Understandings and Miracles

School had already ended and Tomoki found himself facing off against Tianhua on a small patch of field next to the academy’s athletics department. Up above, the sky was clear and the sun was out—an otherwise perfect day if not for what was about to transpire in the minutes to come. Ruka and Mei stood by on the sidelines, the former with a serious expression and an intense look in her eyes.

“Kimoto Tomoki, I will win this battle and make you pay for your crimes!” declared Tianhua.

“Crimes?” asked Tomoki with a questioning chuckle.

“Your crime of stealing Kurama-senpai’s familiars!” clarified Tianhua. “Let the duel commence!” Before Tomoki had the chance to say something or prepare himself, Tianhua took the initiative and chanted: “Mutatus: Ba – Divine Chains!” A yellow magic circle with hieroglyphics around its edges appeared. Glistening silver chains shot out of the circle and immediately wrapped itself around Tomoki’s body. But Tianhua didn’t stop there. “Mutatus: Ka – Iron Stone!” she casted. The silver chains grew thicker and bigger until it fused together into a giant tube of metal. The metal then grew gray in color and the material itself hardened until it became stone. Tomoki fell down to his stomach, now restrained in what appears to be an unbreakable trap.

“A spell to transform metal into stone,” realized Tomoki with an impressed smile.

“Do you surrender, Kimoto Tomoki? No matter what you try, you can’t get yourself out of this trap,” threatened Tianhua.

“Do you have to use your hands to cast a spell?” asked Tomoki.

“What are you talking—?” began Tianhua with a frown.

“I’m not talking to you,” quickly interjected Tomoki.

Ruka let out a sigh. “Magi use our hands to act as conduits to bring our spells to life. They channel the power of our words and mind and focus them into the real world. But they are not the tool responsible for casting magic. Magic and spellcasting lies solely in the mind. Our minds manipulate magical energy, our words release that energy, and our hands help us to focus it.”

“So if a magus trained their minds to achieve high levels of focus and concentration, it’s possible to cast magic without hands,” concluded Tomoki.

“Theoretically,” confirmed Ruka.

“Are you…seriously?” caught on Tianhua in disbelief.

“It never hurts to try,” said Tomoki with a smile. “Vocatios: Evocare Damocles!” he shouted. Nothing happened.

“You really have some nerve to pull a stunt like that,” dismissed Tianhua.

Suddenly, the amulet around Tomoki’s glowed and a white magic circle appeared. Damocles exited out of the circle, surprising all around him. ‘The gamble actually worked!’ thought Tomoki with a smile of disbelief. He had only meant to scare off Tianhua, himself knowing that it was an impossible feat to pull off. But now…. Tomoki didn’t bother to think any deeper and quickly said, “Damocles, break me free!” Damocles turned to Tomoki and brought down his sword. The dark blade disintegrated the steel tube into dust. Tomoki quickly pulled himself up and stood right behind Damocles.

“Mutatus: Ba – God’s Net!” casted Tianhua. A giant net made of pure yellow energy unraveled in the sky and wrapped around Damocles. Tianhua wasn’t one to take things easy and quickly followed it up with: “Mutatus: Ka – Divine Flame Construction!” The pure yellow energy quickly transformed into bright yellow flames. Damocles was suffering under the intense holy flames, writhing in pain and letting out deep-grunting howls.

Remembering a combo from his very first battle, Tomoki shot out his hand and summoned Cleos. The sight of the nekomata and its affection for Tomoki rattled Tianhua. ‘Cleos too…,’ she lamented in anger.

“Cleos, help Damocles,” Tomoki told the nekomata. Cleos followed his orders and stood right behind Damocles. And then like before, the nekomata’s eyes glowed a very mesmerizing green color. Damocles was quickly surrounded by an aura of the same color.

“That cat—,” noticed Mei from the sidelines.

“That’s a nekomata,” explained Ruka. “Nekomata are known to possess vast magical powers and are heavily connected to the spiritual world. They are also deeply connected to the world of the dead. Their powers can influence and manipulate the dead however they want. Damocles is a draugr.”

“Draugr? Isn’t that—?” exclaimed Mei in surprise.

“It’s a type of undead creature,” confirmed Ruka.

“I see. No wonder Kimoto-kun used that combo,” realized Mei.

‘Just like him,’ thought Ruka, biting her bottom lip.

The draugr, now empowered by the nekomata’s power, broke free from the net. Tianhua was surprised by how easily her trap was crushed and took a step back. ‘How can he be this powerful?’ she thought in terror.

Suddenly, the amulet around Tomoki’s neck glowed again. Tomoki watched with wide-eyes as Isaburō’s ghost appeared before him. “I’ll take care of the rest,” Isaburō told Tomoki. The ghost floated over to Tianhua, his presence still unknown to everyone else besides Tomoki. “Hua-chan,” he spoke in his junior’s ear.

