I'll admit that I sat on this one for a long time. It's easily the most important opening chapter I've done, so I wanted to make sure I got it right.


Silver. That was the color that flashed before her eyes. Hair. That was what carried this strangely beautiful color. Two massive wings of white feathers stretched out to either side. A pristine face, smiling gently.

The girl shot awake with a shout. Around her waist, the blankets pooled up as she breathed hard. Wide eyes stared at the blue blankets, the same shade of navy blue as her long hair. Images of all kinds flashed through her mind, but she could only remember one word. A name.

"Erwine…" She whispered, the name bringing an ethereal feeling of melancholy to her entire body. Absolute silence for a second, then the door opened. She looked up with a start. A woman stood there, looking concerned.

"Ishna?" Her mother asked, "Are you alright?"

Shuddering a little, the girl nodded. "I just had a…" She wasn't sure how to describe it, "A strange dream."

"A nightmare?"

Ishna shook her head. A sad smile came to her face. "No, it was a happy dream." She almost started to cry.

"Well…" Her mother paused, equally unsure. "Happy birthday," She said with a smile. The door shut quietly.

In silence now, the girl repeated that name. "Erwine…" it sounded so alien, yet so familiar at the same time. She remembered this girl, but she couldn't place who she was. A memory of the future. That was the only way to describe it.

A draft of cold air dropped the temperature to a freezing cold. Needles ran up Ishna's spine, and she let out a brief moan of distress as she shuddered. As if the universe itself rebelled against what was about to occur. Ishna turned her head without really wanting to, despite knowing exactly what'd she see when she turned around.


Puella Magi Aeternum Bellum

In Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition

Volume 3: Behold the Dreamer


Her eyes slowly flickered open. From the back of her throat came a long yawn. A few seconds passed. Then the eyes shot open all the way. A cry of excitement accompanied the girl leaping from the bed. She landed with glee on her face. "We're here!" she cried, a flash of light clothing her body.

On the bed, another body stirred. Fingers brushing black locks away from a sleepy face, the girl asked, "Can't it wait?" Erwine shook her head. A bright smile was on her face.

She almost started crying as she cried, "No, no it can't!" Wei returned the smile. Then she fell back onto the pillow, pulling the sheets back over herself.

"That's right, so get going. I'm not coming down, remember?" she mumbled, curling back up. Erwine just grinned at the girl.

She spun on her heel to face the door. "Alright, I'll let you off the hook. Just get some sleep. I'll be back…" Erwine paused. Her eyes flickered before her hand darted up to wipe away tears. "I'll be back sooner or later." She promised, "But I'll be back."

"See you soon." Wei called after her. "And…" Erwine paused before the door. "Don't lose yourself down there, alright?" Erwine tried to grin.

"I won't," She whispered. Then the door was shutting, the girl sprinting out. Wei relaxed back into the bed, smiling.


Snow had fallen. Cold winds had once again swept the sheets of white across the city, pelting all with freezing layers of snow. Even now, the clouds showed no sign of breaking, and the temperature only dropped lower and lower. Some said that this was the harshest winter in a long time. But for the moment, the sky was motionless, and the world eerily peaceful.

Wings of light gently carried a girl to the snow-covered ground, the shuttle she'd jumped from accelerating up into the sky high above her. The city had been beautiful from so high up. All traces of humanity were covered up at this late afternoon hour, her footprints were tread only on fresh snow. The sparkling particles drifted away into the masses of snow as the wings dissipated.

Erwine stepped forwards, looking around in awe. Nothing was out of place. As though nothing at all had changed. Yet looking at myself, I could see that statement is correct, Erwine realized. An idea popping into her mind, she thought for a moment, and then she was in different attire.

As though she had just walked out of her home on her way to school, Erwine was dressed in those same clothes as she was then. Her glove-covered hands went to the scarf around her neck, merely reminiscing on the memories the object returned to her. Though once the skirt had made her shiver, now she barely felt cold at all.

Erwine grinned with content, and started walking. If anyone were to see her, they'd assume she was merely a schoolgirl walking about. There were plenty of those. She'd once been one of them, just another little girl walking about. The same as everyone else.

Now, though she saw not a single person trudging through the snow-covered alleys and side streets, Erwine couldn't help but feel she had never been here before. Simultaneously, nostalgia flooded her heart, but a sense of separation and confusion also clouded her mind. Once, she had been here. But that had been a different Erwine.

She turned a corner, and saw a wide street ahead of her. Perhaps one of the main ones. She wasn't entirely sure. It seemed that her memory had forgotten such trivial things as street arrangements over the years. She did take interest in the fact that she'd found someone else.

Another girl, who looked to be about the age that Erwine appeared to be. Hands in her pockets, head down, she almost stumbled through the snow, though not because of thick blanket on the ground. Rather, it appeared to be that she seemed lost. Nevertheless, Erwine tried.

"Excuse me," She called politely. The girl looked up with surprise. A strange sensation flooded into Erwine's heart with newfound force. That same sensation that troubled her still, the mix of nostalgia and separation, redoubled its advance on her mind. Erwine's eyes went wide for a second, suddenly losing focus as an image from long ago passed through her mind. Like a thunderbolt, it flashed brightly, only to fade just as fast.

"Yes?" the girl was confused by Erwine's hesitation.

"Ah-well, do you know of anyone around here called Nada?" Erwine questioned. She was fairly certain she was in the correct neighborhood. Many things had to change over time, but she felt that this was somehow at least similar, if not the same.

The girl thought for a few seconds. Then she nodded. Incapable of meeting Erwine's face, she said to the ground, "Take a left ahead, then a right. First hab on the left, second floor, if I remember correctly, but I may not be sure." She didn't wait for anything more. Silently, the girl continued to stumble away.

Erwine's eyes followed her for only a few seconds more, before they turned to face forwards once again. A shiver ran down her spine, though she couldn't place why. Perhaps a premonition, more likely just overly-active suspicion honed by eight years on the job.

They parted in their separate directions, and continued through the thick snow.


Ever since she entered the building, she'd started to breathe harder. They'd become deeper then, as she tried to slow herself down, but that just gave way to an endless repetition of deep intakes and exhalations, like she'd just run a marathon. Her entire body shook, though Erwine knew full well that this might just be the wrong building.

She hurried up the stairs. At the landing, she froze. Unpleasant memories came screaming forwards from the depths of her mind, to crash against her already shaky state of mind. Her telepathy was off. She was for all intents and purposes completely alone.

All she had was herself. Continuing to breathe, continuing to shudder with every step, Erwine forced her way up the last set of stairs. She came to a halt as she stared down the hallway. The next time she inhaled, Erwine caught herself before anything came back out. Slowly, she released the air, trying to expel all fears and anxieties from her mind.

She knew who she was. I am that hero that Nada told me to be. It took a long time, maybe too long, in fact, but I am that hero. Erwine felt her lips curving upwards, even as tears that came from an unknown place spilled down her cheeks. She was confident in who she was, and what she was. Therefore, there was no reason to be afraid.

