In the year 2012, a mysterious illness began to sweep the globe. In its wake, those who survived it were left with immensely powerful supernatural abilities.
As the number of people capable of wielding magic powers increased, they began to organize and seize control of the course of history. Using their powers to travel between parallel universes, these mages forge empires of a scale never before seen. And at the center of it all is the Academy, a neutral institution founded for mages to share their knowledge with each other.
Mages struggle against each other to impose their will upon the multiverse, but there is one threat that unites them all together. In recent months, mysterious entities have appeared. These entities wield power far greater than any one mage, and they seem determined to annihilate all of humanity. The mages will have to set aside their differences in order to beat them. The fate of the multiverse depends on it.
Post by Jack Mason on Jun 19, 2018 21:08:52 GMT -7
Jack nodded to himself in satisfaction as Hikaru acknowledged his point. He was used to seeing her expression on other people's faces when he explained things to them, so he was pretty sure it meant she understood his point. He was also glad to finally have a name to go with her face, though he was surprised by the rest of the introduction.
"Huh, siblings who're also mages? What're the odds of that...? Actually, I guess I really don't know the odds of that. Maybe it's actually common or something... guess I wouldn't know."
And then Jack was taken off guard again by Hayako's question.
"H-Hate? Um, I'm not sure... The other staff just kinda tell me what to do, and don't really talk with me about why I'm supposed to do it. It's not that they're mean or anything, I just didn't feel like I should pry since they're already being generous by giving me a place here. Is there really that much more fighting here than in mundane schools?"
Post by Hikaru Yamanoue on Jun 20, 2018 3:44:18 GMT -7
Hikaru wasn't in the right frame of mind to call her sister's bluff. It was late, she had no way of knowing when Hayako last ate, and didn't have the presence of mind to read her right now. She was willing to take her sister's claim at face value without thinking too hard about it.
Jack's comments made her pause for a moment though. Neither were something she thought about much. It's not like she had any familiarity with schools, let alone schools of the era Jack was from. Hikaru had no way of knowing what they were like. The first comment however seemed natural to her, so she didn't think about it too deeply. She expected the rest of her siblings, if not all of them a lot of them, to develop magic of their own eventually.
"Is it so strange for both of us to have magic? Families share a lot of traits. Both of us having magic never seemed strange to me, and prior to coming here I had never met any other mages. Are there no other families with a history of magic?"
Hikaru furrowed her brow again. She was having trouble picturing any other institution that operated like the academy. Most of them at least wanted everyone to work together, even if that was often difficult. Was the Information Age so dysfunctional that this kind of infighting was normal? It would explain a lot really, but it made her wonder how they got anything done. Their cities, while they felt lifeless to her, were quite expansive and impressive. Did they accomplish that while constantly fighting each other? It was difficult to picture. But there was one thing she kept getting stuck on.
"Schools are meant for learning right? Wouldn't that level of violence be counter productive? It seems like it'd make learning far more difficult if every student had to worry about their health and body every day."
Post by Hayako Yamanoue on Jun 22, 2018 15:23:14 GMT -7
Hayako couldn’t help but tentatively glance Hikaru from the corner of her eye after her assertment that she was fine. Her sister had let her help her here. She’d let her dress her wounds. She was letting her stay out after curfew, breaking more of the rules that had gotten them into this trouble in the first place, and she’d still yet to say anything. The fatigue of the battle and her injuries was probably getting to her, but Hayako was just waiting for the moment Hikaru would change her mind, decide she was fine and Hayako being here was not, and she’d have to figure something out. If she couldn’t argue her way to staying with her sister until she was well, she could… maybe hide in the wall? Her glance turned over the flat walls and ceilings of the room. She could probably hide in the wall.
She hurriedly nodded along with Hikaru to show she had been listening and not planning how to disobey her elder sister. “I’ve heard some other students say they have siblings, and we have more sisters too...maybe it just takes some time? Magic hasn’t been around for very long, right? And Hikaru and I are both older than a lot of the students here. Maybe that’s it.”
Why the school had them fighting had her no less confused than it had before, and she quickly looked the part. “I guess it might depend on the type of learning...?” Hayako offered tentatively. “Like, at my ninja school, we trained against each other because that’s how we learned how to fight. That was the point, so we had to. But it was always very controlled and was overseen by our teachers, you’d get big bruises but not anything like this - we weren’t supposed to do anything other than friendly sparing outside of it, not,” the corner of her eye darted to Hikatu’s wound, making her flinch and leaving her with a grimace. “...Tear each other’s stomachs open.” She muttered.
She shifted uncomfortably in the stool, making it wobble a little on its wheels. “This kind of power we have is dangerous.” It made her nervous to admit, but it was true. “Hikaru could probably destroy an army by herself if she wanted… we could kill a lot of people, and hurt a lot more just trying to live normal, happy lives. The school’s training us how to use these powers and how to fight, but it’s doing it in the most reckless way possible. I don’t think we should have this kind of power at all, and if we’re stuck with it, it should be treated with a lot of care. At this rate we’re not going to be helping people, we’re going to be slaughtering them. More than any other person who’s come before us.”
