Chapter 30

Deep breaths. It's not over. You can still pull through.

Pace repeated the words to herself, but that didn't stop her heart from pounding. Charmeine was here, and if she chose to, nothing would stop her from killing them all. There was no easy way out, no beating her. Pace had been hopeless against Carmentae, so long ago, and she had barely held a fraction of an Olympian's strength. Already, Charmeine had struck down five of them when not messing around. Not even Joselyn would be enough to stop her.

I can't stay here. I have to do something!

"Pace!"

The sudden voice in her head nearly made Pace cut her throat on the blade. Fortunately, the person inside her prevented that from happening,

Tabbris?

"I'm sorry! Mom stopped time when I was e-eject from Flick, but we couldn't do anything without alerting Charmeine. All I could do was hide."

Hey, it's okay. We'll figure something out. Despite her words, Pace felt the terror and grief which threatened to overwhelm Tabbris. She rushed to reassure her. Madoka will bring them back. I know she will. Why hide in me?

Mom thought . . . she thinks the Empire might go for her after this. She wants me somewhere safe.

Pace looked at the blade centimeters from her neck. She certainly didn't feel safe, though from what she knew of Joselyn Chambers, the woman wasn't about to let them die.

Even so, Charmeine was smirking when she spoke. "You," she said, pointing at Madoka, "are going to wish for your friends back. And in case you're thinking of using a wish to destroy us, I wouldn't. We have a soul blaze set to engulf this entire city if something happens to us. In case you don't know what that is, it is a ghost fire that can't be put out normally, and can reduce the most durable metals to ashes."

"You bitch!" Carmentae snarled from her position. "How fucking cocky are you, to think you can control Madoka? Do you think you can actually handle a world ending Witch? Last I checked, you people haven't even been able to handle the Fomorians!"

Charmeine stared daggers at her, and Pace wished she could stand between them. "I hope you're prepared, Lie. When this is through, I'll personally make sure you're put through a living hell."

"I'd like to see you try," Carmentae snarled.

Charmeine opened her mouth to retort, before shaking her head. "It doesn't matter. You are of no significance. But I suppose I can assure you that we are confident in our ability to handle the Witch the girl will become. Because once her friends are alive again, she will enter a portal to an isolated planet, before her transformation takes place. She will be unable to do any damage there, and we will find methods to neutralize her. If that doesn't work, we'll simply drop her into Fomorian territory to do as much damage as possible. Should she not comply, the soul blaze will activate."

Pace scowled. She knew the Seosten were heartless monsters, but seeing how they didn't hesitate to ruin so many lives just for the chance at gaining a powerful weapon, she wished she could dismantle their entire society. They were evil, selfish, and the exact kind of creatures she became a Heretic to stop.

"As for you, Atherby," Charmeine said, glaring at Joselyn. "You will keep the children from interfering, or I will kill them as many times as necessary. I am only sparing them now to keep Kaname in line."

Joselyn narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything. Taking that as agreement, Charmeine focused her attention on Madoka once more.

"Wish for your friends to return," Charmein said, "and come with me. Otherwise, this city and your friends will be wiped out." She put a hand on Madoka's shoulder, making Pace shudder. "You should be grateful for this chance. You were destined to become a Witch no matter what you did. This way, you won't kill any of your kind. I believe that alone should be enough motivation for you to comply. Or do you believe you can control yourself as a Witch, and not destroy the planet within a week?"

Madoka, who had been silent up until this point, met Charmeine's eyes. From her angle, Pace could see the spark in them. That was enough for her to know.

The Seosten, despite all their preparation, were still underestimating Madoka.

Tabbris.

"Y-yeah?"

You mom. Joselyn. How did she use all those powers during the fight? She was banished not long ago by Heretic standards, right? She shouldn't be that powerful so soon.

"Oh! She, um, she spoke to the Heretical Edge. Or rather, the Reaper inside. He's not insane, and he's trying to help. He connected her to the Committee."

