(Bi)Monthly Don't-Create-A-Servant Contest

[pinetree]

It seems like I missed out on reading Ephyra Camus huh.

1 pt: Auge Luascaden Draig
This one was close to ranking higher, but I think Auge himself is the weakest part of the sheet to me. The narrative of these families carrying on Albion's nature as the boundary throughout the entire narrative is a strong concept and you managed to make almost every part of their life and actions half-assed or incomplete without making it too forced, but I couldn't get into it all ending in a simple-minded optimist.

2 pts: Melchiore Alchesio
There's a compelling narrative in there, but I feel like we're not really privy to it as the readers of this sheet. Melchiore's outlook on his family feel a bit meandering, with little dramatic turning points to prompt his shifts in perspective. That might fit with his personality and the general sense of noncommitment, but it does hurt the sheet a bit. I also feel like we should've hear more about his family members, as they end up being the biggest factors into who he is.
Nonetheless, it's still an interesting sheet in format and content. The simple fact that he is completely green due to his magecraft is funny and constrasts well with the seriousness of it all.

3 pts: Elsa Einberg
Very strong sheet. I think my favorite thing about it was the real sense of an ensemble cast that interacts with each other. The intro with their images is fine, but the real effect comes from the simple mentions of how different members interact with her day-to-day life. The best part is that this group is well established before you even reveal that this aspect doubles down as her powerset.
I also think the central conflict of all the members going haywire due to missing their bodies in contrast with her inhumanity is a strong story hook that is dealt well within the sheet. Great stuff.

[Axe]

I had written some proper reviews here, but there is no time for that now if I want to vote so...
3pts: Draig
2pts: Elsa
1pt: Rute

[Spartacus]

3 Pts: Auge
2 pts: Rute
1pt: Melchiore

umm frankly, most of these is not my thing since it focus more on the ability than the character itself and I'm on a time rush, so I go with vibe in the end...

[You]

Event Contestation Band​ = 5 possibilities

• Rute-Elena Terolecha from pinetree = 10 QP
• Melchiore Acesio from Serra = 4 QP
• Elsa Einsberg from SpartaP = 9 QP
• Minato Ōnagi from MuramasaMachII = 3 QP
• Auge Luascaden Draig from OddEyedDuelist = 10 QP

Auge Luascaden Draig has the highest amount of 3 QPs

REPRESENTATIVE OF MYSTERY HAS BEEN DESIGNATED:


The Final Draig -Reconstructed Shell

Auge Luascaden Draig



THE DREAM MUST CONTINUE

[OddEyedDuelist]

WOW! thanks for the votes guys! Glad you guys enjoyed my funky dragon guy. This contest had a lot of strong contenders, and it really came down to the wire at the end there!

I'll try my damndest to come up with a prompt that'll hopefully get us a similarly exciting contest when the next one rolls around!

[Serra]

Congratulations to Odd for winning it all, but also to Sparta and Pine because it was really fought tooth and nail there!

Now, to address some feedback on my entry:

Honorable Mention: Melchiore Alchesio

There's just a really enjoyable vibe to this sheet. He almost gives me the vibes of if Kiritsugu filled a "traditional mage" archetype, as weird as that comparison sounds. The dedication to his craft and family name executed with a stunning ruthlessness (tactics like employing an outside mercenary feel like they'd be outside the playbook of say, Kayneth), and the unflinching nature that he's written as having in much of the history segments present a very clear personality. It gives him a very strong atmosphere that pervades the sheet.

Thank you! I've been thinking about the Kiritsugu comparison for a while now, it's not something I had in mind but I do see where you're coming from and the ruthlessness at least was definitely intended; ironically, Melchiore hiring a mercenary was, out of universe, inspired by... The Einzbern hiring Kiritsugu lol

It seems like I missed out on reading Ephyra Camus huh.

2 pts: Melchiore Alchesio
There's a compelling narrative in there, but I feel like we're not really privy to it as the readers of this sheet. Melchiore's outlook on his family feel a bit meandering, with little dramatic turning points to prompt his shifts in perspective. That might fit with his personality and the general sense of noncommitment, but it does hurt the sheet a bit. I also feel like we should've hear more about his family members, as they end up being the biggest factors into who he is.
Nonetheless, it's still an interesting sheet in format and content. The simple fact that he is completely green due to his magecraft is funny and constrasts well with the seriousness of it all.

Thank you for the feedback and the points!

You aren't too privy to the narrative, that's right. There's a bunch of factors that come to my mind as to why that might be, unfortunately.

One is that Melchiore's backstory is actually born as a potential fanfic premise. I don't actually like it as a fanfic premise much lately, for instance because it doesn't seem to leave a way to easily involve any canon characters I know and care about, but his backstory does ultimately lead to a minor HGW at times... Point being: I have some more details lined up and, even though I'm not likely to actually write the thing - at least not any time soon - adding them to this sheet would've spoiled or lessened the impact of at least one scene I'd definitely want to include if I did. After thinking a bunch about that, I ended up deciding to leave some stuff out.

Another factor is that I tried to open with a narrative segment from the point of view of a priest helping him out, and it really wasn't working out at all; I also tried to write narrative segments for a couple other scenes, like his last meeting with the head of the rival family that exiled itself to London, and it really didn't work out at all. For the sake of getting the sheet done in a relatively reasonable time, I ended up essentially abandoning the narrative segments and only using a descriptive style, which in this case does end up hiding more of the narrative than intended.

Melchiore's also not the most open person, and his personality actually changed a bunch from my first draft, mainly with him getting considerably less boisterous, so maybe one or both of those are also contributing to the meandering feel.

About the relatives: that's fair; my clearest ideas so far are for Melchiore and his granddaughter, not so much for the rest of the family. I'd considered making the granddaughter my main entry or adding her as a second entry, but she's definitely less interesting magecraft-wise, and I feel like her sheet would've needed to repeat a lot of the info that also is in Melchiore's sheet to feel like a proper character sheet rather than just a story that happened to star her, and neither of those were really desirable for the purposes of this contest.

[You]

This is my bad, I forgot about uploading the poll for the prompt on the 23rd.
After reviewing the prompt, I don't think its going to be very controversial, so we'll just start on the 1st like we always do.

Close Range

Spells are cool and all, but wanna know what's even cooler? A spell you have to punch someone to use. Mages who enhance their senses to dodge the magical assaults of opponents while they close the distance, Dead Apostles who shape blood into swords and Spears to show off the products of centuries of training, or an Executor here to piledrive the will of God into an unsuspecting Sinner. So long as your entry gets up close and personal with their foes, they're encouraged to show!

There will be one rule change tested. In light of all the extensions that have been needed, the contest submission period will last until November 22nd 11:00 PM PST and there will be no extensions.

[PA270]

Awesome! Looking forward to this!

[pinetree]

Thetiana Dontor. Alias: ϴetiana,ϴetiana, Ηtiana,ϴetiana, Ηtiana, Ζetiana,ϴetiana, Ηtiana, Ζetiana, Εpsiliana,ϴetiana, Ηtiana, Ζetiana, Εpsiliana, Δeltiana,ϴetiana, Ηtiana, Ζetiana, Εpsiliana, Δeltiana, Γammiana,ϴetiana, Ηtiana, Ζetiana, Εpsiliana, Δeltiana, Γammiana, Betiana,ϴetiana, Ηtiana, Ζetiana, Εpsiliana, Δeltiana, Γammiana, Betiana, Αlphiana. Nationality: Swede Age: 19 Height: 167 cm Talent: Lemon-Thyme Sorbet Attribute: Reinforcement Origin: Reclusion & Breaching Element: Water Circuit Quantity/Quality: D / C Mental Switch: Undefined Activation Spell: N/A Crest Core: Spinal cord of a Näcken mixed-blood. Crest Description: Wavy strands coming from her lower back. Ideal Servant: Berserker Jörmungandr.

The Dontor Family.

The Dontors are a mage family from Sweden who specialized in Beast Magecraft for most of their existence. Their objective was not to borrow certain mysteries of the animal kingdom, but acquire its essence. To reach the perfect balance between human intellect and animal instinct that would allow them to transcend the common human perspective. They see animals as more in tune with a side of the world that humans had long since abandoned, and they believed such a being would have the unique perspective necessary to continue their magecraft journey to the Root. In essence, the family’s generational objective was simply the preparation for the real work.

The family line was set on this path until Thetiana’s great-grandfather, who had a fierce and greedy personality that was a terrible fit for such unrewarding work. Instead, he became great friends with a certain Mihathis Thymianthor.
The Thymianthors were an older Zoology family who specialized in chimeras rather than beast magecraft. In them, the Dontors saw a possibility to speed up their prologue order significantly by cutting the middleman that was beast magecraft and simply changing their nature itself into that of a beast.

The new plan, created alongside the Thimyanthors, was for the Dontors to modify themselves permanently. On its later stages of development, the fetus of the Dontor heir would have the soul of an animal fused to it, influencing its growth. Though such an action should destroy a person, the Thymianthors would provide important post-birth chimeric body modifications that should improve the physical harmony between the two sides, and in turn, improve the relationship between the two aspects of their soul as well.

Even if they failed, each chimeric heir would birth a further modified one, inching the family closer and closer to the perfect balance they so sought.

History & Character.

Thetiana’s mother was a snake.

She greatly opposed their dependance on the Thymianthors and took every opportunity to try and undermine the authority they had inevitably gained over her family. The issue was made even worse because the elder Mihathis Thymianthor was once again in control of the family, and he was a man who greatly appreciated his control over others.

She also hated Thetiana.

Since her birth, the girl was left to be raised by servants, seldom meeting her mom. The first time she talked to Thetiana was during their first magecraft lesson, and that only came when Thetiana was old enough that it couldn’t be delayed anymore.

Thetiana was not fond of her mother either, or of company in general, really.
Not to mention, her name was not yet Thetiana.

It was in her nature. The girl who would become Thetiana had the soul of a shark fused to her own. The choice was her mother’s. She had decided that what their family lacked was a predator’s ferocity and obsession, something that would steer them into a selfish, focused path to their objective.
To that end, she also went back to the roots of the family in beast magecraft and concocted a curse out of invoked shark mystery, these resilient creatures and their incredible healing abilities. Their many rows of teeth, always ready to be used regardless of damage taken. The replacement of their main murder weapon was an exercise in preserving the very ferocity she coveted.

And that was a feeling she never wanted the family to lose.

Tandradskrets is a curse of preservation that seeks to preserve one thing only: ferocity. The anger she felt for her absent mother, the obsessiveness to make her proud so she’d care, the aggressiveness born out of realizing she felt that way… those feelings are protected so that she can never let go of them. So that she can never change that which fuels her ferocity.
To that end, Tandradskrets is a series of replacement teeth — replacement personalities. First named Alphiana, this girl’s personality is replaced by a new one every time she suffers anything that would diminish what her mother deigned ferocity.

Alphiana once realized other mothers usually care for their daughters, she cried instead of raging, and was gone.

When Betiana found herself content with the love the caretakers gave her in place of her mother, she was gone.

Gamiana was stout of mind, but not of heart and body. She was gone as soon as the corporal punishments started.

Deltiana, Epsiliana, Zetiana, Etiana… Silly names given without thought beyond classification, all of them gone by one reason or another. Thetiana arrived while she was still a child.

The time then came for another one of Thetiana’s chimeric surgeries. This time it was Mihathis himself who came to take care of the process. The old man was mute and blind, and in his place, his two carcajou familiars talked for him.
This surgery was an extended process, intended to create lateral line canals like those of sharks throughout her body, and so, that left her a lot of time to interact with the two familiars.
Through those interactions, Mihathis found himself growing fond of his time with the girl. Thetiana just so happened to remind him of his Dontor friend from long ago.

Thetiana liked it as well. She liked that she reminded him of someone he appreciated. She liked to talk to the carcajous. She liked how she felt about her caretakers. She liked how good she was at swimming. She liked the memory of the first dessert she tasted. She liked Thetiana. She liked herself.

“So, I don’t want to go away! I don’t want it to end before I even realize!”

Mihathis, with his ever-unchanging expression, grabbed her by the shoulders. For the first time, she heard the voice of the supposedly mute man.

“I understand. I never want to let go of myself either; I never want to be gone from this Earth! So, hold her tight, don’t let this you slip by!” Confessed the man, old beyond what should be possible. “Listen to me, you keep holding onto Thetiana.”

She was taken from the Dontors by Mihathis. Raised by him, emboldened by his choice to help her, she made sure to never let it go. Never let that ferocity die, because with it, Thetiana lived.

Her mother’s attempts to sabotage relations with the Thymianthors? Kept at bay, deflected, but never solved. Of course not, the girl needed it to fuel her hate. To keep Thetiana.
Her chances at a normal life, to meet others and enjoy her time as Thetiana? They were thrown aside for the sake of serving Mihathis. Of course they were, this dedication to her savior would fuel her own obsessiveness. To keep Thetiana.
The two Thymianthor kids, to whom Mihathis showed none of the love he showed her? She should sympathize, but instead she hated them, because their presence meant one day Mihathis would be replaced. Of course she did, this rivalry would fuel her anger. To keep Thetiana.

It was not a pleasant way to live. Always running full speed, never stopping to think, to reconsider. Attack, bite, hunt. Grab what you want, destroy what you don’t. With furor. Ferocity.
It’s what one could call it hell, constant suffering. But to her, it didn’t matter.

