DISCLAIMER: I don't own I don't own some of characters in the story. The characters that will appear in this fic are owned by their respective owners. There are also OCs that are owned by their respective authors.
-/-
"At daylight, you are safe, but at nighttime, you are in danger.
The night is where people known as Summoners obtain mysterious beings known as the Tsukumogami spirits. They are ordinary people during the day, but they are Summoners at night. Every night, they engage in a war among themselves for a certain 'gift' that might change their life forever. The winner will stay in the war while the loser will be disqualified from the war.
However, it is said that a Summoner does not kill an ordinary person that is not involve in the war. That soon change when a string of mysterious murders begin to take place during the war.
The murders soon haunt the city where the war takes place.
What truth lies within the shadows of the night?
The answer lies within the war of the Summoners.
This war is known as…
The Tsukumogami War"
-/-
Tokyo, Japan
Street
In the dark night, the boy, Kyuu, confronts the feline warrior, Ajani Goldmane, while his 'master' is taking the unconscious girl, Kyoko, out of harm's way.
"…If you are a Summoner, then you should be able to summon it. Yet, you neither summon nor use your deck when I strike the first blow," Ajani said.
"Summoner? War? Just what the hell's going on here?" Kyuu angrily groans as he finally stands up though his legs are still trembling. At the same time, he holds his wounded stomach.
"…You really don't know?" Ajani asks intrigued by the boy, "I see… Then holding back won't help at all. There are ways to subconsciously summon your Tsukumogami," Ajani said as he poses his offensive stance.
"Defend yourself! Summon your Tsukumogami!"
Ajani suddenly charges toward Kyuu and, this time, he attempts to cut the boy in half!
Kyuu is unable to run due to the pain he still feels, so he is helpless in front of the humanoid feline, Ajani. "N-No," Kyuu thought in a terrified expression, "Am I… Going to die?"
Aware of his pending doom, Kyuu slowly closes his eyes hoping that someone would come and save him or leave him to die. He could only regret that he isn't able to live up as a famous detective. As soon as Ajani gets close to the boy and swings his double-edged blade staff, the boy suddenly hears an angered voice in his head.
"Master, what're you doing?"
The card in his pocket suddenly emits a yellow light as a mysterious figure suddenly forms in front of Ajani and blocks the attack!
The boy is surprised to see the figure in front of him as it protects him from Ajani's assault. The figure manages to force Ajani away as it slowly reveals its true form… A girl in a blue-colored magician dress holding a magical staff!
"Y-You're…" Kyuu instantly recognizes the girl as she quickly approaches the boy.
"Master, are you okay?" the girl asks.
"I… Yes, I'm okay," Kyuu nervously answers as he notices that Ajani is staring at him with a satisfied expression as the mysterious teen approaches his feline warrior. "Well, you finally summon your Tsukumogami," the teen said with a happy expression, "Though she looks kinda cute."
"But that alone isn't enough," Ajani said as he prepares to fight again, "You have the Tsukumogami's artifact in your hand, so you must prove that you are a worthy Summoner."
Kyuu is still confused by the current situation he's in, but the girl tells him that she will explain everything once they finish the fight.
"I am… Dark Magician Girl!" the girl shouts as she aims her staff toward Ajani and his master, "I will not allow you to touch my Master!"
-/Tsukumogami War\-
XXXXXXX
Chapter 2: the Dawning War
-/-
The mysterious girl that bears similar appearance to Dark Magician Girl, a very famous card from a card game, confronts Ajani who is prepared to fight the girl with its large staff with two large, guillotine-like blades attached to each end of the staff.
"Man… I always wanted a female companion," the man sarcastically said whilst his eyes with a cynical smile.
"Now Master, what would your girlfriend think if she sees you with a female Tsukumogami?" Ajani asks much to the man's dismay. "Focus master, we have a fight to take care of."
"Heh, fine," the man's right hand suddenly emits a purple aura as he takes out a mysterious deck of cards from his belt. Kyuu notices the deck until the boy realizes that he also has a deck of cards in his right side of his belt! Noticing the boy is confused and stressed, Dark Magician Girl calms Kyuu down saying that she'll instruct him what to do with the cards.
"So still confused?" the man asks as he snaps his finger to summon four floating cards with Latin language written on each card.
"Physica Offensa!"
The card suddenly bursts into a shining light as the light merges with Ajani.
Ajani's guillotine blades suddenly become even larger with red lines engraved on the sharp blades.
"Here we come!" The man smirks.
-Summoner Battle!-
"W-What was that?" Kyuu nervously asks as Ajani charges toward the two!
"Master, you can do that too! Focus your mind on summoning those Primary Cards!" Dark Magician Girl yells as she quickly blocks Ajani's staff-blade with her magic staff.
Though still startled with their current situation, Kyuu quickly clenches his right hand and focuses his mind on the four mysterious cards known as the 'Primary Cards.' He successfully summons the four floating cards in hand right when Dark Magician Girl dodges Ajani's attack.
"Master, use that card!" Dark Magician Girl points at the certain card in Kyuu's hand.
"R-Right!" Kyuu responds by taking the card while the other cards disappear.
"Magus Offensa!"
The card that the boy chooses suddenly bursts into a shining light, which in turn merges with Dark Magician Girl.
