Reclaiming Omega

by a guy with a creative name

With Gremlin gone, the world is in a brief period of peace. But this peace was always destined to be short lived - Another group has stepped into the spotlight, and they will do anything necessary to achieve their goal, even if it means dealing with a misfortunate high school boy and those around him.

7. Chapter 5

Author's note: Congratulations to the three people reading this story, you get another chapter! Now, in case you didn't read my extended Author's note, I'm gonna put this nice big banner here:

Many of my plans for this story have changed over my year-long hiatus. As a result, there will be some minor retcons/contradictions from this chapter onwards. The previous chapters will be remastered…eventually.

That being said, if you haven't read the previous chapters in a while, you may want to reread them anyways, just to remember what this story is about.

Another thing I want to talk about is exposition. Specifically, this chapter has a lot of exposition. Like, maybe too much. The biggest problem with making a completely original group of villains, especially for a longer story like this one, is that you need to come up with a lot of original characters and elements surrounding them, and introduce them to the readers from scratch.

What I'm trying to say is, there is a part of this chapter where a LOT of names and terms you've never heard of before will appear. These WILL be elaborated on as the story continues. I wanted to say this now so nobody goes "this is overwhelming, I'm gonna stop reading" when they hear a bunch of OC names.

---

Chapter 5: A Speck of Truth in a City of Ignorance

---

"So what exactly is it?"

The cybernetically enhanced saint known as Bruce Roberts stood in a white room. The room itself was rather blank - the white walls lacked any noticeable detail, the room lacked any windows, the only furniture in the room were a few chairs set at an average-sized table, and the entrance was a simple wooden door.

But if one opened the door, they would find that the room was locked behind a large, extensively protective vault door. The reason for this was simple - this small white room held the greatest secret, and most valuable resource, in the entire building.

The wall opposite to the door was almost entirely taken up by a large monitor, with an entire control panel of input devices. The existence of this machine was hidden to everyone in the organization, even its highest ranking members.

But the conversation was not focused on this machine. Simply put, of the three people who knew about its existence, only two were currently present.

And so, as they waited for their third member, Bruce had asked that question as he looked at the room's other occupant: A man in a dark green robe. Or, more specifically, he looked at what the man was holding in hand.

It was a beautiful golden chalice, with an engraved floral pattern decorated with a variety of fine jewels. It was something so fancy that even the world's most refined man would keep it behind glass rather than use it.

And it was the artifact Bruce had recently raided a British vault to obtain.

"I'm surprised it took you so long to ask, after all the trouble you went through to obtain it. Why, this cup is none other than the Holy Grail itself!"

"The Holy Grail? Said to grant eternal life?"

"The one and only."

Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Why would such a precious item be kept in such a low-value vault?"

The man chuckled.

"It's quite simple. You see, this is not actually the Holy Grail. Rather, it was believed to be the holy grail when it was passed around hundreds of years ago. Eventually, it found its way into the hands of the royal family, and was promptly identified as a fake."

"If it's just a fake, why did we go through so much trouble to get it in the first place?"

"Indeed, going after a fake Holy Grail would seem pointless to most, as such an item holds little value or use. But that is such a narrow-minded view. Magic is about perception, belief, and symbolism. What one person may see as a simple slingshot could be made into a superweapon by someone else who sees it as a symbol of the story of David and Goliath. How we perceive different items can affect how useful they are, and sometimes using an unconventional view can give even the most worthless items value. So tell me, do you know what this item is symbolic of?"

"The Holy Grail can symbolize many things, but none are exactly 'unconventional' as you described. What are you trying to get at?"

"Then let us start at the beginning. Do you know what the Holy Grail is? What its origin was?"

"It was said to be the cup used by Jesus during the last supper."

"Exactly. Now, as I mentioned earlier, this fake was believed to be real by those who passed it around. But don't you notice something odd about that? Something that doesn't add up about this even potentially being real?"

Bruce stood silently for a moment before finally responding.

"Why would Jesus have used such a fancy cup?"

"Precisely. Jesus was a humble man who encouraged his followers to give up their worldly possessions and live a more spartan lifestyle. The real Holy Grail was lost to time, simply because it was nothing more than an ordinary cup. And yet, when a fake was passed off as the real thing, it was a beautiful golden chalice. Do you know why that is?"

"..."

"It's because people like worshipping perfection. If something isn't perfect, why bother worshipping it? In truth, Christianity today looks much different from what one would expect from reading the bible, because what the bible preached simply wasn't good enough. It wasn't as grand or ideal as its followers wanted. They may not have even realized they felt this way, nor did they realize what they were doing, but they did it regardless. One by one, little by little, details were changed to fit a preconceived view of 'perfection.' Jesus was transformed from an average-looking middle-eastern man into a handsome white man. Teachings that were once accepted but no longer fit society's morals were quietly scratched out and forgotten. What were once humble places for followers to gather and worship became filled with golden crosses and other worldly items. A simple cup was transformed into a beautiful golden chalice decorated with jewels. Christianity was turned 'perfect.'"

The man grinned.

"If we view this item as the Holy Grail, we would gain nothing from it. It is, after all, a fake. But that is only one way to view it. What if, instead, we viewed it as symbolic of a concept? What would happen if we took this 'perfected' version of an ordinary cup, and viewed it as such? What would happen if we viewed this item as symbolic of how Christianity has been transformed to be 'perfect,' and formatted a spell based on that interpretation instead?"

---

They said Academy City's #3 was a strong willed girl who would take on any threat. That she would never back down from a challenge. That she never gave up no matter how difficult the trial.

And yet, here she was, trembling at nothing more than a door.

She had arrived at the place where that James boy was supposed to live. That part was easy. And, from a technical standpoint, opening a door was even easier. And yet, she just could not do it.

Magic.

The other side.

She had seen it in Russia. She had seen it in Hawaii. She had seen it on that overpass. She had seen it when a literal mummy chased her around the city. She was far past the point where she could simply turn around and deny it.

And yet…

Magic is not real.

The supernatural does not exist.

Everything can be explained with scientific laws.

Those words had been repeated to her over and over for her entire life. And she had never once doubted them in all her 14 years of existence.

But that door threatened to change all of that.

What was behind that door could turn everything she thought she knew about the world on her head. It threatened to throw away everything she had ever learned and uproot even her most basic understanding of the world.

And that thought terrified her.

More than the High Priest.

More than Accelerator.

More than that right hand.

However…

"Onee-sama? Are you alright?"

(That's right…)

She was not alone. Her twin tailed junior was there standing by her side. And that gave her a strange sense of comfort.

Misaka Mikoto opened the door.

But it was not the comfort of knowing Kuroko was with her that allowed her to do so.

The thought of what was behind that door terrified her more than anything else.

Except for one thing.

It was the sight of that fortress plunging into the Arctic Ocean. It was the sight of the broken gekota strap found in the wreckage.

No matter how much that door scared her, she was far more afraid of losing that boy.

And so, Mikoto took her first steps into the unknown…

...Which turned out to be an average looking living room.

Well, "average" may have been the wrong word. It was extremely large for a living room. But besides that, the furniture and decorations felt like they were taken from any average home.

Sitting on a couch was a man with green, spiky hair. His eyes were behind a pair of round glasses, and the stick of a lollipop was sticking out of his mouth. He seemed too invested in whatever he was typing on his laptop to pay the two visitors any attention outside of a single sentence.

"Fifth floor, last door on the left. Take the elevator."

"Um...thank you…?"

(Wait, elevator???)

Sure enough, in stark contrast to the homely atmosphere of the rest of the room, the entrance to a standard industrial elevator stood out like a smartphone in a renaissance fair.

(What the hell is with this building?)

Once the elevator doors closed, Kuroko turned to her senior.

"Onee-sama, are you okay? You've been acting strange ever since we left."

"I'm...fine. How about you? This must all feel kind of sudden."

"I'm willing to keep an open mind. For my onee-sama."

"Thank you, Kuroko. Honestly, hearing words like 'magic' used unironically is confusing enough. Having someone then try telling me that none of it is real would probably be more than I could handle in one day."

"You can reward me with a kiss. And then tonight, we can-"

"Quit while you're ahead, Kuroko."

The doors opened before Kuroko could react to her proposition being rejected. A hallway opened out horizontally on both sides from the elevator door.

"Let's see...last door on the left...so, this one then…"

Mikoto stood in front of the door...

(Alright…)

She put her hand on the knob...

(This is it…)

She twisted...

(This is where everything changes...)

She opened the door...

However…

(Huh???)

"Touma!!! Lessar won't stop cheating!!! Make her play fair!!!"

"I'm not cheating! You just suck at the game!"

"I don't suck at the game!"

"You are literally holding the controller upside down!"

"I am???"

Mikoto wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. The room was a bedroom, though it was the size of an entire dorm, with a balcony on the left wall.

Lessar and Index were playing a video game on a console plugged into the TV. Well, it was less that they were "playing", and more that Lessar was absolutely demolishing her. Not even Index's perfect memory could carry her atrocious technology skills.

Tsuchimikado and Accelerator were leaning against the wall to the left, near the balcony entrance. Tsuchimikado was trying to show him something on his phone, though he was clearly being ignored as the albino was far more interested in his can of coffee.

James himself was on his bed in the back of the room, playing a game on his phone.

And Kamijou Touma was sitting on the couch in the center of the room, holding his head in his hands like he was suffering from a migraine.

What Mikoto had expected to be a serious meeting felt more like a casual party. Regardless, she made a beeline straight for the couch, planting her butt right next to the spiky-haired boy.

"You okay?"

"Huh?!" Touma practically jumped. "O-Oh, Misaka, I didn't see you there. Yeah, I'm fine, just had a long day is all…"

("A long day"? Well, at least it doesn't look like he's in danger. Then again, he's pretty good at hiding it...I might have to dig a bit deeper to make sure tha- wait, wasn't he sitting closer to me?)

