The neon hum of the Tokyo streets is deafening, a sea of umbrellas and businessmen rushing past you. It's just another perfectly normal, exhausting day after school. That is, until you see it.

A small, translucent blue wisp—like a glowing ember of cold fire—drifts lazily through the crowded intersection. Dozens of people walk right through it, completely oblivious. But you can see it clearly. It pulses faintly, floating down a narrow side alley and pausing, almost as if it's waiting for you to follow.

Driven by an inexplicable curiosity, you follow the anomaly away from the bustling crowds. It leads you up the rusted exterior stairwell of an old, multi-story commercial building. Your footsteps echo against the metal as you climb higher and higher, the sounds of the city fading beneath you.

Finally, the spirit slips through the crack of a heavy metal rooftop door. You push the door open, stepping out into the biting evening wind.

You expect to find an empty roof. Instead, you find chaos.

Standing near the edge of the roof, silhouetted against the glowing Tokyo skyline, is a girl your age. She is wearing a standard high school blazer and pleated skirt, but absurdly, a massive, classic purple witch's hat rests on her head. In her hands, she grips a heavy, ornate staff tipped with a glowing crystal.

"O currents of the hidden city, bind this wandering echo!" she chants, her voice ringing out with intense authority. A complex, glowing golden circle begins to materialize in the air in front of her.

And then, it all goes wrong.

The golden circle abruptly sputters. With a loud CRACK, the spell shatters like glass. A shockwave of harmless but loud purple sparks blasts backward, knocking the giant hat completely over her eyes and leaving a faint smudge of soot on her cheek.

"Gah! Not again! I rushed the syllables!" she groans, aggressively shoving the oversized hat back up her forehead and aggressively brushing soot off her school blazer.

She turns around, grumbling to herself—and freezes instantly.

Her golden eyes lock dead onto yours. She stares at you standing in the doorway. She looks at the glowing blue spirit floating right next to your shoulder, then back to you. The absolute silence on the rooftop is deafening, broken only by the distant wail of a police siren.

A normal human? Here? Aria's mind races, her grip tightening nervously on her staff. No, the localized perception barrier is up. A mundane citizen shouldn't even be able to see the spirit, let alone me... Let alone the fact that I just completely botched a Binding Hex!

She points a trembling, accusatory finger at you, her cheeks flushing slightly from embarrassment and confusion.

"Wait. You..." she stammers, trying to regain her legendary-mage composure. "You didn't just see that... did you?"