Waver Velvet's Magical Girl Puella Magi Research Journal
Day 1
I should really know better than to tease the Wizard Marshall about his favorite anime type. Now he has thrown me into another world to deal with Nahona Takamachi and her friends.
On the plus side, I can study another system of magic away from the rest of the Clock Tower until the Marshall can retrieve me.
Priority list:
Don't get 'befriended'.
Gain additional resources.
Find name of city.
Find the local mages. Look for the name 'Takamachi'.
Offer an exchange of magic? Try to figure out what to share.
Current Resources:
Clothes on my back
Two blank research journals
Volumen Hydragyrum (Thank the Marshall that he tossed this after me)
I think that the magical girl searched for 'Jewel Seeds', so if I can find a Jewel Seed, I should be able to locate the magical girl and get in contact with her.
Day 1, Entry 2:
I think the Marshall missed the intended world. I do not think that 'Mitakihara' was anywhere near Takamachi's city. Still, perhaps I can track down someone with magic in the hospital here. I think someone in the-
Day 1, Entry 3:
Of all the things I was expecting in this world, I was not expecting demons to appear. It appeared in an explosion of darkness and summoned a Reality Marble. It sent some smaller servants after me, but I dispatched them with Volumen Hydragyrum before attacking the demon itself. It took the form of a little girl at first, but after my Mystic Code apparently defeated it, it revealed its true form as a large worm and tried to kill me. I had it killed first with a half-dozen 'Scalps'.
It dropped a small black orb with two spikes on it when it was put down permanently, packed with Prana at first glance. There was nothing else of our encounter once the Reality Marble collapsed, not even a body.
I am calling this orb a 'Black Jewel Seed' for the moment, currently covered in a half dozen layers of magically enchanted cloth in my pocket.
I am leaving this town to try to find a place in the neighboring town where I can make a temporary workshop to work from and study. Once set up and out of the way of what appears to be the most important city in the area, I can start working in it and making research explorations into Mitakihara.
Resources are unchanged.
New magic information:
Local magic has demons involved.
'Black Jewel Seed' is involved with the local magic.
Questions:
Are there any human practitioners of magic?
How is the 'Black Jewel Seed' related to the demons?
How is the masquerade maintained?
Is there a masquerade?
Hmm… another 'Black Jewel Seed' is on the bus I'm riding. I might as well claim it as I leave, if possible. Grabbing it now would only draw attention to myself.
Day 1, Entry 4:
This bus ride was a disaster. The 'Black Jewel Seed' on the bus exploded and summoned a demon and its Reality Marble, trapping everyone on the bus inside its Reality Marble. Then, it sent out lesser demons to kill everyone. Once these lesser demons killed some number of people (seven, I think?), they became complete copies of the original demon.
I managed to protect two children, a boy and a girl, but my Mystic Code was unable to do anything but defend against these demons as they grew in number.
We were saved by a local magic user, a Puella Magi calling herself Kyoko Sakura. She saw where the first demon appeared, and waited until most of the bus was dead before attacking in order to maximize the number of 'Black Jewel Seeds' that were dropped. She was originally waiting for all of the riders to be dead, but my presence put a stop to that.
Apparently, a non-Puella Magi holding their own against a witch (her term for the demons), let alone seven, and protecting any civilians, is unheard of for her. She gave me one of the 'Black Jewel Seeds' that dropped from the demons for my effort, and claimed the remaining six for herself, before fleeing to elsewhere in the city with little explanation.
New magic information:
There are human practitioners of magic in this world. They are called 'Puella Magi'.
Full demons of this world are born from 'Black Jewel Seeds'. They usually have lesser demons to kill normal people. If the lesser demons kill enough people, they become full copies of the original demons.
The local term for demons in this world is 'witch'.
If a full demon is slain, they leave a 'Black Jewel Seed' behind. The purpose of these 'Black Jewel Seeds' is unknown beyond being birth places for demons.
Goals:
Locate food for one man and two children.
Locate a place to sleep for us three.
Locate Kyoko Sakura to speak with her in detail.
Locate a place where I can set up a temporary workshop.
