The Mystical Eyes of Death Perception. It's a power tool. It's a great burden. It's a blessing and yet it is also a curse. It is an entity to be feared by all and to be sought after by those who seek the most worthy of powers in any realm. The power to see the 'death' in everything that you can conceptually understand and destroy it instantly is truly a power that shouldn't be tampered with… the question that bumps around in Shiki Nanaya's mind though... is can it be tamed?
"Zero" – Regular Speech
'Zero' – Thoughts
"Zero" – Unknown Speech
"Zero" – Spell/Technique
[Infirmary, Tristain Academy]
"T-The lines… they're gone." The young man said aloud as he touched the inner part of his skin that protected his eyes. "I-I can't believe it…" He cried out as his emotions overwhelmed him.
"A-Are you hurt? Should I call the doctor?" Siesta said as she came to tend for him.
Holding her arms-width away, Shiki tried his best to keep his composure as he started to breathe a little heavier. His delirious attitude showed that he was definitely experiencing something tremendous as Siesta watched the boy undergo a transformation. His shaky eyesight and harrowing breath did nothing but worry the girl as she didn't know what to do. On the outside he looked to be suffering from something… but on the inside it was completely different. He was ecstatic. He was enthusiastic. He was joyful, in high spirits, in complete bliss… he was happy.
"I can't believe this is actually happening… there's no way this can be happening. Sensei told me that there was no way she could cure this despite her powers and yet-" He couldn't say much more as the feelings inside started to bubble up.
"U-Um… are you sure you don't need a doc-" Siesta stopped her sentence immediately when Shiki grabbed her arms.
"Don't you see?" Shiki asked her, receiving a shocked and oblivious look in return. "I'm cured!" He smiled at her with his big cerulean irises. "T-This is the happiest day of my-" he stopped when he saw a faint glow coming from behind her as he held her there.
Quickly removing his hands from her arms, Shiki looked at his left hand to see the runes glowing. He didn't quite understand what this meant as he only took note of them at the beginning. He was able to learn a little bit about it since he had Colbert-sensei look at it but all he could discern was that it was a figment from a god of death. He decided to nickname it the 'Mark of the Shinigami' but at the same time, he truly didn't know its purpose.
"I-Is this repelling the use of my eyes…?" Shiki pondered as he looked at it.
As he started to focus on it, the magical glow faded and almost like a switch between night and day, the lines reappeared and Shiki felt a small pulsing headache start to come upon him again.
"D-Damnit…!" Shiki cursed himself as he latched his hand over one of his eyes, trying to mitigate the pain that would soon come from overuse of his eyesight. "I was too naïve… there's no way my curse would've let me off that easy." He gritted his teeth in anger.
"I-I'm going to get you some water and then I'm going to bring in the doctor. Please wait here." Siesta said as she went to get a glass.
Watching her hurriedly turn around the bend and out of sight, Shiki quickly got up as he knew that he couldn't stand being there much longer. His body was aching to move. He needed answers and he knew just where to get them. As he scurried out of the infirmary, Shiki stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a familiar voice.
"Stop right there you!" the voice projected towards Shiki as he looked to his left as he was about to exit.
Lying atop a medical bed was none other that Guiche de Gramont. He seemed to be doing much better from when Shiki last saw him. He didn't expect to see him so soon so he hadn't though up a proper response when the boastful mage yelled at him. So, as any situation would have it, Shiki stood there a little dumbfounded before he assumed a proper response.
"What, you plan on challenging me again Guiche?" Shiki asked that crippled young boy as he took a step towards him. "Despite nearly being killed by your own magic, I gotta hand it to you… you don't look half bad."
"That would normally be appropriate since I always pride myself in looking my best but that's beside the point." Guiche retorted in a prompt manner.
"Then what is it, oh amorous golem magi?" Shiki responded with a bit of venom behind his words.
"My point that I'm trying to make here Shiki, you ignorant fool, is that I wish to apologize." He looked at the highschooler with a glare of hate.
"I-I'm sorry you what?" Shiki was caught off guard as he didn't expect this, least of all from Guiche de Gramont.
