Disclaimer: None of the anime used in this story belong to the writer. This is a work of fiction done for fun, not money. Please do not sue. You won't get much anyway.
Chapter Eight: The Other Side
The plane banked out over the sea. Several of the girls were already asleep. Kain and Kenjirô were awake next to each other, talking with some measure of excitement.
"I was born in the magical world, you know," Kenjirô commented. "But I ran out when I was still very young, and came to Japan. It was tough, sneaking through the gate like that. It'll be good to go back."
"It'll be good to go there…I just can't wait…."
They paused as a commotion started several seats behind them. A girl perhaps a year younger than they were was, from the seat behind her, harassing Hinagiku, who was lying on her chair, as propped back as she could go, her eyes covered with a sleeping mask.
"Look at that, Sharna-chan! That girl looks deathly pale! I bet she's a zombie!"
The speaker was a small but energetic girl with short, somewhat wild orange hair. Her companion next to her, Sharna-chan, was dark-skinned, apparently Indian, had glasses on, and seemed to lack all the energy that plagued her friend.
Hinagiku pulled up her sleeping mask to glare at the girl, then turned over and pulled her blanket over her head.
"Ah! She ignored us! She's giving us the cold shoulder!" crowed the girl.
"You shouldn't bother someone who's obviously in distress, Fumi-chan," Sharna admonished her. "You especially shouldn't pick on your student council president like that."
"What!?" Fumi declared. "She's the student council president!?"
"Yes, Fumi-chan. You've been in Mahora's middle school for over a year. Why didn't you recognize her?"
Kazumi, nervously sitting next to Hinagiku, finally managed to put in, "A-are you going on a trip to America as well?"
"Nope! Sharna-chan and I are just using it as a stopping point, then we're flying down to Peru! We're going to ride llamas from Cusco up to the famous Incan city of Machu Picchu!"
Kazumi stared, but it seemed the girl was entirely serious. Indeed, her far more reasonable companion did not seem the least alarmed by the tale, suggesting that it was the truth. "T-that's…quite a journey…aren't you scared?"
"Sure, it's scary," Fumi said almost seriously, "but frontiers are for the bold!"
"Y-you're quite a firebrand, aren't you…?" Kazumi asked.
"Yup! I embrace the spirit of challenge!"
Hinagiku stirred and perked up at this declaration. Naturally, the adventure they were about to undertake would make even a llama ride up to Machu Picchu pale in comparison, but for Hinagiku, it wasn't nearly so terrific and terrifying adventure as riding in this airplane. Kain had already shown her the wonders she could see from on high…if only she could keep her fear down….
She sat up suddenly. "Oh…Hina-chan!" Kazumi exclaimed in shock.
"Ah! Sharna-chan! The undead have risen!"
Kazumi sat back in surprise as Hinagiku leaned past her and stared out the window for a second. Then her eyes began to cross and she collapsed back into her seat.
"Look, Sharna-chan! The zombie has fainted!"
"H-Hina-chan!?"
8-8-8
August 13th, inside Jynx' lair underneath Library Island.
"They should be arriving in Wyoming by now," Miyu commented. "Aren't you lonely without your friends, Alyssa-sama?"
"Hmph," Alyssa retorted. "I'm sorry they're off to sightsee in the magical country."
"But in the end, everything we might have said wouldn't have mattered," Jynx commented. "Even to Mai. In the end, they all went charging right off…."
"Well, without experiencing these kinds of things with their own ears and eyes, their own hands and feet, everything we say wouldn't mean a thing to them. They'll have to learn on their own."
"Still…sending children like that out into the world on their own, without even any way to reach us…it makes me uneasy…" Jynx noted.
"You're saying that, as responsible as you are for what they're doing…."
"Hey, I didn't expect them to go charging off in the middle of their summer vacation. I guess I'm still worried…."
"…Is there any life without danger or hardship? Even with no such concerns, humans die off in mere tens of years…and such lives often have far less meaning. If so, step forward, then, humans. Advance and bear your trials. It's only natural for those who have stepped forward to take on more risk than normal. And what of it? It's much better to fight through risk than to be pigs who sit in idleness, cowering within their web of safety. Those things worth seizing lie at the end of risk."
"Master…" Miyu began.
"Of course, if they die, that's that," Alyssa concluded casually.
"Ah…how terribly cruel of you, Alyssa," Jynx sighed. "Ah, well…."
8-8-8
"F-finally…" Hinagiku gasped. "We're finally here…now…we can ride a train to Kain-sensei's hometown now, right? I-I know this isn't it, but…."
"No, no…" Kain tried to explain. "This is Salt Lake City. It's in Utah, which is still a long way from Wyoming. There aren't really any passenger trains that run between states out here in the Mountain West…."
"A-ah? I-is that so? So, a bus perhaps…?" she asked hopefully.
"No, no…it would take over seven hours to get to my hometown by bus…we're going to have to ride a plane again…."
"Noooo!"
8-8-8
"This is a plane?" Chisame asked incredulously. "It's not like I'm an expert…but this tiny thing…."
"Wyoming has barely 500,000 people in the entire state," Kain repeated. "Less than 2 people per square kilometer. Turboprops are about all that anyone will operate to a place like this. The airport in Wyoming we're heading for next has less than 50,000 operations annually…."
"Ah…let's go so we can get this trip over with…" Akari murmured. She glanced back at Hinagiku. "And before our poor Kaichô has a heart attack from all these plane rides…."
8-8-8
And so, fast-forwarding for dear Hinagiku's sake, they finished their trip…and found that a much larger, private plane had already touched down. As the group streamed out of their own plane, some of their number helping the stricken Hinagiku, they stared as another party came streaming out of the private plane.
"Hello, everyone!" Rakasu cheered, and Kanade (with her sister Haruna in tow), Kaoru, Miki, Riza, Izumi, Risa, Riku, Yukari, and Matake followed after.
"They really came," Mai sighed.
"Well, well, we're here!" Kanade crowed. "Man, what a long flight! So, now we go to Kain-sensei's hometown, right? Well, we're all here! Let's go!"
"We had a bus prepared to take us to Sleiyn, Wyoming," Rakasu continued. "There's already one ready, I hear…shall we go?"
"I-is this really all right, Kain?" Mai hissed. "Isn't your hometown just a big collection of mages?"
"R-Rakasu-san is a mage, too," Kain pointed out. "She knows what she's doing, I think…."
"So, is this everyone, then?"
The group started and turned. "Meia-sensei?"
The blue-haired teacher greeted the students. "The bus is ready for all of you. We can depart at any time."
"W-why are you here, Meia-sensei?" Riku demanded. "This is…."
