Power of Time
Chapter 03
I don't own Nanoha! If I did, the dub wouldn't have been as ghastly! .
Nanoha found herself doodling on her pad as she listened to the teacher. As her hand moved seemingly of its own accord, her eyes flicked to Arisa and Suzuka, both of whom had chosen seats as far away from Nanoha as physically possible. Blinking in surprise as Suzuka flicked her an apologetic smile and small shrug of sadness, Nanoha stared at Suzuka without comprehension.
The motions Suzuka had made lasted only a fraction of a second but Nanoha was sure that they had happened.
Put slightly at ease by the mysterious actions, Nanoha turned her attention back to the teacher.
Or tried to, at least.
Her mind was buzzing with all the information Yuuno had imparted to her that morning. But one of the spells that Yuuno had mentioned had captured her attention more than the others, simply because she had yet to utilize or see it.
Kinesis Manipulation.
When Nanoha had arrived at school, she had ducked into the library to look up the word just to double-check Yuuno's information. And what she found had made her smile eagerly.
Kinesis, or kinetic energy was the field of energy that surrounded an object in motion. The bigger the object in motion, the greater the kinetic energy it had. That particular type of energy was why when something was thrown and it hit another object, it could damage or move it.
Nanoha glanced down at her pencil and slowly, a small smile formed on her face. Glancing around surreptiously to check if anyone was watching her, Nanoha allowed the smile to grow a bit when she saw everyone else in the room was watching the teacher or staring out the window.
Closing her eyes for a moment and locating the well of power that was submerged deep within her, Nanoha began to slowly draw it out, opening her eyes every few seconds to glance down and make sure the circle hadn't appeared.
Kineses manipulation...I want to make this pencil leap up and hit the ceiling like a bullet she thought and felt the stirrings of the ephemeral power around her hand.
An instant later and her pencil shot up from her hand and struck the cement ceiling. As it struck, the wood and lead compressed within the space of a millisecond before expanding outwards rapidly, exploding in a shower of tiny wooden flakes and lead sprinkles.
The sound it made when striking the ceiling was like a gun going off in the classroom and every person there, from student to teacher, screamed and dove for the floor.
Nanoha sluggishly followed their actions, too in awe of what she had done to drop to the floor with the terrified speed which the others had.
Glancing back up, she caught sight of the small dent that had formed in the ceiling due to the sheer speed and velocity her magic had imparted to the pencil.
That is SO cool!
That was Nanoha's only thought as she followed the instructions of the teacher.
====
Nanoha smiled sheepishly as she walked into her house and was confronted by the extremely disapproving gaze of both Yuuno and her mom. What made it all the worse - and harder not to smile - was that Yuuno was perched on her mom's head and was almost tapping her paw.
"Nanoha...what did you do?" Yuuno asked, eyes narrowed faintly as he began to run through the possibilities of Nanoha practicing magic publically.
Momoko nodded though kept the motion small so as to not dislodge Yuuno from his perch.
"Well...um...Yuuno told me that I had a spell called Kinesis Manipulation and...well...I tried it on a pencil. It hit the ceiling and exploded" Nanoha explained, trying to foist some of the blame off on Yuuno.
Yuuno frowned at her whilst Momoko sighed.
"I guess it's to be expected. Give a young girl that much power and she'll be curious and want to experiment" Momoko stated. "That being said, I do have to punish you. What if someone had caught you, Nanoha?"
Nanoha ducked her head, face red with mortification as she remembered her mothers fateful words.
Humans...they fear what they don't understand or can't control. You represent the solution to both for them. If they ever found out about you...me...our family legacy, we would no longer be free.
Card reading was perfectly acceptable in a social setting since all things old were coming back in a form of a renaissance. Its slow emergence had been coined "new age."
"I'm sorry mom" she whispered.
Nodding, Momoko knelt down and smiled up at her.
"That being said, I am so very proud of you!" she murmured and hugged Nanoha. "The first true sorcerer in our line in over a millenia."
Yuuno was...disturbed by their use of the word sorcerer. It had been niggling at the back of his mind like finding a jewel lodged in a stone wall. No matter how much he tried to pry it loose, it remained stubborn.
