Les Fleurs du Mal – With No Regrets
Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Puella Magi Madoka Magica. All Madoka-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of Studio SHAFT and Gen Urobuchi.
[-]
"I…I don't believe you," said Homura, backing away automatically. Even though there really wasn't any place to back away to.
Staring at the only other person on this plane of existence was like looking into a funhouse mirror. A window into the time…before.
Before she started on this sojourn through time and space. Before her heart had been hardened from battle after battle, replacing the shy, clumsy nerd girl before her with a cold-blooded killer.
Before she'd allowed the darkness of her infinitely repeating mission to consume her, and accepted her role as the Devil.
If the other Homura – to keep what tiny shreds remained of her sanity, she mentally termed her "Glasses Homura" – was phased by this reaction, she didn't show it.
Instead she crossed her arms and asked calmly, "What part about it don't you believe?"
"Everything," the Devil all but spat. "You come to me in this form, but…you're obviously just an illusion. Some unseen enemy playing tricks on me."
Glasses Homura let out a small sigh.
"I suppose I can't blame you for being skeptical. I'd react the same way," she said. "Fine then, a test. How about I tell you some things only we would know?"
She cleared her throat and began, "We secretly think Mami-san makes her tea too sweet, but we've never told her for fear of hurting her feelings. Our first crush was on Hikari Yagami from Digimon…the 02 version. And our deepest, most secret fantasy that will never in a million years actually happen is the one where Madoka ties us up and…"
"Fine! Fine! You don't need to keep going!" the Devil groaned, her face turning beet-red. Curiously, so did her counterpart's. "I'll accept…that you clearly have access to my memories, at least. Which I suppose amounts to the same thing."
Of course, even as she spoke these words, the analytical part of her mind was whirring in the background.
Despite being a dead ringer for herself at the very beginning of her quest, this Homura didn't act much like that girl at all. No stuttering, no awkward pauses. It was like the cool confidence she'd warn like a mask in later time flows had been grafted onto a facsimile of the early ones.
If she wanted to know more, the Devil supposed she didn't have much choice but to ask directly: "So which time flow are you from, anyway?"
"The same one as Tamaki-san and Nanami-san. I'm surprised you didn't figure that out immediately," said Glasses Homura. "I believe they've already given you the major details. How our universe is connected, but not beholden to, the Law of Cycles. So when the Goddess decided to spring the Incubators' trap, she sent two of her Messengers as 'insurance.' One of whom, by the way, was Cleopatra VII, so that made for a bit of a shock…"
The girl raised a fist and coughed into it. "Sorry, I'm getting off-topic," she added, a bit sheepishly. "Anyway, neither the Goddess nor her Messengers can directly step foot in my native world. So they needed a…a middleman, I guess you could say. Someone to play mission control while Tamaki-san and Nanami-san hopped realities."
"And naturally, that role fell to you," the Devil finished for her, her lip curling. "Look, I still don't know how much of this I believe, and I don't have time for long-winded stories regardless. I need to get back to Madoka."
Her eyes narrowed to fine points as she whispered, "So just get to your point already. Why are you here?"
"If your powers followed this connection back to me, then you know that better than I do," responded Glasses Homura. "It means that whatever lies you might be telling yourself…your confidence in them is wavering. And if you won't listen to anyone else asking you to change your path…"
The girl walked forward, one plodding footstep echoing after another, even though there were no walls in this place for the sound to bounce off. No floor either, for that matter.
"Then maybe you'll listen to yourself," she said, placing a hand on the shoulder of her straight-haired counterpart. "I'm here to represent a possibility that I'm willing to bet you've never even considered."
The Devil threw off her counterpart's arm, regarding her coldly. "And that is?" she all but sneered.
A change came over Glasses Homura's face in that moment. The childish pigtails and cheap, outdated-prescription glasses remained. But the steel in her expression was now a perfect mirror to that of her alternate self.
"That Homura Akemi can be happy," she told the Devil.
[-]
Madoka Kaname sat alone on the roof of Mitakihara Middle School, knees pulled up to her chest and staring listlessly off into the horizon.
Lunch period was over, so she should've been back in class almost half an hour ago. But she simply couldn't muster up the energy to go.
Compounding the issue was that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make her clothes revert to their original form. She was stuck in this poofy, impractical – though admittedly rather cute – dress, and she couldn't imagine taking it to math class. People were probably already talking about her spontaneous transformation in the cafeteria.
The very thought made the middle-schooler burn with embarrassment, though admittedly that was also probably the least of her concerns right now.
Madoka let out a long, ragged sigh, the events of her last conversation with Homura playing out in her mind on loop.
Was it right that she'd been so strict with her? Put her foot down and given her that ultimatum? Or had she just driven her girlfriend even further away?
She reminded herself of how this day began: researching the symptoms of clinical depression, and resolving to help the other girl through them. Their argument in the bathroom had been just the opposite of that.
Guilt gnawed at Madoka's gut like a wild animal. The last thing she wanted to do was push the other girl toward another breakdown.
Yet she had to forcibly remind herself that Homura Akemi was no ordinary depressed teen. She had magical powers that could alter memories, and who knew what else. Magic she'd used on Madoka herself at least once…and possibly far more.
With that detail in mind, her mental illness didn't just make her a danger to herself, but everyone around her. And while absolutely none of it changed how she felt about the gorgeous girl, or her willingness to help…
It did mean she had to tread carefully.
Madoka hated this feeling. Like she couldn't trust the girl she'd come to cherish above all others. Like there was a part of Homura Akemi she needed to be afraid of.
She tried to be generous with her wild imaginings, which'd been going haywire ever since lunch. Homura obviously understood far more about this "magical world" than she did. For all she knew, there really was a perfectly good reason why making her forget she was a Magical Girl was the best thing for her.
Yet Madoka couldn't help the part of her that felt…violated.
All her life, she'd been acutely aware of how useless she was. Watching incredible people like Homura or her mama achieve greatness through a mixture of inborn talent and indominable strength of will – neither of which Madoka possessed an ounce of.
It was part of why she'd latched so hard onto Magical Girl shows. Madoka knew she was hardly the only toddler in Japan who'd grabbed a hairbrush, twirled around, and shouted, "Moon Prism Power! Make Up!" at the top of her lungs. Once or twice or a hundred times.
But for her, shows like Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura or Pretty Cure carried more meaning than just the transformation sequences and colorful fights. They represented an ideal: that things like kindness, and honesty, and the power of friendship were the greatest powers of all, and could elevate anyone into a true hero.
If she could just be like that, her young self had thought, then she could truly be happy. Someone who defended the weak and saved people from disaster.
To discover that some version of her had actually managed to achieve that dream…and that Homura had taken that away from her…
Madoka forced herself to take a deep breath. Homura had promised to tell her the full truth tomorrow. She'd promised.
And while it was clear that her girlfriend wasn't above keeping secrets from her…well, she'd never broken a promise, had she?
What it came down to was whether Madoka still had faith in the raven-haired girl. Not whether she should. And the answer to that was simple.
As hurt as Madoka felt right now, she knew that it wouldn't last. Not once she saw Homura's smile again. Those rare little rays of sunshine, reserved only for her.
If there was one thing Madoka would never doubt again, it was how much the other girl cared about her.
Still, she wished she could talk this over with someone. Her parents would be ideal, of course, but they were mid-flight right now. Her aunts were busy with paperwork for their jobs, so she didn't want to bother them. And she still hadn't seen Sayaka-chan or Kyoko-san all day.
Hitomi-chan and Kyosuke-kun were probably back by now, but talking to them – or Kazuko-sensei, who might honestly give good advice if she could manage to stay on topic – meant braving the classroom, and Madoka wasn't strong enough for that yet.
She'd even tried calling the number that therapist, Doctor Tenjou, had left her after their session. But for whatever reason, the phone just rang endlessly.
Funnily enough, she'd first come up to the roof because she'd been following…a feeling. A hint of an inkling, poking at the edge of her brain, that up here she'd find a kindred spirit.
But her instincts had clearly been off the mark, because there was clearly no trace of any other living being. Worse, the handle for the door had gotten twisted-up somehow, so that while she was able to force herself through one direction, it absolutely refused to budge in the other.
Meaning Madoka was stuck here, alone, with absolutely nothing to do or anyone to contact. Not the best conditions when her own mind was already spiraling.
"I just wish there was someone who understood…" she said miserably, pressing her face into her hands.
PERHAPS I CAN ASSIST WITH THAT…
MADOKA KANAME.
[-]
"We have to move quickly," Sayaka told the other girls, glancing around the next corner both ways before waving them forward. "Devil Girl's obviously onto us, so we should be ready for another attack at any moment."
"I'd make fun o' ya fer goin' full Metal Gear…" said Kyoko, eyebrows raised as Sayaka did, indeed, hide briefly under a discarded cardboard box. "But after that giant mouse thing, yer probably jus' the right amount o' paranoid."
Mami brought up the rear, still feeling rather out of sorts. She'd only had her full memories back for less an hour, so even moving through the city in the normal way would've been pretty overwhelming.
Dashing between alleyways, empty storefronts, and the undersides of parked cars only compounded the problem.
Still, the steadily lowering sun gave them a time limit for this subterfuge. They needed to reach Madoka-san and Homura-san before dusk, and then…
Well none of them really had a firm plan beyond that point. But that it needed to start that way – with the five of them in one place – was something they each felt instinctually, right into their bones.
"Anyone else kinda weirded out by how few people we've run into?" asked Sayaka as they turned onto yet another urban street, where indeed, only a handful of people were milling about. "I mean, this is downtown Mitakihara and it's the middle of the day. This place should be packed."
"Walpurgisnacht does appear as an ordinary, if incredibly violent, storm to regular people. Perhaps an announcement to evacuate has already gone out," Mami said reasonably. "Though if so, that only casts the ones that are still going about their business in a stranger light. Did you see those two we passed a few minutes ago? I don't ordinarily like to comment on people's appearances, but was her skin…pink?"
