Puella Magi Temporal Magica
By Kyle Edmond
Story One: The origins of mankind
It's cold. Unbearably cold. Whenever the weather gets like this, it's a struggle to survive for everyone in the tribe, desperately huddling for warmth at night. Like every time when it gets this bad, some people don't make it, and in the following morning we will have to bury them so as not to startle the children.
I'm curled up with the others in the cave during the dead of night, struggling to keep warm while the others are sleeping soundly. I don't know how they manage it; I can't stop myself shivering for even a second, no matter how I try.
While I try to muster any sleep at all, I hear an incredible whooshing sound pierce the sky just outside the cave. I crawl out to see a light drawing a path through the clouds, gliding across the fields and into the distance. There is an explosion of colour when it reaches the ground, the sound of the crash only just audible from where I am. No one else has woken up, and it's not like I'm going to get sleep anyway…so I start to head towards it.
It takes me around an hour or so, and even with the leathers I have on my feet, the ground is digging at my soles when I finally reach the place where the odd light landed. What I come across is a gigantic crater, as wide as my village and as deep as the tallest cliffs. In its centre, there is a bizarre white object, like a large shiny boulder polished more beautifully than any arrowhead I have ever seen.
As I take it all in, I notice that there are weird patches of ground that are glowing, flickering with intense light. Even from where I'm standing, at the edge of the crater, I can feel that they are giving off massive amounts of heat!
I jump down and run towards one, getting just close enough to take in its glorious glow. I can't look at it for very long before my vision is blurred, so I just try to sit near to one and close my eyes to enjoy the sensation.
'Oh, hello there!'
I snap my eyes open when I suddenly hear a voice, and stand back up to try to find the source.
'Don't be alarmed, I'm here to help!'
The voice feels like it's inside of my head…I don't…understand. But, from where the white boulder is sitting, I see an odd creature bounding towards me. Its fur has a luscious white tone to it, with rings of crimson decorating it. I mentally curse myself for not snatching some hunting tools on the way here, I would love to skin that thing…
'I wouldn't recommend taking my skin actually, I'd like to keep it if you don't mind.'
I just stare and blink as the creature reaches me, trying to work out if this is actually happening. This thing is talking to me…in my mind? It nods and smiles at me as I'm thinking this, so it must be able to hear my thoughts too…
"How are you…doing that?" I try asking the creature, by thinking up the words.
"…It's complicated." It replies, frowning. "I could try to explain, but I suspect that you wouldn't get it."
"Oh…okay. Who are you and what are you doing here? You fell from the sky! I thought only the gods lived up there!"
"…gods? Ah, yes, gods. That's what I am! My name is Kyubey and I come from very far away with the mission of assisting your kind."
"I don't understand; how can you help us?"
"I have magical powers! I can grant any wish you might have, any wish at all!"
When he mentions doing anything, I turn back around to the flickering light, still fascinated by its glow.
"Could you…give me that power? I ask, indicating to the light.
"You wish to control fire? That seems easy enough. All you have to do is make a contract with me!" Kyubey replies, smiling up at me.
"That's fine by me! If fire is its name, then that is the tool I wish to control."
"Okay then, I will complete the contract now."
I watch Kyubey in confusion as he seems to stand taller on his four legs, preparing himself for something. I didn't notice until now, but his ears seem to have strange appendages that flow out from them like loose rope, and they are suddenly flying towards me as I stand here. They move towards my chest and I feel a numbing sensation as my entire body starts to glow, as if some sort of energy is flowing through me. An orb of light lifts out from my chest, reshaping itself into a crystal which I catch in my hands as it falls.
"The contract is complete." Kyubey says, smiling, "You are now a magical girl."
"A magical girl? What do you mean?" I ask, inspecting the odd crystal in my hand.
"Well, part of my mission is to create contracts, and give girls like you magical powers! Your wish seals that contract, as well as influencing your magical powers. So, for example, you now have the power to manipulate fire in your magical girl state."
"Oh, wow! So…how do I enter this 'magical girl state'?"
"Using that thing there!" Kyubey says, indicating to the shining crimson crystal in my hand, "It's a soul gem, and all you have to do is concentrate and it will channel your energy so that you can transform into a magical girl."