The pain instead gives her relief and hope.
It means that in the next morning,
She is still going to be Thetiana.

Abilities.

Fuelled by agressive instincts and the desire to keep them strong, Thetiana has a variety of fighting abilities to employ, ranging from fighting techniques to combat spells. Still, every person has their bias and their favorites, things Zetiana learned might not be appreciated by Thetiana as much. As such, this list is not comprehensive.

Tandradskrets. The curse is always developing the extra personalities so that they are ready to replace the old one when the moment is right. Even inactive, these extra personalities should burden Thetiana's mind, but her dual-soul is more than enough to make the process sustainable. Thetiana has minimal control over the effects of the curse, the only pratical use is that of nullifying mental interferences — or rather, transfering it. It's something she developed with the assistance of Mihathis. Her continued existence may be at the whims of her own emotions and mentality, but at the very least she can defend against outside interference. If one attempts to attack her mind, she is able to transfer the effects to a dormant personality who will certainly have enough time to recover before being used.

Threshing Hair. A technique developed to mimic the whip-like tail of the shark species that was fused to her soul, the Alopias vulpinos. These thresing sharks not only possess the rows of serrated teeth, hightened electromagnectical detection and improved hearing that makes other sharks so fearsome, but also an elongated upper-tail-fin, large enough to be longer than the rest of their body's length. They use it to whip fish out of schools, tearing them apart and stunning other creatures around it. Though originally taught to summon it from her tailbone, Thetiana has since adapted it so that the astral tail, summoned to resemble braids, instead appears at the base of her skull. The extra range of motion provided by the use of her neck and torso greatly add to danger of the weapon.

Reinforcement. Her bread and butter. Simple, commonplace magecraft that elevates the existence of a target, like making a sword sharper. When used on the body, it should enhance endurance and and strength, but that's not all it does when it comes to Thetiana. Being a shark, her body carries a plethora of other concepts that are enhanced by Reinforcing her 'sharkness'. Senses, strength, balance, swim speed, sharpness of teeth, etc. A simple spell that makes her a true powerhouse when it comes to fighting.

Biting Skin. Beast magecraft. Much like Treshing Hair, this allows her to embody characteristics of a shark. In this case, it's a spell meant to be defensive. Aquiring the coarse, microserrated skin of sharks means that even touching her the wrong way might cut and tear one's limbs. Of course, Thetiana being herself, she still employs this on the offensive quite a bit, covering her hands, feet and nails so that her strikes and grabs have a more brutal effect. In order to protect Mihathis, she has also made sure to learn how to turn this into a protective barrier that can be applied to others.

Day of Decisive Battle.

A day that will never come. Regardless of her efforts, one day Thetiana will falter and Iotiana will arrive.
Gone before she even realizes it. There is no climatic moment waiting for this — or any other — her.

[OddEyedDuelist]

Thetiana Dontor: An absolutely incredible start to the contest! The shark theme is both well used to make her a proper close-range fighter, and all the shark aspects are tied into the character wonderfully. From the rotating personalities like shark's teeth, needing to keep up the ferocity mirroring how many sharks need to keep swimming to live, the powers, personality, and story are melded wonderfully. The Day of Decisive Battle segment in particular is used absolutely spectacularly, putting a perfectly tragically ending onto story of the sheet.

[PA270]

Thetiana Dontor: What an absolutely brilliant entry this is! OddEyedDuelist articulated my thoughts perfectly, so nothing left to say but fantastic work!

[Frigix]

Prologue

At night, it is said that a monster wanders the city’s dark alleys.
They are called the Yellow Ogre.

Dressed in a yellow raincoat, clutching a crimson umbrella, you must never speak to them.
Because the moment you utter a word, your fate is sealed. Judgement will descend swiftly—some say your body will be crushed, others claim you’ll be sliced open like paper. There are even whispers of victims bursting into flames without warning. Whatever the fate, your death will be agonising, the suffering deeper the darker your sins.

No trace of you will ever be found, for you will be swallowed by the shadows of the city, your very essence lost to the night.

If you see a flash of yellow in the corner of your eye...
You’d be lucky if you died quickly.

So never touch, never look, and never listen to the Yellow Ogre.
Because the instant you do, you’ll already be trapped in their hell.

Or at least, that’s how the story goes.
An urban legend that has become popular in Osaka and has been created to explain the unfortunate disappearance of multiple individuals. But of course, there is no proof any murder occurred, and the idea that a supernatural being is behind all of this is ridiculous.

The little group of delinquents wouldn’t be scared by mere superstition, and they casually strolled in the dark alleys of Osaka, most being under the influence of alcohol.

And then, they saw it.

A figure wearing a yellow cloak and holding a red umbrella.

“Holy shit, is that the Yellow Ogre?!” said one of the men with a huge smile on his face, clearly not taking this so-called “monster” seriously.
“Ha ha ha! What the hell? That’s hilarious!”
They laughed at this strange and unexpected encounter, and a few of them began to walk toward it.
“Hey dude, what’cha doin’ disguising yourself as a demon? You want to kill someone or something? Pfouah ha ha !”
“Hey guys, let’s just leave him alone,” said one of the men who had stayed behind.
“Huh?” The biggest one among them turned his head behind. “You’re scared?”
“No, it’s just that... I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Bah ha ha ha ! Seriously?! You fucking wimp, it’s just a dumb cosplayer who wanted to play a prank without thinking about the repercussion! Look, he ain’t even moving! What’s the matter? You’re paralyzed by fear? Serve you right, ha ha ! Show me your fucking face.”
On those words, he placed his hand on the individual’s shoulder before violently pushing it toward himself to reveal their face.

At that moment, the men who had stayed behind felt their heart skipping a beat.



“...”

It was a woman, a young one.
Not a monster, but just a girl.

“Oooh, we’ve got ourselves a little lady? Isn't it a bit too late for you, shouldn’t you be with mommy and daddy? Ha ha...”
The tension dissipated, the group of delinquents felt more at ease and most of them were now laughing with who appeared to be their leader.

But the girl stayed silent.

“Hey girly, how about you have some fun with us–”

Red.
Red splashed against the already red umbrella.

“...”
The man who had spoken up earlier and stayed behind stood still, his eyes wide open.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !” Another one screamed immediately, falling when trying to back away from the girl.

He was crushed.

And then, all of those who could began to run away the fastest they could. It wasn’t a girl, it was something else. Something that belonged to the darkness.

They ran and ran, leaving behind them the sound of crushed bones, sliced flesh and spilled blood.

.
.
.

“Despite the police’s best efforts, Sasaki Fujimura and Kenzo Tanikawa have yet to be found. Some of the suspects behind the disappearance have claimed that they have been attacked by the so-called Yellow Ogre, a famous urban legend in Osaka. It is thought that this may be connected to other similar incidents that have occurred over the past two years with similar claims. The police are not ruling out the possibility that a serial killer may be involved.”

While preparing breakfast, I listen intently to the news reports. A heavy sigh escapes me as I scoop rice from the cooker. She has been getting a lot more attention lately, and if things continue this way, Grandfather will probably scold her.

"She" is the so-called Yellow Ogre.
Though shrouded in mystery, I’ve long suspected who’s really behind all those murders.

"Mmmh... need coffee…"
Lost in thought, I barely notice my roommate entering the kitchen and leaning sluggishly against me. As always, she's been pushing herself too hard. But I can’t say I don’t find her ability to overwork herself for the sake of her family quite admirable and charming.
"Right, right, your coffee is ready," I say, a wide smile spreading across my face as I hand her the much-needed caffeine.



Last night, she probably went on another killing spree.

Yes, the truth is that I’m well inquired with the Yellow Ogre.
After all, she’s the girl I like.After all, she’s the girl I like.


Dweller of the Underworld
Shisyou Kitaguchi




“I am Shisyou Kitaguchi, heir to the Kitaguchi family, a magus.”

Magecraft:	Oni Blood Magecraft
Circuit Quality:	B
Circuit Quantity:	C
Circuit Composition:	Hemocompatible
Sorcery Trait:	Circulation
Element:	Imaginary Numbers
Origin:	Death

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Keywords

Oni

An oni is a phantasmal species rooted in Japanese mythology and Buddhist cosmology. Symbolized by infernal heat and destructive force, they are demi-human creatures that thrived during the Age of Gods, but are now considered almost extinct. Oni are solitary by nature and typically live on the fringes of human society, often associated with wilderness, remote mountains, or areas beyond imperial control. In terms of yin-yang cosmology, oni are associated with the yin or negative forces, in contrast to the kami, who represent yang or positive energies. In medieval Japan, oni were pervasive in popular consciousness, taking shape as forces of chaos or evil, driven by fear of the unknown. They were seen as the most malevolent yōkai, feared by people living in remote areas, embodying danger, and the supernatural, and were vilified as beings opposing human order.

But originally, oni were not always malevolent; before the influence of Buddhism, oni were linked to tokoyo-kami (god of the otherworld) or marebito (foreign or wandering deities) who brought blessings to communities, particularly around the New Year. These figures were viewed as distant travelers, often coming from across the sea, embodying otherworldliness but not necessarily evil.

With the arrival of Buddhism from China, the indigenous concept of oni began to shift. Chinese gui-shen were integrated into Japanese Buddhist cosmology, and oni took on more defined shapes, often associated with the terrifying demons of Buddhist hell who punish sinners. They became enforcers of divine punishment when they stayed in the underworld, outside of the human world. But outside of hell, they became foreigners to humanity, beings trampled underfoot by Buddhist protectors like the Four Heavenly Kings.

Historically, oni also became metaphors for people or groups perceived as different or outside the control of the central government. For example, those who lived beyond imperial authority or had distinct customs were labeled as oni, symbolizing social "others." Over time, this sense of alienation became a defining characteristic of oni, who came to embody everything feared or misunderstood by mainstream society—people living on the fringes, unexplained natural disasters, or anything deemed evil.

Heterotopia

The concept of heterotopia was developed by the French philosopher Michel Foucault to describe spaces that are distinct from ordinary, everyday environments but are still real and functional. These spaces exist in a kind of "otherness," simultaneously representing and contesting or inverting aspects of the dominant social order. They are not entirely separate from society but occupy a special kind of space where different rules are in play.

Heterotopia is often contrasted with utopia, which refers to an imagined, perfect place that does not actually exist. In contrast, heterotopias are real places that embody the paradox of being different or "other" while still being part of the real world.

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Abilities

Phantasmic Surge

Oni Blood Magecraft

The Kitaguchi family’s magecraft revolves around harnessing the power of oni blood in their possession to manifest diverse phenomena tied to the concept of "oni." The magecraft is actualized through the act of circulation of blood which reaffirms its mysteries. In theory, it is said that the flow of blood imbued with immense quantities of mystery could create a singularity, one that overrides the natural laws of the world with its own (something said to have been achieved by the magus whose research were used as the basis to create the Oni Blood Magecraft). However, testing this theory would require not only exceptionally potent blood but also a method for generating it infinitely. As such, the Kitaguchi family has shifted focus toward more traditional, mage-like methods to enhance their abilities.

To enhance their magecraft, the Kitaguchi family have cultivated through several generations special magic circuits specifically designed to contain the oni blood. By circulating it at a high speed through these circuits, the magecraft is actualized at a much higher rate allowing in a drastic surge in power.

While this power might be likened to the abilities possessed by certain Mixed Blood clans in Japan, the two are fundamentally different. Those descended from oni possess blood that naturally generates mysteries unattainable to humanity. In contrast, the Kitaguchi family’s Oni Blood Magecraft taps into the “origin” and “definition” of the oni blood, using it to manifest mysteries rooted in human folklore and mythology. As Shisyou would put it, "It’s nothing special, just ordinary Western magecraft." Even the mostly-defunct Demon Hunter organisations wouldn’t bother to go after Shisyou.

Despite the Kitaguchi family’s progress, their magecraft remains far from fully controlled, often leading to unintended alterations in the minds and bodies of its users. However, these transformations pale in comparison to those of genuine Mixed Bloods. At best, a practitioner might become a man-made monstrosity—an imitation of an oni that, though monstrous, would still be a mere counterfeit.

Shisyou possesses countless spells that allow her to manifest the multiple abilities associated with oni in legends. One of her most prominent traits is immense, inhuman strength, characteristic of these demons, enabling her to crush a skull effortlessly with her bare hands. She can also summon a variety of natural disasters, albeit on a smaller scale, reflecting the oni's association with such forces. For example, she can call forth thunder, striking any target of her choosing with precision. In addition, Shisyou possesses the power of shapeshifting, allowing her to assume different forms as needed. Another potent spell in her arsenal is the ability to conjure flames straight from the underworld, the same hellish fire said to be used to torment and roast sinners. All around, the myriad of tales on onis make it so that the oni blood is an excellent foundation to create diverse and powerful spells.

To increase the effectiveness of her magecraft, she wears what she calls "ritual clothing", which consists of a set of medieval garments and an ox horn. They serve as powerful symbols whose function is to disguise her as an oni to have better synergy with her reenactment of oni related mysteries. The old clothes are said to have been worn by an oni giving it some level of mysteries related to her magecraft. The ox horn though is just a normal horn, but it still serves its purpose as it is commonly said that oni possess ox horns.

