Author's Note: Here we go, another story, new fandom. I've always tried to find a good fanfic for this series, but couldn't find any suited to my tastes, so I decided to make my own.

On another note, I am going ahead with my own plot, only slightly unrelated to the main plot of the series, so I don't have to make any (incorrect) predictions about the future of Negima.

Begin!

Mundus Diabolus

Prologue

Negi Springfield awoke to a bright and shining morning, feeling more content than he was in a long time. His blankets were tightly wound around him and his bed was a mess of sheets, but it was his own bed in his own home. He breathed a happy sigh. There was no need to get up yet, no class to run to, no troubles that needed to be addressed.

He was ten years old again, and his parents could deal with that.

The smell of breakfast reached his nose, and, smiling, he rushed out of his bed, nearly tripping among his blankets. His bedroom was open and roomy, but comfortably lived in, with wide windows that gave him a splendid view of the Welsh countryside. The rest of his home was great, but this room was his favorite.

Entering his mother's kitchen, he greeted both of his parents with a broad smile while Arika placed his breakfast in front of him.

"Knew you'd smell your mother's wonderful cooking," said Nagi, grinning at his son.

"He's a growing boy and needs his food," Arika replied demurely. "You were quite the big eater yourself." Still smiling, Negi dug right into his food.

"Moooooorning, Negi!" called the voice of a young girl, barreling into the room. Her messy blonde hair bounced around as she ran to Negi's side, hugging him tightly. She looked up at him, beaming, her green and blue eyes shining.

She looks so much like Mom, Negi thought to himself. Just as much as I resemble Dad.

"Good morning, Ama," Negi said to his sister, patting the rambunctious six year-old on the head. Giggling, the little girl sat down at her own seat, waiting for her breakfast to be served.

"Guess what! Today, at school, we're supposed to be learning about activation keys, or something like that. But I wanna cast some magic already!" the little girl announced, reaching for the pitcher of orange juice. "And then Ms. McGuiness said we're gonna start planning our field trip, too," she continued, talking so fast that Negi had trouble keeping up. "And I can't wait for Anya to come visit right after that, right Negi? Hey, wait a minute, when was the last time we saw cousin Nekane?" Nodding to indicate that he was listening, Nagi continued shoving food in his mouth as his daughter struggled with the orange juice, but she ended up spilling it all over herself as she tried pouring it into her glass. "Oopsie."

"Amateru!" Arika chastised, as Nagi and Negi both jumped, getting their laps covered in juice. "Honestly, you're about as clumsy as your father."

The little girl gave a toothy grin in response, and for a moment, looking at her differently colored eyes, Negi was reminded of his close friend.

"Mother, Father, have you heard from anyone back at Mahora yet?" he asked, as three of the Springfields cleaned up the juice while Arika grumpily continued cooking.

"The Mahora Festival isn't starting for another two days," his mother said over her shoulder. "We're going to go and visit then."

"I see," Negi replied, nodding.

"Miss all your girlfriends?" Nagi asked him teasingly, while Ama giggled.

"I haven't seen them since the summer," he replied, blushing. Hastily, he finished cleaning and excused himself from the table, going back up to his room in embarrassment. He missed all the girls from 3-A and Kotaro, but his dad didn't have to call them that.

Changing into clean clothes for the day, Negi looked at himself in his mirror. He saw a scrawny, studious boy looking back at him, messy red hair tied into a short ponytail. He was just a ten year-old student of magic, a young boy with a happy life.

But his eyes said otherwise. Behind his spectacles were eyes that had seen a great many things, eyes that had suffered more than any boy his age should have, eyes that knew pain well. They were windows into his tortured soul. He was weary, and they were clearly not the eyes of a ten year-old.

That's right, he thought to himself. I'm not ten anyway. I'm almost fifteen. This… isn't real.

It was just an illusion. He knew how to get out. It was just so difficult to return back to that dying world, when everything was so nice and peaceful and perfect here. His will was nearly shattered.

He tried opening his mouth to say the two simple words that would break the spell. He gaped like a fish washed up on the shore, but no sounds were coming out of his mouth. Audacia paula. I know the words. I should be able to do this.

Ama came bounding into his room, tripping over one of his heavy tomes on the floor. She fell to the floor. "Ouch!" she squeaked, but before Negi could run to his sister's side she was already up again. "Negi, come play with me before I have to go to school!"

"Okay," he said with a gentle smile, being led away by the hand. Any desire to escape this world was forgotten.

Author's Note: Just a short prologue. Onto the next chapter. Please review, if you like.