Magus Academia

The dust cleared, revealing a large man blocking Tomoki’s path. The man was as tall as a marble column and possessed the muscular body of a professional wrestler. He had short blonde hair in a very close buzz-cut and almond-shaped eyes with icy blue pupils. And if his physical appearance wasn’t already impressive in its own right, the man was dressed in American Army clothing: camouflage pants, fitted short-sleeve T-shirt, and a pair of forest-green combat boots. Around his neck was a dog-tag with the image of the alchemical symbol of the philosopher’s stone: a circle inside a square inside a triangle inside a larger circle.

“You’re not going anywhere,” said the man in a booming voice.

“Who the hell are you?” blurted out Tomoki in surprise.

The man shot out his right hand in an attempt to snatch the seal around Tomoki’s neck. The latter reflexively ducked out of the way. “Hand over the seal!” ordered the booming man.

“Gomiki, remember what I told you!” shouted Ruka from behind. She was too busy dealing with her own opponent that she didn’t expect the booming man to make his appearance at all! However, she couldn’t possibly handle both of them by herself. Therefore, she decided against her own better judgement to have Tomoki help her. “Summon Damocles!” she shouted to Tomoki.

Tomoki recalled exactly what Ruka taught him and held out his hand with a confident expression. “Vocatios: Evocare Damocles!” he casted. The magic circle appeared with the image of an unknown creature in the center. At first, nothing happened, prompting Tomoki to wonder if he did something wrong. Suddenly, black smoke shot out of the magic circle until it completely covered the area around Tomoki and his opponent. The air around them grew cold and Tomoki felt a sense of dread wash over him. Slowly, the darkness dissipated.

Standing right in front of Tomoki was a towering humanoid creature dressed in a black suit of armor. Its body was wider than a door and it held in its right hand an even larger sword. A black cape with a circular crest depicting a pair of ravens atop a spear billowed behind it. Some kind of dark miasma emitted out of its body, disappearing into thin air once it came into contact with sunlight. The creature glanced back at Tomoki, revealing to him its blood red eyes with white flame-like pupils.

“Order it to attack!” yelled Ruka as if it was common sense to do so in this kind of situation.

“W-What the hell even is that?” asked a confused and scared Tomoki.

“Does it even matter?” shouted Ruka angrily.

Tomoki remembered the situation they were in and sheepishly said, “You’re right.” He pointed his finger at the booming man and shouted rather grandly, “Attack!”

The creature turned its head back to the booming man and tightened its grip on its sword. With one swift movement like a deadly gale, the creature rushed forward and swung its sword for the man. The booming man jumped back and held out his own hand. “Mutatus: Ba – Death’s Blade!” casted the booming man. Suddenly, a yellow magic circle appeared with the center image of a saber with a curved blade and a sharp tip. The same blade materialized in the booming man’s hand. He swung his sword at the creature and their blades clashed.

“He’s really holding his own against that monster,” gasped Tomoki in disbelief. He glanced back and saw Ruka was too busy holding her own against their other enemy. ‘What do I do now?’ he asked himself in distress.

“Summon Cleos,” answered a voice nearby.

Tomoki looked up and scanned his surroundings. ‘Was that Konoe just now?’ he wondered. But looking back once again, he saw Ruka was focused on dealing with the woman magician—therefore, she couldn’t have been the one to have said that. And Tomoki was sure that the idea came from without him, so it couldn’t have been his own inside voice either. If it wasn’t him or Ruka, then who else could it be?

“Ah-ah! I don’t care anymore!” he groaned while scratching his head. He held out his hand and casted, “Vocatios: Evocare Cleos!” Cleos jumped out of the magic circle and affectionately rubbed her body against Tomoki’s leg. “Cleos, can you help me?” Tomoki asked the nekomata. She replied back with a drawled out meow and rubbed her head against Tomoki one last time before jumping right in front of him. She sat down with her two tails pointing up to the sky. Her eyes then glowed a very mesmerizing green color. That very same glow appeared around Damocles like an aura.

The booming man was suddenly pushed back; he noticed that the creature had somehow gotten stronger. With a glance behind the creature, he quickly had his answer. The creature’s newly doubled strength allowed it to cut through the booming man’s blade, causing that very blade to disappear in a cloud of magical dust. The booming man then quickly rolled away from the creature’s second attack.

“Olivia, we have to retreat!” the booming man called to his partner.

“Geez, and when I was about to win too,” came the woman with a pout.

The booming man brought out a vial containing some kind of gray smoke. He threw it to the ground and the smoke covered the entire area around him. When it cleared, Tomoki saw that the man had disappeared. His partner did the same and Ruka came running to Tomoki.