Teach the two rescued children personal magecraft? Is it compatible with local magic?
Day 2:
Uncomfortable sleeping in an ally-way. Wish Marshall had also tossed a sleeping bag after me.
The two children are unwilling to leave me for now. Their mother was on the bus, and their father died years ago. It seems like I'm going to be a father while I stay here.
We were able to scrounge dinner and breakfast from dumpsters. Found a lesser demon while scrounging, but was able to kill it before it caused any deaths. Upon dying outside the Reality Marbles, it dissolved into black mist before fading completely.
We found a place to live, for now, in an apartment building being built. It looks like it was used by someone else, but hastily abandoned recently.
Now that I have a place to work from, I can now begin research.
Day 3:
Well, it seems that we pissed off Kyoko Sakura when we moved into the building she had been inhabiting until two hours before we moved in. She had originally started to move to Mitakihara for personal reasons, before a being called 'Kyubey' had alerted her that I had moved in.
She helped us get food, though, since she still seemed thankful for the distraction we provided the demons from two days ago.
She wants an explanation of our abilities. I offered her an exchange: teach us about the magic of this dimension, and we'll teach her about ours. She accepted.
April 8th, Day 3, Entry 2:
A being called 'Kyubey' approaches promising girls (not boys, only girls) and offers them a wish. In exchange, they become 'Puella Magi' and must fight 'witches' for the rest of their lives. When a girl becomes a Puella Magi, they receive a 'Soul Gem', which is the source of their magic. When they use magic, the 'Soul Gem' darkens. In order to get rid of the darkness, they must use 'Grief Seeds' (the objects I have been calling 'Black Jewel Seeds') to drain the darkness from the Soul Gem. To Kyoko's knowledge, there is no Puella Magi with a black Soul Gem.
The Puella Magi's powers are based on the wish that they made to become a Puella Magi. Most Puella Magi are stronger than normal humans, and faster and able to withstand more punishment. They can also regenerate damage somewhat. Other powers are limited only by how much darkness is generated in the Soul Gem and the Puella Magi's imagination.
Kyoko Sakura's powers basically revolve around her spear, which she can transform into a chain she can swing around. She might be able to hold off the Lancer of the 4th War for half a minute before he finished her off, which is saying something.
She offered to introduce me to two other Puella Magi in Mitakihara to get more information and points of view, and I readily accepted.
She finished her explanation off with information on witches. In order to get 'Grief Seeds', a Puella Magi had to fight and kill 'witches' (the local term for demons) to get them. 'Familiars' (what I called 'lesser demons') are produced every time it kills five people, and then when the familiars kill enough people they become copies of the original witch. Witches are born from curses and grief, and can 'kiss' people in order to send them into despair to kill themselves. They typically remain in their 'barriers' (the local term for 'Reality Marble'), and cannot leave them.
I gave her an explanation of magecraft, with elements and origins, magic circuits, prana, mana, and od, and a little of the true magics. She wondered if she could use reinforcement in order to strengthen her attacks.
April 9th, Day 4:
We went to Mitakihara today, the four of us. There, we encountered Mami Tomoe, a veteran Puella Magi, Sayaka Miki, a new Puella Magi, and Madoka Kaname, a Puella Magi candidate. After a confrontation, we departed, only to be stopped by another Puella Magi who demanded to know who we were.
After learning about us, this Puella Magi, Homura Akemi, warned of a witch coming in two weeks. The name meant nothing to myself or the two children I was keeping an eye on, but Kyoko recognized it.
Walpurgisnacht, the stage constructing witch, a legendary witch among Puella Magi in that is trying to turn the entire world into its stage. It has no barrier, because it is trying to turn the entire world into its barrier.
No Puella Magi has managed to defeat it.
Well, I'll have to go back later to speak with the girls; I am not getting any useful information while everyone is wound up.
April 9th, Day 4, Entry 2:
Spent time introducing the three children I am with to magecraft. Shichirou has a half-dozen slightly above average circuits, with the Wood element. Kaori has only 3 circuits, at very low quality, with the Water and Wood elements. Kyoko has 4 circuits with the Fire element, but her circuits are of a quality not normally seen… in humans. They are normally seen in the circuits of magecraft familiars.