"My actions were not befitting that of a noble. I might as well have just disgraced the Gramont family with my display that I put on in the courtyard." He explained as he sat himself up a little more, trying to maintain the best amount of composure he could muster. "While it may not be much coming from me, I want you to know I still have my aristocratic pride as a noble." The young blonde stated with a unique reserve in his voice.
"Why this? Why now?" Shiki asked, slightly puzzled at the notion.
"Because even though I am just a 'foolish, ignorant noble' in your eyes, doesn't mean I really am one. I wish to at least save some face and recognize my short-comings while I can." He explained himself as he took up his rose wand that happened to be on the nightstand next to him.
"On this I swear as an heir to the Gramont family, the next time we duel it will be with grace and dignity… and I swear I will not lose to you again." He declared with an admirable determination.
Shiki didn't think something like this could be possible with a demeanor that Guiche presented on a daily basis. He thought he was being played a fool but when he looked at him in the eyes he knew the man was dead serious. He wanted to prove to Shiki that not all nobles were looked upon with ill will. He showed that to him this day by extending his hand out in friendship, albeit an odd rivalry type of friendship, but friendly nonetheless.
"Alright then Guiche… I accept your challenge." Shiki retorted back with a smile as he extended his hand. "Anytime, anywhere. You wish to duel me, I'll gladly accept."
Grasping his hand, Guiche smiled before leaning back into his pillow. Despite having medical care, his wounds still hadn't healed all the way. An untamed blast of elemental energy made a chaotic chain reaction within his person. It ruptured a few bones and caused some internal bleeding. This normally would have killed someone if left in a position like that but thanks to the skilled doctors, who were versed in water magic, he came out all right. Now all he would need to do was rest so his strength would be restored.
Looking at the time and noticing he had spent too much time in the infirmary, Shiki quickly left the wounded mage as he left the hospital ward. He needed to reach Colbert's classroom. He knew from the basic layout that he was going the right way but he didn't have it down pat like most of the students did as they maintained a daily routine in the colossal academy.
Sprinting through the halls of the academy, Shiki made a wrong turn as he opened up a door that he thought would lead to another hallway. Instead of being greeted with a pleasant view of cobblestone and infrastructure, Shiki was greeted with an extremely pleasant view of the girl's locker room. Inside were four girls in nothing but towels, one of whom seemed to be familiar but he didn't necessarily get a good glance before receiving screams from three of them. When he realized that he had made the wrong move, the man quickly closed the door.
"Oh? Was that…?" Kirche, the only girl of the four who didn't scream, stated as she saw the door open and then subsequently close. "I wonder what he's doing out and about…?" She thought aloud as a smile went across her face.
"W-Wrong door…" Shiki told himself aloud as his heart pounded against his chest. "Hopefully they didn't recognize it was me." Shiki tried to believe it for a shadow of a second as he recalled the events that just took place. "No time to think about that now. I have to find Colbert-sensei." He decided to push forward as he kept continuing onward, down the stairs and into another lobby portion of the school.
Looking around, Shiki finally spotted something that looked to be familiar ground. He had remembered talking to Louise down this exact hallway as they came from Colbert's class that one night. He quickly jotted down what he remembered in his internal memory and retraced his steps before stepping in front of what he believed to be the classroom for Colbert-sensei. Walking in without hesitation, as he always did, Shiki spotted a familiar bald mage and an empty classroom. The stunned professor had been caught off guard as he looked over at the young highschooler with a baffled look.
"N-Nanaya-san..?" The professor addressed the boy who abruptly came in without knocking. "What are you doing here?" He questioned, trying to ascertain why he was up and about.
"S-Sir!" Shiki quickly went up to the man with his left hand up, showing the runic marking of the Shinigami. "I need to know, what is this marking and exactly how do I control it?" He questioned the 'all-knowing' mage as he hoped for answers to his laundry list of questions.
"Woah, hold on there… calm down and tell me the whole story." Colbert said with an attentive tone as he was intrigued by the situation.
