Mitakihara, Japan
May 1st - 08:04
The sun was finally rising in Mitakihara, delayed by the violent storm that shook the city's foundations just moments before. The clouds were now gone, and the beautiful morning sun was allowed to cast its light upon the ruined city, rising above the ravaged skyline, reflecting on the large puddles of water, remnants of the storm, that provided a near perfect reflection of the city-turned-battlefield.
But for all its might, its light could not shine through the pillar of darkness that now rose from the city's very core.
"I thought she'd become the strongest Puella Magi, but I never would have imagined she'd destroy Walpurgis Night in one hit."
The white creature stood at the edge of a large steel slab, debris from the earlier battle. Who would have thought the monster that caused so much destruction could have been felled so easily? Madoka's power was beyond belief, even imagination, and thus Kyubey was as satisfied as an emotionless creature could be, contemplating the result of its latest contract.
"You did that knowing what could happen?"
The girl stood on the other edge of the debris, on her knees. She hadn't moved since she'd woken up, having been knocked out in battle. Her clothes were torn, her were weapons were down, and her very soul was in no better shape. To say the fallen warrior was disheartened would be underwhelming: her voice was completely soulless.
"Sooner or later, the same thing would have happened, either way." Kyubey simply answered, never taking its eyes off what Madoka had become. "As the strongest Puella Magi, she defeated her greatest enemy. Now, there's nothing left for her but to become the most evil witch ever."
"Madoka, in this form, will probably destroy the planet within ten days or so."
Ten mere days. Earth's sentence was delivered. Eons and eons of evolution and discovery, undone in what was less than a grain of sand in grand hourglass of time. Even for the Incubators, the magnitude of such event was a heavy burden. But given the worthwhile reward, it was nothing they couldn't accept.
"But well, the rest is your problem – humanity's problem. I gathered a lot more energy than our collection quota."
Humanity's problem, maybe. But not her problem. Shaking the crippling emotional shock off her heart, Homura stood up, spun in place, and unceremoniously started to walk away.
"Aren't you going to fight?"
"No, this is not my battlefield."
"Homura Akemi, are you-"
And in the blink of an eye and a turn of a shield, she disappeared into thin air, leaving nothing but shards of light in her wake.
"You are."
So, your wish granted you time-travelling abilities… that is formidable, but irrelevant. I suppose you will attempt to change Madoka's destiny, just as you have likely tried before. But that is out of our hands. As of now, this planet is doomed. I would have rather kept it, but it cannot be helped.
The white cat closed its eyes and focused its mind for a moment; it had been a while since any Incubator had used that function. But the time had come.
"This is a message to all Incubators stationed on planet Earth. A moment of your attention, please."
Kyubey waited half a minute before continuing. The Global Communication Functionality had been silent since the Cuban Missile Crisis, and though they were expedient creatures, no doubt no Incubator would be expecting it to be activated in peacetime. Once he was sure he was being listened to, he continued, projecting his mental voice through the Earth's atmosphere.
"This is 9B, supervisor of the Mitakihara Operational Area. Given extraordinary circumstances in my area of operations, and with the powers invested in me as such, I am activating Security Protocol 115. I am therefore ordering a general evacuation of the planet Earth, effective immediately. Debriefing will be provided when possible. That is all."
And leaving no margin for contention, the creature closed the telepathic link, certainly leaving more than a few of its comrades intrigued. But that was of no matter.
Farewell, Earth.
And the next instant, the Incubator departed from the planet it'd inhabited since forgotten times, leaving it to its fate.
Mitakihara Institute of Technology sports arena – Designated Emergency Shelter #1
9:36
"Madoka…"
Junko Kaname leaned on rail outside the arena, facing the western side of the building; a glass curtain wall spanned the entire length of that side. Though it seemed inappropriate for a typhoon shelter, it had weathered the storm undamaged, and provided a clear view of the devastation outside. Junko had come there for a breather, and never left again. Having been dragged to the shelter against her will, and with her daughter missing in the midst of the most ferocious storm she'd ever witnessed, she just couldn't stand still. And so she stared as the supercell ravaged the city, shaking the lively trees outside wildly before plucking them one by one, shattering the windows of weaker-built buildings, and sending cars and billboards flying down the streets. But it didn't stop there. Junko had seen typhoons before, but this… this was beyond anything she ever imagined. The storm seemed to be in an unstoppable crescendo, the devilish gales and torrential rain driving buildings to the ground, even entire city blocks. Not even the once proud skyscrapers of the financial district resisted, collapsing effortlessly to the apocalyptical storm. Even the improvised shelter threatened to give in, the roof howling metallic creaks.
