Chapter 38
Flick didn't know if this could be called a victory.
Eve was dead, and the Magius stopped. Yet the city had taken untold damage in the process. At least half the buildings were no longer standing, and there was no way of telling how many people had died in the wreckage. The city would survive, but not without being scarred for the rest of its existence.
Flick felt even worse, though. Not all of them had made it out of the fight. Ai was dead, and it was Flick's fault. Ai should have been safe with Flick! Instead, the Uwasa had destroyed her to get to Flick. If Flick had been faster, or if they had found a way to transfer Ai to Sana…
"Having regrets?" Flick could hear her Doppel's voice, whispering to her. Even with the Doppel System destroyed, her despair was still a part of her.
Flick took a deep breath. She did have regrets, but she wouldn't let them weigh her down again. She had beaten her despair multiple times, and would continue to do so. There was no changing the past, but she could make sure such a tragedy never happened again. All the people she saved deserved that much. They were important. She was important.
"Flick? Are you okay?" Reathma squeezed Flick's hand. They had begun walking back to the city, with Reathma holding onto Flick after the spell to save Alina had exhausted her. Meanwhile, Homura and Madoka were working together to carry Alina, who was still unconscious. From the moment she awoke, she would have to fight the despair within her, always working to retain her "self." Flick knew from experience.
"I'll be okay," Flick said, managing a smile. "It's been a long night."
Reathma hummed in understanding, and Flick's smile felt more genuine at the noise. Being this close to Reathma was… nice. She hoped they could be like this more often.
That won't happen. You have to go home, remember? The reminder immediately dampened Flick's mood.
Soon, they reached the city. All the other girls were waiting for them with various expressions on their faces. More of them were smiling than not, at least.
"Flick, everyone!" Tsuruno rushed forward, looking like she was about to embrace them before thinking better about it. "You're all okay!"
"What is she doing here?" Kanagi had her eyes narrowed, glaring at Alina's unconscious form. Alongside her, multiple other girls tensed up.
Right, one more issue for Flick to deal with. After all, Alina's survival was her responsibility.
"She became a Witch, and I brought her back," Flick said. "However you feel about her, no girl deserves that fate."
"Even so, we can't ensure she won't hurt more people," Yachiyo noted. "Are you prepared to take responsibility for any future actions she might take?"
Under her intense gaze, Flick couldn't help but swallow. Still, she nodded. "I am."
That was enough for Yachiyo, and everyone else seemed willing to drop the subject for now. Finally realizing the battle was over, tension seemed to leak out of everyone. Everyone, that was, except Sana.
Flick wished she knew what to say. For once, however, no words came to her. What was she supposed to say? Sana had nearly lost Ai, but Flick had saved her, only to lose her again. Ai was the first person to truly care for Sana. Her first friend. Now, she was gone.
"Nemu." The name escaped Flick before she realized what she was asking. "Could you bring Ai back?"
Nemu bit her lip, looking down. "I can, but…"
"Not happening!" Touka declared. When just about everyone gave her a flat stare, she pouted. "Nemu takes away a piece of her life every time she makes an Uwasa. One more could kill her!"
"It's your fault she died in the first place!" That was Sayaka, getting up in Touka's face. "You need to fix this mess that you—"
"Stop!" Sana shouted. There were tears in her eyes, but she seemed to stare at everyone at once as she spoke. "I don't want someone else to have to die for Ai to come back! And… she wouldn't want that either. I know she wouldn't."
With that said, the energy leaked out of the girl, and she slumped. Seeing that, Iroha pulled her into another hug. Flick felt better knowing Iroha would be looking out for Sana even after she left.
"We're sorry," Nemu said. "If we had only remembered sooner…"
"You owe us more than an apology." It wasn't any of them who had spoken. Looking around, Flick tried to find the source of the voice.
Then, she saw her. A blonde girl in a White Feather cloak. She was leading an assortment of Black Feathers, including one with pink hair. Though Flick couldn't see their faces under the cloaks, she could feel the anger radiating out of them.
