Creation began on 07-12-18
Creation ended on 08-23-18
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Grimoire of Evangelion: Trial, Error and Success
This year around, there were at least one-hundred-twenty-five. It was a smaller gathering than last year, possibly due to many people's beliefs that only nobles could join the ranks of the Magic Knights. And this year was also different because of the four family members present.
"They're from House Ikari," a woman told her boyfriend.
"All four of them are here to try for the Magic Knights? I can't believe four out of five of them are trying to become Magic Knights."
"Did you see the boy? He's the only grandchild of the house."
"His aunt and uncle have four-leaf clover grimoires."
"Multiple forms of magic."
Shinji and Yui looked around them and found other mages constantly at them.
"Here they are," uttered Tenshi as the captains of the Magic Knights arrived at the colosseum.
"Each of the captains, second, in both strength and potential, only to the Wizard King," Yui expressed, "and each one the strongest of their squads."
"And they're looking for only the best out of everyone here," added Shinji, his right hand over the pouch strapped to his left leg holding his grimoire.
"It will take a lot of effort to impress them enough to accept us," said Suki.
"Welcome, examinees," William Vangeance greeted everyone, opening his grimoire. "May this year's exam, we see remarkable results from you, the examinees."
Then, as his grimoire glowed, the four Ikaris saw the roots of a giant tree appear out of the sky above them, branching down upon them in the form of long sticks. This was a sample of his chosen spell, the power of Magic Tree Descent. From the long sticks that broke off from the roots, each examinee was bestowed a broomstick.
"We shall begin the exam by using these broomsticks," William explained to them.
Okay, that's simple enough, thought Shinji as he held his broom; mages that could control the mana in them to influence brooms to do their bidding would be able to display the basic skill of flight. Except I've never done this before. Tenshi taught us everything else, but we never got to the brooms.
"There's nothing to it, nephew," Tenshi told him, mounting his broom. "Show your broom that you're the boss."
"You mean, like this?" Suki asked, sitting on hers as she flew to the air above. "Ha-ha! This is easy."
Yui mounted hers…and then stood up on it as it took flight.
"Be mature, Suki," she told her, floating higher than her.
"Nobody likes a smart mouth, Yui," went Tenshi, standing on his broom like she did, and then did a handstand on it, showing his balance and coordination. "Be like the wind. Be positive. You're too blunt right now, sis, too rigid."
"Well, at least Shinji's keeping in sync with Suki," she pointed out, pointing to her son as he sat on his broom with his aunt hovering beside him.
"Maybe when you're older, you'll be like them, those daredevils," Suki suggested to him.
"Maybe, but not likely," he responded; he'd been afraid he wouldn't be able to fly the broom, and this was his first time. "Uh, how long do we do this until we have to get down from here?"
"I know you're not asking me, Shinji."
The next sequence of tests included the use of magic bullets to damage stone targets (which Shinji managed to achieve, but he took out four other targets by accident), use of Creation Magic to create small objects (which Suki used to create a custom-made wand, despite trying to create a doll like her mother had at one point) and using their magic to make seeds grow into sunflowers (something Yui sort of messed up with because her sunflower was all metallic, like she influenced its development with Steel Magic, unintentionally).
Upon completion of the last test, William Vangeance announced the next test was to assess the examinees' combat capabilities; the primary point of being a Magic Knight was to be able to fight back with magic, either to protect the kingdom or the people against a foe that threatened them.
"I'll go easy on you, Shinji," said Tenshi to his nephew, selecting him as his partner.
"Go easy on me?" Shinji responded, almost offended. "No, don't hold back. We're supposed to impress the captains with our abilities. I'm not going to hold back my best, whichever it is."
"Better you than your mother, Shinji," Suki stated, pointing to Yui, who was partnered with some brute of a man with scars across his arms and chest. "That guy looks like he won't go easy on anyone, not even a woman."
"If I know Yui enough not to follow her choice of a profession," Tenshi revealed, "that guy might be better off facing someone else."
