Chapter 38
charclone
Well-known member
Philip, as he followed Masa, flicked his hand, summoning his magic to power a simple light spell.
He knew he was probably annoying his best friend's grandmother to some extent, but she said nothing. The fact that they have moved through the same room several times now, as they slowly made their way to Aya, despite a mystical component of the castle permitting instantaneous movement, suggested she was deliberately permitting it.
The cause of his actions was his own emotions.
He had lived an entire life before now without magic, or any sort of powers, yet the moment he felt he had lost them, even for a brief few seconds, unnerved him to an extreme.
"Much like how I lost my memories, the experience was harrowing," Tamamo commented. "But we have them both back. Now… I believe we should talk about your future plans, or rather lack thereof."
'Not yet,' Philip countered. 'I… I want to talk with Aya first, then, once we are home we can talk. I'll need to head to my parents' house anyway, so we can talk there.'
"As you wish."
The sudden breeze Philip felt across his face made him pause. He looked around, blinking.
"Here we are, my husband's arena he wastes time in with his old rival," Masa grunted. Her voice suddenly took on a deep growl. "… What have you two done to those poor girls?"
Sitting next to each other on a rock, Aya and Kuroka dozed, looking thoroughly exhausted.
"Just some training, dearest," Masashi gave a fragile smile to his wife.
"Well, it's getting late, I'd best be off before my wife wonders where I am…" Onishi began to turn to leave, his tone betrayed his fear.
"Oh, I'll call her. No need to worry," Masa smiled. It was a cold smile. "But you two have left such a mess here. Why don't you clean. It. Up."
The two elderly men were silent for a minute.
"We pushed them too hard, didn't we?" Onishi asked piteously.
"Yes. Now get to cleaning. I will inform your wife," At this, the Blue Oni flinched and whined. "Honesty you two, did you have to treat training them as one of your duels?"
Masa glanced at Philip.
"It's getting late. Why don't you take those two home with you," She gestured at the exhausted pair. "If my daughter asks what happened, just tell her Onishi was here, and I am dealing with the issue. She will understand. I will ensure my husband is not lacking self-control next time you visit."
Masashi flinched.
Confused, but desiring no answers – something Tamamo supported – Philip helped Aya to her feet. Kuroka stood on her own, yawning, which turned into a snicker as Aya wrapped an arm around him, dozing off.
As he focused the teleportation spell through his staff, which he was finding easier than the last time, Masa waved goodbye.
Philip sighed, feeling tired himself, after dropping the two girls off.
His staff, tapping against the ground as he walked 'home', was sheathed in a SEP spell.
Opening the door, he stepped inside. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of his father passed out on the couch, surrounded by the past month's beer bottles.
The man had begun drinking more and had stopped tossing them away once he finished, usually ignoring them until they either impeded his ability to move, or his wife berated him for the smell.
Speaking of the smell, Philip winced as it assaulted his nostrils. His mother was spending less and less time here, leaving Philip to be the one to clean things up. Which he didn't bother doing, since he was rarely home. Part of him was tempted to use the growing mess, or even make it worse, to use it as an excuse to leave the house, but… he disliked the risk of being away from Aya, though he now had fewer arguments for that, between his contacts with the supernatural, and his newfound skill at teleportation.
Crinkling his nose, he stepped around a pile of bottles, some with pools of foul-smelling beer at their bottom, and made his way to his room.
A spell to clean the air, and another to keep from being disturbed, Philip sat on his disused and clean bed.
'Okay. I didn't get to talk to Aya, but… let's talk.'
"Very well," Tamamo smiled – something Philip couldn't see, but he knew she was doing it – as Philip manifested the mask-type Sacred Gear. "You desire the death of a Devil. But have you thought about how to do it? How to get to him, where he will die, and how you will avoid being caught? What about afterwards? The Khaos Brigade? How much do you remember and have confirmed to be true?"
Philip went silent for a moment.
'That is part of why I plan to join a mages group. The first one I joined, I got books when it was destroyed. Books that, while mostly about spell theory, informed me about how, for example, the Underworld detects and tracks teleportation spells. I can't teleport in without being detected, but if I can find a reason to be permitted in…'
"And once the death is discovered? You need allies, not just colleagues to use. Aya is a start, but how will you avoid people noticing you are missing during that time, without a cover? You cannot rely solely on her, and I suspect that you are unwilling to put her in unreasonable danger." Tamamo said. "I have centuries of experience, and nothing better to do than help you. My advice is at your disposal. First, what can you tell me about the magician group you intend to join?"