That sounded insane, but Pace wasn't surprised to hear it. Of course that much power would come from the Edge. How else would Joselyn be able to stand up against Crossroads' most powerful Heretics? She had the same powers as them. Powers brought together by the same machine which awakened Heretics, which was run by a Reaper of all things. One of the strongest Alters was running an even greater source of power.

Joselyn had found a way to make sure Crossroads weren't the only ones using that power.

I have a plan, Pace thought. Tell me this will work, and please don't let the others know.

Madoka stared down the woman who had hurt her friends so much. When Kyubey had told her they were dead and brought her to the scene, she could only feel horror. Now, the horror receded to the back of her mind, replaced by a single wish. Her desire to protect everyone—not just her friends, but so many more—screamed at her, reminding her what she had to do.

Even now, she could feel the spell lurking within her. It was odd, in a way, how her contract with Kyubey was only part of their plan. Her and Avalon had worked every night since rescuing Flick on this, and most of that time had been spent preparing the spell with Gaia Sinclaire.

When Sayaka had been turned into a werewolf, Madoka's entire perspective on magic had changed. She still believed it was a wonderful thing, an endless amount of possibilities which could bring hope into the world. But magic had an equal amount of potential to destroy everything she loved. So many innocent people, of all different species in the universe, were constantly threatened to beings greater than them. It was unfair, how even Magical Girls were hopeless against those such as the Seosten.

Magical Girls, Heretics, Alters, she wanted to save them all. But even a wish could only do so much. Above all else, Madoka had to inspire hope in others. Her friends could protect the innocent. Madoka had her own task.

And so, she stared directly into Charmeine's eyes. She refused to flinch or cower, wanting to make her intentions clear with her own gaze. Charmeine's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Will you still try something?" Charmeine balked. "Should your Witch begin to ravage this planet, our people would invade full force, enslaving as many humans as we can. No matter what you try, we will prevail in the end."

Madoka shook her head, turning away from Charmeine. Her eyes instead found Kyubey.

"I'm ready."

Charmeine's hand found her throat, lifting her into the air. The woman squeezed, almost hard enough to crush Madoka's windpipe. "Should you begin making the wrong wish, I will end you before it is complete. Do you understand, girl? You have no power here. Your karmic potential means nothing when you're still a pathetic little girl.

She dropped Madoka then, who landed hard. Even so, she kept herself from whimpering or clutching her throat as she stood back up.

"I know," Madoka said. "I'll make the right wish." With that, she faced Kyubey once more.

"Madoka Kaname," Kyubey spoke. "You are now the central point of karmic destiny from numerous different timelines. No matter how enormous the wish, you will likely be able to make it come true. So, Madoka Kaname, what is the wish that you will pay for with your soul?"

Madoka took a deep breath, knowing that there would be no return from this point on. Whatever happened, she would have to live with, maybe forever. Everything depended on her next words.

Madoka stepped forward, holding a fist to her chest.

"I wish to reverse the magic which killed my friends and misplaced their souls." She looked at Charmeine. "And any other magic of my choosing, until I become a Witch!"

Charmeine, who had been smirking during the first part of the wish, glared at her. "You—" she snarled, rushing forward to kill Madoka before her wish could take effect. Before she got there, the Seosten fell to her knees, eyes wide. In her neck was a large cut, blood pouring out of the fatal wound.

Slowly, the disbelief clear on her face, Charmeine turned toward Carmentae, who had cut her own throat with the blade trapping her.

"I am not a Lie," Carmentae spat. "I am Carmentae. And I am far stronger, far better, than you will ever be!"

Her mouth opened, but before a garbled word could escape Charmeine, Carmentae shoved the blade through her neck. As the weapon fell to the ground, Carmentae rose unscathed. As for Charmeine, her separated body and head slumped to the ground.

While all this had happened, Madoka had been glowing. A pink light had radiated from her chest, getting more blinding with each passing moment.

"This wish is unlike any other," Kyubey said. "As long as your soul gem shines, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. You could crumple empires if you wish to do so."

