Alright, second chapter of Limitless Blades is a go! My muse is starting to pick up some steam finally!
Okay, so now we are going into the second episode of the classic Nanoha show. This is an info dump chapter more or less. You have been warned.
As of right now, I don't have a beta. Any grammar needed correcting, please feel free to point them out in my reviews.
To start with, I will point out the classifications in the explanation.
In the Nanoha verse, magic users are referred to as mage (madōshi)
In Nasu-verse, the general magic users are referred to as magus (majutsushi) and the True Magic users are called magicians (mahōtsukai)
I'm not too sure if that is correct and I know I didn't get into all the detailed classifications of other magic users in the Nasu-verse, so please don't flame me on that. (Holds up Luciferion) All flames will be used to charge up mah Luciferion Breaker!
Ohh, there is also a poll I've set up on my profile so please vote there. It will most likely come down when this story enters the A's arc. If you pick 'others', please give suggestions in PM.
Disclaimer: If I own either series, Nanoha's pretty beams of doom would most likely not be pink (not that I have anything against that color...) and Heaven's Feel (True end) would be an anime series by now... maybe a Shirouko spinoff too...
To be a hero of justice. It had always been a dream for me since I could remember. After the fire in Fuyuki five years ago, seeing the man who saved me, and being trained in the way of Magecraft, I had strived to help all those in need.
I would've never imagined I would have a chance to achieve my goal at my current age; talking animals, giant monsters created by small gems, and magical transforming staves! It sounded a lot like those stories I've read when I was slightly younger!
And it all started with an injured ferret we've found.
Now, my best friend is a magical girl and I'm being dragged into an incident beyond my comprehension of magic. This incident will be marked down as the biggest turning point in my life on my journey to become a true hero.
Mahou Senki Limitless Blades will now begin.
"Finished with that call, Nanoha?" Shirou asked as the girl entered the living room of his home. Receiving a nod, he turned his attention to the talking ferret currently sitting on his coffee table.
The hectic night had finally calmed down after the trio of humans and animal fled the damaged vet clinic moments before the police arrived. Currently, the boy was currently lying down on his stomach on a sofa with bags of ice covering his bruised back. When Nanoha took a seat across from him, Shirou decided to start the conversation.
"So, where should we begin?"
"Hmm… how about we start with introductions then?" Nanoha suggested with her head tilted. "I'll go first. My name is Takamachi Nanoha. Currently a third year elementary school student. My friends and family just calls me Nanoha," she finished with a smile.
"I'm Yuuno Scrya. Scrya is my family name and Yuuno is my given name," the ferret stated before giving a deep bow. "I wish to apologize for getting the both of you involved in this."
Seeing the talking animal looking down, Shirou gave its forehead a flick. "Did you plan for this to happen?" he questioned. Receiving a loud 'NO!' from it, the redhead grinned. "Then there's no need to apologize. By the way, I'm Emiya Shirou. Nanoha's friend and classmate and a magus-in-training. Just call me Shirou," the redhead stated, giving a shaky thumbs-up before he grumbled, "I wish I could use healing Magecraft…"
"Magus? Magecraft?" Nanoha questioned, tilting her head in confusion.
"Ah, right. I forgot we had someone who didn't know about the magic before today here," Shirou grumbled before turning his head to face the girl. There really was no point in keeping magic a secret from her at this point and he didn't know how to cast any form of hypnosis anyway. "Remember when I took on that creature's charge with just a wooden sword and the sword didn't break? I was using Reinforcement Magecraft to strengthen it with magic. Magus is just what we called those who practices Magecraft."
Yuuno looked intrigued at the prospect. "I didn't know there were magic users on this planet before and I definitely never heard someone who could make an ordinary item more powerful simply by infusing it with mana. Shirou, could you please hold Raising Heart for a moment?"
Shirou nodded. He had been curious about the red gem as well. Since he was still having problems moving due to his injured back, the ferret had to place the gem in his hand for him.
[Access denied. Current user's Linker Core is damaged. Seeking medical attention immediately is advised,] the device chimed.
That was definitely not what he had expected. "Wait, what do you mean by 'damaged'?"
Another chime was heard from the red gem before it continued. [Current user's Linker Core had been tainted by foreign mana. It is slowly eroding away the ability to channel mana sufficiently and causing interference. If medical treatment is not administered soon, the current user will be unable to channel mana.]
