OooO Sixteen OooO
Kaito runs a few meters, then turns back to ask Shinichi something, and pauses in confusion as Shinichi is nowhere in sight. He is not with Professor Amuro, who still calmly observes the duel, nor is he with Hideaki to stop him as planned. His eyes scan the crowd in front of the magic barrier, but he can't find him anywhere, even though he has just seen him leave in that direction.
He returns to the field and begins to ask the students who are watching.
"Kudou-kun? No, haven't seen him."
"Didn't he drop out?"
Strange. Where did he go? Kaito goes up and down the barrier to make sure he didn't miss him among all those people when he senses something.
Just the tiniest flicker at the edge of his vision, but it was there.
And again.
No one else seems to notice it, but Kaito knows what he is seeing. He remembers how his father taught him everything about illusions, and this is a distortion of reality. It is small and gone before he can pinpoint it. Also, it seems to occur in different spots along the barrier. Does that mean the illusion spreads over the whole field? That would need a powerful mage to hold it up.
He grins. He never backs down from a challenge.
He sits down cross-legged, so he does not have to focus on his balance, and begins to feel around with his magic senses. It is like trying to touch the seams of reality, just as he does when he is the one casting an illusion. But this time, he searches for the parts that stubbornly refuse to obey him - because they are already bent out of shape by someone other than him.
"Trying to hide, coward?" he mutters. "Too bad illusions are not designed to hold up against force." Indeed a disadvantage. If an illusion is noticed, it is possible for another illusionist to break it. And that is exactly what Kaito will try, hoping that the element of surprise will give him the upper hand over the more powerful mage.
He concentrates his magic and bundles it up for one powerful strike as he can't give his opponent a chance to readjust his spell. In his mind, he forms the particles of reality like a knife, swings it back, and cuts through the illusion with as much force as possible.
The illusion rips apart like a curtain and reveals an entirely different scenario than a second before.
Now, everyone can see that Professor Amuro is not standing there alone, but that there are two more mages, and Shinichi, who is shouting at the dualists on the field.
"Hideaki - stop it!" he yells. "You don't have to do this!"
The surprised students before the barrier draw back, leaving Kaito, who is still sitting on the ground, in the open.
"Well well, hello there," he drawls at the blond mage who has to be the illusionist whose spell he just broke. Based on the man's angry expression, he is not too happy about it and is already preparing an offensive spell that Kaito knows he can't counter right now.
"Oh shit," he curses, defends himself as good as he can, but is surprised when no spell at all collides with his shield. He looks up and sees one of Shinichi's teachers next to him holding off the attack. He has been at their friendly competition, what was his name again? Right - Akai.
"You alright?" Akai asks without looking down because he is busy binding Kumoshiro with a spell, which clearly takes all of his attention. Seeing him struggle, other mages around him come up to help, and together they manage to hold the man down.
Kaito grins, feeling a bit shaky after this close call. "Just peachy, but I think Kudou-kun over there could use some help."
OooO
Shinichi feels the last remains of the spell dissolve, and he can move freely again. Knowing Amuro won't hinder him anymore, he dashes over to where Hideaki and Heiji are still in the middle of their duel, passing Kumoshiro and Natsushima, who can't stop him because they have to concentrate on their own tasks.
"Hideaki - stop it!" he yells. "You don't have to do this!"
By now, Hideaki's magic is nothing like the power Shinichi got to know during their training. It is wild and violent, and he can see how Heiji struggles to keep up.
Behind him, he can hear nervous chatter erupt, and the sound a crowd in movement makes. Good, that means Kaito somehow got them to back away from the field. That leaves Professor Amuro, Kumoshiro, Natsushima, Heiji, and himself in close range to Pandora's power.
And, of course, Hideaki. "What do you know about what I have to do, Kudou-kun? You have no idea how it is to always be measured by your grades, your success. I will show him what I'm made of!"
"Kudou, what is wrong with this guy?" Heiji shouts over, barely keeping Hideaki's spell at bay. "I could swear that he is getting stronger instead of weaker."
Shinichi's expression is grim. "He is using a magical artifact that enhances his ability. If he doesn't stop, he will blow everything up. Ran and Kuroba-kun are working on getting everyone away."
"I will not blow up anything! I am stronger than you! Yeah – I know what happened; how your parents died because you were too weak to handle Pandora. And not just your parents. You killed my mom because you were incompetent!" he spits out, and Shinichi is struck by a revelation.