"Didn't you know?" Meia replied with a slight smile. "Kain-sensei graduated from Caelar University, which is here at Sleiyn as well. Caelar and Mahora have long had connections…which is why Kain-sensei joined us on the faculty in the first place. And that's why the school allowed their…'club'…to make this trip. Come along, then."
8-8-8
And so….
"I-it's so empty…" Kaoru murmured.
"K-Kain-sensei talks about this, but to actually see it…" Izumi muttered.
"Some parts of the state are worse than this," Lina pointed out. "At least there's some green here."
The desert landscape of the United States' least populated state distracted them for a while, and then the bus was filled with other sounds and distractions.
Eventually the bus crested a hill and began a descent into a little town, decent-sized by the standards of Wyoming, with probably several thousand inhabitants. A small river ran through the town, and nestled in the back of the buildings was a great structure, similar in appearance to the main building of Mahora Academy, though not so large.
The bus stopped and the class clamored out and gazed down at it.
"Wow…so this is Kain-sensei's hometown?"
"It's amazing!"
"Beautiful!"
"It's like an idyllic paradise!"
"So…Kain-sensei grew up here…?"
"Yeah, Kain grew up here," Lina said flatly, silencing the clamoring. "From about age five onward."
Her businesslike manner of describing this brought most of the group up short. Those who knew about Kain's history—and especially those who knew why he lost his first hometown—were especially cognizant of the seriousness of that statement.
Mai approached Kain, who was standing at the far end of the hill. "…So, how is it, Kain-sensei? How's it feel to be back home after so long?"
"Well…it hasn't been so very long since I left here…it shouldn't even seem that long…but somehow, it honestly feels like I haven't seen this place in ages…."
"…Well, a lot has happened…quite a bit in fact. But still…you sound like an old man, talking like that…."
"Yes." He turned to Meia, who was also approaching. "…Well, Meia-sensei? Shall we go on?"
"Of course." She addressed the class. "Back into the bus. We'll have to make our stop…first off, to our place of lodgings…."
8-8-8
The bus stopped in front of…a large inn, really. Everyone began to file off, but Hinagiku stopped and glanced back as Lina didn't move. "…Lina-san? Aren't you coming?"
"Ah…I'll be along in a minute…."
Hinagiku stared at her, confused, but Miki called out to her and she hurried out of the bus. Kain was already hurrying through the door and into the inn.
The girls started sliding in and stared as Kain ran into the embrace of an old man sitting in a chair at one of the tables.
"Uncle Harold!"
"Oh…Kain…so, finally back, are you?" He released the young man and observed the girls crowding the doorway. "And these…must be your students, yes? My word…what a group…."
The girls started hurrying forward to introduce themselves, attempting halting English, but Harold quickly began replying in exceptional Japanese.
Before long, a young woman came over to talk to Kain and greeted the girls as well….
"I wonder why Lina-san was so reluctant to come inside with us," Risa said later. "Her sister Luna-san was the politest and most well-mannered ne-san I've ever met…."
8-8-8
Lina rejoined the group as Kain began to show them around the town, showing his (and Uncle Harold's) home, the university, all the places that held important memories for him.
After some time, most of the girls were released to explore the town on their own, which they did with glee and a slight amount of care, as they went in groups designed to take advantage of the best English speakers among them. Kain was left on his own, and walked along the walkways of the University with his great uncle.
"So," the old man muttered. "You're really off to the magical world, eh? With all of them?"
"No," Kain denied. "Not all of them. Just…well, most of them."
"Hmm. I see…and nothing can change your mind about this?"
"No…the only clues I have left are in Arcanus Myrror. I have to make it…."
"Yes…but it's going to be difficult. The gate to the magic world won't open so easily…."
"And that's why the school requested my help." They turned as Konosuke Hammond approached.
"Headmaster…I'm back. I've been gone a while."
The old man laughed. "There's a saying in China…it goes, 'Carefully observe a young man whom you have not met for three days.' You've changed a great deal, Kain. I've heard quite a bit from Kensuke. It seems you've had quite the adventures…."
"Y-yes…excuse me, Headmaster…."
"Yes, I know. This day has come much sooner than I thought it would. You will see it with your very own eyes. Are you prepared?"
"Yes!" Kain declared emphatically.
"You may still choose to abstain from seeing the past and live in peace. No one would blame a child like you…."
"That is…that is something I can't do…."
"You're stubborn. It's hard to make a virtue of stubbornness…."
"Ahh…y-yes, sir…."
"Very well, follow me."
Confused, Kain followed, and Harold plodded along after them. Konosuke led Kain to a sealed door he had never paid much attention to before, set in a lost corner of the school's corridors. He removed a key from his sleeve and opened the door. Then, a magical light guiding the way, he began to lead him down the steps.
"After the incident, all the people of your village were brought here."
Kain stared at the row of stone statues that greeted him at the bottom of the stairs…especially the one at the forefront. "Auntie…Mira…."
Kain strode slowly forward and put a hand to the stone face. "So, here you are…it's been a while…."
He looked around at the rest of statues, recognizing most of them, if only faintly. All the people from his original village. He had to resist the effort…to speak to Mira, most of all.
"Kain…I brought you here today…because I wanted you to pass through this place and be able to move forward. Certainly, it will be a heavy burden for such a small frame as yours…."
"I understand, but it's all right. I can do it." ('In some ways, seeing this makes it harder to keep up my resolve, but not for the reasons he thinks….')
He turned back to Mira's statue, and stared at the flowers at her feet. "It seems…someone's been down here, taking care of Auntie Mira…."
"Yes…my granddaughter has been dutiful…."
"Your granddaughter…Tear Grants?" Kain glanced up at the old man. "…She was here recently?"
"Yes…I'd heard you'd met her. The truth is, Kain, Mira raised you, but was in fact Tear's aunt by blood. Tear's long taken care of her, ever since the incident. She's performing some duties for me right now…."
"I see…." He recalled some of the things she had said to him when they were in their match together. He still had so many questions…why did Mira raise him? Was there some connection between their families…?
He shook his head to clear it and instead said, "Well, in any case, I'm going to continue on as best as I can…but I know I can't bear my burden alone…I've grown up enough to understand that, at least…."
"Grown up? I really wonder, Kain!"
They turned; standing in the doorway was Lina, flanked by Mai, Kagome, Momo, Yue, Nodoka, and Ami, and finally Chisame, lurking just a small distance behind them, in the background.
"Lina!" barked the headmaster. "Really, now! And you've brought people with you…."
"These aren't 'people'…these are some of Kain's closest companions…."
The girls all politely introduced themselves, and Mai moved forward. "Kain…."
"These are the people from Kain-sensei's village…" Nodoka murmured.
Mai turned and spotted Mira. She approached the stature, images, memories, faintly fluttering through her mind. "Mira…."
"Eh? Mai?" Kain stared at her, half in shock.
