Chapter 14.
Setsuna heard mumbling. It sounded far off. She didn't really care though. She was dreaming of Konoka. The two of them had found their way to some sort of old building named Hinata Inn. It was apparently an all girl's dormitory, but it had a natural hot springs that was open to the public and they were relaxing there in the hot water. They were having so much fun, Setsuna never wanted it to end. She was watching Konoka play with a strange bronze statue that spouted water. She watched as the water from the statue cascaded down her body, making her perfect skin glisten in the soft moonlight. There was no match for her beauty.
Suddenly Konoka saw her and ran over. She grabbed ahold of Setsuna's hand and said, "Setsuna-san, wake up." The world around them shifted in the way dreams do right before waking.
"But I'm already awake Kono-chan."
Suddenly Konoka's voice didn't sound like her own. It sounded smaller, squeakier. "Wake up, Setsuna-san. Wake up!"
Pieces of the world around them started to fall apart, the sky breaking like shards of glass against the ground. Setsuna tried to protect Konoka from the falling pieces, but before she could, she saw one headed straight at herself. She was helpless to stop it as she watched it approach. It came hurtling towards her, aimed straight at her eye. Closer, closer.
The shard of glass impacted.
And Setsuna jumped awake in her bed. Her heart was beating fast, and she was covered in a cold sweat. She looked around to see that she was in the nurse's room at Mahora. She could tell by the plaster-white walls and the coarse, starched linen of the cot she was on.
"Thank goodness you're awake Setsuna-san!" She now realized why Konoka had been talking and sounding funny in her dream. Negi Springfield was sitting at her bedside, dressed in his favorite green suit. He gave her one of his big, ridiculous smiles—the kind of smile that could only belong to an untainted youth. She noticed he was holding a damp towel in his hand.
"Negi-sensei, were you taking care of me?" she asked.
He seemed flustered, waving his hands around in a comical way. "Ah. No— I mean yes! But it's no problem!" He calmed down and explained. "I was eating breakfast with Asuna when I got a call from Tatsumiya-san. She said you had collapsed and she brought you here to the infirmary. She said she had to go to class, and asked if I'd look after you. Apparently she didn't want to get in trouble with Fate-san."
Setsuna looked at Negi, with his reading spectacles and his messy hair. He really was quite a sight. A lot of the girls in 3-A had fallen for him, but Setsuna never really understood it. He looked so young… But she knew he was strong beyond his years. "So I collapsed?"
"Apparently so. She didn't say much else, except that you were acting really weird just before you lost consciousness."
That triggered her memory like lightning striking a flagpole. "Of course! The sword, where is it?"
Negi just blinked at her for a moment before what she was asking for clicked in his mind. "Ah! You mean this?" He reached behind his chair and grabbed the white handled blade. Setting it on his lap he said, "Tatsumiya-san mentioned you had your sword on you."
Setsuna set him with a level stare. "That's not my sword."
Now Negi looked extremely confused. "Come again?"
She extended a pointed finger at the blade. "I said, that thing is not my sword." The child teacher looked extremely perplexed. With a small sigh she asked, "Do you remember my sword's name Negi-sensei?"
He became flustered again and Setsuna could see the gears turn in his head as he wracked is brain for the answer. He had many things to remember for a ten year old; she didn't really expect him to remember. "Well—ah… Something like Yujiro? Yotari? …Yukata? No… That's a kimono…" He was concentrating to the point of almost exploding.
"It's Yunagi." She paused for a moment to let him settle again—he was so excitable. "On the hilt of that blade you're holding there is an inscription. Read it."
Negi looked down at the sword and brought the hilt up to read it. "Mitis Sicarius. Then this really isn't your sword." She had hoped he would give a translation without asking, but she was in no such luck.
"What does it mean Sensei? The Latin?"
Negi thought for a moment. He knew a lot of things, but recalling obscure vocabulary from a dead language to mind took time. "What does that mean…? Ah yes: Mitis Sicarius translates to Gentle Assassin."
Setsuna's heart dropped to her stomach. She instantly felt rather sick, and her pulse skipped a beat. Her eyes glossed over as she remembered something from deep in her past. Quietly she whispered to herself. "Gentle Assassin? Could it be? The one who kills with a soft blow…"
Her whispering was so soft Negi barely heard it. "What was that, Setsuna-san?"
His voice brought her back to reality. "Oh, it's part of a saying—or rather, a prophecy—of the Shinmeiryuu teachings. We wait for the one who kills with a soft blow, for he shall bring about an end to fighting. It's one of the only prophecies the Shinmeiryuu tradition has, and it is without a doubt the most anticipated." She hadn't thought about the prophecy in ages, certainly not since Negi's arrival.
For his part, Negi was confused. "An end to fighting? Isn't that what the Shinmeiryuu do though? Fight, for a living?"
