Nanaya… Nanaya… where has that name struck out before? Why is it so apparent in his mind that it must haunt him in his sleep? The white-haired red-eyed devil known as Nanaya still disturbs his sleep to this day. The acts committed by such a man shouldn't have been brought to fruition in any form of the word… and yet here another Nanaya stands.

"Zero" – Regular Speech

'Zero' – Thoughts

"Zero" – Unknown Speech

"Zero" – Spell/Technique

[Courtroom, Tristain Academy]

"Could you please say that again young man?"

"My name… It's not Shiki Tohno. My name is Shiki Nanaya." The highschool boy addressed himself once more as he stood there in the courtroom.

Whispers began to flood about the room as the people of the council started to talk amongst them. It was hard to make out exactly what they were saying but Shiki got the gist of it. He knew that this was a 'grave offense' and that he would be paying a price from such an offense but he didn't really care about it anymore. His actions had brought Louise in danger and put her into the spotlight. He wasn't about to let a bunch of old men have their way with her especially when it was his fault for having the incidents take place.

"Look, I understand how things must be in your eyes. A 'Plebian' has the gall to even state his position in the affairs of nobles… I understand." Shiki told the men as he walked up to Louise's position. He had read books before about how the nobility were above those of the average men. After speaking with Osmund regarding Nobles and Plebians, he had a decent idea on how things were resolved here.

Still though, trying to remain steadfast as his eyes were starting to bug him, Shiki stood next to the dumbfounded Louise as he reached her. The lines of death were still penetrating deep within his cranium as he saw them outline the entire room… he didn't care though as his will to proceed forward was much greater than that.

"W-What the hell are you doing you stupid-" Shiki didn't let her finish as he knew he wouldn't have much time to speak, let alone argue.

"I only want to say this as my pride as a human and a demon hunter won't let me live this down should your judgment take place." Shiki stated as he placed his hand on his chest. "I wish to be tried upon my own actions and not to have them placed upon someone else. This I implore upon the court as my… master… stands accused here today."

Murmuring once again echoed throughout the courtroom as Shiki closed his eyes to reserve his strength. Leaning on Louise a little, almost subconsciously, the highschool boy started to feel the toll upon his body as the continued use of his eyes battered his skull. It was only a few more moments until the sounds died down. It was almost synchronized now that Shiki thought about it as Headmaster Osmund began to speak again.

"Shiki Nanaya, your actions as a Familiar have been unacceptable in Tristain Academy and reflect a poor judgment upon your Master, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Under Section 3, Paragraph C in our Code of Conduct, you have violated the terms and policies of the students at the Academy and thus must be punished…" Osmund gave his verdict as he looked at Shiki with a stern look.

It didn't end there though… it was odd to say the least as it wasn't within the style of Osmund to do such a thing… at least that's what Shiki thought when the old mage gave a genuine smile.

"However… your determination to stand up for your Master despite your actions as previously stated are commendable. As such I am willing to try you separately without reprimanding your Master-" He was interrupted in his speech when a man from the far corner interjected.

"Wait a moment, you can't truly be thinking of letting her off with this, can you Headmaster?!" A robed man, indiscernible to the human eye, rejected as he rose from his chair. "This Plebian has made an attempt on a Noble's life and you just want to brush it under the rug? The very thought is just-"

"I will have you know that my judgment is absolute here Sir Faust…" Headmaster Osmund said as he too rose from his chair to confront the robed figure. "Your concern has been noted and thus will be taken into account. Now please take your seat as we have more pressing matters at hand." He forced the mage to hold his tongue as the one addressed as 'Sir Faust' begrudgingly took his seat.

"Now, as I was saying… you will be tried separately as per your request. I have deemed this case to be an exception due to the current circumstances being presented forth. All those for?" Headmaster Osmund asked as several rose their wands, making a blue orb to symbolize their support for the movement.

"Now all those against?" Once again several wands went into the air, including 'Sir Faust's' wand as he was avidly against the entire idea. This time though instead of the glow being blue, it turned into a crimson red.