Mai started and suddenly collected herself. "I-I think…I met her once…back when…when I was…."
"In any case, we should probably go," Harold said. "We should leave these in peace."
Everyone started up the stairs, but Kagome, hesitating, paused and looked back over her shoulder. She remembered reading about Kain's memory in Nodoka's book…she remembered the word of the demon graf, telling her of what she might one day be able to do….
"I will," she promised. "One day, I'll come back here…and restore you all…."
And she followed her friends up the stairs.
8-8-8
Kain stood on the hill just outside the university, staring over the town as the sun set on the horizon. "Lina…used to hang out with me all the time," he explained. "Halie is only a few miles from here…and she had family over there, too…she liked to come and spend time with me…probably because I had such a famous father….
Mai, standing next to him, was silent. "Well…are you all right?" she said finally.
"W-what? What do you mean?"
"No…it's just…I mean, after seeing all of that…."
"Oh! No, I'm fine. I was…prepared, really. And…I got some practice, earlier. And I can't feel down, after learning…well…it's good to know they aren't forgotten…."
"I see…."
"Besides…that place was my starting point. I really understood that today. I'm glad I was able to see my village. I have to keep going, so I don't worry Aunt Mira."
"That's right," Harold said, moving up next to them, his cane rapping on the ground. "Well, you better take these." He handed over some papers to Kain. "You should go home and get some sleep…Meia will be over to pick all of you up early in the morning. Everything's been prepared for you. This…is your identity, while you're over in the magical world. Your father is, of course, far too famous, so for now, you should use this name while you're over there."
Kain opened up the passport-like object that had been handed to him. "Randis…Helam?"
"A fine, unassuming name. It should serve you in good stead."
Kain glanced up again and nodded. "Yes…thank you, Uncle. We'll be back…you can count on it."
Harold smiled at him. "I don't doubt. Godspeed, Kain."
8-8-8
And so they were gathered…Kain, Kenjirô, Hikaru, Mai, Kagome, Momo, Nodoka, Ami, Yue, Chisame, Hinagiku, Erika, Rei, Kazumi, Kiami, Akari, and Nanami stood together in the pre-dawn light, just outside of town, with two cloaked figures ready to guide them. A strange mist, tingling slightly with magic, seemed to accompany them, and continued throughout their travels.
Kain turned back to Harold and Kensuke as they stood watching them. "Well…we're off. Wish us luck!"
"Take care, Kain…and all of you," Harold replied.
The two older men watched them go. "Well, Kalan's friends are waiting for them on the other side, so everything should be well," Kensuke mentioned.
"I know," Harold replied. "Still…sometimes, an old man like me wonders if he'll make it long enough to see the times of separation through…."
To everyone's surprise, the cloaked figure next to Meia turned out to be Tear Grants, here as her assistant. "Does everyone have their robes from the inn?" Meia asked.
"Yup!" they replied in near-unison.
"Okay then, follow me and try not to fall behind."
"Of course, Meia-sensei!" Kagome replied cheerfully.
"What happens if we do fall behind?" Yue queried.
"If you don't stay close during the ceremony for the gate-opening, you won't be able to make it through. If you stray far from me, you'll end up wandering around in the fog for several hours in confusion. Eventually you'll arrive back at the town in a complete daze."
"That's scary," Kiami commented.
"Please don't walk too fast, Meia-sensei!" Nanami begged.
Mai paused long enough to glance back towards the town, thinking of their classmates they were leaving behind. "Sorry, everyone," she said to the empty air. "We'll make it up to you, I promise…."
She hurried after the others…not knowing they were being watched.
"Sorry, she says," Miki muttered. "Well, we'll see about that. We'll just follow along behind…."
"Good thing we snagged these coats from the inn," Riza commented. "Odd that everyone seems to be wearing them, but it should help us blend in."
"I'm surprised you joined us, Riku-chan," Izumi said cheerfully to the older twin. "And without Risa-chan…."
"If she misses out, that's her problem for oversleeping," Riku muttered. "But this is just all too suspicious…."
"That's right!" Kaoru agreed. "We're not letting Kain-sensei and everyone leave us behind…."
"No…" Yukari agreed quietly. "And not Kazumi or Kenjirô-kun, either…."
"Um, Meia-sensei," Yue offered.
"Yes, Ayase-chan?"
"Um…will we be on the other side from here on? And…there aren't any cases of normal humans stumbling through…are there?"
"That wouldn't happen," Meia replied, anti-prophetically, raising her ring and creating a magic symbol in the air as she spoke. "This place isn't on the other side yet, but it's a gate that resides, you could say, between the two worlds. Normal people can't enter it. Those cloaks you're wearing are the keys that allow you pass from your world to this 'subspace', but even with those, you couldn't make it—that mist exists to keep out intruders. Anyone who enters it becomes instantly confused and wanders randomly; they could never make it to the place of the gate. Only those who have been given permission by the ruling countries on the other side to operate the gates and travel between them have the use of a special spell that allows them to penetrate the fog. So, normal humans can't enter at all. Don't fall too far behind me."
"You must be a very important person over there, if you're one of those 'given permission'," Ami noted.
Meia offered a small smile. "Mahora Academy is, as you've discovered, far from an ordinary place. Let's go."
Other groups of robed figures began to join the throng as the fog began to lift. Finally the crowd arrived at…well, a collection of rocks that looked rather like the famous Stonehenge of Britain, only much larger. A single stone pillar, sharp and pointed and over 100 meters tall, dominated the center of the circle. The girls gazed around in wonder.
"So many people," Kagome muttered. "I'm surprised. Are they all mages?"
"Well, cases like Kain-sensei's, involving normal people in their affairs, are rare," Tear quipped, eliciting a wince from Kain. "Normally, only mages know anything of these Gates, so yes, these are all mages."
"But this is actually a small group," Meia continued. "Usually, they are many more. The Gates rely on fluctuations between the two worlds, similar to weather currents or phases of orbiting planets. Sometimes, they will open only once a month, although usually around once a week."
"Only once a week, huh?" Nanami commented. "No wonder there's not a lot of cultural exchange…."
"It is an isolated world, after all," Chisame added.
"This should be fun in any case," Kenjirô said. "I'm actually looking forward to going back…."
"How'd you sneak through in the first place, Kenjirô?" Kain asked him.
"I went through another Gate, one of the less-guarded and maintained ones; I ended up in Tibet on this side. It was actually tougher to get to Japan from there, than it was to go through."
"But it doesn't look like the gate is open right now," Hikaru noted.
"It isn't. There's still an hour before it's due to open," Meia explained. "There are a few things to take care of first. For now, why don't you have breakfast? Tear was kind enough to prepare food for you all."
"It's just onigiri," Tear commented, "but it should get us through this…."
