Twist of Fate
Disclaimer: I do not own a certain magical index, it's characters or it's elements.
Chapter 11: Eternal Dream
"So magic is real?" Saten tried to summarize Index's explanation of the history of magic and idol theory.
"Yes," Index replied. "That's what I've been saying."
Index was answering the questions about magic that Yomikawa, Saten, Uiharu, Konori, Kuroko and Mikoto had. Mikoto had seen magical things before but had never been given an explanation, and up until now was only able to explain them in terms of science.
"So could I learn magic?" Saten asked hopefully.
Index shook her head. "No, you can't."
"Why can't I?" Saten said, her hopes dashing.
"Magicians are people with no talent."
"I don't have any." Saten joked.
"There are setbacks in life. You may fail in saving a loved one from an incurable disease or end up killing someone you care about. You have to fail so much that you try and overcome the laws of physics. People who are satisfied with themselves will just stay where they are. People who rely on the supernatural power of magic have reasons leading them to do so. People have to be desperate to gain that kind of power." Index paused to let the words sink in. "There are exceptions, people like saints who are born with magical power. There are also people who are raised in magical communities, cabals and families with long histories of using magic who are born and live in that world."
Saten had been through a lot to gain an esper ability and had failed, she had even ended up using the level upper to try and gain that power. She still wanted her efforts to add to something yet she liked herself, she liked the friends that she had made, and she had never lost anyone or anything to that extent.
"Plus if you went to the power curriculum program you really can't." Index added.
"Say what?"
"Espers can't use magic. Their bodies have been changed so much that if they try to use magic it starts destroying their bodies."
Trying to focus the conversation into something helpful Yomikawa asked a couple of questions, "And magic is real? And no one has noticed anything?"
"Well, magic can corrupt people. For the most part it is prohibited, but organizations around the world are set up to use magic against those who misuse it. They also seek to keep it from the public so no one panics but things have happened. In London the princess gained a powerful spiritual item and used it to overthrow her mother."
"Wait, that was really magic?" Kuroko blurted out.
"Yes, I was there along with Touma. Other things happened around here too. There was the magic that was used by Stiyl and Kanzaki. There was that alchemist who tried to do something to Himegami. There was the time that Sherry Cromwell let that golem into the mall. Vento of Front using that spell to knock everyone out in the city. Oh, and there was that magician that tried to kidnap me to save the women he loved."
"And the city doesn't know anything about this?!" Yomikawa asked, outraged that a few of those attacks had left people hurt and she hadn't known that they weren't dealing with espers.
"Some people do know. The church I work for talks to the city leaders, well from what I can figure out, they at least let in magicians here to deal with those that sneak in. There is a balance that has to be kept. If the balance is not kept things like World War Three will happen again."
They were all silent as they realized how big the stakes could get, the war had left a lot of damage that still had yet to be repaired.
"And he was there for all of them?" Mikoto questioned as she pointed at Touma.
"Yes, for better or worse he gets pulled in time and time again and ends up stopping them."
Touma was talking on the phone with Itsuwa and Stiyl next to him.
"What do you mean soup?" Touma asked Orsola.
"It's a recipe for soup." She told him again.
"How is that going to help?"
"It doesn't unless you have the cypher."
"What cypher?" Stiyl growled.
"Well, no one would code a soup recipe. The recipe is a code for a ritual for an elixir of some sort. Each ingredients stands in for an ingredient that you need for an elixir. Once you swap them out you have the recipe for the elixir."
The three stared in silence, finally Touma said, "Why didn't you just say that?"
"I just did."
"Never mind. What is the elixir for?"
"I don't know. Without the cypher I can only guess what it does. All I know is that it must be prepared by the light of a setting sun when you add the chicken. I think your friend is the chicken in this recipe."
They looked at the sun to see they had about hour before it set.
"Can you tell us more?" Itsuwa asked. "Anything that might help locate them?"
"No, I'm sorry. It just needs to be in an open area with the sun out." Orsola apologized before handing off the phone.
