To the 'you' of right now, this was supposed to be a sacrifice. A noble sacrifice that Lexi couldn't come back from. Well, not noble, per se, but a sacrifice all the same. She wanted you to get away with Sayaka, whatever the cost. The 'you' of this world should protest and fight her, tell her to walk away with Sayaka while you stay behind.
However, that wasn't
you. Lexi's disposition and predicament had not changed. Just because death didn't lie at the end of her choice didn't mean it wouldn't be painful.
Help me.
From the confines of Chiyo's distorted form, she made an earnest plea. A desperate prayer for an escape. There was no way to imagine how much time she's lost up until now. Fleeting moments lost because of a wish she never made, to monsters she could never hope to fight. She would be alone, fighting against creatures she had no hope of winning against.
Your vision blurs. Your hand shakes as you clasp your shoulder to stop the bleeding. Despite your wounds, you take yet another step forward. "Sit Sayaka down against the railing behind us."
"Oh, you're deaf." Lexi frowns.
"We're making a stand."
Even if you weren't strong enough, you weren't letting anyone die.
"Stand?" Lexi's eyes go wide. "Nah, I think you're just going to collapse, bleed out and probably die."
You ignore her biting words.
"Put Sayaka down, we're holding the line."
Lexi scoffs, crouching low to let Sayaka slide off her back. Unconscious, Sayaka lay against the railing. Aside from a few scrapes, she was okay.
You were on time. You weren't too late.
The only thing you had left to do was get them out.
You turn toward the black mass rushing up the spiraled walkway. Their ascent slows as they begin to pull and prod at each other. Familiars in the back grasp the legs of those in the front. They trip as their cohorts from the back leap over them. It was like crabs in a bucket, constantly dragging each other down into the bottom. The only difference was they continued to advance, despite the setback.
Magic coalesces into your hand. It elongates and thins out, solidifying into the form of a red sword-spear. The new weight forces you to stumble. You stab it into the ground to regain your balance.
"Here." You do your best to stand as you push off of the spear.
"You're crazy." Lexi pulls the weapon out of the ground.
"That makes two of us."
The maelstrom of darkness drew closer. No portraits in sight. The black familiars gnash their teeth and grind their claws in anticipation of a great feast. A lump forms in your throat as you shake the anxiety away.
Creating the spear was easy enough; it was a weapon you had experience with wielding. The magic associated with it was another story entirely. Whether it was the limit of your abilities or the nature of how your magic worked, you didn't know.
If there was ever a time to push your limits, it was now.
Magical energy fills your body.
The pain in your leg and shoulder numbs.
Your blurred vision becomes clear.
It was a rudimentary application of magic. If you were right, it was the same method that magical girls used when fighting witches. Pushing it just a little more to support Lexi shouldn't have been an issue.
It was time to conjure the bow. You reach your hands out and let the magic flow freely through your body and mind. It carves a curved crescent as you clasp its shining form.
Then, all at once, a white flash.
"Ah!" You yelp as the soul gem shines with a bright light.
A veneer of static clouds your vision. The visage of a girl standing against the tide. A bow in hand. An ephemeral pink flame against the darkness.
I wasn't strong enough.
The will of the soul gem cries out as the bow shatters.
Sweat drips from your brow. You clasp your chest in a desperate attempt to catch your breath.
"I told you so." Lexi grasps the spear in both hands. "Last chance. Grab your friend and go."
You grit your teeth in defiance toward Lexi and your limits.
Lexi runs toward the procession of familiars just a few meters away. She stabs forward with the spear. The pointed tip nails one of the familiars in the head, forcing it to the ground. Another familiar swipes at her leg. Lexi pivots, thrusting the spear straight through the creature's mouth and out the other side. "Are you going to run or not?"
No, you weren't.
It could've been anything. A gun, a slingshot -- but the image of that bow. It was what you needed at this moment. Nothing else would work.
Focus on the bow. The memory tied to it. The warmth of the pink flame. Focus.
