Evangeline stared out over the lake. Dead center in that lake sat Mahora's Library. An ancient labyrinth filled with traps and magic alongside all those books. Not even she had discovered all it's secrets yet.
The Exploration Club had even unearthed a long hidden passage that led into catacombs that ran deeper than they had thought the library had gone before.
This school was still full of surprises.
Evangeline had started to figure out the boy's test.
She stepped off the roof's ledge and plummeted down to the earth below.
Evangeline landed on both feet, solidly, and strode forward.
To the Library.
She walked down the middle of the bridge, avoiding the light of the street lamps. The Library had to be mostly empty now, except for a few University students that were burning the midnight oil either working or studying.
It would be easy enough to slip past them.
She avoided the front entrance entirely. The large door were most likely locked anyway.
Instead, she used a window on the second floor. The window locks on most of Mahora's buildings could be undone with a simple wave of her hand and the Library was no exception. Evangeline slipped into the maze of bookshelves silently and shut the window behind her.
So far, so good.
She pulled the hood of her cloak up and headed for the catacombs.
It was an hour before she found the entrance to the newly discovered section of the library. The floors and walls were thick with dust and it smelled as if it had not been opened for centuries. Evangeline covered her nose with her cloak and pressed on into the darkness.
She lost count of how many floors she had gone down, or how many rooms she had walked through and how many traps she had expertly avoided. The air was thick with must and residual magic.
Something down here used magic.
Finally, she found a set of doors wit light peeking out from the cracks. Evangeline slowly pushed one open to peer inside.
The door rewarded her with a long, loud creak.
She winced. Hopefully it was empty.
She peered inside.
The room was huge. The ceiling had to be at least sixty feet up, with stalactites hanging down everywhere. They were various lengths, and a few had already reached the floor and joined with it. The rest of the room was dominated by dilapidated bookshelves, and piles and piles and piles of books. Evangeline could hear water rushing from further back in the room, though she could not see where.
Dead ahead of her, in the middle of the room was a huge stone table. There were more piles and stacks of books on it. It was lit by three lanterns. The lanterns were at least three feet wide spheres, with ornate metalwork surrounding them in swooping, curling patterns.
They hovered above the table.
Evangeline looked around. Similar lanterns lit the entire room, floating at various heights and places.
She stepped inside. We're they the cause of the magic she had sensed?
Evangeline took a step further into the room. Something cracked under her foot.
She stooped down and picked it up. It was a ceramic fragment, painted white. Evangeline turned it over in her hands before she dropped it back down to the floor.
There were similar pieces all around her. Hundreds of broken shards.
Her eyes stopped on one large piece. No. It was unbroken. It was a mask. With two large eye holes and nothing else.
What was it from?
There was a shuffle above and a thin river of dirt fell before her.
"Emittami! Jovia Tempestas Fulguriens!"
Evangeline darted back, narrowly avoiding the hand of the spellcaster as they dropped from above. She hopped out of the range of the spell just as it went off. Out came her arms from her cloak as her hood fell down.
She was in attack mode.
"You just made the biggest mistake of your pitiful life, you wor-"
"Evangeline?"
The vampire lowered her arms and stared at her attacker in silence. She was a thin woman, with thick black hair that cascaded in two thick braids.
"What are you doing down here?"
Evangeline pulled her bare arms back under her cloak. "I could ask you the same, Ayase."
Yue Ayase straightened her jacket and shrugged. "The school contacted me a few days ago about the discovery the exploration club had made. I was on vacation in the area and decided to give it a look." Yue turned to the large stone table and began to walk towards it.
Evangeline followed. "You're working on your vacation?"
"Please. This is much more exciting than what I do." Yue replied. She paused mid-step. "Well, not really. It's just nostalgic."
"I see." Evangeline muttered. "What about all those ceramic masks by the entrance?"
"They were on these weird shadow things. I think they were supposed to be guarding this room."
"What for?"
Yue shrugged. "Beats me. I didn't stop fighting them to ask."
Evangeline fell in stride with her. "You fought and defeated them all? There has to be at least fifty masks in those shards."
"Yep. They aren't all gone though. More show up every few hours. You set off the wards when you opened the door, and I sort of mistook you for some of them. Sorry."