"You promised us liberation," the White Feather continued, "but all you gave us was a ruined city! The Doppel System is gone. You abandoned us!"
She took a step forward, brandishing her claws, and the Black Feathers followed suit. Flick's eyes widened.
"Hold on!" Flick shouted. "We have a different system to fix your souls, remember?"
"The Magius still have to pay!" a Black Feather yelled.
"They destroyed our city for nothing!" another added.
The White Feather turned toward Flick. "Even if your system can save us, that won't fix the losses caused by the Magius' plans. Moreover, how long will it take you to fix all our souls? How many grief seeds will you need for the task?"
"A lot," Flick admitted. "But if we work together—"
"The Magius asked for cooperation, only to use us as pawns!" the White Feather screamed. "You all keep trying to force your justice on us weaker Magical Girls, and we suffer for it! Well, this is how we'll take control!"
She shot her claws out, and Flick transformed to intercept it. However, before she could, the claws froze in place.
"What?" the girl asked.
"That's quite enough," a familiar voice sounded. "There will be no revenge taken today. Do not worry about your souls, for I will fix every one of them personally right now."
Not sure if she could believe this, Flick turned. Her eyes confirmed what was happening. She had spent so long in this world, away from everyone back home. But now…
"Gaia!" A smile blossomed on Flick's face. Gaia returned that smile, if more subdued.
"It's good to see you, Felicity," the woman who was close friends with Flick's mom and was the mother of her girlfriend said. "I wouldn't have thought that even in your sleep you could get into trouble. Even so, it seems you did well here."
"Hold on," a Feather said. "What was that about saving us?"
In response, Gaia waved her hand. The Feather's soul gems all lifted into the air, causing an assortment of shouts to ring out. It wasn't just them. The Kamihama girls Flick had worked with, the Mitakihara girls, the Magius, even Flick herself. The soul gems of everyone present floated into the air.
What followed must have involved use of a timestop on Gaia's part. As the former headmistress of Crossroads, she was one of the strongest Heretics and Magias alive. If she had been sent here instead of Flick, she would have been able to save Kamihama in seconds.
Did Madoka need a Magical Girl to do the job? Or was there another reason she chose me?
Flick dismissed the thought, as runes were inscribed on every girls' soul gem now. They glowed, and light emanated from each one, shining toward the soul's owner.
The last time Flick had experienced this, she had been unconscious. She hadn't understood what it felt like to have her soul return to her body. Now, though, she felt every moment. Energy flowed into her—and for those moments, the world seemed brighter than it ever had. Flick felt like she could accomplish everything she put her mind to, now that she had her soul back.
As the soul gems—now vessels for magic instead of their souls—returned to everyone's fingers as rings, Gaia stared at the hostile Feathers. "Will that suffice?"
The Feathers all looked at one another, before the White Feather leading them nodded. "Thank you…"
"Of course," Gaia said. "I will make sure some of my associates come here to look over this world. Jeanne D'Arc told me she would be willing, now that she's back from her mission."
Right, Avalon had mentioned Joan of Arc. Flick would have to ask her to watch over Alina, maybe steer her toward the right path if that was possible.
"Hold on, what!?" Felicia shouted. "What's going on, and who are you!?"
Oh boy, that was one hell of an explanation. Flick waited for the next few minutes, as Gaia gave the briefest summary possible of the situation. She had to answer many questions, but soon it was over. Which meant…
"I guess it's time for me to go home now, isn't it?" Flick asked. "Actually, how did you get here anyway?"
"We've spent the past few months attempting to locate you," Gaia said. "Some sort of presence was blocking our final steps, but it vanished a short while ago."
Eve. Of course Eve had added yet another wrench into everything going smoothly.
"Then… will we be able to travel back and forth between worlds?" Flick asked. Despite knowing everyone was waiting for her, she didn't want to say goodbye to all the new friends she had made permanently.
"Nevada is working on a device to do just that," Gaia said. "It might take a few months, but she has assured me she'll see it done."
