Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering

"Not a summoner?" Arrathir practically yelled.

It was only a few minutes after the duel ended and Aki had been hailed by a group of her friends and was currently chatting away a couple tables down. As soon as she'd left, Arrathir had asked Chiburuu's opinion, but had gotten the same answer Charles had: Aki was not a summoner.

"Calm down, Arrathir," said Chiburuu.

"Calm down?" said Arrathir, trying to keep his voice down "She's the Keeper of Red Mana! I know it!"

"Impossible!' said Chiburuu "Her skills are nowhere near to what a summoner's should be."

"She almost beat me!" said Arrathir "Doesn't that count for anything?"

"She got lucky," said Chiburuu "Through a combination of lucky card draws, she did almost beat you, but this does not make her a summoner."

"No! She is one! Chikuro said the Keepers would be subconsciously drawn to my power. How else do you explain her coming up to me out of nowhere?"

"Pity. She saw you crying and felt sorry for you. Arrathir, I know loosing Eva has been hard on you…"

"No shit! Loosing the one person I cared about in this world and who maybe cared about me? Yeah, that's pretty fucking hard!"

The last person who cares about you? What am I then?

Shut up!

"I know you'd like nothing better than to go out and find Numa," said Chiburuu "But I can't let you rush into this!"

"You know what?" said Arrathir "Screw you! I don't care what you think; Aki is the Keeper of Red Mana! Why can't you see it? And I don't care what you say, I will train her in mana summoning!"

"She is not ready for it!" said Chiburuu "You will only become more frustrated as you realize the futility of your efforts. Abandon this plan. It is folly!"

"No!" said Arrathir "Ever since the Awakening started, I've been putting my life on the line for others. I'm doing this to help billions of people; people I don't even know! Well, what about me What about what I want? I'm bringing Eva back and you'd better not try to stop me!"

"Chikuro, talk some sense into him," sighed Chiburuu.

What is going on? I've never seen you like this before.

Yeah? Well stay out of this! Aki is the Keeper of Red Mana. Maybe Chiburuu can't sense it, but I can. I know it. I don't care what it takes, I am awakening her.

But then how will you convince Erik to go along with your plan?

I'm working on it, OK?

Arrathir, Chiburuu was the Keeper who was the most mana-sensitive. If he says Aki isn't a summoner, you should believe him.

I don't give a damn about what he says! I've been awakened a hell of a lot longer than he has, so currently, I would have a better reading on who is or isn't a summoner.

Whatever. Your funeral.

"Arrathir?" said Charles.

"What? You gonna tell me it's useless too?" said Arrathir.

"No, I just think you're rushing into this a bit," said Charles "You barely even know this girl, so how can you gauge if she is or isn't a summoner? Maybe if you got to know her better…"

"Yeah! And wait for Numa to show up and kill her too? I don't think so!"

;He's completely snapped;

;That's Chikuro for you. He always was very stubborn;

;What are we going to do about this?;

;There's nothing we can do. We just have to let him find out on his own that his plan will never work;

"So, what do you plan to do?" asked Charles.

"Well, I've got to tell Aki about summoning and the Keepers," said Arrathir "The I can start training her."

"Well, here she comes," said Charles.

Sure enough, Aki had left her friends and was returning to their table.

"Arrathir-kun?" she said, seeing the look on Arrathir's face "What is wrong?"

"Nothing," he said "Aki, can we speak in private? There is something I need to tell you."

"Sure," said Aki.

"Great." Arrathir grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the table.

"Arrathir-kun, where are we going?" asked Aki.

"We need to be alone," said Arrathir.

"Arrathir-kun, I understand if you have feelings for me," said Aki, blushing "I-I like you too, but don't you think we should get to know each other before you try to kiss me?"

Arrathir did a double take

Kiss her? She thought I was going to…

"It's not like that!" he said, turning to face her "I need to be alone because what I am about to tell you must remain secret."