"I see… 9 votes for, 7 votes against. The movement has been approved. We shall try Shiki Nanaya separately." Headmaster Osmund stated with a slight grin pasted beneath his beard as things were going as planned.

Grumbling to himself as his notion was denied, Sir Faust took his seat again with a glaring look of disgust being directed at the boy. Their gazes met for just a brief moment before he went back to whispering to his colleagues but the message was definitely sent… if they were to meet under different circumstances that would warrant any hostilities, he would surely take them.

"Now that this has devolved from a Noble trying to a Plebian charge, I ask that we adjourn and resume at a later time once we've all taken the time to cool our heads." Headmaster Osmund implored the council in a slightly cheery voice as the atmosphere started to turn for the worse.

He could see from the face of his colleagues that they were just egging to finish this Plebian off. He wouldn't receive a fair trial and he surely wouldn't have his voice be heard from this angered group of 'peers' so he decided it would be in everyone's best interest to reconvene at a later time. Such was the wisdom of one so old. Despite his actions and how he addressed Shiki on matters, he was an understanding man with a plethora of knowledge at his fingertips at any point in time. His charismatic presence and overall leadership qualities only paid more tribute to him being the headmaster of the Academy as he quickly diffused the situation.

Following the flow of how things were going, Shiki finally decided to address the situation with Louise as she was completely flabbergasted at what had just transpired. The look on her face was priceless as he walked out with her into the hallway.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you idiotic mutt?!" She screamed at her familiar as she punched him in the arm a couple of times before searching for her wand as she felt the need to discipline him further. It didn't ring out in her mind until a few moments into her searching when she realized that her wand had been taken by the Headmaster due to her courtroom hearing.

"You're lucky I don't have my wand you stupid dog or I would… I would…" The last part of it couldn't really be described into words as she groaned in frustration to herself as she felt powerless at the time to do anything to reprimand him.

"Okay, calm down Louise… there's a reason why I said all that in there-" He was interrupted once again at the flying tornado of anger that was known as 'Louise the Zero'.

"I don't care if there's a reason behind what you're doing! What you're doing is stupid to say the least! Do you have any idea of the consequences of your actions? What repercussions could transpire because of your foolish initiative?!" Louise yelled at him once more as she kept her arms tight against the sides of her body with her fist balled into little orbs of furious anger.

"I-I get it… your pride as noble has been hurt and-" This time instead of just being 'mildly' interrupted, Shiki was slapped across the face as she had completely lost all control in herself.

"Baka! Baka!" She said as she smacked her fist against his chest, crying as she tried to keep the pent up emotions inside of her under control. "You don't get it at all! You just go off and do your own thing without the permission from your master and you don't take into account my feelings at all! Don't do something so stupid ever again!" She screamed at him, hoping that her mixed feelings would settle themselves as she used him as her own punching bag.

Shiki, like most of the time when it came to Louise, was shocked at the display he had seen. He had never thought that this little heroine could feel those types of emotions. The power behind her strikes were nothing to scoff about either… they left a decent mark across his face and his chest finally started to resonate with a dull sense of pain after getting hit about 15 times.

Simply smiling at how much she actually 'cared' about him, Shiki placed his hand upon her head and began to ruffle it slightly as she continued to hit him. It was less physically powerful this time but the message was clear. She didn't want him to be put into harm's way. It was her way of showing her aristocratic rank. Things are supposed to be taken care of at her level. It shouldn't be forced back upon the lower classes to deal with a problem that starts with the aristocrats and nobles.

"Okay. I understand." Shiki said, feeling like he was slightly lying as he recalled what had happened back in Headmaster Osmund's office. "The Staff of Destruction… huh…?" Shiki said aloud as his thoughts bled through to him speaking it.

"I see you've heard of the staff then." A familiar voice stated from around the corner as it was soon revealed to be Headmaster Osmund.

"H-Headmaster! Sir! I can explain my familiar's behavior, please don't-" Louise started before Headmaster Osmund raised his hand up to silence her.