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Blood Magecraft

The more general type of magecraft from which originate the Oni Blood Magecraft and that Shisyou, of course, can employ. Among the numerous spells and techniques at her disposal, the most crucial is the transmutation of blood into life energy. In many cultures, blood symbolises life and vitality, making it an ideal medium for conversion into life energy that can either heal her body or temporarily enhance her abilities.

In combat, Shisyou’s primary strategy revolves around engaging enemies in close quarters, where she aims to make the battle as bloody as possible. This seemingly ruthless tactic allows her to turn the tide of battle in her favour, as the bloodshed fuels her powers—each drop of blood spilled becoming a source of strength. The longer the fight drags on, the greater her chances of victory, as she can continuously syphon life energy from the battlefield.

However, this method comes with its risks. Since the transmutation requires close proximity to blood, Shisyou must remain at the heart of the battle, exposing herself to danger.

---

Kanabō

Shisyou carries everywhere she goes a kanabō, a spiked club that once was used by the samurais and their vassals. The one possessed by Shisyou is a well preserved antiquity who boasts some degree of Mystery. However, by itself it isn’t anything special. But when activating the oni blood, the damages inflicted at the enemies are tremendously increased. Indeed, the kanabō is often associated with oni and is seen as their weapon of choice. This can be seen with the famous Japanese saying: "like giving a kanabō to an oni", meaning to give an extra advantage to someone who already has the advantage. Conceptually, having an oni using this weapon is “making something strong even stronger” allowing Shisyou to boast unparalleled strength.

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Unlimited Hells

Chimamire no Gōmon

A spell which uses the role of the oni as torturers of hell to turn the user’s weapon into another. In Japanese mythology, oni dwell in hell, where their purpose is to inflict cruel and excruciating punishments on sinners, using methods such as boiling, skinning, and roasting. To carry out this torment, oni must have a wide array of tools at their disposal. Using as its basis Shisyou’s kanabō, the spell morphs or enhances the weapon into a specialized tool designed to "kill." Shisyou’s Origin, “Death,” provides strong compatibility with this spell, allowing for a more seamless transformation.

Engraved within her Magic Crest, the spell requires little to no casting time, enabling Shisyou to quickly adapt her weapon to exploit the strengths and weaknesses of her target. However, despite this adaptability, her lack of expertise with the newly formed weapons prevents her from using them to their full potential.

Notably, this spell is not classified strictly as Projection. While it does involve projecting the concept of a weapon, the transformation does not create the weapon from thin air. Instead, the spell either morphs the kanabō into the desired form or uses blood (a substance to which the Kitaguchi family has a strong affinity), which is transmuted to match the conceptual weapon. For this reason, the spell is categorised as high-quality Alteration, rather than pure Projection.

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Origin

Shisyou’s Origin is “Death,” which some might mistakenly associate with the one possessed by the girl with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. However, her Origin is not the nothingness reached through death, but something more natural—what lies between life and the total annihilation of being. The “process of dying” rather than “the end itself”.

Due to her Origin, Shisyou’s existence has always teetered on the edge of death. As a living being, she barely looks line one—frail, perpetually sick, and constantly exhausted. She does not embody vitality in any form. Shisyou walks the valley of death, fully aware that all living things are destined to perish, and her presence spreads death wherever she goes. It is not that she takes pleasure in death; quite the opposite, in fact. Yet, paradoxically, she desires and even wishes for the death of those around her. Despite this, she has not yet reached the point where she is bound entirely by her Origin. Her actions still stem from her own logical conclusions and personal convictions, not purely from her impulses.

For generations, members of Shisyou's family have practiced the Oni Blood Magecraft, though none were able to fully withstand its effects. The oni blood rejected their foreign bodies, gradually eroding them until death, resulting in drastically shortened lifespans for those who used its power. Ironically, however, Shisyou—who has always been closer to death than anyone—was the first to avoid the oni blood’s ill effects. All thanks to her Origin.

Oni have always been associated with the concept of death, their very origin being connected to it. At its core, they are said to be a variation of tokyo-kami, a god who lived in the land of the dead. Moreover, one of the character used to express the word “Oni”: 鬼, was a hieroglyph representing the shape of a dead body at a burial during the Yin Dynasty. The fundamental meaning of 鬼 is, therefore, a dead body itself not unlike Shisyou who looks more like a zombie than a living being.

Additionally, oni were sometimes categorized as spirits of the dead—souls of deceased humans repurposed into monstrous beings meant to torment the living. As inhabitants of the underworld, their role was to torture the souls of the damned. Given that the concept of "death" is inseparable from that of "oni," Shisyou has an extremely high compatibility with Oni Blood Magecraft. Not only does this magecraft resonate with her being, but its use also reaffirms Shisyou's existence, helping her compensate for her frail body and granting new meaning to her Origin, "Death."

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Human Anatomy Understanding (Death)

Shisyou is a self-taught medical doctor whose knowledge of medicine comes not only from books but also from observation and experience. Tasked with torturing human beings, she had to learn about human anatomy, and her understanding deepened with continuous practice. Most notably, Shisyou possesses a peculiar ability to mentally record every physical and psychological change a person undergoes while dying. By using her Chimamire no Gōmon technique to explore every possible form of death, she has acquired an extensive understanding of the human body's vulnerabilities. She knows how bones break and skin burns in detail that even professional doctors cannot begin to comprehend. As a magus, she’s a specialized human slayer.

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Biography

Kitaguchi Family

Originally, the Kitaguchi were a small Danish family without any relevance. They were a young and untalented magus family who in a desperate attempt to find glory, stole the research of another magus. They were a disgrace and began being hunted down for their crime. So they fled, they fled as far as they could and reached the very extremity of the east on an island called Japan. That is when they adopted the name “Kitaguchi” in an attempt to blend with the people of this land and start anew. But still, it did not change the fact that they were mediocre magi and the Kitugachi struggled to make a name for themselves in this foreign land in which they were nothing but strangers.

Yet, despite countless setbacks, the Kitaguchi family refused to give up. Clinging to survival by the thinnest of margins, they toiled relentlessly, dirtying their hands and doing whatever was necessary to adapt to their new environment. In time, fortune smiled upon them when they acquired a rare and powerful treasure: the blood of an oni, a mythical Japanese creature deeply entwined with the land’s folklore. With this blood, they believed they had finally found the key to establishing themselves in Japan—a chance to align their magecraft with the mysteries of this land and be accepted.

Of course, things didn’t go as planned.

It was in the very nature of the Kitaguchi family to remain forever out of reach of their dearest wishes. To the common people and the noble mage families, they were seen as brutish, primitive monsters. To the true monsters, they were nothing more than mediocre counterfeits—useless frauds.

The Kitaguchi lacked the experience to wield oni blood safely, and this magecraft they relied on came at a heavy cost, drastically shortening their lifespans. But this was a sacrifice they were willing to make. It was the only path they knew: surviving by the skin of their teeth. Just as they had stolen magecraft, they used a combination of brute force and cunning to seize the land of another magus family. The territory, located in Osaka, was nothing remarkable—its leyline was so weak it could almost be considered "mediocre." But for the Kitaguchi, it was progress. They did not complain and instead established themselves as the rulers of the Osaka leyline.

Despite holding the lands through multiple generations, the Kitaguchi were only seen as foreign invaders, barbarous magi who while being the official current holders of Osaka’s leyline, weren’t much respected as they had acquired the lands through barbaric methods.

In the 1940s, as crime surged following the chaos left by Japan's defeat in World War II, a man who had founded his own Yakuza clan, the Kotetsu-ikka, made contact with the magi who owned the spiritual lands in the region and proposed that they work for him. In exchange for their supernatural strength, he would use his abilities to manage a criminal network, providing resources and security to the Kitaguchi. The Kitaguchi, who had been ostracised and isolated for several generations, were delighted to finally meet a man of power willing to work with them, even though he was insignificant in the world of Magecraft. If they couldn't find a path to glory among the mages, they would use another method—perhaps a dirty one, but the Kitaguchi were a family used to getting their hands dirty.

They became the most powerful enforcers of the Kotetsu-ikka. With their superhuman strength, they were well on their way to establishing a complete monopoly over the valuable city of Osaka. However, smaller clans quickly adapted, recruiting beings from the supernatural world, creating a new and curious ecosystem in Osaka where Yakuza clans clashed using mystical powers. A certain balance was established, but the Kotetsu-ikka remained the most powerful clan in the city, controlling the northeastern part of Osaka, with their jurisdiction extending as far as the Nishinari-ku ward.

Although other Yakuza clans had begun employing individuals who mastered supernatural forces, the fact remained that the Kitaguchi, as the masters of those spiritual lands, had a significant advantage—not to mention their Magecraft, specialised in brute force, in contrast to more orthodox magi. In truth, for a magus to work with Yakuza, they couldn't really be "normal"—often they were from mediocre mage families or banished for unknown reasons. Osaka became the city that gathered the outcasts of the Magecraft world; it is the underworld of the underworld, a dark realm where no one quite belongs.

Thus, the Kitaguchi family is a dirty family of criminals, without honour and without a home. Outsiders—not fully part of the Magecraft world, but not quite part of the Yakuza either. They are, without a doubt, oni.

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Shisyou Kitaguchi

When she was ten years old, Shisyou's parents died.
When she learnt the news, her first thought was that she wished she had been the one to kill them.

Shisyou was the heir of the Kitaguchi family, and even though her parents had died, death was always near for a family like theirs. As such, all the necessary preparations had already been made for her to become the new head of the family. Moreover, the ten years before her parents' death had given her ample time to be groomed into a proper magus. Finances and other expenses were taken care of by her "uncle" and new guardian, Kamehide Harada, head of the Kotetsu-ikka. While she continued to study magecraft from the books her parents left behind, her uncle taught her how to act and kill like a true Kitaguchi, whose official duty was to serve the interests of the Kotetsu-ikka. But both knew the truth: the Kitaguchi were still mages at heart, "strangers" to many other mages, but unwavering in their pursuit of the Root. For Shisyou, working with the Kotetsu-ikka was merely a means to comfortably continue her family's mission.

As she matured, she enrolled in correspondence courses with a small branch of the Clock Tower in Taiwan. There she was recognised as a brilliant magus, perhaps the greatest prodigy the Kitaguchi family had ever produced. Although she never met her teacher in person, their guidance profoundly shaped her research, particularly her focus on malignant information, wraiths, and phantoms. Through correspondence, and with a brief trip to Taiwan, Shisyou eventually presented her thesis: Japanese Folklore, Modern Japan, and Its Use in Magecraft Through the Malignant Texture Theory. Her work earned her a doctorate, and she began making herself called “Doctor Kitaguchi” among her colleagues.

According to Shisyou, her work in Osaka is "quite boring". Her main responsibility is to ensure that neighbouring yakuza gangs do not encroach on Kotetsu-ikka territory, and she ruthlessly murders any enemies of her clan. Her magecraft skills also make her an excellent torturer, which she frequently uses to extract information for the Kotetsu-ikka. Naturally, she serves as the clan's chief advisor on all matters relating to the supernatural, providing Kamehide with invaluable guidance.The old man is fond of her, not as a guardian, but as a leader. He describes Shisyou as: “An outsider, someone who naturally observes the world even when she’s supposed to act in it. Her insight and advice are precious, this girl doesn’t see the world like us and is incredibly meticulous in her observations, she’s a genuine monster.”

One of Shisyou's more unusual roles in the Kotetsu-ikka is to serve as a bodyguard for Kamehide's granddaughter, Atoko Harada, who is destined to one day become the leader of the organisation. As the two girls are close in age, Kamehide thought it wise to pair them up so that Shisyou would always be close to Atoko. Furthermore, as the first Harada born with supernatural abilities, Atoko is a prime target for rival yakuza clans and requires the best protection available.

At first, Shisyou kept her distance from Atoko, watching her from a distance. The Kitaguchi were never known for their sociability, and Shisyou was no exception. Over time, however, the two grew closer, and Atoko became the closest thing Shisyou had to a friend. They now live together as roommates.

Finally, there are the little nocturnal excursions that Shisyou has been making from time to time for the past five years. At the hour when Osaka's inhabitants are asleep, Shisyou, dressed in a large yellow coat and carrying a red umbrella, ventures into the narrow alleyways. When she encounters petty criminals or members of the yakuza outside their territory, she massacres them. However, she always leaves one person alive, and even if they complain to the police, they can never prove the murders. After all, Shisyou knows how to dispose of a body so well that it seems as if no one ever died.

In short, her hobby is being a serial killer. This is no secret to Kamehide or Atoko, but they have nothing to say about her actions, letting her do as she pleases as long as it doesn't harm the Kotetsu-ikka. But while these killings may seem senseless, Atoko knows her friend better than anyone; she knows that Shisyou despises waste, and that none of these deaths are pointless. That, after all, is the true core of Shisyou's personality - someone who ensures that every death serves a purpose.

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Personality

“As far as I’m concerned, all people die. So be it now or later, what’s the difference? You are all rotting corpses.”

Stoic, cold-blooded, and occasionally sarcastic, Shisyou is a woman of few words. Although she sometimes goes on tangents about magecraft, she usually remains silent, only intervening when necessary. As a result, even Kamehide struggles to understand her personality and values—and Shisyou ensures it stays that way. She is highly professional and prefers to keep her work separate from her personal life. Trained by her family to live and survive as a loner, Shisyou is a lone wolf at heart, even though she knows how to collaborate efficiently with others. Her only friend is Atoko, whose smile and good nature offer a breath of fresh air in the underworld.

