August 20—2 days after Accelerator and Haruka went into a coma
Accelerator found himself floating in a white place, which looked strangely familiar.
"Am I in a dream dimension again?"
Yes.
The voice sounded familiar even if he only heard it once. Accelerator decided to take a guess. "Michael?"
Ah, so you remember me, young Accelerator.
"I'm not that young."
I doubt you should try and compare ages to something that is millennia old. To us, eighteen years is a mere blink of an eye.
"Okay, okay, I get it. Why am I here again? Last time I checked, I don't think I was dying."
The seal on your mind broke, which means you are supposed to get your memories back. Yet, your memories also come with something else.
"Which is?"
Your suppressed magical power. Your father was a magician after all.
"What kind of magic?"
The family magic in your family is combat magic. Most likely, you will have magically enhanced skills in battle and you will be able to cast offensive spells.
"That's a little hard to take in, considering I've never used magic."
Oh, you have. You just don't remember.
"Why are you having this conversation with me anyways? I thought I was supposed to get my memories back."
You will get them all back in due time. For now, I wish to show you some scenes that are not from your past.
"What are they?"
Scenes of your parents's lives, and of your uncle. He has arrived in your home days ago.
"Before you show me, what's this about my uncle? He's in the apartment?"
Yes. He arrived two days ago . He came to train you and Hakutsuki Haruka in magic once you wake up.
"Oh."
It would be best if you forgive him when you wake up.
"What did he do to me?"
He was the one who put the seal in your head. He erased your memories and Haruka's, and replaced your memories with a painful past.
"Why would he do that?!"
The scientists in the Special Abilities Institute did not want your memories of magic to interfere with the Science side. They were planning to erase your memories yourselves. If you resisted it, they would have found a way to kill you. Your uncle had seen the future in his visions, and knew your memories had to be erased in order for you to survive in the Science world without being targeted by anyone.
"What if my memories weren't erased?"
You would have either been killed, or targeted all your life. You would have not had one moment of peace in your life, constantly looking over your shoulder to make sure no one is going to target you. Do not think ill of your uncle. You have gone through an almost literal hell in the Institute, but in reality, it was better than the alternative.
"Fine. How do you know all this?"
Michael's voice sounded slightly amused. You have forgotten what I am, have you not? Angels can see all that happens on this tiny planet you call home. I have observed your family and particularly you for the past two decades. Now, let me show you some scenes that are essential for your knowledge, or maybe your amusement.
Accelerator suddenly found himself in front of a stone church. In front was a lush garden full of beautiful flowers. Beside him was an extremely bright white light, human-shaped. Accelerator looked at it in surprise, and then shielded his eyes quickly.
"What's that?"
You do not like this form? I thought it would benefit you to see me in a more visible form.
"Can you take on a more human shape? I'm not in my actual body, but I think I'll get blinded."
The light faded, until Accelerator saw a white-haired teen beside him. The boy opened his eyes to reveal blank white eyeballs. There was no pupil, no iris. He was wearing a white Roman toga and he was barefoot. On his back, feathered white wings sprouted.
Does this form suit you better, Accelerator?
"Yeah."
Let us go in then. Follow me.
"One more question, where and when are we?"
We are currently in London, England. This is the Necessarius base, around four decades ago. Now come.
Following the boy, Accelerator walked into the stone church, passing through the door. They walked past a large chapel, and a hallway that was labeled "Dormitory".
Michael stopped at a large room. This is where the first scene begins. I will give you information on what is going on as the scene unfolds.
Accelerator walked into the room, seeing two young boys alone at a table. They were busy studying a large book that was written in Latin. Suddenly, the younger of the two pushed back his chair and stretched.
"Onii-san, I'm bored. Studying Latin all day is no fun."
"If you want to be a diviner, you have to know Latin, Nagato." The older boy replied absently, turning a page.
"You're such a stick in the mud! I don't care what you say, I'm taking a break."