Shichirou has the origin of 'bedroom' (how? How is 'bedroom' even an origin?), Kaori has the origin of 'man' (ironic), and Kyoko has two origins.
Kyoko's first origin, 'attraction', is mundane enough, but her second is something I cannot recognize. I didn't inform anyone of their origins for now.
April 10th, Day 5:
Spent time with Mami Tomoe today. She repeated what Kyoko told me, backing up what I know of Puella Magi. She spoke of the trials of Puella Magi, their duty and the sacrifices that they must make. It seemed to me she doesn't have many friends because she was a Puella Magi.
…It also seemed like the world of Puella Magi is almost as harsh as the Moonlit World of my own world. While they go into danger, at least their mistakes get them simply killed. When a magus makes a mistake, they could be crippled for the rest of their life. They also don't have to deal with as heavy of politics as I do.
I offered to teach her a little magecraft, inviting her to visit Kyoko while at it. She decided to decline my offer, but she did point me in the direction of Sayaka and Madoka.
She also mentioned that this 'Kyubey' being had taken an interest in me. It's a shame that it's invisible to me; I would very much like to speak with it.
April 10th, Day 5, Entry 2:
I was waylaid by Homura Akemi on my way to visit Madoka. We almost came to blows, until she warned me at gunpoint to stay away from Madoka. Since Madoka was just entering the world of Puella Magi, she was low on my question list, anyway.
Before Homura left, she shot at something which appeared to be a magecraft familiar of some kind, stating that it was a body of the 'Incubator'. It was a cross between a rabbit and a cat, with a gold ring around each ear and red markings on its body. I currently have the body in my coat; if nothing else, I can repair it and make a familiar out of it.
April 10th, Day 5, Entry 3:
Although terrifying to the girls, tonight was a very informative night.
Kyoko has taken magecraft easily, turning her spear into a flaming spear. She was going to fight Sayaka, but Madoka stole Sayaka's Soul Gem and tossed it over the bridge to get them to stop fighting.
And then Sayaka collapsed.
According to Mami, who acted as the go-between for myself and Kyubey, the Soul Gem was actually Sayaka, and the body that collapsed was effectively a familiar, much like the familiar of magecraft.
The body of a Puella Magi was an undead puppet.
Homura retrieved Sayaka's Soul Gem, reviving Sayaka, and everyone present went home for the night to think of the new information.
April 11th, Day 6:
I went to visit Mami today, leaving Shichirou and Kaori with Kyoko, and to my shock found a witch in her apartment. I defeated it with my Mystic Code, but its mere presence raises some questions.
Why did a witch appear in the apartment? There was no sign of it yesterday. And why is Mami absent? Speaking to Madoka after she arrived after school, Tomoe wasn't in class either.
Madoka accepted the offer of learning about magecraft, and we got on a bus to head to Kyoko's apartment. I hope Kyoko is understanding.
April 11th, Day 6, Entry 2:
It turns out Kyoko took the two young children to her old church and met Sayaka there, explaining a bit of her past to them.
Sayaka, wanting more power to fight witches, accepts the opportunity to add magecraft to her arsenal. She, like Kyoko, had four circuits of the quality of familiars, with the Air, Earth, and Water elements. She has an origin of 'justice,' and also an origin I can't identify.
Two Puella Magi, two instances of four magic circuits of familiar quality, and two instances of a split origin, with the second origin unidentifiable except for its presence. There is a pattern there.
Question: Do all Puella Magi have 4 circuits of the poorest quality, with a split origin, with the second origin unidentifiable?
Madoka was a surprise. While she has twenty-four circuits of slightly above average quality, she has a rare element to use.
Her element is Grief, and her origin is 'hope'.
I offered to reveal their origins, and they accepted. They were surprised with the unknown second origins of Sayaka and Kyoko, while they admitted that Madoka with the origin of 'hope' made sense.