In a world full of petty selfishness, the two have shared their hopes and dreams with each other. Rather than harbouring self-centred desires, they are, to a certain extent, quite selfless, seeking only to honour their families. Despite this mutual understanding, Atoko believes Shisyou is a better person than she is. While Shisyou may have followed the path laid out by her family, she has also made her journey as a magus a symbol of "hope" for humanity. Her actions are inspired by this hope—at least, that is what Atoko believes. When confronted with this interpretation, Shisyou denies it, saying: "I am Shisyou Kitaguchi, heir to the Kitaguchi family, and simply a magus."

Indeed, while Atoko may believe in the goodness of Shisyou, the girl is far from a saint. She kills, tortures, and lies to others without a hint of remorse, doing whatever is necessary to complete her tasks. She is dutiful, meticulous, and rigorous, but she is certainly not a symbol of "hope." Atoko is simply mesmerised by the "otherness" that Shisyou exudes. As Kamehide noted, she could be described as an "external observer" who perceives and analyses the world in a way that is distinct from the yakuzas. As loners, the Kitaguchi are not bound by the values of society, and this freedom is undoubtedly awe-inspiring to the heir of the Harada family. The Kitaguchi, having chosen to take oni blood into themselves, have embraced their status as outsiders of humanity. Shisyou, as the most formidable head of the Kitaguchi family, is the strangest among them. It is well known that prolonged use of oni blood can alter the mind or body of its user, and Shisyou's general aloofness may indeed be a manifestation of these effects.

A core aspect of Shisyou is her relationship with death. She is naturally drawn to this realm beyond the grasp of those who dwell among the living. Her very being burns with a desire to seek death. All living beings strive toward death; their entire existence is oriented toward that inevitable end. This is a truth that Shisyou fully accepts and embraces. It is only natural that she finds satisfaction in witnessing things following their destined course. Yet, despite her acceptance of this truth, despite her body's yearning for death, despite believing it to be right... she does not like death.

She hates that people disappear and are fated to be forgotten.
She hates the emptiness that is left when someone dies.
She hates how meaningless death is.

That is why she kills.

"Because I am Shisyou Kitaguchi, heir to the Kitaguchi family, a magus. I will follow the path of my ancestors and grasp the Swirl of Origin."

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The Jigoku Establishment

The Osaka War

The year is 2024, and an ancient artefact—the Dharmachakra Stambha, once possessed by the Indian King Ashoka—has been discovered near a small Vietnamese port city by a few third-rate native magi. The Kotetsu-ikka, active in the region, promptly conveyed the news to its headquarters in Osaka. Upon learning of the discovery, Shisyou immediately advised Kamehide to discreetly acquire the legendary pillar, explaining its potential as a Noble Phantasm-type weapon that could crush any competition and might even be wielded by Kamehide himself with some adjustments.

Following Shisyou's advice, Kamehide sent agents to negotiate a price for the Dharmachakra Stambha and arrange its transport to Osaka. The negotiations and transportation proceeded smoothly. However, as the boat carrying the pillar entered Osaka port, it was attacked by the Nagamaki-guchi, a rival clan. Despite the secrecy and discreet handling of the matter, the information had seemingly leaked. Yet, the Nagamaki-guchi failed to steal the Dharmachakra Stambha. Instead, a new gang in Osaka, the Novos Ossos Roxos, took advantage of the chaos to seize the artefact. They then initiated negotiations to sell it to the Minamikaze-kai, another rival clan.

The situation rapidly escalated, plunging Osaka's underworld into chaos as the so-called "Osaka War" began. With no room for excuses, the city was destined to become a battlefield until one of Osaka's four factions secured the Dharmachakra Stambha.



North East - Kotetsu-ikka

The most powerful clan in Osaka’s underworld. Controlling the city’s leyline, they boast unparalleled strength against other magi. With the Kitugachi family’s collaboration, the Kotetsu-ikka possess some of the best specialised fighter magi of all Japan. Its current head is Kamehide Harada, the greatest yakuza leader the clan ever produced. Known for his cunning, he’s a well loved public figure in the city and a respected leader among his colleagues despite his unassuming demeanour. In his younger years, he was known as The Boundless Tiger.

The next head of the clan after Shimbei Harada, Kamehide’s son, is Atoko Harada. Every generation, the Harada have tried to produce an heir with supernatural abilities. Atoko is the only successful case of it and possesses psychic abilities that could somehow be troublesome to magi according to Shisyou. This ability is expected to be cultivated and passed to future generations.

Kamehide Harada



“Things are finally getting interesting, eh? Good, even if it was unlikely, I had hoped that our little purchase would spark this kind of development. Now begins the Osaka war. The war to end all wars! Ha ha, how exciting! This is all just a big game, and I never lose at this type of game.”

South East - Minamikaze-kai

The Minamikaze-kai is one of the three remaining powerful Yakuza clans in Osaka. Its leader, Satoshi Furukawa, is the oldest of the clan heads—an experienced and hardened man with a talent for thriving and surviving, no matter the obstacles. Although he presents himself as the wisest of the Yakuza leaders, he is impulsive and often short-sighted. Kamehide, known for his skills in manipulation and deception, is wary of Satoshi, who, against all odds, has survived every offensive. The two old men appear to share a longstanding rivalry. Shisyou has suggested that Satoshi possesses some sort of Origin that make him incredibly resilient.

Yakuza clans of Osaka have always been distinctive due to their use of magecraft and supernatural abilities. However, the Minamikaze-kai is the most traditional among them. Even compared to Yakuza clans outside Osaka, the Minamikaze-kai maintains a decidedly old-school approach. It is also the clan with the most branches outside of Osaka in Japan.

Satoshi Furukawa



“Guh huh huh, all these youngsters are quite brash. They all seem to have forgotten their pride as Japanese. They have all succumbed to a state of savagery, and not a shred of patriotism remains. Gah ha! Gah ha ! Very well, very well... it seems it’s finally time to show them that even an old man can crush insects.”

North West - Novos Ossos Roxos

A branch of the main Novos Ossos Roxos gang from Toyota, foreigners who are not native to Osaka, with a proxy leader, Marcos Ototsu, at the helm. The Ossos Roxos originated as an old Brazilian gang that self-destructed after attempting to use magecraft to eliminate their rivals. The surviving members fled Brazil and emigrated to Japan, where they established the Novos Ossos Roxos. Although the gang is aware of magecraft, they deliberately avoid it. However, due to their history, several members are first-generation magi who picked up some knowledge of magecraft in Brazil.

Marcos Ototsu, the most talented and knowledgeable among them, is still considered a third-rate magus. He is rumored to have some connection to the original gang’s downfall, though he doesn't appear to take pride in it. Nevertheless, he retains the complete trust of the Novos Ossos Roxos main leader. Marcos is the one who proposed an incursion into Osaka after studying its unique dynamics, claiming to see great potential in the "mess" there. With support from the Kotetsu-ikka, he overthrew the weakest yakuza family in Osaka and took over their territory. On the surface, the gang maintains cordial relations with the Kotetsu-ikka, but both Marcos and Kamehide know that it is merely a facade.

Marcos Ototsu



“Yakuzas are pretty fun, aren't they? And Yakuzas using magecraft? I knew it was more prominent on the Japanese islands, but I didn't expect to just find a bunch of idiots. I ain't a big fish in Osaka, but I'm at least smarter. So I'm taking all the scrap that'll be left of the fight. That's the only thing third-rate magi like us will ever be able to gain.”

West - Nagamaki-guchi

The Nagamaki-guchi occupy the western region of Osaka and control most of the port. Among the four factions in Osaka, they are as brutal, if not more so, than the Kotetsu-ikka. Originally, they were a branch that split off from the Kotetsu-ikka shortly after it gained hegemony over Osaka. The current head of the family, Ryuuki Doro, is the youngest of all the clan leaders—a dangerous man and the first Yakuza boss with magecraft abilities.

Ryuuki's grandfather and predecessor, Akira Doro, kidnapped the head of the prestigious Teufelshand family from the Department of Curses while she was visiting a friend in Qingdao. She was then held captive and forced to produce an heir with Akira’s son, resulting in the birth of Ryuuki Doro. Although Ryuuki lacks the proper education and knowledge of a magus, he possesses the Teufelshand’s Magic Crest, which grants him terrifying strength. He is known as a monster whose harshness and cruelty inspire fear in everyone who knows him.

Typically, the separation between the "human" and "supernatural" aspects of the clans maintains a balance where compromises are made between the two sides. However, Ryuuki Doro’s existence embodies both worlds, making him one of the most dangerous leaders in Osaka. Atoko Harada, who has gained psychic powers, is seen as the Harada family’s only hope to compete with the Nagamaki-guchi.

Ryuuki Doro



“All this filth, it’s disgusting, isn’t it? So let’s kill them all, the dirt, the evil. If this city wants so badly to worship the darkness, then it deserves to be swallowed by its filth. I'll gladly be the king of curs if that's what those scum want.”

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Epilogue

The three other Osaka clans had been destroyed, and any remnants left were no match for the Kotetsu-ikka. The city was stained with the blood of countless bodies; evil had exterminated evil, all to obtain the sacred Dharmachakra Stambha. It was, in a sense, quite ironic.

The surviving key members of the Kotetsu-ikka had been summoned to the headquarters to admire the fruits of their labour. Shisyou, wearing her “ritual clothes”, was the last one to arrive as she had insisted on personally taking care of all this war’s dead corpses. Kamehide knew Shisyou was used to dealing with dead bodies and gladly let her do her work. When she finally came, he smiled.

“Well, good job, everyone! Not only did we eliminate all the other clans, but now we’re ready to take over the world!” said Kamehide with his usual cheerfulness. “Ha ha, well, that’s just a manner of speaking, but with this power, we’re stepping into a whole new world. Isn’t that right, Shisyou?”

The girl nodded silently. With this artefact, they would finally gain proper recognition from the Mage’s Association. The many centuries of the Kitaguchi’s mediocrity were coming to an end.

“Without further ado... tada!”

Pulling off the sheet, the Dharmachakra Stambha was finally revealed for all to see. Crafted from ancient stone and adorned with countless reliefs, the pillar exuded an unmistakable mystical aura. Many, including Atoko, stood in awe before the coveted artefact. Shisyou, however, maintained her usual deadpan expression and merely approached the artefact to verify its authenticity.

“Heh, so how’s the stuff? Our Vietnamese agents said it wasn’t a scam.”

“No, it isn’t. This is exactly what I expected.”

“Well, that’s great. So, let’s get to the point. How do we use it as a weapon?”

“... This isn’t the original Dharmachakra Stambha. If it was, we would never have been able to smuggle it here without intervention from the Mage’s Association or the Spiral Manor. That doesn’t mean it’s useless, of course. It’s still modelled after the original and was likely created during Ashoka's reign to work in conjunction with it. But we can’t expect it to tear reality or anything like that. While it retains the fundamental properties of a texture anchor, it does so on a very limited scale. This was never a weapon—it’s just a pillar.”

“Mmmh, well, I can’t say I’m surprised. So, how do we make it into a weapon?”

“The short answer is... we don’t.”

In an instant, a sword flew toward one of Kamehide’s top bodyguards and decapitated him.

“?!” The old man staggered back in shock, but before he could react, Shisyou launched herself at him, killing him on impact. With cold, calculating eyes, she proceeded to slaughter everyone in the room. Some tried to flee, but none got far against the magus's inhuman speed.

The room filled with flesh and blood. When it was over, the only other person left standing was a trembling Atoko.

“...”



Shisyou stood motionless, her expressionless eyes locked on her friend.

Atoko wasn’t surprised. After all, she had always known her best friend was a serial killer. It was something she had come to accept. Shisyou had already decided that the Kotetsu-ikka was no longer needed; more than that, she had chosen to see them as her enemies.

But it wasn’t too late for Atoko. She could still renounce her allegiance to the clan—surely, that was the reason for Shisyou's stillness. She was waiting for Atoko’s answer. And for a moment, Atoko considered it. She had been given a chance to cast aside her role as the Harada heir, to abandon this loathsome duty and walk alongside the girl she loved.

However...

The new leader of the Kotetsu-ikka rose to her feet, a small knife in hand.

“...”

She couldn’t let go. If she did, she would be forsaking her family. If she did, she would become unworthy of Shisyou, who had spent her life carrying the will and legacy of the Kitaguchi. Someone willing to abandon their duty would only tarnish Shisyou’s purity and beauty by standing beside her.

Ah—she's still beautiful, even with her clothes stained in blood, Atoko thought.

Her resolve solidified, and her grip on the knife tightened. She would fight and avenge her grandfather.

For a brief instant, Atoko thought she saw Shisyou smile.

And then her body was crushed.
Again and again and again, the infernal weapon wielded by the oni girl repeatedly crushed her best friend turning her into an unrecognisable mess.

But Shisyou did not forget a single thing. Every sound, every tear of flesh, every drop of spilled blood—she took it all in, silently and rigorously. This overwhelming torrent of information, enough to drive any human to madness, was absorbed in meticulous detail. Every moment of Atoko's death, down to the smallest detail, was recorded.

It was the greatest, deepest, and most genuine expression of love Shisyou could offer.

.
.
.

All the parasites that had infested the Kitaguchi lands had been eradicated.