Accelerator had almost forgotten Michael was there until he heard the voice again.
The younger boy is your uncle Nagato. The older one is your father. Currently, we are in the time when your father is 10 years old, and Nagato 6.
"This just feels weird, watching the kid version of adults."
You had the same reaction when you saw the picture of yourself eleven years ago in that locket. I suggest you continue watching.
Accelerator focused back on the scene. The older boy finally got out of his seat and went over to his younger brother.
"Nagato, stop being so stubborn. Take a break, but don't go out of my sight. I don't want you dyeing my hair pink with that spell of yours again."
"Oh come on, that was fun. You didn't even notice until you looked into a mirror."
For the first time, Accelerator finally noted the appearances of the two boys. The younger boy, Nagato, had messy black hair in a style similar to his and had indigo-black eyes. He was short and scrawny, but his eyes were sparkling with mischief. The older boy was tall and lanky, with neat black hair in contrast and red eyes. With a start, Accelerator realized that his eye colour was inherited and not from his ability.
The older boy spoke again. "What about we have a duel in the training area, Nagato? Then we'll go back to studying."
"No fair, you always beat me."
"That's because I'm older. You'll be as good as me when you're older, alright?"
The younger boy took his older brother's outstretched hand. "Fine."
Before they could move though, two other kids bounded into the room, a boy and a girl. They looked familiar to Accelerator.
"They look like people I'm supposed to know."
They are Hakutsuki Haruka's parents. All four of them have been good friends since childhood, despite being in different churches. Hakutsuki Minato is 11 and Kushinada Kushina is 9.
"My family history is getting stranger and stranger," Accelerator muttered.
It's not as strange as some. Their friendship was one of the factors that led you and Haruka to become friends.
The boys's eyes lit up when the boy and girl entered the room.
"Minato, Kushina! You guys came!" Nagato called, a look of delight on his face.
The boy, Minato, grinned, jade green eyes shining with excitement. "Father and Mother had some business they had to take care of with Kushina's parents. After plenty of begging, they finally let us come here for the weekend."
Kushina looked around the room, a look of pure delight on her face from all the books. "You guys are so lucky to have so many books to study."
"It's nice when it's silent. Sadly, Nagato keeps on jumping all over the place and then I can't concentrate."
"I don't jump around the place, Onii-san!"
"It was a figure of speech."
"Stop acting so mature, Yahiko."
The boy shrugged. "Minato, you can't change my nature."
"So my father's name is Yahiko." Accelerator commented.
Yes. If you wish to know, your father was always the mature one, even at a young age.
The scene dissolved into white nothingness. Accelerator turned to Michael.
"What was that for?"
This was only to show you a little bit of their personalities as children, and daily life in Necessarius for them. The next memory is 15 years later.
The exact same room materialized again, but this time, Accelerator saw only one person: a 21-year-old Nagato. He had a somewhat hardened air around him, with a new-looking jagged scar across the right side of his face, making him look very sinister. Despite that, he still had a cheerful look about him. He was flipping through a book, a bowl of water at his side on the table. He stopped at a page, and started chanting in Latin. As Accelerator watched on, the water in the bowl rippled, and then settled, showing a scene of a living room.
Nagato sat down and stared into the bowl. After a second, a face appeared in the bowl: a familiar red-eyed man, also known as Nagato's older brother, 25-year-old Yahiko. Nagato sighed with relief.
"Nii-san! You replied!"
In the bowl, Yahiko smiled tiredly, bleary-eyed from lack of sleep. "Hey, little brother. How's it going in England?"
"Fine, fine. What happened to you? You look exhausted!"
"Comes with moving to a new home. I've barely slept in the past couple days."
"You need some rest, Nii-san."
"I know; I'm going to sleep after we're done talking."
"Are you actually in the centre of the Science city now and not the outlying areas?"
"Yep. Everything's really high-tech over here."