Arrathir looked around. They were on a small path bordered by trees by the edge of a small pond. Sniffing the air, he could not detect anyone's presence within a hundred meters.

"Here, let's sit," he said.

"Aki," said Arrathir as they sat beneath the trees "Have you ever wondered about my ears?" He gestured to the two gray triangles on his head.

"Yes," said Aki "But I assumed you were an avid cosplayer." (A/N: Cosplaying is when, especially at anime and video game conventions, fans will dress up as their favorite characters. Think of it as a Japanese version of nerds dressing up for "Star Wars")

"They are real," said Arrathir "I am a han'yō, a half-demon."

"D-demon?" said Aki, staring at Arrathir's ears. He braced himself for what was coming. Sure enough, after a few seconds, Aki reached up and began stroking his ears. Arrathir rolled his eyes, but gradually started to enjoy the feeling. It felt so good he started to get drowsy and was just about to nod off when Aki stopped, snapping him back to reality.

"Ah, where was I?" said Arrathir "Ah, yes: why I am a half-demon. I am the reincarnation of a wizard that lived millions of years ago. You see, Magic: The Gathering is real. Just like in the game, I can tap mana to summon creatures, except they are real."

"Oh, stop joking, Arrathir-kun," said Aki, laughing.

"I'm not," he said "I'll prove it." Gathering his mana, he called upon his Putrid Imp. The winged zombie appeared and bared its teeth at Aki, who screamed and jumped up, ready to run away.

"Aki! It won't hurt you," said Arrathir, dispelling the creature.

"Stay away from me!" shouted Aki, trembling.

"I'm not going to hurt you," said Arrathir "Look, I need your help."

"What do you want?" said Aki.

"Aki, come back, I swear I will not hurt you," said Arrathir. Cautiously, Aki sat down.

"Now," continued Arrathir "As I said, I am the reincarnation of an ancient wizard. He was one of five wizards who channelled the mana across the Multiverse."

"Multiverse?"

"Our universe is only one of billions. Together, they form the Multiverse. Anyways, these five wizards each controlled one of the five colours of mana, and therefore were known as the Keepers of Mana."

"You mean mana like in Magic?"

"Exactly," said Arrathir "Mana is the energy of life. It surrounds us and binds the Multiverse together. Now, I am the reincarnation of the Keeper of Black Mana. At one point in his past, he tried to take over the Multiverse with the help of the Keeper of Blue Mana. My friend Charles is the reincarnation of the Keeper of Blue Mana. The other three Keepers fought against him and in the end, all five Keepers died. However, their spirits endured and they were all reincarnated in new bodies. Now, I'm trying to awaken the Keepers so the flow of mana through the Multiverse can be regulated once again."

"Why?"

"Because I'm meant to," said Arrathir "That is why the Keeper of Black Mana was reincarnated in my body."

"So, you have a spirit living inside you?" asked Aki "Is it evil?"

"No," said Arrathir "He once was, but he's changed."

"Why are you telling me all this?" asked Aki, clearly confused.

"Aki, the Keepers of Mana are waiting to be awakened. Their reincarnations are subconsciously drawn to the power of the Keeper of Black Mana. I believe you are the reincarnation of the Keeper of Red Mana."

"M-me?" stuttered Aki "But I can't be! I'm not even good at Magic!"

"It doesn't matter!" said Arrathir "When the Keeper of Black Mana awoke, I wasn't that good either. I know you have great potential within you and I want to help awaken your spirit."

"Wait," said Aki "How can you be so sure?"

"Well, you almost beat me," said Arrathir "Anyone who has been able to beat me has almost always ended up being a Keeper of Mana."

"This doesn't make any sense. Because I nearly beat you at a card game, you think I am the reincarnation of an ancient wizard?"

"Yes," said Arrathir "I can't explain it, but I just have this feeling. Will you at least let me train you?"

Before Aki could answer, they suddenly felt the ground rumbling, faintly at first, but gradually getting stronger.

An earthquake?