Sure enough, while Mikoto had been lost in her thoughts, Touma had shifted over a foot away from her, and there was now enough distance between them for another person to sit down in. Normally, becoming consciously aware of how close she was to him would cause her to become flustered. However, any embarrassment she may have felt was overshadowed by the overwhelming frustration she felt at that boy for clearly moving away from her for the sole purpose of moving away from her.

So, without even thinking, she shifted over and closed the gap.

Only for him to shift away again.

They repeated this process several times before Mikoto finally reached her limit.

"Is sitting next to me really that bad???"

"I'm sorry! My head still hurts from being bitten by Index ten minutes ago! I don't need Sharai drop kicking me on top of that!"

Mikoto sighed.

"Do you see what you've done, Kuroko?"

The twin tailed girl sitting on her other side only pouted in response, while quietly muttering something under her breath.

"Anyways, I've never seen a building like this. Does James own the whole thing?"

"He said it belongs to his dad. Apparently he's a pretty big scientist, so this building operates as both a house and a lab."

"I guess that's who I saw downstairs then. Still, I can't imagine how much this place must have cost…"

"Really? I expected a rich girl like you to consider this a small house for the low-class commoners to inhabit."

"My family doesn't have that much money, you idiot!"

"To a broke high schooler like me, all you rich people look the same."

Their conversation was stopped abruptly (which was probably a good thing, at least for Touma's sake) as the door to the room flew open, revealing a small, blonde girl at the entrance.

"Hey, what scent of soap do you guys have in the bathroom? I need to have Mark look into getting some."

She quickly caught sight of Mikoto.

"Oh, good, the #3 is here. That means we can begin. You two! Finish up whatever game you're playing and get over here. I can't focus with all your yelling."

"Oh, come on! You told us to just be quiet while you do the talking anyways. Who cares if we're playing a game?"

"Just get over here and shut up. Or do I need to get the whip?"

"Tch."

Lessar begrudgingly turned off the game, then turned to face the cabal boss.

"Good, now let's...hold on, I don't recall inviting your friend."

"I go where my Onee-sama goes."

"Is it a problem that she's here?"

"This city has done quite a good job at brainwashing you students into believing that the supernatural doesn't exist. Now, I know that you've experienced enough to see past that, but I can't say the same for her. We have a lot to discuss tonight, so I would like to get through this quickly. If she can sit there quietly and listen, she can stay. If she's going to interrupt me about how I'm wrong or how her middle school science teacher told her magic isn't real, I'm not going to put up with it. Understand?"

Kuroko and Birdway looked each other dead in the eye.

"I promised to keep an open mind. I intend to keep it."

Birdway sighed.

"Fine, I guess that'll have to do. The rest of you, remember what we discussed. You all sit there and stay silent. I want to get through with this as quickly as possible. If you interrupt me, it better be damn important. Otherwise I'm kicking your ass."

Touma was unsure what life decisions had led to a 12-year-old girl threatening to kick his ass, or him actually being concerned about said threat, but he made the conscious decision to keep his thoughts to himself.

Birdway began pacing around the room as she spoke.

"Now, I can't say I'm too familiar with Academy City's education system, but I assume you are well aware that espers have existed long before the city was constructed. Naturally occuring espers, or 'gemstones', have been around for as long as human history has been recorded. People at the time could not understand how or why these espers could do what they could, and so they tried to justify it with whatever knowledge they had. Miracles, blessings from God, you name it. Regardless, the one thing nobody could deny was that these people had unique talents and could do things nobody else could.

But what you probably aren't taught is what happened when people started to get jealous. They looked at the talented with envy, and tried whatever they could to match those unique powers. And the end result was what we know as magic . It is a power system separate from the scientific laws this city preaches, and finds its roots in the occult. It is a way for those without special talents to catch up with those who do. Unlike esper powers, magic can be freely developed and practiced by anyone who knows how to, and are not restricted to one power per person.

Thus, magicians can freely create fire…"

Birdway snapped her fingers, and a small flame appeared in her hand.

"...Or water."

She snapped her fingers again, and a bubble of water consumed and put out the small flame. This was the same demonstration she had given Accelerator and Hamazura in Touma's dorm.

Kuroko was silently listening to Birdway's speech, but Mikoto was deep in thought.

(If magic is designed to be used by anyone, does that mean Saten could…?)

However, as if reading her thoughts, the boy with sunglasses in the corner of the room shattered her dreams for her friend.

"It should probably be noted that none of you should ever try to use magic."

"Huh? Why not? I thought she said magic can be used by anyone?"

"Yes, but you're not anyone, are you? One should not attempt to use methods designed for the untalented to catch up with the talented if they are already talented. In other words, espers and magic are fundamentally incompatible. When an esper tries to use magic, the backlash tears their body apart. I know, because I've experienced it firsthand. And level is irrelevant. Once you start producing an AIM field, using magic is equivalent to suicide, even for a level 0 with no ability."

"Ah…"

(So there's still no hope for Saten after all…)

"Question." Kuroko finally spoke. "If magic is so convenient, why isn't it more known? And why would anyone come to Academy City and develop an esper power if it only limits themselves?"

"There was a time when the occult was the accepted way of doing things. But in the modern era, science is what people turn to. Most magicians prefer to stay in the shadows, but even if they didn't, who would believe them? People would simply accuse them of using smoke and mirrors, or rationalize it as an esper ability."

Kuroko couldn't exactly deny that fact. In truth, she herself was struggling to accept what she was hearing. Had she not promised to be quiet and keep an open mind, she would have likely called bullshit five times by now.

Birdway continued.

"And besides, magic isn't as convenient as it may seem. All magic has a set of rules at its base, whether it be Norse, Christianity, or something else. It isn't as easy as simply snapping your fingers and making whatever you want happen. At its core, magic is about coming up with a goal, and then creating a supernatural setting that allows your goal to be accomplished. But that in itself has drawbacks, especially when compared to the simplicity of esper powers."

"What do you mean by that?"

"For example, #3, if you wanted a fork that was out of your reach, on the other side of the table, what would you do?"

"Huh? Well, I would probably just bring it over to me using magnetism…"

"Exactly. Esper powers are operated entirely by the brain. All it takes to use them are a few calculations that you likely do completely unconsciously. Magic, on the other hand, requires preparation and dedication to create a supernatural setting that achieves your goal. There are hundreds of different ways to bring that fork over to you using magic, but when all is said and done, the actual preparation needed to do so would likely take more effort than simply walking over to the other side and grabbing the fork yourself. What esper powers lack in freedom and accessibility, they make up for in simplicity and convenience."

"You mentioned how esper powers are controlled by the brain, but how does magic work on a technical level? What exactly is happening when one uses it?"

"That's a difficult thing to answer. In truth, the exact methods used can vary depending on the 'ruleset' at the base of the magic being used, and there are many different theories on how to define the human 'soul', but the one consistent thing is that using magic requires refining one's naturally flowing lifeforce into magic power, similar to refining crude oil into gasoline. A common method for this is by using a variety of special breathing techniques. Because magic power is created from the power humans naturally possess, controlling it is rather easy. But even the most obedient dog requires spoken words to tell them what to do. Magic requires commands. Sure, it's technically possible to do something completely original, but constructing something from nothing is simply inefficient, and so it's better to just use preexisting legends or stories. It's like writing with your right hand versus your left foot. Sure, with enough time and practice you could write an entire essay with your foot, but why do so when it's simply easier and just as effective to use your hand?

And things get even more complicated depending on the size and precision of the ceremony being performed. Simply refining one's lifeforce into magic power and making certain gestures can produce magic, but that may not be enough depending on what you're trying to accomplish. For larger ceremonies, specialized tools are required. If you want to reference a story about a legendary sword, it helps to use an actual sword. This is what is known as a spiritual item, and it is effectively nothing more than a tool. When a magician uses one, that tool becomes a part of their body, and their magic power is circulated through it just like the rest of their body. Of course, power can be provided remotely, and some spiritual items are designed so that power continues to circulate within it for a short time after the magician lets go. In the past, destruction of a spiritual item would cause heavy damage to the user, though modern items have safety devices equipped to prevent that.

There are other types of magic unrelated to the natural circulation in a person's body, such as the leylines in the Earth and Telesma, but there's no need to explain that far. Are you still following?"

"So, if a magician is using a story as the basis for their power, using physical objects symbolizing elements from that story can make their magic more effective?"

"Precisely. We call this Idol Theory. And it doesn't just apply to objects."

"What?"

"There are some people whose bodies resemble that of the Son of God in certain aspects. By applying Idol Theory to their own body, they can draw on some of his power, giving them superhuman strength and allowing them to move at supersonic speeds. We call these people Saints. They are essentially the magician equivalent of a level 5 esper. Fewer than twenty exist in the world."

"Fighting an opponent that moves at supersonic speeds...that sounds terrifying…"

"You would know. You've already fought one."

"Huh?"

(What does she mean I already fought one? Wait...on that overpass…)

"Yeah, Brunhild wasn't too happy about being brought to a stalemate by an esper, but hey, she's probably over it by now."

(I seriously could have died there!!!)

"Anyways, everything I've talked about so far is about the technical aspects of magic. But there is still more you need to know if you want to properly understand a magician."

"And that is?"

"Identity. If you truly want to understand magicians, you must understand why they wield magic in the first place. At their core, magicians fight for themselves. Even when working as a group, each individual magician will only fight for themself, and will only work with others as long as it helps further their own goal. Magicians are inherently stubborn, prideful people."

She pointed her thumb at Touma

"Half the reason he's still alive is because most magicians are too stubborn to try and use conventional weapons, and would rather throw supernatural attacks at someone who negates the supernatural than use a gun."

Touma scratched the back of his head.

