01x08 - Ars Magna (Golden Transmutation)

[bunniefuu]

While out to lunch I met

a strange priestess-slash-magician.. .

Later I learned that this young girl

was being held c*ptive within Misawa Prep School...

The sorcerer Stiyl basically ordered me

to come with him to retrieve her...

Everything seemed normal inside the school, until...

That's no robot... It's a corpse.

[Music]

Ars Magna [Golden Transmutation]"

A corpse?

Probably one of the Knights of the Roman Catholic Church...

Judging by this, I'd say they've been wiped out.

Why'd he die?

This school is a b*ttlefield...

and dying's pretty much what happens on a b*ttlefield.

It's not surprising.

Why is everyone here acting like it didn't even happen?

Megumi! Wait for me.

She just walked right through it.

There are two sides: heads and tails...

Like a coin.

We're in the same place as they are,

but there's a barrier between us.

The students are on the heads side,

and they can't see people on the tails side, like us.

And while we can see them,

we can't interfere with them in any way.

Don't bother.

The only way to bring the barrier down

is to eliminate the core of the sorcery that made it...

I'll bet the core itself is located

somewhere outside the barrier.

This death gives us another reason to fight.

Why can't we take the elevator

instead of hauling ourselves up all these stairs?

We're on the tails side, remember...?

And the button to call the elevator

is over on the heads side.

I wonder how cell phone calls work then.

Huh?

Nothing, really...

I was just curious whether or not a call made from this side

would make it through to the other side.

Well then, why don't you give it a try?

I think I will.

Ah...! This is, um, Index Libror--uh...

I mean, you've reached the Kamijo residence... so...

hello.

Wow, awesome greeting...

Have you used a phone before...

or just this once?

Hey... hold on...

that sounds like Toma's voice.

What is it...? What could be so important

that you would use a cellular phone?

A device known to cause brain tumors, depression,

and decreased mental function.

Um... it's nothing major.

Oh, by the way, there were two servings of lasagna

in the refrigerator. Did one belong to you?

Why, did you eat both of them? !

Uh... there was some pudding sitting in there

with the lasagna, too.

Was...? Don't tell me.

You ate all that, too, didn't you...?!

Admit it!

Eh, it's okay.

Anyway, I was just checking cell reception...

I gotta go.

Oh, one more thing...

They say every minute you spend on the phone

decreases your life expectancy.

What...? Is there something wrong?

Oh, no...

I was just thinking that you seem to be awfully relaxed.

I mean, here we are in enemy territory...

and almost the first thing you do

is start chatting up a girl.

I don't really care if that ego of yours

ends up being the death of you.

You can get yourself k*lled, for all I care.

But...

I don't want you dragging me down with you, got it?

Jealous, are we?

Don't be ridiculous...

I have already explained to you the nature

of my relationship with Index...

I'd think you of all people would understand.

Just think about it.

She's lived for years in a body that would be

destroyed without regular memory erasure.

There have been a number of people in her life

who were in the same place as you...

Over the years, these people have tried to play

various roles for her...

Father, brother,

friend, teacher.

I tried once and failed...

Then you tried and ended up saving her.

That's all.

That's the only difference there is between you and me.

He's wrong...

I'm not the one who saved Index anymore.

I'm not the person she wants.

He disappeared when I lost my memory.

Isn't that dress just the worst?

Yeah, it totally is.

This is my first time seeing a scientific cult,

but it seems pretty normal, huh?

Wanna stop by on the way home?

I was expecting to see life-size pictures

of the founder on display.

Doesn't give off a b*ttlefield vibe to me.

Well, that's a bit odd.

There's nothing to worry about...

Remember, we're on different sides of the coin.

There's no way they can see us.

The seraph's wings shine with a brilliant light.

In the whiteness of the radiant light,

all guilt will be exposed.

The whiteness is a symbol of purity.

Purification requires action.

Action is the present and the future.

The future is time.

We seem to have tripped an alarm.

What?

They should be prevented from even seeing us

because of the barrier.

But something's alerted them to our presence.

Guilt is the province of humanity.

Humans fear guilt, though to experience such fear is a sin.

Sin is a virus that destroys the self.

You may try to hide your sin,

but if anything vile lies within you,

the light of the seraph's wings

will expose it for all around you to see...