Kyoko stopped short. "Wait, ya seriously didn't recognize who that was?" she demanded, staring incredulously at the other two girls.
When Sayaka and Mami returned only blank looks, the redhead looked like she might have a fit.
"Goddamn philistines! Watch somethin' made outside yer own country once in a while!" she exclaimed. "That was Princess Bubblegum an' Marceline. Y'know, from Adventure Time? Geez, once this is all over I really gotta sit ya guys in fronta a definitely-legal streamin' service an' definitely-legally catch ya up on some quality western toons. Cuz they ain't the only ones."
She jerked her thumb toward a busty blonde with a prosthetic arm and a black-haired girl with a conspicuously large bow crossing the street. "Yang an' Blake…"
Another blonde, this one cheery and pink-faced, and a goth-like girl with purple bangs. "Rose an' Juleka…"
One last blonde girl, this one unnaturally tall with a sword strapped to her back and…wait, did that one have a tail? "Adora an' Catra."
Kyoko took a long, deep breath, clearly torn between feeling proud and unnerved at being the quickest on the uptake for once.
"So either there's a con in town I somehow missed the memo on, an' a buncha random Americans are bringin' out their cosplays early…" she said. "Or somethin' majorly cuckoo-pants is goin' on. An' I think I know what."
"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Sayaka responded dryly. She was tapping her fingers impatiently, unable to avert her eyes from the literal cat-girl.
"Hey, ya saw the same manga collection I did," declared Kyoko, shrugging one shoulder. "An' it shoulda told ya two things. One, Akemi is a nerd ta end all nerds. And two…she's thirsty as fuuuuuuuuck fer GL. Haven't ya noticed somethin' else about all these 'special guests' wanderin' around?"
Now that the younger girl mentioned it, Mami realized that none of the "residents" were traveling alone. Each and every one of them was paired up, and always with a member of the same gender – mostly women, but with a handful of guy-guy couples sprinkled in.
"So you think Homura did all this with her magic?" asked Sayaka. "Made some kind of…Yuritopia?"
"Hey, ya played that game too? Nice," said Kyoko, fist-bumping her confused girlfriend. "An' yeah, basically. I mean it's pretty much jus' a smaller-scale version o' what she's doin' with Walpurgisnacht, right? Don't think it's intentional. Jus' her imagination runnin' wild…"
She frowned, eyeing a pale girl in a fancy suit who was bouncing merrily along the other side of the road, while another girl with purple skin and a spear tried fruitlessly to rein her in.
"Probably bes' we keep her away from those two, though," she added in a drawl. "One Princess o' Hell is plenty ta deal with, I think."
[-]
"Happy?" the Devil repeated, turning the word along her tongue like it was a vicious curse. "Happiness was never in the cards. Not for me. Not for a long, long time."
"I used to think the same thing," said Glasses Homura. "I still do think it, sometimes. Wounds like ours never fully heal. When I'm with her, though…it's different. I can't quite believe that I deserve her, even now. But she doesn't care about that."
"You're talking about your Madoka," muttered the Devil. It wasn't a question.
Those words hung in the air for all of three seconds before she started to fidget uncontrollably. Her whole body felt like it was on fire.
"No…no, no, no. I can't accept this," she growled through gritted teeth. "There's only one Madoka now. All of them converged to create the Law of Cycles. How can you have another one?"
"Tamaki-san and Nanami-san already told you that our time flow is an aberration. To be honest with you, even I don't understand all the metaphysics of it," answered Glasses Homura. "But to start with…"
She closed her eyes, stood up straight, and took a deep breath. Just the way the Devil herself had once done, whenever she was practicing for a test or preparing herself for another painful surgery.
Then, in a firm voice, she asked, "Why don't I tell you my story?"
And she did.
At the start, Glasses Homura's tale aligned completely with her own memories. The years spent in the orphanage and the hospital; that awful first day of school, and the incredible night that followed; losing Madoka to Walpurgisnacht for the very first time, and making the Wish that would seal her fate forevermore.
Things started to change when she described the third time flow.
"I was about to tell them all the truth I'd just witnessed. That Kyubey was lying to us about everything. That we were just disposable pawns in his plan, meant to be used up and discarded," she said, and if there was still any doubt that this was truly Homura Akemi, the sheer venom in her voice when she mentioned the Incubators sealed it. "But then I started to think…what if they don't believe me? Would there really be any point? So I kept my mouth shut. And Madoka died again as a result."
So that was the point of divergence. In the version the Devil had lived, she'd told the others right away; had never even considered doing otherwise.
So young and naïve. What had she expected? That Mami Tomoe would believe some strange girl who came out of nowhere, over her singular companion for three whole years? And of course with their senpai predisposed to doubt her, Madoka and Sayaka Miki would fall right in line.
Until the latter's inevitable transformation into the Mermaid Witch, which sent everything crashing down.
That night, when the mentor she'd so grown to admire snapped completely and tried to murder her in cold blood, had in many ways been the turning point. More than learning the destiny she'd signed up for amounted to nothing but being a glorified battery for unfeeling aliens. More than discovering that she was doomed, one day, to become one of the wretched monstrosities she hunted.
More than realizing that power over time and space wasn't enough to save the girl she loved.
Without that history, this Homura had been sent down an entirely different path. One where she was less cynical. Quicker to trust. In short…
"You're a child," she accused the bespectacled version of herself. "And a fool. Why should I listen to a version of myself, who hasn't seen half of the tragedies I have?"
"Who says I haven't? I've been through different tragedies, not less of them," said Glasses Homura, standing her ground just as fiercely. "Let me continue, and I think you'll see."
Her story took a different turn from that point. She described a timeline that Homura had absolutely no memory of – where an organization called the "Wings of the Magius" had sought to overturn the Incubators' system, and implement in its place a world of Magical Girl supremacy.
Where miniaturized, weakened Witches called "Doppels" were used to release the pent-up despair within a Soul Gem without shattering it, completely removing the need to hunt for Grief Seeds or Cubes.
Where Iroha Tamaki, Yachiyo Nanami, and the rest of their friends had led an alliance of dozens of Magical Girls against the Magius, halting their plan to harness Walpurgisnacht for their own ends.
It was the second time Homura had been told it so many timelines, and yet she was sure she must've heard wrong. Because they were claiming to have beaten Walpurgisnacht.
And without Madoka turning into Gretchen in the process.
"I was tempted by their offer, I'll admit. The Magius, I mean," Glasses Homura reflected. "Madoka safe, for all time? Never having to turn into a Witch? And all we'd have to do is keep sacrificing a few regular humans. What did they matter, in comparison?"
The girl let out a muted sigh.
"But Madoka would never stand for it. Of course she wouldn't. So for her sake, we fought alongside those Mikazuki girls," she said. "And I'm glad I did. Because the Kamihama Magia Union that formed in that battle's ashes represents the best of both worlds. The Doppel system remains in place, and we no longer have to shed any blood to maintain it."
"I still don't believe it. I won't believe it," the Devil insisted, balling her hands into fists. "It can't have been that easy. Everyone joins hands and sings kumbaya, and suddenly all our problems are just…gone? Do you realize how insulting that is?"
"I didn't say that. There's Promised Blood, the Tokime Clan, those 'Neo' Magius…" replied Glasses Homura. "But they've been reduced to something the Alliance can manage. And once we figure out a way to expand the barrier beyond Kamihama, every Magical Girl will be saved from their destiny as Witches. Madoka's made it her life's work."
"Of course she has…" the Devil whispered to herself. Assuming you actually did buy this mess of a story, there was no chance Madoka would be doing anything else.
"You know, I've been exactly where you are now," her alternate self added. "When I woke up on that first morning, and truly came to terms with the fact that Walpurgisnacht had moved on…I almost reversed time again, right then and there."
Glasses Homura waved her arm, summoning her shield around it. The Devil felt like an eternity had passed since she'd last wielded her own, and in a way that was true.
"I couldn't believe – couldn't allow myself to believe – that we'd actually done it. That we'd won. I was so used to failure that victory, even a temporary one, was like the first ray of sunlight to eyes that spent years in the dark," she said. "But slowly, with Madoka at my side, I've come to terms with it. To no longer have to fight a war, making every goddamn second count. To accept having a life again. Or at least…as close as we Magical Girls are allowed."
There was no faking the warmth in her smile as she murmured, "I've gotten to have…a lot of things…I never thought I'd be allowed…"
"And if circumstances change? If that war returns?" the Devil continued to press. "I look at you now, and all I see is a version of me that's weak. Too weak to protect Madoka."
"That's not how I see it," was the only response Glasses Homura deigned to offer. Once again, if the Devil was forced to commend her counterpart on one thing, it was that she could match her pound-for-pound in death glares. "Tell me, have you figured out why our time flow remains separate from the Law of Cycles?"
"Getting that answer is the only reason I'm still here," hissed the Devil.
"Well…I honestly don't know for certain," Glasses Homura admitted. "But I'll give you my best guess. The Law of Cycles is…well, a Law. Like universal gravitation or thermodynamics – though the latter's probably a bad example. Regardless…"
She paused, adjusting her spectacles lower on her nose. Another character tic that seemed uncomfortably familiar.
"Within the Kamihama barrier, Magical Girls cannot become Witches. The Law of Cycles exists solely to destroy Witches before they're born. Therefore, she cannot interfere with my timeline's version of Kamihama City," she explained. "But that's where logic and reason leave us. Because the barrier encompasses only one city, on one planet. That still leaves an entire universe for her to affect."
Her alternate self bit her lip, and remained like that for several moments, as if steeling herself.
Until finally she said, "I can only conclude she did it intentionally. That she chose to leave us be."
"Why would she do that?" asked the Devil, scowling. "If you know Madoka half as well as you claim, then you'd know she would never be satisfied leaving even one person behind. Much less an entire universe."
"I don't know that either. But it seems what our time flow managed to achieve was wholly…unique. Perhaps she wanted to keep us under observation, and see how things play out," Glasses Homura spoke coolly. "Still, if you want to know what I really think?"
