Chapter 46

Into Eternity

It was a beautiful night, the darkness broken throughout the city by a million stars. However, this was not a night for merriment.

Madoka held her glow-orb as she walked with the funeral procession. There were no words said, no recounting of the life of Queen Frigga, for there was no need. Her story was a monument that lived on in the people of Asgard. The crowd of mourners stretched beyond sight, as they traveled by the river, the ship bearing the body of the queen sailing beyond them. Madoka took a place along its banks, watching as the ship sailed past. In death, she looked so peaceful.

Madoka had little experience with death. The closest was when her pet myna bird had died, when she was young. But just thinking about that now made her feel guilty.

"My dad went crazy and killed my mom and my sister. He tried to kill me, and when he failed, he killed himself. Your parents died in a car crash due to some dumbass drunk driver. Nagisa's mom had cancer and her dad walked out on her. They didn't turn into Heartless, they're just fuckin' dead in the ground. Well, I guess Nagisa's dad isn't. But she wouldn't want to see that shitstain again anyways. And yet Madoka's the one who gets to see her smiling family again!"

What right did she have to feel bad? Her family were turned into Heartless, and she could get them back. Kyoko's were dead. She was right. She had never really suffered.

Madoka looked over at Kyoko, standing among the crowd. Her face was blank, but Madoka could see her fists clenched tightly, her arms trembling. Madoka's heart sunk. In the time that Madoka had known her, Kyoko wasn't a person to connect with others easily. She was abrasive and tended to antagonize people over minor slights.

Yet, she had formed a bond with the Asgardian queen of all people. Only to have that bond cruelly ripped away. And Madoka had no idea how to help her.

"After you failed to defeat that Kursed, she rushed in, trying to save you and that child, and was killed for her efforts."

Madoka flinched at the thought. She had been weak, and Frigga had tried to save her and gotten killed as a result. She told herself that she'd done everything she could, tried her best, and it wasn't her fault for being outmatched. But the guilt still persisted, and Madoka had to fight back tears. The time for weakness and cowardice was over. This wasn't a game. This wasn't some fun adventure like in a manga. This was war. People were dying. Worlds were being destroyed. She couldn't afford to make any excuses.

She turned back to the procession. Frigga's boat was now out into the sea, drifting towards the edge of Asgard. Then, an archer loosed a flaming arrow, to land on the boat, where it was quickly engulfed in flames, shining brightly on the dark sea.

More arrows followed, to ignite a boat for each Aesir to fall in the battle, each drifting towards the edge of the world. Frigga's boat took the lead the queen guiding her people one last time. A march of fallen heroes, led by their goddess, sailing to their final rest.

As her boat reached the falls, Odin gently struck the ground with the base of Gungnir. The queen's boat floated off into the air, and the flames grew white, her body transforming into glowing motes of light that drifted off into space to take their place among the rich tapestry of the heavens.

Following suit, the mourners released their glowing orbs, and it was like a field of newborn stars, drifting up towards the heavens, into eternity.

Earlier...

"Run! It's not safe, you've got to get out of here!" Mami rushed down the hallway, shouting her warning at the top of her lungs, while Nagisa followed behind her, repeating her message. She had divided up everyone's duties. While Thor, Madoka, Sayaka, and Kyoko took on Gorr and his forces directly, she and Nagisa had taken on the responsibility of evacuating the people in the university the Convergence was happening over.

The hallway they were running down opened up into a library. There, she could see a bunch of students crowded near a window overlooking the plaza.

"Get out of here! This place isn't safe, you have to evacuate!" Mami cried.

"Are you kidding?" One of them asked, while recording the chaos on his phone. "That's Thor out there, waving his hammer around and everything!"

Mami was briefly taken aback by the man's clear lack of self-preservation. She was then about to fire back a retort when suddenly, a shockwave shattered all the windows. Students screamed, and Mami leaped over Nagisa, shielding her from the falling glass.

When the tremors stopped, she looked up to see the room in chaos. Some students were fleeing, though others were currently bleeding from the glass shards.

She was about to move and help, when she heard the watery sound of Heartless emerging.

No! Not now!

But as untimely as their arrival was, they came all the same. The students screamed in a complete panic, unsure of where to run, as Shadows, Soldiers and Berserkers emerged.

"Nagisa, take care of them!" Mami ordered, forming a gun in her hand.

Nagisa nodded, and chanted "Cure!" before blowing into her horn. Glowing white bubbles emerged, washing over the students, where they burst, releasing waves of healing energy.

Meanwhile, Mami leapt into action, letting her battle instincts take over. As a Shadow approached her, she kicked it away, and then spun, blasting a Berserker directly in the head. As she did so, spun back with the recoil, at the same time, leaping into the air, several muskets emerging from her chest into the air. As she landed, stomping on a shadow at the same time, she then caught the muskets one by one, spinning and shooting at the same time, each shot unerringly finding its mark, blasting a Heartless to bits.

As the enemies were dispersed, Mami directed some of her attention to the students, feeling relieved to see that Nagisa's healing spells were taking effect, the injuries coming from the impact and shattered glass lessened, although the student who had been filming now had his phone directed at her.

"That was fucking badass!" He said.

Mami sighed, flattered at the praise, yet annoyed that he still hadn't fled. "Yes, yes, now go!"

Later...

Though they had won, the feast wasn't one of celebration. The funerary feast was quiet, mostly absent of any of the usual boasting and storytelling. Though a great battle had been won, despite both the Dark Elves and Gorr gone, none felt like rejoicing. Kyoko was no exception.

