Signed, Colin Renaud
the morning like I often do, particularly after long nights of magic study, and was attempting to put the finishing touches on some regular school assignments as I looked up and saw a girl around my age, give or take a year, walking in the direction of the house. She had short black hair, pale light brown skin, and was a few inches shorter than me. I figured that she was a human from a country in the Jagerfell region, or at least had ancestors from there. She was coming up the path leading to the front door and stopped as she passed by me.
"Excuse me. Is this the Demalgo residence?" she asked.
"It sure is." I replied. "Given the time of day, I'm guessing you're here for our services?" I of course knew the answer since it is rare for someone to show up who is not seeking our aid, but it never hurts to check first.
"Yes. I need some assistance in a certain matter." The girl replied.
"Then come with me." I said as I got up and held the front door open for the young woman before following her inside.
"Are you one of the Demalgo siblings?" the girl asked as I led her through the house. "If you are, I'm guessing that you're Scarlon if I'm using the current name?"
I laughed. "Nah. I'm Colin Renaud, one of their students. You do have his current name right, though. He seems to like that one. May I ask for yours?"
"Of course. I'm Akiyomi. Arizuno Akiyomi." The girl said, giving a light bow. "You're studying under them? But I've always heard that they're selective with their choice of students."
"Oh, they are. Their methods of teaching aren't for everyone either, but let's not get into that." I said. "Come to think of it I believe I've seen you at school a few times, Akiyomi. You're a year behind me if I'm not mistaken."
"That does sound about right. I remember seeing you a couple of times myself." She said. "So are the Demalgos home?"
"Yep. Scarlon is, at least. I'll mention your arrival to him and we'll go from there." As we walked through the main hall of the house, I remembered that I had heard the name Arizuno from my teachers before, and they also told be about the way names are structured in the Jagerfell regions with the surname usually being written first. "Your family name's Arizuno, right? Any connection to Arizuno Toyoshi?"
Akiyomi nodded. "He's my grandfather."
I nodded back in response, remembering that Arizuno Toyoshi was a student of the Demalgos once just like I am now, though he was a student long before I was born. "Ah. Did he told you to seek out the Demalgos if you ever need any help, especially with magical matters?" I asked.
"Something like that." She said. "He always talks about how our family had been friends with the Demalgo siblings for generations by the time he came along."
I chuckled. "Indeed they have. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting your grandfather yet, but they did say he'll have a few lessons for me eventually."
"That will be something to see." Akiyomi laughed. She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "You said your family name is Renaud. Any connection to the ancient House of Renaud, former dukes of Crolish?"
I grinned. "Sure is. My grandfather is Reginald Renaud, the current head of the house. Well, that branch, anyway. Since I asked about your family, I suppose that question is only fair." I said as we walked up to an old large door that leads to the main room of the house. "Anyway, we're here. Wait outside and I'll announce your arrival."
I went into the main room where all sorts of things were scattered all over the place, a sign that my teacher was in the middle of some research. It would take forever to describe everything in that room and the contents change all the time, but I will try to describe what is always there. There are a few couches and chairs in the center of the room surrounding a coffee table. This area is meant for guests and to go with that, a bookshelf sits on the wall closest to the couches with an assortment of books, movies, and music to entertain them since this is where his guests wait on non-research days. A staircase sits across from the coffee table at one end on the room with a large desk positioned in front of it, blocking access to the upper levels of the house. Nobody is ever allowed up there except for members of the Demalgo family. I'm only occasionally allowed up there myself, and the longest I have been up there is about ten minutes.
The desk in front of the stairs is often covered with all sorts of books, weapons, and a bunch of assorted objects that I did not recognize, and there are a few I still don't. Today was no different, though as stated before, the research materials were spread all over the room. Behind that desk is an armchair that, according to the Demalgos, once belonged to a king who ruled over three hundred years ago and was given to them as a gift. One of my teachers, Scarlon Demalgo, is usually seated there either with his arms folded and eyes closed as if quietly contemplating something, or he reading through one of the many books kept on his desk and/or examining some relic from the ever-growing collection kept in his desk. Behind the chair on a wall next to the stairs are a pair of hooks holding a sword, Scarlon's most treasured possession. There are also paintings all over the walls ranging from abstract art to finely detailed portraits of historical figures, most of whom once knew the Demalgos. Well, at least according to them. Not that I usually doubt them since the things they told me that I once thought to be the most insane and unlikely turned out to be true.
I quietly approached the desk where Scarlon was reading one of his many books on magic, knowing that my teacher has never liked being disturbed in this state unless there is a good reason.
"Someone from my school is here to see you, Scarlon." I began. "Shall I show her in?"
Things were silent for a moment, but he then nodded without breaking his concentration or looking up. "You may show her in."
I nodded before leaving the room and found Akiyomi sitting on one of the chairs just outside of it.
"Will he see me?" She asked as she saw me come out.
"Yes." I said. "Come with me."
She got up and followed me into the room, which had been cleaned of most of the materials in the few minutes that had passed. A trick of the Demalgos that they have yet to teach me. I turned a couple of the armchairs around to face the desk and sat down in one of them with Akiyomi sitting down in the other.
"Is that him really him? Scarlon Demalgo? That...boy?" Akiyomi asked, turning to me.
"Indeed it is." I replied, knowing that my teacher's appearance often confuses people since all they see is a red-haired youth in a suit looking only a few years older than me, well, at least at the time, and considerably younger than many of our visitors. He also has a habit of either reading or appearing to be resting at times. In this case it was the former. "Though it doesn't look like it," I began. "he is listening to everything we say. He's always cautious around new visitors and wishes to hear what they have to tell him before he responds. Now why exactly did you come to see us?"