One Homura placed her hands on the shoulders of the other, indigo eyes boring into ones that differed only in the number of years they'd been weathered.
"I think maybe she just wanted a little corner of the multiverse, where a Madoka and a Homura could be together."
[-]
"Who said that?" Madoka called out, her rosy eyes darting around the still seemingly empty rooftop. "Who's out there?"
DOWN HERE, MADOKA KANAME.
Madoka's gaze drifted down to her feet, at which lay the oddest animal she could ever imagine seeing.
Perhaps the strangest thing about the cat-rabbit-weasel creature, though, was how not-strange she found it. There was a feeling, deep down inside, that she'd seen it somewhere before. In a dream, maybe.
…Or a nightmare.
Whatever it was, it didn't give her time to think on the point before "speaking" again. Though its mouth remained unmoving, the words seeming to bypass the air and appear directly within her mind.
IT IS A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, MADOKA KANAME. MY NAME IS KYUBEY.
I AM AN ENTITY THAT EXISTS TO TRANSFORM HUMANS INTO MAGICAL GIRLS.
"Then…you're the one?" she said in a timid voice. "Homura-chan, Sayaka-chan, Mami-senpai…you gave them their powers?"
THAT IS CORRECT. AND NOT JUST THEM, EITHER. YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED AT THE NUMBER OF MAGICAL GIRLS YOU HAVE MET IN THEIR HUMAN FORMS.
KYOKO SAKURA, TO TAKE ONE EXAMPLE.
"Kyoko-san too?" Madoka whispered. Were any of her friends not secret magic heroines on the side? "Umm…what about Hitomi-chan?"
NO, HITOMI SHIZUKI WAS NEVER PLACED UNDER CONTRACT.
SHE POSSESSES A MODICUM OF POTENTIAL FOR THE JOB, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO BE WORTH THE EFFORT.
Madoka breathed a sigh of relief, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Homura had been tight-lipped on details, but she'd made it sound like being a Magical Girl was dangerous work – and the one battle Madoka had witnessed certainly bore that out.
Of course, that still left one big question. And if Homura wasn't going to tell her the truth about it, then…
"And…how about me?" she asked, her eyes averted from Kyubey's unblinking ones. "Did you make one of these, uh…contracts with me?"
THAT IS ACTUALLY A RATHER CURIOUS QUESTION. WE LACK THE INFORMATION NECESSARY TO ANSWER IT.
CERTAINLY, IT IS OUR CURRENT THEORY. YOUR INDEPENDENT EXISTENCE FROM THE LAW OF CYCLES SUGGESTS THAT YOU WERE ORIGINALLY A HUMAN GIRL, WHOSE WISH CHANGED YOUR FORM.
BUT THE AMOUNT OF KARMIC DESTINY REQUIRED FOR SUCH A WISH IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE.
"I…I'm sorry. I didn't understand any of that," Madoka admitted. "What is this 'Law of Cycles'?"
Yet even speaking those words aloud…again, one of those pinpricks of recognition at the edge of her mind. But trying to hold onto it was like grasping water with her bare hands.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT IN THIS WORLD MEANS BOTH NOTHING, AND EVERYTHING.
BUT THAT ISN'T WHY WE ARE HERE.
MADOKA KANAME, THIS WORLD IS IN DANGER, AND WE NEED YOUR HELP.
The middle-schooler's throat went dry. She wasn't sure what she could say to something like that.
All she managed was a mumbled, "I'm not sure how I can help. I mean, even if I was a Magical Girl…I don't remember a thing about it. I probably wasn't a very good one, anyway…"
YOU SEEM VERY TROUBLED, MADOKA KANAME. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IT? MY KIND ARE VERY GOOD LISTENERS.
THEN WE CAN DISCUSS THE REST OF OUR BUSINESS. WITH NO REGRETS.
Madoka bit her lip. This was exactly what she'd been wishing for earlier – a neutral third party to discuss these feelings with.
But should she trust this creature with secrets that were so…intimate? She barely knew anything about him.
IF IT HELPS, I HAVE ALREADY READ YOUR MIND. YOU WOULD NOT BE TELLING ME ANYTHING I DO NOT ALREADY KNOW.
THIS IS SIMPLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO…I BELIEVE THE HUMAN TERM IS, "VENT."
"Well, umm…I guess if you don't mind…" said Madoka, marveling that she was even considering this.
But what choice did she have? Her brain, and more importantly her heart, were practically fit to bursting. If she didn't get these things off her chest in some way or another, she felt like she was going to explode.
And she had no one else left to turn to.
"I guess, it started a few days ago…when this other Magical Girl attacked us…" she began.
Madoka wasn't sure how long she wound up talking. Once the dam had burst, all the feelings she'd been bottling up came out at once. She tripped over her words constantly, hemming and hawing over which details to include and losing her train of thought more than once.
Kyubey, true to his word, was an excellent audience. He never interrupted her, merely nodding or offering a psychic MMMHMM… every so often.
Unable to hold herself back any longer, she said quite a bit more than was perhaps advisable, and included things that couldn't possibly have been of interest to a being such as him. It felt odd to discuss her romantic travails with someone who was so clearly non-human, but she could no longer stop herself. It was like another force had seized control of her lips, and wouldn't let go until she finished the tale.
"And now…I mean, I know I can forgive her. I'm just not sure that I should," she managed to squeak out, once she'd talked so much that her chest ached for air. "If I just knew what she was hiding from me…"
OH, IS THAT ALL?
WE CAN CERTAINLY HELP WITH THAT.
Madoka's eyes went wide. "You can tell me…?" she said breathlessly.
WE COULD. ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE MORE EFFICIENT…
The creature hopped into Madoka's lap and, without further warning, pressed one of its long, floppy ears against her forehead. The golden ring-like object that surrounded it glowed bright.
TO SHOW YOU.
[-]
"We're only about ten minutes from the school now," declared Sayaka, glancing furtively across the next street. "Surprised we haven't run into any more enemies so far."
"Nah, jus' more o' Akemi's life-sized yuri collection playset," said Kyoko, waving her hand airily. "Kudos ta Noel an' June back there, by the way. Was thinkin' Akemi was a bit o' a normie with her tastes, but that shit's obscure."
"I'm hoping that made as little sense to you as it did to I, rather than being a sign I'm still missing some necessary memories," Mami whispered to the blue-haired girl, causing her to snicker.
But the mirth didn't last long. As they at last turned the corner onto the street that housed – among other things – Mitakihara Middle School, they found their path blocked.
By what appeared to be at least a hundred Familiars, of varying shapes and sizes.
"See, ya jus' had ta say it, didn't ya?" remarked Kyoko with a groan, summoning her spear and wreathing its tip in flame.
"Guess she doesn't want to be disturbed," said Sayaka, drawing forth a pair of sabers, while Mami did the same with her muskets. "Didn't want to have to fight out in the open like this, but if they're leaving us no choice…"
To their surprise, however, the army of papercraft-like creatures didn't ready themselves for battle in turn. Indeed, their only reaction to this show of force was to turn their faces to the sky…
And chirrup in unison, casting forth runes a hundred-strong.
M̶̢̯͈̦͆́̎̎͑͝ͅƠ̷̤̙̻̞̫̳̻͈͈͔͓̖͇̾̎̽͗̏̈́̈́̈́͒͂̂̋T̷̨̛̗̰͈͍̙̜̗̖̱̝̘͑͐͌̽̚Ḩ̶̨͍͔̭̺̹̼̠͎͕͓̳̹̈̃̚͜͝E̸̡̪̬̩̠̹͚͉̦̾̅͂̈́͛̈́̒͑͋R̴̖̤͙̭͔̲̐͗̌͛̍͑͠ ̴̧̨͉̘̺̞̹̤͌͗̎̀̉̊̈́͜ͅI̸̛͚̰̫̞̋͒̿̂͆̎͆̆Ñ̸̡̮̝͖̱̺̥̜͓̺͉̙̱̒͝ ̶̡̖͈͖̬̙̥̘̫̪̟̞̤̏̾̎̌̆̽̈̄̿̑͂̓͝P̶̧̛̙̗͗̑A̴̙̞̽̋̂̓́̕͜Ȋ̴̢͙̲͈̬̖͓͚̘̂͑͛̔̏͌̂ͅN̸̮̮͓͐̌͂̄͆̋̐̊
M̶̢̯͈̦͆́̎̎͑͝ͅƠ̷̤̙̻̞̫̳̻͈͈͔͓̖͇̾̎̽͗̏̈́̈́̈́͒͂̂̋T̷̨̛̗̰͈͍̙̜̗̖̱̝̘͑͐͌̽̚Ḩ̶̨͍͔̭̺̹̼̠͎͕͓̳̹̈̃̚͜͝E̸̡̪̬̩̠̹͚͉̦̾̅͂̈́͛̈́̒͑͋R̴̖̤͙̭͔̲̐͗̌͛̍͑͠ ̴̧̨͉̘̺̞̹̤͌͗̎̀̉̊̈́͜ͅI̸̛͚̰̫̞̋͒̿̂͆̎͆̆Ñ̸̡̮̝͖̱̺̥̜͓̺͉̙̱̒͝ ̶̡̖͈͖̬̙̥̘̫̪̟̞̤̏̾̎̌̆̽̈̄̿̑͂̓͝P̶̧̛̙̗͗̑A̴̙̞̽̋̂̓́̕͜Ȋ̴̢͙̲͈̬̖͓͚̘̂͑͛̔̏͌̂ͅN̸̮̮͓͐̌͂̄͆̋̐̊
M̶̢̯͈̦͆́̎̎͑͝ͅƠ̷̤̙̻̞̫̳̻͈͈͔͓̖͇̾̎̽͗̏̈́̈́̈́͒͂̂̋T̷̨̛̗̰͈͍̙̜̗̖̱̝̘͑͐͌̽̚Ḩ̶̨͍͔̭̺̹̼̠͎͕͓̳̹̈̃̚͜͝E̸̡̪̬̩̠̹͚͉̦̾̅͂̈́͛̈́̒͑͋R̴̖̤͙̭͔̲̐͗̌͛̍͑͠ ̴̧̨͉̘̺̞̹̤͌͗̎̀̉̊̈́͜ͅI̸̛͚̰̫̞̋͒̿̂͆̎͆̆Ñ̸̡̮̝͖̱̺̥̜͓̺͉̙̱̒͝ ̶̡̖͈͖̬̙̥̘̫̪̟̞̤̏̾̎̌̆̽̈̄̿̑͂̓͝P̶̧̛̙̗͗̑A̴̙̞̽̋̂̓́̕͜Ȋ̴̢͙̲͈̬̖͓͚̘̂͑͛̔̏͌̂ͅN̸̮̮͓͐̌͂̄͆̋̐̊
That same mantra continued, over and over and over again, growing steadily louder and shriller in volume. The three girls looked at each other, visibly disturbed by this echoing chorus.
