Chapter 31

Before she even opened her eyes, Flick knew something was different. Like something inside her had shifted. Yet it didn't feel like a violation. In fact, it felt like a part of her long broken had finally been fixed. She reached for her connection with her soul gem.

There was no response.

Flick's eyes snapped open, and she pushed herself to her feet. Clouds covered the sky once more, but these were far more sinister than Walpurgisnacht's storm clouds. The clouds themselves held a sinister aura, yet a blinding light poured out of them. It was far from any natural phenomenon.

Looking around, Flick saw the others waking up as well. All the Magical Girls except Carmentae and Avalon and been knocked out. Those two were on either side of Pace, and Avalon had a hand on Tabbris. They were all looking toward the horizon. Pace's finger was twitching.

"What . . .?" Flick trailed off as she followed their gazes. In the water was a massive figure, tall enough to reach the clouds. It was entirely black, looking like a silhouette. The only color came from a pink glow outlining the entire figure.

As for the figure itself, it was shaped in a way that Flick almost expected it to collapse. Strands of darkness, thin enough that Flick could see through the clutter, held up a girl's torso. Her arms were spread to both sides, ending in unnaturally long fingers. There was a dangerous smile on her face, and her hair almost looked like . . .

"Madoka!" The desperate, broken plea came from behind her. Flick spun around and saw Homura staring at the Witch with wide eyes.

"Wait," Kyoko spoke as she rose to her feet. "You mean to tell me that thing is Madoka?"

"What happened?" Mami asked. "Why did Madoka make a wish?"

"It was to save you." Avalon spoke in a dark voice, and Flick saw her hands were clenched. "Charmeine killed you all. Her wish brought you back."

"Then that's really . . ." Flick stared at the monstrous Witch. Right now, it wasn't moving, but that wouldn't last long. If it even approached Mitakihara, everyone would die for sure.

I died, and Madoka became this for me. For all of us. Flick wondered if she would have had the resolve to do such a thing. To make a wish knowing it would end in her becoming a monster.

"I have to go back," Homura whispered. Flick turned and saw the resolve in her face. "One final time. I'll keep the Seosten from discovering Madoka. I'll save her from everything that might threaten her."

"Homura . . ." Flick reached out, but the other girl pulled away.

"I'm sorry," Homura said. "I wanted this to be the end. You kept us all alive. But you promised you'd remember me, didn't you? We can end this." She met Flick's eyes. "I made a promise. I have to keep it, no matter what."

"You won't be able to," Avalon said. "Madoka saved all of you. She made sure none of you would suffer anymore. She only left me because I'm already safe, and I asked her not to revert me back as well."

Homura took a step back. "What are you talking about? I . . ." She froze. "No . . ."

"Homura!" Flick rushed forward, catching Homura just before she would have fallen. The girl was shaking in her arms.

"I can't go back," Homura choked. "My magic is gone. I keep trying to reach it, but I can't!" She looked up at Flick, tears in her eyes. "I can't leave Madoka trapped! I need to save her! Please, let me go back! Find a way. Your mom is a powerful Heretic, right? Have her send me back!"

"That isn't possible," Avalon said. "Time travel doesn't work that way. You're the only exception."

Homura whipped toward Avalon. "I have to try! Madoka's Witch is strong enough to end the world! She would never want that! I won't —"

"She knew," Avalon interrupted.

Homura stiffened. "W-what?"

"Madoka knew her Witch would destroy everything," Avalon said. "She spent the last few days preparing for the worst. Look." She pointed at Madoka's Witch. There was a second glow surrounding her, now. It was soft, yellow, and encompassed her entire being.

"What is that?" Sayaka asked.

"A spell," Avalon said. "One which is costing most of her energy, even in that state. She's still more powerful than even Walpurgisnacht, but we can stop her."

"How?" Mami asked. She hadn't taken her eyes off of Madoka's Witch. "We're not Magical Girls anymore!"

Not Magical Girls. That dark side of Flick truly was gone. Madoka had removed the curse stuck to Flick.

I need to repay her. In any way possible.

Flick shifted her grip on Homura, putting her hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry," Flick said. "It never should have come to this. But we can't let Madoka kill people. You know she would never want that."

"I know!" Homura shouted. She looked away. "Everything I've done . . . it only made her fate worse. I failed her."