"You make it sound as though as she's up to something," Shinji suggested, which wasn't far from the truth. "You think she's up to something, don't you?"
"That's the thing; I don't know what she's up to. My aim is to make sure she stays out of trouble."
Everyone that had been paired with a partner took their places on the field, with Shinji and Tenshi going up first.
"Whoa, two members of the House of Ikari going toe-to-toe," a woman whispered in the background.
"That's Tenshi Ikari," a man told someone. "He's the new patriarch. That's his only nephew, Shinji."
"Epic," another girl expressed.
The captains watched in anticipation over the two.
"Let's see if you can best this spell I have, Shinji," Tenshi told his nephew as he opened his grimoire. "Union Creation Magic: Ghidorah's Rage."
As a combination of Gold and Lightning Magic, a golden dragon's head (A/N: Think of the heads of the Heisei series incarnation of King Ghidorah, only like a hologram) manifested around Tenshi, protecting him from external harm.
Come on, Shinji, I dare you to attack me. My Ghidorah's Rage is reactive defensive/offensive. The moment it's attacked, it absorbs the energy used against it and sends it back to the source, many times amplified. I want to see what you do to overcome it.
Shinji opened his grimoire…and looked down at the spell that just seemed to be begging to be used by him. But did he dare use it?
"You're asking for what is probably an amateur's attempt at intimidation, Uncle Tenshi," he told him. "Here goes. Anti Magic: Guardian of the Void."
Suddenly, the sky darkened around the colosseum. Shinji's grimoire glowed dark blue as it flipped over to face its pages toward Tenshi. A black vortex formed in front of the pages and two glowing, red eyes snapped open as something emerged from it.
This power! William thought, feeling an unfathomable degree of magic coming from Shinji.
Incredible! Yami went, feeling tense in his lower muscles.
Who is this boy?! Nozel wondered, gripping his seat.
The creature that appeared before when he obtained his grimoire and again in his dreams had emerged from the vortex and stood before the whole colosseum.
"Grrr!" It growled, looking at Tenshi, who started shaking.
"What on Earth is that thing?!" Someone in the crowd gasped.
Everyone from the spectators to the captains themselves was disturbed by the creature's presence. It then raised its left arm up and pointed a talon towards Tenshi…as it bared its fangs.
Within his protective spell, Tenshi got the feeling that this creature Shinji summoned was not something you could get, even with Creation Magic. Not if it was capable of what it just did, which indicated something that nothing made with Creation Magic ever could showcase: Intelligence.
"G…Guardian…of the Void?" He spoke, tense.
The creature took a step forward…and the structure shook, as though this thing weighed enough to rattle the ground with each step. Everyone held onto the pillars nearby as it continued to walk towards Tenshi, its claws outstretched. It knew what it had to do.
"Ah…ah…" Tenshi shuddered as it closed the gap between them.
SLAM! It brought its arms down on his spell…and it came undone.
He was unharmed, but his grimoire was down on the ground, the magic it emanated nonexistent.
This thing…negated my spell, he realized, falling onto his bottom.
And then, it turned away, as if he weren't a threat any longer. When it returned to the vortex, the sky returned to normal and Shinji approached his uncle.
"Are you alright?" He asked him, offering a hand.
Tenshi accepted and was helped onto his feet.
"Well, I'll be damned, Shinji," he said to his nephew. "I never expected you to have an Anti-Magic spell in your grimoire, let alone one that could summon a beast like that. You're going places, kid."
"Thank you, but I think I overdid it with trying to impress the captains."
"Whatever happens is what will happen."
Next up was a bunch of other examinees that went by slower than what was expected by the bystanders, until Suki went up against a man similar to the guy that Yui was to face.
"You haven't got a snowball's chance against me, little girl," he told her, opening his grimoire and selecting his spell. "Sand Creation Magic: Sand Manta of Fury!"
From his book came a flood of sand that formed into a large manta ray with a wolf's head, baring its fangs at Suki.
