Chapter 14: The Scars of Cyprus
Setting: The Aunt's living room. Himari has retreated to the guest room. Haru and Suo are sitting on the couch, the lingering tension from Himari's emotional explosion still heavy in the air, punctuated only by the faint magical hum from the Salt Circle in the kitchen.
Haru slowly sank onto the couch, the weight of Himari's accusations crushing him. Suo immediately sat beside him, his gaze intense and worried.
"Haru, what happened to her? Could you please tell me? I'm so confused. And who are this Niel and Maria she was talking about?" Suo's voice was low and urgent, the confusion in his dark eyes palpable.
Haru stared at the wall, seeing only memories. He took a long, heavy breath, the sound rasping in the strained silence.
"It all started in Cyprus, Suo," Haru finally whispered, his voice heavy with self-condemnation. "And it all happened to her because we three—Niel, Maria, and I—left her alone. If we hadn't, she never would have had to face so much trouble."
Suo frowned, confusion deepening. "But she said she didn't have any friends and was alone in boarding school. What did we do?"
Haru finally turned to his brother, his eyes bleak.
The Unwanted Child
"Himari was the third daughter, and she was born unique," Haru began, starting at the beginning. "Silver hair, pale skin, and two magics: Wind and Illusion. That unique quality became her curse. Her father didn't want a daughter; he wanted an heir. Himari was utterly unwanted from day one."
Haru detailed the neglect—the constant need for attention, the hyperactivity, and the frequent school complaints that led to her father finally sending her to the Academy in Cyprus when she was eleven. "He only called to send money; he never visited. She was abandoned."
"And the boy, Kiro," Haru added grimly. "Kiro was her first friend, the boy she spent all her time with. He was her only stable connection before she left. She was already losing him when she went to Cyprus."
The Brief Happiness and the Target
"At Cyprus, she was an outcast. But she found us," Haru continued, his voice softening slightly. "We were in the special class for rare magic: Maria had Gravity Magic, Niel had an unstable Teleportation Magic, and I had Wind. She was genuinely happy for the first time in years. Niel was completely gone for her. But her dual magic made her a target."
Haru's face tightened as he approached the dark core of the story. "The kidnapping happened during a field trip. It was the Pact. They weren't primarily after any of us. They were after Himari because she was the only one with two magics that could be easily harvested—Wind and Illusion. She was tortured far more than the others because she could manage their magics, too. She was used as bait and a shield."
The Betrayal
"Niel, in his genius, figured out the escape plan. He knew the kidnappers were going to fully snatch Himari's Illusion Magic on a specific night. It was going to be irreversible," Haru explained. "That night, they took her Illusion Magic. The process was so violent it permanently damaged her vision; she was temporarily blind and hysterical."
"Niel guided her to the window, with Kiro. But when they made the jump, the guards found them instantly. They had a split second to act. The guards were on them. It was escape or be dragged back in together. They chose survival." Haru looked at Suo, forcing the weight of his guilt onto the table. "They had to leave Himari behind. That was the First Betrayal—the moment she was left alone, vulnerable, and failed by the people she trusted."
Suo gasped, the pieces clicking into place. "And the amnesia..."
"The shock to her system was catastrophic," Haru confirmed. "She lost her Illusion Magic forever, her eyes changed permanently to Crimson, and she developed a selective amnesia. She completely forgot Kiro. She erased that happy memory because it was tied to the greatest pain."
The Scars and the Mission
Haru rubbed his temples. "When she was rescued, she couldn't speak for months. She was demoted to the general classes because she was now only a single-magic user. Niel and I, scared and consumed by guilt, kept our distance. We didn't know how to face her, so we avoided her. We graduated and left, avoiding her pain. That was the Second Betrayal—the abandonment she screamed about tonight."
"And her father never came," Suo finished, his voice hushed.
"Never. She faced her graduation completely alone. Now she is at Earthfold for one reason: she thinks if she can get access to the advanced research, she can cure her crimson eyes and erase the physical evidence of the torture. She wants to be normal so she can trust people again."
Haru stood up, his face grim. "She thinks that because we left her, and because Kiro left her, she is destined to be abandoned. We are her biggest fears, Suo. Now, we have to find out who at Earthfold is connected to the Pact and the Binding Seal, and we have to protect her without giving her any reason to think we are controlling or judging her. That is the hardest part."