The group happily partook and began to eat. Kenjirô was a bit too enthusiastic, grabbing one that Lina had her eye on, and eliciting an outburst from the girl. As they struggled, they jostled another young man, who stepped back a few paces. Had they been paying attention, they would have perhaps noticed the brown, earthy hair poking out from under the cloak's hood, or the bright yet nearly lifeless green orbs that shone from within….
"The Celts once carried a belief," lecture-mode Yue explained, perhaps inspired by the appearance of the gate area. "In the earth beneath a hill of lined Menhir like these, the bottoms of lakes, the other side of oceans…that in these places was a world not unlike this one—the 'other world'—and in it lived the spirits of the deceased.
"It should be noted that Celtic mythology differed from the 'pleasure garden'-type afterlife or paradise suggested by terms like 'heaven' that we use. On the other side, the dead live on, with bodies and lives nearly identical to that which they had on this side. It was said that occasionally even the living, with their flesh and blood and all, could catch sight of the 'other world' at a place that served as the gateway between the two realms. It was, so to speak, just 'another world'. It is close to the image of the Chinese Shangri-La or Tarô Urashima's Ryûgûjô, the 'paradisiacal utopia connected to this world'. And there are other tales as well that are equally descriptive of this place, such as Arcadia, Agartha, Tir na Nog, and others too numerous to name…some too eerily similar…but I'm getting off topic….
"And so," Yue concluded, "the 'magic world'—Arcanus Myrror—this place we're heading to now is the closest to that meaning of the 'other world' and also the origin…."
"Um, Yue…they aren't listening to you…" Ami noted, pointing. Indeed, everything was gathering inside the stone circle.
"I-it's almost time…" Nodoka mentioned.
"Ack!" Yue panicked, and they hurried to rejoin their party.
The group greeted them and they gathered. It was, indeed, time, for the stones began to glow with an almost eerie light. "It's starting," Meia announced.
"Oh! The ground is glowing!" Kagome trilled.
"This magic…this is definitely the real thing!" Nanami crowed. "It's like from the School Festival…."
"This is a large-scale magic circle for dimensional transfer," Tear explained.
"W-why is ground glowing?" Miki hissed. "What is this?"
"How should I know?" Riku hissed back. "I can't understand anything these people are saying…."
Momo glanced over at Kain. "You look a little nervous, Kain-sensei. Is everything all right?" She smiled slightly, but kindly. "You aren't spooked by this much are you…?"
"No…it's…it's nothing." Kain shook his head. "I have an odd feeling, that's all. Maybe it's just nervousness…nervous excitement…." ('But…this feeling…it's cold…and familiar….')
"So what kind of place is the magical world?" Akari asked Yue.
"Here, let me explain," Yue said, recalling what she had read from her artifact before they had taken it along with the rest of the weapons and items of power (a necessary practice similar to the need for airport security).
She went into lecture mode, explaining about the countries of note, the cities, about the Halteese Republic, which is where they were bound, and how several hundred million humanoids lived across the world in mostly medieval style….
"Will there be faeries? Or angels?" Akari asked. "Oh, or dragons? I'd like to see a dragon! Maybe I could fight one…that'd be great…."
Yue paused. "…You aren't listening, are you, Akari-san?"
Chisame scoffed. "Either way, it's just some fantasy world, right? With slimes and stuff? Goodness, but if we leave it alone, there will probably be just some demon-god or something that'll pop out…ah, I hope not…we should leave things like that to heroes…."
"Anyway, I agree with Akari-san; I'd like to fight a dragon, at least if I get my weapons back," Kenjirô mentioned. He kept glancing around himself, somewhat agitated, but the excited girls didn't seem to notice.
"No, no," Momo said. "Dragons are outrageously rare and powerful. It takes captain-class hinigami to fight against dragons. You should quit while you're ahead."
"Hey, hey," Nanami whispered to Meia. "Are there things like Love Potions and such being sold over there?"
"Those are illegal," Meia said flatly.
"All right everyone, all right!" Kain begged. "We're about to depart, so let's quiet down! We're annoying the people around us!"
"Troublesome, aren't they, Kain?" Kamo laughed from his shoulder. "It's almost more like they're preparing for a picnic…."
And then the giant stone in the center of the circle fired a beam into the sky, one that parted the clouds and created several magic circles at varying height intervals.
"This is it!"
And the white explosion filled their world….
Nanami carefully opened her eyes. "Are we here already?" she managed.
"Yes," Tear replied. "We've arrived."
"Where are we?" Mai demanded.
"The Gateport for the city of Ouritel, capital of the Halteese Republic," explained Meia. "It's like an airport in some ways."
"But that transmission was much faster than any plane," Kiami noted with a bit of pleasure.
"It's really something, isn't it?" Erika said to Hinagiku with a teasing smile. "We could really use it in our world, don't you think?"
"In place of planes? Yes, please…."
Not that Hinagiku was feeling much better now, Erika noted. Their new location was a massive platform (ringed by a stone circle just like the one they had left in Wyoming), high above in a huge chamber. Large, wide walkways led down ramps to similar but smaller platforms, bedecked not with stone furniture but at least with magic circles and the like. One ramp led up to an outer catwalk that ringed the massive chamber, with a window set just above it.
"If you head up there," Meia noted, "you can get a good look at the city before we head to immigrations."
"Really? I'd like that," Ami noted. "C'mon, Nodoka, Yue…."
"So what's up now?" Kenjirô asked.
"Apparently, we wait to meet up with one of Kalan Lockeheart's friends, who was called to meet us here in this city and act as our guide," Hikaru explained.
"Do we get our weapons back first?" Kenjirô growled. As previously noted, shortly before the transfer, of course, all their artifacts, weapons, and other items of power, including Kain's cloak, had been confiscated and taken by the various guardians. Watching Kiami disarm herself had been an entertaining diversion.
"We'll get them," Momo promised him. "I know how you feel about it. It's odd for me, as well…."
"I still think it's stupid," Kenjirô huffed. "I don't feel secure at all…and people intent on wreaking havoc will always find ways around it…."
"Well, your resistance to law and order is noted," Hinagiku sighed, "but this is safest for everyone. Border checks always have to have security like this…."
"Maybe. I just feel so naked. I've got a bad feeling…my skin is crawling here…."
Miki, Riza, Izumi, Riku, Yukari, and Kaoru were all huddled together, staring around in shock. "W-what's going on?"
"Like I know!" Riku retorted. "I have no idea what any of that was, or where we are, or…."
"I-I'll go find someone to ask!" Yukari insisted, and started to hurry off.
"W-wait! Yukari-chan!"
Meanwhile, the library trio arrived at the window and stared out at the city. It was certain they weren't in Wyoming anymore…the city was huge, filled with massive buildings of strange and unique designs. A beautiful blue river ran through the city, and strange objects flew through the skies.
