"Finally, I'm beat this level." Adalyn closed the Lollies Smash app on her smartphone. She was already tired of seeing the cute faces on the candies she had to match in that game. Unfortunately, there was nothing else to see. No messages, no comments, no photos. News? Nothing special, not even someone important enough died.
She turned on the device's camera, maybe a new profile picture could bring some distraction. The idea soon died: her face was fat, her eyes tired, her fair skin had unwanted reddish spots, her black hair needed to be dyed again as some white roots were already visible, and her dark green store cashier's uniform did not help.
Standing at the counter, Adalyn had a view of the entire convenience store, as it was tiny. The place was empty, and had been since the beginning of the day.
For some reason, memories of her childhood resurfaced. She remembered the times she told adults what she wanted to be when she grew up, it was nice to see them smile. First were the classics; to become a doctor, a judge; then came the more creative futures; to become a chef, an actress, an airline pilot. The adults would respond with compliments and predictions of success, and everyone would end up happy.
She looked out through the glass of the door, the sky was clear, the sunlight was strong, the shift would still take a couple more hours.
Adalyn could no longer even remember the details of how she had ended up in that job, but the reason was clear. Studying was boring, tiring and difficult, but it was important. Going to school to learn, everyone does that, it was important. There are so many topics, so much information to put in your head, that there is no room for the reason, you just do it. Then, when the future no longer makes sense, when you have the stature of your parents, no one smiles at your dreams anymore.
The longing to be free comes out, to finally start looking for a way, to finally have a revolution in life and a future to call yours.
Adalyn sighed and shook her head. She did not go to university, she did not even try. The money her parents had saved for her studies was used to help her have 'her own space' and 'independence'.
Living alone in one place, paying rent. It was cheap, but it was far from Seattle, in fact, far from any reasonable urban center.
The pay was just enough, but Adalyn did not feel she could complain about it. It was an easy job, just keeping the place clean, replenishing the products on the shelves when needed, checking expiration dates, taking out the trash, and counting the hours, most of the time.
Sure, serving customers, but they were only a constant when there were several hunting seasons open. Hunters would visit the store to buy supplies.
The smartphone vibrated, it was a message from mother. Whatever the subject, the conversation would probably end up being about men, marriage, children, family, future, future, future. Adalyn sighed.
The future was boredom, a world without magic.
The sound of a vehicle parking, mother would be for later. Adalyn put away her device and kept her eyes on the door.
A man opened it, green jacket, red cap. It was 'Bob' and Adalyn could only remember that name because that customer had been visiting the store regularly lately. He was always wearing the same clothes, but this was not uncommon among hunters, as some considered them lucky charms.
She watched the man pick up the goods. It was the usual, canned food, water, cookies, but no beer, bottles of milk instead. It was always a strange thing to witness, it must have been something to do with his religion.
As Bob approached the checkout counter, Adalyn got a good look at him. He was tall, fat, but not obese, big so to speak. His face was round, with a beard and a thin mustache. His hair was something between red and brown, curly, and his white skin was reddened from the heat. The pair of blue eyes was perhaps his greatest charm.
With a big smile, Bob placed the products on the counter. "How's your day, Ada?"
"Great," she said, as she paid attention in scanning the products, "another hunt?"
"Yep," he replied with enthusiasm, "birds."
"Birds..." The conversation could die there, but Adalyn was tired of the silence. "I didn't know there was still an open season. And you still have time? You told me once you had a job in Seattle."
Bob nodded. "Actually, my work is in Seattle. I provide consulting for clients of the port. Basically, it's dealing with a lot of bureaucracy and signing papers." He smiled wider. "Fortunately, these days I can do everything remotely, online, using a digital signature. Anything different, it's just a few hours' drive."
"I see." Adalyn felt a twinge of envy, not because he should earn more, for sure, but the fact that he did not have the obligation to stay in one place.
What was she thinking? If she had the same freedom, she would stay at home all the time.