“W-Who were they?” Tomoki asked her.

“Before we talk about that—,” said Ruka, gesturing to the familiars. Tomoki returned Damocles and Cleos. “Those guys were the same ones that had chased me and my partner the night before,” Ruka told him. “They belong to a radical group of magi.”

“Magi?”

“Users of magic,” Ruka explained. “I guess the terms normal humans are more familiar with would be witches, wizards, and magicians.”

“Magicians?!” exclaimed Tomoki. “Wait, so, are you saying that you’re—?”

“I’m a magus,” confirmed Ruka.

“Then, what about me?” asked Tomoki with a mixture of curiosity and excitement.

“Of course not!” quickly answered Ruka without any hesitation. “Don’t forget, you only gained your powers from my partner,” she reminded him with a scowl.

“So you’re saying that you were born with those powers?” asked Tomoki.

“All magi are,” Ruka told him. “Anyway, don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Oh, shit, you’re right!” Tomoki immediately left for the station and managed to make it on a train to school.

“Yo, Tomo, who’s your new girlfriend?” asked Wataru during first break.

“Hah?! Who the hell told you that?” replied Tomoki angrily.

“Junkocchi said that she saw you with a girl this morning,” revealed Wataru cheerfully.

‘Shit, I forgot about that!’ Tomoki cursed.

At that moment, the PA system came on: “Class 3’s Kimoto Tomoki, please come to the principal’s office! That’s Kimoto Tomoki from Class 3! Please come to the principal’s office!”

“Yo, Tomo, what did you do?” asked Wataru.

“That’s what I want to know,” muttered Tomoki with a sigh.

In the principal’s office, Tomoki found the lady herself sitting at her desk with her fingers laced together as she waited expectantly for him. In the same room, sitting in a chair near the right wall, was a man whom Tomoki had never seen before. The man had on a pair of dark sunglasses that completely concealed his eyes and dark blue lipstick.

“I’m Kimoto Tomoki, a pleasure to make your acquaintance!” introduced Tomoki with a deep bow.

“Please, be at ease,” said the principal. Her expression became more calming and kind. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve called you here,” she said with a smile.

“Actually, yes,” admitted Tomoki.

“Starting tomorrow, you will be transferred to a different school,” revealed the principal.

“T-T-Transferred?” stuttered Tomoki in wide-eyed surprise. “To where?”

The man with the dark sunglasses quickly rose up from his seat and held out his hands in grandeur. “Seimei Academy!” he announced with a big smile.

“Where’s that? And who are you?” asked Tomoki.

“The school is here in Kyōto,” reassured the smiling man.

“This here is Mr. Sasaki Ryōma,” introduced the principal. As she introduced him, Mr. Sasaki bowed in greeting like a stage magician who’d just given his best performance.

“I’ve never heard of Seimei Academy before,” said Tomoki, still unsure about this development.

“Well, we already completed your transfer already,” revealed Mr. Sasaki. “There’s really nothing we can do about it now,” he added with a shrug of his shoulders.

“What? Isn’t that too quick?” objected Tomoki in displeasure. “And I didn’t agree to any of this!”

“You’re right, so how about I make it up to you by giving you a coupon for tomorrow’s lunch? The premium entrée for tomorrow is German Hamburg Steak with gravy and a side of Belgian fries,” offered Mr. Sasaki. He then bent down next to Tomoki’s ear and whispered, “I recommend asking for a side of pickled ginger on top of the German Hamburg Steak. It’s like going to the beach with your girlfriend over Summer break to play a sexy game of volleyball in ballet tights! Perfection! You’ll thank me for it, I promise you.”

Tomoki didn’t know how to react to Mr. Sasaki’s words. In fact, he didn’t know how to respond to the man in any appropriate way. He didn’t even know what the man was thinking!—the very type of people whom Tomoki are afraid of: those who are enigmatic to the core and somehow transcends all belief.

“Just so you know, you’ll be transferred in as a scholarship student,” continued Mr. Sasaki. “A scholarship student is one who have been referred by an enrolled student, staff, or alumni.”

“Scholarship student,” repeated Tomoki under his breath.

“In her referral, Konoe was very particular about your potential,” said Mr. Sasaki with a nod of his head.

‘Konoe?…” wondered Tomoki. He suddenly recalled why that name sounded familiar. Once he remembered Ruka and connected her to what was happening right now, it all began to make some sense. “Mr. Sasaki, are you—?” he began.

“So that means that you accept?” interrupted Mr. Sasaki cheerfully.