"I suppose it's best to start from the beginning." Akiyomi said, clearing her throat before facing Scarlon. "My name is Arizuno Akiyomi of the Arizuno clan. Perhaps you remember us? You've helped my ancestors many times and they have done the same." Scarlon looked up from his book with smile and gave a slight nod. "Perfect. Anyway, it all started about a month ago. Some of my friends had checked out some rather strange old books on the occult in the school library and, to put it plainly, they have not acted the same since."
"In what way?" I asked.
"They've been skipping classes left right and center when they would hardly miss a thing before, and refuse to contact anyone. Even friends and family. I didn't think anything of it at first since I thought they were sick or something, not like it would be the first time, but I caught them in the woods the other morning when I tried to use them as a shortcut to get to school." She shook her head and hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I could almost swear that I heard them talking to someone in a language I had never heard before, and I've been all over the world. That's when I felt that something was terribly wrong."
"And you came to see us given the Demalgos' reputation as investigators of the supernatural?" I asked.
"Exactly."
Suddenly, then eyes of Scarlon Demalgo shot open and he looked directly at Akiyomi as he put his book down. Though he looks young, anyone looking in his eyes can see the wisdom of many centuries behind them.
"So a bunch of your friends found some old books and have been skipping classes to talk to something in the woods. Is that the gist of it?" Scarlon asked.
Akiyomi nodded.
My teacher remained silent for a moment before speaking once more. "This is a puzzling case, Miss Arizuno. Hearing voices like that is rarely a good thing, but there could also be any number of explanations ranging from nothing at all to a very serious matter. I will do what I can to help you out."
"Thank you very much, sir. How much do I owe you for your assistance?" She asked.
"For you, nothing. I owe your ancestors many favors and debts that will take several human lifetimes to even up, particularly with Toyoshi's father, and teaching him was part of that." Scarlon said. "Given your age and the fact that there aren't many existing branches of the family at this point, at least branches that bear the Arizuno name, I'm guessing that Toyoshi's your grandfather?"
Akiyomi nodded. "Indeed, sir. He's the one who told me about you, and thank you very much. Both for your assistance and doing it for free."
Don't thank me until we have sorted everything out with this matter." Scarlon began. "In order to get anywhere, both you and my pupil will have to assist me."
"In what way, Scarlon?" I asked as I looked up at him.
He looked at me and then at Akiyomi. "Miss Arizuno, can you take Colin to the part of the woods where you heard the voices?"
She nodded. "I can't remember the exact spot, but I think I can get him to an area that's close enough to where I was."
He grinned. "Perfect. Colin, I need you to take a few photos of what you see there and send them to me. It will start to give me an idea of what we're dealing with and what our next steps will be." He then looked at Akiyomi. "It would also help if you can find out exactly which books your friends checked out, if at all possible. I would join you myself, but I regret to say that I have some urgent business that requires my attention this morning."
Akiyomi nodded. "I see. I would prefer it if you came along for this, but I'll happily accept the aid of your student since I'm sure you're a busy man."
"Yes. I am today, at least. However, I will dedicate all of my attention to this matter starting this afternoon, no matter how long it takes. Be it hours, days, or weeks." Scarlon said.
"Thank you." Akiyomi replied. "The woods are one thing since it's not far from here, though I don't know about the books. I will visit the library and see what I can do, though."
"Excellent. Once I have at least the location, I can start piecing together what's going on. The books would be nice as well, but I'll understand if you can't get those records given how that school rarely shares them. But where are my manners?" He began as he got up and started heading for a door on the east side of the room that led to the dining room. "I'll treat you to a nice breakfast before you leave."
"Thank you, sir. Grandfather's told me much about your meals." Akiyomi said, giving a light bow as she got up. "By the way, don't you have a sister?"
Scarlon nodded. "I do, but she is away at the moment and I don't know when she'll be back."
"Yeah." I began. "She often disappears at random for days at a time and so does Scarlon occasionally, but there's always at least one Demalgo here even if Scarlon and his sister are out. If there isn't, you know there's trouble.
My teacher chuckled. "Indeed there is, but enough about that. Let's have some breakfast and then we can start figuring your problem out." With that, he led all of us into the dining room.
We had nice breakfast in the dining room, which is about the same size as the living room and has doors leading out to all corners of the house, including a second staircase leading upstairs. There are a few decorations on the wall along with a few small pictures, but the centerpiece of the room is the ornate and long table that takes up about half of the room. It was given to the Demalgos by a wealthy aristocrat in exchange for their services. Quite a fair trade since according to Scarlon, roughly fifteen generations of that aristocrat's family have come and gone since he first got it.
He looked at a clock on the wall as we finished breakfast, the clock being one of the few items in the house without much of a story attached to it. He simply spotted it in a market about a century ago and bought it because he liked it. "Since school starts in a bit, you should probably be on your way right about now if you want to get the photos I need." He said.
I nodded in agreement. "Good idea, Scarlon. Let's hope that we're successful."
"I have no doubt that you will, my student. Just be careful." He replied.
"We will, sir." Akiyomi said.
Scarlon gave a hearty chuckle. "Then be off with you. I'll expect to see something by the end of the day, even if it's just a report saying nothing was found. That alone will still give me something to work with."
"We won't disappoint you, sir." Akiyomi said. We bowed before backing out of the room and leaving the house.
