Lyrical Wizardry

-Chapter 6: Calling to the Night-

Reina couldn't control her fall. Her magic seemed to stop flowing after she was hit by the spells from the two wizards, but she was totally conscious.

"On... Reboot... System..."

'What the hell?' she thought as she tumbled through the air. She was vaguely aware that she was approaching the surface of the water.

"Barrier active. Brace for impact."

There wasn't enough time to completely reactivate Metatron. Only enough time to cast a barrier that would prevent the impact with the water from breaking every bone in her body. She blacked out as she hit the water.

-Through the night to the day-
-When everything is gone-
-Carry this soul away from the dry lands-

[NC 0066/2006 AD :- Unknown Location, Vaizen]

Reina was looking at a small blue gem like intelligent device in her hands while she sat upright in her bed. She had christened it Intelligent Weapons System Raptor, and was more than happy with its performance. It was night, and Altima Jaeger had gone to bed, but she couldn't sleep at all.

The sensation of actually using her magic for the first time was exhilarating. The rush of raw magical power, the sudden feeling of weightlessness that was brought on by her strengthened body, and even her mind accelerating to new speeds was something else.

She quietly snuck out of bed, and into the garden. Though she didn't want to fly; that was a little risky without supervision at this point, she definitely wanted to just activate the device.

"IWS Raptor, do you mind if I do a bit of practice?"

"Not At All Master."

"Then, set up."

"Roger. Setting Up Now."

There was a sudden zap of power as a dull greyish orange bodysuit replaced her nightwear. Her hands were covered by a pair of gloves with jewels in the centre of their palms.

-In the sun we see fighting over lines-
-All our dreams and wishes we send home for safe keeping-
-Fighting for what's right-

"Activate Blades in practice mode."

"Roger."

The two jewels glowed with an orange light, before orange spikes made of pure magical energy expanded out of both of her palms.

"Alright!" she said. "Lets try a few swings then."

She then went through the motions of attacking with her blades. She started with a left handed forehand swing, twisting her torso to the right into the attack. The blade seemed to hum as it cut through the air. She followed it up with a backhand swing at the air. She then swung forward with her right arm and finished with a backhand right swing.

-Calling to the night-
-To dream again in the light-
-Waiting for a storm to rise and-
-Feel the isolation fleeting-

"Master. I Have Been Installed With Some Basic Augmented Reality Training Programs To Maximize Efficiency During Practice. Would You Like To Start?"

Reina nodded, and in front of her a transparent featureless orange humanoid with what appeared to be a staff appeared; the most common form of Storage Device that in use for literally centuries. The figure then shrank down from an adult size to match Reina's physical size.

"This Exercise Is Simple. Damaging Hits Win A Point. Major Hits Win Three Points. Critical Hits To Vital Areas Win Fifteen Points. First To Reach Or Exceed Fifteen Points, Or Has The Highest Score After Three Hundred Seconds Wins."

"Okay," said Reina.

"Do You Wish To Restrict Flight Master?"

"Yes please."

"As This Is Your First Recorded Run Of This Exercise, I Will Remind You That Damage Is Calculated As Though You And Your Opponent Both Have Functioning Barrier Jackets."

-Calling to the night-
-To be or not to be fighting here-
-Leaving without you, leaving my soul behind-
-Calling to the night-
-Colors of kodachrome fade with time-

"Ready."

Reina quickly adopted a loose fighting stance with her left foot forward. Her left blade was pointed downwards and across her left leg, whilst the right blade was pointed upwards and across her chest. She nodded.

"Begin."

The target levelled its staff at Reina, who brought her blades up as if pre-empting the attack. She managed to deflect a basic Mid-Childan style spell with her right blade, and responded with a stabbing thrust from her left blade, which was evaded by the featureless hologram sidestepping to Reina's left.

Undeterred, she pivoted on her left foot, drawing her left arm and the orange glowing blade across her chest before swiping back at the target as it brought the staff down on her head. Though the attack's sensation wasn't transmitted to her completely accurately, she did feel a slight bop on her forehead as her left arm blade flung into the side of the target's torso.

She was acutely aware that she did not actually know who scored higher in that exchange. Instead, she could see that her opponent was 'bleeding' orange light from where she had struck it, and that she could also feel a simulated cold trickle coming from her forehead.

-Calling to the night-
-For us, for every single life-
-All the ashes of men remain as a perfect memory-

'I'm obviously 'bleeding' from that too.'

Reina found that as she moved, the orange 'blood' was dripping into her left eye, and was obscuring her vision.