Tianhua heard Isaburō’s voice and quickly looked around in a frenzy, desperately searching for the source. “Senpai, where are you?” she shouted out.

“Senpai?” whispered Ruka with a frown.

“Hua-chan, I’m sorry, but I’m no longer of this world. I can’t come back,” Isaburō told her. “However, I will always be by your side. And I will do so through Tomoki.”

“Impossible!” objected Tianhua.

“Hua-chan, I am no longer the keeper of the seal. That responsibility is now Tomoki’s. He was chosen by the seal itself to be its new keeper. As my duty dictated, I respected the wishes of the seal and passed it on to him. But being a regular human, I knew it would’ve been impossible for him to become a true keeper. Therefore, I transferred all of my powers to him. That is why Tomoki now possesses my magic. And all of my familiars have accepted him as their new master in accordance to my wish. This is all for the good of the world.”

“Transferred? But—,” began Tianhua.

“That night when I was being chased down by the Dark Ones, I became critically injured. I had no longer to live and the seal knew it. That’s why it searched for a new keeper. That same night, Tomoki was the one who did his best to provide me with aid. The seal must’ve sensed his kind nature and righteous heart and decided to choose him to be its new keeper then and there. It must’ve also sensed that there might be more to him than we think. Although, that’s all speculation right now.” Isaburō added a small laugh at the end of that last sentence before becoming serious once more. “Hua-chan, I ask you to please accept Tomoki for who he is. I also ask for you to guide him to become a magus worthy of being the seal’s keeper. That is my wish.”

Tianhua became silent and her face darkened. A few seconds later, she reluctantly nodded her head. “If that is your wish, Senpai,” she said in a whisper-like voice. She then looked up at Tomoki and announced her surrender.

“That’s a good girl,” said Isaburō. He then floated over back to Tomoki. As he did, he glanced over at Ruka with a sad smile. Although Ruka couldn’t see him, she still felt a presence and a tear fell down her left cheek. “Ruka, I hope you take good care of Tomoki too,” whispered Isaburō. He finally returned to Tomoki’s side and wore a sad smile. But before Tomoki got the chance to question it, Isaburō quickly wiped it off and replaced it with his usual carefree smile. “Well, I helped you out there,” he told Tomoki. “It wouldn’t do me good to see two people important to me battle each other to the point of mutual destruction.”

“Well, thanks for that. But what did you actually tell her?” Tomoki asked the ghost.

“A secret,” said Isaburō with a wink.

Tomoki wore a flat expression. “That’s not funny in the least,” he said. “But I’m not going to question it,” he added with a sigh.

While Tomoki and Isaburō had their conversation, Ruka wondered if the former had finally lost his mind. All she could see was Tomoki talking to himself like a kid would to an imaginary friend. Mei, too, couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Isaburō said farewell and returned back into the amulet. Tomoki glanced at the amulet with a thankful expression one last time before joining up with Mei and Ruka.

“Had a good pep talk?” asked Mei.

“Pep talk?” responded Tomoki with a questioning tilt of his head. He then realized what she must’ve been referring to and said honestly, “Well, if it wasn’t for him, who knows what would’ve happened in this duel.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little too arrogant for someone of your level to think that highly of himself?” asked Ruka with a raised eyebrow.

“Huh? What do you mean?” asked back Tomoki, having no clue at all as to what she was referring to.

“But it’s normal for people to psych themselves up that way,” Mei told Ruka with a smile. “Still, it felt a little weird to witness it all happen in real time.”

‘Psych themselves up…?’ That’s when the dots all connected for Tomoki. “Wait a minute, you mean that you girls didn’t see anyone else there?” he asked them, his face contorted in horror.

“The only person we saw was a madman speaking to himself,” answered Ruka.

Tomoki facepalmed. “Never mind,” he told them with a heavy sigh.

“Kimoto Tomoki!” called out Tianhua. “You must prove yourself worthy of inheriting Senpai’s familiars. I will see to it that you do your duty. If you fail at any point, I will not hesitate to do everything in my power to right your wrongs.”

Tomoki wasn’t exactly thrilled at her heavy word choices, but he nevertheless acknowledged them. “I’ll accept whatever comes my way,” he responded with a nod.

“Join a club!” suggested Professor Sasaki cheerfully.

“Club?” questioned Tomoki. Class had already ended and the professor had asked Tomoki to stay behind just to tell him this.

“Joining a club will provide you with a network of comrades to build strong bonds with,” explained the professor.

“I know what a club does,” groaned Tomoki. “My question is: why do I have to join one?”

