Chapter 71 - Hello and Goodbye
A distant crack of thunder cuts through the thick silence of the dark room. You and Nothing There stare at one another, each waiting for the other to act. In a single step, you close the distance between the two of you and throw your arms around the other Abnormality. Nothing There's smile falls for a moment, returning quickly with a hint of confusion. All at once, the confusion disappears and they wrap their arms around you in turn. Their grip is tight, enough that an ordinary person would probably be dead already. Seconds pass, and Nothing There reluctantly lets go. You step away from your counterpart.
"I'm sorry."
"Eh? I already said not to worry about it. There are plenty of Magical Girls in the area for me to hunt. This is barely an inconvenience."
Mentally, you reach towards the Incubator. You're still not certain exactly how telepathy works, but you've called him like this before.
"Kyubey? Don't enter this room. I need a line of telepathy to Mami, Homura, Sayaka, Madoka, and Yuma."
The response is immediate.
"Of course, X. I would have communicated earlier, but I experienced a loss of data upon entering Kamihama City and it was decided that resolving the issue was deemed of higher importance than-"
"Brief me later. Right now, do what I tell you to."
The chimeric animal gives you no response, but you can suddenly feel the ripples of anxiety from the girls in the main room.
"Homura, use your Magic and bring everyone with you. A situation has arisen and I'll need your help to deal with it."
It only takes a moment before
-click-
the color drains from the world and you feel Homura's hand tugging on your sleeve. A thin golden ribbon around her waist connects her to Mami, in full Magical Girl regalia, who is in turn similarly tied to Madoka, Sayaka, and Yuma trailing behind her. The four girls' bewilderment at Homura's Magic gives way to frantic confusion when they see Nothing There's shell in the room with you instead of Kyoko.
"X, where is Kyoko? Who is this person?" Mami asks, distress clear in her voice. She isn't panicking quite yet, but she's close. Darkness trickles slowly into the bottom of her Soul Gem, turning the bright citrine into a dull amber. Not yet near what you'd consider the danger zone, but increasing at an uncomfortable rate. You are not the only one to notice.
"Mami, your Soul Gem…" Sayaka's voice trails off. The senior Magical Girl draws the flower-shaped jewel from her hat with shaking hands and stares at it, pulling out a Grief Seed with similarly unsteady grip and cleansing it after a short pause. She tucks the half-used Grief Seed away, and you feel a hint of thankfulness that so many Witches have shown up in Mitakihara. You've built up enough a stockpile that you're in no danger of running out of Grief Seeds any time soon.
"That," you indicate to Nothing There's frozen form, "is an Abnormality called Nothing There." Mami tenses as she steps up and affixes a ribbon to you. Madoka fumbles through her pockets for the book you gave her, opening to the Abnormality in question on the first page. She scans the description you've written, fear obvious on her face as she puts the pieces together.
"N-nothing There…" she begins shakily, "it steals people's bodies to make itself look human. Is this… somebody's body that it stole?"
"In a sense." you state. Nothing There has been stealing Soul Gems and using their Magic to create a fake body for itself." All but Homura gasp in shock, and the time traveler tenses visibly. Yuma buries herself in Mami's side, although which of them she's trying to comfort is not entirely clear.
"Then it was Kyoko… the whole time? She's…" Mami's voice trails off. Before she can begin to dwell on whatever horrible fates she's imagining for her old friend, you rest a hand on her shoulder.
"Alive." you declare. "All we need to do is defeat Nothing There and retrieve the Soul Gems they've stolen. Everything is going to be alright."
Nobody responds. You can see Mami, shaking with something between anger and sorrow. Uncertainty hangs in the air as you and the children stand within the frozen room. Despite your assurance, the horror of the situation seems overwhelming. Everyone here knew Kyoko, or at least thought they did. It's not the same as when Hitomi was poisoned by Porccubus, either. Kyoko might not be dead, but she lost her body and was reduced only to her Soul Gem. Will they really believe that somebody can be saved after that?
Sayaka steps forward and throws an arm around Mami. It's a subdued, gentle motion, far from the usual enthusiasm and bluster you've come to expect from her. "Hey, it's going to be okay. X hasn't let us down yet, has she? We've just gotta beat this monster like always."
"You're right, I'm sorry. As your senior, I- I should be more able to maintain my composure." Mami says in a choked voice. Homura, brushing away a hint of surprise, interrupts the other veteran.
"It is completely acceptable for you to feel uncertain right now. Even as a Magical Girl, you are still only human. It would be foolish to hold yourself to a standard beyond what you can achieve." Despite the critical wording, Homura's intent is clearly supportive. With her and Sayaka's encouragement, Mami draws a rifle.