"How different is it from magic?"
"Some things are so advanced they seem like magic. I doubt I'll fit in fine here, but Minato and Kushina offered to take us to their place in the Amakusa Church if we have any trouble."
"Oh, right. They got married a month ago, right?"
"I still can't believe you didn't go to the ceremony."
"I came at the end."
"All muddied up and bloody since you came straight from dispatching a few wyverns."
"At least I showed up."
"True. Hey, what happened to your face?" Yahiko's eyes had cleared and he stared at the scar on Nagato's face.
Nagato quickly covered the scar with his hand. "Not important."
Yahiko's eyes narrowed to slits. "Don't lie to me, little brother. I know a few truth spells that can travel through this connection."
Nagato scowled. "And that's why you're like the second-ranked magician in the entire world. Alright, I was tracking down a lindworm that had escaped from its seal in Norway. Whoever sealed it were idiots, since it escaped really easily. It managed to get a lucky strike to my face before I killed it."
"Third-ranked, you mean. Are you alright? The claws of lindworms are way too poisonous to heal with a simple spell."
"I used the healing spell you taught me. It got rid of the poison, but the scar is permanent."
"You are so careless sometimes. If I weren't so tired, I'd be hitting you over the head right now for your stupidity."
"Aw, but I know you love me, Nii-san. Besides, I look way more terrifying now."
"Enough to give little kids nightmares, is that it?"
"Oh, relax. I can hide it with a glamour if the need arises. For now, I can just wear my cloak. Anyways, where's Luna? I thought she would come to say hello to her favourite future brother-in-law."
"More like only future bother—in-law. She's already sleeping."
Accelerator turned to Michael. "Who's Luna?"
Your mother.
"What?!"
Don't sound so surprised. Oh, and there's one other thing you won't know until I tell you: your mother was the strongest level 5 esper two decades ago, with the ability Matter Manipulation.
"What's matter manipulation?"
The ability to manipulate the matter in one area. She could change its properties and form. Very dangerous. Academy City is lucky that she was a very kind-hearted person and wouldn't use her ability unless she had to.
"That's a creepy ability. Is there some kind of first-ranked esper streak in the family?"
Perhaps. You may learn more if you keep on watching.
Accelerator saw Nagato sticking his tongue out childishly at the bowl of water. "I'm not a bother, Nii-san. Anyways, when's the wedding again? In three weeks?"
Yahiko sighed and raked his hand through his already-messy hair, making it stand up straight in black spikes. "I thought I told you. In one week. I've been working my ass off organizing the house. Luna's been busy with wedding preparations. I barely saw her yesterday since she was out with her friends picking out a dress."
Nagato whistled. "You're having a bad time of it, Nii-san. Should I come over early to help?"
"That'd be great, Nagato. See if you can book a flight now. I need advice and a lot of help."
"You do know I'm not married, right?"
"Shut up. I'm desperate. And I'm only asking for advice as a brother and not a soon-to-be married man."
"Alright, I'll put you out of your misery. I'll be on the next flight to Tokyo, okay?"
"Thank you, little brother. See you."
"Bye." Nagato waved his hand over the water, and the image of his brother vanished. He leaned back on his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "I wonder if I should have told him that I saw the future and about his future son."
The scene dissolved into white. Michael turned to Accelerator. Even back then, your uncle had seen the future about you. He did not know of your fate yet, but he was aware that you would exist.
"Seeing the future seems disturbing now. Why can't they change any part of it?"
Unfortunately, some situations, like the war and your life, are fixed. The way they go is not changeable. Other situations can be changed, but not this one.
"What was my father doing in Academy City anyways?"
His visions of the war had led him there, in order to father a child of science and magic. I have one more scene to show you, and then I will leave you for now to absorb all your memories.
The white void shuddered and rippled, and resolved itself into a scene of a park beside a nearby hospital. Accelerator saw a black-cloaked figure leaning casually against a tree, barely distinguishable from the tree's shadow.