"That's true, Imagine Breaker can't do much against a gun..."

Mikoto shot a glare at Birdway.

"Didn't you attempt to shoot him with a gun?"

"I tried to, but you stopped me in the end. There's no point in worrying about that now."

Mikoto didn't respond, but she didn't stop glaring either. However, Birdway didn't seem phased by the level 5, and simply continued her speech.

"Magic is designed for the untalented to catch up with the talented. And that means magicians are inherently untalented people. There are many setbacks in life. It could be the loss of a loved one, it could be living in the shadow of an older sibling, it could be failing to succeed in the career you wanted. It is the combination of setbacks along with a lack of talent that leads one to magic. If you are content with yourself and where you are, why would you need to try and bend the fundamental laws of nature? To rely on the supernatural?"

Birdway jabbed her thumb into her chest.

"Every magician has a goal, and they carve that goal into themselves in Latin. This is known as a magic name. Mine is Regnum771. The numbers on the end are to prevent duplicates. The idiot with sunglasses over there is Fallere825."

Tsuchimikado did not seem pleased having her carelessly announce his magic name, but he did not voice his complaint.

"I don't know what the New Light bitch's magic name is, but it's probably something like 'slut' or 'whore'."

"It is not!!!"

"What did I say about interrupting me? Sit back down and shut up."

Lessar, while clearly angry, did what she was told anyways.

"As I was saying, every magician has a goal, and once they carve that goal into their heart as a magic name, they are dedicating themselves to magic for the sole purpose of achieving that goal. So, for a magician, working in a group is nothing more than a way to get closer to their own goal. If the group cannot help them with that goal, they will turn their back on the group and cut themself away. At their core, every magician is in it for themselves, to accomplish their own goal. Even if that goal is to throw themselves in harm's way to protect the innocent, it still comes from their own selfish desires."

Mikoto took a deep breath.

"Can I ask something?"

"And that is?"

"What is a magic god?"

Birdway chuckled.

"I had a feeling you would ask that eventually. In the end, no matter why one seeks it, or what one does with it, magic is power. And power can be amassed in great amounts with enough time and dedication. So what happens when you get too powerful?"

Birdway gave a cold smile.

"Simply put, magic gods are nothing more than human beings who have mastered magic and have become so powerful that they transcend humanity and take a step into the territory of a god. They can freely manipulate the phases that make up the world and rewrite the entire universe as they see fit. They are on par with a theoretical level 6 esper."

Flashes of memories played through Mikoto's mind. A pale boy massacuring girls with her face, her own body slowly losing its form as it was pushed past its limits, a living mummy surviving being shot into space…

(If one of us had actually managed to become a level 6, could we have managed to defeat him on our own?)

Kuroko spoke up next to her.

"You said that every magician has faced some sort of setback in life, and has a goal based on that setback that affects their every decision, but how does becoming a literal god relate to that?"

"In truth, there are so few magic gods and so little is known about them that it's hard to give a definitive answer, but if I were to guess, I would say that most of them have either achieved their goal, fulfilling their magic name and leaving them with nothing to do but seek more power, or have failed their goal and become lost, simply gaining more power to try and compensate. Of course, it's also possible that becoming a god simply was their goal in the first place. As someone who is not a magic god, there's only so much I can say about them. It would be better to simply ask one yourself. Speaking of which, where is the Barbie doll?"

"Right here." A small blonde head poked out of Touma's pocket. "I was having a nice nap before you started rambling. And don't call me a Barbie doll, or I'll show you just how much a toothpick in the eye can hurt."

"Those are bold words coming from someone who can be locked away in a pickle jar."

Othinus ignored her threat and spoke to the others in the room.

"A magic god such as myself...or, at least, before I ended up in this powerless form, is someone who mastered magic and obtained the forbidden knowledge contained within 103,000 grimoires, and then used that combination of mastery and knowledge in a ceremony to ascend past humanity and enter the domain of a god. These ceremonies usually involve killing oneself as part of the process."

"Hold on, killing yourself?!"

"Yes. While the name Othinus is relatively obscure, you would probably recognize me if I introduced myself as Odin of Norse mythology, who was said to have gained his power by hanging himself for nine days and nights. Honestly, it was more boring than painful, and being viewed by history as some burly man feels somewhat insulting, but I suppose that doesn't matter. Another magic god, the High Priest, gained his power by achieving buddhism in a single life, part of which including self-mummification. Generally speaking, to become a magic god, one must be willing to die."

The concept of committing suicide to gain more power was far outside the Tokiwadai girls' understanding, and their current expressions showed it.

"Magic gods are the physical embodiment of infinity, but that's not always a good thing. Infinite lifespans, infinite power, but also infinite possibilities."

"Infinite possibilities?"

"Infinite possibilities include both infinite positive possibilities and infinite negative possibilities. It is a difficult concept to understand until you've gotten close to the territory of becoming a magic god yourself, but, effectively, every action a magic god takes has a 50/50 chance of succeeding or failing. There are ways around this, of course. A full magic god will usually have a method of giving themselves a 100% chance of success, allowing them to wield their full power without risk. Mine was Gungir, the legendary spear wielded by Odin. I could produce the spear on my own, but if I needed to produce the spear, I didn't have it, and if I didn't have it, I only had a 50/50 chance of actually succeeding at making it. That was why I put together Gremlin, to make the spear for me. And, even if it didn't go exactly how I had intended, I did succeed to that extent, obtaining Gungir and giving myself access to my full power without the risk of it backfiring any time I tried to use it. However, I ultimately failed at my goal which led me to seek out that power in the first place, hence I am now sitting in a high school boy's pocket."

"That sounds like you're trying to insult me!"

"Trying to? It really isn't that hard to do."

Touma looked like he had just been stabbed in the chest at that remark.

"In the end, every magic god, including myself, was once human. While that doesn't mean too much for the magic gods that have already become gods, it does mean that in theory, any magician has the potential to try and become a magic god themself. Though, the chances of succeeding are so low that if someone were to tell you their goal was to become a magic god, you would not be blamed if you laughed at them."

Birdway seemed to be getting impatient, and was quick to conclude the discussion once Othinus had finished.

"Alright, that about wraps it up."

"I have a question."

This did not come from Mikoto or Kuroko. Rather, it came from James, who had been silently listening from his bed the whole time.

"You've implied that there is a divide between science and magic. Is this divide actively upheld? As in, are there people actively trying to keep both sides separate?"

"Well, there's nothing officially saying that both sides have to be separate, but it's accepted that the concept of mixing them is a taboo, and both sides generally try to remain separate from each other. That being said, we will be discussing this in more detail in a little bit."

James nodded, before looking down at his phone.

"Looks like the pizza guy is at the front gate. I'll go pick up our food."

"Already? sigh. I had hoped that our other guests would have arrived by now, but I suppose we can wait a little longer."

Mikoto seemed surprised by Birdway's remark.

"Hold on, there are others coming?"

"Of course. Did you think I just explained all of that to you for fun? If you want to understand events involving the magic side of the world, you must first understand magic itself and the magicians that wield it. There are far more important things for us to discuss tonight, though we can't do so until some others arrive. For now, just get comfortable and enjoy some pizza."

---

Accelerator was annoyed.

This in itself was nothing unusual. If you were to ask those around him, they would tell you that Accelerator was always in a perpetual state of constant annoyance.

However, he was more annoyed than usual.

Simply put, he had come here because he had been told that there would likely be new information shared about the current situation. He did not need to sit through yet another explanation on magic. He silently cursed himself for showing up as early as he did.

Once the food had arrived, everyone had gone back to doing whatever they wanted to pass the time. In order to separate himself from the socializing, Accelerator had stepped out onto the balcony. The sun had set during Birdway's explanation, leaving him alone to gaze out into the city lit up under the night sky, while occasionally taking a sip of his coffee.

(...?)

He had not expected anyone to come looking for him, so the sound of the balcony door opening took him by surprise.

However, what surprised him more was who walked onto the balcony with him.

It wasn't Tsuchimikado, Kamijou Touma, or Birdway who came to see him. It wasn't even the #3 coming to chew him out about the experiments.

Instead, a middle school girl with twin tails stepped onto the balcony, closing the door behind her.

"Accelerator, right?"

"What do you want?"

"It's nothing important, just something about a friend of mine."

(The hell? What do I have to do with this brat's friend?)

"Her name is Uiharu Kazari. She's a middle school girl who always has flowers in her hair. I doubt you know her, but you saved her life from the #2 a couple months back. She wanted me to thank you for it if I saw you again, even if you didn't remember."(1)

(The #2? ...Right, I'm pretty sure there was a girl under his foot when I threw that ATM at him…)

"She has nothing to thank me for. I'm not some hero who goes around saving people. What was going on was between me and him, there was no reason to get someone unrelated involved. He was just a third-string bastard. That's it."

"Still, regardless of the reason, you did still save her."

"I gave her an opening to get out. That was it. If she didn't take it and died, I wouldn't have given her death a second thought."

In truth, he had gone out of his way to keep the bystanders safe during that fight, but he would never admit that out loud.

"Well, she's grateful anyways. That's all I had to say."

Kuroko showed no intent to continue talking, but she didn't go back inside. Instead, she walked to the edge of the balcony, leaned on the railing, and gave out a frustrated sigh, clearly deep in thought.

Accelerator normally didn't get involved in other people's business. However, possibly due to sheer boredom, his interest was piqued.

"...What's wrong with you?"

"It's just...It's that damn ape!"

"Huh?"

(Ape...?)

"I've done everything I can for my Onee-sama! I've tried so hard to show her how much I love her! To earn my place at her side! But instead of returning my affection, she brushes me aside and hangs all over that ape every chance she gets! What does he have that I don't? Why did he get granted the divine gift of her affection instead of me???"

(You sound more like an obsessed stalker. If someone thought of me like that, I would probably kick the shit out of them.)

