Kamijou Touma has been rescued by the research city, Infinity 5. As he recovers, many different things are happening at the same time. Just as the winds blow during nightfall in Infinity City, so are the winds of change taking place as people meet and paths converge, all towards their own destinies. Where Science and Magic meets, so does the epic story begin!
Kamijou Touma sat on his bed, looking at the surrounding scenery outside his window. A slight breeze was pushing past the trees and bushes in the park below, just beside the hospital. Children were playing on the benches and beside the lake, feeding the ducks and swans that flocked to consume the free treats being given out by the patients. Parents supervised their kids as they soaked up the warm sunlight.
Touma was lost in his own thoughts when a load noise jolted him to his senses. The door to his ward swung open and a man walked in. Touma surveyed the man with curiosity. He wore a white lab coat that reached to his thigh. The coat hid a light blue shirt underneath. His pants were black in color and as far as Touma could tell, had things hidden in their pockets. The man was slightly tall, with a relatively strong physique, hidden by his attire. He sprouted a beard and had wavy hair. He looked like he was in his forties or fifties.
Touma looked at the man and asked,
"Eh….excuse me….but are you my Doctor?"
The man glanced at Touma and answered him with a smile,
"Yup, you guessed it!"
Standing in front of Touma, he reached out and shook his hand,
"Hello Touma, my name is Takada Inazuma and I am the Doctor in charge of you."
Touma analyzed the Doctor's name, with recognition spreading through his brain.
"Eh, Inazuma…san?" asked Touma, with uncertainty.
Inazuma flashed a grin,
"I see that you recognize my name. Well, I was the one who sent you the "get-well" card after all."
Touma thought to himself. So this was his Doctor, Takada Inazuma. However, Touma's thoughts immediately turned to more pressing matters that were on his mind. Turning to Inazuma, he exclaimed,
"What happened to Academy city? What about World War 3? What happened to Fiamma?"
Clenching his fist in desperation, Touma struggled, as his voice dropped,
"What about Index?"
These were the questions Touma was afraid of. He had saved millions of people from certain death when he chose stay and knock the "Star of Bethlehem" of it's trajectory. However, he had no way of knowing what happened after he disappeared into the Arctic Ocean.
How the war was going? or whether it was the end of the world? it all overwhelmed him, to the point that he felt like the living dead. Grinding his teeth, Kamijou felt tears forming.
A hand grasped Touma's shoulders firmly. Touma looked up. Inazuma was watching him quietly. As Touma regained his composure, Inazuma gave Touma a comforting smile.
This smile was unlike any other smiles people had given Touma before. It was the smile of a man who had immense willpower and strength. For some strange reason that he could not explain, Touma felt his heart skip a beat and his sadness began to disappear as new emotions took over. Inazuma continued to beam as he spoke,
"Don't worry my boy, I know everything. The war… Fiamma of the right…, even-"
Inazuma grinned even wider,
"-The fact that the "Index Librorum Prohibitorum" is alive and well. You don't have to worry Touma, she is safe."
Touma stared at Inazuma, stunned.
"How do you know?" he replied, desiring more answers from the Doctor.
Inazuma closed his eyes. With a smile still engraved across his face, he spoke,
"I have my own ways of finding out things, Touma. Believe me, when I say that all your allies in Academy city, as well as those who are on the magic side, are safe."
Hearing this, Touma relaxed. There was something about Inazuma that reaffirmed him. After all, this was the man who had saved his life, so why didn't Touma have any reason not to trust him. Dropping his shoulders, Touma sighed,
" That's a relief. I was worried."
Relaxing his body, Touma looked at Inazuma and asked,
"But Inazuma-san, how do you know so much?"
To Kamijou's knowledge, Doctors did not have as much knowledge of the magic side as the higher ups did, so how was it possible that Inazuma knew about them when information was restricted this far down the line?
Inazuma opened his eyes and replied,
"That might be true, but being a member of the Board of Directors does have its privileges."
"Board of Directors? I see, so this means that….."
There was a slight pause before Touma exclaimed,
"EH, BOARD OF DIRECTORS?" he exhaled in disbelief.
After all, it was highly unlikely for a Doctor in any research city to be voted as a member of the board. However, here, in Infinity 5, Inazuma was a Doctor as well as an influential member.
Inazuma laughed at Touma's response.