"Nanoha...why do you and your mother use the word sorcerer? Isn't the correct term mage?" Yuuno inquired, slightly confused.
Momoko chuckled softly and shook her head.
"Run along Nanoha. You can't go back to school. And don't let me catch you sneaking into the dojo while me and Yuuno are talking" Momoko stated and winked at Nanoha.
Fighting back a grin and nodding, Nanoha made her way quickly outside whilst trying - and failing - to act nonchalant.
"So Yuuno...you want to know what the difference is between a mage and sorcerer? First, tell me how you define a mage" Momoko requested, lifting the ferret off her head and placing him on her knee as she sat.
"Well...in my culture, a mage is someone who has a varying degree of talent when it comes to magical arts. From those who have just enough magic to make a cup levitate to those who can crack moons."
Momoko nodded quietly as she listened.
"And how do you approach magic, as a culture? Is it a formality, a science, a religion?"
At that, Yuuno paused.
"A science mostly. We study it and seek to better understand the energy we call magic. We create the devices like the one Nanoha has to act as...intermediaries. The devices perform the complex functions that a human usually has to study decades for."
Momoko nodded and held up a hand to stop him.
"The difference between a mage and a sorcerer then is...whilst a mage approaches magic like a science as you said, a sorcerer is a step beyond a mage. A sorcerer is a mage who has delved into magic far enough to understand it but not in terms that would apply to science. Nanoha has been practicing magic since she was old enough to walk and she took to it like a fish to water. She picked up card reading faster than my mother or I ever did."
Yuuno frowned in thought.
"In my culture, there are tales of people who advanced magic a step beyond what was previously thought possible. But we just call them magi as well. We don't like to set levels of power since it seems to limit people. They see a level above them and give up, instead of trying to excel and break the mould."
Momoko spared Yuuno a sympathetic glance.
"It sounds like your culture values mediocrity and conformance above excellence and change."
Yuuno wanted to argue, to defend the TSAB and all the wonderful things they had done. All the atrocities they had prevented.
But he found he couldn't.
"I...love magic above my own culture. Its a shameful thing to admit with how wonderful our civilization is. But magic...it doesn't judge, doesn't discriminate. It rewards those who work hard enough and it never betrays you unless you hurt it first."
Momoko nodded and turned her head to stare at the dojo.
"I think you had better go watch over Nanoha, Momoko. And ask her what she sees magic as. The best teachers learn more from their students than their students learn from them."
Yuuno nodded and slipped off Momoko's knee before making his way outside, his thoughts troubled.
Momoko watched after him and smiled softly.
"Nanoha will need as many allies as she can gain before she matures. I doubt Yuuno's culture will allow someone with Nanoha's talents to practice openly."
====
Nanoha winced as the small pebble struck the dojo wall with a crack and splitered some of the wood. Already twelve other similiar divots lined the wall with a small line of splinters below it.
"Are you working up from no speed or down from very fast?"
Nanoha yelped and spun around as quickly as she was able to. Unfortunately she didn't account for the slippery dojo floor.
Spinning and falling on her rear, she pouted at Yuuno who was struggling not to laugh.
Not to laugh too loud anyway.
"Try working up from no speed, making them a bit faster. And don't try to compare it to something else. Just visualize how fast you want it to go."
Nanoha stared at him.
"How do you know that's what I was doing?" Nanoha asked, staring at him suspiciously.
Yuuno grinned and glanced at the stone in her palm.
Nanoha blinked as the stone slowly levitated up out of her palm before circling her at such speeds that it was lifting dust off the floor.
"I'm a defensive mage too, Nanoha. I learned this a few years ago. After you're done with basic movement we can move on to varying the kinetic force on certain parts of the stone to create movement."
Nodding eagerly, Nanoha held out her palm for the stone which settled sedately into her grip, warm to the touch.
Concentrating on it, Nanoha visualized it slowly rolling out of her palm.
Yuuno watched the stone rock back and forth in Nanoha's hand like a turtle on its back before it rolled out and thunked on the floor.
