Well, after two days of nonstop programming for an IT Project that me and my group would fail, I finally finish this one.
Please leave a review in your way out….I need something to lighten my spirit because I am most like going to redo my thesis because of the stupidity of my group mates…..
WE'VE FINISH THE FUCKING PROGRAM BUT THEY REDO IT BECAUSE OF A RANDOM COMMENT OF AN INTRUCTOR….BECAUSE OF THAT, WE WERE TWO HOURS LATE IN OUR SUBMISSION….
Sorry for ranting…I've really haven't slept in two days…
Please leave a review in your way out…
The Prince of Yotsuba
Chapter 4: Guardian Arc Part 1
At the moment, Tsuyoru Tatsuya was standing on foreign soil.
This, by itself, is strange. Magicians that were developed or originated in Japan are forbidden from leaving the borders of their country. This is both for their protection as well as the protection of their country's asset.
Magician, though they are technically human beings with flesh and blood, are not considered as normal civilians, regardless of their profession. Magicians are considered as an asset to the country, a natural resource that should be protected but would be used and utilized as the country sees fit.
Regardless of age or reason, a magician from Japan cannot leave their motherland. Of course, there are some exceptions but the due process would take a few months to a year to be granted.
Tatsuya was standing on top of a skyscraper somewhere in Beijing. His eyes were focused on another skyscraper ten blocks from him.
The building was officially and technically a business establishment, a law firm, but that was only a cover. The building was truly a military base hidden within the city of Beijing.
The center of the Great Asian Alliance is China.
In terms of military might, The Great Asian Alliance boasts the highest number of soldiers but in terms of technology, they were quite inept.
Still, because of the sheer mass of their man power, they were capable of deploying massive amount of soldiers in many areas.
Beijing is the heart of China like Tokyo is the heart of Japan. Regardless of the situation or the circumstances, Beijing will always be protected and fortify by the soldiers of the Great Asian Alliance.
Tatsuya was currently observing one of the many strongholds of Beijing. He was studying every aspect of the stronghold, from its defenses, from the rotations of its guards as well as the security systems, from the number of soldiers and staffs employed in the building, from the number of rooms in the building to the overall firepower that the base has at its disposal.
Occasionally, Tatsuya glanced at the picture personally given to him by his mother. It was the picture of his current target. His target was a girl that was older than him by at least two to three years.
Normally, Tatsuya would not question who his targets are and would focused on finishing the job but, due to his exposure to Miyuki and to a lesser extent, some people his age, he could not help but feel a bit of bafflement.
Tatsuya was used to killing people, younger than him, as old as him, or older than him is trivial. When his mother orders him to kill, he will kill, no questions ask.
And that's the reason why he was so baffled.
Normally, his mother would only use him if the mission was espionage, assassination, demolition, search and destroy, or genocide; his mother had never given him a rescue mission or a retrieval mission before.
The mission that he was partaking was his first rescue and retrieval mission, and it was a mission personally given to him by his mother.
Her orders were:
"This girl is an important card for an important project of mine. She was kidnapped 48 hours ago and must be halfway across China by now. Retrieve her at all cost. Try to minimize the casualty. I want you to enter and exit China with the least amount of blood trail."
His mother was very specific and direct with her orders, and she was only like that if the stakes were high.
Tatsuya would of course obey like the proper son that he is.
After all, he loves his mother and she had allowed him to take permanent residence in Tokyo, which allowed him to remain close to the object of his affection. For that alone, the loyalty that he has for his mother increased significantly.
Tatsuya was very determined to show his thanks and gratefulness to the mother that allowed him to be happy.
Tatsuya took a step forward and as he fell from the skyscraper, he disappeared from sight.
It was time to start the mission.
(Break)
In terms of pure and raw magic abilities, Tatsuya was a mundane magician.
He was a Born Specialized magician.
"Born Specialized Magicians" are also known as 'innate magic specialists" due to being born with a unique magical ability. Generic omnipotent Magicians cannot emulate the same strength that BS Magicians can, yet BS Magicians are completely unable to use generic magic since their Magic Calculation Areas are utterly dedicated to their innate ability.
As a Born Specialized Magician, Tatsuya was a rare case due to him possessing three innate magic, with one being a complete unknown (Regrowth), another one being extremely difficult and high class (Decomposition), and another being transcendent (Astral Projection).
Tatsuya had very limited resources when it comes to magic ability.
His talent as a magician though can be considered as top of the crop. Tatsuya was able to use his magic since the day he was born, mere five minutes out of his mother's womb. From the limited resources that he has, he was able to make himself a dangerous magician with tens of thousands of kills under his belt. From his limited magical abilities, he was able to develop various spells and techniques.
As a Combat Magician, Tatsuya was in a class of his own. Since the day he was able to move his limbs, he was taught how to fight, with and without magic. Tatsuya was an expert fighter, with fighting skills, abilities, and techniques that was both awe inspiring and terrifying.
Intellectually, he was a genius. Pure and simple, Tatsuya was a genius with an IQ score of 350 at the young age of 10 years old.
This, together with the instincts and reflexes honed through countless battles, made him a formidable magician that can be considered as a monster.
Truthfully, Tatsuya was capable of storming the stronghold, killing everything in sight, to retrieve his target but he could not, so he would not.
His mother had told him to showcase finesse in this mission as well as minimal body count, and he would obey like the good and proper son that he was.
Entering the stronghold was complicated but it was possible.
There was only one clear entrance to the premises of the building and that was through the gates. The gates were guarded by at least seven guards. Also, casting magic would be difficult due to the Psion Sensors and Detectors around the building.
Still, entering the premises was easy enough for Tatsuya.
Tatsuya was trained and was capable of escaping the sight of normal, ordinary people. Even the sight that was enhanced with magic was easy for him to avoid.
The seven guards were positioned around the gate so that they could cover each other's blind spots. It was a common yet effective method, but it was a method that Tatsuya had already encountered and bypassed in the past.
Tatsuya took several playing cards from his pocket before casually ripping it to shreds. He threw the shredded paper in the air and the pieces of paper burst into silver flames. The flames then stabilized to create a crowd of people, all wearing uniforms that were similar to the clothes of the staff working in the building.
Tatsuya created himself familiars or, in modern magic terms, he used Chemical Congregation.
Chemical congregations are objects that have materialized due to Pushion energy.
The physical form was only for appearances' sake and was created by using Psion particles as a foundation and applying life-refracting illusion magic to create the figure, then applying Weight, Speed, Move-Type Magic or a field with similar effects so as to give off the impression of a physical body.
On the surface, creating a chemical congregation seemed like a pointless exercise, but applying a few simple magic to the medium would allow the user to see and feel through the medium, making it a simple task to issue orders to the medium with a few simple changes. At the same time, creating one of them was a fairly simple process.