Suo stared at Haru, his intense dark eyes still reeling from the revelation, before focusing on the present threat. "So then... is the Kiro who left her behind the same person as the Kiro who is now her rival and involved in the Archives blackout?"
Haru nodded slowly, grimly. "I don't know for certain, but I think he is. When I pressed her for details yesterday, she mentioned the book she took from the Archives, the one she nearly fainted over. That book was from the restricted section dealing with specialized Illusion Restoration Magic and Binding Seals. It was a direct line back to her trauma, Suo."
Suo felt a fresh wave of protective anger. "He brought her to the brink of collapse and then acted like a professional rep?"
"He's compartmentalizing, or he simply has amnesia, just like her. But the connection is too strong to be a coincidence," Haru concluded, dismissing the speculation.
Suo immediately moved to the practicalities. "So what are you going to do now? And what should I do?"
Haru sat straight, shedding the mask of the guilty older brother and instantly adopting the hardened demeanor of a military officer. His voice was sharp with authority.
"You don't have to do anything now, Suo. I'm not an impulsive teenager who can't handle this. I'm a Military Officer now, and this is an operation."
Haru leaned forward, fixing Suo with a commanding stare. "Your job is to stay focused on your studies at Arthfold, keep an eye on Himari's emotional stability, and ensure she stays safe on campus. Nothing more. Don't interfere, don't ask questions she can't answer, and certainly don't tell her about the mission. Do you understand?"
"Understood," Suo replied sharply, his training kicking in, accepting his new operational boundaries. "But what about Niel? She mentioned him, too."
A flicker of respect crossed Haru's face. "Niel is coming. He is no longer that helpless boy, either. He is now at a post even higher than mine. He will be arriving the day after tomorrow. He and I will handle this."
Haru's voice dropped, firm and conclusive. "This isn't just about protecting Himari anymore. This is about that cult, that organization—the Pact. They tried to activate a Binding Seal and use a Psychic Leech. They are now actively operating within Arthfold's proximity. This is our mission, Suo. Even if Himari wasn't involved, we would still have to do this."
Suo nodded, acknowledging the operational boundaries Haru had set. He rose from the couch, his intent clear. "I understand my role, but I'm going to talk to Himari before she leaves."
Haru stood up instantly, blocking Suo's path with a stern look. "You don't need to go. I'm going," Haru corrected, his voice firm, leaving no room for discussion. "I'm going to check the Binding Seal and then drop her back to the dorm myself. You don't need to worry, okay?"
Haru was already moving toward the guest room, grabbing his jacket from the coat rack. "Mom will be back at any time, so you stay here. I'm going, okay?"
Haru didn't wait for Suo's reply. He quickly walked down the hall and stopped outside the guest room door. He paused, bracing himself, then knocked firmly.
"Himari? It's Haru. I'm coming in."
He opened the door without waiting for a reply. Himari was already dressed in the loose clothes her aunt had provided, sitting on the edge of the bed. She had washed her hair, which now looked pale silver and damp against her dark sweater. Her crimson eyes were fixed on the wall, showing no immediate reaction to his presence. The room was heavy with silence.
"We need to talk," Haru began, his voice surprisingly calm and low.
Himari finally looked at him. "There's nothing to talk about. I meant everything I said. I'm leaving for the dorm."
"I know you did," Haru conceded, stepping closer. "And you have every right to be angry. We failed you, Hima. But right now, we deal with the threat in front of us. I need to check the Binding Seal. It's necessary to ensure the Leech didn't leave any active magical residue."
Himari didn't argue. She knew he was right about the danger. She slowly brushed her silver hair aside, exposing the side of her neck where the complex, dark mark of the Binding Seal was still visible above her collarbone.
Haru knelt beside the bed, his professional focus returning. He pulled a specialized, small magnifying lens from his pocket. He carefully examined the brand.
"It's dormant," he confirmed after a tense moment. "The initial shock and the Salt Circle ritual contained it. But it's still there, Himari. It's a low-level Restraint Sigil now. It won't actively draw power, but it will interfere with your concentration and make accessing your Wind Magic harder if you become stressed."
He looked up at her crimson eyes. "That means we cannot show weakness. You need to be better than everyone else. And I need to drop you off at the dorm."