"It seems you're too used to throwing your power at a spell and making it work, rather than taking a light touch" Yuuno remarked, watching her struggle.
Nanoha nodded, eyes still focused on the stone she was making roll towards the wall.
Yuuno settled back for a few hours of boredom.
====
Nanoha ducked as she failed to steal the momentum from the stone Yuuno had hurled at her.
"Focus, Nanoha! You got the first phase down perfectly. Now rip the kinetic energy from these!" Yuuno nearly shouted at her.
Nanoha had picked up the first part after approximately an hour of intense effort and they had moved on to the second part.
That had been two hours ago and so far, Nanoha had failed to slow a single stone Yuuno had sent rocketing towards her.
Halting the barrage, Yuuno stared at Nanoha who was almost in tears. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he continued in a more sedate tone.
"How are you trying to remove the momentum from these stones, Nanoha?"
Falling to the floor with a thump, she frowned at him whilst puzzling out her answer.
"I'm trying to reach out and seperate the kinetic energy from the stone. But its coming far too fast for me to lock onto it, strip the energy away and keep attention on my surroundings."
Yuuno nodded and seemed to relax.
"That's incredibly advanced magic, Nanoha. It will take even you years to master. Instead...try throwing out a small burst of magic, released with the intent to strip the kinetic energy from the target" Yuuno explained, relief flooding him.
Nanoha nodded and stood, limbs shaking a bit with weariness.
Calling up magic without Raising Heart is so tiring.
Nanoha readied herself as Yuuno began to levitate the last remaining pebble.
I can do this...I have done it in the future so I can do it now!
Nanoha watched the stone hurtle towards her and flapped her hand at it as if she was batting a fly away.
From the gesture, a small pulse of magic rocketed out and struck the stone in mid-flight. Slowing rapidly, it dropped to the floor utterly motionless a foot later and stayed stock still, all motion and energy torn from it.
Nanoha smiled happily and fell to the floor again, panting heavily. That last burst of energy had drained her to the point where she wasn't sure if getting up was possible, now or in the near future. Limbs trembling, Nanoha sighed happily.
"Nicely done, Nanoha. You can rest now."
Nodding, Nanoha closed her eyes and was out like a light.
====
Nanoha was woken by Yuuno jumping on her stomach and shouting. Cracking open her sleep-encrusted eyes and glaring at Yuuno, she grumbled and made to turn over.
"G'way, sleepy."
"Nanoha, get up! I can feel a Jewel Seed!"
That snapped Nanoha awake faster than a bucket of ice water could have as both fear and excitement tore through her. Quickly scrambling to her feet and rushing towards the door, she was brought up short by Yuuno.
"Nanoha, transform here. We don't know how much time you'll have free when we get there."
Looking at Yuuno in confusion but nodding her own approval of the idea, Nanoha fished out Raising Heart from under her sweater and held it in her palm. The jewel was warm to the touch and not by virtue of her own body temperature.
Raising Heart, Activate!
Nanoha forewent the chant that had activated it last time, deeming it far too long and wordy.
And she had forgotten most, if not all of it after the deluge of knowledge Yuuno had poured upon her.
Magic exploded out of the ruby orb held within her palm and enveloped Nanoha, soft pink energy consuming her and leaving an orb floating there as the magic transformed her.
Slowly, the egg of magic parted and Nanoha dropped to the floor with a quiet thump and exhalation, tiny flutters and sparks of magic vanishing in the wake of the transformation.
"Nanoha...did you use the chant?" Yuuno inquired, somewhat surprised the transformation sequence had started so quickly and finished just as fast.
Whether it was due to some odd quirk of the Intelligent Devices or a psychological issue that necessitated drawn out changes, the donning of the magically formed armor often took upwards of thirty seconds, not the ten or so Nanoha had just utilized.
Nanoha frowned minutely and shook her head.
"I didn't need to. I just had to command it to activate and I transformed" Nanoha stated, staring at Yuuno in surprise.
"I-Isn't that normal?"
Yuuno frowned minutely but nodded.
"I suppose it is" he lied before jerking his head to indicate they should get moving. But Yuuno found himself troubled by this most recent development.