Only Ancient Magic possessed the magic to create chemical congregations. The name "chemical congregation" was applied by modern magic researchers when they were researching Ancient Magic.
Tatsuya's Chemical Congregation was different. Compare to ordinary Chemical Congregation or familiars, what Tatsuya created was many times more superior.
The familiars that Tatsuya created did not use Psion as foundation, he did not applied life-refracting illusion to give it a figure, and he did not apply any additional magic in his familiar.
The foundation of the familiar and their shape was created through pure Pushion without any Psion additives. With Astral Projection, Tatsuya was capable of thoroughly dominating Spirit Particles, and thus, his dominion over Pushion cannot be rivaled by anyone.
By using his Psion, he drew spirit particles through his playing cards as a medium. Using the medium as a core and as an empty canvass, he was able to gather, compress, and give the countless spirit particles the shape and appearance of human beings with breathtaking accuracy.
Through this process, Tatsuya only used Psion as the means to gather and shape the spirit particles, no more, no less.
Tatsuya created a dozen, human shape familiars, and using them as smoke screen, he was able to bypass the security of the gate.
Tatsuya then looked at the building one more time, taking note of its security system and the number of guards within the building before constructing a plan.
He had ten of his familiars surround him before he deconstructed two of his familiars. Using the spirit particles that created their body, Tatsuya was able to cast an illusion around him to make himself look like one of the employees working in the building.
Tatsuya did not fear for the person who he had assumed the appearance of to appear today. He had already taken care of the person permanently.
Tatsuya and his familiars were able to enter the building without any fanfare or problem before he gave his familiars the order to scatter, which they did.
Another advantage of the familiars that Tatsuya created was that they were semi-sentient. A slew of spirit particles, compressed, gathered, and given shape, would give the Information Body that is created a consciousness. Not enough to create a will but enough to develop basic sentient thoughts and instincts that Tatsuya could freely manipulate. He could also project his thoughts and his experience to his familiars to make them act as humanly and as naturally as possible.
Tatsuya scattered his familiars throughout the building, giving them instructions that they would obey to the letter while projecting information into them so that they would act accordingly when they stumble upon a situation.
With that done, Tatsuya approached the front desk.
He greeted the receptionist with flawless Mandarin before retrieving the files with the excuse of delivering them to his department.
The clerk did not find anything wrong and ignored him entirely when the pleasantries were exchange.
The building that he was in was at least 30 stories tall, with at least 20 floors, not counting the basement. From his observation, his target was kept in the 17th floor and the department of the person whose appearance he assumed was in the 10th floor.
Tatsuya casually made his way to the elevator, his eyes scanning the interior of the first floor. At the moment, he had detected over thirty security cameras, several defensive countermeasures in case of breach or emergency, and several Psion Sensors and Detectors.
When he entered the elevator, he was met with several employees, all of which greeted him with a smile as they exited the elevator.
Tatsuya returned the pleasantries as he manipulated the spirit particles that created his disguise to smile as well.
Tatsuya was now alone in the elevator as it ascended but with each floor that he passes, one or two people entered the elevator, all of them greeting him and that forced him to greet them back.
He was forced in a couple of casual conversations, which made him thankful for his experience with Miyuki as well as her influence. He was able to weave through several conversations without any suspicion being brought upon him.
A minute has passed when he had reached the 10th floor. He exited the elevator and made his way to the department where the person who he had assumed the appearance of was assigned to; Human Resources.
Again, Tatsuya took note of everything from the sensors to the hidden cameras within the corridor before entering the office of Human Resources.
Though business has become extremely automated, there were still some few important files that must be hardcoded when submitted.
Tatsuya submitted the paper files without so much as looking at them; they were not related to his tasked thus irrelevant, before engaging the manager in a conversation.
Using his skill as conversationalist, a skill that his mother taught him and enhance from his many debates with Shiba Miya, Tatsuya was able to convince the manager to allow him to transfer another stack of paper files from Human Resources to Utilities which was located in the 17th floor.
The 17th floor was holding his target.
Taking the stacks of paper from the manager, Tatsuya made his way to 17th floor and this time, he used the stairs considering that the elevator was currently heading up.
With each floor that Tatsuya climbed, he used his Elemental Sight to the fullest. He scanned each floor of everything from the number of people that occupied the entire floor to their position to the number of defense countermeasures that he has to deal with even the number of magicians and their levels, nothing could escape his eyes.
Ten minutes later, he finally arrived in the 17th floor.
Momentarily scanning the entire floor, Tatsuya momentarily distorted the illusion so that nothing could interfere with his casting. Dropping the papers to the ground, he drew his Gun-Shape CAD and single playing card. Throwing the playing card into the wide corridor, it burst into silver flames before a bright flash of light flooded the entire floor.
The flash was not seen nor felt by anyone in the floor and the Psion sensors and detectors were not able to pick it up due to the fact that the flash was generated by pure Pushion.
Tatsuya flooded the entire floor with Pushion to avoid the sensors picking up his Psion.
Raising his CAD, Tatsuya pressed the trigger and with that, every sensor and cameras in the 17th floor was reduced to nothing.
From doing that, nothing can prevent him from using his Psion based magic but he knew that he has at least five minutes to retrieve his target before security comes storming in.
Recalling the spirit particles, he once again dons his disguised. He started walking to the most likely area where his target was held captive.
'Right, left, left, right.' Tatsuya navigated through the 17th floor in a calm and composed manner, avoiding human contact as much as possible but when somebody saw him by accident, he would exchange pleasantries with them to avoid suspicion.
Tatsuya started encountering soldiers the deeper he goes.
The soldiers that he encounters would raise a brow at the sight of a mere staff deep within the base but Tatsuya merely ignore them and offer them a salute, a salute that they return before walking passed him.
Half an hour later, he was now standing in front of a metal door that was heavily secured. A password, rectal scan, a DNA scans, and voice recognition was needed to open the door.
Tatsuya did not need any of those.
Tatsuya cancelled the illusion, releasing the Spirit Particles that he had enslaved in the process.
Tatsuya then took a step forward, towards the steel door and surprisingly, he was able to phase through the steel door.
Everything that has form can be decomposed. Everything that has form is information. From the human body to space itself, nothing can escape Tatsuya's decomposition.
Tatsuya was able to phase through the solid object not by decomposing and recomposing the solid object. What Tatsuya did was much more complicated.
First, Tatsuya identified the space, his original position, the obstructions, and destination.
Second, he determined the physical distance between his original position and destination.
Third, he determined the space between his position and destination, ignoring physical obstruction in his path.
Fourth, he visualized the space between his original position and destination.
Lastly, he shortens the space, or removes the physical distance, by compressing the dimension between the origin and destination via decomposing their dimensional boundaries and barriers, creating a tunnel between his original location and destination, thus creating a wormhole.
Decomposition is a godly magic if one knows how to use it.