Kyoko just looked so… wrong. In the entirety of the time Sayaka had known her, she was loud, brash and blunt. She wasn't one to dwell on unfortunate events long, laughing it off and cracking jokes. But now she just seemed so… subdued.

Her eating was even off. Kyoko loved food. That was obvious, anyone who spent more than 5 minutes around her could figure that out. But more than that was the way she expressed it. When she ate, she either wolfed her food down rapidly, or slowly and lovingly savored each mouthful. Now, however, she didn't even seem to taste the food, instead slowly, almost robotically, consuming it, not even seeming to care what it was.

Sayaka was eerily reminded of Madoka's numbness just after they had been forced to flee from her house.

"You worry about her."

Sayaka turned to see Sif approaching the table she sat at.

"She's my friend, and yet… I can't think of anything to help her. Do you?"

"I've seen warriors who have lost everything. Loved ones, homes, prized possessions. They feel they have nothing left to live or die for, nothing that gives them meaning. So they seek meaning in battle, throwing themselves recklessly into combat, not caring if they live or die because both are equal in their eyes. They just go through the motions."

"What do I do?"

"These situations aren't easy to solve. You might be able to break through to her, or possibly, no matter how hard you try, you're doomed to failure. Sometimes, no matter how skilled or righteous you are, there are some obstacles that you may never overcome."

"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."

"It shouldn't. I find it more important to have a reasonable assessment of your own capabilities. Too low, and you'll fail at things you have no business failing at. Too high, and you'll never grow. You are powerful and courageous. That's great. Understand your strengths but also, acknowledge your limits as well." Sif said, before leaving.

Sayaka sighed again, before getting up from the table and stepping outside the feast hall. She stared up at the sky, then around at Asgard. At this moment, she found that despite all the cool things that had happened to her, more than anything, she wanted to go home. Asgard was awesome, Yen Sid's tower was fascinating, traveling in a spaceship was a dream come true, but she missed her mom and dad. She missed Hitomi and Kyosuke. She missed hearing Ms. Saotome rant about her unfortunate love life. She missed just hanging out with her friends, bantering and joking with Kyoko.

But, that was all gone. Her life had become an action movie, all giant monsters and supervillains and explosions. They said she could get her old life back, but looking at all that lay before them, that was a long ways away.

Even when they succeeded, what then? Hang up her cape, go back to being a normal teenage girl? With the power she had, she struggled to imagine it. She could stop villains, save lives. Why go back to just being normal? Could she even do that? Should she even do that? Did she really even want to?

But then she remembered both Mami's and Yen Sid's words on taking care of herself as well. Sayaka sighed, this was all so frustratingly complex. Why couldn't things just be simple? It sounded simple when the story was explained. Go beat the bad guys and save the universe. But every step of the way, things just kept escalating. More threats, more villains, more monsters, more setbacks, more questions. Where would it all lead in the end? Would they even get the ending they had been promised?

Earlier...

As the sudden portal ejected Sayaka, she yelped in shock as she found herself dropped into the middle of a body of water. She wasn't even able to take a breath and briefly panicked before gathering her wits and her bearings. She righted herself and swam upwards.

Upon breaching the surface, she realized she had landed in the middle of some sort of lake, dotted with islands of beautiful multicolored trees and flowers.

Almost immediately, that beauty was spoiled when she looked directly up, seeing the gigantic rifts that were forming, linking the Nine Realms together. Through one, she could see the college that she had been in just a moment ago.

Then, she spied movement, and barely managed to swim out of the way as a black tentacle emerged from the water, narrowly missing it's attempt to grab her.

"Water!" Sayaka's spell caused the water around her to surge upwards in a high pressure lance, slashing the side of the tentacle. It recoiled back beneath the water, only to reemerge with several more shadow tentacles.

Not good. She panicked as she felt one grab her leg. She tried to slash it, but another wrapped around her neck. She was lifted into the air, and turned to see Gorr rising out of the water, his cloak having transformed into a mass of tentacles lifting him into the air. Sayaka formed a sword and attempted to cut her way free, only for another tentacle to bind her arms, while the one around her neck tightened.

"You are an ungrateful girl." He taunted. "I offered you liberation, freedom from these fools and hypocrites, and yet you stand with them, blinded by your own faith."

"You're not freeing anyone, you're just a psycho!" She managed to croak out.

With a shifting of his tentacles, Gorr drew close. "If that is your choice, then you shall die with them as well."

Her heart pounded as she struggled to breathe. Her vision was starting to go blurry, and her limbs felt like stone. Gorr gave a bloodthirsty grin as he drew his face close to hers.

"You had ample opportunity to back out, to realize the error of your ways, but you didn't." He said, his voice and demeanor oozing condescension. "And now. You shall pay the price for your sins."

Suddenly, there was a flash of pink. Gorr reeled back as the tentacles strangling Sayaka suddenly loosened and then dropped her. As she fell, she saw Kyoko's spear extending towards her. She grabbed onto it, and then held on as it was retracted.

Sayaka landed on a small island housing merely a cherry tree. There, Madoka and Kyoko stood, with Madoka repeatedly firing her arrows at Gorr.

"Are you okay?" Madoka asked in between shots.

Sayaka tried to speak, though she only managed a cough, leaning over. Once the world stopped spinning, she finally managed to get words out.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I- Look out!"

Though caught off guard, Gorr eventually retaliated, tentacles moving to intercept the arrows. Then they glowed red, the energies of the aether warping their size, until they were massive.

