Chapter 25

The Sisters' Apprentice

"So, what now?" Mindy asked.

"That girl is a Princess." Sandy said. "You could sense it right?"

"Indeed I can." Yen Sid leaned back, thinking about what this meant. There had been Princesses with Keyblades before. Kairi was one of them. But two at once was a powerful omen, though what it foretold, good or ill, he wasn't sure. But he was certain that Ramuh would know.

Yen Sid turned to the sisters. "Find Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather and ready a room for training."

"Right away!" Cindy said. The sisters saluted and then departed the room, heading elsewhere in the tower.

Now, to learn. The spell was trivial for one so experienced as him. With a few gestures, electricity arced from his fingers to form into a crackling magical circle. There was a flash of lightning, a crack of thunder, and floating before him was a glowing yellow light.

The light took the form of a tan skinned elderly man with an incredibly long beard clad in black robes.

"I am Ramuh! Esper of Storms and Knowledge! Who is the summoner who dares calls upon me?" The being said with a crackling voice. Storm clouds filled the room while lightning flashed and thunder boomed.

"It is I, the wizard Yen Sid! Former Master of the Keyblade, now Master of the Mysterious Tower!" The wizard shouted over the living storm.

The lightning suffused being turned it's glowing gaze upon him. Then the being smiled. As he lowered to the ground a chair formed beneath him. The electricity that was crackling across his body dispersed and his eyes turned to a shade of electric blue.

"Good to see you, old friend." Ramuh stated, his voice now beginning to sound more normal.

"The same to you." Yen Sid answered, grinning. He gestured, and a set of tea appeared on the desk before them. His guest took a mug at the same time that he did, and the two clinked them together.

"I take it by your summoning of me that Madoka and her companions have arrived safely?"

"More or less, though their schedule had been delayed. First by a lack of proper currency to buy train tickets." Yen Sid answered, raising an eyebrow.

Even in his long life, there were still some things that would surprise him. An Esper looking sheepish was one of them. Being a Lord of Knowledge clearly wasn't the same thing as all-knowing

"Fortunately, the girls are clever, and managed to find a way through that problem, which by coincidence led them into an encounter with a member of the Organization. Her description of the encounter leads me to believe the member was Xigbar."

"With my power, they were in no danger." Ramuh smiled knowingly.

"I must question why you are so involved. Why would you go out of your way for someone like her?"

Ramuh leaned forward, his face serious. "There has been unrest within the Feymarch. This new Keyblade War goes far beyond the Guardians and Seekers. Keyblades break so very many of the universes physical and magical laws. The first Keyblade War tore the First World apart, radically altering the very structure of the universe; now that a second war is nascent..."

"There are many Espers who see it as an opportunity." Yen Sid finished, frowning at the implications of what he was saying.

"Indeed. Some seek to expand their domains, gain more power, recruit new followers, destroy enemies and rivals, or even just amuse themselves. Old factions are realigning. New battle-lines have been drawn. Small conflicts have already broken out."

"And you believe that this Madoka is important to resolving this conflict? I understand that, as both a Princess of Heart and Keyblade Weilder, she can be a powerful ally. But such a thing has happened before, and you haven't gotten involved with those cases." The old wizard was curious. Without a doubt, Ramuh knew of Kairi's special circumstances.

Ramuh closed his eyes. "I did not entirely seek her out on my own. She called to me, seeking knowledge on what was happening to her World."

"She did not seem to have been aware of you before you saved her from Homura." Yen Sid questioned.

"Not that Madoka. There is much more to this tale than you would expect." Ramuh opened his glowing blue eyes. "It involves a Goddess..."

So many sights! Homura was in awe as they walked through the city. The buildings were strange and bizarrely shaped, a chaotic hodgepodge of styles and shapes, looking like they had come from a massive variety of cultures and societies. There were buildings adorned with sinister looking spikes, buildings that seemed to be coated in vines, buildings shaped like eggs or even statues that doubled as buildings. So many of them were massive in size, as big as skyscrapers back home, or even bigger.

However, they were nothing compared to the people of the city. There were humans, yes, but so much more. Strange creatures of all sizes and shapes. Some looked like the typical fantasy depictions of elves and dwarves, others had animal-like features and some looked like nothing Homura had ever seen before. She saw a pair of rabbit-like women interacting with small red creatures. A cat eared man talking with an orange scaled reptile. What appeared to be an animated suit of armor examined fruit at a stall.