Tsuchimikado on the other end spoke, "Kami, I'll do everything I can on my end but you will need to find her on your own. I will say something. We have looked through the notes and well…. It looks like De Leon found the notes belonging to Albert Magnus. Magnus didn't put the spell to make a true philosopher's stone in the grimoires because it takes people to make, a lot of people, sacrificed to make one stone, and he didn't want to be responsible for so many deaths. The process to make the smaller stones makes them less powerful and less all-purpose but it doesn't take lives. Still, that doesn't mean this ritual is so kind. Find Komoe quickly."
Touma held his phone in his hand. The phone was old, broken, and cracked but it was his. He looked around for answer when he realized it, "She said she believed in me. She has the answer. I've had the answer the whole time."
Awaki entered a fancy hotel lobby and spotted Himegami sitting on a chair. They decided to meet there and eat together since apparently Himegami just found out there was a contest she had won and the prize needed to be picked up there.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Himegami said as she got in a line for the front desk.
Awaki started out, "I think it would be better if we waited until after we eat."
"Is that Kamijou?" She pointed towards the door.
Touma had arrived with a group of people and Himegami was not pleased that most of them were women.
"Hey Kamijou! Itsuwa!" Aogami walked over to the unfortunate boy. "So did you get the email too?"
"Email?" Touma questioned his friend.
The dark haired and large breasted girl known as the Iron Wall, Fukiyose, came over with the blue haired boy, "It looks like everyone in our homeroom got an email about winning something and having to pick it up here and now."
"Is it a class prize?" Aogami questioned. "Maybe we can finally get answers."
One of the hotel clerks walked over to this strange group. He was a tall man with dark hair and a freshly pressed suit with his name tag pinned to the lapel. "How did you find this place?"
"What?" Was the general response.
The clerk's body started to twitch and twist frantically before it changed to look like the alchemist. "Sorry about that. Oh, don't worry this is another homunculus. I took some time and created a perfect set and I used it to replace the staff at this hotel. The staff is fine, just knocked out and put in a back room." At that moment every single member of the staff on the floor turned towards the group. "It took some time but it was worth the effort. I also took the liberty of bringing in the ones that I had attacking the city earlier." On cue the half-finished homunculi walked down the halls towards them. "Take this as your last warning. You cannot save your teacher but if you try this will end with a massacre."
The second he finished the sentence the copy of the alchemist found himself suddenly floating mid-air only to crash down into a coffee table that was in the middle of the hotel lobby, a red haired young woman staring daggers at him.
He quickly jumped to his feet, this was a fake body and a tough one at that. He controlled it remotely so he had no reason to worry. Suddenly he found a girl with a thick skull slamming her forehead into his, knocking him back down. Before he could react a blue haired young man grabbed his collar and punched. The homunculus cracked and fell to the floor. Another of the homunculus started to twitch and quickly took on the form of the alchemist, only to be surrounded by more students and each and every one of them looked more than eager to rip him apart.
Aogami said with an unusual serious expression plastered on his face, "Kamijou, I don't know what's happening but is Komoe in trouble?"
"Yes, she is." Touma told him.
"Then that settles it. Go save our small teacher, be the hero and we'll stay behind and deal with these things."
None of the students seemed to argue with the plan and started to tear through the homunculi. Himegami pulled out her 'magic wand' and set it for full auto blast and shoved it into the bell boy who had changed shape, a few sparks shot out before he was tossed towards a wall. Cracks formed around his body before he fell apart. The rest of the students were attacking the homunculi with the ferocity of jungle animals, protecting any hotel guest from the attacking homunculi. Touma was certain that Tsuchimikado had sent the email to make sure that their teacher was safe, knowing that each and every one of her students would fight to their last to make sure that she was safe.
"I better get in on this." Yomikawa pulled out her baton and went straight towards the homunculi.
"Here." Index gave Saten her charm. "I took it to fix it."
"Fix it?" Saten asked.
"The charm was a little off so I fixed the markings."
"Thanks." She looked down at the charm that her mother had given her.
They had all come along in the Anti-Skill truck that Yomikawa had borrowed and Saten took the chance to get a baton out of it. She took a breath before she rushed into battle.
Kuroko and Mikoto just stared at the carnage that the high school students were causing. Mikoto finally sighed, "I guess when in Rome." Mikoto started to fling lightning spears and Kuroko teleported into the fray.
Konori turned to Touma, "We have to find your teacher."
Uiharu checked on her phone, "Yes, she's here but I can't tell what room."