Shirou shifted uncomfortably before he took a deep breath, calming himself before he asked his next question. While there is a lot more questions he wished to ask the device about, he was more focused on one particular issue. "Umm… Will using magic affect whatever it is in that 'Linker Core' thing you talked about?"
There was a slight pause before the gem chimed again. [No. The foreign mana is spreading at a consistent rate regardless of external interferences.]
The redheaded boy couldn't help but sigh in relief. At least now he had a suspicion as to why he had such a hard time using magic. Looking at the ferret, he put up a wry smile. "Well, when this is all over, would you mind showing me to a doctor?"
Yuuno nodded immediately. "Yes, it's the least I could do for your assistance."
Looking at the ferret, the boy couldn't help but question, "Are you sure you should be moving around like that? Weren't you hurt earlier?"
"Ah, well… thanks to your intervention, I was able to use my remaining mana to heal myself."
Biting back a curse about lucky magical talking rodents with healing abilities, Shirou decided to get to the most pressing issue of their current discussion. "So, Yuuno-san, would you mind telling us about what is going on around here?"
Yuuno nodded. "That creature that you fought was actually a manifestation created by a Lost Logia known as Jewel Seed. Each seed contains a large amount of power. I uncovered them when I was on an archaeological dig and had asked the Time-Space Administration Bureau to retrieve them. Unfortunately, the transport had an accident en route.
"When I heard the news, I came here immediately. I was the one who found it, so it should be my responsibility to reseal them after they fell onto this planet," the ferret finished solemnly. Shirou nodded in understanding. Maybe it's just like how he had felt regret for not helping those who died in the fire five years ago and decided to walk the path of a hero so he could try making up for his past failure.
Deciding to take the tension off, Shirou spoke up. "Interesting… So there's a race of talking ferrets working as archaeologists in space huh?"
"Oi! I'm not a talking ferret! I'm just staying in this form because it is more inconspicuous!" Yuuno retorted; the solemn mood suddenly lifted. "I'm a boy just like you!"
"Until I see you turning into a boy, I'll keep calling you a talking ferret. Ferret-san."
Before Yuuno had a chance to claw at Shirou's face, Nanoha decided to interfere. "Ano… Lost Lo-something and the Time-Space Administration Bureau, what are they?"
The ferret gave a light cough to regaining his composure before righting himself up on his hind legs. "Lost Logia are magical items with an enormous amount of power, left behind by civilizations lost to the universe. How they were created had remained a mystery but there is no arguing that they are dangerous in the wrong hands. The Jewel Seeds themselves seem to have the ability to grant a person's wish to some extent, but-"
"-a wish could be taken in different ways, so they probably cause more problems than they are worth," Shirou finished. The duo looked at his sudden increase of insight in surprise.
Feeling their gape, the redhead shifted in his position before retorting. "It's just something Kiritsugu-oji-san told me a while back. 'An omnipotent wish-granting device does not exist no matter how much we wish for it'. That was what he had told me before."
Giving a hesitant nod, the ferret continued, "Right… well, usually when the Jewel Seed is left alone for too long without being contained, it will take a form of its own. That was what happened with the one we sealed earlier.
"As for the Time-Space Administration Bureau, more commonly known as the Bureau; it is an interdimensional security force formed by the union of different worlds. Currently it is based on Mid-Childa. They act as a police force and often provide disaster relief to other worlds especially when magic and Lost Logia are involved."
Shirou nodded, recalling something about the Enforcers Kiritsugu had told him about. He chided himself for not paying closer attention during those lessons. "Well, since they aren't here, we will just have to take this case into our own hands then," the redhead stated. "It might be too late when they get here after all."
"But you can't!" Yuuno protested. "It is too dangerous! When Jewel Seeds go out of control due to being in contact with someone's wish or strong feelings, it will release its maximum power! What you've fought tonight is merely a fraction of what it could do and look at you!"
The ferret had expected Shirou to cry out in anger childishly for being dismissed or even answered with another one of his snarky comments. What he didn't expect was a bright smile forming on said boy's face. "I've been training since I could remember in order to prepare for these kinds of disasters… Well, not exactly THESE kinds of disasters but I can still help hold off one of those things until Nanoha gets the sealing done," he finished with a thumbs-up.