'Well, they were founded in the four hundreds, just after Rome was sacked, four ten, I believe. I don't remember the exact reason, but the magicians were former Greeks that went West, absorbing local practitioners in Eastern Europe. Nowadays, they claim their goal is to assist humanity, but not at the expense of the other supernatural factions.' Philip explained. 'Led by a council of… thirteen archmages, I believe. Mostly, they do R&D and are distanced from politics, but their members have been part of other groups at the same time, even taking sides, such as during the Devil Civil War, though the group as a whole remains neutral.'
"Then you will need to be careful to avoid jeopardising their neutrality, and risking their ire." Tamamo pointed out. "You will also need to be very conscious of any internal political rifts. What can you remember of what their members did in the Devil Civil War?"
Before Philip could answer, a screeching voice echoed through the house.
"What the hell is wrong with you, living like a slob!? Wasting money!"
Philip rolled his eyes at his mother's voice.
"The hell do you want from me, woman!? You drain my bank account for those damn cosmetics and that overpriced car you never use!"
A spell prevented any noise from intruding.
'Okay. Anyway, they had members on both sides, but the actions of some of those members in the war did lead to memberships being revoked. Things like the mass kidnapping the Old King faction did of human women to create disposable shock troops. Turns out, Bastet was the one to put a stop to that.' Philip frowned. 'But there were members that fought for Sirzech's faction that were also stripped of membership. Killing of prisoners, apparently.'
Philip flinched as a fist pounded against his door.
His mother burst in wearing far too much make-up. The emphasis it put on her eyes was comical.
"Didn't you hear me yelling? Never mind. Where are those old books you have?' She barked, not bothering to wait for a reply. She strode into the small room, angrily looking around. "Well?"
"Why?"
"They are old, mouldy, and a waste of space. I'm selling them to a collector," She spat back. "I am done with you being a freeloader, you are an adult, so you will pay for room and board. Now, where are they?"
Philip felt something was off. Usually, she just ignored him. Not to mention, he had never let his parents see his books.
They weren't even that old, or mouldy.
"Answer me, young man!" She glared, then, despite the SEP spell around it, she glanced at the staff, then snatched it from where it leaned against the wall. "Fine, then I'll sell this junk. I expect you to have something next week!"
As she turned to leave, Philip felt something break.
"No."
She whirled around.
"Don't you–" Her protest died as the spell hit her. She collapsed to the floor.
Mind magic was not something Philip was experienced in. He knew enough to make people forget something, of course, but here, he wanted a bit more. With one spell to keep his father from interfering, and another to bring his staff back to his hand, he reached into her mind.
The remnants of a compulsion spell, crude as it was, were already fading. Too degraded already, possibly from Philip's spell knocking her out or a countermeasure built into the crude spell, for him to identify what school it was from, what exactly it was supposed to do, and it was well beyond his ability to identify the caster.
Part of him was disgusted at the use of the compulsion, essentially a light mind control, spell.
The rest of him was too scared and angry to care.
He gathered what few belongings he had into the bag of holding, wiped his parents' memories of the last few moments, and then wrapped himself in as many complementary stealth spells as he could. With a bit of prodding and some suggestions from Tamamo, he even was able to shift his ki a little, leaving less of a trace of his presence on that spectrum.
Minori's surprise at his sudden appearance at her door vanished when he explained.
"Aya's still asleep. You're sure?" The kitsune frowned after rushing him inside, her fingers taping nervously against the countertop.
"The spell was crude, could have been anyone, but it wasn't an experienced caster," Philip said. "I won't be here too long, just until I turn eighteen and can leave those two behind. I'm… not sure if the compulsion was some idiot trying to get rich quick through mind control, or if it was targeted. But…"
"Hey, you're welcome to stay as long as you need," Minori shook her head, patting his shoulder. "I'm just… I'm worried. I hear rumours about increased numbers of stray devils, more gangs of Fallen and their offspring popping up and causing a ruckus, like the ones in the city, and more Sacred Gears appearing."
She sighed.
"I'm just worried about the state of the world. Seems things are… deteriorating. Now, I didn't get the chance to ask earlier, but did my mother help at all with the Sacred Gear?"