Without destroying the door, he was able to get to the other side.
What he saw was something that he would consider repulsive in the future.
Several dozen men were surrounding something or someone.
Their eyes held a look of lust.
All of them were stroking their manhood as they all shouted sexual profanities that was both vulgar and degrading.
The sound of flesh slapping flesh, the sound of a girl gagging for breath, the sound of men moaning and cussing, and the sound of muffle cries echoed in the room.
Tatsuya had seen this before.
Someone was being rape and it was most likely his target.
Normally, Tatsuya would not be affected by this. He had seen someone got rape before and it did not bother him whatsoever.
But now, now that he has a beautiful girl as his best friend and due to his new found appreciation for his mother, Tatsuya could not help but feel a bit of disgust.
No one in the room noticed his entrance. Tatsuya's footsteps and movements do not make a move.
Taking this as an advantage, Tatsuya raised one of his hands, flattening it out with all fingers next to each other leaving no gaps between them.
Next, he identified his targets and the dimensions which compose the reality that they existed in.
With all attributes determined, he swung his hand like a sword.
"[Dimension Cutting Blade, Hundred Slash]"
Blood flooded the room as all men in the room were cut into a hundred times. There shredded bodies fell to the grounds and blood spilled to the ground.
The only one who was untouched was his target.
At the sight of the state of his target, he could not help but shake his head.
His target was covered with bruises, cuts, scratches and semen from head to toe. Her hair was disheveled. Her cheeks were red, which was practically due from being slapped countless times. Her eyes were red from crying and she has a hallowed and broken look in his eyes that Tatsuya was all too familiar with. Semen was also spilling out of her mouth.
His target was a mess as well as psychologically broken.
Tatsuya approached his target, stepping on the body parts, crushing those parts with each step, and his target did not move regardless of the sound of bones being crushed and merely stared at him with tear filled eyes as her entire body trembled.
Tatsuya leaned to her level and she stiffened. Tatsuya ignored this and proceeded to remove the castrated penises stilled lodged deep within her vagina and anus, releasing a stream of semen from her two holes.
She cried in pain but was muffled when Tatsuya shoved a cloth to her mouth.
"Quiet and let me do my work." Tatsuya told her emotionlessly before ripping his shirt off. He proceeded to wipe the semen off of her body.
The girl stiffened and her trembling increased when she felt Tatsuya's hand touching her body.
Tatsuya ignored the reaction. It was predictable considering that she was brutally gang raped just moments ago and for God knows how long.
After cleaning her body, Tatsuya removed the cloth from her hand before handing her a pill and a bottle of water.
"Swallow this please." Tatsuya told her.
He waited for the girl to move but when she did not and merely continue shivering; Tatsuya shoved the pill down the girl's throat before forcing her to drink the bottle of water.
The girl did not react nor did she show any sign of resistance at this rough treatment.
Tatsuya took a step backward and waited for the medicine to take effect.
Five seconds later, the girl vomited and emptied the contents of her stomach before convulsing as her vagina and anus ejected huge amounts of semen from her body.
While this is happening, Tatsuya prepared his Gun-shape CAD and pointed it to the girl. He looked at the girl as if he was determining the condition of an antique. When the girl had finished ejecting all foreign substances from her body, Tatsuya pulled the trigger of his CAD.
The girl was surrounded with white light.
Tatsuya gritted his teeth as tears of blood streamed down his eyes.
He retracted his CAD and fell to his knees while the white light receded.
In a millisecond, the bruises of the girl and the redness of her cheeks disappear.
The eyes of the girl, who was still trembling uncontrollably, widen a bit but she still did not move.
Tatsuya recovered his composure as he rise to his feet. The pain that he felt receded and the shirt that he ripped was repaired due to his [Regrowth].
Tatsuya took off his coat and threw it at the girl before carrying her bridal style.
Closing his eyes, he whispered one word.
"Ignite."
The familiars that he had scattered when he entered the stronghold burst and exploded into flames.
As he felt the building shook, Tatsuya leaped forward and appeared on top of the skyscraper where he was observing the building just minutes ago.
Tatsuya gazed over his shoulders and passively looked at the stronghold as it was slowly being incased in flames.
Tatsuya knew that he should have walked away.
The mission was complete and his target was safe. It was time to return home.
But, on a whim, he turned around and faced the burning building. He raised his hand, he was extremely careful to not drop his target, over his head. He formed a karate chop with that hand.
He aimed for the building and a specific dimension.
He swung his hand downwards towards the burning building.
The large building that was roughly 100 meters in height and 10 meters wide was cut in half vertically, perfectly from the center.
Tatsuya turned around and ignored the sound of the building crumbling to the ground and merely leaped forward.
He and his target disappeared from sight, like they weren't even there in the first place.
(Break)
In a throne room that did not allow a single ray of light to illuminate, a beautiful woman sat on her throne, wine glass in hand as she amuses herself with the haunting melody that echoed in the room.
Suddenly, an old butler appeared behind her. The butler leaned towards the woman and conveyed a message to her in a whisper.
"Milady,"
"Yes,"
"Tatsuya-dono's current mission has been completed. As usual, it is a success."
"Did you think that he would fail?"
"That is unthinkable, Milady."
"Very unthinkable. He is too perfect to fail."
"Tatsuya-dono is inquiring where he should drop of his target."
"Connect him to my communication terminal. I desire to talk to my son."
"Immediately."
The butler disappeared in the darkness behind the woman and a minute later, a projected screen appeared before her and it showed the face of her son.
Expressionless face, empty eyes, yet it had a touch of fondness in them, indicating the instinctive feeling of love that he has for her.
Perfect.
"Good evening, my darling." The woman greeted her son while raising her wine glass.
"Good evening, mother." Tatsuya greeted back with a small, courteous bow. "My mission is complete and it is a success. The target has been retrieve and is now under my care." Tatsuya reported swiftly.
Direct to the point, just like she taught him.
"Excellent! Is she compromise?" She asked out of curiosity.
"She was rape but I've already repaired the damage done to her body. She is clear of any mutation and there are no foreign substances in her body." Tatsuya answered apathetically.
"Is she broken?" She inquired uncaringly.
"Unfortunately." Tatsuya replied bluntly.
"Nothing that a good therapist can heal and if that fails, we can always result to brainwashing." She commented with a shrugged. "Any casualties?"
"I am unaware of the number of casualties but I did demolish the stronghold where the girl was being held. It was a sudden whim of mine."
"Did you use your usual methods for wide area destruction?"
"No, I cut the building with an Inter-dimensional Blade."
The woman raised a brow of surprised from that statement. "I am not aware that you could bend space-time."
"I shall give a comprehensive explanation as well as a complete documentation in our next dinner." Tatsuya stated unfeelingly.
"Very well, in three days, I am looking forward to see the new technique that you develop with your powers." That was her true feelings.