Kumoshiro. Hideaki has the same last name as the awareness mage from back then. His hatred for Shinichi gets a completely new nuance to it, and a bitter one at that.
Hideaki rants on. "Surprised? Oh, I was too when I found out that it was not an accident like the press reported. Only last week, my father told me the truth because I saw how Professor Amuro tried to exchange your pin for a different one, and I took it for myself.
Because I am different! I am not as weak as you! I will show what power Pandora really has, and then my family and all those who are standing behind us will get what we deserve. The most powerful mages will be on top of the world again, like they ought to be!"
His words sting more than Shinichi likes to admit, even though he knows that it wasn't his fault Hideaki's mother died. He had been just a kid who had been used by her in an experiment, and she didn't care about who she hurt along the way.
With horror, he realizes what that means. His magic had indeed been weak back then, and still, three people died when Pandora was let loose. One of them a powerful defensive mage.
Hideaki's magic has had time to grow almost into adulthood, and though he also learned how to work with power, Pandora isn't limited by anything. It merely amplifies whatever magic it can draw from its user. If Hideaki actually should lose control, the impact would be much greater than just a few meters around him.
Frantically, Shinichi looks for Kaito, who, for some reason, sits on the grass. Professor Akai and some other mages are next to him, and Kumoshiro and Natsushima are caught in binding spells. At least one problem less he has to worry about. "Professor Akai! Kuroba! We have to evacuate the whole arena!"
Kaito gapes. He was joking, right? The arena could hold more than twenty thousand people, and it is packed. There is no way to get them out in time.
Think, think, think, Kaito!
He looks around, and his eyes fall on the teachers and Professor Black, who by now have caught on that something is amiss. They are running over from where they either had watched or had been occupied with their own students when Akai speaks up.
"It takes too long to explain everything to them. You are a gifted illusionist, right? If we can't get the people out, they have to defend themselves. Make them!"
Kaito blanks for a moment before determination settles on his face, and he shouts back at Shinichi.
"Leave it to me, Kudou!" Then he turns to the teacher next to him. "Professor Akai! You have to subdue Hideaki somehow until I am ready!"
Akai's sharp eyes take in the scene on the field, and he tries for a simple attack that promptly is deflected by the red aura that has by now formed around Hideaki. "Not possible I'm afraid. Whatever grants him this strength is out of our capabilities. We can't overwhelm him like this. That the Osaka kid is holding out so far is astonishing."
"Hattori!"
Shinichi's shout rings through the air like on cue, and they see how Heiji sinks down, exhausted, and Hideaki's spell shoots forward now that it isn't hindered by anything anymore. It would have struck directly into the front row of the audience, but is diverted by another spell, drawn to it like a magnet to metal.
"Whatever you plan to do – do it now! I can't hold him for long!" Shinichi presses out while he struggles to hold his hands steady in front of him. Pandora's burgundy red almost swallows his scarlet.
Professor Akai's words cut through the air. "Kudou-kun, you idiot! Hideaki – stop this madness! What do you think will be proven when you kill people? Hideaki!?"
"Hideaki!"
Kumoshiro, who is still on the ground where Akai bound him, tries to get the boy's attention, finally showing something like concern for his son. "Hideaki, stop!"
Shinichi looks his opponent in the eyes that are opened wide and are glowing red. He shudders when he realizes what that means. For all the people here and for himself.
"It is no use – he already lost the fight! Get out of here!"
The magic around them is sparking wildly, keeping every other mage at a distance. Shinichi isn't sure how he is still even standing. He should be drained by Pandora already by all means, but somehow Hideaki's spell resonates within him; draws him in instead of fighting him. Calling out to him.
"Separate them! You have to separate them!" he hears Kumoshiro shout again.
Separate? It should be clear that that isn't an option anymore. If Shinichi lets go of the spell, it will go rampant again, hitting whoever is in its way.
Wait – what if he meant something different? Like separating Hideaki and Pandora. If Pandora isn't connected to Hideaki, it shouldn't be able to draw his power, right?
His eyes roam over the other boy's form, taking in everything in search of the pin Ran made for them all. A new burst of energy erupts and almost throws Shinichi to the ground, but he sees something flare up red in that instance. Something that is supposed to be blue.
The little pin is secured to Hideaki's lapel. It had meant to be a sign of solidarity, of comradery but had been used to hide away an ancient power.
He grits his teeth and takes a step forward. He just has to get near enough to cast the spell to release the clasp, and the pin will fall to the ground. For a moment, he wonders what will happen to the magic that is already everywhere around them in the air, but he knows that the teachers are nearby; they can take care of it – hopefully.
