abilities

Though The Last Records looks like a notebook, it doesn’t primarily function as one. Instead, it functions as the housing of his purifying magic, as well as the tool for technique deployment. Yukito’s deploying method of choice is paper plane, since during the time he stayed in infirmary for recovery after the incident, folding paper plane was his only hobby and later one of his masteries. Each piece of paper contains a certain amount of Yukito’s magical energy and writer’s soul energy combined. These will then be folded into planes and deployed like combat aircrafts, such as bombers or fighters. The paper planes is capable of dropping or shooting purifying energy bombs and bullets on Yukito’s telepathic commands, making it efficient in purifying Taints – the corrupted souls, the main enemies in Yukito’s world.

There are occasions, however, where Yukito’s purifying magic has effect on physical entities, since his magic is a combination of spiritual energy (pure magic) and physical energy (Yukito’s stamina, which has all properties of real-life conventional energy). In these occasions, the purifying magic is capable of breaking, burning and so on.

Different techniques deploy different types of planes for different purposes. One interesting thing is that Yukito names all of his techniques after combat aircrafts in World War II (in reality), stating “they sound cooler that way”.

To deploy a paper plane, Yukito must take out a paper sheet, fold it into a plane, cast the spell for the desired technique, and then use the spine of the notebook as the flight deck to launch the plane. The plane stores a certain amount of purifying energy and follows Yukito’s commands via telepathy. The launch and the control can be quite stamina-draining, so the number of planes that can engage in combat at the same time is limited by how much Yukito can hold it. The planes can be destroyed in battle or retrieved after the battle. When Yukito retrieves them, he can absorb the energy back into his body, regenerating for a little bit.

Different techniques will have different costs on Yukito’s stamina, some can even be life-threatening. Below is the list of the techniques with detailed description.

3. standard technique: jake

Unlike the other standard techniques this technique is used for reconnaissance, living up to its inspiration, the Aichi E13A long-range reconnaissance seaplane. This type of plane has no ammunition, but instead a huge fuel tank to support its extra-long flight. The energy used for the plane is also packed up really tight, minimizing its energy signal for undetected operation. The plane can cover a huge area on the battlefield, giving basic information about the enemies to Yukito via telepathic feedback. This technique requires the least amount of concentration, making it the safest among the techniques.

4. advanced technique: mighty gale

This technique can be seen as the upgraded version of the technique Zero, just like in real life the Mitsubishi A7M Reppuu is the successor to the A6M Zero. Compared with Zero, this technique is more powerful in all aspects, from maneuverability to ammunition. Furthermore, the energy bullets shot from this plane has an armor-piercing effect, which means they can hit and purify up to two Taints on their way. This effect is achieved by designing a two-layer energy package, with the outer layer hitting the first target and then being consumed, revealing the inner layer keeping on the original trajectory and capable of hitting a second target. Due to this intricate design, this technique cannot be easily cast and requires a substantial amount of strength and focus. To use this technique, normally Yukito would have to find a designated safe spot so that he can finish the casting without interruption.

6. advanced technique: auspicious clouds

This technique is named after Yokosuka R2Y2 Keiun Kai, a turbojet-powered bomber that was proposed to be a development from the prototype reconnaissance aircraft Yokosuka R2Y Keiun but never constructed during World War II. Though there is the word “auspicious” in its name, this technique brings nothing but bad luck to the enemies. This technique stands out from the other advanced ones thanks to the introduction of “metabolized” energy. Similar to a turbojet-powered aircraft, the planes of this technique propel air heated by magical energy backwards to provide thrust. The air in front would be taken in, compressed and heated up by magical energy, which acts like a burning fuel, and then exhausted to the back. But, since the air is heated up by purifying magical energy, the exhaust gains some of the purifying property and an enhanced form of the burning property. The result is that when these planes fly, they leave a shiny reddish smoke trail behind, and whatever touches this trail would be ignited and purified within seconds (Yukito doesn’t know for sure why the trail is red, but since his usual magic has the color royal blue, he theorizes that the reddish color indicates a more pure destructive side of his magic coming out from hiding). This technique requires an enormous amount of energy to heat the air, so it could drain Yukito’s stamina really fast, but using it for merely a minute should be more than enough to burn all the enemies in the field.

7. special technique: soaring into the cloudless sky

This technique is inspired by the transport variant of the flying boat Kawanishi H8K – H8K2-L Seikuu, Model 32. The name is simply an overelaboration of the original’s name Seikuu, which means “Clear Sky”. Just like the H8K2-L, this technique provides a giant paper plane that can carry up to five people for fast and convenient transportation. It is not usually used for emergency situations such as evacuation or escape however, because the summoning would take too much time. Furthermore, this plane also provides some levels of defense in the form of force field: an invisible energy sphere covering the entire plane and the passengers on it, burning any incoming attack upon contact. This defense is not absolute though; powerful enough attacks can still penetrate the shield.

9. final words: protocol kisaragi

“The art of words is the most treasured magic in this world. I will protect it at any cost. Even if it means I have to sacrifice my life, it is just a small price to pay.” – Kisaragi Yukito

credit

This skill set is written by my friend Nicholas Huntington (https://www.facebook.com/nicholas.huntington.07). Permission was granted by the author for me to use it as Yukito's skill set. 

fragments of the past

Yukito is the descendant of the Kisaragi clan, a family well-known for having talented alchemists. As the only child, he was deeply loved by his parents who gave him all the opportunities to develop his abilities. 

When Yukito was 11, he became the target of his relatives who wanted to give him to the research center. In order to protect Yukito, his parents sent him to Australia to avoid being targeted. However, when Yukito was in his freshman year, his whereabouts was discovered by people from the research center and he was once almost kidnapped. Knowing that Australia is no longer safe, Yukito's parents took him home and entrusted him to the chief librarian while they're forced to live away from their son.

header two

At the beginning, Yukito lived under the roof of the National Library as a trainee librarian as arranged by his parents. As he was immersed in literature and learned about the alchemist system, he soon realized that he wanted to put his special abilities to use by becoming an alchemist.