Chapter 1

Flick admitted to putting herself in more danger than she should. Not long ago, she had confronted her boss at the movie theater she worked at for selling drugs, in his office. Sure, her police officer friend Scott had been just outside, but she was still taking a risk. Her dad had made that clear in his long lecture after the fact.

Regardless, Flick had approached the situation with only a small amount of fear. She wanted to be a reporter, confronting the darkest sides of humanity. If she wanted to succeed, she would have to accept any danger that came with her career. Flick wasn't fearless, but most of the time, she could push her fear down to focus on the task in front of her.

Therefore, the terror flooding through her body was a foreign sensation, one which made her feel like her body was about to pop. She could barely think, the fear threatening to overwhelm all her senses. What was causing her such fear? A single man. Overweight, simple looking, almost like how one would expect a dentist to look. Yet he was clearly far more.

"You shouldn't worry so much," the man said. "After all, I am sworn not to hurt you."

If anything, his words only served to fuel Flick's fear further. She yanked her arm, trying to free it from its current state. She was pinned against the wall of her house. It was past midnight, officially her 17th birthday. After staying up for so long, she had looked outside and noticed the light on her porch was still on. She had gone to turn it off, only for a sudden pressure to trap both of her arms, leaving her in her current state. Much of her fear came from the fact that she couldn't even see what was holding her down. It was as though an invisible force had taken hold of her.

"Who are you?" she managed to get out despite her throat wanting to lock up. "What do you want with me."

He took a step forward, placing ash from a canteen along his path for some reason. "Now, Felicity," he said, and her name coming from his mouth was enough to make her skin crawl. "What would your mother say if she heard you crumpled from merely my presence?"

"What do you know about my mom?" Flick snapped. "She abandoned me years ago! I want nothing to do with her!" Even with all her swirling emotions, Flick could pinpoint the resentment she felt toward the woman who left her when she was only 7 years old. Her mom had been a police sheriff before one day taking off with a random man she had pulled over.

Wait.

Flick's eyes widened. "You're the one who took her. It was you."

"Of course," he said. "How could I not, when she was isolated without her former powers? Why, they might as well have planted a six layer chocolate fudge cake in front of a dieting man. She was…" His eyes met Flick's. "Irresistible."

Disgust boiled in her stomach, but what stood out from what he had said was . . .

"Powers?"

He sighed. "I see the spell I put on you has yet to complete its task. Let me speed it along."

Suddenly, fire raced through Flick's body. She cried out, the sheer pain almost causing her to black out. After it faded, it took her a minute to recover her senses. When she did, she could finally see what was pinning her down.

Ghosts. Actual, real life ghosts were holding her arms to the wall.

While Flick was stunned into silence, the man kept talking. "It's amazing how they could leave your mother for me to snatch away and still call themselves the good guys. They almost let you into their school, you know? Unfortunately, it seems those in favor were outvoted. A shame, really. With power, you might have been able to provide me a brief moment of entertainment."

Flick could admit that she was entirely lost. Beyond the revelation that magic was apparently real, because what else could this be, one of these magical beings had apparently set his sights on her mom.

His sights. Does that mean . . .

"My mom," Flick spoke in a strained voice, "did she go with you willingly?"

"Of course," he said, and the whirlwind of emotions didn't have time to settle before he added, "once she learned my real target was you, she rushed to offer herself in your place. I had to restore her memories so she knew exactly who I was, and that was enough for her to offer promises, make binding oaths, all she could do in order to protect you. So, I accepted her proposal. The safety of her child in exchange for her servitude and obedience in all things."

She had to be dreaming. There was no way any of this made sense. Her mother was supposed to be a monster. Not a victim stolen by a literal monster in exchange for Flick's safety! If what this man said was true, then . . .

All the memories of Mom tainted by anger. All the times I spoke bitterly about her, or swore how much I hated her.

Oh, God. Flick had to be the worst daughter ever. She wished she could throw up, but the demon in front of her kept her paralyzed.

"No, no, no." Flick muttered. "Please, no."

"The funny thing is," the man continued, sounding amused by her reaction. "The way that particular agreement was phrased, you are protected as long as you remain a child. And that, Felicity, ends when you turn eighteen years old. At that point, you are no longer a child. You'll officially be an adult. So happy birthday, and enjoy this year." He raised the canteen in his hand as though toasting her. "When you turn eighteen, maybe you can join your mother. Wouldn't that be fun? Mother and daughter, united in service to me."

Flick screamed, a raw display of emotions that tore at her throat. Had she not been pinned down, she would have thrown herself at the man in front of her, for all the good it would do.

He stepped forward, not even bothering to place down ashes. Instead, ghosts appeared at his feet, collapsing into piles of ashes for him to walk on. Flick's breath caught in her throat when he got close enough to touch her. He smirked at this, placing a hand under her chin.

