A Certain Magical Index: The Primal Spirit Descends to My Side

Deep within an abandoned research facility in District 23. Gray cement walls, overgrown with ivy, gleam with a faint green light emanating from old glass. Inside the dimly lit room, the hum of cooling fans never ceases.

Kiyama Harumi sat at the dimly lit control panel, the cold light from the screen reflecting on her tired face. Dozens of windows on the screen displayed brainwave patterns, AIM force field flow, and network node statuses. The progress bar in the center jumped silently; network construction completion was 92.7%.

She picked up her cold coffee, her eyes, hidden beneath her long brown hair, fixed intently on the connection growth curve. Soon; if another thousand nodes achieved stable connections, the network would reach its self-sustaining critical point. And then…

The vibration of her encrypted communicator interrupted her thoughts; the caller ID showed it was from the 177th Disciplinary Committee branch. Kiyama Harumi frowned slightly. The call came sooner than she expected. She took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, I am Kiyama Harumi."

"Professor Kiyama! This is Uiharu Kazari!" The voice on the other end of the phone was clearly anxious. "We have an emergency regarding the audio file I sent you last night!"

"Please speak."

"Since early this morning, we have received multiple reports of people with esper abilities falling into comas. All of them have been confirmed to have used 'Imagine Manipulation'." Kazari Uiharu held the receiver between her face and shoulder. "Furthermore, the audio file we intercepted yesterday that is supposedly from 'Imagine Manipulation' is probably used to interfere with the victims because of synesthesia, which allows a single voice to achieve a full range of sensations."

Kiyama Harumi's fingers tightened slightly as he held the coffee cup.

She hadn't expected them to find out about empathy so quickly. Was it the disciplinary committee member's authority, or was there someone in the branch skilled in intelligence analysis?

"Synergistic evoked..." Kiyama Harumi slowly repeated the term, his brain racing. "Indeed, if it's done by interfering with brainwaves with sound waves to forcibly establish interpersonal sensory synesthesia, it's theoretically possible..."

silence.

The only sounds in the control room were the low hum of the instruments and the blinking of the cursor on the screen. Kiyama Haruo stared at the progress bar—92.9%.

We need to take more time. We must divert their investigation. "There is..." she finally spoke, her voice deliberately low and heavy, "a device that, theoretically, can do it."

"What is it?"

"Learning device".

"Yes?" came the puzzled voice from the other end of the phone, as if it were the first time she had ever heard the word.

"Learning devices, those kinds of devices that directly input personality and knowledge into the brain through electrical signals, also work on this principle..."

"Won't people get hurt if you do that?" Shiori Uiharu thought about the device that directly shocks the brain and felt that it was more like a form of torture than a technological invention.

"..." Kiyama Harumi remained silent for a long time before finally replying softly, "I will apply to the tree diagram designer to perform the calculations based on the clues you provided..."

After hanging up the phone, Kiyama Harumi leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh. She didn't know why, but the guilt in her heart grew heavier and heavier. But for her goal, she was willing to do anything.

The progress bar on the screen jumped to: 93.2%.

"That's fast enough..." she murmured to herself, her gaze fixed on the massive server computer faintly visible in the darkness deep within the control room. "Just a little longer... the children..."

The abandoned housing area in District 7 is full of old buildings from several years ago, with strange graffiti covering their facades, making it look like they've been inhabited by thugs for years.

Shirai Kuroko hid behind a pile of discarded building materials, holding her breath. Twenty meters ahead, three boys who looked like students were surrounding a media player, their faces beaming with excitement.

"You've really gotten stronger! Look!" One of the boys stretched out his hand, and an unstable flame condensed above his palm. Although it flickered on and off, it was indeed a level 2 or so ignition ability.

"I was still Level 0 yesterday!" another boy exclaimed excitedly, manipulating several pebbles to levitate. "This thing is amazing!"

Shirai Kuroko frowned. She didn't know these students, but she did know the people who shared "Amazing Might"—they were all notorious "problem students" from the nearby middle school who had been disciplined by the disciplinary committee for fighting before.

