Academy City. District Seven. The Windowless Building.
Rowan rcer stepped once more into the sealed chamber where Aleister Crowley waited.
So he really is stronger than I thought.
Rowan’s perception brushed against Aleister’s presence, and for the first ti, it didn’t slide off into nothing. The shape of Aleister’s power beca visible, sharp at the edges, carefully concealed but no longer unfathomable.
Rowan had always known Aleister was dangerous. Far beyond him, once. Soone he could not challenge directly.
That was no longer true.
Since their last eting, Rowan’s growth had accelerated violently. His inner realm had stabilized. His human form had reached the edge of a single-universe threshold, and his draconic form mirrored that sa ceiling. Only now did he fully grasp Aleister’s true depth.
Aleister was just shy of that sa boundary.
Which ant that, if they fought, the outco would no longer be decided by raw force alone.
On that front, Rowan was confident.
He had learned too much. From too many worlds. Even if Aleister had withheld knowledge during their previous exchanges, it no longer mattered. Soon, Rowan would acquire Index’s archive. One hundred and three thousand grimoires. Enough to master the majority of this world’s magic.
Aleister, anwhile, knew only fragnts of Rowan’s abilities.
The advantage was clear.
Across the room, Aleister felt it too.
Impossible.
The instant Rowan’s awareness touched him, Aleister reassessed. What he sensed made his thoughts churn. In re months, Rowan had grown into soone who could threaten him directly.
That realization unsettled him.
Before, Rowan had been manageable. Disposable, even. Aleister’s true opponents had always been beings far beyond mortals.
Now, he wasn’t sure.
Still, after the initial shock passed, Aleister smiled faintly.
This might not be a problem.
If guided correctly, Rowan could beco exactly what Aleister needed. A blade pointed at enemies even he preferred not to face. Much like the one he had been sharpening for years.
Calculations flickered behind Aleister’s eyes.
Rowan broke the silence first.
"What do you want this ti?"
Despite their newfound parity, Rowan had no intention of tearing their arrangent apart. Cooperation was still profitable. The difference was that now, the balance had shifted. Threats would no longer be one-sided.
Aleister clasped his hands together.
"I need you to deal with a disobedient child," he said pleasantly. "And I need you to make a trip to England."
Rowan didn’t hesitate.
"What’s the paynt?"
"I’ll teach you whatever magic you want."
For the first ti, Rowan refused.
"No," he said. "This ti, I want information. About Magic Gods."
That caught Aleister’s attention.
Magic, Rowan could soon acquire on his own. Knowledge about Magic Gods was different. Rare. Dangerous. Closely guarded.
And necessary.
Because at this point, Magic Gods were the only beings in this world that could still threaten him.
If possible, Rowan even wanted to capture one. Binding a lesser spirit was pointless. If he was going to attempt it, he wanted sothing vast. Sothing that would take ti to digest, but reward him accordingly.
Aleister studied him, then nodded.
"Very well."
He began to explain.
"Life dies. Apples fall downward. One plus one equals two. These are laws the world assus will never change. Magic recorded in grimoires can interfere with such rules. But Magic Gods are those who rewrite them entirely."
His voice was calm, almost reverent.
"A Magic God is not a ruler of so hell. It is a magician who has completely mastered magic. One who has stepped into the domain of gods and gained the authority to twist reality itself."
For over an hour, Aleister spoke.
He explained how Magic Gods were born. How many existed. How they viewed the world. The damage they caused simply by existing within it. And though he never said it outright, Rowan heard the hostility beneath Aleister’s words.
Aleister despised them.
When the explanation ended, Rowan inclined his head.
"That’s enough. I’ll handle both tasks."
The first was simple. The second-ranked esper of Academy City had defected. Aleister wanted him subdued and reclaid.
The second required Rowan to travel to England. A covert faction within the Roman Orthodox Church was preparing sothing catastrophic. They sought the power of the Imagine Breaker and Index’s archive. Aleister wanted Kamijou Touma protected, tested, but never interfered with beyond his own right hand.
Aleister was honest about that much. Touma was a key piece in his plans against the Magic Gods.
Neither task troubled Rowan.
Suppressing an esper would be trivial. And protecting Touma aligned neatly with Rowan’s own objective. Index was waiting.
Rowan vanished.
He reappeared high above Academy City.
A crimson cross ignited in his eyes.
The sky responded.
A massive, translucent eye opened above the city, gazing down upon every street, every shadow, every hidden movent.
"There you are."
Rowan disappeared once more.
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