Author's Note, Sept. 13, 2022: These first few chapters are a little rough and outdated. Please just bear with them, as it's probably gonna be a while before I properly remaster them.
Stars.
Everyone knew what they were. Everyone knew how beautiful they could be. And yet, very few realized just how little they actually saw of them. Light pollution in most populated areas would blot out the stars, emptying the night sky of its beauty.
But that was not the case here. The night sky was littered with stars, allowing them to shimmer in all their glory.
The reason for this was simple: There were no signs of human civilization anywhere. It was a small field in the middle of a forest, which seemed to stretch on for eternity.
There was a single building in the middle of the field. It was tall enough to be considered a tower, yet too short to be a skyscraper. At the top floor of this tower was a balcony, supporting a single man leaning on the railing.
He wore dark green robes. His face was handsome, yet intimidating. His long, dark brown hair went to his shoulders, and was brushed neatly. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue that could be compared to a gem worth millions, yet his icy gaze could frighten an army.
He was not focused on the scene in front of him. His attention was turned inward.
Planning.
Calculating.
Scheming.
In a way, he was no different from the Archbishop seated in the cathedral, or the Board Chairman floating within his fortress. He was a man who had a plan - every action he took and every decision he made was in contribution to an end goal. One that would affect all 7 billion people on the planet.
The large doors to the balcony opened behind him. An attractive woman with long, black hair stepped onto that balcony with him. She wore a dark red dress that accentuated the curvature of her body. She took no more than a single step, and bowed.
"My lord, I have reports."
The man did not turn to face her, although his eyes narrowed. The next few words would decide the direction of his entire plan.
"Speak."
"Our spy within the Kamisato faction has successfully lured them out of Academy City. However, this was after World Rejector was used to defeat Magic Gods Nephthys and Niang Niang."
"Good. I will not let the Archbishop and Crowley's pissing match get in our way. Taking care of the Magic Gods is only a bonus. Anything else?"
"Our team successfully found and extracted the parasite from Patricia Birdway. They have left Academy City and are returning as we speak."
"Did the girl survive?"
"It took some extra magic, but Patricia Birdway is alive and well."
He did not show it, but a small wave of relief swept over the man. This was the outcome he wanted. Everything was on schedule.
"Let our spy know that if she wishes to stay with the boy, she may. Her only orders are to keep him away from the city. For his sake, if not ours. I have no plans to waste more resources on that faction, but I will if I have to. As for the parasite, bring it to our scientists for analysis. That is all."
"Yes, my lord."
The woman bowed once more before turning around. However, she did not walk back into the building in front of her.
"My lord, if I may, I am...unsure of these actions."
"Speak your mind. Ignorance to criticism had led to the downfall of many."
"The Kamisato faction was lured into Academy City to disrupt Aleister's plans. Would it not be easier to let our enemies destroy themselves?"
"'Disrupting his plans' is not how I would put it. The Archbishop does not care about Aleister's plan, just the man himself. She does not seek to destroy Academy City, she seeks to absorb it. And that would be the end of us. Right now, the Archbishop is too focused on him to care about us. If she got her way, that conflict would no longer distract her, and she would have Academy City's entire arsenal at her fingertips, which is normally not a threat due to Aleister's tendency to keep to himself."
The man let out a sigh before continuing. A small hint of emotion in his cold demeanor.
"We will deal with Crowley himself when the time is right. For now, we just need to make sure his plan does not come into fruition before ours. As for the Archbishop, she is much more manageable as long as she does not get her hands on that City. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes, my lord. Another thing, we had to send several magicians to extract the parasite safely. Why do you care so much about the girl?"
"This one is quite simple. We need the parasite, but the girl it took as a host is the sister of Levinia Birdway. If we extracted it normally, the girl would die. That would likely lead to the entire Dawn-Colored sunlight on our asses, and it would be personal. That would be another pain I don't feel like dealing with. Anything more?"
"No, that is all."
The woman finally walked into the building, and down the dark hallway. The large doors closed, leaving the man alone on the balcony.
His eyes had not moved, yet only now did he take in the view in front of him.
He did not need any more calculations. Everything was on schedule. The next phase was about to begin.
A grin appeared on his face.
Alright Aleister, Let the games begin.