"Yeah, well, tough luck. Sometimes you don't get what you want, no matter how much you try."

"But why? I refuse to give in to some vague concept like luck. Even if she were to choose someone other than me, it should be someone worthy of the Ace of Tokiwadai! A high class level 4 at least! Not some random impoverished level 0 with nothing more than a special arm!"

"Tch."

"Huh?"

"You know, I wonder just how many poor bastards have made the mistake of thinking of him like you do."

"What's that supposed to mean???"

" It's not just his arm. I don't know exactly what it is, but that bastard is not normal."

"But how? Everyone seems to treat him like some sort of anime protagonist, but everything I can find about him is so painfully average!"

"Because he's annoyingly humble. That asshole could save the world, and then walk into class the next day like nothing happened. No matter how much you try and look, you won't find anything at a time like this. But take it from the city's strongest son-of-a-bitch: Once someone is in danger, and shit gets serious, that bastard becomes an even scarier monster than me."

"..."

Kuroko remained silent for a moment.

"She said he fought you. That he saved her life. What...happened between you and the #3?"

"You're her friend. It's her job to tell you that story, not mine. If I did it would cause problems I don't give enough shits to deal with."

"I see…"

Kuroko had not expected to get anything out of him, but at least she could say she tried.

"What do you think about all of this?"

"Hm?"

"This...'magic' stuff."

"I was lectured about it around a month ago, and that was after already having dealt with some of that shit. At this point it's nothing new to me. If I had known she was gonna spend so much time explaining it, I would have shown up later. Why? I hope you're not gonna try lecturing me on how it's not real or whatever."

"I honestly want to. I promised to be quiet and keep an open mind, but that doesn't make this any less alien or confusing to me."

Kuroko sighed.

"She's been acting differently. Ever since she got back from Russia. She's been gone more, seems more tired and stressed when she is around...it's almost like what happened over the summer. And...she said it was because of what she's experienced since then. Powers she can't explain that operate differently than our esper abilities. Enemies that she struggles to take on, even as a level 5. Enemies that she just can't take on at all.

And it all adds up. That she's been facing this 'magic', that these powers and phenomena can't be explained with our scientific knowledge and experience, that even the Railgun can struggle against such an enemy.

But... can such a thing truly exist? Something that isn't just unexplained, but exists outside the scope of science entirely? That violates the fundamental laws of physics that make up this world? And if it does exist, and has been around as long as that Birdway girl says it has, then why is this the first time I'm hearing about it? We're taught that science can explain everything about the universe, but this changes everything. So why are we still being taught that if it's wrong?

It's much easier and more realistic to say it's all bullshit. But, then, we're back at square one. What has my Onee-sama been facing? Why can't she explain or fight it? What was the point of all of that just now? It's not about whether I accept it or not, because neither accepting or denying it makes any logical sense in the end!"

Kuroko took a deep breath.

"I need time. I don't know how long, but I need time to process all of this."

Accelerator was honestly surprised at how well he had listened to her outburst. Then again, living with Last Order and Misaka Worst wasn't exactly possible without at least a little bit of patience. Regardless, he took a sip of his coffee and spoke.

"Honestly? I don't know why we don't learn about this stuff, and I don't care enough to try and figure it out. If I were to guess, it's just a case of history repeating itself. Go back in time, and speaking out against the bible would get you hanged for blasphemy. It's the same way today, only speaking out against science gets you publicly mocked and outcast. I mean, imagine being the guy who tries saying that magic should be added to the curriculum. You would look like a complete jackass."

"Perhaps, but still, you would think that someone would try to get the truth out there, even if it meant sacrificing their social status."

"And would you believe them if they did?"

"...I suppose you have a point."

Kuroko wasn't sure why, but she felt a little calmer than she did before.

"You know, I've heard the #1 isn't a very sociable person, but thank you for talking to me anyways."

"Whatever."

Kuroko turned around and headed back inside, once again leaving Accelerator to himself.

---

"So, let me get this straight…"

Mikoto seemed generally upset.

"...this whole time, you never told me about how your arm worked until yesterday because I never asked???"

"I mean, yeah. It's not exactly a secret, but how are you supposed to fit that into a conversation? 'Oh, by the way, this is how my arm negates your attacks. Anyways...' And honestly, I didn't even know exactly how it worked myself until recently."

"Still, it would have been nice to know. I mean, I know you negate my lightning, and you were able to get past Accelerator's reflection, so I could piece together pretty easily that you negate esper powers, but how was I supposed to figure out that it's some sort of reference point for the natural world and erases all supernatural as a result? That's a lot different than just being the result of a weird esper power."

(Still, that doesn't explain those dragons. Is it possible that his arm acts as some sort of seal? But if so, why were those dragons inside of him in the first place? Are they an extension of Imagine Breaker's power? That can't be it, what would a bunch of dragons have to do with the 'natural world'? Then again, they did manage to erase all that power I was generating uncontrollably… no, that's not right, they didn't negate it like his arm does, it was more like they physically consumed it…ugh, why does all of this have to be so confusing???)

"So, Kami-yan, have you practiced your butlering skills yet?"

Tsuchimikado had walked over to the couch and sat down on the other side of Touma.

"Huh? 'Butlering skills'?"

"What? Kami-yan didn't tell you? Our school kinda got destroyed, so we're doing a maid and butler café as a fundraiser to make up for the reconstruction costs."

"Huh? Aren't you only supposed to have maids or butlers in cafés? And how do you expect to raise enough money to make up for reconstruction costs with just that?"

"Well, we would have just done a standard maid café, but the girls in our class refused to go out as maids unless the boys also had to participate. Personally, I suggested we scrap the café idea entirely and just have Kami-yan go out as a butler-for-hire, preferrably an erotic one. We could have drained the pockets of almost every girl in the city! You alone would have probably paid a fortune!"

(I mean, I couldn't pay THAT much. Gekota merch isn't cheap, if I just throw money around I could never afford- Wait, why am I thinking about this seriously?????)

"Gross! I wouldn't even pay a penny to see this idiot as a butler!"

"Did you have to say that so harshly????"

"Anyways, as for your second question: Normally, construction costs would be well outside the range of a simple fundraiser. However, it seems that someone privately funded most of the reconstruction, meaning that not only was it finished in a matter of days, but the school only had to pay a small portion of the costs."

"What? Why would someone randomly decide to fund the reconstruction of a school?"

"Who knows? Maybe they just felt bad."

(Don't they find it at all a bit suspicious that someone paid to have some random school rebuilt? Well, I guess it's not necessarily a bad thing…)

"I'm back."

"Huh? That was fast."

Kuroko, who had gone out to the balcony for some fresh air, sat back down next to Mikoto upon her return.

"Hey!" James called to Birdway from the bed, who had just finished beating Lessar in a game of Smash Bros. Although, from some of the things they said during the game, one wouldn't be blamed for assuming they had murdered each other's families in cold blood. "Two of the people you were expecting are here."

"Third one still hasn't shown up yet, huh? Well, at least they arrived while there's still some food left."

A few moments later, two people entered the room. A tall, redheaded priest with a barcode tattoo under his eye, and ponytailed asian with a large sword sheathed at her hip.

Touma turned and whispered into Tsuchimikado's ear:

"You didn't tell me they were coming..."

"Wait, you didn't figure it out? Do you think I'm normally buddy-buddy with Leivinia Birdway of all people? She needed a way to contact Necessarius, so she tracked me down. Really, that's the only reason I'm here."

Stiyl took a step forward.

"Leivinia Birdway. I can't believe we've fallen so far that we're working with criminals."

"Oh? You don't sound too happy to see me. And you should watch who you call a criminal."

"You are the leader of an illegal magic cabal. You are the exact type of criminal Necessarius is supposed to be hunting down, not making alliances with ."

"So what? Are you gonna turn me in?"

"I would certainly like to ."

"And do you really think you could manage that?"

"Try me."

"Ha! This should be fun."

A wand appeared in Birdway's hand, and at the same time Stiyl pulled out several rune cards.

(This is bad!)

Leivinia Birdway and Stiyl Magnus.

To call these two "experienced magicians" would be an understatement. They were both highly experienced killers at the top of their league. The word "mercy" likely wasn't in either of their vocabularies. An all-out fight between them would not only destroy this building, but all of the other buildings around it as well.

In other words, someone needed to stop this.

And Touma was not the only one to realize this. Multiple people attempted to move between them before someone got hurt. The keyword, however, was "attempted", because before they could actually do anything, the chilling words from an albino boy who had just come back in from the balcony shot towards the two magicians.

"Oi! If you wanna have a dick measuring contest, do it on your own time. Don't go tearing up other people's homes because you can't control yourselves."

Did either one of them actually know what it meant for that boy to threaten them? Sure, even as magicians, they likely had enough basic knowledge of Academy City to know who the #1 esper was, but did they understand what that title truly meant? What that thin, crippled boy was capable of doing with even minimal effort?

Regardless, his words had impacted them, even if it was as small as simply reminding them where they were. Birdway stared Stiyl dead in the eye.

"I'll let you make the first move."

The tension was so thick you could practically cut it with scissors.

However…

"Tch." Stiyl put away his rune cards. "Fine, I'll play nice."

"Good move." The wand in Birdway's hand vanished.

The room let out a collective sigh of relief, as the building they were in would continue to stand for longer than the next three minutes.

"I'm expecting one more person, so get comfortable. Though, at this point, if they don't show up in the next ten minutes I'm starting without them."

"Whatever." Stiyl took out a cigarette and headed out to the balcony.

Kanzaki walked up to Touma.

"Oh, hi Kanzaki…"

(Why does this feel so awkward?)

"Kamijou Touma...Queen Elizard wished for me to send her personal apologies for what happened in Denmark."