Flick let out the breath she had been holding. A few months was bearable, knowing she'd see everyone again.
"You're leaving, then?" Reathma asked. Looking at her, Flick saw a level of puppy dog eyes that almost had her reconsidering.
Not really, but still, they were effective.
"Reathma, I…"
"Shiori?"
Both Flick and Reathma spun toward Gaia. "My alias?" Reathma asked. "How did you know it?"
"It's you." Gaia almost seemed not to hear the question, her eyes wide. "I never would have thought…"
"Hold on, Gaia, you know her?" Flick asked. "Is there a version of her in our world? But she was born 200 years ago! Wait, is she a Heretic?"
"She was," Gaia said. "But she was born 17 years ago."
One word jumped out at Flick, making her tense. "Was?"
For once, Gaia seemed unsure of herself. She looked away, head down as she spoke. "Shiori Porter was an Akharu hybrid. She attended Crossroads before the exodus, and was roommates with Koren Fellows. During Thanksgiving, she went to Miss Fellows' house, where a Fomorian was waiting."
Flick shivered. Fomorians were arguably the most dangerous race in the known universe. Most had been banned from Earth, but if one was there…
Moreover, Flick was starting to understand more about Koren. Technically, the girl was her niece, but she had refused to speak to any of them. Now Flick knew why. That Fomorian likely hadn't only killed Shiori.
I'll help her as soon as I'm back.
"Her death seemed quick, and it bought time for the rest of us to kill the Fomorian," Gaia said. "Even so, I can't help but feel I failed her as Headmistress. Miss Fellows is still grieving, and Shiori's sister is distraught."
Reathma gasped. "Sister? Do… Do you mean Asenath?"
"She's your sister in this world as well, then…" Flick could hear Gaia swallow, which was more than she would have ever expected.
"You do!" Reathma's jaw was agape. "Please, let me go back with Flick! I know I'm not exactly this 'Shiori,' but Asenath is my family! This is… my wish."
So that's how Reathma's wish was granted? Flick wondered. Kyubey, you are one sick bastard.
Still, the thought of Reathma coming back with them… Flick felt her heart skip a beat or two.
"If that is your decision, you are more than welcome to come with us," Gaia said. "You two take all the time you need to say your goodbyes, and then we will set off."
Having said that, she let them be, likely to give them privacy for any farewells. Reathma went over to Felicia and Kyoko, while Flick focused on the rest of them.
"I guess this is it for now," she said. Awkwardly, she gave them a wave. "See you soon?"
As soon as she got that out, Tsuruno tackled her in a hug. "Flick, she cried! I'll miss you!"
"We all will, Tsuruno, but give her some space!" That was Yachiyo, of course. She might have tried prying Tsuruno off Flick herself, were she not preoccupied holding Mifuyu's hand.
Thankfully, Tsuruno soon let go, giving the other girls chances to speak with Flick. Rena was first, joined by Momoku and Kaede.
"I guess we owe you one," Rena said. "Thanks, I guess."
"Geez, Rena, can't you put some more emotion into it?" Momoku asked. Then, she bowed. "Thank you, Flick."
Kaede bowed as well. "Thank you so much for saving me from the Magius!"
Flick smiled. "Eh, it was nothing. Practically a normal Tuesday for me."
Next was Kanagi and Mitami. Kanagi nodded in acknowledgement upon seeing Flick, while Mitama clapped her hands together. "You may not have a traditional soul gem anymore, but if you need my services, just call me!"
"Thanks… I think," Flick said.
"Flick," Mami said, as the Mitakihara girls walked up to her. "You saved us. I… don't know how to repay you."
Flick looked at all the girls with her. Among them was Kuroe, looking like a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders. There were also Madoka and Homura. Homura looked on the verge of tears from happiness.
"Just look after the girls under your care for me, okay?"
Mami agreed, and the girls stepped away to talk to each other. Taking their place were Iroha, Ui, and Sana.
"Sana, I…" Flick swallowed.
