I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I don't have much to say on it, but you guys know what to do if you have any questions.
"A fight?" Kamijou asked, looking up.
"Yeah." His newly-made friend, Shokuhou Misaki, said. "There's two guys fighting out there. They're even bringing out their familiars."
Misaki had long golden-coloured hair and matching eyes. Her eyes had stars in them, which made Kamijou realize from the start that she wasn't an ordinary human.
He stood up from his desk and walked to the window. Two people were fighting, using elemental and various other forms of magic. A strange white fox and a humanoid familiar with armour were fighting as well.
"Let's go stop them." He said, turning to walk out the door.
"Getting in the way of a fight between two magic users? That's crazy." Misaki said. "Unless you're a Class A vampire or a high level magician it's basically asking for death."
Kamijou was already at the door by the time she finished.
"So you're not coming?" He asked.
"I-I'm coming!"
Misaki ran after the boy as he exited the classroom.
Soon they were out in the courtyard.
The two were still going at it and a crowd of students had gathered to watch. Kamijou pushed his way through the crowd with Misaki. She stayed back as he started to approach the two fighters.
"Are you sure about this, Touma?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure, Misaki. Just stay back."
The two were spaced about twenty feet apart, throwing various spells at each other and simultaneously blocking the other's spells.
Kamijou walked right in between the two.
"Okay, okay. Stop this stupid fight." He said.
"Shut up!" One of them, a boy with red hair, said.
"Get out of our way!" The other, a boy with black hair, yelled.
He looked between the two and sighed.
"If you two don't stop, I'm going to hurt both of you. I'd really prefer to avoid that if possible, so how about you two just forgive each other for whatever reason caused you to fight?"
"I said shut up!" The red-haired boy yelled. He shot a strange blue beam of light from a magic circle that appeared in front of him.
Kamijou looked at it and held up his right hand as it approached. The beam touched it and instantly disappeared.
"That all?"
"W-wha-!?"
Kamijou held his left hand out to his side.
"Abide by our contract of blood. Reverse the rising of the sun and make it eternal night. Come forth, Tsukiakari!"
Waves of darkness shot up from the ground and around the boy's hand. He gripped something and pulled a sword out, the darkness dispersing.
The sword's appearance was akin to something that would have been crafted for knights in a fantasy novel.
"That's… Spirit magic?" One of the boy's said.
"Are you two going to stop now?"
The boys decided to stop and both left quickly, not eager to pick a fight with Kamijou.
The sword dispersed into darkness.
"Touma!" Misaki said, running up to him. "How did you do that!?"
"Do what?"
"Use spirit magic without a catalyst. You need something like a talisman or something imbued with magic to gather spirit energy."
"I use my body as the catalyst." Kamijou said. "I gather the spirit energy within me then release it into whatever spell I'm casting."
"What? No matter what you are, you couldn't possibly contain spirit energy and survive, at least not the amount needed to cast spells."
"For a brief second I can."
"Huh?"
"I gather the energy in me only seconds before I execute a spell. That way I don't really run a risk of dying. However, I suppose if I screwed up that would be bad. I never really gave much thought to it because it's never failed me before."
"…"
"…"
"You're crazy."
Kamijou laughed.
"Maybe I am. But it's pretty useful you know. A normal spirit mage could be powerless if their catalyst was destroyed. My enemy would have to kill me to prevent me from using magic. Also, talismans and whatnot are limited. If you want something that has enough power to provide you with seemingly unlimited spiritual energy, you would have to pay a lot or have some ancient relic."
"So your method makes you have unlimited spirit energy?"
"Not unlimited. However, I gather it from the air around me. There's only so much spirit energy in one location that can be used."
Misaki smiled.
"Still, you're pretty strong. Not only are you able to use your body as a medium, but you were able to gather enough spirit energy to summon a weapon akin to darkness itself. Very impressive."
"It was all just for show."
"Huh?"
"That tired me out way too much. If those two had actually fought me, I would have lost. I'm unable to stabilize the weapon once I materialize it. If the fight hadn't ended when it did, I probably would have passed out. Either way, I'm tired now."
"How about we go out and eat somewhere? It would be relaxing."
"Are you implying that we should ditch school to hang out?"
Misaki looked away.
"Of course not. Though if you decided to ditch, I wouldn't really have much of an option except to follow you to make sure you don't get into trouble."
"I'm home." Kamijou said as he opened the door to his apartment. It had felt like a very long day, so he was glad to finally be able to relax.
"Welcome home!"
He was greeted by Othinus. That didn't seem bad, but there was something that got his attention.
She was only wearing an apron.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Is something wrong, Touma?" She asked, seemingly having no idea why he was being silent.