"I-It's fine! Really! You were just doing what you thought you had to. What matters is that it all worked out in the end."

"Still, she wished to apologize. Also, first princess Riméa and third princess Villian send their regards."

"Not Carissa, huh?"

"It would be rude of me to speak on her behalf, but if I were to guess, second princess Carissa may still be somewhat bitter after what happened during the coup."

"Ah, I guess I did destroy her sword and punch her in the face. I can't exactly blame her if she doesn't want to see me…."

(Wait, what's with this sudden chill I'm feeling???)

Touma only needed to glance to his left. The two Tokiwadai girls sitting next to him were staring daggers in his direction

"Let me get this straight…"

"...You met…"

"...The second princess of England…"

"... And you punched her in the face?!?!?!?!?!"

(How do you get any lower than that???)

(THIS is the guy my onee-sama is choosing over me???)

"I had no choice! It's a long story, okay? I didn't want to punch her!"

Touma's pleading fell on deaf ears.

"I think our final guest is here."

"About time."

Several moments and an annoyed Stiyl being forced to throw out his cigarette upon coming back inside later, one final person entered the room. Stiyl immediately made his frustration known.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"That's no way to welcome a guest."

He had red hair and wore an all red outfit. His right arm was missing.

Fiamma of the right had joined the party.

"The archbishop must be going mad. Being willing to negotiate with Birdway is one thing, but the man who single handedly started World War 3? This goes against everything Necessarius stands for!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. And you would be a fool to think these aren't desperate times."

"That doesn't absolve you of your crimes. Nevermind bringing you in, I would be praised for bringing back your corpse."

"Look!" Touma stood up. "I know Fiamma did a lot of horrible things, but he's changed! There's no point in punishing him now, especially when he's willing to help us out!"

"'He's changed'? What is this, a children's fairy tale? You're far too trusting. The only reason he's still standing is because the archbishop herself approved this meeting."

Fiamma turned to acknowledge Touma's existence.

"Imagine Breaker."

"Hey, Fiamma…"

That was when Touma noticed a certain detail about Fiamma. Or, rather, a lack of a certain detail.

"...Hey, I never got to ask, what happened to your arm? You still had it on the Star of Bethlehem…"

Fiamma's face darkened, like he was recalling a sour memory.

"It is unwise to speak ill of a king while visiting his castle."

Did Touma understand the meaning of those words? It seemed he did not, as he only gave a puzzled look in response.

However, someone else seemed to take notice, as an albino boy perked up his head from where he was leaning against the wall.

"Alright!" Birdway commanded the attention of everyone in the room. "Now that we are all here, let us begin. First and foremost, Bruce Roberts has returned. Turns out he's not as dead as everyone thought."

"Alright." Touma spoke up. "Can someone please explain to me who this 'Bruce Roberts' guy is? Everyone keeps talking about him like he's some kind of a big deal, but nobody has explained who he actually is!"

There was a moment of silence, like nobody wanted to be the first to speak. Finally, Birdway took a deep breath and began talking.

"Bruce Roberts was...or is, one of fewer than twenty saints in the world. His magic name is Imperium964, meaning power. And as his magic name suggests, his only goal in life was to become stronger, and push his limits beyond what was believed possible. He was cruel, relentless, and a killer. If he believed fighting you would make him stronger, he would fight you to the death, no matter what. And if you refused to fight back, he would simply kill you."

Touma couldn't help but be reminded of Thor, another magician who would fight to get stronger. But Thor never seemed to put much emphasis on the "to the death" part of fighting.

Birdway continued.

"He was the reason many people did, and still do fear saints. It took both Knight Leader and William Orwell to finally take him down. This was shortly before Orwell joined the Right Seat of God and took on the name Acqua of the Rear.

Bruce returning is bad enough on its own. A lot of people slept better at night knowing, or, at least, thinking, that he was dead. But what's worse are the circumstances around his return."

"The circumstances around it?"

"We saints are not invincible." Kanazki was the one to respond. "We may have superhuman speed and strength, but our internals are the same as anyone else. If we overexert ourselves, we risk destroying our bodies. It would be like putting all of our internal organs into a blender. But if what Bruce told me is true, he has managed to get around that issue by using cybernetics to reinforce his body. He has managed to overcome the greatest weakness of a saint. And for someone who was already one of the strongest saints on the planet, this will make facing him a nearly impossible challenge."

"Honestly," groaned Birdway, "such a thing shouldn't even be possible. Saints gain their power from applying idol theory to their bodies. Modifying it to such an extent should have completely wiped out his traits as a saint. I mean, according to your report, his entire arm was replaced."

"I do not know how they did it, only that they did. The best explanation I can give is that whoever implanted these cybernetics is well experienced with saints, and had incredible precision, but the chances of that are…unlikely, to say the least. Regardless, it is a problem. The Amakusa have a method for defeating saints, but…I really can't say if it would even work on him with how much he has modified his body. Most likely, we will need another way of beating him."

"Another way, hm?"

Birdway turned to Fiamma.

"So, what is the status of Ollerus? His faction could give us the firepower we need."

"Unfortunately, while we have been looking into ways of restoring his power, our attempts have been unsuccessful so far. And as for me…well, without my right arm, most of my magic is effectively useless. I suppose Silvia and Brunhild could be of use, but it's unlikely they will get involved unless Ollerus is leading the charge. I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can provide."

"Tch," Birdway clicked her tongue. "Arrives last, and then provides nothing useful."

Fiamma simply rolled his eyes at her retort.

"Anyways," continued Birdway, "As I was saying about context: Bruce is bad enough, but it doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out that he's not working alone. He got those cybernetics from somewhere, and that's the scary part. Most likely, this is an organization pulling from both the magic and science side. And not just anyone, either. According to my sources, the enhancements described appear advanced even for Academy City tech. Now, this is well out of my area of expertise, so I'm going to take their word for it. Anyways, this means we are dealing with scientists who know their stuff, maybe even coming from Academy City. At best, we are dealing with an upgraded Bruce Roberts and some unknown scientist who is at least on Academy City level. And this is, once again, the best case scenario. It's far more likely that this is an entire underground organization with more members involved. And that's why I've called everyone here. I know you more official groups tend not to be the biggest fans of me and my work…"

Multiple people glanced at Stiyl, who only clicked his tongue.

"...But I am willing to put aside our differences and call a temporary truce. I am willing to offer up the Dawn-Colored Sunlight's resources to help deal with this threat. Doesn't that sound like a good deal?"

Stiyl raised an eyebrow.

"If I recall correctly, we did something similar while dealing with Gremlin. But nothing this official. What game are you playing?"

"In truth, I've been listening to a lot of recent chatter. I have ears in many places, after all. And so far, everyone has been talking about 'Bruce Roberts' and 'Bruce's group.' But I think there is an obvious fact everyone is willfully ignoring, and someone needs to be the one to say it."

Birdway signed

"Bruce Roberts is not the mastermind behind all of this. He almost dies in a fight, disappears for ten years, and then randomly shows back up, now with cybernetics, stealing something from a vault and then smashing everything up to cover his tracks? I admit he was before my time, but from everything I've heard about him, this doesn't make sense. It just isn't his style. Operating some secretive organization in the shadows? gathering tools for what I can only assume is some kind of ritual? Covering his tracks? These simply don't match his MO. Someone is giving him orders. And nobody wants to consider it, because the thought is terrifying."

"What about it is so terrifying?" questioned Touma. "If there's someone else at the top giving orders, isn't that an important thing to consider if you plan on fighting them?"

"There is only one thing scarier than an insane cyborg saint, and that is someone with the power to control an insane cyborg saint. Especially when you consider what happened to the last person who tried controlling that madman."

Touma had a feeling he didn't want to know more about that second part. The way Birdway said it told him enough.

"So, let us recap." Birdway started pacing around the room. "Bruce Roberts is alive and a cyborg. He is likely working for an organization mixing magic and science, and is under the command of someone else. So far, their only confirmed action was breaking into a vault of magic items, taking something, and then trashing the place so that we couldn't identify what that something was. While it's difficult to say what they're doing without actually knowing what was stolen, I feel like we can confidently say that's likely some sort of ritual. What that ritual is, I don't know. What their end goal is, I also don't know. How many members they have, and what resources they have at their disposal, I don't know. So, I say the best course of action is to work together. What do you say?"

"You still haven't explained something," said Stiyl. " Why here? Why hold this meeting all the way out in Academy City?"

Birdway pointed at Touma.

"Him."

"Me?!"

"Hear me out. A mysterious organization blurring the line between magic and science shows up with an unknown goal. What are the chances that Mr. Misfortune over here doesn't end up involved in one way or another?"

Touma opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out.

"Exactly. Honestly, if we just follow you around for a week, their entire group might just fall into our laps."

Stiyl sighed.

"We will inform the Archbishop about your offer. If you have nothing else to say, we will be leaving now."

"In that case, you may go. Same goes for you over there, Fiamma. If you have nothing to provide, then we have no further use for you being here."

---

"What the hell??? Ten minutes ago you couldn't even hold the controller right, how are you beating me so easily???"

"Huh? I just watched what you did and started doing it myself."

"Damn you and your perfect memory!!!"

The shouts from the bedroom easily reached Mikoto's ears in the hallway, but she paid them no attention. Her mind was focused elsewhere.

(Dammit Kuroko, how long are you going to be in the bathroom for? It's already past curfew!)

Thoughts of an angry dorm manager sent shivers down her spine.

"What's with that expression? You look like you just remembered you left the oven on."

A small, blonde girl walked over to Mikoto and leaned on the wall next to her.

"Y'know, he didn't want me to invite you."

"Huh?"

"Well, maybe that isn't really the right way to put it. It's more like he was hesitant to involve you. Apparently he's worried you might get hurt. It's honestly kinda surprising, I haven't seen him this protective over someone besides that nun. Oh, and that pet god of his."

