Was I that obvious? So many people guessed who Touma saw enter the room. I seriously debated if I could switch them to someone else, but there was only one other person who could possibly fit in that category and it just did not work out as well. Sometimes, you guys can tell what I'm going to do before I write it. Good job. Thor isn't dead either. He only needs some time to recover after losing his precious. What will become of this and what possible hilarious situations involving our unlucky hero can occur? Not going to spoil anything, so ha. This chapter will start bringing more people into the spotlight. There are also smaller incidents caused by the local magic goddess who seems to have her own ideas of what the future should hold.

Epidemic Bear: Nah, some people just want to see Thor beaten.

Bluejack222: Most likely.

anand891996: He insulted a magic goddess and tried to kill her entertainment.

whwsms: Never get between a magic god and her target. It never ends well. Touma Punch, the only way to gain a harem, the right way. Yes, the shoe is important.

Salishious: I feel you want the princess to show up. I mean, it's practically guaranteed, but you seem really excited.

Jujudude: Snek does what she wants. We will have to wait and see what happened. Electronic problems are the biggest detriment to writing. Once you stop writing for a period of time, it's hard to get back. You need to keep going, even if you only write a little bit each day. It gets you in the swing of things.

general ironox: A moment of silence for our fallen brothers, and a welcoming applause for our new sister.

edinosaur25: Maybe. You will have to find out later. Heh, hammer.

Sergio644: This chapter will have a lot of Carissa.

Mr. Self-Deprecation: It is indeed.

wildarms13: She wasn't going to, until Touma was in danger. Can't have her source of entertainment die. A lot more people than I thought actually feel sorry for Thor.

Darkavengers: Othinus and Academy City, nothing bad could possibly happen.

Guest: The burst power of Touma weakens the negation power. If he used it against the Lightning God's arc blades, they would cut through the burst and strike him. He could barely block it with his full negation power. Regeneration is different than healing.

Guest: So much focus on Thor's balls.

amirread97: He hasn't actually met Lucifer, it was more of an imprint. Not sure about any opportunity for him to meet other demons.

St german: I couldn't make Thor lose without a lot of interference from other people. No one knew Thor could use the Almighty. Naaaaaah. Just because you mentioned it, I'm going to end this chapter on a cliffhanger. The thing is, I don't have a time line. I write when I feel like it and some days I just write a lot. Others, I'm lucky to write a paragraph.

Deep Sea Diver Man: They are popular.

xaxiel1572: He was too aggressive, like a puppy. He had to calm down.

Tardis42: When you mentioned that, I almost changed everything.

A certain guest: Oh, that is going to be a running joke until Thor recovers his manhood. I enjoyed your skit. I'll try to incorporate something like that into the story at some point.

Tsun: His hell will be a little different.

Agent Nine: Thor is not easy to beat and letting Touma win easily wouldn't do him justice. One of my friends on discord believes Jason is evil and wishes him death constantly.

Generation Zero: Is it just me, or are your comments getting longer? The reason I could justify it was there had to be a connection between Thor and Mjolnir. Index's power seems to rely on interfere with application and mana connections. It did take most of the fight to analyze it and she couldn't predict all the additional abilities, so I think it was a fair trade. First fight is always a testing stage. He is still alive and has more opportunities to adapt more lightning magic. His is a combat expert and won't stay at the same level forever. Oh, Thor and Mikoto are going to meet at some point. I'm not sure if Sogiita could handle those lightning blades. No Fräulein here. Too many characters already and Othinus has a different way of achieving her plan. Aleister has been rather laid back, but that doesn't mean he isn't planning something. He has a lot of Kiharas' at his disposal. You seem to understand the important of Julunggul. Magic gods are not all powerful, even if they seem that way by our standards. Each god may have a weakness to exploit. The question now is, what sort of meeting will the two gods have and will anyone else attend? So many groups going at it, someone has to give first.

Maderfole: Nice, another essay. I love reading them, but replying can be a little tough, heh. Thor is a very popular character from the NT novels. Eve is nowhere near a magic god in magical might, though her knowledge could pass them. I try, but sometimes a certain character is better than previous ones. I am cutting a lot out, like the scavengers I originally planned to use at some point. I plan to have some Saiai/Accelerator adventures hopefully. Adam's aspect would stop probability manipulation from working, yes. Because changing something that had almost no chance to something that would definitely succeed, would be kind of like a miracle. Thor could have won a lot easier, but he wants to be pushed to the extreme to grow himself. Good match up for them. I know, right? Dragon can't show up for EVERY event. If Accelerator could move the earth, he might be able to beat Thor. Kiharas' will do anything to reach their end goal, so he may believe he can win. We will have to see how Ricane works against Jason. "Not with the girlfriend plus mistress relationship just starting out." Heh, mistress. I was proud of myself there. Blood magic is mentioned in NT and I did put a small explanation in this chapter for those who did not read it.

Toaru Fan: Sadly, I have decided not to. There are way too many people in this story and I need to add a few more.

Inacio: 1) That's kind of creepy. 2) no. 3) Week or two. Really depends how much I feel like writing. 4) Maybe. 5) No. 6) Eh, who knows? 7) Sometimes off screen. 8) Enough. 9) Somewhere around chapter 15. 10) Limited Mana. They really are some kind of third existence. 11) No one cares.

FrodoFighter: Thor and Touma really are bros. They fight seriously, but neither tries anything underhanded. Introduction so Touma can recognize them and stuff, yeah, that is a good explanation. A magician, who can dodge? That is impressive. So, we have discovered Frodo's type in Marian. Telling Touma his actions get others involved actually works on him. I do like the fact you are one of the few people to comment on the racist remarks. Mjölnir was running a crappy version of windows that didn't update overnight. Snuggle-chan isn't really on anyone's side, except her own. Touma's manga was indeed still in there. Maybe some of his wealthy friends can get him some to help out. Poor Jason, he has to fight a Kihara to save a couple girls. Lewd? Like handholding level? We had a nice little discussion on blood magic, didn't we?

Disclaimer: Random people do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or start yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly.

"C-Carissa," Touma stammered, at a loss for words. His face was still hurting from where the shoe hit him.

There was no mistaking the blonde woman sauntering into the room. The way she held herself, proud and confident, had not diminished since the fight against Adam. Her clothes had changed, if only slightly. They were still mostly red, as that seemed to be her preferred color, but it was a little less extravagant than the royal garbs she had when he and his friends visited England. Her dress was of a darker red, but still leather, keeping the bondage-like appearance. The lower half of her dress reached just below her knees instead of down to the ground, which most likely provided greater movability. Her expression was one of irritation and Touma shivered slightly under her glare.

"You haven't seen me for a couple days and that was your reaction?" Carissa asked, stopping next to his bed. She slipped her shoe back on without taking her eyes off him.

"S-sorry," Touma apologized. "It's just I suddenly woke up somewhere unfamiliar with Lessar chained to a wall… which really should surprise me more than it did…"

"Hey!" Lessar protested. "For your information, I rarely get chained to a wall. A cell, sure, maybe a table, but a wall…no!"

"… and then you show up out of the blue," Touma continued. "My brain is a few steps behind."

"Like usual," Carissa added, her lip curled. Touma knew she was insulting him, but he kept his mouth shut. There was a scuffle outside and another familiar face burst into the room.

"I heard he woke up," Kaori stated and immediately stood up straight when she saw Carissa in the room.

"Kanzaki?" Touma asked. "W-what…how… why?"

"It's a long story-…" Kaori started to reply.

"And one you can get to in a moment," Carissa cut off. "Right now, we have more important matters to discuss." She sat down in one of the sofa chairs near the bed, while Kaori continued to stand. "Close the door." Kaori nodded and quickly followed the command. "Now." She focused on Touma. "Tell me why my men found you in that state. The people clearing field caught our attention, along with a surge of mana, but by the time they arrived, it was only you lying on the ground unconscious."

"Just me?" Touma asked confused. "Wait! Index was with me and Itsuwa was being held hostage by Thor and Marian."

"Held hostage?" Lessar asked the room. No one answered her.

"The Amakusa girl?" Carissa added with a raised eyebrow.

"Calm down," Kaori told Touma. "I can assure you Index and Itsuwa are fine. There were some strange situations involved around them, but that's why we need to know what happened from your point of view."

"The Index Librorum Prohibitorum has been rather tight lipped about what happened," Carissa added, her arms crossed. "So speak up, boy. My patience won't last if you delay much longer."

Touma was still confused at the situation, but he could tell those two were looking for something, so he put off asking all his questions until he answered theirs. It wasn't like Carissa was going to allow anything else. He rubbed his head and started explaining what he could remember. Itsuwa, Index, and he were shopping for food, when on the return trip Itsuwa broke away from the group for a few minutes. After that, Thor and Marian appeared and demanded to face him or she was going to die. Touma did his best to explain Thor's power and what he was told about Marian and Mjölnir. "… I still don't know what happened at the end," Touma finished. "We had defeated the Lightning God when I was suddenly struck in the head. Thor muttered something I couldn't hear and then it went black."