"Of course, Miss Akemi." Her voice still shakes, but her hand is perfectly still as she aims her rifle directly at Nothing There's head. "This is… just an Abnormality. It's like a Witch." she assures herself. "We'll defeat it, and everything will be fine." Nobody points out the frailty of her words. She needs to believe this right now. You won't take that from her.
"Mami, you have the most flexibility here. Nothing There is primarily a melee fighter with some ranged options, so you should keep your distance whenever possible." you instruct. "Take a position at a long distance and keep an eye on Madoka and Yuma. Just because they're non-combatants doesn't mean they'll be ignored."
"Homura, Sayaka, you'll be with me. We'll be taking advantage of time stop to attack the Abnormality repeatedly without allowing them to ever respond. Stay at a distance normally and only get close when time is frozen. Mami and the others will use the time to stay in position. Is everyone clear on their roles?"
The five nod, and you summon your first sword.
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Minutes later, and an array of magically-empowered swords float frozen around Nothing There's body. You couldn't double-check the locations of the Soul Gems for fear of drawing the Abnormality into Homura's time-stop with you, but your memory is good enough. You step back, and Homura silently turns her shield back to its upright position. Time grinds back into motion, and the battle begins in earnest.
Nothing There's face is overcome with emotion as color returns to their body. Not betrayal, sadness, or anger, but excitement. They grin so wide it tears the edges of their mouth as the swords surrounding them flash into motion. Nothing There's body twists unnaturally, a cracking sound signaling the shattering of bone as they disjoint to avoid the enclosing barrage. The swords scrape against the Abnormality's flesh, tracing lines of dark blue that sizzle and burn, but not one strikes directly. The swords crash into the walls and dissipate harmlessly as your enemy shapes two bony knives and tosses them at the Magical Girls remaining beside you.
At least they dodged. If Nothing There is actually trying to avoid getting hit, then they have something to be worried about if they don't.
Four soldiers already stand alongside you, filling the now-cramped room and remaining unflinching even as the improvised weapons Nothing There created sink into their bodies. Together, you and the soldiers fire directly at the Aleph's center mass even as they twist to avoid the last sword still flying. You can already see the plates of bone growing in place of the Abnormality's shirt, jaundiced white layered with deep crimson Magic. The composite enhancement is thick and heavy, giving the freshly-formed defenses the eerie impression of already being stained with blood.
The armor cracks slightly as five projectiles strike at once. But causing damage wasn't your aim. Nothing There, off-balance, is sent flying through the air and out the window. A thin line of bright gold traces through the heavy rain from a nearby building, deflected off another manifested weapon summoned by Nothing There.
Homura twists her shield again, and time flickers. When it resumes, you, her, and Sayaka stand atop another building kilometers away and a new set of empowered swords have appeared around your opponent. Nothing There's smile widens further as a minute gesture releases a burst of flame, allowing them to reposition even in mid-air and twist away from the piercing blades. Despite this trick, they haven't gotten out of this unscathed. Two swords strike Nothing There's left leg as they fly through the air, sending them crashing into another sword that pierces their shoulder. The wounded Abnormality, still smiling, tumbled to the ground in an empty park.
As Homura reaches again for her shield, a flash of lightning erupts from Nothing There's wounded form. The raindrops seem almost frozen as you deflect the crackling bolt, sending it scattering off into the surroundings. One of the deflected bolts strikes a nearby street lamp, activated early to help cars that are not here see through the heavy rain. As the light fades, you see behind it a sword of bone flying towards Homura. Before you can move to intercept it, another blast of lightning aimed this time at Sayaka forces you away. A gunshot rings out from the nearby rooftops and diverts the blade's course ever so slightly, causing the weapon to dig into Homura's forearm instead of cleaving off her hand completely. Homura simply hisses in pain, but Sayaka cries out and rushes to begin healing her.
Undeterred, Nothing There hurls a dart of fire towards the rooftops where Mami and the other girls are hiding. Another bullet strikes the projectile mid-air, releasing a raging inferno that disperses harmlessly in the air. You can see the rain turn to steam, forming a thick fog that Nothing There uses to cover their charge forwards.
Homura hasn't healed yet, and at this rate Nothing There will reach you before Sayaka finishes. You grimace and leap down from your perch, meeting Nothing There on the rainswept streets between them and the kids. They deflect a silvery pulse with a small explosion and leap through the smoke towards you wielding a spear of tangled sinew and bone. The two of you clash, savagery and viciousness greeting the Knight's refined poise. The world seems to stand still as you trade blows, countering Magic with EGO one by one. Nothing There never stops smiling, even when you sneak a gunshot past their defenses and through their eye. You raise your sword and block the overhead swing that comes in response, your bones screaming in protest at the sheer force of the impact. Nothing There's spear shifts, the tip curving down into a scythe-like blade that hooks around your sword, and a quick tug pulls your forward and out of position. As you regain your balance, the other Abnormality reaches forward with that ever-present grin and slams their free hand into your chest. You can feel their claws grind against your skin for a moment before piercing your flesh.