"That's enough." Shirai Kuroko stepped out of the shadows, her armband clearly visible in the sunlight. "I am a member of the Disciplinary Committee. You are using dangerous substances without authorization. Please stop immediately and hand them over."

The three boys were startled, but quickly adopted a fierce expression. "Disciplinary Committee member? Just you alone?" the leader sneered. "We're different now!"

Before she could finish speaking, Shirai Kuroko had vanished from her spot. The next instant, she appeared behind the boy, her purse striking him on the back of the neck. The boy groaned and collapsed limply to the ground.

"What—?!" Before the other two could react, Shirai Kuroko moved again. She appeared to the side of the second boy, and at the same time, three steel needles shot out from under her skirt belt, blocking his path of movement. The boy hurriedly tried to use his newly acquired telekinesis to defend himself, but his control was rusty, and the steel needles easily passed through the gaps in the force field, pinning the hem of his clothes.

"Don't move," Shirai Kuroko said coldly, the tip of the steel needle in her hand gleaming. "If you struggle any longer, next time I'll aim for your joints."

Seeing this, the third boy turned to run. Shirai Kuroko sighed. She raised her hand, and a steel needle disappeared. Thirty meters away, the boy screamed and fell to the ground, his trouser leg pinned to the ground by the steel needle. Shirai Kuroko walked slowly over, picked up the media player from the ground, and pressed the stop button.

The eerie music suddenly stopped.

"The Phantasmagoria is a dangerous substance that has caused multiple people to fall into a coma. I am arresting you for the crime of catching a group of people using a dangerous substance in public." She looked at the three boys, her tone serious.

She put away the player and took out her phone to contact the security guards. Sunlight shone on the bandages on her arm, revealing faint traces of blood seeping through.

"We must find the source as soon as possible..." Shirai Kuroko thought to herself, looking into the distance.

There's a park near Zhachuan Junior High School, which is very popular with students because it's right next to a sports field. It's always packed with students coming and going.

Saten Ruiko sat on the bench, her face pale. She clutched a magic charm tightly in her hand.

Yesterday afternoon, she shared the "Imagine Master" here with Akemi, Mako, and Mutsumi. Akemi excitedly made the paper cup float even higher, Mutsumi was happy even though nothing changed, and Mako said she felt like she could "hear sounds from very far away." Even Saten Ruiko herself could make the tiny leaves spin and float.

At the time, they all thought it was a miracle.

But this afternoon, just as they arrived at the park to practice their abilities again, Akemi suddenly fainted. The three of them rushed Akemi to the hospital, but as soon as they arrived, Mako also fainted. After finally getting Mako into a ward, Mutsuki also fainted.

The doctor's investigation concluded that the cause was unknown.

But Saten Ruiko knew the reason.

She shared the fantasy world with her friends. She ruined them.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." She covered her face, her shoulders trembling. Her body swayed, and she didn't know how she got home, or why she was holding an amulet.

But she knew that her turn would come soon.

Trembling fingers dialed Haru Shiori's number. It rang twice before being answered.

"Early spring..." Saten Ruiko's voice was choked with sobs.

"Saten-san? I've been so worried about you... You've been avoiding me at school and won't answer your phone." Uiharu Kazari's concerned voice came through, making her feel a little more at ease.

"She's unconscious... Akemi suddenly fell into a coma... Mutsu and Mako too... It's all my fault... People who use 'Imagine Manipulation' will fall into a coma, I didn't know that would happen... Why did this happen... That's not what I thought..." Saten Ruiko was incoherent, and it was impossible to understand what she was saying.

"Sa...Saten-kun? Calm down, speak slowly..."

"I got the 'Imagine Mage'... because I heard that people who have it will be captured... but I can't bear to throw it away... so..." Saten Ruiko sat on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees with both hands and burying her head between her legs.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then Saten Ruiko continued, her voice trembling, "Akami and the others said they want to get 'Imagine Breaker'... No... no... it's just that I'm afraid to use it alone..."

"Where are you now!" Shiori Haru immediately stood up and rushed out of the room with a anxious expression.