That was worrying enough. But having to witness it all knowing that her own daughter was somewhere outside, somewhere in all that violence and rage, her fragile life unguarded against such danger, shook her to the core.
And suddenly… it stopped. As if God had pressed a cosmic silence button, the winds fell silent, and the clouds fade away, leaving an almost eerie quietude. Shouts of victory, cries of happiness and praises to various gods poured out from the arena, a moment of jubilation in which even Junko partook, throwing her fists up.
But her celebration was hollow. The city was razed, and thousands had died: that would certainly be enough reason to restrain any rejoicing. But what truly drove her smile away was the shocking sight of a new feature among the ruins: a mountain of pure darkness, reaching into the clouds, had appeared where the city's center once stood. She was clueless to its nature, but she could feel it. Junko had a cold shiver, and wrapped her arms around herself. That thing, whatever it was, was evil. She was headstrong, but just the mere sight of it gave her the slightest hint of terror; and, somehow, that terror felt extremely familiar to her. God knows what it could do to the weaker-willed.
More people had gathered at the spot, since then. And those who arrived did not leave, observing the feature with a mix of awe and fear. It was growing. Slowly, its base was spreading in all directions; it covered the financial district, and bit by bit it came to dominate the horizon. It wouldn't be long before the shelter area was hit.
"Have they found Madoka yet?"
"No." Tomohisa replied. Junko didn't even need to turn to sense his arrival. He leaned on the rail next to Junko, trying but failing to find words. If Madoka wasn't there yet, then… Fuck. The only way he was able to express his feelings was by punching the rail.
"Grab Tatsuya. We need to get out of here."
Instead, it was Junko that spoke, turning away from the rail for the first time since she arrived.
"W-What do you mean?" He replied, surprised.
"That thing is coming down on us and it's coming down hard. If we stay here, we'll just be fodder for it."
"What about Madoka? We can't-"
"Don't you think I know that?" Junko blasted. Her voice trembled, as if she was about to burst into tears over the pain of such a decision. But she wouldn't allow herself to do that. Not there. "But if we stay here, we're all going to die! We gotta at least get Tatsuya out of here!"
Tomohisa had no comeback for that, and, though hesitant, followed his wife inside silently. Several bystanders, hearing the conversation, came to their senses and realized the true magnitude of the situation, and decided to follow the couple. Junko headed straight towards the senior police officer on station, the small crowd following her, while Tomohisa diverged to the center of the playing field to grab his son, whom he'd left in the care of Hitomi, who hadn't dare leaving the mattress assigned to the Kaname family. Tomohisa had found her after Junko went outside, shivering in a corner and looking absolutely miserable, and took her back to their lot. Her family was missing, although with the devastation outside… that was probably saying little.
"Papa!"
"Thanks for taking care of him, Hitomi." The father said, with a smile, as he hugged his son. Hitomi simply nodded. Playing with little Tatsuya had cheered her up somewhat, but she looked deeply depressed regardless. Tomohisa noticed she had her cell phone in her right hand, having tried but again failed to contact Kyousuke.
"Madoka…" She finally said. "Has there been any news about Madoka?"
Tomohisa shook his head.
"Hitomi, I need you to get your things. We're gonna have to leave."
"Leaving? But isn't the state of emergency still up?"
"Right now, we have a bigger one coming our way…"
On the other side of the arena, Junko approached her target. "Officer, have you seen what's happening outside?" She asked, without constraints.
"Yes." He answered sheepishly, feeling slightly threatened by the numbers that followed Junko.
"Then you'd agree it's time to evacuate. Whatever that thing is, it's heading straight for us."
"Look, lady," He said, with slight contempt. "Something like that has to be authorized by the JSDF. I can't just-"
"When was the last time you heard of them?"
"I, uh…"
"Exactly. They're all buried under that thing."
Sweat ran down the officer's prominent forehead.
"Lady, we can't be sure-"
"Dammit, we don't have time for this!" Junko nearly snapped, but just enough to scare the uncertain officer. "We need to get out of here NOW! And if you're not coming, then give us the keys to the trucks. We'll manage on our own."