With a low growl, you dismiss the sword you were using and summon another stabbing directly through Nothing There's extended arm. They hardly flinch as you twist the blade and pull, leaving the limb hanging limp by a few scant strings of flesh. As the arm begins to stitch itself back together, a flash of light behind you signals Sayaka finishing her work.
Time lapses once more, and when it resumes a new wave of empowered blades surround your opponent. With their injuries, they barely manage to avoid being made into a pincushion by the starry rapiers. The swords cleave through Nothing There's body, cracking the armor of bone and scattering the layers of defensive Magic they've called up from the imprisoned Soul Gems. Time flickers again and you draw your sword across the deepest crack in Nothing There's body, leaving a gaping wound that you reach through to tear out three of the Soul Gems within. A moment of Lobotomy severs a few essential connections, and they fall into quiet before any Grief can build. The Soul Gems vanish into a pocket as you prepare for another round.
Nothing There turns to stare at you, their smile still present on their face. Only now, all traces of playfulness have vanished. This is the smile of a predator staring at their next meal. The Abnormality's foot slams into your side and you are lifted off the ground, flying into the air until you can see all of Mitakihara. They casually wave a blast of mixed elements towards Sayaka and Homura, who are forced apart to avoid the roiling devastation. With all their opponents separated for the moment, Nothing There leaps through the rain up to you just as you begin to fall.
You draw your rifle and fire, the shot casually deflected by a conjured knife that is then hurtling towards you. The next round slips past Nothing There's guard as they are forced to turn and deflect a barrage from Mami, leaving a gaping hole in their shoulder that they barely react to. You land carefully on a rooftop and jump back to avoid your opponent's pursuing descent. Of course things wouldn't go as planned.
The issue is the environment. With the heavy rain and clouds blocking out most of the sunlight, you had expected that putting distance between you and Nothing There between time stops would be enough to keep hidden in time for Homura to ready the next one. But the Aleph seems to have some way of finding you no matter how hidden you are. You had been nearly two kilometers away before the earlier clash, and they had crossed it effortlessly. You need cover, something to put between the Abnormality and you. Unfortunately, Mitakihara is a city. There are people living in these buildings, and Nothing There won't hesitate to tear through them to get to you.
You retreat further, keeping Nothing There's attention in you with occasional attacks and using Sound of a Star to disperse their ranged Magic. Bit by bit you draw them to the final staging area.
The industrial district is empty as always. Only faint traces of light illuminate the abandoned structures, forming imposing shadows in the rainy midday. Nothing There crashes through a shed, laving a crater in the ground where they land, just in time for another round of swords you hammer through them. This time, however, there is no move to evade. The swords cleanly Pierce the Abnormality's fake body, leaving it a mangled mess that disperses into smoke a second later. An illusion. You barely raise your sword in time to block the scything blow as Nothing There lunges from behind, but the force of the impact sends you crashing through a nearby building regardless. Your body tears through a support beam, and the massive atrium you landed in collapses into rubble on top of you.
Beams of silver light carve through the concrete and metal like nothing. Another pulse blows away the dust in time for you to see Nothing There facing Homura. The veteran Magical Girl aims a pistol at the Abnormality, who stands poised to attack but waiting. The reason becomes apparent when a flicker of flame returns the guise of Kyoko Sakura to Nothing There's body. When Homura doesn't react, the illusion switches first to Mami, then Sayaka, before finally settling on Madoka.
Nothing There's smile on Madoka's face grows even wider when Homura flinches. They push closer, still not attacking. Homura's hand shakes as her finger tightens around the trigger.
"Why do you want to hurt me, Homura?"
Homura's grip goes slack and she drops her gun, nearly falling over as she stumbles back from the illusion. She reaches for her shield, only for the illusion to vanish as Nothing There jams a bony spike into the weapon's clockwork. The Abnormality looms over Homura, drawing another spear that weaves itself from ribbons of muscle and sinew. You rush forward, but are cut off by a wall of what looks like paint bubbling up from the cracked earth.
Before Nothing There can strike, layers and layers of ribbons coil around them. Their spear flashes and the ribbons fall to the ground uselessly, but still more come. Soon, Nothing There is bound in gold and dragged away, left suspended upside down from a long-neglected crane. Mami stands across from the ensnared Abnormality, silently hefting an enormous cannon aimed directly at Nothing There. Right as she pulls the trigger, a flash of light signals the appearance of another illusion.