"It's quite alright my dear. I myself am starting to like this boy here and what he's shown here today is responsibility. However, this is not something that can be brushed aside so easily. It's not like I can just make it all go away since I'm the Headmaster, it's much more complicated than that." He said with a smile as he looked towards Shiki once more.

"Now, about the Staff of Destruction… where did you hear that from?" Headmaster Osmund asked as he stroked his beard inquisitively.

"It was from your secretary with the green hair. She said something about a Staff of Destruction before trying to-" he didn't finish his thought as he looked back at Louise and recalled what she had just said to him. "-Before she got away." He corrected himself.

"Did she say anything else? Anything that might be considered odd to you?" The old mage asked as he knew Shiki was holding something back from him.

"S-She said she worked for a man named 'Shadow'. I'm not entirely sure who this 'Shadow' is but I've come into contact with him before. It happened last night. He appeared within the courtyard as if from the darkness itself and commanded a beast made of pure black energy." Shiki described the man as he brought out all he could in the most detail possible.

"What's odd about him though… is that he wears a white mask that obscures half of his face. Only his lips and jaw can be seen so I don't know who he is or what his face looks like." Shiki informed the wise mage as he seemed to catch his interest with each hanging word.

"I see…" The Headmaster replied with a slightly more concerned look before immediately recomposing himself, bringing a bright smile to his face as he looked at them. "Well, nothing we can do about it now. We'll just have to roll with the punches." He replied with that façade of his as he was rather good at not looking angry or concerned.

"What do you mean 'roll with the punches'?" Shiki asked, slightly confused by the way he said it.

"She probably already has the staff in her possession. It's been some time now that I've suspected her to be Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt but I didn't expect her to act this soon." The mage said before shrugging it off as if it were nothing. "Well, nothing can be done about it now… if she were smart, which she is, she'd leave here now while everyone is distracted with this debacle manifested from your actions Shiki."

"That was never my intentions sir. I never meant to hurt anyone… just teach a kid a lesson in manners." Shiki replied, trying to defend his position.

"Hehehe…" The old man chuckled a little under his beard. "While our actions may be in the best interests of ourselves or for others, doesn't mean there won't be repercussions for those actions Shiki." The wise man said in a cryptic yet understandable demeanor.

"Our actions will be for another time Shiki Tohno- Oh, I'm sorry… it's Nanaya now, right?" Osmund asked with a smile.

"Y-Yes… It's Nanaya…" Shiki replied, slightly shaken that he had addressed himself as a Nanaya and not a Tohno.

The image within his mind of the flaming-eyed white-haired man had been emblazed upon cranium. He seemed so similar and yet so distant from him. His identity seemed to be on the tip of his tongue yet it escaped his memory.

"May I ask why you changed your last name? It seems rather odd to have only just recently met you to then reclassify yourself as an entirely different person." The old wizard asked, slightly troubled by the name this boy had taken upon himself.

"That's… kind of hard to explain." Shiki admitted as he tried to recall the name of the man. He didn't exactly know why he complied with his subconscious as it had to have been a figment of his imagination. Someone with that type of commanding presence couldn't truly exist… right?

"Regardless, we have some time before the court reconvenes for your trial Shiki… I suggest you-" He wasn't able to finish his statement when a large rumble shook the very foundation of the school. From the sounds and the feeling of it, it was almost as if the earth beneath them was being shifted by the formation of a mountain.

Looking from one end of the hall to the other, Shiki quickly felt the hair on his neck stand tall as his senses became more acute. Something screamed at him to duck so much that he yelled it out.

"Duck!" he yelled at the two of them as a large pillar-like mass of earth plowed through the stone wall, decimating all within its path.

Dragging itself along the wall at the base of the structure, the building started to wane as its support started to crack and bend. Within seconds parts of the area started to cave in as people screamed in their attempts to evacuate. Shards of rock and wood fell from overhead as Osmund quickly brought up his staff. With a quick swing and a few intangible words that Shiki couldn't make out, the debris stopped in mid-air before harmlessly drifting to the floor.