Erwine started walking before she realized it. Her breathes were normal now. She wiped the tears away. A joyful grin came onto her face. Her heart swelled with excitement as she realized what was about to occur. Her eyes read the names beside each door. Two in each hab. They were a bit bigger than the one Erwine had spent almost half her life in.

Then she froze. Her eyes found it. For a long minute, she just stared. Running over the name again and again, completely ignoring the one that sat above it, as if the moment she moved to knock on the door it would change to reveal that she'd created for herself an illusion. But Erwine felt so certain that what she saw was real. There was no illusion. She had found her friend.

She stepped towards the door. Her body started to shake as a million different words ran through her head. How am I supposed to catch her up on ten years? Erwine wondered. She could remember every second of the day she contracted so vividly, but it had been ten years before.

Her hand raised up. Erwine choose to move without knowing exactly what to say. She'd faced situations far worse than reuniting with a friend. Her knuckles softly rapped against the door. A middle-aged woman with long brown hair opened it after a moment, "Hello?" She asked.

Erwine said politely, "Excuse me, but is there a Nada here?"

The woman nodded. "Yes of course," She said, "Would you like to speak to her?"

Erwine nodded, "If that's alright, yes." Then she added, "If you could, tell her that Erwine's here to see her." The woman furrowed her brow, but stepped away from the door for a few moments.

Erwine heard crashing and the sound of someone running. A girl that she recognized as Nada, albeit ten years older, suddenly appeared in front of the door and froze the moment her eyes fell on Erwine. The magical girl just gave a smile in reply. Breathless, Nada struggled to formulate words. Her roommate called from behind,"Are you alright, Nada?"

Nada nodded. She had tears in her eyes. "Yeah, I'm alright-I-I just need a minute alone, ok?" She quickly stepped forwards and pulled the door shut behind her. In the same motion, she leapt forwards to wrap her arms around Erwine. She hugged the girl tight to herself, and refused to let go as she started to sob uncontrollably, "You're back, you really came back," She choked out as she held Erwine in a tight-grip. She was a good foot taller than the girl, but she held her like they were the same old teenage girls.

Erwine raised her arms and held her back, barely holding herself back from crying. "It's alright Nada, I'm here."

"I know," she sobbed, repeating the words over and over. She was holding Erwine as tightly as she could. Then, both fell silent. Erwine stepped back, still holding Nada's hands in her own.

With a smile on her face, Erwine said, "Sorry it took me so long, I really wanted to be sure that I could come back and tell you I was a hero."

Nada nodded excitedly, "So…so you really did it, huh?" She asked, bursting into another round of joyful tears.

No single word that Erwine had ever spoken sounded stranger than the 'yes' with which she replied to Nada. Underwhelming, but perfectly satisfying. Fitting, but at the same time making Erwine wonder if there was more to be said. But there was only that word. Only that one word to confirm, to the friend she'd left behind, Erwine had made good on her promise.

In the end, that single word didn't even seem necessary. Nada already knew the answer to the question that she'd asked. Why else would Erwine be back, after all?

The satisfaction Erwine felt in her heart was the greatest thing she had ever felt in her life. It had been ten years, ten years that had irreparably changed her, but she had accomplished what she had set out to do. After so long, she'd succeeded, and had come back home to tell of it.

Both smiled at each other now, neither willing to shatter the perfection of this moment. This single moment in time, dwarfed utterly by the past behind him and the potential futures awaiting them, was still more important than any other moment.

It was Erwine that took the lead finally, not surprising either of them, but strikingly different from the Erwine that was. "Let's go for a walk" Erwine proposed, "I'm not supposed to discuss my work but…I can make an exception."

Nada nodded excitedly, "I'd love to," She smiled. Still holding onto one hand, Erwine started walking, the two striding hand in hand. They made their way down the stairs in silence, both satisfied with merely being with each other again.

Upon the landing Nada paused, but Erwine wasn't surprised. She herself was about to stop, and was afraid she might disturb her friend. They stared distantly at the floor for a few seconds, those memories returning to the forefront of their minds. For both, those memories were the same amount of time ago, but somehow it was distorted. For Nada, it was ten years, half of what she could remember in her life. For Erwine, it felt like an entire lifetime ago, for she was not even a magical girl yet when she stood upon that landing. It wasn't the same landing, of course, nor the same building. Still, it was a strong enough symbol to give them both pause.

"It's been a long time since then," Nada said in a hushed voice, almost a whisper. Erwine felt her friend's body start to shake. This particular landing meant nothing, it was a different one, not even the same building. But just its existence inspired the thoughts of both. "When it first talked to you, the Incubator…did you really think you'd find yourself here, as you are?"

Erwine took a deep breathe, as she started to realize that she wasn't entirely prepared for this journey deep into a past she'd left behind. "I didn't think I'd even contract…much less be any kind of a success." A shudder ran through her body. She couldn't even believe that she was really here.

"You've come a long way," Nada spoke as though she herself didn't quite believe them. The smile soon took on a sadder tone, however. "But me…I'm still stuck here." Regret stained her tone, as she looked down with increasing sadness at the floor. Her fingers hung there limp as Erwine released her hand. That friend she'd said farewell to so long ago embraced her.

Erwine spoke from her heart, she really believed the words she said. "Nada, I've done many things…many of them very scary things. Things that I wouldn't wish on anyone else." She only reached up to the girl's chest, so it felt strange being the one to comfort her. "That's not to say that you're incapable, but I'd rather the burden be mine to bear, because even being a little piece like you is safer than being a big piece like me." Weighing Erwine down were thoughts of the truth of her existence, a truth that she had sworn to never speak of to Nada. Such words would inevitably leave her in despair, and that was something Erwine would not allow.

There was a pause, before Erwine continued again. "So please, don't feel such things. You're a good person, everyone has their role. As long as you're happy, there's nothing to be sad about." Nada's limp arms finally moved to return Erwine's embrace.

"Thank you," She said, "Thank you so much." The woman almost burst into tears, but she was too busy overflowing with joy.

Erwine realized just how strange this was. Speaking to Nada like this, everything was different. A strange feeling started in her chest, and spread through the rest of her body. Almost nostalgia, perhaps more a recognition that the past she so fondly remembered differed so completely and utterly from the present. She was a different person, and she didn't know how much Nada had changed.

If we were to spend more time together, get to know these new selves…would we really be friends? Erwine wondered. For a moment she froze up, even as Nada moved to break apart. But the woman's movement tore her back to reality. "You're welcome," Erwine said, "It's the least I can do."

Images from long ago flashed before her eyes. Could it really be called long ago, or was it merely a blink of an eye for her? It all started with this landing. None of it had ended not even up to this very instant. The girl who looked to be so young opened her mouth to ask, "Do you remember that letter you have me?"

Nada flinched at the mention of that. Erwine didn't say a word. For a few seconds her friend hesitated, until she finally spilled out, "I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry."

Erwine shook her head. "There's no need to say that." She took a deep breath, as if preparing for a difficult task. "I can't say that what you wrote didn't hurt me, but it would be also be a lie to say that I wish I never read it. It made me understand just what I had done, just how monumental of a decision I had made." The girl's hand came up to wipe a few tears from her eyes, "It just served as a reminder that no matter what happens…" Erwine shut her eyes and looked away, "I have to be a hero." Her chest filled up with a wonderful warm sensation, "And that's why I'm happy to be here now, for it's only proof of that."