It will be expelled from within.

Okay, Imagine Breaker.

Looks like you're up!

Hey wait!

Great.

Why are you running?

Your right hand was strong enough to protect

you from Dragon's Breath,

but instead of using it to defend yourself,

you're showing them your back.

You don't really have room to talk here...

Anyway, did you see how many of them there are?

I can't fight all of them with one hand.

Yeah, fine.

But with a Gregorian Choir after us,

we need to figure something out quickly.

It would help if I knew what this choir thingy was.

I'll summarize.

Essentially, it's a big spell formed by the voices

of three-thousand-three- hundred-and-thirty-three monks

in a holy shrine.

Can a bunch of people chanting nonsense

do anything that would hurt us?

It sure can, but it doesn't work

unless every person in the Choir is speaking

the exact same words at the exact same time.

We have to find whatever it is

that keeps them all synchronized.

I do have one thing up my sleeve

for a situation such as this.

Great, then use it already!

All right.

What was that for? !

Sorry, you drew the short straw.

Flames will punish those who are guilty...

Purgatory is the realm of the purifying flame.

Purgatory was created to burn sin from the sinner.

Only a purified soul may pass

through the gates of heaven.

Pain is necessary for purification......

Pain is an affirmation.

Stop talking!

Can't you see what's happening to you?

You've got cuts all over your body!

The inner peace of the self joins the external

world in a harmonious--

What's going on?

What in the world just happened?

I have to hand it to him.

The alchemist is one twisted individual...

Instead of doing the dirty work himself,

he lets these students bloody their hands.

Naturally...

I knew that by using a replica of the Gregorian Choir,

I could lure you to the core

from wherever you had been hiding.

Obviously, I expected someone else to be with you...

Oh well, I suppose the Choir

must have swallowed up your plucky sidekick...

Unfortunately for you,

he's tougher than you give him credit for.

Now then... the great Aureolus Izzard

has lured me into his lair.

Why am I here, alchemist...?

What do you want from me?

A little first aid and she'll be fine.

Really?

Because only the capillaries were severed

the damage is not as extensive as it might appear.

It would be far worse than this

if her arteries had been cut.

How do you know? It's not like you're a doctor.

I know more than most when it comes

to the circulatory system.

You'll need to help me.

-Not cool! -Collect yourself.

It is just a medical procedure.

So, what do you think, Sphinx...?

Where did our Toma run off to today?

There was some pudding sitting in there

with the lasagna, too.

Was...? Don't tell me.

You ate all that, too, didn't you...?! Admit it!

Eh, it's okay.

Something's wrong...

Toma reacted way too calmly...

He would never be that okay with me eating his pudding.

Why are these runes here?

We're all done for now at least.

You did a pretty incredible job with her.

Are you sure that you haven't had

any medical training before?

It's not about training.

Huh? ... Then how did you...?

I told you before, I'm a magician.

Yeah, I know...

but I haven't seen you do any magic.

Then let me show you something.

Here.

See this? It's my magic wand.

Uh... that's a police baton!

-The latest model. -Put it away!

Stop kidding around...

We need to call an ambulance for her.

You should do that.

It's more complicated than that...

You need to get out of here, too.

Aren't you tired of being cooped up in this place...?

Let's go get some fresh air.

Actually, I have a plan of my own...

and it doesn't involve getting out of this building...

What I need to do requires me to stay here...

or, rather...

It requires me to stay with the alchemist,

and for now, that means being in this school.

Really...? But isn't this place the headquarters

for some crazy cult?

That was before Aureolus took things over here.

I'm not a prisoner. I stay inside

because I do not wish to venture out....

When I go out into the world,

I run the risk of attracting them.

So you're telling me you're gonna stay hidden

in here forever because you don't want

the vampires to detect you?

That doesn't sound like much of a life.

Tell me something...

Do you know what vampires are like?

They're no different.

Vampires are no different from normal people.

They laugh, they sing, they love...

They make sacrifices for the good of others.

My blood is unusual...

It has a sweet aroma that attracts vampires...

It rounds them up, draws them in...

and kills them.

It's the same every time.

It kills every one... always...

without exception.

Academy City is a hub of supernatural activity...