"Where are we now?"
August 18th, 2000. The day you were born. That person is Nagato.
"What's he doing?"
You'll see soon enough.
As Accelerator watched on, a figure approached Nagato. With a start of surprise, he realized it was Yoshikawa. She looked really young—maybe around 20 years old. She walked straight towards Nagato, a neutral expression on her face. Nagato turned his head toward her, his head still covered with a black hood. He detached himself from the tree and met her halfway there.
"So you came, Yoshikawa Kikyou."
"Hello, Nagato. What did you call me for?"
Nagato drew back his hood, revealing his scarred face. He still had a casual air around him though. "You know why I called you?"
"Something about I'm the only one who can do this since I was a science person born and bred."
"I have a favour to ask. A very large one."
"What is it?"
"You know the child of science and magic was born today."
"Your brother's child, right?"
"Yes. We're both diviners, but he has seen nothing of his son's future. Just the war. However, I have seen parts of his future."
"And where do I come in?"
"When he grows up, my nephew is going to go through one hell of a life. I'm asking you to watch over him from a distance and act as his guardian if Yahiko and I ever become unavailable."
"You know I won't be able to protect him from everything."
"I know. There are some things in the future that none of us can prevent. I just want you to keep an eye on him if possible."
"Fine with me."
"Also, don't use cellphones to contact me. Use these." Nagato removed a box from somewhere within the folds of his cloak and handed it to her. It was silver, with magic circles carved into the sides and the lid. "Inside are magical means to contact me. Take one piece of paper and say my name three times, and I will reply if I can. If by chance I need to contact you, I will call you with your cell. Then, fold a piece of paper and unfold it, and you will be able to talk to me. Also, here is a book on the churches and magical history. It will update itself regularly, so you will always know what's going on in the magic world." Nagato handed her a leather-bound book which Accelerator identified as the book Yoshikawa had been reading earlier.
"Why aren't you telling your brother any of this?"
"He's stressed enough as it is about trying to protect his newborn son. I don't want to burden him with information that his son will have a painful future."
"Is that what you would call kindness?"
"Perhaps I'm naïve, just like you. If my visions come true, he won't see any of his son's future."
"I see. Is that all?"
"Yes. Goodbye for now."
Yoshikawa took the box and left. The scene dissolved into white again. Accelerator turned to Michael.
"What kind of relationship do these two have?!"
A very interesting one. Nagato saved her life one time when he visited Academy City. She was the one who gave him all the information on Academy City.
"I'm telling you, my past is getting stranger and stranger."
Would you prefer your fake past or this one then? These scenes aren't even from your past.
"At least I know I had a family. But the way everybody seems to know each other is just strange."
Maybe it will turn out like this for you and the others in the next few decades.
"Oi, stop messing with me."
Is this what you humans would call going too far with a joke? The human form of Michael had his lips twisted in an odd smile.
"In simple terms, yes."
I see. Do you have any questions you want to ask me?
"Why wasn't my real name mentioned in any of the scenes?"
You said so yourself that your real name was probably an awful one, so I chose scenes that did not mention your actual name. Do you want to know your real name? I can tell you right now.
"I'm telling you, it was probably crappy. I've already gotten used to Accelerator as a name now."
Very well. I will still let you know though.
Michael blinked, and just like that, Accelerator suddenly knew his real name. He scowled. "I knew it was crappy."
It is not as bad of a name as some. However, it did fit your nature somewhat back then. Is there anything else you wish to know?
"You never showed me any scenes of my mother."
Have you studied the history of espers? Two to three decades ago, the strongest esper was your mother, the first-ranked level 5. I have already told you that, but you have not come up with a description of her?
"I never really studied esper history."
As always, humans are ignorant of their history.
"I'm not that ignorant. Forget my mother for a second. I know a lot more now. I doubt I want to see more. I do have a few questions."
