The Night Before Thetas Reopening
The Magic Knights were gathered along the balcony of a building that overlooked the sleeping city of New Jersey. They were a patrol unit, established for many reasons, but their main purpose was that of ensuring no disasters occur. After "The Spark' and the rise of the Fangless Python, riots and rebels quickly followed. All of those posed a major threat to society, and in order to allow for rebuilding, the government and Mages Association decided that their best course of action would be to go into hard lockdown. They would have Magic Knights watching around the clock, 24/7, in many different areas. Their role was simple. Catch wind of any trouble and squash it before it happens, using the least amount of violence and physical confrontation necessary.
This group specifically was made up of 2 S-rank Magic Knights, 3 A-ranks, and one B-rank. The reason this group was so stacked had to do with the fact that New Jersey was under threat of the most terrorist attacks and violent activity, as nearly all of the survivors from the devastating attack that took New York City off of the map migrated there. This led to a massive influx of scarred, restless, and desperate people. In order to ensure the safety of everybody, as well as prevent the collapse of the city, the Mages Association made the executive decision to focus a large amount of their resources here.
The night so far had been a quiet one, with pretty much no activity whatsoever. The only company the men had besides each other was the flashing city lights and the loud beeping of traffic down below.
One of the men, an A rank, leaned over the railing, his eyes tracing back and forth between the long line of vehicles along the road. He yawned. "It's been three full hours since it hit 12 A.M. Just why the hell are there still so many cars on the road?"
"Well, maybe just Maybe if you used your head, Micah, you'd figure out that this city is currently undergoing a massive immigration and overpopulation problem simultaneously." One of the S Ranks said as he stepped out onto the balcony. He gestured a hand to one of the many checkpoints stationed all throughout the city.
"The process was already slow before. But now with everybody scared shitless, the government and mages association have decided to up the ante on security and checkpoints. Passing through even one of these things can take you a whole day. And with the rapidly declining housing and resources, trying to stay ahead of it all is the way some people have decided to survive." The man sounded indifferent to the whole thing, but his eyes told a different story as they raved over the hundreds of cars on the road with what looked like pity and empathy.
"I mean, can you blame them? Can you blame anybody?" Another S rank who was sitting along the roof said,. "In one singular day, the course of the entire world was shaken. Imagine waking up, and your entire town, the one you've lived in all your life, the one you were assured was safe from any sort of conflict, was suddenly wiped off of the face of the earth. In the blink of an eye." The man sounded like he had been crying.
The B-rank placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Luke, New York was your hometown, wasn't it? Your family, they were still there when everything went down. I-I'm sorry. I really am. No one deserves that."
Luke simply shook his head. "Thank you. And no offense to you, Ruka, but there are no words you can say that will make anything better. That doesn't change the fact that we have a job to do." The man wiped the tears that had been forming around his eyes and set his determined gaze forward. "There's no way we can stop now. Not until those damned Pythons are brought to their fucking knees."
"Woah there, buddy. That's easier said than done. Not only did they catch the whole world by storm and take the lives of hundreds of thousands, but they even managed to avoid any blame and gain the favor of the public instead. Claiming to be a rebel group who fought for the rights of non-mages in a world where mages dominated. They're sly, just like their name suggests. Taking them down is not something that can be done in the blink of an eye." An old man with a gruff voice responded to Luke's smoldering words.
"So what do you suggest we do, Heimler?" Luke's voice rose to a shout as his anger and frustration began to boil over. "Do you suggest we just sit here on our asses and wait for the next big move those fuckers make? Do you not see what's going on in the world? Look down below you! People are running away to unfamiliar places because their homes were destroyed! Their families turned to dust, and the world that they thought was safe is now crumbling before them!"
Despite Luke's anger, Heimler did not flinch, nor did his composure change in any manner. "Tell me, boy. What do you see then? When you look down at this street. When you go on patrol, you see the people suffering. They're scared. The dead. The hurt. The hateful. The vengeful. When you cast your gaze upon them. What do you see?
"I see people in need of help! People who are lost! People who are being lied to, manipulated, and misled! Something that's unforgivable when they've already been kicked down to their very lowest!" Luke's response came instantaneously, no hesitation.
"And now. When you looked at your comrades. When you look at those who work in the mages association, what do you see?" Heimler pressed on.
Luke's momentum slowed down. "I-I see people who are tired. People who have been working and fighting nonstop."
"And then, when they go out in public, they're shamed. They're ridiculed. They are hated and attacked. And they have to push forward while bottling that all up. That's the situation of the world right now. Now I want you to look at every one of these overworked, tired, hurt, and betrayed people. I want you to look them in the eyes and tell them that they should bottle everything up, all of their pain and suffering, and move to fight against a ghost of an organization no one knows anything about!"
