It took a bit longer than I was hoping, but here's the latest update! Last chapter we passed 100,000 words, that's completely insane to me. This is by far the longest thing I've ever written (or ever plan to write lol). So bad news, I went swimming over the weekend and completely busted up my knee on a rock, but since I can't really walk, it is giving me the chance to work on stories! Mixed blessing I guess lol. Hoping it heals soon though, cause I'm getting sick of limping everywhere.
Thank you fanficfan107 and Guest for your reviews! Chapter song is "Walk Away" by Elysion.
I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.
Madoka and Gingka exploded into the room the moment Chao Xin jumped from his seat to grab Mei Mei mere seconds before she crashed to the floor. Breathing heavily, it took a few moments before they could register what they'd stumbled into.
"Mei Mei!" Madoka cried out, rushing over to where Chao Xin held the other girl steady. Her eyes were closed, unconscious.
Chao Xin struggled momentarily to pick up her dead weight, then carefully laid her down on the bed.
"What happened?" Madoka asked, looking fearfully at her friend as all thoughts of Celestia's ritual vanished.
Mei Mei's eyelids slowly fluttered open. She blinked hard, trying to place her surroundings.
It didn't take long. Reality came slamming back to her so hard she grabbed her head. She sat up instantly. "Oh my god! You guys, Celestia-"
Chao Xin cut her off. "You should lie back down and rest. I think it's best if we give it up for the night."
Madoka nodded, a wave of peace coming over her. She felt completely detached from what she was experiencing as the full strength of exhaustion following her adrenaline rush set in. "We can talk about everything tomorrow."
Mei Mei quickly propped up a pillow and resituated herself at their request. She wasn't quite prepared to stand up again just yet. Her breathing was heavy, frantic. She fought to control it, trying to breathe in slowly to stop the rapid outflow. She hugged another pillow close to her chest as though it would anchor her. "This is major. It can't wait." She suddenly noticed Madoka's face looked pale and strained.
"I think it can," Madoka said quietly. "I- I need a moment to process what we saw in the dining hall. I promise we'll tell you everything, but…"
"But what?" Mei Mei pushed. She gripped her pillow tightly and could feel panic rising up in her again.
Something big had happened. Mei Mei pondered what on earth Madoka and Gingka could have witnessed that would have the two of them so on edge.
Madoka swallowed hard. "We almost got caught. I can't believe we aren't dead." Gingka nodded, equally uncomfortable.
"It's midnight anyway," Gingka added, some color slowly returning to his face. "Let's get some sleep, and deal with this in the morning."
Mei Mei wanted to protest, but kept her mouth shut. They didn't have time for this kind of thing, but no one was going to listen to her now. She knew by the looks on their faces she'd really scared them by fainting. Chao Xin twitched every time she moved, as though he thought she might tumble to the ground again. It annoyed her, but at least he meant well.
Madoka and Gingka weren't exactly forthcoming with their information either. Mei Mei thought Madoka looked like she should be lying down more than her. Her own breathing had at least started to return to normal, but Madoka was still ghostly white. Mei Mei resisted the urge to spill everything right there, using one hand to physically clamp her mouth shut while the other continued to clutch the pillow. It didn't exactly help with her breath, but now she just felt like she wanted to throw up.
Instead, she mutely nodded her agreement. She had to consider the implications of what she'd learned before telling anyone about it. Of course, she had promised Chao Xin no more secrets, but double-checking the assignment and clarifying with Madoka first couldn't hurt. Inciting a panic only to find out she was wrong would only stress them further right now.
They were right. Sleeping on it, and looking at everything with fresh eyes the next morning was the best thing they could do.
Sick to her stomach, no matter what she thought, she suddenly knew exactly what was on that secret star map. Her old star map wasn't just positions of constellations in late December from hundreds of years ago. Her star map showed the exact positions of the stars on the solstice.
It was a wonder Celestia hadn't descended full of wrath upon her the moment she'd noticed the map was missing, as had happened with the book. She must not have needed it. She'd lived hundreds of years, Mei Mei thought bitterly. She probably had those positions long since memorized if the solstice was an incredibly important day to her.
Mei Mei closed her eyes. As soon as she woke up, she'd do her research then let everyone know.
She drifted off to sleep, wrapped up in nightmares about Celestia standing over her at the lake, laughing as Mei Mei slowly felt herself being released from her body.
Madoka stared at the ceiling. The past few hours had been filled with minimal sleep and garish dreams. It was barely five in the morning.
