a/n: Latin translation for Spiritus Vitae: Breath of Life
L gazed down at the sleeping figure, cheeks slightly flushed where his head lay resting on the jacket in the raven's lap as Quillish pulled away from the curb. It was the first chance he'd had to truly take the time to evaluate the young man up close and unguarded. The mage's thick dark golden lashes fanned out impossibly long from the closed eyes that L still couldn't get out of his mind. That glow, it was beautiful…
The Necromancer caught sight of a chain peeking out of Light's shirt where his jacket had fallen open and curiously slid a hand within the folds of fabric to place it against his chest, feeling around for…
Ah, let's see what you have here. He thought as he felt an object of some sort sliding about.
He tugged gently on the chain at the young mage's neck, until he'd pulled the necklace Light wore entirely from where it had laid hidden beneath his shirt. L smirked as he held the Onyx pendant, feeling the weight of the charm's power in his hand. He carefully slid it up and over the brunet's head, removing it so he could examine it further.
"Ryuk…" He murmured softly. It had to be. This kind of protection and self-warding spell could only have come from a powerful Illusionary like the man he'd met tonight.
So you have been helping Light…why? He slid the necklace in his pocket for safe keeping.
The detective placed one hand carefully on Light's shoulder and smiled as he felt the unmistakable thrum of energy that the young man could no longer hide from him, especially without a warding charm on him. The death magic that coursed through his veins was undoubtedly powerful and potent. The Necromancer could practically taste it, like a tangible thing he could sink his teeth into… His grip tightened at the thought.
L's eyes widened in surprise as the magic began to push back at him defensively. He quickly glanced at Light's face, expecting the young brunet to be awake, but found him to be still very much asleep.
Hmm, interesting. His power seeks to protect him, even while he can't. He thought curiously. L could feel the tendrils of energy from Light's body snaking themselves around his hand, traveling up his arm, seeking. A dark smile spread across his face as he sent a small pulse of his own power into the questing wisps stretching from the younger mage's body, a taste of the essence of what gave him the ability to control beings of death magic.
A small thrill ran through the mage as he felt the power submit to him, halting its movement up his arm. Good to know that much is true…I do hold sway over an Angelus. Just how much remains to be seen. He closed his eyes as he took a few moments to explore the magic he literally held in his hand. Such power, but it's not inherently dark, I can tell that much…
The detective's eyes opened as he heard a soft moan from Light. He looked upon the mage, whose brow was furrowed slightly, as if pained. The raven ran the fingers of his other hand through the young man's silken hair, focusing on containing and driving back the power that pressed along the surface of the brunet's skin, attempting to force its way free.
Is this what he was afraid of? L wondered as it began to recede. Light's breath hitched ever so minutely in unconscious relief before he let out a sigh, falling in to a peaceful state of slumber once more in L's arms.
…You should kill me…now…
The detective continued to run his fingers through the sleeping young man's hair, deep in thought regarding these recent developments. Light Yagami. You defy everything we thought we knew of what an Angelus should be. By all historical accounts, you should be knee deep in the blood of your victims by now…
The older male thought about the power reaching out just moments earlier without Light's knowledge. Could it be that he's doing it without realizing? Killing all of these people… His gaze narrowed as he took in the sleeping form.
No…he'd know, right?
xxx
Light sat in the grove of trees as the cherry blossom petals rained down softly upon him and smiled. He was safe, no one got hurt…it was going to be okay. The young man rose and brushed himself off before heading from the circle of trees that still glowed brightly in the night. Something plucked at the back of his mind. The brunet had the distinct feeling that he was forgetting something…
The young mage shrugged it off, just happy that he hadn't hurt… Light frowned and looked around. Where is L? He was here. I'm sure of it…
"L?" The brunet called out tentatively into the darkness that had steadily enveloped him as he'd left the grove.
"No…" He heard a seductive voice whisper softly in his ear. Light startled, moving swiftly away in the other direction, only to feel arms wrap around him from behind.
"Care to try again?" The man's familiar voice inquired mockingly as Light struggled to no avail, unable to move in the rigid hold placed upon him.
"What do you want?" Light asked breathlessly as he finally stopped fighting.
"Hmm, well that's an excellent question…but it's not the one you should be asking…" He replied slyly. "However, I will answer it, my beautiful little God. You see…nothing would make me happier than seeing you ascend to your greatest potential." The man replied lowly as his lips brushed against the young mage's ear.
"You and I will do amazing things together. Tonight was just a taste of what you're truly capable of." He murmured as his teeth grazed the lobe of Light's ear. "They'll all fall to their knees before you. Either to worship...or die." He growled out.
"Please...stop…I…I don't want to…I can't hurt anyone…" The other man chuckled and he let out an amused sigh before releasing Light and fading away into the nothingness that surrounded them.
"What makes you think you're going to have a choice?"
xxx
L could feel Light's power spark and press against the binding spell he was placing on the young man to prevent his power from activating unconsciously while he slumbered. The Necromancer's irises had bled to resemble liquid pools of mercury as his hands hovered several inches above the surface of the brunet's body while he chanted quietly, making his way along his limbs.