Himari stood up, her jaw set. "Fine. But you drop me at the gate. I can handle the rest. And Haru," she paused, her crimson eyes locking onto his. "You told Suo not to intervene. You don't intervene with my friends. DJ, Shouta, and even Kiro—you leave them out of your 'mission.' They helped me. You all didn't."
Haru met her gaze, a profound regret showing in his eyes. "I understand. But I cannot make any promises that would compromise your safety or the mission against the Pact. I will use the utmost discretion, but my priority is protecting you."
He offered a slight, painful smile. "Ready to go back to Arthfold, then?"
Himari didn't return the smile. She simply nodded once and walked past him, heading toward the living room where Suo was waiting.
Himari's Inner Monologue: What a headache of a day I got. I am going to just sleep, then think about all this after I wake up. I can't even stand to think right now, and this stupid fever won't let me walk.
Himari tried to project a sense of control, rubbing her temple and forcing herself to appear presentable despite the inner turmoil. Her thought process was abruptly broken by Suo's voice. He was standing at the last step of the staircase, his face etched with concern.
"Yes, Suo? Are you saying something?" she asked, making an effort to sound present.
"I was saying, why not stay here?" Suo pleaded softly.
Himari shook her head with a weary sigh. "Nah. As you can see yourself, I can't stay anywhere except that dorm. It's protected, and you don't need to worry, okay?" She slightly tapped his shoulder in a consoling gesture, her hand surprisingly warm with residual fever. "Okay, then. See you at the Academy tomorrow. Bye."
She walked past Suo and toward the porch, where Haru was waiting. She silently sat down in the passenger seat.
Haru didn't start the car immediately. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, metallic charm on a leather string.
"You have to wear this, okay?" Haru said, handing her the charm. "It's a low-level anti-scrying amulet. It will scramble any passive magical tracking."
He then held out his personal, specialized field phone—a bulky, non-standard device. "This is my phone. Keep it with you. I have already put your normal phone on tap for location tracking, but if they are trying to tap you actively, we need precautions. If you feel even slightly in danger, just call me. Got it?"
Himari accepted the charm and the phone without protest. She fastened the charm around her neck and tucked the heavy phone into her pocket.
Haru was about to put the car in drive when he paused. "Also, one more thing. Is that Kiro available or at the dorm? I want to meet him."
Himari frowned slightly, the first sign of genuine engagement in her eyes since she walked out. "Don't be worried; I'm not saying this out of suspicion," Haru quickly added. "I just think I know that guy, okay? We might have crossed paths before I went military."
Himari simply shrugged, her energy too low to argue. "I don't know anything about him. And I didn't have his number."
"Right," Haru muttered. He put the car in gear and pulled away from the house. The silence during the ride back to Arthfold was thick, heavy, and full of unspoken trauma and suspicion.
The car pulled to a stop at the main residential gate of Arthfold Academy.
Haru immediately moved to open Himari's door and then stepped out along with her, clearly intending to walk her onto the grounds. Himari, who had been focused on masking her exhaustion and silent trauma, finally looked at him. Her crimson eyes clearly asked: Why are you coming along?
When she saw Haru still standing beside her, ready to follow, she stopped just before reaching the guard post.
"Haru," she said, her voice dry and flat. "Entry is not allowed for civilians."
Haru didn't argue. He reached into his coat pocket and smoothly flipped open a thin, metallic card case, revealing his official military ID. He flashed it quickly, the polished silver catching the afternoon light.
"I'm not a civilian," he stated simply.
Himari glanced at the ID, gave a minimal nod that communicated supreme disinterest, and proceeded to the guard post to complete her entry sign-in.
As she continued walking, Haru still kept pace a few feet behind her. Himari sighed, exasperated, and finally stopped again inside the main courtyard.
"The gatekeeper didn't stop you?" she challenged.
"Didn't I tell you? I have entry. I'm not a civilian," Haru replied, patiently repeating his point. He stepped closer, his voice dropping slightly. "Now, could you show me your room? I just want to check it quickly. Just security, okay? Please."
Himari clenched her jaw. She desperately wanted the security his presence implied, but the risk was too great. "But I don't want any strange rumor to be spilled around about me. And you are in your civilian clothes, not in a military uniform, which makes it worse."
Haru smiled, a quick, tactical flash of brilliance. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a simple, elegant silver ring. He smoothly put the ring onto the ring finger of his left hand.