What is it about Nanoha that makes her so...different? Is the difference between a Terran Sorcerer and Mid-Childan mage that vast? Just how far ahead of us are they, magically?
Yuuno felt a small frission of fear work its way down his spine as he clambered up Nanoha's somewhat wiry frame.
If it comes down to it though, if Mid-Childa tries to annex Earth into its dominion then I will stand with Nanoha.
Yuuno felt no sense of betrayal at the thought but rather an odd sense of relief. Ever since he had landed on Earth and met Nanoha and Momoko, new thoughts had been cropping up in his head like flowers from a garden.
Unaware of Yuuno's inner thoughts, Nanoha glanced down and shrugged.
My outfit isn't any different to what a lot of other girls wear so it shouldn't raise any eyebrows. As to the staff...
Nanoha stared at Raising Heart in its staff form. Almost four feet long and almost coming up to her shoulder, it would definitely stand out.
If it comes down to it, I suppose I can pretend to be a cosplayer.
Nanoha repressed a shudder at that before nodding to Yuuno.
"Let's go get this Jewel Seed."
====
Both magus and sorcerer stepped out into the warm afternooon light that beamed down from the heavens. Shielding her eyes after the gloom of the dojo, Nanoha glanced about before looking towards Yuuno.
"I need to do a card reading, Yuuno. We know the direction but we may over-shoot it, it might be underground or it may not even be in this realm" Nanoha stated, forestalling any objections the boy-turned-ferret could make.
Yuuno nodded at Nanoha and curled up on her shoulder with his spine pressed against her neck to watch, curiosity making his eyes sharp and stalling any words he might have put forth.
Drawing forth the cards from the holster on her leg and closing her eyes, Nanoha began to shuffle them with the kind of skill only born from doing something for years.
Yuuno barely managed a glimpse or two of the cards as they were shuffled before he began to feel sick from the rapid motion of the cards and seemingly chaotic way they were shuffled. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he quickly recentered himself before opening his eyes.
And he blinked.
Five cards were laid out before Nanoha, resting gently upon the grass.
Slowly opening her eyes and glancing down, Nanoha glanced at the first card in the series of five.
"The Devil. There is evil afoot this day" Nanoha stated and grinned at Yuuno. "Fairly obvious."
Shifting her gaze to the second, Nanoha frowned faintly.
"The Angel. I've never drawn this card before. It's meant to symbolize purity, faith and religion. So there's great evil in faith?"
Nanoha shook her head before moving to the next one.
"The Arrow. It means events will happen very fast when the evil is confronted" Nanoha murmured and glanced at Yuuno.
Looking at the penultimate card and shivering, Nanoha chanced a glance at Yuuno who seemed to be as affected as she was.
"The Broken Bone. There will be pain today for everyone" Nanoha stated, her other hand worrying at the hem of her skirt.
Yuuno winced at the interpretation but nodded.
It's rare for a magi to not get hurt. In some ways, pain is our currency.
Nanoha turned the next card and stared in confusion.
"The Chaos Card...this is very odd, Yuuno. The Chaos Card is rarely ever drawn expect in dire cases. The Broken Bone proves this but...it means evolution. Change. Growth. But it can also mean suffering, emotional imbalance and a conflict of the self."
Yuuno nodded before shifting to get Nanoha's attention.
"We had best get going, Nanoha. We know the direction and we know to look out for places of faith."
Nodding in agreement and slipping the cards away, Nanoha re-fastened the clasp before rising and walking swiftly off the property.
====
Both teacher and student encountered a problem the second they emerged from the yard and into the streets that bisected the neighborhood.
The side-walks were packed and there was an enormous traffic jam which limited any and all possible movement to at best a shuffle.
Nanoha looked around in surprise at the hundreds of people crowding the sidewalk and even darting in between the cars.
"I wonder why all these people are here?" Nanoha asked aloud, glancing around in shock. She had rarely ever seen so many people clustered like this and it was making her not only nervous but afraid of being discovered.
"Some kind of explosion happened last night at one of the main intersections. All traffic is being routed this way."
