Magic VS Trick

Rei crouched in the bushes, eyes fixed on the impossible scene unfolding before him.

Enshin was trapped, and the red-masked man stepped forward, his crimson blade glinting in the dim light, each step sharp, heavy… deadly.

“They’re really going to kill him… just because they weren’t invited to a magic tournament?” Rei thought, heart pounding.

His hands trembled, one wrong move, and he’d be next. Yet he couldn’t look away.

Before his mind caught up, his body moved.

“Stop!” he shouted, his voice slicing through the chaos like a knife.

The red-masked commander froze mid-swing. Air hung still. Silence stretched.

Enshin shook his head, surprised.

“Why did you come back? This isn’t a game! You could die, you know!”

Rei’s eyes locked on him, serious.

“I know. But I can’t just watch you die.”

The commander demon chuckled, cold and sarcastic.

“It’s cute. You want to save your master but… what can you do without magic?”

Rei blinked, confusion flickering across his face.

“Who said I don’t have magic?”

He dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a handful of marbles in all sorts of colors : black, yellow, blue.

He threw them on the ground.

BOOM!

A blinding flash erupted, smoke curling into the night, sparks dancing on the ground, and a deafening bang rattled the trees.

The demons staggered back, disoriented.

“How… what…?” The red-masked muttered, unease creeping into his voice.

Rei didn’t wait. He darted from the bushes toward Enshin.

“Run!” he yelled

Enshin’s frown deepened, his hands twitching helplessly.

“I can’t come with you…”

Rei reached out and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him out of the red shimmering barrier.

Stepping forward, he noticed something strange. He could pass through the barrier freely, while Enshin… remained stuck.

No matter how hard he pulled, the exorcist’s hand stayed pressed against the red wall, solid as glass, unyielding like a real wall. Thunk.

“What kind of trick… what is this… why can’t you move…?” the young boy whispered, voice trembling.

”No… don’t tell me… this… this is real magic?”

Click.

Rei’s eyes widened, his chest tightened. He finally got it, he had walked straight into a world that wasn’t his, something way bigger than his simple tricks.

Then the smoke thinned.

The red-masked froze, eyes wide, voice cracking as he shouted.

“How… how is that possible?! You shouldn’t be able to step inside my trap!”

The assassin lunged. No hesitation. No strategy. Just a deadly charge.

“Who cares? Everything in my way dies,” he growled.

Rei reacted instantly.

He snatched Enshin’s fallen dagger and slid in front, dagger raised, eyes sharp, heartbeat racing.

“Don’t sacrifice yourself for a stranger,” Enshin shouted, panic cutting through his voice. “You should run.”

“You should run.”

Rei’s lips curved faintly. Eyes fixed on the demons.

“Even if I wanted to… I can’t.”

The commander’s expression darkened.

“Right. We can’t let you live.”

Blood leaked from his palm, twisting in the air like living threads. Sharp crimson shards hovered for a heartbeat… then shot toward Rei.

Whoosh!

The projectiles tore through the forest, slicing tree bark, splintering wood, exploding against the ground, sparks and droplets of blood flying everywhere.

The assassin swung at the same time, dagger flashing.

Rei ducked. Rolled. Sprinting he leapt over roots, slid under branches, narrowly avoiding blade and projectiles.

His movements flowed like a circus performer: flips, spins, precise and unpredictable.

“Stop running! It’s annoying, like bugs,” the assassin barked.

“Come on ! if I stop, you’ll kill me,” Rei called back, grinning.

“That’s why! Stay still!” the assassin shouted , frustrated.

Rei’s mind raced. He couldn’t dodge forever. Soon… he’d be wrecked. He needed a plan.

“Shit… if only I could use my fire spell…” Enshin muttered, almost to himself.

Rei’s eyes widened.

Fire , of course. The demons’ attacks were weak against it.

He stopped running. Took a deep breath. Then, with a flourish, he pulled his magician’s hat from his head.

Enshin, puzzled, edged as close as the red barrier would allow.

“What… what is he planning to do?” he whispered.

“Kaitsuki! Wake up!” Rei shouted. “Cast a fire spell!”

In a swirl of smoke, the white rabbit hopped elegantly from the hat.

“Yes, master!” it said, voice crisp and clear.

Flames erupted.

First, they struck the blood projectiles, turning them harmless. , then roared toward the assassin, forcing him back, his eyes wide with shock.