The girl's staff emits a shining aura as it begins to form a small orb at the end of the staff's edge as a result.
-/-
Kyuu is surprised by her weapon's transformation as he notices that Ajani is going to attack her.
"Look out!" Kyuu yells in a distraught tone. Dark Magician Girl quickly ducks to avoid Ajani's attack and counterattacks by aiming her staff at Ajani's abdomen and it suddenly fires a purple energy beam.
The purple energy beam blasts Ajani into midair causing an immense pain on his body as he crashes to the ground.
"N-Not bad," Ajani mutters as he stands up, "But it's not enough."
Ajani suddenly throws his staff blade like a boomerang toward Dark Magician Girl! The girl attempts to move to the right to avoid the staff blade until she suddenly stops moving. She looks below and sees that a red, handcuff-like energy binds her legs!
Kyuu notices that the man is holding a card with the image of the same red energy that binds Dark Magician Girl's legs. "Heh, don't think these cards are just for show," the man smirks as the card suddenly disappears.
"No!"
Kyuu tries to push Dark Magician Girl out of the way, but the girl instead pushes him aside so she is hit by Ajani's attack instead. The red energy cuffs fade away from her legs as she kneels down in pain. "M-Master, I'm fine…" Dark Magician Girl utters in a distraught tone as Kyuu quickly approaches her. To his surprise, he notices that the girl doesn't bleed despite the fact that Ajani's weapon slashes her.
"Master, don't try to protect me. You're human and I'm not. Humans can die from that attack," the girl said to her as they see that Ajani retrieves his staff blade. The man suddenly draws out another card from his deck and it shows an image of an axe. The card's label is Axe of Despair. "Try this one!" The man uses the card as it summons an image that bears similar to an axe above Ajani. As a result, it dramatically increases Ajani's physical attack.
"Go, Ajani! Knock that little girl out for me!" The man shouts with a joyful expression, so Ajani rushes toward Dark Magician Girl and her master.
"Master, out of the way!" Dark Magician Girl quickly pushes Kyuu out of the way.
She tries to block Ajani's attack with her magic staff, but to her surprise, Ajani's strength outmatches the girl as the feline warrior's attack easily breaks through her defense. Ajani performs a vertical slash followed by a pair of knee kicks and a thrust toward the girl, which gravely injures her.
Dark Magician Girl is still standing so she's ready for a counterattack.
Once Ajani tries to thrust her with his staff blade, she quickly suddenly floats in midair and flies backward to avoid Ajani's assault much to the lion-like warrior and his master's surprise. Dark Magician Girl counterattacks by swinging her magic staff to unleash another purple energy beam that manages to hit Ajani flinging the feline warrior backwards.
The girl quickly turns her attention to Kyuu and tells him to use his Spell Cards.
Realizing that the cards are somewhat act as spells, the boy quickly takes out one card from his deck.
"How about this?" Kyuu shows the card with an image of a staff. The card's label is Black Staff. It suddenly emits a purple light as Dark Magician Girl's staff suddenly changes drastically into a new form: a larger staff with a large, purple orb on the edge.
"Not exactly I got in mind, but it'll work," Dark Magician Girl said commenting on her new staff as she turns her attention toward Ajani.
Both Dark Magician Girl and Ajani lunge toward each other as they swiftly attack each other as the boy notice that his 'Tsukumogami Spirit' is slowly walking backwards. The boy decides to help as he takes out another card from his deck. The card has the image of a group of knives with the label Thousand Knives.
Dark Magician Girl notices that Kyuu is holding another card as the boy urges her to get out of the way.
She nods as a response.
As soon as Ajani delivers another blow, she quickly lunges to the right to avoid Ajani's attack as Kyuu uses the Thousand Knives spell card. The card bursts into a purple light as knives suddenly appear behind the boy as the knives immediately fire toward Ajani! To the man's surprise, some of the knives stab Ajani by his legs and his shoulder even though the lion-like warrior tries to defend himself against the knives. As a result, Ajani is weakened.
Dark Magician Girl realizes that it's the right time to perform the final attack, but she quickly realizes that she too is weakened by Ajani's assault. To make matters worse, Ajani is still able to move his legs despite the knives being stabbed into his legs.
Kyuu understands that the girl is in trouble, so he quickly takes out another card from his deck. The card that he draws out has an image of a glowing, blue orb with the label Restoration. "Hope this helps," Kyuu quickly uses the card as it bursts into a purple light. A string of soft light surrounds Dark Magician Girl and it slowly releases a crowd of blue orbs at her. To everyone's surprise, the blue orbs slowly heal her injuries as it restores her back to her full strength!
"T-Thanks, Master," Dark Magician Girl said to the boy with a grateful expression before she turns her attention to the weakened Ajani.
"Oh crap… I don't have any healing spells," the man utters with a terrified, yet comical, expression.
Dark Magician Girl raises her staff and aims it toward the feline warrior.
"Here comes!" the magician unleashes a larger, purple energy beam at Ajani knocking the lion-like figure to the ground.
Ajani is gravely injured as the man smiles and said, "Alright, you win. I give up."
-Summoner Battle is over-
After a rather brief fight, the man smiles with a satisfied expression.