I nod, cradling the soul gem and pressing it against my chest, closing my eyes as I feel its energy surge through me. After a few seconds, I open my eyes again, and my clothing has changed completely! My leather scraps of clothing, which before had only covered my most sensitive areas, now flow down across my body to create one gorgeous costume which reaches to my knees with a lovely spotted pattern, similar to the leopard hide that was originally there. My shoes had changed as well, reaching up my legs and thickening themselves so that my feet no longer feel the rough ground through them.
On top of my clothing, I am now holding an odd wooden rod in my hand, with two stones fashioned at the end that are tied to each other with a rope in such a way that they are loosely held together.
Curious, I swing the staff out at arm's length, watching the stones slam together and…make a fire! I smile as I bring the end closer, to feel its heat with my free hand.
"Thank you so much, this power is incredible…" I say to Kyubey as I lower the rod again, allowing the fire to dwindle away.
"You don't need to thank me; I'm simply doing my job." Kyubey says, swishing his tail back and forth, "I will come back in a day or so, to see how you're doing with your new powers. So until then, goodbye."
And with that, Kyubey bounds back towards the white boulder he had emerged from. With a shrug, I walk back up out of the hole and make my way back to my village, happily clutching the rod in my hands as the sun began to rise.
I manage to get back to the cave just as everyone seems to be waking up, still dressed in my bizarre new clothes and proudly waving around my fire making device. People rush over to me as they notice the small bursts of fire I let off with each swing, and I beam as they look at it in stunned silence as I make the flames dance in the sky. Once I have everyone's attention, I show them how the device works with two rocks slamming together, and it doesn't take long for people to start grabbing nearby stones and attempt to reenact the sparks I can summon at ease.
It takes a little while, but soon enough others are able to produce fire just like me. It doesn't last anywhere as long, and is much more difficult for them to get started, but I am very happy to be able to pass on this skill to my tribe. I may be the master of this skill, but if everyone can use it, our combined power will rival any beast or tribe that stands before us!
The men go out hunting, some brandishing logs that they hope to light on fire to hopefully make killing animals easier. We wave to them as they leave, and I even get some hunters thanking me on their way out, for providing them with this new ability.
Until today, I had never felt like I was important. I'm too young to bear children just yet, but too old to get away with doing whatever I like as the little kids do. I spend most of my days just helping the older women collect wild fruit nearby, and preparing skins for clothing or bedsheets. But now, everyone wants to know me, and it feels amazing.
I'm let off of my normal duties for today, given my new powers, and spend a little while entertaining the children by giving them a light show. I send of bursts and flurries of fire into the sky, practising how well I can arc the flames to make them look as impressive as I can without scaring them. Afterwards, we experiment a little with the fire, seeing what burns well and what doesn't, and soon enough we realise how much our food improves when heated up, as opposed to the frozen slabs of meat we had had to contend with up until this point.
When the hunters return, they bring with them an unbelievably large bounty of meats and skins, far more than they had ever previously collected. They explain how the fire terrified the creatures so easily, making it easier to control their movements and kill them where they stood instead of having to play a dangerous game of fight-or-flight. There were even other tribes who had watched them in shock, confused at how they were using such a mystical tool, and envious of our spoils.
…It seems likely that we will have people come after us, eager for the fire, but we are confident that we can fight them off as the only ones with the knowledge of how to utilise the flame at will.
Night comes soon enough, and I light the celebratory pyre inside of the cave, offering a large and warming glow for everyone to enjoy for the first truly peaceful night of our lives. When I finish casting the flame, though, it disappears in my hands and my clothes turn back to normal, much to the confusion of everyone. I try to shrug it off with a yawn, making the excuse that I must just be tired and need to rest so that my powers can replenish.
It isn't even a lie, I haven't slept for almost two days after all, and sleep will do me good. Everyone does want to party the night away, unfortunately, but it is a pleasant atmosphere so I don't mind it too much. Soon enough, I do manage to drift off to sleep…
The next few days go incredibly well, as we develop more and more techniques that utilise fire. The general atmosphere in the tribe has improved as well, now that the chilling weather can be less of a concern for us and our way of life can be lived more contentedly with fancier food and the like. I even get to join the hunters, when they suggest that my ability to directly manipulate fire would be invaluable in the field. They're right as well, as I am able to single-handedly take down small creatures like rabbits on my first try, and even work my way up to killing large animals such as mammoths by the end of the day. I truly get to feel like one of them, sharing in their stories of the wider world beyond the village that I had never seen before, and when we do return to the village that day I am so grateful for having made that contract Kyubey. Everyone is so much happier now, and I'm sure we can continue to be happy for some time to come...