I thought I could find someone here

to understand my power...

and then, once it was understood,

I hoped it could be taken from me.

But in the end, the solution that I sought wasn't here.

I don't want to cause any more death...

If it comes down to it...

I've decided I will k*ll myself

before taking another life.

That so...? Then explain something...

If you're so worried about the effects of your power...

then why did you go out to eat earlier?

Simple...

The reason Aureolus needs me

is because he wants to attract vampires.

And if I remain inside the barrier he created,

I cannot draw them out as he wishes me to.

Okay... but doesn't doing that for him

go completely against your objective in all this?

Aureolus made a promise to me...

He said he wouldn't harm any vampires that came for me.

He said that he didn't need to...

He just needed the vampires' power...

because there was somebody who he needed to help.

That's why I'm working with him.

Instead of k*lling...

my power is helping...

That's the way I want it to be.

It's never going to work.

Even if he is the kind of person you say he is...

this is a mistake that's gone way too far.

If things continue like this...

before much longer, there will be no turning back.

Perhaps... but why would I wish to turn back

from the path I have chosen?

Has he been listening?

I've been here longer than you think...

and I'm nearer than you imagine.

Naturally, in their ignorance,

some lesser minds will doubt the plans I've made.

Damn you!

You will come no closer,

and your fist will hit nothing but air.

Oh, yeah? !

What happened...?.. How did you do that?

Now... I find your company lacking...

-Time to go! -No!

Are you crazy? !

If she has enough power to k*ll vampires...

what else can she do?

When push comes to shove,

you still rely on the power of your Deep Blood

which implies you do not wish to give it up.

If you cling to it, how are you any different from me?

I'm not a k*ller.

This boy didn't even know what Deep Blood meant;

he isn't here because of that.

He only came today to rescue a stranger

he met over lunch...

Tell me, Aureolus...

what is your true goal?

Do you intend to take an innocent person's life

because he inconvenienced you?

If you're the type of man who would do something like that,

then our arrangement will end here and now.

I have already made it clear to you

that I am not afraid to die if necessary.

Very well...

I cannot afford to waste more of my time anyway.

Don't be afraid. I have no intention of k*lling you.

You will forget everything that has transpired here.

This is it.

The trail of magical power leading from the runes

ends abruptly right here.

Where am I?

Judging by the fact that you're still here,

I'm gonna guess that we're in Japan.

I have the disturbing feeling

that I've forgotten something important...

Know what I mean?

Well... if it really is important,

I'm sure we'll remember it eventually.

Do you really think so?

You will forget everything.

I wanna show you something.

It's a little trick I know that will make you

feel better in no time.

Home remedies are Kanzaki's specialty.

I think I'll just ask her about it later on.

Just close your eyes...

and then stick out your tongue.

What?

See?

This is for using me as a decoy

so your cowardly butt could run away!

There's a barrier in place here to keep intruders

from getting away after they've entered.

Hmm... hello.

Who's there?

You don't remember...?

No, I don't suppose you would

have any memory of the name Aureolus Izzard.

Well... that is for the best.

I consider it good fortune.

Now, sleep.

Hey. Those look like the corpse from earlier.

The surviving Knights of the Roman Catholic Church.

Commence the att*ck, men.

A Gregorian Choir.

Huh?

A real Gregorian Choir,

not like the alchemist's replica.

Wait, I'm confused.

You said it took lots of people

for one of those Choir things.

Right now, there are probably

three-thousand-three- hundred and thirty-three

congregants offering up prayer

in the Vatican basilica.

Revelation, Chapter , Verse ...

"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail

and fire mixed with blood"...

Hear once more the trumpet call of the first angel!

That light!

What are these guys doing? !

It's a holy hex bombardment.

They're attacking it?

But Himegami is still in there,

not to mention all those other students!

It's breaking apart!

It's going back up.

Ars Magna.

Ars Magna?

It's the true power of Aureolus Izzard...

And that's what we're ultimately going up against.

What are you doing here, Sphinx?

Don't tell me... Damn, thought so...

this is part of Index's robes.

[Music]

[Music]

Everyone wants a piece of Index,

including this alchemist...

When he shows the full strength of his power,

it's going to shake the very foundation of the city.

Next time, "Deep Blood."

When science and magic cross paths, a story is born.