Miracles at World's End

Winning Vote: Tie between Become a Magiologist and Study the Yokai. The two votes will be combined.

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Should she really share her life-long dream? Share it with a class of students that, while enthusiastic of Miracles, were apathetic to how wondrous magic and its systems could be? More so with her tormentor. If anything, Uyemura would call her selfish for not prioritizing the safety and well-being of Japan. It would be ignored, of course, but still, to have her dream ridiculed…

Then a lightbulb went off.

Yokai had their own form of magic that was ill understood. There were few researchers that studied the mechanics of their magic yet nothing had been discovered even after two decades. Theories were abound, of course, but all research simply slammed into one dead end after another. And Miracles weren't exactly keen on becoming scientists since there were more glamorous jobs such as the military and idols. Some Miracles did become scientists certainly, but they tended to be ones that shied away from the spotlight. And the last magioloist that studied the magic of the Yokai had been years back, publicly at least. Maybe research was still being carried out, but if so, Lila hadn't found it yet.

Add the natural danger of the Yokai and how scientists studying them tended to meet awful ends and Lila found a tale she could weave. Heheh, Uyemura would never call her selfish when she would be diving right into danger. Though, knowing the jerk, she'd probably find an excuse anyway.

So Lila stood in front of the class and gifted them her best smile. Something to butter them up first. People responded better to those who faked confidence.

"Hello everyone, I am Luck Lila, daughter of Luck Stephan and Hyeong and sister to Luck Yang."

A few Japanese frowned at her mother's name. She ignored them.

"It has been a lifelong dream of mine to study magic in all of its forms, including that of the the Yokai."

Lila's smile widened the tiniest bit when all eyes were now firmly on her.

"There are many mysteries to the Yokai, especially of the mechanisms behind their magic. I intend on investigating these mechanisms to better know the enemy of humanity. With such knowledge, we may finally solve the mystery of the Yokai themselves. But I would need to deepen my understanding of the knowledge we do have about magic. It may take years, decades even, but I promise you, I'll solve this mystery and help humanity in bettering their insight on the Yokai. Maybe with such insights, humankind will finally be free of these monsters."

The students were simply silent. They did not clap or boo. Some glanced at one another, asking if Lila finally cracked under the pressure. Who would want to study the Yokai? Those things were monsters! Others, however, had a ghost of a smile upon their lips. Not because the speech was inspiring per say, but it was hard not to be infected by Lila's passion for magic.

Lila smiled through it all until Takaki dismissed her and she returned to her seat.

Takaki would commend the new Miracles for their speeches and finish the school day with a lecture about some meaningless thing Lila barely paid attention to. Something about how he's honored about teaching, she guessed. The matter of the fact though is that she needed to start jotting down ideas on how to actually reach her goals. Not now, obviously, since Takaki would reprimand her. Or maybe he would praise her for the initiative? She still didn't quite know what to make of him, other than that she would never like or love him for what he said earlier. Yang was many things, but a failure of a mentor was not one of them.

The final bell rang and she stood up and reached for her bag when she was swamped by students. They pelted her with rather generic questions about her being a Miracle. A few interesting questions were among them such as how she was going to use her nature as a Miracle to study the Yokai and their magic.

Lila thought for a moment about how best to go about answering them. She needs to quickly finish this because she has to go to Magic Club. Oh! The classroom wasn't an appropriate place for the topics of Miracles. What was an appropriate place, however, was Magic Club.

So Lila informed them as such and directed them where to go. The students flooded out of the classroom. Some were slower than others, seemingly wanting to ask their own questions, but nonetheless left without issue.

Lila let out a breath. Jez, how did celebrities deal with all of the questions? Maybe they just built up a tolerance to it? Eh, whatever, she gotta head towards the clubroom now.

Qin had been waiting for her by the door and began walking besides Lila as they made their way towards Magic Club.

"Way to humble Uyemura back there." Qin elbowed Lila.

"I would gloat, but then my cat would nip me." Lila gestured towards the feline staring at her with half-lidded eyes.

"Your cat? You haven't picked a name for them yet?"

"W-well, I tried, but it kept rejecting the names I picked."

"You might wanna pick a name soon, otherwise Uyemura's gonna start bullying you over not being a 'proper Miracle'."

"I'm sure her Tori will remind her very gently not to be a bully." Lila smirked at the image of the jerk getting pecked at before dozens of students.

"I'd love to see that."

"Speaking of Uyemura and her Companion, she's a Miracle now. She was already a jerk before, but I think it'll go to her head and start becoming worse." Lila glanced off to the side. The flower incident and Uyemura subsequent humiliation had been where their rivalry truly kicked off. Now both of them were Miracles and that breed competition. A lot of rivalries between Miracles were good natured with some playing it up for the media. Yet there were no shortage of cases where the rivalry between Miracles worsened to the point they clashed against one another. The worst outcomes resulted in the Companions severing their bonds and rendering their Miracles normal humans once more.

How long before Uyemura reached that point? Where she felt the need to start a fight. Lila didn't want to fight another Miracle even if it was the jerk. The Yokai were enough of a problem as is, but infighting would worsen it. She supposed it was just human nature to duke it out when tensions boiled over.

Lila would prepare for that day should it ever come.

"If she does then her Companion will leave her and hopefully Uyemura learns a lesson."

Lila could only shrug at that.

"But what about you, Luck-chan? Are you going to let power go to your head and lord over us normies?" Qin asked with a playful smile on her face.

