Sometimes life likes to take a shit in your salad.

Tsukasa's parting words had shaken up Archimedes a good bit. While he was not necessarily surprised by the statement that he was "the last of his kind," having someone else say it made it more tangible. Tsukasa had left Archimedes with far more questions than answers, and Archimedes was not in the mood to start searching for answers. Archimedes left the prison absent-mindedly, allowing himself to be walked through the motions by the guards. At that moment, Archimedes just wanted to get away. Away from this prison filled with that horrible aura. Away from Tsukasa and his biting words veiled in stupidity. Away from the thought of the mysterious leader of Blanche.

Away from the burden of being the last of something he doesn't even understand.

Archimedes got on his motorcycle and just started driving, no destination in mind, at breakneck speed though the countryside.

"You haven't heard from him either?" A concerned Mayumi asks.

It was the following day and Tatsuya and Miyuki were having lunch in the student council room with Mayumi.

"No, we haven't. But I'm sure he is fine! Archimedes is smart, he wouldn't do anything to get himself in trouble." Miyuki answers in a soothing voice.

Archimedes had not been heard from since he left the previous morning to take care of "personal business."

"Maybe I should try calling him one more time…"

"There is no point, Mayumi. If Archimedes doesn't want to be found, no one will be able to find him. He will contact us when he is ready. All we can do is wait and go about our regular routines." Tatsuya responded without a trace of concern.

"Still…"

"Mayumi, he will be fine." Miyuki said comfortingly.

"Why are you so concerned about him anyways?" Tatsuya asks innocently.

"That's because…"

"Onii-Sama, one does not question a maiden's heart so heavy handedly." Miyuki scolds.

"I think both of you are misunderstanding something here!"

Tatsuya and Miyuki both turn towards Mayumi. Tatsuya wears a face of simple curiosity while Miyuki sports a knowing smile.

"Geez, I swear you two. Is it. So wrong to be worried about someone?"

Miyuki is about to respond when a gentle chime rings out of Tatsuya's pocket.

"Archimedes just turned the tracker on his terminal back on."

Miyuki peeks over at Tatsuya's terminal before nodding and returning to her lunch.

"Are neither of you going to check on him?" Mayumi asks.

"If there was something that he needed help with he would have told us. There's nothing to be worried about." Tatsuya answers, stowing his terminal back in his pocket.

"Do you at least know what he is doing?"

Tatsuya and Miyuki glance at each other.

"That's… Something you should probably ask him about yourself." Miyuki answers.

'So this is where Archimedes is.' Mayumi thinks to herself as she gets out of the cabinet.

The building she has arrived in front of was on the outskirts of the Tokyo area and looked like a strange hybrid of a lab and an apartment complex. The outside was sleek and modern in design, with a grey scheme making up much of the outside materials. A sign outside said "Orphanage for the Gifted" but was otherwise undistinguishable from other nearby buildings. There was certainly nothing there that signified it being an orphanage, or even its being a place where children lived for that matter. There were no playgrounds, no fields, not even a picnic table or benches. The grounds were kept in exquisite shape and it honestly looked more like a business office than an orphanage.

Mayumi took a deep breath and stepped through the automatic sliding doors. The inside surprised her more than the outside. It was a reception area, just as one would find at a place of corporate business. There was a man at the reception desk typing away at a terminal while talking into an earpiece and several men and women in suits were lounging in the sparse but expensive looking furniture. Natural light flooded in from the large overhead skylights and there was a good amount of flowers and flora potted on tables and in corners throughout the room.

Mayumi walked up to the reception desk and waited to be addressed.

"… Yes sir, I understand. …. Yes, yes. I will move their paper work through expedited channels. … Yes, they still have a meeting with Director Ayase next Wednesday. ... Alright, I'll send you an update after their meeting. Have a nice rest of your day."

The man gently tapped the headset before giving a wide smile to Mayumi."

"Welcome, do you have an appointment?"

The man looked to be in his mid 20's and had neatly combed black hair. He had a tanned complexion and his face was clean of any blemishes.

"No, actually. I'm looking for Shiba Archimedes."