We found ourselves walking through the woods around the town a few minutes later. I had a camera out that I usually use for things like this, and I was taking a few photos of the area while doing my best to avoid missing anything. It looks like an ordinary camera, but it was designed with magic in mind and can be used to send photos to Scarlon, regardless of where he is.
"Is this the right section, Akiyomi?" I asked as I examined the area around us.
"I think so." Akiyomi said, though she sounded a little unsure. "I can't remember exactly where I was when I heard those voices, but I remember that it was near some of the older trees." Sure enough, we were in one of the oldest sections of the woods.
I looked around as I kept taking pictures, though I was feeling uneasy. Being a magic user even before I knew what I could do, my senses have always gone crazy while going through the woods. I found out shortly after my training began that many magical creatures and magic practitioners pass through that place regularly, and my senses were picking that up. This time was a little different. I could feel something around me that was unlike anything I'd come across there before. "You're probably not that far off. I'm not far in my training yet, but I can definitely sense something here". I said as I looked in the direction of some of the oldest trees that were there long before the town was, and the town's history can be traced back almost a thousand years. I took a bunch of pictures before getting closer and peeking through the trees, spotting several things that I knew should not be there. The first was a strange drawing on the ground with several candle holders along the edge of it. Even most non-magic users I know can spot a summoning portal when they see one since they're one of the more well known forms of magic here, and I sensed something nearby that made it clear that the portal had been used recently. A violent presence. I hastily took several pictures of the clearing before running back to Akiyomi as fast as I could.
"I take it you found something?" She asked, noticing that I was panting by the time I got to her.
"Oh yeah." I gasped as I pointed toward the trees. "There's a summoning portal just past there. I would get closer, but one of the first things I was taught is that you never charge into these things until you know what you're dealing with. I was especially warned about approaching unattended summoning portals. There's no telling where you'll end up."
"Sounds like the twins are good teachers." She remarked.
"You can definitely say that." I replied.
Akiyomi watched as I gathered some of the pictures in a message and sent them to Scarlon. "So...I take it we should get out of here?" She asked as I looked up.
"Definitely." I replied. "Preferably before whatever is in here grows wise to our presence and finds out what we're up to."
"Don't they know that already?" Akiyomi asked. "I've heard reports of monsters snatching up anyone who passes through their area."
"Possibly." I began. "But according to Scarlon and his sister, only monsters who are complete fools do that. They say that most of them try to avoid drawing attention to themselves in that way since those that do often end up dead, and quickly. Especially when those two are nearby."
"I suppose that makes sense since I imagine it would be pretty hard to conceal your presence somewhere if everyone who passes by either disappears or turns up dead." She laughed.
Exactly. We've actually caught a few people and monsters that way." I said. "Now let's get out of here! The odds are slim that we'd run into trouble, but I'm not one for taking unnecessary chances."
We ran out of the woods and to the nearby high school that both of us attend. Though the building looks somewhat recent at first glance, the style it was built in shows that it was built a few centuries ago when the town was already quite old.
I looked at Scarlon's list as we entered the building. "Now let's see. The next task Scarlon has for us is to find out which books your friends checked out."
"Our best chance at that would be the library." Akiyomi said. "Think you can meet me there during lunch?"
"I should be able to. If I don't at least try, I'll never hear the end of it. Not to mention I don't want to experience another one of his training exercises." I laughed.
She chuckled. "Ah. The famous Demalgo training exercises. Grandpa's told me a lot about those and even threatened to subject me to them a few times."
"Oh wow. I don't want to know what you did for that."
She shook her head. "Well, we can at least make an effort. I'll see you over there later?"
I nodded. "If everything goes well."
"Perfect. See you then."
Akiyomi and I walked in separate directions toward our respective classes. Few events of note happened, they rarely do at that place, and we soon met up in front of the library during lunch. I saw that Akiyomi was already there, sitting on one of the chairs near the entrance and reading a book by the time I arrived.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." I said apologetically. "I'd almost forgotten how far this place is from my classes."
"Don't worry. I just got here myself." She quickly replied, though I doubted it since it looked like she had been there for awhile. "Anyway, Shall we head in?"
I nodded and we went into the library.
Many rows of shelves that seemed to go on forever and in all directions could be seen as soon as we entered the library. Books of all sizes and conditions were spread across the shelves and tables with computer desks spread throughout the place. A large desk was near the entrance and a middle-aged woman with glasses was standing behind it, looking at us. That woman was and is the school's head librarian, Mrs. Jaless. She is one of the most observant women I've ever come across. There is hardly a thing that goes on in the area that she does not know about. Since we needed her help, we approached the desk.
"Well I'll be." Mrs. Jaless began as she looked at us. "Mr. Renaud and Miss Arizuno. That's a combination I never expected to see, particularly since you're a year apart and you don't share any classes or activities."
"I guess it is a little odd, but we're here on business." I said.
"Ah. Something related to your field?" She asked.
I nodded. "Indeed it is."
"Yes. Do you remember some of my friends who stopped showing up a few weeks ago?" Akiyomi asked.
Mrs. Jaless nodded. "I believe I do. Aidan Grant, Tegan Hill, and Kinoka Tazume. You're referring to those three, correct?"
"Correct, ma'am." Akiyomi began. "They came here a few days before things started getting weird. Can you tell us what books they checked out last? We think they might be connected to this."
Mrs. Jaless glared at her. "You should know that I can't do that, Miss Arizuno. While we do keep records of that stuff, we can't show them to the public for reader privacy."