The trio leaped off the island, Madoka firing a Blizzard spell into the lake, creating an iceberg for them to land on as the tentacles came crashing down, utterly destroying the island. Once he realized that he had missed, Gorr turned toward them, prepared to strike once more, only for an electrically charged Mjolnir to come crashing into him, slamming him down back into the water. Thor came plummeting down, only to hold out his hand. Mjolnir flew back out of the water, into his grip, pulling him back into the air. As Gorr attempted to surface, Thor hurled down a massive bolt of lighting, electrocuting the lake.

While Thor held Gorr at bay, the waters around the trio surged, and Heartless emerged from the lake, strange reptilian fish creatures wielding spears. Sayaka ducked as one dashed forwards, attempting to impale her. She swung her legs, tripping the creature, and then slashed down on it, she then turned, intercepting another attack with her cape, and then thrusting forwards.

Though the girls made short work of the Heartless, more kept appearing, and their tactic had changed. Instead of attacking the girls, they were striking at the iceberg. One heavy impact cracked the ice, causing a large chunk to slough off, with the rest of the iceberg listing to the side.

"We have to get off this thing!" Sayaka said, as she saw some of Gorr's tentacles snaking through the water beneath them.

Kyoko nodded and jumped towards another small island, followed by Madoka using an Aero spell to launch herself into the air. Sayaka jumped into the whirlwind after her, and then formed one of her platforms to help her jump further, landing with the others on the next island, just in time to turn and watch one of the tentacles burst from the water, smashing through the iceberg.

He then rose from the water again, sword in hand as he charged towards Thor, who with a thrust of Mjolnir flew out of the way, only to then be slammed by a tentacle, smashing into another island. He then turned as Madoka opened fire on him again, her arrows aided by Sayaka hurling swords.

Gorr snarled and turned towards them, a tentacle lancing out towards the island, wreathed in red energy. The girls leaped off the island just in time, as when the tentacle pierced through the stone, the island warped and twisted before sinking down into the water. While Sayaka and Kyoko jumped to another safe island, Madoka again redirected herself with an Aero spell, causing herself to land on the tentacle, while activating her Flowmotion aura, grinding along the tentacle towards Gorr, who, caught off guard, took a heavy blow from Crystal Clarity. Blue cracks spread across Gorr's garment as the Keyblade struck him, and he roared in pain.

Sayaka leaped in after her, propelling herself with her platforms, slicing through Gorr's tentacles when they tried to grab Madoka. At the same time, Thor recovered, and blasted Gorr with another bolt of lightning.

Gorr snarled and an aura of red energy formed around him. Sayaka instinctively moved to shield Madoka and then winced as the sheer force of the Aether's blast sent them careening towards another island.

Only, they never hit it. Sayaka felt a twisting sensation, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that she was no longer at the lake, but had instead fallen through another portal, back into Muspelheim, and were currently plummeting into the mouth of a volcano!

Even in Sayaka's grip, Madoka held out her keyblade and unleashed a blast of wind, propelling them towards the side of the caldera, where Sayaka formed a sword and plunged it into the rock, coming to a halt just at the edge of an overhang. She grunted as her muscles strained, coming to such an abrupt stop while holding onto Madoka at the same time. She looked down to see the lake of boiling lava beneath them.

"Are you okay, Madoka?" Sayaka was struggling to get her bearings.

"Yeah!"Madoka replied, holding on to Sayaka's hand. "Where's everyone else?"

"Not sure!" She said. She looked around. They had been at a lake somewhere a moment ago, and now she was hanging for her life, one slip away from molten death. Even with the lava so far beneath them, it was blisteringly hot, and difficult to breath.

"Over there!" Madoka shouted.

Sayaka turned and gasped in shock as she saw not just the others, but the lake water as well had fallen through the portal. Mixed in with that were Gorr, Kyoko and Thor, falling.

As he fell, Gorr tried to grab onto his opponents with his tentacles, attempting to ensure they plunged into the burning pit with him, only for Thor to hurl Mjolnir, rocketing the God-Butcher down into the lava lake. He then wrapped his arm around Kyoko's waist and held out his free hand, drawing Mjolnir back to himself, and rocketing both of them upwards, out of the caldera, gesturing for Madoka and Sayaka to follow.

Sayaka looked back down, to see the water approaching the lava, where it was near instantly vaporized into steam, jetting straight towards them.

"Let's get out of here! Go on ahead, I'll follow." Sayaka said. "Ready?"

"Yes." Madoka said.

"'Kay. On three! One, two, three!"

Sayaka swung her upwards, with Madoka contributing her momentum to the movement, allowing her to come into contact with the wall, where she used Flowmotion to run up it. Meanwhile, Sayaka let go of her sword, forming a mid air platform. Thankfully, it deflected most of the searing steam, though Sayaka still winced at what little made it's way around it. The platform apparently wouldn't hold for long, as she could already see cracks forming in it from the pressure. So she used it to launch herself into the air, forming several more to reach the mouth of the volcano where the others were waiting.

Once she caught her breath, she looked back down at the lava lake, wiping sweat off her brow. "Is he dead?"

"Don't get your hopes up." Kyoko said. "No way it's this easy."

Indeed, just as she finished her retort, the lava began to roil and shift, far, far, more violently. Suddenly, the entire mountain began to rumble.

"We should fall back!" Thor said. The others nodded, fleeing down the mountainside as a full blown volcanic eruption began.

Sayaka dashed, only for a sudden tremor to send her stumbling to the ground. She looked up to see a cloud of volcanic ash and toxic gasses fast approaching her. Thankfully, Thor landed in front of her, and unleashed a massive blast of wind, parting the ashes.