"Are you threatening me?"
"If we don't leave now, it won't matter anymore. You decide if that's a threat or not."
Junko's determined eyes were emulated by the people surrounding her. The officer was left with no choice, and picked up his radio.
"Ishida to all officers. We're evacuating the premises."
There were surprised inquiries from the other side of the radio, but the officers followed suit and converged on the playing field. One of them grabbed a megaphone and announced the evacuation of the surprised crowd, while the others gathered them into groups, following Junko and Officer Ishida's lead. Within two minutes, the first truck loaded with refugees left the arena's underground parking lot, with a single destination: the highway out of town.
Junko stayed behind, helping the elderly and disabled onto the trucks, and before long more than a hundred people had been evacuated. The next truck would carry the Kaname family.
"Junko…"
Tomohisa stopped in front of his wife. Both knew what boarding that truck meant: to give up on Madoka, their beloved daughter. Any parent would prefer death to that decision. But they couldn't afford that luxury: they had another son to protect. And so, reluctantly, and holding back his tears, Tomohisa hopped on the back of the truck, carrying Tatsuya hugged to him.
"Here you go, Hitomi." Junko said, as she helped Hitomi up. She thanked politely, but in an almost mechanical way.
Tomohisa extended his hand to Junko.
"Come on, it's your turn."
But she didn't take his hand.
"Junko, what are you doing? Get in the truck."
"I can't go." She said, unmovable.
"W-What do you mean?"
"You go. Take Tatsuya and Hitomi out of this hell. I'm going after Madoka."
"…"
Tomohisa really wasn't good with words, not with Junko at least. He wanted to shout, he wanted to yell at her to run away with him, or that he'd stay behind instead… but she'd never accept it. This had been her idea all along: to get her family out of there, and go after Madoka herself. And as much as it cost him… he couldn't deny her this.
"Junko… promise me I'll see you again." Tomohisa couldn't hold it any longer, and let a few tears run down his face.
The woman clenched her fists tight. "I… I promise."
She turned away from them and, after a momentary hesitation started to walk away, but a cry called her back.
"Mama!"
Junko froze in place, her shoulders trembling. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and turned to face her son with a large, bright smile.
"Mama has to go find Madoka. Pray for us, okay Tatsuya?"
"Uh-uh!" The youngling replied, shaking his head in agreement, while bringing his right hand to his chest.
"Now that's my little knight!"
An officer helped the last citizen up, and pounded the side of the truck twice, signaling it was good to go. It started to pull away, leaving Junko behind: Tomohisa had to grip Hitomi's hand tight to contain himself. As soon as the truck turned out of sight, and taking advantage of the confusion, the woman snuck past the remaining officers, and left the parking lot through a side door.
Only then did she truly saw what miserable state Mitakihara was in. When she saw earthquakes, fires, tsunamis on the other side of the world, the cities, however badly damaged, were still recognizable. Mitakihara was not. The arena was practically the only building still standing: everything else had been razed to the ground, blown away by the wind and washed away by the rain. That was what she could see, at least: the town's center was buried under the black mountain. The warm, quiet morning that blessed the city was almost a mockery of the events.
"Now…"
Junko paused for a second to contemplate the landscape, and think about the task ahead. And, for whatever reason, she couldn't keep a nervous laugh from escaping her.
"Just where did my daughter run off to?"
Kasamino, Japan
14:28
This isn't right. She didn't share her thoughts, but she could shake an unbearable feeling of uncertainty. This can't be just-
"Yukio?"
"Uh?"
"You look a bit off-color. Are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah." She replied, as she nudged her forehead, partly to avoid eye contact. "Sorry Hanabi, I just spaced out. Mai, how far are we?"
The driver checked the GPS. "Ten kilometers. The tunnel ends up right ahead, and we'll be on Kasamino. From there it's a straight run to Mitakihara."
"Alright, step on it. We have no time to waste."
To a point, she was sure of it. Neither she nor any Puellae in Yokohama should have been able to sense a witch from that far off, no matter how powerful. What's more, Mitakihara was known to possess some of the strongest Puellae in all of Japan, even though it was just a mid-sized territory; whatever it was, it should have been dealt with hastily. But it wasn't. And she knew she couldn't afford to wait not longer. If a witch was strong enough to cause that signal, it had to be brought down without delay, even if that meant breaking into the most dangerous territory under the Emperor's shadow and do it herself.