"In-incredible…." Nodoka breathed.
"Awesome…" Ami murmured. "Like a real fantasy…."
"Eh…it doesn't look that different from reality," Chisame muttered, coming up behind them with Rei in tow.
"That's a rather odd point of view, Chisame-san," Yue said dryly. "After seeing this…?"
In addition to strange ships, there were strange creatures in the sky. Ami pointed to some flying whales.
"Yes…so, just 'reality + flying whales'," Chisame grumbled.
"Chisame-san seems far too cynical for a human child," Rei noted.
"Look, that's just how I am, all right? My bad!" Chisame turned back to the window. "Besides, look out there…you should understand just by looking at the city. This is not a dream world, nor some fairy land. It's probably just the same as the 'real world'—a world filled with problems and annoyances. Every one of them is good-for-nothing. Worlds, I mean."
Kain, with Momo accompanying him, picked up the magic box with their stored weapons from customs. "Here you are, Mr. Helam," the cheerful desk worker said. "This can be unlocked after you leave the Gateport."
"It's all inside this small box?" Kain said in wonder. "Why the concern for these…?"
"Carrying weapons in the Halteese Republic requires a permit, so please do not forget about this," the woman explained.
"I-I see…thank you!"
"K-Kain-sensei! Ah, I mean…w-whatever!"
Kain turned in surprise as Tear came rushing in, red-faced. "What's the matter?" he asked her.
"It's your students!" she hissed. "Stowaways in the Gateport! Five of them!"
"Eh!?"
8-8-8
They came hurrying back into the Gateport's center. There, ringed by guards, were five teary-eyed girls.
"K-Kain-sensei!" Kaoru called. "W-what's going on here!?"
"K-K-Konoe-san!? Hanabishi-san…Segawa-san…Asakaze-san…Riku-san! W-what are you doing here!?"
"W-we're sorry," Miki mumbled. "I know we said we'd forget about following you on your trip, but…it was just too interesting…."
('N-no…') Kain thought. ('It would have been bad enough, just those three finding out…but now…they're all stuck here with us….') "What do we do now?" he muttered aloud.
Excepting those looking out from the catwalk above, the rest of Kain's party stared at the secret invaders.
"A-are you serious?" Mai breathed. "T-this is bad…."
"This really shouldn't be possible," Tear sighed. "But the answer's obvious, isn't it? We'll have to process them…."
"P-process? Hey!" Riza barked. "What's she talking about, Kain-sensei? I don't think I like the idea of being 'processed'!"
"Forget about the processing," Kain growled in anguish.
Tear looked at him with a bit of indignation. "Kain-sensei, I understand that you're a dutiful teacher who cares for his students, but in this case, I can't go along with your whims…"
"That's not it!" Kain barked. "Think for a moment! How did this even happen!? How could they get here!?"
"W-what? Well…they must have been in the company of one of the guides using the travel spell, or there's no way they could have made it into the Gateport. I'm certain that they weren't within range of our spell…Meia-sensei and I were both watching for them very carefully, knowing just what kind of girls these are…."
"Hanabishi-san," Kain said, addressing the probable ringleader, "think very carefully about this and answer me completely truthfully. How did you come here? Did you join up with another group?"
"N-no. We just followed you…we made sure to stay far enough away so that you wouldn't see us. It was tough, in that fog, but…."
"But that can't be!" Lina insisted. "There's no way they could have made it through the mist! Not unless…the spell of confusion wasn't active…."
A strange feeling suddenly struck Kain as Kenjirô burst out, "What are you talking about? Are you saying something must have interfered with the spell?"
"Seems so…but who could have done it…?"
Kain felt panic washing over him, even as his captured students began to clamor anew at him. Kenjirô had been complaining for a while about the nervous feeling he was getting, and now the feeling he had sensed earlier was returning….
And then he really sensed it.
('This sensation…a feeling of power…doom…there's no way I could forget…. If these non-mages somehow penetrated such a barrier of confusion…something worse might have slipped through…no, they're probably responsible for it. No security is perfect…!')
"Where's Meia-sensei?" Kain barked at Tear.
"W-what? She's already departed, heading out to find your guide…."
Kain turned to Erika. "Erika-san, prepare your detection spells, please!" He turned to the nearest guard. "How many security personnel are here?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Please, call them all! This is an urgent matter!"
"W-what? But you're…."
"Hurry!" He turned to the rest of his comrades. "Akari-san, Mai, Momo, come down here and protect Riku-san and the rest! Kiami, Kenjirô, go collect Nodoka and the others and bring them back here! Lina, can you help me prepare a magic barrier?"
"Right," Lina growled. "Have you figured something out?"
"Kain-sensei,what are you talking about?" Hinagiku demanded.
"If I'm overreacting, this will be a funny story for later," Kain said. "But this is…."
"He's noticed me? That should have been impossible. Is his potential that great because of his father…? Oh well. I suppose I'll re-introduce myself…."
The surge in power alerted them. Hinagiku, Momo, Mai, and Lina stopped their actions and turned back in shock, but they had just started to move when the stone blasted through Kain's torso from behind, just below his right shoulder.
('I-I've been hit. Direct hit to the right shoulder…a stone spear…just like Kyoto…it can't be…this is…fatal….')
He glanced over, the world moving in slow motion as Lina and Mai hurried towards him, eyes wide in shock, mouthing his name. ('No…d-don't come…stay away….')
He spat out a rush of blood and put his hand to his mouth, trying to stifle it just a little, and collapsed to his knees, and then finally to the floor, where he lay, unmoving.
His students and friends flocked around him. "This is bad!" Momo growled as she and Lina dropped down next to him and began preparing healing spells. "This level of injury needs Kagome's artifact! It's still sealed!"
"Where did it come from?" Akari cried, looking around almost wildly, searching for an enemy to fight. There were still many robed figures in the room, but most of them were panicking, running to the exits, as the four stationed guards to surround the fallen figure of Kain.
"Don't cluster around!" Tear barked, rushing up to his side. "The enemy that got him is still there! You two, back away!" As they hurriedly obeyed, she began to chant, "O spirits who dance upon the wind, grace us with your purifying melody. Fairy Circle!"
Lina stared at her appreciatively as the light rose around Kain, stopping and starting to reverse the flow of blood. "I remember you now," she muttered. "You've got some impressive white magic…t-thanks…."
"Wait until this is over," Tear barked. "This is a death-blow, and…a powerful petrification effect on top of that. I've stopped the stone effect, but this is serious…."
"W-what is this?" Izumi muttered as the five normal girls stared in shock. "A-are they filming a movie…?"
"Don't worry, we have reinforcements coming, along with another healer!" one of the guards told them. "We'll…."