"So, you're not angry at me?" Nada asked shakily, barely holding back her own emotions. Like the river that a dam held back, they could rush forth given only the slightest crack.

Erwine turned her eyes to stare down at the floor, memories of that day all too clear in my mind. "I can't be angry at you, Nada. Doing so would be wrong, horrifically wrong in so many ways." She spun to face the girl, "If it weren't for you, I never would have been anything at all." Erwine told her proudly. Yet my own fate would have been averted, would it not? But such thoughts were for a time not as joyous as this.

"I've had quite enough of these memories for the moment," Erwine said. She held her hand out to Nada, "Come on, there are memories that we didn't share." Nada, tears slipping down her own cheeks, took the girl's hand all too happily.


The snow still fell lightly. Hours would pass before the tracks they left vanished into nonexistence. Few others walked the streets, so their path was strangely alone. Neither paid any attention to the rest of the world, however. All they cared about was each other.

A few minutes of silence had passed since they exited the building, both content to merely bask in the fact that they were reunited. Of course, there was a 'but' that nagged at them, an unspoken concern that was best left locked away inside their minds. Erwine couldn't blame Nada for giving it voice, for she was the one to be rightfully concerned.

Still grasping Erwine's hand tightly, the question started with a mere murmur. Erwine couldn't help but hear the low sound, and asked, "Nada, what's wrong?"

That question made Nada look away, as though her face alone might betray what she had to say. Slowing her pace, Erwine was ready to ask again, but she was interrupted by the sorrowful question, "How long will be you here?" The world slipped into silence as Erwine's mouth froze in mid-motion.

Her eyes shut, and she remembered what a friend of hers had told her before this. "Well, I may be famous, but unless something truly dire occurs, I've been told to spend as much time as I need here." Erwine explained quietly. A moment of consideration, then she stammered out, "Y-you see, it's just…I guess more than a few people owe me one or two things." She spoke like it was something hard for even herself to believe.

Erwine gasped as the taller girl suddenly spun around to embrace her. "Thank you!" She cried out tearfully, her tight grip far from being discomforting. The silver-haired girl raised her own arms and hugged her back, joy on her face. "You really are amazing," Nada said, "Really, an angel."

The words made Erwine's cheeks light up. Various other humans had already given her similar compliments, but nothing like this. "T-thank you," she stammered out.

Nada released her, but kept holding onto the girl's hands as she brightly said, "I was afraid we wouldn't be able to know each other but…this way, I'm certain that we'll be the best of friends, just like we were!"

Erwine just giggled as she broke her hand away and cupped Nada's cheek. "You're silly," she said, "We've always been the best of friends. The mere fact that I returned and that you were waiting for me says that much."

Something changed on Nada's face as Erwine said that. Not in a bad way, more that the girl appeared to be perplexed, as though a realization had just struck her. "Erwine…" She whispered, "You're different." Nada laughed as she said that, "But of course you are…"

Erwine cocked her head to the side, "What do you mean?" She wondered.

"Just right there," Nada pointed in glee, "You're just…not the girl I knew once. That's not bad at all, though. This Erwine that came to see me, I like her so much more. It feels like it's what was there all along."

Erwine froze at that. She took a step back in shock, searching for words as the world almost spun around her. "You mean…" Erwine started, barely able to form a sentence, "You mean you really think that I was always a hero?"

Nada looked surprised at that question, like the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Erwine," she said, "You were always brave, the fact that you contracted tells me that much." A few seconds, then, "Every day I wonder if I would have made the same choice in your situation." She frowned, "But why act so surprised?" Erwine thought about the right answer for a few moments, before finally shaking her head.

"I…" She trailed off before glancing up to the sky. Snow fell onto her face as she remembered that girl's kind face. "That girl, the inquisitor who recruited me. She-she-she," Erwine somehow found it almost impossible to tell a story that had gone into the records of the entire galaxy, and would be told for generations and generations to come. Yet to her friend, she wasn't sure what to say. "Did things to me, to try and mold me into what she thought was the ideal person to finish a quest she'd begun a long time ago."

Erwine looked down, and stared in something like awe at her gloved hand. The outline of her ring was visible through the cloth. "What I am now is what she desired for me to become." What I am now might also be what Ishna desired me to become. "I like to think that this is what I ought to be, however. And hearing it from you is simply wonderful."

"You're welcome," Nada said happily, "I think that the Erwine before me is the Erwine I always wanted to see."

The silver-haired girl's cheeks lit bright red as she turned away from Nada, facing down the street once again. "Then…all that was for something." She whispered.

"All what?" Nada questioned, mystified by the girl's quietness.

"Ten years ago. A lot of things happened in a very short amount of time." Erwine explained, the difficulty from before having been overcome yet still finding it troubling to properly give voice to any of it, "I knew that inquisitor, Adrianne," The name was spoken gently, like it might break if said too fast, "For only a month. She did some terrible things to me, but in the end, I can't blame her for a single one of them." Erwine spoke the words with pride. "Things didn't end there, either, but…we have plenty of time, I don't think we need to rush anything."

Nada hesitated a few seconds before venturing, "You don't like remembering?"

"Perhaps you could say that," Erwine took a few steps forward, then stepped to spin on her heel and face Nada, "It's almost every day that I remember that time so long ago. Yet…somehow, it hurts every time. I can't tell why it hurts, only that it hurts."

"Do you want it to stop?" Nada asked, concerned for the one she held so dear.

Erwine merely grinned. "I can't answer that either. Those memories are what make me me. That pain, whatever its cause, is a part of me." Her eyelids slid shut, "It feels wrong, somehow, giving up part of myself, especially when I have come to accept it all."

The girl slowly breathed as she thought, eventually continuing, "The Erwine that made her contract didn't have any of these painful memories, but the Erwine that made her contract was so much less complete than the Erwine that is now." Her eyes opened, and she met Nada's, "I am content with who I am now, I am content with who I've become. To give that up just to run away from things that bring me pain is something I shall never do."

Nada could do nothing but stand and look in awe at the girl before her. Somehow, she was amazing beyond her wildest imaginations. Many scenarios of Erwine's return had come to Nada over the years, but she had never expected the girl that could barely leave her behind come back as something so completely different.

"You're amazing," Nada whispered. Returning the girl's stare, she asked, "Did anyone ever tell you that?"

Erwine was amused by that, "A few people, yes. A lot happened while I was out there."

Nada was afraid to say, "But you'll be returning there one day, right?"

Erwine couldn't deny it. "I will be, but jumping right to then is pointless." She waved for the girl to come to her, "Enough about me, you exist too."

Nada took several long strides to the girl, and together they walked again through the lightly-falling snow. For the two, in these moments, everything was perfect.


A loud yawn accompanied the slow and steady beat of the footsteps on the metal floor. Rubbing her eyes, Wei rounded the corner and kept on lazily walking. Her appearance didn't match her tired demeanor, for one had to intentionally let themselves be disheveled when magic fixed such problems instantly.