The pillar of Ashoka stood upright once more, towering above the field of corpses that Shisyou had created. To call it a "field" would be an exaggeration, even in death, the bodies still served a purpose. They had been arranged in a circle, their blood used to trace an immense pattern adorned with ancient Japanese and Chinese characters.

But it wasn’t only the Kotetsu-ikka members who had been used.

All the other defunct clans had been repurposed into magic circles strategically placed all across Osaka, all connected to a greater ritual engraved into the depth of the land. Those humans who had clad themselves with darkness and unknown powers were now going to be returned to the darkness. Conceptually, Shisyou believed they would act as the best catalysts.

The most significant of these circles, with the Dharmachakra Stambha at its centre, was located at the Kotetsu-ikka headquarters in the northeast of Osaka. Folklore says that evil, or oni, comes from the northeast.

It is also said that hell lies in the north.

With the dead bodies strewn about, this was undoubtedly a kind of hell.



Shisyou opened her palm, letting three-quarters of her oni blood flow from it, a sacrifice to imbue the pillar. The offering of the Kitaguchi's greatest treasure would bear fruit.

"Yellow Ogre, Yellow Ogre..." whispered the white-haired girl.

"Let’s bring you into reality."

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Underworld of Discarded Evils

Osaka Jigoku

Osaka Jigoku is an artificial underworld created in the aftermath of the Osaka War, which disrupted the city's balance of power. It represents the culmination of the Kitaguchi family’s generations of research and way of life, crystallised into a manmade texture layered beneath the existing reality. As its name suggests, it is closely tied to the mythological Jigoku—Buddhist hell as described in Japanese folklore, where it is said that oni dwell. Although the Osaka Jigoku borrows legitimacy from the original concept of Jigoku as "a place where oni resides" (specifically the Yellow Oni in this case), it differs in several fundamental aspects.

This artificial underworld reflects the perception of the city by its inhabitants, merging the mythological underworld with the real-life criminal underworld. It embodies the darkness that has thrived in the city due to the evildoings of the yakuza clans. Separated from Osaka yet inherently a part of it, it is a place where trafficking, prostitution, extortion, murder, and other acts deemed "unfit" yet "part" of human civilization occur. The actions of the Kotetsu-ikka have blended this evil with the supernatural, making it even more bizarre.

In traditional folklore, Jigoku is an afterlife where the unworthy are punished. It is a realm where all that is unwanted in society (and yet, exists) is cast away—a rift in reality that draws in the world's junk data, evil, and unwanted truths and fictions. The texture of Osaka Jigoku is composed of rumors, superstitions, malignant information, and urban legends—things normally too fragile and formless to persist in the real world but fixed by the Dharmachakra Stambha. This effort resulted in the creation of a third-rate imitation of an Age of Gods underworld on a small scale—a "wannabe" underworld rather than the genuine article, yet remarkable nonetheless. It is literally an "other world," a realm of "otherness" where elements of human imagination take form, in a similar way to the oni powers used by the Kitaguchi. These powers are not derived from phantasmal beasts but from human folklore, embodying a type of otherness created and then rejected by humanity.

The legend of the Yellow Ogre reinforces the "supernatural underworld" aspect of Osaka Jigoku, serving an important function. It acts as one of the gateways to this underworld, which, while connected to the city, is not a place for ordinary citizens to venture into. The Yellow Ogre is the monster that dwells in the darkness, and takes the soul of the dead sinners into it. Accidents do happen, especially when delinquents wander the dark alleys of Osaka, but generally, the living find it difficult to access Osaka Jigoku.

However, when someone considered a "scum of society" dies, their soul does not disperse but is drawn into the underworld as an "unneeded" entity. There, it is tormented by countless phantoms and wraiths until it eventually fades away and returns to the Root. This is the true purpose Shisyou sought to achieve by engraving this thaumaturgical foundation into Osaka. Osaka Jigoku is a laboratory where Shisyou, wielding her authority as the

administrator

Yellow Ogre

, experiments on and observes the death of the human soul. By recording and analysing the process that leads the souls to return to the Root, she aims to discover a path to the Swirl of Origin.

This achievement earned her recognition as a magus by the headquarters of the Mage’s Association in London, elevating her to the rank of Cause, followed by the rank of Fes after a more thorough inspection of the texture. Through these accomplishments, Shisyou fulfilled the Kitaguchi family’s long-held aspiration while still following the path of "otherness" they had forged through generations of struggle.

Creator's notes

Originally, the project was a bit more ambitious and I had planned to write a few more scenes and sheets. Mainly, three scenes and two sheets before the epilogue. The first scene would have been a discussion between Marcos, whose gang would have been whipped out by the Koetsu-ikka, and a first generation magus of the Koetsu-ikka directly trained by Shisiyou. He would have basically foreshadowed the eventual downfall of the Koetsu-ikka by Shisiyou’s hands and yapped something along the lines of “btw I’m coming back later to take all the leftover of the war, this is all part of my keikaku”.

The second scene would have been an encounter between Shisiyou and a magus of the Nagamaki-guchi. He would have revealed that their clan’s objective wasn’t the pillar, but Atoko Harada and that they had just successfully separated her from her bodyguard although Shisiyou would have brushed it off as nothing, saying that Atoko wouldn’t lose against Ryuuki Doro. The magus job would have been to keep busy Shisiyou while Ryuuki would kill Atoko, he would have possessed a Philosophy Key related to fire manipulation and which would have allowed him to instantly cauterise his injuries, thus preventing Shisiyou from using his blood to heal or strengthen herself (she would still have won tho).

And finally, the third scene would have been the face off between Atoko and Ryuuki. The sheets of the two characters would have also been included. Ryuuki was going to be a super edgy guy, a man with big anger issues, someone born from evil and who absolutely despises every single thing in this world. And he would especially have some weird obsession with Atoko, someone who, just like him, is a yakuza heir with supernatural abilities. In a way, he was a distortion of what Atoko could have been. Also he would have completely lost it after learning that Atoko, contrary to what he had believed, had not been conceived by forcing a psychic user to conceive a child with an Harada (he was projecting hard fr fr). His ability would have, of course, been something to be used in close range (he can make things he touch rot or smth) and Atoko would have had the perfect counter (no clue what it would have been, didn’t think that far).

Ultimately, I realised I had too much to do this month to add all of those things. But I’m still happy with the final product. Shisiyou having a happy ending is nice, although her definition of “happy ending” is quite cold. Osaka Jigoku might be a bit of a mess though, idk I think I have absolutely no clue on what I’m talking about (what the hell is a malignant information). I knew from the beginning it was going to be this sheet’s conclusion, but I guess I had a hard time putting my ideas into words.

Image sources:
First Kureha Yuna fanart by Wuubaiwan
Kureha Yuna with Kirari Hikaru fanart by Wuubaiwan
Second Kureha Yuna fanart by c15wakashamo
Akagi Shigeru fanart by wataroux
Kirihara Taizou from official Code Geass art
Amuro Tooru fanart by Sevenaklausv
Bradley Bain fanart by ??? (I could not find the source)
Third Kureha Yuna fanart by Momo Tomato
Fourth Kureha Yuna fanart by Wuubaiwan
Dark alley image by twoKim

[PA270]

Shisyou Kitaguchi: Holy shit, the level of detail you put into this sheet is absolutely incredible! The character is fantastic, the story is compelling, the abilities are fascinating, and the whole thing comes together just perfectly! Stunning work!

[You]

A reminder for everyone who wants to enter:
The contest submission period will last until November 22nd 11:00 PM PST and there will be no extensions.
You have a little under two weeks.

[Serra]

0.

Diana kicked the concrete, which hurt her foot and accomplished nothing. "They should all be shot. They should be gunned down like dogs." She kicked the wall again with the other foot. "Ghk." She turned to face a man with messy reddish hair and the most garish pinstripe suit known to mankind, who was currently holding a mostly-burnt cigarette in one hand. In the other, a sword, of all things; a sword whose pommel had recently been applied directly to Diana's forehead.

"I was in the middle of the street, in the middle of the damn street, everyone was out there, busiest I've seen this shithole in months, you just knocked me out cold in front of their eyes and took me here, how the fuck could they all just stand there!?"

"Presence Concealment." The man finished his cigarette. "Servant Assassin of this Holy Grail War. Nice to meet you, miss." He littered and lit another cig. "It's only been four seconds or something. Chill. This won't take all day." Assassin fished something out of one of his pockets and tossed it on the ground.

The object was a transparent ziplock bag, holding an ancient, yet carefully preserved, lock of hair. Diana didn't bother getting a good look at it and just repeatedly stomped it over and over. Soon, she almost slipped over it, grunted while regaining her balance, then ceased her aggression towards it. Instead, she glared hatefully towards Assassin once more. "I'm not even in this War, you idiot piece of shit!"

"Yeah, 'bout that. We've filled out six slots already…"

"Six!?" That didn't make a lick of sense. This wasn't Fuyuki or Trifas. The Greater Grail certainly wasn't anywhere around Treve, though of course the Servants didn't need to know that.

"So, look, just summon the seventh, miss. Don't want the cup? Just give up right after! Head down at the church to lay low for a couple days, no unknown magi snag the seventh slot, everyone's happy." Assassin smiled and took a longer drag of his cigarette. "And if you do want to gamble on the cup… It'll be my bet against yours, miss."

He was met with a stare that seethed with hatred. "Oh, I'll do more than gamble. I would've stayed out of this shit, I would've, but you made the mistake of bringing me in it, so I'm killing every single one of you. I'm making shish-kebab of your guts, I'm making fricassee of your brains, I'm going to fucking eat you alive for this, you fucking bastard."

Assassin just grinned. "No sandwich with cinta meat?"

■

DIANA ACHESIO

Nationality:	Italian
Age:	21
Affiliation:	Achesio family (nominally independent but subject to Clock Tower policy)
Clock Tower Rank:	N/A
Magecraft:	One toxic hand, one alchemical recipe, unsteady reinforcement basics
Sorcery Trait:	Dose
Day of Decisive Battle:	Down in the dark, raging and screaming at the unveiled mockery
Element:	Fire
Circuit Quality:	E+
Circuit Quantity:	E
Circuit Composition:	Standard
Crest:	None
Servant:	Rider

________________________

Abilities and Equipment

Diana's lack of magecraft lessons in her early years and overall abysmal circuits have prevented her from developing much as a proper magus. Also, as far as combat situations go, all of her options involve close combat, for which she's not at all trained.

Corpo Venefico: Mano Verde

A condition typical of the Achesio, though Diana only features it in a very partial state. Like her ancestors, she carries out repeated routines and experiments that involve the consumption of venom, its application to one's body, and its injection into one's veins. Most of those without any blood from the family couldn’t withstand the toxin consumption necessary to make this condition emerge even partially in the first place.

When not concealed by his illusions, the head of the family, Melchiore Achesio, is clearly a vivid green from head to toe, in hair, skin and flesh, all the way down to his organs, green blood, and green bones. Diana, in contrast, so far only has a single green hand, and the poison she can secrete from it is more of a stinging agent, incapable of even killing a human through touch on its own. She disguises her hand with a glamour on occasion, but because a lack of focus can make someone like her momentarily drop even such a simple illusion, she often just wears gloves or similarly improvises with mundane means of concealment.

Spada

A nameless and noticeably light sword projected by Rider's Noble Phantasm. Though Diana asked Rider for a sword and got one from him, she has absolutely no idea how to properly fight with a sword.

Rather than relying on a user's magic circuits, Rider's armour itself incorporates imitation magic circuits whose usage has been predefined. With a one-line chant, the 'main' armour can be used to project particularly heat-resistant weaponry or armour, such as this sword. Projections created through the main armour are not considered copies of an original, but 'children' of the main armour. Their power is based not on the history of any original or on their internal structure, but on the mystery of the main armour. They are as durable as the main armour is at its toughest.

Pozioni di Guarigione

Diana habitually carries around potions in small metal flasks covered in leather. These are just about the only alchemical compound she's able to create through magecraft. They are able to hasten the healing of a human or other animal, helping close small wounds and repair other ailments rapidly. Their functioning is based on sympathetic alchemy: that is to say, to heal a human or other animal, they need to be crafted with ingredients that resemble the life of an animal. The specific ingredient list doesn't matter as much as the attempt to recreate that. Some possible components include raw eggs, bile, milk, blood, or carcasses of small vermin (particularly the brain and guts). Alcohol is always mixed in as a basis, as the history of the Achesio is intertwined with its usage as a component for spells, and they've been using it for medical purposes for over six centuries. Regardless of the components, after a spell is cast on the blend to further transform it, to the five senses it ends up feeling like a mixture of pure alcohol and strong, bitter bile.

Even for what concerns this one alchemical compound she's able to craft, Diana doesn't reach the minimum level a member of her family should usually be able to achieve. Specifically, she needs to cast a spell to set these potions up when she mixes them and to cast a different spell when she drinks them so they actually take effect instead of just making her puke, whereas normally an Achesio just needs to cast only one spell as they stir the mixture to obtain something consumable by almost anyone to identical effects. Needless to say, the variety of alchemical compounds they're able to craft is also generally far wider than what Diana can muster.

Reinforcement

Half-improvised reinforcement. Since it's considered nigh-useless by many families, the Achesio included, after learning its basics, Diana was made to move on to other things and hasn't practised it in forever. As such, there's a risk of her making dangerous mistakes even with basic magecraft of this kind. Diana's got no need to reinforce her sword, but, when cornered, she's willing to use reinforcement on herself to keep up with otherwise better opponents. Though, she'd much rather be punching down in the first place, if such a thing is even possible for someone like her in a fight against any other magus.