"I…understood that. I suppose that means I truly am part-Witch now, after all," Mami murmured, clutching onto the arms of both her kohai. "But why would they say that, of all things?"
"I don't think she sent them. Not consciously," said Sayaka, chewing on the edge of her lip. "Whatever's going on with her right now, it's got her rattled up something fierce. And it's leaking out into her creations."
"S'a cry fer help. Even if she doesn't know she's sendin' it," Kyoko added in a low voice, her demeanor dead-serious for once. "Trus' me, I know the feelin'."
"Do you think they'll let us pass, then?" asked Mami, to which the blue-haired girl shrugged her shoulder.
"Only one way to find out," she replied coolly, before taking a tentative step forward.
The response was immediate. The Familiars broke formation and began swarming the trio instead, forming a dense ring with their artificial bodies. It wasn't an attack, exactly – more like what she imagined might happen if a pop idol fell off the stage during a concert.
"Oof, urgh…dammit, get off me!" shouted Kyoko, waving her arms wildly to try and force them away.
"You know, up close…some of them are really rather cute, don't you think?" said Mami, frowning at a Liselotte getting right up in her face.
"Don't really see it," Sayaka called back, trying to extricate herself from a pair of grinning Clara Dolls. Yet at the same time, something was staying her hand from simply cutting them down with her swords.
Now that they were no longer being hostile, the idea just seemed…cruel, somehow.
After all, as Messengers, the Familiars of girls long past were pretty much just colorful coworkers.
"Just push past them! We're so close!" Sayaka exclaimed to the others, pulling her cape tightly around her shoulders and attempting to barrel through like an American football player. But that was tough when the Familiars seemed hellbent on serving as a semi-living wall, their cries continuing to climb even further in intensity.
F̴̨̣͚͕̞͉̳̠͔̹̞̳͇̑͆̉̾ͅR̸̢̟̞̳̝̝̰̘̙̩͈͉̲̱̾̽̽̐͛̆̌͆͛͠Ì̴̝̏̓͘͝͝Ë̴̢̙͔̫̘̪̩͙̘̲́N̶̨̧̜͖̙̲͚̅̌̔̆͋͂̂̓͜͝͝D̴̛̗͇̳̠̜̏̓̂̓́̎̄̉̓̄͆͛͘͠S̸̛̝͇̯̦͓̞͉͙̿̏̇̀F̸̲͔̻̩͛́͒̎͋̓́̓͊R̸̛̟͖̦̿̾̒͑̉̑̌̕͠I̸̟̝͇͙̲̭̖͔̣̫̯̖͐̌͆̆̐̊͗̚Ę̸͚̼͉̫̟̲̖͓̎͜N̴̨̬̬̜͕̜̠̱̟̺̳͉̜͎̍̐̅̈́́̈́̃̋́̈͌̅̈́̌̚D̶̠̩͎̥̪͈̣͙̝̤̫̮̃̀͂̒̓͑̾͊̽̀͊̎̂̎Ş̴̻̑̄̋͐̈́͜F̴̛̛̰̫͔̣̩̻̱̦̔͌̀͑̈͗̃R̶̡͉̳̘̤̯̗͐͐͘I̸͇͚̤͉̠̅E̵̞̓̈́̉́́̏̂̈̉͛̀̐͂N̷͙̗͉͕͚̖͕͉̣̂̿̈́͆͗̅̏͌̈́͗̿͜͠͝ͅD̶̛͕͖̟̗̪̈́̿͂͐̄̓̀̅̀̂̐̍͝Ś̷̩͕͖̼̔̓̈́͜F̸̦̖̘̰̜̟̗̺͑̓̿̀̚ͅR̵͈̙̲͙̣̺̈́̓̋̂͆̀̕Į̵̱̻̱̲̤̲̙̞̰̰͎̅́̈́̆̆͊̏̔͌̃̇͠͠E̸̡̺̲̝̞̰̦͕̣̘̼͎͇̘̝̾̍̈́͊͌́̎̒̅Ņ̴̨̭̭̳͓̺͙̫̯̲̾̆͗̑̔̌́̋͘͝D̸̛̙͇̱̱̟̞̱͇̺̻̂̾̈́͜Ș̴͉̲̱̗̪̭̤̩͕͇͙̮̑͋̓͜
P̵̦̘̟̹̱͉̒̐̈́͠Ḽ̵̢̡̯͉̦̿͆̒̀̐͝Ë̴̺͉̩̀Ằ̵͕̠̾̓̐͝͝S̵̲̼̘̜̤̗̲͍̍͗̓̌̀͒̚͜E̷̳̯̠͍̥͕͉̺̪̭̠̮͍̤͌̿̅̆̑̓́̑̔͂̋H̸̤̲͕̟̭̞̩͈͂̏͐̓̌̅̒̕Ë̷̢͍͕̟̼̜̩͈̀̅̇̑̀̒̈́͛̑̐̋͜͝L̸̢͙̹̣̱͂̃̈́͗̑́̍͆̊̅̕͜P̷̗̞̟̗̦͍̗̮̞͌͛̂̓͆̑̊̀͗̕ͅM̴̫͚̯͈͓͉̀́̾̓̈́̆̈́̃̓̆͘͘Ǫ̶̢̛̰͕̬̮̹̼͓̭͐̅̅͆̏̉͘͘͝͝T̶̡͍̉̃̾̓̉̓̒͜͝H̵͓͈̞̐͝É̷̡̥̰̲͓̥̘̪͒̋̋̌̏͒̓̒͐̅́̈̒͜Ŕ̵̢̫̼Ḥ̶͕̼̈͋͒̈́̌̾̇̽͋͊͠E̴̹̮͎̦̩̯̞͓͕̫͑͑̾̌̎́̒͛̃͛̐͋̕͜͝͝L̶̤̼̞͈̑͒̐͆̀̚P̸̡̛̼̭̮̤̦̒̈́̎̽̀̌̚̕M̴̩̦̬͈͙͓̆ͅǪ̶̡̟̯͙̦̪͇̦̟̤͉̝̈̅͜Ṯ̸͓̦̗̬͇͍̘̼͇̩̪̏̈͊̎̒̈́̏́͛͛͐̊̚͘͠H̷͎͇̼̬̞͔̭̭͚̰̍́͛͒̌̈̐̊̓̓͜͠͝E̸̩͋́̓͆̇͆̎̚͝͝͝R̶̛̻̪̒̐̈́̐̌H̸̠͖͖͓̺͕͕͈͚̀͑͌͛̾̍͐̚È̵̢̧̳̥̙͇̫̰̇́͌͊̓̐̓̍̌̽̓̌͋L̶̻̠̊͘͝Ṕ̵̡̨̞̹̦̞͇͓̫̫̼̬̩̤̥͑̈́͊̉̿̋̒͆̀̚H̶̡̧͚͈͈̹͇̭̹͓̝̯͚̑̐̈́̈͋̆̾͂̉̚͠Ȩ̶̧̞̗̜͙͇̟̰̖̮̲̝͑̎̊̐̊L̷̢̢̛̼̼̹̖̲̰̙̬̇̀̑̔̇̈͘P̵̢̡̹͇̪̯͓̰͓̒͐̓
"Guess the 'cry fer help' part ain't so subtle anymore," Kyoko said dryly. "Kinda surprised these things thinka us as 'friends,' though."
"There's a part of her – buried deep down – that still remembers the good times. Underneath all the pain and shit of a hundred piled-on timelines," spoke Sayaka. At last she managed to push aside a particularly stubborn Lotte, only for two more to take its place. "Reaching it is the only way we win tonight."
"And we will. I know it in my heart," Mami piped up in turn. "But for that to happen, we need to hurry. So please girls…trust me."
That was the only warning the blonde deigned to offer, before doing something truly insane.
The quirky thing about Mami's magic was that, at first blush, it didn't sound especially impressive. Compared to casting illusions or accelerated healing, the ability to create ribbons might've seemed kind of lame.
But the fact was that if you could generate matter endlessly, it mattered surprisingly little what that matter was. All you needed was some advanced knowledge in chemistry and engineering, which Mami had studied intensely in the months after gaining her powers.
Given enough material, her ribbons could serve as building blocks for just about anything. And while she mostly favored her signature muskets and cannons…
The veteran Magical Girl was hardly limited to just that.
"Are we…flyin'?" asked an awed Kyoko, as they sailed over the heads of the crowd of Familiars.
"Gliding, technically. But close enough in essence," said Mami, offering a motherly pat to the construct that was currently pulling them along by tethers of golden ribbon.
A construct that was best described as a giant freaking hang glider, which the blonde girl had impressively pulled together in about five seconds.
"Not sure we're out of the woods yet, though," Sayaka told the others, once she got over her own astonishment.
Both Kyoko and Mami briefly glanced back, and saw immediately what their companion was talking about. All of the Familiars were rising off of the ground, even the ones with no obvious method of ascent.
"Man, these guys really ain't takin' no fer an answer," stated Kyoko with a grimace. "We able ta floor this thing?"