"I see that my position was unexpected. Well, that was an expected reaction from you. Don't be so intimidated by the title. I still have superiors so I'm not that all high and mighty as you think I am,"
replied Inazuma, as he proceeded to sit down at the foot of Touma's bed.
Everything began to fall into place for Kamijou Touma. Now, it made absolute sense. Since Inazuma was one of the Board of Directors, he had access to highly classified information that was usually kept from the public's knowledge. On top of that, he had power in infinity 5 and he could use that power to spread his influence outside of the city.
"Was it you that rescued me?" asked Touma uncomfortably.
Inazuma shook his head,
"No, a few of us did. You might be unaware, but after the "Star of Bethlehem" went down, different churches sent out their own rescue teams in an attempt to extract you from the drowning vessel."
Inazuma reached for his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar. He handed it to Touma,
"Oh, thank you."
As Touma ripped open the wrapper and munched on the bar, his eyes were trained on Inazuma as he continued to speak.
"For some of us in Infinity 5, who knew what was going on between the different religious factions, recovering you wasn't a matter of choice, it was compulsory. Your life was in the balance and we needed to act quickly."
Chewing on the bar, Touma replied,
"But why couldn't the churches rescue me while you could?"
He still remembered the four divers who had cut through stone and steel to get to him.
Inazuma nodded,
"Our dive teams stationed here has state of the art technology that the magic side does not. Even Academy city itself does not know about our technology that proficiently. I won't go into the finer details, but we used our enhanced diving capabilities to plunge into the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean and locate you."
"Initially, our divers had some obstacles to face once they were in the "Star of Bethlehem." The structure was crumbling tremendously, so they had to work quickly. If they could not locate you within 2 hours, the command would be given to retreat."
Touma's spine tingled when he heard this. Due to the nature of his "Imagine Breaker", he kept on experiencing misfortune at every turn. Now, he realized that he had been extremely lucky to survive an accident such as this.
Inazuma continued, undeterred,
"However, thanks to advanced heat seeking technology, they were able to find you and pull you out just in time. They are the real heroes, Touma. You should thank them."
Inazuma cracked his knuckles as he ploughed on,
"After they secured you, you were flown here to Infinity 5, where we transported you by ambulance to this hospital. I examined you to see if you had any major injuries, though, I must admit that I was quite surprised when I found out that the only ailment you received was a fractured leg that can be healed completely."
"In any circumstances, nobody could have survived a catastrophe of that magnitude, so the other Doctors and I considered it a miracle that you did."
Inazuma winked at Touma and said,
"It seems that you were very fortunate to have survived."
The Doctor looked at Touma's right hand,
"It looks like your "Imagine Breaker" is good for something else too. It might also cancel out you own misfortune."
"You mean this?" Touma asked, as he looked at his right hand.
"Imagine Breaker," the ability to negate all powers supernatural or magical, had always given Kamijou Touma his fair share of misfortune. An ability like this was powerful, but it was like a double-edged sword.
"Nah, this is my power, but it hardly give me any luck."
Inazuma shook his head,
"Since when did you ever need luck, Touma? Your "Imagine Breaker" is a powerful ability, possessed only by you. I take it that it was you who defeated the "Archangel?""
Touma scratched the back of his head,
"Yeah, I touched her with my right hand and her powers could not be used. She disappeared in a ball of energy. I don't remember what happened next."
Inazuma acknowledged this piece of information and nodded.
Touma looked at the scenery outside his window and asked,
"How long do I have to be here?"
Inazuma stood up,
"You will be discharged in a week's time. Don't worry, with more rest, your right leg will be fully healed by the beginning of next week, and you will be able to walk normally once again. No nerves were damaged the last time I checked."
"This means that the pillar, which was pinning your leg down, while you were trapped in the fortress, was pulled off just in time. If the divers had taken longer, you blood circulation would have been cut off and your right leg would have been lost for good."
The Doctor stretched as he continued,
"Fortunately, nothing happened. However we were concerned when you did not wake up for the first 2 weeks. I started to get a little worried when you showed signs of being in a coma. Hence, when I heard the news that you had awoken from your slumber. I heaved a sigh of relief."
Inazuma stopped stretching as Touma clarified,
"When will I be sent back to Academy City?"