"Hmm." Carissa leaned back in the chair. "And they were part of the group, GREMLIN?"

"It was mentioned once," Touma confirmed. "Do you know them?"

"There have been a few events involving them," Kaori explained. "But nothing of this magnitude." Lessar noticed the look of concern on his face and elaborated Kaori's explanation.

"Any cabal with magicians of a certain caliber is usually known by other groups. It's hard to keep magical activity secret for very long." Lessar shrugged, as much as she could in her restraints.

"This group has been systematically attacking other small cabals," Carissa continued. "But it's more than just showing their might, they are looking for something. What exactly, we aren't sure."

"Thor didn't seem to be after anything except a fight," Touma pointed out. "And he knew about our battle in Australia against Fiamma and Adam."

"So the possibility of spies in our group exists," Carissa murmured, as she rubbed her chin. "I suppose a little Inquisition is in order. There hasn't been a need in recent years, due to them policing themselves, so they shouldn't expect it." She smiled at Touma, who shivered.

Please say I didn't sign someone's death warrant. To change the subject, Touma turned to Kaori. "So what happened with Itsuwa and Index after I was knocked out?"

"Index explained you two were attacked," Kaori answered. "And her description matched yours, though her analyzation of Thor's magic was a little more in-depth." Kaori frowned and went silent.

"So…," Touma asked and looked around. "It sounds like something happened?" Lessar shrugged. She had been kept out of the loop for the last few days.

"Index doesn't normally keep secrets," Kaori said slowly. "But she left out a lot more details than she normally does."

"Huh?"

"All she would tell us," Carissa explained. "Is that she found Itsuwa and the two of them went back to your backup dorm."

"That doesn't sound like her," Touma muttered. "If she didn't ask about food…what backup dorm!?"

"It seems your down was destroyed in the struggle," Kaori pointed out. "The good news was no one else's was caught up in the destruction. Were you not aware of this?"

"But I'm crashing there too!" Lessar complained. "Now where will I crash?"

"Not my problem," Carissa answered.

"Why was my dorm room destroyed?" Touma moaned and grabbed his head again with his left hand. "That fight should have been far enough away to not risk involving it. And why was it only mine?!" he fell back on his pillow and sighed. "At least I think I understand the backup dorm now. It's probably Jason's apartment."

"Kagere-san's?" Kaori interjected hesitantly. "They are not at his residence."

"Are you sure?" Touma was now completely confused.

"Stiyl and I have been to his apartment," Kaori reminded him. "I know the address they went to and it is in a completely different location."

"Lover Boy had a secret room?" Lessar gasped. "No wonder he didn't have to come back every night. Dang it. If I had known, I could have used that to my advantage."

"So you don't have another residence?" Kaori asked Touma.

"No! I'm a poor high school student. I only have my dorm room because the city provides it." Touma frowned. Where could they have gone? Accelerator's apartment is another option, but Itsuwa or Index could have told them that. What is going on? Carissa must have been able to read his mind because she snapped her fingers at the door. A moment later, the door was opened by a man in a suit.

"How may I serve you, princess?" he asked respectfully.

"The location of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum and her Amakusa guard," Carissa told him. "I want all information regarding who acquired it and when… and I want it five minutes ago."

"Yes, ma'am." The man bowed and disappeared, as the doom closed behind him.

"I dislike unsolved mysteries," Carissa commented. "As you obviously don't know what is going on, I will find out."

"Thank you?" Touma said, still confused.

"The Index Librorum Prohibitorum is a very valuable existence to England," Carissa retorted with a wave of her hand. "We take extra precaution when it involves her."

"Right." Her tone was telling Touma to drop the subject immediately. He looked down at his hand in a splint. "Oh, I never thanked you for patching me up. How bad were my injuries?"

"The nurse said everything except your hand had healed up nicely," Lessar announced before Carissa had a chance too. "Your hand was dislocated and they repositioned it, but you should go easy on it." She snickered. "That means no alone time at night with a magazine."

"I d-don't do t-that!" Touma denied, his face burning.

"Nonsense," Lessar dismissed. "No boy your age could resist. It's only natural and nothing to be ashamed of."

"There's a lot to be ashamed for by doing that!" Kaori interrupted, her face as red as Touma's. "An action like that is incredibly shameful."

"Prude," Lessar said to her with an eye roll.

"H-how dare-…" spluttered Kaori.

"Enough." Carissa cut off their bickering. She seemed slightly bored. "Whatever the boy's masturbation schedule is, we have other things to talk."

"Don't say it like that!" Touma cried out while Kaori grew even redder and Lessar laughed.

"As for your injuries," Carissa continued, a small smirk on her lips. Touma knew she embarrassed him on purpose. "Everything should be healed except your wrist, so you can remove those bandages on your head whenever you feel like it."

"Okay," Touma replied with nod. "So… can I ask why you are here?" Please don't let it be what I think it is. The Queen wouldn't do that, right? He shrank back slightly under Carissa's glare. "I thought you were supposed to return to England after Adam's defeat."

"I did," Carissa said briefly. "But I left almost immediately. Thanks to the success in Australia, my detainment has been lifted and I was able to travel here to view a weapons expo Academy City is hosting." Her eyes examined Touma for a moment. "The reason I could be here is thanks to your efforts. My punishment was only lifted due to the success of that mission. Healing you was the least I could do."

"She's such a tsundere and can't admit she wanted to help you," Lessar laughed. A second later, a movement occurred next to Carissa so fast, that Touma only saw a blur followed by a thud. His eyes traveled to Lessar, who had a small knife buried in the wall right next to her cheek. Touma would be surprised if there were more than a few centimeters between the blade and her cheek. Lessar laughter stopped, but she still forced a smile, though the beads of sweat on her face were visible.

"What was that?" Carissa asked Lessar in a false cheerful tone. "I could have sworn you said you wanted to try out the interrogation room. Was I mistaken?"

"I said nothing, princess," Lessar replied quickly.

"That's what I thought."

"Lessar discovered the princess was arriving in Academy City," Kaori explained to Touma. "She took it upon herself to spy and see why the princess was here."

"Information gathering," Lessar protested. "Not spying. I thought she was going back to England too and was shocked when I found out. It had to do with those rumors and I couldn't be left behind."

"What rumors?" Touma asked.

"Never you mind," Carissa snapped. "I already squashed the idiots who started it and they have been… disciplined." The way she said that word sent shivers down Touma's spine.

"The knights caught her," Kaori continued. "And she ended up in the position you see now." Kaori sighed. "I couldn't believe it when I heard. It only makes my own job more difficult."

"Job?" Touma asked. "I thought you were here to help guard Index and stop Eve?"

"It is because I'm here," Kaori pointed out. "That I was able to be reassigned as protection for the princess."

"Protect her?" Touma shook his head to make sure he heard right. "She needs protection?" He pointed to her. Carissa smirked in amusement.

"Glad to see the boy is beginning to understand how skilled I am," she said to Kaori. "Since he barely knows history, I was worried he wouldn't be able to truly understand how brightly I compare to the rulers of the past." She turned to Touma. "You should have a basic understanding of how Curtana works, even if the details escape you. Its power does not reach outside of the United Kingdom, with a few temporary exceptions. When a member of the royal family leaves, we require additional security. Normally, it's just a preventative measure, but with Eve still loose, the situation calls for it even more than normal." She gestured to Kaori. "The Anglican Church volunteered her to act as security. You can understand the value of having a Saint do this, do you not?" Touma nodded.

"That is why I haven't been around the last few days," Kaori told Touma. She purposely left out her involvement with Eve. The injuries weren't that severe and she had been able to move the next day without too much issues. "Itsuwa has been kind enough to take over watching Index." Kaori had to resist saying more when Touma nodded again. She really wanted to tell him she would have preferred staying with him and Index while someone else guarded Carissa. That option was out of the question, as this was a direct request from Laura.

"I was wondering why I hadn't seen you lately," Touma admitted. "It seems like you were just busy, that's good." Kaori smiled at him and Carissa's eye flickered between them. "So… am I free to leave?"

"Already?" Carissa asked, smirking. "I noticed before, but your endurance and recovery speed is quite abnormal for a normal person."

"My luck kind of forced me to acquire it," Touma replied with a forced chuckle. "I won't let the healing you did be for nothing and I'll try to keep from doing anything to aggravate my wrist." Carissa raised an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you can say that," Carissa commented, highly amused. "Knowing you, the second someone was in trouble, you would forget what you just said."

"No I wouldn't," Touma protested and shook his head. "I said I would try, But if someone is in trouble, I'll still help them, even if I'm injured." Kaori sighed, but she was still smiling. Carissa's expression was unreadable.

"If you would like," Kaori volunteered. "I can show you the way out. Just, do try to keep it easy if you wish to depart."

"I will," Touma promised. "Where are we anyway?"

"Top floor of the Dianoid," Carissa answered. "It's my residence. By the way," her expression grew amused. "The bed you're in, it's mine. You should consider yourself lucky in that regard."

