Chapter 1

Symposium Magarum

This was where she belonged.

The pleasant tone of a powerful, symphonic music filled the ears and the heart. The sound of violins reverberated throughout the vast, comforting emptiness of the world. Black and white imagery of a grandiose concert dominated the senses and the mind. Countless music notes floated in the air, high above the white silhouettes of the orchestra. Strings, trumpet, piano and percussion resounded together in perfect unison. It was the symphony of absolute paradise.

It lasted forever.

Forever it shall last.

And that was okay, because nothing was better than this. It was just as it should be – the epitome of happiness and exaltation, which was etched in every single note of the symphony. Rid of evil, this was an ode to the triumph of goodness.

It was one of the silhouettes right in the center of this heavenly dimension who was letting out the soothing tunes of music. His silhouette being the whitest of them all, he was one of the many playing the violins. The concertmaster. Yet, in a way, he was also the real conductor in this performance.

His masterpiece went on and on. His music transcended the laws and boundaries of the world.

What else remained but for one to lose themselves in this spectacle and become part of it?

Invitingly, the black notes beckoned participation, as did the concertmaster's soft smile. And to do so would be to ascend with them. That was what this was: a ritual of ascendance of the spirit, the cleansing of all sin.

An unused black violin was just waiting to be played, right next to the concertmaster. Joining in was the way to the perfection of this symphony – the only way to make the concert truly complete. It was, without a doubt, the right thing to do.

Voices even began to echo across the vast expanse. Background to the music, they integrated themselves seamlessly with the wonderful instrumentals. Personal participation was the only thing that this concert now required. It was as easy as simply reaching out to the violin—

–Red.

The slightest shade of red appeared on the concertmaster's silhouette while the music kept going. It was a stark contrast that needed to be fixed. The voices were getting louder too, their harmonious nature with the symphony steadily dwindling.

No. This could not be anything less than perfect. The violin had to be played–

"…Sayaka!"

The sound of an off-key voice was distorting the music, making the violins screech for the briefest of moments. What was this?

"…Sayaka-chan… please…"

Pink.

These were last attempts of the force of a squirming evil to overthrow the concert, as expected. They did not get so far only to be defeated. Something had to be done, else—

"You said you could make people happy with this power!"

–Else this would have been all for nothing. Even the music notes reflected that, their shape twisting to the point of no resemblance of what they originally stood for. The symphony had to go back on track.

The violin was awaiting, but… why was it so difficult to touch it? Why did it feel… wrong? Could it be that this was not what had to be done?

The red color was spreading. It was tainting the white silhouettes.

"…Don't worry, Sayaka."

This was not right, this… this voice was not sinister. It should have been. It had to be.

But… it was not. On top of that, there was something unmistakable familiar about it. Was it truly tainting, or was it purifying?

"It's lonely being by yourself."

Moreover, for an inexplicable reason, it brought hope. An all-too-familiar sense of hope.

Light began entering this supposed void. The music was getting louder, but it was not getting any more beautiful. It was rough and forceful. The violins stung, the piano hurt, the concertmaster's skewed form frightened.

All this needed to stop. There had to be a way out of this painful existence.

As if trying to crack the shell of an egg, a strong force began struggling to break free from this prison. There was something else out there, something that had the answer...

…Somewhere that she needed to be.

"I'll stay by your side… Sayaka."

Like a collapsing building, the orchestra fell into the abyss.

Serena Ira

It had to be true, then. A witch's strength was equal to the good deeds that the magical girl had done before transforming. And only Sayaka could be this strong.

It hadn't worked, not even just this once. Kyoko's pleas had gone by unheard and ignored – Sayaka was not coming back. The face of the abomination that was her witch form was indeed all that was left from her.

Damn… and she actually thought that this would work. She had even put Kaname in danger because of her stupidity, too.

There was only one thing left to do. She knew what Sayaka would want – she'd want to be ended. The stubborn, headstrong blunette would want to prevent any more innocent deaths, as she always did. Because that was the kind of person she was. She may've said that she didn't care anymore moments before she transformed, but Kyoko knew that was not true. The Sayaka she remembered, if anything, cared too much.

Kyoko couldn't quite put an end to her, though… not without taking out herself in the process as well.

But maybe, just maybe… this story could still have a bittersweet ending. It would not be the story that she had hoped for, but if there was even the slightest chance that she could ease both her and Sayaka's suffering, she would take it.

It was not like she had anything to lose.

Kyoko had barely survived through the loss of her whole family, which had left her a broken individual. Understandably, she had doubts as to whether she would be able to repeat the feat this time around.

She had long since believed that people died alone. But she didn't want to believe that anymore. Not since Sayaka reminded her of certain feelings of her former self.

Heh. Maybe this was truly crazy, but in this moment, Kyoko found herself preferring crazy and hopeful over sane and utterly dejected.

"Don't worry, Sayaka. It's lonely being by yourself. It's fine. I'll stay by your side… Sayaka."

The redhead took out her Soul Gem, gently kissing it before lifting it in the air.

I'm so sorry for everything that's happened… Dad, Momo, Sayaka…

With a look of determination on her face, she prepared the ultimate attack of her spear that would destroy her and Sayaka and—

–Whiteness. A bright, white light blinded her senses. A harsh, dissonant sound reached Kyoko's ears, a familiar sound that indicated the disappearance of a witch's labyrinth. For a few moments afterward, she could neither see nor hear anything. A strong gust of wind was making her clothes flap in the air.

This lasted for at least a whole minute.

So… had she done it? Was this what death felt like? There was something strange about it. For one thing, she had thought she'd feel the immense pain of her Soul Gem breaking to pieces, at least. Probably also lose her bodily form. Instead, nothing was really different except for the thick mist that was now surrounding her. If this was literally what awaited her for an eternity, it would get boring real fast.

Furthermore, there didn't seem to be any solid ground beneath her—

Thump.

Now, that did hurt a little. It felt like she… fell from somewhere?

Startled, Kyoko realized that her vision was actually returning to her as the fog around her dispersed. And what she saw, as her body lied on a cold floor, was nothing like what she expected to see after death.

There was her oval-shaped red Soul Gem on the floor beside her, all well and still in one piece. But it wasn't the only one – another orb, blue as blue can be, was lying right next to it.

"…Sayaka?!"

Author's Notes: Screw the rules, Sayaka's back! *Ahem* Hello, everybody! Welcome to my Madoka fic! This story will consist of eight more chapters - don't worry, all the others will be longer than this one - and it will focus primarily on Sayaka and Kyoko, although Homura and Madoka will also have large roles in it. I will most likely be releasing the next chapter in about three days or so.

Throughout the story, I will also be putting in bolded parts (like in this chapter) referencing the tracks of Puella Magi Madoka Magica's wonderful OST that I personally believe fit the scene that follows the most. If you want to, I recommend playing the cited song at the indicated point for maximum immersion.

Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the intro so far!