Turn 1: A mentor in the shadows

"You are dead. You have been dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the clothes you wear? Your home, your food, your very life! All of those, I have given to you! In short, you have never actually lived! And yet, you dare to speak such foolishness to me? Lelouch, as you are dead, you have no right!"

Words falling like a hammer on a young heart, battering it, shattering it in a hundred pieces. You are dead. You have no right. You don't exist. A young mind, trying to process the meaning of the words, stubbornly refusing to realize their true meaning. Yet it didn't have a choice. He understood. He understood all too well. His sister was weak, a cripple. And he didn't exist.

He didn't live.

Lost in his thoughts, he only barely heard the words of the Emperor – I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan. As prince and princess, you will serve as bargaining chips – but his mind heard them loud and clear. Bargaining chips. Tools. He and his sister truly meant nothing to their father.

Something Ignited. A Spark that had been dormant for nine years, ever since the prince was born. A power that awakened and burst ablaze.

Before the startled eyes of the royal court, Lelouch vi Britannia disappeared.

–v–

He was falling. Where he was or when, he didn't know. The world around him felt like a sea of chaotic energy that dragged him further and further away from his world, away from his home. He didn't know how long the journey lasted, but it ended eventually. Something cold and hard touched his body. Groaning, the boy looked around.

He was in a massive plaza, stone buildings soaring to the sky as trees lined the road. People were wandering left and right, not bothering to pay attention to a child. A massive domed building supported by several arches was being reconstructed, scaffoldings covering its ruined façade. It was… tall. Huge. Immense. Even more immense than Pendragon, in fact. The people weren't all humans. Some had blue skin, others had long ears, some looked like centaurs, gorgons, fish people, elephant-headed people, and all were wearing strange clothes. It was disturbing.

"Are you lost, child?"

He jumped and saw an angel – an angel! – look down on him. Lelouch squawked, jumped on his feet and tripped over his cape. The angel gave him a critical look.

"These clothes… You aren't a native of Ravnica. You are a Planeswalker."

"Planes… What? Where am I? Where is this place?"

"A different world." The angel took him in his arms and flew. "I will take you to Niv-Mizzet. If you were an adult, I would let you mind your business, but you are a lost child. I cannot in good conscience let you wander a world you know nothing about. It would be irresponsible. And besides…" The angel smiled. "It is my duty as a Boros to protect the innocent, even if they aren't native of Ravnica."

A part of Lelouch appreciated the care. The other was reeling of all that had happened so far. And, of course, there was the fact he was flying. He curled in the angel's arms and let himself be carried. Their destination was the building under repairs. As for Niv-Mizzet, he was a gigantic golden-scaled dragon oozing with energy and raw power. Lelouch shuddered at the sight. The dragon looked as the angel landed before me.

"Vatra." His voice was rumbling and metallic at the same time. "I have work. I trust that you have a good reason to see me."

"I do, Living Guildpact. This boy is a Planeswalker. I saw him materialize on the Gateway Plaza."

Niv-Mizzet raised a brow.

"A Planeswalker? So young?"

He leaned, and Lelouch instinctively clung to the angel. Yet, despite his initial fright, he tried to steel himself, stop trembling and look back at the dragon. The entity's eyes were glowing blue. After a moment, Niv-Mizzet purred.

"I see. You are right, he is indeed a Planeswalker. The youngest I've seen, and I have met many during the Planewide Celebration."

Vatra shuddered.

"I heard a Planeswalker's Spark ignites only under life-or-death situations or deeply traumatic events. What happened to him that caused it to awaken?"

"His mother was murdered. His sister was crippled. He watched it all and, when he confronted his father, the rebuttal was merciless. The boy was meant to serve as hostage in a different country. For, indeed, the boy is the son of the Emperor governing one of the largest countries in his plane."

Vatra spat in disgust.

"If this is what awaits him home, I don't want to send him back. Nobility or not, he is still a child! And a scared one."

She cared. Lelouch was silently grateful. Just like in stories, angels were benevolent protectors. The world may be different, but the fact remained true. But how did the dragon know all that?

"Child, I am a telepath. I can read and manipulate the mind. Peering into yours was like reading an open book."

Lelouch put a hand on his head. The dragon purred.

"Don't worry, I will not send you home. Vatra has a point, your life will be in jeopardy if you return. You will stay with us for the time being."