Enshin blinked.

“Oh, right… the yokai! Its power isn’t blocked by the anti-magic spell!”

“Come back, now!” the commander ordered, tightening his jaw, eyes narrowing.

The assassin hesitated, irritated, then reluctantly teleported back to his master.

The red-masked’s hand went into his pocket, checking his anti-magic spell. Doubt flickered in his eyes.

“How… how can you summoned a yokai… and use magic?”

Rei smirked, bluffing confidently.

“No matter how. What matters is I can do it.”

He pulled a small gadget from his pocket.

A flame sparked in his palm, real enough to scare them, but all trickery.

The commander stared, incredulous.

“Impossible. Humans can’t create elements … only control them”

He paused, eyes narrowing, mind racing. This kid crossed the barrier, summoned a yokai, even created flames.

Exactly like us…

“No way…” he muttered, fingers curling into a fist.

Then he looked straight at Rei.

“Don’t tell me… you’re using the same demonic energy as us?”

The question hung heavy in the air.

Rei pretended he understood, a faint grin teasing his lips.

“Why are you standing with an exorcist?” the commander shouted, voice tight, cracking slightly, as if something had just gone terribly wrong.

“You know how they hate half-yokai. They hunt us like monsters.”

The boy blinked. Half-yokai? … Us ?

Still no idea what the man meant, but Rei didn’t flinch. Calm. Steady.

“No matter who I am, I stand against violence.”

He stepped forward, eyes locked, unwavering.

“And I’ll risk my life to protect anyone innocent, human or yokai alike.”

The commander’s shoulders stiffened, surprise flickering behind the mask. Then he scoffed.

“Hmph … there is no such thing as an innocent exorcist.”

Rei didn’t hesitate.

“Then what? There is no innocent half-yokai either?”

The words hit like a blade.

The commander froze, blinked, jaw tightening.

“Does that mean,” he asked slowly, “you’d protect him even if he were a yokai?”

Rei nodded without hesitation.

“If it was a good one … yes.”

Silence. Heavy.

The red-masked commander had never met anyone like this young magician, so fearless, so pure, so unpredictable.

“Tch .. again with the talking,” the assassin snapped.

He stepped forward, but flames erupted before him. Kaitsuki landed lightly, fire flickering from its mouth, eyes locked on the assassin, ready to strike again.

Rei exhaled slowly.

“You should leave … before the police show up” he said casually.

The commander stiffened. “What?”

The boy pointed vaguely toward the bushes.

““I already called them. They should be here soon.”

WEE OOO WEE OOO

As if on cue, sirens echoed faintly through the forest.

The assassin clicked his tongue while the commander’s eyes narrowed, locked on Rei.

“I see now why you chose him,” he said slowly, nodding toward Enshin.

A long pause hung in the air.

“But this one alone… he won’t stop us.”

Then he signaled a retreat and the demons melted into the shadows, disappearing.

Rei stayed tense, watching until the last trace vanished.

Moments later, the crimson prison trapping the exorcist shimmered and faded.

“Quick… we need to get out before the police arrive,” Enshin gasped, breath ragged.

Rei shook his head calmly.

“Nah. Don’t worry. I didn’t call them”

Enshin froze. “Then… where did the sirens come from?”

Rei grinned, moving back toward the bushes. He tapped his phone, click, and the sirens stopped instantly.

“How… how did you time that so perfectly?” Enshin asked, wide-eyed.

“Kaitsuki did it,” Rei said, casual, almost teasing. “I gave him the signal, he made the sound.”

Enshin blinked, astonished. “The yokai… can control your phone?”

Rei opened his mouth to explain

“Oh, about that—”

But a tiny voice interrupted

Kaitsuki peeked from the hat, voice trailing off.

“Almost empty… need to sleep.”

POOF

The white rabbit vanished back into the magician’s hat.

Exhausted, Enshin leaned heavily against a tree, legs trembling. He tried to stand… then collapsed fully, back to the trunk, eyebrows furrowed.

Rei knelt beside him, panic rising.

“Mister… we need to call an ambulance!”

“No… no ambulance. I’m fine,” Enshin said, trying to play it cool.

He pushed up… then collapsed completely, unconscious.

Rei’s heart raced.

“Mister… Mister Enshin! Please, wake up!”

He looked around, desperate.

If I can’t call an ambulance … now what?