She would admit that her son was a terrifying creature but his brilliance fascinated her to no end. Tatsuya was more brilliant than he is terrifying.
"Where shall I drop of my target, mother?"
"I'll have some of my servants pick her up in our headquarters in Tokyo by dawn. For now, please look after her." She instructed her son.
"If that is what mother orders, it shall be done." Tatsuya nodded obediently.
"You are not going to complain?"
"I never complain."
"Sure you do!" She teased with a smirk. "Whenever I give you a task that you think is beneath you, it would take you a couple of seconds to reply. Considering your skill, I think that babysitting a stranger is below even your lowest standard."
She took great delight when a flash of exasperation crossed her son's eyes as well as the few seconds that passed before her son gave a reply. "I do not have the right to complain. Mother allowed me to partake one of my whims. For that, I am very grateful." Tatsuya said with a content smile.
That sentence made her very conflicted. True, allowing her son to partake that particular whim of his made him very complacent as well as give her an assurance that her son would stay within her clan even if she steps down from her position.
On the other hand, sharing the affection of her son irked her to no end.
Still, for now, as long as her son remains complacent and obedient, she would not voice or show her displeasure.
"Excellent then." She merely mumbled under her breath. "By the way, I am quite proud of you. Our Kanto operations have increase ten-folds since you took over several months ago."
"I am very thankful for mother's praise and would work harder to maintain the efficiency of my region."
"I don't doubt that." She looked thoughtful for a minute. "Have you eaten yet?"
"I have," Tatsuya answered shortly.
"Then please rest. I know that you are capable of operating for a week without sleep, but I would be more at ease if my son gets the right amount of sleep."
"I shall rest when I set foot in Tokyo. I am still in enemy airspace after all."
"Very well, I shall contact you again when my servants extract your target from your custody."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
The projection disappeared and the woman smiled blissfully.
"Humanity looks good on him; don't you agree Hayama-san?"
"Yes, yes it does, milady."
(Break)
Arriving at one of the private airports that his mother owned, Tatsuya departed from his personal transport, a small and extremely fast private jet. He was carrying his target bridal style but it did not mean anything to Tatsuya.
His target has yet to calm down and was still trembling uncontrollably. Her eyes were still haunted and hallow, and she wore a defeated and self-disgusted expression.
Tatsuya knew that he was broken. The fact that she refused to speak (though Tatsuya did not actually spoke to her) and the fact that she did not bother hiding her body to him (she was still naked and did not request any clothing from him though she was clothed with his coat) further shows how broken she was.
Still, Tatsuya could not bring himself to care at the current state of his target.
At his very core, he was a very calculated, very logical, very practical, very pragmatic, and very meticulous person. He was also very uncaring.
That was the way he was forged.
He forged himself so that he is only human towards his two precious people.
Others, he was a ruthless monster.
He was taught to finish his missions as quickly and as efficiently as possible. Everything is acceptable just as long as the mission is completed. Regardless of the methods, regardless of the severity or the number of casualties, regardless of the sacrifice, everything is acceptable as long as the mission is a success.
That is how he viewed his target.
His target was alive and well. Her body was devoid of any injuries and the damage that was done to her body from being gang rape was rescinded.
All things considered, his task was accomplished without fail. To Tatsuya, his responsibility to his target ended when they entered Japanese borders. The fact that he was going to guard her was merely due to the additional orders of his mother.
Shaking his head, he turned his attention to one of his subordinates, who saluted at the very sight of him.
Tatsuya was the son of one of the heads of the Ten Master Clans. He was assigned by her to manage the Operation of their clan in Kanto as a condition for him to remain in Tokyo.
"I want a change of clothing for this girl to be delivered in my office as soon as possible." Tatsuya ordered with an apathetic tone.
The person nodded and immediately left to obey his orders.
With that issue already handled, Tatsuya entered his office.
Like his home, his office lacked any personal touch and was essentially lifeless and gloom. There was no furniture aside from the large desk with an inbuilt terminal and a large couch across the desk. There was also an array of bookshelves with a large collection of books. Even with the light that illuminates his office, the room was seemingly shrouded with unseen darkness.
Tatsuya deposited his target on the couch before approaching one of his bookshelves and retrieving a random book.
Book at hand, he sat on his reclining, leather covered chair and proceeded to read the contents of the book. He acted as if he was the only one in the room and that the naked woman across him did not exist.
For her part, the girl merely stared at the light that illuminated the room, neither acknowledging Tatsuya nor sparing him a glance.
Silence prevailed for several minutes as the two ignored each other, acting as if they were alone in the room.
The silence was broken when the servant that Tatsuya ordered entered his office. The servant placed the change of clothes in front of the couch, directly in front of the girl before giving Tatsuya a salute.
Tatsuya merely nodded without moving his gazed from his book. The servant immediately vacated the room, which plunged the room into silence yet again.
Again, the two ignore each other's presence, though the girl was now looking at the clothes presented in front of her.
A couple of minutes past before the girl spoke.
"Why?" That was the first word that the girl spoke in front of Tatsuya.
"Why did I save you? Simple, I was ordered to. Why did I kill your rapists? I felt like it and I was bored. Why did I bring you here? My mother ordered me too. Why am I not awkwardly comforting you? I don't know how to, I am not order to, and I don't care about a random girl that I was just ordered to retrieve." Tatsuya, showing courtesy, replied with his usual tone, blunt and emotionless.
The girl blinked owlishly at him before sitting up, gingerly covering her private parts with Tatsuya's coat though Tatsuya's eyes did not leave his book.
Whether he was showing courtesy and just being polite or he just didn't care was beyond her.
"That's not what I meant." Her voice was soft and muffled.
Tatsuya did not appear to care.
"Are you asking me why I'm not raping you, or are you asking me why I haven't ask your parents for ransom?" Tatsuya turned a page from his book, completely missing the frightful expression that etched on the girl's face at the mention of rape.
The girl unconsciously tightened her hold around herself.
Tatsuya continued, not caring whether the girl was comfortable or not. "For my first assumption, although you are very pretty, a girl like you would never arouse the feeling of attraction from me, and that is not because I saw you being rape or because I do not find you attractive. I could care less whether you are a victim of rape, and you are quite attractive in your own way. Nevertheless, I am forged to care for only two women; my mother and my best friend and they are many times prettier than you."
"For my second assumption, I would not have retrieved you for the sake of asking for ransom. If my mother had me retrieved you for the sake of using you, my mother would have ordered me to chain you to an operation table and I would be dissecting you right now." Tatsuya stated nonchalantly while casually turning a page of his book.
"Any more questions?"
"Why aren't you disgusted by me?" The girl asked in a broken tone.