It was great that he was going to make a full recovery. However, the place where Kamijou really wanted to be in, was Academy City. To be able to see the faces of Komoe-sensei, Hinegami, Tsuchimikado and even "Biri-Biri" was the best "get well" present he could ever have. However, he was pretty far away from the research centre and had no idea how to get there.
Inazuma glanced at Touma and presented his answer,
"Ah, yes, about that, you will be sent back to Academy City once you have made a full recovery. Since, you will be discharged next week, I will give you ample time to relax in Infinity 5 before preparing your trip back across Japan. Just like our more illustrious counterpart, 80% of the residents here are students too. "
Inazuma opened the door as he prepared to leave.
"I will see you on Thursday to remove your bandages Touma. You will spend the weekend getting yourself back on your feet. I am confident that by next week Monday, you will be able to run again."
Touma smiled as he replied,
"Thank you Inazuma-san, I appreciate it."
Inazuma returned the gesture and said,
"No worries my boy. I left you a basket of fruits. They are fresh so you might want to eat some of them. Oh, and one more thing,"
Inazuma walked back across the room and switched on the television.
"Just in case, if you are bored, I will be leaving the television on. A nurse will be sent in later to check on how you are doing. Get used to being among the living Touma," beamed Inazuma, as he walked to the door and stepped out into the crowded corridor outside.
As the door shut behind Inazuma, Touma picked up the remote control the Doctor had left on the table beside the bed, and began switching channels. Finally, after weeks of resting in the hospital, Kamijou Touma was back among the world of the living.
A few hours later, as night fell in Infinity 5, a certain boy was walking under the lights of this bright city of students.
As Kamijou Touma stayed in the hospital located in the 10th district, evening fell upon Infinity 5 in another part of the city. The 7th district, the part of "I-5" that held the shopping and entertainment complexes, was slowly coming to live.
Artificial lights that lit the skyline like lanterns, replaced the bright sunlight of the earlier afternoon. As buildings and offices began to make their presences known, people began to fill the streets below.
It was the end of the day, and being a city of students, "I-5" usually had a huge swell of population in the city areas at night. As schools ended for the day, students would flock to the entertainment centers to relax. Those who had homework or assignments to do, would head down to cafes or restaurants to have dinner before they started on their work.
It was in a certain part of district 7, on a street below a buzzing shopping mall, that a certain boy could be found. The youth was wearing a blue-colored jersey, and brown bermudas that reached to his knees. He wore shoes, with his socks folded to his ankles. The boy had natural curly hair, and his face possessed a slightly angled jaw. He was slightly skinny and fairly tall. As he walked past excited boys and girls who were making their way up the stairs, he looked around.
His name was Avinash, and he was 16 years old. Some people in Japan usually paid attention to him when he walked on the pavement or crossed a road. It wasn't because he was weird. Rather, due to the nature of his skin color, it was understandable for some of the native Japanese people to look at him that way. Avinash was brown-skinned and he was proud of it.
He was one of the few foreign born students living in Infinity 5. Avinash attended a certain high school within the city and even in class; he was the only Indian person studying there.
Avinash continued to walk as he enjoyed his surroundings. A cool breeze was settling on the city, bathing it in a chill that made him wish he had brought his jacket.
He arrived at a traffic light and waited for the green man to appear. As he stood beside people waiting to cross, he suddenly spotted somebody that he recognized. Impatiently waiting for the traffic light to start, Avinash bounced on the spot in anticipation. When the green light finally showed itself, he sprinted across the road in an attempt to reach the person he was aiming for.
The person who had merited his attention was a certain Japanese girl who was standing on the other side of the road. This girl looked like she was 14 years old, and she wore a school uniform that Avinash wasn't familiar with. Her skirt was short and if he didn't know better, a strong gust of wind would make her a carbon copy of Marilyn Monroe's infamous stunt.
She had short hair and was wearing a pair of goggles, which to Avinash, looked like the equipment used to see magnetic fields and electron beams. He had been taught about them in school. Avinash raced to her and exclaimed,
"Excuse me, please!"
The girl stopped as she turned to look at him, acknowledging his presence. The girl surveyed him in a dreamy state and asked,
"Why have you stopped Misaka? As Misaka ponders at the stranger whom she knows with a slight memory," the girl called Misaka replied.
Avinash looked at this Misaka and thought to himself.
"That is a weird way of speaking."