Setsuna smirked. She didn't expect him to understand. "It might seem that way, but really, our abilities to fight and destroy evil is just a benefit of our sword training, not the end goal." She could see he still didn't get it, so she continued to explain. "The reason behind our long hours of practice and training isn't to slay evil spirits. In the end, it is a tool to bring our bodies closer to our true self, our spirit. The oneness gained by a lifetime of training with the sword allows for a transcendence of the very being of a person, in theory. Our true goal is to attain the ultimate nirvana, if you will."
Negi started to piece things together as he held up the sword. "And you think this sword is the answer to attaining that?"
"I don't know. I was never very good at understanding the prophesies." That was an understatement. She had memorized all of the Shinmeiryuu teachings like any other student of the discipline, but the prophesies never meant much to her. She had a hard time connecting them and their obscure meanings to her duty. "But I'm sure it's connected in some way."
"What makes you say that?" Negi asked.
"A sword named Gentle Assassin appears one day and attaches itself to a Shinmeiryuu swordswoman? It has to be connected. And I know it's tied to me. This morning I went to practice my techniques at the shrine, and that blade you're holding switched places with my Yunagi, without me noticing."
Negi's eyes widened at the statement. "So this blade actually swapped places with another sword? Curious…" Setsuna could see that Negi was thinking of something. "I wonder…"
"What is it Sensei?"
Negi looked like he was trying to remember something he hadn't thought about in years. "It reminded me of something I came across in my studies at magical school. There's a phenomenon that was observed hundreds of years ago: everyday objects moving, talking, acting human. The scholars and mages studying it called it 'Animate Anthropomorphism.' Eventually they figured out the source of the phenomenon." He leaned forward in his chair, bringing his voice low, to a near whisper. "They concluded that if something was imbued with enough magical power during its creation, it could become animate."
With a soft laugh he leaned back and gave a wave of his hand in dismissal. "Of course, no one could ever replicate the phenomenon with anything bigger than a coin—the sheer magnitude of magical energy it would take to make even one animate object of any consequence would have drained any mage foolish enough to try. Additionally, after a brief period of maybe ten years, there were no more recorded instances, so it largely fell out of study."
Setsuna felt a tightness in her chest as what Negi said sank in. Then there can only be one explanation for where this sword came from… She needed to ask him if it was possible. "Negi—"
She was interrupted by a knock at the door. It opened, revealing Minamoto Shizuna, Mahora's guidance counselor and nurse. "Pardon me. Negi, the headmaster asked me to get you. He would like to see you in his office, immediately." She gave a small smile to Setsuna, her eyes twinkling behind her glasses. "Sakurazaki-san, it is good to know that you're awake. I'll come back to check on you after I fetch some of the other teachers." With that she left, closing the door behind her.
Negi sighed heavily and stood, stretching his arms. "Duty calls." He placed the sword next to her on the bed and moved towards the door saying, "I'll check up on you too, after I see what the headmaster wants." He reached for the doorknob.
"Negi, wait!"
He turned back to her with a questioning look. "Yes, Setsuna-san? What is it?" Setsuna shifted uncomfortably in her hospital cot.
"I wanted to ask you, would there be…" she braced herself for the question, "would there be enough power to create an animate sword stored in the Great Grand Master Key?"
Negi's eyes blinked behind his glasses. "Hmm… I would say so," he nodded his head, "definitely."
Setsuna could feel the blood drain from her face. So it's true then. "Negi… I think your father gave me this sword."
The young wizard's jaw nearly hit the floor. Shock and confusion painted his face. He recovered slowly. "I—I have to go to my meeting. Setsuna-san, I'll be back as soon as I am done with the headmaster, I promise." She gave him a slight nod and he left the room.
Alone, she stared at the sword next to her. Her head hurt, but not as badly as before. Just a minor throbbing really. And the whispering was gone. Not wanting to touch it, she turned over on her side, away from the blade and shut her eyes, hoping to get some much needed sleep. In her state of exhaustion, it was not hard to drift into a light slumber, even with her thoughts bouncing between the object behind her, and the girl she imagined snuggling in front of her.
Negi nearly sprinted down the hallways toward the headmaster's office, classroom doors passing left and right. He couldn't get what Setsuna had said out of his head. How is that possible? I don't even know where he is yet, since he vanished from Mundus Magicus. How could she find him? Or is it he that found her? What does this mean? Something must have happened that I don't know about.
Eventually the classrooms gave way to offices as Negi passed into the administration wing. At the end of the hallway he came to large double doors that marked the entrance to the Headmaster's office. He swung one the heavy doors open and was greeted by a solemn mood. Most of the magical teachers and security staff at the school were in attendance, forming a semi-circle around the Headmaster who was sitting at his desk. Negi took his place next to Takahata Takamichi, who was unusually silent. He didn't give Negi more than a glance and a nod of acknowledgement. The tension in the air was palpable.
The Headmaster, Konoe Konoemon broke the silence. "Welcome Negi. It seems we are only waiting for Miss Goodman and Miss Sakura."