April 12th, Day 7:
Sayaka has disappeared, Kyoko went out hunting by herself, and I never learned where Homura lived, so I spent the day teaching Shichirou and Kaori about magecraft familiars, catching a couple of birds for them and then using the 'Incubator' body I had as a guide.
I told them of spells that could be used through familiars, like familiar sight, and sent out my new familiar to scout the area.
April 12th, Day 7, Entry 2:
Kyoko spotted my familiar while I was controlling it, and called it 'Kyubey'. I replied that I was using the body to look around, which surprised her. When she asked about how I got a hold of it, I told her that Homura had shot it and revealed it, calling it an 'Incubator'.
Kyoko is currently taking my familiar to Homura so that we can get an explanation.
April 12th, Day 7, Entry 3:
…With all the information I have received, I now believe that, as a magus, I have it light, compared to Puella Magi.
Homura has filled in the remaining blanks of the Puella Magi cycle for me.
Witches are born from curses… the curses of magical girls. When a Puella Magi's Soul Gem turns black, it turns into a Grief Seed, killing the Puella Magi and giving birth to a new witch. 'Kyubey' is short for 'Incubator', and targets girls with high 'Grief Potential' in order to fight the heat death of the sun.
Those with high 'Grief Potential' are those that usually have issues, heavy problems in their lives, like those in hospitals. Using magic generates grief, and negative emotions generate grief, and the more grief a Puella Magi has, the worse they feel, which in turn generates negative emotions.
Incubators may not understand emotions, but they understand how to make them work, which is how they manipulate people into making Contracts to become Puella Magi.
Homura requested that I teach Madoka magecraft so she didn't touch Puella Magi magic, but I admitted my skepticism of that working out since Madoka had a rare element of 'grief'.
This is the most likely explanation for what happened with Mami: her Soul Gem turned black after the confrontation on the bridge, causing her to become a witch.
April 13th, Day 8:
I taught Shichirou and Kaori some of the more basic spells of magecraft, while Kyoko went out hunting witches and bodies of Incubators for my familiars. I've taken to placing ribbons on the familiars I make so that they are not destroyed by others.
April 13th, Day 8, Entry 2:
Kyoko returned with dinner, saying that she had received word from Madoka and Homura that Sayaka had gone missing. I sent out a couple familiars to try to find her, hoping that it wouldn't be too late.
April 15th, Day 10:
We continued magecraft practice over the past couple of days, but I had little progress of finding Sayaka. However, there were a few interesting tidbits of news I managed to hear through my familiars.
Madoka had disappeared as well, and the only Incubators left in the city were my familiars. In addition, Homura reported to one of my familiars that there was a rise in the number of Puella Magi. Which is odd, considering an Incubator is needed to create Puella Magi, to my knowledge.
April 21, Day 16:
There's been a massive spike of witches in the area, likely from the numerous Puella Magi that have appeared in the city becoming witches. Also, Walpurgisnacht was supposed to show up today, but hasn't yet. Well, there is a massive number of Grief Seeds Kyoko is collecting, due to the witches appearing, so she'll be well prepared.
Kyoko is getting plenty of combat training with magecraft. If she was in my world, I would recommend her to be an enforcer. Shichirou and Kaori are continuing their magecraft training at a safer rate.
Homura finally tracked down Sayaka, and offered her a Grief Seed, but Sayaka refused, announcing to her that she was an ally of justice.
…I think she needs to meet the Archer in the stories the Marshall loves so much.
I'm sending a familiar after Sayaka so I can keep track of her. I'll go get her tomorrow, when I can see with my body.
April 22, Day 17:
One of my familiars was contacted by the Incubators today, at the edge of the city, saying that Sayaka had become a witch in the night. Also, the Incubators were withdrawing from the city due to the fact that they were no longer able to contract Madoka.
Note: While I cannot see living Incubators with my own eyes, I can see them through the eyes of the bodies I have turned into familiars.
As an odd request, they asked me to pass on the information to Homura to get Madoka to stop making contracts.