The turf wars would have to wait.
Her three juniors were certainly worried about such a hasty mission, but they viewed it as nothing more than a special witch hunt. They talked about their favorite idols, about how every single driver that passed by seemed reckless, about the dark clouds on the other side of the mountain, about how Mai finally got a rightful use her forged driver's license. Anything but the mission. They were focused, but not the least preoccupied.
Or maybe it was her that was exaggerating. Maybe it was just a stronger than usual witch that managed to reach their soul gems, and the Mitakihara girls were being either lax or overcautious. Worrying too much had always been a flaw of hers. And for once, she just wished she'd be wrong. She cleaned her thin-frame glasses and gripped the end of her long ponytail, the silky black hairs flowing between her fingers. Both were habits of hers when difficult situations arised. But this time, they failed to give her peace.
As they approached the end of the tunnel, she heard a noise in the distance. It was barely discernible, but it was one any experienced Puella would recognize.
"Do you hear that?"
"Yeah." Mai answered, cutting their conversation short. "Screams."
They made a final dash, and their SUV nearly flew out of the tunnel and into Kasamino's main avenue. They quickly identified the source of the screams. Hundreds of people flooded the streets, running in the opposite direction as if their lives depended on it, a faceless mob seeking salvation from the cloud of death that loomed above.
It wasn't clouds that they saw on the other side of the mountain. Their hearts froze: a massive pillar of darkness rose into the sky, the peak far beyond their sight; and at its base, a pitch-black pyroclastic wave, at least a fifty meters tall, towered over Kasamino. It was a scene more fitting to an apocalyptic film than anything else: it shadowed the land, threatening to swallow the city whole. The mere sight of it shook them to the core.
Miraculously, Mai managed to avoid both the stampeding civilians and incoming cars, and brought their SUV to a halt millimeters away from crashing into a bridal shop. They immediately jumped out and transformed out of instinct, but had no clue what do next.
"What the fuck is that?" Mai finally asked, almost losing her nerve. "Yukio, what the fuck is that?"
She knew what it was. She could feel what it was, and she was sure the others could too. Her soul gem wasn't simply sensing it, it was burning with painful pulses that sent shivers down her spine. But getting the words out of her mouth proved more difficult than she'd ever imagined. Her worst fears had been confirmed.
"T-The witch." She replied, her voice trembling. "That's the witch we're after, Mai."
"No way. No goddamn way…"
"My god…" Hanabi uttered. "It'… monstrous! And it's-"
"It's in this world!" Mai completed, dramatically extending her right arm towards it. "It's not even in a barrier, it's right fucking there!"
"I've heard… legends. Legends of witches whose power defies imagination. And…" Yukio swallowed dry. "They weren't bound by barriers."
"B-But wait!" The last girl, a runt compared to the others, clearly much younger than the rest of them, stepped forward and asked. She shook her head and made a stand, denying her companions' despair. "Why is it here? Wasn't it in Mitakihara?"
"It's not just "here", Hotogi." Yukio answered, as she adjusted her glasses, never diverting her sight from the monster that stood in their path. A single sweat drop ran down her forehead as she did so. "It's expanding."
"Expanding? You don't mean-"
"Yes. Everything from here to Mitakihara has likely been consumed."
Yukio struggled to keep her cool against the maelstrom of emotions inside her. Her calm and clever, yet kind and warmhearted persona was often a source of strength for those around her; and at that moment, the only thing the other girls could rely on. And she knew well that, without her, they wouldn't be able keep it together in face of a demoniacal wave that rose above the earth they stood in, ever approaching, threatening to annihilate everything in their sight.
She was barely able to do it herself.
"Yukio, what do we do?"
She closed her eyes for a second, and analyzed the situation. Their group was strong and well trained, save for Hotogi – but she had to make due in such an emergency -, and normally would be able to take on any threat. But this was no par for the course: their foe was much more terrifying than what she could ever dream of. They were in no position to fight. But they could not retreat either; if they faltered there, if the allowed the witch to proceed unchecked, the consequences would be unthinkable.
They couldn't fight. They couldn't run.
…
"…Yukio?"
…
Nothing.
She had absolutely nothing.