"Whether you were rape or not will not affect how I view you? I do not care what tragedy had befallen upon you. There are countless women getting rape as we speak. You are just a random girl, one of the many unfortunate girls that suffered rape. You're case is nothing special. To me, you are nothing more than a target, a package that my mother asked me to retrieve, nothing more, nothing less." Tatsuya spared the girl a quick look before returning his attention back to his book. "I don't know you and I could care less about you. Why would I waste my time feeling disgust towards a person who I barely know?"
That answer was cold and heartless, both Tatsuya and his target knew that.
Of course, Tatsuya does not care how the girl perceived him as. He has been called a monster, a demon, and every insult imaginable but Tatsuya could not and would not bring himself to care. Tatsuya only value the opinion of two people. Everybody else was trash in his eyes.
For the girl though, as strange as it may seem, those honest and blunt to the point words seem to bring her comfort.
She was about to speak again, but Tatsuya cut her off. "I suggest you clothe yourself. My coat is not meant to give warmth." Tatsuya told her as he rose from his chair and momentarily left his office. "I'll be back in five minutes. You better be clothed by then." Tatsuya instructed her as he closed the door, giving the girl some privacy.
The girl stared at the empty desk across her for several seconds before taking the change of clothes presented to her.
(Break)
Tatsuya, out of boredom, watched her current target being escorted out of his office while ignoring the looks that she was giving him.
When the girl was out of his office, he turned his attention to the lone person that remained in his office.
"Do I have a chore that needs to be completed?" Tatsuya asked with a polite tone, his eyes focused on the butler and confidant of his mother. "Or anything that needs my immediate attention?"
"Nothing yet. Madam would contact you if there is a need to utilize your powers." He replied with a small, grandfatherly smile.
"I see. Tell mother that if she ever needs me, I am ready for deployment anytime."
"Madam would be delighted to hear that." Hayama chuckled suddenly. "You have been quite affectionate towards Madam this past couple of months."
"It is only customary and natural for a son to love his mother. How could I not hold any affection towards the woman who bore me to this world?"
Hayama chuckled at this. "You are truly Madam's son." Hayama commented offhandedly. "Tell me, Milord, have you slept already?"
"I will rest only if all my responsibilities are finished." Tatsuya then glanced at the stacks of paper beside him. "It seems that I have to catch up to my paperwork." Even at the dawn of a new century, paperwork is still the vain of every organization leader.
"Nonsense, allow me to handle such mundane task." Hayama insisted firmly. "Though you are capable of operating for a week without sleep, a growing child should still sleep 8 to 10 hours a day."
Tatsuya could only raise his brow from that statement. "You do know that my magic would maintain the functionalities of my body to operational, right?"
"Still, please take some rest."
"Hayama-san should be returning to mother's side right this instant. You're job is to serve her, my job is to run the Operations of the Yotsuba Clan in Kanto."
"Serving her and making sure that you are well rested is still within my responsibilities." Hayama debated gently.
Seeing that that the ancient butler would debate him until he relents, he decided that the effort would not be worth it and conceded.
(Break) (Two weeks after the mission in Beijing)
Tatsuya was overlooking a convoy currently waiting in the coast of Yokohama Port as well as the cargo ship that was about to dock.
The convoy was composed the three large trucks and several vans. The convey was at least five dozen men strong, with three fourths armed with high-powered rifles effective against magicians and deadly against normal human beings.
When the cargo ship successfully docked, two dozen men vacated the ship. Most of them were also armed, with three magicians in the rear.
The men of convey and the crew of the cargo ship eyed each other carefully and cautiously in a distance, tension was high and tangible.
A man with an expensive suit and the captain of the ship met in the middle and started discussing.
Using Sense Tuning, Tatsuya was able to hear the conversation of both men very clearly.
"[Good evening, Gao-Chi-san…]"
"[Good evening, Midori-san…]"
The two exchange stiff pleasantries as they eyed each other wearily.
"[Have you brought the 'products'?]" The one called Midori-san asked slowly.
"[We have.]" Gao-Chi-san confirmed with a small nod. "[Our payment?]"
"[Would be given in full.]"
"[Then shall we begin the exchange?]"
"[Most definitely.]"
The nodded as they approached their respective group.
Tatsuya moved the moment the two stopped speaking. "Wait for my signal." Tatsuya whispered before taking a single step off the skyscraper.
He disappeared with the breeze of the night.
(Break)
A typical magician is a weapon.
The general view of a magician is a humanize weapon that is capable of wielding powers equivalent to that of a weapon of mass destruction.
Magicians are typically developed to be weapons that can be wielded by their respective country.
Japan was no exception.
In Japan, magicians are considered important military assets for the quality of magicians in Japan far-outstrips the quality of magicians in other Asian and Western countries.
But most magicians in Japan were not loyal to their country. Instead, many magicians were loyal to a specific clan.
The system that Japan employs to develop strong magicians is called the Number Family System. The Number Family System is the system where when a family is recognized to have good magical abilities, it gains a number in its name. It is a controversial system but it bore great result.
For example, a single magician was able to take down a group numbering almost to a hundred with relative ease.
Tatsuya appeared above the two groups; in each of his hands were three rapier-like blades, each rapier was held between his fingers.
Tatsuya was unnoticed by the two groups which allowed him to throw the rapiers in six different trajectories.
Each blade flew with the speed that can rival that of a bullet, and the force in which they were thrown was enough to pierce through steel.
Each blade pierced through their targets without fail, killing them instantly for the blade pierce through their vital organs. Six fell, three from each group.
Tatsuya descended on the ground, a Gun-shape CAD were in both of his hands while the two groups turned their attention to him.
Before they could react, a serpentine dragon appeared behind Tatsuya in a silver flash.
The serpentine dragon was covered in silver scales along its back and a bright white underside. It has red-tipped, rudder-like wings on its shoulders and down its body, and similarly patterned fins on the tip of its tail. Two long, flat, horn-like structures were on its head. It has small, blue eyes with silver pupils, and several sharp teeth, with two pairs of elongated fang on its upper and lower jaw. It has distinct brown orbs on its lower neck and near the tip of its tail.
Tatsuya snapped his finger and the dragon slammed its tail on the ground. The area in which Tatsuya and the two groups stood shook violently, causing everyone to stumble.
Tatsuya aimed both of his CADs at the motor convoy. He pulled the trigger of both CADs. Black, smoke-like miasma was release from the barrel of both CADs and the miasma crept towards the group before Tatsuya turned his attention to the cargo ship.
The miasma moved fast, so fast that the armed men were only able to comprehend the substance when it made contact with them. Those who were touched by the miasma was aged and rotted in an unnatural pace, shredding through their clothes and skin until only their skeleton remained. Their guns and vehicles were also destroyed under the exposure of the miasma, with the metallic substance rotting and corroding rapidly to such extent that it collapsed on its own weight.
The armed men were able to scattered and avoid further exposure to the black miasma but the damage was done and half of them were now merely skeletons with half of their vehicles no longer available to them.
