For many, the day had ended. Adults were returning home from work, children and teenagers were returning home from their clubs, after school. The sun was steadily sinking lower beyond the horizon, the sky bathed in a brilliant orange hue. It was a stunning end to what, for most, was an average day. For most. Certainly, few saw this as anything other than an average day. What could possibly be unusual about it?
These many were, of course, unaware of what the night beckoned. Even before the sun had fully set, there were stirring. Those who wished to fight for it. For the White Night of Klarsberg. Whether it was due to nerves, or a desire to scout their surroundings in order to have a greater advantage, some of those who had come to Rokuro City in order to win the Origin were already stirring. These forces were moving, preparing for the first night of battle for the Origin of All Magic. For this was the last ritual, the one that would decide the victor, the one that would determine who finally, truly obtained the Origin. There was no exact count of the participants, but they all had their own reasons for being involved in such a conflict, for being willing to battle, possibly to the death, for such an end. The Origin of All Magic was, after all, the ultimate, original source of all mana. The endless wellspring of all that was magic as well as the limitless receptacle that stored all knowledge of magic from the moment of the world’s inception.
And yet, Rokuro City as a whole was utterly unaware of such a thing. It was that way when it came to every single battle prior to this. For the world of the uncommon, the unlikely, and the impossible was a secret, kept apart from the world of the mundane by a network of magic, organizations, and individuals keeping that portion of reality hidden from the rest. And so, many of Rokuro’s residents went to their homes or prepared for the night, be it for recreation, work, or even late-night errands, without even the barest scrap of awareness as to what would soon be occurring in their town.
The White Night approaches.
The girl’s long red hair swished through the air behind her. Both hands were firmly jammed into her pockets as she walked, keeping her head down. She had been in Rokuro for a few days now. It was exactly how she had been told it would be. It was a very small city and, as far as cities went, was really quite quiet. For some, it might have been hard to believe how important the location is. However, Ando Asami was quick to accept this fact.
There was really no point in dwelling on it, after all. And so, the red-haired mage continued on, glancing around. It was, so far, fairly routine. Asami had taken to growing more and more used to the town’s layout, strolling the streets so she was fully aware of their battlefield, and the places where it would be unlikely some innocent civilian could stumble into everything. As she walked, her eyes travelled briefly to those around her. People returning from work, students returning from clubs, and all variety of people were on the streets. Given the volume of students, and the fact that she had been close to it before, Asami was certain she was near the high school. Up ahead she could even see the buildings giving way to a clearer area that was likely the schoolgrounds, if she had to make a guess. It was a portion of the city she had yet to explore in her preparations for the upcoming night. She assumed that there would be other schools not too far away. The shopping district, too, was nearby…
Taking her hands from her pockets, the younger of the two daughters of the Asami family stretched. She could feel it, anxiousness inside her. It was only natural given what would be happening so soon. But it was really kind of frustrating! She wanted to be more collected given what was going to be taking place, but… Jeez. It was hard to be.
… People were going to lose their lives. There was no easy way to think of it. For the sake of gaining the Origin, people were going to die. Asami had known this since the moment she made her decision to fight in this battle to claim the White Night. But… it was a chance unlike any other. A chance to claim something like this… Even if she had less faith in her family’s ideal than she once had, there was no way she could pass up this chance. These people who involved themselves in something like this… they knew what they were getting involved in, didn’t they? They had to.
Asami sighed. Regardless, she had to win. She’d keep innocent people out of the battles, and she’d win. It sounded simple, and Asami kept that firmly in mind.
She paused briefly, contemplating what next to do. Soon it would be time for the final preparations…. Maybe she should grab something to eat first.
The white-haired girl quietly adjusted her bag. With the small amount of money she had been given for the day, she had managed to purchase a new book. Of course, speaking to the cashier had… it wasn’t easy, speaking to people like that… so she had simply tried to indicate what she wanted by holding up the book and her money in the most direct ways she could manage. She liked her selection, but… but the cashier was so intimidating, she had so much energy…
Shi gripped her bag tighter, as her crimson eyes travelled skywards, across the deep orangey hues playing across the clouds as the sun set. It was approaching, wasn’t it… The tiny girl nodded to herself. Yes, it was soon. There was a strict order to things that would follow. First she had to head to the appropriate location, which would begin shortly.
She tried to keep her head down as she walked. She wanted to drop off her new book first, and… she didn’t want to be the center of attention. She didn’t want people looking, there were so many people… even with her cover as a middle school student, she still tried to avoid other people as much as she could. Shi had been approached before, asked about her looks… what did she say to something like that?