But some were even more bizarre than that. Entities that looked like ghastly and random combinations of flesh and machine with multiple legs and tentacles shambled about. A strange creature with an octopus like head in a stiff robe passed by. There were beings that seemed to be comprised of a cluster of floating lights that arranged themselves into different shapes. She saw a trio of glowing creatures with heads floating detached from their bodies. Homura gaped as cloud vaguely in the shape of a four armed humanoid drifted past to meet with a column of living fire.

"What is this place?" Homura asked.

"Sigil is a World located in the realm of Twilight. It is one of those very rare worlds to be perfectly balanced between all realms. In addition to this, it is called the City of Doors for a reason. Here, any enclosed area can become a portal. Doors, windows, archways, cupboards, manholes, tunnels. Anything... if you have the proper Key."

"Key?"

"Ordinarily, a Portal Key could be anything. An object, a song, a phrase or password, a particular set of clothing, an action, or even a pattern of thoughts. However, being a Keyblade Wielder does come with it's perks in this area." Xehanort said with a grin. "Here, in this city, people from Worlds all over the universe meet. They trade in goods, knowledge, and philosophies."

As he said this, she passed by what could only be an angel, white wings and all. He looked flustered, and was conversing with a black winged figure in dark sunglasses.

"Where are we headed?" Homura asked, trying not to get distracted by the increasingly bizarre sights.

"To the City Courts. Contained therein is the guild headquarters of the Fraternity of Order. To them, knowledge is power. They seek to understand the multiverse and to then draw strength from this knowledge. Thus they maintain impeccable records and an immense collection of information." Xehanort gestured towards one of the city's massive structures. It looked like a combination between a courthouse and a library, though the spikes adorning the rooftop made the establishment appear more sinister in design. "Herein lies the knowledge that will help us free Madoka from the burden of the Keyblade."

After a respite, a trio of fairies in dresses had appeared, beckoning the girls to follow them. Another doorway appeared, leading down a flight of stairs.

"We'll start with the basics." Yen Sid said. "You mentioned using magic before, during your encounter at the train station. Would you care to demonstrate that for me?"

"Um… okay..." Madoka raised Eternal Struggle, only for the wizard to gently grab the weapon and lower it to the ground.

"There's no need to use that."

"You want me to cast a spell without the Keyblade? But without it..." Madoka looked to the ground, recalling her experience in the Struggle tournament. "I'm nothing..."

"Magic is rooted in the will. It is at its core using your will to defy the natural laws of the universe. Emotions, logic, prayer, meditation, wishes, they all act as a means to direct willpower. That will comes from the Heart and Soul. The Keyblade is an extension of your own Heart. It acts as a conduit for magic, but it is not the source of it. It merely served to help awaken it in yourself and your friends."

"Wait… the Keyblade activated my friends' powers?" Madoka asked.

At this, Yen Sid grinned. "Did you think that the Keyblade could only unlock doors? The connection your Heart has to your friends' Hearts activated the magic that lay dormant within them, aided by the Keyblade."

"My Heart… It's the source of my magic." Madoka placed her hand to her chest, closing her eyes.

"Try to recall the feeling that you felt during the battle."

She recalled the battle in her mind. She recalled the fear. The desperation when she saw Sayaka and Kyoko about to be killed. But… that had only been the catalyst. The actual feeling. It was a burst of energy. A surge of adrenaline. Like a jolt. A sudden flash of inspiration. Thunder.

Madoka felt a tingling in her hands, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that electricity was crackling around her hands. It didn't hurt. In fact, it kind of tickled.

"Whoa! Awesome!" Sayaka said.

Yen Sid gestured, and a glowing ball of light appeared floating in the air. "Try to hit the target."

Madoka obliged and held out her hand. A bolt of yellow lighting lanced out striking the ball head on, destroying it.

She then heard applause, from both the Magus Sisters, and her friends.

"Well done!" Sandy said.

"You've got the hang of it pretty fast!" Cindy said.

"Meh, I could have done it- ow! I mean, you rock!" Mindy commented.

"Kickass!" Kyoko said.

"Indeed, you seem to have gotten the grasp of it fairly quickly." Yen Sid said.

"T-thank you." Madoka said, unused to such praise.

"That spell you cast was Thunder, magic that allows for electromancy. The manipulation of electricity. With it you can generate electricity, call down bolts of lightning from the sky and even manipulate preexisting electricity."

Sandy held out her hand, and flames danced about across it. "There's also Fire."

