No exposition for you!
-The Exposition Nazi
Second Spell: Peadophilic Ninja Ferrets are the New Thing
"Hello there, how can I help you?"
"I'm looking for my mother, Doctor Ikari. Is she back yet?" Shiiko asked. With a small flurry on the keyboard, the department receptionist had the relevant data.
"I've got here that the archaeological dig team came back around noon, so they should still be in the lab."
"Thank you!" Shiiko cried out, already racing down the hallways of academia.
Bursting through the double doors of the collation and storage room, one of the senior researchers greeted her with a smile. "Your mother's just in her office, she was actually talking about showing you something." He said, turning back to his work a moment later as the young girl barely paid him any mind.
Running down the hall slightly further, Shiiko slammed into the door with the 'Ikari' nameplate, expecting it to be open. A voice came from the other side of the door, quite clearly her mother. "I'm going to assume that's you Shiiko, no one else runs into my door that often." Swinging the door open, Dr Yui Ikari was beset by her loving daughter, staggering back into the room under the weight of Shiiko's kisses.
"You're back! How was your trip? Did you find any dinosaurs? Were they big?"
"I keep telling you Shiiko, I'm more of an crypto-zoologist than an archaeologist, but I did find something very nice." The elder Ikari said, disengaging her daughter's arms to open a cabinet. "We were going through a cave when we found this big red stick, just embedded in a rock. The rest of it's sitting in a case in the lab, but I managed to sneak a few pieces out before they started cataloguing the site." Reaching into the back of the small wooden table-cupboard, Yui pulled out two glass cylinders suspended on strings, red fragments clinking around inside. "Just between you and me, I think it's from a unicorn's horn, which means it's a very potent good luck charm. I made one for you and one for me, then if I can get my hands on some more, I'll make one for your father, alright?"
"Sure!"
"Alright then, don't go losing this now; I had to do a lot of work to hide these and turn them into necklaces." Yui said, tying the rough strand around the back of Shiiko's neck, then another about her own. "I'll have to stay late to catalogue things and you father might be working late too, so you'll need to get your own dinner."
"I can handle that!"
"Then you should go do your homework and clean your room before I get back, I know what you're like."
...
Father, it has changed.
WHAT HAS CHANGED?
It holds something dangerous to itself, it feels powerful.
THAT CHANGES NOTHING. IT IS STILL ONLY A HUMAN. YOU ARE SACHIEL, FIRST OF MY HERALDS. IF YOU CANNOT DO THIS, THEN PERHAPS YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THAT HONOUR.
I will accomplish this task Father. I shall be your only Herald and none shall stand against me. You need none but me.
I HOPE YOU SERVE AS FAITHFULLY AS YOU SPEAK, MY CHILD.
...
Shiiko saw Nagisa as she was leaving the university, her perceived 'newest friend' calmly walking along the other side of the road. Calling his name, Shiiko skipped across the quiet street to his side.
"Nagisa-kun, do you live nearby?"
Nagisa grabbed her by the arm almost immediately, pulling her into the closest side-street. "No, but you need to come with me right now." Shocked by Nagisa's promptness, Shiiko was dragged about ten meters down the tiny street before she broke free of his grasp.
"Nagisa-kun I don't want this! Nagisa-kun!"
"If you make a fuss like this, the point of bringing you down here is ruined. Keep quiet, the Encasement is just ahead." As he said this, he raised a hand and splayed his fingers against thin air. With a flash, a hole opened in reality directly in front of them. Through the hole, Shiiko could see a mass of green flesh pounding against the ground, narrowly missing a girl wearing the same uniform each time.
"Rei-chan?"
"She can't hold it back forever. When she tires, it's going to kill her. Then it's going to take you to its master." Nagisa brought his hand down and placed both in his pockets, bringing an air of detachment from his talk of life and death. As Shiiko was trying to process this, a second voice spoke up.
