Remy sat in her chair, sleeping like any ordinary baby would do. Himura held the dying man's hand as he talked. He had the most serious expression on his face while the man was speaking. This was important business. The man asked Himura to pass him a book from a large, old wooden shelf in the corner of the room. On the shelf there must be hundreds of books, but the oldest one stands out: a copy of the Canterbury Tales. Its old worn out paperback makes it really unassuming. Himura takes it out and hands it to the man. He uses a knife that had been on the desk next to him and cuts through the cover. A page of secret files is revealed. " Here, read these." He hands Himura the papers.
" The Ten Blades Syndicate, the crime organization created after the defection of Kingston Lennox, the top ranking member of the Lennox Family at the center Mage's Society Headquarters, was formed in 1997. Kingston was morally corrupt, and lost the race for the Presidency of the Society. After being named Vice President, it was found out that he was planning to overthrow the Organization's elders. After a fierce battle, he and his supporters were exiled from the Organization. There were 20 of them in total. Kingston recruited members of society who supported mage craft, creating the Ten Blades Syndicate. For 23 years, the number rose until it was estimated that the syndicate had more than 400 members. However, only ¼ of these members were able to use magic. Kingston trained them in assassination and terrorism methods. However, there has been recent developments among the higher circles that Kingston is dying of an unknown illness. The leadership of the syndicate has been passed down to someone else. The old officials are gone, and the new regime is in place. The new leader has set up an elite division of 10 highly gifted young mages who he trusts to carry out his plans. Their unofficial titles are the Demon Cards. They are built with a hierarchy, ranked by ability and skill. The five highest numbers are said to be the strongest in the Organization. Ever since the bombing of Los Angeles in 2017 and the uncovering of the medieval city, they have been moving in secret. Intelligence says that their ultimate objective is to overthrow the Mage's Society and wage war against the humans."
" I assume you know who he is ?" The man says. Himura nods his head.
" To think that this all could have been prevented if I just saved him that night. It's strange how life goes sometimes."
" It wasn't your fault, Himura. He went on his own accord. If Dazai, and Mayomi couldn't stop him, then you couldn't either. Back then, we were too corrupt and incapable of communication. We could have saved him if we wanted to, but under the leadership of the founders, carrying out a full on rescue mission would have been almost impossible. We tried our best with the resources and manpower that we had."
" That doesn't change my viewpoint on it. I know that, it just makes me think too hard about it."
" Himura, the reason that I called you here. As you see, I don't have the same strength that I used to. I won't live for much longer. About another two years at best. So from now on, it's your responsibility to take care of the assault on the Syndicate."
" We can't do that with our current power. In order to eliminate the syndicate and bring him back, we first have to infiltrate the Society and change it from within."
" And how have your plans for that been going so far ?"
" From a logical standpoint, I think we have enough resources and intelligence to get by without facing any direct confrontation. The kids that I took in can easily infiltrate any one of the Mage's Academy. The issue is whether they will be able to succeed after being exiled from the Organization for so long. Two of them left with me, and the other one doesn't even have a direct magical bloodline. He just developed some powers after being possessed by a powerful spirit."
" Name all of the children who you have with you right now, and their abilities. You don't have to go into detail. It's just that, their compatibility and teamwork skills would make the operation much easier."
" Well first there's Casanova.The adopted son of Matthew Vanguard, my former mentor. He's a shadow manipulator. His basic skills include forming wings, healing using shadow energy and using the energy around him to form weapons such as swords made out of magical energy. He can also create clones using this energy. His ultimate spell allows for him to create a pocket dimension in which magic cannot be nullified, but that drains his energy much too fast. He's really content and serious all in one."
" He sounds strong, but I can tell that he's lazy sometimes. You might need to fix his attitude. Next."
" Julianna Cantrelle, the last daughter of the Cantrelle Family, and childhood friend of Casanova. She has the ability to see spirits and ward them off. She is also gifted in exorcism and necromancy, as well as potion making. Her abilities are of yin affinity. She is also a gifted martial artist. However, she has a life threatening illness which could strike at any time, preventing her from using her full power. I estimate she's only at about 45% proficiency."
" I trust that you've taken good care of her. The Cantrelle bloodline was important, as you know." Himura nods his head. " The Cantrelle girl, I believe I remember meeting her when she was younger. In those days she was a very studious and enthusiastic girl, but she never let irrationality get the best of her. She'll be an important piece. Next."
" Keiko Shimura. Despite having a girl's name, he's a boy. Casanova saved him from human trafficking, and he accompanied them on a mission. His brother and sister were taken hostage by the government, and his brother was killed and turned into an evil spirit. In the battle, he himself was possessed by an evil spirit. According to Casanova, the one who put it inside of him failed to extract it. He has developed magical powers from this, including a special yang affinity. I have been teaching him swordsmanship. He's an innocent child, and he's been staying with us until his sister can be located."