"Problem solved," he announced, gesturing to his hand. "You can say, if someone asks, that I'm your elder brother who is already married—a lie to prevent gossip—and I'm just here to check in on you before I leave the country for a new assignment. Got it?"
Himari stared at the ring, then at Haru's expectant face. It was a perfect, efficient lie.
She gave a reluctant, almost imperceptible shake of her head—a combination of denial and acceptance. "Fine," she whispered. "My room is on the third floor."
They walked up the stairs. Himari's exhaustion was evident in her slow, heavy movements.
Haru, playing the role of the protective, suspicious older brother, made a quick but thorough sweep of her small, single dorm room.
After a moment, Haru turned to her. "Okay, then, it's all clear. But please, always close the windows and lock the door firmly. And listen to me: don't go anywhere alone, okay? Don't tell anyone about what happened yesterday."
"All right, Mother," she murmured dryly. "I got it. Now, could you please leave? I'm really tired, okay? Please."
She took two steps, and with a slight, almost desperate push, gently nudged Haru toward the door. "We can talk about this later. I have no energy left."
Haru paused, seeing the feverish glaze in her crimson eyes. "Fine. Call me the moment you wake up."
He stepped out, and the moment the door closed, Himari quickly locked it, grabbed the borrowed medicine from her small bedside table, and immediately collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep, feverish sleep.
The Shock and The Confrontation
Haru stood in the hallway, adjusting the imaginary wedding ring on his finger, formulating his next move. He was about to pull out his military phone when the door of the next room—the very next one on the third floor—opened.
The recognizable figure of Kiro Shizuku stepped out.
Haru froze, looking suspiciously at the young man. Kiro, momentarily distracted, was looking down the hall, but then he turned his head toward the side where Haru stood. Their eyes met.
The sudden recognition was mutual and immediate. Both men stopped dead in their tracks, the casual academy hallway suddenly charged with dangerous energy.
Haru quickly closed the distance, his voice low and intense, confirming the identity he desperately needed to verify. "Kiro Shizuku?"
Kiro, recovering faster, mirrored the intensity. "Senior Haru?"
"I haven't seen you since... since the graduation ceremony in Cyprus, right?" Kiro asked, a polite, almost formal smile touching his lips. He closed his dorm room door behind him.
Haru felt a wave of internal tension. "That's right, Kiro," Haru confirmed, keeping his voice carefully neutral. "You were a few years below me, if I recall correctly."
"Junior Haru," Kiro corrected him lightly. "It's surprising to run into you here. Are you visiting a relative? You're not looking to transfer, are you?"
Haru gestured vaguely down the hall. "My cousin. She's just getting settled in her room. And no, no transfer. I'm actually... on assignment. An unofficial one, related to the recent magical blackout in the archives."
Kiro's expression immediately shifted to professional interest. "Ah, the archives. I'm actually handling the internal security review on that. If you're investigating, perhaps we could compare notes?"
Haru seized the opening. "That's exactly what I'd like to do. I have some pressing questions about that incident that go beyond a simple security breach. They concern a specific type of dark magic used... something called a Binding Seal."
Kiro frowned. "A Binding Seal? I haven't seen that term in the official reports. Look, I'm heading to the security center right now, but I have a few hours free this evening. If you're serious about comparing notes, let's meet off-campus. Say, 8 PM tonight?"
Haru took the number. "8 PM. I'll be there, Kiro. And Kiro... just one more thing. Do you know the girl in the room next door, Himari Tsukihara?"
Kiro looked briefly at Himari's closed door, then back at Haru, giving a polite but dismissive shrug. "The silver-haired girl with the combat focus? We've had a few intense sparring sessions and a disagreement over an archive book recently. Why?"
Haru continued the polite façade, but his gaze was sharp. "Just my cousin. I'm worried about her health. By the way, how is Himari? She seemed a bit unwell after that library blackout."
Kiro's eyes flickered down to the silver ring on Haru's left hand. Kiro's jaw tightened, and a flash of sharp, unprofessional jealousy crossed his face.
Kiro forced a casual, continuous tone. "She is okay and doing well. Probably just stressed over the competition. You seem very concerned about her, Senior Haru."
Haru caught the internal slip immediately. She is okay and doing well. Kiro hadn't seen her; he was lying to cover his level of interest.