He knew he was probably annoying his best friend's grandmother to some extent, but she said nothing. The fact that they have moved through the same room several times now, as they slowly made their way to Aya, despite a mystical component of the castle permitting instantaneous movement, suggested she was deliberately permitting it.
The cause of his actions was his own emotions.
He had lived an entire life before now without magic, or any sort of powers, yet the moment he felt he had lost them, even for a brief few seconds, unnerved him to an extreme.
"Much like how I lost my memories, the experience was harrowing," Tamamo commented. "But we have them both back. Now… I believe we should talk about your future plans, or rather lack thereof."
'Not yet,' Philip countered. 'I… I want to talk with Aya first, then, once we are home we can talk. I'll need to head to my parents' house anyway, so we can talk there.'
"As you wish."
The sudden breeze Philip felt across his face made him pause. He looked around, blinking.
"Here we are, my husband's arena he wastes time in with his old rival," Masa grunted. Her voice suddenly took on a deep growl. "… What have you two done to those poor girls?"
Sitting next to each other on a rock, Aya and Kuroka dozed, looking thoroughly exhausted.
"Just some training, dearest," Masashi gave a fragile smile to his wife.
"Well, it's getting late, I'd best be off before my wife wonders where I am…" Onishi began to turn to leave, his tone betrayed his fear.
"Oh, I'll call her. No need to worry," Masa smiled. It was a cold smile. "But you two have left such a mess here. Why don't you clean. It. Up."
The two elderly men were silent for a minute.
"We pushed them too hard, didn't we?" Onishi asked piteously.
"Yes. Now get to cleaning. I will inform your wife," At this, the Blue Oni flinched and whined. "Honesty you two, did you have to treat training them as one of your duels?"
Masa glanced at Philip.
"It's getting late. Why don't you take those two home with you," She gestured at the exhausted pair. "If my daughter asks what happened, just tell her Onishi was here, and I am dealing with the issue. She will understand. I will ensure my husband is not lacking self-control next time you visit."
Masashi flinched.
Confused, but desiring no answers – something Tamamo supported – Philip helped Aya to her feet. Kuroka stood on her own, yawning, which turned into a snicker as Aya wrapped an arm around him, dozing off.
As he focused the teleportation spell through his staff, which he was finding easier than the last time, Masa waved goodbye.
Philip sighed, feeling tired himself, after dropping the two girls off.
His staff, tapping against the ground as he walked 'home', was sheathed in a SEP spell.
Opening the door, he stepped inside. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of his father passed out on the couch, surrounded by the past month's beer bottles.
The man had begun drinking more and had stopped tossing them away once he finished, usually ignoring them until they either impeded his ability to move, or his wife berated him for the smell.
Speaking of the smell, Philip winced as it assaulted his nostrils. His mother was spending less and less time here, leaving Philip to be the one to clean things up. Which he didn't bother doing, since he was rarely home. Part of him was tempted to use the growing mess, or even make it worse, to use it as an excuse to leave the house, but… he disliked the risk of being away from Aya, though he now had fewer arguments for that, between his contacts with the supernatural, and his newfound skill at teleportation.
Crinkling his nose, he stepped around a pile of bottles, some with pools of foul-smelling beer at their bottom, and made his way to his room.
A spell to clean the air, and another to keep from being disturbed, Philip sat on his disused and clean bed.
'Okay. I didn't get to talk to Aya, but… let's talk.'
"Very well," Tamamo smiled – something Philip couldn't see, but he knew she was doing it – as Philip manifested the mask-type Sacred Gear. "You desire the death of a Devil. But have you thought about how to do it? How to get to him, where he will die, and how you will avoid being caught? What about afterwards? The Khaos Brigade? How much do you remember and have confirmed to be true?"
Philip went silent for a moment.
'That is part of why I plan to join a mages group. The first one I joined, I got books when it was destroyed. Books that, while mostly about spell theory, informed me about how, for example, the Underworld detects and tracks teleportation spells. I can't teleport in without being detected, but if I can find a reason to be permitted in…'
"And once the death is discovered? You need allies, not just colleagues to use. Aya is a start, but how will you avoid people noticing you are missing during that time, without a cover? You cannot rely solely on her, and I suspect that you are unwilling to put her in unreasonable danger." Tamamo said. "I have centuries of experience, and nothing better to do than help you. My advice is at your disposal. First, what can you tell me about the magician group you intend to join?"