The cashier's computer showed the total amount of the purchase. Ada asked, "Will you pay in..."
Bob put the money on the counter, the exact amount.
It was always like this with him. Adalyn took the money and started putting the products into paper bags.
He volunteered. "Let me help you."
He would soon leave, perhaps the last customer she would see today, then return home to her 'lonely independence'. Adalyn felt an anxiety grow, an annoyance that made her speak before she thought, "What's the fun in hunting?"
"Huh?" Bob frowned.
There, the shit was done. Adalyn wished she could bite her tongue, but settled for running her hand through her hair, almost pulling it tight. At least she had gotten his attention. "Sorry, I know it's important to control their population, and they can serve as food and stuff, but you guys see this as a sport, right? I don't know where the enjoyment is in that."
Bob smiled again. "Have you ever go fishing, Ada?"
A new memory, on the edge of a lake, with her cousins, holding a fishing rod and failing miserably. Good times, which Adalyn knew would not be repeated. "A few times."
"So, hunting is the same thing."
Adalyn did not feel very convinced by that statement.
Bob noted, gesturing. "Yeah... Different place, different tools, but the principle is the same. We want to be smarter than the animals, it's challenging."
"Challenging?" Adalyn frowned and shook her head. "A human being smarter than an animal?"
Bob straightened his cap, while showing a more charming smile. "You have no idea..."
Adalyn did not have time to consider, as a gray figure jumped on the counter. "AAAHHHHHHH!" She jumped back, bringing her hand to her chest, seeing that it was a cat.
Bob looked at the animal, a little surprised as well. "Luna?"
With her heart beating fast, she could only think of the rules. "I-Is that your cat? Animals are not allowed in the store!"
Bob shook his head, confused. "Sorry, I had left her inside the cab of the truck. I don't know how she got in."
As she regained her composure, Adalyn tried to remember, but, indeed, the animal did not seem to have entered together with the man and the door had not been opened again.
The cat remained sitting on the counter, its eyes focused on the store clerk.
"Luna is well trained." The man smiled sympathetically again. "She'll behave."
"Ah yes..." Adalyn approached the counter with caution, whispering to the cat, as if it were a baby, "So you're a 'girl', hmmm?" The animal was beautiful, with short, homogeneous gray fur. Something that was very striking was the fact that each eye had a different color, the right one was burgundy, while the left one was yellow. She remembered having heard that this condition was not uncommon among cats.
The animal bared its fangs.
Adalyn stepped back a little, smiling nervously and whispering, "I think she's about to attack me..."
"Haha! She's jealous!" Bob picked up the bags with the products. "Sorry about that, okay? I won't take up more of your time either, I'll see you another day."
The cat looked at the man.
Noticing that, Bob, still smiling, raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to one side. "Maybe..."
Adalyn almost laughed at the situation. She put her hands together, promising, "Luna! Don't worry, I won't take him away from you!"
Bob walked to the exit, with the cat quickly following him. "Bye!"
"Goodbye and thank you for choosing our store." The door closed and silence returned. Adalyn sighed, the day's little adventure was over, but at least an idea had come out of this. Maybe it would be nice to have a pet to keep company, probably a dog, yes, a dog.
Meanwhile, Bob was walking across the parking lot to get to his truck. At this moment he noticed two teenage girls walking together on the sidewalk. He looked at their left hands, specifically at the silver ring on their middle finger.
One of the girls looked at him.
The man returned the gesture with a greeting, tipping his cap and smiling.
The girl made a grimace of cringeness and ignored him.
That did not take away Bob's smile. He opened the cab of the truck. "Come on, Luna, we have a long trip."
They set off down the road, towards the hills and forests.
Bob was driving safely, but the road was fairly deserted, since there was not supposed to be an open hunting season. Enjoying the tranquility, he looked at the cat lying on the passenger seat.
The animal was curled up on itself, with a sullen look on its face.