"No, I think I know where she is. There is only one place that you'll be sure to get the sun."
At that very moment the Alchemist flinched, letting the homunculi fight off the students on their own. They were on top of the roof when it had all started.
"Your students are animals." Charles turned to the small teacher.
Komoe gave him a knowing smile even though she was tied up in magically enforced ropes. "That's Kamijou, he's not the smartest student I have but he tries harder than anyone else. If he says he is going to do something he is going to do everything he can to keep that promise."
"How did he even find me?"
Komoe chuckled, "I've been a teacher a long time and I know better than to leave the answer on the board for everyone to see, but I know how to give the students everything they need to answer the question."
"What did you do?"
"I put the battery back in my phone before I surrendered. The priest said he was afraid of being traced with it. It took Kamijou a little longer than I thought to figure that out but he still got here in the end."
"Fine, let's start the ritual." He growled.
Before them were arcane symbols drawn onto the roof, it was meant to gather the last rays of the sun. In the center was a large tub filled with a variety of liquids.
Suddenly, with a whoosh, Touma appeared before them holding a spear.
"How did you manage to do that?" The alchemist questioned.
"Enough!" Touma shouted pointing the spear at him. "Surrender!"
Using a gray stone the alchemist pressed it to the roof, as blue sparks shot off a portion of the roof was yanked out and shaped into a sword. Soon the weapons clashed as both fought to gain an inch.
Suddenly the red haired Awaki popped out of the air. "There you are." Awaki quickly grabbed the small teacher and tried to teleport her out of there, only to find out she couldn't.
"The ropes aren't just restraining her, they also keep her in place." The alchemist said while dodging the spear attack.
"Give me a moment." With that she vanished again.
A moment later Konori showed up out thin air, sent by the teleporter to help. Konori went for the hand that De Leon was using to hold the sword and attacked it. One quick twist of his wrist and the sword was dropped. Charles stepped back, trying to assess the situation.
Index appeared with Awaki out of thin air.
Index looked over the ropes, "He really went overboard with this. It would be so much easier with Touma's right hand."
"Right hand." The alchemist understood then. "He hasn't bothered to negate anything. He isn't here, is he?"
Touma sighed, "No, he isn't." Touma dropped the charm she had been holding onto to drop the illusion and revealed herself as Itsuwa. Awaki just clicked her tongue, she had seen someone do something like that already and wasn't impressed. "We didn't know if you had started the ritual or not. So I was sent ahead of time to make sure you didn't harm her."
Konori then pushed over the tub of liquids, spilling the contents and erasing the symbols drawn in chalk. "Let's just make sure that doesn't happen anyway."
The roof top door swung open and Touma came running.
"Touma!" Index yelled at him. "The ropes."
Touma didn't hesitate to use his right hand to shatter the ropes, and Awaki wasted no time to teleport herself, Komoe, and Index away.
Finally it seemed it was time for the final battle.
"Three against one is a bit one sided." Charles said half heartily.
"Why did you do all this?" Touma questioned.
"What does it matter? The ritual has been disrupted and the sun is already set. I don't have time."
"Why did you start this?" Touma demanded answers. "Why did you do all this? You didn't want to hurt anyone." Touma explained. "Every time you attacked you gave us a chance to run away. I'm the only one you attacked directly and you knew I could negate it all. Stiyl you hurt but only because he attacked you and you didn't even try to finish him off. But why attack Komoe?"
"Because I had no choice." The alchemist admitted. "I needed her blood to finish the elixir I already took, the other half. I already can't die but she doesn't age. The ritual would have taken that attribute from her and given it to me. To live forever without aging."
"You deserve to live more than her?" Touma said, quietly outraged.
"No, maybe I don't but I have the means to survive that she doesn't. She will die soon enough."
"What are you talking about?"
"Weeks ago I was using techniques I learned to predict the future with stars. I saw what is coming. I saw you Touma Kamijou. I saw you in the middle of it and it starts in this city. It will spread out over the world and claim so many lives. I just moved to make sure I survived it. So I was willing to kill that woman who is already slated to die if it meant I would live."
"Are you going to try again?" Konori asked him.