He was right. As Madoka's clothes changed into her Magical Girl attire, a shining pink and white dress, she felt all the magic in the universe. Each its own beacon, shining for her alone. With Charmeine's death, the soul blaze began to take shape, but Madoka snuffed it out. The task hardly took a thought, and it was only the beginning.

First, she reached out for the beacons of her friends. Their soul gems lifted into the air, the shattered pieces putting themselves back together. Each of their soul gems shone, before vanishing entirely as Madoka returned their souls to their bodies. She saved Flick for last, removing the curses that had rooted themselves in her soul before sending it to its proper place.

Already, her friends were starting to awaken. Homura was the first to open her eyes, now in her school uniform. She gasped at what she saw. "Madoka!"

I'm sorry, Homura, Madoka thought, before turning her gaze outward. There was one piece of magic she wished she could erase herself, but she couldn't. Not now. That was what the spell was for.

Instead, she reached the minds of all Heretics and Alters. Everyone who had lost their memories. In her state, Madoka understood everything about the rebellion. All that had happened made itself known to her.

With a thought, Madoka erased the memory spell. Everyone was starting to remember the truth.

That alone was enough for curses to creep in. Madoka didn't have to look at her soul gem to know it was darkening fast. There was more she had to do.

Reaching out into space, she felt the influence of the Seosten and Fomorians. Two powerful empires, with enough power to control or destroy the universe if they weren't fighting one another.

Knowledge came to her. The Seosten were able to possess others because of a genetic modification, originally made for the being known as Cronus. It went wrong at first, as Cronus consisted of a sick boy, his father, and the clone body made to heal the sick Seosten. Their merged form went insane, creating a virus which let all Seosten possess others.

Cronus escaped the Seosten, after merging with many of them. Then, he found and molded the Fomorians, using more modifications to make them the threat they were in the present.

Seosten and Fomorians. A great war, expanding across galaxies, all because of one being. In the end, though, that being was created by magic. He changed the Seosten and Fomorians through magic. All of their control came through magic.

Madoka could undo any magic. She could erase it all if she wanted. But she wouldn't. Heretics would find the right path one day, she was sure of it. With the rebellion restored, it would only be a matter of time. So she left the Heretical Edge intact, left Alters and Heretics in place. Even Magical Girls and Witches remained untouched by her, for she knew what the best path for them would be.

More than anything, the two great empires had to lose their control over this endless potential of magic. And so, Madoka undid the modifications made to them. She took away the genetic changes which let the Seosten possess other species. She undid the enhancements which made the Fomorians so powerful. She seperated every part of Cronus that still existed somewhere in the vast reaches of space.

The empires wouldn't be destroyed, but they would be greatly crippled. Heretics would be able to fight back, and when the entire truth came into the open, even the traditional Heretics would be willing to band with the rebels to face the threat. Because they would all know where the greatest dangers lied.

As for all the other evil out there, Madoka had to trust those who fought for the innocent. Magical Girls, Heretics, and countless Alters would rise to the task of defending civilization. Without the Seosten controlling them, and without the Fomorians in place to destroy everything, Madoka believed they would succeed.

And just in case, there was one Fomorian she was leaving with his power.

A pink beacon rose from her position, into the skies and stars above. It extended past planets, past galaxies, radiating across all of existence. Every living thing looked in that moment, and took in the sight of the universe changing.

Hope took order, changing everything. And that hope was matched by an equal level of despair.

Pain. It radiated through Madoka's being, to the point where there were no emotions. All she could feel was pain. There wasn't a source to it, and if Madoka still had a body, she couldn't connect with it. Only agony met her, on a scale unlike any other. She had taken away so much magic, and her own overcompensated to make up for the fact.

There was no other choice. Madoka had done all she could. She had to count on her friends, and her plan with Avalon.

I won't destroy the world, were her final cohesive thoughts. I believe in everyone. They'll stop me.

Maybe they'll even save me.

A/N: And there it is. I hope Madoka's wish made sense, and that her actions didn't seem out of place. I'm sure some are wondering why she didn't reverse the magic which tainted Witches, but that, alongside how she expects her own Witch to be stopped, will be explained next chapter.