Make the bow.
Think. You hold your hand out, force magical energy into your palm, and form the shape. It snakes outward, slowly bending before shattering.
Why?
Why wasn't it coming?
I let you die.
Static.
More pain.
You wince.
Lexi swings wide. The familiars space themselves to avoid the head of the spear. Four of the spindly creatures move past her. They were heading toward you and Sayaka.
"No you don't!" Lexi turns and sprints to route them.
She jumps on top of one's head, forcing it to faceplant. The sword-spear lunges forward to stab another in the back.
"I told you to run!" She yells.
"Tch." You grimace, conjuring a white sword. You force magical energy into your hand and throw it.
More pain.
The blade tears into the monster, stabbing it straight through the eye. As the second closes in, you conjure another sword. You step forward, cleaving a clean downward arc.
Its arms go flying.
Another swing.
The familiar falls to the ground at Sayaka's feet.
"I can handle a few. Just not…" You struggle through your breaths as you look up. "Lexi, behind you!"
"I know!" Lexi swings wide.
She clips two or three. Not enough to inhibit them for more than a second. The black mass begins to slowly circle Lexi.
She slashes, lunges, and pokes with the spear. Even with their thinning numbers, the familiars encircle her. The echo of their gnashing teeth is almost enough to drown out Lexi's voice.
"You got time! Go!" Lexi pleads.
"Not without you!"
"Don't worry about me! Just
go!"
No. You weren't backing down.
Dive deep. Dig deep. It didn't matter the cost.
Focus. Focus on the bow.
You repeat the words in your head as you hold your hand out. The familiar's getting close meant you and Sayaka died too.
At this point, it didn't matter what happened to you -- all you needed was an
answer. Why was the soul gem fighting against you?
More static. A distant cry.
Your perception shifts as if watching a film reel.
Gone was the imagery of Lexi overcome by a wave of darkness, replaced by a familiar memory from another time.
Through the distant city ruins of another world, a white flash illuminates the dream. Rocks and shrapnel dot the landscape. The clouds part from above to reveal the evening sun. Frigid water licks at your shins, pulling you from your languor. You rub your eyes, refocusing your vision.
It wasn't Lexi on the ground. No, it was someone else. A rock blocks your view of everything but her head.
It was Madoka.
The image of the bow flashes into your mind. A bent branch with a glistening rose at the top.
You trudge forward through the water as fast as you can. You try to yell her name, but no words come. As you round the rock, another figure comes into view. A girl with long, pink hair with a hand on Madoka's chest. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes wet with rain and tears. Her rusted armored dress sits with frayed fabric.
It was you.
You see from
her eyes.
Madoka's pale face and soft smile.
You reach forward and wipe the blood from her face.
"
I wasn't strong enough." Words not your own exit your mouth as you hug Madoka close.
"
I wasn't strong enough to protect you."
A bid for power even though you already had the wish granted. Even in the future, it wasn't enough. No matter what you tried, the only thing that would remedy your plight was time. Time you didn't have, time you would have to return for.
Homura's shield should do it. But, wasn't it the same as running away?
No, you would persevere in this world for as long as you could. Fighting like you always had. Harden your heart, bolster your resolve, and continue walking forward.
No. These weren't your thoughts, your feelings. They were
hers.
This isn't what you wanted.
What you wanted was hope.
A hope casted from the future into the past, and into your present.
You hold Madoka close. Even though she was cold, even if she had passed on here, that didn't mean that hope had been lost or abandoned.
"
After losing her, I fought alone. Even if it was pointless, I still had hope in my heart."
Without your sister, fighting on already lost meaning. No, it wasn't just your sister. Without Sayaka, your friends, persisting in a world without them felt meaningless. You didn't want to lose anyone.
"
We were always at each other's side. Always and forever."
Yeah, that was true. But now, in this moment, if you failed to protect Sayaka and Lexi, it would be all for nothing.