Before they could regroup, the dragon that Tatsuya summoned attacked. The orb on its neck and tail change color from brown to red. The dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a steady stream of fire at the remaining men. Those who were hit by the flames were torched to death in seconds.
Several survivors tried to retaliate and open fire at the dragon, yet the bullets merely bounce off its scales.
The dragon seemingly grunted in annoyance before the orb change once again from red to arctic blue. The dragon slammed its tail to the ground, unleashing a volley of enormous ice spikes in all direction. Many were skewered to death by the ice spikes.
From arctic blue to teal, the dragon let out a terrifying roar which created a gigantic hurricane in the general vicinity that sweep of the survivors off their feet and threw them high in the sky.
From teal to violet, the horns of the dragon unleashed a torrent of lightning that electrocuted and burn those in the air to death.
As the dragon slaughtered the men in the motor convoy, Tatsuya dealt with the crew of the cargo ship.
At the sight of him, the crew unleashed a barrage of gunfire at his direction.
Tatsuya uncaringly walked towards the storm of gun fire due to the silver flames deflecting the metallic projectiles.
He raised his CAD and took aim at the three magicians that was preparing to cast magic. A pull of the trigger, and the limb that was holding their CAD disappeared. The CAD fell callously to the ground.
Another pull of the trigger, and the three magicians were eradicated to nothing.
Seeing this, the crew of the cargo ship started panicking with some frantically attacking Tatsuya. Their panic was evident due to their accuracy lowering several notches. The fear that they felt from merely experiencing a taste of Tatsuya power was insurmountable.
Tatsuya, without stopping from his slow walk, took aim and squeeze the trigger of his CAD yet again.
Twelve men fell to the ground, dead. No wounds were seen in their physical body.
The comrades of those twelve men were unaware that Tatsuya merely decompose the heart of those twelve men.
Seeing that their comrades suddenly fell dead, the crew of the cargo ship prompted to retreat to avoid death. They boarded their ship, but the moment they set foot on the vessel, they found Tatsuya waiting for them, CAD pointing at their direction.
A single pull of the trigger, everyone in the ship fell to the ground, dead.
(Break)
Tatsuya looked at the corpses surrounding him before shaking his head. He once again raised his CAD and pulled the trigger.
The corpses were reduced to dust that was blown to the ocean by the wind. Tatsuya repeated this once more to eliminate the corpses near the boat.
Vacating the ship, the dragon that Tatsuya summoned glided towards him. The dragon bowed to Tatsuya and he returned the gesture. Patting the dragon on the head, it disappeared in a flash of silver.
Surveying the damage done by the Astral Being that he created, Tatsuya raised his CAD and pulled the trigger. The immediate vicinity was covered with a blinding white light and when it receded, the area was now devoid of damage, like a battle did not took place in the area.
Tatsuya returned his CAD to its holsters as a dozen men and women wearing identical suits surrounded him.
Tatsuya did not bother to look at them and merely gave orders.
"Take all the cargo in the boat and confiscate anything that can be of used." The men and women nodded and proceeded to board the boat.
Tatsuya was alone again but he did not care and merely took a communication terminal from his pocket and proceeded to call a number.
There was static in the other line before a lovely voice echoed in his ear.
"[Tatsuya-kun!]" The cheerful tone of his best friend calling him in such an excited and cheerful fashion brought joy to his heart.
"Good evening, Hime, I hope I am not bothering you."
"[No you're not, in fact, Tatsuya-kun saved me from falling asleep. This party is boring.]"
"Shiba-dono has been attending many galas as of late." Silver flames rose behind him and Tatsuya sat on those flames as if it was a throne.
"[Well, Okaa-sama's health has improved this past couple of months and she enjoys attending high society functions. I think she just wants to have fun and celebrate the miraculous improvement of her health.]" There was joy in Miyuki's voice, which was to be expected.
"Just tell her not to overdo it."
"[I'll tell her that.]" Miyuki chuckled lightly from the other line. "[So, what cha doing?]"
"There was a shipment of anti-magic weaponry and illegal drugs in Yokohama. I've dealt with it." Tatsuya informed her truthfully.
There was a brief silent in Miyuki's side before she spoke. "[Did you get hurt?]"
"Negative. Those who were guarding the cargo and those who were task to extract the cargo were small fries. Not even worth mentioning." That was cold in Tatsuya's behalf but it was the truth.
"[I see,]" Miyuki was still uncomfortable at the prospect of her friend killing but she did not say anything else nor did she condemn him. Members and descendants of the Ten Master Clans will take lives one way or another to preserve their way of living as well as for glory. It was practically their faith.
"If you don't want to shed blood and if your head house orders you to take a life, don't hesitate to call me. I've shed so much blood; shedding a dozen more won't make a difference." Tatsuya offered her gently.
"[Thanks but no thanks; I'll cross that path when I get there. No need for Tatsuya-kun to be involved in my clan's business]" Another brief moment of silence passed them before Miyuki spoke. "[Tatsuya-kun, I don't know which clan you belong to, but I know the clan who is charge in protecting Yokohama. Please tell me you didn't make a spectacle.]"
Tatsuya raised a brow at her worried tone before appeasing her. "It was a simple execution. No survivors, no witnesses and no collateral damage." Tatsuya assured his best friend. "And this is merely a business trip. Apparently, the smugglers had done business in mother's territory and failed to give her compensation. She sent me to make sure that it doesn't happen again."
"[I see, but please be careful in Yokohama. The abyss has eyes.]"
Tatsuya and Miyuki have become closer since their first kiss. Their peers even consider the two as childhood lovers considering how close they were.
Tatsuya, after their first kiss, told Miyuki that he was a descendant of one of the current members of the Ten Masters Clans but did not specify which clan.
In turn, Miyuki also informed him that she was a descendant of one of the current clans that compromises the Ten Masters Clans but did not specify which clan as well.
Family matters became taboo between them after that conversation as they do not want to consider each other as rivals.
The Ten Master Clans maybe allies in public but in reality, every clan that compromises the Ten Masters Clans as well as the 18 Assistant Families and the Hundred Families were bitter rivals. Tatsuya and Miyuki were best friends and could not, would not consider each other as rivals.
They care too much for each other to consider the other as a threat to their well being. So they avoid discussing about their clans as much as possible.
"I'll watch my back and avoid killing anyone that looks like a threat until they become an actual threat." Tatsuya said in a comforting manner.
"[That's good, I guess.]" Miyuki mumbled before her tone suddenly become frantic. "[Sorry Tatsuya-kun but I have to cut this call short, Okaa-sama and Oba-sama is heading my way.]"
"No worries, I have to clean up anyway." Tatsuya said nonchalantly. "See you after summer break, Miyuki-hime."
"[I'll be counting the seconds, Tatsuya-kun.]" The two friends simultaneously ended the call and Tatsuya immediately turned his attention to the woman who was approaching him.