He finally felt the spell snap into place, solid and strong as he reached the top of his head where it rested on the pillow. He placed a hand on Light's forehead, taking a magical temperature of sorts as he sought any anomalies that might challenge the bindings he'd enacted and assess whether there was a need for treatment, given his recent exertions at the park.
I think he's fine, but I'll feel better once Quillish has run some tests…
"Do you have what you need?" He asked the white haired older man as he removed a needle from the brunet's arm where he had been gathering several vials of blood. The older male nodded and packed up the medical supplies.
"We should be able to tell a lot from testing his blood. If he's the Angelus, his particle levels should be…well, let's just say I'm very curious to find out if the tools at my disposal currently can even measure it. This may very well push them past their limit." L hid a smile behind his hand. He hadn't seen the other man this excited in a long time.
"He is an Angelus Mortis…of that I have no doubt." The raven murmured, glancing at the other man and shrugging. "His magic submitted very clearly to mine during the drive back, add to that the golden glow of his eyes, the power I witnessed in the park…"
"But didn't he use…"
"Yes, he…brought the trees back to life." Both men turned their gazes towards the young man, a bit of wonder in their eyes as they truly began to grasp what this meant. "Spiritus Vitae magic…" He murmured.
"But how can he be…" Quillish trailed off. What Light been able to do was staggering. L had felt no shred of life in the limbs of the trees upon walking into the grove. Nothing.
It was one thing to build upon something that still had a spark of life, to nurture it and help it survive. The most powerful of Gaia mages often made it their purpose to devote themselves to traveling about the world to 'save' the more heavily environmentally impacted areas of the Earth in this vein of work.
But to actually give life to something like that... There were few mages in recorded history who had accomplished it and most had a lifetime of experience under their belt in an area of magic that lent itself to such an endeavor. The last had lived several centuries ago in southern Italy...and the world had not seen another since. Those who could work this great magic were highly revered as a blessing on the generation they were born in to. The exact opposite reaction people had to an Angelus Mortis manifesting essentially.
How is he able to do that? It shouldn't be possible... L wondered, his brow furrowing.
And why? He could've used the power he'd taken to easily escape me, but instead he chose to...save the trees? Give it right back? L snorted derisively in disbelief, causing Quillish to raise an eyebrow questioningly. The Necromancer waved his concern away, keeping his thoughts to himself for now.
"How would you like to proceed with notifying his family…the government?" The other man asked quietly. L nibbled on his thumb as he considered this. He knew that this discussion had been coming, but with these revelations regarding Light's powers and how they didn't conform to what they knew of a typical Angelus abilities, he now questioned his prior plans to speedily execute the creature upon capture.
This opportunity to study him…
Learn more about what an Angelus is capable of…
Well, I suppose I do need to ensure I have all of the facts…
If he gets out of control…I'll just have to-
"You originally said the Japanese government would like me to locate and…contain the Angelus, correct?" He drawled out as he side-eyed Quillish. "In whatever manner I deem appropriate upon assessing the situation? Was that the precise agreement in our contract with them?"
"Yes, it's completely up to you to determine the containment or disposal method based on what you believe is the best course of action due to your expertise in the area of death magic. They essentially gave you carte blanche to decide its fate." The older male shrugged. "I can look it up, but that's pretty close to exactly what is in the-"
"No, no…that's quite enough." A small smile tugged at the corners of L's mouth. "I think that Light will be staying with us for a while Quillish." The raven frowned as he noticed the young man had begun to shiver and grabbed a blanket to cover him.
"We'll need to determine how best to explain his sudden absence from school…and the world in general for the foreseeable future I suppose." He murmured. "Until we know more about what he's capable of, I'll have to consider him a danger to the public and keep him under certain restrictions."
"We can reinforce the wards once I've started the tests on these." He held up the blood samples.
"And let us not forget, it appears that Beyond has taken an interest in him. That's a fun added bonus…" L muttered.
Quillish nodded in acknowledgement as he left the room, leaving L to take a seat on the edge of the bed with a resigned sigh. The Necromancer tucked the blanket tighter around the brunet who appeared to be growing distressed as he shifted about restlessly.
"Stop…" L's eyes darted to Light's face at the barely audible plea that slipped past the young man's parted lips. He caught sight of the glistening trail of tears that escaped from the closed eyes, down the side of his face, lost amongst his hair where it splayed around him like a halo on the pillow.
"…don't want to…"
"…hurt anyone."
L found himself reaching to run his long fingers through the young mage's soft, golden brown locks as he had earlier. Light leaned unconsciously into the man's touch, his entire form relaxing as the tension fled from his body.
The detective smiled ruefully and proceeded to utter a simple chant that cast a spell of silence around himself and would prevent Light from hearing anything in case he woke. He pulled out his phone from his jeans pocket with his free hand and scrolled until he found the number he was looking for.
Soichiro Yagami answered on the second ring, an edge to his voice suggested to L that perhaps he and his wife had already noticed their son had not come home from 'studying' tonight.
"Chief Yagami, it's Ryuzaki. L needs to see you. Immediately. It's about your son."
Endnotes:
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