Sayaka's heart soared as Mami looked back, and she saw the old confidence-verging-on-cockiness in her senpai's smile.
"Who do you think you're talking to?" she answered, as a torrent of new ribbons burst to life.
[-]
The Devil turned away from the facsimile of her younger self, unable to bear looking at her any longer.
"You said yourself, you don't know why the Law of Cycles made the choice she did – or even if she made a choice at all. And I refuse to entertain your self-serving delusions on the matter," she said. "So if that's all you have for me, then I think we're done here. Scurry off to your freak of a time flow, and leave mine alone."
Glasses Homura placed a palm to her forehead, shaking it slowly back and forth.
"After hearing all that, you're truly not affected?" she asked, before her eyes narrowed behind thick-rimmed glasses. "No…No, you might be able to fool others, but not yourself. I said you were shaken before, and it's only gotten worse. There's a part of you that knows I'm telling the truth."
The Devil gritted her teeth, letting out a sound halfway between a scoff and a growl.
"You may share my face, my voice…but you don't know me. Not really. So don't you dare try to speak for my sake," she hissed out. "I've made my choice. It was a horrible, wicked, selfish one, but I made it and I'd do it again. Because it's the only way that Madoka can be happy."
She jabbed a finger straight into her counterpart's chest, causing her to flinch.
"If you're really telling the truth, and you do have a 'normal' Madoka back home…then do everything you can to keep her away from this shit!" she continued to bellow. "I was too late. No matter what I did, it wasn't enough to save her from her own selfless heart. She consigned herself to an eternity of fighting, so no other Magical Girl would have to!"
The Devil was grasping onto her younger self's uniform now, crushing the folds between her fingers, simply to remain standing.
"That 'Law of Cycles' you speak of so reverentially? She used to be a normal girl too. One who deserves a future," she finished, her voice cracking in two over the last word. "Just like…like the girl who you love."
Glasses Homura allowed her to stay like that for several seconds, chest heaving and hands shaking, before she spoke again.
"Don't you get it, Homura?" she said. "I understand. I might be the only person in the cosmos who could understand. I'm not asking you to stop loving her. Not asking you to give up. Just to realize the mistake you're making."
"And that is?" demanded the Devil.
"The worst crime that a Homura Akemi can ever commit. Worse than all the blood we've spilt, all the lives we've taken," Glasses Homura declared. "You're hurting Madoka."
The older Homura thought she'd been ready for any answer her counterpart might offer, but that one struck her like a spear through the heart.
She wanted to dismiss it the way she had the rest of the girl's drivel – had already opened her mouth to do so – but found that the words would not come. And Glasses Homura took full advantage of the silence to press her opening.
"Like I said, I know how your mind works. How our mind works," she went on. "Let me guess…your plan was to shepherd Madoka through Walpurgis Night, then play the villain after? Say the worst possible things you can think of, so that Madoka will break up with you? So that she can live a long, happy life, far away from the foul and vile Devil?"
Suddenly, the bespectacled girl reached forward, and seized the Devil roughly by the shoulder.
"Well then, let me give you a fucking reality check!" she exclaimed, indigo eyes burning with terrible fire. "Madoka is never going to be hate you! No matter what we do, whatever sins we commit…she will always, always forgive us! Because that's who she is!"
"It doesn't matter how she feels about me," said the Devil, though she couldn't help but avert her eyes as she did. "I'm not giving her a choice. Once I'm certain her future is set, I'll depart from it for good. She can't be happy – truly happy – with me around. All I do is drag her down. I know that now more than ever."
"And you think she can be happy without you?" Glasses Homura shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Or are you planning on erasing all her memories of your time together, too? Because you and I both know that memory magic isn't perfect. You'll leave her with a hole she'll never be able to fill."
"She'll find someone better!" the Devil all but screamed.
Both Homuras stood rigid in the wake of that outburst, sizing up the other's reactions. The older one ultimately broke first, her hands closing into fists tight enough to crush stone.
"She…She has to…" she forced herself to mumble out. "I don't know who it'll be, but there must be someone out there who'll make her happy. And she'll never find them with me weighing her down.?
The Devil was seething now, her breaths coming out in quick, sharp bursts. "So I'll move Heaven and Hell – literally – to make that happen," she said. "I'll rip and I'll tear and I'll hurt and I'll burn. Whatever it takes for Madoka to have the life she deserves. The life that was stolen from her."
Glasses Homura did not respond for a very long time. She simply watched on as her counterpart remained just on the verge of breaking down, her own expression neutral and stoic.
Finally, when the Devil was starting to believe the bespectacled girl had nothing left to say to her, she stated coolly, "Madoka and I have been dating for almost a year now."
If her alternate's last revelation had been like a spear through the chest, then this was a bullet straight to the brain. The Devil stumbled, her feet very nearly falling out from under her.
"Y…You're lying…" she insisted, but without any real conviction.
"You should know that I'm not. We both have the same tells, after all," said Glasses Homura. "I won't deny it, her confession surprised me. I didn't think I deserved it. I still don't, sometimes. But I've come to accept it."
She was stepping forward again as she spoke these words. But this time, the Devil was moving backward just as quickly, like a prey animal on the retreat.
"Shut up…" she muttered hoarsely. "Shut up shut up shut up shut up…!"
"I know it's the last thing you want to hear," Glasses Homura talked over her protestations. "That a Madoka who isn't a Goddess, could fall in love with a Homura who isn't a Devil. That they could be happy, going out for ice cream and watching movies and playing Smash Bros. Because then you'd have to accept that only one thing separates you from me."
And suddenly, before the Devil knew what was happening, she was being pulled into a warm, tender embrace by her own former self.
"It all comes down to a choice," whispered Glasses Homura. "It always did, from the beginning. Do you choose to let your past define you? To wallow in the trauma and misery we went through, and inflict it forward on the girl we love more than anything else in any universe? Or…"
The pigtailed girl held on tighter, her hands finding purchase along the muscles and contours of a back so very much like her own.
"Or do you accept, no matter how little sense it makes or how unearned it feels…" she said, her voice so quiet now that the Devil could only hear it because their cheeks were touching. "That that girl loves you, just as much? And…that she always will."
The older Homura wanted to continue protesting. She wanted to push away her counterpart and storm off, so that she could get back to her own time flow and her own plans.
Most of all, she wanted her shriveled black heart to return to normal, and stop aching with every soft, honeyed word her former self whispered to her.
She didn't do any of those things. Instead, the Devil who had torn God from Heaven buried her face in the crook of her past self's neck.
And wept.
[-]
Madoka had no idea where she was.
Darkness surrounded her, on nearly every side – a darkness that seemed almost to carry with it a physical weight, pressing against her skin and filling it with an unfathomable chill. Every part of her body suddenly felt clammy and gross, like she'd just been drenched in filthy water.
The sole point of light and color existed on the horizon, and she could see only a small fraction of it, as if gazing through a peephole. Nevertheless she felt compelled to follow it, a moth entranced by flame.
Her footsteps were slow, laborious. She didn't even know what she was stepping on. Here there was no ground, no sky.
Only the spotlight, offering her the tiniest glimpse into a world unknown.
In that world, she saw…sand. A great deal of it. Rolling hills of brown and gray, cast in shadow beneath a vast array of thick clouds and sparkling stars.
But she also saw something else. Someone else. Reposing on a flat slab, eyes closed and bejeweled bow crossed against her chest…
Was Homura Akemi.
Instantly, Madoka was seized by a million questions. Where was this? When was this? She'd definitely never seen any place like this strange desert before. Was Homura even still in Japan?
And what'd happened to her? The girl with such incredible strength and fortitude looked so…vulnerable. Helpless.
Then, suddenly, amidst all this darkness…a singular ray of light. So blinding that Madoka was forced to shield her eyes.
She couldn't see where the light was coming from, or what was within it; her perspective was too narrow. It was as if someone had zoomed a camera right up against Homura's body, and refused to focus on anything else.
All she could see, after several moments of idle waiting, was a pair of gloved hands reaching into the "frame."
And the horrific leer that spread across Homura's face as she violently seized them with her own.
Someone – the owner of the hands, assuredly – was saying something in protest, but their voice was muffled, like they were speaking through a thick layer of water.
Homura's response, however, she heard as clear as day.
"Now…I've got you."
The scene was engulfed by a maelstrom of colors, so chaotic and horrific that Madoka could scarcely see anything else. And yet above the din, she still heard Homura's voice, speaking in a tone of honeyed venom she'd never heard out of her girlfriend.
"I don't expect you to understand. No one in the world could possibly understand. This emotion is mine and mine alone. And I've been saving it for her."
The world splintered. Like she was viewing it all through a pane of glass that'd just been shattered into a thousand pieces. Madoka tried to peer through the mess of shards, but it was no use – she could no longer make out anything going on.
Yet still, she heard Homura's voice, even rougher and more vindictive than before.
"It has to be this way. I'm never going to let you go again, Madoka."
Before her eyes, the scene transformed. The splinters came together and reformed themselves anew, displaying a new landscape.
This place, she recognized. The soft, falling petals of the cherry blossoms that marked the path she took to school every day.
Again, the "lens" through which she viewed this setting was focused on Homura, who sat at a small table along the riverbank, playing with her nails.
A voice shouted to her from just "out of frame." And though this one was likewise muffled, Madoka could hear the intense anger in their words.
But Homura didn't appear deterred by their ire. Indeed, she seemed almost gleeful in her response.
"I'm an existence called evil now. And if evil is supposed to disrupt the divine and be a force of chaos, it's only natural for me to upset the laws of a god."
Madoka clutched at her head. At the very last word, her pounding headache returned with a vengeance, and she cried out in agony.
As a result, she missed Homura's next few words. By the time the pain receded and she regained her bearings once more, the point of view for the vision had shifted, so that she could see who Homura had been speaking to so maliciously.
Madoka gasped in shock as she saw Sayaka, a look of absolute horror on her best friend's wide-eyed face.