"Oooh that scoundrel. Inviting a cute girl here? He must be really trying to get on your good side. If you will just follow me."

The man picked up a mobile terminal before walking through a pair of large double doors to the left of the desk. Mayumi followed closely behind him, the doors hissing to a shut behind her as she passed. They had entered a long hallway, with doors on either side leading to offices and conference rooms alike. They came to a stop at the end of the hallway, in front of a large heavy wooden door. He quickly swiped a card through the reader on the side and the door quietly slid to the side.

"Just go right through there, one of the other staff will show you were Archimedes is. Have fun~"

The man quickly turned on his heel and started walking back the way they came. Mayumi stepped through the door, which shut swiftly after she crossed its threshold. Inside was a large play area, filled with toys and other forms of amusement. There where at least 30 children inside and 2 care takers, one male and one female. The male care taker was sitting at a table, drawing and building puzzles with several children around him. The female caretaker was sitting on a stool, reading to a large group of children. The two looked almost identical, both having curly orange hair and soft grey eyes. The woman looked up and greeted Mayumi with a warm, homely smile.

"Ren? Will you show our guest to Archimedes please?" She called in a cooing voice.

"Sure thing, Rin!" The man replied eagerly.

""Ooh! Ooh! We'll do it!"" Two small voices called out.

A pair of girls ran up to Mayumi, both having long beautiful blonde hair.

"Hi Onee-San! I'm Shiro!" The one on the left said.

"And I'm Riko! We're twins!"

Mayumi did notice that the two girls were virtually indistinguishable from each other as they both grabbed one of Mayumi's hands.

"Onee-San is looking for Archimedes Onii-sama, right?" Shiro asked.

"Yes, I am. Can you show me where he is?" Mayumi responds with a gentle smile.

"Sure! We were just heading over there anyways!" Riko responded.

Both girls tug on Mayumi's hands, leading her further back into the room. Mayumi sees more children as they go further back. Some are coloring, some are building with blocks, and others are just reading or talking. The age range for the children seems to be anywhere from 3 to 8 years old, with the gender ration between boys and girls being about 50/50. Soon, Mayumi sees a familiar black dog that Archimedes had called Eureka giving rides to excited children who were squealing with glee as he moved. As she was distracted by this sight, Shiro and Riko let go of Mayumi's hands and ran off giggling behind a nearby divider.

"Geez, I thought those two were going to show me where Archimedes is."

Mayumi sighs, and walks over to the divider to try to find the girls.

"Hey, hey! Onii-Sama! There's a pretty Onee-San here looking for you! Is she your girlfriend? Hey, Onii-Sama!"

"I heard you the first time Riko. Calm down."

Mayumi freezes after hearing Archimedes' voice. It was without a doubt Archimedes' voice, but it was different from what she was used to. Archimedes, despite his usually aloof nature, had a carefully metered and paced way of speaking. His usual tone was pleasant and familiar, but wasn't overbearingly sweet. But the tone he had now was gentle and soothing. It was a voice that could lull even the most chaotic heart into a deep slumber or pacify the most violent of individuals. It was a loving tone, much like what an affectionate parent would use when talking to their child.

"Mayumi, you can come over here." Archimedes called, switching back to his normal tone.

"How did you know it was me?" Mayumi asks as she walks around the edge of the divider.

Mayumi can't help but laugh at the scene that she finds.

Archimedes is sitting in front of a small group of older children, looking to be between 8 and 10 years of age. Shiro and Riko have taken up residence on his lap. Archimedes is wearing a red and blue jester's cap, with lime green spots on his cheeks. He has a deck of cards in his hands, which he is using to do several different tricks.

"Kids, this is Mayumi," Archimedes says, slipping back into his gentle tone, "She is the student council President at my school. Be nice to her."

""Yeeeesss."" The children answer in unison.

"Mayumi, if you can wait a few minutes we can go somewhere more private to talk."

