Chapter 84 - Executive Decisions Can't Be Contradicted
Barely a second, and it's pandemonium. All it took for panic to start to spread through the crowd was a few sentences. You can feel it already, the ripples of Grief forcing its way into existence. It hasn't had time to build yet, but as unease and fear take root the rate of growth will only rise. From there, it's only a matter of time before enough has accumulated to begin a spiral.
Grief Spirals. A particularly devious phenomenon that you're nearly completely certain was intentionally designed intentionally to accelerate the process of squeezing every last bit of value out of a Magical Girl no matter what it does to them. Grief both causes and is caused by negative emotions. Once a Magical Girl reaches a certain threshold of mental contamination, their mental state will drop to the point where Grief will keep building. This is coincided with periods of heightening of self-destructive emotions, such as episodes of aggression, impulsiveness, and self-loathing. To make things even worse, you you've found that Grief Seeds don't completely purge these effects. Even when you first discovered Lobotomy, there were layers to the cancer that was Grief's presence in the self. Lingering personality shifts that would build over time, feeding into a person's worst aspects and slowly destroying any chance of functioning normally. This could be prevented by never letting your Soul Gem reach the point of corruption where your thoughts were influenced, as Homura had likely begun to do at some point, but that's far easier said than done.
To summarize, the situation before you is will become an absolute disaster if allowed to progress any further.
Which leaves only one clear path forwards.
"Stop."
You make certain not to raise your voice even as it echoes through the museum-like halls. No anger, not even the disappointment that laced your initial admonishment. In a single word, your authority crashes down and smothers the flames of panic. The chaotic throng of children fall to a hush, their attention once again locked on you.
"I am going to explain everything that has happened, and what's going to happen now. If you are still concerned afterwards, you may ask questions."
You pause, allowing the crowd to assemble itself into some semblance of order. Their attention is held by you once again, but now there's a nervous, shifting discomfort running through things. A powderkeg, waiting for the wrong word to set it off.
It's not the first time you've had a person's mental state dependent on your next words. Hell, it's not even the first time that it's been a child depending on you. Tiphereth may have been closer to an older sister from an objective point of view, but given her level of maturity you ended up closer to the elder sibling in that relationship. This is, however, the most people you've had to talk down at once.
It's a good thing that managing large groups at once is something of a specialty of yours.
"The being that attacked you was not a Witch. It was an entity only referred to as 'Nothing There', created by a power only tangentially related to anything involving Kyubey or Magical Girls." you explain, conjuring a chair for yourself and your audience with a theatrical wave of the hand and an extended thought towards the Light that permeates the Library. Manifesting objects through the Light is a near-effortless process for any Patron Librarian, though too slow for use in combat. Sometime in the future, you'll need to compare Angela's method of construction to your own. For now, it serves only to keep the image of yourself as in control.
"Nothing There was a creature who wished to become human by killing people and imitating them, but when they found out about Magical Girls they decided to use you as a path to humanity. As a result, while you were all injured in ways that would be mortal otherwise, you were kept alive by Nothing There's abilities until I encountered them. From there, I was able to defeat Nothing There and rescue you, bringing you here until a better solution can be found."
"What exactly do you mean, 'better solution?'" the girl in the witch outfit asks. "I feel totally fine." She's been in surprisingly good spirits this whole time, with barely any Grief's buildup. Even if she already knew about how Soul Gems function, you expected the whole "died and came back" experience to be more distressing.
"I have collected a great number of Grief Seeds, which you may all use and then return to me. I can kill the Witches after they rehatch. Additionally, I am in possession of an ability that can purge a Soul Gem's Grief given some time and effort on my part. Should any of your Soul Gems begin to darken, simply notify a staff member." you inform the crowd, laying to rest one fear before you proceed. It wouldn't do to allow stress to compound upon itself. "However, that's not really related to what you asked."
"While you did all survive being attacked, Nothing There did injure you all fatally. Keeping you alive afterwards required the Library's power." you explain. "As I just demonstrated, people attuned to the Library can use its power to create things. Your current health is a consequence of your bodies being produced by this method after they were damaged."
"Damaged?" one of the girls, a blonde young adult in a flight suit, says in a strained tone of voice. "I- I saw myself die! Bodies aren't just something that gets 'damaged' and then fixed or replaced!"
"Under normal circumstances, no." you affirm, silencing the girl's panic. Not with indifference, that would only make things worse, but calm. An unassailable assurance that because you are not panicking, nobody else should be. In times of uncertainty, it's only natural to look for some sort of guidance or reassurance. For somebody whose sole purpose was providing that guidance, filling that role is easy. Delivering this next piece of news will be less so, but still manageable. "But you are all Magical Girls. Kyubey has taken certain measures to keep you alive, and distasteful as they may be this is one situation where they've worked to your benefit."
You allow some bitterness towards the Incubator to creep into your voice. Mami seems to be an exception in regards to her attitude towards the so-called assistant of Magical Girls, and even she has soured on the mascot creature as of late. Sharing that distaste with them will make what you're about to say more believable.
"When you first Contracted, you received a Soul Gem as proof of that Contract. However, Kyubey doesn't tell you exactly what a Soul Gem is. While I've found no proof that it's actually related to Souls as the name implies," you assure, cutting off that train of thought before it can begin, "it does appear to be some sort of extension of your Self, your identity. So long as your Soul Gem exists and is clean, you will stay anchored to life."
Your explanation garners two distinct reactions. From those who didn't know already the truth of Soul Gems, feelings are mixed. Even with you sculpting the interpretation of the situation to a more positive one, the idea that Kyubey did something like this in secret is still a violation. And yet, had it not been for that violation, they would be dead. For those who already know, it's different. Some are doubtful of your claims, of your way of describing what Kyubey has done. But nobody panics. Everything remains subdued, controlled, manageable.
"I know it's difficult, but you will all have to remain in the Library until you can recover properly. Until then, myself and my coworkers will do our best to make things comfortable."
With some flourish, you draw out your stock of Grief Seeds directly into a marble briefcase inscribed with images of moths, which you toss forwards. The case slides perfectly across the floor, snapping open before the attending crowd to reveal what is likely more Grief Seeds than have ever been in one place at a time.
Ignoring the sparks of wonder and desire already flaring, you stand up and turn towards the door.
"I'll be finding somebody to keep an eye on you more indefinitely; just hold on until then, 'kay?"
Leaving them alone with so many Grief Seeds is a risk, but it's unlikely that any of the Magical Girls will be willing to come to blows. Not in an unknown environment, watched over by an unknown person with unknown abilities who defeated a monster that had effortlessly outmatched them. Even the more ill-intentioned will at least play things safe for now.
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While you're away, shirk responsibility delegate to…
[] Yesod, former head of the Information Department, whose cold and critical demeanor masks a genuine care and concern for those around him.
[] Chesed, former head of the Welfare Department, who had fought longer and harder than any of the other Sephirah to protect his employees.
[] Hokma, former head of the Records Department, and the closest thing to a proper parental figure Angela had.
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Next Immediate Goal…
[] Investigate the unknown Abnormality encountered by Kyubey
[] Explore Homura and Kyoko's transformations
[] Establish contact with any nearby Magical Girl groups remaining
[] Write-in
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Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Sorry this chapter was late, not only was there dialogue but my constant neglect of my own sleep finally caught up with me and I passed out while I was writing. I'm good now, though. As compensation, I'll throw in a Sidestory before this vote is concluded.