“Every student in this school is required to join at least one club,” explained Professor Sasaki. “The academy has clubs for almost anything you can think of. It’s like a vending machine with an infinite number flavors of the most popular brand of cola that everyone always rushes to buy even if the flavor is one that will undoubtedly taste horrid, like sweaty shoes or horse dung!”

“Using horse dung in a comparison makes it more of an insult than anything,” commented Tomoki. “By the way, what club is Konoe in?”

“Archery,” answered the professor.

“Ah, I can see that,” said Tomoki with a nod.

“At least that’s what it looks like at first glance,” continued Professor Sasaki. “It is actually a club that specializes in long-range magic. Naturally, those in the classes of Naturas, Mutatus, and Signum are in that club.”

“Well, what kind of club should I join then?” questioned Tomoki.

“I have an idea!” proposed Professor Sasaki with the grin of a madman, “How about you join the Magical Creatures Club?”

“Magical Creatures Club?” repeated Tomoki with a raised eyebrow.

“And I am the club advisor!” added Professor Sasaki.

“I guess that’s better than nothing,” sighed Tomoki.

Professor Sasaki led Tomoki to a detached building on the schoolgrounds. The building appeared to be some kind of stable; on the front was a sign above the doors that read: Magical Creatures Club. Inside, voices, both human and inhuman, could be heard pouring out. Professor Sasaki grabbed the door handle and swung open the door. “Having fun, I see!” he announced with a huge smile on his face.

“Ah, Professor Sasaki!” A third-year student with short dark hair and glasses approached the teacher. His face was covered in dirt and scratches and his uniform was a mess. Nevertheless, he wore a beaming smile that matched the professor’s own. “A group of mandoragas escaped from their pots while we were watering them,” said the student with a hearty laugh.

“I see, I see,” laughed Professor Sasaki. “Anyway, I want to introduce to you our newest member! His name is Kimotoyama Tomoharu-kun!”

“It’s Kimoto Tomoki!” corrected Tomoki.

“Ah, Kimoto-kun, nice to meet you and thank you for joining our club,” said the third-year with a polite handshake. “I’m the president of this club. If you need any help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.”

“Thank you,” accepted Tomoki politely. “By the way, you said that you were chasing after a group of mandoragas? What are they anyway?”

“Magical plants that possess medicinal properties!” explained the club president. “Although they are plants, they behave quite similar to animals. They have arms and legs that allow them to escape from predators, and they also have human-like faces that are sure to scare the living daylights of any creatures brave enough to approach it. And if that isn’t enough, they possess a very unique ability to—[mandoraga scream]—that.”

Tomoki was horrified upon hearing the mandoraga scream—it sounded like a baby bear being tortured by demons in the depths of hell in a blender without its top on! That very sound made him want to throw up and fall to his knees while foaming at the mouth!

“Club President, we got them all!” came Tianhua. Her eyes met with Tomoki’s and they exchanged bewildered expressions. “Kimoto Tomoki!” she shouted, wagging her finger at him.

“Ah, so you’ve already met!” said Professor Sasaki with his hands clasped in an agreeable manner. “Tomokazu-kun here is joining our club,” informed the professor. “The Magical Creatures Club is perfect for Vocatios magi,” he told Tomoki.

“Oh, so you’re a conjurer!” exclaimed the club president happily.

“Uh, yeah,” said Tomoki with a polite smile.

Before the club president could continue their conversation, he was immediately called for help. “First, it’s taking Senpai’s magic and familiars, and now you’re planning to take his spot in this club? Aren’t you being too arrogant for a Vulgaris?” said Tianhua once they were alone.

“What is a Vulgaris?” Tomoki asked the professor.

“An insulting way of calling someone an Asura Magus,” replied Professor Sasaki matter-of-factly.

“You know, maybe I shouldn’t have asked that,” regretted Tomoki.

“Oh, Kimoto-kun! Since you’re a new member, would you like to do the honors?” called the club president.

“Honors?” asked Tomoki. He walked to where everyone was and saw a giant yellow egg atop a very thick blanket of hay. “What is this?” he asked the club president.

“A dragon egg,” answered the club president happily.

“D-D-Dragon?!” exclaimed Tomoki in surprise. This situation right here felt like a scene straight out of a fantasy manga! He stared at the egg with his mouth agape, imprinting into his mind the magnificent sight before him.

“When we were chasing after the mandoragas, quite a few of them caused the egg to topple over,” explained the club president with a sheepish smile. “Luckily, the blanket of hay managed to prevent it from rolling off. The shell of dragon eggs are also very thick, similar to triple-reinforced steel, so it wouldn’t have broken anyway, but you can never be too cautious with very precious material. But to break it, you would literally need to drop a nuclear bomb on it!”

“That’s amazing,” breathed Tomoki in awe.

“Would you like to the honors?” asked the club president.