The boy breathed. Vatra frowned.

"Who will take care of him?"

Niv-Mizzet looked at him deeply.

"The boy has an affinity for black and blue mana. House Dimir. Manipulation and subterfuge. Being from a royal court, intrigues and politics are familiar to him. On Ravnica, he will develop his powers and thus gain the skills to survive the cutthroat conspiracies of his home country."

Vatra didn't like it. As a member of the Boros Legion, she really didn't like the guild of spies and sneaky killers. But Niv-Mizzet was the Living Guildpact and he had a point. House Dimir shared his mana affinities and the boy did require the skills to survive amidst a court full of intrigues. It was the logical thing to do.

"Fine. As you wish. I don't like it but I understand. Speaking of, what's your name, Child?"

"Lelouch… Lelouch vi Brittania."

Vatra stroked his hair. Niv-Mizzet sent a call through a device.

"Get me Sanjati of the Dimir. I have a mission for him."

–v–

Sanjati was an infiltrator, one of the best House Dimir had to offer. When he appeared before the Living Guildpact, he wondered what kind of mission he would be given. Sure, Lazav was the Guild's Leader, but the Living Guildpact was the guardian and supreme authority of Ravnica. Whatever he commanded, people did. It was true to him as well.

"Your orders."

"Train him."

Him was the black-haired boy curled in the Boros angel's arms. Niv-Mizzet deigned expand.

"The child is a Planeswalker with an affinity for black and blue mana and originating from a deadly and decadent court. Train him, Sanjati of the Dimir. Teach him your trade and your magic, and so help me if Lazav tries to interfere."

The human froze. A Planeswalker. The Living Guildpact wanted him to train a young Planeswalker in the arts of infiltration, theft and spying. He had but one thing to say.

"Your will be done."

It wasn't like him to be so obedient. Niv-Mizzet was an exception.

Lelouch looked at the man who was to be his mentor. He was dressed in dark blue tissue clothes with a hooded black cloak and a scarf covering the bottom of his face. Robust boots clad his feet and dark leather gloves covered his hands. Sanjati, in turn, looked at the boy. He was so pale and thin, the red cape almost comically big as it hung from his shoulders. He held a hand. The angel tensed. Lelouch hesitantly looked at him.

"Will you… take care of me?"

"The Living Guildpact wills it. You will be safe at my side, and I will make sure you learn what you must know."

Lelouch nodded, left Vatra's arms and held his hand. Under his scarf, Sanjati smiled.

"First, I believe a change in wardrobe is in order. Then I will give you some time to rest. Once you are ready, your training will start in earnest. Make no mistake, however: I will not go easy on you."

Lelouch believed him.

–v–

His outfit was akin to his mentor's, fully black and in tissue, with a hood but no cape. Sanjati said it would get in the way. He spent a few days at the infiltrator's hideout, a perfectly ordinary house on a perfectly ordinary street. Slowly, he recovered from the ordeal. His father's words haunted him, as did Nunnally's fate.

You are dead. You have been dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the clothes you wear? Your home, your food, your very life!

"Something is worrying you."

"My sister is back on Earth. She was sent as a hostage in a different country." Lelouch shuddered. "The attack… It left her blind and unable to use her legs. I've seen her. I worry something bad will happen to her."

Sanjati put a hand on his shoulder.

"Then it's all the more crucial that you learn what I teach you. Once you do, you will be able to sneak into whatever place she is kept in and take her out."

The words reassured him.

"Teacher… Am I dead?"

Sanjati scoffed and touched his neck, checking for a pulse.

"You feel very much alive to me."

"Father said that I was dead." Lelouch looked down. "All I have was given to me, so I have never truly lived. Now I have nothing, so I am dead and without right. That's what Father said."

His mentor frowned.

"Then you should take the things you want through your own means. If what you are given doesn't matter, claim what you need. The things you possess, you will get them with your own two hands."

The boy's purple eyes narrowed.

"My life."

"Yes." Sanjati grinned. "I don't know how it works back in your plane but, in Ravnica, not all those who die stay so. If your father is right and you are dead, claim back your life and return to the realm of the living."

Lelouch grinned like a predator.

"Teacher, I am ready to learn."

And Sanjati taught him. The very first thing Lelouch learned was how to use mana. Sanjati took him to the dark belly of Ravnica, the Undercity. The sewers and underground tunnels were truly a city unto itself, shrouded in shadows and eerie lights and filled with a permanent stench. His mentor took him to a leyline of blue energy and held his hand in it, and Lelouch felt its power.