It didn't stop there however, as the volcano rumbled even harder, belching forth a massive eruption of lava, ash, and lightning. When the ash cloud momentarily parted once more, Sayaka could see a wave of lava heading straight for them!

"Kaname! With me!" Thor shouted, spinning his hammer. "Unleash your ice spell!"

Thor kept rotating his hammer, the winds gathering until a massive tornado formed around the party.

"Now!" He shouted.

Madoka nodded and raised up her Keyblade, and pale blue light emanated from the tip. "Blizzard!"

Their two magics combined, the air suddenly became bitterly cold, as the tornado became one of freezing ice and snow.

"Snowstorm!" The two shouted, as the lava flow met the freezing whirlwind. The resulting reaction was dramatic, the lava forcibly parting around the party and hardening. When the effect finally ended, standing before them was a towering wall of sharp rock.

She breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear another cry from Kyoko.

"Incoming!"

What now?! She looked up to see several Flame Core Heartless streaking down towards them, having been expelled by the eruption. Madoka immediately switched back to her bow, and opened fire, though several still made it through the volley to land near them. Sayaka formed another sword prepared to fight, only to hear another roar.

"Die!"

Gorr came streaking down on them, aiming directly for Thor. The God of Thunder swung Mjolnir, attempting to intercept, only for the world to suddenly shift.

Sayaka felt herself falling once more, and groaned in pain as she felt herself land and smash through something. There was a moment of disorientation before she managed to get her bearings once again. She had landed on a display stand in a… mall?

She picked herself up, pushing off merchandise she had smashed through, to behold several shocked and confused bystanders. She was back on this World's Earth.

Almost immediately, the temperature took a spike as the Flame Cores appeared, spewing fire to the horror of the shoppers.

"Run! Run!" Sayaka shouted as she slashed at one, igniting her holy sword. Before she could reach the second, however, she spied a flicker of movement in the corner of her eyes, and turned just in time to block a sword swing from Gorr.

The Butcher didn't stop there however, continuing his ferocious assault. Sayaka struggled to keep up, forced onto the defensive and backing away as Gorr continued to lash out at her, driving her through the mall's hallways. Eventually, when she blocked a high swing. Gorr kicked her, sending her stumbling back.

When she tried to approach again, he unleashed a blast from the Aether, sending Sayaka flying through the air to crash into a toy store. She slammed against a shelf, sending a rain of figures down on her.

She looked up to see the shocked shoppers staring at her, and then looked past them to see Gorr stalking towards the place, flanked by two Flame Cores.

Sayaka was about to warn them of the danger when a clown-like toy hit the ground near her and it's voice sounded, beating her to the punch. "Run! Run! Or you'll be well done!"

Sayaka immediately rose to her feet, and attempted to attack the Heartless, only for Gorr to intercept her, slamming her into the wall again. The shoppers screamed and began to flee.

Sayaka twisted and jerked, getting her foot between the two of them and kicked him away, sending Gorr stumbling back into a rack of painting sets, splattering him with pastel colors.

She attempted to follow up her counter with a sword swing, only to have the slash blocked. As their blades locked, Sayaka attempted to gain leverage, only for a tentacle to spring out of Gorr's cloak, grabbing her and hurling her through several shelves. She extricated herself from a rack of costumes, only just in time to block a barrage of spikes, intercepting them with her cape.

However, her blood ran cold when she heard the screams of pain around her. Lowering her cape, saw near her a group of shoppers on the ground clutching bleeding wounds where the spikes had impaled or lacerated them.

"Don't worry! I'm-" Sayaka's attempt to start healing was interrupted by Gorr dashing towards her. The two exchanged weapon blows, Sayaka being forced back by his sheer strength, taking everything she had to block his relentless assault. All the while the Flame Cores continued to spew fireballs. The mall's fire sprinklers had gone off though it seemed to have little effect.

"What the hell?!" Sayaka demanded as their blades locked. "Don't you care at all about these people?"

Gorr snarled and pushed forwards. In response, Sayaka fell back, pulling Gorr down with her and flipping him over her to send him flying into a shelf of Avengers action figures.

Gorr snarled as a Thor toy landed in his lap, picking up the figure and crushing it into a mass of twisted plastic. "They are brainwashed fools, the lot of them. Unable to understand the work I do for their sake, some even have attempted to defend the hypocrites I seek to cast down and have been cast down in turn. It makes no difference, if they get in the way of heroism, they will pay the price!"

"Heroism?!" Sayaka shouted. "You're no hero at all! Thor is a hero. You're just a thug!"

"Why do you defend them?!" Gorr brought a massive club down on Sayaka, who raised her cape in defense, going rigid just in time to intercept the blow.

"They're my friends!" Sayaka shot back, swinging her leg in an attempt to trip Gorr. He leaped up, and then launched a barrage of spikes. Sayaka attempted to block once more, but as they landed, the spikes burst in a red-black explosion, sending her tumbling away. "They help people! Protect them! Save them!"

"Their liars! Obsessed with praise and attention." Gorr howled.

She attempted to rise, only for another Aether blast to collide with her. She was sent flying through the air, smashing through a window and out into the parking lot, where she slammed into the side of a car with enough force to dent it, shattering the glass and setting off it's alarm. As she pulled herself free, she looked up, just in time to see another Aether blast crashing towards her. She was knocked off her feet once more. As she struggled to rise, she saw Gorr leaping out of the building about to bring a massive axe down on her.

She prepared to defend, only to be interrupted by a massive bolt of lightning striking Gorr, slamming him into the ground with enough force to damage several of the nearby cars.. He hit the ground, and looked up, just in time to see Thor charge directly into him with Mjolnir, ramming both of them and several cars into a sudden portal that appeared.