"Since we're both out of our rooms," Haru suggested, ignoring the bait about Himari. "Why not come outside and have a coffee now? We can talk about the security breach."
"Why not, Senior?" Kiro agreed, his eyes still lingering on the ring. "My treat. Though I should warn you, I suspect that girl, Himari, might be involved in that blackout. She's too volatile, too secretive. I think she's hiding something."
Haru smiled—a cold, humorless expression. "Funny, I suspect the exact same thing about you, Kiro."
As they both casually walked out of the dorm and reached the main gate, Kiro led the way toward the street. In one lightning-fast, highly trained movement, Haru's casual exterior vanished. He grabbed Kiro's arm, twisting it upward, and slammed Kiro's body onto the hood of his car, pinning him with his forearm across Kiro's back.
Kiro gasped, the sudden, violent impact sending a flare of pain through his shoulder. A silent, invisible wave of Gravity Magic exploded outward, centered on Haru. Kiro didn't just try to shift Haru's balance; he tried to crush him into the car.
Haru grunted, the massive, unbearable weight compressing his chest. He reacted by channeling his own power, the Wind Magic flaring around his body like an intense gust, attempting to create a counter-pressure and destabilize the concentrated gravity field.
"Get off me, you maniac!" Kiro shouted, struggling fiercely. "You can't just attack a fellow student! Are you crazy?"
Haru fought the magical weight. "I'm not attacking a student, Kiro! I'm interrogating a prime suspect who just lied about my cousin's condition! Now, you stop the Gravity Magic and you tell me the truth! What is the Binding Seal? And why are you suddenly researching Illusion Restoration?"
The physical strain and Haru's aggressive use of the term Binding Seal—a term Kiro should not have known—shattered Kiro's focus. The Gravity Magic instantly collapsed.
A high-pitched, agonizing cry escaped Kiro's lips, his body going limp against the car hood. A violent, white-hot memory fragment—the silver-haired girl, the dark room, the screaming—split his mind.
"I... I remember... running," Kiro choked out, laced with pure terror and confusion. "I left her! We left Hima screaming in the dark! I didn't mean to, I swear! I don't remember any of this, Senior Haru! What is happening to me?"
Haru saw the genuine, raw panic. The amnesia was real; Kiro was a victim, not an agent.
Haru immediately released the hold, pulling Kiro away. "The amnesia is real. You were hit with a trigger, Kiro. You are not a suspect. You are a victim. And you are in danger."
Haru grasped Kiro's arm, pulling him toward the street. "You and I are going for that coffee now. But we're not talking about your jealousy or archive security. We are going to discuss the Pact. You are going to tell me everything you remember, starting with Niel and Maria."
Haru and Kiro settled into a dark, secluded booth. Haru leaned forward. "The pleasantries are over, Kiro. You know everything. Why the elaborate lie about amnesia? Why the act?"
"The amnesia wasn't an act, Senior Haru. It was a necessity. The people who abducted Himari in Cyprus—the Pact—they are not easily shaken off. Niel and I knew that if we remembered, they would know, too. And if they knew we remembered, they would either kill us or use us to get to Himari again."
Haru slammed his hand quietly on the table. "You left her to protect yourselves?"
"We left her because the organization they belonged to—the one giving them the Black Magic—is connected to people with real power," Kiro countered, his voice hard. "Niel and I made a pact of our own. We swore to forget everything publicly and pursue high-ranking careers where we could access classified information and protection. We needed the infrastructure of the government and the Academy to fight them."
Kiro lowered his voice further, revealing the terrifying secret.
"We didn't just know who did the abduction, Haru. We knew who their patron was. The person behind the funding, the intelligence, and the magical resources of that Black Magic cell was Maria's father, Councillor Tatsuo Asagiri."
Haru went rigid. "Maria's father? But... she was abducted too!"
"A political sacrifice to divert suspicion," Kiro confirmed bitterly. "She was the first to realize it, right after we escaped. She didn't trust anyone, not even Niel or me. She warned us: the deeper we dug, the more dangerous it became. She told us to hide, forget, and get powerful."
"And the attack yesterday?" Haru pressed. "The Binding Seal? The Psychic Leech?"
Kiro ran a weary hand through his dark hair. "I have a strong suspicion, but I can't prove it. The Binding Seal magic is a rare relic from..."