Logic

Knowledge

Curiosity

Science

Possibility

Perfection

Imagination

Caution

This was what he felt, and he understood. Sanjati next took him to a leyline of black energy and once again let him touch it.

Pragmatism

Ambition

Ruthlessness

Opportunism

Parasitism

Amorality

Individualism

Tenacity

Where the blue energy felt full of wonder, the black energy was selfish. But, once more, he understood. His mother's murder had been an eye-opener: the world was not sunshine and rainbows. It was a cutthroat place where everyone was out for themselves.

Alright, except Nunnally, Euphemia and maybe Odysseus. But that was it.

In any case, he understood both energies, felt a part of himself echo with their notions. He welcomed them both. The two energies would help him survive. Because, in the end, it was what it was about, right? Survival. And, according to Sanjati, the best way to survive was by not being caught. His first true lesson was how to hide.

"Mists and fog are great, but a breeze can dismiss them. If you ask me, true safety lays in shadows." He looked at the towering spires of Ravnica. "Everything casts a shadow. Every living being had one. Hide in them, and they will never find you. And if they say a candle can banish the darkness, remember that this very same candle can cast it as well."

And so, by manipulating the dark mana, Lelouch learned to hide in the dark. Sanjati taught him how to conceal his presence in the crowd, how to make himself look like he was just a child among others. He learned to walk in the dark, in the shadows cast by those taller than him and the shady corners of buildings.

Sanjati taught him to read minds and manipulate them. Looking at a lone sentry, the boy focused and heard their thoughts hovering their head.

Man, when is the next watch?

I'm hungry!

Will my pay be enough to pay the rent?

It wasn't just thoughts. It was emotions, too. A thousand feelings oozed from the crowd, so he learned to focus. A jolt of fear from an alleyway? Sanjati had already thrown three shadow knives at the viashino thugs who collapsed, dead. Their victim, a little girl, ran to the safety of the market. It was easy. More than that, it was natural. And Lelouch was anything but a bad student.

Sanjati smiled with pride. The young Planeswalker was learning with a speed that was frankly amazing. He had had students before, but none so young, and none who picked on his lessons with such a speed. Barely three months in and the boy could perceive thoughts and feelings with precision and outright merge with the shadows. He had a natural talent in these fields, and the infiltrator was eager to teach him.

Lelouch, meanwhile, welcomed the infiltrator's teachings. Discretion was often the better part of valor, especially when you were surrounded with so many people stronger and smarter than you. Hiding and concealing himself was a harsh necessity for the nine-year-old, and perceiving thoughts made it easy to figure who to trust and to avoid, how to predict people's actions and act accordingly. So, he learned, day after day. By the fourth month, he was as subtle as a ghost, and reasonably skilled in infiltrating Guild-affiliated places. Sanjati started teaching him theft. Above all else, though, he allowed him to go home.

"So long as you aren't careless, I believe you can easily locate your sister and reach her. Getting her out will be another story. Entering and leaving a place alone is one thing. Breaking someone out is another. I will teach you how once you made enough progress in thievery."

"Thank you, Teacher."

And so, in a fizzle of blue and black, the boy vanished.

–v–

Planeswalking wasn't easy. According to Niv-Mizzet, Planeswalkers jumped between Planes either by diving in the Blind Eternities and leaving the currents guide them or by visualizing a special spot in their mind and focusing to reach it. Lelouch knew Nunnally was in Japan. He had seen some pictures of the country. He focused on one of them, a wooded area which had a red gate, and let himself fall across the Blind Eternities. He landed heavily on some stone pavement and looked around. A smile crossed his face. It was indeed the place he had been trying to reach. What he hadn't remembered, however, was the small square house with the roof curving upward and the zigzagging paper tassels.

The boy extended his mind. He needed to locate Nunnally and reach her. Planeswalking only took you between Planes. Once within a Plane, teleportation was much more difficult. Wherever his sister was, he would have to use regular transportation. He left the place and headed downtown, slipping in the crowd as he had learned to do. No one noticed him. At the same time, he eavesdropped their mind, listening to their thoughts as he searched the information he wanted. He knew that, logically, Nunnally would be kept by a member of Japan's government. The question was "Which one?": The Emperor, his Prime Minister or another advisor?

