[Cosmic Hero]
Their name is Minako, and they're running down the stairway as quickly as they can. Their phone was left in the room. They didn't want to be tracked. They think about that way too much as they run down the street in a terrible school skirt and a loose hoodie and a bad knee because holy shit they just realized how much it hurts to be in a shitty raft on a rocking magical sea.
They stumble over themselves. They look over their shoulder.
They'd seen too much. There's too much they want to do. Their mind goes back to Takane. To Takane lying on the ground. They think about how helpless they were.
They think about how their moms want to keep them safe. They think about how every single thing they'd done to keep them safe was pointless because they found out anyway. There was no way out. There was no way this could have held together.
There are very few ways for them to really deal with a world that they know is held together by toothpicks and duct tape and silly string.
They round a corner; they're definitely not far enough away from their moms. As soon as they know that they escaped, they're gonna look for them.
Mina really hopes their moms don't see this happening.
In the middle of an alleyway, they finally come to a stop. Their feet slide across the ground. It's back behind a failing food shop; nobody comes here because all the produce is rotten and all the food smells and all the meat is moldy and the manager is a prick.
Minako hates this place.
It's perfect.
They slide into place, take a deep breath. Finally, they turn.
And of course, they see it.
They see it staring at them in the dead of night, two beady red eyes cutting through the gloom.
'Have you come to a decision?'
It licks its paw and flicks at its left ear.
Minako stares at it. The question hangs like a weight in the air. They keep their eyes on Kyubey. The creature doesn't nod, doesn't do much else but paw and claw at itself like a cat, but the movements are too perfect. Too regular. It flicks its ears once every five seconds, licks its paw every seven, flicks its tail every four. Sometimes, the movements are staggered if they would otherwise overlap.
Minako takes a deep breath in.
'You get the power to protect the ones you love, but more importantly...' It finally lifts itself up on all four legs
'...you get to understan-'
"Shut the fuck up." Minako raises their hands. "I'm not doing this for you."
'Of course not.' The creature flicks its tail.
'But I do know you're doing it to understand, even if just a little. Honestly, it is
interesting. You really are your mothers' child.'
Minako clenches their fists. "Have there ever been-"
'Children of magi? Yes. But the last child of a magi was well over a hundred years ago. He contracted, only to die the next day.'
Minako's eyes flicker towards the concrete, downcast.
'I said that there were risks. There is always
a risk. Being a magi is dangerous, lethal work. Everyone has said as much.'
"Do you really take their souls out of their bodies?"
'Of course. That's how being a magi works. The same vulnerabilities of the human body are what limit the strengths of the soul. The soul needs to be separated in order for its full power to be realized. And it needs to stay pure, or else the energy of the soul will become unstable. Your significant other was completely accurate.'
Minako keeps their eyes locked on the creature. They look up to the night sky, at the moon slowly drifting across. It's the Harvest Moon, massive and yellow in the night sky, hanging overhead in this filthy, grungy alleyway filled with decayed cardboard boxes and rotten fish and god it smells so
bad.
But then they look down. "How strong would I be? I can't just sit back again. I don't want to do that again."
'You are the child of a magi. Rare and truly special, indeed. Two magi, two exceptionally powerful magi at that, and while only Kyouko carried you to term, soul inheritance is more than just genetics. You are a strong one, Minako Miki-Sakura.
'But strength alone doesn't save magi. Are you still willing? Are you still able? Are you ready to dedicate yourself? To make the wish that will make your soul shine?'
Minako clenches their fists. They stare at Kyubey, then they open their hands. They think about everything that has happened these past few days. They think about how
everyone told them not to. Their mom said it was a bad idea. So did Takane.
They said Kyubey was a liar. And, well, it is. To some extent.
Contracting would be fucking stupid. It would be putting their own life at risk. No wish is worth it.
No wish except...