Kamijou sighed.
"Why are you wearing that?"
"Is it not normal to wear an apron when you cook?"
She had missed the point entirely.
"Why are you only wearing an apron? What happened to your clothes?" The boy asked.
"I still only have my one dress, so I was washing it again. I figured I might as well cook whilst it washed so I didn't have to walk around completely naked or borrow your clothes again." She said it in a way that made her seem so proud of her idea.
Kamijou decided to ignore that and walked over to the couch and sat down. He was still tired from showing off earlier.
"It feels like it's been a very long day."
"Don't worry." He heard the girl say from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon."
He sat and waited, not even bothering to turn the television on. After a few minutes she called to him and he got up and sat down at the table.
They ate in silence for a bit.
"Hey, Othinus." Kamijou said.
"Yes?"
"What do you mean, 'escaped'?" His voice was calm but the girl still tensed up as if she was being yelled at.
"I…" She paused, looking very nervous. "I um…"
"You don't need to tell me." Kamijou said. "If you're really against it, I won't make you. I just figured I'd like to know what I'm fighting for."
"I escaped… from the Anglican Church. No… I escaped from everybody."
"Everybody? Do you mean multiple churches?"
"It's true that there are multiple churches that are after me. I was kept by the Anglican Church for over a year. They didn't treat me poorly or anything, but my movement was very restricted. I was not allowed outside of the premises unless it was to be transferred to another location." It sounded like it was hard for her to talk about.
Kamijou saw this, but he had to know.
"Why? Why are so many people after you?"
Tears flowed from Othinus's eye.
"It's because I'm a Key."
The boy remembered hearing that from Tsuchimikado.
"What does that mean? A key to what?"
"I don't know. I was never told. They always just told me that I had some unique kind of power and that they wanted to protect me to prevent people from misusing it." Othinus wiped her tears away. "Before the Anglican Church captured me, I had escaped the Roman Catholic Church. Various people took me in and protected me. However, in the end… It all ended the same way… The church killed them all."
"…"
"I could never forgive the Anglican Church for killing the last person who protected me. She was a nice girl and didn't know anything about it. There was absolutely no reason to kill her. I would have preferred to go willingly with them."
Later that night, Kamijou sat on the couch with Othinus lying next to him, asleep.
He stood and walked over near the table.
Raising his left hand in the air he spoke.
"Gods of the elements and what lays beyond them, grant me the power to protect that which is truly righteous. Let no one with evil intent pass and let those with good be stalled. Calculations complete. Execute spell."
A bright blue light washed over the room for a brief second. It didn't stir Othinus.
"There we go." Kamijou left the apartment. He looked around to make sure nobody was there. "Calculations complete. Execute spell." He used the same spell that he used to get to school on time the first day. He shot up into the air, kicked off his own apartment building and landed on the roof of a building substantially taller than it.
He gave a look around. Nobody would find him up there.
He raised his left hand into the air.
"Fulfill your end of the contract. Come to me for I am in need of thy service. Lend me your knowledge and power that I may take down any enemy that shows themselves before me. Come, Index."
Pages of paper appeared out of thin air and started rotating in the air. They descended in front of the boy and when they dispersed, a girl with silver hair and green eyes stood there. She wore a white nun's habit with gold lining and looked younger than Kamijou.
The girl, Index, looked at him.
"Nice to see you again as always, Master." She said with a bow. "What do you need?"
"I need you to do some research for me. You are no longer tied to me for the time being, so I would like you to act of your own accord in this situation. Find out what you can about that girl. Also…" He looked down off the roof at the city that was still so alive during the night. "See if you can find anything on what's below this island."
"Very well, Master." Index walked to the edge of the building and simply disappeared as she walked off.
"Really now." Somebody said behind him. "Making your familiar do all the work?"
Kamijou turned around.
A girl with long black hair stood there. Her hair was brown around her bangs. Her dark eyes looked at the boy, as if she was trying to analyze everything about him. She wore a short yellow yukata which the boy found strange.
"Who are you?" He asked.
"Me?" The girl smiled. "I'm Kuruwa. I've been sent here to protect you, Imagine Breaker."
The use of that name put the boy more on edge than he was before.
"How do you know that name?"
Kuruwa walked up to him and got on her knees. She bowed, touching her forehead to the roof of the building.
"I will explain everything in due time, Kamijou-sama. However, this place is not safe. Any number of people could be listening. Let us go somewhere private."
Kamijou wasn't exactly sure if he trusted this strange girl, but he decided that he could defend himself against her if she tried to attack him.
So he went with her.
Kuruwa brought him to a fancy-looking restaurant, one that looked like it would cost the boy much more than he had.
