Chapter 9: Getting to know War - Nagisa's insight!
Meanwhile...
War, Sayaka, and Kyubey could see a ruined street filled with a rotten smell wafting through the air. Icicles scattered throughout the streets and roads. The wires were already long broken, and some holding structures in houses were either wearing out from decomposition, or had broken down and had collapsed along with its structure that it was holding. The buildings' texture were nothing but the same colors - dark, bluish-brown filled with snow and cold vapours fogging up the cracked windows. Barrels were scattered across the streets, mices were scurrying around and desperately trying to find whatever warmth, food, and liquid they could find to prevent death in such a cold environment.
"I can feel the aura from Godoka's Fragment pulsating within this area..." Sayaka frowned.
"You know this place?" War wondered.
"The Canopy of the Frozen, a town the size of the Cathedral of the Ruined that was destroyed due to Homucifer's attempts to wipe out the Voids; it doesn't take a genius to know who would reside there." Sayaka nodded.
Recalling the familiars that Homucifer had left, War came to a fast conclusion, "Cold-heartedness."
"Yeah...although I will not be surprised if something belonging to the same theme as Cold-heartedness could be here too." Sayaka replied calmly.
"Like Selfishness?" Kyubey wondered.
"Mmmhmm..." Sayaka nodded once more.
War stopped upon his feet as he turned around, frowned, and clenched his fists as Ruin's neigh rang the nightly skies.
"What happened to Ruin?" Sayaka wondered.
"Despair...Seems as if Death had finished the job and is returning with Nagisa." War replied.
His eyes widened in slight surprise when she saw that only Despair returned, with Nagisa clutching upon the pale green Phantom Horse and breathing rapidly in fear for falling off.
"That was...close..." Nagisa panted.
"Nagisa! Nagisa...it's so nice to see you in one-piece!" Sayaka cried out as she embraced the white hair girl in relief.
Despite the confusion, Nagisa also felt relief that she has to meet Sayaka still alive and all.
"Homura...Homura-sempai...she..." Nagisa shook her head.
"I know...She's has gone too far with what she did this time." Sayaka sighed.
Ruin neighed several times towards Despair and the latter neighed for seconds before dispersing into the ground.
"We have to hurry; my brother is now engaging Homucifer in combat." War calmly replied.
"Distraction, I see?" Sayaka wondered.
War nodded. "I'm sure my brother can overcome this, but the plan would be down to nought if we don't hurry."
"C...Can somebody tell me what's going on? Why is Sayaka-sempai here? And Kyubey? What of Godoka? And...and who are you?" Nagisa's eyes widened upon setting side upon War's intimidating figure; her legs shivering like jelly as she tripped on a small rock and fell.
"Woah...calm down, Nagisa! We can answer them along the way." Sayaka replied.
After War introduced himself as a Red Rider bent on returning to his world and restoring the Balance between his world and Madoka's...
"I...I know that I have faced...faced scary things like the Wraiths...but still, to face the Red Rider..." Nagisa shivered.
"We can talk along the way while slaying the Voids infesting in here...I fear that Cold-heartedness might be possessed by the Voids already, if the few black spots scattering around the town is any indication..." War nodded, ignoring Nagisa's shivering.
While slaying the Void monsters and the Doom Monsters that guarded the mansions, War, Sayaka, and Kyubey managed to reveal about what happened in the world they were in.
"To think that Homura-san became Homucifer because of her desperate attempt at wanting Godoka-san's love all for herself...She must be suffering way too much." Nagisa shook her head.
"How can she be suffering? She's just enjoying it way too much with that dreaded smirk of hers..." Sayaka frowned. "In fact, her actions caused those Voids to appear, no thanks to Homucifer's actions resulting in Godoka's absence!"
"H...Homucifer's creations and Godoka-san's absence caused these goops to appear?" Nagisa shivered.
"Yeah...without Godoka to light up the world with her selfless hope to balance the Dark, the Void would consume us all; not even the light can escape it and neither does everyone of us." Sayaka nodded just as she cleaved the heads off several Void Crawlers.
"That means...those Voids will take away my cheese too, right?" Nagisa shivered.
"Fraid so..." Sayaka replied.
"T...Then we have to gather Godoka-sama's fragments back in one piece!" Nagisa replied.
War was silent throughout Sayaka and Nagisa's conversation, until the white hair girl plucked up the courage to speak to the Red Rider as she commanded Charlotte - her summoned witch - to attack the Void Fauns.
"You fight well..." War commented.
"T...Thanks...Red Rider." Nagisa replied. "I'm glad to have garner praise from a person like you..."
The Red Rider's eyes widened and frowned within seconds as he dashed towards Nagisa's back and plunged his Chaoseater through a Void Faun's guts and killed it by ripping its limbs apart with swings from his blade.