Luke turned his gaze to the ground in shame, admitting his defeat. "Sorry. I was out of line."
"It's all right. As long as you learn from your mistakes. Don't let these emotions dominate your mind. When that happens, you have already lost." Heimler finished.
Next to Heimler, another A-rank named Joshua spoke up. "I've heard from the grapevine that the Mages Association has been so overwhelmed, they're seriously considering using students from Magic Academies to bolster their patrol and defense forces."
That drew some eyes. "Really?" Micah asked as he just barely saved himself from falling off the edge of the railing. "Students? No matter how desperate they are, they can't seriously be considering that, right?"
The third and final A ran, and Davidson shook his head. "Not exactly. I mean, the whole point of those magic academies is to serve as war colleges, right? They're preparing these children for war. For battle. It's a win-win on both sides if you think about it. What better way to prepare students for conflict than with real-life fieldwork? And what better way to free up resources from basic patrol and defense duties than by using students? Not to mention, the students participated in the defense that occurred during the Spark. Did you hear about Theta? They fought off 5 insanely powerful enemies who were using some mysterious magic abilities and processing all on their own. The kids have proved themselves."
"I don't think the problem is the competency of these kids. The main issue is the morality of it. Would it be acceptable to throw kids out onto the frontlines of battle"? Ruka asked as she pushed her hair to the side.
"It's not putting them on the frontlines. They'll be in the back, and their only jobs will be to provide aid in keeping cities and residential areas safe." Joshua retorted.
"Yeah, but you know how easily a narrative can be spun. Imagine Mages rolls out with this idea. The next headline you'll see will be, 'Mages Association rolling out new child soldiers! Do they know what morality is'? The agenda pushing will be unstoppable. Ruka replied, and Joshua realized she was right.
"Well, if they do decide to go through with it, these kids can free up the mages association's hands to figure out some of the more confusing matters. Like those disappearances."
A chill descended upon everyone. Whether that be from the mention of the disappearance mystery that was afflicting the world currently, or it just be from the chilly breeze that blew through at the same time, nobody knew.
"Those cases genuinely baffle me. I mean people going missing all around the world and then suddenly turning up again a few days later, with their memories of the whole thing being wiped? What kind of person, or people, could be responsible for something like that?" Micah commented.
"I've heard that many people have had their minds broken when they've returned. They've lost a large amount of memories and cognitive functions. It's truly something horrifying to think about." Heimler added.
A silence descended upon the Magic Knights. No one knew what to say to break it.
That's when, suddenly, Ruka stood up. "Well, there's no use sitting here and agonizing about what we can't understand or change right at this moment. Right now, we have one task and one job to complete. That is to keep our eyes and ears open for everything that's happening here. You guys all said it yourselves. We're all tired, overwhelmed, and on the verge of breaking down. So let's not dig our own graves before any battle starts. We just need to clear our minds and focus on the tasks ahead." Saying that, she reached out a hand to pick up Luke.
Everyone stared at the B-rank girl in shock. Her happy, bright words and her positive attitude came as a shock to everyone. It was a much-needed shock, however.
Smiling, Luke reached out to accept her hand. "You're right. We just need to focus on what's ahead of us."
And just as their hands touched.
Splatter!
Luke's face was suddenly wet by something. Thick and slimy, it trailed down his face as he stared in front of him in shock. His mind still hadn't been able to process what was going on, so he still had a smile on his face.
However, in front of him, Ruka wasn't smiling anymore. Or, Luke wouldn't have been able to tell. Because at some point, her head had been separated from her body.
Luke looked to the side, and he saw Ruka's head rolling down the roof he was sitting on. She was still smiling. Blissfully unaware.
Luke placed a shaking hand on his face before pulling it back and seeing that it was covered in something red. Blood.
Ruka's blood.
"AUGHH!"
And before he could scream, he felt something sharp pierce his back with such immense force he felt his spine shatter. Rendered immobile, he was unable to even look back to see what had happened to him. In the next moment his body was falling, and he landed face down on the roof.
"Ahghh! AHgihgah! Ahugh!" Moaning incoherently, Luke tried to move his body, only to realize there was no feeling below his neck. Suddenly, he felt a pressure on the back of his head as a heavy boot stomped on his head, grinding his face against the roof until it was completely unrecognizable. The mysterious figure then picked Luke up by the hair, holding his defiled body up like a prize.
Down below, even the most experienced and strongest warriors were left in utter shock at the brutality of what they were seeing. Of course, their experience did not allow them to be shocked for more than a mere moment. Pulling out their wands, they readied themselves into attack formation! Heimler shouted out their orders.
"Micah! Joshua! Davidson! Step back and fire from behind! Be ready to throw up a widescale defense spell at any moment!" The trained and seasoned warriors fell into their battle instincts quickly! '
Heimler dashed forward, strengthening his body with mana. In less than a second he had appeared right in front of the mysterious attacker, but the man was already gone. Searching frantically, he activated his Mana sense and told all of the others to do the same.