" Teach him well, young Himura. He could be valuable. Make sure that he follows after you in ways. That would be most beneficial for him, judging by his personality. Who is the final one?"
" Mitsuya Nieto, son of Dazai and Isabella Nieto." The man instantly becomes wide eyed. " Nieto… I haven't heard that name in a while." Himura sighs.
" Dazai Nieto was a great colleague of yours. I remember that well. You, him and Matthew Vanguard taught me everything that I know. You even recommended him to be the special operative for that important assignment."
" Don't remind me about that. Continue with the boy. Also, what happened with Isabella ?"
" Isabella was murdered. When Mitsuya requested help from the Organization, he and his sister were exiled because Dazai apparently betrayed the secrets of the group. For a year and a half he lived in an Orphanage, and then at the residence of a bartender. When I took him in I learned that he lost his powers in an accident where he tried to use dark magic to amplify his skills after his sister was held hostage. This also cost her sight. The Orphanage burned down in about 2018. When we rescued Mayomi, he had a near death experience in which he gained new powers. A space ability, the ability to stop time at the cost of his heart stopping, and the use of wind magic. In the recent mission, he acquired a strange type of sword. Not to mention that Dazai taught both him and his sister how to use ki. His sister has a yang affinity. In addition to this, he and Mayomi claim to have been sent to a mysterious place in order to gain their abilities. We still do not know the effect of either coming into contact with the root which gave him his power, or the dark magic which took his original powers."
" Himura, at all cost be careful of that boy. These mysterious properties could prove disastrous for you. If you don't tame him, you could effectively ruin the objective of the mission. Keep him under control."
" I've been attempting to do so. So far, he doesn't seem to be having any problems in adjusting. He only has two goals- to avenge his mother and protect his sister."
" Tell him to not stray on the path of revenge. We know all too well what happens when we let ourselves be consumed with hatred. Do you understand ?" Himura nods his head. " Do you have any more mission recommendations for them ? If you do, make it gentle. I already have too many orphans and I don't want any of them having near death experiences this time." They both laugh. " No, I don't. Tell them to take it easy. There's only one more month until the Mage's Exams. They shouldn't stress out with any extra activities. Plus, there is a strong chance that they would run into the government mages or get caught in a trap by the syndicate."
" Getting back on top, I believe that destroying the Mage's Society is not the only goal of the syndicate. There's some outlier factor. I just can't pinpoint it. What do you think ?"
" I also believed that. My theory was further proven when you said that Dazai had visited you earlier. The book that he gave you, what did it say in it ?"
" The ancient ones are coming soon. What do you think it could mean?"
" Starting off, if one thing is clear, it is that one of the goals of the syndicate is to kill Dazai Nieto and his two children, wiping out his bloodline forever. Notice how their activity rose after the murder of Isabella, and then they made their proper re-introduction after the burning of the Orphanage. I fear that they have been watching Dazai Nieto and the activity of his children, but haven't made a move as of yet. Second, in the files that I gave you. The same phrase was inscribed on one of the documents that I managed to intercept. I don't know what it could mean, either. Are they planning to resurrect some powerful ancient entity ? And furthermore, did Dazai know about it ?"
" That's hard to say. Only time will tell. But they can't be that powerful as of right now."
" Himura, remember. He doesn't have any magic. He's just a normal human. He's just a genius, and he's sadistic, conniving and manipulative. Above all else, he's unpredictable and it's almost impossible to track him down. The boy must be doing something correct if he is able to control 10 powerful mages who could easily take him out in a matter of seconds without any magic. Not only that, but he also has about 300 assassins under him as well. And that's not counting the weaker descendants of the mages that Kingston took with him. There's no way you can touch him. He has no magic."
" If the kids or myself ever encounter him, he will be captured. We won't kill him. We have to save him from his ways. We can't let him win, even if the final battle involves me breaking every bone in his body."
" Himura, take it easy. Don't stress out too much over things like this. Remember, if you do anything rash it could be harmful for Mayuri, Mayomi and all five of those kids. Not to mention that baby over there, and your future son." Himura calms down. " I understand, Mr. Dante. I promise not to do anything rash." There is a short pause. " So do you know who will be the successor for your power ?"
The man contemplates for several moments. " I haven't found anyone suitable. The probability of me giving it to you or one of those kids is high. If anything, the secret technique must be passed down at all costs. It will be beneficial at one point in the future. Speaking of those kids, what are they doing ?"
" Oh, they went to a coffee shop. It's their day off from their studies. And Casanova went to England on some information hunting."
" What type of information ?"
" We believe that the government could be planning to create artificial mages, who have enough strength to destroy the Organization."