"I guess I could scare the crap out of you with this spell," Suki decided.
"Oh, no, don't tell me she's going to use that spell," Shinji gasped, his memory of what his aunt did to scare them during a Creation Magic training exercise returning to his conscious.
"Union Creation Magic: Grizzly Mayhem!"
Using a combination of Thread and Cotton Magic, Suki summoned a large, stuffed bear with razor claws and a serious temperament.
"Rrrraaurgh!" It roared, charging towards the manta.
"Nope," went Tenshi, "she used a bear, not a doll."
SLASH! The stuffed bear cut the manta in half and sent the guy falling backwards, and then he ran away like crazy away from the scene.
Suki was positive that the guy was going to crap his pants.
"Ah-ha-ha-ha!" She laughed, closing her grimoire, making her Grizzly Mayhem vanish.
"Those four-leaf clover grimoires pack quite a punch for whoever has them," a woman said behind Tenshi to someone.
"The number of leaves on a clover has nothing to do with her magic," he responded. "My little sister's just coming into full mastery of her skills in the magical arts."
When Yui's match came up, she decided to go with a different spell, as the one she had worked on creating was likely best reserved for another time. This left her other options open to discussion.
"You're the Ikari with the three-leaf clover grimoire," the brute of a guy uttered as he faced her. "I wonder what set you apart from your elder brother and sister. Let me guess, you don't get along?"
Then, without so much as a warning, Yui did something that wasn't what she usually did with people: She glared at the man before opening her grimoire to choose her spell.
"Blood Steel Magic," she uttered, her very voice sounding cruel, "Goshinki's Fatality."
From her grimoire came a pair of gauntlets that formed around her wrists, and then they grew into large claws that were definitely a combination of flesh and metal.
Wait a minute, thought Tenshi, familiar with the naming of such spells, where'd she get a spell like that? I'm practically the otaku of the family 'cause I spent more than half my time reading manga and watching anime. Yui's the science nerd, so she has no grasp for what people do for fun…unless being in the Eva allowed her to poke around Shinji's brain every time he was in it.
As Shinji saw this spell, he started worrying that his mother…just might be a bit off right now as she delved further in the art of magic.
In a way…she scares me right now, he admitted only to himself.
"Thorn Magic," the guy yelled out. "Ivy's Hidden Kiss!"
Several thorny vines emerged from a small portal that came from his grimoire and were sent flying towards Yui. But Yui, with the grace of an athlete, dashed forward and swung her claws at the vines, cutting them to shreds before she punched the guy in the gut, sending him flying in the air for three seconds before he hit the ground.
"Pathetic," she uttered, her arms returning to normal as she closed her grimoire.
The guy she had defeated then got up and ran out of the place.
"Why do I get the feeling that Yui's something I strive not to be?" Suki told Shinji.
"Which would be?" He asked her, wanting to know himself.
"A lone wolf," she answered.
He turned to look at his mother again, who seemed passive now, and got the feeling that a lone wolf was exactly who she was right now. It was hard to relate to her this way, not like it was easy to relate to his aunt and uncle.
"Now comes the most difficult part of the exam," went Tenshi.
"Getting picked by the captains," Shinji sighed.
"Did we impress them…or did we fail to impress them?" Suki wonders, which held no definite answer.
-x-
A whole year since he was locked up and his humiliation had left him feeling much resentment towards being left behind by his comrades. Did he dare to call them that, anymore? Oh, how Rades Spirito nursed his grudge against the Clover Kingdom for banishing him…and oh, how he hated them even more for locking him up, like this was a foolish way to make up for the former move against him. But no, this was a brutal insult to his pride that he would no longer tolerate.
It took me a whole year, but gathering this much magic without my grimoire is such a complex task, Rades thought as he had finally gathered the magic necessary to make his move. Now, Soul Corpse Magic: Vengeance of the Cemetery!
"Aah!" He could hear the screams of several guards outside his cell, followed by thuds as they fell to the ground. "Aah! Aaaah!"
Then…there came the silence that put a smile on his face.
