Return of the Winged One

The four known members of Return of the Winged One. Clockwise from top-right: Etzali, Tochtli, Xochitl, and Tecpatl

## Background Information

### **Size**

4 known members, but otherwise it is a large magic cabal

### **Headquarters**

Central America

Leaders| * Tecpatl *(formerly)*

**Return of the Winged One** (翼ある者の帰還, *Tsubasa aru Mono no Kikan*?) is a magical organization based in Central America. This organization was created by gathering people from Central and South America and gathering techniques that were different from the existing scientific technology.

## Etymology

The name of the cabal seems based on an Aztec legend, the return of the legendary priest-king Cē Ācatl Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, reported in the Florentine Codex. An earthly incarnation of the creator god Quetzalcoatl, after being tricked into committing incest with his sister by the evil god Tezcatlipoca, he went into self-imposed exile, boarding a raft of serpents and sailing into the east, vowing to return again when the date of his birth, 1 Reed or Ce Ácatl (843 AD), came around again on the Aztec calendar after thirteen calendar cycles.

Popular belief holds that the Aztecs believed Hernán Cortés to be their god returned, since he came from the east and the year of his arrival, 1519, corresponded to the year 1 Reed, before they realized too late their mistake by the time Cortés finished conquering Mexico. However, modern historians dispute this, speculating the story to be post-conquest Spanish propaganda.

## Principles

### Internal Situation

A Council of Elders once ruled over the organization before it was overthrown by Tecpatl who was originally in charge of military affairs - this was after the failure of the mission in United States where they tried to retrieve one of their artifacts that fell into outsider hands, but were interrupted by Misaka Mikoto on her school trip outside Academy City. Tecpatl then restructured the organization, mass-producing grimoires and forcing combatants to carry them. Leadership after Tecpatl's death is currently unknown, though Tecpatl wagered it on a life or death battle between him and Etzali, but Etzali has shown no signs of returning to take up this position.

### Magic Practices

The magicians from Return of the Winged One do not use metallic materials when constructing weapons. Their magic roots are in Aztec rituals and customs such eating human flesh in order to deliver it to heaven; that would create a magical line connecting the person and the severed flesh. It should be noted that by "*eating the flesh*" the meaning is surely "*using the flesh as materials for the magic*" like it has been shown with the "charm" and the spells used by the Aztec Grimoires; during the course of the story there has been no Aztec magician who displayed actual cannibalistic tendencies.

* **Charm** (護符, *Gofu*?, lit. *Talisman, Charm*): An item made out of human skin which allows the usage of an effective "appearance borrowing" spell.
* **Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli** (トラウィスカルパンテクウトリの槍, *Torawisukarupanteku'utori no Yari*?): A dagger made of obsidian that can reflect the light of Venus for a certain kill attack.
* **Macuahuitl** (マクアフティル, *Makuafutiru*?): A weapon used between the 12th and 16th century, it's a huge sword made out of jade meant to rip apart and crush the enemies. Considering that the blades of the sword are made of stone, it can be said that a considerable amount of strength is needed to get the most out of the weapon.
* **Calendar Stone** (暦石, *Koyomi Ishi*?): A system created based on Aztec authored grimoires, Tecpatl discovered means to reproduce the pages of the grimoires and a defensive system that enables the usage of the books without actually reading them; thus preventing the mind contamination that comes from coming into contact with the books. As of now only two derivative books have been shown:
	+ **Time related to Life and Death** (生と死に関する時間, *Sei to Shi ni Kansuru Jikan*?): A grimoire based on the fact that the Aztecs used two different forms of calendars at once and believed in the death and rebirth of the sun, this Grimoire is born from that concept. It has powerful defensive functions.
	+ **Moon Rabbit** (月のウサギ, *Tsuki no Usagi*?, lit. "*Rabbit of the Moon*"): A grimoire which uses the legend of throwing rabbits at astral bodies as it's basis. It has very powerful offensive capabilities meant for snipping.
* **Mixcoatl** (雲海の蛇（ミシュコアトル）, *Unkai no Hebi (Mishukoatoru)*?, lit. "Serpent of the Sea of Clouds"): Planes made out of wood, cloth and obsidian that can travel at Mach 1 speed and are featured in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS: Liberal Arts City.
* **Xiuhcoatl** (太陽の蛇（シウコアトル）, *Taiyō no Hebi (Shiukoatoru)*?, lit. "Serpent of the Sun"): Also featured in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS: Liberal Arts City , this is their ultimate weapon; a flying giant structure over 100m in length, and made of the same materials as the Mixcoatls. It's true form that of a magical satellite launched by the Aztecs in ages past; it has the ability of gathering energy from the sun and delivering terrifying barrages each consisting of a 10 km wide scattershots of energy beams that can scorch their targeted area asunder with ease. Several of them are known to be in existence.

## Chronology

### Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS: Liberal Arts City

*Main article: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS: Liberal Arts City*
## Known Members

* Tecpatl (Latest Leader, deceased)
* Tochtli
* Etzali (betrayed the cabal and now works for the science side).
* Xochitl

## Trivia

* All of the named members of the cabal have names relating to parts of the Aztec calendar.