"I…"
"Yukio, do we attack or do we get the fuck out?"
"Are you alright, Yukio?"
At the most critical of times, she froze. The sight of the mountain of darkness, towering over a once beautiful landscape… it destroyed her soul, and yet she could not look away. She'd been afraid before, terrified even, but this was beyond words. It rendered her unable to break the puzzle, unable to make a decision, unable to issue an order that could end or save her subordinate's lives. Her strength, her intelligence, her charisma mattered not.
She faltered like never before.
"We… have to stop it."
In her absence, Mai stepped forward. Yukio was brought back to Earth by her's sudden statement, unaware to how long she'd spent in her daze.
"HOW DO WE EVEN STOP THAT?" Hanabi blasted, shocking the group. A polite and well-taught girl, she never shouted, yet she was went from calm to nearly hysterical in a sentence's time in a way they'd never seen before.
"I don't care." Mai said, her breathing heavy, her eyes determined. "But I ain't gonna sit here."
The girl summoned her weapon, a very distinctive thin and sharp two meter long katana, and held it in her right arm with the blade facing backwards, ready to charge at the beast.
"Mai, wait!"
But Yukio's plea was already too late. The rash Puella had departed, rushing towards the mother of all witches without second thought. Reluctantly, but out of options, her companions followed after, forcing their feet to move against their will, fear placing its stranglehold in their hearts as the darkness blocked out the sun. The last of the civilians ran past them, not even considering for a second why four teenage girls clad in dresses were charging in the opposite direction, hopelessly seeking a refuge they had no chance of reaching, their doom looming just a block away.
But Mai refused to let their efforts go to waste. She spat out her fear, a large, nervous grin in her face. With confidence, she leapt towards the approaching darkness, and slashed the air in front of her, creating a vertical shockwave that tore straight thought the approaching wave as if it were smoke, opening a gaping hole in it. The warrior smiled at her success, and gripped the katana with both hands, ready to hack whatever lied behind the wave.
"Die, you son of a-"
"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI!"
The scream had come from Hanabi, a howl so chilling it shook Yukio and the little Hotogi as much as what they'd just seen. Just as Mai flew through the gap she opened, the cloud of darkness came violently crashing back down on her, crushing the Puellae effortlessly. A fleeting, almost imperceptible scream was the only memento she left before her body was consumed.
Hanabi couldn't cope. Her mind went blank. She sprang up and ran forward wildly, shouting her friend's name in a maniacal fashion, not even bothering to summon her weapon, completely oblivious to the death that loomed ahead. Or perhaps, she simply didn't care anymore.
"Hanabi!"
It was almost unbearable, but Yukio forced herself to turn her gaze away from Hanabi and the beast, and turned to Hotogi, accepting that there was only one thing she could and had to do.
"B-but Hanabi promised me she'd-"
"Hotogi." She said, as she kneeled in front of her. As she did so, she summoned her weapon: a magnificent crimson broadsword, longer than her legs, with a rapier-shaped hilt, the crossguard resembling a pair of angelic wings. "I need you to listen to me now, okay?"
The youngling had seen more than a kid should ever be allowed to bear. Her eyes were off-focus. However, Yukio's call managed to gather her attention.
"Turn around, and run away as fast as you can. Focus your magic on your feet like I taught you. Don't stop, and don't look behind."
"But…-"
"I'll be fine." She replied, faking a smile. "Now go, fast. I'll deal with this."
Yukio focused her power on the blade, waving her free hand over it. Her magic lit up elaborate runic patterns on the blade in a brighter shade of red, and the entire sword became ablaze with holy fire, illuminating everything around it. But even that light was no match for the darkness that approached, turning the day into night.
"O-Okay."
Even having just lost her two most prized apprentices – and friends - Yukio felt some relief in hearing Hotogi's quick footsteps. She took a deep breath, and aimed her weapon at the monstrous witch, ready to embrace death now that she'd been able to at least save someone.
But even that hope was crushed when she felt a large blunt hit across her back.
"I'm sorry."
Yukio was instantly paralyzed, falling to the ground like a brick, unarmed but utterly shocked. Hotogi stood before her, wielding her exaggerated rubber hammer which she'd just used to slam her to the ground, with a sad, but somehow hopeful look in her eyes.
She desperately tried to speak, to make sense of the situation, but she could not even move her lips.