"When that day comes, I suppose I can be your enemy. The question is…will you be able to stand up against me? You're having a hard time remembering things, aren't you?
Now that Madoka could see Sayaka's face, and her moving lips, the fact that she couldn't understand a word she was saying felt all the more unnerving. Like all sounds but those of Homura Akemi had been censored from the world.
"You're getting another chance at being human again. If anything, you should be happy about that. Eventually, life her will seem natural to you, and you'll forget all about the past."
Madoka had never seen Sayaka wear an expression of such utter hatred as she spoke her unheard reply.
"We should pretend to be on good terms. If you're always attacking me, Madoka might wind up hating you."
This scene, too, faded away into nothingness. But no new one formed to take its place.
Instead, she was assailed by a rapid-fire barrage of further snippets of Homura's voice. Each was completely devoid of context, and faded into the next with no clear beginning or end.
"I lied! I cheated! I hurt every single person she loves! I'm a demon!"
"If you're trying to convince me you're not too dangerous to be left alive, then you're doing a very poor job of it. You know I could kill you with a thought."
"I've killed other Magical Girls more times than I can count. Including Mami Tomoe. Including you."
"I won't make any pretensions about what I am. I am the Devil – evil and malice incarnate. The wickedest Witch imaginable, elevated to something far beyond by the sheer weight of my sins."
"Find Nagisa Momoe! Let nothing stand in your way!"
"Not that it really matters what I do or do not explain to you, of course. I'll need to rewrite both of your minds as soon as I've taken care of hers. You've already seen too much."
"You seem to think you have a lot more leverage than you actually do. The only thing you have that would benefit me is information…and I'm taking that for myself right now. Once I have what I need, you five will be useless to me."
"Tell me one good reason I shouldn't wipe all your minds to infancy, Sayaka Miki. Give me an excuse and I swear I will."
"Not talking? Fine. I don't see any point in being gentle. Not like there's much going on up there for me to damage."
"You're wondering what happened to your little attack dog? I killed her. I crushed that simpering little puppy into dust."
"I've already told you. I won't let you reawaken Madoka."
"I have accepted what I am. Every God needs a Devil, to work against them. For what is faith if it isn't tested? You may consider yourself her servant, but I am what she truly needs. An enemy, to overcome. An enemy, to destroy."
"But if they resist…eliminate them all."
Madoka had no idea how to react to it all. To this deluge of Homura's voice – the one she'd grown to cherish more than anything else in the world – saying such horrible and sinister things. Threatening to wipe the memories, or worse, of anyone who stood in her way.
And yet somehow, it was the words she heard last which devastated her the most.
"You're right. I don't feel the same way."
"You are…very precious to me, Madoka. I hope you know that. But I simply don't have those kinds of feelings for you. And I doubt I ever will."
"It's not selfish to want someone to love you. Only to refuse to accept when they don't."
"I expect you have a lot to think about. I should probably go."
These were lies, weren't they? Some kind of illusion cast by Kyubey. Homura was a sweet, gentle person, who cared for her deeply.
She had her flaws, of course. And she hadn't always been honest with Madoka. But that didn't mean she was just…stringing her along, right?
It had to be fake…it had to be…
IT SEEMS YOU ARE STARTING TO REALIZE THE TRUTH. THAT SHOULD MAKE THINGS EASIER.
I THINK IT'S TIME WE GET TO WORK, MADOKA KANAME.
[-]
"There's the school!" exclaimed Sayaka, as if they all couldn't see the building right on the horizon.
Though as they were still gliding through the air, desperately fleeing throngs of rabid Familiars, neither of her compatriots chose to call her on it.
Still, there was something about the sight of Mitakihara Middle School that seemed…different, somehow. More ominous. As if something was lying in wait within.
Normally, she might've chalked it up to irrational paranoia. But today, of all days, she was inclined to listen to her instincts.
Mami seemed to agree. "If Homura-san has lost control over her Familiars, then there's no telling what mental state we may find her in," she said. "From this point onward we must proceed swiftly, but cautiously."
"Easier said than done, y'know," Kyoko pointed out. "If she's this off her rocker, then no guarantee we'll even be able ta get close enough ta talk. That was how things went ta shit las' time. She's a cornered animal, seein' everyone as an enemy."
She left unsaid that the result of things going "ta shit" had been getting their souls blown into a thousand literal pieces. Wasn't going to make Sayaka's top ten favorite ways to die – a list that, unfortunately, she could populate fairly easily.
"Regardless, we'll have to lose our tail before we go in. Even if normal people can't see them, having a hundred supercharged Familiars running around a middle school can't be a good thing," Sayaka told the others. "Don't want to risk…"
But her voice trailed off, as she watched a large, expensive car pull up in front of the school. Out of which emerged a pretty girl with bouncy green hair, and a handsome boy on crutches.
"Dammit. Case in point," she muttered. "Senpai, we need to land. Now."
Mami did as she was asked, dissipating the makeshift glider back into its constituent ribbons and allowing all three girls to touch down, about half a kilometer from the school's entrance.
Sayaka, who had the most experience with such things, quickly plunged a sword into her chest to summon Oktavia, forming a barrier to encase them all. The hundred-plus horde of Familiars stopped in their tracks, like animals who'd just been trapped in a cage.
But the moment the barrier went up, a change came over the chittering minions. Where before their posture had been relaxed and non-threatening, suddenly each and every Familiar was standing – or in some cases floating – rigid as a board.
And for the ones that possessed eyes, they were now glowing an unnerving red.
"Maybe I'm jumpin' ta conclusions…" said Kyoko, drawing her spear as she did. "But I don't think they're set on huggin' us now."
That was all they had time to say before the swarm attacked as one.
While most of Homura's Familiars had been designed more for spying or subterfuge than open combat, following the example of their Mother, each of them was still a concentrated mass of cursed mana. As a result, no matter how experienced they were, three Magical Girls faced an uphill battle fighting a hundred of them alone.
But they had no choice. Sayaka thought about Hitomi and Kyosuke, standing just outside her hastily erected barrier and blissfully ignorant of the dangers. It steeled her resolve, and her blade.
With no reason to hold back any longer, the trio unleashed the full range of their magic against their assailants. Sabers, lances, and musket fire flew freely through the air, skewering or exploding one Familiar after the next.
Except that each time they took one down, all that happened was that the creature went still for a few moments, glowed strangely…and then repaired the damage in a matter of seconds.
"That…shouldn't be possible…" Kyoko breathed out, her mouth agape. "Basic Familiars ain't got enough magic ta heal themselves…"
"I believe that whoever wrested control of these Familiars, may also be supplying them with additional mana," said Mami, as another Tiro Finale blew a group of Liese to bits. They remained that way for all of five seconds before reconstituting. "This does not appear to be Homura-san's handiwork."
"Yeah, agreed. I think somebody's hacked them…which I didn't even know was something you could do," Sayaka responded. "Probably the same force that was interfering with the last timeline. Figured it was only a matter of time till they made their next power play."
"Ya figured out yet who's behind the curtain?" asked Kyoko, spearing a Lilia as it approached from behind without turning around.
"Got a few theories. But no way to test them," the blue-haired girl called back, amidst a flurry of slashes that took out a massive floating Lisa from the inside. "Whoever they are, Walpurgis Night's their last chance to make a move. No surprise they're trying to gum up the works."
"These things ain't gonna kill us. But they might slow us down long enough ta miss our window," remarked Kyoko with a grimace.
"Which, I'm certain, was the entire point of this gambit in the first place," said Mami, who'd been firing her muskets continuously throughout this entire exchange. "One way or another, we must put a swift end to this battle."
Just as she spoke these words, however, a Clara Doll appeared as if from nowhere, sliding toward the trio like she was a theme park animatronic on a track. Unlike her sisters, she didn't seem hostile at all.
In fact…it was rather unsettling just how casual her gait was. Familiars didn't move like this.
With a sound like a rusted hinge being forced open, the Doll's jaw unclenched, and she began to speak. But the words that spilled forth were not displayed in runes.
Instead, it was broken Japanese they heard – pronounced flawlessly, on a technical level, and yet sounding as if the speaker had never before uttered anything in the human tongue.
i…Am…TrUlY…sOrRy…
bUt…I…cAnNoT…
aLlOw…YoU…tO…
iN…tEr…FeRe…
[-]
Homura didn't know how long she spent in that strange realm, collapsed to her knees, clinging to the skirt of her own younger self. There was no time in this place, so it was impossible to tell.
She knew that she couldn't have acted more pathetically if she'd tried. Free – quite literally – from any outside judgment, the feelings she'd been locking up inside the deepest part of her heart for nearly a decade were spilling forth, freely and without reservation.
So she cried; big, wet, snorting sobs that produced a frankly disgusting amount of phlegm. She bent over and dry-heaved until her body felt like it was going to fall apart from the spasms. She screamed and she gnashed her teeth and she pounded on a floor that didn't exist.
Glasses Homura was remarkably patient with her breakdown, merely patting her softly on the back and holding her long hair out of the way. Perhaps she'd seen this before.
Perhaps she'd done this before.
Either way, she was still standing there expectantly when the Devil at last managed to regain control over her own body. The younger alternate bent down, and offered a kind smile.
That smile didn't look quite right on her own face. The Devil had a feeling she knew where the girl had learned it from.
"It's alright. I know better than anyone that sometimes, you just need to get it out of your system," she said. "Let it all out, let it all out…"
"FMA references? Now, really?" the Devil let out a sigh. "God, I used to be such a nerd. And my singing voice is shit."
"Used to be? Have you noticed what you've done with your timeline?" asked Glasses Homura. "Of course, if I had the opportunity to bring Haruka and Michiru to life and thank them for jumpstarting us through puberty, I don't think I could resist it either."
The Devil couldn't help herself. She laughed, briefly but genuinely.
It occurred to her that that short exchange was easily the most casual the two Homuras had been to each other since meeting. Frankly, perhaps the most relaxed she'd been with anyone in recent memory.