Her mind centered on her objective.
These many were, of course, unaware of what the night beckoned. Even before the sun had fully set, there were stirring. Those who wished to fight for it. For the White Night of Klarsberg. Whether it was due to nerves, or a desire to scout their surroundings in order to have a greater advantage, some of those who had come to Rokuro City in order to win the Origin were already stirring. These forces were moving, preparing for the first night of battle for the Origin of All Magic. For this was the last ritual, the one that would decide the victor, the one that would determine who finally, truly obtained the Origin. There was no exact count of the participants, but they all had their own reasons for being involved in such a conflict, for being willing to battle, possibly to the death, for such an end. The Origin of All Magic was, after all, the ultimate, original source of all mana. The endless wellspring of all that was magic as well as the limitless receptacle that stored all knowledge of magic from the moment of the world’s inception.
And yet, Rokuro City as a whole was utterly unaware of such a thing. It was that way when it came to every single battle prior to this. For the world of the uncommon, the unlikely, and the impossible was a secret, kept apart from the world of the mundane by a network of magic, organizations, and individuals keeping that portion of reality hidden from the rest. And so, many of Rokuro’s residents went to their homes or prepared for the night, be it for recreation, work, or even late-night errands, without even the barest scrap of awareness as to what would soon be occurring in their town.
The White Night approaches.
The girl’s long red hair swished through the air behind her. Both hands were firmly jammed into her pockets as she walked, keeping her head down. She had been in Rokuro for a few days now. It was exactly how she had been told it would be. It was a very small city and, as far as cities went, was really quite quiet. For some, it might have been hard to believe how important the location is. However, Ando Asami was quick to accept this fact.
There was really no point in dwelling on it, after all. And so, the red-haired mage continued on, glancing around. It was, so far, fairly routine. Asami had taken to growing more and more used to the town’s layout, strolling the streets so she was fully aware of their battlefield, and the places where it would be unlikely some innocent civilian could stumble into everything. As she walked, her eyes travelled briefly to those around her. People returning from work, students returning from clubs, and all variety of people were on the streets. Given the volume of students, and the fact that she had been close to it before, Asami was certain she was near the high school. Up ahead she could even see the buildings giving way to a clearer area that was likely the schoolgrounds, if she had to make a guess. It was a portion of the city she had yet to explore in her preparations for the upcoming night. She assumed that there would be other schools not too far away. The shopping district, too, was nearby…
Taking her hands from her pockets, the younger of the two daughters of the Asami family stretched. She could feel it, anxiousness inside her. It was only natural given what would be happening so soon. But it was really kind of frustrating! She wanted to be more collected given what was going to be taking place, but… Jeez. It was hard to be.
… People were going to lose their lives. There was no easy way to think of it. For the sake of gaining the Origin, people were going to die. Asami had known this since the moment she made her decision to fight in this battle to claim the White Night. But… it was a chance unlike any other. A chance to claim something like this… Even if she had less faith in her family’s ideal than she once had, there was no way she could pass up this chance. These people who involved themselves in something like this… they knew what they were getting involved in, didn’t they? They had to.
Asami sighed. Regardless, she had to win. She’d keep innocent people out of the battles, and she’d win. It sounded simple, and Asami kept that firmly in mind.
She paused briefly, contemplating what next to do. Soon it would be time for the final preparations…. Maybe she should grab something to eat first.
The white-haired girl quietly adjusted her bag. With the small amount of money she had been given for the day, she had managed to purchase a new book. Of course, speaking to the cashier had… it wasn’t easy, speaking to people like that… so she had simply tried to indicate what she wanted by holding up the book and her money in the most direct ways she could manage. She liked her selection, but… but the cashier was so intimidating, she had so much energy…
Shi gripped her bag tighter, as her crimson eyes travelled skywards, across the deep orangey hues playing across the clouds as the sun set. It was approaching, wasn’t it… The tiny girl nodded to herself. Yes, it was soon. There was a strict order to things that would follow. First she had to head to the appropriate location, which would begin shortly.
She tried to keep her head down as she walked. She wanted to drop off her new book first, and… she didn’t want to be the center of attention. She didn’t want people looking, there were so many people… even with her cover as a middle school student, she still tried to avoid other people as much as she could. Shi had been approached before, asked about her looks… what did she say to something like that?
Her mind centered on her objective.