No words came to Flick in that moment. Before she could find anything to say, Homura pulled herself from Flick's grip, stumbling a few steps away from her.

"Kyubey!" Homura then shouted. "Where are you? If my soul was put back, can't I make my wish again?"

"You're not going to find him," Avalon said.

Slowly, Homura turned her way. "What are you talking about?"

"The spell Madoka created," Avalon said. Though she tried to sound impassive as she explained, there was a clear forlorn tone to her voice. "There were two aspects to it. The first removed the effect which made Witches and Magical Girls invisible to Heretics and Alters. She said she wanted to make it so Magical Girls didn't have to fight alone anymore, so that Heretics could fix their souls. In most cases, having your soul removed from your soul gem severs any personal connection, so you can still use magic without becoming a Witch or dying when something happens to the soul gem." She looked at Flick. "I suppose it's different for Magical Girls who become Witches.

"The second part of the spell was isolated from the first. It's what's causing the greatest drain of energy. A banishment spell."

"Banishment spell," Pace said. She looked . . . anxious, tapping her foot and shifting her eyes as though scanning for something. "Like the one used on the Fomorians."

"They're similar," Avalon said. "And just like the Fomorian banishment spell took great amounts of energy, so did this. Madoka's Witch is using all her strength to keep the Incubators away from this planet. It won't be long before there's enough of her energy in the spell that it can stand on its own. At that point, Madoka's Witch will be free to gather her magic into herself again. We have to kill her before—"

She cut off with a grunt as Homura, suddenly in front of her, lifted her by the collar. Though Homura was no longer a Magical Girl, her own strength was enough for her to hold Avalon steady. All the while, she glared.

"We are not killing Madoka," Homura snapped. "I won't let you."

With a flash, Avalon transformed into her Magical Girl attire. A knife appeared in her hand, and once she spoke the enchanted word, her body had a slippery, metallic look to it. She fell out of Homura's grasp, deactivating the spell to land on her feet.

"This is what Madoka wanted," Avalon said as she straightened. "We wanted the spell to weaken her further, so we could bring her back, but we knew how unlikely that was. She was prepared to die!"

Homura took a step toward Avalon and gripped her shoulder, looking ready to punch her. "She was scared! She had no other choice! She never wanted to become a Witch!"

"Actually, Homura Akemi, this was what Madoka always wanted."

Everyone spun at the voice, staring at its source in a mixture of shock and confusion. In Pace's case, there seemed to be more to the look she gave the creature before them.

"You're not supposed to be here," Avalon said.

"It is true that most of my other bodies have been exiled from this planet," Kyubey said. "I'm using some of my own magic to keep this one here, though that won't last much longer."

"Kyubey!" Homura blurted. "You have to grant my wish!"

"I suppose I could, even though our quota has been met and our time on this planet has come to an end. Although, would you first like to know what Madoka Kaname has accomplished in this timeline?"

"I-I got forced out of Pace," Tabbris spoke up, bringing Flick's attention back to the werewolf-Heretic. Her eyes, which had been closed, opened at the sound of her name. What was going on with her? "I can't possess anyone now."

"Me neither," Carmentae said. "My soul gem is gone, too. I think I still have my mother's powers, but no more possession, and no more being a Magical Girl."

"That's right," Kyubey said. "Madoka crippled both the Seosten and Fomorian empires. She believed that taking away their greatest advantages would cause them to focus on each other, giving humanity time to prepare its own defenses."

"She sacrificed herself," Flick breathed. "Not just for us, but for everyone."

"Even so, I have to make my wish." She met Flick's eyes. "I'm sorry. I can't stop until I find the one way out. The one path that will save her." She turned to Kyubey. "Kyubey, I wish—"

"WAIT!" Pace shouted, drawing everyone's attention to her. "It doesn't have to end like this. We can still save Madoka."

"How?" Sayaka asked, her own voice a croak. Her gaze briefly shifted toward the Witch in the horizon, before snapping away. "Don't you need more magic than her soul has to put it back in her body? There's no way all of us would have that much magic, even if we were still Magical Girls."

Pace shook her head. "There is a way. We'll use the same source Flick's mom is using to keep Madoka back as we speak."