________________________

Introduction

Though always remote, far removed from the main centres of the world of magecraft, the diminutive town of Treve was once home to three mage families. Only one remains, and only two of its members still live.

Decades ago, when the conflict between the three families ignited, Melchiore Achesio brutally emerged as the victor, forcing one of the rival families into exile and exterminating the other entirely. Currently, he's recognised as the Second Owner of the Treve area.

Diana is Melchiore's granddaughter. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father threw himself into fruitless magecraft research with a passion completely unlike what he'd shown for it before then. He never paid much attention to the daughter his wife had left him, as a magus or as a parent. Often, he looked at her as little more than a reminder of his grief. More rarely, he simply felt too ashamed of himself for his previous neglect of her to start to act caring so late.

Eventually, Diana and Melchiore had a chance meeting she no longer remembers, though she figures she must've overtly insulted him back then. Regardless of the details, Melchiore immediately determined that the child’s knowledge of magecraft fundamentals was next to none, that she had the misfortune to be born with abysmal magic circuits, and that her overall attitude was woefully inadequate not just from the point of view of a magus but from that of any person fit for human society.

Melchiore had his son killed with his son's own concoctions, claimed the family crest once again, and took Diana as his new apprentice. Diana never gave him the results he demanded from her, and always came short of his harsh standards. Her response to the rituals and routines of the Achesio were disappointingly suboptimal. Her grasp on the theories and on the practice was slow and haphazard. Most damnably, from birth, her circuits were simply too weak and too few, incapable of providing anything of worth. She failed Melchiore's standards again and again, as a magus; but she also failed them also as a human.

The fact that Melchiore expected her to be respected and seen as competent even by those who weren't magi, in the interest of upholding the glory of their family name, only turned Diana from a chronically bullied kid into a kid with enough confidence to bully others if they seemed weaker. Fundamentally, this still hasn't changed. In time, she was made to graduate out of the school system on schedule despite her grades not fitting at all, or, as she'd put it, she got out with a kick in the ass because her grandfather's filthy rich.

Diana's been drifting aimlessly. Or, rather, that's not the right word, as it implies a degree of freedom and detachment from the Achesio name and from the town of Treve that in the present she simply cannot have. She's just sort of stubbornly continued to exist, seeing prospects for herself neither in the world of ordinary humans nor in that of magi.

Recently, Melchiore, seeing that his new apprentice still felt hopelessly flawed, and unworthy of assuming his position as Second Owner, spread word of a contest he personally organised to determine his successor to the title. Of course, that’s not at all the official procedure with which a Second Owner is designated, but most of the world of magecraft still didn’t care about Treve at all.

Diana was brought up with the knowledge that she was on the wrong path from the very start, that she needed to become something radically different from a human to survive, that her father was killed for being a failure, and that she's one bad day away from being killed by the exact same person for the very same reason. For years and years, this has been piling on more and more stress on her.

She wouldn't give up on her survival in the face of anything.

________________________

I.

"Erhitz."

The hiss of a seething fire, of a sword being drawn. The screech of two blades clashing against one another. With an incantation, Rider had called forth a sword that he normally wouldn't have wielded, projecting it and moving it before his own summoning had even been fully completed. And his blade had stopped Assassin's before it could reach his Master.

Assassin had a cheerful laugh about it. Didn't seem too bothered. "Eager, much?"

Diana blinked. There was a delay between the sound of swords clashing and her realising she'd almost died. A knight in shining armour just saved her, like some kind of trite fairy-tale. Eh. Looked hot enough. Her main priority was still the same, though: watching the bastards who kidnapped her die painfully, and, if at all possible, personally getting in on the shanking.

Assassin's blade slithered back and darted forth again, this time against Rider himself, who parried. "Oh, don't worry," Assassin continued, as their swords continued to meet over and over, "I was just about to bonk her over the head with the flat of it, to take her to the church. I'm a man of my word, when Love and money aren't in the way. Wouldn't just lie about the wonderful opportunities we're offering."

The armour-clad Rider kept his unamused gaze focused on his foe's movements, already planning a counteroffensive. "I saw a threat towards my Master, and I stopped it. That's all."

"Rider," Diana shouted, "toss me a fucking sword!"

Rider noted the surprisingly crude wording, but, ever courteous, made no remark on it. "As you wish. Erhitz." The sound from earlier repeated itself. Rider's formerly free hand now also held another sword. However, this time he wasn't holding it by the handle, but by the lowest part of the blade itself. He tossed it pommel first, and put no more power in his throw than necessary, trusting in his Master's ability to catch the weapon she'd requested.

It fell to the ground with an awful clang. Diana scrambled towards the sword and took it. Still warm to the touch, like fresh bread, and surprisingly light. "Hell yeah!" She swung at thin air with one hand. "Now we're talking!"

Her eyes darted towards Assassin. She grasped her sword with both hands and disorderly ran towards him. Suddenly, something hit her ankles and she lost her balance, almost impaling herself on her own weapon as she fell to the ground. Did that motherfucker just trip her!?

"Whoa, hey. You really oughta watch where you're going with that thing. Listen, miss. Me and Rider here, we're gonna do this Servant to Servant, knight to knight, ginger to ginger. You want to blow off some steam, my Master's on the first floor. I'll let you through if you wanna pay a lil' visit."

"We should be careful," Rider suggested.

Diana gripped the sword tighter in one hand, lifted her face off the ground, adjusted her glasses, and spat towards Assassin. It missed. "No shit! That's obviously a trap!"

"Alright, you got me, you got me." Assassin let go of his weapon, put his hands up, ducked, grabbed his weapon out of the air, struck towards Rider, still couldn't break through his guard, continued to talk. "Well, figured we couldn't get you up there the easy way, but hey, worth a shot."

Assassin grabbed Diana by a wrist. He dashed through a multitude of blurry rooms.

"Have a nice trip, miss."

And he tossed her up the stairs.

...

It's no easy task to activate one's circuits and recall the basics of reinforcement magic after years while in mid-air, but Diana did a good enough job of it to not get completely splattered by the force of the throw. By a gigantic stroke of luck, she even somehow managed to keep her sword in one hand and her glasses on untouched.

Still, blood pooled beneath. She got back up.

A man was standing by the window, next to some pieces of scrap metal. She immediately recognised him. What was his fucking name? She'd had to see him every day for, like, years now. The bodyguard guy. Supposed to be guarding Melchiore. From who knows what, no magi from the outside gave a shit about Treve anyway. He greeted her. "Good morning, Diana."

"Mirko, you fucking asshole!" She charged towards him, maintaining some reinforcement through her body. He moved his right arm into something like a backhand, so she swerved and bit into his wrist. Her teeth didn't even tear through the clothing, whatever material it was actually made of was too thick for her bite to get through even with the aid of her magecraft. She couldn't move him either, of course, so she just released his wrist and tried to thrust her sword at him again, but the angle was awkward, the momentum was lost, the sword found nothing.

Mirko punched her in the head. Ringing. Ringing. Bleeding. By some miracle, Diana kept her consciousness. She flailed and grabbed his face with her green hand, trying to set up a sword swing. He lightly grimaced due to the stinging agent for a moment, then punched again. The pain made her let go.

From an observer's perspective, fights between an untrained person and an extremely skilled fighter have often been compared to fights between a toddler and an adult. This, though, was more like watching a grown man beat a feral kitten to death with his bare hands.

Mirko kicked her square in the chest. Her sword and glasses flew who knows where, her breath rattled away from her lungs as she was flung, and her spine hit the concrete wall with a loud thud. Her hands shakily pushed against the floor to lift herself back on her feet. Mirko had already been moving almost too fast for her to keep up with. Now he was a blur even when standing still. She hadn't reinforced her eyesight. She didn't even remember how to do that, or if she'd ever done it before. One wrong step and her eyeballs might just pop.

This wasn't even a proper magus. Just some spellcaster. And brawling wasn't even what he was good at.

Fuck it.

The image of Diana's Command Spells flashed in her mind. They were so fresh that she hadn't even had the chance to see them for herself yet. And yet, the picture was crystal clear. Above her navel, the first spell was released.

"RIDER! GET OVER HERE!"

Creator's NotesCreator's Notes

I asked some people if I should make a magus whose only real combat option was close combat but who also sucked at close combat and they all loved the idea so here she is lol. She sucks at a lot of things, to be honest, though, really, there are a bunch of Type-Moon characters in way more difficult positions. I was afraid her magecraft alone wouldn't be very interesting to go through, because she's supposed to be pretty bad at it in general and to have relatively little variety in what she can do, but luckily adding Rider in gave me a way to add to her abilities and equipment section. Oh, yeah, you can click on the fc image to get to the fc image source. I had another idea for this contest that was actually ultra-competent at close combat and completely unrelated to the Achesio or their stories but it was based on, like, a few offhand lines from Witch on the Holy Night, and I couldn't really figure out a satisfying enough backstory for him and the fight scene I had thought up for him. If it's not clear enough, Mirko wasn't an option, either: his main specialty actually isn't close combat, but something else.

[PA270]

Diana Achesio: Very nice work! Simple and to the point, just like Diana herself! Great job!

[Serra]

Glad you liked it! Yeah, with this character I couldn't go all in on magecraft complexity lol

[MuramasaMachII]

It's done....

Rome, AD 408 - 409

All civilizations crumble. It is a fact that even the greatest of cities will eventually return to the rubble they were built from. And yet. It was supposed to be the Eternal City—it was a dream that had been built upon for hundreds, no, thousands of years!

So, when the King of Goths, Alaric—a barbarian who had received Roman training and had been a nuisance for numerous years—gathered foederati and marched to siege down the Eternal City itself, the people despaired, crying out to the Christian God. Alaric had made an offer of peace many times before, but yet Honorius, the incompetent Western Emperor refused. Maybe it was because he had been manipulated by barbarians, or maybe it was confidence that he would win against both the King of the Goths and the British usurper, Constantine.

The grim King of the Goths had known there was only one decision: conquer. Now that his former comrade and enemy Flavius Stilicho had died, the greatest prize of all lay before him: The Capital of the World, the birthplace of one of the greatest empires of all time: Rome. He trampled through the alps, his enemy razing each and every city like a storm, like a Wild Hunt.

The first siege happened in 408, the Tiber river–the life-source of Rome–being blocked off. The Emperor, safe in the capital of Ravenna, didn’t even think of helping the city. And so, the people starved. A famine mixed with plague struck the region, amplified by the packed slums throughout Rome. While the rich could be cremated, a mass pyre risked even more destruction; and so, their corpses too piled up into mountains within the city. The famine was so potent that for nutritions, the truly desperate would eat some of the corpses from the piles just so they could barely survive one more day.

Only after corpses were eaten was a delegation finally sent to Alaric. The grim and ruthless king’s sole answer was that he’d stop the siege if everything–silver, gold, slaves, and goods–were given him. And what would that leave the people with? Simple:

Vae Victis

Their lives.

Rome was sieged once more the next year, and famine hit once more. The people resorted to cannibalism faster than before, and yet the mounds of putrid corpses grew larger and larger. Solely one truth rang resonant, that of the ending of Rome’s dream: Woe to the vanquished.

---

███ , Italy, 201█

The bright red haired Freelancer trudged through the uneven, moist ground of Northern Italy, her lungs out of breath and her limbs weary. She had been walking for at least two days at this point into the more rural parts, starting from Ravenna. According to the person who acquired her services, an abandoned vault belonging to the Holy Church dating back to the end of the Roman Empire was somewhere around here. At least, that’s what it said on a fragment of a map her contractor picked up.

The woman groaned. She was only thankful that her client–a high ranking member of the Clock Tower’s Archeology department–paid very, very well. It would make all of this journey, the sweat, and especially all of this mud worth it. The journey itself had been rather difficult, both because of the terrain, and because of some rather suspicious people who were following her in Ravenna: dark and rugged people whose only glint of colour were cross necklaces. About six hours ago, she had noticed that those same figures were still following her.

Tsk! They were following me the whole time! This proves it then, these assholes are from the Church. They must have been using those 'Sacraments' or whatever they’re called. Wait, why would members of the Church even be going after me?! There's supposed to be a treaty between the Church and the Mages' Association, isn't there? Alright- calm down. There has to be some reason why they're going after me of all people; I'm just an excuse of a Spellcaster, after all. The only thing I'm really good at is... Oh. Finding things. So, it has to deal with 'there' then... damnit! Looks like I'll just have to somehow outrun them.

She had escaped them in the luckiest way possible: finding an old crumbled path that from a glimpse, just looked like another pile of rocks between two hills. Sometimes, she was really thankful that her natural talent was searching. It really did come in handy.

Now though, the vault was near, she knew it! After all, each of the carmine hairs on the back of the Lodestone’s hair—'Lodestone' being her alias, of course—a sign that something was nearby; a precious or a dangerous something. She was so caught up in being excited that...

"Heiland Sack! I didn't come here from Switzerland just to stub my toe on...the corner of some ruined lump? Oh wait, no. It can’t be. I didn’t just stub my toe on the vault I was supposed to break into, right??"