"Ha! As if. My power actually lets me control my emotions."

"Oh? That sounds quite useful. Lotta Miracles get emotional over something."

Lila sucked in a breath. Yeah, many, many Miracles got emotional for any number of reasons despite how society expects them to be the graceful, stoic Defenders of Japan. She couldn't blame many of them either. Just last week, Crimson Fenghuang broke down after getting news that his mother got caught up in the purges following the coup d'etat against the leader of China. She sympathized with him, but wailing and crying in public did not earn him any kind gestures…

Well, at least her power would help keep her emotions in check so long as she kept focused.

"Yep. I think I can even handle the stresses of the Kyushu Line."

"Hopefully you don't get sent there." Qin said.

The two continued to talk about how things were going as they walked towards the homeroom of Magic Club.

Lila and Qin reached the door of the homeroom. It wasn't unlike other doors of the school, where its paint was chipping off and rust began to spread across its frame. A fresh coat of blue paint glistened on the door and the letters spelling out Magic Club shone like new. Knowing Kirigaya, she probably redid the door again just this morning.

Excited chatter from dozens of students were muffled by the door. Dozens of students waiting for her and Uyemura. Lila took a breath, calmed her nerves, and opened the door.

The homeroom of Magic Club was larger than most clubs since many students joined it and so the club was moved to a pair of abandoned rooms. The wall between them was knocked down, windows cleaned, and the floor replaced. Even with the extra room, however, it was chock full of people. Lila could barely squeeze through the door because so many students had clustered around the door just waiting for her.

Not even three steps in and they were already bombarding her with questions or asking rather personal things she did not want to answer. She'd expected this. After all, she watched many Q&As with Miracles on the TV or radio. Fans asked either the silliest of questions or the most embarrassing ones. It was funny how Miracles bumbled their way through for an answer, now not so much when it was her on the other end.

Nonetheless, Lila answered each and every question with a graceful smile. Her smile did not fade even as Uyemura stepped through the crowd and extended a hand towards her.

"I apologize for my outburst earlier, it was unbecoming of me. You're right that we shouldn't let past grievances hurt our corporation with one another and we should strive to be better than who we were yesterday."

Lila heard Uyemura's facial muscles scream as they twisted her lips into a smile.

For a split-second, Lila hesitated. Should she actually let Uyemura salvage her reputation after her little outburst earlier? But what excuse could she come up with at the moment? Darn it, the jerk just had to do this in front of all the students. Besides, it wasn't like anyone thought Uyemura was genuine.

She swallowed her pride and shook hands with Uyemura. Though she made sure to squeeze the jerk's hand extra tight. Was it wrong? Yep, but oh so worth it to see Uyemura flinch-

Lila smiled through her Companion pawing her side with its claws unsheathed just ever so slightly. It didn't pierce through her clothes, but the prodding hurt nonetheless. So Lila loosened her grip and Uyemura's smile became a little more genuine.

"Well, well, well, I wasn't expecting this! Luck and Uyemura actually putting to bed their rivalry?!" The students parted ways to reveal a girl in her late teens walking towards Lila and Uyemura. She looked over the two of them with a critical eye, thumb under her chin."I was hoping for action, drama-"

"How blunt, Kirigaya-chan." Uyemura rolled her eyes.

"-romance!"

Lila's gut twisted itself into a knot at the thought of ever getting together with Uyemura. But for the shake of appearances, she maintained her graceful smile whilst obliterating the disgust writhing in her gut.

"But alas, there won't be any of those things. Still, having not one, but two new Miracles makes up for it!" Kirigay's eyes lit up." So, seeing as everyone here knows you already, how about we do a little competition? Nothing like fighting, but more like a friendly contest to show off their stuff!"

"Kirigaya-chan, what contest do you have in mind and how will the winner of the contest be determined?" Lila asked.

Kirigaya hummed while she thought of an idea.

"Simple, the both of you show off your powers and outfits! Then the students vote on who's the coolest. Sounds fair?"

"Of course. It is a sound idea." Uyemura smiled.

Lila glanced at a smirking Uyemura. Oh she was not gonna let the jerk get a freak chance. This contest was on.

Yoshino Sadao glared at the black liquid swooshing in the vial. The most primal part of him screamed for him to throw the thing out and get out of the lab. He shut that part up. All diseases were dangerous under the right conditions, but could be rendered harmless under others. And this black liquid, this 'Ichor', was as harmless as it could be right now.

Still, never had he seen anything like it in his thirty years as a pathologist. Yet again it wasn't like the last year saw the upending of human society as a whole. What, with monsters appearing out of nowhere to slaughter humanity with seemingly no reason or goal, actual heroes empowered by magic, and Japan somehow not collapsing despite the world falling apart. That last part baffled him the most. Regardless, he still had a job to do.

He stilled his trembling gloved hands and uncorked the vial. Yoshino lowered a micropipette into the vial, its tip plunging into the liquid. Immediately the liquid ceased swooshing and began rippling inwards towards the tip. An odd effect to be sure, but it came to be something Yoshino ignored throughout the hundreds of times he'd done this. Still, never before had he seen a fluid act this way. Were it not for the weakness of the flesh, then he would have spent all of his hours towards discovering the mechanisms behind it. But he needed sleep and food as well as a deadline to meet.

