~Akemi Homura~

The wind blew through the tall grass, making a soft shaaa~ noise as the grass bent and waved, undulating like waves in the ocean before reaching the beach. The sun shone down, bright and earnest, illuminating a bright blue sky. Except... there was no sun. When she looked up, Homura could see eight distinct lights. The sky was merely a ceiling, way high up, and painted blue. At least the few clouds were real.

Just below cloud layer, a floating building could be seen, looking like it'd been yanked out of the ground, dirt, rocks and all. It was an eclectic, colorful building, with many windows on each side and strange designs everywhere. The largest such was a brightly lit banner across the top, with a single huge word upon it. It read 'Evankhell'.

Across the fields, around the hills and cliffs of dirt and rock, Homura could see other figures. Some seemed normal but others were distinctly not. There was a towering figure with red skin and curved horns for instance, and another that looked like a bipedal crocodile holding a long spear. She herself stood in a clearing in the grass, alone save for a tall, brown-haired man, holding what looked like a scimitar except the tip arced back much further than normal, and it had no blade. It looked a little like a very long hook, facing backwards.

Suddenly, there was a static sound, and then a cheery voice resounded.

"Mic test! Mic test! One two three! Aha! Hello everyone!"

Homura looked around and found a brass cube floating high above them. The voice seemed to be coming from it.

"Hello everyone! All the Regulars who have made it to the tower!"

'Regulars'? Homura glanced at the scimitar-man. Was he a 'Regular'? Wait, was Homura a 'Regular'? Headon did say something about 'Irregulars'...

"We sincerely welcome all of you, to the 2nd floor, Evankhell's Floor! This is Evankhell's floor, but it is also called the 'Floor of Tests', because here we carry out the final tests to see whether you are qualified to go up the Tower or not!"

Well, Headon hadn't been lying about having to take tests to get higher, it seemed.

"Well- I will explain the details to you later. First, let's start the first test! The first test is simple. I will explain the rules, so listen carefully!"

The test is simple? Headon had said the same thing. She didn't trust this person any more than she trusted Headon. The field stretched on for as far as she could see though, and no telling that there was actually any way to get out of here except by solving whatever this test would be...

"The rule for the first test is as follows! There are 400 Regulars here. Narrow down that 400 down to 200! Try every possible means! The test finishes when the number of Regulars reaches 200! Ready~ Begin!"

Wait, narrow down 400 Regulars down to 200, in any way possible? What, did that mean... killing 200 people? Was he insane!?

Movement across the clearing caught her attention. The man from before was looking at her with narrowed eyes, holding his hook-thing ready. No way, was he really going to...?

"Aaaahhh!" A scream suddenly echoed across the field.

Homura turned to see where it'd come from, but then she heard a bang in the distance, and an instant later there was the familiar sound of a high caliber bullet as one whizzed by, narrowly missing her. And then she realized it hadn't missed, when she saw the hook-man's head explode as the bullet passed through it. Homura watched as blood splattered the ground, red shining in the bright midday light, and as the man's body hit the ground she flinched.

-Click-

The world became gray-scale. Homura stared at the body of the man who moments before had been alive, and now was a bloody carcass. Despite seeing people die in the previous timelines, it'd never been so... pointless. Not unless they were under a Witch's control. She glanced around, and saw countless conflicts already active. People were killing each other... simply because a man had told them to do so through a speaker. This Tower... It was a dangerous place. Homura steeled her emotions, and turned to face the direction the bullet had come from.

-Click-

"Wha-!" the strange insectile sniper barely had time to shout in surprise before she kicked him across the head where he lay on the ground at the top of a cliff. The toe of her boot hit the man in the temple, and he collapsed on top of his sniper rifle, unconscious. Bending down, she checked to make sure he was still alive, and found his breathing okay, his pulse strong. When her hands rested against his neck she felt like strangling him. How could someone kill someone else so easily, so uncaringly?

But obviously this man wasn't alone. From here, she could see countless conflicts raging across the fields. People were shooting each other with guns or arrows, they were stabbing each other, cutting each other down with swords, throwing spears at each other, and a few were even throwing around obviously magical attacks.

A heavy footfall had her spin around, eyes narrowed. Her head slowly raised to look up to meet the eyes of a massive bipedal crocodile dressed in red and brown robes, and with a long red spear in hand. He glared down at her as she prepared to stop time and... do what was necessary. This being wouldn't be taken out by a single kick, she was sure.

There was a moment of tense silence, and then he snorted and turned away, going over to look over the cliff edge, though he kept Homura in sight, never turning his back. Homura sighed in relief and sat down on the other side of the cliff, resolving to wait this out. She couldn't save everyone. She needed to focus on what was important; finding a way out, gathering any tools this place could provide that might be helpful, and saving Madoka.

