I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima. I only own the OCs in this fic.
Author Shout-Outs:
To Murraymints999,
I'm glad you liked the chapter! I wasn't really trying to make Setsuna OCC, it just came out like that. Hopefully she's back to normal by this chapter. As for Project I, yes it's just a bit epic. And since you seem to like Fate so much I have decided to give him a bigger role in the story. You can expect him and his crew from the Manga to show up soon.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Bold – Chanting in Greek
Underlined – Chanting in Latin
Shadow Hunters
Chapter XI
Growing Threat
Asuna's head was spinning from what Nodoka and Yue had told her. Negi had been sent all the way to the Magic World by that spell? How the heck had it been that powerful? The college student took a second to clear her head. The story wasn't over yet!
"It was a large creature," the blue-haired girl was saying. "At least six feet tall. He brought Negi to a shelter of some kind and that's when things really started to go downhill."
"Just then?" asked Kotaro.
Yue nodded and said, "I know that sounds weird but once sensei was inside this place he was confronted by this mage who… um, well… how would you describe him, Nodoka?"
"He was scary without being directly threatening," was the uncertain reply. "He was wearing a cloak that was dark green and said his name was Aleric Marcius."
"This mage," asked Takamichi. "What precisely did he do that made the situation worse?"
"Well, nothing at first," said Yue with her eyes on the floor. "He made Negi a bowl of soup and said even a magic-user shouldn't be out in a blizzard like that. But then he told Negi that he knew about his father!"
Nobody had been expecting this, as evidenced by their surprised faces.
Eva gave a grunt of irritation. "Why is it that these Shadow Hunters know more than we do?"
"That's a very great question."
There was a collective jump at the new voice. With no warning Konoemon had joined the gathering.
"Wha… who let you in, old man?" demanded the undead magi. "This is my cottage after all! The least you could do is announce yourself beforehand!"
"Ah, pardon me, Eva-chan," said the Dean with a bow. "Now…" Konoemon paused to remove a yellowish scroll from his oversized sleeve, "you said that this man's name was Aleric?" The librarians affirmed this, and the aged man opened and began looking intently at the paper in his grasp. He glanced up for a moment and said, "Don't mind me. Continue with the story. I'm listening."
"Well," started a troubled Nodoka. "Negi-sensei asked this man for anything he could tell him about the Thousand Master but he told sensei he would have to earn it."
"Earn it how?" inquired Asuna. The redhead did not at all like where this was going. The Negi she had known a few years ago had been all but obsessed with his father (in her opinion) and was willing to drive himself way beyond what was reasonable to find out about him (again her viewpoint).
"W-we don't really know," said Nodoka. "But Yue-Yue and I think it's possible that Negi-sensei was brainwashed by this man."
"Brainwashed?" screamed Asuna. "I knew it! I knew that something was off! The only way anyone could turn Negi against us is if he wasn't in his right mind!"
XXXXXXXXXXX
"Captain Negi, you are out of your mind!" exclaimed one member of Team Omega.
"How is Captain Negi out of his mind?" asked another Hunter from Team Zeta. "He isn't the one who dreamt this plan up and anyway I think it sounds plausible!"
"Plausible my butt!" snapped Tess. "Even if we get to Magic World undetected, which I'm not saying we could do, how would we go about removing all the Magic World's higher-ups?"
"I thought you'd never ask," answered Negi. The chattering teams went silent again as Negi continued his speech. "The answer is a simple one. Two members of Master Aleric's original team are already in that world and are gathering support for our cause. By the time we arrive, there will be several thousand capable combatants ready to fight at our side. And on top of that we have a number of contacts within the governments themselves, so with fast and decisive action we'll have the entire place subdued within the span of two days."
The same unnerving quiet returned as all of the elite Shadow Hunters pondered the workings and goal of Project Infinity. Even though upon becoming Shadow Hunters they had all signed a magical contract to help bring Project I to fruition, they had not been told what it was. Now that they knew they were somewhat surprised, none of them being the world-conquering type, but still intrigued. Success meant they would be in on the ground floor of a new order in the Magic World. Failure, however, guaranteed eternal exile from that land as well as mistrust from the wizards of the Old World. It took them all of five seconds to decide that the penalty for losing was far too low to keep them from going through with their contracts. After all, Master Aleric could be very creative with punishment and was considered an artist at magically induced death by some.
"Before you guys get too ahead of yourselves," said Negi, interrupting the thoughts of his comrades, "this is not a scheme for world domination, however much it may sound like it. Master Aleric doesn't intend to become the absolute ruler of that world but he will obtain a very important role in it."
"Excuse me," said a confused Tess. "But with all the nations toppled who's going to be in charge?"
"That's part of the fun," Negi grinned when he said this. "We're going to overthrow all of the governments and then we're gonna reinstate them!"