"Everything has been accounted for, Tatsuya-sama." The woman reported with a salute.
"Good, move out." Tatsuya ordered before drawing his CAD once more. He aimed the CAD at the cargo ship and with one pull of a trigger; the boat sank to the bottom of the harbor as it slowly dissolve to nothing courtesy of Tatsuya's Wide Area, Decomposition Spell [Breath of Death].
(Break)
"Good evening mother." Tatsuya sat in front of a communication screen as he answered the call of his mother.
"[Good evening, my darling.]" Though the screen did not show her face, her voice and the manner in which she spoke was enough for Tatsuya to confirm that he was speaking to his mother.
"Though it is pleasant hearing your voice, I must inquire why you suddenly call? Mother is not one for casual conversation, most of the times anyway." Tatsuya asked curiously. "Does mother have someone for me to kill?"
"[Can I not call my son in my own convenience?]" His mother replied with a soft giggle. "[You are aware that I love you, right?]"
"I do not question the irrevocability of mother's feelings for me. My feelings for you are equally irrevocable."
"[If only your father have an iota of your smooth moves, I would have made a move to steal him away from his wife.]"
"I am merely saying the truth."
"[Whatever helps you sleep at night, darling.]"
"The way you say that makes it seems that my words have underlying meanings."
"[Well, I am a pretty woman, irresistible for most men even. I will not be surprised if you want to, shall we say, seduce me and you know, personally make a sibling for yourself.]" The suggestiveness of that joke was so blunt that even Tatsuya wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"As usual, mother's sense of humor is repulsive." Tatsuya replied coolly.
"[Don't take that voice with me, young man!]" His mother scolded him but it was lighthearted and as means for humor. "[I am quite worried for my wellbeing you know. I do know that you have purchase several books that does not conform to your usual reading material.]"
"I am a growing boy." Tatsuya defended himself but he knew that it was futile.
"[You are ten years old, Darling; your hormones won't be active for another two years or so.]" His mother retorted with a laugh. "[But still, if you want to learn how to seduce a girl, I can teach you myself. I can guarantee that girl that you want to seduce would be putty in your hands after my lessons.]"
"I rather learn on my own. Her mother would kill me if I step out of line."
"[The only woman that you should fear is me.]" There was a distinct shift in her tone at those words. "[It is bad enough that I have to share your affection with another girl, I will not have you fear another woman.]"
"I do not fear her mother. In fact, I can kill her, but the object of my affection would be greatly affected if I disposed of her." Just the thought of Miyuki being sad was enough to cause his heart to ache.
"[What about me? I can dispose of that woman for you and then you can bed the girl that you like in a fake way of comforting her.]"
There was silence, a brief moment of silence before Tatsuya replied. "Am I a bad person because I am considering mother's offer?"
"[No Darling, it is only natural. You are my son; you should have at least inherited something from me aside from your miraculous and unnatural magic power. Unfortunately for you, you inherited my sense of humor.]" His mother consoled him and she should have ended the topic their but she pressed on. "[Of all the things that you can inherit from me, it has to be my sense of humor. It would have been better if you had inherited my good looks. It would have been easy finding you a bride if you look like me.]" His mother whined humorously but Tatsuya's eyes darken.
"Mother, I already found myself a bride. She can equal me in due time."
"[You are teaching her then.]" Instead of sounding appalled like Tatsuya thought she would be, his mother sounded delighted.
It was suspicious but his mother was like that most of the time. She was a schemer. "Her mother had given her a solid foundation in her magic training; I am merely adding something that would increase the pace of her growth."
"[That is good to hear.]"
"Do you want to meet her?" Tatsuya inquired, with hope in his voice. "As long as you behave, I can talk her in to having dinner with us. You would like her."
"[That is unnecessary. I already like her.]" She said dismissively. "[Being human suits you well.]"
"I am human with you and her alone."
"[Good to hear.]"
Another moment of silence as the atmosphere between them changes into a serious one.
"[How is Kanto?]" His mother asked him seriously.
"Nothing worth mentioning. Your clan's operations have been running smoothly. Your businesses are rather booming. There is an increase of 15% profit this month. The multiple projects that you have entrusted me is proceeding smoothly, most of which are ahead of schedule." Tatsuya reported calmly.
"[Good to hear. What about my underground operations and businesses?]"
"Same as mentioned before, although I had to eliminate some rather pesky vermin that tried muscle their way in your territory. It was a minor inconvenience and it has already been dealt with to the fullest extent."
"[I have heard reports of illegal immigrants in our territory.]"
"I've dealt with that problem two days ago. It seems that some foreign insurgences were trying to strike a deal with some powers in the country. I have dealt with those who would be a threat to your clan's interest."
"[Can you give me a list of countries that those insurgences came from as well as those internal powers that are trying to do business in our territory.]"
"I have already sent the report before you called me."
"[Never mind then.]" His mother said with a satisfied tone. "[Is there anything else you want to report to me?]"
"None whatsoever, but if I may ask, will you require my presence this summer break?" Tatsuya asked curiously.
"[I will like nothing more than to have you nearby but I have another important task for you to perform. The specifics of the task would be delivered to you tomorrow afternoon.]" His mother told him and Tatsuya nodded.
"Understood," Tatsuya replied courteously.
"[Before we end this conversation, may I ask if you had looked over the list of guardians that I had given you?]" His mother inquired seriously.
"Mother, I will not take a guardian. I do not need a guardian. And I do not want you wasting any resources for me." There was a hint of aggravation in Tatsuya's voice but it was well hidden.
"[Tatsuya…]" His mother sighed in aggravation.
"Mother, I am strong enough to protect myself, I can use ghosts for menial tasks such as cleaning and cooking, and a guardian would merely be in the way of my research and experimentations." Tatsuya defended his case calmly.
"[I know that you are strong and independent. But you are my son as well as the main combatant of our clan. Though I am confident that you can take on anything the world throws at you, I prefer to be pragmatic when it comes to the protection of my son.]" His mother argued firmly.
"Mother…"
"[I will not hear any of it!]" His mother stated strongly. "[By the end of the month, you shall choose a guardian or I shall choose for you.]"
Tatsuya knew that arguing with her was futile so he merely nodded to avoid any unnecessary conflict.
"[Good, glad that we have reach an understanding.]" The call ended in that note.
(Break)
"Of all the things that my mother had made me do…" Tatsuya mumbled under his breath as two of his mother's subordinate escort the girl that he had retrieved from Beijing two weeks ago to his office. "…this is going to be the most annoying."
The older girl looked at him nervously while Tatsuya gave the two guards that escorted her a pointed look. "Leave us." Tatsuya ordered with a wave, as if shooing them.
The two guards saluted him and vacated the room, leaving Tatsuya and the girl alone.