So Yoshino gently squeezed the pipette a couple of times. It filled up with the Ichor until it met a line a few centimeters up. He corked the vial and returned it to the tray.

The pathologist prepared the slide and the microscope. Every side was examined for any leakage of the liquid. There were some dripples to which a quick wipe and dap from a cloth was enough to take care of it. Yoshino disposed of it into a bin.

He placed the slide under the microscope and peered through the eyepiece, adjusting it until he could see the components that made up the Ichor.

Yoshino saw the aurora borealis dance in a myriad of lights under the lens of the microscope. Or, well, that was the closest descriptor he could think of. He'd seen the Northern Lights once so long ago when visiting family. It was like the Heavens themselves held a grand festival and the sky was lit up in joy. Yet the one in the Ichor was not lit up in joy. No, Yoshino had to look away from the microscope because his temples throbbed. From what, he did not know.

It never ceased to amaze him at how utterly bizarre the Ichor was. Blood was made up of plasma and cells yet Ichor wasn't made up of either of these. The only thing either shared was that they were both liquids. That's where the similarities ended and, unfortunately, the extent of his knowledge concerning Ichor. Even a year of study revealed next to nothing.

The reasons were myriad, from the same old excuse of not having enough funding to the actual danger of becoming infected by it.. Thankfully it could be prevented by not drinking the stuff, but a colleague went and drank a full vial for whatever inane reason.

Observing how the symptoms presented themselves was captivating. The skin flaked off so easily as though it were dead. The eyes sunk into the skull. Bony protrusions erupted through flesh and wrapped around his colleague's head. Such rapid, invasive changes would've killed any organism by the amount of heat produced. Yet his colleague remained standing through it all… until the soldiers came in with flamethrowers at the ready.

Now why did his colleague go mad and drink the Ichor? The question never left Yoshino, having nestled in his mind for months on end. He always shoved it aside since it only distracted him from his work. But in recent weeks, more and more of his colleagues have gone missing or turned up dead. He ignored it of course. Ever since the monsters began their war against humanity, the number of people missing or dead went up drastically. And his missing or dead colleagues were all scientists studying the Ichor. No doubt they became contaminated and so the government decided to make them disappear.

He wondered why they wouldn't tell him the obvious answer, though. Were it not for their secrecy, he would've helped them in studying the pathology of the Ichor.

Regardless of their reasoning, Yoshino had to be content with what was given to him. So he resumed his examination of the Ichor.

Yoshino spent the next hours examining the Ichor and writing down anything that stood out. From a yellow light becoming a dark red to something that looked like a RBC moving about. However, the longer he studied the fluid, the more he began to notice a… a shape? It was hard to describe, but something was there. In the hundreds of specimens he examined, this had never happened before.

The pathologist's hand scrambled for the records while his eyes remained transfixed on the shape. New colors he'd never seen before in his whole life seeped into it and filled its outline. Funny, he was colorblind to greens and reds yet he saw them with perfect clarity. How then was he able to see these new shades? His mind wandered for an answer and found only a desert of emptiness…

No, not a desert of emptiness, but an ocean of stillborn dreams.

Humanity was marched up altars crafted from long-forgotten memories. Hateful, obsessive knives gorged themselves into screaming matter. Mankind's hopes and dreams oozed out and into the ocean where the stillborn dreams twitched for, but a moment. The hate and obsession continued their duty anointed to them by things older than the first thoughts of the universe. Those same things watched all with apathetic passion.

Yoshino took a breath and their infinite eyes turned towards him. He didn't even have the time to realize that his mind had been ripped away from him. It was only when their ancient thoughts pressing down onto his own, drowning his consciousness under a current of terrible curiosity did he realize it.

His mind screamed and thrashed for any purchase to secure itself upon. But the things tossed his mind to one another, each studying this fleeting soul that had gripped their attention. There was no rest, no respite under their critical eyes which examined every thought, dream, and desire of Yoshino.

Was this how pathogens felt when under the microscope? To be poked and prodded at the leisure of a greater being? To have everything that made him, him, ripped out and put up on display? To be so thoroughly violated that one felt more like a lab specimen pinned under a microscope? Did they pray to a deity that did not exist or was powerless against these things? Did they squirm and scream for anything, even the evilest of Devils, to help them?

Yoshino did not believe in any greater power, be it Buddha, the Kami, or God. But he wanted to. It did not matter what it was. Anything to help him escape these things.

Their wonder soon crumbled into dust, however. Infinite eyes returned to watching all with apathetic passion and his own mind returned to him.

Yoshino stood inside a lab with a dead-still motion. The Ichor under the microscope had long dried up, but its truth had implanted itself into his brain. So much has been revealed to him. The nature of those monsters known to him now in all of its terrible and wondrous glory. He wanted to reject it as a horrid lie, but it was a pure and simple truth. How could humanity stand against them? There was simply no way. The weapons of mankind would fail. Human spirit and determination were, but meaningless words. And Yoshino cried out for a higher power to save him, save all of humanity from those things.

But no one came.

"Yoshino-san, are you alright? You've been in here all day."

Yoshino looked over to see a young woman stepping through the door. He blinked a few times. She mentioned he was in here all day? It was morning when he clocked in so why was she…

A glance at the clock told him it was nearing midnight now. Heh… hehehe…

"No I am not, Hamamoto, I have just discovered the truth."

"T-the truth?" She tilted her head to the side with an eyebrow raised.

"The truth. It told me."