"EH?!" Touma bolted up right and almost jumped off the bed. When he saw her smirking at him, he settled down. "Very funny. I actually fell for that."

"She's not lying," Lessar blurted out and Touma's eye widened.

"W-what?!" Touma spluttered. "Don't tell me she's in on it too?" He gestured to Lessar while turning to Kaori. Kaori couldn't look him in the eye. "Why?!" he asked Carissa, realizing she was telling the truth, much to his shock. "Shouldn't there be a spare room or something? Shoot, even a couch?"

"It was purely designed so I could enjoy your expression when you found out," Carissa responded, unabashed.

"I'm glad you use me as a constant joke," Touma sighed.

"Well, I am on vacation, officially." Carissa chuckled. "Which is a rare enough occurrence, so why shouldn't I enjoy myself? Besides, didn't you mention you thought I didn't take vacations often?"

"Using my own words against me? Such misfortune." He sighed. "Well, if there is nothing else, Kanzaki, can you show me out? Preferably in a way to not draw attention?"

"We could probably take the stairs," Kaori said thoughtfully. "They are usually empty. People tend to use the elevators."

"Wait," Carissa interrupted. "Before he leaves, I have something important to discuss with him… privately." Kaori blinked and turned to her.

"I'm sure what you tell him can be said in front of m-…"

"No," Carissa stated firmly. "It cannot. I will, however, entrust the New Light member to you. She does not need to hear this either."

"Aww," Lessar complained. "You let me sit… hang… through everything else. Why not this?"

"Because I said so," Carissa answered simply. She clapped her hands and muttered something under her breath. The shackles bolting Lessar to the wall opened up and she fell, unable to react quickly enough to her sudden release. "Make sure she doesn't cause problems. My men will step in if she does."

"Understood," Kaori replied. "I'll be in the other room should you require my assistance."

"Come on," Lessar protested. "You know you want to listen to their conversation too."

"You will not be spying on them," Kaori declared and grabbed Lessar's collar. As a Saint, Kaori's strength dwarfed Lessar's, plus Lessar didn't have her signature Steel Glove Weapon.

"At least I'll have someone to talk to," commented Lessar. "I can tell you about how Lover Boy and I shared a bed and got rather intimate before we met the princess." Kaori stumbled for a moment, but managed to catch herself a second before slamming the door shut behind them. She was incredibly glad Touma couldn't see her face. Carissa waited a moment before focusing on Touma. Her expression had a sharpness to it, but her eyes seemed slightly… cloudy would probably be the word Touma would have used. Whatever that discussion was going to be about, Touma knew Carissa didn't consider it light and was probably figuring out the best way to go about it.

"So," Touma said slowly, breaking the silence after a few minutes. "What did you need to talk about with me?" Carissa took a deep breath, stood up, and turned away from him with her hands clasped behind her back.

"I had assumed you would remember," Carissa said sharply, still not looking at him. "But I keep forgetting not to get my hopes up around you."

"Sorry," Touma apologized automatically. He wasn't even sure what he was apologizing for, but figured it was better than nothing. Carissa was kind of insulting him, but she could do a lot worse if she meant to.

"I believe you received a letter from my mother?"

At that moment, Touma knew his life was over.

Everything flashed before his eyes. His mother telling him about her call from the Queen to the letter he had received the day before. No, this can't be real. No matter how real the Queen made it look, she couldn't have been serious. All of her actions were just her way of joking and embarrassing us. He still remembered the first time she did that, in front of his friends and her other daughters back in England. Then there was the time she did it online when they were in Australia. Every time, she worded her responses in a way to cause the most embarrassment. If Touma judged her correct, he believed Carissa was receiving equal treatment, if not worse. Oh, crap! What if she wants to take her frustration out on me?

"Yes," he finally admitted. "I read it." The room suddenly felt twenty degrees colder. "But it's not like I believed her. She's obviously just planning on messing with us. You can tell she enjoys that. There's no way she would approve of you marrying someone like me!" Carissa's head slowly turned and she eyed him coldly.

"Did you think I would simply roll over and let her dictate my life?" Carissa asked, her tone causing Touma's blood to freeze. "I would never let her decide who I would wed. She tried before, and the entire palace shook from our arguments." Touma vaguely remembered hearing rumors about that back in England.

"That's what I thought," Touma replied relieved. "I'm going to call the contact person your mother gave me and tell her that this request of hers is impossible."

"Hmm?" Carissa turned to look at him and Touma suddenly had the premonition he said something wrong or stupid. Being friends with Mikoto and Shizuri, he learned quickly his mouth shouldn't say anything until his brain thought about it.

"Your mother's letter had contact information for me to ask questions," Touma explained. "I'll just tell them I have to decline. I mean, you're a princess and I'm just a normal high school student."

"Is that your best reason for declining?" Carissa asked, her face passive, but Touma could catch a faint gleam in her eye.

"But isn't that a good reason?" Touma asked incredulously.

"Most people your age would jump at the chance to marry a princess," Carissa pointed out. "Why would you decline such a generous offer from my mother?"

"A lot of reasons," Touma explained quickly. "As I said before, we come from two different worlds, we barely know each other, and shouldn't there be romantic attraction to even consider dating, let alone marriage? With how fast everything is happening, it's stupid."

"Are you calling my mother stupid?" Carissa asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No!" Touma clarified immediately. "The idea is just stupid, there is no way I would ever say the Queen of England is stupid. Or any member of your family."

"Relax, boy," Carissa sighed. "I call her out for her preposterous ideas too. You have only caught a glance as to what she is really like. It's so amusing to hear your pathetic reasoning against her. I have to say, that even saying her ideas are stupid is pretty courageous. After all," she grinned. "I heard of your… alternate persona you keep in this city." Touma's eyes widened in horror.

"I beg you!" Touma was about to fall on his hands and knees to show his sincerity. "You can't tell anyone about that! If my identity gets out, I'll never have a moment's peace!"

"I might be willing to forget about it," Carissa answered, pretending to think. "If you answer my questions truthfully."

"Anything!"

"Are there any other reasons why you would deny my mother's request besides the three you mentioned earlier?"

"I could think of a few, sure…" He trailed off and his eyes widened. It can't be. There is no way this could be impossible. I must have misunderstood something along the lines. "It can't be," Touma spoke out quietly, praying he was wrong. "It almost sounds like you want to go along with her pla..." His voice trailed off into nothing under her glare.

"Let me tell you something," Carissa told him. "I may be a princess and a military prodigy, but I am still a woman." She leaned down so she was staring directly into his eyes. Touma gulped at the fire behind hers. "And the thing is, if someone doesn't want to marry a woman, our pride takes a hit. I'm sure you heard from some of the knights, who don't know how to keep their mouths shut, that I'm somewhat prideful."

That's an understatement, Touma thought, but managed to avoid saying that. Instead, he chose to brush it off. "No more than anyone else." Carissa's lips almost cracked into a shadow of a smile.

"Your attempts at humor are rather amusing," Carissa said and then her gaze turned cold. "So regardless of what I believe, you telling my mother I'm not good enough for you, well… I take that as a personal insult."

"I never said that! Stop putting words in my mouth!"

"Naturally," Carissa continued, ignoring Touma's denial. "I can't take that lying down. What do you think I should do to regain my honor? Should I get rid of the insolent brat who dares to think he's better than me, or train him into a good loyal lapdog?"

"Neither!" Touma had actually sat up and was beginning to swing his legs over the side of the bed, throwing off the covers. "Both of those are horrible ideas!"

"But both of those options have served me well in the past," Carissa pointed out. If Touma hadn't been fearing for his life, he might have noticed the mocking tone of her voice. "And I did just get a new whip I need to break in." Touma sweat dropped. "How else would you suggest I punish such a disrespectful male for daring to say he's too good for me?"

"No one said that!" Touma pointed out again.

"Are you now suggesting I'm a liar?" Carissa asked. Her gaze grew cold again.

"Yes…no… what do you want me to say?!" Touma had no idea how to diffuse the situation with Carissa. Anything that came out of his mouth was either twisted around against him or would just infuriate her. It was probably safer just to let Carissa tell him what to say. This way, I won't be the one to blame when we tell the Queen no.

"That's simple," Carissa told him. "You say, I promise to go with whatever you decide."

"I promise to go with whatever you decide," Touma said quickly. Makes sense. Knowing her personality, she wants to be the one to make all the decisions.

"See," Carissa said triumphantly. "Things are much simpler when you agree with me, instead of making everything needlessly complicated."

"I thought I was," Touma muttered.

"What was that?" Carissa snapped.

"Nothing," he denied quickly. "So what happens now?"

"I will probably have to let my mother know you accepted her proposal," Carissa replied simply. "Then you are free to leave."

"Okay," Touma said with a nod. "Kanzaki can show me-…" He stopped when his brain finally clicked. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as his eyes widened and his mouth fell open in astonishment, shock, and disbelief. "A-a-accepted?" he coughed out.

"Yes," Carissa confirmed. "You did agree."

"W-when did I agree!? When did you agree!? What is going on!?"