Thoughts from a limo gave him the answer: Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi was keeping Princess Nunnally vi Brittania at Kururugi Shrine near Mt. Fuji. Now, he needed to get there. If only Sanjati had taught him to manipulate thoughts! But his mentor had decided "Not yet". The most he could do in the domain of mental manipulation was emitting an aura that blurred people's perception of him, making him impossible to recognize as all people remembered was vague and unclear, nondescript even.

So, Lelouch bid his time and did without it. He jumped from bus to bus, hiding beneath the travelers' notice until he was close enough to the shrine to go on foot. Naturally, he didn't use the front door. He didn't know if his concealing magic would work on cameras, so better safe than sorry and avoid them. He stuck to the shadows, jumping from one to the other, reveling in the feeling of coolness they provided. Stepping in shadows was like being shrouded by a thick yet fresh blanket. He liked the sensation. It made him feel safe.

There was a sharp set of stairs going up the hills, two guards watching the entrance. There was also a stone wall and a forest, the trees providing shade. This was all Lelouch needed. Making sure the mental spell that kept him beneath notice was active, he climbed the wall and jumped in the trees' shade. Using shadows to navigate was incredibly useful. Not like teleportation since he still had to physically move between distances, but still much faster than simply walking, and he could dive in and hide inside to become completely invisible. Sanjati was right: true safety indeed laid in shadows.

From one shade to the next, he reached the main building of the shrine and extended his mind. Where, exactly, was his sister? The answer was a room in the north-east side of the shrine. The boy headed there, eyes and mind open, body cloaked in darkness. The servants didn't notice him, nor did the tall man with the stern, triangular face, narrow eyes and katana on the sides. Lelouch adjusted his hood and followed the corridors until he reached his sister's room.

She was there, sitting in a wheelchair, eyes closed as her blonde hair fell on her shoulders. She was wearing a pink shirt and a short white skirt while her feet were bare, and the room was in a half-light. There were toys and a bed that was just the level of the wheelchair, along with a desk with books and some pens. All in all, not the luxury a princess of her rank would deserve but not a cubbyhole either. Lelouch's room in Ravnica was less furnished than that.

The same magic that cloaked him in shadows muffled his voice and his steps. When he spoke, it came as a whisper. Nunnally still picked it.

"Nunna?"

"Lulu?"

"Yeah."

He stuck to the shadows as he walked to her, kneeling before his sister and holding her hands.

"This is me, Nunna. I'm back."

Nunnally laughed and wept as she fell in his arms. Lelouch held her tight. At last, they were together.

"Where have you been, Big Brother? Everyone says you vanished in front of the Court. What happened?"

"I can't tell, Nunna. Sorry."

Planeswalkers were only common knowledge across Ravnica because of the War of the Spark. The only other Plane who was fully aware of them was Dominaria. All other worlds knew little to nothing about the Plane-hopping people. Earth would be no exception.

"Don't worry, though. I met someone who's taking care of me. He is teaching me stealth and how to be subtle. I managed to sneak in the shrine."

"And no one found you?"

"They didn't, and they won't unless I want them to."

Nunnally gasped in awe. Lelouch caressed her face.

"So, are the people of the shrine nice to you?"

"They treat me well. The adults are sort of stern, but they don't say mean things, and Kaguya plays with me when she has the time. Suzaku is a bit dismissive, but I can tell he's concerned about my well-being."

"That's good."

They ended talking some more before parting ways.

"I'll come back, Nunna. I promise. Just one thing: if people ask about me and my visits, say it is your Shadow. They can't know it is me, alright? If they knew, they would try to catch me and I can't have that. I'm hiding, both from Father and the Court and from anyone out to catch me. It means them if they knew. So, they mustn't know. Can you do it, Nunna?"

"Yes. If it's for your sake, I can lie. Good luck, Big Brother."

"You too, Nunna."

And he was gone.

–v–

Knowing Nunnally was safe greatly relieved him. But, even though the people of Kururugi Shrine treated her nicely, she was still a hostage. Lelouch used the incentive to work even harder, focusing on his studies with a rare diligence. As promised, Sanjati started teaching him thievery. He also decided to up their schedule a little and begin teaching him mind manipulation.