"And I will help out any way I can as well!" Nanoha chimed in.
"But…"
"No buts. Your Linker Core or whatever it was the talking red gem called it is probably still low on magic. Besides, this is our town. As the only magus currently here, it is my job to protect it," Shirou declared. "It is what a hero would do anyway!"
"And since I'm the only one who could use Raising Heart, I will need to do my part to keep the town safe," Nanoha added. Looking at Shirou, she could help but take a light jab at her friend. "Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Shirou so he wouldn't be too reckless."
"Oi, I'm not that bad!" the redhead spoke up in discord.
"Yes you are!" the pigtailed girl countered. "Remember that one time when you tried to help the other kid with his balloon stuck in a tree? How about the time when you tried to save that kitten that fell into the lake? The time you nearly got run over by a bicycle trying to get the soccer ball back for my dad's team? And let's not forget tonight when you JUMPED IN FRONT OF THAT MONSTER TRYING TO SQUISH US!"
Each time Nanoha made a point, Shirou had felt a stab. Was he truly a reckless individual? After a short thought, the boy finally admitted, "Okay… so maybe I'm a bit reckless…"
Nanoha snorted in an unladylike fashion before she started chiding on all of Shirou's past bullheaded actions and their consequences while the boy could do nothing but lay there, cursing lowly at his injured back for his current immobility.
Off to the side, Yuuno could do nothing but shake his head in defeat. With no way of contacting any professional help, the two children were his last hope at stopping any Jewel Seed-related disasters before he is fully recovered. He did, however, let a smile grace his lips; touched by how the two were willing to lend him a helping hand despite knowing the hazard they were putting themselves into. Hopefully, the duo is more reliable than they currently seem and that successful sealing wasn't a fluke. If not, then they were all doomed.
After a night's rest with Nanoha staying over at his house, Shirou was feeling a lot better. Despite the amount of punishment he had taken not even a full day's time ago, he was able to move around freely with the occasion ache due to a stiff muscle. The boy had decided to take the couch seeing as he wasn't going to be moving any time soon during the night and had let Nanoha sleep in his room.
The sun had just started rising so he figured it was around 4:30. One look at the clock confirmed his deduction. Seeing as it was still early, he decided to go out to the front yard to do his usual morning stretches. Half way through his exercise, he saw Nanoha rushing out of his front door, pausing only when she finally saw him. "Ah, thank you for letting me stay for the night. I need to get going," she blurted out quickly before continuing on her way.
Shirou couldn't help but looked at the retreating girl's back with amusement, especially with the little ferret hanging on for dear life as the girl ran at full power. For someone who said she wasn't good at sport, she sure runs like a cross country sprinter.
The boy had thought about stopping her for a moment but brushed it off. For once, someone else was suffering from the girl going at full throttle and he wasn't going to divert her attention back to himself. Besides, it wasn't like Yuuno was in any mortal danger… probably.
Offering a small prayer for its safety, Shirou went back to his usual routine.
"Are you sure you are okay moving around like that, Shirou-kun? You couldn't even move without being in pain last night."
"Yea, I'm able to heal a lot faster than what is 'normal' especially when I'm resting. Any bruises and cuts I get will heal overnight simply by sleeping. Kiritsugu said it was due to something special in my body but he never really told me."
Currently, the duo was walking to school as usual. The only difference was that they were not currently conversion through speech but through telepathy. After the shock Nanoha had given Shirou while he was cooking with the sudden mental intrusion, the two had decided to try getting more used to the spell.
While Shirou was not able to cast it even after the explanation from Yuuno, he felt the usefulness of it. If he was separated from Nanoha during their hunt like the day before or when the girl needs help while he wasn't around, they would have a way to communicate.
The redhead was a bit jealous of Nanoha though. She had barely taken a few minutes to learn the telepathy spell without all the blood and sweat he had experienced when it comes to utilizing magic. Apparently, she just had to imagine breathing in with the Linker Core, input the command through a list of logarithmic calculations, release the required amount of mana and the spell will activate.
From what Nanoha had gathered about Yuuno's brand of magic after she had rushed home to get ready for school, it was more science-based than his intent-based thaumaturgy. He couldn't help but be amused by that fact. Who would've thought there was a civilization out there that fused science and magic to the point where they are practically the same thing?
