Reinforcements (Ch:12)

The halls of the Roswaal mansion were quiet, save for the distant rustling of curtains caught in a soft breeze. Subaru wiped dust from the edge of a large painting, squinting up at the ornate frame.

"Another one done," he muttered, stepping back to assess his handiwork.

Just then, the sound of soft footsteps caught his ear. He turned and spotted Kaeya walking down the hallway, hands tucked into his cloak's pockets.

"Yo, Kaeya! You're not training today?"

Kaeya gave a faint smile as he passed. "Not directly."

"Let me guess—you've got those clones doing the heavy lifting again?"

"Yeah."

Before Subaru could continue, another figure stepped into view—Ram, arms crossed and her gaze fixed on Subaru, Spoke up.

"Back to work, Barusu. This corridor isn't going to clean itself."

"Yes ma'am!"

Kaeya gave a small wave, turning on his heel to continue his stroll through the mansion. 

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As Kaeya turned the corner, His mind drifted back… to the morning.

He had headed toward the training grounds as usual. But something tugged at his memory. A dream—one he had seen before.

The image of his younger self standing before his father came back to him. The way his sword had been coated in that strange black aura, how his father's wind spell had disappeared on contact.

It reminded him of the fight in the capital.

Back when he fought with that woman—Elsa.

She hadn't healed. Not like she was supposed to.

Later, while reading through the library, Kaeya learned that—her regeneration wasn't natural. It was fueled by a curse. And yet, when he'd cut her, her body didn't respond. The curse never triggered.

That black aura again.

Without another word, he raised his sword and recalled the sensation from his dream—the quiet, cold presence that wrapped around the blade like a second skin.

The edge of the weapon was consumed by dark energy, 

"Test it," Kaeya ordered, and one of his clones launched a wind spell—El Fura.

The moment it touched the blade's aura, it vanished.

Kaeya watched it disappear like it had never been there.

A second spell followed. Same result.

He gave a short nod, Then he turned to the nearby clones.

"Try to reproduce it."

He paused for a moment,

"If it's possible for you to do the same, I want to see it."

They tried.

But none of their blades reacted. Not even a flicker of dark energy.

Kaeya watched silently, then clicked his tongue once in thought.

So that was it. This wasn't something that could be copied. Not even by a clone carrying his exact mana signature.

It wasn't just energy—it was something tied to him.

He gave a small sigh, then dismissed the aura around his sword.

"Back to drills," he said, 

As the clones returned to training, Kaeya turned to leave the field. This meant only he could train this weird ability himself.

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Elsa leaned against the wall, arms folded. Meili sat nearby on a wooden crate, kicking her legs, clearly bored.

"Nee~ Elsa, how long are we gonna wait here?" Meili asked, pouting slightly.

"Until they show up," Elsa replied.

Footsteps approached. A man stepped into view, his blue hair cut short, a black cloak resting lightly over his shoulders. 

"You two are easier to find than I expected," he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I'm Near."

Elsa's eyes flicked toward him. "From the same client as before?"

He shrugged. "Higher up this time. Details aren't for now—but you'll be briefed when needed."

"And you?" Meili tilted her head. "You're tagging along?" 

It was rare for someone to personally brief them—most of the time, If there was someone, they were simply expected to tag along.

"I'll be aiding you," Near said. "Let's just say… my help should make things easier."

Elsa didn't respond, but her eyes narrowed slightly. Near caught the look and smiled.

"I am a pretty good mage. You won't need to worry about me keeping up. Of course," Near said. "I don't get sent unless things might actually get interesting."

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Subaru dropped onto the grass with a groan. "I'm exhausted!"

Above him, Puck floated upside down, tail lazily swaying."You're quite the hard worker," the spirit mused.

"I'm not done yet. Still gotta prepare dinner and clean the rooms. Just need a little break..."

Puck floated lower, smiling. "It's only your first day, and you're already this motivated."

Subaru glanced sideways, a grin tugging at his lips. "Some important things are at stake here," he murmured, his eyes drifting toward Emilia as she chatted with the surrounding light spirits.

He sat up again. "By the way, what kind of magic does Emilia-tan use?"

"Technically, Lia isn't a magic-user. She's a spirit arts user," Puck explained, circling around Subaru's shoulders.

"So magic-users and spirit arts users are different, huh..."

Puck nodded. "Magic-users cast spells using their own mana. Spirit arts users borrow mana from the atmosphere."

"And the difference is...?"

"It's about whether you use a gate. Mana flows through a gate in your body—you draw it in and release it that way."

"So like a faucet for MP?"

