Outside, the world's as normal as it's ever been – the neighbors are playing outside, the sun is rotating beautifully, and the DO NOT CROSS tape is all but gone.

Yes, it's a normal day.

About a half-mile from home is a park bench that, if I look hard enough down the hill, I can see the beach. If I listen hard enough, I can hear the gulls and the wind on the waves. If I smell hard enough, the salt tingles my senses.

If I try hard enough to leave the past behind, I could.

But I can't right now: the present's too important.

Using my sleeves gingerly, I pull the curved plate out form my pocket and set it beside me. With the moleskin in my lap I try to open it again, but for some dumbass reason it's glued tight again.

Alright, if this is magic, there's a way around it. What did I do before?

I cried. I'm not really in the mood for that right now, so I try something else.

When the book was open, it was blood that revealed the words on the pages. I scratch the fresh scab on my brow, and a light slip of blood highlights my index finger.

God, this is so weird. It's almost like cutting again, but this time,

The moleskin opens

This time, it's got a purpose.

Diagrams come up first, in fancy highlighters and different designs. There's all sorts of scribbles in languages way too unnatural for my tounge, so I don't even want to try and say that crap.

A few pages in, it looks like Takao started a day-by-day…


Day 1

- At first, the idea of some sort of bubonic plague was pretty bizarre, in all truth. However, Professor Caldwell insisted that something like that could have been contained chemically and preserved magically. Some students doubt him even after his lecture just now, and I don't blame them.

He is an American after all

Either way, something is happening in Japan, and it is restricted to the island. A mutation in the common virus may be all there is to it, but there's no way the Mage's Association would bother studying it. I intended to use to bounded moleskin for the final next semester, but this just seemed fitting.


I lean back on the bench and stretch, suddenly very tired. It almost looked like Takao really was a bioengineer, but its safe to assume he was just playing us. Where'd he pick up magic? How did he use it? What did he use it for? Was it the same as my slight enhancing, or maybe something, like, intensely cooler?

I guess he'd be writing in English because of school, but if this is a personal journal it would have made sense to stick to what you know.

Whatever he did, he's done now.

I keep reading.


Day 2

- I just reinforced the boundary on this journal, I pray it holds together at the binding.

Professor Caldwell just informed us that subject of his lecture yesterday is now a topic of debate amongst the three great branches of the Mage's Association. That being said, the matter is serious.

I am genuinely surprised they haven't cracked down on the cause already – it seems like the Assoc. would be capable of dealing with this within a full rotation, with all of the resources it has. However, it has been two full days since they bothered to listen to the Prof.

I have submitted myself to be a student associate on the matter. Where there is trouble, I have a hard time passing by the opportunity to assist the needy. I'm going to be honest and note that I could care more for the ignorant in the world, but this is relevant to my family.

Pin-pointing the issue has left it near home. I can't help but pray that everyone's okay


Day 3

- Professor Caldwell canceled class today. Rumor has it that he was brought on his hands and knees to the Director. The poor old coon.

Some peers were discussing the likelihood of being selected for student researches on this controlled plague. They even felt the need to smear my chances in my face.

They will be wrong one day. Lord El-Melloi proved that, but they remain ignorant. I will put them in their place.


Day 7

- I lost my moleskin, so my notes are now out of order. At least this isn't being turned in.

But the matter is serious. Its not the common virus, and the Holy Church is requesting immediate support. That was as of two days ago, and the Assoc. wont even tell us HOW or WHY it established its connections to the church. I know that they've been working with us to keep magic under control for the last few generations, but that's a failed attempt.

I don't want to restate my entire last paper here, but I put my heart on the line for those 46 pages, and what do I get? A missing teacher to check and analyze it.

Someday, it will be publicized amongst the greatest of mages. As I stated, the traditional ways of magic-founded families is leaving, and people are finding their futures in the most bizarre of people. To restrict mage families to other mage families will not only restrict the number of mage offspring dramatically, but it will inevitably lead to genetic dysfunctions as a byproduct of the restricted gene pool. Let people fall in love, you arrogant old bastards.


Day 12

I have been selected personally by Prof. Caldwell. We leave for Japan today after our debriefing.

There has been a total of 43 deaths in Japan with no physical stamp of Mother Nature. 43. Those were men, women, and children that were going to live lives. I am astounded that the Mage's Association hasn't done more up to this point.

I want to stop this before it takes even more, but how are any of us going to stop something that can't be traced or decoded?


Day 19

I used to think that Mother Nature had a kink in her armor, but the last seven days insists otherwise. I'm not giving up hope, but twelve more deaths have occurred since we've arrived. 12. That is 12 too many in the last week.

The public only knows of a few. Some mages of lesser families are falling ill to this unnamed killer and are donating their bodies to our labs. There names were Daichi, Isao, and Naoko. Isao was five years old.

I'm not giving up, but my peers – who were once so arrogantly insisting that they were superior to all others – have left in fear of their own lives. Professor Caldwell is looking grim too.

I will not stop until we find out what is happening to the people here.

So far, all it looks like is a mana drain to the bitter bone. No one is contacting them physically, and they were all people who carried magic in their blood.

Professor Caldwell insisted that we were all safe, and came to me personally saying that I might be the last hope. Because I am a non-mage by bloodline.

It stings to hear that from the old coon, but he has a point. For some reason, all of the people being killed are people of lesser mage families. The Mage's Assoc. is looking into the possibility that it is just some hierarchal family raining on everyone beneath them, but that doesn't fit the picture, not to me.

No, there's something else at play here.


Day 23

Professor Caldwell was called back to the Tower. At first we couldn't figure out why, but Lord El-Melloi has taken over the task of researching this silent killer.

This assassin strain has taken out six more people, all people of mediocre family status in the mage community. I have sequenced eighteen genomes of eighteen who have fallen, and there is no particular gene that they all share beyond the basic human elementals.

Its not a disease, I am positive. All of my research points to it being an outside party, or something non-natural. It isn't Mother Nature, after all.

Lord El-Melloi is a melodramatic man, but intimidating and to the point, so I have no complaints. I want to speak to him someday about rising to his status despite his bloodline, but that will have to wait for another day.

For now, we need to save the people of Japan.


Day 25

After spending nearly a month on this classified field assignment, Lord El-Melloi has respectfully sent everyone home.

There is a total of 78 deaths in Japan by this Assassin. 78

He wouldn't tell us what he was going to do, but he barked that he was going to handle the situation. If Professor Caldwell couldn't – sure he's a coon, but he's a smart old bastard who's seen and lived through a lot more than Lord E-M – what chance does E-M have?

I've been itching to see my family since setting up camp in this science research facility for the last three weeks. I mean, I've been home this whole time, yet forbidden from going out to see them.

I know we have our problems, but Hiro and Kazumi are my baby siblings. Hiro should be coming home right about now from his city college anyway, this might pan out better than expected.


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Day 26

I know what is going on, and I think I know how to stop it.