Chapter Text
As the jingling of the bell signaled the last customer leaving for the day, Mika let out a sigh of relief. While being one of the only magic shops still in business had its perks, handling the daily rush of customers single-handedly was no easy feat.
Sure, there were other shops, but they rarely lasted long and those that did were only barely scraping by. It was a miracle Mika himself hadn’t been shut down yet. Though he doubted that the mayor of Sanguinem wanted to deal with the rampage that his regular customers would start if they shut him down.
With a wave of his staff, both doors were locked and any misplaced ingredients, trinkets, and any of his other wares set themselves back on the shelves, ready to be sold tomorrow. The gems embedded in end of the wooden stick gave a soft light as the small spell did its work, casting the room in shades of blue, yellow and pink. The blond gave a triumphant hum as he went up to his room.
Mika settled down at his desk, clearing a few stray gemstones and scraps of metal in order to look over his notes. Rituals for enchanting various objects, recipes for potions and dozens of other magical hodgepodge he had managed to place on paper stared back at him. A few of the pages were noticeably worn than the others. The blond witch smiled fondly at these sheets. These were the ones we worked on before he…
“You should probably lock your windows,” a voice interrupted his train of thought. Mika yelped and somehow stumbled in the seat he was already sitting in, plopping on the floor with the chair in tow. He looked up in shock at the source of the voice.
Perched on his windowsill was a small, black-violet cat with fur that looked soft to the touch. Clothed on its body was a turtleneck tunic that was black at where the breast would be, which then abruptly parted into flowing white fabric with a split down the left side. Its ears were tipped with white, turned backwards in a condescending manner. Two tails curled like twin snakes around the feline’s body. Red eyes with slitted pupils seemed to glare down at him from where he sat. While it was a rather undignified sitting position, how could anyone blame Mika for being startled?
Though he knew that this was no normal cat. It was a familiar, more officially known as a demon.
Earthbound demons had come into existence around 8 years ago, as a side effect of a phenomena that most people called the “apocalypse.” Individuals who had practiced demonic magics had their human bodies shut down, leaving the spirit behind to wander in search of a new way to remain in the world. They found their refuge in the bodies of animals, such as cats or reptiles.
These new forms came with magic limits, but also a new opportunity. The spells that were once used to form contracts with demons beyond the mortal plane were now used to form contracts with the remaining human witches. This contract and bond created what was then dubbed the “familiar,” a merging of magic power between witch and demon.
And one such demon had broken into his house.
“Why the hell are you here? Who sent you? What do you want?” Mika scrambled to his feet and brandished his staff at the creature, which had the audacity to look offended at the threat. The familiar’s tails twitched.
“Well, since you asked so politely,” it spat, “First, I am here to talk to you. Second, no one sent me. And third,” it broke off with a small huff. It glanced to the side, breaking the eye contact it had maintained since its entrance.
“That would take a long time to explain, and it’s getting late.” The familiar dropped down onto Mika’s desk, the witch keeping his staff pointed at the intruder. “I’ll explain everything tomorrow morning.”
“Oh no. You did not just break into my house, say you have some purpose for doing that, and then decide not to tell me,” Mika snarled. “You can tell me now or you can leave.” He jabbed the tip of his staff towards the familiar’s face for emphasis.
The cat narrowed its eyes before shrugging. “Fine, have it your way. But if you don’t mind, could you put that away?” it swiped its paw at the witch’s staff, which Mika set leaning on the desk. He placed the desk chair back upright and stared at the cat, waiting for answers.
“I ought to introduce myself. Call me Asuramaru,” the familiar, Asuramaru, said haughtily. “Though I already know who you are, Mikaela Hyakuya.”
“You’re not helping your case, cat.”
“Shut up and let me explain then!”
“I’m not stopping you.”
“You literally just—” Asuramaru’s fur bristled, but he managed to keep his temper in check by taking a few deep breaths. “Anyway, as for why I’m here,” he paused to check if Mika would interrupt him again, but when the witch gave no sign of speaking, he continued.
“I assume you’re familiar with the event that people have been calling the ‘apocalypse,’ correct?” How could he not know? It’s not like it affected everything he did every single day or anything. Mika’s tongue prodded at his canines, careful not to draw blood but reminding himself of what that day did to him. He nodded.
“Well, what if I told you that I found what caused the apocalypse?” Mika bolted upright, staring at the demon in disbelief. The cause? As in, the root of this whole mess? That actually existed?!
Hold on…
“Why are you telling me this?" he asked, questioning Asuramaru’s presence in his home once again. "Why not tell a high ranking, noble witch instead of some nobody?"
"You are not acknowledging your talent, Mikaela, and do not try to deny it," the black cat hissed, causing Mika to flinch and look away guiltily. "You are entirely aware that you have more magical talent than any other witch in the region."
The blond sighed, resting his cheek in his palm as he scowled at the cat for being right. Ok, sure, maybe he knew what he was doing and maybe he had something to show for it, but it wasn't something he liked to broadcast. It felt like he was betraying his memory for being the one people remembered.
"Alright, so you just needed a powerful witch to deal with the apocalypse curse or whatever it's called 'officially'—"
"Virus."
"Virus, curse, same thing. Makes enough sense," Mika groaned as he buried his face in his hands. He really hoped there wasn't some dumb prophecy involved in this and that he was the "chosen one" that had to save the world from some god forsaken monster. He'd read enough history to know that NEVER ends well for the "hero".
"Actually," the familiar murmured, hesitant. "There is another reason, and actually it's the only one if I'm being honest." Oh no it IS a prophecy he was so screwed—
"Do you, perhaps, remember a witch named Yuuichiro Hyakuya?"