Bob looked back at the road. "Luna, aren't you going to tell me? Those two girls were once members of the Sisterhood?"
A young girl's voice replied, [No, I don't recognize those smells, but they are witches of the Law of Cycles.]
"How do you know?"
[Instinct.]
Bob shook his head, he did not understand these things, he was not an animal. "Will you warn Sunbird that they are close?"
[Mom doesn't want to run anymore, I don't know what she wants.]
"Isn't she going to kill everything?" Smiling, Bob looked in the rearview mirror, just to make sure.
[It would be better that way, but she's an idiot, I hate her.]
"You shouldn't feel that way. Mothers should be loved, right?"
[She doesn't understand me, she will never understand me. Now she would rather talk to him than to me.]
"So, it's jealousy..." Bob nodded to his own conclusion.
The pickup truck took a detour, following a dirt road almost taken by the forest. The climb was steep and the terrain was rough, but the vehicle's traction was effective.
"Are you jealous of Ada?" Bob asked.
There was no response.
He insisted, "Do you think she likes me?"
[You shouldn't be so friendly with her.]
Bob was completely confused, "But that's what I am, a good friend."
[Magic is a mistake.]
He looked at Luna, this time exchanging glances with the animal.
[She is my mother, I hate her.]
The truck reached a point where there was no more road, the way blocked by huge tree roots.
Bob got out of the vehicle with the bags, followed by the cat. He stared at the animal, waiting.
Luna's gray fur began to emit a glow, soon followed by a flash.
The man squeezed his eyes shut because of the light, and then there was no longer a cat.
A little girl, a child. Her spiky gray hair, her eyes of different colors, one burgundy, the other yellow, that what was left of her former form. Her skin was pale, except for the red spiky patch around her similarly colored eye. Her face was partially hidden by a white scarf, and she wore a simple dark gray dress with long sleeves, and a pair of tight white pants, highlighting her thin legs. She wore no shoes, and her hands and feet had long, sharp nails. Near the collar of her dress, almost covered by her scarf, was a gem in the shape of a circle cut in half, with a moon-like pale glow.
Bob was not surprised, since she was Moonlynx.
The girl promptly went to the truck and touched its surface. The shapes of the vehicle were highlighted by silver lines and then they were crushed into a kind of chaotic cloud containing the colors of what once existed. However, not even the colors remained, the immanence had been sacrileged.
But that was not the limit of magic.
Another form, another matter, a life. Moonlynx stroked the head of a cougar, her whispers were like a mother's, "Go, keep guard. Let me know if anyone approaches."
The big, agile animal rushed off, disappearing into a bush.
"No matter how many times I witness it, I always get a little scared," Bob commented.
With a cold expression, Moonlynx approached the man, "Give me the bags."
"Sure, be careful it's heavy."
Despite her tiny stature, the girl managed to hold the bags with only one arm, effortlessly. "Hold my other hand."
"Sure."
Despite the density of the vegetation, she knew where she was going, and the remaining distance was short. Soon she arrived at a large wooden shack, its rustic and abandoned appearance contrasted with a photovoltaic solar energy generator installed nearby.
Moonlynx stopped in front of the door and she did not need to knock.
A woman opened it, wearing a yellow dress with a long skirt. She had straight black hair and her skin had a rusty tone, her features inherited from the natives who lived in that region. Her amber-colored eyes and gentle smile were like the kiss of dawn. "You came back early."
"Really?" Moonlynx said, showing no emotion, "It doesn't seem any different than the other times."
The woman took the paper bags from the girl. "How did Bob perform?"
Moonlynx looked at what she was holding. A crocheted doll, wearing a green jacket and red cap, with a pair of blue buttons as eyes. She replied, without enthusiasm, "Better than I expected."
"Come on, get in."
The little girl obeyed, watching the woman go to the kitchen, where she left the bags with the products in the sink.
The woman put on an apron. "How should I reward you, hmm? Luna? How about a bowl of milk with your favorite cookies?"
