Chapter 31

It was really her. Flick's girlfriend, Avalon, was standing before her in the . . . okay maybe not entirely in the flesh considering this was a projection, but still. Flick could talk to her. She could see she was okay, and ask about the others. All the friends she had made in Kamihama were great, but she had deeply missed those back at home. More than any of them, she had missed her girlfriend, and now she was here.

"How?" Flick asked immediately. "How are you—this shouldn't be—it's you. It's really you."

Avalon's mouth curled up in a familiar smirk that made Flick's heart skip a beat. "I'm glad to see you too. You look different, though."

"I sort of fused with something called an Uwasa." How was she even supposed to get into what had happened there? She could feel Ai at the peripheral of her mind, giving them privacy for the moment. "It's a long story."

"I can tell. I only have so long before the spell runs out, so you'll have to tell it to me another time."

In that moment, Flick found herself forgetting the situation she was in, or even how close this universe was to destruction. She took a hesitant step forward, unable to take her eyes away from Avalon. In the background, she could hear Yachiyo asking who she was talking to, but it was white noise compared to the blood rushing through her ears.

After a few steps, Flick ended up right in front of the projection. She cupped the side of Avalon's face, her hand barely not touching it so she wouldn't break the illusion. "I missed you."

This time, when Avalon spoke, there wasn't a hint of teasing in her voice. "I missed you too. There's so much I have to tell you about . . . a lot's happened since you left."

"Is everyone okay?" Flick needed that question answered first.

"Yeah," Avalon said. "More than okay, for some of us. Sands and Scout found their mom. Turns out she's been alive all this time."

Flick's eyes widened. "Wait, really?!" Larissa Mason had been presumed dead for over 7 years. It wasn't entirely unheard of for Heretics to come back after everyone thought they were gone, but it was still a miracle each time. While Flick wasn't as close to the Mason twins as Avalon, they had still become good friends over the past few months. Knowing that they had their mom back after their dad had burnt any bridges was a relief.

"It's a long story," Avalon said. "We needed her help to stop Manakel and this other girl."

"Manakel?!" Fuck, that was bad. Manakel was a Seosten, a race of body snatchers that had been controlling Earth for millenia. Not only that, he was an Olympian, given even greater powers than most. He was in an entirely different league from Flick, Avalon, or any other Magia students. They wouldn't survive a battle with—

"We killed him." Avalon's words brought Flick's thoughts to a screeching halt. "Sands actually got the killing blow and Reaped his necromancy."

Okay. Okay. This was a lot to take in. Avalon, Sands, and Scout had needed Larissa Mason's help to stop the plans of Manakel and . . . someone else. They had fought him, and Sands had killed him. Being a Heretic, she had inherited one of his powers, in this case being the necromancy he was known for.

"And you're really all okay?" Flick asked again. Sue her, she couldn't see them to confirm it for herself.

Now, Avalon was the one cupping Flick's face. "We're fine, really. We've made it home now, and everyone is okay there too. Your family is working hard to get more recruits for Unity. Gaia is using some of her connections still at Crossroads to help students who didn't escape in the initial wave get out. Carmentae and Kyoko are still helping kids get out of abusive situations. Even the Mitakihara girls are doing better. It's not easy for Homura, convincing herself her fight is finally over, but she has everyone else to support her through it. We're all doing great here."

That was a relief, at least. Especially considering she wasn't doing nearly as well with her mission. Look at her, accelerating the Magius' plans while her friends suffered.

"I'd hit you if I could," Avalon said. "You can't blame yourself, Chambers."

Oh boy. She was calling Flick by her last name again. That's how she knew she was in trouble.

"I guess this connection lets you see into my mind," Flick said. "So you can probably tell how badly I've screwed up . . ."

Avalon raised a finger. "First, I can get a glimpse of your thoughts, but this isn't like Seosten possession. I can't read your memories. This spell is . . . complicated. Second, is anyone dead?"

Flick frowned. "No."

"Then you haven't screwed up yet," Avalon said. "You can still save everyone. You're Felicity goddamn Chambers. You aren't the type to stay down, even now."

How badly Flick wanted to believe those words. She had, once. Now she wasn't so sure.

"I . . . can't explain the full situation without taking too long," she said, "but my Witch spoke to me. In the past, everything I did . . . was it all really heroic? Or was I just trying to copy my mom?"

There was a look in Avalon's eyes Flick couldn't quite decipher. Sadness? Regret?