"Yoshino, I think you should go to bed and sleep. You're not looking well. I'll even take over for you tomorrow if you're not feeling up to it."

Go to sleep? Go to sleep?! Oh how innocent she was, unburdened by the truth. Like a child asking what death meant in such a unsure yet pure way. It was funny, honestly.

Heh-hehehehahahaha

A laugh erupted from Yoshino as tears flowed down from his eyes. Hamamoto flinched from how hollow his laugh was.

"W-what's wrong?"

Yoshino did not bother answering her question. Trying to describe the revelation gifted unto him was like trying to describe color to a blind man. One needed to see color to understand the description, otherwise it was simply wasted words. No, no, none understood, but him. Him and the other scientists who became peered too deeply into the abyss.

'If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back.'

Yoshino withered a little on the inside when that phase crossed his mind. The boundaries of science were meant to be pushed, understood. Not shied away from like a child scared of the dark. And now he knew the truth.

He didn't want to know the truth anymore.

His gaze lingered on the tray of Ichor-filled vials. One of them was open, the liquid inside sloshing about.

Did he leave one of them open? It was an idle, meaningless thought amongst the whirlwind whipping his mind. Yet Yoshino knew he lidded each and every vial, followed protocol to the letter, and ensured each container was secured in their tray. That meant- heh, what did it matter anyways? Why waste time pondering such trivial matters? Not when the Ichor called to him. The liquid in the opened vial illuminated with such a dazzling variety of colors both known and never seen to mankind before. It invited him to drink it, to break the ground for a new home. And every home needed a foundation.

Yoshino ripped the vial from its tray which was sent skidding across the table. He brought it up to his salivating mouth and drank. The most primal, pathetic part of him screamed for him to stop. It inflamed his throat, constricted his neck, and tried to vomit the unwanted thing out. But the Ichor flowed pure and true through him.

He laughed. Laughed and laughed and laughed even as his body broke down. Cells disintegrated into primordial numbers, thoughts took on new forms to better direct the transformation, and bit by bit, Yoshino broke down to build the new foundation. And through it all, through the horrendous agony that racked his body, he laughed. Laughed until the last thought of Yoshino passed through the mind of the newborn thing.

And the first thought of the newborn thing was that Yoshino was indeed a fine foundation.

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A/N:

Well, this took longer than it should have. Sorry this isn't an actual update, I got bogged down and decided to work on something a little more cosmic horror themed since I don't write such themes that much, but this still ate up a fair bit of my attention and energy. Still, it's done and I've begun work on the next update.

Also, while I prefer working at my own pace, I'm dissatisfied with how slow the updates have been. I'm going to try to get the updates out faster so it doesn't take a month and a half to get an update out. So hopefully the next update comes out before the end of May. Anyways, any feedback and comments are appreciated, always looking to improve my writing.

Content Warning: Racist slurs, racism

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Ok Lila, you got this in the bag. Just keep your cool and you'll win this! Lila thought as she and Uyemura followed Kirigaya's instructions to make their way to the center of the room.

Still, keeping her cool was one thing, it was another to make a plan on the spot. Kirigaya sprang this whole contest thing on her. Ugh, it's like not paying attention in class then getting called on and scrambling for an answer. Expect the students would forever consider you a loser for the rest of time if it was wrong or unimpressive. Well, it wouldn't be the first time Lila was shoved into this kind of situation of having to improvise. Plenty of experience from Uyemura's 'teasing'.

"Now take a seat, consonants! I'll be the one introducing you both!" Kirigaya smiled as she pulled two seats from a nearby table and placed them before the new Miracles.

Oh good, if Kirigaya was gonna introduce them then Lila had time to put some thought into how she would show off and knock Uyemura down a peg. But where to begin though? Starting off with her outfit is simple enough. A knight in shining armor! With a wand that didn't quite go with the whole thing, but hey, remember the Miracle miko with the grenade launcher and how she pulled it off.

Now her own power wasn't so simple. The boosts could be mistaken for what a Miracle was already capable of and something Uyemura would pounce on as her being emotionally unstable. Yet Yang did say being able to control one's own emotions was invaluable and it already bore her fruit when the jerk threw her tantrum earlier. And it wouldn't matter if she exaggerated her power juuust a little. Like, say, using her anger to strengthen her punches to make a dummy explode!

The plan was set, now all there was left was to smile and wait until Kirigaya finished.

"With introductions out of the way, who would like to go first?"

"I will!" Lila shot up to her feet and waved at the students. A part of her wondered why Uyemura was smirking, though. Knowing the jerk, she was reassured in her victory. How unfortunate it wouldn't be her victory, but Lila's!

"Hello everyone, it's a pleasure to be with you all." Lila flashed a smile at a boy near the front of the crowd. Said boy blushed and rubbed the back of his neck before returning a smile of his own. "And I thank you for your attention. I understand you all have high expectations as well and I shall meet them, but as a new Miracle, I also ask for understanding as well. It's not easy adjusting to the role of a Defender of Japan with the powers, duties, and responsibilities bestowed upon me. So I ask for your patience as I adjust to this honorable role."

Most of the students nodded and clapped, though Lila spotted a few that frowned or sneered. W-well, alright, there would be at least one heckler among any crowd. Ignoring them is the best policy.

"Among these duties and responsibilities is to be a shining light in the darkness that claws at the heart of all Japanese!" Lila pumped her fist as she reached and grasped her magic.