"You didn't end up going with her, huh?" A voice asked from behind. Wei glanced over her shoulder to see Mila walking up behind her. That girl's look was a sharp contrast to Wei's exhaustion.

Wei nodded as Mila stepped past her, and after a couple steps to catch up, the two walked alongside one another. "It's her home, her friend. I don't want to interfere." Wei explained.

"Why so exhausted?" Mila wondered as they approached the end of the corridor, "Erwine was the liveliest thing this afternoon."

"Just didn't sleep well," Wei offered as an explanation, quickly regaining her usual alertness.

The blonde chuckled, "Don't tell." She only half-jested.

Wei stepped ahead of Mila to open the door before them, and stated clearly, "That's an assumption you're making."

"Is it wrong?" Mila smirked. Wei matched her stare for a few seconds, before the girl stepped into the officer's mess. The carpeted room had plenty of space, and was furnished like a noble's mansion. Oak tables of the finest quality provided seating, while a separate door led away to the actual kitchen.

Wei followed her into the spacious room, and declared, "It is, I just didn't sleep well. We exited the warp in the middle of the night." Night was a relative term, however.

"Then don't sleep when we're entering or exiting, it's that simple," Mila jokingly scolded as the two made their way towards the table a fair number of people were clustered around. Their conversation wasn't drawing anyone's attention save Sechylia's.

About half of the Yslevia's officers were currently engaged in watching, actually assisting, their captain go up against a magical girl. Sechylia was standing beside that magical girl with the aquamarine hair, as a large board was laid out across two tables put together.

Ileve glanced to the side to see their approach, and waved, "Good evening," she said softly, then turned her head back to the board, "Just wrapping things up." Said board depicted an in-depth map of some continent, while the thousands of hexes on it contained hundreds and hundreds of small pieces that represented assorted units.

Hands wrapped in mint green silk picked up a large quantity of dice and carefully shook them. Gently they were deposited into a container lid laid aside for that purpose, and while the humans scrambled to read the numbers, it took about half the time for Ileve to grin happily. "Again," she chuckled, while Elle had barely begun to sigh.

It was a daily activity on the ship, sometimes twice or thrice a day depending on how the tides of the warp were and how exhausted everyone was, to have the officers engage in this wargame against one or two of the magical girls. It was picked up years ago, and was a highly complex game involving a lot of thought. The sort of thing that magical girls, with all their thought-processing capability, could easily excel at. To compensate, it had been modified to the point where over half the game was entirely random, yet against Ileve in particular the humans still found themselves struggling.

"You haven't won yet," the captain pointed out, simultaneously pushing her chair back from the table to confer with the others. The magical girls did adhere to the rule of not using any enhanced hearing to listen in.

Ileve stood up and turned to face the two newcomers, stretching her arms as she did so "How are you two?" She asked, while Sechylia stared at the board, hoping to guess the next turn's events. Her azure eyes were covered by a pair of purely cosmetic glasses while a long, thin ponytail of similarly-colored hair trailed down her back, leaving much of her hair to frame her face. Ileve always had an analytic look to her, and though she was quiet, her interest in the world was a sharp contrast to Mila's general aloofness.

"Same as usual," Mila shrugged, "We'll be here for at least a few days, and I Juno will insist we take more time off after that, so I'm thinking of going down to Siothea and seeing if I can find myself some new books."

Wei pulled over a chair from another table and slumped down into it. "Well, a bit disappointed." She sighed, "Erwine's finally home, and so delighted but…I can't see any of that."

Ileve shook her head, "Don't think like that. I'm sure Erwine wouldn't mind if you came down yourself after a few days. She just needs some time on her own." She turned around to look back at the board, putting a hand on a hip covered by a single-piece green dress that ended at the knees. "This should be another half an hour or so, if you don't mind the commotion." She said.

"It's fine," Wei said as she slumped in her chair, "I could use the distraction."

Mila took a few steps forwards, running her eyes over the board. "This is new," She commented, "Never seen that pocket in the south."

"That was an interesting set of rolls a few hours ago," Ileve fell back into her chair and crossed her emerald-green stocking-covered legs, "Hasn't moved since then, and I honestly don't mind. She's about to get her entire army group encircled."

"She could still breakthrough in the center," Sechylia observed, pointing to the spot.

Ileve thought on that, "Probability's not on her side, but probability doesn't take sides." She swung herself around to face the table, "Alright then, I'll take care of that next turn."

Mila glanced over at Wei, staring blankly at the table. "Hungry?" She wondered. Wei nodded. "I'll go get you something." Mila decided, striding towards the door. It wasn't uncommon that they ate, though they didn't need to.

"Alright!" Elle shouted, "We're ready to go!" Ileve raised her eyebrows.

"That didn't take long," She observed, and Sechylia started to bounce up and down in expectation as the captain made her moves, stopping several times to converse again with her subordinates.

Already the massive pile of dice was starting to be put together, and after a few minutes of careful placement of pieces, Elle took the massive pile in her hands and once again spread them out into a lid. This time, Ileve was barely finished glancing over the results before a rousing cheer of victory from the humans filled the room.

Ileve shrugged, "Probability doesn't take sides," She reiterated matter-of-factly.


Compared to Erwine's journey, Nada's life had been the dullest thing in all the world. After she had recounted some of the more major events, she couldn't help but feel simply terrible. "I must be nothing compared to you," she whispered, "Just one person on a meaningless planet."

The inquisitor shook her head. "That's not true at all," Erwine insisted, "You're not meaningless. No one's existence is meaningless." They were coming near to the outer edges of the city's suburbs, which gave way suddenly to plains coated in snow. However they did not see that, merely witnessing the wall that surrounded the city rise up above them. Though Siothea wasn't a particularly enticing target and sat far from the warfronts, one could never be too safe.

The buildings came to an abrupt stop before the wall, giving way in the space of just one street to the imposing structure. "You've never seen over that thing, have you?" Erwine asked as they looked up at it. Nada thought for a moment, then nodded.

"I did, once. I got to see out from one of the taller buildings in the neighborhood. Though I may not be able to do much purely because of where I am, many people welcome the help of someone good at mathematics." She explained, clearly relishing the memory. "That actually wasn't very long ago, the family told me they'll send referrals to their own friends." A smile was on the girl's face, "So I guess that's nice."

"See, you're not worthless." Erwine said, proud of the girl, "And even if you were absolutely nothing at all, you'd still mean something. I only stand where I am because there are billions of people like you holding up the Imperium."

Nada blushed, touched by the girl's words. Laying a hand on her cheek to try and hide the growing redness, she stammered out, "Y-you really think that, don't you?" Erwine wasn't sure if the girl wanted to believe it or not.

"I do think so," Erwine confirmed. It was her turn to relive memories as she explained, "I came to understand that from those ten years that I spent out there. Well, I suppose that I never did feel that I had no reason to exist, but I did learn that there's so much to be gained with accepting yourself." Her hand reached up to pull Nada's away from her face. "It doesn't matter who or what you are, enjoy the fact that you exist, because there's so much joy to be gained from living."

