A wraith's form was difficult to fathom. From what could be seen of them, they were often ghostly white, somewhat human in shape, but appeared to have frayed ties to the physical world. They were faceless figures born to incite the innermost fears of a beholder, formless enough to leave only the sensation accurate to memory. Everything else was subject to whatever bias their victims saw. Though they could be physically dangerous, their true threat was in how they assaulted the mind, requiring nerves of steel to even stand against.

The first wave of wraiths had fallen to Mami's onslaught, yet more demons immediately rushed in to take their place. Mami could feel her heart pounding in her shell of a body as she spun her expended rifles on their ends, using the stocks as clubs to fend off the attacks.

Now was not the time for fear. She had to keep her head cool and fight as aggressively as possible to hold the attention of the horde. Trapped against the wall, she began to push forward, dodging a lunge with a spin, conjuring a rifle to club the monster into a nearby wall, only to spin the rifle around to blast another in the face at point blank.

She was the embodiment of skill. Using her spent rifle, she vaulted upwards, her heel meeting the face of another attacker as she flung herself into the air. Her ribbons materialized in front of her, forming a giant cannon. "Tiro finale!" she cried, unleashing her signature move straight downwards. The explosion vaporized the immediate threats, leaving a shallow crater in the alley, roughly a foot deep. She landed in front of the crater as more wraiths began pouring into the alley.

More rifles. More magic. The flames of her shots seemed to linger, mirroring a sense of wrath building in her eyes. She focused that anger into a battalion of rifles, filling the alleyway with her weapons. Maintaining focus, the rifles began to fire, one after another, immediately vanishing upon firing so another could spawn in its place. So long as she concentrated, kept track of her weapon count and channeled her magic, her onslaught would not end.

The attacking horde slowly was beaten back, retreating into the smoke caused by the attack. Fresh rifles hung in the air behind Mami, her eyes keenly scanning the smoke for movement. She could feel her head pounding, her heart racing with adrenaline. Upon noticing there was no activity from the smoke, she relaxed a bit, allowing her rifles to dematerialize, ceasing her attack so she could catch her breath.

The second her shoulders dropped, a shadow suddenly darted from the smoke, as a group of wraiths lunged forward with blinding speed, taking advantage of the lowered guard. Mami backstepped to retaliate, prepared to counter attack, only to lose her footing to the pit she had made.

She rolled backwards, attempting to recover and complete her retaliation, only to see a wraith a mere few feet from her face. Its hands were replaced with blade-like limbs, its mouth hanging open to an inhuman degree. Several similar beasts were right behind the leader, lunging at Mami as well. There was no time to escape. Everything seemed frozen, a few fractions of a second allotted to observe the tragedy in the works. She was going to die here.

A sword suddenly planted into the ground, slicing through the wraith's head inches in front of Mami. Four more swords followed suit around her, as a sudden bubble of light crashed right overhead. The swords glowed, forming a rune beneath her feet, protecting her from the burst of light, as the bubble released a shockwave. Everything, save for whatever was inside the rune, was bathed in destructive light.

The swords vanished into blue light as Sayaka and Nagisa landed on either side of Mami. "That was close!" Sayaka jeered as Nagisa helped Mami back to her feet.

"Are you okay, Mami?" Nagisa asked. Mami staggered a little rising to her feet, biting her lip. Her ankle had been twisted due to her recklessness.

"I'm fine," she grunted, ignoring the pain. "Good work, you two."

Sayaka had already stepped forward, two swords drawn, taunting the remaining horde. "Thank Nagisa for that one, it was her design." The wraiths were already advancing again. Two slashed at Sayaka who immediately parried their strikes, slicing back, preventing them from advancing.

Nagisa was soon right beside her, using her horn to strike, shock or blast any wraiths that attempted to slip past Sayaka or take advantage of any openings. For a moment, Mami relaxed, leaning against a wall, grateful her students had gained control of the situation. She berated herself for not paying more attention to her surroundings, as she scanned the area briefly, taking note of the open overhead walkway Nagisa and Sayaka had found in an otherwise blocked off alley. She noticed movement within the secret path, and immediately spawned a rifle.

A wraith, attempting to slip past the front line, reared its head just long enough for Mami to blast it. She held a second rifle in her hands, waiting to see if more would follow, when she heard a shout from Nagisa. She glanced over. Nagisa was frantically gesturing back down the alleyway. Mami turned around.

The artificial wall that had trapped her before was gone. What had taken its place was a massive demon, roughly 13 feet, close enough to strike her. Mami turned and attempted to fire, her shots connecting but not phasing the beast. She saw its strike coming as she knelt down to leap backwards, though her heel suddenly let off a sharp burst of pain, causing her to stagger.