"You told me you would go with whatever I decided," Carissa pointed out, superiority. "Don't tell me your word is worth so little?"

"I thought we both agreed it wouldn't work out and that your mother was only messing with us?" Touma answered, as words began to flood out of his mouth. "It wouldn't work out, but I figured you wanted to be the one who made the final decision."

"And I did," Carissa agreed. "After you promised to go along with my decision."

"This doesn't make any sense!" Touma continued to protest. "I would have thought, out of anyone, you would be the one to protest the Queen's decision the most?!"

"I did," Carissa corrected him and she glared at him for a moment before taking a seat again. She rubbed her temple. "I can't tell you how many times we fought about it." Her glare softened, barely, but it did. "She brought up some good points and I can't argue with her logic. I may be stubborn when it comes to a plan, but I can still make changes based on a rational argument."

"What could she possibly have said that would make you of all people possibly consider me as anything more than a… a…a…" He struggled for the word.

"Peon?" Carissa offered.

"Sure, let's go with that."

"Heh." Carissa actually chuckled. "You fall into an interesting place, ever since I met you." She rubbed her chin. "Helping me against the Fallen was a pretty interesting first meeting, even by my standards. Impressing the knights when you were my prisoner didn't hurt. Then you surprised me by standing against me during my attempted insurrection. After your party departed England, my mother started to press the issue of making you a suitor. Like you, I believed she was out of her mind."

"That doesn't answer why you change your mind," Touma stated.

"Interrupt me again," Carissa told him coldly. "And I guarantee you will have a new injury."

"I'll be silent," Touma whispered. She's talking a lot. This is kind of unusual. I better shut up and just listen.

"My mother brought up some acceptable points at the time," Carissa continued. "Though I wasn't in the mood to listen. Once I cooled down, a lot of research on the Fallen was taking place, and then we discovered Adam's involvement in Australia. There was hardly time to consider her words when our country was at risk, let alone socialize. I stopped contacting you around then." Touma nodded. He had figured she was busy and he didn't necessarily hate the silence, not with everything else he had been worried about. "The stand against Adam, I can't deny you impressed me again." Her eyes narrowed. "Even when you disobeyed a direct order. I'm letting it go because it worked. Doing that again will not in the same way."

"Understood," Touma said softly.

"That speech you gave to Adam," Carissa added. "It had an impact on my men. I would even go so far to say it was the mark of a true leader."

"I wasn't trying to inspire anyone," Touma admitted. "Adam broadcasted it on his own. I was only standing up against him."

"That was a mistake on his part," Carissa pointed out. "I probably should thank you for also risking your life against Fiamma when I was captured." Her glare intensified. "Then I remembered your smart mouth at that time."

"I apologized for that once already!"

"My mother was particularly interested in the reports on your actions," Carissa continued, ignoring Touma's protest. "She was also impressed. Impressed enough to actually contact me after the excitement died down to discuss your capabilities of a suitor." Touma stared at her. "Don't give me that look, boy. I argued against her, but she was incredibly stubborn."

"Her opinion shouldn't matter," Touma retorted.

"I agree," Carissa replied and Touma was temporarily thrown for a loop.

"T-then how did you come to agree with her?" Touma stammered out at last. "We come from two different worlds. You're a princess and I'm a student at a normal high school."

"If background was all that mattered," Carissa stated. "Then I would have selected a suitor from a noble family."

"We hardly know each other…"

"Irrelevant," Carissa interrupted. "Selecting a suitor only means being engaged. Marriage is not normally performed until much later. There would be plenty of time."

"Marriage should be between people who actually have feelings for each other!"

"False," Carissa stated. "Many marriages over the course of mankind have been political." Touma opened his mouth and she cut him off. "And who said there were no feelings involved." She leaned forward and grinned, but Touma could feel the goosebumps on his arms at it. The smile was predatory.

"You…you can't be serious."

"It's rare to meet a man brave… or foolish enough to stand against me," Carissa said. "I used to believe I needed to marry someone who would not overshadow me so I could take my rightful place in history. Turns out, I needed someone strong enough to stand next to me." She clicked her tongue. "Too many of my suitors were trash in that regards. They only approached me because of my status or my looks." She grinned and leaned forward a little more. Touma's face began to burn. "Are you trying to tell me you feel nothing when you see me?"

Fear, mostly. Saying that out loud would get him killed. There was also the back part of his mind, the male part, which kept reminding him Carissa was a very beautiful young woman. Things would get awkward real fast if she noticed his body reacting. "That's a normal reaction!" Damnit mouth! Why do you keep getting me into trouble!?

"Not like I don't know what you are packing," Carissa mocked. Touma wanted to shrivel up and disappear right there. Enjoying belittling him one more time, she stood up. "I suppose it's time to contact mother. This will only be a moment and I can address any other pitiful excuses."

"W-wait!" Touma said and held out a hand. Carissa slowed down, but didn't stop. "What about…" his mind started racing around for anything he could use to get Carissa to call off whatever she was planning. "I'm just a high school student with terrible luck. You won't want me in any sort of position over a country. Think about the age difference." Touma know he reached her when she stopped.

He then regretted opening his mouth again.

A fearsome dark aura appeared around Carissa as she turned. A small smile was on her face, but it was full of malice. Touma shrank back in the bed as the darkness seemed to come alive and he could have sworn a demon was forming behind her. "Sorry," Carissa said in a tone that cause Touma's entire body to start freezing over. "I didn't catch that. Could you repeat it? There is no way you could possibly be stupid enough to suggest I am old, is there?"

"No!" Touma had to act fast or he was going to get killed, or worse. You could never tell with Carissa. What Touma did know was he accidently stepped on a landmine he should have known to avoid. "I meant I'm not even eighteen, so there is no way I could get married yet!"

"Inconsequential," Carissa dismissed his concern and turned back to the door. "I told you already, the marriage would not happen for a long time. You would be of age long before that." She left the room and Touma could only sit there speechless.

I'm dreaming, right? He pinched himself and it hurt. Nope. I'm royally screwed. Not counting my friends teasing me to no end, there's what Mikoto and Misaki will say when they found out. We do not need a repeat of what happening in England. He saw his shoes by the door and noticed it had not closed all the way. Touma blinked and an idea began to form in his mind. He would regret it in the long run, but it would give him time to think of a plan.

Hopefully, Academy City would still be standing by then.

Carissa returned a few moments later and froze.

That little-…! The door to the room was wide open and Touma was nowhere to be seen. "He ran away!" Carissa fumed and then pulled out her radio communicator. She stopped right before pressing the button. "Not sure if I should be furious for him running away, or proud that he can still stand up to me and not do what he is told." A couple seconds passed and her eyes flashed. "HE IS A DEAD MAN!" Her thumb pressed down on the button.

"Yes, Princess?" came a male's voice from the other side.

"The boy escaped," Carissa spat out. "Find and bring him back, now! If he escapes the Dianoid, all of you will be the subject of my irritation."

"All available personnel are moving out," the frightened voice replied. Carissa clicked her tongue and threw the communicator into the chair.

"You have a lot of nerve, Touma Kamijou," Carissa snarled and then smiled. "Though, I can't say I dislike a good hunt."

He was free, but for how long?

That was the thought that passed through Touma's mind as he traveled through the Dianoid.

Carissa is going to be pissed, Touma thought, as he slipped through random shoppers. It must have been late afternoon or early evening, as the mall was packed. As he moved from floor to floor, he tried to avoid the main elevators and stairwells if possible, just in case they were being watched. When he didn't receive weird glances, he looked down and finally noticed he wasn't wearing his normal clothes. The shirt and pants he had on were much fancier than his old clothes. His shirt was red and white, while his pants were a dark brown. The quality was leagues beyond his own. At least I don't stand out, but I have to get far away before she finds out I left. He had made it to the lower floors and just reached the nineteenth, when he stopped. He slink behind a pillar and glanced at the main stairwell.

Two men in fancy suits were scanning the crowd, but refusing to budge from their positions on either side of the stairwells.

That guy on the left looks familiar, Touma thought and his eyes widened. I'm sure he's one of Carissa's knights. Shit! They don't plan to let me leave. Time to go the back way…dang it. He saw two more men in suits moving through the crowd, looking around at each passerby carefully. I bet there are guards at all the exits too. What can I do? The patrol was getting closer and Touma had to make a decision, fast. If he stayed put, he would be spotted. If he tried to run, they would notice him. His only choice was to hide in the store behind him and hope they passed by. He backed up slowly, trying to act casual, and slipped into the store. He could have sworn one woman glanced at him and shook her head.

The reason was obvious to Touma a second later.

Such misfortune!

He had walked into a woman's clothing store.

A very risqué one is the displays at the window were any indication.

Need to hide. Touma looked around and saw an attendant helping out a customer, which gave him the opportunity to slip further into the store. If I get noticed, I'll just say I'm looking for something for my girlfriend. That's believable, right? He slipped into rows of clothes and purposely avoided going anywhere near the underwear. That would be hard to explain to anyone. He glanced back at the window and saw the knights walking toward the store. I'm going to get spotted if this continues. Touma looked around frantically and couldn't find a place to hide without looking incredibly suspicious if an attendant found him. One of the knights had begun to scan the store he was hiding in and Touma took desperate action.

