After finishing Shōma's enrollment paperwork, Rowan nodded politely to the homeroom teacher.
"Please take care of him, Terada-sensei."
"You're too kind, sir," Terada replied, bowing reflexively. A man well past ninety still standing this straight carried a gravity that demanded respect.
Rowan exchanged a few quiet words with Shōma, then stepped out of the school grounds and vanished, reappearing moments later at the villa. Age had its advantages. People were less inclined to ask questions, and far more inclined to be courteous.
Just after two in the afternoon, a low rumble shook the air.
Rowan looked up from his notes as thunder rolled across the sky.
"That's not ordinary weather," he muttered.
From the window, he could sense it clearly. The clouds over Tomoeda were alive with unstable magic, restless and sharp.
"Lightning," he said. "A Clow Card."
Unlike most of the deck, this one was worth pursuing immediately. Rowan already understood lightning at a fundamental level. The Yanagi family's related techniques would be easy to absorb, and studying the Lightning card now could deepen that understanding even further. Any improvement there would echo directly into his broader magical growth.
Perfect timing.
He spotted Shōma just arriving home, schoolbag slung over his shoulder.
In an instant, Rowan was beside him.
"Ancestor?" Shōma startled.
"The storm isn't natural," Rowan said, lifting him effortlessly. "There's a Clow Card involved. We're going to take a look."
Wings unfolded from Rowan's back, and they surged upward into the sky, racing toward the heart of the disturbance.
"A Clow Card!" Shōma's eyes lit up. Any questions about flying were immediately forgotten.
High above the town, nestled within the clouds, a massive beast formed of lightning roared, electricity arcing wildly around its body.
"The Lightning Card," Shōma said at once.
The creature noticed them and lashed out, a bolt tearing through the air.
Rowan didn't flinch. He could feel the strength of it, and it was weaker than his own unleashed power. The card still held the concept of lightning, but it lacked the energy to truly embody it. Without its creator supplying power, it was running on residue alone.
That, Rowan suspected, was intentional.
Before he could act, something else caught his attention.
Below them, in the park directly under the storm clouds, Sakura and Tomoyo were huddled beneath a penguin-shaped slide, sheltering from what they thought was incoming rain.
Rowan smiled faintly and changed plans.
Instead of dispersing the lightning, he wove through it, dodging bolt after bolt, drawing the creature's focus.
"Shōma," he said, dropping down briefly to set the boy on the grass. "I'll keep it busy. Figure out how you want to deal with it."
Then he shot back into the clouds, leading the Lightning beast on a furious chase.
"Yanagi-kun?" Sakura blinked in surprise as Shōma appeared in front of her and Tomoyo.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" Shōma said, forming his weapon in his hand. "That thing up there is a Clow Card."
Sakura's expression sharpened. She pulled out her key.
"O key of darkness, reveal your true power. By our pact, I command you—release!"
The key expanded into her staff.
Shōma frowned, glancing upward. "Do you have a card that lets you fly?"
"I do," Sakura said quickly. "The Fly card."
She turned to Tomoyo. "Wait here!"
With a tap of the staff, white wings unfurled from it.
"Get on!"
Shōma hesitated for half a second, then climbed on behind her, gripping the staff rather than her waist, his ears burning red.
Below them, Tomoyo watched with visible regret. "I didn't bring my camera… or a proper outfit…"
Up in the clouds, Rowan finally stopped dodging.
"So you came after all," he murmured as Sakura and Shōma approached.
He raised a hand and casually swatted aside the incoming lightning bolts, redirecting them harmlessly through the sky. A few passed close enough to make the air crack around Sakura and Shōma, close enough to be frightening but never truly dangerous.
The Lightning Card roared, furious.
Rowan smiled.
Now it was interesting.