"...So why did you invite me?"

"Didn't I already tell you? I felt bad. You tagged along in Hawaii and Tokyo bay, and didn't even know what you were fighting. I felt you were owed an explanation."

It would have been easy for Mikoto to take those words at face value.

But something was off.

"I don't believe you. You didn't have me here because you felt bad, there's more to it than that."

Birdway signed.

"Fine. You want me to be honest? That boy may be denser than a black hole when it comes to people's feelings, but the rest of us aren't. I can see through your little tsundere act. It's obvious you're a lovestricken maiden who is intent on chasing your precious beloved into the depths of hell."

Mikoto's face went red.

"Wha-? I-I don't…I'm n-not…!!!"

"Anyways, you've made it quite clear that you're going to be following us around regardless of how I feel about it. And that leaves me in a bit of a predicament. If you're going to be on the front lines, you can either be an asset to me, or a liability. And as the #3 level 5, you have the potential to be quite a valuable asset, Railgun. But if you are going to be an asset, you need to know who or what you're fighting against. Otherwise, you will be a liability. And that wouldn't be good for any of us, would it?"

It was never a matter of feelings. This girl never cared about Mikoto's wellbeing, nor did she ever feel bad that Mikoto had to face magic without knowing about it. Such things didn't concern her. It was simply a matter of usefulness. If telling Mikoto about magic made her more useful to this small, blonde girl, then she would tell her about magic. It was as simple as that. That was just the type of person Leivinia Birdway was. People's thoughts and feelings were secondary to how she could use them. Mikoto was just the next person she deemed as useful enough to warrant some form of attention.

Mikoto knew this. It wasn't hard to figure out that this small girl was planning to use her.

However…

(He's…protective of me…? He cares about me that much? On one hand, that makes me really happy, but on the other hand, he doesn't want to involve me, and that really pisses me off! Why does that idiot have to be so frustrating to deal with????)

In the end, Misaka Mikoto was still a teenage girl with warped priorities.

And she was not the only one lost in her own thoughts.

Shirai Kuroko stood in front of the bathroom mirror with her hand on her head.

(Ugh…)

She had a headache.

She had been actively participating and asking questions while Birdway explained magic, but once the other guests had arrived, she had basically gone silent.

It had simply been too much.

(So, magic is real, there are people called saints who are essentially really powerful magicians, and one of them who people thought was dead is actually alive and a cyborg now, and he's working for some group using both magic and science, and then there were those two people who sounded like they were working for some kind of magic authorities, and that other guy who apparently 'started World War III', whatever THAT means. I guess I'll have to look into it later. And that ape apparently punched an English princess? And apparently is also scarier than the #1 level 5? And…and…)

Her head throbbed in pain.

(...I need sleep. Maybe I'll have an easier time thinking about all of this in the morning.)

And with that thought, Kuroko took a deep breath, and exited the bathroom.

"Onee-sama, I'm ready to go…wait, what's with that dreamy expression? Why do you never look like that when you think about me? Is it that ape again??? That goddamn-!!!"

Kuroko's headache immediately got worse.

---

Shortly after the Tokiwadai girls left, Touma found himself exiting the bathroom.

(Birdway was right, that soap does smell good.)

However, his enjoyment of the pleasant scent radiating from his hands was quickly interrupted by a voice.

"You're Kamijou Touma, right?"

The sudden realization of a man standing behind him almost made Touma jump as he turned around.

"Um, yes, that is me."

He had green, spiky hair, round glasses, and a lab coat. The stick of a lollipop stuck out of his mouth, almost looking like a cigarette. He bowed his head respectively at the boy in front of him.

" My name is Kihara Akihito. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am James' father."

"Right, I saw you near the entrance in the…living room? It's…honestly hard to tell what room is what in this building. Good to meet you."

Akihito raised an eyebrow.

"That's all?"

"Hm? Was I supposed to say something?"

"Many people have a…less than pleasant reaction when I introduce myself as a Kihara. The reputation of my family is…dark, to say the least."

"Well, what the people related to you do doesn't change who you are. I'm not gonna judge you based on just your name."

In truth, while Touma had gotten glimpses of Academy City's dark side, he was still ignorant of just how deep the rabbit hole went. Had he understood the depravity and inhumane experimentation that defined the Kihara family, he may have had a different reaction to this man's name.

"Honestly, I'm grateful to hear that. It's difficult when everyone just automatically assumes you're some mad scientist experimenting on puppies locked up in the basement. Oh, right, about this building, I had it built to serve as a workplace as well as a home."

"Yeah, James said it operates as a lab."

"More than that. Multiple labs, office rooms for my assistants, even small dorms for test subjects should an experiment require volunteers. Though, it's much quieter these days. There used to be a lot more activity."

"What happened?"

"Safety concerns. Many of the people who I worked for wanted me to do experiments that didn't meet my ethical standards. Human experimentation is sometimes necessary, but it should be done with as many safety precautions as possible, and with willing participants who are fully aware of the risks and have chosen to participate of their own free will. When my contractors refused to budge, I dropped the projects they had me working on. This happened a multitude of times before they figured out I wasn't going to get my hand dirty for them. Nowadays, I mostly focus on smaller things, as they are often far more humane."

Human experimentation

Something about those words sent a chill up Touma's spine. Of course, in Academy City, those words were fairly common. Espers received a stipend because they were technically considered test subjects, whose very presence assisted with experiments and research into esper development. In a way, every single esper was a part of human experimentation, even Touma himself. And yet, something about how Akihito said it put a very different image into Touma's mind. People locked away in an almost medieval dungeon, with a mad scientist taking their bodies apart and fusing them into some sort of amalgamation to fulfill some sick desire masquerading as science. He vaguely remembered hearing about an American horror film with a similar plot on the internet.

"...Right, I think we can agree that experimenting on people without their consent is bad. Though, I'm kinda surprised you have so much money if you dropped so many experiments."

"Regardless of my ethical standards, I am a Kihara. I have made plenty of scientific breakthroughs, especially in the fields of biology and cybernetics, and have made a lot of money off said breakthroughs. Anyways, I'm glad we agree. Though, that does bring me to why I wanted to talk to you…"

"Huh?"

Touma felt an uncomfortable stir in his stomach at the obvious implication that this man wanted to experiment on him. Depending on his next words, Touma could very well find himself diving out of a window to get away.

"Let's see…how do I say this without sounding crazy… I want to scan your brain."

"...Excuse me, what???"

Whatever Touma had expected, it certainly wasn't that.

"Yeah, no, there really is no way to word that right. Just allow me to explain. I'm sure you already know how esper powers work, with the brain producing an AIM field and by extent a personal reality, yes?"

"I mean…yeah, we learn all about it in school."

"Yes, but do you know how this happens? See, the gist of it is that when a child starts the esper development program, a series of drugs and suggestive thinking is used to rewire parts of the brain. It is through this conditioning that the brain is made capable of producing AIM. In other words, there is a difference between the brain of an esper and the brain of a non-esper. Are you following?"

"Yeah, but I'm still not really sure how this involves me."

"I'll get there. See, many come out of the esper development program as a level 0 with seemingly no power. However, a power is still there, even if it's too weak to actually do anything, because their brain is still producing an AIM field. Every brain that has gone through the esper development program has been rewired, and every rewired brain produces an AIM field, including even the weakest level 0s. That is, except for one exception."

"...Me."

"Correct. See, you've developed something of a reputation behind the scenes. Your Imagine Breaker is an anomaly we can't quite seem to figure out. But I'm less concerned about your arm itself, and more about the side effects of said anomaly. Specifically, your brain. You have gone through the esper development program, and your brain has been successfully rewired to produce an AIM field. But due to outside forces, it cannot. This in itself is an anomaly that may never appear again, so I would like to get the chance to document it."

"...I don't know, I'm not sure how I feel about some scientist going through my brain…"

"I assure you, it's perfectly safe. Do you really think I would risk your life with the #1 standing in the other room? Not to mention my son. And who knows? Maybe I could figure out what your ability is. You could even have a level 5 power hidden up there. Admittedly, I probably won't be able to figure that out, but it's still a possibility. I'm also not asking you to do it for free, you will be compensated."

"...Compensated?"

Akihito pulled out his phone, and tapped a few things on the screen.

"I wonder, how many zeroes should I add to your bank account?"

---

Accelerator stood on the balcony, looking out at the moonlit cityscape in front of him.

"Thinking of jumping off?"

Someone else had joined him.

"Easier than talking to you, you siscon bastard."

"So hostile. You seem rather irritated, nyah."

"This was a complete waste of my time. You told me there would be crucial information shared. Instead all I learned was that we know nothing. As far as I'm concerned, there's no reason for me to get involved. There's only a few people I care to look out for, and none of them are relevant here."

"Did you forget that you weren't the only one who got roped into Group? I know what it's like to have something you want to protect."

"Your little sister."

"She's training to be a maid. Esper levels, the dark side, magic, none of this has anything to do with her. And yet, I'm here anyway. You know why? Because sometimes, protecting the ones we love requires sticking our necks out even when we don't think we have to. If I learned that a terrorist had entered the city, I could very easily say that it's not my problem and I'm not getting involved. But then, what happens if Maika just so happens to be in the place he shoots up? Even if she was never the intended target, she still got hurt, and it was my fault for doing nothing to stop it."

"Just get to the point already."

"The point is, even if you have nothing to suggest that she is in danger, you still have nothing to suggest that she is safe either. So what happens if you walk away now, only for her to end up becoming relevant and getting hurt?"

"..."

Accelerator said nothing, and merely clicked his tongue. But that told Tsuchimikado all he needed to know.

"See? I knew you'd come around, Accel-kun."

"Fuck you. I'm going home."

And with that, Accelerator flipped the switch on his choker, and jumped off the balcony.