He slipped into the dressing room.

In hindsight, he could have hidden behind a display and prayed an attendant didn't see him or slip behind a rack of clothes. The logic was the knights wouldn't look into the changing rooms of a female clothing store for him and, in his defense, the door was unlocked. That should have meant no one was in there. With Touma's luck, he should have realized that would never be the case. His movement had been so quick and smooth, the occupant didn't turn around until Touma had closed the door. Touma only turned around when he heard a footstep behind him. Instinctively, he turned around.

And realized he had just forfeited his life.

Shizuri Mugino was standing in front of him, without a shirt. An exotic black bra was all that was keeping her prominent assets hidden.

Touma could only gape in horror as Shizuri's expression turned from shock to a combination of amusement and anger. She finally broke the silence.

"...did you reach some new level of stupid or did you know I was in here and walked in anyway?"

"A-accident," Touma coughed and shut his eyes. "Hiding."

"Hiding?" Shizuri sounded interested. "Relax, moron. If you were anyone else, you would have been dead already for trying to peak on me." She grinned, even though Touma couldn't see. She leaned forward and placed a hand on his cheek. "What's wrong? Have you never seen tits before?"

"I didn't mean to," Touma pleaded, knowing he was only alive because Shizuri was teasing him. The second she got bored with that, violence was sure to be the next step. "Please, keep your voice down. If they find out I'm here, my life is over."

"You are lucky," Shizuri continued. "That killing you would be detrimental in the long run." Touma suddenly felt her hand clamp on his ear. Pain shot through him. "I'm going to overlook this for the moment, but mark my words, you will pay for this later." Touma gulped. "No, who is after-…?"

"Mugino?" a familiar voice interrupted. "Sorry, I didn't catch that, but I got the dress you want…ed…" Frenda had started to enter the dressing room and her eyes widened as her voice died out. It was a pretty strange situation to walk in on. Shizuri was still half dressed and holding the side of Touma's head, while Touma had opened his eyes to see the girl enter. Frenda was in her usual attire, holding a teal item in her arm. Seconds passed as Frenda stared in stunned silence. Touma's hand moved when Frenda opened her mouth, looking like she was going to yell.

"Please don't," Touma begged in a hush whisper. "I can explain everything." Frenda's eyes narrowed and reached under her skirt with her free hand.

"No," Shizuri snapped and Frenda froze. "We can punish him later. This is what is going to happen right now. He will remove his hand from your mouth, you will not make noise, and then face away from me as I finish getting dressed. While I do this, he will tell me who he is hiding from. Do you both understand?" Frenda nodded quickly and Touma did the same, after closing his eyes again. "Get to it." They obliged and Touma tried to think of how to tell Shizuri about Carissa's arrival.

"It's kind of complicated," Touma muttered. "Promise me you won't act rashly."

"I promise no such thing," snapped Shizuri.

"It could cause a lot of problems-…"

"A name, now!"

"But…"

"If I have to tell you once more," Shizuri hissed and moved her face a few inches from his. "There is no way you are walking out of this store on your own."

"You better tell her," Frenda added. "You're lucky she hasn't blasted you already."

"It's… Carissa," Touma finally relented.

"What?!" Neither girl could restrain their shock.

"That bitch is here?" Shizuri fumed.

"Why?" Frenda asked. "Basically, why would the princess need to be here? Especially with her being a magician, this is science side territory."

"She's…" Touma trailed off. He had to answer, but he wanted to be careful. "Kind of-…"

"After you," Shizuri finished.

"How did you know?!" gasped Touma.

"Pretty obvious since you are trying to hide."

"Duh." Frenda rolled her eyes. "A five year old could have deduced that much, but that doesn't tell me why you are here. Basically, I walk in on you t-two being i-intimate."

"He really wanted to embrace me," Shizuri lied.

"That's not true!" Touma declared. "It was all an accident as I was only trying to hide from the knights scouring the Dianoid for me."

"The knights are here, huh?" Shizuri rubbed her chin. "Well, we can't hide here forever."

"Do you have a plan?" Frenda asked.

"It's simple," Shizuri answered and then laughed. "We are going to walk up to them."

"That's it?" Touma and Frenda asked in shock.

"If they try to stop us," Shizuri continued. "They die." Her smile grew. "That Curtana power, it doesn't work in Japan if I remember right. Those idiots barely survived my Meltdowner with their enhancements, let alone with my improvement."

"That sounds more like it," Frenda agreed and padded her skirt. "I have plenty of explosives on me. Should I contact the others?"

"Nah." Shizuri waved her hands dismissively. "I don't want to wait in a cramped dressing room all day." She reached for the door.

"Wait!" Touma pleaded and she stopped with her hand resting on the handle. "I know we will have to confront them. There is no way any of the exits are unguarded, but can we try to do it peacefully. I'm sure if I talk to them, I can get them to let us pass."

"Tsk." Shizuri clicked her tongue. "Fine, you can hire us as bodyguards then. I'll give you a discount because I don't despise you."

"How much?" Touma asked rhetorically with a moan. She knows I don't have money, so it has to be with my body.

"More than you can afford," both girls responded and Touma groaned.

"I know how you can repay me," Shizuri told him and opened the door. Touma shivered at the smirk on her face. "I'll tell you the details later." Touma looked helplessly at Frenda, who shrugged.

"Basically," Frenda whispered. "You are fucked either way. I can't do much about it except promise to help you get out. At least with us, you can spend time with attractive girls." Touma felt his ears burned as she bounded after Shizuri. Frenda was glad he couldn't see her face, as it was burning. There was still the bet she had with Saiai and needed Touma to go on a date with her. This was a chance to score some bonus points with him. Touma followed her a half step behind.

His mind was being occupied by the memory of the shirtless Shizuri.

Stop betraying me, brain! I need to concentrate.

Shizuri didn't pull out any stops and marched straight toward the knights. Touma could see them recognize him as they approached, but one of them also recognized Shizuri. The fear in his eyes was evident. They had gotten close enough for Touma to notice the man's lips move to his companion.

"That girl was the one who fired those energy cannons."

"Shit, really? I didn't see her face, but Steve still has some scorch marks because of her."

"I see my reputation precedes me," Shizuri announced, stopping a couple feet away from them. Both men were on guard and Touma didn't blame them one bit. He saw Frenda's hand casually drift down to the side of her skirt. "Now, why don't you losers let us pass?" She raised an eyebrow. "Or do your lives mean so little?"

"We have our orders," the second man said bravely.

"If we let you pass," the first confirmed. "Our lives are forfeit anyways."

"Loyalty," Shizuri declared. "Admirable, but foolish." She raised her hand and both men reached for their hips. Touma was faster and stepped in front of her.

"We need to settle this peacefully," he told Shizuri. "Fighting here would only lead to innocent people getting hurt."

"We are fighting," Shizuri reassured him. "This is all part of the negotiation tactics. I wanted to see what they would bring to the table, and obviously their lives aren't worth much."

"Mugino…"

"Two more approaching from behind us," Frenda whispered to them. "Basically, we are being surrounded. Orders, Mugino?"

"Hold for now," Shizuri responded. Her eyes flickered back to the knights. "Remember, you couldn't stand against me with Curtana's power and your armor. Tell me, do you think you stand a chance against me now?"

"There's no way you would go all out here," the first knight said bravely. His façade faltered when he saw the grin on Shizuri's face.

"They're dead," Frenda groaned and face palmed.

Don't challenge her, Touma mouthed and shook his hands frantically in front of him. The situation was quickly escalating and Touma wasn't sure what to do, until a familiar voice interrupted them.

"Woah, now! I'm sure we can settle things peacefully."

"Zach?!" Touma rounded on him and saw it was indeed him. Another knight was to his right. "You're here too?"

"George suggested I should come," Zach explained. "He figured since you know me better than pretty much any other knight, it would make things easier."

"Didn't turn out that way," Touma sighed.

"No," Zach agreed. "No, it did not." He chuckled and then grew serious. "We should move though. People are noticing." Touma looked around and saw he was right. People were beginning to stare at them. Four adult men in suits surrounding three high school students was sure to cause others to ask questions.

"Somewhere better suited for your men?" Shizuri asked skeptically.

"Somewhere we can talk and try not have this situation turn into what happened in England?" Zach suggested.

"Maybe I don't want…," Shizuri started to say.

"Okay," Touma interrupted. "I can agree with that. She probably ordered you to find me at all cost, didn't she?" He tried to pretend to miss the glare Shizuri was giving him.

"Pretty much," Zach confirmed. "Voluntarily would be best." He eyed Shizuri warily. "We aren't on our home field anymore, as she knows." Shizuri grinned.