"By the way, how's Yuuno doing at your house?"
"Everyone just loves him," the girl replied happily, "although there was a point where mom and onee-chan nearly suffocated him. He's resting right now in my room. Must have been exhausted due to being snuggled for almost an hour nonstop."
"And it has nothing to do with you running at full speed home while he was hanging onto your collar for dear life," the boy chuckled, earning a slap to the back of his head from the pouting pigtailed girl. "So what are you going to do today? Going to try and learn more spells from Yuuno?"
"Raising Heart will be training me today," the girl replied. "She said I wasn't able to use her to her full capabilities yet."
That got the boy's attention. "Wait, so the talking gem is able to teach you? I never thought there were magic items out there that could do that."
Nanoha gave a giggle at the awed expression shown on Shirou's face. "I guess that's why she is known as an Intelligent Device. And what would you be doing, Shirou-kun?"
The redhead took a moment to ponder before replying. "I'm going to look around for possible Jewel Seed citing before kendo lessons and Magecraft practice before bed. Hopefully I don't stay up too late doing that again… Ohh, I need to pick up groceries too since it is Saturday. Maybe I can try a new recipe tonight."
"Ahh! So that's why you're always staying up so late!" the pigtailed girl suddenly cried out loud, causing the other students to look at them funnily. After a quick apology for the sudden outburst, the two continued their track, with Shirou trying and failing horribly at holding back a chuckle and Nanoha pouting cutely at him.
"Well, now you know. I don't really have enough time during the day with school, practicing kendo with your brother, homework, and housework," Shirou reasoned. "And since Kiritsugu-oji-san usually disappears and reappears whenever he wants, I try to perfect my craft as well as I can so he would actually teach me something new. I've been stuck on Reinforcement for almost half a year now," the redhead sighed in frustration.
Kiritsugu's teaching method truly irked him. The man would teach him a few basic things and leave for parts unknown for an extended period of time. When he comes back, he would simply tell Shirou to show him how proficient he was at performing what he was taught. If it wasn't satisfactory, the tired-looking man will simply tell him to continue practicing until it was done perfectly.
Then there were the lengthy lessons about the magical society on Earth and the lectures that covered anything magic-related. It wouldn't have been so bad if the person teaching it simply droned about it in a monotonous voice. The boy barely remembers what Kiritsugu teaches him if it wasn't a practical lesson.
"Ohh? Your father is a mage?" the girl asked, surprised at the revelation.
"Well, yea. There are not really any magic schools here on Earth that parents could send their children to. It's a lot more secretive. While there are places that do research on magic, you would need a recommendation to even set foot in there. Besides, it is in England," the boy replied with a shrug. "Ohh, and Kiritsugu-oji-san calls himself a magus, not a mage."
"Is there a difference?"
"Not really, just a way to classify them I guess."
Nanoha nodded in agreement. Her head felt like it was ready to burst at any given moment with all the information. Thankfully any more conversations about the new world she just stepped into came to a halt when the duo saw Alisa and Suzuka waving at them in front of the school gates.
After school ended, Shirou went about his usual routine of walking the three girls to cram school. Apparently, Alisa and Suzuka had noticed the duo acting closer than they usually were. This prompted a lot of questioning and teasing from the two rich girls.
After seeing the trio to their destination, Shirou took a detour to the nearby grocery store. Once he entered, he was greeted by a certain wheelchair-bound girl.
"Shirou-han, you're late," the short-haired girl who speaks in strong Kansai dialect pouted at the boy, prompting him to rub the back of his head sheepishly.
"Sorry, Hayate. I had to help someone find their lost notebook before I left school."
"Mou, you could never say no to anyone needin' help could ya?"
The boy merely gave a sheepish smile and shook his head, earning a sign from the girl.
The girl Shirou's currently hanging out with is Yagami Hayate. The two had met a few weeks prior when she had just moved into town. At the time, she was still trying to get used to living by herself after her guardian went away on some work-related trip. With no one helping her, she was having a hard time trying to get used to the new city.
Fortunately, she had run into the redheaded boy while trying to reach for some of the items on a high shelf and he had decided to help the girl out. Since then, the two decided to meet on every Wednesday and Saturday after school, much to Hayate's protest at first. The girl simply didn't wish to trouble Shirou due to her kind nature.