"T...Thanks..." Nagisa heaved a sigh of relief, despite being shocked by the Faun's failed sneak attack.
War nodded while replying, "Focus, Nagisa."
Nagisa nodded in reply, gradually feeling safe under War's presence, for her perceptiveness allowed her to see that the Red Rider's firmness means a safe pair of hands.
As the fights went on, bodies after bodies littered across the street as their bodies ripped apart by War's Chaoseater, Scythe and Tremor Gauntlet combo, Sayaka's blade,
"Mr. Red Rider...you never talked much..." Nagisa asked softly.
"I don't have to." War replied. "When there isn't a need, I don't have to."
"I thought you are being unfriendly to me...but I never felt that you are hateful towards me. Maybe we could get along?" Nagisa plucked up her courage.
"That's just the way I am...I never hate you. I exist to protect the Balance and Humanity; I prefer actions then words." War's reply was swift.
War...just the very word that rang upon Nagisa head made her realised why the Red Rider was mostly in such a solemn expression.
"War, in reality and in concept, is never fun..." Nagisa realised. "Our wars against Wraiths are never fun. But...but fighting for what we magical girls believed in, that is the hope that Godoka had given us. It makes the fight worth it..."
The Red Rider can see that Nagisa's soul, though having witnessed many a time of despair and sorrow, was still insightful and pure at heart.
"You have seen sorrow, yet remained pure under Godoka. Why?" War asked.
"Hope..." Nagisa simpered.
"Hope?" War frowned.
"Seeing the lives that we have enabled happiness upon as a result of the Wraiths' destruction, fighting for what we believe in, and freeing the Magical Girl from their nightmares and despair. That is worth the pain we have to go through. They, and I, can live a life without regrets..." Nagisa replied.
"It's like what I've said. Fighting the Wraiths might not be fun, but the fight symbolises our fight for our beliefs; a life without regrets and a world where we can live in true peace! Yeah, people might think that we are crazy, but since when is Humanity NOT crazy?" Sayaka chimed in.
"Mr. Red Rider...what is your belief?" Nagisa wondered.
"I just protect the Balance and Humanity, that's it. I have never thought of one desire." the Red Rider replied firmly.
"But isn't that before the Armageddon?" Nagisa wondered.
"Yes. Our roles as Horsemen have been relieved after the Armageddon - when our world is at eternal peace." War replied.
"But surely...after the Armageddon in your dimension - after all of it was over - have you been wondering...what's next in line for you?" Sayaka wondered.
"Protecting Humanity; isn't that where the Balance lies?" War wondered.
"That's your duty, War. There is a difference between duty and dreams. Aside from doing well to the world by protecting the Balance, what are you planning to do? Are you going to find your reasons to justify your existence?" Sayaka gave a small simper, growing some admiration for the Red Rider.
"I exist because I know that I can contribute to the belief that one day, we can bring warmth and radiance even when sorrow threatens to take its hold upon the world. It makes my heart warm, you know, like soft, warm cheese. What about you?" Nagisa asked, her admiration for War grew too.
War mused on while ripping off the heads off several Void Wraiths - creatures with two crescent-shaped scythes.
Since the end of Armageddon, War had been constantly musing about what would be his next step in life aside from protecting the Balance.
Seeing Humanity being able to move on from the sorrows of the True Armageddon, get back on both feet and even worked with angels and the Four Horsemen in the world's reconstruction, had caused War to ponder about what Humanity was.
All the time, War had just been serving the Council for no reason other than 'It's for the Balance, for it's the will of the Council.'
But now...it seemed as if War had no direction at all; he felt empty.
Why is he here?
Everywhere he goes...there was no one that put the blame on him - the very embodiment of fighting and conflict itself.
In fact, they are grateful that he existed, because it brought out the best n Humanity - 'Crisis makes the man', or so do most survivors said when expressing resilience.
Why? For what reasons other than providing humans resilience like what Sayaka mentioned during her fight with Ser?
War clenched his fists; he had made up his mind.
He was willing to find the reason for his question.
"I will find it..." the Red Rider nodded.
"What?" Nagisa wondered.
"I will find the reason for my existence. I know that there had to be a reason to justify my existence after the True Armageddon. I just have to look hard enough..." War frowned.
"You are not as bad as people deemed you to be, Red Rider..." Sayaka simpered.
"Why?" War wondered.
"Isn't that why we are here? Just like how your brothers can help you in times of need...you have us!" Nagisa gave a sweet smile. "Your presence, though intimidating, brings forth a sense of safety that we love! It's like enjoying cheese!"
War mused on, and gave a small simper.
At least he knew that he was not alone...
"Try to keep up..." War replied.
Both Sayaka and Nagisa nodded as they continued their assaults while Kyubey was constantly dodging the flying Void monsters that were slayed by the trio.
"For what reasons are they discussing anything besides Godoka?" Kyubey wondered.