"Mami, why? I only wanted to-" cries the illusion of Kyoko. Mami lets out an anguished scream and tilts the cannon, the torrential beam barely missing its original target and carving through the nearby crane. Nothing There falls, kicking off of another blast of fire and effortlessly tearing through the ribbons restraining them. Their claws extend into vicious points as they reach out for Mami. The veteran Magical Girl stands frozen in horror, not moving even as Nothing There lands in front of them.
Before the Abnormality can strike, Homura wrenches the spike from her shield and turns it. Nothing There's claws hit nothing but air. Deeper into the district, Mami rests against you as you finish cleansing her Soul Gem. In the distance, you see Nothing There struck successfully by the most recent array of swords. Time flickers again and you once more crack open the imposter's armor, tearing free two more Soul Gems from the network of blood and bone.
Five out of thirty-seven. It's too slow. At this rate, you'll run out of Grief Seeds before you can save them all.
You don't have time to continue your thoughts. Another wave of lightning erupts from Nothing There's brutalized body, masking the lungs behind it. You feel your ribs crack as you are once again thrown into the air. You crash through buildings, driving your sword into the ground to decelerate and releasing a pulse of light to deflect the oncoming fireball. Nothing There emerges from the scattered flames, wielding a wicked scythe. The world seems to turn red, the approaching Abnormality's silhouette the only thing that exists in the world save for you. The scythe descends, burning as it tears through the air. You raise your sword to block, but it doesn't matter. You hear something shattering, though whether it is your bones or the earth beneath you you cannot tell. The ground shatters and you tumble down, crashing in a heap in the cavern below. Rain and dust flood into the empty subway, bleached purple lights seeming to focus on Nothing There as they land. The ground fractures and breaks when their feet hit the ground, the horrible screeching sound of twisting metal drowning out the rainfall for a second.
You slowly pull yourself to your feet, a conjured soldier helping you balance. Nothing There stands idle, smiling at you and rocking back and forth on their heels as you take an unsteady step forward. You reach out mentally for the kids. Being unable to see where they are feels wrong.
"Is everyone alright? Where are you?"
"There's some sort of weird wall stopping us from getting to you." Sayaka responds. "Mami and Homura are trying to get it down!"
You have no time to respond. Nothing There charges you, a straight sword forming from assembled flesh in their hand. You raise your rifle and take aim, only to see Mami standing in the rubble before you, terrified.
"X, please I thought you loved-"
You pull the trigger. The soldiers around you fire in concert, the illusion before you reduced to smoke that vanishes in the rain. Nothing There doesn't dodge, and the hail of bullets tear through their head and leave nothing but a bloody stump.
The first traces of Magic already begin to congeal. You need to work fast.
You tear free two, four, six Soul Gems. Each one sent to slumber and then carefully tucked away. Seven, eight. Nothing There's body begins to twitch. You still have time. Nine. The bone plating over Nothing There's most treasured prize, Kyoko's Soul Gem, begins to crack. Almost-
The pain is indescribable. You think you hear somebody screaming. The world has again lost its color, although that may just be you. Homura is desperately pulling on something, on the verge of tears. Strange. You look down, the small motion agonizing, and stare blankly at the twisted spear driven through your chest and into the subway wall. Blood gushes from the hole torn in your body, pooling beneath you.
"Oh."
That's all you can say. Across the tunnel, Nothing There is frozen half-healed, that damned smile the only feature to have been repaired so far.
"Hold on. I can heal this. Or Sayaka, she-" Homura says frantically. With what little strength you have, you raise a hand.
"No. Everyone has to leave."
You've stopped bleeding. Yet still, something flows from the gaping wound. The sickly green ichor smells of sterile chemicals, drowning out the stench of blood.
"I'm not going to-" Homura begins again, but you cut her off. You'll live. But you won't let anyone else get hurt because of you.
"I'll be fine. I can't actually die, remember? Just take everyone and get as far away from Mitakihara as possible."
Homura stares down at you as the seconds tick by. Reluctantly, she pulls away from your collapsed form. When time resumes, you and Nothing There stand alone in the subway.
"Kyubey, can you completely isolate the immediate area?"
"While possible, the required expenditure of energy would be outside of what is typically-"
"Unless you want to have to find another species to harvest, you'll do it. And hurry up!"
There is no further response from the Incubator. You can only hope that they took your threat seriously.
Nothing There is falling apart. They laugh and cry out and skin unravels and muscles tear. Their body dissolved until all that remains is a thick cocoon of flesh. You only have so much time left.
And that is when you feel yourself begin to break.
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AUTHORITY/GUIDANCE/CALAMITY/COMPREHENSION/REVOLUTION