In the night, I'm sharply awakened by the ear piercing shriek of a baby, my eyes flashing open as I jump up, the burning sensation of fire all around me and blinding my vision completely. I try to shield my eyes with my arms as my consciousness solidifies and I realise that I am trapped by a wall of fire inside the cave, along with several other people who are crying and trying to keep as far as possible from the blaze.
I reach for my soul gem, and in seconds I am once again in my magical girl state. Brandishing my staff, I strike it towards the wall of fire, pushing the flames backwards just a little. It's something, but it won't do if I plan to get us out of here…I close my eyes and try to imagine the fire cleared away, and feel the energy from my soul gem flow through me again, into the end of my staff, and creates a ball of wispy smoke. I thrust the ball of smoke to the flames with all my might, and as it flies into the flames they leap back, surging outwards and clearing a path out of the cave!
I sprint outside, closely followed by those who had been trapped in the cave with me, but as we emerge on the fields the sight we are greeted with is anything but reassuring. Men are yelling and throwing weapons at each other in a rage as women and children alike scream, running and hiding anywhere they think will be safe. As I look around, petrified, I notice large piles of wood and dry plants near the entrance of the cave. It must have been a rival tribe! They waited until we were sleeping, and use the plants to spread our fire out and use it against us…
Some people notice me as I look around for somewhere I can go, and it looks like they were watching me controlling the flames earlier. Men from the rival tribe raise their spears, some of them tipped with fire, and charge towards me with blood curdling cries of war. I flail my staff around desperately, firing off flames instinctively, which hit them and send them sprawling as they are engulfed by the fire. I run away, unable to watch the violence as it rages on, and flinging fire at anyone who tries to come close.
I don't feel safe until I've left everyone far behind, hiding and crying beneath a tree as I throw the staff to the ground in frustration. It sparks a little, creating a small fire at my feet, and I stamp it out furiously to try and avoid attracting attention. The heat licks at my leg, but I just wince and try to ignore it as it goes out and leaves me to cower in the darkness.
'Well, I certainly didn't expect things to escalate this quickly.'
I lift my head up to see a pair of glowing red dots as they approach, blurred by my tears.
"Kyubey…why…why are you here?" I ask, brushing the tears out of my eyes and reaching down for my staff in fear.
"I am here to observe." Kyubey replies, plainly, "It's fascinating how much you've accomplished in just one day."
"I don't…understand…I thought you came to help! Look at all the destruction your gift has caused!" I cry between sobs.
"It wasn't me that made all of that happen. Your wish is what allowed your people the opportunity to control fire after all, I simply made that wish come true."
Kyubey tries to get near to me, but I swing my staff out to ward him off, the fire hitting him and burning his body instantly. I stare in shock as he is reduced to a burnt corpse, dimly lit by glowing embers in his fur.
"You shouldn't take your anger out on me like that. Its such a waste."
I dart my head upwards when I hear Kyubey's voice again, his cold red eyes staring down at me from branches in the tree.
"But…I killed you!" I exclaim, terrified.
"Well, you destroyed my body…" Kyubey sighs as he jumps down from the tree and sits in front of me when he reaches the ground, "...but I have many more. Please refrain from doing that again."
I just stare, unable to comprehend what exactly just happened. But as I do so, a wave of paralysis washes over me and I fold over, dropping my staff as I feel my body weakening. The staff disappears in a cloud of energy, and my clothes fade back to normal as I clutch my chest in pain.
"Wha…what's happening to me?" I ask Kyubey, crying far worse than before as the pain within me increases.
"You're dying. The lifespan of a magical girl is related to the amount of magic that they use, and their emotional state."
"You never told me about that!" I scream, collapsing to the ground. My soul gem falls onto the grass, it's hue now a deep blood red as dark impurities float around inside it.
"You never asked." Kyubey states.
I try to open my mouth to scream out at him again, but I can do nothing except cry out in agony as I feel my life dissipating away. Kyubey simply sits and watches as I convulse, and as my consciousness leaves me the last thing I can see is his red, uncaring eyes...