"I know, but this is a matter of grave importance."
"I'm sure it is." Mrs Jaless sighed before looking at me. "Are you here on your friend's orders?"
"We are. It's needed for one of his investigations" I said, having no problem saying that since she has always known about magic and the supernatural. I didn't know why at the time, but I would find out a short time later. However, that's a story best left for another time.
"I see." She said before remaining silent for a moment. "I can't directly give you that information since it could cost me my job along with a host of unneeded headaches, but you might want to try one of those computers.
I watched as she pointed to a desk near some bookshelves that looked older than half the people in the school, and there's a few full elves there. "Really? Why those?" I asked.
"The main computers were down a few weeks ago and we had to use some of the student computers for some of the main library functions. I can't be a hundred percent certain, but I believe the tech guys have yet to get around to removing some bits of access from them yet given how busy they've been lately." Mrs Jaless explained.
"So we might be able to access the database from there?" Akiyomi asked.
"Who knows? But it is possible. You didn't hear that from me." Mrs. Jaless said before going the back room of the library.
"That was interesting, but think we'll get anywhere with this?" Akiyomi asked.
"There's only one way to find out." We then headed over to a computer by the old shelves. "Are you any good at this stuff, Miss Arizuno?" I asked, being a little unsure of my own skills with technology and how it would react to magic since barely trained magic and electronics are a bad combination.
"A bit. Let's see what I can do." Akiyomi said as she sat down at the computer desk and started going through things before coming across a few hidden programs. "Ah. I think we have something, Colin." She grinned. "Mrs Jaless was right when she said that the I.T. people haven't gotten around to removing access yet." She smirked as she clicked on a few icons and watched as what appeared to be a database showed up on the screen.
"Looks like we hit the jackpot!" I smirked. "While I can think of a few uses for this, we will only be getting what we need and nothing more."
Akiyomi nodded. "Right. Now let's see what they checked out." She looked up her friends' profiles and started writing down the last books they checked out before handing the list to me. I looked at the list and saw that there were seven books in total.
"Hmmm. Seven books of interest and it looks like only three of them are in the library right now. I'll see what I can find out about the other four." Akiyomi said as she pulled up a web browser and started searching for information on those books.
"I'll see if I can find some of these in the meantime." I said, disappearing into the shelves and coming back with three books a few minutes later. "Here we are. All three of them. While they are indeed on the occult, there's nothing really unique about them." I said, remembering that I had read a couple of them some time ago and thought they were nothing special. Loaded with tons of inaccuracies, too. "Anything on the others?"
She shook her head. "I found scans of two of them in the database, but they're both relatively recent books with nothing all that interesting about them and were apparently written by people the magic community wants nothing to do with. However, I found that one of them was still checked out to my friends and I tried researching it. I found absolutely nothing about that one at all other than occasional weird posts online saying it's dangerous and to stay away from the thing."
"That...is definitely something worth reporting to Scarlon." I said as I took out the list of books. "Which one is it?"
She circled a title near the bottom of the list. "This one."
I nodded as I looked at it. It was written in some strange language that I know nothing about. "Then let's bring this up to him."
When the school day was done, we returned to the Demalgo house and waited in the living room for Scarlon. Thankfully, the room was much neater than it has been that morning. He emerged from the large staircase a few minutes later with a few books under his arms.
"I see that you have made some progress on this case." He remarked as he sat down in his armchair. "Those pictures were most helpful and shows that there's definitely a summoning ritual happening in those woods, but what about those books? Any luck there?"
"Kind of." Akiyomi said as she took out the list of books and placed it on the desk. "Most of the books they checked out weren't really worth looking into since they are quite common, but I did find a couple where there was little to no information on them."
"Don't be so quick to brush off common books, Miss Arizuno." Scarlon said as he picked the list up. "I can think of at least one or two popular children's books and songs that accidentally contain spells, or at least bits of them, though the ones you crossed out are definitely nothing special. The one you circled, though..." He looked up at us and smirked before placing the books in his arms on the table. "I believe it might be one of these."
Akiyomi looked from her list to the books on the table and, much to her surprise, found the same title on one of them.
"Wow. It really is the same book!" Akiyomi gasped. "Wait. Did you suspect that this was among the books my friends got?"
Scarlon nodded. "I had a hunch it might be it. There were a few possibilities since I'm familiar with the books in that library, but I just hoped I was wrong and it's clear now that I wasn't."
"Why? What is this book?" She asked.
"A spellbook put together a long time ago by an insane magician. Fortunately, there are only five copies of it in existence." He explained.
"And you knew one was in the school?" Akiyomi asked. "How?"
"I suspected it only because I know the rough whereabouts of all five copies. One is sitting before you, and three are in the possession of private collectors far away from here who have earned my trust. Last I heard from them, which was quite recent, none of those books have disappeared. The last copy was a gift from that magician to a friend of his who happened to be the grandfather of your school's founder, who in turn was the grandfather of the current principal if I'm not mistaken. As I feared, either the founder or your principal used his ancestor's collection for his school library!" He paused to collect his breath. "But that has nothing to do with the case at hand since the magician, his friend, and your school's founder are long dead. However, having a copy of this book will certainly help us."
"Really? Is there by any chance anything in it about summoning monsters?" Akiyomi asked.
"I believe there is and that's probably the least of what is in this tome, but don't quote me on that since the last time I looked at this cursed thing was when your grandfather was studying with me as a boy." Scarlon said. "By the way, that wasn't a coincidence. Toyoshi was always quite the troublemaker."