"Sayaka! Are you okay?" Madoka and Kyoko were rushing towards her.

"I'll be fine. There were people that were-"

"Already taken care of." Kyoko said. "Madoka's healed them."

There was a sudden humming sound, and all three of the girls jumped to the side as Mjolnir came streaking out of another portal, only to suddenly make a 90 degree turn, rocketing straight up into the air.

"That's probably not good." Kyoko said.

"That's also not good!" Sayaka turned towards where the university was, where the giant portals in the sky were moving into alignment. She then heard a sudden whooshing sound in the air and looked up only to gasp.

"Are those… fighter jets?!" Sayaka exclaimed.

She watched as the two fighters flew towards the ship, unleashing missiles, only for the shifting gravity to send them awry, both the missiles and the jets being sucked into one of the massive rifts in the sky. Just as the jets vanished, she could see both Thor and Gorr plummeting through the air out of another rift, with Gorr having plunged a blade into the god of thunder's chest.

"Thor!"

Then again, was the watery sound of more Heartless emerging. Flame Cores, Berserkers, Neoshadows.

"Again?!" Kyoko shouted.

"What do we do?!" Madoka said, rapidly looking towards where Thor was, and to the Heartless.

Sayaka formed another sword. "Madoka, go on ahead! Help Thor. We'll hold them off and catch up!"

"Alright!" Madoka said. Her body glowed pink as she activated Flowmotion, bounding into the air and dashing towards the university.

"Ready?" Sayaka asked, as she turned to face the Heartless that approached them.

Kyoko said nothing, merely forming another spear, before charging into the crowd.

The stab was painful, but the impact after falling through the portal was worse. Gone were the frigid wastes of Jotunheim and in their place was the academy on Midgard, where the convergence was taking place.

"Any last words, Thunderer?" Gorr asked, mockingly, as he pushed the blade in deeper. "Any last pleas for mercy?"

"M-my brother." Thor grunted. "Where is he?"

Gorr's eyes widened in confusion, clearly not receiving the answer he had expected. However, they soon narrowed, a sneer finding its way to his face. "Gone. Swallowed up by the darkness."

Thor sighed internally. He was saddened, yes, but Loki had ultimately chosen his own fate. Right now, he had to focus on what was before him. He extended his will, calling Mjolnir to himself. As he did so, he turned and saw the other girls approaching. And then, an idea formed in his head. He was currently too wounded to use Mjolnir effectively, but Madoka…

"What's so funny?!" Gorr snarled when Thor began to chuckle. "What have you to say?!"

Mjolnir flew directly towards Madoka as she approached, currently behind Gorr. This would work. There wasn't a doubt in his mind.

"I accept your surrender."

Before Gorr could form a response, there was a blinding pink light, followed by the deafening sound of cracking thunder even as the sheer force of the energy being released blasted both him and Gorr back.

When he looked back up, Madoka stood there, but she had changed.

For starters, she was taller, her pink frilly outfit traded in for a flowing white-pink dress mixed in with armor around the torso, as well as a pair of metal gauntlets. Beneath her dress, thigh high stockings led to metal boots, while the inside of her dress depicted crackling storm clouds. Her hair was no longer pink, instead having become incredibly long golden locks, while her pink eyes now glowed. Finally, spreading out behind her was a pair of wings made of crackling pink and white lightning. In one hand she wielded Mjolnir, and in the other Crystal Clarity, both limned in that same lightning.

"I knew it." Thor said triumphantly.

Later...

There was so much to think about, so much to process, and even for him, it was overwhelming. His mother and brother were gone, and he was starting to have several reservations about his father. He wasn't sure where they would go, or even if he could have the time to address them. Things were beginning to heat up on Midgard, even beyond Gorr's attack, and his presence would be needed there soon. It seemed a hero's work was never done.

He looked over the Aether, now miniaturized enough to be held within his hand. Soon, it would be delivered into the hands of the Collector. In part because keeping the Infinity Stones in close proximity to each other was unwise, in part to smooth over relations with the Tivan Group after the incident with the Marauders.

And with that his thoughts turned back to the girls he had met, specifically Kaname. While he had initially dismissed her divinity as just Gorr's insane ramblings, the hammer had an incredibly strange reaction with her. While the armor, lightning, and golden hair could be attributed to his own power, that wasn't all there was. The dress? The wings?

Clearly there was much more to young Madoka Kaname than met the eye. The power she wielded could not have entirely come from him. And yet, she appeared to have no such knowledge of it, seemingly attributing it all to Mjolnir.

Regardless of its source, she had certainly proven herself worthy of that power, and he hoped that she could figure out the truth of what lay within her. He just had a feeling she would be needing it later.

Despite only knowing them briefly, he would miss them. While Loki had transformed them as a joke, Thor wasn't kidding when he had compared them to the Avengers. He would have loved to bring them with him to meet them, but he really couldn't. They were on their own quest, and had only wound up in this realm by accident. They shouldn't be kept any longer. So, in the end, the best he could do now was to wish them well on their journey.

Earlier...

'Whosoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.' Those words echoed through Madoka's mind, as lightning crackled across her body. She felt powerful, insanely powerful, like she could do anything.

She heard a twisted roar, and turned to face Gorr, his features twisted in outrage and hatred. The Aether surged around him as he dashed towards her, claws outstretched. Despite the fact that she should have been terrified, Madoka instead found that she felt confidence.

"Thundara."