"Hmph! I knew you were tenacious but I didn't think you were that tenacious Osmund!" A familiar yet sinister female voice stated as her emerald hair whisked about from the wind.

As her apparition came into view, Osmund sighed as he knew the worst had happened. The woman had the 'Staff of Destruction' imbedded in her golem's chest as she was trying to use it as a catalyst for her summoning.

"T-That's…" Shiki noted aloud as he peered over at the object protruding from the golem's torso.

"…Yes. That's the Staff of Destruction." The headmaster completed Shiki's thought as he knew exactly what the object was.

"No… no that's not a staff, it's a launcher. That thing is a rocket launcher." Shiki recalled from his past history lessons back in school.

It looked to be like the M-72 LAW rocket launcher that was used back in the Vietnam War but Shiki couldn't be sure. He wasn't THAT attentive in school to have such a photographic memory. Regardless, the young man stumbled to his feet as he now had a card up his sleeve.

'If they think this thing is a staff that can be wielded by mages… then that means they really don't know what it is.' Shiki surmised as he looked at the golem-riding female.

"You're not fooling me boy. You may say that this isn't the Staff of Destruction but I've seen its power. I know what it's capable of." The golem mage replied with a sneer.

"You're using it wrong. You're too blind and foolish to see it but you're using it completely wrong." Shiki retaliated as he reached for the knife in his pocket.

His vision was already pretty shaky. Without much rest inbetween the use of his eyes and having to constantly keep them open, it was starting to take its toll on him. The lines of death started to etch themselves more sporadically than usual. The points of existence that etched themselves from the lines like voids of nothingness seemed to pierce through his trembling vision. Looking up at the golem, he could see it all too clearly. He knew in an instant how to take down the ferocious foe before him as if it were just a simple toy just ready to be played with.

"Headmaster Osmund…" Shiki called out to the old man as he stood his ground. "…If I get the staff back for you, would you clear my classification charges as a threat to this school?" He asked, hoping to possibly gain something for his actions.

"I can't guarantee your charges will be revoked… but it wouldn't hurt your case." He said with a small smile. "Just don't kill my secretary. She's a good woman. A little odd with a nice rack but a good woman nonetheless." He said with a sigh as he leaned against the crumbling wall.

Using his magical power to stop the falling debris seemed to drain him as he was getting to his late years in life. It must have been a taxing experience as he seemed to breathe a little heavier than he normally did. His brittle bones and weak constitution aided him little in his endeavors to assist the young man… but he knew of his strength. He knew he could rely on him and thus decided leave it to the younger generation to deal with an old man's problems.

"Louise, I need you to take the Headmaster and get him to safety." Shiki asked the pink-haired girl as he held his dagger in hand.

"Don't order me around you stupid dog! I can help fight too!" She retorted back.

"Don't be an idiot. What do you think you can accomplish without your wand?" Shiki quickly quelled the young lady as he took a few steps forward. "You need to get out of here. If you don't, I can't guarantee your safety so please for the sake of the Headmaster; get yourselves to a safer location. Shiki stated before realizing that he hadn't kept his full attention on the problem at hand.

Seeing the large granite fist of the golem come straight to his face, Shiki quickly spun the blade around before slicing it along the line of death, cleaving the golem's arm off as if it were just butter. Having the two halves of the arm fall helplessly into rubble as it slid past him, Shiki took one last look at Louise.

"Now Louise! Get out of here!" He yelled at her, making the heroine jolt up from sheer surprise.

Pulling the grandmaster to his feet, the small girl had the old man lean on her for support as she started to make her way deeper into the building. She knew that she wouldn't have to go far in order to get into a safer location so she put up with the weight of the old man without much hassle. Her mind was elsewhere though. She didn't know why exactly but she truly was scared for what was to come for Shiki as she doubted him ability to hand the situation. If she were to lose him, what would she do?