"
We wanted to make everyone happy. It didn't matter if they were magical girls or just normal people."
It wasn't a bad way to live. In fact, part of you wishes you could do that. Could have done that.
"
We made a promise to one another. If one of us turned into a witch, we would…"
She was the one who did it. The other you was responsible for that vision. She was grieving the loss of the sister she killed. It was a mercy. She wouldn't want the world to be dyed black by her despair.
"We clung to whatever hope we could, even if it was impossible."
That was true even now.
"
At the end of this long road, all I could do was turn around and walk away."
No. The road may have been paved with blood, with sacrifice, but no one could say it was wrong. All she was doing was looking for a second chance. A chance to undo the tragedy that had befallen her sister.
How could that be called running away?
You force the words out of your mouth. Even if you were silent, even if she couldn't hear you, you wanted to speak to her.
"
I don't want to make any empty promises.
But just know that my wish and yours are the same."
The soul gem resonates. It shines as splendid as the day you first saw it.
"
I'll protect her, no matter what. So that you won't have to cry. It's the least I can do for you and for me."
"Yeah."
"
Leave it to me. I'll make sure we go home smiling with everyone."
"
That's something I could never do."
"
That's not true. I'm sure she was happy until the very end."
You don't see her, you don't feel her, but a weight presses down onto your shoulder.
"Never look back. Never surrender. For her sake and mine, continue fighting."
The pain stops.
The wounds mend.
Your vision was clear.
In your hands wasn't a bow, but two halves of a whole.
A white sword, for the time you spent with Midori.
A black blade, for the future that the other you had cast away.
You join the hilts together. They meld and merge, curving back into a glistening crescent.
A bow -- one half white, one half black. The weapon of the sister you would lose in the near future. Pink energy dances at your fingertips as you pull the string back.
A unity of past, present, and future.
"Lexi, move!" You release the string.
The arrow flies. Not toward the familiars, but to the sky. The pink arrow explodes, expanding outward. A symbol appears in the sky as lines carve themselves into the air. Circles form, expanding outward as if drawn by an unseen hand. Arcane runes line the outside of the contours.
Pink arrows rain down in a bombardment. Upon impact they detonate. Each and every projectile strikes true.
Through the head, through the arms, through the legs.
Each and every familiar explodes into light.
Lexi runs. She runs as fast as she can through the bombardment. She skips, leaps, and skids to your feet to evade the explosions.
"At least
warn me if you're going to carpet bomb them."
"I, uh--" You blink, looking out over the raining devastation. "Sorry?"
"Sorry?" She sighs. "Whatever."
She looks back out over the battlefield.
Pink flames riddle the path.
Not a single familiar in sight.
"Thanks for buying me time." You smile. "I appreciate it."
"Right." Lexi looks past you. "But what about your friend?"
"Oh!" The bow dissipates into thin air. "Sayaka."
Your magical girl attire vanishes as you approach her. You check her pulse as a matter of course. Another look over and you sigh in relief. "She'll be alright."
"Well, with them out of the way…" Lexi hoists the spear on her shoulder. "What now?"
"What do you mean? I came to get you guys, so …"
"There's another magical girl fighting the witch. So, we could probably just leave."
Another magical girl? That made sense, considering Kyouko was here at the mall.
You look further down the walkway. Then, down at your body. Your injuries were completely healed. Were you doing something different with the magic?
No, that wasn't it. Magic was flowing through it like before, but it didn't hurt at all.
You clench your palm and then look at the finger with the sigil. It was a pristine gold. No longer blotched or murky. A part of you was worried, but you shove the thought away with a shake of the head.
"So, what's the plan?" Lexi asks.
Given your current state, you could probably help. But then again, you weren't so sure. So, you …
[_]
… proceed to help Kyouko fight the witch. Two magical girls were better than one.
[_]
… it was best to escort Lexi and Sayaka out. Kyouko was competent, so she should be fine fighting something like this.
[_] Write-in