Through the thin veil of misty light leaking through the window, she could see Gingka still sleeping peacefully on the floor. They'd covered him in what blankets they could find so he wouldn't spend the night freezing and given him whatever extra pillows they could find. Chao Xin had taken the extra bed that used to belong to Lera. Knowing that Celestia and her clan were out prowling the halls, it was a lost cause for them to go back to their room now. Only death awaited them outside the dorm.
Madoka didn't dare think of what might happen if they didn't find a way out in the next few days. The morning sun was only a reminder that time was slipping away from them faster and faster now.
She flipped over on her other side, shutting her eyes tightly trying to block out all light. There was no way she'd be getting to sleep now, but a few more hours separated her from being able to go to breakfast.
Her stomach rolled. She wasn't even sure if she could go back to the dining hall. Maybe someone would be willing to sneak something back for her-
"Madoka?"
Her name was spoken as a soft whisper. Madoka repositioned herself to face the other beds. "Mei Mei?"
"Oh good, you are awake," Mei Mei replied. Madoka noted her voice was shaky. "I have to tell you what I found out last night."
Madoka flashed back to Mei Mei passing out on the floor. "What was it?"
It had to have been something massively important and shocking for Mei Mei to have a reaction like that. Madoka wondered what possibly could have affected her so much. The thought made her already anxious stomach churn all over again.
"You said Celestia was planning on bringing everything to an end by the solstice, right? Well, I was looking over one of our assignments, the nighttime sky observance. It's set for the night of the solstice. Celestia wants us all out there by the lake so she can finish the job."
Madoka's heart lodged in her throat. She sat up, nodding. "That's right. Gingka and I heard her say almost the exact same thing while we watched her. She said she had three special sacrifices prepared, too."
Mei Mei let out a weak laugh. "It's too bad we didn't figure this out sooner. We could have saved you and Gingka the trouble of sneaking out last night. But at least now we've come to the same conclusion."
"It's okay," Madoka said, not really letting Mei Mei's words sink in. She and Gingka had needed to bust in to the kitchen. She refused to believe anything else. She couldn't. Their late night risk had been one hundred percent necessary and to consider that they'd almost died for no reason was unthinkable. "We still learned more than we would have otherwise. Celestia has her own cult behind her. She held some kind of crazy ritual."
"Ritual?"
"She was a priestess hundreds of years ago, remember? I think it was a ceremony for whatever goddess she worships."
"I don't know what you guys are talking about, but it's making it really hard to get any sleep."
Chao Xin shifted, pushing the covers off. He stood up, only to step on something squishy that hadn't been there before, eliciting a yelp from Gingka. He jumped back.
"Oow!" Gingka rubbed his shoulder, wincing. "What was that for?"
"My bad," Chao Xin apologized, trying to hide his grin. "You should've taken the bed if you roll around so much in your sleep. I would've slept on the floor if I had to. Anyway, what's going on?"
Mei Mei's own smile vanished instantly.
Taking a deep breath, she laid out the nightmare plot she'd uncovered, Madoka confirming with her own experience that Mei Mei had figured out the truth. Chao Xin listened, a grim expression crawling over his face. Gingka failed to mask his own despair.
Madoka clenched her fists. All they had learned was that they were in even more danger than they'd initially thought. They still had yet to make headway on how to get away. Impending disaster was creeping closer with every passing second.
"Should we try to go out again tonight? Maybe there's still a chance we'll be able to find a car," Gingka wondered.
Madoka glanced at the window, still emitting a wispy light. Several snowflakes slipped to the ground, lying on top of the bed of white already covering the ground.
Chao Xin was thinking along similar lines. "It'll be tough. It's still snowing, and you can guarantee it's freezing outside."
Madoka nodded. She clutched her blankets closer around her, wrapping herself as tightly as possible. "With these clothes, I don't know if we can stay out for more than twenty minutes without risking hypothermia." Not surprisingly, their school uniforms didn't exactly come with much for the cold weather. It wasn't like the staff wanted them going outside in the winter months.
She didn't bother including the other detail that was dominating her thoughts: after last night, Celestia would assuredly leave a contingent behind to patrol the halls in the nights leading up to her grand finale. Forget cold weather, that was the real danger they were facing.
She wanted to curl back up in bed and sleep until this terrible dream was over, but life wasn't that easy. They weren't trapped in a dream. This was really happening. She admired the others for their strength and willingness to push forward, even with the odds stacked so high against them.
"We should probably get something to eat," Mei Mei tried, hoping to lighten the mood.
A strange look had crossed over Gingka's face. "Do we have to?" The others turned to face him in shock. "What? I really don't want to go back down there yet."