"Fine," she reluctantly agreed. "But we are still going to be in view of the public. Just in case you bastards try something. Wouldn't want an international incident, would we?" Zach shook his head and the seven of them vacated the scene toward the food court. There were plenty of tables and they could grab a couple in the back.

"This is going to get complicated," Frenda groaned to Touma. "Basically, Mugino can be diplomatic, but if things fall through, prepare to take cover."

"I would really prefer that didn't happen," Touma replied. "I wanted to slip out unnoticed and check up on things."

"Does it involve your hand?" Frenda asked and pointed. "How did you hurt it anyhow?"

"A magician showed up and wanted to fight me," Touma sighed. He missed Shizuri turning her head slightly to listen better from in front of them. "He knocked me out and the next thing I knew, I'm here in the Dianoid, answering Carissa's questions on what happened."

"So why run away from her?" Frenda pried.

"Things got…heated," Touma answered, thinking fast. "It was better not to stay there." They missed the two knights nodding behind them sympathetically. Working for Carissa could be hazardous to your health if you were not careful. "She's probably not in a good mood."

"You can say that again," one of the knights behind him said.

"Sorry," Touma muttered. I made things worse. Such misfortune. They finally sat down and Shizuri stared at Zach without the slightest trace of fear.

"Okay," she said. "Give me a good reason why I should let this guy go with you to the bitch?" Like hell I'm going to give him over without a fight. The knights visibly twitched and Zach's expression grey stony.

"Due to your history with the princess," Zach said slowly. "I'm going to overlook that comment, but do try to have a little respect for her position. We are a lot closer to allies than before. Your friend there," he gestured to Frenda, "participated in a joint operation with us, as I have no doubt you are aware."

"You seem to not realize I respect very few people," Shizuri replied dismissively. "It's something difficult to earn." Her eyes darted over to Touma and then to Frenda. "What was she like?" Shizuri asked Frenda.

"Same high attitude," Frenda said with a shrug. "But a decent commander who kept the troops in line. Basically, her title has a military princess is not an exaggeration."

"And why does she want Kamijou?" Shizuri continued her eyes alternating between Touma and Zach. "Reward for his service?" She let out a short laugh. "Bullshit."

"I'm… actually not sure," Zach admitted. "I heard she questioned him about why he was injured, but nothing else to warrant our action." He faced Touma too. "You didn't hide anything from her, right?"

"No," Touma answered immediately. "I told everything I could remember."

"Hmm." Zach rubbed his chin. "No idea then, unless… nah." He sighed. "Well, we were still ordered to bring you back by any means necessary. She sounded pretty angry, so I rather not tell her we failed."

"Your relationship with your boss hardly concerns us," Shizuri told him. "Unless you have a better idea, we are leaving." Frenda nodded and Touma paled.

There's no good outcome here, Touma realized. If I don't go, the knights are going to get punished. If I do go, Mugino is going to get pissed and my life will be in danger from both sides. Carissa won't forgive me for running. Out of his options, he only considered one of them.

"You understand that we can't just leave," Zach told her. "And even if you beat us, more will come. Even if we aren't in England, you shouldn't underestimate us. Academy City won't be happy with this."

"You seem to underestimate my position here," Shizuri retorted. "I'm a level 5 and they tend to overlook a lot of our actions. Even if they don't this time, I have a few people who can help get me out. Besides, it will look worse for you guys. The princess's troops attacking and trying to kidnap high school students. That is sure to cause some interesting media for England."

"There are connections we can make use of too," Zach retorted. The other knights had all subtly moved their hands to the waists. Frenda noticed this and reached for her own weapons. "You underestimate us on a global scale. You may have privileges here, but don't think they will-…"

"I'll go," Touma interrupted and everyone at the table turned to him in surprise.

"What did you say?!" Shizuri demanded, furious.

"Wasn't the whole point of this to get you away from her?!" Frenda asked.

"I can't have someone else get hurt because of me," Touma told them. "If I escape, they are going to get punished. I'll have to face her at some point. She's not the type to give up easily."

"Thank you," Zach said earnestly. The other knights looked immensely relieved, but their faces held a lot more. Frenda and Shizuri could tell they deeply respected Touma. "Not sure if I can help with whatever she wants, but I'll back you up as much as I can."

"I appreciate it," Touma said gratefully. "But I doubt it will be that simple." He can't find out about the princess accepting the Queen's decision.

"You're an idiot," Shizuri snapped at him and then sighed. "I should have realized the situation would end like this. Fine!" She glared at him. "I just thought of a better idea. We are coming with you."

"What?!" Touma and Frenda gasped. She rolled her eyes at them.

"I don't trust the princess brat," Shizuri answered and the knights flinched slightly. "I'm going to make sure she doesn't try anything funny."

"You really don't have to," Touma said quickly and held his hands out in front of him. "I can handle it myself…" His voice died away under her glare.

"Hmm?" Shizuri asked. "Is there a reason I can't come?" She held out a hand and a green orb appeared. Everyone else scooted back in their seats to prepare room to dodge. "Care to give me a reason?"

"What I meant to say," Touma amended. "Was I appreciate your desire to help and welcome you to come along?"

"Good boy," Shizuri told him and the light disappeared. She turned to Zach and the other knights. "Well then, shouldn't we get going?" They nodded. Technically, the princess wanted Touma back by any means necessary. They were accomplishing this. A few stragglers were simply part of the by any means necessary part.

"We are going to regret this," Frenda moaned and slumped in her seat. "Basically, I don't think the Dianoid is going to be standing when this is over."

"You and me both," the knight closest to her said.

No wonder he can handle the princess, Zach thought silently. That girl, Mugino, is just like her. He stood up, followed quickly by the others. "We kept her waiting long enough. Hopefully, she cooled down and this can be settled peacefully." Everyone had the same thought at his words.

Yeah, right.

"I'm not responsible for what happens next, Ricane," Jason replied slowly and he reached into his pocket for the knife.

Once the knife pierces your skin, you need to create the summoning circle. If you are even a second delayed, you will die from blood loss before the ceremony is complete. The Mark of Pride will not be able to activate fast enough when I focus on helping you with the circle.

This is an aspect magic, right? Which angel?

Kushiel, Jason answered. Please be silent during this, Emiko. I haven't done this one before and it's one of the few that will be useful here.

In Judeo-Christian folklore, the angel Kushiel, also known as the Rigid One of God, was one of the seven angels of punishment who punished the sinners in hell. It was said he punished nations with a whip made of fire. As angels were created by God as programs, they had no free will of their own and that they are meant to be God's perfect tools. The seven were divine beings created for the single purpose of enacting the punishment God promised to those that ignored his word. They were not evil, they simply did their job.

The irony of this was not lost on Jason.

Begin.

"Kuroko," Jason said, as he knew they were watching. "Kazari… I'm sorry for what's about to happen. It… won't be pretty." He raised the knife high into the air.

With a single swift motion, he brought the knife down into the palm of his hand, as his shadow flowered out of the bottom of his pants and spread out into a circle. He made a fist with his injured hand and the blood began to trickle down his hand. A single drop of blood fell first and hit the circle below him.

It hissed and a small jet of flames shot into the air.

His blood acted like oil falling into the fire.

Fascinating, Ricane thought as he examined the graphs reacting to Jason's magic. I knew he could do aspect magic, but to think he can use it without preparation. A ritual like that would take normal magicians several minutes at least, not counting the backlash against their body. He really is a perfect subject. What he didn't expect was blood magic to act as the main component to the spell.

"Jason's using his own blood to perform magic?!" Kuroko gasped. She looked slightly sick.

"You have to stop!" Kazari yelled. "It's not worth it to get to us!" Her face had grown pale.

"He can't hear you right now," Ricane told them and rolled his eyes. "Something like this requires a lot of concentration and I can hardly let him mess up now."

"Then tell us why you made such a big deal about it!" Kazari demanded.

"I suppose I could," Ricane agreed and glanced at their faces. "Don't look so shocked. You can't appreciate something without knowing what it is. Blood magic got a nasty reputation when the Christian church involved themselves in the witch hunts."

"You mean when they hunted innocent people and declared them witches," Kuroko spat out. This was something they glanced over in history at one point. Europe and America were the main culprits, but most areas had their own to some degree. While talking, Kuroko kept glancing at the screen showing Jason. The blood from his hand was flowing faster and was hitting the ground at an ever increasing rate. Fire was engulfing his shoes, but there was no sign of damage. Jason was also muttering something, which Ricane seemed to be recording. How much blood is he going to use? The human body only has so much. She could see Kazari shaking slightly and had grabbed the bars to their cell to steady her hands.

"People called it immoral and inhumane," Ricane agreed, but sounded bored. "And it's not that crap that impedes progress… but I digress." Kuroko fumed and even Kazari looked upset. "All sorts of things were written about that time. Stuff like they still boiled babies in pots for their experiments, they held obscene ceremonies with men and women all mixed together, etc. So from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, true magicians began creating definite rules for their research and experiments."

"Rules?" Kazari asked.