It was dark inside and the two asked to be seated in a booth in one of the corners. Menus were handed to them and two glasses of water were put on the table. The waiter walked away to get their drinks.
"So?" Kamijou asked, barely even glancing at the menu. "Who are you?"
"I told you, I'm Kuruwa."
"I know your name. I'm not asking for that. Who exactly sent you to protect me and why?"
Kuruwa sighed.
"You came to this island for two specific reasons. One was to have your Imagine Breaker researched. The other was to track down and eliminate the leader of Sorcery. Am I correct?"
The boy shook his head.
"You know a lot more than you should."
"I've been kept well informed." She took a sip from the water in front of her and placed it back down. "I've come here to protect you in case of an emergency. There are many people who would want to get their hands on the Imagine Breaker. Not to mention you even found a Key. I have no idea how she could possibly have gotten to this island, but it doesn't really matter."
"Who do you work for?"
"Me? I work for Broken Light."
"Broken Light? What is that?"
"It's an organization that investigates things that might be a problem to the world."
Kamijou didn't really know what to think of that.
"That's pretty vague."
"Basically, if some type of magic threatens to destroy the world or a part of it, we stop whoever's behind it. We've been keeping tabs on Sorcery for a long time."
"Listen." Kamijou said. "I can't remember anything pass six months ago due to some unknown accident I was involved in. All I know is that I was recovered by a person involved with the Special Magic Task Force. That's the only reason I've received so much training and is also the only reason why I'm looking for the head of Sorcery."
"You're helping them to pay them back for what they did for you?"
"I suppose you could put it that way."
"Our time is limited, Kamijou-sama. The interests of the Special Magic Task Force seem to be the same as Broken Light's. That is why I am here to protect you. We must proceed with haste."
"Firstly, why don't you tell me what that girl is a key to?"
"That's… not within my permissions to say."
"I believe I can answer that, Master."
The two looked to the side.
Index stood there. She had appeared out of thin air during their conversation.
"What did you find out, Index?" Kamijou asked her. She disappeared and reappeared next to him in the booth.
"I have done a thorough analysis of the island and a trace on everything that has happened here in the past fifty years. It appears that there are rumors about a gate underneath the island that allows people to reach the Void. However, when the island was first made, this gate was sealed away. There are a total of seven Keys. Each Key was infused into the essence of a pure maiden. Those seven maidens were spread out to various parts of the world."
Kamijou looked at Kuruwa.
"How accurate was that?" He asked her.
She nodded.
"Quite."
"Each girl was put under the protection of certain organizations. It was relatively peaceful until some years ago, when the churches, among other strong magical organizations started to try to gather the Keys. That has led us to where we are today."
"Kuruwa. What will happen if the gate is opened?"
"…" She looked uncomfortable.
"This is serious. Tell me. Your superiors don't need to know that you were the one who informed me."
Kuruwa sighed.
"You've heard of the Sigil War, right?"
"Yes. It was a war that involved the seven Kingdoms of Magic. Each possessed a sigil, capable of producing magic more powerful than anything we could ever hope to achieve. The Kingdoms were thrown into unrest when one of the sigils was stolen and used to attack another kingdom. The seven kingdoms fought and almost destroyed the entire world in the war. Eventually a peace treaty was signed. The kingdoms would relinquish the sigils. The most powerful mage in the world at the time sealed away the seven sigils, though where he sealed them was a mystery."
"Yes." Kuruwa said. She looked at Index. "What you said was not entirely wrong, but it is more of a cover story if anything." She looked back at Kamijou. "The seven sigils were sealed within seven pure maidens. Just as the story goes, except this happened a very long time ago. The door that leads to the Void that is below this island was where the war ended. The door came about after the clashing of several of the sigils. Horrifying creatures came from the Void and attacked. Only by working together were the seven kingdoms just barely able to defeat them and seal the door."
"Why did they put the sigils in the girls?"
"At the time, very few people knew where the sigils were. Nobody would guess that they had sealed them in people. These seven maidens tend to forget things after a while, a side effect of the strong magic within them. That is most likely why Othinus does not remember anything."
The boy didn't remember telling her the girl's name.
He sighed.
She really did know too much.
"Why, exactly, do people want to open this gate then?" Kamijou asked.
"I have heard that there has been a spell developed to let one absorb the power of the Void. Of course, it's only gone through mild testing by summoning weak Void creatures, but it seems to work. If someone can absorb the pure energy from the Void, they will be unstoppable. They will command everything within the Void and rule without question."
"Is that why they want me to take out the head of Sorcery?"
"Most likely. There's rumors that Sorcery already has two Keys."
