Her love is timeless. Bound by the universe she transcends the concept of time as we know and watches all those that precede her and come forth. She exists as an infinite form of cosmic power, a pinnacle of existence that embodies the hopes and darkness of those bound by their destiny. She denotes a concept that has reached a plane untouched by any human, a plane of existence that is forbidden for any human to ever reach. She sees a thousand years into the future and a thousand years into the past as she lays to rest the many girls who have traded their souls for their deepest desires to come true. As she descends upon the world, existing neither here nor there, but as a force that has rearranged the threads of fate, fabricating a universe where those bound by their fate shall not perish in sorrow. A trace of her existence, a faint presence of her human self can still be felt in the world by those who were closest to her. A painful wave of nostalgia wash over her loved ones, yet they can never fully grasp the cause nor the extent of it.
As I lay on the ground, my breath coming out in ragged gasps I watch as the arrow she unleashed burst into a million arrows, showering the world in this time and others. Their purpose to find those magical girls suffering at deaths door, to take their despair so that they avoid the inevitable cruel fate of becoming those which they kill. I can feel the tears pouring from my eyes, feel the guilt eroding my insides to dust, the burning fire in the pit of my stomach as I blame myself for Madoka's fate. I've been rewinding time over and over again, distorting fate, hoping to change the past so that Madoka's destiny can be overwritten. So that I can protect her, and absolve her of the burden that she along with millions of girls throughout time have had to face. I wanted to fulfill her promise, to warn her that she shouldn't become a magical girl. But no matter how many times I return to the past, the strings of fate all converge at a single point. To be consumed by the darkness found within and transformed into a Grief Seed was something Madoka couldn't bear, and I had promised her that I would prevent it from happening. Every parallel world that I visited, every timeline that I had gone back to, I have managed to fail.
Now as I lay here, sorrow washing over me, raining down in torrents I weep for Madoka's sacrifice. As she held me in her arms before she made her contract and promised to end it all, I clung on to her, begged her to walk away, yet she held me gently, her words appeasing the turmoil in my heart. Her warmth, her radiance shone brilliantly as she transformed into the very being that I had been fighting to prevent from happening. The droplets of blood trickled down my cheeks as Madoka confronted the deadliest witch and a light so powerful emitted from her. It shone through time and space, travelling thousands of years, at insurmountable speed, the intensity blinding me, piercing the very core of my being, brimming with her love and energy.
As I opened my eyes slowly, I found myself floating, my physical being removed from the world of the living as I gazed at the world below me. Madoka's Soul Gem, a massive ball of black and purple energy rushing towards the world as I gazed in horror at what was to become of her. Mind numbing fear coursed through my veins, the coldness seeping through the cracks and crevices of my heart destroying all the hope that I once harboured. My knees grew weak as I watched with bated breath, unable to move a muscle as the darkness enveloped the world in its blanket of hell. The world that Madoka wanted to protect would be destroyed at the hands of the burden that she had decided to shoulder for all of eternity. I buried my face in my hands as a violent shudder escaped my lips and the tears cascaded down my cheeks. I trembled uncontrollably, unable to forgive myself for creating a destiny so cruel for the one that I love.
"It's okay," a voice whispered gently. I looked up startled, my eyes coming to rest on her. She held me tightly, and as I gazed into her eyes, I could see the world in them, the universe, infinite space and time that stretched beyond human comprehension. Her warmth seeped through my body, its soft tendrils spreading into the very depths of my being.
"Don't worry Homura-chan. I now understand what I didn't before. I am able to see the existence of things that have happened thousands of years into the past and thousands of years into the future. And because of that I am able to see how much you suffered on my behalf, all the tears you have shed and the sacrifices you have made in all the parallel worlds you have travelled. Your determination unwavering you sought me out in different timelines never succumbing to despair and hopelessness. I'm so sorry for all the pain I have caused you. I didn't even realize until now how lucky I was to have someone so amazing by my side. Thank you Homura, for being my best friend." As the tears continued to stream down my face I embraced her tightly and wept unable to let her go, refusing to let her go for fear that she may disappear forever. This wasn't what I had wanted for her, and to think that she will cease to exist in the memories of those she loved, trapped in this never ending plane of existence as a mere concept was unbearable. Despite her reassurances that we were all with her, that her heart reached out to all us magical girls, I refused to accept her fate. I didn't want to forget her, terrified that she would soon cease to exist even in my memories I clung on to her tightly, memorizing everything I could about her before she disappeared from my world forever.
"You have come this far with me, beyond time and space. Perhaps you won't forget me even once you go back to our world, " she said with a peaceful smile on her face a she removed the bow from her hair and placed it in the palm of my hands. I sobbed uncontrollably as she looked at me with tender eyes, her smile unwavering. "I know we will meet again soon. Believe in me, for us magical girls fulfill wishes and dreams. I have to go meet everybody else soon." She was slowly drifting away from me, the universe carrying her to a place that was unreachable. Her skin took on a translucent glow, specks of gold emitting from her pale body as she floated further from me. I screamed, I couldn't bear to see her disappear, to never hold her or speak to her again, and soon I was falling, falling into the depths of an unknown abyss, my last thoughts of terror and anguish.
With difficulty I have eventually come to accept Madoka's fate, and now I continue to protect the world for her sake. While she ceases to exist in the memories of those who once loved her, there is a sense of familiarity that rings true when her name is uttered. I shall continue to fulfill my destiny and while hope and despair still exist in this world I know that one day I will meet her again, and until that day comes I will continue to fight in her stead.