Yes?
"Why are you acting this nice to me? I thought angels were all high and mighty and all that."
You're a very interesting person, Accelerator. Besides, your past is not like Hakutsuki Haruka's. Some scenes you had to see for your benefit. And as for the second part, angels are the ones who help mankind out. I wish to help you in your life.
"Why do you only seem to use your power when I'm near death?"
When you are at your most desperate or at the point of death, it is the easiest time where I can possess your body without your consent. You have to agree to let me use your body as a host. Otherwise, I cannot forcibly possess your body.
"Then why didn't you talk to me earlier?"
You were not aware of magic back then. I did not wish to burden you with more knowledge that wouldn't have made any sense.
"What happened to my parents?"
That's in your own memories, which you'll find out soon enough. But if you want to know, the most succinct answer I will give is that they died, even with their powers.
"I see. What about my ability?"
In reality, you were born with it, yet it did not manifest until you were 4 years old. To cover up the supposed phenomenon, the scientists released a story saying that you went through the esper curriculum early.
"Can I see a scene of my mother using her ability?"
The white space dissolved into a room with white walls. Accelerator saw a young version of his mother standing in the middle. She had lilac-coloured hair, eyes the colour of molten gold, and a slender figure, similar to Kushinada Kushina. He then saw the young woman raise her hand, and then the walls start crumbling, dissolving into particles of dust. Then, the dust coiled itself into a compact shape, and then exploded in midair.
"That looks more like particle manipulation than matter manipulation," Accelerator commented.
This was only a small part of her ability. If she wanted to, she could change the properties of the walls into anything she wished. Yet she never did anything of the sort since she never wanted to hurt anybody intentionally or unintentionally.
"I can see she's really kind-hearted. Although, why did you show me all these scenes?"
As I said, they are to show you the lives of your parents. Since they died when you were 4, you have very little memories of them. I thought this was a good idea to give you an idea of what they were like.
"Thanks."
It is nothing. However, I must tell you one thing. When your parents died, Nagato was shattered. He changed from his carefree self to a cold and expressionless person, emotions frozen from grief. When you wake up, you must remember that he is not the same person you saw in the memories.
"Okay, I get it."
Now, do you want me to leave you alone for your sealed memories to resurface?
"I still have a few more things to ask."
You have a lot of questions. Michael's voice sounded amused.
"You can't blame me, I barely knew anything. Since I know you're in my mind and all that, can I use your powers now?"
If you wish. I will tell you what I can do as the war approaches. Yet, I cannot use my full power, as your body will burn up from the raw power. No matter how strong you may be, no human can bear the full power of an angel, let alone an archangel.
"Is there a way?"
It requires a ritual with many incantations and spells. The entire process would take at least a year, depending on the person's strength and the angel. There is a way to bypass it and only perform one spell which would only take minutes, but you wouldn't like it.
"Why not?"
I would rather that you would not know now. I will tell you later. It does require sacrifice of something very important.
"Fine. Is it possible for you to heal my brain or something so my ability comes back?"
It is already happening. Due to your suppressed magical power, the release of it is more than enough to restore your body back to its original condition. Now, I'll speed up the process of receiving back your memories and magic. Wake up soon, Accelerator.
Accelerator felt something like a gust of wind blowing through the white place. Even if he wasn't in his physical body, it still felt cold. Suddenly, the whiteness disintegrated into darkness. Flashes of colour rose from the bottom of the darkness, rushing up to surround Accelerator. Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy, even in a mental body, and the colour spun around him and into him. Abruptly, the colour resolved itself into multiple scenes, which Accelerator identified as the memories that were sealed away. One by one, they flew into him, flying by so quickly he couldn't identify any of them. He felt another rush of energy, but this time, it was more like knowledge and not power. Finally, the rush of memories slowed, and Accelerator felt himself drifting into sleep again, reliving all the memories that he had forgotten.