Blinking at the voice, Nanoha turned and smiled at the sight of Miyuki standing behind her.
"Hey squirt."
Nanoha's smile vanished to be replaced by a pout.
"Where ya headed? I thought you were grounded" Miyuki inquired, staring at Nanoha inquisitively.
Coughing and rubbing the back of her head, Nanoha glanced away.
"Mom needed me to go fetch something for her. She's busy with the Cards again and…"
"Where'd you get that outfit, Nanoha? I know you don't have anything like it."
Cut off, Nanoha glanced down then back up at Miyuki suspiciously.
"How would you know what I have in my closet, Miyuki? Have you been looking in there for things to wear?" Nanoha teased, taking the initiative.
Blushing at the insinuation and waving her hand, Miyuki looked to her right then left in a secretive manner.
"Tell you what. You don't mention this to anyone and I'll let you go, no questions asked."
Nodding, Nanoha reached out and grasped Miyuki's pinkie with her own.
Shaking three times, Miyuki grinned and released the pinkie.
"Better get going then, squirt."
Nanoha pouted before nodding. Quickly walking away and merging into the crowd, it took Nanoha less than ten seconds to realize she was hopelessly lost.
And it took another ten to quell the instinctive rise of fear that threatened her composure and made her gorge rise.
Glancing about and spotting a fairly large wall that towered over every person clogging the street, Nanoha made her way over to it before sighing with relief as her back pressed against the cold stone.
Yuuno knew he couldn't talk aloud to Nanoha with all the people pressing in from every direction. It had only been sheer luck that had afforded Nanoha the small alcove between two sets of bins. Glancing about and ensuring that nobody was paying the least bit attention, Yuuno quickly invoked a spell.
Nanoha, I'm using a spell to speak directly to your mind. You can think your reply back in words or pictures.
Nanoha started terribly at the voice and glanced down in surprise. She remembered that Yuuno had spoken to her mind before they had met but still hearing his voice between her ears was a surprise.
I can hear you, Yuuno. I wish I could use this during tests, I'd ace them so easily!
Had Yuuno palms, he would have slapped them to his face.
Try and get on top of this wall somehow. I have an idea. It's a bit advanced but it might be our only choice.
Nanoha nodded and allowed a small smile to form.
Challenge accepted.
Stepping back into the surging tide of humanity but sticking close to the fringe, Nanoha found herself swept along with no dark alleys or any way to clamber up in sight.
Yuuno, there's no way to climb up!
Yuuno could feel the slowly-rising panic in his protégé's voice and shook his head.
Looks like we may have to do this the hard way then Nanoha. See if you can get to the top of one of these buildings.
Nodding and not sparing any time on replying, Nanoha split off from the crowd and ducked into one of the office buildings that seemed to reach into the sky like steel trees. Proceeding through the lobby with only a few curious looks directed her way, Nanoha ducked into a lift and hurriedly stabbed the close button.
As the doors had almost closed though, a hand clad in a black glove slipped between the metal doors and triggered the sensor that made them open.
Nanoha watched in shock as a blonde girl with the most amazing ruby eyes stepped into the elevator and didn't even seem to notice her.
The blonde girl quickly stabbed a button and stayed still, crimson eyes focused intently upon the door as if they held some mystic equation.
"Um…hello there?" Nanoha ventured, taking a step forward.
The blonde girl stayed silent through the air around her seemed to lose just a bit of the cold that had infused it seconds before.
The silence seemed to only continue as they rose but when the door opened into a penthouse apartment and the blonde stepped out, two words drifted back to Nanoha.
"Hello there."
A broad smile split Nanoha's face as the soft, almost unheard word reached her ears. As the doors closed, Nanoha managed to catch one last glimpse of the ruby red eyes and her own widened in recognition.
"I've…seen those eyes before."
====
Nanoha stepped out onto the roof of the building and almost immediately the wind slashed at her, her balance wavering before she righted herself. Not trusting her words to carry with the wind as harsh as it was, Nanoha turned her thoughts towards Yuuno.
Alright, now what? We need to head north I think.