Mayumi nods in approval and Archimedes continues doing card tricks for the kids. While Archimedes does do your classic "is this your card" gimmicks, he mostly operates doing impressive feats of slight of hand. He skillfully manipulates the cards to make them jump from hand to hand and disappear from sight. Mayumi is impressed, as she knows that this is completely due to Archimedes' skill with the cards as he cannot use any magic to help him. Mayumi finds herself entranced by Archimedes performance, his gentle voice narrating his every move drawing you in and the impressive feats of skill keeping your interest. Mayumi actually feels a tinge of disappointment when Archimedes ends his little show.

"Alright kids, it's time for me to go." Archimedes says, lifting Shiro and Riko out of his lap before getting to his feet.

The children respond with a groan of disappointment.

"Don't do that, I'll be back soon. I promise." He said, rubbing Shiro and Riko's heads.

""Bye Onii-Sama."" The two girls say in unison.

"Bye Shiro. Bye Riko. Alright Mayumi, let's go." Archimedes says before walking past the divider.

Mayumi quickly follows behind. As they walk, the large black dog that Mayumi saw earlier walks over to Archimedes side.

"Good job, Eureka." Archimedes says, petting the dog's head.

The dog is absorbed into a black liner around Archimedes' ring as they walk. Mayumi isn't surprised by this in the slightest, as many users of familiars require some sort of physical object to create/summon their familiar.

Archimedes leads Mayumi to a door leading to a side hallway, which he has to open using a keycard of his own. The hallway opens up to a small break room, where Archimedes pulls off his jester's hat and stores it in a locker before rubbing off the face paint.

"So, Mayumi, what's up?" He says, taking a seat at a small table.

"I was just checking on you since you hadn't come to school and neither Tatsuya nor Miyuki knew what was going on." Mayumi answers, sitting across from Archimedes.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just needed to take some time to cool off and think. This is the best place for me to do that. Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow."

"That's fine. I'm just glad you are alright. What is this place anyways? It doesn't exactly look like an orphanage."

A serious expression suddenly comes over Archimedes face.

"Hey Mayumi, would you mind taking a quick ride with me?"

Archimedes was quickly weaving through the late afternoon traffic, Mayumi tightly clinging to his back. Mayumi had luckily changed into pants with the rest of her street-wear before coming to see Archimedes and was having no problems riding his motorcycle with him. They didn't go far before exiting the city limits and Archimedes started taking side roads, ones that clearly weren't regularly traveled. Archimedes came to a stop at the base of a hill, parking his bike in a small worn out patch of grass just off the road. Archimedes got off the bike first, helping Mayumi off before taking off his helmet and shaking out his hair. Mayumi hadn't noticed it before, but there was a braid in his hair in the back right side of his head.

"Where did you get this?" Mayumi asks, holding up the braid in question.

"Oh, one of the older girls at the orphanage did it. I didn't think it looked bad so I just left it."

"I like it. I think it suits you."

"Thanks. We are almost there, so just follow me a bit further."

Archimedes starts walking up the hill, Mayumi close behind. Mayumi can see a large maple tree at the top but not much else.

"You still haven't told me where we are going." She says playfully, swatting at Archimedes braid as they walk.

"I think you will understand when we reach the top." Archimedes responds as he shakes his head trying to keep his hair out of Mayumi's reach.

As they crest the hill, Mayumi sees the city spread out in the distance. Seeing it like this let Mayumi truly appreciate how beautiful the city was. There was a perfect blend of greenery and modern buildings to create a stunning scene of the marriage between the two sometimes opposing forces.

Archimedes plops down in front of the tree, laying down in the grass.

"So you wanted to ask me about the 'orpahanage' we were just at?" Archimedes asks, the wind gently caressing his hair and the grass around him.

"Yeah, about that, it didn't really strike as an orphanage. I was expecting something more… Homely."

"Well, you aren't wrong in thinking that it's weird. It's officially an orphanage for 'gifted individuals.' However, in reality it's government sponsored facility to find and train any orphaned kids who have an affinity for magic. It's basically just a place where the government can round up any kid that looks like they have potential and raise them into state-sponsored mages."

Mayumi looks appalled.

"So they just take advantage of these children who have no one to turn to and use them to their own ends?"

"It honestly could be a lot worse. I mean, you saw them in there. The kids are happy. They have everything they could ever need along with a pretty much assured future. Anyways, the biggest thing for a lot of those kids is just having a place where they are accepted for who and what they are."