The girl that looked older cracked a smile, and almost started laughing. "You're much wiser than you look," Nada commented, "I wish I could have that…though of course," She stared up at that wall, as though it were a symbol of that repression she felt, "I wish for so much."

"You shouldn't do that," Erwine told her. She turned all around as her eyes scanned the snow-covered buildings. "In all honesty, I think that there's a lot to be gained from just tutoring math on a quiet planet like this. Sometimes I wish I could just rest with my feet on the ground, rather than constantly traveling from one planet to another."

Nada frowned, "You don't regret contracting, though, do you?" Erwine paused facing away from the girl, and thought for a long few seconds.

"Now? No." She looked back to Nada, "Have I in the past? Did I once? Yes. But I haven't regretted it for a long time, and I hope that I never experience the feeling again." A brief gust of cold swept through, tossing Erwine's hair out behind as she said, "It truly is terrible." She smiled humorously, "This keeps looping back to me, doesn't it?"

That garnered a chuckle from the woman, "It does indeed," Nada agreed. She looked back up at the wall that rose above her, "Perhaps we should head back?"

"No," Erwine denied that, stepping forwards, "I'll give you a treat." She gestured for the girl to follow her after Nada hesitated at first. The two headed towards one of the wall's towers, the nearest point through which it could be accessed. "We always used to want to go to the top of this, didn't we?" Erwine recalled as they came up to the door. No guard stood before it, and the rapping of her knuckles on the metal called no one.

She shook her head. Next her voice raised and she shouted, "Somebody open the door." Erwine hoped that the sound would carry, and it most certainly did, for a man who didn't seem sure what he was doing opened the door in a couple seconds. As the haziness cleared from his eyes, Erwine was already holding up her gem. "I'm just showing a friend around, nothing to see." The mere sight of the jewel would be enough, but the Inquisitorial 'I' only hastened the man's response.

"Of course, ma'am!" The guard said, and took several steps back as his hands scrambled to yank his vox from his belt. Though Nada was intrigued by what Erwine had done, she asked no questions. As Erwine and Nada passed by him and walked to the stairs in the back of the room, they heard his frantic communications telling of the inquisitor's presence.

The battlements themselves were actually enclosed from the elements, a roof above ensuring that they were safe from overhead attack. However, for their purposes it was rather limiting. The gun ports were at least wide enough to gaze through, and it wasn't as though the place had a military atmosphere about it. Various furnishings lined the walls, everything from small stoves to sofas.

A few guards were sitting around in the middle of a game of cards, but were currently locked in stances of attention. Hurried footsteps from another direction called Erwine's attention to a man who bore insignia marking him as a lieutenant. "Is there something wrong, ma'am?" He frantically asked.

Erwine shook her head. "Nothing at all. Just walking with a friend, no need to tell anyone." She explained. The message was clear. The lieutenant was gone after a salute, the sort humans used, and Erwine briefly said to the other men, "As you were." They sat back down and resumed their activities, but wary eyes weren't torn from Erwine.

"Come along," the inquisitor said to Nada, eyes set on a relatively clean little section of the battlements. From further down the corridor, the lieutenant gazed, more scared of his job than anything else.

Nada stepped up to the open ports, and stared out at the scene before them. A few roads and train rails stretched out from the city into the distance, but that was the only trace of mankind beyond the wall. Otherwise, the world was almost featureless, save for the occasional bumps of hills and skeletons of trees, all the way to the horizon.

In a thoughtful voice Nada spoke, "If one were to just look out at this view, this city looks like the only thing in the whole world, maybe even the whole universe." She paused, "But in reality there's so much more out there, isn't there?"

Erwine nodded, "There is. I've seen so many amazing things that I sometimes wonder if there's anything that will impress me anymore." She shrugged, "But the thought doesn't make me side. The memories of those things I saw is enough to keep me going."

"The way you talk," Nada said, "Makes your life sound easy."

"If only," The inquisitor replied, "I'm looking forwards to this little break." Erwine herself found herself lost in the scenery before her. Though it wasn't anything prettier than other sights she'd seen, the mere knowledge that it was her homeworld that she stared out at was enough to swell up some nostalgia-like sensation. Nostalgia for that longing she'd had as a child to stand atop that wall and look over it.

But even as a child, she had flown far above it, and had seen the whole world from an even greater height. The two found themselves staring out in silence. Eventually, both became afraid to be the one to shatter that fragile quiet. The snow-covered plains, with snowfall still coming from above, were somehow amazing.

It would be Erwine who suggested, "Perhaps we should head back." Flinching at the sound, Nada looked to the girl and nodded in agreement.

"The sun will set soon anyways." She said. They turned away, and returned to the stairs that would lead them back down.

Ushering Nada ahead of her, Erwine looked to either side at the guardsman and said respectfully, "Thank you for your service, the Goddess Protects." Then she was following her friend downwards. The same words were said to the man at the bottom, before the two emerged back out into the open air.


Indeed, the sky was already beginning to dim. Though the sun was invisible beyond the barrier of clouds, it was just beginning its descent towards the horizon. Intention already decided, Erwine and Nada adopted a pace faster than before as they walked.

Erwine suddenly came to the realization that she'd forgotten an entire slew of questions she'd meant to ask. Gasping as they walked, Nada was at first surprised, mainly because she hadn't expected such a thing from the Erwine she'd come to know. But before she could wonder what was wrong, Erwine said in shock, "My parents." She looked at Nada and asked, "Nada, my parents, yours too, where are they now?"

Equally surprised by the fact that she herself forgot, Nada started, "Ah-um…" It merely took a moment for her to remember, but that second was enough to terrify Erwine. "They're alive still. Living further up town, if I remember correctly. What your Adrianne did for us was…truly something amazing. I hear they're off pretty well these days." Nada explained.

Erwine breathed a sigh of relief, nodding as she said, "Thank you. I'll have to go see them, perhaps tonight? Or tomorrow."

Nada nodded, "That's a good idea, probably tomorrow?" She suggested.

Erwine agreed, "I have plenty of time." They picked up their pace again as Erwine asked, "Are they still working in the factorums?"

They paused as a solitary car rolled down the street they were about to cross. Nada shook her head, "Not all of them. Our fathers are, but our mothers have since moved on elsewhere. Mine works cleaning houses a bit further up from where they live, and yours has settled down to educate herself. She's hoping to enter one of the academies and become certified as a teacher."

They crossed as Erwine smiled, her heart-warming by the second. "That's good," she said, "More than anything else, I want at least them to have happy endings." Then she further questioned, "They haven't had any more children, have they?"

Nada shook her head, "No, they haven't. Yours say that a magical girl is all they could ever ask for. Mine just want some quiet." She giggled, "Though they don't regret me, of course."

The inquisitor sighed, "This place is nicer than I thought, isn't it?" She asked. "Ten years ago, it seemed so tiny, but there really is more to it."

Her friend shrugged, "I don't know, sometimes it seems so big, and sometimes I wonder if I'll go anywhere else than here." She smiled, "But like you said, even if I don't, I'm still something, right?"