"But if you do exactly as I say, we can all get out of this just fine." Shiiko felt something running up her leg, then the thing jumped onto her skirt and up onto her shoulder. "You don't need to know anything specific at the moment, but I'm the one that gave Ayanami-kun those powers."
"Why? Rei's getting hurt because of those powers, isn't she?" Shiiko asked of the ferret-like being.
"She'd be hurt just the same without them, just like you will be when we eventually fail to stop that thing. Just let me give you the same powers; the two of you can stop it. Even if Nagisa-kun helps, Ayanami-kun can't take down that thing on her own." The ferret-thing adopted a serious expression, deepening its brows into a fluffy 'v'.
"I told you already, I'm not going to help you all the time. This is just the fastest way to fulfill my goals." Nagisa verbally brushed off the talking animal and began to walk toward the hole in reality, swinging his hand out to materialise a massive grey blade.
"Nagisa-kun aside, if you run away here an now I won't blame you. But this won't be the only time monsters like this attack the city." The ferret began to twitch around, scratching at itself.
Shiiko crouched down on the spot, blocking her ears to the monster's roars. "I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away, I mustn't run away." The hole Nagisa had opened in the air closed soon after he passed through. Now though, the area around the hole's location began to crack and shudder. Within seconds of the first crack appearing another had followed. Then hundreds were running across an invisible wall in the middle of the air. They shattered a moment later, the green beast throwing Rei through with a glowing pink lance of energy. As Rei slid to a stop against a wall, the beast rounded on Shiiko and the ferret, sensing the danger the two posed. The ferret began tugging at Shiiko's hair, trying to get her to move, to no avail. The beast flew back under no compulsion of its own.
"I really will explain everything later!" The ferret cried, holding out a red orb to Shiiko. "Just take this and don't let go." He touched it to the back of her hand on accident, where it immediately began to glow and liquefy, wrapping tendrils around her hand. A worried glance to his creation, the ferret jumped down from her shoulder and scampered over to Rei.
Shiiko began to cry out in pain, clawing at her hair for relief. The crystal had already lost its spherical form at this point, physically entering her bloodstream and pulsing with eldritch purpose. In the time it took for Shiiko to regain the ability to think clearly, the monster had enclosed her head in a single clawed hand and was lifting her into the air. There was a pulse of the monster's arm, and her eye burned. She knew her eye was probably gone at his point, but something else was telling her to fight, survive and kill.
"Artifact identified. Purpose: Integration and amplification of existing mana network. Artifact codified. Absorbed. Activating."
Shiiko fell as the arm holding her aloft was severed by Nagisa's blade. She landed in a crouch, blood leaking from the rim of one eye, the other focused, pupil tight and small and burning green. She leaped at the beast and clung to its torso, battering at its inset face with her bare hands. Taking the opportunity again, Nagisa took the creature's other arm off, leaving with no defense against Shiiko's attack. Driving it back with the force of her blows, the thing eventually stumbled and fell. Moments later, the cracked, bird-like mask underneath Shiiko began to glow pure white. Thinking quickly, Nagisa flicked out his hand, an orange dome springing to life around the creature in response.
The explosion lasted less than a second, straining the barrier the apprentice mage had placed around it. There was no dust or smoke to clear, just a lone girl with blood dripping from her face.
...
Nagisa left as soon as the monster was confirmed destroyed, cheerily stating that he would see them in school the next day. Supporting Shiiko with an arm, Rei lead her deeper into the back streets by the university till she found a park bench with not park attached. Sitting themselves down, the ferret thing again appeared on Shiiko's shoulder, much annoying the two girls who were trying to wipe as much blood off themselves as they could.
"Introductions first I suppose. I'm Katsuragi, a powerful wizard currently disguising himself as a rodent. I'm not that good at body-altering spells, so don't hold that against me. I believe Ayanami-kun already knows you, but I do not."
Shiiko grumbled out a response, too drained of any energy to be coherent. "Her name is Shiiko Ikari; she's a classmate of mine." Rei elucidated.