"Well, that concludes our lesson today. You've won," the man sarcastically said as he helps Ajani up.
"What? You… Held back?" Kyuu asks as the man nods.
"Yup, hafta say… Not bad for a newbie. You're ready now," the man slowly walks backward as Ajani suddenly transforms into a glittering light. Ajani's light suddenly merges with the certain item that is inside the man's pocket.
"Huh? Ready for what?"
"You're ready to take on the war. The Tsukumogami War."
"…That's right…" Kyuu utters, as he suddenly feels exhausted. The boy kneels down as his vision slowly fades, "But… What war… Is it…" the boy mutters. Kyuu suddenly falls to the ground, as he's rendered unconscious.
"Master!" Dark Magician Girl quickly approaches her unconscious Master…
Few hours later…
Kyuu's Home
9:10 AM
Kyuu is seen lying down on his futon back with his eyes shut until he slowly regains conscious.
When he opens his eyes, he sees that it is morning already with birds chirping outside his window, the sun shining, and the streets are slightly crowded.
"What… What just happened?" Kyuu wonders as he begins to remember what happen last night. He remembers the event piece by piece as he also remembers that he's with a girl known as Dark Magician Girl. "That girl… Doesn't she looked like that monster from that card game?" Kyuu thought to himself as he looks outside the window to get some fresh air.
However, he soon thinks that last night's event is just a dream.
Just when he thinks that there's going to be school today, he remembers that today the school is having a day-off and the fact that he's going to graduate soon though his scores are extremely low.
The boy decides that he should go down and have breakfast first before going somewhere until someone enters his room. To his surprise, it's someone that he doesn't even expect…
"Good morning, Master. How are you this morning?"
It is Dark Magician Girl…
"W-WHAT!" Kyuu yelps as he comically jumps backward and accidentally slips on a book causing him to fall to the floor. The boy immediately stands up and confronts the mysterious girl. "Y-You! You're from last night, aren't you?" Kyuu nervously asks the girl whilst he points his index finger toward the girl. The mysterious girl, Dark Magician Girl, kindly smiles toward Kyuu even though the boy is a little startled.
To his surprise, he realizes that the girl's uniform is different from the one she wears last night.
She wears a modern silk dress that most teenage girls wear. The girl also wears a pendant with a blue-colored crystal.
"When did you… Get here?" Kyuu asks her when he starts to calm down.
"I've been here since last night. You collapsed when you used that Spell Card, remember?" Dark Magician Girl kindly replies whilst she closes her eyes and smiles as she nods.
However, the boy is still startled since the girl looks exactly like the character from the card game, Yu-Gi-Oh! with the same name.
All the sudden, Kyuu's mother enters the room with a worried expression.
"Kyuu! Are you okay?" Kyuu's mother exclaims as she quickly approaches her son and starts to check on him to see if he's okay. Thankfully, the boy doesn't have any injuries much to her relief.
Kyuu's mother immediately approaches Dark Magician Girl and she holds the girl's hands with an admiration and joyful expression, "Thank you so much, Minako-chan," his mother said.
"Minako?" Kyuu is befuddled when his mother calls Dark Magician Girl "Minako."
-/-
At the living room,
Kyuu sits with his mother and Dark Magician Girl where they can talk.
"So… Can you tell me what happened while I was out?" Kyuu kindly asks.
"You see, I found you lying on the ground unconscious while I was walking. You look very tired, so I decided to help you," Dark Magician Girl said with a smile. Kyuu immediately notices that Dark Magician Girl is lying when he first hear the first sentence. He clearly remembers that he faints when he uses that Spell Card, Restoration, until he notices that the girl is looking at him with a worried expression. The boy can tell that she lies because she does not want his mother to get involved with this 'war.'
The boy silences as he urges the girl to continue on.
"So I drag you throughout the street and your mother happens to find us near a grocery store," she continues to explain as Kyuu's mother nods in response.
"I saw you two in the street when I finished shopping for dinner. She helped me carry you back home," Kyuu's mother also explains to her son, "Kyuu, what happened to you? Why did you faint in the middle of the street?"
Dark Magician Girl immediately answers his mother's question in an attempt to protect him by telling her that he might faint due to fatigue. Thus, Kyuu decides to play along as he tells his mother that he feels exhausted lately.
"…Kyuu, now what did I tell you about watching late night detective shows?" Kyuu's mother scolds her son in an annoyed tone, "For the 100th time, please don't watch those shows after midnight. You know that you'll get tired if you don't get enough sleep."
"Yes, mom," Kyuu sighs as he lowers his head in shame.
Kyuu's mother then turns her attention toward Dark Magician Girl as she puts hand on the girl's shoulder, "So Minako-chan, have you decided to stay here for awhile?" Kyuu's mother asks with a grin much to Kyuu's surprise. "Wait, what?" Kyuu asks in a surprised tone along with a shocked expression. The girl nervously chuckles as the boy's mother glances at him with a grin.
Kyuu's mother explains that last night, she and the mysterious girl talk together. The girl claims that she's from Shibuya and she comes to Tokyo to study for high school. She also claims that her parents can't afford a place to stay there, so she decides to go there on her own and find her own job for her own sake. However, it proves to be much more difficult than she thought.