And yet upon closer observation, the 'lump' was in fact an old door, covered with rubble and moss. Brushing away the most notable pieces of rubble, parts came into view: a worn pillar on each side, a cracked shape that used to be the sculpture of someone’s face, and text which swirled around the whole door, spiralling inwards. Peering closer and reading the text itself, it seemed like complete gibberish:

ΚΕΙΜΡΔΡ ῾ΡΠΡΔΥΒ ΝΚΔΕΔΝ ΜΝΞ ΒΝΚΡΚΡΔΝ ῾ΕΔΝΤ ΜΡΙΞΣΞ ΝΔ ᾽ΟΕΠΡΝΔ ᾽ΕΞΙΡ

And it was in Greek at that, not Latin. Except, Greek was used in the Roman Empire, particularly by Christians. But transliterating it into the Latin alphabet still made no sense.

Unless… ah yes. Lodestone’s old enemy had struck once again: Cryptography. But which cipher would have been used by Romans? That was obvious, honestly. But, finding the shift used though…ugh, that would just have to be brute forcing it.

And the Freelancer really, really did not want to be stuck there for multiple hours. So instead, she did the only other feasible choice: making the door open. All she needed to do was visualize the mechanism, and then push a bit of Magical Energy into it—There. It should have opened gracefully, but no. The door threw itself open, as the ground beneath simultaneously shook.

The whole area threatened to cave into a pit, the ancient door crumbling as its foundations were torn asunder. Manifesting as words wrapping around the area like tongues of fire was the verse that Lodestone had failed to get, the password: Iacobi IV - VII.

"Damnit, I should have known! 'Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.' James 4:7, exactly the type of Bible verse the Church would use. I still have time to get in though, right??"

And at the last second, the woman's thoughts seemed to stop as her body moved of its own accord, throwing her through the door just as it crumbled inwards.

---

Rome, AD 410


The disastrous sieges of 408 and 409 though, were only the beginning; they were harbingers of much greater destruction, a nail in the coffin that was the dying empire known as Rome.

The turmoil had been growing and growing to the point where the once Eternal City now morbidly resembled one of its own punishments: poena cullei. Parents killed children to spare their tears, temples were defaced as anarchy struck, and the emperor seemed more and more useless. Eventually, a mere servant, someone otherwise forgotten in history, did what many had thought. Thus in the dead of night, this fateful servant performed the coup de grâce and opened the Salarian Gates, Rome's final threshold. The day of wrath had come, and a singular phrase rung throughout Rome, throughout the Empire:

Barbari ad portam!

Like a flood tearing through a valley, or more accurately, a wave of destruction, it happened. Famine driven, wrath filled Goths poured through the Salarian Gates, embers in their eyes as if they were demons sent straight from Hell.

And Hell it was. Hunger as well as the possibility of conquering an empire had driven the Goths mad and frothing to the point where alongside their dire King, they swept and pillaged all. The Quirinal hill, dedicated to the Nation builder himself was burnt alongside the magnificent gardens of Sallust as the sack continued.

In the Baths of Diocletian, one of the few places where people could still relax, the barbarians slaughtered citizens as they bathed, taking their positions and turning the baths sanguine red.

And then, history itself was desecrated. Bejewelled offerings and priceless jewellery were ripped off the necks of the gods' statues, and then the barbarians entered the hallowed mausoleums of Augustus and Hadrian, where numerous emperors had their final resting place. They took the urns and scattered the ashes, stomping them as if to add insult to injury. The sheer glory gained from this fuelled the attackers' battle-lust, and they desecrated and pillaged each and every single hallowed building, every street, every nook and cranny. Houses were torn into with possessions stolen, and those who died were the fortunate; slavery and rape were far too common. Terrified citizens tried to fight back using shards of glass, only to be dragged away by their necks.

On the Caelian Hill, the maddened warriors broke into the Lateran Palace, the home of popes, and stole sacred artifacts taken directly from Holy Jerusalem itself. At this point, the destruction defied even Alaric's orders, who told his men to have restraints when dealing with the people; after all, the psychological blow of felling the City itself mattered more.

In Rome, the only senses were those of terror and carnage: the smell of blood and burning flesh, screams echoing throughout the walls, the taste of ash upon a tongue, the sight of death that could never escape one's mind, and of course wounds, wounds, and more wounds. Whether physical, sexual, or psychological, there was only carnage.

There were, though, places of sanctuary, the basilicas of St. Paul and Peter. Any who believed in the tiniest figment of survival fled faster than they could ever imagine.

All of them except one specific man, the last priest of the Temple of Mars Ultor: Lucius Gericus Maximus. One of the last members of the Gericii—mages once known for their strength in Spiritual Evocation—the aged priest had saved himself using Thaumaturgy to hide himself within the earth itself. And there, he watched as chaos unfolded. He cursed not only the barbarians and the incompetent Emperor Honorius, but the Roman Empire itself. After all, that damnable Theodosius had ruined Rome's identity and glory by changing the state religion to Christianity, Nicene Christianity at that! Rome was no longer what it was supposed to be.

A day after the pillaging had begun, Lucius started his plan: a Ritual using the souls and grudges of those who were, and continued to be slaughtered. During the period, every time someone died with anything resembling 「resentment」in their hearts, their Wraiths—alongside those who had already perished—would be absorbed into the receptacle, the statue of Mars Ultor—Mars the Avenger.

The Gericii specialized in

Curse Tablets

katadesmoí

, Mystic Codes whose purpose was to「beseech power.」Gods, even their statues, can be considered a form of power, particularly when there is a massive amount of

Spirits

prayers.

For two days the ritual continued, and the simple lead tablet within the statue contorted, noxious fluid like stale blood pouring out of the etched words as something entirely new was forged—no, born.

---

Rubble fell at every possible angle as the crimson haired woman only escaped by a thread, somehow weaving about as if she was being dragged towards her destination.

For some strange reason, unfamiliar memories—memories of the environment —flowed into her mind the closer she got to the destination. It was as if the vault was trying to tell the story of the item sealed away within it.

A symbol of legacy, the proof of a dream that once existed. Calamity incarnated as a Mystic Code, a relic beyond a relic, one with sentience.

It was born to strike down the ones who doomed the Empire, but its reason for living–its meaning–was never fulfilled. The Dark Barbarian, scourge of civilization, had perished from disease; the mere bite of an insect, crushing the great King of Goths.

Still, the Mystic Code’s purpose was to strike out against anyone who wasn’t Roman, and so, it followed its purpose. It had to follow its purpose, forcefully binding itself to the old man who created it. His flesh twisted and turned, bones contorting as he was shaped into something more than human: the perfect legionary, symbol of Rome’s wrath. At first the power was glorious as if it was gifted by the gods, but there is always one truth that rings throughout history: vengeance is a fire that hungers the more it eats, until it eventually eats itself.

To prove its existence, its worth, the Remnant Legionnary struck against the Empire it loved, marching through the various cities and razing them to the ground, defying both western Emperors: Honorius, the legitimate emperor, and Constantine III, a usurper. Each soul that was slain resenting merged with the Mystic Code, further empowering it. And yet, the old man eventually collapsed; he could not stand the sheer might of his own creation and his last breath too was 「resentment.」Resentment which fuelled it, made it devour old Lucius' flesh to give its existence more power.

She could only think of one question as her destination came into view: Why did the Church seal away this relic? Was it too strong to exorcise somehow??

And then, the narrow passageway opened up into a small stone chamber, decorated with pillars and various Christian engravings reminiscent of the late Roman period. There, in the middle was an inconspicuous slab of stone, on its surface a simple bandaged package. Upon closer investigation, it wasn't even anything much, just something resembling a spear with its blade wrapped tightly with cloth. The red-haired Freelancer was just about to approach when she heard the roof above shatter, sunlight pouring into the dark chamber as a grim-faced man fell through, landing on his feet.

"Halt! You don't know what you're about to release!" The tone of his voice, his black simple garb and cross pendant made it clear who he was: one of the Church members who had been following her.

"Here's the thing: I don't really care, I'm just in for the money and the adventure. So by all means, try to stop me already!”

Her hand inched towards the slab, her fingers almost brushing over the bandages when-

A shockwave of air suddenly pushed her back. The man’s once bare hands now were covered with thick metal gauntlets with spikes upon the knuckles—Ash Locks. He immediately stepped forwards with all his force, using the momentum to throw a haymaker that was caught by Lodestone’s upwards kick, made in the nick of time. She spun him around using her well-muscled legs, and then flipped him into the ground, pinning him. All was going to plan until she noticed that her flesh was sizzling and burning where the gauntlets touched, but it wasn’t fire or acid; no, it was as if the constructs rejected her very existence.

"The Hell is this, huh?!" The strange burns had continued to spread across her body and in the areas where they concentrated, flesh began to become salt.

"Lot’s wife turned to a pillar of salt for disobeying God and looking back, now you too shall be punished for the taboo for opening this vault."

"Punishment from God? Hah, now this, this is fun!"

Though her confusion was enough for the dark-garbed man to escape her grip and move back half a metre, the Freelancer leaped forwards recklessly. She grappled her foe with one arm, continuously punching him with the other hand as she ignored the spreading burns. Limbs clashed with each other, the fight becoming more and more intense until it was simply far too much.

Lodestone slipped, falling to her knees. And yet, she knew that her life was not meant to be finished yet: she had not found what she was destined to seek yet. Subconsciously, her arm moved weakly and touched the bandaged spear where the wrappings were slightly looser. Immediately a spike of pain sent up through her right arm as strange fibres pierced through her fingers and ran up her nerves. Then, it spoke to her.

It had been destined to destroy its enemies; to overturn the Human Order so Rome could truly rise once more, its aquiline wings unfolding. The first host—Lucius—had died from sheer bodily stress, his creation being picked up by a power-hungry centurion. That host had lasted for quite a while, and was compatible enough that they almost landed a strike on Theodoric the Great himself—almost. Host after host fell, and each time it got angrier.

For a time it had served with Flavius Aetius, and he, he was worthy, truly the Last of the Romans—until yet another useless emperor killed him! After that, its wrath was truly unbridled in a frenzy against even the ones it perceived as worthy; at this point, to live was to destroy Rome, something that could not stand! The destruction was great enough that a group of Executors was necessary to bind it, to hide it away in this

cage

vault.

Within all of the voices, all of the woes of the vanquished, one chant resounded throughout Lodestone's mind:
"For you shall be my legacy; my wrath against those who desecrated the greatest dream; my vengeance—

my Ultio."

A maniacal smile spread across the Freelancer's face as she felt the greatest amount of pain in her life: a parasitic Magic Crest being scratched into her flesh and contorting her body. Her body bulged in a disproportionate manner, before her own bones pierced outwards, wrapped with muscle and those same fibres. Her foe, supposedly used to Mystery, gazed in shock with his eyes in terror as the mercenary's body twisted and ripped itself asunder. The strange mass of flesh and bone that was once human now reassembled into the macabre image of a Roman legionary.

The now terrified priest moved as swiftly as he could to a possible blindspot before punching with all of the energy in his gauntlets, a blow that would surely be lethal—that was immediately stabbed by the calamity. Its arm had ripped forth from the socket, dislocating to split through the gauntlet and the priest's arm. Once again, he barely recovered, this time by using his garb as improvised bandages.

The legionary, the calamity incarnate, moved faster than any human should towards him, its movements uneven as if multiple souls were trying to take control of one body. The twirling strikes of the spear were unpredictable and entirely irrational, and often the priest could only evade by a thread. His responding attacks, though, each seemed more and more useless as if his life force was slowly draining. And just as he thought he had an advantage, spears made out of metal emerged at random angles from the creature, impaling him.

Yes, truly, all was lost. The priest fell to his knees, begging for his life, fulfilling the curse's final requisite. Two words; the same that echoed in the sieges of Rome, hit him right as his heart burst open, dealing a fatal blow:

Woe to the vanquished—Vae Victis.

---

Ultio Alias:The Remnant Legionary, Lodestone, Andrea Affiliation: Freelancer Height / Weight: 171 cm / 67 kg Talents:Being stupidly lucky, random trivia, escaping Weaknesses:Staying calm, negotiations, drinking games Origin: Cerca Trova Element: Earth Circuit Quantity/Quality: D+++ / C Thaumaturgical Foundation: Curse Tablets Crest Core: A ritualistic lead tablet Crest Description: Symbiotic vein-like fibres stretching into her right hand. Character Theme: Little Dark Age (Latin Cover)

---

Ultio Imperii:

A Mystic Code created after the siege of Rome in 410 with the purpose of avenging the dream known as 'the Roman Empire.' Due to how the ritual that created it worked, the various souls condensed into a new entity, one with sentience. A creature, scared at the world it had been born into, that only knew one thing: in order to be validated, it had to destroy anyone who wasn't Roman enough.

While inactive, Ultio Imperii manifests as a simple spear, save for the fact that its curved blade is made out of muscle and sinew. In this state, it has no specific ability until it finds a vessel. Once it does find a vessel, a parasitic Magic Crest is inflicted onto its new wielder to both serve as proof of contract, and grant its user the Mystic Code's various abilities. This includes not only the combat experiences of all its hosts, but Spiritual Evocation as well to coat its host—and the Mystic Code itself—with Wraiths as a carmine aura.

However, its true purpose can only be enacted once the host is desperate enough: a form called 'the Remnant Legionary.' Consequently, the host's muscular and skeletal structure is effectively turned inside out as the Magic Crest expands and reshapes them into the「perfect Roman.」Every single one of the Wraiths continuously possess Ultio, causing an utter frenzy where her body moves in an inhuman manner from the Wraiths using her as a... meat puppet essentially. Every single centimetre of flesh and bone can be manipulated and transformed into weapons, often ones that particular Wraiths used in life.