"Not likely."
An explosion of power erupted around them. Momo, Lina, and Erika managed to create shields around their group in time, but the four guards, redshirts all, were completely eliminated.
"So, you're a healer?" Eminus murmured, appearing suddenly next to Tear, his cloak discarded and flying away. "Rules of war say that you go down first…."
With a savage kick he sent her flying away. She bounced painfully across several platforms before rolling to rest at the very bottom of the massive chamber and lying completely still.
"Y-you!" Akari declared, leaping at the young man.
"Borgnine, come!" yelled a feminine voice.
A massive ogre-like creature suddenly appeared in the air behind Akari and sent her flying with an impossibly-fast punch.
Eminus stepped away, and a dozen cloaked figures leapt into place around the group. The ogre likewise landed into place just out of their range.
"What a motley crew," murmured another voice as Nagi Homura manifested in the air above them. "If you had just failed to notice us…you might have lived longer…."
Mai stared up at him. "Y-you! …Nagi!"
The young boy fixed a gaze on her. "…Oh? You recognize me, Mai-chan? I didn't think you'd remember anything from before. Well, as good as that news is, we're not quite ready to take you back…."
Kenjirô came hurrying to the end of the platforms, trailed by the girls he'd fetched, and stared at the scene. "This is…!"
"There's more of you than I remember from last time," Eminus said as Kain stared up at him through his wounded haze. "But it seems your power is still insufficient. And I have more allies this time, as well…."
"Did you follow us here?" Erika demanded in shock.
"Oh, don't be silly, Erika-ojô-sama!" Kinue laughed, throwing off her cloak and smiling at the girl. "As delightful as it is to meet you here, this is just a coincidence. We're here for another reason…."
"Kinue," Eminus said softly, and, playfully making a face, the young woman fell silent. "In any case, we don't want any interference from you. Your Sensei is still salvageable, especially after your friend used her first aid. If you take him and leave this Gateport, we won't harm you any further. Well?"
"Fat chance!" And the girls leapt into action….
And so did their opponents. Discarding their robes, ten more ladies held up…cards, and evoked them.
"Artifact cards!?" Kamo screeched. "Impossible! That means…."
Kenjirô crouched, preparing to leap into combat, but he was suddenly grabbed from behind by Kairen, who then put her orb into his stomach. An explosion of power erupted from it, sending him flying from the upper balcony.
Tear looked wearily up at the scene through her haze of pain, and noticed another cloaked girl crouching, hiding, staring in shock at Kenjirô's assault. "Kenjirô-kun!" Yukari cried, unnoticed.
Kiami found herself suddenly flanked by a pale-skinned woman with long blue hair in twin pigtails and long, pointed ears, armed with a pair of wide-bladed daggers. She was struck down in an instant.
In front of Mai appeared a large man, still wrapped in robes and armor. Mai stared up at him, recognition marking her face…and he slammed her away.
Hinagiku found a girl with pointed ears and long pink hair confronting her. She pointed a staff, topped by a stylized wing that looked like it came from a Mahô Shojô anime, right at Hinagiku, and a blast of force threw her away.
A black-haired woman with a spear cut off Hikaru. Without his sword, he still had his exceptional martial arts skills, but even as he prepared to disarm her, the spear suddenly unleashed a powerful blast of wind that sent him flying.
Lina began preparing a spell, but a woman with shoulder-length black hair and…an eye in the middle of her forehead appeared behind her. She finished her spell first, and Lina was repelled by rocking earth.
Momo found her path cut off by flying chakram blades. A young woman with long strawberry-blond hair caught the two bladed rings, then, as Momo turned to deal with her, blasted her with a great burst of fire.
As Rei began to prepare herself to move, another pair of girls dropped behind her, one who looked very much like Kairen with short purple hair, who rested a scythe on Rei's shoulder, and the other, with dark blond hair and strange rabbit- or fox-like ears rising from her head, holding a pair of daggers of her own.
Erika fought desperately as Kinue leapt at her, but, distracted as she was by the plight of her allies around her, was quickly knocked down and Kinue rested her longsword on her neck. "That's all for now, Erika-ojô-sama," Kinue said cheerfully.
Chisame, Nanami, Ami, Yue, Nodoka, and Kagome stared at this in shock, and at the other girls that suddenly appeared around them, brandishing more weapons. "W-who are you people!?" Chisame demanded in near-panic. "W-what do you want!?"
"I told you, we don't care anything about you at the moment," Eminus stated. "Our objective is this place. This time all of you are completely unrelated. It's actually rather unfortunate…I didn't think that Kain-kun would notice us. But now that it's happened, we have no choice…we can't allow any reinforcements to be called. To put it simply, no one will be coming to save you. This place is now completely cut off from the world outside."
Hinagiku began to raise her head and stare in pain at the situation. ('T-this is bad…we were all taken out so easily…what's the meaning of this? W-who are these people…? These are…the Obsidian Star they've been talking about? Without our weapons…we don't stand a chance….')
Chuckling, a small black shape manifested on Eminus' shoulder. "Where are you hiding, Kamolai?" crowed the creature. "Vanishing because your little girls were trounced by my little girls? What a valiant spirit of the plane of magic!"
Kamo appeared on an upper dais. "Coward yourself, Alvaris! Your force is attacking mine with their weapons while ours are sealed!"
"You snooze, you lose, furball!"
Eminus observed the stricken girls, ignoring the spirits throwing epithets. "Kain-kun…your comrades all seem to be nothing more than trash. I see no reason to erase them, but I can't find any reason not to, either. Perhaps I'll have them exit the stage…using my Eternal Petrification." He raised a hand and it began to glow with a dull, stony light. He then turned to Momo, who lay crumpled on the ground near his feet. "Now then, Hinamori Momo, I'll start with you…."
And then Kain was in front of him, landing a vicious right straight directly across his face. Eminus staggered backwards, then stared at the boy facing him. His eyes were almost mad and empty, and the great hole in his shoulder was still leaking blood, and he stood panting over Momo's stirring form, but his gaze was fixed on Eminus. "I will not allow that," he breathed. "You will not…touch my students! I am your enemy…."
Eminus brushed as his lip and stared at Kain. "…Unbelievable…that's twice now, and I must honestly say well done…but even after that girl healed the wound to that degree…continuing on like this will kill you, you know. Besides…what can you do alone, without your cloak or any of your weapons…?"
Then there was an explosion of energy behind him. He whirled around in shock. Mai, battered but seemingly otherwise okay, had found the box of their equipment and had a fist on top of it. Her anti-magic power was on full display, breaking the lock and releasing the weapons.
"Kain!" she yelled out. "Here we go!"
The weapons and cards and even Kain's cloak were all flying in slow-motion around her. She snatched up Kagome's card and threw it to the girl. "Kagome!"