"More or less. You've got one too."

Subaru's face lit up. "Really?! That means I can use magic?"

Puck's tail touched Subaru's forehead. "Want me to check your attribute?"

Subaru clenched his fists in excitement. "Lay it on me, Master! Fire of passion? Cool guy water? Maybe a peaceful breeze of wind? Or solid and dependable earth?"

A soft glow formed on his forehead as Puck concentrated.

After a moment, the glow faded and Puck spoke:"Shadow."

"All rejected?!"

Emilia joined them, smiling. "That's pretty rare, actually."

Subaru's excitement dimmed. "Wait, weren't there only four elements?"

Puck nodded. "There's also shadow and light—less common, but just as real."

Subaru tried to play it cool. "So what can shadow do? Some secret ultra-move, right?"

"Things like obstructing vision, muting sound, slowing movement... more subtle than flashy," Emilia offered.

Subaru deflated. "Only debuffs?"

Puck floated back with a twinkle in his eye. "You could try something simple—like Shamac. Want me to show you?"

"For real?! Let's see it!"

Before Emilia could object, Puck cast the spell.

"Shamac."

Instant darkness. Subaru sat in a silent void, completely cut off. He couldn't even hear his own thoughts. Then—

"Okay, that's enough."

The world returned. Subaru blinked, now in a different part of the garden.

"What'd you think?" Puck asked, floating nearby.

"I-I'm fine..." Subaru muttered.

Kaeya's footsteps approached across the grass. He paused nearby, taking in the sight of Subaru sitting up. He sensed mana being used in the mansion's garden and came to check.

"What was that about?" Kaeya asked. 

"Puck just cast a spell on me—Shamac—to show how shadow magic works," Subaru explained. "He said I've got that attribute."

"Shadow, huh?" Kaeya said.

Subaru stood up, brushing off his pants. "What about you? What's your attribute?"

"All of them," he said. "Anyway… what are you up to now?"

Subaru blinked. "Wait, all of them?"

"Yeah,"

"Man, Don't say something like that, and then just shrug it off like nothing!"

Puck floated between them again. "Well, how about you try casting Shamac yourself now, Subaru? I'll help guide the flow through your gate."

"Let's do it!"

Puck hovered closer. "Just visualize the mana moving through you, then release a small part of it."

Subaru focused. "Okay… focus, focus…"

He closed his eyes, breathing slowly as he tried to follow Puck's instructions. A dark mist started to gather in front of him—Shamac began to take shape.

But then, something shifted. The mana leaking from Subaru's body surged unexpectedly, flaring out of control.

"H-Hey—!"

Before the spell could spiral further, Kaeya dashed forward, stepping into the edge of the spell, his hand reached out and he placed it against Subaru's chest.

A faint pulse—dark energy coiled silently around Kaeya's arm. In an instant, the flow of mana from Subaru's gate was halted, as if cut off at the source.

The spell collapsed.

Subaru fell unconscious.

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Subaru's breathing steadied, though his eyes remained shut.

Emilia was already kneeling beside him, brushing some dirt from his hair with gentle fingers. "Subaru... are you okay?"

Puck floated down. "That could've gone a lot worse."

A few meters away, Kaeya stood still, his hand lowering from the position it had held against Subaru's chest. His fingers twitched once, almost as if reacting to a memory.

The black energy that had wrapped around his arm moments earlier was gone now—absorbed into nothing.

Kaeya stared at his palm.

In that moment, Kaeya instinctively reached for that mysterious power—thinking of shutting down Subaru's spell. And just as he'd thought, it worked.

Puck turned to him, his tone cautious. "What was that, exactly?"

"...Still figuring it out."

Emilia tilted her head, eyes lingering on the dark traces that had faintly shimmered around him. "It looked like shadow magic, but... it wasn't."

He said nothing to that. Afterall, He didn't know much about it either.

Kaeya walked a few steps closer, crouching beside Subaru.

The boy stirred, groaning softly before blinking awake. "Ugh… What happened?"

"You pushed too much mana out," Kaeya said. "Your gate couldn't handle it."

"Did you stop it?" Subaru asked.

Kaeya nodded. "You were about to pass out a lot harder than you did."

Subaru let out a dry chuckle. "Thanks for the save... that spell was not beginner friendly."

"Your mana control is simply too lacking," Kaeya replied, standing up.

Subaru turned to Emilia with a sheepish grin. "Looks like I'm out of commission today…"

"You should rest," she said gently. "That much strain on your body isn't good."

Puck added, "Especially since your gate isn't used to any flow at all. For now, just take it slow."

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