Japan is situated in a volcanic on the Pacific Ring of Fire, almost on the border of the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Frequent tremors are felt through the islands and destructive earthquakes, often resulting in tsunamis, happen several times a century. Arrathir's prediction proved to be wrong. The ground beside them literally exploded, showering them with dirt, bits of grass, and flying rocks. Aki and Arrathir covered their heads to protect themselves from the flying projectiles. When it was over, Arrathir looked up to see a hole had opened in the ground and several green creatures were climbing out.

Goblins! Numa's finally making his move!

"Aki!" he said, "Run! Go get Charles! Tell him I need help!"

After one look at the goblins, Aki did not hesitate. She jumped up and began running for the tables.

Let's hope I can hold them off until Charles gets here.

Want me to take over?

I think I can handle it. If it gets too intense, you can take care of them.

Arrathir charged his mana, both his hand erupting in black flames. With his trench coat and flaming hands, he looked like a necromancer from some video game. As the goblins charged, waving various blunt instruments, Arrathir flung his handfuls of mana at them. The black flames engulfed the nearest goblins, burning them to a crisp and causing them to erupt into red mana. However, for every goblin that fell, three more took its place.

This isn't working! If you keep using up raw mana, you'll run out quickly.

OK, here goes.

Arrathir took a deep breath and summoned his Havoc Demon. The mana swirled and formed into the demon, the creature coming to life with a piercing screech. The goblins drew back in alarm, but soon resumed their advance. With a silent command from Arrathir, the Havoc Demon flew at the goblins, fangs bared. Many goblins met their end within the jaws of the demon. Its razor-sharp claws were also effectively mowing down the goblins like the scythe of the Grim Reaper. Unfortunately, the continuing onslaught of goblins eventually overwhelmed the demon. With a howl, the creature exploded into a shower of black mana. At the same time, all the goblins around exploded into red mana.

That was almost too easy.

Behind you, idiot!

Turning, Arrathir saw an even larger mob of goblins behind him.

It was all a diversion. Come on Charles! Hurry up!

I'm taking over!

No! I'm good. You've got to let me handle this. I need the training.

Meh, what you say.

This is gonna take something bigger. Hang on. I haven't tried summoning him yet.

Closing his eyes, Arrathir felt the mana flowing through him. He felt the raw power waiting to be crafted into a spell and released. Concentrating on the spell, he snapped his hands up, palms touching. As he channeled the necessary mana, he concentrated on the creature. The black fire in his hands grew until it engulfed his entire body like a black aura. Black tentacles burst from the ground around him as the nightmare horror pulled itself from the ground. Towering over the goblins, it let out an eerie howl, challenging the goblins.

Hypnox…I did it…

Arrathir had expended too much mana. His control on the creature was fading. He struggled to prevent the creature from being dispelled, but he was unable. It exploded in a shower of black mana.

Chikuro…I'm spent…

Arrathir, you're going to pass out! Give me control before you…

Arrathir's eyes rolled back in his head and he fell over, unconscious. Momentarily surprised, the goblins drew back, but seeing Arrathir did not stir, they rushed forwards with screeches of glee. Grabbing Arrathir's body, they dragged it into the tunnel and disappeared underground.

To be continued…

Author's Note: Surprise! Another update in the same week! I couldn't bear leaving for Chile without putting up a few more. If we're lucky, I might even get to (dare I say it?) Chapter T-h-i-r-t-y? If this chapter seems kind of weird, remember it was written from 11 pm to 6 am with tons of caffeine in my veins. Umm, this chapter's rant will be about…George Bush. He's a fucktard. Need I say more? Rant over.

Khell chapter countdown: 4

Askari Knight: Yep, got me there.

Grayangle: Sure. When they get to Dominaria, they'll find a bunch of regular summoners.

Technomagus: You're still a bit off with the naming, but good guesses to the demon types.

Ceridan: My work is done then.

SeraphSong: Heh, you use emulators too?