"Right!" Kagome caught the card, and instantly transformed it into the Tenseiga. Even as her miko outfit was manifesting onto her, she was charging at Kain with the sword. "Kain-sensei!"
Then Eminus was suddenly standing in front of her, blocking her advance. "Sorry…but I can't allow that…."
He released his energy into her face. The smoke of his spell wafted over her…but as he retreated and watched the smoke clear, two new figures were in the way. Momo and Hinagiku were standing protectively in front of her, their swords raised.
"That sword," he murmured, staring at Shirozakura. "That's a new one, indeed…." Then he leapt back as a huge blast of lighting tore at his feet.
Kenjirô landed a short distance away, both swords in his hands. "Now that we're armed…it's time for our counterattack!"
"Let's go!" Kamo cheered, sending the weapons and cards flying out to their owners.
Kenjirô charged in to attack Kinue, forcing her to retreat and release Erika. She blocked his double-slice with her own two blades, but the surge of thunder that erupted from the clashing swords sent her flying against the far wall.
"Not bad, Kenjirô-kun," she greeted her former ally as he moved in pursuit. "Nice new sword…."
Mai, her rings adorning her wrists and ankles, flew back to Kagome, carrying Kain, now dressed in his white cloak, as Momo and Hinagiku fought with Eminus. "Quick, Kagome! He needs your artifact, now!"
"I know!" Kagome could see the dark creatures swarming over the young man—she knew that Tear had already given him greater healing than she could yet manage without her artifact, but he was still in worse shape than she had ever seen him…outside of the time she forced the contract with him, to save his life back in Kyoto. She raised Tenseiga and focused her magical powers together. "Tenseiga!" she cried, and thrust her sword into Kain, through several of the creatures that were crawling on him. An explosion of power rolled out, evaporating all the demons that plagued her vision. Kain almost immediately began to stir and awaken.
The blue-haired elfin girl leapt at the group, her daggers flashing, but she was suddenly stopped by Kiami's giant shuriken. The ninja then pounced on her new, split as usual into her four bunshin. Her opponent matched her with four bunshin of her own.
As the ogre made its own attempt to attack the group, Akari met it and paid it back for the earlier strike by stunning it with a powerful blow to its face. The two soon began their own mêlée, and those who were able to watch the scene were amazed by the power with which the tiny Japanese matched the massive giant, and how the giant was able to match Akari's unbelievable speed.
Kairen prepared to leap down into the fray when Erika was suddenly upon her. Erika matched both Kairen's claws and her orb as the girl attempted to defend herself.
As soon as the counterattack started, Rei grabbed the scythe's shaft with one hand sent the owner flying away with a powered punch, then used the scythe as a staff to upend and repel the animal-girl. Casting the weapon aside, Rei grabbed up all four of the girls behind her and stepped down next to the five previously uninvolved students. She then took up a protective place in front of them.
As the three-eyed woman began to prepare a spell, Hikaru suddenly appeared behind her. She managed to turn around in time to catch his iai strike on her own bladed staff, but she was instantly on the defensive, fighting desperately just to stave off Hikaru's assault.
As the spear-wielding woman and the chakram-wielding woman prepared to back up their comrades, a sudden blast of fire engulfed both of them. Lina took her own place on an upper platform, charging a bigger spell. The blood running down one side of her face only made her seem an even more intimidating figure. "Don't underestimate me!" she screamed as she prepared to unleash her spell upon a new target.
Kain struggled to his feet and glanced around at the battle, then he looked up at Mai. "T-thanks, Kagome. Let's go, Mai."
The pink-haired elfin girl retreated to an upper platform alongside a small black-haired girl in an exquisite priestess kimono. As they raised their staves and prepared to cast spells down into the mêlée, Mai suddenly rose above them, canceling their magic with a gesture and throwing them away with a blast of fire.
"I see," Eminus murmured as he fought off Momo and Hinagiku together with his bare hands. "I will admit I was mistaken. I take back what I said about you being trash. However…." He grabbed both Tobiume and Shirozakura as the swords came swinging in, and used them as leverage to slam the two girls into each other, then he released the swords and sent the girls flying with a synchronized double punch. "You still aren't strong enough to face me."
Then Kain was above him, powered with kanka. Eminus half-turned and caught his punch. Their powers strained together. "Kanka? How interesting. You've improved, Kain-kun. But you shouldn't throw yourself at me in this condition." He sent Kain off with a kick. As the teacher crashed back into the center platform, Eminus settled upon one above. "After seeing this, I get the feeling…I'd really like to fight you for real…but now isn't the time."
"This is taking too long," Nagi pointed out as he alighted down next to Eminus. "Dynamis…take care of this."
The massive, black-wrapped figure reappeared, floating high in the air. He extended his arms and an enormous black sheet-like disc came into existence at the building's ceiling. The enemies withdrew to the edge of the chamber as the disc began raining streaks of blackness down on the entire chamber. Kain's first reaction was to step next to Rei and raise a shield to protect his students. The others all did their best to shield themselves or dodge the attacks, but the attack was sufficient…they had neither the energy not the capacity to fight further once it was all over.
"Now," Nagi said, "it saddens me to deal with you like this, but we don't need any of your interference from this moment on…."
Down far below, Tear, who had been watching all of this through her haze of pain, came to a decision. She stretched out a hand, chanting. The circles spread around the Gateport platforms began to glow once again, and the stones in the circle followed suit. Soon the chamber was filled with the glow.
Eminus glanced around, a faint amount of surprise marking his features. Nagi whistled. "Well…making use of the Gate's energy...? What's her plan…?"
"This is…transportation magic!" Kamo cried. "What's that girl doing!?"
The question was soon answered, as the energy was unleashed, drawing up the entirety of Kain's class and comrades, and Kamo too. They vanished.
"Oooh…well, they're gone," murmured Alvaris. "She's scattered them across the whole world…."
Tear dropped her hand and then leaned back against the wall behind her. Panting, every bone in her body aching, she stared sullenly as Eminus touched down in front of her. "I see…so that was your doing. And what was the point of that?"
"You won't…get Kain-sensei," Tear gasped. "Even if we couldn't stop you here…I've sent them away…he will find you…and stop you…after all…he's his son."
Eminus stared. "Very well. I'll be anxiously waiting for him." He raised a hand. "You can carry that thought with you to your eternal sleep…."
"No, wait," Nagi interjected, settling down next to them. He looked at the girl admiringly. "So…you're Tear Grants…the sister of Van Grants, aren't you?"
"W-what…?"
"How interesting. Ellis-chan, why don't you go ahead and send her to safety, too? I'd like her to see the world we're going to create…with her own eyes…."
"I don't take orders from you, Nagi," the pink-haired elf said crossly as she arrived.