Mayumi looks confused by this so Archimedes continues.

"The kids are from lots of different groups. Some of them are the children of mages that died. Shiro and Riko are a part of that group, their parents died in the line of duty. Some were at other orphanages and were moved to that one after developing magical abilities or showing an abnormally high Psion count. However, some of them were abandoned by their parents when they showed magical abilities."

"Wait, but don't most abilities start to show and are tested for in elementary school?"

Archimedes nods somberly.

"So that means…" Mayumi tries to force out with a distraught face.

"Yes, these are kids who know who led perfectly normal lives with their families up until they showed magical ability. Then one day, they were abandoned. Each case is different. Some of them were just left behind somewhere: a park, a shopping mall, anywhere public really. When the family of the child left behind was searched for, there was never any ttrace of them ever existing. Others legally disown their children. Some start beating and abusing the child until the poor kid is taken by protective services. Some even resorted to suicide, leaving the child to find their parents' and sometimes their siblings corpses."

Archimedes pauses, watching the gently swaying leaves of the tree above him. Mayumi has taken a seat next to him, her legs folded to her side. Archimedes sits up and stares into Mayumi's eyes intently.

"Ren and Rin were part of that last group."

Mayumi was floored.

"So those two cheery people I saw when I entered the room…"

Archimedes lays back down, his eyes glazing over slightly.

"5 years old. That how old they were when their parents committed suicide. It was with a small handgun. A neighbor heard the shot afterwards and got Ren and Rin out of there before calling the police. But Ren and Rin were already broken by then. Their parents didn't just commit suicide, they did it in front of Ren and Rin. According to what the police managed to dig up, they couldn't bear the fact that they had brought 'monsters' into this world. So they planned to kill Ren and Rin and then off themselves. But when it came time to do the deed, they couldn't bring themselves to kill their children. Then, through some perverse version of mercy, they killed themselves in front of Ren and Rin. It only took one shot. Some sick form of 'together until the end' or some other horse shit."

Archimedes takes a deep breath and turned his head to look at Mayumi.

"I can't say that orphanage is a great place, but it is certainly the only place where those kids can get the help they need and feel like they belong. Hell, they even gave me a place to belong for a little while."

"You lived there?" Mayumi asks with a soft voice.

"For about 6 months. I was an unknown after all. I was quite literally just some random foreign looking kid who just washed up on shore. All I had on my person were some tattered clothes and my ring. There was nothing to identify me by, and there were no missing persons reports anywhere that matched my description. My DNA and fingerprints didn't bring up anything either. They stuck me in the best place for them to keep an eye on me while they tried to ultimately figure out what to do with me. My magical disposition had nothing to do with my placement there.

Despite all that, the rest of the kids accepted me as their own. These children who had everything taken from them were still able to accept me, a foreigner with strange markings all over his body, and let me become one of them.

That's why I still go there, despite the fact that it is just a government project to create fiercely loyal mages. The kids there are still kids, the same type of kids who accepted me when I just washed up one day. I want to make their time there as enjoyable as possible, so that way they will have fond memories to look back on when they go through training."

"Training?"

"When those kids turn 13, they go into their respective training programs. The children who are good stock but have no real magical ability of their own are put into grooming to become politicians and the such. However, the training for the children with magical ability is hell. They have the magical knowledge they need beaten into them, and have to go through brutal hands on training to learn to combine normal fighting techniques with magic. Those kids usually are done at 16, and by the end of it they are expertly trained soldiers with unshakable loyalty to the government.

That's of course the program Ren and Rin went through. They did exceptionally well, and were assigned to the orphanage to help teach the children basic magical theory and skills before training. They are both exceptional mages, jacks of all trades that do not specialize in any one type of magic."

"So they are both soldiers…"

"Most of the kids you saw will be soldiers too, Shiro and Riko for example. Those two will grow up to be soldiers. Their fates are sealed."