"…So… Minako-san," Kyuu quietly said, "You… Decided to stay here until you graduate?"
"Yes," the girl nods in response, "I've managed to contact my parents and they agree to let me stay here."
"I already talked to her parents and they both agreed," Kyuu's mom said, which surprises the boy knowing that the girl doesn't seem to have parents.
"Isn't that nice, Kyuu?" Kyuu's mother asks, "To celebrate Minako-chan's arrival, I'll fix up a special dinner just for the three of us."
"Special dinner?" Dark Magician Girl asks in an excited tone much to Kyuu's dismay.
-/-
Afterwards, Kyuu's mother leaves the house for work.
Since Kyuu doesn't have school today, he decides to go and talk to Dark Magician Girl privately at his room.
"So… 'Minako-san,' I got a few questions here," Kyuu said in a cool tone while walking around like a bad cop as the girl giggles due to his funny antics, "First of all, what do you mean by 'parents'? Did you made that up and how did you-"
"I just used my magic to transfer my voice to the phone. Of course, I have to change my voice," Dark Magician Girl quickly cuts off the boy's conversation with a smile leaving Kyuu stunned.
"I'm sorry, Master… But I have to lie to your mother. I cannot let your mother know about me or the Tsukumogami War. It's far too dangerous to involve her."
"…So last night… When I used that card and faint… You drag me around until my mom saw us and she took us both home, am I right?"
"Yes, Master."
"Well, thanks for saving me… But what about the other girl?" Kyuu asks referring to his friend from school, Kyoko, who is also at the scene of the 'war' but she is knocked out.
"Oh, that sleeping girl? When your mom found us, she regained conscious and she doesn't seem to recall what happened. She just went straight to her home."
After hearing the news, Kyuu is relieved that Kyoko is safe though he decides to visit her later just to make sure that she's okay.
"Okay, can you tell what's going on here?" Kyuu asks as he shows her the card with her image engraved on it along with the deck of Spell Cards, "I promised to tell and now I am going to tell you. But please, try to remain calm," Dark Magician Girl said as she takes a deep breath.
"First of all, I'm a Tsukumogami Spirit. You know, an artifact spirit," Dark Magician Girl points at the card on Kyuu's hand before she points at the card deck, "Our artifacts were scattered throughout this city. Whoever possesses our artifact will become their Tsukumogami. You found my artifact, so I am your Tsukumogami Spirit. Other than that, you become a Summoner."
"A… Summoner?"
"Yes, a Summoner is a special human being that can summon his or her own Tsukumogami Spirits. When a person obtains a Tsukumogami Spirit, that person is given the ability to use magic through Spell Cards. Each spell has its different effects that are either advantage or disadvantage along with its cost. The card you used, the Restoration spell, drains your stamina. That's why you felt so tired last night."
"I see…" Kyuu mutters as he examines the deck until he finds the Restoration spell card. Knowing that each spell can drain his stamina too, he has to be careful if he is going to choose another Spell Card. "Wait, did you say 'summon his or her own Tsukumogami Spirits?'" Kyuu asks when he notices something different in the girl's statement; she said 'Spirits' rather than 'Spirit.'
"Each Summoner can use multiple Tsukumogami Spirits, but according to the war's rules, a Summoner can only hold three Tsukumogami Spirits," Minako explains further.
"And you're probably thinking why I looked like this," the girl said as she gestures her arms around her body, "We Tsukumogami Spirits are formless so we needed to take forms if we're going to participate the 'war,' so we decided to take forms of characters from fiction and myth. That way, we're able to differentiate ourselves from the real people."
Dark Magician Girl also explains about the rules of the war. It is stated that normal people must NOT know anything about the Tsukumogami War, not even their own family. If someone breaks these rules, they will be stripped out of their powers and their Tsukumogami Spirits, thus they are disqualified from the war.
"So that's another reason you change your name, huh?"
"Of course, Master. I cannot let people know that I'm a Tsukumogami Spirit."
"…Okay, now tell me… What is this 'war' last night?" Kyuu calmly asks, but the girl suddenly silence for a while.
"…The Tsukumogami War, it's a war between Summoners fighting among themselves for a long time. Summoners have already existed in this world since the 16th century. It is said that the last Summoner standing will be given a 'gift,' but every year, new Summoners continue to enter the war so it's endless. You, my Master, are one of the newer Summoners of this year. However, at daylight, the Summoners are just normal people."
Kyuu couldn't believe what he is hearing, a mysterious war that is said to have lasted for a long time since the 16th century. The boy stares at the girl who is smiling at him, "At daylight, we Tsukumogami Spirits have the option to pretend to be normal humans or return to their artifacts. I decided to be a real girl."
"The war only happens at night. At a certain period during the night, an alternate reality known as the In'ei Reality will shift into your reality. You did experience the change, right?" Dark Magician Girl asks Kyuu.
The boy clearly remembers what happen last night…
X
When he woke up after he obtained the girl's artifact, he noticed that the streets were almost deserted as if the people have left the entire city.
The only people he see are his friend Kyoko and the Summoner with his Tsukumogami Spirit, Ajani.