"He still is." She replied.
"I wasn't worried." He laughed as he opened the book and we started looking through it. I then spotted a section on summoning spells after looking at all sorts of spells that I'd never seen before, and hopefully never will again. "I think we found something." I said as I found a page that mentioned summoning creatures from the world of demons.
Scarlon then examined the spell on the page. "Yes. Good work, Colin. Those pictures you took certainly line up with what this spell calls for. This also gives us the chance to catch your friends in the act, Miss Arizuno."
"How so?" She asked as she looked at the page. "Oh. The type is a little hard to read in places and the language is a little archaic, but I think I can make out something about performing the spell when certain weather conditions are met, such as rain storms, along with certain phases of the moon."
"Right you are, Miss Arizuno." Scarlon said. "This spell seems to work best when there is both a storm and a half moon, though preparations do have to be made beforehand. If I'm not mistaken and providing the weather forecast is reasonably accurate, the best opportunity will be within the week."
"Yeah. I do remember listening to some weather guys predicting a massive storm in a few days." Akiyomi said as I looked up at a calendar upon a nearby wall.
"Right when the moon is half full." I gulped.
"Indeed." Scarlon remarked as he looked at the calendar. "I don't think you could ever find a more perfect opportunity, at least in the near future."
"If we have a rough time, can't we stop my friends from going through with this if we show up, say, a few days early and destroy everything they have in place?" Akiyomi asked.
"I wouldn't recommend that course of action. If your friends are intelligent, which I assume they are, I'm guessing that they'll have already summoned something to guard the area." Scarlon replied.
"How do you mean, Scarlon?" I asked.
Scarlon placed a tablet on the table and brought up one of the photos I had sent to him. "I don't know if you can see it in the photo or if you even saw it at the place, and in fact it took me several looks before I spotted it myself, but I can barely make out a smaller summoning portal a little above the main one."
"What does that mean?" Akiyomi asked. "I don't really know much about these things."
"And a good thing too." Scarlon said, his face looking grim. "There are few things as unpredictable as a summoning, especially summoning the creatures known to you as demons. Sometimes you'll end up with a good one, one who will end up helping you in some way solely for their own benefit, or one who will try to take over or destroy the planet they are summoned on. Not that I'll ever let one get that far if it's attempted here. I would never recommend demon summoning, even if you do know what to do and have done it successfully. Even trained summoners shouldn't do this, and I'm guessing your classmates haven't done anything like this before."
"Yeah. They know some basic magic, but nothing like this!" Akiyomi shouted. "But how do you know all this, and what does that have to do with what my friends are doing?"
"When you've been dealing with the supernatural as long as I have, you tend to learn many things." Scarlon replied.
"I guess that makes sense." She said. "I suppose you deal with stuff like this on a regular basis?"
"Definitely, Miss Arizuno." He sighed. "Barely a month has gone by without some fool attempting a summoning ritual since I started doing this centuries ago, but none of those were on this scale. Anyway, the spellbook mentions that the first thing to do is a smaller summoning for what is known as a lesser demon before setting things up for the main one. While it isn't directly necessary, something that book never mentions, it is helpful for protecting the summoning sight from intruders and local wildlife. Otherwise, what's to stop someone from coming across the sight and destroying it before the ideal conditions are met?"
"Someone like us." Akiyomi said.
"Exactly."
"So the presence I sensed in the woods was probably this guard demon?" I asked.
Akiyomi nodded. "Yeah. Along with the voices I heard."
"It seems likely. If you try to destroy the summoning site, no doubt this demon will try to kill you both since it's on this side." Scarlon said as he looked at me. "While your skills have been advancing at an astounding pace, even taking down a lesser demon on your own is probably outside of your skill set at present."
"Then you can probably do something, can't you?" Akiyomi asked Scarlon.
He nodded. "Indeed I can, but the creature is only doing its job and I won't directly get involved until I know there's a serious threat or if this particular set of portals is even your friends' doing, though I have little doubt that it's both. However, I will accompany you on the day of the summoning."
"What are your reasons for waiting?" Akiyomi snapped, sounding a little miffed.
"For one, this isn't an immediate threat. If it was, I would've joined you this morning and destroyed that place." Scarlon said. "The creatures I can best describe as lesser demons, as a general rule, don't attack unless they're provoked and rarely move beyond the area they are supposed to protect, be it a place or a person. However, it would be quite another thing if your friends were caught in the act and I saw whoever they're summoning, or if the guard demon made its way to the town and/or killed innocent bystanders. Unlikely since few people would want to go near that section of the woods. Basically, I'm waiting for them to make the first move. I am hesitant to take any life except in defense, even demons. Surely Toyoshi told you that much about how I do things?"
Akiyomi nodded. "He might've mentioned once or twice. It does sound a little familiar."
"I hope it does." Scarlon said. "Another reason is that interrupting a summoning like that could lead to some drastic results outside of our control."
"Oh. Good reason." She said.
Scarlon nodded as he picked his tablet back up and flicked through a few things on it. "Then let's meet up on the day of that storm which will be in three days' time."
"I guess that's the best we can do." She sighed. "I suppose there's a reason you've been doing this for so long, after all."
"Indeed there is." He responded. "I'll treat you to a nice dinner and then one of us can help you home if you like."
She shook her head. "Dinner sounds nice. I should be fine getting home myself since I live fairly close by, but thank you for the offer."
"No problem." Scarlon said.
We had a nice dinner before Akiyomi headed home for the night.