"As you are, you may not be able to fully comprehend the scope of what I'm saying, so allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Fossor. Your mother was what we call a Heretic, someone dedicated to fighting those like me, before her society tossed her away, taking her memories. I had encountered her and her rebellion before, but they could not kill me. Nor could the people they broke away from. I am not a simple necromancer who caught dear Joselyn, my Felicity. I have an entire planet of enemies which I command, and I will sacrifice as many of them as necessary to get what I want. I was cursed to kill my people with every step I take, and even that failed to keep me off this planet."

He began to walk away, toward the limo that had been waiting for him at the end of the street. "So if you plan to resist me when I come back for you in a year, you would be wise to have gained an incredible amount of power. Otherwise, it would only take me a few seconds to get you to submit, and that would be," he sighed, "disappointing."

Then he stepped into the back of the limo. A moment later, the car pulled away from the curb, driving down the street. When it reached the corner, the ghosts holding Flick captive abruptly disappeared, and she stumbled forward with a yelp.

With the danger gone and nothing to support her, Flick fell to her knees. For a while, she stayed there, eyes wide, hands planted against the ground. Her encounter with Fossor replayed itself in her head over and over, as though she were desperate to find an oddity, some proof that it hadn't happened. Her hands were stinging, and she belatedly realized how harshly she had been pushing them into the ground.

"Mom," she whispered. "Mommy. Please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I miss you. I was hurt and I hated you but I love you. Please, mommy. Please, please, come back. You let him take you and I—I hated you and I shouldn't have and I'm so sorry. You saved me. Me. Mommy."

Flick threw up, the shame making her whole body quiver. Tears mixed with the vomit, falling to the ground in a stream. With every sob that came forth, she punched her fist into the ground. It was a shameful, pathetic display, and Flick had no clue how it long it went on before a voice in her head caught her attention.

"Do you wish to change it?"

Flick blinked the tears out of her eyes, looking around for the source of the boyish sounding voice. Her eyes landed on a creature that could have been mistaken for a white cat at first glance. Except its tail was far too big, its eyes were a piercing red, and below the normal looking cat ears, there was a long pair of eyes with golden rings on them. The bottom of the ears spread into three parts, with red ovals on them, the ears themselves fading into a pink color.

"W-what are you?" Flick choked out. It had to be a magical creature, one of the ones her mom had hunted. Except this one didn't look like a threat. If anything, Flick would have gushed over how cute it was under different circumstances.

"Kyubey," the creature said, the voice no longer in Flick's head. "We roam your planet, looking for young girls to make a contract with."

"Contract?" Flick asked. Keep talking. Anything to keep my mind off of—

"Felicity Chambers," Kyubey said. "If you could have any wish granted in exchange for a lifetime of fighting, would you accept?"

Her head was spinning. All which Fossor had told her was still registering, and now she was being approached about a hypothetical wish?

"I don't know," she said. "The most fighting I've done was when my friend and I scuffled with a bully on the floor in elementary school. Are you talking about fighting the monsters which . . . which apparently aren't just fairy tales.

"In a sense," Kyubey said. "There are plenty of beings like the necromancer you just encountered, those which call themselves Alters. But while plenty of them threaten your species, you managed to come together to counter them. I believe those of you with the power to sense and fight them are called Heretics. Even so, there's a threat that even they can't beat. They're known as Witches."

The image of an old woman cackling over a boiling cauldron came to Flick's mind, but she had a feeling that wasn't what Kyubey was referring to. So she asked him.

"Witches are born from humanity's curses," Kyubey said. "They create labyrinths to draw people in, then kill them one they're inside. Often, they'll plant Witches' Kisses on their victims, causing them to lose their will to live. The victims will kill themselves and others in that state, and until the witch is taken down, it will continue to spread its despair."

"That sounds awful," Flick whispered.

"Our task is to find young women with the potential to fight witches and make a contract with them. In exchange for a single wish, we turn them into Magical Girls. That wish creates a soul gem, which gives them the power to fight. Especially those who have as much potential as you do, Felicity Chambers."

Should she have been surprised she had potential? If her mom had fought magical beings in the past, it must have been possible for some of that to be passed down to her. Though from what Kyubey said, she had more potential than the average Magical Girl.

"How much potential do I have?" she asked.

"Honestly, you have the potential to become one of the most powerful Magical Girls I've seen." It was creepy how Kyubey seemed to have the same, chipper tone with every sentence. Especially since, though he had quickly stopped speaking in her mind, his mouth wasn't moving. "It would take some of the wickedest Witches out there to take you down. So, do you want to make a wish? Any miracle you desire, I can make it happen."

A lifetime of fighting, because she put her trust in a strange creature. The obvious answer seemed to be no. Had Kyubey asked yesterday, Flick would have said she was content with her life, and putting it on the line wasn't what she wanted. She would have been tempted, being able to uncover truths that she never would as a normal reporter. Even so, she would have declined in the end.