Another few steps and he is almost within reach when it occurs to him that he will have to cast the release spell simultaneously with his attack spell. Can he do that? Normally, something as small as the release wouldn't be a problem, but now he is hanging on by a thread here.
He does the only thing he can think of and takes another step, bundles almost all his remaining power into one last attack. He shoves it forward and suddenly feels how other spells join his. Bright colors fly around him and connect to hold back Pandora. A deep maroon that he knows as Akai takes the brunt of it, supported by a powerful deep navy blue he has only seen a few times but recognizes as Professor Black.
Knowing they will have his back, he drops his own spell and hoarsely screams, "Release!"
The spell connects with the pin, and it is surrounded by his own red magic while it falls down. Simultaneously, the burgundy string of power rips free from Hideaki's hands and erupts into a red dome of light that covers the whole arena.
Shinichi can't think, can't see anything beyond that crazy maelstrom of magic particles that burst through him, fill him up, fuse with him.
It doesn't hurt; the pulsing that runs through his veins almost familiar. It greets him as if it were sentient. It brushes against his consciousness like a question, and he throws his desires at it as an answer.
Stop!
Protect!
The pulsing reacts, reaches out around him, and sucks in the energy that is shooting in all directions, drawing it into him until he feels like he is tearing at the seams.
Then it fades bit by bit, receding into his magic core, and it leaves him utterly spent.
The world around him that has been red a moment ago tilts into a black pit.
OooO
Kaito is as stunned as the rest by Shinichi's action, and though it gives them a moment longer to find a solution after Heiji collapsed, it was a stupid move nonetheless. Now, Shinichi is the one who has to hold up against – well, this.
"Whatever you plan to do – do it now! I can't hold him for long!"
Funny, Kudou, really funny. Kaito's first plan had been to let the teachers take Hideaki down, so he wouldn't be a threat anymore. He hadn't anticipated that to be impossible. But now, Akai has given him another idea.
"Kudou-kun, you idiot! Hideaki – stop this madness! What do you think will be proven when you kill people? Hideaki!?"
Oh, shit! The other boy is losing it, and if the spectacular sight of fluctuating magic is not proof enough of that, his red glowing eyes sure are.
"Hideaki!"
Kaito has no time to pay attention to Kumoshiro as their time is running out, and there are still thousands of people in the arena who could get caught up in the blast. The other teachers' admirable attempt to keep them calm is no use because it is obvious that something goes sideways on the field, where Heiji now is carried off to the healers.
"It is no use – he already lost the fight! Get out of here!"
Out of here is not possible. All they can do is defend themselves as good as possible. But there are people in the audience whose magic power isn't very high. He has to get the other mages to put out all they have to protect those around them, too.
"Separate them! You have to separate them!"
No more time! Start to act!
Kaito focuses on his magic power and throws it into the open sky above them. He conjures a realistic-looking beast, its wings so broad it could blow them all away with a single swing of them. It is the image of a dragon he has seen in one of his father's books he had loved as a kid.
An ancient predator to counter an ancient magical artifact.
The reaction is instantaneous and just in time. Shinichi yells out a release spell, and seconds later, the whole arena is drenched in red light. Thousands of shimmering shields appear on the tribunes surrounding the field. A sight to behold if not for the impending doom.
Kaito himself and all around him throw up their own defenses, and Kaito desperately hopes that his shield will hold after he just used a major part of his magic for his illusion.
Closely after the light, magic particles flood over him, and he struggles to keep it up when someone kneels next to him - when did he kneel down?
"Bakaito!" Aoko shouts next to him and strengthens his shield with her own, their colors combining to a beautiful glittering silver-gold. They strain together against the immense force until, from one second to the next, it is gone.
Blinking, they look each other over first to make sure the other is alright before they turn to the field, where they can see Shinichi's unmoving form lying on the grass.
"Shit," Kaito curses and wants to run over, but finds himself too exhausted to do so, and he slumps back down. Looking around, he finds that most of the other people near to him are not much better off. Only the teachers are already on their feet again though maybe not as stable as usual, and try to bring order into the chaos. James Black is giving out instructions like a commander on the battlefield, and the healers who have been farther away from the center of the magic explosion, run over to assist.
One of them runs exceptionally fast and is at Shinichi's side before anyone else. Ran dives to her knees and reaches out for her friend only to flinch back when a residue of magic strikes her like an electric shock.