"Wait, Mom's fighting her now?" Flick's eyes widened. "We have to help her!"

"We will," Pace promised. She looked to Homura. "You too. You learned the spell to fix someone's soul. You and Flick together will be enough."

"Something is going on with you," Carmentae said, speaking up for the first time since Flick had woken up. "I thought you were acting strange, but I wasn't sure how. What are you planning?"

Any response Pace could have given meant nothing, in the face of her eyes tearing up. Smiling, she met Carmentae's stare, not giving any other response. Seeing that, Carmentae stiffened.

"It's too dangerous," Carmentae said. Her own eyes were glistening. "Whatever you're thinking of, you don't expect to come out alive. That's not worth the risk."

"Hey, Carmentae—" Kyoko reached out to put a hand on Carmentae's shoulder, only for the angel to slap it away.

"Don't touch me!" Carmentae yelled, scrambling away. "No one touch me! Don't make me hurt you!" Flick's stomach churned upon seeing her in this state.

You should speak up. Say something to stop this.

Except if their positions were reversed, would Flick want Pace to stop her? Flick had made countless tough decisions in the past month. She couldn't find herself regretting any of them, because they were the best choices she could make at the time.

What was the right decision now?

"Kyoko," Pace said, that smile still on her face.

"Huh?" Kyoko asked. "What is it?"

"I have two favors for you," Pace said. "I hope you don't mind."

"What are they?"

"Can you take care of Carmentae for me?" Pace asked.

"Stop it!" Carmentae began sprinting, reaching for Pace. "Don't do this, Pace!"

Before she could reach her target, a knife struck her leg. She fell to the ground in a heap.

"I'm sorry," Avalon said. "I didn't want to paralyze you, but you gave me no other choice."

Given who they were dealing with, it was surprising the attack had worked at all. Carmentae must have been that distracted, in that much pain. If Madoka hadn't repaired her soul, Flick had no doubt Carmentae would have turned into a Witch in that moment.

Flick couldn't bear to watch it. She hated herself for it, but she looked away from Carmentae's shaking form, focusing instead on Pace.

"I will," Kyoko said, her mouth set in a firm line. "There's something you have to do. Something you'll give up your life for. I understand that, and I won't keep that from you. If you're worried about Carmentae, don't. We'll watch each other's backs."

"Thank you," Pace said, though the second word came out in a sob. She wiped away her tears, taking a deep breath before speaking once more. "I'm going to make a wish. It's going to use up all of my magic. I can't become a Witch, or else the wording of my wish may cause it to affect every Heretic. Because if I'm a Witch, then the source I'm connected to will be damaged as well. We can't let that happen."

It was then that Flick knew what she was planning. And she could tell Pace's plan would work, at the cost of her life.

You really are the bravest here, Pace. I wish I could stop you, but . . . I know this is what you want. We owe you everything.

"There might be a way," Avalon said. "We can bring your soul back, and Gaia will fix any damage done to the Heretics."

Pace shook her head. "You don't know that for sure. Madoka's wish was incredible, but if the Seosten retaliate, we need Heretics at their strongest." She swallowed. "Kyoko, I need you to kill me before I become a Witch."

A howl rang across the docks, the anguish and despair overwhelming all who heard it. Carmentae didn't stop howling, and instead forced her quivering hands to push herself up. Her stability didn't last, and she fell on the ground once more.

"I'll do it," Kyoko said. Her eyes narrowed. "Now hurry up and make your wish."

"Right." Pace put a hand over her heart, closing her eyes. "Kyubey, will you grant my wish for me?"

"If that is what you want," Kyubey said, "then I'll grant your greatest desire as my last act on this planet."

In that moment, Flick realized that Sayaka hadn't spoken. Looking her way, she saw the blue haired girl biting her lip, looking back and forth between Madoka's Witch and Pace. She opened her mouth as though to see something, before closing it. Still, she whispered something, and though Flick was too far to hear it, she could read Sayaka's lips.

"Thank you. For everything."

"Thank you," Pace said, her eyes now open and focused on Kyubey. "In that case, I wish to have access to the greatest source of power which Heretics hold. I wish to channel all of its magic into me, to briefly control it as though it were my own. To be able to give Flick and Homura the power they need to save Madoka.

"Connect me to the Heretical Edge."