"Well then, onto the meat of the matter." The wizard-cum-ermine pounded a tiny fist into a clawed palm and began to rub them together. "What you two just fought and drove to suicide was a type of golem used as a familiar. The person controlling them is Adam, one of the two original magic-using humans on this planet. His goal involves the eradication of all human life on the planet through various means. His current plan is to gather ordinary people with high magic potential and doing things to them to reach his goal. There's obviously more to it but that can wait till later."
Rei rose from the bench, her face clean of blood and dirt. "Agreed. How early can you get to school tomorrow?"
"Early enough." Shiiko replied, a silly grin plastered over her face.
"Very well then, I shall see you tomorrow. Goodbye." Katsuragi said, scampering away from the two girls to find shelter for the night.
"He'll follow us home, he can't risk getting caught by Adam's other familiars." Rei said as soon as her mysterious benefactor was gone. They looped back through the same network of alleys to retrieve their bags, which had been dropped in their haste. The puffy grey tail protruding from Shiiko's bag wasn't very well hidden.
...
"There was, many millenia ago, no such thing as 'wizards' and 'dragons' in this world. The only two magical beings on the planet were primal beasts of great power. Two humans sought out these beasts for reasons I know not." Katsuragi stroked his chin as he thought of his next piece of exposition. Shiiko combed her hair out after a long bath.
"Then what? Did they slay the monsters and take the magic for themselves?"
"Not exactly. The beasts were willing to give up their power, provided the person had a good motive. It's an old story so a lot's been lost over time, but the two humans gained the power of these two creatures. The man, Adam, cared more for the planet than the people, so he shared that raw power with the animals of the world. The woman, Lilith, used her power to create a system that humans could use and that eventually became the magic that I can use. The creatures went into a deep sleep to conserve their remaining power, and the Age of Magic began."
"But then, why's Adam evil? And where's Lilith? You aren't very good at telling stories Katsuragi-san."
"I'm not telling a story!" He snapped at her, jamming a claw into her pillow. "I'm telling you about Adam's history and motives so that you can continue to fight in the event of my death!"
"Sorry for interrupting." She said, thoroughly chastised.
"No need, I was done explaining what I've already told Ayanami-kun. Take me in to school tomorrow and I'll explain the rest to you there."
"Then, what about Nagisa-kun? He knows you right? Why didn't you mention him?"
"I said I would explain it tomorrow. In the meantime, don't tell him of any plans relating to this war, any information that you gain from me, especially anything to do with your powers. I don't know what's happened to him lately, but he's not to be trusted."
...
Katsuragi rocked back and forth on the shelf in the small storage cupboard, looking at the two girls who's heads were slightly higher than the shelf. "Do you get it now?" he asked. "If Nagisa-kun wants information from either of you, you're not to give it to him. Don't discuss anything related to Adam when he is nearby. When one of Adam's familiars is attacking, don't expect him to help you, just kill it. If he suddenly attacks you, don't hesitate to kill him too."
"I don't really want to kill him, but I see why." Shiiko said, her eyes downcast.
"We should get to class now. We can speak more afterwards. You should remain here Katsuragi, the biology faculty will probably try to dissect you." Rei leaned down to pick up her bag, then quickly cracked open to door to check her surroundings.
Noting that there was no one around to notice them exit a small storage cupboard the floor above where their classroom actually was. Luckily, none of their seniors pointed out the two girls with 'Class 2-C' written on their shoes. No one in their class pointed out when the two girls got to their seats just moments before the teacher entered. Luckily no one was in the main sports storage room across the campus when the next familiar attacked, taking out a large portion or the wall as it entered.
...
So I just spent all day restructuring Just Another Evangelion Fanfiction to reduce the number of chapters with low word counts so I reach this point in Mahou Shinji (Fuck you I can title it how I want) and thought 'good place to end'.
I am a bad man.
The fight was also deliberately underwhelming because that's how it always feels to me in the original Eva; Shinji has no idea what he's really getting himself into and gets his shit wrecked. He powers up because as-of-now unrevealed plot and wins. It's how I write it. can you figure out the plot this time?