Post by Jack Mason on Jun 24, 2018 16:24:01 GMT -7
Jack nodded thoughtfully as the sisters explained their reasoning regarding families getting magic together. It certainly seemed to make sense.
"I guess it shouldn't be surprising, yeah. I just never thought about it since I don't have any family of my own, and I never really get a chance to talk to other mages about their own families, so... thanks for that, I guess."
He truly was grateful to have a regular conversation for once. He hadn't had much experience socializing even before he came to the Academy, and things had only gone downhill from there. But it didn't seem like a normal thing for people to thank each other for talking to them, so Jack's gratitude came out a bit awkwardly.
"And really, the violence doesn't hinder us that much. I mean, we can still- ow! Ow, ow, ow..."
Jack had tried to gesture with his arm on the injured side, since after Hayako's dressing it was sitting naturally enough that he had almost forgotten how damaged his shoulder was. He had to lean back and catch his breath for a few moments as he acclimated to the pain.
"Whew. Er, anyway, what I was trying to say is that it only takes us out of the action for a little while, and it's not like we need to be worried about long-term damage. And as far as the mundanes go, it's not like mages are nuk-"
He stopped abruptly. Come to think of it, he wasn't sure that these two were aware of all the things that had happened to their part of the world in the time between the early renaissance and the information age. This probably wasn't the best time to go into that.
"Uh, what I mean to say is that people do some pretty awful things to each other just with mundane technology alone... And honestly, even if some people having magic powers makes that even worse, it's not like the Academy can do anything about that. Some people are just jerks, and they're gonna do what they want regardless. At least this way, the non-jerks can be prepared."
Jack nodded to himself. Before he had come to the Academy, he had just been a victim. But now, he had the ability to defend himself... in theory, at least. He supposed it hadn't been working out so well lately.
Post by Hikaru Yamanoue on Jun 26, 2018 0:07:16 GMT -7
"Your what school?"
Hikaru blearily looked back at her sister. She knew that Hayako was off doing something after she met that outsider, but she never knew what. Her sister just disappeared for a long period of time and didn't talk about it much. At first she thought she was being paranoid about something strange going on, because Hikaru didn't trust the person she ran off with, but the more her sister slipped up and the more she got involved with academy activities the more she was convinced that something strange was happening. Fortunately for Hayako, she was also seriously injured and therefore easily distracted.
Her eyes snapped back to Jack when he tried to move more than he should have. Part of her really wanted to get up and help, but that seemed like a bad idea for multiple reasons. Not just because she was injured and it'd aggravate her wounds further, but because he really needed to lay down as well and that he was refusing to do so, and was still trying to move that much, was probably not a good thing and she doubted getting up herself would encourage him to stop. As annoying as it was to just lay there herself, it was probably for the best.
His words made her frown though. Given he didn't attack her for making such a large mess in the library, she assumed he didn't agree with a lot of the academy's policies. Why was he defending it? Hikaru furrowed her brow, questioning whether she should get into a discussion like this right now. Ultimately, the answer was no, but she figured she could at least give him something.
"I'm not sure if other people being 'bad' is a reason to excuse other bad behavior, much like I don't think wounds being easy to heal is a reason to say it's okay to hurt people. It's okay to appreciate an institution for the good it does while still criticizing it for the bad it does."
She didn't see much point in arguing with him about the academy, especially not in her current state. That seemed like enough. Hayako was right though, what the academy was doing was appalling. Most of these mages were very young, and encouraging them to fight, destroy, and indulge these base desires at the expense of other people was terrible. They had the power to change the world now, and with that came a lot of responsibility. The academy wasn't pushing that at all, making it seem like they should just do whatever they want. That was no way to train people with power, and encouraging conflict seemed like it could only go dangerous places.
Post by Hayako Yamanoue on Jun 28, 2018 0:07:19 GMT -7
Hayako visibly flinched as Jack did, getting a good screech out of the stool as she popped up to her feet and shuffled back over to his side. “D-don’t push yourself, be careful,” She said tentatively. Her hands were out thought she never did quite touch him, but should his arm try to drop off or a chunk of him crack and fall away, she’d be there, ready to catch it and not know what to do next.
It was enough of a distraction to hopefully lose Hikaru’s question. One of these days she was going to have to tell Hikaru… with all the weapon knowledge she’d managed to accumulate, probably sooner rather than later, too. She may not be good by a lot of standards - her bladework was still sloppy, occasionally she didn’t pull her head back in quickly enough to maintain cover, even still tripped over her own feet from time to time - but what she had was more than what she, the random daughter of a rice farmer, should have.
This wasn’t something she could smile and gloss over forever. The responsible thing to do would be to sit down Hikaru, look her in the eye, and calmly explain what she’d been doing when she left the village these last few years.
Just the thought of doing so made her shoulders jerk a little again. Hikaru’s expected reaction was a big giant spot of black in which trying to look into or drawing anything from was a futile, frankly terrifying effort. She would get to it, she kind of had to, but it could wait just a little longer, right? Hikaru was tired. Best not to trouble her with it now.
