"A New Beginning" By Toma-chan Chapter Five - Discoveries

They packed Nasti's jeep, and left. Rei had assured them it was close, but she and Shin had to go to certain places to make sure. During the trip to the first of these locations, Shin had sent an image of what Touma was going through to each of them, even Nasti, and Rei was telling them what she knew.

"You don't have to worry about disrupting the timeline - he does not wish to wreck his history, so he has set up a time shield around the castle. Time flows regularly, but events are not affected by what occurs inside the castle. I'm not entirely sure, but the spell he will construct will allow demons like the one Touma fought on the tower to enter this world. My father," she said this bitterly, "believes he can control them, but soon, it will be the other way around."

"So it will be like Arago?" Seiji grimly asked.

"Only a million times worse," she confirmed, nodding.

"But what does Touma have to do with this?" Shu suddenly asked.

Rei sighed. "I originally was the one to be used, so I know quite a bit about it," she said sardonically. "The spell has to be channeled through another person with magic abilities. However, the contact with the other world, plus the forces that work to open such a portal, will kill the channel. That's why we have to hurry, for my father will set the spell in motion tonight."

Ryo simply nodded, but his eyes were tense. "Where's the first place?"

"Tokyo Tower, where we first fought the demon," Shin stated as he reasserted control over his body. He was growing concerned for Rei, for since he was not a mage, she could not remain in his mind for much longer. He sighed as Tokyo Tower came into view. They had decided that only one of them should go up, because there might still be people who remembered the battle a couple days ago. But who it should be, they had not decided that part yet.

When they arrived, Rei solved the problem for them. "Shin will go up, since I am inside of him." As he took the stairs to the damaged observation deck, he revealed his worries to Rei. 'I'm worried for you, because I know you can't stay in my body for much longer. But yet you can't exist without a body, or you will lose your spirit.'

She replied, 'I know about that, and I thank you for your concern towards me. I do have a solution to my problem, but I cannot reveal that til we are back with the others.'

They had reached the viewing deck now, and he opened his mind to allow her to search. He had the brief vision of intercrossing power trails, but they disappeared. 'Those were yours,' Rei's voice said softly in his mind. 'Your powers are so bright that unless you shield them, you will be spotted almost immediately by any mage. Touma found this out when he used his mage-sight, and had to shield you himself, so he wouldn't fall unconscious.' He felt her grow disappointed. 'He was never here - he just used this to lure you out into the open.' He sighed. "Onto the next target," he said aloud, and teleported into Nasti's jeep, for he had sensed a secuirity guard coming up the stairs. They looked at him, but his eyes told the story.

* * * *

Touma was dozing as best he could, when the door clanged open. "So you thought to use my daughter to escape," the mage said gloatingly. Touma looked up suddenly and noticed the blood on the sword.

"You...," he started to say, when the mage nodded, amused.

"Yes, I killed her. Like I said before, now that I have you, I don't need her anymore. I am just about done setting up the shields I need to keep me safe. Unfortunately for you, the spell will tear you apart. So you will not have to mourn for her much longer." The mage raised his hands, and the chains around Touma snapped off the walls. He brought his hands together and the manacles on Touma's wrists fused together. Touma gasped as the heat burned his skin. The mage made a pulling gesture and Touma had no choice but to follow.

As he was forced along, Touma glanced at the walls. This place seemed so familiar to him, yet it reeked of evil. The main chamber doors were already open, and the mage walked through, careful not to knock over any of the many candles or idols scattered about. "Be careful not to touch any of those, the spells encased in each of them can be very painful." He directed Touma to the wall, and made him raise his hands. There was a click as the manacles hit the wall, and stayed where they were. "Those will stay connected to the wall til the spell is ready to be started." He then turned to one of his books, and began to concentrate.

* * * *

The Troopers had searched every place they could think of, but there was no sign of the mage having ever been at any of them. They were now worried that they might not reach Touma in time. Nasti was now driving along the highway, heading back towards her house. Shin was watching the sea waves beat against the rocks, when he felt elemetary thoughts forming in his mind. He raised his head.

"What is it, Shin?" Ryo asked.

"I...." he strained to hear more. The voices were faint, but now he could hear it clearer. And then he saw the grey shapes leaping out of the water. "The dolphins....I can hear them!" he gasped. Nasti stopped the jeep, and everyone stared at Shin, then at the dolphins gracefully breaking the surface as they swam parallel to the shore.