XXXXXXXXXXX
After Negi's briefing Rebecca and Sati had gone to the women's bathing area so they could discuss what they had been told without intrusion. But this was not to be, as they were followed by most of the female members of all the other teams. Now what they had going was a Huntress' group debate about Project I.
"It's sort of exciting, isn't it?" asked one girl from Team Gamma. "We're going to be part of the biggest thing to hit the Magic World since the war twenty-four years ago."
"I still think it sounds iffy," said the Huntress from Omega who told Negi he was crazy. "Nothing like this has ever been done before. Many have tried but all have failed."
"That doesn't mean it's impossible," offered Sati.
"And we won't be doing it in the same manner as our predecessors either," added Rebecca.
"It does seem as though Master Aleric has put a lot of thought into this," admitted Team Beta's Captain. "I think he knows what he's doing."
Tess gave a snort loud enough to be heard from the other side of the bath.
"What's that about?" asked the lady from Team Alpha.
"Master Aleric doesn't always know what's best," Tess said shortly.
"You better be careful, Tess," warned Beta's leader. "You're treading on thin ice."
It was true. The last person to question Aleric's authority had nearly suffocated on dry land. It was very hard for someone whose lungs had been replaced with gills to process oxygen from the air, after all.
"I'm not questioning Master Aleric himself," said Tess quickly. "It's his trust in that apprentice of his that I don't like."
Now it was Rebecca and Sati's turn to snort. For some reason Tess sniped at Negi every chance she got. This time, though, she wouldn't get away with it. Negi's teammates exchanged a nod and dove under the water.
"Why do you hate that poor boy?" asked the Gamma Huntress. "You're always trying to make his life miserable."
Before Tess could tell her fellow mercenary to mind her own business she noticed something. Something that was quite embarrassing. While she had been distracted Rebecca had swiped her robe and (clad in only a towel) was juggling it about in a ball.
"Why you… give that back!" Tess yelled.
In response Rebecca hurled the bunched up robe to Sati who, in turn, began a game of 'Monkey in the Middle' with the other girls.
"You are all going down!" screamed the enraged Tess.
XXXXXXXXXX
"Sounds like another game of 'Mess with Tess'," said Negi, not looking up from his book. The noise of the cat fight could be heard all the way from Team Delta's living quarters.
Herald chuckled. "She must have said something rotten about you again. I hope Sati and Rebecca have a lot of fun with her."
"Well, no one will ever top the time you stole all her bras and taped them to the side of the Taj Mahal with a 'For Sale' sign next to them," said Negi. "Poor Tess had to buy all of them back at twice their original price."
The underwear thief tried desperately not to crack up at the memory. "S-she… hehe… nearly broke my neck a-afterwards b-but… haha… i-it was worth it!"
"You're a nuttier person that you are a mercenary," commented the former teacher. "I hope you realize that."
"Thank you, I try!"
Negi rolled his eyes. "Sometimes…" he thought, "Herald reminds me of some of my old class's rowdier members. Speaking of whom…" Negi glanced up at the glowing-line-filled ceiling. "I wonder how they're enjoying my past? I hope they like it more than I did at the time."
XXXXXXXXXXX
"What the hell is this?" Asuna called over the wind.
After hearing how Nodoka and Yue's vision of the past had ended, Evangeline had demanded to see the glass sphere up close. The instant her fingers touched its smooth surface the ball had unleashed the same blinding light it had the first time. Now everyone who had been inside Eva's cabin was falling down the black tunnel that led to the world of Negi's memories. All this was explained by Yue as the group continued their descent.
"What's the point of this?" asked Konoka. "We already know the info this ball has! Why did it turn on like that?"
"No telling, Ojou-Sama," said Setsuna as she maneuvered closer to her charge. "Maybe there are more of Negi sensei's recollections here than we thought."
Mana yelled out, "I see something ahead!"
Light burst forth from the bottom of the tunnel and ate away at the darkness until an entirely different landscape was unveiled. The region was mountainous and almost alive with evergreens. A lake rested in the center of all this and was mirror-like from the air. Sunlight streaked down from above as a flock of birds took to the skies in a rush of flapping wings and falling feathers. It was a little sad for the new arrivals; to think that they were only experiencing this natural wonder secondhand.
Except, of course, for its three oldest members.
"This is definitely the Magic World," said Konoemon.
"No, really?" asked Eva, her tone heavy with sarcasm. "Do you think?"
"I haven't seen this in years," said Takamichi with a smile. "I wasn't able to fully appreciate it before so…" The iaiken-user trailed off as his noticed Asuna's reaction. Her mismatched eyes were wide and her breathing had become heavier. "Seeing this must have triggered something inside her own memories," he realized. "I might want to distract her so she doesn't focus too much on how familiar this place is." But just as he opened his mouth to do this another, colder, voice became audible.
"I see you've come back to the land of the living."