Yue stepped right onto one of the benches for the great stone table and then onto the table itself. Evangeline did the same and discovered Yue's campsite.
Ayase had set up a large tent and a laboratory, which even now was boiling various liquids. There were more books arranged in different towering stacks. Yue must have been organizing them.
"You've been sleeping down here?" Evangeline snorted. "Can't afford a hotel room?"
"Can't afford to leave." Yue responded as she stepped off the table. "These ruins are... fascinating. Half these books are entirely in Latin and another good portion are in Hellian." She turned to Evangeline. "I have no idea what they're doing here and I haven't had time to contact Jack about them either... But they're here."
Evangeline nodded. "Astounding. Tell me more about the masked beings, girl. Did you defeat them all on your own?"
Yue looked over at the door. "What? Oh, yes. They're not too strong but they're fast and they attack in numbers." she made her way over to the alchemical lab she had set up on a crate. "You want some tea?"
"Yes." Evangeline replied. "How big are the groups they attack in?"
Yue had begun pouring various vials into a large rounded one. "Five to ten. Why do you ask?"
Evangeline said nothing, choosing instead to flip through one of the nearest books. It was in Latin. She did not actually read it. She just flipped the pages.
There was a flash of green light and a small bang before Yue turned around with two tin mugs. She offered one to Evangeline. The vampire took it and drank.
She lowered the mug. "This tastes like cinnamon and black licorice."
"Interesting. It tastes different to everyone." Yue took a sip from her own. "I taste raspberry and cucumber. Nooks says hers tastes like miso and shampoo."
Evangeline put the mug down. She no longer wanted anything to do with Yue's concoction. "Have you heard from the boy?"
Yue shook her head before taking a sip from her mug. "Not in the last few months. I don't even think he's been on this side of the gates in two years now."
Evangeline nodded and looked at the floor.
"I take it you haven't heard from him either?"" Yue asked.
"I'm still stuck here, am I not?" Evangeline snapped.
"Right, right." Yue took another sip from her mug. "How's life been?"
"I'm still stuck here." Evangeline huffily repeated.
"Oh." Yue took another sip. "So, nothing has changed, I take it?"
Evangeline looked up, across the room. "Some boy is teaching class 2-A again."
Yue nearly dropped her mug. "You're kidding."
Evangeline frowned. "No."
"Is he... you know?"
"He's not bad to look at, for someone his age, I suppose. But you're a little too old for that don't you think?"
"No. Not that! Is he a Mage?"
"What do you think, Ayase?"
"I mean... A Mage for a teacher isn't entirely strange for Mahora." Yue tapped her foot on the ground. "But another ten year old?"
"He's fourteen."
"He's what?" Yue exclaimed. She actually dropped her mug this time.
"This one failed four times before he graduated. He says he's talented at combative magic, but I've yet to see it." Evangeline picked up her mug and took a sip. "He apparently received the same diploma as the boy."
"That's unbelievable." Yue stopped and picked up her mug. "Does that happen often?"
"Not that I know of."
"Fascinating." Yue muttered. "Has he figure out who you are yet?"
"I gave him a bit of help with that." Evangeline took a sip of her tea. "He's asked me to train him. Much faster than Negi did. I'm trying to devise a suitable test to give him. That's why I'm down here."
Yue nodded. "I see."
"The boy seems to think there is trouble on the horizon for Mahora and wishes to be fully prepared for it."
"What do you think?"
"I think he's right." Evangeline stood. "But I'm not just going to hand him my help."
"He needs to prove himself?" Yue asked. "Like Negi-Sensei?"
"Well, yes." Evangeline smiled. "But this is also so much more fun."
"Well, if you're right about the school being in danger, I'm willing to help. I'm sure Nodoka and Haruna would be too." Yue said, producing a card from her jacket.
Her patio card.
Evangeline frowned. "The boy still hasn't picked a permanent partner?"
"Not yet."
The gears in her head started turning and her grin widened.
"Do you think that the mighty Paru-sama would be willing to take a vacation?"
Yue stares at Evangeline, confused. "I suppose... If you could convince her."
Evangeline turned to Yue.
"How would you two like to meet my new Sensei, Marten Caruthers?"
