A Journey Unwanted

"Why isn't this working!?" Mikoto cursed to himself as a grimace morphed onto his face beneath his mask. "Is there something missing?" He questioned, but said question was not directed towards anyone in particular. He stared at those large, dark, imposing oak doors within the dark confines of the large Academy library.

Mikoto walked back and forth before the door, glaring at it as if it had done him wrong. He had been here for the past two hours, trying and failing to break the wards of the forbidden section. He had underestimated just how much these wards would retaliate; there were at least a dozen that blocked his path. It already took a considerable amount of time just to break one, only for said one to repair itself.

("Ward's are defensive-type magic; they can have different properties. Some can even act as traps or just extremely hard shields, but these...") They were constantly stacking up on each other and strengthening. Whoever made them must have created them with considerable effort; they were not normal. Continuously pacing back and forth, Mikoto's mind raced.

("Let see until now I've been using curse magic. Imploring magic that's meant to harm, this one in particular breaks its target down by eating away at its life force, its mana.") But as stated, that did not work as the ward's repaired themselves almost instantly. The only way to get through these wards was with a destructive spell on a scale that could continuously destroy them, faster than they could regenerate. But such a spell would be way too flashy, not to mention large; it could not be small due to the sheer mana needed to output such a spell.

Teleporting was his next guess, naturally, but these wards were more complex. Teleportation involved interacting with another dimension other than the 3rd dimension, yet still not much study was done about it. Yet this ward's blocked teleportation somehow. It was absurd, since coming to this world, everything was almost a breeze. Learning to read and write in a new language? Easy. Learning and creating spells? Easy. Learning more about the world? Easy.

Yet there was always an obstacle. A question with no answer. How was he going to get back home? He had been in this new world for awhile now, yet he had found nothing. And this 'forbidden section' was maybe what he needed. Just beyond those doors could lie knowledge that could be of help.

Mikoto finally stopped his pacing. His heel tapped impatiently on the creaking wooden floor of the large library. A solution could be beyond those doors. Yet he could not reach it. An obstacle was in his way, and he had no way of reaching it; even when he created new spells to combat the ward's, his right fist clenched tightly. What was the solution here? The one who created it could easily dispel it, but who was that? Considering that one needed the permission of the headmaster to enter and considering he was hailed as all-powerful, it could be likely that he was the one responsible for these wards.

"Tch." Mikoto just clicked his tongue as his form suddenly vanished from the library. His view was replaced by a rather spacious room with wooden floors and a red carpet atop them. There was a large wardrobe on the right side of the room and a large bed in the near center; there were a few other things, such as a few lamps and a door to the bathroom. And finally, a comfortable red arm chair.

Mikoto took off his mask, his form reverting back to its original form as he threw the mask on the nearby chair before all but jumping into his bed. Not even worrying about removing his uniform. Shifting his body, he stared at the wooden ceiling of his dorm room blankly.

"A new goal for now; no matter what I try, I can't seem to break those ward's. So the next thing I can do is get permission from the headmaster." But how was he going to be doing that? He wondered. The headmaster was barely in the academy to begin with; he is always off doing who knows what. He was an important person after all, and barring his duties as headmaster, he had a number of things he needed to do. He was an increasingly busy man.

He pondered over it, but no clear answer would show itself. But suddenly Mikoto shot up from his bed with a frown.

("One, five...six, seven....ten....fifteen....twenty....more than a hundred. These mana signatures just popped out of nowhere.") Mikoto's frown deepened as he got out of bed. Holding out his right hand, his mask flew into his grasp. Placing it on his face, he disappeared from his dorm room, appearing in the air. He floated in the air as he overlooked the vast and now dark courtyard.

["Attention all students."] He heard the voice of Professor Eudora, but it resounded within his head—some telepathy-type magic, he noted as the mental message continued. ["I apologize for disturbing your rest, but it is important that you stay within the confines of your room. This is not a drill; demons have invaded the academy.]

Mikoto hummed with interest.