Taking a deep breath, Shiki tried to calm his nerves as he felt his heart racing at a million paces a second. He felt it would burst out and start to dance across the pedestal if it had the chance but with a few seconds of breathing and with the aid of sitting down in a chair, he was able to calm down. Looking across towards the senior mage, he looked at him with a plea for help. Hoping to get some answers, he began again.
"Sir, you remember our conversation that one night, correct?" Shiki asked, recalling the events as if they were yesterday.
Simply nodding to the question, Colbert gave the boy the signal to continue as he too recalled the events. The conversation between the two stuck in his brain more than most he had ever had with other students. He wanted to know how his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception worked. He didn't necessarily know how he obtained them and what it would take to wield such great power but what he wanted to know most of all is exactly how it worked. Never in his life had he seen such a frightening ability. Something like that would be truly worth the research, time and effort to fully understand. It was a marvel among marvels, if you will.
"Well… as it turns out, this rune on my left hand can control it." Shiki said as he pointed towards it. "I don't know how, I don't know why… but when I came to this morning, I couldn't see the lines. Even with my glasses off, I couldn't even see an inkling of the blackness that etched across all that I placed my view upon." Shiki stated, slightly poetically. "I need to know sir… how to control this rune of mine and how it works."
Looking at him with a shocked expression, Colbert immediately rose from his chair before going back to his secret compartment with all of his historic books. Following in tow, Shiki walked back into the musty old room and immediately stopped in awe at how much research the man had done since the last time he saw him.
From the look of things, the rough outline of the entire room stayed the same… but the layout had completely changed. Many of the books that were lined up and collecting dust on the shelves they were housed in were forcefully removed and scattered in several unorganized stacks. A plethora of knowledge within each book seemed to have been skimmed over by the very mage going through one of his books at that very moment. His eyes were rapidly running through them as he then dropped it to then move to another one. Each book that he had gone through had a piece of the puzzle. Each book had a finite detail that the professor needed to solve the problem at hand. With the keenest of minds, his mental process soared out of proportion when he finally looked up at Shiki.
"I think I found it." The professor said finally with a smile.
"Y-You have?" Shiki asked, slightly rhetorical yet slightly curious as to what he meant.
"Yes. You see, your eyes are attributed closely to that of a god of death. As such, when entered into a contract with another mage, your body was infused with magic. This is what made your runic marking appear. This in turn enhances a familiar's abilities. Think of it like a watermill: Without water, the mill is capable of doing great things but nothing comes out of it because it has nothing to make it powerful. A mage's capacity for magic is, in essence, the water that makes the mill move. This generates power and thus makes the watermill that much more useful." Colbert explained in the best way he could as he was used to teaching beginners on the basics of familiars, thus making the lesson easily applicable to those who didn't have any idea on the verse world of magic.
"So… what you're telling me is that the ability I gained from this rune is from Louise?" Shiki asked, trying to sum it up even further.
"Y-Yes… in laymen's terms you are correct." The professor affirmed his suspicions. "But not only that you've gained a sort of control, a switch if you will, over the power of your eyes. It's like your eyes are connected to the magical lines that are portrayed through your body." He explained as he went back to reading.
"W-Wait, what are magical lines?" Shiki asked, unfamiliar with the concept.
"Oh, that's right… you're not a student." Colbert responded, not realizing who exactly he was talking to. "Well… hm… to give an accurate description, magical lines are like the conduits that make up your person. It's what gives people the ability to use magic." He explained as he went into teach-mode.
"It gives people the ability to use magic..? But I thought you said that only nobles can use magic?" Shiki retorted, thoroughly confused.
"You're right. Only those of noble birth have the ability to tap into these magical lines. They're present in all bodies but only those of noble birth can tap into them. It's a unique type of bloodline trait that all nobles possess, thus makes it impossible for those who don't have the bloodline trait." The teacher reiterated.
"I-I see… so that's why you said only nobles can learn magic." Shiki stated as he pondered on the subject. 'But if that's the case…' He thought to himself as he brought his hand to his chin.
"You're wondering if you can use magic because you can use magical eyes, right?" Colbert read through his thoughts as he saw it blatantly on his face.
"Ah! Y-Yes…" Shiki responded, not realizing how easy it was to read him.