X
Kyuu realizes that he does ends up at the In'ei Reality since there are no people around. The Summoners fight only in the In'ei Reality, which explains the fact that no one has ever heard of the Tsukumogami War. However, he notices that Kyoko is there too and she doesn't have any Tsukumogami Spirits with her. It appears that some normal people can somehow enter the In'ei Reality but their memory of that reality will be erased when they return to the real world. Only Summoners can retain their memory of the In'ei Reality and the Tsukumogami War.
"Wait, so how long does the war lasts in one night?" Kyuu quickly asks.
"It's usually an hour, Master, but the In'ei Reality shift happens differently each night. Sometimes it doesn't shift at all," Dark Magician Girl explains.
The boy begins to ponder about the Tsukumogami War and deduces that the war is somehow connected with the murder case, the Nighttime Murders.
If you think about it, the cause of death is quite brutal. The recent murder is a man in his late 30s who is found dead at a certain alley with the victim's torso cut by something sharp. The fact that the police isn't able to find any clues, the murder weapon, or any witnesses, it can be assumed that it is the work of a Summoner. The victim must have ended up in the In'ei Reality where he has been murdered by one of the Summoners.
Soon, Kyuu begins to explain to Dark Magician Girl about the murders including the fourth murder much to her surprise. "Wait… That cannot be right," Minako the Dark Magician Girl with a distraught expression; she explains that the Summoners never kill any normal human without any reason. However, the rules don't state anything about killing non-Summoners. In other words, the Summoners do have the option to kill normal people that end up in the In'ei Reality.
"…But who set this so-called war?" Kyuu asks.
"Strangely, I never knew about it. I'm a new generation of the spirits, so I don't know who made this Tsukumogami War," she replies.
The mystery deepens even further after learning the existence of the Tsukumogami War.
While the Summoners are fighting over a 'gift,' someone among them secretly kills people that end up at the In'ei Reality without being noticed. The boy suspects that someone is using the Tsukumogami War as a weapon to kill people though he doesn't know the killer's motives. To make things more complicated, Kyuu is a Summoner so he has to participate in the war.
"…Guess I have to join this Tsukumogami War," Kyuu said in a calm expression, "Whoever's behind this must be stopped. I'll join, but I will NOT kill a Summoner. I'm not an executioner. My goal is to prevent that killer from using the war to kill his victims."
"There's no way the police can do it… Who'd believe that the murderer kills people by entering a supernatural world?" Kyuu asks while raising his shoulders as the girl remains silent, but she understands what the boy means. "It's not just that… It's this entire war. What 'gift' are they talking about? And it lasted since the 16th century? That's almost impossible to believe. It's far too suspicious for my taste."
"So do you want to join the war?" the girl humbly asks as the boy nods as a response, "Yeah, we're the only ones who know about this war," the boy said back.
"But Dark Magician Girl… Or Minako… If we're going to be partners, you gotta stop calling me 'Master,'" Kyuu stands up as he approaches the girl and raises his hand toward her, "So call me Kyuu, okay?"
The girl nods her head with a gentle smile as she shakes the boy's hand, "Of course, Master Kyuu."
"…That's close enough," Kyuu chuckles whilst sweat dropping since the girl still address him as 'Master.'
-/-
After Dark Magician Girl explains everything about the mysterious Tsukumogami War especially that the war is connected to the murder case, Kyuu ponders about the war and the case until the boy decides to investigate the location of the recent crime.
If Kyuu's theory about the murder and war is connected, he needs solid evidence to support his theory.
The problem is that the police are still investigating the scene of the crime making it difficult for the two to investigate the area. With that in mind, Kyuu thinks that they should investigate the crime scene without being caught by the police.
"Master Kyuu… Don't you think that's a bit too far?" Dark Magician Girl asks in a worried tone, "What if we get caught by the police?"
"Oh, relax, Minako-san," Kyuu said with a cheerful expression, "Trust me, I know the area well. There's no way the police can catch us snooping around!"
Street
11:00 AM
"…You were saying, Master?" Dark Magician Girl moans in a disappointed expression because the police officers catch her and her master!
The scene of the crime is actually a small alley near Kyoko's neighborhood.
"You two!" One of the police officers shouts as he takes both Kyuu and Minako out of the scene.
"This is a serious murder investigation!" the officer tosses the two out of the area into the local street.
"If I catch you two snooping around again or I'll put you in a cell!"
Once the officer storms off, Kyuu sighs disappointed that his plan doesn't work as Dark Magician Girl/Minako tells him that he should reconsider his plan first.
"Master, it's no use. We can't inspect the crime scene with those men around," Dark Magician Girl said as Kyuu quickly stands up. The boy turns his attention toward his Tsukumogami Spirit, "Yeah, guess it can't help," Kyuu mutters as he helps the female spirit up.
"Now what're we supposed to do? Without any clear evidence, we can't confirm if the killer is a Summoner," Dark Magician Girl said to her Master much to his dismay. However, the boy doesn't give up that easily as his detective intuition tells him that the clues are still at the crime scene. "Or… You can just go and investigate the previous crime scenes?" Dark Magician Girl asks which surprises the boy.
"Damn, why didn't I think of it?" Kyuu said in an annoyed tone as he grips his right fist until he turns his attention toward Minako, "If the previous murders were caused by a Summoner, then there has to be clues that the police missed," Kyuu said to his spirit. The two agrees that they should go and investigate the first three murders hoping that they will find the clue.