Once Jack seemed to settle, Hayako let herself settle back on the wheeled chair as well, placing her hands in her lap and scooting a little more center between the two beds.
“I agree, that sounds to me like giving up. A lot of the mages here are strong, I bet we could do it if we worked together. J-just the two of you, like, Jack, could you move buildings around to fix them? I’m sure Hikaru could figure out something as well, and I think we could stop the mages who do bad things and fix the messes they leave behind. Though,” she smiled shyly, “that might lead to breaking more of the academy's rules. Oh, and i-if the two of you want to rest, I’ll stay here until the healer comes back. I can take care of explaining to them what happened.”
Jack tried to follow Hikaru's reasoning, but it was difficult. Like any person, he was naturally inclined toward thinking in terms of 'good guys' and 'bad guys.' Stuff done by the good guys was good by definition, and vice versa. In Jack's mind, the Academy had an unquestionable position as good guys, so dividing their actions between good and bad ones was a confusing prospect.
"How am I supposed to figure out which actions to criticize, though? I don't really even know what the Academy's long-term goals are. I just figure that if I'm keeping the place clean and functional, I'm doing my part."
Even so, Hayako's optimistic tone was oddly encouraging. It made him consider ideas he hadn't really thought about before.
"Huh... I guess fixing other buildings might be good practice... I think..." Jack yawned. "I bet we could probably even do it without breaking any rules. So... yeah, if you want to try doing something like that sometime, just let... me... know..."
Jack mumbled something acknowledging Hayako's offer to stick around. His earlier excitement had exhausted him, and the medicine was kicking in to make him comfortably numb. His eyes drifted closed, and barring any other cause for excitement, he'd soon be asleep.
Post by Hikaru Yamanoue on Jul 2, 2018 15:19:08 GMT -7
That was always the question wasn't it? She had no idea how old Jack was, but at some point in a child's life they had to realize that adults and other authority figures weren't infallible. That they could also make mistakes and that they didn't know everything or that they didn't always know what to do. That sometimes they made mistakes and that they could also improve as people. That no person was perfect and that all people were capable of good and bad actions. Most people figured out when they could still be considered children, and he was probably older than that, but it sounded like he hadn't fully grasped it yet. Unfortunately, that was the kind of thing he had to figure out on his own. There might have been something more she could have done to nudge him in that direction, but this didn't seem like the time or the place for it. For now, all she could do was agree with Hayako.
"Yes, if there's anything you want to do, don't hesitate to contact me. My power isn't as versatile as either of yours, but it still has its uses."
When Jack finally drifted off to sleep, she just sighed. As much as she wanted to do the same there was something she had to take care of first. Hikaru's attention returned to her sister. Though she didn't have the presence of mind to think about everything Hayako had said tonight, but she still wasn't inclined to let her just sit here because she was injured. Everything was taken care of, and she had a hard time believing the nurse would even care about what actually happened.
"Unfortunately, it looks like I won't be able to fly us home tonight," she sighed. "You have a room at the academy right? You should go rest there. I don't think there's anymore need to risk breaking the rules. I think if they were feeling inclined to chase us they would have already."
Post by Hayako Yamanoue on Jul 17, 2018 0:50:38 GMT -7
Hakayo nodded to the younger mage’s agreement, though the gesture and the smile given with was probably lost on him. He looked about ready to pass out at any moment.
“We’ll have to do it.” She affirms quietly. The light smile given to Hikaru afterwards probably would be received.
Normally she doubted she’d be able to convince her sister of hardly anything. She knew that look, as tired as she was, and budging wasn’t a thing that was going to happen. By all means she should listen to her elder, not just because she was her older sister or because she was a leader in their village, but because she was supposed to be right. Here, though, Hayako just couldn’t think she was. Perhaps there wasn’t too much danger to two injured, unconscious mages already in the infirmary, but she wouldn’t be able to rest easy knowing they were injured and unconscious in the best hospital in the information age. It was hardly any trouble for her to stick around; if need be, she could just step into a wall for a moment while anyone who would kick her out stuck their head in. Making sure her sister and Jack were okay and were going to be okay was more important right now.
“It’s really okay.” She said, raising her hands shyly. “I don’t think I’m breaking any rules staying around here. You s-should just get some rest, o-okay?” She looked down at her hands, trying to come up with a more convincing reason than ‘no’. Kicking her feet forward, she scooted back a little on the wheely stool and gave Hikaru an almost goofy grin. “P-plus it’s comfy here. I’ll probably be able to fall asleep too if I need to. I’ll be sure to wake up if someone comes in. J-just go to sleep for now, okay? You need your strength.” She repeated.
Post by Hikaru Yamanoue on Jul 17, 2018 1:55:24 GMT -7
Hikaru wanted to object. She wanted Hayako to worry about her own life and get to bed. Unfortunately, the bloodloss and the medicine was starting to get to her. It was already difficult to keep her eyes open, let alone fully make sense of what her sister was saying. As much as she wanted to say more, she found herself involuntarily dozing off. The most she could muster before drifting off to sleep was a mumble of an objection that wasn't even clear enough to be understood.