("Demons invading?") Those were simple words, but anyone with just a little knowledge knew just how absurd that was. Luminare Academy was one of the most prestigious and well-known academies in the world. It's a magic academy, after all, naturally it has the best security in the form of various wards. Powerful ward's that seemed to have been broken.

Mikoto watched from on high as the malformed creatures, known as demons, walked and crawled through the academy grounds. The grotesque forms trampling and molesting the grass and trees'. He had never seen demons before; they ranged from wingless, imp-looking creatures to serpent-like creatures to more demi-human creatures.

("I wonder how they broke the ward's; I haven't really had the time to examine the ward's protecting the academy, but they must be on par with the ward's shielding the forbidden section, right?") Mikoto grinned; it seems he needed to have a little talk with these demons.

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["Attention all students."] Ruby heard the voice of Professional Eudora resound within her head as she strolled through the dark hallways of the academy. ["I apologize for disturbing your rest, but it is important that you stay within the confines of your room. This is not a drill; demons have invaded the academy.]

"Well, that sucks." The aqua-haired girl muttered that, she was just going to the bathroom because her own room's was unusable due to reasons she was not comfortable disclosing. And now demons were somehow invading the academy? That was all kinds of wrong. But the girl could just shrug as she continued moving through the dead, silent hallways.

Demons hail from another world, apparently. Hell, the Underworld, the netherworld, Perdition; Abaddon, the Abyss; Acheron. It had quite a few names, but not much was honestly known about it. But demons are able to cross into their world's through what are called rifts; just as in the demon world, not much is known about these rifts. But mages are able to open said rifts to bring forth these demons; some demons are more intelligent than most, so magic vows or contracts are formed.

Though Ruby knew none of this, All she did know was that 'demons are bad' for obvious reasons. So as she strolled through the hallways, she suddenly leaped backwards as something crashed through the windows of the building. It was a tall figure that easily dwarfed her in size multiple times over; its skin was tar-black, and its body was surprisingly humane-looking, with muscles bulging with every movement. There were jagged spikes coming from its arms, shoulders, and legs where its clawed feet sat. Its face was long, narrow, and crooked, with elongated bat-like ears and horns sitting on its head.

Its eyes were a blood red that seemed to immediately zero in like the veracity of a predator. And finally, it had thorny tendrils that extended out of its back; they moved ever so slowly but seemed prepared to strike at any moment. Zephyrim was a race of demons that were naturally strong, fast, and agile. Unlike most demon races that wielded magic of their own, the Zephyrim excelled in more physical aspects of combat.

"More mana than the rest." It actually spoke, its voice thundering and grating to the ears as its elongated tongue peaked out of its mouth. He licked his own jagged teeth as if he were looking at an appalling piece of meat.

"You speak." Ruby noted, her face still blank even while staring at the intimidating demon. "And what do you mean by 'the rest'?" She could not help but ask, and in response, the Zephyrim merely darkly chuckled.

"You need not know, little girl." It merely said that as its jagged tendrils suddenly shot forward and towards her with frightening speeds. Ruby leaped back as she extended her right palm; a circular blue glyph with intricate patterns came into existence in front of her small palm.

"Ignite the flames, with power untamed, Inferno's fury, forever unchained. From earth to sky, let fire ascend. A fiery tempest that shall know no end." She spoke the incantation in quick succession as the tendrils drew near. Its countless writhing tendrils, each pulsating with an eerie bioluminescent glow, Its appendages moved with an astounding fluidity, responding to its every whim, their slick surfaces reflecting the ambient light from the hallway's windows.

Her palm began glowing with an intense cobalt light. As her palm ignited, the magical flames danced and flickered with an ethereal hue, casting vibrant shadows across the hall. The brilliance of the fire extended from her glyph and consumed her hand, yet she showed no signs of pain, resolved to confront the menacing creature before her.

In one swift motion, Ruby unleashed her magic upon the demon. The resulting wave of blue fire surged forward, crashing into the tendrils of the creature with an unyielding force. Sparks flew as the magical fire collided with the demon appendages, illuminating the hallway in a cascade of azure flames.