"You must not use any living creature as an ingredient for an experiment," Ricane stated. "That is why blood magic is forbidden. Simply put, magic circles using animal or human blood and potions using fat or internal organs were banned." He yawned. "How boring. If it works, they should continue to use it instead of setting them back in their research."

"They simply had morals," Kuroko snapped at him.

"I'm a Kihara," Ricane replied coldly. "Morals mean nothing. I will reach the pinnacle of science, regardless of what has to be done. Children shouldn't talk about things they don't understand." His eyes moved back to the screen. "There are few magicians who could have taught him that though. I wonder who it could have been."

He's insane, Kazari realized. It sounds like most magicians wanted to make magic more civilized and set down some rules. It's just like how most of the world banned inhumane genetic experiments. You always have a couple of people who don't want to follow them. She focused on Jason. The person who taught you, why would they teach you blood magic? At least she knew why Jason discarded his last name. He didn't want to be associated with someone like Ricane. The fire around Jason began to grow and was already up to his chest. The blood continued to flow from his hand in a continuous stream. Kazari's eyes widened when she noticed something else.

Jason's face was growing pale at an alarming rate.

"He's losing too much blood," Kazari whispered to Kuroko.

"I know," Kuroko agreed. "But I can't think of anything to do. With these collars, I can't teleport and there's nothing we can use in the cell." She looked around one last time in case something magically appeared.

"I need to stop getting captured," Kazari sighed, depressed. "People keep risking their lives because of me." Kuroko put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't think any of our friends would ever blame you for being captured," Kuroko reassured her. "I got captured too, so levels don't really mean much here. You always blame the person doing the kidnapping, not the person being kidnapped."

"Still," Kazari replied. "I hate not being able to do anything but watch Jason hurting himself."

"I don't like it either," Kuroko admitted. "But I can't see another way." Kazari nodded solemnly and turned back to the screen. The least they could do was believe in him.

Suddenly, Jason staggered slightly and the flames flickered.

"Jason!" Kazari and Kuroko cried out.

"Seems he reached the end of the line," Ricane commented. "What a shame. He couldn't last."

"Shut up!" Kuroko yelled at him. Ricane glanced at them.

"What are you two going to do if I don't?"

"Something," Kazari said slowly and Kuroko turned to her. "I don't know what, but I'll do something! I don't think I have ever hated someone before, but your actions, your desire to make people suffer for your own gains. I really hate that! I really hate you!"

"Your opinion means very little," Ricane yawned. "I should probably get rid of you once he falls. No point in having loose-…" he was interrupted as the fire around Jason exploded outwards. "Oh, he succeeded?" The girls stared at the screen and received an unpleasant surprise.

Jason was no longer visible.

Instead, the fire shifted from a normal reddish-orange color to a deep red. The explosion covered the entire hallway with flames, keeping the cameras from being able to view anything. Then, as if alive, the flames began to converge back from the point where Jason had been. From there, a humanoid figure began to form. It had two legs, two arms, and a head, but things were oddly disproportional. The thing was about two times as tall as Jason and its slightly over sided head just scraped against the ceiling. The arms were so long they almost reached the ground. From its back, two jets of flames erupted and remained like wings. The flames on its head began to darken even more and formed a mouth full of sharp teeth and empty soulless eyes. A small swirl of flames began to emerge from its backside into a tale. The head swiveled around, taking in the surroundings, and then opened its mouth.

A high pitch animalistic scream erupted and echoed around the entire building.

"Ahhh!" Kazari and Kuroko screamed, as they covered their ears to try to protect themselves from the sound. It didn't help much as the scream seemed to echo through their body. Kazari looked up through her tear filled eyes to see even Ricane looked effected. He was covering his ears, but at the same time he was looking excited.

"Haha!" Ricane laughed. "I knew kidnapping those two was the only way to have you reveal your true magic." He hit the button for the microphone. "Now, go ahead and proceed to the room in front of you and handle the obstacles in your path." The flame creature tilted it's head at the sound of Ricane and then leaned forward, putting its hands on the ground and started to walk forward on all fours. "Little brain wave activities," Ricane murmured. "He might not be fully conscious and running purely on the instinct levels of the aspect."

"Is that really Jason?" Kazari asked Kuroko in fear.

"I… don't know," Kuroko admitted. "It reminds me of the Stiyl guy's Innocentius thing."

Brats can't even differentiate the difference between flame magic, Ricane thought angrily. They are completely different from each other. One uses runes and they must be removed for the spell to be dispelled and this one uses the host as tribute to unlock a shadow of the angel's aspect. Hardly an angel-level spell, but I suppose it could be equivalent to a pope-level. He clicked a button to set up the surprise when Jason went into the last room.

Can he even fit through the door? Kuroko wondered, but her concerns were for naught. Since the thing Jason had turned into appeared to be made entirely of flames, it squeezed into the door without an issue. Where did his actual body go? Did his magic actually turn him into fire? She felt Kazari grab her arm with a shaking hand. Dang it, I'm not the only one who's worried. "It's magic," Kuroko whispered. "Once Jason beats Ricane, he's going to turn back to normal." Kuroko tried to act brave, but her doubt was evident. Kazari appreciated the effort and gave a strained smile.

"I know," she replied in a strained voice. "I'm worried about what Ricane has planned to subjugate him to."

"Nothing good," Kuroko replied dryly. She scooted over to the lock and examined it closely. It's a quality lock and I don't have anything to pick the lock with. Not even a hairpin. Her use of ribbons instead of pins had come back to bite her. With her teleportation, this situation didn't arise very often. Stumped again, Kuroko couldn't do anything else except watch the screen.

Jason had entered a large room completely surrounded by dozens of Ricane's humanoid robots. They all had guns drawn, but the thing Jason had become didn't seem concerned, though it wasn't like Kazari or Kuroko could determine what it was thinking. Ricane hit a button on the panel and every one of his robot began to fire. The bullets didn't seem to do much as they pelted the fire skin. Smoke erupted each time as the bullets melted and disintegrated.

How hot is that fire burning? Kuroko thought. Steel melts at 1370 degrees Celsius, so to actually reach sublimation would require an even higher temperature. She felt a headache coming on. I hate trying to understand magic.

Do it, Jason, Kazari thought anxiously. Jason held out a hand and a sphere of flames appeared in his hand. It began to lengthen until it turned into a large whip composed of pure flames. The outline flickered slightly, but the tip scraped against the floor and disintegrated a groove into the ground. With a quick snap of the wrist, the whip cut horizontally across every robot in the room. It even extended to reach the ones in the back row. The metal didn't stand a chance and smoke gushed out of the remains. Jason took a couple steps forward and then the remains exploded. "Jason!"

"A couple explosions won't stop that," Ricane muttered. "But the fact he cut through that alloy is. It's supposed to be resistant to mana based attacks." His eyes widened when Jason started looking around the room and then ignored the door to head toward a solid wall. Ricane pressed the microphone button again instantly. "If you don't follow the path, I can't be held responsible for what happens to your friends!" Jason didn't seem to have heard him and touched the wall. The metal dissolved away without even slowing him down. "Bastard!" Ricane slammed his fist on his desk.

"Things not going your way?" Kuroko asked, mockingly.

"Shut it brat," Ricane growled. "Or I'll kill you right now. He's not going to listen to reason, so your life means nothing to me."

"So you can't use us to get to him," Kazari pointed out.

"This is why I hate brats," Ricane growled. "You don't understand the significance of that. He's actively searching out living people to find us. I have a couple Skill-Out Individuals working under me and some are even in this building. So tell me," he turned and grinned evilly at them. "What do you think is going to happen to them if he reached them in a state completely dominating his personality?" Kuroko and Kazari's eyes widened.

"He won't," Kazari whispered.

"He would never kill someone!" Kuroko added. "No matter how far you push him."

"People can always be pushed over the edge," Ricane laughed. "It will be harder to examine his biology this way, but I should still get some good readings before he falls." He clicked a button and another screen showed a teenage boy sitting on a crate in what appeared to be a storage room. The boy had red combed back hair and was around Touma's age. He looked pretty normal. "This boy is named Sadoa Nagase, a level 4 Thermal Hand." He smirked when Kazari let out a small gasp. "Similar power, I know. He used to be a level 2 and would have been stuck there if I hadn't come along. My drugs work wonder once I removed the kinks."

"Kinks?!" Kuroko fumed. "Do you know how many people were hurt because of you?!"

"A couple weaklings failed," Ricane said with a shrug. "It's all part of the process. You have to test new drugs to see if they work on everyone."

"You're a monster!" Kazari cried. "Many of us were hoping the drugs were stolen and people were using them before they could have been tested… but to willingly give out an incomplete one to students…"

"All in the name of progress," Ricane said again. Kazari rarely got mad, but she could get angry at people's actions. This was one of the first times she had ever been so furious at someone. Ricane treated people as if their lives meant nothing. He wasn't sorry for anything he had done and he was going to continue doing it if he wasn't stopped. Kuroko actually growled at him.

"Doctor!" Sadoa's panicked voice came through the speakers and Ricane focused his attention. "What the hell is that?!" It was obvious to everyone what he was referring too. One of the walls melted to reveal Jason's current flame form.