"Mouri-san, I believe it is best if you step away from him for now," James Black says, placing a hand on her shoulder, calming her as well as holding her back from the boy who is surrounded by a red aura. "Let the more experienced healers take over, I can't let another student get hurt."
Ran wants to ignore him, to do whatever she can to help Shinichi, but she is afraid that maybe she will make everything even worse and bites her lips, frustrated by her limited knowledge and experience.
Jodie Starling is already with them and uses her magic to estimate what is going on with Shinichi. Her eyes are closed, and a concentrated frown lies on her face.
"His magic is in absolute disarray. It is trying to contain something within him. A different kind of power."
"Pandora," Kumoshiro says from where he observes the healer that tends to his son, who fell unconscious after his connection with the artifact got cut. "It somehow must have fused with him." He shakes his head. "Unbelievable that he of all people is the one it chooses, after all these years."
A few other healers appear, carrying stretchers. They place Hideaki on one, and with a movement spell, Shinichi is lifted on the other as no one can touch him physically at the moment.
Black turns to Amuro and Kumoshiro. "I think you have to explain what has happened today, but I guess the police want to be present for that as well. Professor Akai already took care of informing them. For now, we have to make certain that all the spectators get out of the arena safely and that no one else got hurt." He looks at the three unconscious boys. "Is there anything we can do for them right now?"
Jodie looks troubled. "Hideaki-kun and Hattori-kun have completely depleted their power and are suffering from magic exhaustion. They will recover on their own with time. Nonetheless, just to be sure their exposure to this unknown power didn't leave any damage, I would advise to admit them to the hospital along with Kudou-kun. I don't want to risk a magic extraction for him out here, especially as long as we don't know what we are dealing with."
Sirens sound from the plaza in front of the arena, announcing that ambulances and police have arrived. The group on the field moves in the direction of the exit, avoiding all the people who are already leaving the arena under the supervision of some of the other teachers.
Officers are coming their way, led by two men out of uniform. One of them is a stout man in a brown trench coat, and the other man is younger, in a grey suit. Paramedics are following them and begin to take care of the people who need assistance.
"My name is Inspector Megure, and this is Detective Takagi," the Inspector introduces them. "Who can tell us what exactly happened here?"
James Black takes a step forward. "Your timing is impeccable as that is what we were about to clear up right now. My name is James Black, and I am the principal of Teitan High School, who hosts the annual magic tournament."
"Yes, I recognize you." Megure's gaze falls on Shinichi, Hideaki, and Heiji and his eyes widen. "Is that Kudou Shinichi? Shouldn't they better be in an ambulance and on the way to the hospital?"
"As fast as possible, but we have to get some answers before that, so they can be treated correctly, I'm afraid."
"Then, by all means, go on. The, uh, red doesn't look too good on Kudou-kun," he says, shifting a bit further away from Shinichi's stretcher, but still, he keeps his eyes locked on the boy.
Black turns to Kumoshiro. "Kumoshiro-san, explain! How can we help Kudou-kun? And how did this artifact even get into the tournament?"
Kumoshiro's smile is smug despite his situation. "Oh, I have to thank Mouri-san for that. Your idea with the pins was a great way to smuggle Pandora into the tournament. I decided to give it to someone who already had held Pandora in his hands, though he had been much too young at that time. I even thought that he turned into an achromatic like us adults because he never used magic afterward, but while that was not the case, he sure made me doubt my knowledge about Pandora for a while. Unfortunately, we hadn't considered that Hideaki would be hell-bent on proving himself, and he exchanged the pins, taking Pandora for himself. I tried to talk him out of it, but it was no use."
Ran gasps. "You mean if Hideaki hadn't taken Pandora, Shinichi would have been the one to deal with it again? After everything this artifact already tool from him?"
"Well," Kumoshiro shrugs. "Looking at it now, he for sure was the correct choice, seeing as Pandora accepted him completely."
"What do you mean?"
"Looking at Pandora as a mere tool is wrong - it is sentient to a point, and decides whom it wants to work with. Like, how it allows adults to use it but drains them at the same time, but acts differently with kids or young mages. They can use it, amplify their abilities without losing their powers altogether. All they need is the stamina and the control.
"But I had the theory that because Pandora can be formed into different objects, maybe it can also be transferred directly into a mage. It has never worked before until today. Pandora accepted Kudou-kun as its host. I don't think you can simply extract it from him again."
They all look at Kumoshiro in stunned silence.
Ran's eyes are stinging as she looks down on her friend, who is still surrounded by that eerie red light.
"To a certain extent, he is Pandora now."