Tomoki saw no other way out of this. The only sensible thing for him to do now is to accept. He nodded his head in confirmation.

“Alright then! See you tomorrow, Ken’ichi-kun!” said Mr. Sasaki.

“It’s Tomoki,” corrected Tomoki.

“Thank you for coming here, Mr. Kimoto,” said the principal, signaling an end to their meeting. “You may return back to class now.”

“You’re transferring?!” exclaimed Wataru and Junko in unison after Tomoki explained everything to them.

“It surprised me too,” Tomoki told them.

“Do you know the reason why?” asked Wataru.

“Um….” Of course Tomoki knew the reason why, but he couldn’t very well tell them his secret. “A-A scholarship! It’s for a scholarship!” he told them, nodding his head in an attempt to appear discreet.

“A scholarship for what?” asked Wataru reasonably.

Tomoki didn’t like being bombarded with questions that aimed to rip apart what little threads he had to cover up his secret. His eyes darted to the left and he let out a small laugh before saying the first thing that came to his mind: “An academic scholarship for cultural studies.” How did he come with this response?—Well, he did his best to connect the dots between magic and education and this was the best he could do to make sense of it.

“Cultural studies? Are you trying to become an archaeologist or something?” asked Wataru.

“Y-Yes…?” replied Tomoki with a drop of sweat sliding down the side of his face.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of this,” said Junko with a doubtful look in her eyes.

“Then again, Tomo never really did share with us what he wanted to do when he grew up. Not even when we were kids,” pointed out Wataru.

‘Safe!’ sighed Tomoki in relief.

“But this is the first time I’ve ever heard of someone getting transferred for a scholarship,” argued Junko. “Especially for a scholarship in Cultural Studies. Something about this is fishy, I tell you!”

“Ah, you worry too much,” said Wataru with a smile. “Besides, this doesn’t have anything to do with the two of us. It’s about Tomo.”

“Thank you, Wataru,” said Tomoki in gratitude.

After school ended, Tomoki quickly made his way back home. There, he noticed Ruka waiting for him in front of his door. When she saw him come up the steps, she frowned down on him with an unpleasant look in her already fierce eyes.

“You’re late,” she snapped at him. In her left hand she held a garment bag.

“Oh, give me a break. It’s not like you live here anyway,” replied Tomoki.

“Of course! Who would want to live in a hole like this with a masochistic perverted pig like you?” she remarked scathingly.

“Again, I’m not a masochist! Or a pervert! Or a pig!” objected Tomoki vehemently. He unlocked the door and she quickly walked in, throwing the garment bag next to the living room table. Tomoki didn’t know what her deal was with him, but decided it was best to not start something unproductive that could further fray their already fragile relationship. He closed the door behind him and put his stuff away before preparing dinner: cup ramen.

He served a cup for himself and one for Ruka. As he took a seat opposite of her, Tomoki noticed for the very first time that she was wearing her school uniform: a sapphire blue shirt underneath a dark purple collared coat, a ruby red ascot tied around her neck, and a pleated dark purple skirt that stopped just short of her knees. On the right breast of her coat was a crest of her school: a circle with a five pointed star in the middle and three up-pointing swords organized in a triangle piercing through it.

“Please refrain from dirtying me with your gaze,” said Ruka with a scowl.

Tomoki caught her eyes and quickly looked away. “A-A-Anyway, what was the thing you had with you?” he asked her, changing the subject.

“Your own uniform,” she quickly replied. “Now that you know, you can just stare at that instead of me.”

“Oh, please, don’t flatter yourself,” snarked Tomoki with a smirk. “So, were you the one responsible for my transfer?” he asked her.

“It is only natural,” she told him as if it was common sense. “You now possess magic. Being a newcomer means that you do not know yet how to control it. Therefore, you must be taught the correct way. Furthermore—,” she pointed to the amulet around Tomoki’s neck, “the seal must be protected. And though it pains me to admit it, because you are now chosen to be its keeper, you too must be protected. If you, someone who do not know magic yet was chosen to shoulder such a great destiny, were to come into conflict with those who desire to use you and the seal for evil, you would not know how to properly engage them. And we would lose a very important and powerful artifact to enemy hands.”

“Makes sense,” agreed Tomoki, who had quickly processed each and every word Ruka had said the moment they exited her lips. His mental processing skills were among his strongest abilities, so it didn’t take long for him to comprehend the logic and reason behind this.

“You’ll be starting tomorrow,” Ruka told him. She finished her cup and thanked for the meal. “I’ll give you your schedule tomorrow,” she continued, getting up.

“Wait, are you staying over for the night?” asked Tomoki.