She didn't know what it said about her that the only person she could really show her true feelings around was…herself.
But that brought her straight back to the topic that'd broken her in the first place. She let out a deep breath as she sat up, knees pressed under her chin.
"I'm sorry. No matter what…I just can't believe it," she said in a low voice. "Not won't, can't. Because if I accept what you're saying…it shatters everything I know to be true. Everything I've been fighting for."
"Let's start there, then," replied Glasses Homura. "Why are you so certain that Madoka can't love you? That it has to be some kind of trick, or illusion?"
"I mean…she does love me. But in the same way she loves everyone," the Devil tried to explain. "The love we have for her…it's a selfish emotion, at its core. Petty and needy and possessive. For her to return that…"
"You think it would close off her heart?" the other girl finished for her. "I used to fear the same thing, before we started dating. But that's the funny thing about Madoka Kaname. No matter how much of her love she offers to me, she seems to have an endless supply remaining."
"Then she shouldn't waste it!" the Devil exclaimed in protest. "I told you, there has to be someone out there who can give her the life she deserves! Maybe it's Sayaka Miki. Maybe it's Mami Tomoe. Maybe it's someone neither she nor I have even met yet."
"But…" whispered Glasses Homura. "She wants you."
Seeing that she'd struck her counterpart silent once more, the bespectacled time-traveler pressed on, "It doesn't matter if you think you aren't worthy of her love. She disagrees. You, Homura Akemi, are the thing that makes her happiest in the world. If you remove yourself from that world…you ruin any chance of her having a good future."
The Devil bent her head forward, burying it between her fingers. Renewed sobs, this time quiet and reserved, echoed throughout the timeless space.
"It just…" she choked out. "It has to be false. It has to be."
"Fine. Then you know what your only option is, right?" said Glasses Homura. "You have to give her the chance to tell you."
The Devil instantly sat bolt upright, staring at her alternate like she had two heads.
"I thought you'd react like that. I'm you, remember?" she added swiftly. "But the fact of the matter is that your Madoka deserves to make that choice. If you really think that your powers have influenced her heart…then free it. And let her choose whether to stay or go."
"You know what she'll choose!" shouted the Devil, her voice shaking. "No matter what happens, if she thinks it's her duty to return to being the Law of Cycles then she'll do it in a heartbeat. She's too good not to. And I'm too evil to let it."
"Have you ever considered that all these protestations about how 'evil' and 'wicked' you are…might be hurting her, in the end?" asked the other girl, talking over her. "You think you're a Devil, and maybe you are. But a Goddess has chosen you to hold her heart. Even if you don't understand that choice, you need to accept it. Tell me…how does she describe you?"
"Like she's talking about a different person," the Devil answered darkly. "Someone strong, and kind, and good to her…"
"Well then," said Glasses Homura. "Why don't you become that person?"
Just as she spoke these words, however, a streak of energy coursed through the void, like the featureless sky was being split in two. The pigtailed girl's expression changed like night to day, her eyes widening in panic.
"Dammit, dammit, dammit…" she muttered. "We're out of time."
The Devil raised both eyebrows at the sudden shift. "What do you mean?" she demanded. "How can we be…"
"I can't really explain it. I don't actually know who it is," Glasses Homura told her hastily. "I just know that something is trying to interfere with your time flow. With every time flow. The same 'mysterious benefactor' who sent Sasa Yuki and Alina Gray after you."
She glanced in the direction the energy bolt had appeared from. "Whatever's going on out there, you need to get back," she finished, biting her lip nervously. "Just…don't forget what I said, okay?"
The Devil thought for several moments on what she should do next. Then she extended her hand, and shook one that was precisely identical to it, minus a few callouses.
"I…I won't promise anything," she said. "But I wish you and your Madoka well. Whatever happens…don't make the same mistakes I did."
And with that, both versions of Homura Akemi returned home, never to meet again.
[-]
Madoka lay there on the rooftop of Mitakihara Middle School, her shaking body supported only by her hands and knees. She couldn't summon the energy to get up, as tiny tears dripped down onto the hard tile.
Meanwhile, the creature that called himself Kyubey circled her body, like a shark slowly closing in on its prey.
I TRUST YOU ARE STARTING TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FULL EXTENT OF WHAT HOMURA AKEMI HAS HIDDEN FROM YOU.
YOU WERE ONCE AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL BEING. FAR GREATER THAN SHE.
IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF HER MEMORY ALTERATION MAGIC THAT YOU ARE TRAPPED IN THIS FORM.
YOU NEED ONLY ACCEPT THE DESTINY YOUR POWER BESTOWS, AND IT WILL BE YOURS ONCE MORE.
"But…if I do that…" Madoka said quietly. "What happens to Homura-chan?"
Kyubey looked at her and tilted his head to the side, as if confused by her question.
WHY SHOULD IT MATTER?
SHE LIED TO YOU. MANIPULATED YOU. INFLICTED GRIEVOUS DAMAGE UPON THOSE YOU CALL "FRIENDS."
AND THAT IS ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THE OFFENSES HOMURA AKEMI IS RESPONSIBLE FOR.
YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR HER WELLBEING IS NOBLE, BUT MISPLACED.
"I…still just don't understand," the pink-haired girl choked out. "What were all those voices? Saying those awful things. That…can't have really been Homura-chan…"
MY APOLOGIES. IT SEEMS YOU ARE STILL MISSING A KEY PIECE OF INFORMATION.
YOU SEE, ONE OF HER MYRIAD OF ABILITIES IS THE POWER TO TRAVEL THROUGH TIME. THIS IS FAR FROM THE FIRST TIME YOU TWO HAVE MET.
WHENEVER HOMURA AKEMI IS DISSATISFIED WITH A TURN OF EVENTS, SHE SIMPLY REWINDS THE CLOCK SO THAT SHE CAN TRY AGAIN.
I ALLOWED YOU TO HEAR ECHOES OF A PREVIOUS TIMELINE. AS WELL AS SOME INCIDENTS FROM THE PRESENT ONE SHE PREFERRED YOU NOT OVERHEAR.
BUT I CAN CERTAINLY SHARE MORE, IF YOU REMAIN UNCONVINCED.
"No, no, that's okay!" Madoka exclaimed at once, throwing her hands up in front of her face. She didn't think she'd be able to bear another one of those…whatever that was.
Meanwhile, however, her mind was racing. Homura was…a time-traveler? It sounded so ludicrous, and yet…
It would certainly explain a few things. The strange sense of déjà vu she seemed to get around certain places and people. The instinctive familiarity she felt toward individuals she'd never met before, like Nagisa Momoe or Iroha Tamaki. The fact that Homura always seemed to have an answer ready for her, as if she'd had time to prepare for the question in advance.
Except…the latter wasn't always true, was it?
"But if that's the case…" she said, her voice shaking and timid. "Then why does she seem so…so hurt? I can't believe that's an act."
OH, IT ISN'T. YOU SIMPLY UNDERESTIMATE THE TOLL THESE TRAVELS HAVE PLACED ON HER MIND.
MY KIND DO NOT NATURALLY EXPERIENCE EMOTIONS, AND THE FEW SPECIMENS THAT DO ARE WHAT YOU HUMANS CONSIDER "MENTALLY ILL."
TO THE EXTENT OF THAT METAPHOR, HOMURA AKEMI'S DISEASE HAS METASTASIZED QUITE SEVERELY.
TO THE POINT WHERE NATURAL RECOVERY IS ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE.
"You're saying…there's nothing I can do for her…?" Madoka whispered, her voice cracking partway through.
HAVE WE NOT ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT HOMURA AKEMI IS FAR FROM AN INNOCENT VICTIM?
REMEMBER THE ECHOES I PLAYED FOR YOU LAST.
Madoka swallowed hard. That was the part she'd been trying most desperately not to think about.
Once again, she reflected on the irony. She'd heard Homura threatening to kill people if they didn't do what she wanted.
And yet somehow, Madoka found that she could accept that easier than hearing the girl she cared for so deeply say…
I DID NOT FALSIFY ANY OF THE DIALOGUE I RECORDED. THOSE WERE THE EXACT WORDS SHE SPOKE TO YOU IN THE TIMELINE IMMEDIATELY PREVIOUS.
AND THEY REFLECT HER INTENTIONS FOR THIS ONE. AS SOON AS SHE HAS ACHIEVED THE OUTCOME SHE DESIRES…
SHE FULLY INTENDS TO DISSOLVE YOUR ROMANTIC COUPLING.
JUST AS WELL, IN MY OPINION. SUCH THINGS ARE UNDULY MESSY AND UNPREDICTABLE.
Madoka felt like she'd just been struck by lightning. Until Kyubey said the words out loud, part of her had been content to believe that she'd misheard or misunderstood the phantom Homura.
That there was no way the girl who'd held her so tenderly…who'd whispered to her so many sweet and caring words…whose lips had been the first ones Madoka ever tasted…
That…That it could all be…
IT BRINGS ME NO PLEASURE TO INFORM YOU OF THIS, MADOKA KANAME. BUT HOMURA AKEMI HAS BEEN DECEIVING YOU FROM THE VERY START.
WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE NO REASON TO ABIDE BY THE RULES SHE HAS SET FOR YOU.
I AM OFFERING YOU ANOTHER SOLUTION.
The pink-haired girl hesitated. In a less emotional state, she might've rationalized that she had no reason to trust this creature's words. No reason to believe him over the girl who professed that Madoka was her entire world.
But in that moment, rationality was the farthest thing from her mind.
"What…exactly do you want from me…?" she said, the words tumbling from her lips like tiny shards of glass, shattering on impact with the air.
As if in answer, Kyubey sidled up to her, nestling up next to her arm. The red oval on his back, which she'd taken to be some kind of natural marking, opened to reveal a compartment within.
A compartment filled with dozens of beautiful, glittering jewels.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO, MADOKA KANAME, IS TOUCH THESE GEMS.