Eventually, the crocodile left, giving Homura a surprisingly intense stare as he jumped off the edge. And then it was just her, looking out at the conflict. The wind blew across the field, making a pleasant shaaa~ sound, but it carried the scent of blood with it. The sounds of clashing steel, blunt crashes, and screams drifted over with the wind, too. At one point a fighting pair moved to the top of her little bluff, and Homura was forced to move across the battlegrounds to avoid them.

But as she traveled, she couldn't help but wonder; 'How did any of these people manage to get past Headon's tests?' These people, for all their ruthless violence, were incredibly weak compared to her imagined idea of the average person who managed to get past the first floor. No answers were forthcoming however, and eventually...

Ringgggggggggggg~!

"Mic test~! Everyone stay where you are! The first test is over now!"

Homura let out a little sigh of relief, but didn't lower her gun from her target just yet. Likewise, the girl in front of her didn't lower her hands. She'd been surprised when this pink-haired girl had appeared from the brush, and instinctively pulled out a gun, ready to fire on a Witch's Familiar. The bloody battles occurring around her had caused her battle instinct to rise, and she'd pulled the gun without thinking about it.

She was glad she hadn't actually fired though; with that pink hair and eyes, she reminded Homura of Madoka, even if this girl's hair was longer than Madoka's, and kept loose and straight. She was a lot older than Madoka as well, looking around 16~17 rather than 14. She was surprisingly beautiful though. Distinguished features, and pale, noble looking. She'd look much prettier though, if she didn't look so exhausted and worn out. She had bags under her eyes, dark rings from lack of sleep. Her hair was grimy, and she looked like she hadn't properly bathed in days.

Likewise, her clothes were worn out, and looked damaged from both combat and travel. Her simple black shirt was fraying at the hems, and her leggings had a couple rips... and blood stains. She even had a bandage around her lower left leg. Her ragged black skirt was no better, and her simple flats were badly scuffed. What had this girl gone through?

"The remaining Regulars, stop what you're doing and listen carefully!" the intercom guy said, "Any Regulars fighting from now on will be eliminated!"

Homura slowly lowered her gun, the girl in front of her lowering her arms. She'd been one of the ones using magic, Homura recognized now. Is that why she'd had her hands ready? It hadn't looked like a martial arts stance, and wasn't quite a surrender pose either. Maybe magic in this tower required your hands to be open and facing your opponent?

"The 200 Regulars who passed the first test, congratulations to all of you! It's a bit of a rush... but a short second test will be carried out right away!"

The girl in front of Homura sighed and looked merely annoyed, but Homura gritted her teeth. She'd been trying to avoid thinking about it because there was nothing she could do about it, but the way the man said that... It was like he was saying, 'You killed them all, good job! Now let's do it again!' He didn't even care that 200 people had just been killed! These kinds of people... They didn't deserve protection from Witches.

Sudden uncomfortable sensation rose, and Homura buried her anger, buried her regret at not being able to save anyone, buried her disappointment with the world. That feeling, she recognized it. It was corruption, her Soul darkening from despair. Hadn't Headon fixed that? He'd said that she wouldn't have to worry about corruption! Damned lying rabbit things! Suppress, suppress, suppress. Can't let the corruption grow. When the bland comfort of apathy once again reigned supreme, she slowly uncurled her fists, which ached a little after being clenched so tight.

"Haha! Don't be so disappointed!" the intercom continued after a moments pause, uncaring of her anger. "The next test is really simple! Now here is the challenge for the 2nd test. The challenge is 'Getting Teammates!' There are 200 remaining Regulars here!" the man said from the intercom.

"From those who remain, find 2 Regulars to be your teammates! In short the test is to make a team of 3!"

Homura glanced at the pink haired girl, who looked back at her and began speaking.

"My name is-" the girl started saying, but then-

"For your reference, we're giving you a 5 minute time limit!" the intercom interrupted. "Of course, if you don't make a team in those five minutes, you are eliminated! Oh! And one more thing- to be considered a team, you need to be touching some part of your teammates' bodies when the time limit is over! Then, all of you~ Good luck!" And the intercom shut off.

"My name," the girl started again, glaring at the floating cube. "is Eu- I mean, Rose Aya. It's a pleasure to meet you!" she said with a forced smile.

"Akemi Homura. It's nice to meet you," Homura said politely, though coldly. Aya's obviously fake smile faded a little to something more genuine, if dimmer, and tired looking.

"I guess that makes us team members?" she asked. "I hope we can work together then."

Homura didn't respond. Most of the people here were murderers, why would she want to be friends with them? She would be teammates if she had to, but she'd never trust them. However... as loathe as she was to find more, they needed a third member. She quickly looked across the field. Most of the people were already in groups, but she thought she could see a single person standing by themselves...

"You're not a very talkative person, are-?"