The arrangement had worked well so far; Shirou was able to help someone in need while Hayate was able to have someone to talk to. There was also the fact that they had both enjoyed the fine arts of cooking, sharing and comparing different recipes that had made the duo lost track of time more than once.
As the two started stocking up on their supplies for the next few days, Shirou started recounting what had happened to him for the past few days. He had also proceeded to tell the girl about finding an injured that one of his friends is currently taking care off. Of course, he had omitted the whole 'finding out said ferret is of the magical talking variety and that he had fought a gelatinous fur blob before his friend could seal it with a magical transforming/talking staff from outer space' thing.
Promising to show her said ferret when his friend has some time off after a trip to a nearby cake shop, he escorted the girl to a wheelchair-accessible bus before heading back to his home.
Unfortunately, the redhead boy's plan was derailed when he felt a sudden spike of magic close by. It felt as if a jolt of electricity had surged through his entire body. Normally, Shirou wouldn't be able to sense magic the way he had just experienced, but the boy was close enough to the source to feel it. 'Must have been a Jewel Seed.'
Looking at the time displayed on his cell phone, he figured Nanoha must have just finished her extra schooling. Before he could call the girl, the familiar feeling of a mental probe from said girl interrupted him.
"Shioru-kun, Yuuno-kun, did you feel that?" the girl asked frantically.
"Yea, I was just about to call you when I felt it," Shirou replied.
"It is definitely a Jewel Seed activating. I'll be on my way there," Yuuno stated, rushing out of Nanoha's home while avoiding her family as stealthily as possible.
"I'm going ahead to scout out the place then." Getting a 'Good luck' and 'Be careful' from Nanoha and Yuuno respectively, the redhead turned toward the stairs on his left leading up to a Shinto shrine and started running to, stopping half way to drop off his groceries next to a torii.
When he had reached the top, he was greeted by a large four-eyed black beast with horns, sharp claws, protruding spike-like spine, and serrated fangs. There were also some weird protrusions from its chest and behind its hind legs.
Instead of turning around and running away screaming like most people would, Shirou charged forth. After all, there was a woman lying at the foot of the beast and he was never one to turn away from danger when someone needed help. Grabbing a stone off the ground, the boy quickly threw it at the giant beast.
Seeing the beast turned its attention from its unconscious prey to him, Shirou started sweating. "Um… Nanoha, are you still there?"
"What is it Shirou-kun?" the girl asked, worry etched in her voice.
"I might've angered the Jewel Seed creature…"
The loud 'Ehh!' from the girl made him flinch a bit but he forced himself to focus on the beast. After all, it isn't wise to turn one's attention away from a large, angry, possibly man-eating, unknown creature of destruction.
Shirou barely rolled out of the way when he noticed the beast tensed and tried to pounce on him. "Nanoha, better get here quickly and seal this thing. I don't think I can do much against it especially without any weapons."
Thinking quickly, the boy took off toward the small shop set up at the shrine; hoping to find something he could use as a weapon there.
However, the beast had found its prey before he could reach the store. With another mighty leap, the large beast descended on the redhead, tackling him into the ground.
Shirou could only gulp audibly when he saw the giant black beast looking down at him with its jaws slightly parted, showing off its sharp canines. With his arms pinned under its paws, the boy could barely move.
At this point, there was only one thing he could think of that might work against the beast. With his arms pinned and no weapons nearby, the only thing he could do was kick at the beast. Given his small stature and lack of strength, that tactic was not going to be useful unless he try something very dangerous and stupid: Self-Reinforcement.
Given the condition he had found himself in, there was no other choice. He could either take a risk and possibly dying, or get eaten by the Jewel Seed-created creature.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to create a circuit.
"Trace… ON!"
The familiar feeling of pain shooting down his spine nearly made him chip a tooth from how hard he was clenching his jaws. Without much time to think, he started forcing Od into his legs, strengthening them to the best of his ability while trying not to overload himself. Hopefully, he wouldn't accidentally destroy his legs.
Luckily, fortune smiles upon the boy. With a swift push, the young magus-in-training kicked the creature in its chest with enough force to actually drive it off the ground slightly.
Given the small opening, Shirou quickly scramble away from the gasping beast as quickly as possible, but the strain to his leg muscles he had suffered from using that reinforced kick was slowing him down considerably. While they were not torn, the feeling of his two lower limbs throbbing painfully was still enough to make him move at a slower rate than he currently liked.