"Of course you are," Erwine said, quite sure that her ideas were correct. Nada didn't want them to be wrong, and she didn't want to not believe in them. Just in the past few hours, she felt like a newfound light had been introduced into her life. No, not introduced. Reintroduced. Erwine had been there, and it was only right that she had come back.

A few tears bubbled up to her eyes, and Nada wondered just how amazing magical girls were, for Erwine saw them before Nada was even finished reacting to their presence. The silver-haired girl paused and turned towards Nada, who stopped as her friend did. The inquisitor, a member of Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition, grasped the hand of her friend, nothing more than a math tutor on a relatively backwater world. "You're crying because you're happy, right?" Erwine asked worriedly.

Nada nodded, "That's why," She said, all too happy to admit that.

"Good," Erwine said, "Good," she repeated, unable to find the right words to explain just how overjoyed she was in that instant. It was a joy only grew stronger by the second.


Over the course of the past half an hour, her pacing had steadily changed from background noise to an active annoyance to everyone in the room. Though the game went on, tensions were wearing thin, at least for the humans. But even the magical girls, with all their power, were starting to become annoyed by Wei's incessant walking back and forth.

As the dice roll stopped once more, only for the steady beat of her heels to resume, all eyes fell on the girl, who didn't appear to notice their stares. Sighing, Mila stood up, walking straight ahead. She intercepted Wei in mid-stride, grabbing the girl by the arm and dragging her towards the door. "Mila!" she growled in annoyance, but a quick glance at the rest of the room quickly convinced Wei to exit for the moment.

The moment the door shut, Mila pulled Wei in front of her, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Wei narrowed her eyes, but caught herself before she said anything hasty. For a few seconds they paused in the hall, much to the worry of a single crewman coming down that way. A quick glare from Mila sent him scurrying around the corner. "I guess…" Wei started, muttering quietly, "I'm worried about Erwine. Worried a lot."

"Because she's come home." Mila stated, then guessed, "Because she'll be sad to go? Because it may bring back unhappy memories? Because she might regret contracting?"

Wei cut her off, "It's all that and more, I'm sure you know." She said quietly, "It's…" The girl said in distress, "I haven't been away from Erwine like this before. We've split up on cases, but we knew what we were doing and there was an objective and…" She took a deep breath, before calming herself and saying slowly, "I just don't feel comfortable letting her run around in her childhood, who knows what might happen to her?"

Mila reached out and laid a hand on Wei's shoulder. Gripping tightly, the girl smiled, assuring Wei, "Erwine's going to be fine. Believe me, I've been with her for the past ten years. She's not going to lose herself over this. This is only the culmination of everything she's worked for."

Wei understood that, and took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "I know she'll be fine, but…I guess I've learned not to be too sure." She explained.

The hand on her shoulder pulled away, and Mila suggested, "Want to go back in there with them?" After a moment without Wei giving a reply, she then asked, "Or would you rather go down there?"

"Siothea?!" Wei gasped, and quickly shook her head, "I can't-I mean-Erwine's there and she-"

"Obviously we'll leave her to herself," Mila said, "But it can't hurt to get on solid ground every once and while." She reminded her, "It was a month coming here."

Crossing her arms, Wei took a deep breath, "I'll think about it." She decided, before turning around and walking back down the hall. Mila stared at her back for a few seconds, before she turned around and stepped back into the room.


It wasn't the board. It wasn't even the pieces on the board nor the people on the other side of the table who moved them. It was the dice. The very thing that had been designed as the "balancing" factor in the game were what currently annoyed her.

Ileve stared intently at the board, mind racing to try and find some way of the situation she was in. One bad roll had turned the entire game again. Occasionally, her eyes flicked up from their intense stare towards those watching her think, which never failed to make at least one react in some way, be it subtle or overt.

Sechylia leaned over her shoulder, though she didn't do anything to assist. As she stared, the door opened and closed, and a brief check showed only Mila returning from the hallway. How is she? Ileve wondered privately.

Worried about losing Erwine. Honestly I can't blame her. However, she'll be perfectly fine. Mila replied as she settled back down in her own chair.

Are you worried about her? The girl with aquamarine hair questioned, focusing on the board but with one of her many consciousnesses speaking to Mila.

Mila shifted uncomfortably in her chair, an action that was out of the blue for those not involved in the conversation. Hesitantly, she replied, As much as I hate to admit it, a little. Erwine lets her emotions get to her. It's simultaneously her greatest strength and her greatest weakness. I don't think anything terrible will happen, but I wouldn't be surprised if our inquisitor was slightly less energetic than usual for the next month or so.

Ileve nodded, an action that sent chills down the spines of her opponents, but was in fact in reply to Mila. I concur. Ileve said neutrally, though hopefully she'll come out of this more confident in herself than ever. She gathered up the dice, ready to roll.

Indeed, Mila agreed, perhaps she'll even consider herself ready to continue…that.

The other girl let the dice go, pausing as she did so. Not due to the results, which Elle and the others set about pouring over. Slowly, she said, I do hope she'll be able to do that. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed the work I've done but…there is a pain that hasn't gone away.

In a way, she took my home from me, Mila said as the humans once again cheered, I do feel that this has been merely preparing us all. Once this is done, we'll put an end to Ishna and her legacy for good. As she said that, Mila knew that there was little reason to believe that the five of them could do anything that a task force assembled by the Grand Inquisitor herself couldn't do in the past nine years.

However, she thought to herself, we know this all ties back to Erwine. Theodora was probably correct, Erwine has to be there in order for things to move forwards. Ileve put her hands down on the table and stood up.

"Fine," she shrugged, "It's your win this time. Congratulations." With that, she stepped away and pushed the chair back in, before heading for the door. Sechylia followed after her.

Do you think we really can? Mila asked Ileve, right before the girl left.

The magical girl paused at the door, before turning to look back at Mila. Aware of the motion, the blonde glanced over her shoulder to see the determination on Ileve's face. We can. The girl affirmed, her conviction strong.

Mila turned her head forwards again as the door closed, while the humans settled down. Their victory had taken a toll on their minds, which only meant that the game was working was intended. Already, they were heading for the door to return to their rooms and rest.

Mila stood up, and announced, words aimed specifically at Elle, "I'll be going to find Wei. We might be going down to Siothea. I'll let you know if we do." The captain waved goodbye, exhausted, as the girl strode out the door, weaving through the others exiting.


Buildings rose up to either side of them, just as they rose alone every street in the city. The ground was already covered in inches of snow, but a fresh coat was descending from the grey sky above. A cold gust of wind came roaring down the street, whipping up their hair and any loose bits of clothing.

Erwine couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. However, it reached a bit deeper than what was seemingly a coincidence. For a moment, Erwine felt that she had experienced all those sensations before, but couldn't quite place when.

She felt something was behind her, her hypersensitive ears picking up on the sound of movement through the snow. Erwine whipped around, her blade reflexively flashing into her hand. No, not reflexively. The inquisitor felt not the usual rush of adrenaline that accompanied such an action. Rather, it was as though her mind felt it was what she should do.