“Honors? What honors?” asked back Tomoki, recovering from his spell.

“Since you’re a new member and seeing how dragon eggs are very precious, I thought maybe you would like a chance to help raise the egg back to its upright position,” said the club president. “Think of this as your gift for joining the club.”

“Oh, I see,” said Tomoki with a nod. He swallowed a gulp. His hands were trembling with excitement as he reached out. His fingers touched the egg and he was met with a cool texture that sent shivers down his spine. Swallowing another gulp, he steeled himself and firmly regained control of his hands. He placed a hand underneath the egg and the other gently atop the other side. Gently and slowly, he moved the egg back into its upright position. He was surprised at how light the egg was! It was so effortlessly easy to move!

“Surprised, right?” asked the club president, noticing Tomoki’s expression. “Despite its toughness, dragon eggs are quite lightweight. This makes it easy for the mother to transport them in her mouth, similar to a crocodile.”

“This is totally different from what I expected,” breathed Tomoki. The egg was finally back in its upright position. He let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the sound of cracking caught everyone’s attention. The egg shook as pieces of its shell began to crumble away. ‘W-W-What’s going on?! Did I do something wrong?!’ wondered Tomoki in terror.

The shell continued to crumble away piece by piece until the top of half suddenly broke off from the rest of the egg. The rest of the eggshell broke away, revealing in its place a majestic creature unlike any other. With bright jade-green eyes and emerald slit pupils, a crocodilian snout with flared nostrils, short and stubby limbs like tree trunks with eagle-like talons for nails, a long serpentine tail with a fin-like tip, a pair of leathery bat-like wings, and a body made up of golden-red scales that reflected the light like precious gems, was none other than a baby dragon. It opened its mouth to yawn, revealing rows of shark-like teeth and a purple tongue.

“Amazing! We just witnessed the birth of a dragon!” announced the club president with tears of joy welling up.

The dragon had its focus strictly on Tomoki, never once breaking eye contact. It then slowly and clumsily crawled over to him. The entire time, Tomoki held his breath as a mixture of various emotions swirled inside of him: awe, terror, happiness, anxiety, doubt, excitement. Before he knew it, he had his arms open to welcome the dragon. The creature nestled itself right in between Tomoki’s open arms. Despite the creature’s scaly coat, its skin was soft and squishy like a marshmallow!

“Oh-ho, the dragon has imprinted Kimoto-kun as its parent,” noted the club president. “This means that it has accepted him as its parental figure.”

“Let me hold him too,” eagerly requested Tianhua. She reached out her hand for the dragon and the latter made a motion to bite it. Tianhua quickly retracted her hand with a frown on her face.

“It’s still young, so it won’t trust any other being except for its own parent,” pointed out the club president.

“Good for you, Toyosaki-kun!” congratulated Professor Sasaki heartily.

“It’s Tomoki,” corrected Tomoki.

“Say, why don’t you make it your familiar?” suggested the professor.

“Familiar?” repeated Tomoki, not minding that idea.

“Plus, this’ll be good practice for you on forming contracts with creatures to turn them into familiars,” added Professor Sasaki with a smile.

“I see,” said Tomoki with an understanding nod.

The dragon was placed on the ground and Tomoki followed exactly what Professor Sasaki told him to do. He held out his right hand before the dragon and said, “Vocatios: Pactum….” Two white magic circles appeared, one right above the dragon and the other right below it. Both circles glowed brightly and remained that way even as Tomoki halted the spell mid-casting. Professor Sasaki had told him prior that to make a contract with a creature and have it become your familiar, one must give that familiar a name. This was where Tomoki was struggling.

‘Ryūsuke? Ryūjin? Ryū?’ he thought to himself. He knew that he wasn’t the most creative person, and those very names were at best basic and at worse cringey for a dragon. ‘Draco? Dorama? Dorayaki? Doramon?’ he attempted at “imaginative” names. Feeling so lost now, he found himself paying close attention to the dragon in front of him for inspiration. That’s when he noticed a small crown of small horns on its head. ‘Crown…gold…king!’

“King!” Tomoki announced.

“King? Like a monarch?” asked the club president.

“A fitting name for a dragon!” praised Professor Sasaki with an approving nod. “And since the name is in English, it sounds even more exotic!”

“Of course!” agreed the club president with a beaming smile.

The magic circles above and below the dragon expanded in size and moved towards each other. Once they met in the middle and disappeared, King had a small white circle with a hexagram in the middle appear right in the center of its forehead. “That mark signifies that the contract between you and the dragon is complete,” explained the professor.

“To be able to form a contract with a dragon as your first familiar…,” commented Tianhua under her breath. ‘Is this the hidden potential you were talking about, Senpai?’

Tomoki held out his hand and King snuggled its snout against it. “Great to have you on board, King.”