"How I've missed you, friends," he uttered…as a rotted hand unlocked the cell door for him.
-x-
This was a new twist on the exam. Instead of having your number called in order, the captains were selecting the examinees' numbers at random to decide their fate. So far, forty examinees were randomly called upon…and only seven were chosen to join the squads.
"This is brutal," Suki expressed, watching as a young girl walked away after none of the captains chose her for their squads. "Surely, most of these guys were skilled and doing their best."
"Yeah," Shinji agreed with her.
Crazy how they set their standards up so high, thought Tenshi as another random number was called by the announcer. Even the lowliest commoner has the potential to make it to the big leagues if just given the chance to prove their mettle. Even the lowliest commoner has the potential to become someone that other commoners can aspire to be one day.
When the young man called upon was selected by the Azure Deer squad, the examinee with number seventy-five was then called upon.
How will you fare, little sis? Tenshi wondered as Yui presented herself to the captains. Did you impress them with your skills?
There was a silence that lasted for three seconds before the captains made their choice regarding the Ikari woman…and soon came the gasps from the other examinees as eight of the nine captains raised their hands for Yui.
"Unbelievable," a girl went.
"The Silver Eagle captain," added a man. "He's the only one that didn't raise his hand."
"Excluding the Silver Eagles, every other squad captain wants her," another man uttered.
"I didn't think Yui would impress them that much," Suki stated.
Yui had to choose which of her squad options met her standards if she was going to reach her goal now.
"I choose…the Golden Dawn," she selected.
Kami, Tenshi thought, worried; out of the nine squads, they were among the best of the best.
It would take a miracle of his own to get into that squad to keep tabs on his sister now.
"Tell me something," Shinji spoke to him. "You're joining the Magic Knights just to keep an eye on my mother…aren't you?"
He looked at his nephew and responded, "I'll be honest, Shinji, but after the revelation of what she was up to with the Eva, along with her gaining a grimoire, I don't trust your mother not to do something similar with magic."
Shinji looked concerned and uttered, "Be careful. If you get into the Golden Dawn, you watch your own back more than you watch hers. And if she is up to something, don't try to be a hero and confront her about it. Keep your distance…because I want to deal with her by myself."
"You want to deal with her…by yourself, Shinji?"
"Yeah, that's right. I'll deal with her by myself."
It was the way he said it that Tenshi found a little disturbing; for a brief time, the patriarch had noticed how his nephew would display bouts of determination and an increase in his confidence that he hadn't possessed before he came into his discovery of magic and was, seemingly, seesawing between who he was…and who he was becoming.
It's probably related to his celestial horoscope, he simply wanted to believe.
"Number seventy-four!" The announcer called.
"That's you, Tenshi," went Suki. "Go get 'em!"
Tenshi went up to the captains and put his faith in fate that he'd get a similar response from them.
What he got was quite a surprise. Like his sister, eight out of nine of the squad captains raised their hands for him.
"Incredible!" A man in the background expressed.
"Who are these Ikaris?" A woman questioned.
"It looks like the Silver Eagle captain has a grudge against the family or something," another woman uttered. "It might be the same for all four of them."
"It's their loss if they reject them," went another man.
With his choices now open to him, Tenshi selected to join the Golden Dawn.
"Congratulations, big brother!" Suki cheered for him.
"You're the best!" Shinji added.
Yui began to wonder if all four of them had aspirations to join the same squad. If they did, then the Golden Dawn would probably go down in history for having members of House Ikari its ranks. But that was only IF they all had aspirations to join the same squad.
"Shinji, which one of the squads do you intend to join if you get more than one to choose from?" Suki asked her nephew. "It's very possible that the Silver Eagles won't be an option."
"If I get more than one squad to choose from," he uttered, "I know which one to choose, but I'd rather wait until after I'm called to let my fate be decided. What's your squad choice?"
"I'll join the same one as you. That's why I asked."
"You don't have your own choice?"
"I'd rather stay close to you, no matter which squad you choose."
