OooO Fifteen OooO

They each run in different directions, and Shinichi prays that all this worrying is for nothing; that maybe nothing will happen. When he reaches the field where Heiji and Hideaki have already begun their duel, he shoves through the other students, not caring about the occasional swear he gets, and soon stands alone. The barrier that is supposed to keep the magic in a restricted area lies already behind him.

The two boys stand in front of each other, holding out their hands with their palms facing forward. Their spells are connected in the middle, much like in the second match that day.

"What is the challenge?" he asks no one in particular, and not expecting an answer.

"It is the last one for this tournament. They have to keep going for as long as possible. Who holds out longer, or overwhelms his opponent, wins. What I find more interesting is what you are doing on this side of the barrier?"

Shinichi spins around at the voice. "Professor Amuro! You have to stop this! Hideaki is using something to enhance his power. If he keeps going and loses control-"

"I know, Kudou-kun, but I am afraid I cannot let you interfere." And he says it like he really means it, but Shinichi gets distracted by a huff coming from the side.

Only now, he notices that there are two other mages with Amuro, while he is sure that the teacher had been alone when he passed the barrier a second ago. One of them is Hideaki's father, who is holding up a spell that surrounds the whole area around the combatants.

Shinichi gestures to Hideaki and Heiji, furious. "You are just going to stand here and let this happen? Professor Black was right - the wins over the past years were manipulated. What are you even thinking? You are putting your own son at risk!"

Kumoshiro's eyes narrow. "It was not my decision that he takes part in this way, but now we have to see it through. I have no idea how you got out of that room so fast, but maybe you soon will wish you would have stayed there. Take care of him," he tells Amuro and turns away from them to concentrate on his spell again.

"You are so young, Kudou-kun, you don't understand anything," Amuro looks at him with a sad smile.

Clenching his jaw, Shinichi grits out, "I might be young, but I know that this is dangerous, and there is nothing that could justify putting all those people at risk."

He turns to storm forward and stop the duel.

"Stun!"

The spell freezes him on the spot, and for all the other people around, it has to look as if the Professor is simply stopping him from messing with the tournament. Amuro steps directly behind him.

"Kudou-kun, have you noticed that there are many people with influence in the arena today? That might be the case for every tournament, but today there are mages among them who hold a lot of magical and political power. What do you think will happen if those people were to lose their power?"

Even without the spell, Shinichi would not have been able to move after that.

"Do you really think that all mages have peaceful intentions or do not succumb to greed? I fell into that trap myself, and someday I will have to pay the price if Kumoshiro stops to give me some of Pandora's power from time to time, but Kumoshiro himself? He lets others pay to reach his goals. He wants to change the magic community. Back to the days when spells could destroy cities."

What? Shinichi can't believe what he hears. Did Kumoshiro actually find a way to restore the old magic? He remembers what they learned about magic history and shudders. It sure has not been pretty when mages had the power to do however they pleased.

But what is Pandora, and what price is Amuro talking about?

Hideaki's spell begins to change color, and Shinichi can't look away. The usual scarlet turns into a deeper, even richer tone that resonates within Shinichi, and throws him back twelve years. The pulsing magic that breaks out of him, the screams, his parent's faces burned into his memory forever. He remembers it all as if it happened yesterday.

He feels how the stun spell weakens, and he tries to speak again, though his muscles still feel like lead. He wants to shout out, to warn Heiji and maybe bring Hideaki to his senses, but he only manages a cough.

"Don't strain yourself. You won't be able to speak up loud for a few minutes longer, and by then, it will be all over. And even if you could - Hideaki knows what he is doing. He might be afraid, but the urge to prove himself to his father is bigger. He will do as he was told. And don't count on the other teachers. They only see what we want them to."

"Kumoshiro and the other mage!"

Amuro nods. "Kumoshiro-san is an illusionist. You might have heard of him. He travels the world and performs under the pseudonym Gunter von Goldberg, also known as 'Spider'. Natsushima-san over there is his assistant and a very talented awareness mage. Not only can she sense magic, but she also can influence what other mages can pick up. Together they are creating the perfect illusion of a completely normal duel, and you are not even visible to the audience right now. Just like Kumoshiro-san and Natsushima-san."

With no option to run interference right now, Shinichi's mind races, and he decides to get as much information as possible as long as Professor Amuro is this talkative.

"What exactly is Pandora?" His voice is merely above a whisper.

"It is an artifact of old magic. It can be molded in other forms to use it.

"I think you recognized it already. Its power is resonating with you this close up and strong. Yes, you too have once held this power in your own hands. But Pandora turned out to be too powerful for a child. They wanted to test it anyway, wanted to know what difference it made if it was used by someone whose powers were still weak. It was a mistake, and they learned from it, only gave it to more grown mages with more control. Giving the wand to a child simply was too much."

"Admittedly, they didn't expect an explosion of those proportions, or they would have taken more measures to protect themselves, but one of them had to be present, or another awareness mage might have picked up on Pandora. Like this, they hid it with a heavy cloak spell that lasted way after the evaluation, and even after the death of its caster."

The wand. Yes, it had not felt like he had expected, but what did a kid know, so he had used it anyway.

"She- the awareness mage who gave me the wand did that on purpose? Why? Why me?"

"Oh, they had different promising kids. You just met all the criteria they had regarding age, parents, and timeframe. I guess it could have been one of the others as well with the same result. It was mostly by chance."

By chance.

His parents and Kaito's father died by chance? Shinichi is now shaking from rage, and he feels helpless. How can they so carelessly take a life, change a life? Also, she, the awareness mage, died that day, too. Do they have no regard for their own people?

Amuro continues. "When her partners came to take the wand back, it was gone. First, they thought it had self-destructed, but then I stumbled over it accidentally. You know it yourself. If you once have felt its power, you can recognize it anywhere."

"You stole the wand out of Professor Black's safe!"

"I did, and to be honest, that was a lucky strike. It was only possible because Black trusted me enough to leave me alone in his office, and because he didn't notice that it was missing for a few years, though I guess by now he knows."

"What do you gain by helping them?"

"See, if a mage whose magic has already matured uses Pandora, he can amplify his power, but after that, he is corrupted. It is like a drug, and once you are addicted, there is no way back. Pandora depletes your power, and from then on, you are no longer capable of recharging it by yourself. You have to continue using Pandora, or you will be left without magic. Like an achromatic."

"So, when I used it..." Shinichi thinks aloud.

Amuro nods. "Your magic has not matured yet; it is still growing. That is why Pandora can not deplete the power of mages under twenty-five completely. It also is the reason why Kumoshiro lets the most promising student use it every year. He feeds Pandora, so to speak, with their magic, and uses it for himself. That way, his power has grown immensely over the last years, even though it should not be possible.

"Today, he will use Hideaki's power, and then it will be enough to control Pandora in a different way. He will be able to suck the magic from any mage he chooses in this arena, making him the most powerful mage of our time."

Shinichi stares at him. "How can you do this? Why support him? I know you are not a bad person, and you are a great teacher! There must have been ways for you to stop him!"

When Amuro's gaze meets his, he looks almost broken. "There was a time where I wanted to stop him, but I stuck my nose in too deep and used Pandora - only once, but that was enough. If I wanted to continue to work as a teacher, do what I love, I had to depend on him as he is the only one who can provide me with what I need."

He lowers his voice so that only Shinichi can hear him. "So, it is up to you now. Stop them if you can. I did my part in hindering you for some time, so even if you should succeed, I won't be held responsible. After all, I was the one who left a clue for your friends where to find you. I had the feeling that you could be the one to turn it around. Maybe you still can stop him."

AN: Sorry about the info dump XD