Just when they're about to depart to the other locations, someone suddenly calls Kyuu's name from behind.
The boy nervously looks behind only to see Kyoko, the shy girl from his school!
"K-Kyoko-san? W-What're you doing here?" Kyuu nervously asks as he steps backward much to Kyoko's confusion. "I… Was about to ask you the same question," Kyoko said back to the boy with a confused expression until she notices Minako who is standing next to Kyuu.
"Who're you?" Kyoko kindly asks as Dark Magician Girl/Minako bows toward the shy girl, "Hi, my name is Minako. I'm new here," Minako said with a smile.
Kyoko stares at the blonde-haired girl as the boy quickly strikes another conversation.
"Yeah, that's right. She's new here so I thought that I should show her around," Kyuu nervously said while folding his hands. However, Kyoko feels that the boy is suspicious as she recognizes the alley. The shy student is quiet all the sudden until she quickly steps forward when she finally notices that the alley is actually the crime scene of the fourth victim, "You're not trying to drag her to this Nighttime Murders case, aren't you?" she asks in a worried expression much to the boy's dismay.
"Kyuu-kun, please don't you try to solve this case, it's really dangerous! Especially if you're dragging a complete stranger into this mess," Kyoko said toward Kyuu.
"H-Hey, Kyoko-chan, I wasn't trying to solve a mystery here," Kyuu nervously said as his hands are trembling. The boy tries to think of another reason to convince his schoolmate that he isn't trying to solve the murder case until the blonde-haired girl quickly talks to the shy student to defend Kyuu.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about," Dark Magician Girl/Minako approaches Kyoko with a gentle voice and mild expression, "Kyuu here is showing me around, so don't worry about it. I'm sure that we'll be good friends."
"…Okay then," the shy girl nods in response as she turns her attention toward the detective freak, "Kyuu-kun, please don't try anything funny, okay?"
Kyoko eventually leaves the street after she is convinced that Kyuu is not trying to solve the murder case much to the boy's relief.
"Thanks… You saved me," Kyuu murmurs in a relieved tone as the girl glances at the boy, "So who was that?" she asks. "She's my schoolmate, Kyoko Hachikawa," Kyuu begins to explain about his school with Minako while they depart to the other crime scenes.
While they're on their way to the crime scene, the two begins to talk together as Dark Magician Girl is interested with Kyuu's old school especially his dream of being a detective. Even thought Dark Magician Girl is a Tsukumogami Spirit, she acts almost like a real human, as she is able to understand and talk like one.
-/-
The two soon arrive at one of the crime scenes, the local park.
The first victim was a woman in her mid 20s.
She was found murdered in park with her head, arms, and legs were forcefully removed from her body. The witnesses and the police were puzzled by the vicious murder, as they were even more puzzled that the killer left no clues behind.
"Here it is," Kyuu points at a small bench with a fountain behind it.
They found the body lying south of the bench.
"The police inspected the body, they say nothing was stolen from the poor woman," Kyuu explains as he approaches the ground where the body is found. The victim's body may be removed, but the boy can still smell the odor of blood on the ground. Dark Magician Girl decides to join the investigation as she approaches the boy.
"I think I can help, Master Kyuu. We, the Tsukumogami Spirits, have the power to sense any energy of a Summoner through contact," Dark Magician Girl said as she raises her left hand whilst pointing her other hand toward her left hand. The fact that they're facing a case that involves a Summoner, the boy has no choice but to allow Dark Magician Girl to touch the ground where the body is found.
Dark Magician Girl lowers her left hand toward the ground and eventually touches it.
Upon touching the ground, she senses a faint energy that belongs to a Summoner!
"So… It IS the work of a Summoner," Kyuu said in a distraught tone, "Then the other murders… I think we have to inspect the other two murders. We can worry about the fourth murder later."
The blonde-haired girl nods in response.
They begin to investigate the other two crime scenes:
- The body of a middle-aged man found at a cemetery near the park
- The body of a female college student found at an abandoned apartment near the cemetery
Dark Magician Girl touches the grounds where the bodies are and she senses that both have similar energy that belongs to a Summoner. Kyuu's theory is true since a Tsukumogami Spirit is able to sense a Summoner's energy from the three murders except for the recent one that is found at the alley near the abandoned apartment. Although Dark Magician Girl is able to sense the killer's energy, they lack the proof that a Summoner is behind the gruesome murders forcing the two to work alone.
Now the question is… What is the killer's motive?
Why does the killer murdered those people?
The answers remain unclear unless Kyuu and his Tsukumogami Spirit are able to track down the killer.
-/-
Kyuu and Dark Magician Girl arrive at a restaurant after a long investigation.
The two orders some soda drinks to refresh their stamina.
"So we finally know that our killer is a Summoner," Kyuu slowly sips his drink, "But we don't know the killer's identity. If only we had other leads besides those energies…"
As the boy tries to figure out the solution to figure out how to get close to the victim's bodies to see if he can find any clues to pinpoint the killer's identity. Dark Magician Girl touches her finger on her forehead thinking of an answer to their problem.
As she tries to think of a solution to find the killer, the boy finally figures out another way to identify the killer… Or rather, catch the killer himself.