"If I don't get picked, you should probably choose to join the Blue Rose or Coral Peacock, should you get more than one choice."
-x-
"Strange," Misato uttered as everyone in Gendo's office continued to look through the photo album like a story, "it looks like Shinji's mother and uncle joined the same squad, but he and his aunt haven't chosen a squad yet."
"Maybe it's like a lottery," suggested Asuka, "they're waiting for their turn to choose a squad."
"Do you think it's possible that he'll choose the same squad as his mother?" Kaji questioned.
"Ikari-Kun doesn't seem interested in being in the same squad as his mother," went Rei, surprising everyone in the office.
"What makes you say this?" Ritsuko asked her.
"Ikari-Kun…seems distant with her. The farther he drifts away from her, the closer he seems to be towards his grandmother, aunt and uncle."
Asuka turned to the next page…and gasped.
"What in the name of Gott is going on here?" She pointed to a photo where it looked like Shinji was trapped within some sort of conflict, his left hand clutched against his chest, his clothes ripped, and the left side of his face smeared in blood that seeped from a wound on his head. Gripped in his right hand was a katana unsheathed, his expression that of someone enraged by something or someone. Beside him was an open book bathed in a dark glow…and behind him was the creature that seemed to come from within the book.
Other pictures displaying something different from the regular, old pictures beside them depicted people running in the streets…and from what looked like people afflicted with fatal wounds and decaying flesh.
"Zombies?" Misato wondered aloud.
"Magical undead exist there, too?" Fuyutsuki questioned. "Shinji must be fighting them."
-x-
Shinji's number was soon called and he stood before the captains, nervous as frightened cats in surrounded by a bunch of dogs, but he didn't show it. He had hoped to impress them enough to get his choice of squad to join.
There was a silence that seemed to last for a long second…before…
"Suspend the exam!" Someone shouted. "Suspend the exam now!"
One of the guards from outside the colosseum ran out in front of the captains, taking their attention away from Shinji.
"Kikka is under attack!" He informed them. "Rades Spirito has escaped from prison!"
"Where are the other Magic Knights?" Dorothy asked him.
"They've all been summoned, but the army Spirito raised is too much for them this time. It's bigger than it was in the capital! They can't find him!"
William stood up and approached the remaining examinees.
"Apologies, but until further notice, the exam is suspended," he declared. "Those accepted into their squads today, this is the day you prove your worth as Magic Knights."
The other captains got up and vacated the top of the building.
"Who's Rades Spirito?" Suki asked.
"He's a former Magic Knight that was expelled from the Purple Orcas and kicked out of the kingdom," a woman that hadn't been selected yet informed her.
"Wait a minute, if he was a Magic Knight, why was he kicked out?"
"According to the captain of the Purple Orcas, his form of magic made him infamous among them, and they cast him out before he could become a threat to them."
"It sounds like what they did resulted in the very thing they wanted to prevent, regardless. Why didn't they just talk it out?"
"It's unknown if they ever did."
As the colosseum was emptied as the people were being evacuated to shelters, only Shinji stood alone where he was. He wasn't upset that the exam was suspended; he was upset that someone was attacking the people of the town, that the Magic Knights, who were supposed to be the best and brightest mages of the Clover Kingdom, were unable to resolve the situation quickly.
Depending on the number of mages within any squad, the Magic Knights are, in and of themselves, a small army that could do the work of any large army, he thought, but they're being troubled by just one man with an army they're having difficulty with. How is that possible? How are they unable to resolve this matter?
Suddenly, his grimoire glowed dark red and his body started to manifest the same glow.
You must find out, a voice told instructed.
Shinji looked up…and turned away.
To be continued…
A/N: I guess the title could refer to how the exam was the trial, Rades Spirito being imprisoned within the kingdom was the error because he was making a plan to escape and resume his revenge, and Yui and Tenshi getting into the Golden Dawn and Rades invading Kikka were the success. I look forward to what Shinji will do in the next chapter. Peace.