WITHIN THEM IS ENOUGH POWER TO BREAK THROUGH THIS ILLUSION. THEY MERELY REQUIRE A SMALL "CHARGE."
EVEN WITH YOUR MAGIC SEALED AWAY, YOU ARE MORE THAN CAPABLE OF FULFILLING THAT REQUIREMENT.
ONE TOUCH, MADOKA KANAME…
AND YOU WILL FINALLY LEARN THE TRUTH.
Even amidst the fugue of pain and hopelessness she was embroiled within, there was a small part of Madoka that recognized this ploy for what it was. That tried to stay her hand.
But she was just so…broken. Done with the world. A world that kept taking, and taking, and taking from her…
Before she even realized she was about to do so, her fingers had already closed around the egg-like jewels.
The effect was instantaneous. Without meaning to, her grip seized onto the gems like a vise, and refused to let go. It was like her hand had fused onto Kyubey's back.
Meanwhile the gems themselves were undergoing a drastic change. Each of them had possessed a slight discoloration at their core, shifting and changing like an untamable shadow, but now that discoloration was expanding within each of them, crowding out everything else.
Blue, green, yellow, orange…each brilliant color gave way to cold, identical black.
Madoka was actively trying to remove her hand now, gasping and grunting as she pulled on her wrist with all her might. But no matter how much effort she put in, the fingers on her right hand absolutely refused to listen.
And it was in the course of all this struggling that she happened to catch a glimpse of the sky.
It was like someone had hit the fast-forward button on a TV remote. Storm clouds that'd just started to form were spreading at an unnatural rate, until they choked every corner of the sky and cast the entire city in shadow. And at the same time, the midday sun descended rapidly, halting only once it was just barely touching the horizon.
Kyubey looked up to her as the orange glow of twilight now blanketed them both, and though his expression never changed, she thought she could see a gleam of something like triumph in those blank, rosy eyes.
THE TIME HAS COME AT LAST, MADOKA KANAME. YOU HAVE OUR THANKS.
WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT YOU.
[-]
COUNTDOWN TO WALPURGIS NIGHT
Four Hours Rem-
F̷̩͔͑̚o̸̢̊ù̶̖̕r̷͎͕̀ ̴̳̈H̷̟̔͐o̴̬̍ͅu̶̪͎͆r̴̭͖͑s̶͈̓͝ ̷͉̅R̷̲̃ẹ̵̯͑͌m̸̙͌͒-̸̘̆
F̶̨̱̲͎̞̻̈́̌̓͒͛͌͐̍̒o̵̤̩̥̖̝̻͍̖̒̓̉̑͐͐u̴͖̟̟̓̇̍͌͜ͅr̶̳̯̝̜͉̬̆̾̊̀ ̵̮̝͈̍̿̎̍̋͑̿̀̕H̵̟̞̳̄͋̀͌̈́͝ơ̸̢̧͙̥̩̗̦̻̭̓ú̶̧̼̹͓͈̬͙̗̤̈̔r̶̨̝̯̟͖̪̮̊̄-̷̜͔̰͚̈́̂́̿́͌̓͝ͅ
F̸̢̙̟̳͉͌̆̇̂ŏ̶͔̠̘̜̤̀̒̋̎͜u̵̺̲̫̠̤̘͙̜̅̽̊͂̄̚̚ŗ̴̛͖̞͍̻̳̱̜̱́̉̆̈́͐̂̾͛-̸̢̛̙͚̜̬̦͗̍̈̈́͘͝
F̴̛̛͍͉̹̖̹̮̭̮̗̙̩̳̟͕̠͉̤̭̞̭̪̱̬̦͙̰̐̍̏͊̈́̍͑̑͌̏̂̽̒̎̊̅͠͝͠͝F̷̢̨̺̳͓̪̝͖͎͚̮̙̠̰͈̺̳̋̂͂̑̊̆̉̍͋͊̾̂͆̉̽̈̊͗͑́̊͊͂̆̈̚͜͝͝F̸̧̡̨̢̙̫̗͖̲̲̤͉̙̖̖̭̩̰͉̬̳̟̦̱̜͖̝̺̣̳͒́̎̔͂̂͜͜F̸̢̮̠̩̦͕̗̱̹̥̐̏́̾̽̓̋̂̓̈̈́͑̈́̊̄͝F̵̡̢̲̘͙̳̥͇̙͙̰̬̮̻̻̠͚̩̥̄͆̿̔̐̿̄̈́̆̇͂̿̿̈́̋̎͋̋̋̎̈́̌͛̓̅F̷̲̍͆̆̅͘̕͜ͅF̷̨̛̫͔̠̩̣͈͙͙̥͔̠̀̓́͆̾̀͒̉͐̃̇̊͘̕̕F̶̢̢̡̛͔̰̗̤̲͉̺̬̘̬̬̪͓̩͍̊̈́̐̎̆̔̍̈́̿͗͋̈́́̾̑̅̃͐̈́̾̾͘͝F̴̣̮̗̹̝͕̝̜̩̱̺̟͒̏̈́͆́̈́͊͛̓̏̓̇̿͗̂̌̋̉͐́̐̈́̍͆̊̑͐̀́̎̑̓͜͜͝͝F̵̢̨͓̰̝̙̠̖̈́͆̾̐̉̈̇̒̈́̈͌̑͛͊̅͛̒̈́̎̽̽̚͘̕͝͝͝͝F̷̛̪͙̥̪̐͂̇̈́̎́̈̄̀͆̓͌́͂̾̄͘F̷̡̲̤͈̆͂͐͌̾̈́̍̔͊͐̂̚͠F̴̛̛̳́͒̀̔̓̏̋͒̀̾͆͂́̄̿̃̕͠Ḟ̴̨̢̺̙̰̖̦̩̳͚̮̦͕̙̼̪͓̺̬̙̝͉̱͚̪̝̗̳̘͎͈̊̐̂̒̈́̆̌͌̉̕̕͝F̵̡̦̫͖̱̣̱̲̺̗̣̤̤̙̙̩̼̩͎̙̮̖͚̼̗̗̞̹̱̩̠̜̍̀̓͐̇͆̾̆͜͝͝͝͝F̷̛̫̜̞̬͓̈ͅF̴͖̦̣̂̄͛͒̾͗̐̂͊̍͑̆̎͗͆͐̎̐̓̓́͗̇̕͝ͅF̴̡̹̯͚̲̙̙̮̭̖̌̈̎́͗͗͂͛̒͋F̷͇̭̓̔̽̆̂̚͘F̷̡̡̮͚̺̹̦̬͕̱̱̥̥̹̮͈̫̬̈́̄́̆͑̂̃͆́͐͌͝ͅF̴̡̡̧̧̲̳̫̣͍̜̬̮̞̞̻̩̰̜͉̻͎̖̳̰̝̙̠̙̝̃̀͌̄̔̐́͑͜F̶͈̯̘̻͖̺̰̭̼͔̪̖͕̖̮̳̖̝̲̼̫̻̹̪̬͓̗̻̝͈̅̇̎̐̍̿̆̀̉̐͋̔̒͗͌̓̑̑̔̽͑̓̀͜͝ͅF̶̨̧̛̠̤̱̩̭̞̻͈͆͗͊́͑̿̂̈̔̀̍̅͛̍̈́͒F̵̢̛̥̺͍̪̼͇̜̔͋̏͆͑̾͐̋̚͝ͅͅF̴̧̡̧̨̧̯̟̟̺̭̝̘̥̼̪̦̰͙͖̹̝̪͎̳̬̪̞̦͎̃̑̏̌͗̆͑̈́̑͂̔͐̃̀͌̎̽̔̋̓̎̉͌̿̀̍͋̊̚̕͘͝͝͝F̵̡̨̛̰̘̞̼̱̭̹͎̼̦̳͕̦͔̯̮͙̙̱̤̜̥̪͓̘̻͉̲̮̋̂̔̂̊̏̉̌͂̄̈́̇̇̇̇͒̈̏͋͐̔̍́̿̌̈́̾̏͘̚͘͜͝͝F̸̨̧̢̢̨̛̩͈͇̹͍̖̰̗̮̟̹̳̻̙̠̞̪̱̥͇̽̈͂̃̾̿̆̀̃̅̾́̊͐͆̾́͋̿̊͗͑̃̈́͂̂́͋̐̚̕͝͝F̸̡̨̧̨̢̛̙̯̠͇̫̬̞̬͎͕̼͖͈͔͇͎̺̦̯͓̭̱̭͔͛͆͋͐̀̽͑̐̑͌̀̓̔͒̾͌̊̒̀̆̄̉̾̔̋̾͌̚̚̚̚͝ͅͅF̸͍͓͔̜̃́̅̚F̸̧̢̭̩͈̞͖̹͇̙̩͖͚̹̩̠̦̼̪͈̳̥̬͓͎̜̠̟͚̤͇͈̰̳̀͗͐̾̈̑̌̆̈́͠F̸͙̟̺̩̞̝̥̠̭̖̗̝͕̤̲̖̒̾̊́̄̔̏̆̅̈́͂͆̌̽̇͋̌̎͂̾͐͑͌̄̄̏̀̏̕̕͘̕͝ͅF̸͓͉͔͍̹̣̩͈͔̯̬͓͋̋͂͌̀̅͒̆̾͑̊͋̓̔͝F̴̢̧̢̧̢̢̪̗̺̪̠͙̫͓̯̟̠̹̮͔̗̘̞͔͔̱̼̐̏͛́̈́̇͛̂̍̄͗͛̚̕͝͝F̶̛͙̜͕̺̦̊̈́̊̎́̂͋̃̂̄̒̎͛F̵̫͗̈́̎́̆̈̌̀͂͆͆͛̀̈͊͝F̸̢̨̘͔͚̭̮̮̼͕̝̟͓̻̩̝̼̐̅̆̈̂̀̀̇̅̈͐͆͂̀̒͂̈̀̑̽̆͒̀̏̕͘̕͠͠͝͝
Four Minutes Remain