Akiyomi returned to the Demalgo house on the day we had decided on and knocked on the door. I answered a few moments later.
"Ah. Just in time." I remarked.
"Yes, but---" Akiyomi paused as she heard a couple of voices coming from the living room. "I know Scarlon's voice by now, but who's he talking to?" She asked. "It sounds like quite the lively conversation, too. Did another potential client show up?"
I shook my head. "No. Scarlon's sister returned rather unexpectedly this morning."
"Oh." She said. "I do recall grandfather saying that she often disappeared for days or weeks at a time to go on all sorts of trips. She still does that?"
I nodded. "Indeed she does. Now why don't you come inside so we can get ready for our little operation?" I asked before leading Akiyomi inside and closing the door behind her.
"So where does his sister go on her trips?" Akiyomi asked as we walked down the hall to the living room.
"I don't really know and I'm not convinced she does until she gets there, but when she comes back she usually has all sorts of stories to tell." I said.
Scarlon was sitting in one of the armchairs in the center of the room as opposed to his usual one, and sitting across from him was a girl his age. When he heard the door open, he looked up and saw us standing there.
"Ah. Is it that time already?" Scarlon muttered, looking between Akiyomi and the girl next to him. "Miss Arizuno, this is my lovely sister Vanessa Demalgo. Vanessa, this is the client I was talking about."
Vanessa looked at Akiyomi while holding a hand out. "Oh yes. You're Toyoshi's granddaughter, aren't you? Arizuno Akiyomi, correct?"
Akiyomi nodded as she shook Vanessa's hand. "Yes, Miss Vanessa."
"Please. Just Vanessa is fine." She replied. "My brother told me about your little problem with the demon summoning friends and I'm glad I got back in time to offer my assistance."
"Oh? Are you going to help us, Vanessa?" Akiyomi asked.
Vanessa grinned. "I sure am. Fighting some demons and helping out the granddaughter of a guy who's both a good friend and a past student? How can I ever pass something like that up?"
"By disappearing to who knows where at the worst possible time?" Scarlon asked in a rather snarky tone.
Vanessa glared at him. "Like you're innocent of that, dear brother!" She shot back. "Anyway, shouldn't we be heading there around now? At least according to what you were telling me."
"Yeah." Akiyomi began. "I can tell just by looking at the clouds outside that the storm will start at any moment, and I'd rather be there before it starts."
Scarlon nodded. "A wise choice. I've no doubt it's also for the best that all of us will be here to take care of this."
"Oh? And why is that?" Akiyomi asked, looking puzzled.
"I have a few guesses and if it comes to that, you'll see." I replied.
"I'll take your word for it." She sighed.
As the storm clouds moved in and as the moon started to rise, myself, Akiyomi, Scarlon, and Vanessa headed for the woods. All except Akiyomi were armed with something. I had a knife, a gift I got from Scarlon before I really knew him. He carried his sword, and Vanessa had a book and a spear.
Scarlon then looked at me as we approached the area of the woods I passed through with Akiyomi just days earlier. "Now Colin, is this around where you were when you took those pictures?" He asked.
I glanced around and nodded. "Yes. Some of the trees do look familiar." We then moved a little closer toward some of the oldest trees in the woods. "I think that's the place."
"Very well. Then let's proceed with caution." Scarlon said.
We approached the trees close to where I saw the summoning site and an axe started swinging our way. Both Scarlon and Vanessa quickly drew their weapons to intercept the swinging blade and I immediately thought of how glad I was, and still am, that we did not get any closer to the place than we did on my last visit since I now knew what I had sensed then.
"Took long enough!" Scarlon shouted as an orange-skinned creature emerged from the trees, swinging the axe around.
"You humans shall not pass!" the creature shouted.
"Oh please." Vanessa sighed, rolling her eyes. "Like a lesser demon can stop us!"
The demon's eyes flared, which is one of the most frightening sights for a young human sorcerer-in-training. Come to think about it, that is one of the most frightening things anyone can see. "You will pay for that insult with your lives!" it bellowed as it moved toward us.
"I don't think so!" Scarlon grinned, blocking the demon's axe with his sword once more as Vanessa joined in, both fighting the demon for a few minutes before Vanessa slashed it across the arm and Scarlon sliced it in two.
"I hope a lesser demon like that wasn't the best they had to offer." Vanessa groaned as she put her spear away. "I'm just getting warmed up!"
"I both hope so and don't, Vanessa." I replied, having seen her in action before and many times since. I've always tried to get as far away from her as possible when she is during such times. "Anyway, let's proceed."
"Yeah. I have no doubt that they're aware of our presence now since we just killed their guard. Not that they can get past us." Scarlon said as we walked between the trees.
As we emerged from the trees we spotted three people our age, well, mine and Akiyomi's, anyway, standing at different parts of the portal. Two girls and a boy. A large red-skinned creature stood in the portal, which was now giving off a bluish glow, and the creature towered over us all. The boy was holding a book identical to the one Scarlon showed us earlier. I was pretty sure that these were Akiyomi's friends, though what she said next confirmed it.
"Guys, what in the world are you doing?!" She shouted.
The boy with the book looked up at us. "Oh. It's just Arizuno."
"With some friends, including that upperclassman." One of the girls remarked as she glanced at me. "Not that she can make a difference."
The other one, who I knew to be a foreign-exchange student from the Jagerfell region, spotted the twins and pointed to them. "I wouldn't say that, Tegan." She said. "Those two are quite famous among supernatural enthusiasts."
"Big deal." Aidan said. "Like they can stop us, though how they got past that guy we summoned to guard this place is anyone's guess."
