight, unexplained draw to Mayumi when they first met. However, there always seemed to be something getting in the way of that draw, preventing him from embracing it.
Tatsuya's mind underwent a profound change, as if it switched from black-and-white to technicolor. He felt the entire center of his mind shift from his sister and move to the beautiful woman he had just kissed. Tatsuya almost felt as if he hadn't properly seen Mayumi before; she was quite delectable in her current dress.
Because of the forbidden Mental Interference Magic Tatsuya's mother used on him when he was 6, he had lost all of his strong emotions such as love, hate, lust and so on. All except for the brotherly love for his sister, Miyuki. This was done in order to keep Tatsuya as part of their family, giving him a connection to his family that his mental alterations otherwise removed.
He and Miyuki were secretly members of the Yotsuba family, the strongest of the 10 Master Clans. The Yotsuba were feared worldwide because they single handedly destroyed the nation of Dahan a few decades earlier. They had done this of their own volition after Dahan had kidnapped and violated the future head of the Yotsuba, Tatsuya's aunt Maya Yotsuba.
Although the magic Tatsuya's mother had used wasn't fully excised from him, whatever happened managed of reverse some of it. He knew that he was in love with Mayumi, having grown closer to her over the past year. His mother's "Mental Design Interference" magic simply prevented him from fully feeling the truth about his love for Mayumi.
Mayumi spoke up. "Tatsuya, what does this mean for us?" To Tatsuya's ears she sounded hopeful.
"It means I love you Mayumi Saegusa." He smiled genuinely in the first time in years. "Would you do me the honor of dating me?"
Mayumi's eyes widened and shone with a light that captivated Tatsuya. "Of course! What did you expect me to answer?!" Mayumi buried her face in his chest as she cried tears of joy, causing Tatsuya to chuckle slightly.
Tatsuya obeyed the deep need he felt to place one of his arms around her to embrace and comfort her.
"These feelings are quite strange," Tatsuya thought to himself. "It's been ages since I could have such emotions, yet with her they feel like second nature."
After they had stood like this for several minutes, Mayumi looked up at him and said nervously "I-I was actually terrified you didn't feel the same way, Tatsuya."
Tatsuya tipped her chin up higher so that they were gazing into each other's eyes again. "How could I not feel the same way for someone like you? You're the only person who seems to be able to push my buttons; everyone else is too scared to even try. I haven't forgotten that chocolate you know." Mayumi began to blush again, so she stole Tatsuya's thunder by initiating the second kiss.
Although the joining of their lips didn't have the same spectacular effect as the previous one, it was no less wonderful for the 2 involved.
"Oh my Ms. Saegusa, does it befit your station to kiss twice on the same date?" Tatsuya asked in jest.
Mayumi smacked his chest and said "Only you could call this a date, Tatsuya. You didn't even bring flowers."
Tatsuya experienced his first bout of nerves in awhile as he asked "Are you sure you wish to date me, Mayumi? As the eldest daughter of the Saegusa family, the magic community will look down on you for being romantically involved with someone like me."
Mayumi looked at Tatsuya defiantly. "I don't care what they think. I know your true worth and I don't care who you family is or isn't. I didn't fall in love with them, I fell in love with Tatsuya Shiba, the brilliant magic engineer, a soldier, a man who flaunts conventional standards of what makes someone an exceptional magician."
Tatsuya was genuinely touched by her words, and at the same time frightened by them. He was scared she wouldn't feel the same way if she learned he was secretly a member of the Yotsuba family. His family were hated by the Saegusa family, particularly by the head of the Saegusa - Mayumi's father, Koichi. A hatred Tatsuya's aunt Maya was all too eager to return.
Before Tatsuya could muster the courage to tell Mayumi the truth of his parentage, Mayumi stood to leave the hotel restaurant to retire for the evening.
"Well Tatsuya, this was an unexpected night. I'll call you tomorrow so we can talk about this some more."
Tatsuya decided to engage in some playful behavior. "Leaving so soon, Mayumi? Didn't I once tell you that if you were offering, I wouldn't hesitate to taste you?"
As he licked his lips for emphasis, Mayumi emitted a small "Eep!" and practically ran upstairs to her hotel room.
As she was driven off, Tatsuya broke out into a loud laugh, causing some of those eating to stare at him. He didn't care, it was just too novel of an experience for him.
It wasn't until Tatsuya returned to his hotel room and got into bed that he realized that, for the first time in a decade, he hadn't thought about Miyuki at all after he kissed Mayumi. At that realization, he noticed that the magic connecting him to his sister had also vanished without a trace.
"Was 'Pledge' removed?" he thought. Tatsuya wasn't aware of the Psion and Pushion release, much less the cause of the removal of his limiter.
He retired for the evening perplexed. As he fell asleep, a new connection began to solidify, linking him to the woman who had changed the axis of his world.
The supernatural light show had been recorded by the security cameras in the restaurant, allowing a number of interested parties to catch a glimpse of the rare sight.
"So that's why his family placed all those restrictions on him." mused one such interested party. "When I saw the aura connecting you and your sister I wondered what the purpose of it was since you were already devoted to your sister."
A bald monk rubbed his chin in contemplation of the video file one of his contacts had sent him before someone deleted the footage of the event involving Tatsuya and Mayumi.
"To think that I'd get to live to see one Soul Bond in my lifetime, let alone a second one. Those Yotsuba… they won't like this once they find out. Fujibayashi works fast though, my contact was barely able to get this recording this in time."
Although Yakumo was to remove himself from the secular world as per his religious duties, his prior work as a ninja imbued him with the habit of ferreting out interesting information. His contact had been working the bar for the evening, so his eyewitness account was also invaluable to Yakumo.
"Tatsuya, even I never imagined you'd be this interesting. I can't wait to see how a guy like you handles this. Soul Bonds are a powerful force; even your family can't simply dismiss them, no matter how much they might want to."
Sighing, Yakumo began rubbing the back of his head in concern. "I wonder how Miyuki will take this once she finds out, if she hasn't already."
Even though he chuckled at the thought, his stomach knotted up a bit. Miyuki wasn't one to be trifled with…
(A/N): Hey, thanks for reading this. Drop me a review and let me know what you think. I wasn't too sure about this. Mahouka treats magic very scientifically and likes to explain exactly how they work, unlike the Harry Potter series. Because of that, I was a bit hesitant to write this.
In order to mesh these series together, I had to finagle things a bit, but I think I managed to make it work in terms of how magic works in Mahouka. However, this means that for this chapter I couldn't help but briefly explain how the world operates in Mahouka. I'm kind of nervous about that, since it's probably a bit dry to read. Hopefully I can do better in the future.
As for the Soul Bond stuff, that will be explained more if I do future chapters of this. It's a kind of story that I enjoy reading in Harry Potter fanfics, so you'll notice the similar description but with a Mahouka twist in how it works. There's going to be a sort of magic Olympics being referenced starting in the next chapter. I just couldn't find a good way to mention it in this chapter. That event will begin not to far down the line; that will be the impetus for the characters to meet up.
If you think I should continue, or if you have some helpful criticism, please please drop me a review. That would make me more likely to continue this, so let me know! Oh and I'm not abandoning my other fic, Redux. This is just another thing I felt like writing, haha.