"I see you like to play the hero, you stupid boy!" Fouquet announced from the shoulder of her golem. "If you think that sending the girl away will aid you I assure you, it won't make the slightest bit of difference." She pointed at the young man before laughing to her heart's content. "With the power of the Staff of Destruction… I am invincible!" She roared out before sending the remaining fist of the golem towards Shiki, crashing into the ground where he stood as a cloud of dirt encompassed his standing location.

"And I assure you…" A voice came out from behind her as the woman recognized what had happened, albeit not believing a single second of what had just occurred. "…It's not that I wanted to keep her safe that I sent her away." Shiki noted to her as he held the blade to her throat, seemingly deciding if he truly just wanted to end her right then and there.

"It's because I didn't want her to see what I would do to you, given the chance I've been so aptly presented before me." He stated with a vicious glare as he held her there.

"H-How did you get up here so quickly…?" Fouquet replied with a stiffened body as she tried her best not to tempt the boy to kill her.

"As I said, my name is Shiki Nanaya... and if that name means anything to you as it does to those old crones of the council, I suggest you heed my warning: Submit… or Die." He gave her a final warning, pushing his blade a little into her throat.

He made sure not to touch any of the lines that littered around her body. Despite him wanting to end her so badly, he held off the temptation. Regardless of his emotions in this battle, he had to have some answers from her. He needed to know who 'Shadow' was… even if it was just a little hint towards a greater goal, he had to know who the masked vigilante was.

"I… I yield… to no one!" Fouquet yelled back at the boy as she flicked her wand towards him, casting an elemental bolt of energy into the young man's torso.

This sent him flying from the golem it caught him off guard on how much power a mage held but he never thought that she would call him on his bluff. Who would've thought that a mission to obtain a stupid rocket launcher was so beneficial that it would cost someone their life? It made no sense to the boy.

Toppling across the ground like a ragdoll, Shiki felt the toll on his body take hold. He wouldn't be able to stand much longer, let alone fight, against this threat. He had maybe a few more seconds before he would have any strength left to muster… He couldn't use his lightning fast speed anymore, not with a gushing wound in his side. He couldn't get close enough to the girl either to deal a death blow to her. What was even more disadvantageous was that he didn't see a point of origin to kill the golem in one blow… he had to find a weakness and fast.

It was then that his eyes gazed upon the fabled 'Staff of Destruction'. With a wide grin plastered across his dirtied and bruised face, the young male mustered the rest of his strength into his right arm before spinning the blade around as he held it by the edge. Taking aim with what little accuracy he had left to gather, he let loose the blade with all his might. The blade flung like a bat out of hell, striking with a deafening quickness that would be on par with a lightning strike. Impaling itself into the point of origin of the 'Staff of Destruction', the M72 LAW rocket erupted from the explosive detonator inside it's contraption, destroying the golem from the inside out and sending the earth mage flying like a ragdoll as she bludgeoned her body against the ground.

Everything went black from there… Shiki had no strength left and with a gushing wound on his side, it looked like to be the end of him. He didn't really have a chance to do anything with his new life here… and it was then that he started to think of home. He remembered the mansion on the winding path up the large mountain. He recalled the time he spent in that home with his sister and her twin maids. He remembered all the time they spent together. He remembered all the supernatural things that plagued his life and how he had met Arcuied, a vampire from a time long since forgotten in history.

Everything that had happened to him, everything that he recalled sparked a unique feeling deep from the confines of his heart. All the experiences that he had engraved into his brain, all of the trials that he had to test himself over started to flood into his cranium as he lay there bleeding out. He couldn't help but start to cry and regret things that he could've done better. He couldn't help but whimper that he wasn't strong enough to do more.

'Curse this damn body… why am I so weak?' he thought to himself as he started to feel a numbing sensation. 'Why must I be plagued by my eyes? What did I ever do to deserve such a thing?' He clenched his teeth as he blighted his own existence. It was from that point on that things changed. As the darkness slowly consumed him, almost like a leech that started to overcome its host, Shiki began to see a figure in the distance. It was only a brief silhouette of a figure but it soon started to fill itself out as it got closer and closer to him. From the outfit that he was wearing to the facial recognition features that etched into the skull of the man, the familiar white-haired red-eyed devilish man appeared before the weakened boy… almost as if he were watching a fly stuck in a web.