"And Water." Cindy said. She lifted her hands, and a sphere of water formed between them. "Both of which should be self explanatory."

"And Aero." Mindy said, as she swung her hand and a gust of wind blew across the room.

"Among other spells. Quake for earth and stone, Blizzard for ice and cold. These form the basic offensive spells, otherwise known as Black Magic. There are other spells, such as Cure from White Magic to heal injuries, that will also be useful."

"So how are we going to learn all this stuff?" Kyoko asked, trying to look detached, but it was clear that she was barely concealing her excitement.

"That's where we come in." Said a familiar voice. The doorway to the room opened, and an old man with an incredibly long beard stepped into the room.

"Ramuh!" Nagisa said.

"You're here?" Mami asked.

"I said we would meet again." The Esper answered.

"Indeed. Learning magic can be greatly expedited by cooperating with an Esper." Yen Sid explained. "As you recall during the battle at the train station."

"Right." Ramuh said. "Now let's get to work."

The training had been proceeding well. With the aid of the Espers, everyone had quickly picked up the basics of magic, Madoka especially quickly. Kyoko took well to fire magic and Sayaka excelled at both water and healing.

Some of the group had even began to develop new abilities of their own. Kyoko seemed to be able to conjure chains out of thin air, forming them into barriers or shields. Sayaka could generate short lived platforms in the air and could move in bursts of incredible speed.

And Mami could create ribbons. Strong enough to swing off of, or tie things up. It seemed her muskets were actually formed of these ribbons, making her wonder if there was anything else she could make with them. As she took a seat, she had to resist the urge to fiddle with the power.

"You… wanted to see me sir?" Mami asked as she faced Yen Sid.

"Yes. I would like to hear your story."

"You've heard it."

"You've told me the sequence of events. At the moment, I am interested in your perspective on them. How do you feel about what has transpired?"

Mami paused and thought, reflecting on the things that troubled her.

"In truth… I think I'm still reeling from it all. My entire life has been upended in a day and a half. Yesterday morning, I woke up prepared to go shopping with my friends, only to find one of these in my hands." Mami held out her hand, and one of the silver muskets appeared. "Then, before I could really process what was happening, the Heartless attacked our apartment. From there until we got to Twilight Town, everything is still kind of a blur. Fighting and fleeing just to stay alive. And now… things just keep building on top of each other. Two days ago, the things I was worrying about were simple things like what I was going to cook to please two ravenous eaters like Nagisa and Kyoko. Now, we're fighting for our lives in a war for the fate of the universe."

"It breaks my heart to know what these young people have all gone through. Yes, prospective Wielders are generally brought into the order at a young age, but they are still allowed to have lives. To make friends, to spend time with their families, to enjoy the experiences of youth. They aren't meant to be sent out on missions until adulthood. To have that taken away from you is a tragedy."

"It makes me worry about the others." Mami said.

"Hmm? What about them?" Yen Sid asked.

"Kyoko is… a mess. I knew her before what happened to her family, and she was a very different person then. Happier. More optimistic. Now… she's mired in cynicism, and has been clashing frequently with the others. Nagisa was rejected by her father, and then her mother. I've done my best look after her like a big sister, and she's recovering, but now it's all in jeopardy." Mami took a deep breath. "Sayaka is trying to put on a brave face, but I know she's hurting inside as well. She's doing it for Madoka's sake, but I don't think bottling those feelings up is going to do her or Madoka any good. And then there's Madoka… so much depends on her, and she is severely lacking in self-confidence."

"Do you think she is unfitting of the mantle of Key Bearer?"

"No! Of course not! When it comes down to it, she can act decisively and do incredible things. If anyone deserves a Keyblade, it's her. But her lack of confidence means it's sporadic, and when she does do them, she has trouble accepting that she's really better than she thinks she is." Mami sighed. "I'm the oldest. I'm supposed to look out for them. A leader is supposed to bring out the best in others. And yet… I don't know what I'm supposed to do..."

Yen Sid leaned back, stroking his beard. "The mantle of leadership is never an easy burden to bear. Those that think it is set themselves up for failure. You believe that your friends are good people, do you not?"

"Of course!" Mami said.

"A good leader is aware of their faults, and understands that they must trust in their charges just as their charges must trust them. If you understand that, then I believe you will do fine in your role."

Mami stood up and bowed. "Thank you sir. I should return to my training."

