Negima Futures: Tales of Armageddon
Chapter 21: Severed Ties
Negi and Asuna quietly walked through the ruined remains of Mahora Academy, their once beautiful home. Because of Doomaka's attack, the school was reduced to rubble and most of their friends and loved ones were seriously injured.
"No. How could this have happened? It...It can't be..." Negi muttered. He saw the wounded trying to be quickly healed by Konoka, hurrying between each of them. But suddenly, Konoka found herself weary as well and dropped to her knees. Asuna gasped.
"Konoka!" she cried, rushing to her side. Konoka lightly groaned and leaned up against Asuna.
"Asuna...? Oh man. What's gonna happen to us?" Konoka asked. Asuna slowly let Konoka lie down, resting her head on her lap.
"Take it easy Konoka. You're not in great shape either. I think you should take it easy for a bit. Let the others heal naturally for a bit." Asuna said. Negi quietly looked on, fighting back the tears in his eyes. He looked away and continued walking. But no matter which way he looked, he saw the likes of Class 2-A in pain. He spotted Necro and Akusa helping Nim back on his feet.
"Duhhh...crazy witch came out of nowhere." Nim groaned, holding tightly to Necro. Negi then saw Takahata with Nagi, sitting down next to the weary Albiero.
"Heh. Some fight we just had...huh? Ugh. I doubt even the old gang could've taken them all." Albiero said. Nagi sighed.
"Yes. But...don't worry. We haven't lost the war yet. I'm sure that's how Negi feels right now also." Nagi said. Takahata glanced nearby and saw Negi's shadow, spotting him as he turned away and walked off.
"Negi?" Takahata thought. Negi approached what used to be the Mahora Dorms, seeing its rubbled remains. Carefully stepping through its remains, he came upon the spot where Asuna and Konoka's dorm room was. He digged through a spot of rubble and found the shattered picture frame featuring him and the girls when he started out.
"All of this madness. Why? Why did the girls have to suffer?" Negi thought. Tears leaked from his eyes onto the frame.
"They didn't deserve any of this..." Negi muttered. He sniffled as he wiped his eyes of tears. But from behind, a dark sense was felt creeping up from the shadows. He looked back and saw Doomaka in the flesh, staring at him with a sly grin on her face.
"What? YOU!" Negi groaned, quickly flashing an angry scowl at her.
~ NEGIMA FUTURES ~
Negi and Doomaka quietly stared on at one another, neither not saying a word or lifting a finger. In his heart, Negi was full of anger towards her for what she did to the school.
"You...heartless woman! Is this what you wanted? Huh? Is THIS what you really wanted? To see Mahora Academy reduced to rubble? To see my students in agony and pain? Well, don't think I will let you get away with this! Never!" Negi shouted. Doomaka huffed.
"Heh. I don't see what the big deal is. I personally think this academy got a well deserved renovation. But as for your girls, I hoped they would not have gotten involved." Doomaka said. Negi growled and made a fist.
"You liar!" he shouted, coming at her and swinging a punch. But Doomaka suddenly vanished in black smoke, appearing right behind him.
"Oh come now Negi. Those girls never belonged on a battlefront in the first place. They're just INNOCENT humans who originally had no part in any of this calamity. But...there was that one instant...that teeny tiny little "oopsie" that changed them forever more." she said. Negi groaned, glaring back at her.
"And what instant was that?" Negi asked. Doomaka lightly chuckled as she leaned in close, whispering into his ear.
"It was you..." she whispered. Negi gasped, glancing at her as she lightly floated back.
"Wh-What do you mean?" he asked. Doomaka smirked.
"Oh come now. Don't tell me that you couldn't figure it out. If it wasn't for them figuring you out, if they NEVER knew their teacher was a wizard...none of them would've been pulled into the fight like this. They only suffer because of YOU." she said. Negi lightly gasped, his eyes widening as he quickly gulped.
"Just imagine what those poor girls were thinking when they joined into a probationary contract. SURE. They thought it would be fun and that they would "help" you. But what they really did was blindly sign themselves up to become targets of whatever dark force you came into contact with next. Your enemy ALWAYS made sure that your "strength in numbers" fell." Doomaka continued. Negi was utterly speechless, feeling the evil witch might actually be right.
"Take me for example. I just attacked this school and harmed every last one of your precious students. I guess they're not "precious" enough to you if you'll let them go charging head first into a fight they could not win and end up on the edge of death. Face it Springfield. All their suffering...is YOUR fault." Doomaka said. Negi shuddered.
"B-But I...I mean...they...I was only trying to...p-p-protect them." Negi shuddered. Doomaka laughed.
"Protect? Hmm. You humans have a funny way of showing care for one another." Doomaka said. She quickly poofed next to Negi.