The tendrils recoiled, charred, and smoking, their malevolent energy dampened by Ruby's fire. The demon loomed above her, its towering presence momentarily diminished by her display of raw power. Yet, even in its weakened state, a simmering intensity glimmered in its unblinking eyes.

The deafening silence that had once filled the corridor gave way to the distant patter of raindrops outside, tapping rhythmically against the window panes. 

"Ahaha." It gave a raspy laugh as the intense blue flame died down. Its body was slightly charred, with its skin peeling off in certain sections of its crooked body. "You're quite the lively little fish." And now, as if infused with renewed vigor, the Zephyrim lunged at the girl with a terrifying speed. Its tendrils, now writhing and thrashing wildly, reaching towards her within a instance. 

"ßhįəľđ." She quietly muttered the incomprehensible word beneath her breath.

Ruby, whose face remained blank, reacted with quick reflexes. Concentrating her mana, she summoned a powerful shield of shimmering light, encasing her in a translucent ethereal barrier. This radiant force field materialized before her, crackling with raw magical power. The barrier pulsed with a serene azure glow, subtly vibrating with an unseen strength.

With a bone-shaking impact, the creature collided with her barrier. The collision reverberated through the hallway, sending tremors rippling through the grand architecture of the academy. The creature's tendrils flailed and thrashed against the resilient shield; their futile assaults met with resounding echoes of reverberating energy.

She could feel the strain of the demon's assault, each impact of its wild strikes sending tremors of vibration through her arms. Sweat trickled down her brow as she stood her ground.

Ruby prepared another counterattack, one that would put the demon down for good, but the palpable tension was shattered by the swift arrival of a white-haired girl with piercing red eyes. With a masterful display of agility and precision, she swiftly lunged forward, wielding a gleaming weapon identified as a katana with deadly elegance.

As the creature continued its relentless assault on her barrier, its attention was suddenly diverted to the newcomer. With a deft flourish of her blade, the white-haired girl leaped through the air. The katana, honed to perfection, sliced through the air with resolute swiftness, leaving behind a trail of crimson sparks in its wake.

In one fluid motion, the katana cleaved through the creature's writhing tendrils and body, each strike precise and devastating. The sound of steel meeting flesh reverberated through the hallowed halls. The creature, deceived by the sudden intrusion, writhed and convulsed spasmodically as its bisected form collapsed to the ground, oozing inky darkness mingled with vibrant splashes of ethereal light. Its shadowy essence dissipated, slowly fading into nothingness, leaving behind an eerie silence in its wake.

Ruby blinked; the Zephyrim was dead. It had happened so fast too; she barely registered what had happened and when.

"Are you unharmed?" Her attention was grabbed by the white-haired girl who sheathed her blade.

"Mikoto?" It looked an awful lot like him, though she recalled that his hair was not as long when she saw him first in the capital. Nor did he have breasts, and now it was the girl's turn to look at her confused.

"The masked boy?" Lucinda questioned; she had no clue as to why Ruby blurted out his name of all people.

"Oh, pardon me, you just happen to look like someone I know." Lucinda could just frown at that; that was highly unlikely given she was a spawn of Octavia. "But I gather you must know Mikoto as well." Lucinda could just give a wry smile.

"Yes, I do; he is quite the character." From the week she spent in detention with him all he did was sleep or ask her about her Familial Arts strangely enough. Other than that, conversations were a rarity. He did not seem to care much about her presence at all, which in itself was quite strange considering who she was. But suddenly her attention whipped back as her head did as well, an action Ruby mimicked as demons crashed through widows and ran up stairs. "It seems we have more company." She mused, she came out to help any students that might be wandering around. But it would be most prudent to shorten the demons ranks.

"I shall assist." Ruby stated, slightly backing away and extending her palms. Lucinda wanted to tell her to retreat, but she was confined to the blade as she did not want to unleash flashy or large spells.

"Very well, I am counting on you." Lucinda stated with a smile as she unsheathed her blade once more.