Her Companion rolled its eyes at the whole thing, but deigned to allow its own magic to flow through Lila.

Lila's school uniform changed to a gold-red armor in the blink of an eye. The students felt the invisible hand of the Yokai that was omnipresent throughout their lives be driven back by a radiant knight. Those that still dreaded that hand felt another hand gently grip their shoulders like a friend or beloved one reassuring them everything was going to be alright. That they would make it through whatever life would throw at them.

The students relaxed under that reassurance. A moment of respite from the despair that had settled in their minds since their birth. It was an alien feeling, but a welcomed one.

"But in order to be a shining light, a Miracle must also have the strength and the power to shield the innocent from evil. My Companion has granted me the magic to enhance my own physical abilities based upon the emotion I am feeling and the ability to control my own emotions." Lila smiled as the students cheered. Could she have performed better? Perhaps, but Kirigaya put her on the spot with the whole contest thing. And honestly, she thought she did an excellent job despite the circumstances!

Though, as the cheering died down, dozens of hands shot up and waved with an eagerness only ever reserved for trying to grab the attention of one's heroes. Their voices crashed into one another in a tsunami of demanding voices, each vying to have their own question be answered first.

O-oh, uh, people had questions. It was to be expected, of course. Just, um, more opportunities to showcase how awesome she was now.

"Everyone, everyone! Please calm your tits down." Kirigaya shouted over the students, the nearest ones looking at her.

"Not us guys have tits!" A boy heckled from the crowd.

"You have nipples don't you?" Kirigaya shot back. And stunned by her comeback, the heckler sank into the crowd to seethe as the students booed him. Kirigaya allowed the booing to die down before continuing."How about everyone raises one hand without shouting or talking over each other and Lila picks the person. Same for Uyemura. Fair ain't it?"

"If that is the case, then I do have a question for Luck-chan." Uyemura spoke and everyone's attention went to her. "Can you please tell me how each of these boosts work? After all, I cannot work with you properly if I don't know how your power works."

Lila maintained her smile even though her inner shelf was shrinking into herself in hopes of becoming a turtle. Of course this question would be asked. Why wouldn't it? But coming from the jerk? She knew little of her own power and what each boost did. Lila couldn't delay the answer either, otherwise Uyemura was going to viciously attack the image she was trying to build up. And it needed to be now because everyone looked at her with expectant eyes and bated breath.

All those eyes on her. One misplaced word or wrong statement would hurt her chances of victory. W-what should she say, though?

So Lila grasped at the chaotic, liquid form of magic. Droplets of it slipped from her grip, but she held onto it and formed it into the emotion of calm. Like a calm stream running through a forest, the magic coursed through her body to soothe a mind gripped by anxiety. Lila took a breath to steady herself and found a response.

"I apologize, but my knowledge of my own magic is little at the moment so I can't properly answer your question." Lila bent her torso forward in a bow."I am still practicing and I hope to answer your question properly in due time, but I ask for patience in the meantime."

The humiliation of bowing in apology bit into Lila, but she punted it into the sky with the help of her magic. Besides, she'd never win over Uyemura, but this act of humility may win over the students. Hopefully it wouldn't feed the jerk's ego too much.

"I have only recently bonded as well yet I have a firm grasp over my magic already. But you haven't? My, my, how disappointing."

Never mind, it did.

"I'm sorry I can't yet meet your expectations, Uyemura-chan. All I ask for is time to better my understanding of my own magic." Lila said as she straightened and looked Uyemura right in the eyes. Backing down now would mean the jerk would slice her apart with sharp words.

"Time is a luxury Japan cannot afford when it is beset by threats on all sides." Uyemura's smirk twisted into a sneer."But you darkies think otherwise."

Keep your cool, Lila. She repeated the mantra over and over in her mind.

"I'm perfectly aware of Japan's situation and I shall still strive to defend it despite my inexperience."

"Well, at least you have that over your sister."

"And whatever do you mean by that, Uyemura-chan?" Lila's grip on her magic tightened.

"Really? You're not aware that she's a failure?"

The students oohed and awwwed at the drama unfolding before them. Their ignorance latched onto Lila's hand and tried to pry her finger open to let her magic escape from her grasp. But she struggled with all of her strength to keep them tight as not to let a single drop slip away.

"Yang-nee-san kept Nagoya safe for years from both Yokai and criminals. I'm not sure how she's a failure."

"Yet the criminals haven't been taken care of around this part of Nagoya. Something must be wrong with her. In fact, crime has been on the rise with many criminals being of your kind. I certainly don't feel safe-"

The rest of what Uyemura ranted about went over Lila's head.

Your kind. Those two words were something Lila heard so much over the years from Uyemura and others like her. Always your kind this or your kind that. It shouldn't affect her. It shouldn't bite deeper than the student's ignorant oohing. Yet it did and her grip on her magic loosened. It rushed between her fingers and she found that her boiling anger was rising.

"Stop." That one word silenced the students, but Uyemura scowled as Lila continued on."Is this supposed to be criticism or insults? I thought this was a question on my magic and I was honest. It would, should've, ended at that, but you went about ranting as always with your usual remarks so I don't know if what you're saying is criticism or insults. If it's supposed to be criticism, then it's quite vague on how to improve. So I'm guessing it's just more insults as always with you."

Uyemura's scowl was unchanging throughout Lila's rebuke. It seemed to have simply bounced off of her and left only dents.