Coming around the corner at the end of a street was a young girl, seemingly thirteen or fourteen, dressed in heavy winter clothing over a normal schoolgirl uniform. Her arms were held close to her as she shivered, her head turning about wildly, as though something chased after her. But she looked all around her, like danger lay everywhere.

Suddenly her eyes fell on Erwine, and she gasped. As the girl recoiled in fear, her feet tripped over one another and she fell down into the snow, hands continuing to desperately push herself backwards.

Erwine froze in horror as she saw the sight. A deep sense of dread pervaded every part of her being down to the tiniest particle as she realized where she had seen this sight before. This exact same sight, down to the motions she herself made. "A memory that hadn't happened yet…" She whispered, mouth dropping open in awe as memories of ten years before returned to her.

The other girl scrambled to her feet, turning to run from the sword brandished at her. Erwine shouted out, her magic running through the words, "Stop!" As though a switch had been flipped, the girl halted in place, before Erwine crossed the space in between with merely two great strides.

Embedding her sword in the ground point-first, she grabbed the girl by the shoulders, screaming her demand, "What do you see?!" Enough magic was in the words to force a magical girl several years older than Erwine herself to speak, and for a normal human teenager, it was enough to send her entire mind's contents spilling out.

"The world is twisting! And changing!" The girl frantically cried, utter terror apparent in her voice, "It's like a nightmare!" She kept rambling on, speaking of horrific sights that she'd seen for hours now.

It was then that Erwine realized what was happening. Cutting out any thoughts of Nada or Siothea for a moment, she looked at the world around her, and something, something, felt wrong. It was the way the world felt before a warp breach, in those critical last moments before the walls of reality were torn asunder and the surrounding space was forever altered. Plenty of reports had identified individuals who were unusually warp-sensitive, and could often see the world changing as the warp energies slowly pervaded realspace.

Her mind was working instantly, sending a wide-range telepathic signal across the entire planet. This is Inquisitor Erwine Braune. There is an attempt to form a warp breach underway. Nothing further is known. Initiate evacuation immediately, move all Adeptus Magica personnel and assets, including potentials, offplanet immediately. This is not a drill.

At the same time, another fragment of her mind was sending to the Yslevia, screaming orders to her subordinates, Ileve! Scan the planet now! We have a warp breach in progress! Get all ships away from the planet, issue evacuation orders!

Even as frantic replies came back asking for clarification, Erwine's attention was torn away by the screams of Nada demanding an answer, and a sensation of needles crawling up her back. Her head whipped to the right, looking up at the roof of the building. Nada was silenced by the sudden motion, her own gaze following Erwine's, only for her to flinch back at the sight of the figure there.

Gloved hands slowly pulled down a hood to show a face Erwine vaguely recognized from various after-action reports. Her eyes stared into those of the only person she knew to know of Ishna's plan. Lyndia sounded regretful as she said, "I do not wish to do this. In fact, I would rather that such horrific sacrifices be averted entirely." She shook her head, "But you must learn something that you have refused to accept for a long time." A moment of silence, "You cannot fight fate."

Brilliant wings spread out as Erwine clutched her sword and leapt upwards, reaching the roof in an instant. Lyndia stepped back from the wide swing of her blade, right into the waiting grasp of another girl. "We shall meet again," the heretic techmage said before she disappeared, "Then, you'll receive the answers you deserve." Then she was gone.

Order a lockdown on the system! Erwine shouted to her vessel above, mobilize all Navy vessels, prevent anyone from leaving! Send a message to the sect, up to MSOC, and to Juno! If any ship manages to leave, track their vector! She looked all around, mind spinning as she struggled to figure out what to do.

Getting Nada out, Was the first thing that came to mind. It was wrong, saving one person while so many others were at stake, but she would have to leave anyways. Send a shuttle down! Erwine ordered.

Already done. Ileve replied, I'm tracking massive amounts of activity all over the planet. They must have spent years slowly preparing for this if the climax is approaching this quickly!

I saw Lyndia, Ishna's techmage, she was just here in front of me. Erwine said as she leapt back down to the street, she's behind this, I know she is! Damn it! Rage flowed through her body, both at herself and at Ishna. Her hands came to her face as she tried to calm her hyperventilation, while the young girl had fallen down to her knees in fear.

"Erwine!" Nada shouted, "What's going on?! Who was that?!"

Nada. In a sea of chaos, that was the one thing that made sense to Erwine. The friend that she couldn't lose. To her, nothing had changed. Nothing was different, not yet at least. Erwine steadied herself and straightened her arms, balling her fists to reduce the tension.

She looked up at the sky, seeing the approaching shuttle in the distance, "We need to get out of here," The inquisitor said simply.

"What?!" Nada asked, following her line of sight but unable to pick anything out in the sky, "Why?!"

"Because I'm me, and the mere fact that I accept being me means that I must shoulder the burdens placed upon me." Erwine replied, as though that answered everything. "No matter how many people that might hurt." Tears were running down her cheeks. At this stage in the ritual, there was only one reply. With no Knight forces in the region, and since the world was not a strategic location, there was only one acceptable response.

Nada was completely confounded, but her attention was suddenly torn away by the roar of the approaching shuttlecraft. To Erwine, it felt like a nightmare, but she knew it all to be real. Slowly, she reached down to grab the young girl by the shoulder and pull her up, scooping her into her arms in a single motion. With the girl draped over her arms, Erwine looked up as the shuttle decelerated hard, barely enough to prevent it from slamming into the street.

The door was already down as it landed, and Erwine hurried up the ramp, depositing the girl within before looking back at Nada. "Come here!" Erwine shouted, the order not a magical one, but she briefly considered it when the woman hesitated. "Nada! Listen to me, you're going to die if you stay here!" She insisted, and that was when the first signs showed.

A foul stench suddenly filled the air, and a sound like a thousand screams suddenly echoed in their ears. The light of the world grew dim for a moment, then brightened, then dimmed. Nada stood frozen in shock, while the girl behind Erwine fell to the floor of the compartment. Her hands covered her eyes as she shut her eyes and curled into a ball, screams of pain erupting from her throat.

The inquisitor's wings spread as she leapt towards Nada. Snow blew up from the ground along her trail as she propelled herself to wrap her arms around the woman before leaping back over the same path into the shuttle. Go! She cried before she was entirely inside, and the craft lifted off, the door slamming shut as Erwine caught brief glimpses of other vessels escaping the city. The magical girls would live, being ready at all times to preserve their lives. But they would be leaving behind everything else.

"What's happening?!" Nada screamed at the top of her lungs, fear apparent on her face as she realized that something terrible was happening. She received no response from the Inquisitor, who stood silently with her eyes shut, as though she was deep in thought, even as the steep upwards acceleration of the shuttle brought Nada to the floor.

Erwine took a deep breath, pausing to listen to Ileve's message before replying to her friend. All PDG forces evacuating. We've alerted planetary officials, and they are moving offworld as well. All standard procedure. System on lockdown, no ships detected attempting to break these orders as of yet. We managed to send warnings before interference became too much, but we won't hear back till it dies down again.