"Hotogi! What are you doing?"
"I am only ten, but I know what Yukio was going to do." The youngling replied. "I can't let that happen."
"But-"
"I don't understand what this thing is, but I know it's bad. And I'm weak. I can't do anything about it. And Yukio is strong and smart. There's nothing in the world she can't fix, no matter what."
"I… I can't…"
And again, the black haired girl had no reply, nothing she could say despite wanting to scream against what was happening. Without another word, the youngling placed her left palm on Yukio, enveloping her in a purple glow. She took a step back and gave her hammer a big backswing.
"Yukio will land about just outside Yokohama. Don't worry, my magic will protect you."
"Ho… to… gi…"
"It's okay. I know Yukio will find a way. And thank you. For everything."
Hotogi donned a pure, unspoiled smile. The next instant, Yukio was flung away at an insane speed, blazing through the skies, moving farther and farther away from Kasamino. Even the monstrous witch started to fade below the horizon. But not before witnessing the wave that preceded it crashing down on her youngest apprentice.
"HOTOGI!"
Kantei - The Prime Minister's Official Residence
Chidoya, Tokyo, Japan
18:43
"Prime Minister, I have an updated situation report."
A young aide, probably hadn't yet reached his thirties, entered the spartan office. Usually, the task of dealing with the Prime Minister would be left to a more senior aide; however, on a Sunday and a May 1st, the junior happened to be the only one on duty, giving him a chance to shine.
How cruel that it was on one of the darkest days humanity had ever lived.
"Go ahead." The Prime Minister replied, never looking at the aide; he faced the large window that usually stood behind him, the chair covering all but the top of his head.
The aide flipped a few pages on his clipboard until he found the information he was looking for.
"As of five minutes ago, our measurements placed the affected area at thirty kilometers wide. It's growing steadily, and if it keeps up this rate, we have thirty-six hours before it hits a major city… which would Tokyo, sir. However, some of our experts think the growth might be exponential. If they're right, we may have much less than that."
"Do they even have any idea of what this thing is?"
"None, sir. Everyone is absolutely baffled, no one's ever seen anything like this. But all we have to go with is video footage and satellite imagery. We sent parties to observe on scene and collect samples, but... we lost contact with all of them."
"I see... and the media?"
"The major Japanese outlets are keeping the agreement not to run the news until it is leaked somewhere else. But…"
"It's only a question of time. It's unavoidable. It's already a miracle we've made it this far." The Prime Minister conceded. He seemed distant, his mind miles away, past the horizon he gazed at. It was a stark contrast with his assistant, who, despite his age and inexperience, was tackling the situation aptly.
"Sir, allow me to ask, have there been any news on-"
"No." He immediately replied. "I've been unable to contact my wife's convoy. She didn't make it out of Mitakihara, I've accepted that."
He quickly regretted his question. "Even I am starting to believe this thing is the Devil..."
"What is your name, son?"
"Goh Mitsugi, sir."
"Okay. Goh, do you know Hidekatsu, my former chief assistant?"
"Yes sir, he was my senpai. He taught me a lot on public service. I doubt I'd be here today had it not been for him."
"Good. I need you to call him here immediately. Tell him he has the most important of tasks. He'll understand."
"Yes, sir." The aide replied, scribbling a reminder in his clipboard.
"Also, contact the Speaker of the Representatives, and tell him to come to my office as soon as possible. Additionally, I do not wish to be disturbed until Hidekatsu's arrival. Warn me through the phone when he arrives. That is all."
The aide nodded, again writing a memo, and turned to leave the room, stopping for an instant at the door.
"Sir, allow me to say, no matter how this ends, it's been an honor to work for you."
"Likewise, my friend."
As soon as the door closed, the Prime Minister stood up and walked over to the other side of the office, retrieving a large pine box from beneath a bookshelf. That box had been sealed for more than fifty years, accompanying every Prime Minister throughout their term. But the seal was broken that day. Carefully, he opened it, and retrieved the contents. First, a large piece of finely crafted cloth, which he unfolded and placed over the floor. He knelt on top of it. Then he took a small platform, paper and an elaborate pen from the box, and started to write, his last words flowing from his mind with the ink.
A tantō and a large katana were left in the box, for when the time came.
Karolinska Institutet
Stockholm, Sweden
20:37
"I thought I told you, Solna is in my goddamn area."