With a gesture, a blast of pink lightning surged outwards from Mjolnir, striking Gorr head on, blasting him off his feet, into the side of the Dark Elf ship. She was about to follow up, when she felt a twisting of the world around her. Corridors of Darkness formed, out of which emerged a veritable army of Heartless. Madoka gathered electricity, preparing to fight them, only for the sound of countless gunshots to sound off, blasting many of them apart. This was followed by a wave of bubbles sailing into the middle of the crowd and exploding.

Nagisa and Mami ran onto the scene. "We've got this! Get Gorr!"

Madoka nodded, and turned back to her enemy, just in time for a red black beam of energy to streak towards her. Madoka held up both her weapons, intercepting the attack, though the sheer force of it pushed her back.

She unleashed energy from Mjolnir and Crystal Clarity disrupting the beam. Gorr immediately charged her blade in hand.

Madoka blocked the weapon with Crystal Clarity, and then hurled Mjolnir, slamming Gorr straight in the chest, sending him flying directly into a portal that sprung up. Her wings crackled, and Madoka rocketed forwards following Gorr through to emerge back in Svartalfheim.

She emerged in mid-air, and called Mjolnir back to her. She then looked down to see Gorr had landed atop one of the rotting ships.

"It doesn't matter what pretentious form you take, you are not worthy!" He howled.

Madoka for her part, lifted Mjolnir, drawing lighting into it, and then swung it downwards. Away from the crowded city, she had no need to worry about collateral damage.

"Thundaja!" A massive bolt of lightning streaked out, the sheer force of it blowing out a huge chunk out of the ship as the plasma was unleashed, scattering chunks of hot, twisted, metal across the wasteland, and blasting a glowing crater into the landscape. Gorr however, formed the Aether around him, intercepting the attack.

She would have to hit harder then. Madoka lifted up both Crystal Clarity and Mjolnir, and between them, a crackling sphere of pink electricity formed. At the same time, the barrier surrounding Gorr, shifted, forming into a pulsing red-black sphere.

The two attacks unleashed simultaneously, lightning bolt and dark beam clashing, the impact sending a deafening shockwave across the waste.

"Thundaza!" Madoka shouted, as she poured energy into the clash. Gorr's dark beam flickered as it struggled to stand up to her power, only to falter, the lightning pushing forwards to shatter the beam and slam into Gorr. She kept up the stream, pushing Gorr back, the sheer force of the lightning tearing a glowing canyon into the trembling landscape. She kept up the barrage as long as she could. Once she let go, she paused, hoping for a split second that the fight was over. However, she was indeed let down. A burst of Aetheric energy blasted apart a pile of rubble, revealing a seared and blackened Gorr, emerging from the wreckage, the blue cracks on his garment having grown far more numerous.

He roared in fury, and the darkness answered. Madoka heard the sound as countless Dark Corridors opened, scores of Heartless emerging, Black Berserkers.

"Kill her!" Gorr shouted, and the Heartless obeyed, surging forwards almost as a wave.

Madoka spun Mjolnir, wind and lightning raging around her as Gorr flew towards her. Once the charge was at its zenith, she hurled the weapon putting as much into the swing as she could.

"Burst!" The hammer struck Gorr, and the world lit up. Gorr was sent rocketing downwards, slamming into the ground in a shockwave far larger than any before. It didn't stop at a mere crater. The earth cracked and split and Gorr was driven deeper and deeper into the planet.

The Heartless didn't give a second thought to their master however, continuing to charge towards Madoka. Her wings crackled as she flew through the sky, slashing through them. However, they just kept coming, a seemingly endless flood.

In response, she called Mjolnir back to her hands, while at the same time transforming Crystal Clarity into its bow form. She knocked Mjolnir within Crystal Clarity and fired the divine weapon up into the sky. Her voice rang out across the world as dark clouds near-instantly appeared within the sky.

"Thunder Flare!" Madoka shouted, and from the heavens came a deluge of pink and blue arrows made of crackling lightning, tearing through the hoard of Heartless and unleashing a storm of pure destruction upon the land.

When the spectacle faded, Madoka breathed a sigh of relief to see no sign of the enemy. She held out her hand, and Mjolnir descended back into it. What now? She looked up to see the giant gateways in the sky. They had arranged themselves into a pattern and now, streaks of energy were forming to connect them, like the branches of a great tree.

Madoka only had a split second to ponder this however. Her only warning was the slight rustle of a cape, the sound alerting her to turn and intercept an attack from Gorr, who had just reemerged from a sudden portal above her, unleashing a massive beam of darkness from his chest.

Madoka crossed Crystal Clarity and Mjolnir across her chest, blocking the beam. However, the sheer force of the attack slammed her hard into the ground. Her vision blurred as the ground cracked from her impact. Madoka grit her teeth, struggling through it. She couldn't let it end here.

Her sight refocused, just in time to roll aside as Gorr came crashing down, a spear having been formed in his grip. As Madoka struggled to rise to her feet, Gorr dragged the spear through the ground, kicking up a spray of dirt and earth at Madoka, momentarily distracting her, so that he could close the distance once more, and resume his relentless attacks. Madoka was forced to backpedal, still struggling for balance.

Her wings crackled, and she attempted to right herself, taking off into the air. Gorr however, leaped upon her, sending Madoka's flight awry as the two grappled in the sky. Eventually, Gorr won out, and Madoka found herself redirected to the ground, only to fall through another portal that formed, the twisting of the grapple and the impact of landing knocking Crystal Clarity and Mjolnir out of her hands as they returned to the university.

