Chapter 13: Eterna Infans

The sound of clinking teacups filled the quiet living room of the Tendou household.
Naomi Tendou Kaname sat gracefully by the window, a steaming cup of green tea in her hand, while Kanata and Celestine stood in front of her with determined faces.

“Absolutely not,” Kaname said firmly, taking a slow sip.
“Leave this matter to the security authorities. They’ll handle it.”

Kanata frowned.

“They’ve been ‘handling it’ for weeks, and children keep vanishing every night! You expect me to sit around doing nothing?”

Celestine nodded beside him.

“He’s right, Lady Kaname. If the culprit is really a Banshee, only a mage who understands their curse can stop her.”

Kaname let out a deep sigh, placing her cup down with a soft clink.

“You two are far too stubborn for your own good.”

“Guess it runs in the family,” Kanata muttered.

“What was that?”

“N-Nothing!”

After a long pause, Kaname finally rose from her seat, summoning her staff.

“…Fine. But if you both die, I’ll kill you again myself.”

She raised her staff, the air around them shimmering with faint light.

“<Eterna Infans>.”

A flash of radiant magic enveloped the room. When the glow faded—Kanata and Celestine were gone.

Well, not gone—just… smaller.

Celestine blinked, staring at her now tiny hands.

“W-What in the—?!”

Kanata looked at his reflection in the window and nearly fell over.
He was a ten-year-old again.
A short, black-haired kid with wide, golden eyes.

“Oh, for crying out loud.”

Kaname clasped her hands together, grinning like a mischievous Mother.

“Aww, you two are adorable! I could just kidnap you myself!”

“If you do, you’ll be the one under arrest, you know.”

Kaname’s smile twitched. She immediately pinched his ear.

“What was that, brat?”

“Ow ow ow! I take it back! You’re the most beautiful witch in the world!”

“Better.”

Later that evening, the operation was underway.

Kanata and Celestine, now disguised as ten-year-olds, wandered through the city pretending to be lost children.
Rio and Itsuha followed from a distance, watching every movement from the rooftops through a communication spell.

“They look… surprisingly convincing,” Rio said, adjusting his glasses.

“Well, Kanata acts like a kid half the time, so it’s not much of a stretch,” Itsuha replied dryly.

Down below, Kanata tugged at Celestine’s sleeve.

“Remember, if you sense dark mana, give the signal.”

“Understood.”

They wandered for nearly an hour until a familiar, haunting voice reached their ears.

“Oh my… what are two little ones doing out here all alone?”

Kanata froze.
The woman from the other night—the one with flowing black hair and violet eyes—stood before them, her smile sweet yet hollow.

So it’s really her.
The Banshee.

Kanata forced a nervous grin, acting the part.

“We… we got lost, miss.”

“Oh, poor dears,” the woman said softly. “Why don’t you come with me? I have plenty of candy and cakes at home.”

“Candy? Yay! I love candy!” Kanata shouted with a perfect childlike tone that even fooled Celestine for a moment.

As they followed her into a narrow alleyway, Celestine discreetly signaled their location through a magic charm.
The woman gestured toward an old metal door.

“Wait here, children. I’ll fetch the sweets.”

But the moment she stepped inside, the door sealed—and a faint hiss filled the air.
A strange gas began to pour out from hidden vents.

“Kanata!” Celestine shouted, covering her mouth.
“Poison!”

Kanata tried to resist, but his smaller body couldn’t handle it.
The world around him began to blur, his vision fading.
The last thing he saw was the silhouette of a figure with glowing red eyes leaning over them.

And then—darkness.

When Kanata awoke, he was inside a glass cell.
Cold. Bright. Silent.

Around him were dozens of frightened children—the missing ones.

“Celestine?”

“I’m here,” her voice answered from the next cell.
She pressed her hand against the glass. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. But this place…”

Footsteps echoed. Two guards walked past their cells, whispering.

“Do you think Lady Morganne will truly live forever this time?”

“Idiot, of course she will. She’s been doing this for a century. Look at her—still young as ever.”

Kanata’s eyes narrowed.

Morganne… that must be the Banshee’s name.

Celestine clenched her fists, summoning light between her palms.

“<Light Burst>!”

A beam of holy energy struck the wall—but it didn’t even scratch it.
The entire cell shimmered with anti-magic runes.

“Damn it! The walls are made of Anti-Magic Glass—I can’t break through.”

Kanata looked down at his bandaged arm.

“Anti-Magic, huh? Then this is my department.”

He tore off the bandages, revealing his cursed right hand—blackened, glowing faintly with blue and crimson veins.
The moment his palm touched the glass, it began to melt and crack, the runes flickering wildly.

“Kanata! What are you—”

“Saving everyone.”

With a loud CRAAASH, the entire structure shattered, the children gasping in awe as the anti-magic dissolved into dust.
Celestine stared at him—half amazed, half horrified.

“…You’re insane.”

“I’ve been told that before.”

He turned to the freed children.

“Listen, everyone! Find the exit and get to safety! Now!”

As the children ran, Celestine looked down the corridor.

“There are more of them, deeper inside.”

Kanata nodded.

“Then we’re not done yet.”

High above the city, Rio and Itsuha had finally traced the dark mana trail to an abandoned harbor district.

“Found them. Their signal’s coming from the old dock warehouses.”

Itsuha smirked, cracking her knuckles.

“Then let’s go burn that witch.”

But before they could move, a shadowy figure stepped out from behind a lamppost—
Kisaragi Aine, her emerald eyes glowing faintly under the moonlight.

She smiled, a mysterious curve playing on her lips.

“Well, well… looks like the game’s finally getting interesting.”