“SCIENTISTS DISCOVER A WAY TO DETECT ARCANE CELLS IN CHILDREN!

Eager to know if your precious kid is apt to become a mage? Shaine McDee, a Lackluster alchemist from PRISM MedCorps, comes with great news: a special test which identifies the presence of arcane cells was developed this week. Based on Ion Bergen’s research of ‘white’ cells of 3-4 y.o. children, this method allows to know beforehand if a person might have magical potential, though the exact hue would still be unknown.”

—From Wizard Weekly article, Vol. 6, 1968

October 28, 2025

Dasnor Hunt was strolling towards his bike parked next to a small take-away Asian cafe, ignoring the pleasing aroma of fried egg noodles. He was interested only in two canisters of motor oil that he was carrying: purchases like this were one of few reasons why he even bothered to travel downtown. The mage placed the containers inside a side case and started the engine.

Meanwhile, the cafe owner raised the volume of his almost prehistoric TV set perched on one of the improvised guest tables. Dasnor clicked his tongue in exasperation, but still his gaze lingered on the screen that was showing the face of a pompous PRISM official amidst some commotion near a skyscraper and other mages in black and white uniforms somewhere in the background.

Then he heard the name. The certain name that was tied to the most traumatizing event in his life.

Dasnor squeezed the amulet on his chest with such force that he almost broke it. The mage put his helmet on and sped down the street, leaving the cafe and its pissed-off owner, who was tapping on the malfunctioning TV in hope it would show a better picture.

~~~

Bright sunset was reflecting in the endless windows of New Tokyo’s business district when a royal blue sedan stopped next to a silver jeep in front of a charming small garden that adjoined a stylish building full of glass. Izumi got out of the car and joined Aoi Omnious, who was sitting on the jeep’s hood, looking even more worn out than in the past few days.

“Thank you for coming here, Commander.”

“Could you explain the reason why you’ve called me here all of a sudden?”

“I know how to find the person who murdered Edward Shell. Or at least his accomplices. Do you remember our discussion that a shapeshifter could be involved?”

“I sure do. But there are no registered mages with such abilities in our database.”

“Exactly. There’s always been the possibility of an illegal wizard, but… some people are authorized to change appearance for others.”

Aoi turned to a gigantic sign over the front entrance: “Ayumi’s Magical Surgery Clinic.”

“Holy…” she muttered.

“Emilia Spencer led me to suggest that perpetrators could alter their looks every time so we will be tricked with false testimonies. It also explains how they framed that Gray Sister.”

“Blast me…” Aoi sighed heavily. “Now when it seems so obvious I wonder why we hadn’t given it a thought.”

“We just couldn’t trust Hecate, that’s all.”

“Yeah, you’re right… so, who’s the main suspect?”

“Apart from Ayumi herself, there are two more Manipulators in this clinic who possess the same skills. I have already checked their profiles. One of them, Ameli Clark, had a brother who was eliminated by a Gray Sister in her presence—presumably, due to his debts. Most likely the killer was Inori, whose face they had replicated in some sort of revenge.”

“I wouldn’t jump to conclusions, though.”

“My intuition tells me that we are on the right track, at the very least. And don’t forget, you still need to report our progress to the Council…”

~~~~

The mages were invited to a spacious office, furnished with leather sofas and flat screens babbling about the wonders of modern arcane medicine. No visitor could escape pictures of celebrities with perfect skin and ideal teeth, and the Sakura S hologram which promised unbelievable transformation for just 999.99. Opposite Aoi and Izumi sat a young girl who, judging by the documents, had stopped being “young” a long time ago and was already on the verge of fading out.

“Miss Clark, my name is Takeshi Izumi and I am an investigator of the Professional Institution of Specialists in Magic. This is my colleague, Aoi Omnious, who is in charge of our Magical Anti-Crime Special Force. Pleased to meet you.”

“You know everything, right?” she questioned straight away.

“Pardon?”

“That I’ve helped them. You are a Viridian, right?”

Izumi exchanged glances with Aoi. It wasn’t a rare occasion when people, while dealing with a mage of high intelligence, laid out the whole truth themselves in the belief their thoughts would be read anyway. That was the case where rumors played to their huge favor. Sensei adjusted his glasses and replied, “Indeed, I belong to the Sage type of magic users. We would like to ask you some questions. You have a right to—”

“They are forcing me to do it, Mister Izumi.” Ameli nervously looked around and leaned closer to the officers.

“Could you please define ‘they’?”

“Children of the Evolution. You sure know the name, don’t you?”

“Can you tell us more about these people? The organization?”

“Will I be prosecuted?”

“If you provide maximum assistance, we will try to mitigate your punishment.”

“How much have you learned already? How did you find me?”

“It is us who are asking questions here, Miss Clark,” Aoi interrupted.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just… have no idea where to start from… I don’t want to waste any of your time, so—”

“Tell us everything you know.” Aoi hated when people wriggled out of a subject. “Who did you work with? How did you assist them? Do you know what their business is or what they intend to do next?”

“Any information would be valuable,” Izumi added, playing “a good cop” role.

“My job was to fix some looks... when they demanded it. I’ve never asked why.”

“According to PRISM regulations, you should have notified the authorities if a person’s appearance changed drastically. Did you do that?”

“... No.”

“Who asked you to operate, and how often?”

“About once a week. There was a man and a woman.”

“What were their names?”

“I… I’ve never asked for their IDs. We agreed that I would fill out the forms with fake info.”

“Are these the faces you worked on?”

Izumi handed her images of Inori and the deceased Viols. The girl nodded nervously. “Yes. This woman is the very same person.”

“One of them resembles a member of the Gray Sisters cult. Was it intentional?”

After a moment of hesitation, Ameli admitted it.

“Do you have any evidence? Perhaps, photos of their initial faces?”

“No, I don’t. But…”

She fidgeted on the sofa and added, “If I help the investigation, will you go easy on me?”

“We have already told you, Miss Clark, that indulgences are possible.”

“I don’t have photos, but… I think I can describe the clients. And their leader as well. I’ve changed his face only once, before the two others. Will it help?”

“Please proceed.”

Ameli, with the sharp memory of a professional cosmetologist, plunged into descriptions of the deceased Violets and the same Asian man that the mayor’s daughter had mentioned. The mages heard a hell of a lot of details about the breadth of his forehead and unusual nostrils—and how it was then changed into a masterpiece by Ameli’s hands. When the Manipulator mentioned a scar that used to be on his neck, Aoi couldn’t help but gasp a little.

“Do you know him?” Izumi asked her with just a glance. “I do,” she answered in the same speechless way.