Chapter 1: Prologue

A late afternoon would have ended normally if it wasn't for a Witch's doing.

Deep inside a Labyrinth, on its very core, the Witch responsible for ruining that day for two young girls, was taking hold of one of them, while the other had just awakened from unconsciousness after the capturing.

No Magical Girls were in duty during that time, and neither of the two girls had powers.

The girl who woke up brought herself to her feet, not long before she saw her friend being held by the Witch like a treat.

This creature was actually a Familiar about to become a deadly Witch. It just required one more human to become a Witch.

The girl gasped when the creature motioned its hand holding the other girl to its mouth.

"No! Stop!"

Her protests didn't helped. At all. The Familiar had killed the poor girl and was in the process of becoming a Witch.

"Mimi!" The girl cried.

Then everything faded to black.

...

The sunlight shone through a window of a small room. The Asahi residence had been quiet that early morning. A clock's hands silently ticked as each second was counting.

A teenage girl's eyes slowly opened. They showed sadness as the dreams she had were actually memories of her deceased friend, Mimi.

This lonely child was Sakura Asahi, a pretty girl with short, cherry blossom hair and eyes.

The thick sheets covered most of her in her bed. Only her cute but depressed face could be seen along with some bits of hair that played with the wind.

"This was my life."

The child sat up, not feeling quite excited to start a new day.

"Most of my life I wished to look after the people I loved, just to keep them safe from negative vibes."

Many objects that resembled symbols of spirituality decorated her room. On the ceiling, some dream catchers and paper lanterns hung.

"I always believed in how spiritual energies influenced all of us in our lives. And I also believed there was a God who looked after us too.

But..."

A shade surprised Sakura as she was ready to leave her bed.

"...a sign called me.

I could tell the wind played with my dream catchers when I suddenly saw it...

...a stuffed creature that somehow looked like a cat."

On Sakura's window, Kyubey was standing. His tail moved from one side to the other. The girl showed some impression in her eyes, but something in her wanted to get closer to the creature.

"It started speaking to me, but its mouth never opened, and its eyes never blinked. It told me about an offer I considered life-changing.

Something that made my soul snap somehow."

"If you make a contract with me, I can turn you into a Magical Girl. All you have to do is make one wish. You seem to have a large amount of potential, Sakura Asahi."

Sakura backed off, surprised. "Okay, this isn't real! Like, how do you know me? Am I dreaming?"

"It's all true. I can grant you one wish and give you magical powers, but as an exchange for your wish, it will be your duty to fight Witches."

Sakura stopped herself to think.

"Witches? You mean there actually are evil spirits invading our lives?"

"In every form. They're very cautious about not letting humans see them, and they hide deep in the Labyrinths they create. That scary maze you and Mimi were into was one of them."

The girl squeezed her hands into tight fists. The memories of Mimi being killed by that Witch floated on the top of her mind. She blamed herself for not having the required ability to save her life.

"She didn't deserve to die! If I could only bring her back..."

Sakura broke into a silent cry. She never accepted what became of Mimi.

"There was nothing you could do. It's because of Kyoko Sakura that you're still alive."

A rain of crystal tears dropped from her eyes. "Yes, but... I failed to her. I don't want to fail to anyone else!"

Kyubey didn't said a thing, but it was clear that someone like Sakura would quickly accept his offer. Sakura uncovered her face, her expression changing to a serious one.

"So, if this is all true, I promise with my life that those things will never touch the people I love!" She took a big breath as she stared at her spiritual objects", then back at Kyubey. "I'll do it! I want to become a Magical Girl!"

"Sakura Asahi, what is the wish which you would trade your soul for?"

Looking down at her hands, Sakura knew this was all fate changing for her, and she also recognized this had to be kept as a secret. She wisely thought about her wish before closing her hands into fists.

"I wish to be able to protect the ones I love with a secret identity. Someone has to look after them day and night, and if nobody does, then I'll do it myself!"

Kyubey's eyes seemed as if they were staring into Sakura's soul. It was then when Sakura's chest felt a huge pain that made her clutch it hard. A shiny pink light shone out of it, creating a Soul Gem.

"The contract is complete. Go now, and unleash your magical power!"

Her hands caught the tiny object before it all turned black.

"That was what I wished for before realizing this was all a trick."

The scene changed to a time when Sakura almost lost her Soul Gem and collapsed. During that time she had an argument with Kyoko Sakura, and Homura Akemi retrieved her Soul Gem before it could pass the limited distance, bringing Sakura back.

"I learned that the Soul Gems were created to contain our existence. They were made to give birth to Witches, and once they turn black, a Grief Seed is made and Witch is born."

The scene changed to the moment Madoka Kaname made her wish and saved all the other Magical Girls including Sakura Asahi, who had used Kyoko's Grief Seed to get back up against Walpurgisnacht, but her power drained very quickly.

She also kept Kyoko's black ribbon after finding out about her death.

"But someone else was able to change our destiny as Magical Girls...

...and now all of us have a different purpose."

In a new scene, a new Sakura Asahi was standing on a rooftop at night, staring at the beautiful city of Mitakihara as some Wraiths unleashed from the ground. This time her suit had some resemblance to that of Kyoko's, and she wore the black ribbon around her neck, with the bow tie on her back.

"Witches are nonexistent in this new world, but that never meant we Magical Girls had to stop fighting. There is still darkness. There is still negativity. And I still have the potential to help protect those I love."

Creating a ninja sword, Sakura leaped off to the ground to commence a fight.

"My name is Sakura Asahi. I'm a 7th grader at Mitakihara Middle School.

Ever since I made a contract with Kyubey, I gained the power to become a Magical Girl."