"I'm sorry, I was simply trying to get you to understand the situation Japan is in. So let me ask another question."

Uyemura remained silent for a second. Lila huffed during that time because the jerk was trying to build suspense. But the students were salivating at the building suspense. Because of course they would eat that crap the jerk was going to serve them.

"Why do you think you deserve to be a Miracle?"

A thousand responses stampeded into Lila's head. She stuttered and sputtered out a response, only to restart with another one. Her indecisiveness only made Uyemura's scowl deepen. It ended when Lila yelped when she felt a gust of air lash her face.

Before her, a pen hung suspended in the air by invisible strings. Its tip glistened as if salivating for the chance to rip into her eye. Then it was reeled back to Uyemura who snatched it out of the air and pointed it at Lila with a disappointed frown.

"If you cannot master your magic then why do you deserve to be a Miracle? Your sister, the Dancing Dragon may be a failure, but even she mastered her magic in a short amount of time after bonding with her respective Companion."

"Because she had to and even then-!" Lila's reply was cut by Uyemura standing up to her feet. No, not standing on her feet, but hovering over the floor.

Uyemura's school uniform changed into a knee-length black dress and secured in place by silvery armor pieces encasing her sides. The students were in awe of the power emanating from Uyemura. It felt as if a kami had descended down from the heavens, not to demand worship or gratitude, but to protect and shield them. That, with her awesome power, the Yokai would find no weakness within her domain.

So when Uyemura spoke, all listened.

"Miracles are supposed to be perfect because of the threats that Japan faces. If we aren't, then hope is chipped away at until despair kills Japan instead of the Yokai or the Aniu ingrates. Yet here you are not even knowing the basics of your own magic." Uyemura placed a hand against her cheek and glared down upon Lila with a look of disdain.

"But I do know-"

"Quiet." Uyemura turned to the students."Tell me, fellow classmates, would you rather have a Miracle who doesn't even know her own magic to protect you or a proper Miracle who does?"

Many of the students did not hesitate to voice their answer.

"Of course you, Uyemura-chan!"

"Luck can't hold a candle to you!"

"Why should we have a foreigner protecting us anyways?"

Each endorsement struck Lila in the gut and left her reeling. Didn't she hit all of the marks just right? She tried oh so hard yet it never seemed like it was enough. B-but, Uyemura was well-liked amongst the student body. More so than she ever was. So it wasn't surprising that it looked like the jerk won. Still, this failure, those endorsements, all of it bit deep and Lila couldn't muster up the energy to push it all out of her head.

Yet one voice did speak out.

"I don't want an arrogant Miracle." Qin called out.

"Of course." Uyemura muttered and rolled her eyes.

To Lila, though, it warmed her heart to know Qin always had her back. But then another voice, a boy's, shouted out as well.

"I'll take Luck-chan over you any day!"

Qin's and the boy's courage to speak up encouraged others. A smattering of voices endorsing Lila instead of Uyemura. It was far fewer than the jerk's, but still, it soothed the pain from failure's bite.

But soon enough, the matter of people letting their opinion be known devolved into a bedlam of shouts and cries. It took Kirigaya several minutes wrangling the students and slapping a few to herd them back into good order.

"Ok, since everyone wants to give their say, how about we do a show of hands? Good? Good." Kirigaya grinned, going as far as to hook an arm around a nearby student and bringing them close. Though the student did struggle, a quick squeeze on their neck convinced them to smile and nod along Kirigaya's suggestion.

Kirigaya unhooked her arm from the student and asked for a show of hands for Uyemura. A dozen hands shot up without hesitation, followed by several more rising up more slowly. Then Kirigaya asked for a show of hands for Lila and only a few rose up, making it clear Uyemura won by a clear majority.

"Alright, alright, looks like we have our winner!" Kirigaya gestured towards Uyemura.

Lila took a breath. T-that was ok. Better a few than none at all right? Well, Qin would have voted for her anyway so the more hands the better. It just… kinda sucked all the life out of her that the jerk triumphed.

Now Uyemura looked at Lila with a smirk.

"It shouldn't be surprising that the Japanese picked a proper Miracle."

Lila strained to smile and squeezed her hands tight.

"Congrats on the win, Uyemura-chan." That praise was ash on her tongue, but it pleased the jerk to no end.

Uyemura said nothing, simply giving Lila another smirk before turning around to mingle with the students and leaving Lila to sulk.

All of Lila's energy left her as she watched the jerk chat and laugh with the students. No doubt some would go on to brag about how they were her first fan in the coming years. And no doubt the jerk's ego would balloon to the size of a mountain. Maybe a good-

Lila sucked in a breath and let calm wash her anger away. Negative thoughts won't do her any good. They never did before, they won't now.

"You alright?"

Lila relaxed when Qin placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wished I could've won."

"Heh, well, you won me and a few others over. That's gotta count for something, right?"

"Yeah, it counts for something." Lila chuckled.

"Come on, I know this place that sells-" Qin's voice was cut off by the wail of the siren.

Everyone went silent while the siren wailed on. Its cry reverberated within their very bones, making them tremble against their will. But all quaked when the announcement cackled through the school's speakers.

"Attention all students, Yokai have been sighted in the distract. Please head to the shelter in an orderly fashion and remain there until the all-clear is given."

Lila's stomach twisted itself into a knot. No, no, why couldn't it be another day? When she had more time to train with Yang? The thought of splitting off from the group and hiding somewhere wiggled into her mind. But that thought was squashed when Lila imposed calm upon her mind.