"If you TRULY care for those girls, you KNOW what you must do." Doomaka said. Negi looked to her with fear, asking what that meant. Doomaka grinned and vanished in a puff of black smoke. But as she did, Negi could hear her whispering:
"Set them free Negi...break the contracts with your "precious" students..."
Negi could not believe what he had just heard. From Doomaka's own lips, she told him to terminate the contracts with the other students. He had no idea what to do, not wanting to listen to her while also wanting to keep the girls safe. He looked back at the others, still injured and huddling together with one another. He then saw Asuna sniffling over an exhausted Konoka.
"They really didn't deserve this. I am their teacher...it's my job to protect them." Negi said. He looked off into the distance, seeing a cliffside not too far from where he was. He quietly called for his staff and flew up towards the cliff. No one else saw him except for Evangeline, who had noticed everything from earlier.
"That boy..." she muttered.
~ NEGIMA FUTURES ~
A while later, the girls were all together by the remains of the large tree in the central of campus. Despite the onslaught brought on the school by Doomaka, the tree was strong enough to have survived it all. Ayaka groaned, counting everyone to make sure they were here.
"We...We're all here. Ugh. But I wish we were...in better safe." Ayaka groaned, holding her side. Takahata lightly patted her shoulder, thanking them for fighting their hearts out earlier.
"Heh. It's what we do Professor Takahata. We're...Class 2-A after all." Fuka said, leaning against Fumika. Nagi and Albiero sat nearby, looking on at everyone gathered together. Kotaro was among the others as well, sitting close by on a flight of stairs.
"All right everyone. Now I know we all had a struggling time today. But Mahora Academy is still alive, she lives on in our hearts. And we're going to avenge the dean and the school by bringing down that heartless witch. Right?" Takahata asked. The girls all nodded, some even giving out a cheer.
"Doomaka...she may have won this fight, but the war is FAR from over. And now that we are here on your side, the likes of her defeat are more sure than ever." Necro said. Akusa nodded.
"Yeah. I'm gonna make her PAY for what she did to me all this time!" Pride exclaimed. Trizella looked to "Pride", asking who she really was without her inner demon. Pride turned to her and said her real name was Melany.
"We can't give up now. I'm sure that's what Negi would want us to believe. Doomaka might have the Hell Shard, but we have the Heaven Shard." Zefro said. But nearby, Evangeline huffed, sitting alongside Jennifer, Julie and Chachamaru.
"Like the boy would be believing this right about now." Evangeline said. All eyes turned to her, glaring on at the witch as she spouted her befuddling words.
"What do you mean Evangeline? Of course Negi would want us to keep fighting!" Asuna shouted. Evangeline crossed her arms.
"Not from what I saw earlier. The boy was speaking with Doomaka...and in a rather frightful look on his face afterwards too." she said. The girls all gasped.
"What? Evangeline, why didn't you say something to us? What did she say to him?" Nagi asked. Evangeline mentioned how Doomaka said, for "their" sake, Negi should break his pactio contracts with the girls of Class 2-A. Asuna gasped.
"Wait. She said WHAT?" she exclaimed. Quickly hoping it wasn't true, Asuna drew her pactio card out and looked at it. But to her complete and utter shock, her card was blank white. Negi had done it, he terminated their contract.
"B-B-B-B-B-But this can't! This can't be happening!" Asuna gasped. Everyone else took their pactio cards out as well, shocked to see them all to be white.
"Negi...no." Nodoka muttered. Anya gawked at everyone's cards.
"This is ridiculous! Negi ACTUALLY terminated all of his contracts? Impossible!" Anya exclaimed. Suddenly, Asuna started rushing away, gripping her pactio card tightly as she ran.
"What the...? Asuna!" Takahata exclaimed. But Asuna did not stop. She ran faster, tears flying from her eyes as she had them closed tight as possible. Nodoka watched with worry in her eyes. Nekane looked on as well.
"Asuna..." she muttered. Her bells lightly chimed in her hair. The more she ran, the more she thought back to everything that she and Negi went through, all ending with Doomaka's despicable ploy about breaking his contracts.
"Negi! Don't do this! I don't wanna lose you! Not...Not now!" Asuna thought. As Asuna continued to run, we see Negi alone in the forest around Mahora. He wears a cloak similar to the one that Nagi wore as he held his staff in his hands. Chamo rode on Negi's shoulder.
"Asuna...everyone...forgive me. But...I cannot involve you anymore. You suffered enough. Let ME end this fight...for everyone that's suffered due to my interference." Negi muttered. He started to walk off, not being able to hear Asuna pleading to see him.
TO BE CONTINUED...