Worst of all for any adversary, every single one of Ultio's attacks when she's transformed are imbued with a particularly potent Curse: that of vae victis. This inflicts the fate of 「woe to the vanquished」onto its victims, draining their lives and convincing them to surrender, increasing the longer the battle goes on. Once the Curse's victim finally does beg for surrender, the secondary effect activates, destroying their vitals; after all, there is no mercy for the defeated.

Of course, Ultio Imperii does not come without consequences. Not only does its use—especially that of the Remnant Legionary—inflict severe damage on the mind and body of its host, but its Curse applies to the user as well. There's a simple answer why: the Mystic Code was forged by, and consists of those considered vanquished, so woe too must fall upon them. Eventually, this woe, this calamity, will fall on Ultio in some form.

>>Excerpt from Interview with Celene Meluastea Arteyard

(Appearance of Celene Meluastea Arteyard (Department of Archeology); July 201█

Ah yes, 'Lodestone.' I knew her quite well, we had quite the....'professional relationship' as you higher-up gentlemen would say. In fact, I'd like to think we were quite good friends. After all, she challenged me to quite a few of her drinking games, even though it turned out she couldn't hold her liquor quite well! Hahaha, you must excuse me for being so... informal. But yes, I knew her. I was one of the few people she ended up telling her real name to, quite the pretty name as well for such a brash lady. On the note of her brashness, and her desire for adventure... I believe that has to do with her Origin, Cerca Trova. It's It's Italian you know, "seek and ye shall find." No wonder she was, well, so good at finding precious objects. I can't help but think there's something more to it though, and so I had a thought: What if she doesn't actually know what she's seeking? It would explain her brazenness and sense of adventure, trying to seek that place where she is destined to go. Well... that's just a tangent though; one of my many ways of distracting. You're here for the serious information though, aren't you, Lord Karmaglyph? Yes, I was the one who sent her to Italy to obtain that artefact. After all, I was quite interested in something dating back to that period; it isn't often I find a Mystery packed relic from the Roman Empire. To think though, that she's now labelled as gone rogue and could be put up for a Sealing Designation...

---

Day of Decisive Battle.

Finally finding what has been destined to be sought, standing against the world.
One day, Andrea shall reach the place where she is destined to go, even if it will kill her.
On that new dawn, she will see the truth meant for her, one that goes beyond vengeance; the eagle shall become a phoenix.

~Author's Notes~

Firstly, it’s the ‘Don’t Create a Servant Contest’ so I didn’t have to make a mage. So, why not an entry focused on a sentient Mystic Code? This is also probably the longest sheet I've ever made, seeming it's so....narrative heavy. I don't think I'll make a sheet this long for quite a while.
And, about the whole Greek inscription, that's just the Latin version of James IV: VII "SVBDITI IGITUR ESTVTE DEO RESISITE AVTEM DIABOLO ET FVGIET A VOBIS" through a Caesar Cypher with a set shift of... 410. Funny, don't you think, that the key was the very year the Mystic Code was made.

Oh! Right! Before I go, two things. One, thanks to Serra for giving me advice on Italian geography. Aaaand two, here's the sources:

1. The Course of Empire - Desolation and Destruction.

2. Red Mist - Kekel @ Twitter.

3. Red Mist - Zerochan.

4. Red Mist - Danbooru (original post deleted.)

5. Cogito - Poké Waifus y Husbandos.


Now, byeeeee!~

[PA270]

Ultio: Brilliant stuff here! Not only is the "character" itself here fantastically written, but the narrative you crated around them was super compelling! This is an excellently structured entry, and incredibly cool besides! Nice job!

[Random]

el luchador atómico

ERNESTO CASTELLANOS

Alias:	Doctor Light, El Enmascarado De Azul: Átomo	Magecraft:	Newtonianism
Age:	99 (Mar 12)	Origin:	Advancement
Height/Weight:	209cm/150kg	Element:	Fire
Country of origin:	Mexico → United States of America	Circuit Quantity:	E
Affiliation:	California Convention	Circuit Quality:	D
Image colour:	Steel black	Circuit Composition:	Normal
	Day of decisive battle:	A brawl dance like no other!

13/9/1945
The championship went perfectly last night. If only my mama could have seen the huracán rana I pulled at the end, I blew all my practice out the water! Imagine defeating the reigning champion in just two years. I feel a great gratitude toward Mr Tovar. But it does bother me. "Átomo" is a difficult name to swallow now. It reminds me of the bombs. I think it reminds everyone. I can't imagine the innocent lives lost. Some of them cheer, no doubt. I do not. It makes me conflicted. I love my job, without a doubt. I do well at it. But I wonder if there is not more good that I could be doing elsewhere.
24/12/1945
I could not tell you what came over me, to spend Christmas Eve alone in a bar. But by pure chance, I stumbled my way into an alley I had never seen before on my way home, and it was a curious place indeed. I met there a man who seemed surprised to see me. He did not know who I was, and that, I suppose, was a surprise. He looked to be in his fifties, but I suspected that was false. He adjusted his hat and put his cigar down to sniff at me like a dog. I thought it strange, but he told me I had potential. He asked if I wanted to do great things. I had to take up his invitation. He will be showing me many things next year, he promises. I am suspicious, I cannot deny. But I am also excited.	Newtonianism A Thaumaturgical Foundation based on a hybrid of the scientific and the occultic works of Isaac Newton. Although he was an esteemed academic who revolutionised much of physics and mathematics, he is also known for his theology and his mysticism. This makes his theories about the universe prime fodder for modern Magecraft, especially due to the unusual stability of his Foundation. There are a number of concepts within this Foundation that link alchemy, angelology, and so forth into defunct scientific concepts, such as luminiferous ether and absolute spacetime.

11/1/1954

It is, I realise, coming up ten years since I first met Mr Flashgraph. If someone told me I would be studying under a filthy rich Englishman a decade ago, I would have knocked their teeth out. But I cannot deny that these have been the most interesting decade of my life. I sometimes wonder what I could have been if I had remained a luchador, but I do not regret this path. I am learning much, and doing much as well. I meet all kinds of interesting people, even now, who still shock me. I arrived here at Cal Neva yesterday, and let me tell you, Mrs DiMaggio is quite the woman. It's not every day someone manages to beat my ass! I think I might have been somewhat overexcited thanks to that, since when Mr Bond made such remarks about her this evening, I took exception to it. The cocktail soirée devolved into a bar brawl after that. I will have to help them clean up tomorrow, and possibly have some memories erased. Still, I hope breaking my arm was enough recompense that there are no hard feelings with Mr Bond. He's quite fascinating, and although he is equally unpleasant as a man, I would not like to be on bad terms with him. Mrs DiMaggio informed me also of an organisation in California that sounded quite enticing. If I can join them, I may seek citizenship here in this country. Though I should possibly do something about my expired visa before I consider that!

California Convention A Magecraft organisation based on the west coast of the United States of America. Their focus is the production of a publication concerning the relationship between modern Magecraft and current science, although it is not very popular in countries with stronger mystic tradition.

Background

Ernesto Castellanos is a 99 year old man from Mexico. He did not grow up a Magus, but as an ordinary man unaware of the shadowed side of the world. Athletic and charismatic, he found himself in a professional wrestling career during his college years, and rose to take a championship shortly after the end of the Second World War. Despite his success, he felt unsatisfied with his life as a performer. Upon meeting a man named Roaring K. Flashgraph by chance one Christmas Eve, he ended up becoming his apprentice in Magecraft. Despite his ordinary background, he proved quite competent at the underlying theory of Magecraft, and so was trusted with quite a few errands for Flashgraph. On his travels, he hopped through most of Central America, and even to the United States a few times. After losing a friendly spar at a resort against one M. Monroe, and then winning an unfriendly one against a J. Bond, he joined the California Convention following a two year vetting process. Ernesto decided that he wanted to dedicate himself to creating something he could pass onto his children, so that they could contribute to progressing the advancement of the world. Returning to Mexico for work most of the year, he eventually married Flashgraph's daughter, Bias, then they had a daughter of their own. They immigrated back to California shortly after, although their paperwork ended up falling through at some point - never Ernesto's strong suit. Regardless, he began to take a liking to certain elements of American culture[...]

Magecraft

Reinforcive Inertion A very simple Bounded Field that seems to have been inspired by a simple concept - under Magecraft that emulates Newtonian dynamics, an object should move as ideally as possible. In other words, simultaneously Reinforcement and Acceleration. To this end, the Bounded Field is the simplest way to accomplish this goal. Under the concept that all waves require a medium to travel through, the concept of luminiferous ether is rehypothesised - or perhaps "diffracted", if one feels much too clever - and taking particle-wave duality of modern quantum physics, all forces are hypothesised as "waves that cannot travel through a vacuum". Therefore, a barrier can be placed to prevent these forces from crossing, entirely isolating the target in a pseudo-absolute space. Simply put, rather than mere perfect equilibrium, an object becomes still because there are no forces acting on it whatsoever. However, Ernesto does not stop here. In much the same way that the colour of light can be altered by the wavelengths of its medium and its direction can be changed by this means, he can transform all forces that were previously acting on the object into the exact same vector, amplifying its kinetic energy so greatly that it outright circumvents Newton's third law of motion. Even other forms of energy can be converted into kinesis, such as heat and light, and the total lack of friction with even the air means that it can accelerate perfectly with no interference. This spell, although quite impressive in its completeness, does possess one weakness: the Bounded Field cannot be equally still, or else it would fly off into space in an instant due to heliocentrism (alas, his disciples of mysticism mourn, the great Isaac Newton was tragically too scientific). It is roughly akin to a cannon so large and powerful that it must be nailed to the ground, but whose shell will unceremoniously fall to the ground once it leaves the barrel. Therefore, Ernesto works around this in a delightfully simple manner - he uses himself as the anchoring point for the Bounded Field, allowing him to accelerate himself with its power. He enjoys battle, where this Magecraft proves impressive. Although coating his whole body with it would render him blind and deaf, and he would freeze in seconds if he attempted to endure it for long, he can very quickly establish its effects on individual parts of his body at a time, allowing him to throw punches with unfathomable force and speed - in this regard, his colleagues naturally compare him to a particle collider. When asked how he came up with this, he claims that he simply thought very hard about how to make fast things even faster.

Likes: NASCAR,

Ernesto's daughter Lila Castellanos

[...]passed his Magic Crest down to his daughter, who took to it like a fish to water at ten years old, but only once she assented to it. After all, there was no point forcing this onto someone who wouldn't see this wonderous art like he did. Bias was concerned at first, having grown up in a much more traditional condition for a Magus, but they ultimately ended up agreeing that this was the best way - either she would enter with passion, or not at all. They did they best to inspire that passion in her, but Ernesto sometimes wonders how things would have gone if that inspiration had failed. Nonetheless, as he continued to work with the Convention with Bias and their daughter, he noticed that the girl was becoming less and less concerned with the family arts over the years. Asking what had turned her cold on it, he came to learn of a man with an orange orchard a few miles from their workshop - a good-hearted and honest fellow by the name of Homer who hired underpaid migrants, living frugally and without much expansion as he annually cap the profits of his orchard to regularly raise the wages of those workers. Having turned to Magecraft by a twist of conscience in his youth himself, Ernesto couldn't bring himself to be particularly upset by him. The man was inducted into the world of Mystery somewhat, but only toe-deep. After all, Miss Castellanos was a Magus, so it was only right that Homer was initiated also. But Homer, largely uninterested in the secret world, simply took it as a quirk of his fiancée, and Ernesto found he had no choice but to respect that for the same reason that he and his own wife had raised their daughter this way. Mr and Mrs Homer ultimately raised their own son in that same way, but the boy took more after his father than his mother. Ernesto took another apprentice, like Roaring had once taken him: a fresh-faced young gentleman with a conscience and potential. "I hear you're going to your grandson's for Thanksgiving this year?" "Mm? Yes, yes. It's a small place, but we will all fit." "Hey, Ernesto. Riddle me this. You passed down your Crest to Lila, but you didn't get mad when she didn't pass it down to her son?" "Mmph. I cannot say it was perfect. Actually, Bias was quite upset. I wish she had gotten that upset when I lost my eye in the showdown at Vegas! Haha!" "Yes, yes. With the werewolf and the priest. You've told me the story a thousand times. But you. You're not disappointed?" "On the day? Yes, I absolutely was! But now I look at that young man she raised, and I ask you, how can I possibly be disappointed anymore, hm?" "Even though he barely knows what Magecraft is?" "Ah, who cares? He's doing more important things than this!" "Than stabilising the future of Mystery? Like what?" "Ha! You haven't heard? That boy is running for president. They're calling him the Homerun Kid!"

◆

After his opponent made some rather vehement comments about deportation during the final debate, president-elect Homer would go on to punch him in the face on live television.

This incident is widely considered to have secured him his landslide victory of 71 percent.

◆

Author's NoteAuthor's Note
Big thanks to my friend, who shall here be named as ｢W｣, for inspiring me and being my sounding board for this one.
I took too long to commit to an idea this time, so I ended up cutting it real fine, so I wanted to spice it up as much as I could to make up for it. Serve hot.