---

Touma walked down the street as looked down at his phone, mesmerised.

He hadn't been sure what to expect, but reality was still far tamer than what he imagined. Akihito took him into an office, put a strange helmet on his head, took it off after around 15 seconds, and that was it.

And now…

(100,000 yen!)

No cash to be stolen, no check to fall out of his pocket, Akihito had transferred the funds directly into Touma's bank account. It was misfortune-proof. His mind was filled with all the different possibilities. All the food he could buy! All of the discount eggs! It was an early Christmas miracle!

(NO! Do NOT get arrogant. I need to save as much of these funds as possible. Yes, these are rainy day funds for when things get bad, not pocket cash I can carelessly throw around.)

"Hm? What are you looking at?"

"What? Oh, it's nothing, Index! Nothing interesting at all! Just boring internet stuff you wouldn't understand!"

But Index didn't buy it, and her expression quickly soured upon realizing Touma was keeping the phone's screen from her view.

"Touma…are you hiding things from me???"

Chomp.

Nothing came free for that misfortunate boy.

---

Leivinia Birdway and Lessar walked down the street to their hotel. Lessar had tried to make conversation, but was ultimately shut down. Birdway had too much on her mind.

She had not been honest.

Stiyl had pointed out that she seemed far more invested in this than she had with even Gremlin. She ultimately evaded the question by subtly changing the topic. But there was a true answer.

It was her sister.

Patricia Birdway was not a magician like Leivinia, nor was she an esper. She was a scientist. Her life was completely separate from Leivinia and her cabal.

That was, until just recently, when Patricia had become the host for an unusual parasite. It fed on the fat in her body and took its place, making it near impossible to extract without killing Patricia in the process. She had been sent to Academy City in the hopes of finding treatment, but it seemed futile.

But Leivinia would not accept that. So she turned to magic, and found a way to save her sister. Except, she would be killing herself in the process, something Patricia seemed to realize. Unwilling to accept Leivinia's sacrifice, Patricia had refused her help, resulting in an extensive chase around the streets of Academy City. (It's NT14, I'm talking about NT14)

And then, she vanished.

Patricia rounded a corner, and when Leivinia tried to chase her down, she was gone. Assuming she had just fled, Leivinia searched around the city, and finally found her lying on a park bench.

There was just one issue.

The parasite had been removed. New fat had been introduced into her body to take its place. Patricia Birdway had been saved. Except, the actual savior was unknown, as Patricia had no memory of the past hour.

It would have been easy to just write it off as some mysterious hero. But Leivinia Birdway knew better than that.

This had not been a random act of charity. She wasn't sure who did it, or why, but she had been prepared to hunt down whoever was responsible to find her answers.

And then, almost immediately after, a certain saint had apparently come back from the dead, under strange circumstances. And the puzzle pieces started coming together.

(The time frame was too small, it couldn't have been a coincidence. They HAVE to be connected. Most likely, this organization was hiding in the shadows, and has chosen now to strike. Some arctic parasite, and an unknown magic artifact considered low value. Just what the hell are they planning? And why did they save her? They could have just extracted the parasite and let her die, but they specifically went out of their way to keep her alive…)

Leivinia wasn't sure what was happening, but she was damn sure she would figure it out. She would not rest until she found who operated on her sister. No matter what it took.

---

The third man walked into the room. To call his attire "odd" would be an understatement. He wore a bright green suit that looked like something a leprechaun would wear to a business meeting. And as if this suit wasn't strange enough on its own, much of it was covered by a black cloak that matched the black tophat on top of his head of dirty-blonde hair. His white-gloved hands held a large book. The cover was brown leather with a gold trim, making it look like some kind of spellbook pulled straight out of the world's most generic fantasy RPG setting.

There was no meaning to this outfit. There was no symbolism to the gaudy color, there was no purpose to the cloak, and there were no rabbits hidden within the tophat. It was simply an eccentric outfit worn by an eccentric man with eccentric beliefs because he wanted to.

And this eccentric man was one of only three people allowed into this room. However, the other two did not seem too pleased with his arrival. Bruce Roberts was quick to chastise the eccentric man.

"You're late, Isaiah."

The eccentric man Isaiah bowed as if he had just finished a stage performance.

"My deepest apologies, friends. I was caught up speaking to the Inventor. It appears our group of rebels led by the traitorous Oswald have finally been tracked down. We are preparing to mobilize Dragon's Fang for the hunt." (2)

"Dragon's Fang is a glorified militia of mercenaries," contended Bruce. "Oswald was a member of the Council, and a powerful magician. The Inventor should know this, being a member of the Council himself. Sending men with guns in is a poor move, I don't care what fancy weapons he's cooked up for them."

However, the man in the dark green robe ignored Bruce's comment.

"It is Dragon's Fang's failure…or rather, Colonel Leonard Conners' failure that led to Oswald escaping in the first place. If he wishes to redeem himself, this will be his chance. Let Dragon's Fang go after Oswald, and have the Inventor oversee the mission. We will deal with the rest of his rebels."

The green robed man walked over to the control panel in the back of the room.

"But, for now, we have other things to discuss. There is a reason I called you both here."

With the press of a few buttons, the large monitor flared to life. The large screen displayed all kinds of numbers, graphs, and charts covering every corner of the screen. To the average person, the data shown would be a meaningless, garbled mess of information.

But to the three people in this room, the information on the screen held extreme significance.

Bruce was the first to comment

"The path…we've completely diverted from it…why?"

"The butterfly effect is quite the fascinating thing, my friend," replied Isaiah. "Every action we take has dire consequences for the future. If anything is alarming, it is that it took so long for this divergence to occur."

"But why now? What changed? Was this on purpose?"

The man in the green robe wore an expression that seemed to suggest he was deep in thought. And then, finally, he spoke.

"The magic gods do not care about the fate of this world. They view humanity like we view a colony of ants. It would be incredibly unlikely for them to interfere with our goal. If anything, they would probably thank me for removing their need for a scorer. But improbable does not mean impossible. An eternity is a very long time, and it only takes an instant for one to change their mind. I am not willing to take that risk. I needed them to be eliminated from the equation."

"We don't exactly have the firepower to take out a magic god."

"Correct. As I could not deal with them myself, I needed to utilize a different, even simpler solution: Do nothing. Let things play out as intended, and allow Kamisato Kakeru's World Rejector to deal with them. But that brought about a new issue to deal with. Kamisato's hunt for the magic gods in Academy City brings him to meet Kamijou Touma, and that leads to a chain of events that result in things changing unfavorably for us. Aleister Crowley and Anna Sprengal are both let loose on the world, and that's not even getting started on Alice Anotherbible and the Transcendents. Any one of them has the power to bring us down, and unlike the magic gods, may also have reason to. I needed a solution to ensure these events never happen."

"Our spy in the Kamisato faction."

" Exactly. When Crowley's pet finished off the High Priest, Kamisato dealt with Nephthys and Niang Niang. Or, at least, he tried to. A part of Nephthys split off and escaped the World Rejector. Normally, this remnant of Nephthys would mail herself to Kamijou Touma, leading to the previously mentioned chain of events. But thanks to our agent, we have managed to interrupt this timeline. Nephthys did not arrive at Touma's dorm, but instead found herself very far from Academy City. And, while it did take some convincing, Kamisato has decided to make her his current priority and has left Academy City to pursue. So long as we can keep them locked in this wild goose chase, Kamisato will not be an issue."

"Why not just kill the boy and be done with it?"

" Coronzon. She is surprisingly patient, for a demon. As of right now, her plan to use Kamisato to interrupt Aleister's progress is simply on hold, not cancelled. So long as she has reason to believe he will return to Academy City, she will stick to this plan even if it takes a year. Her identity as Lola Stuart and her position as Archbishop are simply too important for her to risk by making an unnecessarily rash move. But if the boy dies, she will start looking to other methods for dealing with Crowley. And as we are now in uncharted territory, we can no longer say what her next plan would be. She would be too unpredictable to risk. And speaking of unpredictable…"

The man took a deep breath.

" Aleister Crowley is the epitome of unpredictable. The curse of failure makes it nearly impossible to calculate what his next action will be and what consequences it will have. At any moment, something could happen that forces him to attempt his grand ceremony earlier than planned. And the fallout of that is the exact thing we are trying to avoid. We cannot let him go unchecked, and we cannot rely on the Archbishop to do it for us. We must deal with his plan ourselves."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but Coronzon's goal is to destroy the world, is it not? The only reason she hasn't is because she is bound by contract to end the life of Crowley. Should we kill him ourselves, would we not be freeing her from that contract and unleashing her on the world?"

"You assume I intend to kill Aleister. That is not my goal. Both for the reason you stated, and the fact that engaging him directly brings the risk of being inflicted with the curse of failure myself. I should not have to explain why I cannot allow that to happen. No, we will need to strike at him indirectly. Attack the components he has produced for his plan rather than the man himself. And there is only one component he is not capable of producing a backup or replacement for."

" The Imagine Breaker."

" Precisely. While attacking the main character directly is never the ideal solution, killing Kamijou Touma is our best chance at keeping Aleister from making a play. And with how often the boy's life is already in danger, it is unlikely this will push Crowley to attempt an early ceremony, so long as he doesn't figure out why we are targeting the boy."

"Still, wouldn't targeting something so important to him put a target on our backs?"

"We put targets on our backs the moment I revealed you to the world, Bruce. Since we could no longer reliably remain hidden to the world, it was best to reveal ourselves on our own terms and control the element of fear. Many of the ones in charge are currently panicking about what this could all mean. And yet, Aleister has taken no direct action. So long as his ties to that city remain, he will remain on the defensive. He cannot take risks, and he knows it. This fortress is hidden, our goals are unknown, and our resources are a mystery. He will not take direct action against us unless we slip up and give him an opening."