However, all of the remaining magicians came to the same horrifying realization at the same time.
"H-heimelr! There's no magic signature!" The other remains S rank, Todd shouted.
"That's impossible!" But even as he said it, he knew that that was exactly what it was. Even if this person was suppressing their mana, there should have still been faint traces. Something left behind that would be easily picked up on by magic knights of their caliber. However, there was nothing. That only left them with one sensical conclusion.
He wasn't a mage.
But that shouldn't have been possible. Movement and strength of that level should have been impossible for someone who wasn't using mana to fortify their body. But that was the truth of what was happening. No matter how much they didn't want to believe it, it was the truth.
"AGHAHGAHGHAH!" Heimler pivoted around to see that the three A-rank knights had been brutalized. The mysterious figure's movements were so quick that their sword slashes were untraceable. In a second they had turned the three men into cubes of meat. Immediately activating his spell, Heimler summoned a barrier spell that rained down magic on his opponent at the same time that it continuously buffed his magical output. An S-rank spell.
Todd Jumped up onto the roof next to him and did the same. They rained down fire upon the balcony below, completely destroying it. All the while they charged up even more powerful spells in the back. Todd caught movement in his peripherals, and he tracked it down, analyzing the patterns. Predicting where the man would go next, he aimed his rifle and fired off a powerful magic spell.
"APOLLO'S ARROW!" A massive blast of heat and flame shot out at his opponent. The blast was so powerful that it was literally melting the air around it. The ground below Todd shattered as he fired off that powerful spell. The spell traveled in an instant, so quickly that the man had no time to dodge it at all. Instead, he put his blades in front of him in an X shape and took the attack head-on.
The air cracked, and the building the man was standing on was ruptured clean in half from the power behind it. The ground began to shake violently as the energy from the clash shook everything around it. But despite how powerful the attack was, the man took it head-on. Tilting the angle of his blades to the side, he redirected the attack. The powerful blast tore through every single structure that was in its way, tearing them all apart and vaporizing them to dust. The massive heat wave created a line of destruction 85 miles long.
The attack had been fired at full power because Todd had aimed at the sea when he was shooting. Even if the attack missed, it would harmlessly blow through 85 miles of water. But because the massively powerful wave of heat had been redirected, it instead cut out a heat wave of destruction in the radius of New Jersey. And in the next moment, the man appeared right in front of Todd. Ripping through the man's S-rank barrier spell with his bare hands like it was a sheet of paper. He made two slashes with his twin swords, slicing Todd into fourths.
The cloaked man then pivoted and went for Heimler. However Heimer reacted. Summoning up every last spell that he knew, he rained down a hail of intense magic fire. He rained down everything that he had, every spell he possibly could, in a desperate attempt to overwhelm his opponent. However, the man in front of him was not fazed. Swinging his blade and moving his body with agile grace, the man dodged and blocked every last single spell.
And in that moment a beautiful dance under the moonlight began. Moving with an agile grace fit for a feline, the man defended against the shower of magic spells with nothing more than his two blades and his own body.
A brilliant dance framed by the glowing moon, the fireworks of the colorful magic, and the skill of the man fighting.
The amount of magic being rained down on him was enough to overwhelm an entire Navy fleet, and yet he defended against it like it was nothing.
Seeing an opening, he dashed forward, and with the precision of a surgeon, he slashed through the S-rank barrier spell and landed a vicious punch straight to Heimler's skull.
Heimler was smashed into the ground with insane force, his back being blown out completely. His face was rendered into a bloody, unrecognizable mess. He could barely feel any part of his body. The man tried to crawl away, desperate to escape. But the sound of footsteps behind him made his heart drop.
There was no way something like this was possible. A regular human. A man without mana. Who was able to not only keep up with but also slaughter S-rank mages? It should have been impossible.
And yet Heimler was staring at the anomaly right now.
"Yet another group of people who knew nothing. This case is just eluding the whole world, isn't it?" The man's voice revealed that he was actually very young.
Heimler stared up at him in fear. "J-juwst whapt, arge you?" Heimler managed to get those words out from his broken jaw.
The man stared down at him in pity, glowing red eyes peeking from behind the darkness of the cloak. There was anger in his eyes. Vengeance. Hate.
"It's unbelievable. It's only one girl. Yet she's left the world in shambles like this. Kidnapping people and then tossing them to the side like trash. It disgusts me."
The man then leaned down and placed his blade at Heimler's neck.
"I won't kill you. Go. Pathetically crawl as far as that broken body of yours can take you. Go."
Heimler's eyes widened in shock.
"Tell the world of the Mage Hunter who slaughtered you pathetic fucks."