"Minako-san, we'll go catch the killer tonight," Kyuu said with a lighten expression.
Dark Magician Girl glances at Kyuu with a confused expression as she urges him to explain his answer. "Look, I'll explain later," Kyuu said as he holds the girl's hands, "Right now, let's go back home. I want to know more about these cards."
Dark Magician Girl is still confused since this is a big city, it's almost impossible to figure out where the killer might strike, but she has faith that her Master knows what he is doing since he's a detective fanatic. As a result, she and Kyuu depart back home.
However, they are unaware that the boy with an eye patch on his right eye and has a small vertical shaped scar beneath his left eye is also at the restaurant sitting across Kyuu's and Minako's table eating some fried chickens. The mysterious boy quickly notices the two and he recognizes them. "Well… If it isn't the newbie and his pretty Tsukumogami Spirit," the mysterious boy thought with a grin as he watches the two exits the restaurant.
The mysterious boy begins to get interested with Kyuu and his spirit, so he decides to follow them.
Kyuu's Home
3:40 PM
"Alright," Kyuu is seen at his room sitting with Minako/Dark Magician Girl.
"Can I still use these cards even at daylight?" Kyuu asks as he picks up his deck from his belt. The girl nods as she explains that a Summoner can draw one card at a time. Once the boy draws a card, he is unable to draw another card until he uses the one at his hand. However, if the card that he draws is irrelevant in battle, he can always put the card back into the deck, but it will magically shuffle his deck.
Kyuu decides to test it out.
He picks up one of the cards from his deck and puts it back. As a result, his deck shines with a yellow light as he can hear flipping sounds within the light. Once the light fades, the flipping sounds stop.
"There you go, Master Kyuu. Your deck has been shuffled," Dark Magician Girl said.
She also explains about the Primary Cards.
The Primary Cards are the four floating cards with Latin language written on each card. They are the basic cards that can be used on the Tsukumogami Spirits divided into categories: Physical Offense, Physical Defense, Magical Offense, and Magical Defense.
As the names stated, the physical ones are fit for Tsukumogami Spirits that use physical attacks while the magical ones are for the spirits that use magic.
Dark Magician Girl is magic-based so she must use the Magical Offense and Magical Defense. Once a Tsukumogami Spirit merges with a Primary Card, it will give them different powers and abilities.
"Another thing, Master Kyuu, each Summoner has his or her own weapon that takes form of a card at first. At some point, you will draw a Weapon Card, a special type of card that can transform into a weapon for the Summoner," Dark Magician Girl explains as she approaches the boy and points her index finger toward his deck, "Once you are equipped with the weapon, you will no longer be vulnerable. The weapon will give you power no matter how weak you are, so you must use that as an advantage."
"Last night, we manage to beat that man's Tsukumogami Spirit, Ajani. If we manage to defeat our opponent's Tsukumogami Spirits, then we will be declared as winners. However, there is another way to win," Dark Magician Girl said as she looks away with a worried expression, "If… If the Summoner gets hurt and unable to fight any further, then that Summoner will lose even if his or her Tsukumogami Spirits are still fresh."
"So… I guess that's all for today," Dark Magician Girl kindly said.
"Now, Master… Tell me why we're going to find that killer tonight?" the girl asks.
"Well, I just notice something," Kyuu decides to explain his answer to the befuddled girl.
"While we were investigating the murder scenes, I notice something…" Kyuu explains while he slowly walks around the room like a detective, "The first victim is found at a park, the second victim is found at a cemetery, the third victim is found at an abandoned apartment, and finally the fourth victim is found at an alley."
"Do you find anything odd about them?"
The girl notices something about the places until she begins to realize what the boy is saying.
"Master Kyuu… When we move to one place to another, we seem to arrive at the place a little fast," Dark Magician Girl places four cards in a straight line and imagines the cards as the murder scenes.
She points her finger at the first card as the park and then points at the second card as the cemetery, "These two places are close, so we got to the cemetery in five minutes."
The girl then points her finger toward the third card as the abandoned apartment, "Then we investigate at this apartment, it takes about five minutes to get here."
Finally, she points her finger at the fourth card as the alley, "If we were to go here, then it would take five minutes to get there as well."
"So… You're saying…" Dark Magician Girl finally realizes that the locations are connected and that the killer's next target would be somewhere near the alley. However, the places are dark and gloomy so it's harder for people to see. In other words, these are the perfect locations for the killer to attack his victims without notice.
"So… What's the closest place near the alley?" Dark Magician Girl asks.
"Well, there's a bridge with a small canal below it and an old hospital," Kyuu replies.
"…Wow, Master Kyuu… You figure that out all by yourself?" Dark Magician Girl said in awe as she glances at her master with sparkling eyes (a hinted sign of admiration for her master). "Y-Yeah…" Kyuu is rather embarrassed to get a compliment from his Tsukumogami Spirit especially that she is a girl, "Sometimes, the clues can be hiding in our hands all along. Those places ARE the clues to the killer's next move."
"So we either go to the bridge or the hospital. Guess we have to make our move before the killer does," Kyuu said which Dark Magician Girl also agrees.