"Not that it matters since we have more where they came from." Tegan smirked.
A few more demons emerged from the smaller portal, which had a similar glow to the other one, and the larger demon spoke to them in a strange language. Well, at least it was strange to me at the time. I watched as the twins talked to the main demon in the same language. He was just as surprised by this as I was, though I could not focus on this at the time as one of the demons came at me. I didn't know a lot of combat spells at the time, but I used one of the few I knew which happened to be a lightening spell that fried the demon. Akiyomi hid in the trees as we started throwing spells and weapons around, though I did see her pick up a discarded knife and slash a few runaway demons with it.
"Who in the world are those three?!" Aidan shouted. "They're more than just a couple of enthusiasts if they know the language of the demons, and a sorcerer on top of that?! Though it doesn't make a difference." He looked back at some of the demons who were recently summoned. "Kill every last one of the intruders."
"I don't think so." Vanessa grinned.
I watched as she took out her book and flipped through it. At the same time, Scarlon was fighting against some of the demons that came after him while still talking with the main demon.
"What exactly are they saying?" I asked, looking at Vanessa.
"You don't want to know, Colin." Vanessa said. "The basics are that Scarlon is referring to this guy as a lesser demon prince, which is what he is, and the demon doesn't quite like that."
"Who would?" I asked, swinging around as a demon came at us shouting and quickly stabbing the creature with my knife. "That was a close one."
Vanessa nodded in agreement. "A little too close. Anyway, where was I?" She flipped through her book a little more. "Here we are, though this spell will take a little longer to prepare than I thought. Can you cover me, Colin?
"What kind of pupil would I be if I didn't?" I asked.
"Perfect." She grinned as she started reading from her book in a strange language, though different from the one Scarlon and the demon prince were talking in.
"What is that woman doing?!" Tegan asked as Aidan looked over and saw Vanessa's casting.
"About to die. That's what!" he shouted. He looked over at the demons and pointed to a few who were not fighting anyone. "What are you siting around for?! Kill that woman and then search the trees for Arizuno. I'm sure she's the one who told these people about us, and your boss doesn't want any rats!"
The demons nodded before some ran toward us while others flew. I fought off some of the demons and though I tried to avoid it, I had to kill a couple of them. I looked over while struggling against a couple of flying demons and saw that Scarlon was fighting against the head demon. I could tell that he was doing his best to avoid killing him since there were a few points where he could have ended the fight with a swing of his sword, but he didn't. Vanessa looked up from her book after some minutes with an intense look in her eyes.
I heard her voice in my mind shouting, "Everyone duck behind me!"
I immediately ran for the trees behind her and Tegan and Tazume did the same with Scarlon following.
"What are you doing?!" Aidan shouted as he watched his friends escape. "Running at our moment of triumph?!" He watched as Vanessa held her hands out and a translucent white wave emerged from them after waving them in a few ways. The wave swept the area in front of her and engulfed all of the demons along with Aidan, dropping the book on the ground in the process.
"Better luck next time, demons." Scarlon grinned as he started putting his sword away. "Now I hope you'll learn your lesson. This world isn't up for grabs by ANYONE!! Especially when your summoning portal is this close to me!" Everyone engulfed in the light was dragged into the portal and as as the glow around both was about to fade, one of the demons showed its claws and tried to crawl back through while preparing to strike at us. Scarlon then started shouting at it in the demon's language with an anger I had rarely seen before then and only a couple of times since then.
"Vanessa, what's he saying?" I asked.
She sighed. "That foolish demon! He's telling him not to do what he's about to do and that he has already spared him once. You know how he is about second chances in situations like this!" I grimaced and simply nodded in response.
"Oh? What's his stance on that?" Akiyomi asked. "Grandpa's always avoided telling me about that."
We watched as the demon lunged at Scarlon and tried to slash at him as he turned around, only for him to swiftly draw his sword and slice the demon in two without even bothering to look back.
"Poor choice, demon!" He shouted as he put his sword away.
"He doesn't have one. Not for something like this, anyway." I replied.
"Good to know." Akiyomi said. As the glow around both portals faded away completely and it looked like the area was empty outside of the markings, Kinoka and Tegan emerged from the trees along with the rest of us.
"What in the world just happened?!" Tegan asked.
"I kept you two from making a very foolish mistake." Scarlon began. "Don't summon demons unless you know exactly what you are doing and even then, don't! If it wasn't for your classmate seeking me out, who knows how this would've ended for you?! Those demons would've caught my attention soon enough especially since they were practically on my doorstep, but you two, along with your friend, might be dead!"
"What about Aidan? You basically left him at the other end of that portal to die!" She shouted.
"Though he's the one who started this mess, he should be fine." He replied. "I'll make sure of it."
"What? You know some demons or something?" Tegan asked.
"I believe he does if he's who I think he is." Kinoka said as she looked from Scarlon to Vanessa. "You two are the Demalgo twins, aren't you?"
"We are." Vanessa said. Kinoka gasped in astonishment. "Since you know of us, I'm guessing you're in some magic circles outside of this mess?" Vanessa asked.
She nodded. "You can say that. I've heard of you and your accomplishments, though I never realized you were as good as the stories say. Better even, and that's saying something!" She said. "So you're sure Aidan is safe, wherever he is?"
"Let's just say that if he isn't, the demon responsible can expect a visit from one of us. Namely that prince we just dealt with." Scarlon began. "I should mention that the prince's kingdom learned a very hard lesson the last time I came down there."