As she spoke, the other girl swept her hair back in an unconscious gesture. For just a moment her hand covered her eyes, and-

-CliClick-

Homura appeared behind the man who had been standing alone in the distance, and stepped out of his blind-spot. This close, she could see details; Like Aya he was pale, but he had yellow eyes and dark blue hair. Most of his body was swathed in a concealing robe-like garb, and he had sandals on his feet. His chin was covered in rough looking stubble, and he had scars covering his left eye and the skin around it. It looked like someone had slashed him up at some point in the past. He held no weapons, but... there was blood on his hands. Literally. He spun to face her as she stepped around him, alerted by Homura's footsteps. She paused. She hadn't really thought about how to ask him to join their team. For a minute, there was an awkward silence. Homura didn't know what to say, and the man seemed to not care about saying anything.

A short time later though, she didn't have to. "Hey!" a familiar voice called. They turned to see Aya coming towards them at a jog. "Don't just- just vanish when I'm talking to you!" she complained.

"Huh, I know that appearance. Eurasia Aya, isn't it?" the man suddenly asked.

"What? N-no, I'm just, just Rose Aya. Not this... Eurasia person," Aya said, but her face and voice told a different story. Was she trying to lie? She was terrible.

"You can't lie worth a damn, girl," the man said bluntly.

"No, really," Aya said, almost desperately. "I'm just Rose Aya!"

"You're not fooling anyone, 'Almost Princess'." He said the words like they were a title, but how could 'Almost Princess' be a title? "If you wanna hide who you are, you're gonna need to do better than that. Anyway, m'names Fuorr Lutos. Just call me Lutos."

"I, I don't know what you're talking..." she trailed off as we both stared at her unimpressed. "Alright, I'm Eurasia Aya. Don't tell anyone, please," she said, looking depressed.

"I don't sell out my teammates," the man said, and yawned. "So don't worry about it."

"'Almost Princess'?" Homura asked. "What does that mean?"

"And who are you?" the man, Lutos interrupted.

"Akemi Homura. Why 'Almost Princess', and why are you trying to hide your name?"

Lutos gave a sidelong glance to Aya, and tilted his head in her direction. She glanced at him, and then sighed.

"I... don't want to talk about it..." Aya said, sounding resigned and unhappy. Homura tilted her head, and then nodded in acceptance. It didn't matter to her. If it became relevant, she'd figure it out later. Aya looked relieved that Homura accepted, and looked away across the fields.

"How long until it's time?" Homura asked, not wanting to be 'disqualified'.

"Just thirty seconds or so," the man said. "Here." He held out his left hand. Homura gingerly took it. It was rough, calloused. Thankfully, it was cleaner than his right hand. On her other side Aya held out her hand to Homura as well. This girl may have looked a bit like Madoka, but she acted nothing like her, and she obviously had a sordid past, if she was trying to fake her name. She was just as bad at lying as Madoka, though. The thought made her smile.

A short while later, the intercom started ringing once more. "The second test is over now!" the man said through the intercom. "Hold together with your teammates for a while. The three people holding each other at this moment are considered a team! You'll be sent to the next test spot now!"

There was a flash of light.


So, I was initially going to go completely A/N free for this fic, but I think there'll be too much confusion if I do so, so here's an A/N. If you don't care you can skip this. It's not really important. If you had questions/concerns though, read through this first before messaging me, ok?

Anyway, before this chapter it hasn't been too obvious, but Homura's characterization may have seemed a bit off in this one. This is on purpose. It won't be mentioned/explained in the fic for a long time if ever, so I'll just say it here; this isn't Homura as of the canon final timeline. It's around her fifth timeline, so she's not as hard as you may be used to. For the purposes of this fic, this Homura is a lot more interesting, both to write and (hopefully) to read.

Another thing I should mention is that I'm writing this assuming the reader has some knowledge of Madoka Magica, and no knowledge of Tower of God, because PMMM is more popular and widespread. Unfortunately, that means there will be a bunch of exposition next chapter, about important stuff that you'll need to know for the rest of the fic. I did my best to keep it interesting, and also used the opportunity for characterization and a little plot development, so hopefully it's not boring. That's for next chapter though.

If you're reading this from the ToG side of things and have no idea who Homura is in canon PMMM, basically she's a magical girl who can stop time, travel back in time once a month, and wants more than anything to save her best friend Madoka from a fate worse than death. Everything else is probably unimportant for now.

A couple main character OCs were introduced this chapter, and I didn't notice that one looked just like Rin from Shelter until about 3 chapters past this point. So, if you want to know what Aya looks like, search for Rin from Shelter on google images. Her hair, face, and eyes are very similar, though clothes and personality are very different. Aya also is much more toned, athletic, and a little older. I don't have an example for Lutos... Do your best?

Feel free to message me or review if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or criticism. I read all of them (messages/reviews).