"That's your opponent," Ricane answered simply. "He is no longer listening to reason and is destroying everything in his path. Even my robot's shielding didn't work against him."

"That can't be an ability!" Sadoa cried out and then vanished when the air shimmered.

"Camouflage with a mirage by manipulating the air temperature," Ricane muttered, more to himself than the girls. "Smart, but useless when he can detect life force." Jason raised his hand holding the whip and began to swing.

"STOP!" Kazari and Kuroko cried out in horror!

"Yes!" Ricane laughed with glee.

The air shimmer when the flame whip broke though it and slashed against the poor boy.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" the boy screamed in pain as he fell.

"No!" Kazari covered her eyes. Kuroko looked away and blinked away the tears. The boy continued to scream and Kazari raised her head. How come he's still yelling? The whip cut machines in half. A direct strike against a human body shouldn't have stopped… it… Her eyes widened and she shook Kuroko. "The guy's alive, Shirai-san!"

"What?!" Kuroko glanced at the screen. "How?! He took a direct hit!"

"You bastard!" Ricane roared. "You lost your humanity but still won't kill a human? What will it take!?"

"You're wrong," Kazari told him and he rounded on her.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand, girl."

"But I do understand," Kazari declared and stared definitely at him. "He didn't abandon his humanity. He may not be conscious, but he won't let something like his magic break who he is. He can't hear us, but I bet he can feel us. I trust him and he's going to come for us."

"Heh," Kuroko snickered. "Sounds like him. No matter what you try, he's going to keep coming and out think you. Prepare to receive a royal butt kicking, old man." Ricane glared at them and pressed a button to give them both a shock. The two girls fell to the ground grimacing. They managed to push themselves up to see the screen, where Jason had struck the boy again with the whip. The boy continued to scream as if he was being torn apart.

I see, Ricane realized, as he examined the information. The angel he is using is a punisher. The whip is designed to hurt, not kill. If the target is a human, they will suffer extreme pain instead of death. He started laughing and the girls stared at him as if he lost it. "You really are a vile one, boy. It's time I end this charade." He clicked a button and Jason froze. His head turned to stare at a wall. "I revealed my location, now's the time to come at me."

Why would he do that? Kazari wondered and her eyes widened when it dawned on her. "It's a trap."

"We have to warn him," Kuroko groaned and tried to get up.

"It's far too late for that," Ricane commented, as Jason moved fluidly on all fours like an animal into the next room. The instant Jason reached the center of the room, Ricane hit another button. Shapes on the wall began to glow as some kind of iridescent lights were turned on. Kuroko and Kazari didn't understand the significance of the shapes, but Jason kept looking around at them. Before he could take another step, he froze.

He managed to release another animalistic roar before collapsing onto the ground.

"What did you do?!" Kuroko roared at Ricane.

"It's amazing what you can do with magic and technology," Ricane laughed. "We have lots of ways of jamming AIM fields, but the magic side has few ways of actually jamming mana users. With my genius, I managed to combine them to actively disrupt the mana flow in human bodies. His ability to use magic is being quashed." He pointed to the screen and Kuroko did indeed saw that fires were fading, leaving an outline of a single human.

The flames faded away to reveal Jason lying down on his back, breathing heavily, but not moving.

"I'm rather disappointed you decided to skip through my experiment," Ricane announced to Jason. "I had several automatons I wanted to use against you, but I can't say your magic wasn't useful. I recorded a lot of useful information. How does it feel?" Jason's eyes opened.

"Pretty good, though I am tired," he replied.

"Have you gone mad?" Ricane asked incredulously. "You're beaten, your girls are at my mercy, and you can still try to act tough?" The girls' started giggling behind him and he turned. They couldn't help themselves. "What are you two laughing about?"

"Nothing," Kuroko said quietly. It was almost worth it to see Ricane's blood pressure rise. The thing was she and Kazari had both noticed something Ricane did not. Jason was smiling, the same smile he loved to use when he was about to pull a full one-eighty on Kuroko. It was a sign he hadn't given up and had something up his sleeve. When he started talking again, Ricane turned away from the girls.

"You know, Ricane? I agreed to come alone and I did. However, even I can get angry when someone I care about is kidnapped. You made the mistake of capturing those two, which meant I was not going to leave anything off the table. If I have to throw away my pride, so be it."

"You didn't bring anyone to support you," Ricane pointed out. "Nothing could have slipped into my lab undetected."

"You were looking at the obvious," Jason retorted. "That you missed the subtle motions. Do you recall what I did when I first entered your little experiment?" Kazari and Kuroko racked their mind about what Jason did that would have been suspicious. Besides his conversation with Ricane, which was a lot bolder than a normal person negotiating a release of hostages was, they couldn't recall him doing anything noticeable. Ricane thought otherwise.

"It can't be…" He frantically started typing on a keyboard and different videos began to flash until it stopped. "You actually did that under my observation. Your attitude, your interest in my tech, it was all to keep me occupied."

"You got it," Jason laughed and then grimaced. He still hadn't move from his position. Kuroko focused on the screen and saw a small white object stuck to a wall.

It was the airplane Jason had folded from Ricane's note.

"A locator rune," Ricane growled through gritted teeth.

"Yes," Jason confirmed. "I bit my thumb and used my blood to make the rune. It's not a strong magical source, so you overlooked it because you were too distracted. It was supposed to find you earlier, but thanks for revealing your location."

"Even so," Ricane continued, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal. "It's on the other side of a three foot steel wall. Let's say you put an explosive rune on it, it's not going to get into my lab."

"No," Jason agreed. "But as I said, I'll throw away my pride. I'm going to take those two back, even if I can't play the hero."

"Stop spouting nonsenses!" Ricane roared. "You are helpless, no allies nearby, and I have hostages. I should just kill you and be done-…" He was interrupted by a loud warning alarm. "What now!?" He examined the information on another monitor and his eyes widened. "How did someone find me?! Who did you tell?!"

"I simply said I would throw up a locator rune if I was in trouble," Jason answered. "It was up to him to come."

"There aren't any magicians who can fly high enough to avoid my sensors! The target is approaching from the sky!"

"But there is someone who can use magic," Jason answered, as the sound of metal tearing above Ricane and the girls blocked out his voice from the speakers. "And he is dying to meet you."

"You underestimated him," Kuroko said triumphantly.

"You little bitch-…" Ricane was about to shock her again when the ceiling and the wall on the far side of the room exploded. Dust filled area and Kazari grabbed Kuroko's arm and pulled her to the ground. Scraps of metal and electronics flew through the air in every direction, which forced Ricane to dive down off his chair too.

"Hck," Kuroko coughed. "Any idea who that is?"

"Jason's backup," Kazari responded immediately.

"Is it Accelerator?"

"He can't use magic." A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and blew the dust away. Kuroko and Kazari took the opportunity to look up to see a teenage boy standing on top of a pile of destroyed building materials and electronic equipment. The boy was wearing a dark maroon colored suit with a white collared shirt, both unbuttoned, which revealed a red v-neck under them. His skin was extremely pale, boarding unnatural. His hair was also white with just a tinge of yellow. The cold eyes seemed to be glowing slightly yellow. "Who…?"

"A new age has arrived, Doctor!" the boy announced.

"Kakine," Ricane hissed, as he stood up. "You were supposed to be dead!"

"Hell didn't want me," Teitoku stated and started walking nonchalantly toward Ricane. He didn't seem to register the two girls in the partially crushed cage. "So I came back to thank you for what you put me through." A malicious grin formed on his face. "You can hardly complain since you didn't make sure you completed your job."

"I should have ensured you couldn't revive," Ricane admitted. "But you wouldn't be where you are without my guidance."

"Maybe." Teitoku shrugged, not committing to anything. "But you never fulfilled your end of the promise. At least that guy fulfilled his." He jabbed a finger at one of the few working scenes, showing Jason, who was struggling to get up now that the jammers were offline. "So I'm here to make a demonstration of what happens when you lie to me."

"Once a pawn, always a pawn." Ricane didn't show the slightest bit of fear before him. Kuroko and Kazari stared at each other. Neither had any idea who the guy or what his history with Ricane included.

"Are you making fun of me? Cause it sounds to me like you want to become a nice corpse."

"Under whose orders?"

"Mine." Teitoku reached forward and grabbed Ricane's arm and squeezed. For a fraction of a second, there was a flicker of a frown on Teitoku's face. He stared directly at Ricane for a moment.

To the girls' horror, Teitoku pulled back his hand and ripped off Ricane's arm.

Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.

Yes, the main purpose of the rescue was to bring Teitoku Kakine back into the story. People had been asking for him to return for ages, but in the story, it has only been about a week. This is also going to have some far reaching implications about Jason's magic, if the girls talk about it with the others. They don't really know about Teitoku's involvement, unlike the level 5s and Touma. The biggest issue is a lot of people aren't telling others about their adventures in enough details. Secrets are going to lead to their downfall.

This cliffhanger brought to you by St german.