'You did not know that?' Rei sounded amused in his mind. 'Yet another of the many gifts 'hidden' by Kaosu to protect you...' She laughed softly. He smiled and listened to the dolphins as they made their way up along the coast.

Seiji had looked out the window when Shin had made his shocking discovery, but now he was back in his position that he had been in all morning. His head was down, making his blond hair cover his face completely. They knew he blamed himself for not telling Touma about what he'd seen, but nothing the others could say would change his mind.

Ryo, knowing full well what that felt like, reasured him. But that was all they could do until he shook it off. That's why when he spoke, they jumped. "There's one place we haven't checked - it's where Touma and I first encountered the spirit." He raised his head, and looked at them. "Shinsha University"

"Of course!" Nasti said, "Touma said he had felt weird that first day he arrived there, like he'd been there before." She shook her head."I know Ryo's been there before, when I took him before finding all of you the first time. I just didn't realize til now that the rest hadn't been there til Touma and Seiji enrolled." She turned the jeep around, and rushed towards the college.

They had arrived at the college in mid-afternoon, and realized it was empty, no students or professors anywhere. Nasti remembered that it was a holiday, and everyone would be gone to Nagasaki. "Good", Rei said through Shin's lips. "The spell being released here will be very noticable."

They got out of the jeep, and walked towards the main auditorium. "The shield is still up," Rei said. "It starts right at that bench by the oak tree." She sighed, and turned Shin to face them. "I have a problem," she started to say. "I can not remain inside Shin's body for much longer. He dosen't have the capabilities to sustain my consciousness for very long, as do any of you." She cast a searching look at Nasti. "The only choice I have would be to merge with someone who does not have any powers to conflict with the magic I possess."

Nasti nodded, and when the Troopers looked at her suprised, she said, "I was expecting this because she is only a sprit, and and would not have lasted much longer."

Shin, on Rei's urging, raised his hand to touch Nasti's forehead with his palm. Shin felt suddenly empty for a moment as Nasti's eyes widened, then she sagged to the ground.

"Nasti!" Shu caught her before her head hit the ground. He picked her up, and carried her to the others. Nasti's eyes fluttered. "Are you all right?" Shin asked, concerned.

"Yes, I think so...", her head raised. "I know what to do. We merged completely, so now I have her knowledge, as well as her magic." Shu set her down, and she now looked at Ryo. "Your powers can take us back to the time when the mage was present. All you have to do is concentrate on this image I send you." She gazed intently at Ryo, and his eyes widened slightly before he nodded and closed his eyes.

A whirring sound was heard as a white light surrounded the Troopers and Nasti. They held onto each other as the forces bringing them back threatened to break Ryo's shield. He maintained control and felt his power starting to leave him, just as they bumped the ground. Nasti looked around. "Yes, this is it. Both auras are very prevelent here."

"But I can't feel him," Ryo said. Nasti's eyes grew blank for a moment. "He is shielding Touma, which is good. It will work to our advantage, since he will not sense us until it is too late. "

"We should armor up, and be ready for anything, in case he's got a warning system," Seiji replied. They nodded and called upon their armor, which formed on them quickly without a sound. The ornate armor still felt very weird, but there was no underlying power as had been with the previous set. They walked through where Nasti/Rei said the shield would be, and felt a tingling in their nerves.

By this time, Touma was now attached by the chains to an alter, and the mage was ready to begin the spell, when a low droning sound echoed from the rafters. "Drat, it appears we have company...," the mage sighed, and formed some of the wolf-youja Touma had seen before. "They will deal with whoever's invading."

The Troopers, knowing they had raised the alarm, rushed into the building, and quicky took on the youja. Nasti realized that the mage had constructed these, and told them where to hit the youja. It had been agreed upon before that Nasti would hide her newly aquired powers so the mage would not notice them right away.The youja were rapidly disposed of, and the Troopers ran into the main chamber. Touma's eyes filled with joy and relief when he saw them. "I am so happy to see you!" he cried. They noticed where he was and how his days of captivity had treated Touma, and started towards him to set him free, when Touma suddnly shouted, "Look out!!"

They turned too late as the mage threw a spell at them that paralyzed all of them, even Nasti.

"There." the mage said satisfactorly. "Now that that's been taken care of, we can begin." He raised his hands, and started to glow. He intoned some foreign words, and the alter began to glow a dark blue color. Toma stiffened in agonizing pain and began to scream as the pain intensified.

...To be continued...

Please do not copy this story without first contacting the author Toma-chan