She observed the situation inside the clubroom with a crystal-clear mind.

Many of the students were already crowding around the door in an attempt to squeeze out and get to the shelter. Yet there were so many people that they clumped into a barricade made up of humans, all of whom squirmed and wiggled against one another in an attempt to get out. Someone was bound to get hurt with so many people struggling to get out.

Kirigaya shouted for them to stop panicking and form an orderly line. But it was drowned out by fearful screams and fretful cries. Well, thankfully there were two Miracles here to save the day! Even if Uyemura was a jerk, it was still better to cooperate with her than pretend as if she didn't exist.

So Lila pushed down her pride and looked for the jerk. She found Uyemura looking out a window, standing at a tilt towards the courtyard.

"Uyemura-chan, I need your help with the students!" Lila called out, but Uyemura's response chilled Lila down to the bone.

"They're here."

Lila tightened her grip on her magic and dared a glance out the window.

Down below, dark shapes blurred through the street beyond the courtyard. S-she felt sick when she caught a glimpse. It was a feeling she felt a hundred times before whenever the Yokai appeared, even on TV or the newspaper. It was as though a parasite burrowed into her skin, crawling and wiggling its way deep inside her. Her body tried to eject it out, but the parasite continued burrowing deeper and deeper. Lila tried to rip the feeling out with her magic. Yet it bit down into her soul and only tightened its grip whenever she tried to pry it out.

Lila clenched her teeth and exhaled. She needed to put up with this then because she was a Miracle now. So come on Lila, tough it out and purge these Yokai from existence!

But first the stu-

Glass shattered from Uyemura's fist. Everyone watched her as she leapt out the window and into the courtyard.

The reactions were varied. Some cheered Uyemura on, others were dismayed there was now one less Miracle to protect them. And Lila herself couldn't fathom why Uyemura would do this.

Just what possessed her to do this? There were still dozens of students plus the people in the school that needed escort to the shelter! Ugrh, freaking jerk, she couldn't just leave the Yokai to Soda. No, instead the jerk had to throw the responsibility onto her. A-and Lila didn't know if she could protect the students all by herself.

It wasn't the only option she had, though. Uyemura may need help in driving off the Yokai and she hadn't heard any noises the Yokai make inside the school… yet.

W-what should she do?

Pick two

[ ] Escort the students to the shelter

[ ] Go after Uyemura

[ ] Protect people outside the school

[ ] Patrol the school to defend it from the Yokai and escort struggling students to the shelter

[ ] Pretend you'll fight the Yokai, but instead find a place to hide until the all-clear is given

[ ] Try and find Soda (DC dependant)

[ ] Call Yang (DC dependant)

---

A/N: Man, I had to go through five or six drafts of writing and rewriting this because I couldn't find a proper flow on balancing the contest and Uyemura. I've never written a contest before which was made all the more difficult with finding a balance with Uyemura's racism. But I think I got it down? Let me know if I did alright and where I failed.

Oh, also I found this cool Youtube animation(Flash Warning) by Fernanda Dias Artwork of magical transformation where magical animals morph into a hat or a book. While I've thus far shown that Companions don't do this, I quite like the idea and I'm thinking of incorporating it in the form of Companions becoming full-on outfits. What do you guys think?

Voting period is 24 hours.

Since there were so few votes this time around, I'll be extending the voting period by another day or so.

---

W-what should she do? The jerk ran off, leaving her to handle the panicking students all by herself! Well, Kirigaya was trying her best at asserting some semblance of order, but her shouts for calm were drowned out by the bedlam of students trying to get out. It didn't matter if they clogged the doorway to the point the crowd morphed more into a blob. All that mattered to them was getting to the shelter before the Yokai got to the school.

But did it really matter if she helped the students get to the shelter? There were people outside the school that might need help as well. Yet that would entail having to fight against the Yokai. And the thought sent a shiver down her spine. No, no, not yet. Not unless she had backup given her lack of experience.

Then should she try to find Soda? Lila hadn't the faintest clue where he was. Calling Yang was also off the table because she's still out on patrol and there was a chance the call would go unnoticed for one reason or another. Going after Uyemura? Ha, as if.

That left calming the students and escorting them to the shelter as the safest and most sensible option. But how can she calm them down so they'd listen to her? Hmmm.

Lila considered the idea of using her magic through her wand. But how exactly? She could channel magic through her body so would it work the same way? It was then Lila heard something akin to a groan inside her head, as though her Companion was confirming that yes, it was exactly the same way so stop overthinking it and do it.

Huh, she thought her Companion would've been more hesitant to use magic to calm the students down. Even if her intentions were well-meaning, it was still a form of mind-control. But if it was alright with her cat then it made her job all the easier!

She lifted her wand and grabbed ahold of her magic. Unlike before, where it was a chaotic liquid always shifting, this time it was like clay that was ready to be molded. Her hands were guided by another furry pair as the clay was shaped into the emotion of calm. The ribbons hanging by the sides of her wand slowly lifted into the air, each of them glowing brighter and brighter by the second.

The students were too panicked to notice it, but they did notice the wave of calm washing away their terror. Confused murmurs and questions replaced the earlier screaming and shouts at how they became suddenly calm.

Lila hopped onto a desk, the legs squeaking under her weight. The students turned to her when they heard it and she retained her calm against so many eyes on her.