"Ah, over there!" cried Nodoka, pointing to one of the cliffs that surrounded the water. On the top of that structure of rock lay Negi Springfield. He was pushing himself up on his hands and (judging by his wobbling) felt very dizzy. Off to the boy's right stood Aleric, his arms folded and his dark green hood over his head.
"You'll forgive my seeming rudeness by keeping my hood up," said the Magister. "But I'm waiting for a friend of mine and he should be here shortly."
"Is that…" started Asuna.
"Yes," Yue cut in. "That's the man who we think brainwashed Negi-sensei."
The ten-year-old finally made it to his feet and lifted his gaze to look at his senior in magic. "What was that you did to me?" the young magi asked.
Aleric grinned. "That was a special mind protection curse I use on anyone I tell my secrets to. As long as the curse remains strong nobody will be able to read your mind against your will." He paused. "Well… I suppose if they really tried for hours on end they might get through but they'd risk their own mind in the process. But, in any event, unless you choose to divulge what you know willingly it cannot be taken from you without a fight."
While the past Negi came to terms with this new mental security Setsuna couldn't help but be disappointed. "So much for that loophole," she thought sourly. "It would have been easier for me to forgive him if he wasn't acting of his own accord." The half-demon inhaled a deep breath and let it out. Now thather anger had exhausted itself she knew what had been more traumatic; while the method her former teacher had used to defeat her had been embarrassing (and in front of Konoka!) it didn't compare to having to go into serious combat against someone who was near and dear to her heart. It was like a sunburn versus a stab wound. The burn was painful but it didn't cause any irreversible damage. The stab wound, however, was dangerous to your health as well as painful. "It is probably best if I let go of what happened that night. Negi-sensei did try not to hurt us. And he did say that it was part of his job. That doesn't mean I'm not gonna give him a good thrashing but I guess I can…"
"You said you were waiting for someone?" asked the memory Negi. "Who…"
"Well, that was a delayed reaction," joked Aleric. "But if you must know he's…" The high-mage stopped for a moment. "Behind you," he finished.
Just then a humongous, black thing plunged from the sky and landed with a 'Ca-crash' that shook the ground, the trees, the lake, and most of all Negi.
"What's that?" cried Kotaro.
From their vantage point above the lake the collection of Negi's old friends and partners saw something rise up out of the churned-up dust.
Kū Fei was the first to identify the imposing figure, having spent many a sleepless night fantasizing about battling one. "Ah! A dragon! Is a dragon!"
"So it is," said Eva with complete calm.
The beast was covered from head to toe in jet black scales, had teeth that could pass for swords, and must have had a wing-span of forty feet. In short, this was one scary lizard! Everyone watching the scene as a memory expected the creature to lunge at Negi and try to eat him. So, naturally, the dragon bent over and spoke.
"Well, what do we have here?" it said. "What's your name, little morsel?"
Negi's mouth moved but no words came out. A talking dragon. Nowadays a dragon that was intelligent enough to speak was as rare as getting a royal flush on the first hand without cheating. Happily Aleric answered for him.
"This boy is called Negi Springfield," said the man with a smile. "That name mean anything to you?"
"Not the first one," replied the dragon. "But Springfield… that was the name of that guy who calls himself the Thousand Master. This kid a relative?"
That's when Negi found his voice. "I-I'm h-his son. D-do you k-know…"
"Not personally," said the fire-drake. "But I know of him. My name is Gaul, by the way. Gaul the Grand Dragon of the North."
"Gaul and I have been allies ever since we found we have the same opinion of the people who run the Magic World," stated Aleric.
"Hate 'em!" chimed the dragon.
"Exactly," confirmed the wizard. "But all that aside, I think it's time I tell you the reason why I brought you here. Quite frankly, Springfield, I need to test you."
"T-test me?" asked Negi. "Test me for what?"
"Have you forgotten already?" replied Aleric. "I told you, you will have to earn the information I have on your father."
Negi was flabbergasted. He had totally forgotten that this man knew where his missing father, Nagi Springfield, was! All of a sudden Negi was standing, all traces of uncertainty and weakness gone from his face and posture.
"All it takes is a little mention of his father and he's ready to go," muttered Asuna in her annoyed tone of voice.
"That's just how Negi-bozu is, de-gozaru," said Kaede. Then in a softer voice she added, "Or was."
Down below Aleric gave a soft laugh and began talking again.
"Wanting to get started as soon as possible I see," said the Magister. "Very well. I will give you your test now." Negi held his breath. What would he have to do? "All you have to do is survive for three minutes while I use you for target practice," said Aleric with a grin.
Negi was surprised but even more terrified. His former teacher of magic, Evangeline, had used to say the same thing before unleashing her best at him! Eva was a powerhouse once in her full capacities and if what Aleric had said earlier was true, that he was fully-fledged Magister Magi, he would be at least that strong!
"Why do I feel as though I'm in for the longest three minutes of my life?"
XXXXXXXXXXX
And chapter eleven has come! Sorry this took so long, but life gets in the way sometimes.
