It all happened so fast. She never even saw the collision. By the time she realized something was wrong, she was already thrown about the ruins of the car. Her whole body ached and burned, and any movement felt sluggish and unresponsive. A constant buzzing rang in her ears. She wearily opened her eyes to a blurry world. Blinking instinctually to clear her vision, she caught a glimpse of something dangling in the front seat. A hand. An arm, red flowing down it and dripping off fingers. A chest. A head, bent at an odd angle and unnaturally stiff.

No…it…can't be…?

Darkness. The light striking her face was suddenly replaced by shade, disrupting her thoughts. Moving her gaze, she for a brief instance saw herself, coated in red, before focusing on the cat sitting just outside one of the broken windows. At least, she assumed it was a cat, but something about it seemed odd to her. Maybe it was the pure, unmarred form of white standing out amongst the darker, harsher surroundings, or maybe it was its strange appearance. Perhaps she was still a little dizzy, and the light spilling out behind the creature might have altered her perception, but she thought she saw limbs coming out of the its ears.

Cats don't have those…right?

A voice started speaking. To her ringing ears, she could barely make out a handful of words, but those that she did stuck out with exceptional clarity.

'You've…terrible fate…if given…change that…you take it?...one wish…your soul…?'

Changing…fate? Wishes?

She knew she should know what the voice meant, but the words rang empty and half remembered. A sudden burst of pain drew her from her sluggish thoughts, and back to her red body.

Red?

Her outfit was almost completely red, even though she could have sworn that her clothes were a different color earlier.

This is…

Somehow, the color was on her hand, too. It felt watery, and a little sticky.

Blood.

All of a sudden everything clicked into place.

My blood.

The initial shock was replaced with panic. Her breathing grew more rapid and frantic.

So much blood…so much…pain…it hurts, it hurts!

The injuries she had been unknowingly ignoring started making themselves known. Dull aches became throbbing surges of agony. Each cut and gash stung as the air brushed past them. She figured she must have broken a rib or two, as every breath caused something to grate painfully inside her. Worst of all was her stomach, where a large glass shard had punctured, sinking into and past her skin, partially impaling her.

She remembered the body near her, hanging limp and lifeless in a seat thrust into the air. Thoughts wandered towards the matching seat next to it, and the corresponding body hidden behind it.

Mom. Dad.

How?

Why?

Tears welled up in her eyes and quickly overflowed as the gravity of the situation overwhelmed her.

This can't be…

How is this possible…?

Why did you…

And why do I…

Have to…

Die?

The word played within her head, over and over.

Die.

She began shivering.

Die.

The small movement was enough to agitate her wounds. The twinges of pain only served to feed her growing anxiety.

Die.

No, I don't want to.

Die.

Stop it!

The word repeated itself relentlessly. Never did she think she could hate a word so much, let alone fear one.

Please, I…I don't want to die. I don't want to die! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

She recalled the disjointed words. A wish to change her fate. A wish to save her soul. Was this what they meant? A part of her knew that wishes were just stories and fairy tales, but right now the desire to survive outweighed any logic.

"P-please…I don't want to die. H-help me!" Her voice sounded strange, scratchy and weak, but she continued, hoping someone—the voice, the cat, anyone—would answer her plea. "I…I want to live!" She reached out toward the cat, desperate for help, consequences be damned. No matter the cost, she would gladly pay it. "Don't let me die! Please!" If there truly was someone out there granting wishes, then she prayed they were listening. "I WISH TO LIVE!"

The cat moved, its limbs—arms? Legs? She didn't know anymore—splayed out to its sides. Pain even more sharp and intense shot through her chest. It continued to grow, dwarfing any other injuries with its magnitude, until she felt like her chest would tear open as her insides were viciously pulled out.

And then, it stopped. The pain subsided, and all she felt now was numb. Her limbs failed to respond; she couldn't move. However, everything seemed much clearer to her. Even as exhaustion began taking her and her eyes threatened to close, she could see—with perfect clarity—the cat, weird appendages and all, staring unblinking at a decorated yellow gem floating above her. As the gem slowly floated down towards her, she heard the voice speak again, unbroken.

'The contract is complete, your wish has overcome entropy.'

The air behind the cat shimmered. In and out a dark form flickered like a black beacon before settling itself in reality. A mysterious figure clad in a black coat was the last thing she saw before her eyes gave out. A deep voice rang in the back of her mind…

"Betrayed by the light to be devoured by the dark. Fate can be most unkind, but you chose to fight back. Cast away all that rejects you and fulfill your new destiny. Unleash your newfound power as one of the Puella Magi…"

…and she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Mami Tomoe."


A/N: Oh boy, here we go. What started as a passing observation ("Tearing the heart/soul/thingamajig out of the body and succumbing to your inner darkness; where have I heard that?") turned into a bunch of scattered ideas, and then into something resembling an actual story. Eventually the temptation became too great and I had to start writing. For now, this is merely a prelude before the story starts proper, and the first chapter will be up in the next couple of days. Hope you all enjoy!