" So there are two forces plotting against the Organization. Well three if you count us. And four, because we still don't know what Dazai is planning."
" This is gonna be a hell of a ride."
Mitsuya and the others were eating almost a dozen sandwiches between the four of them. And the tea and coffee was even better the second time. They told each other stories about their childhood, and it turns out that Mitsuya had once saved Keiko from falling off of a bridge when they were eight, another thing which he did not remember. It also turns out that Julianna and Mitsuya met when she visited the Osaka district. Mitsuya faintly remembered somebody beating Kaoru in the dojo. Kaoru disregarded all of it out of sheer embarrassment and convenience. Mitsuya received a text from Mayomi saying that they were on their way back. As they prepared to leave the shop, Ms. Shichirota stopped Mitsuya once again. Everyone continued walking off. " Is something the matter ?" She just handed him a piece of paper folded in half. Everyone waited while he read it. In a matter of moments, his smile turned into a face of utter horror and anger. He dropped the paper, and quickly caught it. " Thank you, everything will be alright. I appreciate your worry. With those words, he left. You may be wondering what was written on the paper.
Shigeo Seira, the uncle of Mitsuya and Kaoru Nieto, is located hiding in the underground lair of the Chowa Tower. He has requested the presence of Mitsuya Nieto. He will be leaving at exactly 2:30 P.M. The person who has given you this note will be under surveillance until you arrive at the destination. The address is
Mitsuya parts ways with the others about two minutes into the walk. Apparently he needed to do something for Himura before they got back to the house.
" Do you need any help ?" Keiko asked.
" I think I can manage on my own."
" Why are you being so secretive ?" Kaoru asked.
" I'm not. I just need to do something. I promise, I'll be right back." He looks at Julianna. " Make sure Keiko and Kaoru get back to Tsubasa Manor safely. And tell Mayomi that I'm going to be late." She nods her head. They all walk off, but Keiko looks back at Mitsuya questioningly. " I think something's wrong with him." Julianna stares back at him as well. " He's fine. He can handle himself."
Mitsuya pulls out his phone and dials Himura's number. Himura answers to Mitsuya's calm voice. He is commanded by Mr. Dante to put the phone on speaker. Mitsuya explains the situation to him. Himura stays silent while Dante contemplates.
" Mitsuya, you have my permission to go. But are you sure that you want to do this ?"
" This may be my only opportunity. I have to go, Himura. You have to understand."
" Oh, I do. I just don't want you to take out your rage on him without any repercussions. You know not to kill him. You don't kill to seek revenge anymore. We talked about this."
" Yes , sir. So do I only have permission to question him ?"
" Yes, and if he attempts to attack you, you have permission to use force. As for Ms. Shichirota, Mayomi will be arriving there shortly to take care of the one who is watching her. Where are all of the others ?"
" They went back to the house. I told them that I had something important to do. But I assume that all three of them were suspicious."
" Okay, I guess that's good."
Mitsuya prepares to hang up the phone before Himura tells him to wait. " If anything happens, you're gonna carry that weight. You need to stop looking to the past." Mitsuya doesn't answer for a few moments. " Haven't I been carrying it this entire time ?" He just hangs up. Himura quickly gathers all of the notes and picks up Remy's car seat. Mr. Dantes sighs. " You know what to do, don't you ?"
" I'm going to Chowa Tower right now. If all things are certain, then it's a trap. And I think he knows it too." He rushes out of the room to his car, all while calling Keiko's phone. He's in a panic right now.
" Where are you right now ?"
" We're walking back to the manor. Mitsuya said that he had to do something for you. Is that true ?"
" Of course it is. Listen, did anything suspicious happen to you ? Are you guys safe ?"
" Yes Himura. Nothing unusual is happening ?"
" Okay, well get back to the manor quickly. Be back by the time Mayuri arrives."
" We got it." With that he hung up.
They continued walking for several minutes before Kaoru told them to stop.
" What's wrong ?" Keiko asked.
" Julianna, do you sense it too ?"
" No, I can't feel anything. What do you mean, Kaoru ?"
" There's someone following us. This ki. It's strange. We have to be very careful about this. It's close… like it's right next to… KEIKO, WATCH OUT." Keiko merely dodges a knife being thrown at him. Another knife is thrown, this time scrapping Julianna's arm. A dozen more knives are shot at them. At the same time, they can feel a concealing spell being casted on the area around them. Nobody can see them. Shuriken, kunais and knives come flying, and as they dodge them, they all disintegrate.
Kaoru doesn't like this. " Somebody is playing with us."