"Haha! I knew I saw something special in you when I first saw you summoned… I must admit Shiki, I didn't expect such a turn of events." The old man smiled as he looked at another old tome. "Don't misunderstand me Shiki, just because you can use magical eyes doesn't mean you can use magic." He clarified as he went further into the lesson.
"What you have is an ability to use magical eyes. Because your adaptability to use those eyes is inadequate, it puts a strain upon your body. It's like it was forced upon you with a great burden and it can't be controlled because of it being inadequately used." Colbert-sensei spoke as if he were addressing a student.
"Then if I can learn to properly use magic, I can lessen the strain on my body?" Shiki asked, wondering how far he might be able to take this.
"Yes, that's correct… the only problem is that we don't know if your body can manifest magic. It would honestly be a treat to know if someone of your caliber could learn magic but it's still far too early." The teacher responded, looking back up at the boy. "If you don't mind Shiki, could you please try something for me?" The mage asked as he pointed towards a small piece of wood that was sticking out of a dusty old vase.
"Please pick up that practice wand." He instructed the boy as he sifted through one of his dusty books.
Following the instruction to the 'T', Shiki picked up the small piece of wood and looked at it inquisitively. He knew from reading a few books that wands were a type of medium that mages used to cast spells… then again this was just fiction since something like this didn't exist in his realm, but if the same concepts applied, then he would make a little sense of it.
"Now, please read these words." The professor stated as he handed a piece of parchment towards the 'student'.
Looking at the hieroglyphics, Shiki couldn't help but strain as he tried to read off the words. They weren't in any form of kanji, romanji, hiragana or English so he couldn't make sense of it. The odd-looking symbols puzzled him as he couldn't figure it out.
"S-Sir, I can't read this… I may be able to understand your language but I can't read it." Shiki sighed as he looked back at the professor.
"Don't worry. It's natural at first to think that this is our language… but it isn't." He stated as he pointed towards one of the words in the jungle of symbols. "This word here is pronounced: 'Miero'." He said in an odd voice as he emphasized the word. "It translates over into 'Vision' or 'Sight'. It's the primary word to cast the spell: Light. Watch and learn." He taught to the young man as he picked up his own staff.
"Miero." He called out as he gripped onto his staff, utilizing it as a catalyst as a luminescent beam of energy condensed into a ball, creating a sphere of light.
"W-What…?" Shiki couldn't believe his eyes as he was slightly blinded from it. "How did you do that?" Shiki asked, completely enthralled.
Quickly shaking his staff, the energy disrupted and the orb disappeared. The once lit room had returned to its slightly dark and dreary self as it once was. The old man smiled as he sat down. Noting the young boy's curiosity, Colbert indulged him with a bit more knowledge.
"The way a spell works is that you need three things." Colbert stated as he began to explain the basic concepts of magic.
"1: You need to have the capacity to bring forth magic in a pure form. It doesn't matter how this is achieved but as long as your body is capable of utilizing magic, whether it be from your bloodline or through circumstances such as your mystic eyes, you can utilize magic." Colbert explained as he was very explicit in his words.
"2: You need to have a medium. This is what controls the untamed magic within a person's body and catalyzes it into the medium they are using. This is normally a staff or a wand as mages are most adept with them." The professor continued as he then brought up his third and final point.
"3: You need to use the proper Words of Power." He emphasized on his final three words. "This is what gives the properties of your magic." He stood up as he took up a piece of chalk.
Walking out of the room, the mage began to erase his previous notes and started to list several symbols. The large chalkboard was roughly 30 feet by 10 feet. It was a rather large board that covered most of the wall and it was a handful teaching tool that the professor used on a daily basis. His hand movements were rapid and precise. His pinpoint accuracy and impeccable knowledge assisted him in listing what looked to be at least 200 sets of symbols. When he finally placed down the remaining piece of chalk, which was nearly expended by this point, the entire board had been filled.
"Now, let's begin." He said as he turned around to see Shiki sitting down at one of the desks. This in turn shocked him as he didn't expect to see him take his place so quickly. Making a small smile he began his lecture, starting with the very basics of magic.