"So, Kamijou Touma is our target. What's his life like after the divergence?"

"With both True Gremlin and Kamisato out of the picture, Kamijou's life is, well, peaceful. Nobody is currently out to get him, which was the predicted outcome from diverging from the path."

The man sighed.

"That being said, several factors have taken an… unexpected turn."

"Factors?"

"Unexpected turn?"

"The High Priest completely demolished Kamijou Touma's school, requiring a complete reconstruction. This, of course, takes a little while to complete. Touma's school temporarily relocates to a joint middle and high school while the building is being rebuilt. This is supposed to be the setting for many of his interactions with Kamisato. However, Kamisato ultimately has no bearing on this temporary relocation, and so it should have still happened, even if Kamisato himself isn't present. Except it didn't. The school was rebuilt in a matter of days, not even taking a full week. This change was completely outside of my calculations."

"Did you pin down why this happened?"

"I'm getting there. You see, someone privately funded the majority of the reconstruction cost, getting it set as top priority for repairs to the city. The school administration itself owes so little after this mysterious donor paid off the construction crews that they're planning on using a standard high school fundraiser to recoup the funds. And then, a short while later, Touma's class got a new addition. And it wasn't Kamisato."

The man typed into the control panel, and a picture of a teenage boy with blue eyes and blonde hair popped onto the screen.

"This is James. 15 years old, Level 4 thermokinetic. An American orphan, his parents apparently died when he was young and he somehow ended up in an Academy City orphanage, before being adopted by Kihara Akihito. He is supposed to be a grade behind Kamijou Touma, but managed to skip a grade mid-year due to an experimental program being trialed by the city."

"Letting students skip grades in the middle of the year seems…unconventional."

" Of course it is. As it turns out, this 'program' was pitched to the Board of Directors and set up by none other than his adoptive father, who was also our 'mysterious donor' for the school's reconstruction. I suppose having a rich Kihara for an adoptive father has its benefits. The problem is, neither this boy nor his father were ever meant to serve a role in the story. They were never meant to meet Kamijou Touma. And yet, this character with no role in the story has steered wildly off course and has successfully forced himself into the protagonist's life, even abusing his father's power and resources to do so."

"He clearly wants something. The question is, what is he looking for?"

"That was what I set out to answer. I tried using EDISN to see if I could find anything about him, but my attempts were…unsuccessful."

Bruce looked unamused

"You've got to be kidding me. The Inventor keeps talking up EDISN as 'the most advanced surveillance system in the world,' and we can't even use it to keep track of a single teenager?"

"Do not misunderstand. EDISN is the most advanced and undetectable surveillance system on the planet, even beating out Aleister's Underline. But each unit is complex and expensive to create, and requires a teleportation esper to set up. We simply do not have the resources to expand the network indefinitely. James was not considered a target for surveillance, so there was very little on him. But that did not mean I gave up. I decided to take…a different approach. If I could not figure out why he took the path he did, I would instead look at the path he was supposed to take."

"You used the Vision Archive, didn't you?"

" Of course I did. It was my vision that I archived, I see no reason why I shouldn't use it."

A second picture came up on the monitor, this one of a man with green, spiky hair.

"This is Kihara Akihito. He is…well, a Kihara. Inhumane experiments, scientific breakthroughs, you probably know what 'Kihara' means by now. One day, he finds an orphan with the interesting ability to manipulate heat energy. According to the parameter list, this boy has the potential to reach level 4. Seeing the potential utility, Akihito adopts this boy and raises him, expecting to use his ability for experiments. But then, one day, he has an epiphany. He realizes the terrible person he's become, the atrocities being committed by his peers, the 'science' being performed that benefits no one…And he has a change of heart. He takes the money, and leaves. He abandons the dark side, wipes any trace of his involvement, and settles down with his son. He seeks some form of redemption by solving problems he stumbles on, and trying to help others where he can. He even avoids Operation Handcuffs due to there being no records to justify putting him on Outrank. He and James live happily ever after, and that's that. That was the life they were supposed to live. No Touma, no magic, no excitement, a quiet life trying to help others where applicable. And yet, we now have a James who is desperately trying to cling onto Kamijou Touma, and his father is actively helping him. Tell me, why do you think that is? What change was made to the timeline that led to him taking such a different path?"

"...You already know, don't you?"

The man chuckled.

" Of course I do. I know EXACTLY what he wants."

A third image appeared on the screen. Isaiah and Bruce both quietly took in what they were seeing, before the latter finally spoke.

"Will the boy be a threat?"

"James himself will not pose a threat. He has neither the power nor the experience to be an issue for us. However, the same cannot be said about his father. Touma potentially getting close with a Kihara trying to do right by the world was not something I had predicted, and can pose a threat. I cannot predict how far things may be thrown off course going forward. And while James is unlikely to be a direct threat himself, we still must consider the chain reactions caused by his actions, which have already proven to be an issue."

"What has he done that could be a threat to us if he himself isn't? That doesn't make much sense."

"There was one thing I found with EDISN. When James went to apply for Kamijou's school, he had a run-in with Yomikawa Aiho. They had a conversation, the result of which was Yomikawa making the decision to enroll the Accelerator into Kamijou's class. Kamijou Touma and Accelerator are supposed to be situational allies. They will fight together when the time calls for it, but something that affects one does not necessarily affect the other. But the opportunity has now opened up for their relationship to run deeper than that. As ridiculous as it sounds, there is a serious chance they may end up as something closer to friends. And should that happen, going after Kamijou will mean we have to deal with Accelerator."

"Don't we already have a contingency plan for Accelerator becoming a threat?"

"Yes, and I will have Ghost go in should we need him to, but I would like to avoid that if possible. I do not like the idea of sending a magician into Academy City, but Ghost is the only member of the Council I can trust to get in and out of a top-secret Academy City lab with vital information without causing too much of a scene."

The man pressed a button, and the monitor powered off.

"Our first priority is to deal with Oswald and his traitors. Our second priority is Kamijou Touma. I will brief the entire Council about this in the upcoming days. And, while I will not be telling them about this, my third priority is monitoring important changes to the timeline, and keeping an eye on James."

The man pulled something out of the pocket of his dark green robe.

It was a metal bracelet, with a crystal ball the size of a small marble at the center. Once he had placed it on his wrist, the crystal gave off a subtle glow.

"Now, I think it's time for a manhunt."

---

James lay on his bed. The room which had just been host to a wide variety of characters was now pitch black, besides the pale moonlight shining through the window.

He could not sleep.

Magic

The other side

He had tried everything in his power to track it down. To figure out just what it was, and what it meant. But even with his fathers resources, he could not find answers. Even the "supernatural events" reported during events such as the British Halloween and World War III had seemingly been swept under the rug. It was as if someone was actively hindering their process, trying to keep them from finding it.

But then, they found something. A single link that connected those strange events where science seemed to fail.

A single boy going by the name of Kamijou Touma.

And so, James had tracked that boy down, and forced his way into their life with his father's help. In truth, it had been nothing but a last resort, one final attempt to find that forbidden fruit.

And it worked.

After just a short time, James had been introduced to magic. It had been explained in detail. He had finally been given the starting point he needed to start his hunt.

At least, that's what he had expected. In truth, he had been given much more than the starting point he had been planning for. Something else had been discussed that evening, that not even he had expected.

(A secretive organization pulling from both the magic and science side…)

He had no proof. Not a single piece of evidence. Nothing he could use to confidently justify his thoughts. It was nothing more than a hunch. A gut feeling.

And yet…

(It's them.)

He quietly rolled onto his side, opened the drawer on the side table next to his bed, and pulled out two objects.

They were homemade beaded bracelets, with colorful plastic beads on a string loop. They were the type of friendship bracelets elementary schoolers would make for each other.

One of them was in near-perfect condition. The color on the beads looked brand new, without even a speck of dust on the plastic, despite its age.

The other one was completely scorched. Most of the beads had their color burned off, or were half melted. The string had been completely burned through at one point, and needed both ends to be tied back together.

As James looked at those bracelets, words his father had once told him played through his head.

'A Kihara will always complete their objective, no matter what the cost is, or how impossible the odds seem.'

---

Somewhere else in the world, very far away from Academy City…

"What the hell are you saying? I'm not just gonna leave you!"

"Yes, you will. They've found us. He will want to make an example out of me. It's too late. Take the drive and run. Don't look back. The rest of us are already dead. But if we can buy enough time for you to get out of here with that drive, then the cause lives on. We will not have died in vain. This is my final mission for you."

"But where? Where do I go? Am I supposed to just run for the rest of my life?"

"Find Kamijou Touma. He is the key to everything. He is the only one who will be able to tear that man down from his place of power."

---

Next Chapter: Manhunt

---

Footnotes:

(1): This isn't that important, but If you read my extended Author's note, you may notice I mentioned that Saten and Uiharu are being removed from the previous chapter. As such, the current canon is that Kuroko told Uiharu about meeting the #1. This will be made clear when I rewrite that chapter. Until then, just keeping this footnote here, even if it has no plot relevance.

(2): I may add in some foreshadowing for Oswald's traitors when I remaster the first few chapters. This wasn't really something I had planned initially, so it kinda just comes out of the blue here. Then again, so little has been established about this organization at this point that it may not even matter.

---

Author's note, end of chapter edition: I hope this chapter was good, or at least readable. My beta reader doesn't exactly exist, so I'm just kinda winging this and hoping it turned out good.

As for the next chapter, it depends on my mood and how this chapter is received, as well as how I feel about it later. Last chapter I thought was good when I uploaded it, but when I reread it the next morning I hated it so much I went on hiatus for a year.

Next chapter is gonna be OC focused, which may be a turnoff, but it's necessary to set up one of the major conflicts of the story.

Also, it's been a while since I've read NT14, so if I got one of its plotpoints wrong, I'll fix it later.