"Shiki Nanaya." The man said with a dark tone behind his voice. "The single and only heir to the Nanaya bloodline… lies before me bloodied and beaten. You are a disgrace to our bloodline and I can only shudder at the thought of the power you hold." The man insulted the half-eaten boy as he was being swallowed by the darkness.

Already at that moment, Shiki couldn't say a word. His throat and mouth had collapsed beneath the endless night of pitch black that seemed to consume his body. Only his torso, right arm and the upper part of his face could be seen now. Protruding from the darkness, reaching out as if in defiance, the youth clenched onto the elder as if he wished nothing more than to prove him wrong. Clenching onto the forearm of the white-haired male, Shiki wished nothing more than to outwardly defy the man as he sank deeper into the void.

"Are you so weak that you cannot even break free from such restraints? I pity you… Shiki Nanaya." The white-haired man said to him as he leaned in closer. As he did so, his face warped slightly. It wasn't that it was changing… it was more that it had now something over his face. Within just seconds of what his appearance used to be, the man who once seemed so familiar had completely changed identities. What he now wore was that of the entity of 'Shadow', his white mask protecting his face from any and all identification techniques that could be mustered from the young man.

Clenching tighter to the man before him, Shiki could do nothing but scream out in his mind as he wanted nothing more than to end that man's existence. Who was he? What was his purpose in all of this? Why did he torment him so? Did he have any sort of relation with him? Is there so reason that why, now of all times, he showed his despicable presence to him?

It's time for you to wake up… and realize your true potential boy. The masked assailant said before latching his right hand into Shiki's skull, sending the young man into a fit of pain and anguish. As his vision started to fade into the black, the meeting between the two had adjourned.

[Infirmary, Tristain Academy]

"AAAH!" screaming out in pain as he was jolted awake from his own adrenaline pumping through his veins, Shiki awoke to what seemed to be an infirmary. Looking around to see that no one was there, at least that he could see, Shiki sighed as he wondered what had happened to him. He wondered how long he had been out cold since it looked to be close to morning. The shining sun had slowly started to show its face from over the distant mountains and within moments the bright incandescent ball of energy radiated its warm across the plains, flooding the school with luminescence as it ascended to the sky.

"W-Where am I…?" The young highschool boy said to himself as his wounds started to open up again from the sudden movement.

"Y-You're in the medical ward." An unfamiliar feminine voice said to him from the other side of the room. "Y-You took a nasty blow to the side and you were bleeding out… I was ordered to stitch up your wounds after the emergency team healed up the initial damage." The voice became louder as she drew the curtain to reveal herself.

"M-My name is Siesta. I'm one of the workers here at Tristain Academy." She said as she took a bow. "Pleased to make your acquaintance." She said with a smile as she looked at him.

Looking at her with an odd look, Shiki couldn't help but smile as the first person to come see him was 1: a beautiful young girl, and 2: It wasn't someone who was trying to kill him. It only dawned on him recently though that something odd had changed about his vision. Instead of being able to see the etched lines that arced throughout the rooms he saw on a day-by-day basis, he could no longer see the pitch black lines of death that assaulted his vision for as long as he could remember. He could almost not believe it as he started to feel something within him start to well up. He didn't know how to contain himself as tears started to overflow from his eyes that plagued him since childhood.

"T-They're gone… I can't believe it." He said to himself, almost losing his voice as his throat started to compress itself. "The lines… T-They're all…" he couldn't voice out another word before his emotions overtook him and he keeled over with tears of joy.

And with that, I conclude this chapter. I apologize deeply for the inactivity but trying to write and trying to take care of my job have been very taxing on me. I haven't had much time to just sit down and write so I've only been able to do bits and parts here and there. Hopefully it didn't seem too much of a stretch for you all who are now reading this. Thanks again for the continued support, I'll be experimenting a little more on several elements that I want to implement into this as I develop this story. I hope to see you all again in the next chapter.