Not now.

"If I wished for my mother back," Flick's voice was barely audible even to herself, "would you be able to grant that?"

"With your potential, that would be easy," Kyubey said. He left it at that, as if he hadn't just dropped an emotional bomb on Flick.

I miss you so much, Mom.

She managed to stand, her legs shaking. "Then I'll accept your contract," she said. "I'll become a Magical girl and fight Witches. And what I wish is that Fossor had never set his sights on my family to begin with."

Because if she wished for her mom back, Fossor would just come for Flick herself. He had made it clear that she was his primary target. She wanted her family to live happily together, like they had so long ago. The joy which had been ripped away from her, she wanted to hold tight to it for as long as she lived.

A sudden pain erupted in Flick's chest, causing her to gasp. Where the pain was strongest, her body glowed a bright bown, taking the shape of an orb. Flick reared back, grunting at how severe the pain had gotten. Had she not closed her eyes from the agony, she would have noticed that brown orb floating in front of her eyes, forming into something new.

"The contract has been made," Kyubey said, while Flick tried her hardest not pass out. "Your wish has prevailed over entropy. So, go now . . . unleash your new power!"

Flick started to fall to the ground, but before she landed, she opened her eyes. She saw the brown light in front of her, the same color as her eyes, and lifted her hands to grasp it. Somehow, her fall slowed, letting her land gently on her back. Once she landed, she pulled the light close.

Then, finally, she let herself fall unconscious.

What an awful dream. It was her first thought upon awakening. Her eyes fluttered open, and she expected to wake up in her room, her dad preparing breakfast downstairs so she could go down and talk to him about the strangest nightmare she had ever faced.

Except she wasn't in her room.

Flick jolted out of bed, her heart thumping. Looking around, she saw she was in an apartment. The bedroom she was in looked plain, though the posters, school supplies, figures, and all her other possessions were lined up in a way similar to her room at home.

Stepping outside the room showed a small hallway, with a bathroom directly across from her. To her right, the hallway opened up into one big room, which was divided into kitchen and living room by a counter. Again, the supplies in the kitchen were similar to the ones she had at home, and the photos on display in the living room were familiar to her.

Wait, no. Some weren't. There were ones of her on vacation, smiling with her father by her side, just like she remembered. But her mom was in the photos too. Looking just as beautiful as Flick remembered, with a radiant smile and the same dirty blonde hair as Flick.

There were pictures of Flick with her friend Miranda, of her graduating middle school, and of seemingly random parties. Her 13th birthday, Christmas last year, even them all sitting together on the couch in this new apartment, with Flick looking as old as she was currently.

Seeing what should have been, Flick teared up, a single sob escaping her. No, now wasn't the time to get distracted. She had to figure out what was going on.

To that end, she returned to her room, and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. Next to it, she noticed a silver ring with a brown gem placed in the center of it. Curious, she put it on her finger, feeling energy radiating from it.

Is this my soul gem? Honestly, it was beautiful. Flick wished she had the time to admire it.

Opening her phone, the first moment of shock came from realizing the text was in Japanese. The second was the realization that she understood it.

It says I'm in Mitakihara City. But how did I get here?

Curiosity growing, Flick opened her mail app. Seeing the latest message, her heart nearly stopped.

The message was from her mother.

Flick had never clicked on anything as fast as she had the message. It was from her mom. It was addressed to her. It wasn't getting to hear her voice, but Flick could communicate with her mom again! Eyes glued to the screen, she read the message.

My Felicity. I can't believe it's been 10 years since that school in Japan reached out to you. If I'd known you would do so well in their middle school program that you would get into a large, fancy high school, then maybe I wouldn't have been so hesitant to let you go.

Not really. I'll always miss you every second you aren't here. The trips to see you are the highlights of my life. Every summer you come home is filled with joy. You will always be my happiness, Felicity. If you go straight into the college program they're offering you, I'll be so proud, even while I'm missing you.

Thanksgiving is closer than it feels. I'm sure your teachers will let you come visit us, just like last year. Let me know what they say, okay?

I love you, Felicity. See you soon.

Tears fell onto the screen, and more began to flood Flick's eyes. What a bittersweet feeling it was, reading that text. Her mom was alright. She hadn't been taken by some psychotic necromancer, and she hadn't abandoned her. Mom and Dad were together again. They were happy.

And Felicity wasn't a part of it.

I should have realized. How many stories give the message that you should be careful what you wish for?

Fossor had gone for Flick first. While the exact effects of her wish were unclear, it had made it so she wasn't in Fossor's sights in the first place. For some reason, it had done that by taking her somewhere Fossor couldn't find her. Japan. A scholarship program, or something along those lines, had picked her up as a child, and so she spent her school years in a nation far from home.

Flick got what she wanted. Her family was safe.

Even so, she felt farther from them than she ever had.