Stealing was surprisingly easy. Lelouch was already skilled in being nigh-unnoticeable. Stealing from a stall wasn't rocket science: he just had to wait until the merchant was looking somewhere else and nab his prize. He spent the following month eating exclusively what he could steal, an incentive to go after the juicier, tastier snacks he could find while doing it often enough he didn't go to sleep hungry. Stealing from pockets required a bit more dexterity, and additional mind reading to find where the purse was. Fingers light, a knife made of shadows, cut the string and vanish in the crowd. If his food was what he could steal, his more material purchases were made with stolen money. If he wanted something – like, say, a toy to give Nunnally for his next visit – he first had to gather the funds one purse at a time. By comparison, stealing from places was ridiculously easy: read the item's location in the owner's mind, sneak in the building, pocket the prize and get out. Child play.

Mind manipulation was comparatively harder. People could tell when their thoughts were being altered and they didn't like it. Enough focus could break the boy's attempts and his target would then try to chase him, so he had to pick his victims carefully. Those asleep were the simplest. Being unconscious, their minds lost in dreams, they hardly ever noticed his attempts.

The first and simplest trick Sanjati taught him was to erase memories. The exercise was rather simple: let himself be seen, track down the target and, once they were asleep, locate the memory in their mind and remove it. At the same time, he learned the nuance between erasing and sealing memories. Erasing meant permanently removing a thought from someone's head. Sealing meant locking a thought in a corner of the mind, often for later use. Unlike erasure, a seal could be undone through sheer willpower of a trigger, most commonly a situation similar to that of the sealed memory. Erasure was thus more reliable, but sealing still had its use, especially when you did it to yourself or in order to create sleeper agents.

Lelouch trained the skill relentlessly. Even if he snuck in at night, he still ran the risk of stumbling upon the Shrine's nightguards. If they saw him, he needed to be able to erase their memories while they were awake and aware. Sure, he had his Perception Filter active at all times he was in the place and he kept hiding in shadows, but still. He was a kid. Accidents happened, and he couldn't afford them in that place. It would sign his death warrant.

There was another subtlety Sanjati taught him: when a memory was erased, it created a hole, as in: a rather literal memory lapse. People who noticed the memory lapse were disturbed by its presence, which brought several issues depending how important the memory was. A true mind manipulator thus did more than simply erase a memory. They filled the hole as well, replacing the memory with something plausible enough the victim wouldn't question it. It was delicate to say the least. Lelouch still did his best to learn, his go-to lapse-filling memory being simple: a black cat.

By his eleventh month of training, he was capable of performing the operation on an awake target, thanks in no small part to Vatra volunteering to help. Much as the angel disliked the Dimir, she still cared for the boy, and Lelouch had clearly told her how he intended to use the skill. Protecting himself as he visited his sister was something the Boros angel could understand. So, she let him alter her mind, even opposing some resistance to increase the difficulty. It helped a lot.

–v–

Lelouch silently walked the corridors of the Kururugi Shrine. There was a sweet scent coming from the kitchen. He snuck in and saw the maids remove fish-shaped pastries from the oven. Patient, he waited that they put them on the windowsill to cool, blended in the shadows and, as soon as their back was turned, snatched two of them. He nibbled on one within the darkness, savoring the sweet bread and red bean paste before moving to Nunnally's room. She was having tea with Suzaku and Kaguya. He waited until they were done, listening as they talked about children stuff. A pang hit his heart.

If only he could join them…

To have a normal childhood again. But it wasn't an option anymore. There were people out to hurt him, and he had to evade them. His childhood had stopped being normal the day his mother had died. Instead, he had learned to go unnoticed, to sneak in places and steal things. He didn't regret this life, but he did regret being unable to openly play with Nunnally. So, he waited. As soon as Suzaku and Kaguya were out, he emerged from the shadows and handed his sister the pastry. Nunnally grinned. Though she had been afraid at first, she wasn't anymore. Her brother was watching from the dark. So long as he did, she knew she was safe.

Several years ago, I wrote a story about Planeswalker-Lelouch being adopted by the Gatewatch. Unfortunately, Amonkhet and the War of the Spark storylines threw a major wrench in the scenario and I had to abandon it. This is the rework: another sneaky Planeswalker-Lelouch, but without the Gatewatch or adult supervision, and minimal involvement of the Magic: the Gathering storyline to avoid conflict. Other Planeswalker may still play a tiny role, though...

So, on this, enjoy the story.
Elia41