Mayumi clenches her hands, remembering the feeling of their soft warm hands intertwined with her own. Their innocent gazes and warm smiles. But those small hands would soon grow, developing countless callouses as they train. And those innocent eyes would soon lose their gleam, having seen far too much. Their warm smiles would also fade, being replaced by a grimace as they engage in bloody battles.

"'Magicians are tools to be used.' That's how the world sees us. We are seen as monsters, wielding powers previously not thought possible. We are made to be exploited for the public interest. That is the fate of all mages. At least this way these kids will be prepared for the kind of world we live in."

Mayumi was struck by how passionate Archimedes was when it came to these kids. She had seen him angry and excited by things in the past, but nothing could compare to the amount of raw passion he exhibited for this topic.

"Archimedes…"

"I'm sorry for just disappearing like that. I really just needed some time to think. I met someone recently knew something about who… Or what I am."

Mayumi looks over at Archimedes with a concerned look.

"What do you mean 'what you are?'"

"He didn't know much, but he did know that my family was known as 'demons.'"

"Well that's not something to be terribly concerned with, magicians are often referred to by derogatory terms like that."

Archimedes shakes his head.

"Yeah, but he was also a magician. He wasn't referring to me as a demon just because I can use magic. He was terrified by my existence. And it wasn't just any fear, the feeling I got from him was that of primal fear. He wasn't just consciously afraid of me, his entire being was absolutely was frightened to the core."

Suddenly, Archimedes turns to Mayumi with a deathly serious look.

"Mayumi, I trust you wholeheartedly. I am not exactly sure why, but I feel like I can tell you everything I know about myself. However, I still need you to promise that you will never speak to anyone about this other than myself, Tatsuya, and Miyuki."

"S-sure. I promise." Mayumi answers, caught off guard by this sudden change of tone.

"Mayumi, I need you to be committed to this. This isn't just some half-assed promise in the schoolyard. This could quite honestly be a matter of life and death for me."

Mayumi's face turned serious and she grasps Archimedes' hands in her own.

"I promise."

Archimedes nods and the whites of his eyes are engulfed in darkness. The black substance of Eureka drips off his ring in large drops, quickly assuming the form of a cat. The gentle hum of Archimedes' motorcycle suddenly comes into earshot before the vehicle in question crests the hill and comes to a stop next to them.

"My magic is called Necromancy. I can control any system that I come into contact with, be it electronic or natural."

Mayumi nods slowly.

"I have more questions about that, but what happened to your eyes? They have gone black and are… Glowing."

"The black is from the blood vessels in my eyes bursting. It hurts, but it heals as soon as I stop using necromancy. I have gotten used to it. The glow is something only people with sensitivity to magic can see. There is a high density of Psions around my eyes, making them seem like they are glowing."

"Ok, so now can you explain this whole necromancy thing?"

"I can take control of any electronic or natural system, assuming they have something I can use. For example, I can control my motorcycle or an animal with my necromancy, but not something like a plant or a stand alone motor. Each thing I control has to have a vector of control for me to use, like electronics have a processor and living things have brains. I force my Psions into those pathways and make them do what I want."

Mayumi stares for a moment, trying to take it all in.

"Okay… I think I've got it… So what does all of this have to do with you being called a 'demon?'"

"Well let me start from the beginning. I've told you that I just washed up on the beach one day in tattered clothes. But I didn't tell you everything. My clothes weren't just torn, they were burnt and had traces of jet fuel all over them. Also, a few days after I was found, some plane wreckage showed up near where I was found. The investigation was kept quiet because they found that the plane was unmarked and was coated in advanced stealth paint. And I was undoubtedly on that plane. Shrapnel found in my body was an exact match to the wreckage that was found. The government questioned other countries about the plane, but never got anything. The government was careful enough to avoid mentioning that they found me.

They did also try questioning me about it, but it quickly became abundantly clear that I didn't know anything. Hell, I didn't even know my own name. 'Archimedes' is just what was engraved on the box my ring was in. Anyways, I was sent to the orphanage but was quickly adopted by my parents. The government only agreed to it because it was good PR for them and I would still be easily monitored. My latent ability eventually re-emerged and I was accepted into First High some time later. Skipping forward a bit, we get to the day when a group of students took over the broadcast studio. I'm sure you remember me fainting. Well, after that Tatsuya brought me to the student council room. I coughed up a ton of blood on the table, and that blood became Eureka."