"Just do it, Ellis," Eminus commanded, turning away. "It really doesn't matter."
"All right, all right," the girl sighed, and raised her staff over Tear. With a few words of an arcane tongue, Tear was gone.
"There," Dynamis rumbled. "Now we can finally get down to business…."
Moments later, from the outside, the Gateport was seen to break down and collapse. It was completely destroyed. There would be no travel between Ouritel and Sleiyn.
F I N
Author's Note: Chaos
And so I've cruelly ended this chapter…nay, this Act…on a truly terrible cliffhanger. I really have no choice to but to use this scenario from the original manga.
I have a very good reason for this—because this division of the party is necessary. Especially, for me, necessary. Building a large party and then dividing them into a few decent-sized groups has always been one of my favorite plot devices for allowing each character to shine. Perhaps it stems from all the role-playing games I play that give you so many large parties and then force you to take only 3-6 characters along on each adventure. I have used this plot myself in many stories long before I ever encountered Negima. I especially use it in stories that are anime compilations and crossovers and…hey! This is an anime compilation/crossover. I split the Magiverse/Anime Story party up…well, repeatedly, really.
And so now it's this party's turn. Following in the footsteps of Negima, they are attacked during their crossover, and in the end are scattered across the magical world…so much for a nice, relaxing sightseeing trip…. And so their adventure begins, giving me the opportunity to highlight at least a few things about each one of these girls….
First off, I should make mention of Lina's sister, Luna Inverse. Despite being a character that is only ever mentioned in passing and never actually appears, neither in the anime nor the original novels of Slayers, Luna is an extremely popular character…perhaps with good reason. After all, she's the super-awesome older sister of Lina that even scares our beloved sorceress to death. What's not to like? I've kept Lina's background mostly intact, so I had to have Luna in the story…at least in its history…however, with such a character as her, I do not consider myself worthy enough as a writer to do what the original author has not and actually have her…show up. So I just give her a brief introduction, cameo, and homage.
Moving on, I surprised myself with the development of this part. The first thing that threw me was the introduction (re-introduction) of the magical agent, Ms. McGuiness. She is initially introduced in Negima during the summer vacation chapter focusing on Yuuna Akashi. Yuuna's mother died when she was young, and so she's been raised alone by her father (although, she thinks, she's almost the one taking care of him, especially now that she's gotten older and is nearly adult, as she does all the cooking and laundry and such now). She has quite a father complex, too, and becomes jealous when she sees the lady McGuiness with her father and assumes that she is his new lover and potential wife. After trying unsuccessfully (with the strong-armed help of her friends and classmates) to break them up, she 'gives her blessing' to her father, only to discover that the pair are nothing more than work associates. Professor Akashi (the father) is, we learn (but Yuuna doesn't), a magical teacher at Mahora who works closely with the magical secret agents. And when Negi returns to his hometown, it is Ms. McGuiness who takes to escorting the party to the magical world.
Well, I don't have a character that has taken Yuuna's place. There is a character whose parents were once magical agents, but she inherited none of Yuuna's daddy-girl issues, and so that mini-story never arose. Therefore, I had no Agent McGuiness to replace her with. So, it was easier just to put Meia in this role. I wasn't expecting it, but as I was writing it, it seemed to fit well.
And then out of the blue I decided to have Tear accompanying Meia on this little trip. Takane, the girl Tear is mostly replacing, was nowhere near this, but since I've been tying Tear into this part of the world, it kind of made sense. Besides, Tear is in training for higher-level magic jobs, and this was a good one, especially because of her ties. Of course, having her around threw things out of whack a little, especially with her present when Kain becomes injured (since she's a mighty healer in her own right).
But first, there is the note about the travel to the gate. It went pretty much as described here in Negima, but the Negi-mad class rep (Iinchô) met Asuna on the way, but said she would keep her promise of not following them. A bunch of the other girls, watching from the shadows, decided that they were not such 'good girls'. Well, this part didn't really apply, because I got rid of the annoying shotacon to begin with; most of her responsibility ended up being split between Hinagiku (the real responsible one) and Kanade (who likes to drive and lead crazy events and ideas). Most of Kanade's antics lately were adapted from Iinchô's overreaction. Kanade, however, is not the good kid, so I decided that she overslept. The collection of girls chosen for those who sneak into the magical world is almost random—I wanted the trio here, and I wanted Riku, a girl I like who hasn't done much, and I needed Yukari so that she could finish developing her relationship with Kenjirô, and this choice came from the original as well (Natsumi, who was in Yukari's equivalent place originally, followed and was thus lost). And finally I added Kaoru, since she hasn't had the chance to do anything cool and the character she is mostly replacing, Makie, was another who was lost in the magical world. Although they almost certainly would have wanted to come to, I didn't want everyone involved, and so I had to leave behind Kanade, Risa, and Matake.
The original group of 'bad kids' was Yuuna, Ako, Akira, Natsumi, Makie, and the cheerleader trio. In the original they only make their way to the gate because Sakurako Shiina, one of the cheerleaders, has a side-plot of a monster-class level of guessing lucky; they get lost in the fog, and McGuiness stated that there was a 'lottery-winning equivalent chance' of someone making it through the fog without the magical guidance. However, when they reach the stones, the three cheerleaders chicken out, and only the first five end up sneaking into the actual gate. I didn't like that explanation at all…it's rather beyond silly, especially since Sakurako is otherwise the most withdrawn and never seen cheerleader…and one of the least expressive members of the whole class (not because she's shy—quite the opposite—but simply because she is written only as a third-rate character in the class). Why should a character relegated to the background's background—especially one who was energetic enough to actually deserve a little more screen time—get a world-shaking 'normal' superpower? And then have that power make any kind of difference, but especially in causing this mess? Besides, I didn't really have anyone to give this ridiculous kind of luck to (well, maybe the otherwise useless Riza Asakaze).
In any case, I didn't want to use such a stupid excuse for why they showed up. This is a much better one: it was already suggested in Negima that the safeguards had somehow been compromised. So why can't it simply be that they were able to sneak in because of that sabotage? Goodness! So, that's what happened.
Of course, once again, because I had so many more soldiers in my army, the battle portion was harder once Eminus revealed himself. I've been thinking over Eminus' magical world army for a while—Fate Averencus had several girls with whom he had formed Pactios, and we'll learn more about that when we learn more about them. Suffice to say, I have reasons to do something similar with Eminus, so I had to sprinkle in some (many?) of them ahead of their introductions so that they could successfully resist Kain's party. And, since he has contracts with these girls, he needs a spirit too…an old acquaintance of Kamolai, and not a friendly one like Milleko….
But so, this is the group's fate is set in motion…Act 8 begins the uber-long super-awesome Arcanus Myrror arc!