Madoka tried to move, only to feel a biting, pulsing pain as Gorr formed another spear and plunged it into her side. She tried to push back, but found her strength fading, the energy

"You're no different from the rest." Gorr said, pushing his weapon in deeper. "Sitting on your golden throne, dictating who lives and who dies. Monsters, all the same. So many have thought themselves above the rest, but all of them have fallen to my blade."

Dark corridors formed, and out of the ground emerged more of the Berserkers, forming a circle around the two. Meanwhile, Gorr looked above, as the rifts moved into shape.

"And it is time! The Convergence is nigh! Your kind were never meant to be, and I shall correct that mistake once and for all!" He cried triumphantly.

Gorr's body twisted and blackened as both his cloak and the Aether flowed about him, like a liquid drifting through air. The red fluid became more and more blackened as it spread outwards. A Heartless!

It struck Madoka like a lightning bolt. That garment he was wearing was some sort of Heartless, and it intended to spread its darkness using the Aether! It wasn't just deities who were in danger. This entire World could be dragged down into the darkness.

The blazing confidence that had filled her dimmed. Visions flashed through her mind of what had happened back home, of her family brutally attacked, of Mitakihara stripped of all life. Did Gorr know? He had to understand the darkness he was using. But then realization struck her.

He didn't care.

All his talk of liberation was just a fig leaf for his desire for revenge against those he perceived as having wronged him. He fought only to make the hurt inside his Heart stop. His resentment and hatred had consumed him so much that he was willing to inflict Mitakihara's fate upon this world. He was not just trying to destroy the gods, but everything they had built, the very foundations of the world.

Madoka may have felt sorry for him, but there was nothing she could do for him now. All she could do was to prevent the tragedy that had taken away her home from happening again.

Madoka struggled to move, but her limbs felt heavy. The lightning that was crackling around her was fading, and the strength she had was beginning to leave her. She tried to call Mjolnir back, but it wouldn't answer. Why? She looked on helplessly as the Berserkers stalked towards her, prepared to tear out her Heart and fill it with darkness.

Suddenly, a swarm of bubbles flew into the midst of the Heartless and exploded, knocking them back, where the sound of gunshots rang out, filling them full of holes.

There was a flash of red, and Madoka looked up to see Kyoko gripping the spear that impaled her, pulling it out. A flash of blue, and suddenly, she felt her wounds heal. Then, there was the flash of gleaming armor, and strong arms helping her to her feet.

"Don't give up now Kaname!" Thor shouted. She felt something pressed into her hands, and felt the surge of power as Mjolnir enhanced her once more.

She held out her free hand, and Crystal Clarity appeared in it once more. "Right!"

She turned to the red-black whirlwind that Gorr had become, churning with Aetheric and dark energies. Spikes of the Aether lanced out through the sky-rifts, prepared to enact Gorr's genocidal plan.

"Together!" The two thunderers shouted. Madoka hurled Mjolnir, smashing into the center of the vortex. The energy storm emitted a howl so loud that Madoka could feel it. Her wings crackled and she dashed forwards, Keyblade in hand. As Mjolnir returned towards her, she dodged to the side, letting the weapon fly past her straight towards Thor, who caught it, letting it rocket him back into the air. While Madoka surged forwards on the ground, Thor turned and came into the vortex from above.

Upon entering the storm, Madoka was immediately set by a painful sensation, like a burning rash across her skin. She struggled to stand in the whirlwind of energy, struggled to even see.

"And so you still persist, girl." She heard a deep voice boom. When she could finally make out her surroundings, she saw what had become of Gorr. He had grown, his body now at least twice his original height while at the same time becoming blurry and indistinct. "Your efforts are futile. Your era is over!"

He held out his hand, and a red black tendril streaked out from it, only for Madoka to slash at the weapon with Crystal Clarity. The red energy within him briefly glowed blue as Gorr recoiled in pain. His aetherial body flickered, blue lights glowing within it.

He began to stabilize, and attempted to retaliate at Madoka, only for Thor to come crashing down on him. His form nearly split in two and he howled in agony as he flowed away in a shapeless mass of energy. From that, another tendril suddenly lashed out, slamming Thor in the chest. As he was knocked back, he hurled Mjolnir, the weapon streaking past Gorr straight into Madoka's outstretched hand.

She immediately unleashed a blast of lightning upon Gorr, and when he turned towards her, she tossed Mjolnir into the air, and struck it with the Keyblade, sending it flying. This time, the weapon passed completely through him, like a cloud of mist, into Thor's hand.

"He's subsuming himself into the Aether!" Thor shouted. "Now's your chance!"

The God of Thunder unleashed a blinding stream of lightning against the Aetheric cloud, stunning Gorr. Seizing the opportunity, Madoka dashed forwards, plunging Crystal Clarity directly into the heart of the dark cloud.

There was a scream of confusion and agony, as the cloud writhed. Still, Madoka held her ground, and then, the cloud began to waver.

"No! Impossible. How is this happening!" Gorr's voice warbled chaotically. "I won't be stopped! You can't stop me!"

In spite of Gorr's protests, he was fading, and Madoka watched as the Aether was absorbed into Crystal Clarity. Gorr's voice went silent as the raging dark storm around him quieted. The Heartless he had summoned were gone, leaving a now quiet university. All that remained was the wreckage of the battle, and the Dark Elf ship, now silently looming over the battlefield.

Madoka looked at Crystal Clarity, which was now glowing with a red light, before sudden fatigue came over her, and she leaned over, propping herself up with the weapon. The others rushed towards them.

"I-is it over?" Nagisa asked.

"I believe so." Thor said.

"He's gone." Madoka confirmed.

"Look!" Sayaka pointed up.