"Everyone, I know it's not a good thing to use my magic on you, but we need to evacuate in an orderly fashion, otherwise this will be slow-going and the longer it takes, the more likely the Yokai will reach the school before you reach the shelter." Lila said.

Some of the students made snide remarks at that, but either upon not getting the reaction they were hoping for or ending up on Lila's glare, they stopped.

"Alright people, you heard Lila! Orderly fashion so get into a line and proceed out one at a time." Kirigaya shouted. She whipped the students into some semblance of order and pounced on any still uncertain students to get them to move faster. The blob that had previously clogged the doorway rapidly transformed into a single line of shuffling students.

Lila held back a chuckle. Wow, she was expecting it to be harder than this, but guess between her magic and Kirigaya's whip, not a single student could slip back into panic.

"Luck-chan, you're up front! You're the Miracle after all so you can be our superpowered bodyguard." Kirigaya, who had moved near the door, flashed Lila a smile and gestured at the front of the line.

Lila took a breath and banished the fear that arose within her. She was a Miracle now, it was to be expected. Thankfully her power was emotional control, otherwise she might be trembling like a leaf in a storm! And what kind of Miracle showed fear like that? Certainly not her!

So she hurried to the front of the line and was out of the door and into the quiet halls.

It was the first thing she noticed, how truely quiet the halls had become. As if the school was holding its breath, but soon that quiet was dispelled when the students started streaming out of the door. Some of them bolted towards the shelter, their footfalls thundering down the hall. Others were more hesitant, glancing at Lila and waiting for her to go forward.

Heh, earlier some of those students shouted they didn't want such an 'foreigner' to protect them even if she was a Miracle. Now they looked to her for protection and reassurance. Ironic, wasn't it?

"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Lila said and posed with a V-sign over her left eye. She meant it to comfort them, though she felt her magic from earlier doing more to reassure them than her little pose. Well, that was a tad disappointing she went through the effort, but hey, she might have the start of something for a catchphrase or signature pose!

"Alright, just like we drilled people!" Kirigaya said as she squeezed out from the crowd." Keep your eyes out and yell when you see a Yokai so our local hero can suckerpunch it out of existence."

Some of the students grumbled at that, muttering they prefer it was Uyemura instead of the 'gaijin'. They shut their mouths closed under Kirigaya's glare while Lila rolled her eyes. Just, the nerve of some people. Nonetheless, those students can be dumped off at the shelter and forgotten about once she escorts them there.

Another couple of students rushed past her.

Or they could just ignore the drills and go there on their own. Either one works for her.

Regardless of how many students ran ahead, Lila led the remaining ones through the halls. Everyone was quiet, only ever muttering or whispering which was drowned out by the blare of the siren. The whole school had fallen silent. It always unnerved her how quickly a lively school fell dead whenever the Yokai attacked.

Backpacks and papers were strewn about, heck even some shoes, as she led her group towards the shelter. The occasional door would creak open, breaking the silence and startling everyone. Though it was always either a door just opening at random or a student popping out to join the group.

The closer they got to the shelter, however, the more Lila felt something was off. It was a bone-deep feeling like how one might feel in the days leading up to becoming sick. Except it wasn't fatigue or a sense of doom. No, it felt like her body was trying to reject a thing that had crawled into her skin and was burrowing into her. But try as she might, the thing would not be dislodged.

Soft gasps and moans broke the silence of the hallway. Some of the students had to stop to take a breath, forcing the group to slow down so they could catch up. There was no shortage of complaints about bugs or rats or something crawling underneath their skin. Lila pushed all those complaints aside and glanced out the window above the courtyard.

Everyone experienced that crawling sensation whenever a Yokai was nearby. And so she scanned every inch of the courtyard, from the lone tree to the cracked walls for even the smallest sign of a Yokai. And there sat a thing shaped like a dog sitting right at the gate. She stared into its hazy red eyes as they stared right back into her own dark eyes.

Deep-black smoke exhaled out of its nostrils with every pant and saliva dripped down its red-black muzzle, sizzling muscle and chewing into bone. Yet it was unbothered by such a trivial injury for its pants grew shorter and heavier. A reddish hue corrupted the outline of the smoke as it thickened into mist.

Lila's eyes widened when it lifted its head and released a mind-piercing howl. For it had found a Miracle and with it prey.

---

A/N: Heyo all, I recently got a new job that I'm still settling into so it might take longer for the next update to come out. Nonetheless, I intend on working towards it as much as possible.

There's also going to be quite a few updates and changes to the Quest overall. When I began this Quest, I was rather inexperienced, but now I know a thing or two about how to run a Quest. The first of these is going to be a Quest Title change because I find it odd. Though only one word is going to change, that being 'Mind' to World.

I'm also going back and editing parts of previous updates to make things flow better. Nothing is going to change overall, just that I think some updates could've been written better.

The other updates and changes will be a WIP thing as I review the quest and go from there. Anyhow, if you have comments, questions, and concerns, post them! I'll happily reply after slaving away at my new job.

Heyo, I've decided to end Miracles at World's End because of waning interest and me wanting to move to other projects. I might come back or decide to remake the Quest, but it's unlikely to happen anytime soon. Still, I had fun with the Quest and I thank you for reading this little thing I decided to make because I wanted to do a Quest. Means the world to me and I hope this Quest was as fun to you as it was to me.

Critic Ham signing off.