With that in mind, the two decides to go back outside once it gets dark…
-/-
Few hours later…
Street
6:30 PM
Kyuu and Dark Magician Girl are at the top of a building located between the bridge and the hospital.
"Master Kyuu, are you sure that we should tell your mother that we're going out?" Dark Magician Girl asks, "Your mother said that she's going to prepare a special dinner for us."
"Oh, don't worry, Minako-san. As long as we got home on time, she won't be mad with us," Kyuu sheepishly said as he watches the streets below.
As the boy continues to watch, he immediately notices that the people below begin to fade away!
The streets begin to darken as the moon suddenly disappears in the sky. The city itself is covered in darkness as the boy begins to hear loud roars and sword clashes throughout the city.
"…So… We're in the In'ei Reality…"
-In'ei Reality-
Schatten Night
Street
Kyuu doesn't believe it with his own eyes, but his eyes aren't deceiving him as it is clearly real.
As he looks behind to see his friend, he finds that Dark Magician Girl's dress transforms back to her original, blue-colored magician dress.
"So during the In'ei Reality, you'll transform back to your true form," Kyuu assumes as he approaches her.
"Oh, one last thing I have to tell you, Master," Minako suddenly said as she quickly approaches him, "Each night has different type. We're currently under the Schatten Night. It means 'Shadow' in Germany."
"During the Schatten Night within the In'ei Reality, the city will be engulfed in darkness so it will be a bit difficult to see," Dark Magician Girl takes out her staff as she uses her magic to create a small, glitter of light to her staff, "If we stay close, we'll be able to see our way through."
"Right, I'll take a look below," Kyuu quickly goes back to the edge of the building's rooftop and watches the streets below, "Let's just hope that we don't fight a Summoner that isn't the killer."
The boy carefully views the city as he looks at the hospital located at the east.
All the sudden, he notices a shadowy figure is walking around near the entrance to hospital!
"Oh crap! That must be the killer," Kyuu growls as Dark Magician Girl joins him and sees the shadow at the hospital's entrance. "We gotta get down there right away before that he murders another victim!"
"You got it, Master Kyuu," Dark Magician Girl quickly grabs the boy.
"Whoa, hey, what're you-"
Dark Magician Girl suddenly flies in midair whilst holding Kyuu!
"Hold on, we're going down now!" Dark Magician Girl yells as she speeds up her flight much to Kyuu's dismay. Dark Magician Girl flies toward the hospital at great speed hoping to catch up with the killer in time. However, she is oblivious that Kyuu is screaming for his life as she thinks that her master is enjoying with the flight.
Hospital
Dark Magician Girl and her master arrive at the hospital's entrance.
She lands safely once she slows down her speed only to notice that Kyuu is having a stroke with his heart pounding heavily.
"Hehe… Sorry, Master Kyuu," Dark Magician Girl nervously said whilst sweat dropping until Kyuu suddenly snaps back to reality. The boy immediately holds the girl by her hand in anger as he scolds her about her 'flight' being too fast that it traumatizes the poor boy. "N-Next time, don't you DARE take me to fly! I-I nearly got a heart attack because of you!" Kyuu angrily said with a flustered expression.
"I'm sorry, Master… I didn't know that I was going too fast," Dark Magician Girl sadly said as she bows to her Master asking for forgiveness.
However, they have no time for that as Kyuu hears someone moaning for help nearby!
"Quick, this way!" The two quickly runs to the right where they find someone lying on the ground. To their shock, they see a large figure holding a large axe standing in front of the person. Thankfully, they arrive just time before the figure kills another victim.
"Damn… So this Tsukumogami Spirit belongs to the killer…" Kyuu anxiously said as Dark Magician Girl prepares to fight the figure. As soon as the girl raises her staff to lighten the dark place, they see that the figure is beast-like creature with glowing eyes…
"Hmph, so it's another Summoner…" The beast said in a threatening tone as they see another shadowy figure behind the beast, "But a new one."
Both Kyuu and Dark Magician Girl recognize the humanoid beast… It is Vorse Raider!
"I have no time for weaklings like you," the shadowy figure said as he reveals to be a man in his mid 30s wearing a formal uniform, "So scram or you will be my master's next victim," the Vorse Raider also said as he aims his large axe toward the two. The spirit's threatening words confirm that the Tsukumogami Spirit does belong to the killer of the Nighttime Murder.
"So… You're behind the murders," Kyuu said in an angered tone, "Why… Why did you killed those people?"
"Enough talk, I won't discuss my beliefs to a child like you," the man said as he suddenly shows his deck!
And so, Kyuu and Dark Magician Girl finally meet the mysterious man who is behind the murders as they prepare to fight the killer and his Tsukumogami Spirit… The Vorse Raider.
To be continued…
A/N: Finally, Kyuu and his partner, Dark Magician Girl, confront the killer or is it? The true Tsukumogami War will begin at the next chapter as the two will fight the killer and his Tsukumogami Spirits at his disposal.
The Tsukumogami that appear in this fic are:
Vorse Raider
Known as Blood Vorse in Japan from Yu-Gi-Oh! He is a wicked Beast-Warrior who does every horrid thing imaginable and loves it! His axe bears the marks of his countless victims. He is currently the Tsukumogami of a serial killer, but he isn't the only Tsukumogami Spirit that the killer has.