"So what are you going to do with us?" Tegan asked. "Come to think of it, how did you know we'd be here on that day in the first place? I know Akiyomi probably tipped you off, but even she couldn't have guessed exactly when we were doing this since she wasn't with us during the preparations. Aidan made sure we had no outside contact during all of this."
"That explains a lot, and why I grew concerned enough to get help." Akiyomi said, not wanting to mention that she had overheard them in the woods.
They watched as Scarlon walked over to the book and picked it up.
"There are other copies of that thing, aren't there?!" Kinoka asked. Scarlon nodded. "I knew it! I've heard rumors that there were. Do you have one of them?"
"Indeed I do." Scarlon said. "I'll return this book to your school and have a bit of a chat with your principal to see if some other books in your founder's collection ended up in the library. I'd suggest burning this thing, but I know that isn't going to happen."
"But that doesn't answer my question." Tegan snapped. "What are you going to do with us?"
"Since the summoning ultimately failed and nobody got hurt, save for that foolish demon, I'll let you guys go." Scarlon began. "Though if I hear that any of you are involved in something this dangerous ever again, I won't be so generous."
"He means it when he says that." I said.
"Fine. We'll get out of here." Tegan sighed. "While we won't give up on magic pursuits, you have our word that we'll never attempt to summon another demon. Thinking back on it, Aidan went a little farther than any of us were anticipating."
"Good. Now I hope you have a wonderful evening." Scarlon said.
Without even giving him a second look, Tegan and Tazume turned around and ran into the woods. Akiyomi looked at us once they were gone.
"How can I ever repay you for your help in this matter?" she asked.
"There is nothing to repay." He replied. "As I said before, I, well, both me and Vanessa, owe your family more favors than can be fulfilled in a single human lifetime. So as far as we're concerned, there is still more we can do to repay you."
"You've got that right." Vanessa said.
"Yeah." I said. "Is sparing her friends' lives part of those favors?"
"Saving that Aidan guy, absolutely." Scarlon said. "If he wasn't known to the Arizuno clan, I would leave him in...that place until my next planned visit, which won't be for at least a month."
"You really mean it?" Akiyomi gasped.
"He always does." Vanessa said. "Now don't get caught up with people who do this stuff anymore."
"Eh. I can try, though I wasn't anticipating something like this the first time." Akiyomi replied. "Though what could those demons have done?"
"If we weren't here, those demons would've taken over this world in less than a week. Granted, they'd barely keep it longer than that regardless, though that is another matter." Scarlon explained. "Do you need any help from here, Miss Arizuno?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so. The woods should be safe, right?"
"It should be, not including the animals that roam around, though it should be some time before they make their way back to this part of the woods. Demons tend to frighten local wildlife off for a time." Scarlon said.
"Then I bid you good night, Scarlon. Your sister and your student as well. I'll contact you if anything comes up." Akiyomi said. "Thank you for everything you have done."
"Don't mention it." He chuckled. "If you come across any more magic problems or happen to hear of them, feel free to come our way."
"I'll keep that in mind, though hopefully I won't be too much of a burden to you." She said.
"I highly doubt that, but just don't intentionally seek out trouble. I might draw the line at that. Good night, Miss Arizuno." Scarlon said.
Akiyomi gave a light bow before all of us then went our separate ways.
I was in the middle of a lesson with Vanessa about a week after the incident when Scarlon came in, holding a letter and sitting down next to us.
"What do you have there, Scarlon?" I asked as I looked up from my lesson.
He grinned. "A message from Miss Arizuno. Go on. Read it."
I took the letter and read it aloud.
"Dear Scarlon and everyone else in the Demalgo household, I thank you once more for your help in this matter. Just as you said, Aidan suddenly reappeared yesterday and told me how he had been staying in a castle in the world that portal led to as that prince's guest of honor. Though he is glad to be in once piece and was amazed by what he saw there, he says he will never again try to summon creatures from that world and is willing to keep tabs on others trying similar things. Though don't think any of us have given up on magic. My grandfather is starting to take notice and has mentioned something about giving us lessons during a few meals, and I think he means it. He did learn all he knows from you and I think you said that your pupil will have some lessons with him eventually, so I can assume we're in safe hands. May you continue your good deeds, and I hope we can meet again.
Signed, Arizuno Akiyomi."
I noticed that it seemed both Akiyomi and Aidan were deliberately avoiding the word demon, but I thought nothing of it at the time.
"Very interesting. Toyoshi will certainly have his hands full with that lot." Vanessa chuckled.
"Kind of fitting considering what he put us through, but he's become a good magic teacher in his own right." Scarlon grinned.
"Though not as good as you two?" I asked.
Vanessa laughed. "I doubt it, but you never know. We did teach him almost everything we could, after all. At least regarding all forms of magic humans are capable of."
"Indeed. Though all is well for now, I'm sure that Miss Arizuno will need our services again in due time. Anyway," Scarlon reached under the table and took out a wooden board with strange markings on it before placing it in front of us.
"Are you guys up for a few rounds of this?" He asked.
"Huh? What about my lesson?" I asked.
"That can wait." He said. "You're a little ahead, even with the occasional incident. Anyway, who's up for playing this game?"
"I always am." Vanessa grinned.
"I guess I am as well, but I still haven't figured this thing out." I sighed.
"Neither have I to be honest, and we've been playing this for centuries." Vanessa replied.
Scarlon chuckled as he sat down and placed some pieces on the board, some resembling humans and others strange creatures. The start of a fun afternoon.