"And I told you, Annika, if you want to draw territories so badly, be competent. This witch was here for a good half hour before I got here."
The standoff at the gates of the university wasn't a particularly hostile one, and one neither of the Puellae was too interested in being part of, but there was most certainly some tension in the cold Stockholm night, blessed by out-of-season snow.
One of them, a rather tall blonde with curly hair trimmed at her shoulders, extended her hand at the other, offering her the grief seed she'd just collected.
"Humph. This isn't about the grief seed."
"Neither it is for me. But this is the territory you claim as yours. I got what I wanted, which was to kill that thing. It's the least I can do."
Annika couldn't help but to sigh. She reluctantly accepted the offer, and put the grief seed away, taking a good look at the blonde. She had to resist an urge to roll her eyes.
"You're never going to change, are you?"
"I wouldn't count on it."
"Yeah, no wonder you can't get along with anyone. Anyway, I don't forget that you helped me out before, so I'll let it slide again. But there's a limit to my patience."
"I'll do what I can." The blonde said. "But if this keeps happening, you're gonna see me often."
"Well, then, balls." Her counterpart replied as she shrugged her shoulders, already walking away. "Not like I can be everywhere."
"That's what's required of us."
"Too damn bad. Take care, Victoria."
Seeing Annika turning around the corner and disappearing behind a brick wall, the blonde stretched her arms, and sighed in a very similar manner. She knew she wouldn't understand: Puellae with a sense of duty were few and far between. But she had to get her point across. She needed Annika and the others to be competent, because she wouldn't always be there for them.
The bus didn't take long, and she was soon home. The large wooden door creaked loudly as she opened it, but almost not at all as she closed it behind her.
"Hey."
Victoria sighed again. No one at home, as usual. She had guessed she was alone because the lights were off, but she still greeted the empty house. Even her low and unenthusiastic voice gave it away. She shrugged it off, and proceeded to her room. Her feet came to a halt in the middle of the hallway: a hastily-written note laid on a small table.
Hey Vicky
Sorry we had to leave so fast, but there was a breakthrough in the negotiations. The Hungarians might just be willing to buy a full squadron. We have to make sure they do before they change their minds.
There's pizza on the fridge for today. We probably won't be back until the 6th, so we left the freezer full for you. We expect one of your famous meals when we're back ;)
Love, Mom and Dad
As she put down the note, she couldn't help but to take a look at the photo on the wall in front of her. A JAS-39 Gripen, Sweden's own fighter jet, designed by her mother, flown by her father, and the reason they were both often away; they were part of a team negotiating export deals with other countries. She herself flew abroad with them often, but with an agenda of her own.
Hungary, uh… No worries, I got Szasza there.
She turned away and got a change of clothes from her room. Too tired to even consider cooking, she threw the pizza in the microwave, and let herself sink in the living room's leather couch while it heated, exhausted. She considered just letting herself be, but eventually turned on the TV. Her interest was immediately sparked: the TV had been left on CNN and she caught it right in the middle of the breaking news intro. She sat upright in expectation.
But what she saw was beyond anything she could have predicted.
"This is…"
The girl was utterly shocked at what she'd just witnessed. As soon as the report ended, she rushed to her laptop and called one of her Skype contacts. It took her a couple tries, but she finally got through.
"Alice?"
"...Victoria?" A cheery voice replied "Hey, how's it going? It's been a while."
"We can catch up later." The Swede replied, ignoring her American friend's antics. "Did you see your mom just now?"
"My mo- oh, come on, do you think I watch every time she's on? It's probably on the VCR, but-"
"Then watch it, now. This is serious."
Meanwhile-
CNN studios, Time Warner Center
New York City, U.S.A.
"Alright, so what do we have?"
The woman used the walk to ready herself, buttoning up her black blazer, and giving her long, hazel hair a quick brush. That all the spoiling she'd get that day. But even then, she managed to look both professional and beautiful. Being rushed to the studio like that wasn't pleasant, but she was nonetheless expectant: whatever it was, it could only be good for her career.
"Some insane shit going down in Japan." The man walking next to her, the editor-in-chief, said. "But that's pretty much all we know. I got the entire team working on this, but we have to break the news now, if we don't want to get preempted."