At the underground lair of the Chowa Tower, about 30 armed people cloaked in black robes meet Mitsuya. By this point, he realizes that it's a trap. In a matter of moments he defeats all of them. Mitsuya at this point has no emotion in his eyes. At this point he is confronted with an enormous pair of doors in his way. He summons the sword and breaks through the door. It shatters into a hundred pieces. The room that he is now in is somewhat similar to a throne room. Though the walls are all white and it is seemingly empty, in the center of the room sits a single chair. Someone is sitting in it, with a back over his head. A spotlight centers around him. Mitsuya steps closer to him, and takes the bag off of his face, revealing Shigeo Seira. He clenches his fists and bows his head. " It was a trap, after all." The other lights turn on and the room becomes so bright that it's hard for Mitsuya to see. When he recovers his vision, he sees what he had secretly been expecting in the bottom of his heart. Angel sits in a chair in the front of the room, her white hair still dangling from her head. She has a peculiar bracelet on her hand. Her face is one of despair. " Mitsuya, it's been a long time. I've been waiting to be with you again."
Mitsuya is unfazed. " This entire time. It's been you. The one who captured and killed Shigeo. The one who Casanova said he heard. The lone survivor of the Peterek Orphanage. Why did you do it ?"
" Why do people do anything ? It's just instinct to survive by getting ahead of those around you. I would have thought you would have known that by now."
" You have no right to talk to me about that. You… you left instead of trying to protect everyone at the Orphanage. You… the one didn't try to protect Aito. You kept him against his will, and now you won't let his sister go."
Angel is silent. She is shaken by the sound of Aito's name. " I tried everything that I could to keep him alive. He just died anyways. There was no way we could save him. He said that he had a brother who was waiting for him. I read him stories so he could go to sleep. My only regret is that I wasn't there for him when he died."
" Regret… after everything that you and your people have done, how dare you talk about regret. You have no right. After all of the people that have sacrificed their lives for you, you can't feel regret or remorse. You are a malicious person."
" Mitsuya, please stop. I wanted to be with you and Kaoru, but I just couldn't. The past is the past, you have to understand. Pain, suffering, misery… they'll all just continue if we keep walking this path. I know, I've seen the truth."
" What do you mean you've seen the truth ?"
" I can't explain that to you. Now tell me, where is the book ?"
" What book ?" Mitsuya knows exactly what book she's talking about, but he pretends to be oblivious.
" The ancient ones are coming. You know about it."
" No , I don't. And if you want any information about it, you're going to have to beat it out of me." There is silence. " So be it." Before Mitsuya can even blink, Angel is already right beside him. She whispers into his ear. " They're watching us. Please, believe me, I don't want to do this. It's against my will to do so. I want to be with you." Before Mitsuya can even respond, her hand is already touching his chest. Mitsuya becomes weak and dizzy as he falls onto the ground. Red lines appear all over his body. Angel stands above him. " I'm sorry for this."
Mitsuya struggles to speak. " What did you do to me ?"
Angel stays silent. " I'm sorry. They made me do it." She projects her voice. " Time magic. You used to have that, didn't you ? You don't have it anymore. It was taken from you just now." A magus circle appears around him. It projects a red light into the room, and the area around him is consumed by it. Mitsuya screams so loudly that his throat begins to hurt. He can't see or hear anything. Angel stands still, but then turns around and a door opens for her. A gray haired boy with glasses, about 5 inches taller than her, looking to be about 3 years older than her stands in the doorway. " You did good Angel. Remember, we only brought him here to get information about the book and to test his strength. It took us so long to find out about what happened to Dazai Nieto's children, but it was all thanks to you."
" Don't give me that crap, Eliot. Just do what you have to do."
" You know, that type of attitude won't get you any recognition in the Cerberus Corps."
" I don't care. I'm fine as number 3. I don't need anyone telling me what I should or shouldn't do. Even less coming from you, number 5."
Eliot becomes more serious, glaring at her. " Let's not get all technical about it, Hyedo." Angel laughs a little bit and leaves him behind.
Mitsuya has fallen unconscious. His mind is consumed in darkness and despair. He doesn't want to wake back up. He is lost, and he wants to find a way back to the surface to exact his revenge. He just can't open his eyes. Suddenly he hears a voice. He's standing on top of a body of water " WAKE UP." Something rushes past him, and he falls into the water. Mitsuya doesn't know how to swim, and he struggles to breath and get back to the surface. He can feel something touching him. It's a hand. His eyes open slowly until he can see someone standing in front of him. He can't make out the face. It's just the voice of a boy. " You want power… don't you? You want the strength to defeat your enemies. You want revenge and glory. You can't give up now. You have to keep trying, until you achieve your goals. KAORU IS COUNTING ON YOU." Mitsuya's eyes open and the hand grabs his. The light fades away as wind rushes into the room. Eliot is sitting near the wall, reading a book- The Great Gatsby. Mitsuya stands before him, holding his sword with a serious glance. Eliot isn't impressed. He's focused on something else. " Nice ring."