She wanted to flinch, to scream, to brace herself. She suddenly felt cold. She heard a muted scream from Nagisa. Don't look down. She rested her hands in front of her, on a large protruding object before her stomach. Slowly, she looked down, seeing the giant, bladed arm of the wraith sticking into her stomach. She grimaced, trying to moan or cry out, her voice falling silent as she felt her feet leave the ground as the monster hoisted her upwards, causing her to cough up blood. She groaned, gripping the limb, struggling helplessly against it. It had pierced all the way through and was sticking out of her back.

"Mami! Sayaka, help!" Nagisa screamed frantically. The words were barely distinguishable. Sayaka was less intelligible and even more distressed, likely pinned down by the wraiths on the front line, her defenses failing. Mami looked behind her, blood rapidly leaving her body, causing her vision to turn hazy. Nagisa was standing before the wraith.

The child was trembling. If she didn't act, Mami was going to die. This wraith was sucking the life from the only family she had left. Her knees began to buckle. This wraith was too big. She needed help. Mami reached her hand out, pleading, as Nagisa collapsed to her knees, covering her head with her hands. She wailed, powerless.

There was a sudden flash of red that tore through the arm of the wraith. Mami felt the shock of hitting the ground, barely able to see the red boots that landed between her and the monster before her vision went dark.

Sayaka had been pinned down by the attacking wraiths, yet suddenly found herself displaced a few feet from Mami. Several bolts of light suddenly and simultaneously tore through the air, piercing the demons, pushing back the front line as Homura Akemi landed in front of the blue knight.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Kyouko shouted, spinning her spear to an attack position. The wraith was recoiling from losing its limb and moved in to counter attack. Kyouko left no opening, slashing her spear upwards across its chest, extending it at the last second to pin the other arm to the wall. "WHY THE HELL IS SHE HURT!?"

Sayaka attempted to respond, her words coming out as senseless stammering. She looked back to Mami with dread. The blade had been removed from her stomach, having vaporized after being detached from its owner. Mami's magical girl attire had reverted to a school uniform, which, while it hid the gaping hole in her stomach, was soaked in blood. Nagisa was frantically shaking her, screaming at her between sobs.

"Miki-san," a level voice got her attention. Homura pulled back on her bowstring, firing another flurry of arrows into the horde. "Get her out of here and heal her."

"Like hell I'm going to leave you two-" Sayaka began. At that point, Kyouko's spear broke into chains and suddenly coiled around the wraith's neck, slamming it into the ground. She quickly withdrew it from the monster, reforming it. With a spin, she extended her spear over Mami's body, pointing the blade right at Sayaka's neck.

"You're the only one with enough ability to heal her. If she dies because you refused to listen, I'll kill you next." The wraith slowly started recuperating as the spear contracted again. Kyouko spun it in her hands and plowed it straight through the wraith's head. She looked back, noticing Sayaka hesitating over Mami's unconscious body. More wraiths suddenly appeared from the fountain, creating a second horde. She spun her spear overhead to face them, before shouting, "WELL!? Get going, blockhead!"

Sayaka complied. She lifted Mami's body in her arms and followed Nagisa up to the overhead path, leaving Homura and Kyouko to fend off the remaining horde.

Sayaka placed Mami's unconscious body on the grass in the park, not far from the mall. The miasma was still thick and swirling. Hopefully Kyouko and Homura would be fine—she couldn't fathom being responsible for a single death, let alone three.

"Hang on, Mami… please…" Nagisa was still sobbing, holding Mami's face, pleading that she would be fine. She would be. As Kyouko said, Sayaka was capable of healing her, and even Homura had helped her master her magic a few days prior. Sayaka stuck her sword into the ground and leaned on it, concentrating. The blade glowed, as did the ground around Mami. Suddenly, the light died.

"S-Sayaka?" Nagisa meekly began. "Why did you—?"

"Shut up, it's fine. I'm… I'm just nervous." She exhaled and concentrated again. Again her blade glowed, only for the light to cut.

"Sayaka… Stop it," Nagisa's voice quivered. "Stop it and just make Mami better."

"I'm trying!" Sayaka yelled. She grit her teeth and concentrated. A mere spark fizzled out of the handle of her sword.

"HEAL HER!" Nagisa screamed. "WHY WON'T YOU JUST HEAL HER!?"

Sayaka stared down, leaning her head on her sword, eyes wide with horror. "Why… why can't I…"

"SAYAKA!" Nagisa shouted, reaching over Mami's body to grab at the knight. "Why what!? Why!?... Why…!?..." Her voice collapsed into a collection of sobs. She keeled over, burying her face into Mami's chest, crying into her shoulder. "Why…"

"Interesting." An eerie voice resonated within Sayaka's mind. Two red eyes peered out from the shadows, as a familiar catlike figure approached the three girls. Nagisa and Sayaka raised their heads to acknowledge the Incubator. "It would seem Sayaka Miki has lost control of her magic."

"Lost…?" Nagisa whimpered.

"Kyubey… please…" Sayaka pleaded. "What do I do? Why can't I heal her?"