Sana shook her head. "Ai wouldn't want you to blame yourself. I don't blame you either. You'll visit?"
"Promise," Flick said. She looked at the Tamaki sisters. "You got your sister back, Iroha."
"All thanks to you," Iroha said. "Thank you so much!"
"Make sure to see us too when you visit!" Ui added.
Flick agreed, and the trio backed away. That left two more girls for Flick to speak with.
"Flick." Mifuyu stepped forward, looking hesitant. "I…"
Suddenly, Flick found herself in a hug almost as tight as Tsuruno's. "Thank you," Mifuyu whispered, tears evident in her voice. "Thank you so much. For everything."
Understanding what Mifuyu was trying to get across, Flick returned the hug, patting Mifuyu on the back. "Take care of yourself, alright? That goes for both of you."
"We will," Yachiyo said. Mifuyu let go of Flick long enough for Yachiyo to hug her instead. "You do the same."
And that was it. Flick had said her goodbyes to everyone. It was time to go home.
"You ready?" Flick asked as Reathma walked over to her.
"I'm nervous," Reathma admitted. "What if she doesn't like me?"
"Asenath? You're her sister. Different worlds won't change that."
Reathma smiled. "Yeah, you're right." Her cheeks turned pink. "Flick, I… A-Actually, forget it!"
"Wait, hang on, I want to hear this," Flick said.
"Nooo no no, just forget it." The blush on Reathma's face was growing. "At least give me a few weeks to get adjusted, then I'll tell you."
Seeing Reathma's blush, Flick couldn't help but blush herself. She almost wanted to press further, but maybe it would be best for both of them if they waited a bit.
At the very least, I should introduce her to Avalon before asking her out.
"Are you girls ready?" Gaia asked, providing Flick with an escape.
"I am," Flick said. "I'm sure everyone back home is eager to see me."
Gaia smirked. "You don't know the half of it."
Well, that was… sort of ominous, but hey. The only way for Flick to find out what Gaia meant was to see them herself.
It was time to go home.
A/N: I was going to end this chapter with a Reathma pun, but I'm not clever enough for that. That last scene was more like a Fire Emblem ending than anything, with all the characters parting ways. But with that, we only have an epilogue left to go. That said, I'm planning a bit of a surprise alongside the epilogue, so I want to do my usual end of story author notes here instead. Besides, I'm going to mark the story as complete here, as the epilogue is moreso for readers of the prequel than those who only read this story. I would understand if the latter readers wanted to stop here. Anyway, onto the reflection.
This story is one I'm very mixed on. On the one hand, I got to explore a lot of fun concepts, like Flick dealing with self-doubt and Mifuyu merging with a Rumor. Yet I still feel I dropped the ball in many ways, especially toward the end. After the anime's final season, finishing this became less of a passion project and more an obligation, as I wanted a happier ending for the characters. However, I've told myself in the past I don't want to write a story out of spite. I find that when fanfic tries to "fix" canon, it's subpar because you can tell the author has a lack of love for the source material.
I wouldn't say I hate Magia Record. It just stings for the game to shut down and then the anime to turn out like that. That made it difficult to continue writing, and I shifted my plans for the final arc entirely to try and write something I would enjoy more. It's difficult to say whether or not I succeeded. In the end, I think I learned that it's better to let a fic rest than force myself to finish a story. I write because I love to, and while I still loved writing this story, forcing myself to finish when I did was a bad idea.
Despite all that, I'm happy with this fic overall. Beyond being my largest story yet, it's a sequel to my favorite of my fics, and it was a blast writing the Magia Record characters. I'm really happy with YachiMifu's arc, and I like to think I did an alright job with my writing of Alina.
All that said, I'm starting a new job in a week and I'm trying to focus more on original writing. Fics may slow down in the future. I'm glad I was able to see this one through to the end, though.
Still, if you want more from me, I do have a post-Rebellion PMMM/P5R crossover fic titled Symphony of the Heart out. I'm hoping to be able to fit that into my schedule, so check it out if you're interested!
Thanks for reading.