“It’ll be easier this way,” said Ruka, stretching her arms. “Otherwise, who would show you the way to the school?”

“Y-You got me there,” admitted Tomoki with a sigh.

“Also, you’ll have to move into the school dormitories,” she added.

“School dormitories?” repeated Tomoki in surprise. “This is the first time I've heard of this! What about my stuff?”

“Someone from the school will be here to pick them up while we’re at school. They’ll transport your stuff to your dorm using teleportation magic,” explained Ruka. She then took out something from inside her coat and threw it over to Tomoki. The latter caught it and noticed that it was a stamp. “Use this to mark the things you want. As soon as the stuff are teleported over, the stamp will disappear,” she told him. She then made her way to the bathroom and turned back around to say, “I’ll be in the bath! Don’t come in lest you want to add to your crimes.” She shut the bathroom door with a slam.

“She’s actually a tolerable and cute girl if she wasn’t such a pain-in-the-ass grouch,” sighed Tomoki. “What happened to the kind and elegant persona this morning when she met Junko? Is it too much to ask to show some of that kindness to me too?”

That night, just like the night before, Tomoki gave up his room to Ruka and slept on the floor of the living room. The anxiety of transferring schools finally caught up to him once his guard was lowered in preparation for sleep. He had so many questions and scenarios playing in his mind that he couldn’t sleep at all! It was like being a kid getting excited the night before going on a field trip; or a guy not able to sleep due to being over-anxious over his coming first date with his first-ever girlfriend! Tomoki’s heart pounded with a messy collage of fear and excitement and confusion and curiosity and irritation. The impact of these feelings did a number on his sleep cycle and he woke up the next morning with as much vigor as a decaying corpse.

Tomoki used Ruka’s stamp to mark everything he needed, though his listlessness turned what should’ve been a half-hour-long activity into a two-hour chore. Ruka, who had woken up by now, entered the living room with a scowl upon seeing Tomoki leaning against the wall asleep. She saw that about half of the products in the room were stamped, but she doubted this was the extent of what Tomoki wanted to bring with him. With a click of her tongue, she slapped Tomoki across the face, waking him up with a shock.

“W-What happened?” stuttered Tomoki.

“How long are you going to take to get ready?” Ruka asked him with a frown.

He finished stamping his stuff and proceeded to fix himself up and change into his new school uniform. Looking at himself in the mirror, he couldn’t help but notice how strange it felt to see himself in anything other than his usual school uniform: a plain white collared shirt with a black jacket and a pair of khaki slacks. This new uniform, which included a ruby red necktie for him, felt too fancy for him and it didn’t suit him at all. But what else could he do? His transfer had already been competed, like it or not, and it was only natural considering everything that had occurred to him. He was now taking his first step in entering a world unknown to him.

Tomoki walked out of the bathroom. Ruka looked him over with an expression one would wear when observing something decent in their eyes. “You’re starting to look more presentable than you were before,” she complimented him, though her words still irked Tomoki a little. “Just don’t do anything to bring shame to that uniform you’re wearing,” she added with a flip of her hair.

“Of course,” replied Tomoki with an acknowledging sigh.

The both exited the apartment and Ruka took the lead. They made their way to the same spot where Tomoki first encountered the booming man and his lady partner, and proceeded forward. They reached an intersection before the last station in the city and turned right. Tomoki was not that familiar with this place except for some stories he’d heard about a very popular shrine around these parts. Nevertheless, he followed Ruka, who confidently led the way with no hesitation in her footsteps at all.

The duo arrived at the foot of a hill. A large torii gate loomed over them before stone steps that led to the top. Ruka touched the left leg of the gate and muttered something that Tomoki couldn’t quite catch. Suddenly, the stone steps behind the gate shimmered like a mirage and was subsequently replaced with a straight path. “Let’s go,” said Ruka, nonchalantly crossing onto the new path under the gate. Once she entered, she disappeared from view.

‘A portal?’ was all Tomoki could think of to make sense of this. He hesitantly walked forward and cautiously put his left hand in. Suddenly, Ruka’s arm shot back and grabbed him, forcefully pulling him in. Tomoki entered the portal and exited onto the same path he saw from the other side. The area around him was darker than he thought, but still somewhat visible. Looking ahead, he noticed a bright light ahead. Ruka was already waiting for him at the end of the path and he quickly joined her.

They both entered the light and Tomoki realized that they had come out of a tunnel. The familiar sound of chatter between classmates and friends made Tomoki turn his head. He came face-to-face with an edifice he thought only existed in anime and manga. “I-I-I-Is that—?,” he stuttered in disbelief.

“Magus Academia.”