The newsroom around the pair bustled with activity: shouts echoed through the halls, king sized coffee cups were passed around at blazing speed, and journalists weaved through the labyrinth of desks and tables with surprising dexterity, some of them near-missing the pair more than a couple of times.
Finally, they reached the news set, which was no less busy, stagehands and cameramen doing their final preparations. As soon as the woman sat down at the desk, though, everyone that wasn't behind the cameras scrambled away.
"30 seconds, Michelle." The floor manager announced. Michelle acknowledged with a thumbs up, and turned to the editor, catching him just as he made haste to the back of the set.
"Just one more thing: Why am I here instead of Miss Bigshot?" She asked, waving her hands in the air as she said the last words.
"Because she tried to kiss my ass into getting the 11 o'clock slot. Guess how that worked out for her." He replied, smiling, just as he reached the safe zone.
Michelle returned the smile, and as the count of ten started and the breaking news intro played in the plasma screens around her, she took a moment to close her eyes and focus.
Breaking news.
Moments of exceptional importance for the world, some of them shaping its history. And for good or bad, those moments made any anchorman's career.
Whatever it would be, she would go down in history as the face of this story.
How, it remained to be seen.
Half the studio had stopped working, and either watched from their desks or from the back of the set. She knew it even with her eyes closed: she could feel their gazes piercing through her.
This was her moment.
Michelle opened her eyes at the count of five, and looked decisively towards camera three. The last four seconds were counted silently, and the teleprompter started rolling.
"Hello, I'm Michelle Westbrook from our studios in New York with breaking news from Japan. An unknown event is occurring in center of Japan's main island of Honshu, where a black mass of unknown properties is covering a large section of land. As seen in the satellite images we are now showing, the event is centered around the city of Mitakihara and is expanding outwards at an alarming speed."
She paused to breathe, and quickly scanned the small screen in her desk. She almost wished she hadn't, as what was supposed to be a fleeting look turned into a lingering glare. The image was surreal, like something out of a nightmare or a horror movie: a vortex of swirling darkness, smack dab in the middle of Japan. It looked almost cartoon-ish, but it was surrounded by the contours of very real mountains and valleys.
"The city was hit by a supercell at around seven AM this morning, which was predicted to cause severe damage. Although the storm appears to have dissipated, it may have been the cause of this event. However, our weather forecast team was unable to identify this phenomenon, as it does not resemble anything in recorded history. Information is scarce at this moment, but we will continue to update this story through later editions. Stay with us"
As soon as the outro started playing, she exhaled heavily. It had been the tensest minute of her entire life, but she made it. She pumped her fist, but it was a contained celebration, for obvious reasons. In any other occasion, she would have received applause from her colleagues, but it was clear there was some apprehension in the air, even in a studio full of people experienced with the best and worst the world had to give. It was an awkward and unknown situation, and no one tried to hide it.
"Congrats, Michelle." The editor said, as he approached her. He was a tad cheerier than most, but not as much as he would normally be, Michelle noticed. "Hope you didn't have any plans for the next few days, because I'm gonna put you in the forefront. Whatever this is, it's yours."
"Yeah, thanks." She replied. Even she couldn't help but to have her own enthusiasm curtailed by the events. "Just wish I knew what the fuck I'm presenting."
"Yeah, well, mystery is good for business. But yeah… get ready. It's going to be a long night."
A/N: It's been six months since I've first had the idea for this. It's nice to finally see it come to fruition.
Unfortunately, with my impending graduation, I have very little time for writing. I am dedicated to this, but expect a chapter a month at best. I understand that may be disappointed, but trust me, it's even more from me. But such is life. Hang in there for me :)
Just want to leave a small note on why I insist on calling them Puellae despite the official dub calling her magical girls. It's quite simple. Tell me, just what is a magical girl? It's... a magical... girl... and that's it. A completely bland and meaningless label, and an almost stupidly unfair way to refer to them. Especialy so in the world of Madoka, as these aren't your typical stock characters of the genre, these are warriors that give their body and soul to the fight: they need a name that does them justice. At least that's what I believe. If there's Precures, if there's Sailors, then I'll be fucked if there aren't Puellae.
Big thanks to Danny Barefoot for giving me inspiration for the story format with A History of Magic, and, of course, to bonesxbreak, not only for the beta, but for all the advice and help with the story itself.
And... god did I miss saying this... hope you enjoyed! :)