Madoka followed her gaze, to where the rifts still floated in the sky. She almost gasped when she saw the pattern they had formed into. The glowing branches of the Yggdrasil linked between each portal, arranged so as to form into a gigantic Keyhole, floating in the sky.

She then felt Crystal Clarity vibrate, and then move of its own volition. The weapon pulled upwards, and Madoka followed it, holding the Key upwards in both hands. Starry light gathered around the tip, before unleashing a blinding bright beam, right into the center of the Keyhole. There was the sound of a tumbler closing, and when the light faded, the rifts between the realms were gone. The Convergence was over.

"Was that… the Aether?" Mami began to ask, awe in her voice.

Before she could give an answer, Madoka suddenly felt a wave of dizziness fall over her. Her vision blurred. There was a flash of lightning, and then she saw the ground rushing up to meet her.

Later...

The hammer had judged her as worthy… but… why? This was still something she had struggled with. The same as the Keyblade. And the worthiness enchantment was made by Odin, so did that mean she was worthy in his eyes? After everything she had learned, she wasn't sure if that faith was worth having.

As the girls walked down the rainbow bridge, Madoka found herself lost in thought. The Aesir had called her Madoka the Fierce, but was that it? Thor was fierce, Sif was fierce, even Gorr was fierce, but even now, Madoka didn't feel fierce.

Madoka held out her hand, and drew upon the memories of home. There was a flash of light and a dance of flower petals, and the familiar Crystal Clarity appeared in her grip. As she approached the pedestal, Heimdall directed her to plunge the tip into the slot. There was a crackle of lightning that transformed from white to pink, dancing around the keyblade, and the portal opened, a swirling vortex

"Look at Asgard. All that wealth. All that power. All that gold and splendor. All that treasure has to come from somewhere. Where do you think?"

Madoka looked back at the golden city. It had seemed so fascinating, so beautiful and radiant, but now, she felt guilty just looking at it. Asgard had proclaimed themselves heroes, but, that was just words at the expense of others. Was that what it was really like everywhere? Gorr may have been delusional enough to think that she was a goddess, but he had a point there.

She had recalled stories of people who had seemed to be good from back home. Politicians, civil leaders, police officers, celebrities and so many other seemingly good people who had a scandal coming out. They abused their family, they were corrupt, they did drugs, or raped somebody. She had always thought those things exceptions, but… what if it wasn't? More and more, it seemed like it was becoming the norm. But did they really deserve to be destroyed for that?

Yet, despite all he had done, she still found it hard to hate Gorr. Really, it was hard for her to hate anyone. Even Pete and Maleficent and Xehanort. Sure, they were villains and monsters who needed to be stopped, but… that was it. At most, she felt… disappointed? Let down? She wasn't sure, and wasn't sure how to feel about that fact.

Then she thought about the people around her. Her mother, so hardworking, who didn't let anything hold her back. Her father, so compassionate, who was always looking after her and Tatsuya. Her friends, who stood by her, even as their very world was coming to an end. And all of those other heroes, the Keybearers she hadn't even met yet.

"There're awful, horrible things in this world, I know that now. But there're a lot of things worth protecting too."

Those words… they sounded familiar, so very familiar. But where had she heard them?

Madoka turned to her friends. Mami was holding Nagisa's hand, simply looking at the portal. Kyoko was simply staring blankly ahead, though her fists were clenched at her side. Sayaka turned to Madoka, and took her hand, giving her a reassuring smile.

She played host to the shard of light. It had chosen her. Like the Keyblade. Like Mjolnir. Everyone was believing in her, her family, her friends, Yen Sid, even people she had just barely met. She wanted to live up to their expectations, but could she? They all saw something in her, and she didn't want to let them down, but what was it they saw? They called her a hero, but what made a hero?

Suddenly, there was a flash of lighting, leaping out from the pedestal, directly into Madoka's hand. Everyone, Madoka included, leaped back, though the lightning remained in her hand. It didn't hurt, and as Madoka watched, it formed into a familiar shape. A Keyblade! The weapon looked far different from her previous one. The loop was made of a solid gray metal, with a leather encased grip, not unlike Mjolnir. Hanging from that loop was a chain ending in a miniature version of the hammer. Going the other way, the shaft was made of gnarled, twisted, wood, leading to the edge, made of more metal, looking less like the teeth of a skeleton key, and more like an axe head.

Gríðarvölr. The name flashed in her mind. As she focused on the new Keychain, the weapon transformed, lightning crackling along the length until the weapon became a staff of that same gnarled wood. Encased in the tip was a sphere of metal that lightning sparked around.

"Whoa! Is that a new one?!" Sayaka said.

Madoka looked over the new Keyblade. Just holding the weapon felt invigorating, like energy was coursing through her. At that moment, however, she felt a vibration in her skirts pocket. Pulling out her gummiphone, she saw an icon of a small hammer appear, along with the message. "D-Link with Thor established!"

Followed by the Summoning app opening. There, she saw an icon of a gold and red skull, next to an icon of a slimy tentacle.

"Looks like we have Zona Seeker and Cuchulain too." Mami said.

Their abilities would certainly be useful. And on that thought, she turned back to the portal, still flashing as it beckoned them to the next step of their journey.

She stepped through it, to the World that lay beyond.

Oof! And here's the first really big arc for Keys to the Contract finished.

I tried something new for this chapter just to see if I could.

This certainly went on longer than I expected, though it was overall a ton of fun to write, I got to cover some major themes I wanted to, and set up a lot of material for the future! I'll most likely post my full retrospective thoughts in a separate post later, but thanks for reading for now! Tell me what you think!

Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!

~Dragonexx