"No, I don't think so. You won't let me. And she was the only one I could reach. I read the files on you, Kamijou. The English Church has files on you and those close to you. They had one on her and how even they don't know why she doesn't age. I paid some people to gather more information and I came for her. It seems like a wasted effort now." His voice was hollow and it seemed like he had given up on everything. He looked over at the last few rays of the setting sun. "I don't know if it would be enough to survive it. I just had to try. However this ends please tell her I'm sorry for troubling her."
"This will end with you in the Tower of London." Itsuwa held her spear to him.
"I think not." He pulled out all the stones he had once more. "Do you know what happens when I use every one of my stones together?"
The three teens looked at him and shook their heads.
"No? Neither do I." He slammed the stones together and the result was a flash of blinding light.
"We have to run." Touma grabbed Itsuwa and Konori's hand and pulled them away as quickly as he could. He pushed them through the door. "Keep running."
Once Touma was certain they were running he looked at the flashing lights. "You can stop this!"
"No, I don't think I can." Charles De Leon's voice was nervous as light flooded over his body. "I am sorry. I never wanted to be your enemy. I owe you a great thanks for stopping Fiamma of the Right, his plans would have been terrible and forever taint the good work the Catholic Church has tried to do. Still it will pale in comparison to what is to come."
"What is coming? What are you talking about?"
"I can't tell you. It all depends on you in the end and if you knew what was coming….." He took a breath. "You are better off not knowing. But may God's blessing fall upon you because you are going to need them. Now if you value your life I think you should run."
The roof started to shake and the light was spreading and Touma knew it was far too much for him to negate so he left.
"I am sorry. I am so sorry for what I have done. May God find the mercy to welcome me into his arms. May Saint Peter watch over my accession. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all my days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Those were his final words. An explosion drowned out anything else he might be able to say. The light was so bright that some people swear it lit up the early night sky.
The entire top floor had been turned into gold and they found what looked to be a deformed gold statue of Charles De Leon. Touma tried to negate any power on the statue but found that nothing happened, it must have been too late to use his hand. There was the idea that it was a distraction so he could escape and the statue was just something he made at the last moment to throw them off. Index suggested that he might have tried to ascend into Heaven using the stones and leaving his body behind. Though she would admit that was only a theory and nothing firm had ever been established. Touma wasn't sure what to think, just that at the end De Leon didn't want him to see what was coming. They were certain that he was gone.
Still Stiyl took the statue so they could study it back in London.
At the airport as he was about to load it onto the plane he spoke to Touma, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Touma asked.
"For attacking you. The first time I met you I tried to kill you. I had no right to and I apologize."
Touma had no recollection of that meeting and didn't know how to react, "Okay."
"Okay? Is that all you have to say?"
"Yes."
"Fine, good bye." Stiyl grumbled out as he went onto the plane.
He didn't say it but apologizing did seem to take a lot of weight off his shoulders. Komoe scolded her students for getting into a fight just for her sake, still she treated their wounds and scrapes. Later on in the night her entire class went to celebrate her safety. Yomikawa did end up having a long discussion with Komoe about her never telling her that magic was real. The girls wondered what would change for them with the knowledge of this other whole world beside theirs.
Konori had something else to think about. Before they left the hotel Index had took her to the side and spoke to her, "Konori, you seem really nice."
"Thank you, Index." Konori was grateful for the compliment.
"And I know you like him."
"…." Konori didn't have a reply for that.
Index looked away. "I don't know how it's all going to end but I wish you luck with him. He'd be really lucky to end up with someone as kind and pretty as you." With that she ran away.
Touma wondered what the alchemist meant when he said that something was coming.
Deep in the Academy City there was something unfolding. A group of Anti-Skill members were on the ground of an alley shuddering in fear. Suddenly one was kicked in the gut by someone wearing a thick black boot.
"Oh, it's cold and you are offering me your jacket? What a gentleman." She took his black leather jacket off him and put it on herself. "What do you think? Is this jacket me?"
She twirled on her heel and laughed, "Ha he he haw! It's going to be a fun night." She smiled contently at the night. She strolled down the streets content and assured that she was the most dangerous predator out on the prowl.
Authors Notes: Yay for foreshadowing. I've been leaving hints about the end of the story since the start and this is just the biggest one yet. The next chapter will focus on Misaki and Seria. It will have some character development moments for Index. Some shocking twist in the next arc. So until then I hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave a review if you would please.