She leapt at the target, and drew her right arm back and flew forward at it, preparing to stab at the target. It chose to put up a shield this time above its head using the staff, which was enough to block the blade from her right hand. So as Reina landed, she spun on her right foot, dropped her profile and brought her right heel into the target's legs. She was glad that as her leg swept across the ground and collided with the calf of the target's left leg.

The target did react to the attack in a way that was at least a little intuitive; it stumbled. Reina then followed up with a backhand upward swipe with her left blade, which sliced straight through it's 'neck', culminating in a kill.

-Calling to the night-

[2017 AD/ NC 0077 - ?]

Reina was forcibly awakened by water splashing on her face. She coughed and spluttered, before she realized that she was nowhere near the ocean. The lights in the dim room were not from any kind of mounted fixture, and came instead from what looked like two points hovering in front of her.

She was currently bound to a chair with what must have been magically reinforced ropes, because she should have been able to tear them off.

'I guess I showed too much of my hand with that dragon.'

"So, 'Eva Mitsubishi', you're awake."

"Ah," said Reina. "You must be Harry Potter."

"That I am."

Harry stepped out of the wandlight to confront Reina. She was aware that the older man towered over her in this current position. So he was going to interrogate her.

"So then, what is your real name?" asked Harry.

'Does he really think I'll answer differently?'

"Reina Amemiya," she replied. She suddenly gasped as she gave out her real name. She had intended to reply with Eva Mitsubishi again, but instead blurted out her real name. Before she could figure out what had happened, Harry moved onto the next question.

"Where are your weapons."

"IWS Metatron is a unique Intelligent Device. It has been injected into my bloodstream."

'SHIT SHIT! This is bad! I've obviously got something compelling me to answer his questions truthfully.'

"What are you doing here?"

'None of your business!' thought Reina.

"I am here to kill or capture Altima Jaeger," replied Reina.

Harry had to pause to take this in and Reina wasn't surprised. She stated very plainly that was her mission. She had essentially just admitted to being a hired murderer...

"Tell me more about why you're here."

'Metatron! Paralyze my vocal cords!' thought Reina.

"Roger."

Reina began to mouth something about her mission, but no sound came out. Instead there was just wheezing that changed in tone with the movement of her lips.

"What the! NO! DAMNIT!" shouted Harry. He lost it. He drew back his fist and swung it at Reina's face with all his might. The fist bounced off the side of her cheek, but despite the force he'd put into the attack, he didn't see any lasting marks. The bruise that did form healed within seconds. Reina wheezed. She was shaking after the hit, as though she was in a fit of silent laughter.

"...magical nanomachines... " said Harry.

-But the heart will remain-
-As a silhouette of time-
-Hear the ringing echoes in the splitting horizon-

Harry was later in his office. He had decided to leave Reina under heavy guard while he figured something out.

"I'd like to try Finite Incantem, but I have a bad feeling about it," said Harry.

"Does it have something to do with what she said about her bloodstream?" asked his aide.

"Yes," said Harry. "It could go horribly wrong if we somehow stop her blood from actually working as it should. She might die if we messed with it."

"Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Granted."

"I wouldn't say that would be a bad outcome."

-Calling to the night-

Harry was about to reply but he stopped. The conversation he had with Dixie Walker last week was enough to make him think twice about agreeing with his aide opinion.

"You have a reliable way to reliably wipe our memories..."

The two captives who they had imprisoned were clearly magical beings of some description at least, and they were more than able to break out without assistance. It was clear that there was a magical society somewhere that the Ministry of Magic did not know about, and their reaction to the existence of something like Memory Charms was very much a wake up call to Harry.

'If we kill her like this, what does that make us?' he thought. 'We already have the ability to wipe people's memories... until I started actually making real decisions in the Ministry of Magic, we didn't even keep records of who Obliviators wiped. We have a potion that can cause someone to spill out their most intimate secrets if prompted and can be mixed into an unsuspecting person's evening meal without too much trouble. What if we are what is wrong with the world?'

-LYRICAL WIZARDRY-

Songs used this chapter

Calling to the Night - Metal Gear Portable Ops OST
Lead Vocal: Natasha Farrow
Produced by Norihiko Hibino (GEM Impact Inc.)
Lyrics by Nobuko Toda
Music Composed by Akihiro Honda
Music Arranged by Norihiko Hibino (GEM Impact Inc.) & Akihiro Honda
Background Vocals: harario
Solo Soprano Saxophone: Norihiko Hibino (GEM Impact Inc.)
Violins: Haruko Yano, Yukiko Iwato
Viola: Sachie Onuma
Cello: Akiko Yano
Programming: Akihiro Honda