Misaka continued to gaze at Avinash and said,
"If the stranger does not have anything to ask, Misaka shall take her leave, as Misaka answers his silence."
She turned to leave.
"Wait!" Avinash cried out, as Misaka stopped and looked behind.
Composing himself, Avinash answered her in perfect Japanese,
"Erm….are you okay? After what happened last week, I was a bit concerned about how you were taking it."
Misaka turned to face him completely and said,
"Misaka does not understand the meaning of the question, as she looks at the stranger with confusion"
Avinash continued,
"It's not that. Remember, last week? When those 6 thugs attacked you? I had to step in and help you because the situation was getting dangerous, and they would have done something worse to you?"
Avinash looked down, avoiding Misaka's eyes.
"I was wondering if you were okay after what had happened…..That's all."
"What the crap am I doing?" thought Avinash.
He was always nervous around the girls he found attractive, and this Misaka was definitely attractive. If he found a girl to be beautiful, he would avoid making eye- contact with her due to his own lack of self- confidence when dealing with the opposite gender. Avinash was always nervous around women. However, he had to talk to Misaka to make sure that she was all-right.
Misaka looked at him and replied,
"Misaka will make a full recovery, even though she admits that she was under no real danger with those troublemakers, says Misaka, as she understands the stranger's concerns."
Avinash smiled and said,
"Hi, my name is Avinash and I am a level 0 Esper. Nice to meet you."
Avinash reached out his hand for a shake. Misaka looked at his hand and took it, shaking it before she let go again.
"Misaka thanks you for you assistance in dealing with those criminals, even though she admits that she could have dealt with them herself, says Misaka, as she responds with a smile on her face,"
smiled Misaka.
Avinash could not understand the reason behind the way she spoke, but he had heard rumors that these girls were clones of a particular level 5 Esper that was residing in the world's best research facility, Academy City. Maybe, that was the reason why she spoke in such an uncommon way.
Avinash turned to Misaka as she spoke for the last time.
"Misaka was surrounded, but she would like to thank you for your un-selfish actions in assisting her, announces Misaka, as she acknowledges you."
Turning away, she said,
"Misaka says goodbye now, as she turns to leave."
With this, Misaka walked off, leaving Avinash standing on the spot. Looking at her go, Avinash watched her as she made her way down the street and disappeared around the corner. It was true.
Just over a week ago, he had been walking along another street when he heard shouts coming from a nearby store. Curious to find out what the commotion was all about, he headed towards the shouts and came across 6 gang members who were surrounding a girl. The girl seemed to be an Esper, as Avinash saw her shooting jolts of electricity from her body in an attempt to ward off her attackers.
However, she seemed to be immobilized by a sound that was being played by one of the thugs, who had a radio in his hand. To Avinash, he had been taught that this particular sound was known as "Capacity Down," a frequency that nullified Espers and interfered with the ability to use their powers. If he didn't act fast, the 6 guys were going to do something bad to her, knowing full-well, that gangs like these hated high-level Espers.
As they closed in on her, Avinash had rushed in, grabbed her hand and pulled her away with him. The thugs, who were obviously incensed that he had stolen their prey, chased after them. Avinash, together with Misaka in tow, ran until they came to a crowded shopping mall. Entering it and brushing people aside, Avinash pushed her into a store, while he ran out and acted as decoy. The gangsters, seeing him make his way out of the mall, abandoned their hunt for Misaka and pursued him instead, in an attempt to flesh out all their anger on him.
He led them into an abandoned alley, where he negated the leader's ability and beat up the entire group. He achieved this by using the skills he had learnt while undergoing intense training under a certain Doctor. After everything was done, he had called the ambulance to come and pick up the injured guys, while he heaved a sigh of relief as he walked away.
Reverting back to the present, Avinash looked up at the night sky as stars began to appear over Infinity 5. He looked around at the people walking past him and thought to himself,
"I really need to work on the way I communicate with girls."
He started to walk as he thought about Misaka, the clone whom he had rescued and recently spoken to. Making his way to the bus-stop, he pondered her existence and whispered to himself,
"Boy, there are really strange people in this world."
As he waited for the bus to take him home, Avinash breathed heavily and sighed, "I wonder what Inazuma-san has to say about this."
Unknown to him, a strong wind began across Infinity 5, signaling the change that was going to take place in a matter of weeks.