She stepped out of the room and down the staircase back into the training room... Where she walked in on Sayaka currently chasing everyone around shooting water at them. Mami sighed.

Well… time to be a leader…

If there was anything Homura had learned in her long quest, it was patience. Even in the hellish life of a Magical Girl, there were dull periods. No Witches to fight, no Madoka's to save. No weapons to stockpile. Made even worse was that she had to repeat these moments over and over.

Homura hated these moments. Every second that passed was a second that something could go unexpectedly wrong. Details sometimes changed in timelines. Even for all her preparing, something out of the blue could happen. She could get the schedule of Madoka and her family and friends down. She could track Kyubey's pattern of movements and appearances. Memorize it perfectly, and then some aberrant event could throw all that out the window.

Kyubey could slip past her notice and get to Madoka before Homura could stop her from Contracting. A Witch or Familiar could stray from their usual roaming right into the path of Madoka or her friends and severely harm or even kill them. An unknown Magical Girl from another city could arrive and start fights. Only in the end did Homura realize that this had all been her fault. That her attempts to help Madoka had only muddled the flow of time and worsened her fate. Made her an even greater and greater prize to Kyubey. More mistakes to correct. More sins she could never atone for.

What was she doing here? This was pointless. She wasn't going to succeed. Everything she'd done so far had only made things worse. Let Madoka die over and over, tying more strings of fate to her. Let the Goddess take her away. Allow the Incubators to nearly imprison her. Violate her wish and leave her vulnerable to the Heartless. She was a failure. She should just- No! Not here. Not now.

Homura hated these moments.

There was nothing to do to occupy her attention. She had tried to look through several books, but unfortunately, none of them seemed to be written in languages that she could read, much to her chagrin. She was curious, but unfortunately there wasn't much she could do but wait at the moment.

"Hey! Listen!" A high pitched voice suddenly sounded.

"Huh?" Homura looked around for the source of the voice, but couldn't find it. She rose from where she was sitting, tensing up. "Where are you?"

"No! Up here! I have a question!"

Homura looked up to see a ball of light descending towards her. It was a swirling mass of colors, all shifting and changing rapidly in a way that was more hypnotic the more Homura stared at it.

She managed to tear her gaze away from the pattern and focus on what the creature was saying. "What question?"

"Do you want to know about the darkness?" the creature asked in a voice that was both otherworldly and also feminine and high pitched.

"What do you mean?"

"I cannot speak here, and you cannot learn here. It's far, but you really should come. It will help you to become closer to who you seek. Madoka Kaname, right?"

"Madoka?!" Homura entire body was tense now. "How do you know about her?!"

"Come and see." Was the only reply Homura received.

The ball of light floated down the aisle and then out a window. Homura hesitated, but her curiosity and anxiety won out and she followed the light outside.

As she landed, she saw the light floating atop a nearby building. It bounced, as if gesturing for her to follow. Homura obliged, leaping atop the building, and then running after the light.

As she traveled, the city's appearance gradually changed. The opulent buildings began to shift, becoming less and less fancy looking. The air became drier, and the buildings began to be overtaken by factories, belching smog and fumes into the air. Both the streets and the people were dirtier here, with a thick layer of soot covering many buildings and the people disheveled and dirty. A fine sprinkling of soot fell from the polluted air. With a simple application of magic, she pushed the soot off her clothes and hair, keeping herself clean.

She had passed into what must be the industrial district of the city. The clothing was a lot more simple here, though the variety of people hadn't changed.

The light didn't stop here, keeping steady as it continued onwards. Homura followed, now having to avoid large buildups of soot lest she slip and fall from the rooftops. Gradually, the scenery began to change again as she moved, the factories and warehouses being replaced by ugly buildings that had clearly not been repaired in a long time. Wooden structures were clearly rotting, and many metal buildings had been rusted through. The place stank to high heaven.

As she passed through the area, Homura found herself slowing down to observe. Of course all that grandeur from earlier had its price. Despite how the wealthy talked about improving the world, they were ignorant, willfully or not, of the suffering their greed caused.

Homura was no stranger to places such as these. Slums, ghettos and red light districts had been prime locations to find Witches. She hadn't initially known the reason, though it had become more clear as more awful truths about the world had been revealed to her. Even after she had failed in her quest to protect Madoka, she still frequented these places. They were massive sources of misery and despair, meaning Wraiths were plentiful.