This was the scene Nanoha and Yuuno found upon stepping foot into the shrine grounds.
"What should we do Yuuno-kun?! Shirou-kun is in danger!" asked out loud in panic, the red gem clenched tightly in her left hand.
"The Jewel Seed must have possessed a nearby animal, so it's more stable than what we fought last night." the ferret answered hastily. This was what he had feared when the two children decided to join him on his quest to collect the Jewel Seeds. "You need to activate Raising Heart right now!"
"How do I activate Raising Heart again?" the girl asked, prompting the ferret to facefault.
"It's the 'I, the one who accepted this mission' password!"
"Eh~? I can't remember something that long!" answered the girl. However, seeing her redheaded friend nearly getting mauled by the creature made her rush forth without thinking. "Shirou-kun! Watch out!"
The beast, hearing the shout, spun around to meet Nanoha. Giving a low growl, it decided to switch its target to the approaching girl.
Seeing the large creature leaping toward her, the girl gave out a surprised yelp as she brought her hands up to shield herself.
[Stand by. Ready.]
Pink light started shining out from between her fingers as a small surge of mana washed over the area.
[Set up] the device chimed again as the glow brightened further before dimming down, revealing the familiar staff in Nanoha's hand. [Protection.]
Shirou could only stare in awe at what happened. One moment the black creature was leaping toward Nanoha with its claws forward, and then the beast seemed to have crashed into a wall of pink light before being flung off to the side like a bag of garbage.
The ferret was looking at Nanoha in awe as well. 'Not only had Nanoha activated Raising Heart without the incantation, she was able to use a spell right after as well!'
Shirou, on the other hand, was jealous of the girl's achievement. She had barely learned about the existence of magic a night before and now she had already achieved more in that subject than he had in the past few years. Not only was she able to learn the telepathy spell in less than an hour, she was now forming barriers of pure magic that could withstand the impact of a rampaging truck-sized beast without taking any damage to her person!
"Quick! Seal the Jewel Seed before it could attack again!" The voice of the talking ferret snapped Nanoha out of her surprise before she gave a nod.
"Raising Heart, please."
[Sealing mode. Set up.]
Like yesterday, the three mana-created wings shot out of the staff before giving off a shine. Ribbons of pink light shot up from the magical circle beneath the beast before tying it down, making it growl out in fury but unable to budge. Soon, the numbers XVI appeared on its forehead.
[Stand by. Ready.]
"Lyrical Magical. Jewel Seed Serial XVI, seal!"
[Sealing]
The creature soon burst into speck of magic dust, leaving behind an unconscious puppy and a floating blue gem where it once was.
Holding out the staff, the gem slowly floated to where she was before entering the ruby sphere like the previous Jewel Seed did.
[Receipt number XVI]
A relaxed sigh escaped the girl as the staff morphed back into the small red gem. Hearing a soft thud, she turned her head over to the sound to find Shirou lying on the ground looking up at the sky.
"Are you okay, Shirou-kun? You're hurt! We need to get you to a hospital!" the girl cried out frantically, fussing over her best male friend.
"I'm fine," the boy answered with a dull voice. This experience had been humbling. He had believed he could save people with his limited knowledge of Magecraft without much problem after fighting off the blob monster a night before.
As Nanoha helped him up, he couldn't help but wish Kiritsugu was back from his trip. If he doesn't get stronger soon, he was going to be a liability to Nanoha on their search for those dangerous space gems.
When Shirou had finally made it home with Nanoha helping out with his groceries, it was already dark outside. Thankfully, he had given a call to Kyouya earlier, vaguely telling him about running into some problems and couldn't make it to practice.
After thanking the girl, he slowly moved into the kitchen with his foodstuffs. As he was preparing to store the recently purchased groceries away, the sound someone saying 'I'm home' alerted him. Opening the door from the kitchen, he came face-to-face with the person he wanted to talk to.
Seeing his adopted son, Kiritsugu smiled wryly at him. "So anything happened while I was gone?"
Instead of the usual smile he would get from the child, the boy was looking at him with steel in his eyes. "Oji-san," Shirou began before giving a deep bow, "please teach me more Magecraft! I need to get stronger!"