I passed the information to Homura who breathed a sigh of relief in that the Incubators couldn't contract Madoka, but was cut short by the request to find Madoka to stop her from making contracts. The Puella Magi was as confused as I was, before she had me leave her to continue her preparations for Walpurgisnacht.
April 23, Day 18:
Considering that she is the last of the group that we don't know is dead yet, I am having Shichirou and Kaori scan the city for Madoka Kaname with their familiars while I visit Homura as a familiar with Kyoko. She is icy to speak with, but she seems to know Madoka the best of those that I know of that haven't disappeared for some reason or another.
April 23, Day 18, Entry 2:
SHE'S A GODDAMN TRUE MAGICIAN!
April 23, Day 18, Entry 3:
Now that I can process what Homura has said, here is what happened.
When we arrived, the Puella Magi was annoyed with our presence, until we explained that we were trying to locate Madoka. Kyoko prodded further, asking why Homura seemed so hell-bent on preparing for Walpurgisnacht beyond other rational Puella Magi.
It turned out that Homura Akemi is a True Magician.
She has fought Walpurgisnacht tens of times before, always at the end of the very same April. When she either failed or allowed Madoka to Contract with the Incubators, Homura used the powers she gained from becoming a Puella Magi many loops or worlds ago to start again from sometime in late March.
Beyond Walpurgisnacht, Homura has been using her powers for a single goal. While defeating Walpurgisnacht would be beneficial for her, it isn't necessary for her. The main reason the girl keeps fighting Walpurgisnacht is because of Kaname Madoka.
It is because of Kaname Madoka of many worlds ago or many timelines ago (I'm not sure whether it's the second or fifth magic Homura possesses) that Homura became a Puella Magi in the first place. Originally, Homura wanted to save everyone, but after several timelines or worlds, the girl narrowed her focus to just saving Madoka.
Emotionally, Kaname Madoka seems to be Akemi's reason for living; it is for her that Homura keeps fighting Walpurgisnacht. If Walpurgisnacht appears, one way or another Madoka will get involved to save people, whether the entire city or just those she is close to. And in every instance, the girl who showed Homura kindness died.
The single instance Homura decided to forget about Walpurgisnacht and kidnap Kaname Madoka to get her out of harm's way, the loss of all of Madoka's friends and family when she could have done something to help them caused the girl to kill herself in grief. Because of that single instance, Homura can't ignore Walpurgisnacht as it will lead to Madoka's death one way or another.
Practically, Homura has spent many cycles of her power planning and preparing for Walpurgisnacht; other than working to protect Madoka, she has no idea on what to do with her powers, let alone her life. Continuing towards those two goals is all the girl seems to know how to do.
But there's another reason why Homura is trying to protect Madoka. She simply does not want to have Madoka make a contract with the Incubator. Last time she did so, and survived Walpurgisnacht, Madoka turned into a witch that threatened not just the city, but the entire world.
April 30, Day 25:
Walpurgisnacht is coming into the city today. We're preparing for conflict.
April 30, Day 25, Aftermath:
Today was an utter disaster.
Walpurgisnacht showed up, and destroyed all the Reality Marbles of the witches in the city, bringing them into the open. By itself, it wouldn't have been so bad, but there seemed to be one witch for every twenty people that were left in the city.
Kyoko fought hard, but was overwhelmed by witches. I gave her witch a quick kill and claimed her Grief Seed, putting it in one of my pockets. Shichirou and Kaori managed to survive by staying close to me, so that Volumen Hydragyrum could protect us three, but it was a near thing.
I lost most of my familiars to the onslaught, but I managed to get a glimpse of what appeared to be an army of Puella Magi trying to attack Walpurgisnacht. At the rear of the army was a girl that I barely recognized.
…It was at that point the Marshall finally brought me home, leaving Shichirou and Kaori behind.
I know the situation seemed hopeless, but still, I hope that Homura, Shichirou, and Kaori all made it.
June 17, Two Years Later:
Note: Witches regenerate from their Grief Seeds automatically after a period of time.
Note 2: Titles mean squat when the Queen of the Tower points a Kaleidostick at you for the mess you've made. Perhaps it isn't too late to head to Fuyuki to deal with the Grail?
