Ahh sorry for delay in posting. That final scene was killing me.
It may not look like much but it took a butt load of planning.
Anyways enjoy the show and feel free to review.
"I got through my classes somehow..." Negi walks though the courtyard of the school lost in thought. All the students had gone home for the day making the usually rowdy campus feel desolate and lonely. The cold chill in the air and menacing clouds that darkened the evening sky predicted the harsh rainfall to come.
"Looks like rain... I wonder if I should go home..." As if to answer his question, the marred and twisted remains of the bell that once adorned Asuna Kakurazaka's fiery red hair pinched and pressed up against the child's leg. What was once a symbol of strength and passion had been reduced to nothing more then a constant reminder of the young mage's greatest failures. The soft metallic chime that once inspired security had now become a deafening silence that brought about nothing but loneliness.
Negi silently mounts his magic staff and rides into the night towards the World Tree. Little did he know or rather little did he care that a pair of malicious eyes had been following his every movement, witnessing the careless mage's fanciful display of magic. The hidden figure sighs in disappointment before returning to the shadows.
Knock knock
The solid sound against the hardwood doors fills the room disturbing the tranquility of the large office. The elderly head of Konemon Konoe peaks up from the mountain of paperwork piled on top of the desk. "Come in" he calls out to his guest.
Mana Tatsumiya enters the office quietly walking towards the desk centered in the middle of the large room. The light colored shrine maiden robes she still wore seemed more out of place on her dark figure then they did in the room.
"Ah Tatsumiya-san, it's nice to see you again."
Mana bows her head respectfully, her calm face and unwavering demeanor masking her thoughts and feelings very well.
The headmaster quickly pours two cups of tea. He holds one of the cups up towards Mana. "Can I offer you a cup of tea Tatsumiya-san? I just brewed this pot moments before you arrived."
"You called for me?" she asks coldly ignoring the offer.
During the countless visits from Mana, she had never once accepted an offer for tea. A fact that the headmaster was painfully aware of. He, however, felt it was his duty to at least offer on the off chance she would accept.
"Business as usual I see." The kind smile the headmaster usually wore faded into a cold and emotionless face. It was not something many people saw without receiving some sort of horrible news. "We have a job for you. Because of recent events, the magic association has requested that we monitor Negi-kun. At least until it has been determined that he no longer poses a threat to himself or those around him."
"Payment?"
"The usual amount has already been delivered."
"Such a small job does not usually warrant a face to face meeting headmaster. Is there more?"
The headmaster shuts his eyes and sighs heavily. Ever since that fateful day, he often found the image of his heartbroken granddaughter haunting his thoughts. Was it really a good idea to offer such a delicate job to such a cold blooded woman? He had no doubts she would accomplish her mission efficiently and without problem, which was all the more reason he feared for Negi.
Mana watched the elderly man intently. His actions betrayed his thoughts, she had already been able to determine the special instructions before anything was said. She was not, however, the type of person that followed instructions for a job based solely on her intuition, even if it had never been wrong. "Headmaster?"
"The magic association has deemed Negi-kun a risk. Force has been authorized if you find it necessary. At worst, the target may need to be neutralized. The association does not want to risk an enemy with the potential of the Thousand Master to grow stronger."
Despite how prepared she was to receive the special instructions, the severity of the job still slightly surprised her. Her ice cold demeanor had not betrayed her surprise. "Understood."
The girl turned to leave but was quickly stopped by the weary old man. "Tatsumiya-san, consider this a request from a worried old man. Keep yourself safe but don't do anything too harsh to Negi-kun, if you can help it."
Mana once again bowed her head respectfully before dismissing herself from the room.
As she closed the door, her gaze fell upon Setsuna Sakurazaki who had heard the entire meeting. Their eyes met for only a second before Mana left to begin her mission. In that second, Mana understood that Setsuna planned on watching how things turned out herself while Setsuna understood that Mana did not care as long as she stayed out of her way.
The eerie silver light of the full moon peaked through narrow cracks of the dark sky illuminating the world tree in an unnatural glow. The heavy curtain of rain concealed a broken child from the harsh reality of the world. Its deafening roar emulating the child's heart.
The child held a card to his forehead desperately calling out for his partner. His countless attempts to summon her through the power of the now dead pactio card yielded the same result time and time again. "Asuna-san... what do I do now?" He stared blankly at the almost empty card silently hoping something would happen, anything.
