Rowan had never lost what he gained that day on the rooftop.
When the forced ascent had pushed past the halfway point, he had brushed against something vast and impersonal. He withdrew before collapse became inevitable, but the insight remained, etched into him. The structure beneath lightning. The reason it obeyed.
Since then, anything tied to electricity responded as if it recognized him. His electromagnetic power carried greater force and reach, and spells that once demanded careful preparation now answered without ceremony. Words became optional. Intent was enough.
Even the techniques preserved in Amagiri Rōen's memories felt transparent. Old family arts he had never practiced revealed their logic at a glance. Given a few days, he could reconstruct them without effort.
Once the household accepted that their ancestor had truly awakened, the atmosphere shifted completely.
The funeral ended without ceremony. White cloth was removed, offerings cleared away. There was no public celebration, no announcements. Yanagi Fuyuka made certain of that. News of an awakened ancestor was not something to let escape these walls.
When the excitement settled, she requested a private meeting.
"Grand-uncle," Yanagi Fuyuka said carefully, "there's something I'd like your help with."
"Go on," Rowan replied. As the family's living pillar, refusing without hearing her out would have been strange.
She exhaled softly. "One of our relics reacted recently. It detected Clow Reed's magic. We believe the Clow Cards have resurfaced."
That made Rowan pause.
"They appeared about a month ago," she continued. "The location points to a small town in Japan. Tomoeda."
The Clow Cards were no ordinary tools. They were a complete magical system, crafted by Clow Reed himself, blending multiple traditions into a single, elegant structure. After his disappearance, they had vanished without a trace.
Because Clow Reed carried Li blood, the family had a legitimate claim to retrieve them.
"My son will go," Yanagi Fuyuka said. "Yanagi Shōma."
The boy was young, but gifted. The most promising talent the family had seen in generations. If anyone could gain the cards' recognition, it would be him.
"There are risks," she added. "The cards must be claimed directly. And if word spreads that Clow Reed's creations have returned, it will draw attention we don't want."
The Li family's connection to Clow Reed had never been forgotten. Too many outsiders still coveted the techniques he left behind.
"My original plan," she admitted, "was to send Shōma alone under the pretense of a school transfer. With only a mundane caretaker. No one watches a child too closely."
She looked at Rowan. "But now… I want you to go with him."
To the outside world, Amagiri Rōen was a frail old man who had narrowly escaped death. An elderly relative accompanying a child would raise no suspicion at all.
Rowan nodded slowly. "I was wondering if the cards had already appeared."
He allowed himself a faint smile. "I'll go. I want to see what Clow Reed left behind."
He had no intention of claiming the cards for himself. They were never meant for him, and he had no desire to interfere with something so deeply tied to fate. Besides, Clow Reed was not truly gone. And his reincarnation was still alive.
What Rowan wanted was understanding. The method. The structure.
If he understood how the cards were made, he would understand this world's magic.
Yanagi Fuyuka finally relaxed. "Thank you. With you watching over him, I can finally breathe."
"When do we leave?" Rowan asked.
"Tomorrow morning," she replied. "You and Shōma will fly to Tokyo. Housing near Tomoeda is prepared, and the transfer paperwork is complete."
She had originally planned to wait until after the funeral.
Now, there was no reason to delay.