"And now they're on this island to capture Othinus?"
"It would seem that way."
"Index." Kamijou said.
"Yes, Master?"
"Do a scan of the island. You have permission to use full range magic. I want a report of any irregular magic, whether it be a person or object, on the island."
"Very well, Master." She disappeared.
"So, where are you going to stay?" He asked. "If you're going to keep watch over me to protect me, I assume you'll be nearby."
"I already have the apartment next to yours."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"What?"
"Nothing. Let's go."
Kamijou left a few bills for the drinks they bought and the two left, heading back for their apartment building.
"I've heard you're pretty amazing." Kuruwa said on the way.
"Amazing?"
"First, you can use spirit magic by using your own body as a medium. That's only been done once in history by the man who ruled the Spirit Kingdom back during the war."
"I suppose that's a feat I should be proud of. It certainly took a lot of work. Though, I mastered it in two months."
"Second, you have the Imagine Breaker."
Kamijou stopped.
"The Imagine Breaker isn't a good thing to have. It's a heavy burden if anything."
"You shoulder that burden though. Not to mention that you took all of this in after having amnesia."
He sighed.
"I suppose that's true. Whatever. For now let's just get home."
"What do you think of her, Kanzaki?"
The girl who was speaking had short blonde hair and blue eyes. She had on a white shirt with a logo with the letters "N" and "L" on it. Over the shirt she wore a white jacket with red and blue sleeves. She wore a miniskirt as well, showing off her legs.
She was young though, around fifteen, so showing off her legs wasn't something that she needed to worry about.
"I think he's an interesting person." Kanzaki said. "He adjusts to his surroundings quite easily. What about you, Floris?"
Kanzaki had a white shirt on that was tied at the bottom to reveal her navel. She had on a pair of jeans with only one leg. Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail and it fell to her hips. At her hips she had a two meter long nodachi.
The two stood on a building far away, but they could still see the two with spells.
"He certainly does adjust to his surroundings quite quickly. That could be bad for him though as well. What are we going to do?"
"We'll wait for further orders. For now we should inform them that we've located Othinus and that the Imagine Breaker is the one guarding her as well as… whoever that girl was."
"Okay." Floris said. "Let's go."
The two turned around and disappeared into the night.
"I understand that you're living next door." Kamijou said. "But why are you eating here?"
He sat at the dining table in his apartment the next morning. Kuruwa sat across from him.
"I don't have any food besides snacks yet and it's not healthy to skip breakfast."
"It's okay, isn't it?" Othinus said. She was in the kitchen cooking. "She seems pretty nice."
Kamijou sighed.
After Othinus sat down and they all had their plates in front of them they gave their thanks and started eating.
"So, what are you doing today?" Kuruwa asked.
"It's Friday, so I have school for the first part of the day. You should guard Othinus until I'm finished."
"I was assigned to guard you, you know."
"I know, but it'll be hard to try to guard me when I'm in school. Not to mention, it would be suspicious if you were just following me around on school grounds."
"I suppose that's true."
"How about we go shopping?" Othinus asked. "I need some clothes anyways."
"That sounds good." Kuruwa said.
Later, Kamijou was spacing out during one of his classes.
He was unintentionally staring at Misaki who sat in the desk diagonally in front and to the left of him.
She looked back at him and blushed, but then realized that he didn't really look like he was looking at her, but just thinking.
Misaki crumbled up a small piece of paper and threw it at the boy.
"Huh?"
Kamijou blinked and looked at her.
She pointed towards the front of the room where the teacher was giving a lecture on history.
He sighed.
"I suppose it's going to be another long day." He mumbled.
He heard a voice in his head.
"Master?"
It was Index.
"What is it, Index?" He thought.
"I have finished the scan of the island. I've detected several irregular magic occurrences."
"Very well. Relay the full information to me after I'm out of school."
"Yes, Master."
The voice stopped.
"Looks like I'm going to spend my entire day investigating." Kamijou mumbled.
A piece of paper landed on his desk.
He picked it up and unfolded it.
It read "What's wrong?"
He looked up. It was definitely Misaki who had thrown it even though she had turned back to the front of the class and continued to take notes.
He wrote his reply which read "It's nothing. I'm just stressed." Kamijou folded the piece of paper up again and threw it onto her desk.
Misaki read it and wrote something down before throwing it back to him.
It read "How about we hang out after school?"
Kamijou had to think about that. After finding out that there were several occurrences of irregular magic on the island, he thought he should probably go investigate those.
He wrote something down and threw it back to the girl.
Misaki unfolded the piece of paper and read it. She blushed and looked back at the boy. She smiled and nodded.
It read "It's a date."
As always, thank you guys for reading.