Madoka was hardly surprised at Gingka's refusal to return, even if there would be food waiting for them. She took advantage of the situation. "Agreed. I don't think I can look at that place right now." The image of the secret goddess statue swam in her mind. Now that it was daytime, the room would have returned to its double-life as a school lunchroom, but she knew the terrible truth. It would continue to haunt her as long as she stayed. She would never forget it.
"Have you guys forgotten? The dining hall still isn't open," Chao Xin reminded them.
Mei Mei stood up, pacing. "Well I can't take any longer being stuck in this room. It'll be open in less than half and hour. There's no reason we can't go out now. I'm sure the library has people in it with exams being this week; let's go kill time there."
Chao Xin made for the door as Mei Mei was disappearing behind it. Madoka would've liked to have to the same, but she knew the only way for her to really clear her mind was to get away from the castle. Even going outside on the grounds would only help so much.
Instead, she smiled faintly, knowing that Mei Mei had found someone- regardless of whether or not Mei Mei would ever admit it- that would look out for her no matter what situation she managed to get tangled up in.
Madoka found herself almost jealous of Mei Mei. In the face of so much danger, in spite of the things she'd just learned on top of everything else, she was still willing to step out into the castle halls, if only to keep from going to stir crazy. Madoka felt like a coward. Part of her never wanted to leave the dorm room again.
"Madoka." Gingka's voice jarred her away from her thoughts. "Even if we find a way out of here, I'm sticking to what I said before. I'm not leaving without my friends."
"I expected that," Madoka responded quietly. "If we do find a way out, I'll do whatever I can to include them in our plan."
The room fell silent again. Madoka understood it was useless to attempt to convince him otherwise, and besides she wouldn't have wanted to anyway. His loyalty was unwavering and she respected that.
She hadn't been lying to him. If they escaped, and managed to bring more people than anticipated with them, it would be a strike against Celestia.
Madoka wanted nothing more than to put the fake headmistress in her place. She understood how impossible that fantasy was, but she couldn't shake the idea of everyone getting away.
She smirked, unable to even try and take herself seriously. Who did she think she was? Some great hero? Hardly. Getting away was such a joke. She'd be lucky if she could save herself, let alone Gingka and his friends. There was no way she could win. Madoka didn't understand why she let herself believe such things, why she ever bothered getting her hopes up.
The only chance she could think of with a possible hope of saving them was a last minute, last-ditch attempt for freedom. She wouldn't mention it unless it became absolutely necessary. She was fairly certain the idea might end up being a death sentence for all of them. Madoka wasn't quite ready to come face to face with the responsibility for something like that.
Although, admittedly, it was looking more and more like no matter what they did, the only thing awaiting them was that death sentence.
While she sat on the bed lost in her own thoughts, Gingka had joined her, taking her hand once more. The gesture had become so common, so normal, that she barely noticed it at all.
Madoka refused to give up. They had come so far, and she wasn't about to throw in the towel and let it all be for nothing. Looking at Gingka, she remembered that twice now the two of them had escaped Celestia unscathed. There was nothing stopping them from doing it a third time. She hated that she'd allowed herself to fall into despair like that. Celestia hadn't won yet. If she let herself start thinking like that, then the battle would already be lost. She couldn't let that happen.
Not when she had so many people counting on her, so many friends who truly and deeply believed in her.
She absently picked up a book with her free hand and started flipping through it to distract herself. She found her schedule wedged into the middle of it and smiled at the faint memory from September when Hikaru had regarded her with shock upon discovering how many science classes Madoka was planning on taking.
She stared at that piece of paper, as if everything would sudden fall into place, like there was some secret clue- yet another- that had been hiding in front of them in plain sight all along.
But this time, there really was nothing.
All the while, Gingka watched her closely. She was fully aware of his proximity, leaning into him a little.
Madoka pushed her hair back. She'd been fighting the feeling for weeks now, knowing her time was limited. She wanted to let Gingka know how she felt, and she was positive he felt the same way, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It would be too final. With everything going on and her emotions mixed up, Madoka knew she wouldn't be able to admit anything to him without getting too choked up.
That wouldn't be fair to either of them, especially now. She couldn't let her feelings get in the way of things, not with the stakes as high as they were.
So she leaned on him, using him to steady her as they watched the snow continue to fall in utter silence.
The next few days passed without event, without incident. There was no obvious danger, no body waiting to be discovered in an alcove as had happened so many times before. The air itself seemed to have changed. An odd calm-before-the-storm feeling had settled over the school. Students were absorbed with prepping for and taking their end of semester exams. The library was packed every night and the dining hall emptied well before it closed, students hoping to cram in as much last minute studying as possible. From the outside looking in, everything would have looked completely normal.