"You know, I must admit that your parents must care for you a lot." Tatsuya commented softly. "Making a deal with my mother is the equivalent of selling one soul to the devil."
The girl looked nervously at him before deeply bowing her head. "I'm sorry for being a burden…Yotsuba-dono."
Tatsuya was surprised that the girl knew the family name of his mother, but he did not react at being called a 'Yotsuba'.
"If you are going to call me something, please call me Tatsuya or Tsuyoru." Tatsuya instructed her with a sigh. "Unlike other clans that are under the number system, children born under the mandate of the Yotsuba do not earn the name from birth. Instead, we earn the right to have the name Yotsuba. I might be the son of Yotsuba Maya and have the blood of the Yotsuba coursing through my veins but I am not yet a Yotsuba. I am Tsuyoru Tatsuya, a combatant of the Yotsuba family with the designated name of 'Four Ghosts'. Please remember that."
The girl before him took a moment to process those words before nodding. "I would remember that, Tsuyoru-dono."
Tatsuya nodded at that. "That is good to hear. Now, let us get to the point."
Tatsuya took a deep breath before narrowing his eyes at her.
The girl took a step back out of instincts.
"Ichihara Suzune, daughter of Ichihara Suzuka and Ichihara Kotaro, 12 years old, six grader in Otonokizaka Elementary School. Honor student, top of her year since first grade and a shoe in for Valedictorian awards."
The girl flinched as basic information about her was broadcasted so casually.
"The name Ichihara is nothing more than an alias though. Your real name should be Ichihana Suzune, an Extra that has lost their number."
"I'm already aware of that." Suzune pointed out meekly. "Kaa-san and Tou-san have already informed me of my family's unfortunate fate."
"I see. Then we would not dwell on that. Instead, let us discuss the real point of why you are here."
"The Yotsuba Clan has one intent, has one goal, has one dream, and that is the uncovering of the secrets of the mind. The Yotsuba would go great lengths to discover the secret that the mind holds. Murder, genocide, human experimentation, there is nothing that the Yotsuba will not do just to discover how the mind functions and how the mind affects us magicians."
At the mention of the word magician, Suzune's eyes became more downcast. Tatsuya noted this briefly before continuing.
"With that goal in mind, the Yotsuba have orchestrated many experiments to determine how the mind works."
"The Artificial Magician Plan is another project that my mother started to achieve the long time goal of the Yotsuba to understand the mind."
"I will not go to the specific but your parents are knee deep in the project and they seem to be contributing a great deal in the project, so much so that mother is willing to utilize me to do them a favor."
Suzune knew that favor was him rescuing her from that 'hell'.
"Tell me, Ichihara-san, after the ordeal that befell upon you, can you still use magic?" Tatsuya inquired expressionlessly as he stared at Suzune intently.
Suzune did not answer. She merely looked down, her shoulders trembling and Tatsuya could see that she was visibly fighting the tears from falling from her eyes.
Tatsuya waited several seconds before continuing. "My mother provided you with an excellent therapist so that you can overcome the trauma of being rape but that won't do anything when it comes to you recovering your ability to use magic again."
"Magicians that are broken are nothing more than trash."
"I KNOW THAT!" Suzune snapped after staying silent for a while. She was glaring at Tatsuya with tears falling down her eyes and despair evident in her appearance.
Tatsuya could not bring himself to care.
He does not pity her. He was incapable of it.
"Mother had given me the task of helping you recover your ability to use magic." Tatsuya told her, looking at her right on the eye as she glared at her spitefully. "But we both know that a broken magician can never grasp magic ever again."
"I know." Suzune whispered in despair.
"That being said, I am in no mood to fail." Tatsuya told her and Suzune immediately looked at him. "You are still capable of sensing and projecting Psion. At the very core, you are still capable of magic. Your problem lies on your confidence in your ability to once again use magic and your mental fortitude."
"Magic might be scientific, it can be explained, it can be analyzed, but in the end, the only being in the world that can wield magic are human beings." Tatsuya leaned back on his chair, his arms folded behind his head. He smiled when he thought of his best friend. "Human beings, at their essence, are illogical creatures. We are capable of logic but we do not act upon logic. Humans are emotionally driven creatures and because of that, our magic is driven by our emotions."
"Consciousness may be the force that propels strength, but emotions take that strength one step further. Right now, you are broken, and I don't care whether you're a genius or a prodigy, when one is broken, they are trash. At the moment you are trash."
"Nevertheless…"
*SWISH*
Suzune stiffened as she felt a blade sailing past her, cutting a small wound on her cheeks. She shivered as she felt a drop of her blood sliding down her cheeks
"You may be broken but there is still light in your eyes. That meant that you still haven't given up. I can, at the very least, work with that strength of will." Tatsuya rose from his chair and Suzune noted that he was holding something in his hands.
Tatsuya approached her; an aura of death instantly befell upon Suzune.
Suzune tried to move, she tried to create some distance between him and the being of death that was nearing her step-by-step. She tried to move, she wanted to move, she wanted to run as far away from the monster in front of her, but she couldn't.
Suzune could not move her body.
Which was strange.
She did not felt any drop of Psion coming from Tatsuya. Regardless if she was 'broken', she could still sense Psion and she could still sense whenever magic is invoke just like before the tragedy that she suffered.
Tatsuya did not invoke Psion.
With that in mind, Suzune could not help but question what was preventing her from moving.
It was not because of magic. She could still feel her limbs and move her fingers and head; she just can't move any of her limbs, so magic was out.
It might be his overwhelming and near murderous aura. His aura actually induced the fear of God and Death upon her, but his aura was not the reason why she was so paralyze. The moment Suzune entered the room, even before that, when he murdered her rapists and proceeded to carry her from China to Japan, and also the night when she stayed with him in his office, she could tell that Tatsuya has the power of a monster and if he so wills it, he could so easily do anything he pleases with her. But his aura, regardless of how murderous, was not the reason why she was immobile.
Tatsuya stopped when Suzune was within.
Suzune, in the corner of her eyes, saw Tatsuya move a finger.
Suzune felt a light tug in her right arm, and her eyes widen when her right arm was raise without her will, her fingers outstretch.
She watched in fascination as Tatsuya grasped her right hand.
She felt him handing him something.
"Right here, right now, I would handle your therapy. I will not guarantee you becoming a magician once again. I will not make a promise that does not have any basis. What I can promise you, though is that the next time you are remove from my care, you would be capable of slaying magicians with or without magic."
Tatsuya removed his hand from hers and Suzune suddenly heard the wind being cut and several thuds echoing in the room, and she visibly flinch when a blade, with an odd shape, appeared on her right hand.
"That is my favorite weapon. The blade is called Kumoito or spider's thread. It's a weapon for killing." Tatsuya informed her while Suzune looked at the contraption in her hand in fascination. "I've killed a lot of people with that contraption, and I'm going to teach you to do the same."