"Flick. I need to tell you something. When I first met you, I didn't quite understand what made you so important. I was in a new location, on a mission for Gaia. I wasn't really expecting anything to come from it.

"Then I got to know you better. You accepted me even though I assumed you would hate me for lying to you. You became a Witch, a fate worse than death, all to stop someone else from falling to that same despair. The way you brought us together wasn't the same as what your mom did. Because to you, it was the connections between us that was important. Severing rifts, making us a team, that was what mattered to you."

"Avalon . . ." Flick could feel her throat drying up.

"You have a belief, Flick," Avalon said. "You believe in humanity's inherent nature to come together. If I had to guess, you've been following that belief this whole time."

Finding Yachiyo. Convincing Mifuyu to switch sides. Explaining the truth to everyone she could.

Avalon is right. I should listen to her words, not those of my Doppel.

"Valley." Flick found herself smiling. "Thank you. I'll be back home soon, I promise. So wait for me, okay?"

Avalon returned her smile. "I will. We all will."

"You haven't been too lonely, have you?" Flick found herself teasing.

Avalon's face flushed a tiny bit. "I'm fine, Chambers. I've been with Sands and . . . Scout." Her voice trailed off for some reason, and she couldn't entirely mask the smile on her face. There seemed to be a small sparkle in her eyes, along with longing. What was—

Oh.

"Avalon," Flick said. "Do you have a crush on Scout?"

Seeing the way Avalon's blush deepened even further, Flick knew she was right. Her smile widened.

"Good," Flick said.

The single words seemed to shock Avalon, her eyes widening a fraction. "Good?"

"Yeah," Flick said. "You deserve all the happiness in the world, Valley." She knew she meant every word she was saying. "I know you won't love me any less."

"Of course not!" Avalon blurted. "You . . . you're the most important person in the world to me."

"But Scout is important too." Flick wished she could put a hand on Avalon's shoulder. "I understand, Valley. You already told me about Heretics are more accepting of the whole polyamory thing. I don't see why we can't give it a try too."

"When I told you that, I was thinking you might find someone else you're into," Avalon drawled. "Speaking of which, if you found anyone over there . . ."

Aaaaaaand now Flick was the one blushing. "That's not—I haven't—uhhhh, not yet."

Avalon raised an eyebrow. "Not yet, eh?" Oh, boy, she could clearly read right through Flick. "Well, if you do find someone, you don't need to hold back either. Understand?"

God, this was such an awkward conversation to be having now of all times. "I'll remember that," Flick said. "As long as you confess to Scout."

Aha! I got you to blush again!

"We'll see," Avalon said after a brief pause. Then, her form flickered a little, and she grimaced. "Dammit, I'm running out of time. Flick, don't give up, alright? We all believe in you. Show the girls there why they should do the same."

Already?! There was so much more Flick wanted to say to Avalon. So much more they needed to talk about.

But this universe didn't have the time.

"I will," Flick said. "Can you do this spell again? I have no idea how it works."

"It's complicated, and will take a while to recharge," Avalon said. Already, her form was losing more opacity. "Even with the help of Joan of Arc and an Archangel, it isn't easy to put in all the energy we need."

Oh, yeah, that made sense. A spell to cross universes, even as a projection, was no easy feat. Of course it would need the help of—

"Wait, what?!" Flick's jaw literally dropped, to the point it would have been on the floor if she had the right powerset for it.

In the end, Avalon got in one more smirk. "I'll tell you when you get home, so you better hurry up." With those words, her form finally vanished entirely, leaving the cell feeling far too lonely.

Flick wasn't alone, though. She turned toward Yachiyo. "Sorry about all that," she said. "That was Avalon, projecting to me for a short time."

"Did she help you?" Yachiyo asked.

Flick smiled. "Yeah, she did. She reminded me about all the connections I've made—" A realization came to her, making her stop suddenly.

"Flick?" Yachiyo frowned in concern. "What's wrong?"

No, nothing was wrong. Connections. How did she not realize sooner?

At that moment, they both turned toward the entrance of the cell. Just outside, they could hear sounds of combat, getting closer with each passing moment.

"Nothing's wrong," Flick said. "In fact . . .

"I know how we're going to win this."

A/N: This chapter concludes the penultimate arc of this story. I hope you all come back next chapter for the beginning of the final arc!

...Wait, did I just set up interactions between Sands and Persephone—