North it is. This is a far more difficult use of kinesis manipulation. So far you have been creating a field around objects outside of your body. The pencil, a ball or two. This time I want you to do it around yourself.
Nanoha blinked and turned her head slowly to look at Yuuno as if he were a poisonous snake.
Are you serious? What if I fall?
Yuuno shook his head at her minutely. Not as if disappointed but annoyed that she would question her own abilities.
The field you'll create is a kinesis multiplication field. When you jump, the field will amplify your own motion by a factor of your choosing.
Seeing Nanoha's somewhat confused expression at his terminology, Yuuno sighed minutely.
Basically, when you jump, the field will let you jump longer.
"But why can't I fly, Yuuno? Wouldn't that be quicker and easier."
Pleased at the question and her desire to learn, Yuuno shook his head.
When moving in a city environment, flight can be too dangerous. Too many corners and tight areas where you can be ambushed. Jumping though is more direct from point to point.
Nodding at the explanation, Nanoha looked around and fixed her gaze on the concrete perhaps nine feet distant from her.
A kinesis multiplying field huh…alright. Let's try this then Nanoha thought to herself and called up her magic.
Unlike earlier, her power came to her faster and far easier than before. Instead of trying to draw it up from a deep well, it was more akin to standing beside a lake and able to touch it directly.
Taking a small jump experimentally, Nanoha frowned as she merely took a small bunny hop instead of the expected nine foot jump.
She could hear Yuuno's physical chuckling even from a few feet away.
Taking a step back to her start position, Nanoha concentrated all the harder on the desired result.
Alright, simply surrounding my body with kinetic energy didn't work. It needs to magnify the effect then. Scale it up. It won't take as much power since I'm providing the initial movement then.
Cloaking herself within a field of magic and concentrating, Nanoha bent every scrap of her will towards it.
Magnification…Multiplication…Exacerbation
Taking a small jump, Nanoha let out a yelp as the tiny jump escalated into a ten foot leap that sent her rocketing through the air on an elliptical orbit to the ground.
Landing with a heavy thump and the light cracking of concrete, Nanoha winced and crouched to rub her leg. Kneading both of her calves and biting her lower lip, she directed a confused look to Yuuno.
Oh…I forgot. Sorry.
"Sorry?" Nanoha yelped.
Since you're magically creating this force, it doesn't disperse as ordinary kinetic energy would. As you're about to land, you have to decrease the amount of force you applied. Otherwise…
Yuuno left the worse results unsaid, trusting in Nanoha's own mind to come up with the gruesome fate that could await her.
Nodding and standing gingerly, Nanoha nodded to Yuuno before replicating the same field and leapt back the way she had come but this time going twenty feet. As she rocketed towards the ground, Nanoha bent her knees to absorb the coming impact. Quickly bleeding off the energy into the surrounding air, the released magic formed a somewhat dramatic gust of wind that threatened to send Yuuno tumbling.
"Oh…I forgot. Sorry" Nanoha stated, saccharine in the smile directed at Yuuno.
Yuuno thought a word that made Nanoha gasp and glare at him.
Let's get going.
Taking a deep breath, Nanoha turned toward the edge and fixed the location in her mind. Calling up the same field that had surrounded her less than a minute ago, she leapt.
With a crump of cracking concrete, Nanoha shot over the edge of the building and sailed through the air in an undignified fluttering of her arms and legs.
Rolling his eyes but feeling inordinately proud of his apprentice, Yuuno called up his own cloak of magic and leapt after her. Soaring through the air like a bullet and landing faster than Nanoha had, he turned and watched her parabolic leap.
As Nanoha began to rocket towards the ground, she quickly began to bleed off the magic that surrounded her.
Landing with a light thump that left her stumbling for a foot or two, she missed the small lightshow that accompanied her descent back to terra firma.
Arcs of lightning had snaked their way away from her landing zone and left light black scorch marks upon the concrete.
Grinning at Yuuno and nodding towards the direction they could both feel the evil emanating from, two words escaped Nanoha.
Words that seemed to be a part of every child, that resonated within each of them and drove them towards feats of daring and stupidity.
"Race you!"
And they were off.