'Well, they were founded in the four hundreds, just after Rome was sacked, four ten, I believe. I don't remember the exact reason, but the magicians were former Greeks that went West, absorbing local practitioners in Eastern Europe. Nowadays, they claim their goal is to assist humanity, but not at the expense of the other supernatural factions.' Philip explained. 'Led by a council of… thirteen archmages, I believe. Mostly, they do R&D and are distanced from politics, but their members have been part of other groups at the same time, even taking sides, such as during the Devil Civil War, though the group as a whole remains neutral.'
"Then you will need to be careful to avoid jeopardising their neutrality, and risking their ire." Tamamo pointed out. "You will also need to be very conscious of any internal political rifts. What can you remember of what their members did in the Devil Civil War?"
Before Philip could answer, a screeching voice echoed through the house.
"What the hell is wrong with you, living like a slob!? Wasting money!"
Philip rolled his eyes at his mother's voice.
"The hell do you want from me, woman!? You drain my bank account for those damn cosmetics and that overpriced car you never use!"
A spell prevented any noise from intruding.
'Okay. Anyway, they had members on both sides, but the actions of some of those members in the war did lead to memberships being revoked. Things like the mass kidnapping the Old King faction did of human women to create disposable shock troops. Turns out, Bastet was the one to put a stop to that.' Philip frowned. 'But there were members that fought for Sirzech's faction that were also stripped of membership. Killing of prisoners, apparently.'
Philip flinched as a fist pounded against his door.
His mother burst in wearing far too much make-up. The emphasis it put on her eyes was comical.
"Didn't you hear me yelling? Never mind. Where are those old books you have?' She barked, not bothering to wait for a reply. She strode into the small room, angrily looking around. "Well?"
"Why?"
"They are old, mouldy, and a waste of space. I'm selling them to a collector," She spat back. "I am done with you being a freeloader, you are an adult, so you will pay for room and board. Now, where are they?"
Philip felt something was off. Usually, she just ignored him. Not to mention, he had never let his parents see his books.
They weren't even that old, or mouldy.
"Answer me, young man!" She glared, then, despite the SEP spell around it, she glanced at the staff, then snatched it from where it leaned against the wall. "Fine, then I'll sell this junk. I expect you to have something next week!"
As she turned to leave, Philip felt something break.
"No."
She whirled around.
"Don't you–" Her protest died as the spell hit her. She collapsed to the floor.
Mind magic was not something Philip was experienced in. He knew enough to make people forget something, of course, but here, he wanted a bit more. With one spell to keep his father from interfering, and another to bring his staff back to his hand, he reached into her mind.
The remnants of a compulsion spell, crude as it was, were already fading. Too degraded already, possibly from Philip's spell knocking her out or a countermeasure built into the crude spell, for him to identify what school it was from, what exactly it was supposed to do, and it was well beyond his ability to identify the caster.
Part of him was disgusted at the use of the compulsion, essentially a light mind control, spell.
The rest of him was too scared and angry to care.
He gathered what few belongings he had into the bag of holding, wiped his parents' memories of the last few moments, and then wrapped himself in as many complementary stealth spells as he could. With a bit of prodding and some suggestions from Tamamo, he even was able to shift his ki a little, leaving less of a trace of his presence on that spectrum.
Minori's surprise at his sudden appearance at her door vanished when he explained.
"Aya's still asleep. You're sure?" The kitsune frowned after rushing him inside, her fingers taping nervously against the countertop.
"The spell was crude, could have been anyone, but it wasn't an experienced caster," Philip said. "I won't be here too long, just until I turn eighteen and can leave those two behind. I'm… not sure if the compulsion was some idiot trying to get rich quick through mind control, or if it was targeted. But…"
"Hey, you're welcome to stay as long as you need," Minori shook her head, patting his shoulder. "I'm just… I'm worried. I hear rumours about increased numbers of stray devils, more gangs of Fallen and their offspring popping up and causing a ruckus, like the ones in the city, and more Sacred Gears appearing."
She sighed.
"I'm just worried about the state of the world. Seems things are… deteriorating. Now, I didn't get the chance to ask earlier, but did my mother help at all with the Sacred Gear?"