"Will I also fall into a coma? Just like that... and never wake up again...? I... hate my powerless self... but... I can't let go of that longing no matter what..."

"What happened!" Uiharu Shiori listened to the voice on the phone and judged that she was probably in the dormitory, so she quickly ran towards the dormitory building.

Are those who lack ability defective products?

"What are you talking about...?"

"Is this the retribution for trying to gain power through cheating? Attacking dangerous things and dragging those around you into it..."

"don’t worry!"

Uiharu Kazari's voice interrupted Saten Ruiko's rambling, causing her to pause in surprise for a moment. "Huh...?"

"It's okay! Even if Saten-san is unconscious, I'll rush over and wake you up right away! Whether it's Saten-san, Akemi-san, or any of the other unconscious students, I'll wake them all up!" Uiharu Kazari said as she jogged, her voice trembling. "So, leave it all to me!"

"Early spring..."

"Saten-san is not a defective product! Even though she can't use her powers, hasn't she always supported me? Whether she has powers or not, Saten-san is Saten-san, my best friend!"

"So...so..." Haruhi's voice was hoarse as she cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Don't say things that hurt people..."

"Haha... Even if you ask me to rely on Hatsuharu..." Saten Ruiko forced herself to laugh when she heard Hatsuharu Kazari's dejected voice.

"It's not just me! Misaka-senpai, Shirai-kun, and..."

"Um...I understand..." Saten Ruiko replied, her voice choked with emotion. "I'm so sorry for causing you trouble...So, please take care of the rest..."

"Saten-san? Saten-san!"

The sound grew fainter and fainter. Saten Ruiko felt her consciousness sinking into darkness, but before she completely lost consciousness, she seemed to hear Hatsuharu's anxious cries.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

The phone slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.

In the corridor of a general hospital, Shirai Kuroko and Misaka Mikoto had just finished visiting Saten Ruiko's ward when a doctor called them to a stop.

"Excuse me for a moment?"

Misaka Mikoto turned around at the sound and found a doctor who looked remarkably like Gekota standing at the corner of the corridor. His gray-white hair was somewhat receding. He wore a loosely draped green collared shirt, but his white coat was buttoned up tightly. He paired this with gray trousers and slippers, giving him a very casual look.

"It's a real, breathing frog!"

"Big sister, that's not how it is..."

The dimly lit interior made it difficult to discern the decor, but the blue curtains beside it shone brightly in the sunlight. Several screens in the room displayed a cluster of different windows, each with several lines fluttering up and down within it.

"This is a brainwave diagram of everyone who has used 'Imagine Master'. Because the patterns of brainwaves vary from person to person, it is impossible for there to be a consistent case..."

The doctor changed the subject and clicked on the comparison chart again.

"However, we discovered a highly overlapping brainwave region in the brainwaves of 'Imagine Master' users."

Shirai Kuroko narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "What's going on...?"

"If someone's brain were to use another person's brainwaves, it would have a huge impact on the body..." The doctor pointed to the vital signs data with the mouse and circled them.

"So, those people fell into a coma because their brains were ravaged by using 'Imagine Manipulator'?" Misaka Mikoto stared at the brainwave images in disbelief, a bead of cold sweat trickling down her forehead.

As a superpowered individual who had undergone brain development, she understood better than anyone the role the brain played for those with abilities. Such a brutal alteration of brain frequencies, forcibly splicing them into another frequency band, sent chills down her spine.

Even Shirai Kuroko, standing to the side, frowned. As a "Disciplinary Committee member" and a powerful esper, she was all too aware of the risks of this behavior and its nature as a violation of almost every serious crime. However, the severity of the consequences made her begin to wonder why it was necessary to do this.

What was the purpose of the person who created "Phantom Master" that made them willing to take such a huge risk to do this?

"Who did this... and why...?"

The air was silent for a moment. Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko were unable to piece together the series of cases they had just encountered. The perpetrators had different methods and targeted all sorts of people, making it impossible to find any pattern.

At that moment, the doctor copied the data onto a USB drive and handed it to Shirai Kuroko. He then got up and went to the door. "I'm just a doctor. Isn't it your job to bring the truth to light?"