Homura saw the filthy, waste strewn streets. The faulty and unreliable streetlights. The hopeless faces of people as they passed. The glum prostitutes gathering at corners. Her heart sank as she saw the groups of orphaned children, scrounging through piles of trash or attempting to pickpocket passers-by, to varying degrees of success.

She tried to put it out of her mind, they were distractions, but the suffering here kept creeping into her perception. Brief flashes of the true nature of the world.

A corpse lying in the middle of the street. Most people casually stepped around it, barely registering the sight until a deformed man in a cloak eventually picked it up and callously tossed it into a wheelbarrow already carrying several other corpses.

A pair of men in clad in different bloodstained clothes fighting each other with knives. Clearly members of rival gangs. Again, the people's only reaction was to give them space, otherwise going about their business.

A clearly sad and drunken man staggered out of a building and down the streets, only to collapse to the ground, a bottle dropping out of his hand and rolling away. Almost immediately, a crowd of children converged on him, riffling through his pocket and pouches, taking what little money he had, followed by his clothes and shoes.

A disheveled and dirty woman wandered through the streets, rambling to herself. She was surrounded by a swarm of flies, and clearly had several bite marks on her already.

It all wore down upon her until, upon stepping into an alleyway, Homura realized that she had lost track of the ball of light. Misled by distractions again.

She then heard a shuffling sound behind her. Several thugs approached, each carrying a weapon.

"You lost sweetie?"

"We can help you get home… for a fee."

"How's about those nice earrings you got there?"

Homura said nothing, and instead clenched her fists.

There was so much to learn! Not just magic, though that was incredibly fun, but about the Heartless and the Nobodies. They all had different categorizations and names. She had been pouring through the books over the past few days, learning as much as she could. Now, she stood before Yen Sid, who had called her to his study.

"You wanted me?"

"Yes Nagisa. What are your thoughts on the events that have transpired?"

Nagisa paused in thought. "I… dunno."

"Surely you must have some opinion?"

"I mean… it's bad. I want to help beat the bad guys and get everyone back. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"Everyone else is so much older." Nagisa said. "I feel like I am just tagging along. I am not sure how much help I am providing, or how much I am just getting in the way."

Unfortunate memories from that hospital room bubbled up, though they were quickly forced back down.

"They very clearly do care about you." Yen Sid said.

"But… can I live up to that? What if I mess up? What if they… don't want me anymore?"

"Why would you think that?"

"My life ended the day you were born."

"I-I-I..." Nagisa took a deep breath. "I… don't want to talk about it."

Yen Sid leaned back. "Alright."

"Really?" Nagisa had thought he would press the issue.

"Just know that your friends do indeed care deeply about you. If there is something bothering you, don't be afraid to talk to them about it."

"Thank you." Nagisa said.

Much to her disappointment, the fight did not last long. She had occasionally had to deal with idiot thugs like these before back during her days as a Puella Magi. Most of the time, they ran after she showed them they were outmatched, and these were no exception. After she broke the nose of one, and sent another flying with a kick, they quickly gave up and fled. Which was a shame, as she had been looking for something to vent her frustrations on. Homura sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

She then saw the glowing ball of light appear again. "What's taking you so long? We're almost there!"

"Where?"

"C'mon!" The light took off. Homura sighed and followed it.

It turned out that the ball of lights words were accurate. Around the corner was a large square, in the center of which was a building. Over the entrance was a sign stating the words Smoldering Corpse Bar along with a depiction of a body floating in the air and on fire.

The light floated into the building, and Homura was about to follow when she heard the sound of laughter. Anxiety rolled over her causing her to briefly stop in her tracks, unfortunate memories bubbling to the surface. She then berated herself. Those days were long behind her. And she had a mission now.

As she stepped inside, she felt a wave of heat that she saw came from the numerous grates in which burned fires that lit the establishment and were it's only source of light. The smell of food and booze dominated the air.

The ball of light floated over to a table where three people sat. One was a tall fair-skinned buxom woman with long blonde hair. The ball of light morphed into a fairy-like creature and sat on her shoulder. The second was a woman with silver hair and yellow eyes wearing an elegant black dress. Her skin was unusually pale, taking on an eerie sheen in the light emanating from the grates.

"Ah, we have been expecting you, Homura Akemi. Twas fate that we should meet." The last was a man in white robes and a turban. On her world, his features would have designated him as being of Middle-Eastern descent. "Would you care to join us?"

"Who are you? And how do you know who I am?"

"These questions will be answered in time. For now, introductions. You may call me Minwu."

Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!

~Dragonexx