Magister Negi Magi is owned by Ken Akamatsu and Kodansha Ltd. Tokyo in Japan, and by Funimation and Kodansha USA in the United States, NOT by me.
Other characters are also the property of their respective creators and owners, not me.
While not quite a 'story of Mahora,' this chapter provides details about Homura King's background that have only been hinted at up to this point. It is the third of a four chapter series which will detail the origins of Fate's ministra within the two broader stories 'Ala Alba in the World of Magic' and kafka'sdragon's 'Markham Chronicles Negima.'
Please note that the girls will not be joining Fate in the same order they did in the manga.
Kafka'sdragon and I are effectively co-authors.
Be sure to visit kafka'sdragon's profile page to check out and read the different stories he has written!
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"A hotheaded wildfire... Despite my feelings about uncontrolled magic users, I find her attitude and temperament… intriguing…"
-found in the recovered notes and diaries of the King of Argyre, Saseru Mifuzu Enteofushia
Not Always a Mage and Other Stories of Mahora.
Chapter Eleven: Origins of the Salamander
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Living hand to mouth… sleeping wherever it seemed she might be safe… doing dirty work and other tasks at a Fagin's beck and call…
That was all Homura knew…
Before;
…however long ago that had been…
…she had vague memories of a life in the Syrtis sub-continent…
Before;
…before she had been taken by opportunists seeking profit in the chaos and destruction left behind by the continuous factional fighting raging across the region…
Brought to Phoenicus; she was to be sold to someone who had a taste for 'freshness…'
A moment;
…for just a moment, seconds really; she had been left alone…
…opportunity; seizing an instant; had given her freedom…
Desperation;
…and having both hands still bound behind her back…
…that had driven her to trust someone who promised to help…
Another instant;
…and she was trapped again…
At least;
…despite the restriction of having to do as the Fagin bid…
…there was a kind of freedom…
If she did what she was told…
…then what she did afterwards was her own choice…
(-)
Winter in Phoenicus was the worst…
Homura hated winter.
Winter meant having to consider holing up with others such as herself, and the possibility what few personal possessions she had might be gone when she woke…
Oh; the Fagin offered a warm room and safety from theft; but it came at a price that might as well have been theft.
In any case… she no longer trusted the Fagin… he was beginning to look at her the same way those she had been taken from Syrtis by had…
Unfortunate experience had taught her what that 'look' led to…
Girls who accepted the Fagin's protection, especially those older than she was; were sometimes sent to be with 'people,' who had that look.
Normally they would return; bruised… limping… most often with a hollow look in their eyes, handing over what that had received as payment to the Fagin.
Occasionally they did not…
…a cloaked someone might come by to drop a payment off, if it had not been received beforehand, but the Fagin didn't seem to mind either way…
Homura did not care for what that 'look' represented…
She knew about the act itself; having accidentally witnessed it when one of those who had hired another of the Fagin's girls hadn't been able to wait; and had forced her just down the hall from the place she'd been picked up.
Laughing about the matter; the Fagin had watched without concern as the man finished his business and ran off, leaving the girl sobbing on the floor.
After that; after watching as the Fagin went over to pick up the money and left the girl to fend for herself; Homura had sworn she would die first…
…better to die; than to submit to the filthy animal rutting that the 'look' promised…
Perhaps though… perhaps there was some escape that might be had…
She wasn't sure; but Homura suspected she might be touched by magic…
If so; especially considering how others would sometimes freeze to death, but she would survive; then perhaps she might become a mage… like in a few tales she'd read…
If she became a mage… then she would come back and make the Fagin pay for everything she'd ever seen him do… for all the broken looks in the eyes of the girls he 'protected,' and for the way he discarded any other child who was no longer useful…
(-)
Emerging from her current hiding place near Phoenicus' wharves, Homura thought about the last time she'd seen the Fagin and decided it might be a good idea to find someplace new.
Apparently he'd found out she was beginning to show an ability to use magic, and that made her an extremely valuable asset.
As she'd foraged for food before retreating to her hiding place; another girl had approached and whispered a warning that the Fagin was looking to sell Homura.
That warning made her wary; even to the point of suspecting the motivations of a blind violin playing bard, trying to collect a few coins in a nearby park.