Suddenly one of the windows of the expansive room flung open. "Did someone call for me?" Standing on the sill were the girls in question. "Takane D. Goodman and Sakura Mei, reporting for duty old man!" Takane was a fan of flashy entrances, and she lived up to her reputation often, even when the situation didn't warrant it. Mei was much more reserved, but would follow Takane to hell and back in a heartbeat. She now stood timidly behind the tall blonde, obviously embarrassed by her sempai's behavior.
The Headmaster raised an overly bushy eyebrow at the latecomers. Light from the window glinted off his shiny, strangely oblong head. "This is not the time for jokes Miss Goodman. We have a serious situation that demands our immediate attention." He paused briefly to let the girls take their places on the far side of the stern, dark skinned Gandolfini. Once the two fell in line, Konoemon stood to address the staff.
"As you all know, we keep close tabs on all of the magical goings on here at Mahora Academy. After the incident with the near collapse of Mundus Magicus, there has not been any significant spikes in magical energy, either from the world tree, or from any other magical being." Old man Konoemon scanned the room from left to right. "However, yesterday afternoon, we measured a release of magical energy the likes of which we have scarcely seen before."
"What kind of level are we talking about here?" Despite his portly appearance, Mitsuru Nijuin always got straight to the point.
The Headmaster looked to the man standing two down from Negi to the right. "Satoru-san, if you would?" Yuuna Akashi's father, who was also a professor at the school, looked up from the spot on the floor he was studying.
"Of course, Headmaster. According to our sensors, there was a burst of magical energy, lasting a total of 15 seconds. This is where it gets interesting." Satoru raised a finger to push his glasses up. "The intensity of the energy released during that span was double that of the world tree in the recent episode with Mundus Magicus."
"Impossible! That was the largest spike in two hundred years!" That was Kataragi-sensei, dressed in his usual black suit and sunglasses covering the eyes of his bearded face.
Satoru Akashi gave him a level look from behind his glasses. "It is possible, and it's true. Furthermore, it has been difficult to determine the location of the release, but it was definitely not the World Tree, nor any mage on staff."
"What about one of the students?" Sister Shakti, who ran the nun-protection squad, chimed in. "Might any of them have a capability to wield such power?"
Takamichi shook his head before Satoru could answer. "Unlikely. Only a few students have magical capabilities. Of those that do, only Kagurazaka Asuna has the magical reserves deep enough to release such a spike, and I can personally vouch for Asuna's whereabouts yesterday."
"Because you two were on another date, right?" Takane said with a raised eyebrow at the grey-haired teacher. It seemed she still didn't take the meeting seriously. "Don't deny it! I saw you two walki—."
"TAKANE, ENOUGH!" The Headmaster's magically enhanced voice boomed through the room, surprising Takane so much that she fell backwards on her rear. Her face flushed as she stood, brushing off her skirt unnecessarily. It was obvious she wasn't going to interrupt again. The Headmaster turned back to Akashi. "Please, continue Satoru-san."
"While we could not pinpoint the location of the spike, we were able to match the energy signature to an individual. Much to our surprise, the individual that matched the energy signature… was none other than Nagi Springfield."
An audible gasp came from Mei's mouth and a few of the staff stiffened visibly. All eyes turned to Negi, who himself had tensed, even more than he was before. Caught extremely off guard, Negi started sputtering nonsense. The only thing that quieted him was Takamichi's hand on his shoulder. "Calm down Negi. Let the Headmaster explain." Takamichi's calming presence helped, and Negi settled down.
The Headmaster took his seat, but spoke in just as serious a tone as before. "Despite knowing it was Nagi, we have no knowledge of what came of his action, nor do we know what was intended by it. So in the meantime, I expect everyone to be on their highest alert. There is no telling what may come as a result of this, and we must protect the students at all costs. Are we clear?" There was a collective, "Yes, sir!" Konoemon then scanned the room from behind his comically heavy eyebrows. "Good. Now, back to your duties. Everyone, dismissed."
The staff bowed to the Headmaster and started filing out of the room. Takane left out the window she came in through with her proverbial tail between her legs. Mei followed her, bowing profusely to the remaining people in the room. Negi saw Takamichi turn to leave. He would have followed, but he felt rooted to the floor. A sinking suspicion had seeped into his thoughts and it terrified him. Takamichi noticed and attempted to talk to him, but as soon as he put a hand on Negi's shoulder, Negi bolted out of the room, leaving Takamichi thoroughly stunned. He watched Negi speed down the hallway towards the classrooms. He thought to himself, it seems another trial has begun in Negi's life. Only time will tell who will be involved in the fight with him this time. Takamichi wasn't usually reverent, but this time he put his hands together and bowed in the direction Negi had gone. Good luck to you, all you unknown soldiers.
End Chapter 14.
Author's Note: After much waiting, here is chapter 14! More intrigue and mystery in this one! Now it's involving the entire Mahora community? Of course! Anyway, I hope you all liked reading this chapter! If you would like to contact me, please leave a review or send me a Private Message. I love hearing from people reading Barriers! Thank you for the support, and please stay excited for Setsuna as she finds out who she really is! In the words of Glyph, "Have a pleasant day."
-Grimbt.