For once in her life, Madoka was unable to relate to any of it.
Madoka could barely focus on the algebra test in front of her. Math was the last thing on her mind as she numbly filled out the test, knowing it didn't mattered how she scored. Numbers floated off the page as soon as she scribbled them down.
Madoka racked her brains, desperately trying to come up with anything, any solution that would allow them to leave Starlight Academy with their lives. She tried to think of a way to include Gingka's friends, knowing if they didn't come, she would lose him, too. Hyoma, Kyoya, and Masamune were still blissfully unaware of the fate fast coming for them, but she wasn't about to clue them in to it until there was either a solid plan, or time was up. After she and Gingka had narrowly escaped Celestia in the dining hall, it was even more perilous to keep bringing people in, lest Celestia catch wind of what they were up to.
She still couldn't believe they'd survived that night with their lives. They should've been dead. She constantly fought that feeling, some dark, demented part of her wondering if it would've been better that way.
She slammed her eraser into the desk. It wasn't true. If she and Gingka had lost their lives, Mei Mei and Chao Xin would have been completely alone. For anyone to survive this, it was going to take all four of them. Abandoning the others for certain demise, even if it were "easier" was unforgivable.
She just wished she could've given the others more. Living through that night had been cruel; they'd gotten some real answers, only to know there was still nothing they could do.
On what could be their final evening, Mei Mei and Madoka said good-bye to Gingka and Chao Xin as they left for their own respective dorms.
It felt strange not sharing a room with the boys. The four of them had spent so much time together that being separated for an extended period of time made it feel like there was a large gap missing. Most nights lately had been spent with everyone in either one room or the other, as if safety in numbers could actually help them in such a situation. This night, though, they each had their own matters to attend to. The nest of blankets on the floor, Gingka's typical sleeping spot, had since been picked up.
Wordlessly, Madoka and Mei Mei locked eyes, knowing exactly what they had to do. They dumped everything out of their backpacks, refilling them the way they had the night so many weeks before when they'd discovered the defunct school bus.
Madoka shoved as much warm clothing as she could into the bag. After, she laid out her clothing for the morning, making sure she'd be as bundled up as possible. The school's colors mocked her as she worked.
She wished she had taken some canned goods or anything else that wouldn't expire too quickly when she'd been in the kitchen so they would at least have something to keep them satiated for a little while. Madoka doubted she'd have much of an appetite when she woke up.
Mei Mei tried to speak, but became too choked up. Madoka blinked tears out of her own eyes.
Madoka resumed her packing. All around her, textbooks and various notes were scattered about, some on her bed, others lying uselessly on the floor. Her cosmology in particular caught her attention, with its rainbow of sticky notes peeking out. She regarded them bitterly, wishing she could find it in herself to hurl the book across the room. They had learned so much in the last month, but it just hadn't been enough. Her anger would solve nothing, except maybe to draw unwanted attention should she unleash it on the room the way she wanted.
It was well below freezing outside; there was no way they would be able to leave tonight. Icicles dangled outside their window, mimicking bars that kept them locked in.
They had one last chance left. In the early morning chaos, they would make their final attempt. It was all they could do, the plan Madoka had been hoping they would be able to avoid. She hated it had all come down to their last resort.
Ultimately, there was nothing else they could do. Fighting simply wasn't an option. They were outnumbered and outmatched.
If they didn't get out in the morning, they would never see the sun rise again after that. Madoka's mind flashed back to Hikaru breaking into the office so long ago, letting them know they were so many miles away from any other civilization and that escape on foot in itself was essentially a death sentence.
She remembered Sophie and the faces they had all seen in the mirrors that somehow managed to resemble their classmates that had gone missing. Once upon a time, they had thought it had only been Lera playing a twisted trick on them.
Madoka crawled into bed and finally accepted that tomorrow may be the last dawn she would ever see. All the same, she would not stop fighting until the end. She'd give it everything she had, no matter how hopeless it seemed. Because she knew every single one of her friends would be doing the exact same thing, and she wasn't about to be the one to let them down. As much as she kept going back and forth in her own head, between despair and desire to fight, Madoka knew which mindset would be ruling her. A faint smile from Mei Mei as she turned out the lights told her the other girl would be with her the entire time. She closed her eyes.
Madoka woke up, dreading the sunlight that flooded the dorm room. Mei Mei was already despondently staring out the window. They'd been so confident the night before, but now it was time to face the music. The countdown started now.
The day of the winter solstice was upon them.
There were less than twenty-four hours separating them between life and certain doom.