====
Nanoha performed the last leap and came down with a light thump upon the concrete of an alley. The light thump though belied the distance she had just leapt then fell. Easily over two hundred meters had been traversed within a single bound.
"I beat you, Yuuno."
Oh be quiet Yuuno groused from his place curled up against her neck.
Giggling and patting him gently, Nanoha stepped out of the alley before walking towards the shrine she had spotted from the air.
Yuuno had managed to keep up for a few city blocks before Nanoha's superior magic reserves overwhelmed even his skill and control when it came to jumping.
It had been galling in the extreme to ask Nanoha to come back and pick him up.
"So tell me again why wings aren't great in the city."
Yuuno sighed but complied.
Within the city, jumping is superior since there's little need for dodging. You can control your speed and not have to worry so much about dodging or maneuvering. Plus jumping is slower and requires slower reaction times. Countless young magi on Mid-Childa have broken their necks when trying to fly inside the city limits.
Nanoha nodded and pouted.
"I just really want to fly."
Nanoha stopped her train of thought as she reached the steps. Not bothering to use an empowered jump so as to conserve her remaining power, she began to ascend them at a fair pace.
How much magic do you have left?
Nanoha frowned but didn't stop moving.
"I don't feel as strong as I did on the first night but I can still feel plenty there. Should be enough to seal away this seed."
Yuuno nodded but didn't say anything. He had learnt long ago that the Jewel Seeds could be extremely surprising and not conform to any predictions.
Ascending the last few steps and reaching the summit, Nanoha glanced around and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
But something in the air touched her skin like oil. Clinging and making her feel oddly…dirty. As if there was something in the air itself that threatened to defile everything and everyone. A tangible presence of pure evil.
"Nanoha, watch out!"
Yuuno screamed the warning but some instinctive part of him knew it was too late for the warning.
Nanoha was already ducking and throwing a shield up before the first syllable had even left Yuuno's mouth.
An obsidian blur blew by Yuuno and careened into the shield like a cannon-ball, crunching into it before launching itself away and vanishing.
Slowly, the shadows in the battle-field began to lengthen and deepen until it seemed that it would consume the area and leave it bathed in darkness.
Yuuno was numb with shock. The entire encounter had taken less than a second and even now he was struggling to process what had happened.
It's settled then. Nanoha is precognitive and amazingly adept at it. The TSAB won't let her live free with that talent.
Nanoha rose quickly and glanced around warily. She had pushed every part of her to the limit to deflect that blow and even then it had only barely been enough. Reaching up and patting the back of her neck, she winced when her hand came away red with blood from a tiny nick.
The claws were so sharp that even a tiny cut, barely more than a paper-cut produced this much blood?
Nanoha took a steadying breath, fighting down the panic that was already curdling the gastric acid in her gut.
Her precognitive ability only gave her at best a few seconds with the adrenaline flooding her system but even then she was constrained by her own body.
Even though I know where its coming from, I'm not fast enough to dodge.
Nanoha flung herself to the side and stumbled as the wake of the rushing beast threatened to tip her over. Quickly stabilizing herself and frowning, Nanoha flexed her hand and concentrated on knowing the beasts next move.
It's coming from…ABOVE!
Nanoha dropped and flung her hand towards the sky whilst glancing up to confirm the black blur hurtling down towards her. A shield irised into being an inch from her palm just as the beast slammed into it.
The unstoppable force met the immovable object.
Lightning coruscated across the shield and rip trenches in the ground as the friction from both magic and kinetic force vibrated against once another.
Feeling the shield approach point where it could be detonated, Nanoha clenched her fist.
Closing with a crump of displaced air into a sphere, Nanoha flung her hand open and towards the beast.
A lance of energy hammered up…and missed the beast by inches, the mass of malevolence having thrown itself away at the last possible second.
I'm too slow!
Nanoha focused on the beast as it circled the area and she noticed something.
It can't turn quickly when its going so fast. If I slow it down, it'll only turn quicker and if that happens, I'm gone. But what if I speed it up?
The idea was ludicrous and without doubt, insane. But it was the only option that presented itself to Nanoha with her nerves stretched as taut as they were.