"Wait, what?"

"Eureka, go ahead and say hello."

Eureka pads over to Mayumi before speaking.

"Hello, Saegusa-san. It's a pleasure to finally formally meet you. Thank you for taking such good care of my master."

"Eureka, go ahead and tell Mayumi what you are."

"I am what is commonly referred to as a demon. I am from a a different plane of existence, bound to my master by a literal blood bond in order to preserve my kind's existence. He supplies me with life-force and I in turn obey his every command."

Mayumi is stunned. She had heard of familiars before, but none recorded could talk. They only possessed basic animal intelligence, nothing close to what Eureka was capable of. Eureka was in a league of his own, and Mayumi was inclined to believe what he said about his existence.

"So, basically you are concerned about this person calling you a demon because you yourself have a 'demon' in your service."

"Basically, yes. However I am more concerned about what other people know about me that I don't. I mean, he could be right. Maybe I am a demon. Maybe my family was killed because 'our kind' pose a threat to humanity. No matter how you look at it, I am not supposed to be alive right now."

"Archimedes…"

"I have no idea who or what I am. All I do know is that someone or something probably wants me dead and that I am definitely not normal, even by magicians' standards."

"Archimedes, just that your magic is a bit different doesn't mean you are that strange."

"Really? You should check if I exist before saying that."

"Check if you exist?"

Archimedes stands up and spreads his arms wide.

"Try casting magic on me, any magic. Just try to target me."

"I don't think that's necessary."

"Just do it. It's the easiest way to prove my point."

Mayumi begrudgingly pulls out her CAD and begins to cast a basic movement spell on Archimedes. Nothing too powerful, just enough to knock him off his feet. But she stops in the middle of the spell, allowing the activation to lapse and fail. Something was wrong, but she shook it off and tried again. But once again she stops. It was for the same reason as last time, but it didn't make any sense. She continued to try over and over again before finally looking up at Archimedes with wide eyes.

"You don't exist…"

Archimedes gave a a knowing, but pained smile as he falls back into the grass. He laid there, his arms still out and jacket sprawled out to his sides. Mayumi crawls over and pokes his face.

"It's weird, isn't it." Archimedes says, looking at Mayumi with that same pained look.

"It shouldn't be possible…" Mayumi whispers, tracing the contours of Archimedes' face.

Mayumi needed this physical confirmation right now. The information dimension didn't lie It was malleable and could be changed, but there were certain unchangeable factors. People were one of those. One could use magic to make themselves hard to perceive, but they would still appear very clearly in the information dimension. But Archimedes was completely void. The space he should appear in the information dimension wasn't just blank, it didn't exist. His Psions were there, swirling around like usual in large clumps. But Archimedes was completely absent of information. It shouldn't be possible, as the information dimension didn't have even an inch of space without information. But Archimedes was there. He was real. The fingers tracing his jaw and the Psions that Mayumi knew were his confirmed that.

Archimedes moves his jaw into a fiendish grin, causing Mayumi to quickly pull her fingers back.

"I'm a monster, aren't I."

Archimedes' smile was that of someone happily joking, but his eyes revealed the truth. Loneliness and sadness were hidden deep within his Crimson Irises.

That's when it clicked.

Mayumi realized what Archimedes was trying to tell her.

Archimedes had been alone for as long as he could remember. Sure, there were people around him who cared for him, but he knew he was different. He was shunned by some because he was a magician, more because of his foreign appearance, and most of the rest would leave him if they knew what he really was. Archimedes had kept almost everyone at arms length, in fear of revealing himself. Tatsuya and Miyuki were probably the first people he had ever truly opened up to. And now he had decided to bare all to Mayumi as well.

Mayumi leans over Archimedes and looks deep into his eyes.

"I don't care who or what you or anyone else thinks you are. To me, you are Shiba Archimedes, my faithful man servant." She says, booping him on the nose.

Archimedes eyes begin to tear up as he sits up and takes Mayumi's hands into his own.

"Mayumi… Thank you."