If he had not been so engrossed in his world, he may have noticed the sudden change in temperature around him. Under different circumstances, he may also have been able to hear the faint sound of a spell incantation.
Negi look out!
The familiar voice jarred the young mage back to reality long enough to notice the jagged shards of ice soaring in his direction at an incredible speed. Without a second thought, the boy had already hopped off the branch narrowly avoiding the surprise attack.
Within seconds, he was safely on the floor scanning his surroundings for the location of his attacker. Had the pactio card activated and warned him of the impending attack or was it a hopeless delusion? He knew what he wanted to believe but he was smart enough to know that in his current state of mind it could have just as easily been wishful thinking.
Once again having been lost in his world, he failed to notice a young girl wearing a gothic dress shielding herself from the rain with an umbrella of the same style stepping out of the shadows. A menacing looking child's doll playfully followed closely behind trying to stay under the small umbrella. The girl's violent and hungry eyes followed the boy's confused movements as if she were tracking her prey.
The killing intent radiating from the helpless looking girl was strong enough to bring the boy back to his senses. "E...Evangaline-san! What are you doing here? Why did you attack me?"
"If you had been paying attention you would've noticed me hours ago." The hunger in her delicate features grew more intense as she noticed the blissfully confused actions of the boy. "I had hoped you would've snapped out of it by now, but I guess I overestimated you Boya."
"You almost had him too master!" the little doll chimes in while dancing around in a large puddle.
"What do you want Evangaline-san?" Negi asks coldly.
The girl and the doll burst into a sarcastic laughter. The doll pulls out a large cleaver and dances around playfully. "How rude! Can I kill him master?" she sings joyfully.
"What do I want? Is that how you speak to your master after all she's done for you?" Eva's hungry stare had become one of a predator ready to kill a helpless animal. She hands the umbrella to the doll and motions for her to stand back. "I've come for your blood to remove the School Hell curse."
Negi reels back in surprise. "Wh...what did you say? I thought we settled this already. I told you I would become a Magister Magi and remove the curse for you."
The young vampire moves into an offensive stance ready to attack. "Do you really think that's possible anymore with the way you are now? You'll probably end up dead long before you can manage this curse. I might be immortal but that doesn't mean I'm going to waste my time on trash like you."
"Evan...galine...san..." He lowers his head in defeat unable to find the words to prove her wrong.
"Try not to die too quickly Boya, I wouldn't want to drink cold blood."
Filled with fear, the boy runs for his life. His head marred with thoughts of death, preventing him from thinking clearly.
"Lic Lac La Lac Lilac! Ice Spirits on High, Fill the Sky! Tundra and Glaciers on the Run from the Land of Midnight Sun! Frozen Earth!"
Negi hops onto his magic staff retreating into the air avoiding the rising pillars of ice by mere seconds. The tips of the fast moving ice quickly closing the distance.
"Rastel Maskil Magister! O Turning Storm of Spring! Bestow your Aerial Protection Among Us! Blow Forth, Wall of Churning Wind!"
A powerful tornado engulfs the boy narrowly saving him from a cold jagged death. He falls to his knees petrified, unable to think, unable to react.
A bone chilling laugh echoes through the temporary fortress. "If that's the best you can do Boya then this won't last very long."
"Lic Lac La Lac Lilac! Come Water, Dark Spirits! Darkness Obey, a Blizzard, Ice and Snow of the Night! Blizzard of Darkness!"
A massive concentration of ice and darkness strikes the protective wind completely destroying the barrier. The boy is left standing helplessly watching as his executioner prepares to finish him off.
"You're nothing like your father."
Negi's eyes widen in surprise. That's right, it had been quite some time since he had thought of his father. It may have been due to the suddenness of Asuna's passing or possibly because he felt as though he was no longer worthy to aspire to be like his father. Either way, the mention of his father brought about feelings of much regret. It was at that point that he knew he was finished fighting. He could already feel the life leaving his body.
"Nagi was a strong man. He went through so much more than many people ever will and always came out on top." The young girl watched the pathetic shell her disciple and teacher had become with more pity then disgust. "I'm tired of playing with a weakling like you."
She died because you're weak Negi Springfield.
The voice he had been hearing much more frequently echoed the singular thought that never left his mind. At times when found he could no longer ignore the voice, the effect it had on his already fragile state of mind was quite intense. Negi's breath became strained and shallow. His fists clenched to the point that his nails burrowed deep into his palms. His eyes, burning with the flames of defiance at the edge of sanity gazed intensely at Evangaline, The Apostle of Destruction. "I may be trash and I may have lost any chance of ever becoming like my father, but I will not let it end here!"
