Accelerator found himself, Haruka and Ayato standing in a grassy meadow. Up above them, thousands of stars twinkled brightly, and a large half moon shone.
"Whoa," Haruka gasped. "Where are we?"
"Actually, I have no idea." Ayato glanced around him, looking slightly bemused. "I didn't really specify much in the teleportation spell."
"So what did you specify?" Accelerator stuck his hands in his pockets, giving Ayato a quizzical look.
"Hmm, around 100 kilometres away from Academy City, an open, abandoned area, and no artificial lights. Looks like we got teleported here. Anyways, there's some history I should be teaching you guys. Well, mainly Haruka."
"Then why was I brought along?"
"Learning some stuff is good for you. Not to mention knowledge is power."
"Tch, whatever. What are you going to tell us?"
"The ancient power of Haruka's bloodline. Specifically, the Kishinami bloodline."
"What kind of power is there in my bloodline?" Haruka asked curiously.
"Millennia ago, your ancestors were the first people to use the moon as a source of magic. It was a very powerful source, and they were able to use many different kinds of magic unknown to the world back then. It became so that the moon was literally their source of power. If they used up all their magic and they couldn't cast any more spells, all they needed to do was to stand under a beam of moonlight and their magic would recharge immediately. Since your family is a direct descendant of that bloodline, you have inherited all the attributes of the magic." Glancing at Accelerator's open mouth, obviously going to ask a question, Ayato held up a hand to stop him. "If you're saying that science states that moonlight is only reflected sunlight, it does have different properties in magic."
"That's really interesting. So, what kind of magic can I use?"
"I can answer that." Kaguya appeared out of nowhere, blue dress fluttering with the slightest movement.
Ayato raised an eyebrow, but gestured for her to go on.
Kaguya snapped her fingers, and the Moonlight Codex appeared on Accelerator's arm. The chain tugged itself free from his arm and flew to her hands, where she opened it, ignoring Accelerator's glare at her. "In the second section of the Moonlight Codex, it talks about the hidden magic of the priests of Diana."
"Diana?"
"Roman goddess of the moon. The history is very sketchy, since a lot of records were lost, but it's believed that your ancestors were priests of Diana who then travelled to Japan."
"That's a long journey."
"Yeah, but they picked up plenty more information about magic along the way. Anyways, I'm giving you access to the Moonlight Codex along with Accelerator. Read the second section. However, he's the only one who can keep it." Snapping the book shut, she allowed it to float back to Accelerator, where it automatically reattached itself to his right arm. He scowled at her.
"Next time you need the damn book, give me a warning before you yank my arm off."
"Wait a second, why did Nii-san put a section like that in the Moonlight Codex?"
"He got the information from Hakuno. He knew that the information would be useful someday. That information is also the main reason for the title of the Moonlight Codex."
"I see."
"So why did we need this lesson out here and not Academy City?"
"All the light pollution makes it hard to see the night sky clearly, or so Ayato says. Not to mention, there's a magic ritual Haruka has to go through."
"What kind of magic ritual?" Haruka asked weakly.
"Oh, don't freak. It isn't high-level magic that'll do anything drastic to your body. It's somewhat like an initiation to accept the full power of the Kishinami bloodline." Kaguya flipped some pages in the grimoire, and then stopped in the middle. "Here it is: Chapter 13, section 7. The ritual of blood, designed as an acceptance of the family heritage and initiation."
"What is it with magic and blood?" Accelerator looked slightly confused and exasperated.
"Blood is the fluid of life. Of course it holds great power. How do you think I got the teleportation spell done so quickly? Regular teleportation spells require magic circles that take at least half an hour to make. Teleportation spells made with blood have a much simpler design." Ayato held up his right wrist, displaying a newly healed scar.
Haruka cringed. "How much blood?"
"Not too much. I was watching the entire thing. Besides, Accelerator also had to give up some blood in order to gain full access to the Moonlight Codex."
"You too, Accelerator?"
"It wasn't my choice." He grumbled. "Kaguya had already cut me before I could do anything."
"Fine." Haruka extended her hand to Kaguya. Kaguya took it, but hesitated. Haruka glanced at her questioningly.
"What?"
"There will be some physical side effects. I forgot to tell you."
"Like?" Haruka asked nervously.
"Your hair will get some silver streaks and you'll develop crescent pupils, like mine."
"I didn't see anything like that in the picture of my father."
"That's because scientific cameras can't pick up some magical appearances."
"Well, that's not so bad."