Homura had never seen the girl, who looked like some form of dragon-kin, before…
For a moment; she considered stopping to give a warning that trying to collect money in the Fagin's territory was a bad idea; but decided instead that her own escape was more important…
Apparently; the Fagin had realized she might try to get away, and had placed the boys who worked as his enforcers to watch for her…
One moment she was trotting down an alley leading away from the wharves…
…the next she was face down in the filthy, icy muck… someone's knee in her back, and heavy fists pummeling her ribs…
…the next moment; the pressure was gone and shrieks and the smell of burned meat were filling the air…
…filled with panic, Homura jumped to her feet and began running blindly…
…unfortunately, in her panic she ran towards the wharves, instead of away from them…
Before she could turn in another direction, someone grabbed and tore at her clothes… she lashed out blindly, and once more shrieks of pain filled the air…
Other persons… nothing more than shadows to her really, appeared, and it was all she could do to keep them away…
At one point she realized with shock that her clothes were all gone; in that one small instant of incomprehension; she was pushed off the breakwater where she'd been cornered and into the cold waters of Phoenicus Bay…
Pressure returned to her back, and she began sinking into the mud built up around the breakwater. When she tried to will the pressure away like before… nothing happened…
Numbness and blackness began to fill her brain…
At one point; she was lifted from the water by her hair.
Standing on the breakwater, barely visible through her waterlogged eyes; she could see the Fagin shaking his head.
Before even the thought of begging for mercy could manifest itself, the pressure returned.
Despite her best efforts, Homura could feel the slimy mud squeezing into her mouth and nose, and eyes…
…in the end it seemed…
…dreams about being a mage, and getting back at the Fagin were just that…
…dreams…
Suddenly… the pressure was gone, and Homura was able to get to sit back in the shallow water…
Shivering uncontrollably while doing so; she went irregularly between coughing up the mud and water, and trying to breathe…
Eventually she became aware of two people in the water beside her. One was unmoving, the other offering up a blanket.
With a speed that left her head spinning, she tried to stand and knock the person away.
Whatever their reason might be, the person ignored the punch and caught her before she could fall again. Finally managing to secure the blanket around her shoulders, they started leading the way back onto the breakwater.
Through the use of a soft cloth and bottled water, the mud was cleaned from her eyes, and Homura could finally see again…
Out in the water, she could see what looked like a statue, leaning down as if it was holding someone under.
Turning slightly, she could see the Fagin; his mouth wide in surprise, also as frozen and gray as a statue…
In the other direction, strangely, stood the blind dragon bard from the park, as well as a white-haired boy who had shown up at the Fagin's hideout once or twice…
"Are you alright, Miss Homura King?"
Hearing her last name, nearly forgotten, was almost as shocking as being addressed as 'Miss.' Unused to such politeness, she could only fall back on the curtness she was used to. "Yes."
Seemingly satisfied, the white-haired boy walked over and smashed the Fagin statue to bits with a fist. "I have need of someone with talents such as those you possess, but those who choose to help me must do so of their own free will. Know though, that if you do not wish to assist me, I will still make the arrangements necessary for you to attend school in Ariadne. Which shall you choose?"
Trust… Homura didn't believe for a moment that this boy was telling the truth. If anything she was actually mad at him… Smashing the Fagin apart meant he'd stolen her revenge…
Though, if he was telling the truth, he was offering an even bigger opportunity to gain revenge against those who had placed her where she was in the first place… "If you say I have talent; magic talent; does that mean I'll be trained in how to use it?"
Without hesitation, the white-haired boy nodded. "With me; or in Ariadne; all I ask if you stay with me is that you help me accomplish my goals."
Turning, Homura walked the short distance to where the Fagin's broken off head lay on the ground. With the flick of her foot, she lofted it the short distance into the waters of Phoenicus Bay. After that she faced the white-haired boy once more. "All right then; when do we leave?"
tsuzuku
Author's Notes:
Fagin: As in from Charles Dickens story Oliver Twist. A 'gang' leader who 'protects' children; while at the same time using them for criminal activities.
Ah Homura… Would that she was a bit more like another magic(and weapon)-using Homura, and less like the person quoted at the start of this chapter…
Last to join will be Koyomi and Tamaki.