Alright, keep them away from the planet, pick up any Adeptus Magica forces that need it, otherwise send them to the Navy vessels. Erwine turned to face Nada, staring into the girl's eyes as she heard the inevitable question come, though it came specifically from Wei.

Does the situation call for Exterminatus? The girl questioned, her voice solemn.

There is nothing else to be done, Erwine replied simply, before turning her attention to Nada. "A warp breach is about to form on Siothea. I know who did it, and I might even know why." She explained simply, "It will destroy the planet, therefore there is only thing I can do to save the souls of those who cannot escape."

Nada's eyes went wide. "What do you mean?!" she demanded, "You mean they're all going to die?! What are you going to do?"

"Commence Exterminatus," Erwine said, as though the word explained itself to a woman who had never heard it spoken. The shuttle rumbled as it pushed up through the atmosphere, only serving to dredge up further memories. Create a firing solution, she sent to the Yslevia, have it ready to go when I arrive. Nada didn't appear to understand. Erwine said nothing more, for while she knew the girl would have to know, she wished to let her remain innocent for just a few seconds longer.

Briefly, she remembered the first time she experienced zero gravity, and as both Nada and the young girl alike reacted in shock, Erwine couldn't help but feel that this was all planned from the very beginning of her life. No matter how twists and turns appeared upon the road she walked, they all lead back to the same path.

Soon the shuttle was touching down in the hangar, and Erwine leapt out as the door opened, knowing full well that Nada would follow her but also realizing that hiding the truth would only hurt her more in the end. She heard the girl coming after her, also knowing that in her childish inquisitiveness, the younger one couldn't help but follow.

Immediately joined by Wei and Mila as she exited the hangar, Erwine tore through the empty halls of the cruiser, set on reaching the bridge as fast as possible. None of them spoke. Both Wei and Mila knew that no words could sooth Erwine at this point. The only thing they could do was act as was their duty.

Sechylia and Ileve were both on the bridge when they arrived, staring at the image of Siothea clear in the monitor before them. There was no atmosphere of chaos, nor panic, nor fear. The room was silent and calm, each and every one of the men and women within understanding what must occur.

Erwine took a deep breath and shut her eyes, afraid to speak the words that would condemn so many people. Yet in the end, it was indeed the only thing she could do for them. The doors rolled up again, a pair of footsteps, those of an adult, walking in. "E-Erwine?" Nada asked frightfully, "W-what are you going to do…?"

Inquisitor Erwine Braune's eyes opened. She nodded, and a channel was opened to every vox listening. Before them, the planet was already starting to show the signs of the breach. A sickly glow permeated the upper reaches of the atmosphere, and every magical girl in the system could feel the warp energy slipping through the widening cracks.

Her voice betrayed no fear as she spoke. Gone where the hints of doubt and fear. Replacing them was a voice that carried an absolute understanding of what must be done, yet found no other emotion in the act. "I am Inquisitor Erwine Braune of Her Holy Majesty's Imperial Inquisition. In the name of Her Holy Majesty The Goddess and the people of Siothea, I declare Exterminatus upon the planet of Siothea. In the name of The Goddess, let this be done. The Goddess Protects, may She guide their souls." Nada's eyes opened wider and wider with every moment, till she eventually felt tears running down her cheeks. Were Erwine facing her, she would have seen the waterfall of tears that had already spilled.

The bridge doors rumbled open again. Erwine paid the sound no mind. A quiet voice beside her spoke something. The Yslevia shook, and it was with a bright flash that the atmosphere of Siothea ignited as the guns of every warship in the system opened fire. Another set of screams from beside her. Were she not so engrossed with the simultaneously terrifying and grand sight before her, she might have heard the words they spoke.

Erwine stared unwaveringly as the flames scorched all air and life from the planet. Still, that foul aura lit the world, and the stench of the warp still lingered. The vessel rumbled once again as the next volley went off, these munitions set on splitting the planet apart. Massive holes were bored in the surface, the torpedoes and shells burrowing deep underground before erupting in continent-cracking detonations.

More screams. Another volley. Cracks began to run through the planet's surface, clearly visible even from so high up. Another volley. The core began to collapse in on itself, massive sections of the planet collapsing inwards and erupting outwards. Erwine couldn't tear her eyes away. She did not want to, but even if she did she doubted that she could have. It was a sight too magnificent to turn away from.

Before their eyes, a planet was killed. Someone was begging for a reason why this had to happen. Erwine knew that the reason was simple, but people in times like this couldn't accept even the simplest of answers. In her stupor, Erwine felt that somebody spoke to her, but she didn't have the mind to reply. Gone was the happiness felt not even thirty minutes before. Gone was the exhilaration of overcoming so much to finally achieve such happiness. Replacing it all was the painful realization that she hadn't won anything.

"This was fated to happen," She whispered, "The wheels of fate were kicked unstoppably into motion long ago." Strangely enough, Erwine found herself feeling nostalgic at the words, and even felt that she was merely repeating someone else's. She froze suddenly, an image from what felt like an eternity ago flashing into her mind.

Dread welled in her heart, and it was with regret that she turned her head to the side to find a sight that she wished she did not see. For it was a sight that she had seen before, albeit from a different angle.

Standing before the young girl was an Incubator. I'm…the…girl in the dream…Erwine thought, the world suddenly spinning around as she acted purely on reflex. It was different, but still the same. A flash of light and a coalescence of shining particles brought her sword into her hand, and with a smooth motion the dream ended.

Blood splattered out in every direction as Erwine sliced the Incubator in half, a primal scream of terror, rage, and regret issuing forth from her throat. In but a single moment, and with a single thought, her entire life had been shown to be nothing more than a façade.

Siothea split apart, its fragments flying in all directions. Nada fell to her knees in horror, as every other pair of eyes on the bridge fell on Erwine. She didn't consciously move, but her blade moved nonetheless. Into smaller and smaller pieces she hacked the corpse of the Incubator, knowing that to make a wish to save a planet would only doom another world to despair, and also rejecting the cursed destiny that had been hers from the moment she was born.

Her screams wouldn't stop. Mila pulled the little girl from her, while Nada took notice and scrambled away across the floor in fright. They only stopped when a pair of arms embraced Erwine from behind, gently clasping the girl's hands and ceasing their motion. "Erwine…I'm here…" Wei whispered, but she didn't understand. She couldn't, for that dream that seemed so insignificant was shared only with Adrianne.

Erwine shoved her away, tears streaming down her face. On the monitor, Siothea didn't exist anymore. Nor did the billions who had dwelt upon its surface. The warp's taint was gone from the planet and the system, but in extinguishing that, she had extinguished so much more. In truth, she extinguished even her own free will, for to do all of what she had done was only to accept that she had no control.

In the midst of her grief, Erwine searched for, and found, the one thing that she could with absolute certainty blame. The name erupted from her mouth in a cry that filled the room. "Ishna!" In that moment, Erwine cast aside everything else she had ever felt for the girl. No more questions, no more ambiguity, none of that anymore.

In that moment, she felt only hate.