Flicking her gaze around the battle-field, Nanoha smiled grimly when she caught sight of the thick concrete fence that surrounded the area. Whilst it was hidden on one side by the trees and temple proper, there was a lengthy expanse that stood naked.
Dropping to the ground just in time to dodge another lethal swipe that slashed a few hairs off her neck, Nanoha hurtled over to the fence and spun with her eyes immediately locking on to the beast which was circling around and coming close.
Taking a deep breath and fixing in her mind what she intended, Nanoha flung out a hand and willed a magical field into being. Barely a nanometer thick, it stood six feet high and six feet wide, a perfect square.
Amplify…amplify a hundred fold.
Nanoha watched in shock as a leaf drifted into the field…and shot past her. The wind generated by its movement alone left a long but shallow cut on her cheek. Glancing behind her, Nanoha's eyes opened wide when she saw the leaf had ripped through the wall.
It had gone through three feet of solid concrete.
Nanoha turned and stared at the monster hurtling towards her. Jaw opened wide, thick ribbons of saliva oozed out of its maw and slathered the ground. Blood flecked its muzzle and its eyes burned with an unholy fury that promised agony unending for the recipient of its ire.
Nanoha took a deep breath and prepared herself. When the beast hit the field, it wouldn't matter what barrier she threw up. It would simply shatter it with the speed it would acquire.
A second from the beast hitting the field, Nanoha threw herself into the field, angled just slightly so she wouldn't hit the beast not annihilate the temple.
The world seemed to blur into a single point around her as her momentum was multiplied a hundred fold. Faster than sound itself.
Yuuno watched as Nanoha struck the field and became nothing but a blur of white. Throwing up the strongest field he knew to bleed the energy off, he watched in shock as she struck it…and barely slowed. Instead of going at a speed that had generated concentric sonic booms behind her, she was hurtling at speeds just shy of the sound barrier.
With a crunch, Nanoha slammed into the opposite wall, shattering it into a pile of concrete dust.
The result for the second Jewel Seed manifestation was far worse.
As it struck the field and was accelerated almost up to the speed of light, Yuuno felt his maw drop as the beast struck the wall…and was quite simply pulped.
The force of the blow completely vaporized the wall with no residue bigger than the tip of a pin able to be seen.
The beast exploded as if it had been a balloon filled with blood, organs and bone and droplets of blood spattered to the ground in a cruel mockery of rain.
Nanoha whimpered as her eyes fluttered open. Every single inch throbbed in agony and the shattered wall was weighing on he enough to make breathing difficult.
I…need to get out of here.
Nanoha closed her eyes and began to shape multiple fields around her, one for each heavy rock and boulder.
Whilst there were only seven or eight medium-sized boulders, each weighed in excess of over two hundred pounds and it was only her barrier jacket that was keeping her from being ground to pulp.
Slowly the boulders began to shift and Nanoha amplified the amount of power she was feeding into the fields. Each rock wobbled in mid-air as they floated upwards in defiance of gravity…before they exploded away from her and were sent hurtling across the floor like stones on a pond.
Yuuno yelped and dodged to the side as a boulder the size of a small car went skidding past him and snapped a tree in half.
Incredible! She's already mastered multiple fields and she's only ten years old! She'll outstrip me soon.
Nanoha staggered to her feet and whimpered in pain. Blood trickled from half a dozen cuts all over her body but she held her head high.
"I…did it Yuuno" she whispered.
Nodding, Yuuno smiled at Nanoha.
"Let's get you home…"
As Yuuno mentioned home, his blood turned to ice in his veins.
OhcrapOhcrapOhcrap…Momoko is going to crucify me!
Nodding, Nanoha slowly limped past Yuuno, her barrier jacket and staff reverting to her original attire.
Authors Note: Alrighty! Chapter 03 is now done! It was a bit of work trying to figure out the fight since I wanted something new instead of just a Barrier Blast. I also wanted to point out the flaws in being precognitive. Just because you know something is coming, doesn't mean you can dodge it.
Which as you all know…will mean VERY interesting things for Fate! :D