"Rastel Maskel Magister! Come Wind, Thunder Spirits! Blow Violently with Thunder, Storm of the South Seas! Raging Storm of Thunder!"
A massive collaboration of lightning and wind pierced the night sky in search of its powerful target. The girl, surprised by the boy's drastic change in attitude, is barely able to avoid the attack. "Hmph. It looks like the trash still has some fight left in him."
"Rastel Maskil Magister. Magic Archer, Consecutive Blasts, 29 Arrows of Thunder! Magic Archer, Consecutive Blasts, 29 Arrows of Light!"
The magic arrows quickly scatter into different directions finally homing in on Evangaline, who was already working on evading and destroying the arrows. "29 Light and Lightning arrows at the same time, not bad Boya. Your attacks really are powerful, but they lack finesse. They're way too sloppy to hit someone of my skill level."
"Cantus Bellax!"
Evangaline quickly turns around grabbing Negi's arm, successfully stopping the attack an inch away from her chest. She silently scolds herself for letting the inexperienced mage sneak up on her. "I see, so the magic arrows were to distract me long enough so you could sneak up and deal that finishing blow. If you had waited a second longer before activating the spell you would've gotten me."
"A Stream of Light to Cut Through The Darkness, Spring Forth from my Hand and Throttle my Enemy! White Lightning!"
At such a pointblank range, the powerful burst of lightning impales the girl's chest. The impossible victory belonged to the unlikely winner.
The girl coughs up blood as she struggles to laugh at the outcome of the fight. "Not bad Boya, not bad at all. I definitely was not wrong to think you had potential." She begins to struggle to breathe but refuses any help. "You may be good, but without a heart or a purpose, you'll end up dying like trash sooner or later. Which will you choose?"
"Evangaline-san, stop talking and let me help you. The fight is over, there's no need to push yourself anymore."
The girl pushes away and forces herself to stand up straight. She grins at the surprised look on the boy's face when a stream of bats start to regenerate the gaping wound in her chest. "If you think you've beaten Evangaline A.K. McDowell The Undying Mage, then you're dead wrong. I would run if I were you."
The boy takes a few steps back unsure of what to do.
"Lic Lac La Lac Lilac. Heed the Contract and Serve Me, Queen of Ice..."
Recognizing the incantation from the fight in Kyoto against the Demon-God Sukuna, Negi realized his only chance of surviving was to retreat to the sky and hope he was fast enough to get out of range of the spell.
"...Come, Unending Darkness, Eternal Glacier..."
The giant coffin of ice begins to materialize shooting upwards at an ever increasing speed. Faster and faster came the quickly forming ice, even at full speed it would still be a very close call.
"...Bring Death to All that has Life, Eternal Rest..."
Just when it seemed as though he would safely escape, a stream of magic arrows burst through the glacier striking the magical staff with several direct hits. The resulting impact knocked Negi further into the air at an uncontrollable speed. The strong force pushing against him causes the pactio card concealed in his pocket to come lose and plummet towards the glacier along with his magical staff. At that moment, he knew that he would only have a chance to save one of the items.
"Rastel Maskil Magister! Blow, One Gust of Wind! Blow Forth, Dancing Dust!"
Using the gust to quickly glide through the air, Negi makes a decision and recovers Asuna Kakurazaka's pactio card. For a second, time stands still as he watches the precious staff his father gave him become engulfed in the ice.
"...End of the World!"
And just like that, the glacier along with the staff he held so dear was gone. Shattered into a countless number of pieces, although it did not seem to matter anymore. The young man safely lands on the ground, with Asuna's card in hand, he stares out into the hopeful night sky.
The storm had ended and the sky began to clear. Negi looked up at the silver moon and silently vowed that he would never give up on trying to save Asuna. She had always been there to protect him. "I promise Asuna-san, this time I will protect you."
Evangaline walks up behind Negi and places her hand on his shoulder. "If that's your decision Boya then we have a lot of work ahead of us. Your special training starts tomorrow. Don't be late."
Off in the distance, Mana silently watches the results of the fight. "It appears as though this mission will not be as dull as I thought Sensei." She takes down some quick notes and disappears into the night, her presence already long and forgotten.
And with that ends chapter 2.
Look forward to more very very soon.
Same bat time same bat channel.