"It isn't quite my place to get involved, though I do not believe there is anything you can do. Magic loss is a rarity so we don't get to study it often," Kyubey explained. "It's not a matter of why it happened, it's more a matter of why you are rejecting your own magic."

"How do I un-reject it!? I can't let Mami just die!" Sayaka cried.

Kyubey tilted its head. "I do not know how to answer that. I'm merely here to observe the effects of The Law of the Cycle." Tears began to well up in Nagisa's eyes again. "If anything, at least one of Mami's other wishes is being fulfilled. She never did want to die alone."

Sayaka could feel the blood pounding in her ears. Her breath felt short. She rested her forehead on the pommel of her blade again, thinking. Nagisa was staring at Mami's face, tears streaming from her eyes as she sobbed. "Nagisa…" Sayaka muttered quietly. Nagisa raised her eyes, acknowledging her name. "Ignore him. Don't listen to him. Just ignore him…" Sayaka took a deep breath and slowly raised her head. "Help me…" Her eyes were pleading with the child. Nagisa bit her lip, suppressing her tears and gave a nod.

She took a similar position as Sayaka, her hands on the ground on the opposite side of Mami. Sayaka bowed her head once more and concentrated as the Incubator watched on.

Nagisa, tears still dripping from her eyes, lowered her head as well. The glow arced once more through Sayaka's sword, flickering but not fading, forming a rune below Mami. Light crept from Nagisa's hands, preserving the rune even as Sayaka faltered slightly. Between the two, light began to arc and dance over Mami's body. The injury began to glow through her school uniform. Within the wound, threads of light began interweaving, pulling the tissues back together. Beads of sweat began to break out over Sayaka's forehead as she focused. Soon, the light began to fade, leaving some scarring and blood behind.

Mami suddenly inhaled and gasped, her eyes twitching with life once more. She could scarcely move and closed her eyes immediately, still stunned by blood loss. Her breath continued, however, indicating she was alive. "Nagisa…" she whispered faintly.

Nagisa fell against her, hugging her tightly, sobbing once more. Mami weakly raised an arm to partially return the embrace, too stunned and powerless to react further. "Amazing. I guess I'll have to delay my observations for now." The incubator glanced at Sayaka, who meanwhile was leaning on her sword, barely able to sit upright.

She suddenly collapsed next to Mami, her breaths short. She dismissed her magical girl attire, covering her eyes with her arm, partially to hide the tears streaming down her face. "Thank god…" she muttered.

Kyubey trotted over, the appendages over his ears feeling the air over Sayaka. "You've still enough energy within you to survive, it would appear. It's amazing you managed to rescue one life without losing your own, and to do so with borrowed magic."

"Kyubey…" Sayaka muttered.

"Hm?"

"Screw off."

Kyubey sighed. "I may not experience emotion, but that doesn't mean I have no comprehension of rudeness." He turned to scurry away.

"Nagisa…" a faint voice whispered. Nagisa leaned over, looking at Mami through teary eyes. "Are you… alright…?" Mami didn't open her eyes. Nagisa gave a nod, murmuring an 'mhm' as a few tears dripped from her face, landing on Mami's cheeks. "And… Sayaka…?"

Sayaka didn't respond, but was breathing. Nagisa nodded again, giving another uneasy confirmation. "Good…" Mami sighed, finally opening her eyes some. She reached up to Nagisa's face, using her thumb to wipe away a tear. "Don't cry… As long as you two are fine… I'll survive…" She smiled weakly.

Nagisa leaned into her hand, her breath quivering. Mami slowly sat up with a bit of Nagisa's help, leaving the child to sit in her lap, instinctually leading to a hug between them. "I thought I Iost you…" Nagisa whimpered.

Mami ran her fingers through the child's white hair. "I'll be fine now…" she cooed softly with a sigh. Her body still felt numb and exhausted.

There was suddenly a rustle of movement in the grass. Sayaka was on her feet, though her stance was unstable. Shakily she began to walk away. "Sayaka?" Mami questioned, distant. Sayaka tripped, catching herself, before resuming her precarious march.

Fear suddenly overtook Mami. She attempted to rise to her feet to follow after her, but suddenly fell forward to her knees, panting hard. Nagisa frantically went to her side. "I'm going… Don't bother with me. You're too weak right now anyway…" Sayaka muttered, not even turning to look back at Mami.

Mami reached a hand out. "Sayaka… please don't go…" Her voice was quivering and pleading as she fell to the ground again. "I know what you're doing… Don't leave again."

Sayaka clenched her fist. "You're delusional. You need to get home. Don't worry about me… I can't be any help to you anyway."

"Promise me you won't leave me again, Sayaka… Please…" Mami's voice was on the verge of tears. Sayaka was silent. Wordlessly, she raised a foot to take a stumbling step forward. She staggered off, slowly and zombie-like. Mami watched the knight leave, her figure melding into the shadows of the night. Mami's head hung low, a few sparse tears of both grief and anger dripping to the grass. Nagisa slowly helped her to her feet as the two made a slow return to the apartment.