"Let us continue then. Stay still. This ritual is supposed to be done by an actual priest or member of your family, but since I possess power similar to yours, I can act as a substitute."
Producing the knife she had used on Accelerator, Kaguya turned Haruka's hand to the back and traced out a crescent cut, which began bleeding quickly.
"Raise your hand so your blood comes in contact with the moonlight," Kaguya instructed Haruka. As Haruka did so, the surrounding area was instantly lit up with bright silver light.
Kaguya quickly traced a magic circle with the blood on the back of Haruka's hand, chanting in an ancient language. As she chanted, Haruka literally felt more power surging into her body.
The glow died down gradually after Kaguya stopped chanting, revealing a somewhat changed Haruka. Her reddish orange hair had silver streaks, and her eyes looked like that of Kaguya's. Ayato and Accelerator stared at the change.
Haruka waved a hand in front of Accelerator, causing him to blink. "Wake up. That wasn't too shocking, was it?"
"Can't expect me to not stare at a magic ritual I've never seen before. Also, you have a scar."
Quickly looking at the place she got cut, Haruka noticed the crescent moon shaped scar, which was a silver colour. She shrugged.
"Well, that's all for now, I think. Ayato, should we be heading back?" Kaguya asked, tapping her foot.
"What do you two think?" Ayato asked Accelerator and Haruka. "It's only 4:35. And no, I'm not doing any early morning training, Accelerator."
"Dawn's already here. We should leave." Haruka got up, pacing around.
"True. Still, what can we do for 4 hours or something?" Choosing not to get up, Accelerator remained lying on the ground.
"I'm going back to sleep. You two, I don't care."
"Alright then."
"Fine with me."
"I'll meet you guys back in Academy City." Kaguya disappeared immediately into thin air.
Getting up, Ayato stretched and studied the night sky, apparently confirming some facts. "You two, stay in the middle like you did last time."
Ayato walked off again. Accelerator remained lying on the ground, staring at the sky. Haruka sat back down beside him, following his gaze at the slowly dimming stars.
"Still see any constellations?"
"No, not really."
"When I got my memories back, I remembered a whole lot more about what I was taught about magic. If you have the right timing, you can use the constellations in a magic circle for really powerful magic."
"Huh, interesting."
"Remember anything from the time when we were younger?"
"Yeah. For some reason, I don't have any lasting memories of my parents." He really didn't, except for the memories Michael had shown him, and he neglected to tell her that.
"Really?" Haruka asked in surprise.
"Yeah."
"That's due to the fact that your parents died when you were 4 years old. I'd be surprised if you have any clear memories of them." Ayato walked up to them. "Stand up. I modified the spell this time so we'd be directly transported to Aiho's apartment, but it's going to be one hell of a ride."
"So wouldn't it be better if we sat down?"
"When using teleportation spells, you should always be standing. That's actually a better option."
"You're making no sense, but fine." Accelerator got up and stood beside Haruka.
Slashing his hand through the air, Ayato muttered a spell and they were instantly engulfed in darkness. The shrieking of wind reached their ears, blowing faster and faster. The area around them started shaking violently, but somehow, the trio managed to hold their ground. After at least a minute of this, the wind died down and the ground stopped shaking. The darkness lifted for the trio to find themselves in the living room of Yomikawa's apartment.
Haruka immediately collapsed on the nearby couch, Accelerator following her lead a second later. "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Ever. Again," she groaned.
"You guys should be glad it was only a hundred kilometres. Believe me, if you wanted to travel to countries on opposite sides of each other, the shaking would be a whole lot more violent." Ayato lay down on the other couch, wrapping his black cloak around him. "I'm going back to sleep. Don't bother me."
"Aaaaaaand cue sound barrier spell." Kaguya appeared in the living room, glancing knowingly at the now-silent Ayato. "He's using the same sound barrier spell he used earlier. You guys better find some kind of way to amuse yourselves."
"I need some time to recover. What about you, Accelerator?"
"Don't know. Maybe I'll go on the roof." Going into the kitchen, he grabbed a can of coffee Yoshikawa had bought, opening it and drinking most of the contents in one swig. Getting another can, he tossed it to Haruka. She caught it and nodded in thanks.
"Guess I'll join you. I want to watch the sun rise."
"Suit yourself."
"Looks like I'm not needed for now. Later." Kaguya disappeared.
Finishing the coffee in silence, Accelerator threw the can into the bin and headed towards the door.
"Hey, wait for me!"
"Bring the coffee to the roof if you don't finish. Not my fault you drink super slowly." He walked out of the door, Haruka hurrying after him.