"No, mom," Moonlynx said.
The sudden response made the woman stop what she was doing, she also stopping smiling.
The child hugged her doll. "I'm not hungry, I can smell him."
The woman flinched.
Moonlynx walked to a door. "I'm going to rest in my room."
Alone in the kitchen, the woman removed her apron and threw it hard against the table. Snorting, she quickened her pace down a hallway to another door.
The door led into an office. It was spacious, much due to the lack of furniture, but there was a desk and a white creature on it.
[Sunbird.] Kyuubey had his pair of red eyes staring at the woman. [Were you able to convince her not to kill me?]
"For your luck, she's tired," Sunbird replied, "but you shouldn't have shown up here at the wrong time."
[But I come with good news.] With light steps, Kyuubey jumped down from the desk to the floor. [The Law of Cycles found the secret base in Australia. They are about to attack it.]
"'Found'?" Sunbird frowned. "Weren't you the one who gave the location to them?"
Kyuubey blinked. [No.]
The woman continued to stare at him.
[I didn't have that information; you didn't give it to me. Besides, just like you, they don't trust me.] Kyuubey walked around the woman. [I was counting that the base would eventually be discovered, when they tried to contact other members of Souls' Sisterhood. However, what happened is that one of the Law of Cycles beings has precognitive talents. She got the exact coordinates, it's something I didn't expect, but that's how magic is.]
Sunbird clenched her fists. "Right, and where's the good news?"
[Why you ask?] Kyuubey raised his little pair of ears. [The magical girl I mentioned to you is cornered now, she will be pressured to act against the Law of Cycles.]
"Ah yes! The mysterious, the miraculous magical girl you love to conjecture," after ironizing, she raised her voice, "in other words, NOTHING happened! I ask again, one last time: where is the good news?"
[You need to wait.]
"'Wait', 'wait', 'wait'..." Sunbird slapped her own thighs in anger. "Damned the day I listened to you! Waiting is the only thing I've done so far, besides refusing Generalíssima's attempts to contact me."
Kyuubey stopped and sat down, swinging his fluffy tail. [And what would you tell her if you had accepted?]
The anger deteriorated into bitterness. "Bastard, a thousand times bastard..." The woman walked over to the desk. "After Matriarch's death, I knew it would be difficult, but I believed that I had managed to leave everything in place, that the Sisterhood would hold together. I was wrong, for I only saw the faces of the other sisters, and not inside their souls."
She opened one of the desk drawers and it was crammed with grief seeds.
"We are able to replicate Matriarch's appearance, and her voice, but not her charisma, her presence, her ambition." She picked up one of the seeds and examined it. "It was something insidious. Little by little the sisters became lazier, more negligent. I should have been more suspicious, questioned more, for they were no longer in the Sisterhood for the cause, only for the conveniences it offered. So naturally, a supposed opportunity to escape this cycle of despair would attract and convert these scoundrels, like moths to the flame." She tossed the seed back into the drawer. "They dared to invite me to join them, they forgot Matriarch, they betrayed the Sisterhood, they betrayed me. I was surrounded by traitors." And she looked at the creature.
Kyuubey continued to watch her, without saying a word.
"Surrounded by traitors..." Sunbird narrowed her gaze. "How are you so sure that this mysterious magical girl will act on my behalf? You told me she's not even a member of the Sisterhood."
[Someone once told me that our logical reasoning is our greatest weakness, because it makes us predictable.] Kyuubey tilted his head to one side. [But the unpredictability of emotions should not be overestimated, it is something we learned from you humans. Eras ago, in our world, any emotion was labeled as madness, because there was no understanding of its nuances. It was you, who can live with it from birth to death, who did all the work of classifying and documenting it, with examples, in your fictions. Envy, anger, joy, passion... We may not understand why they are like that, but we have managed to replicate them in experiments.]
"For someone who likes to say that doesn't understand us, you outdo yourself with each passing day." Sunbird shook her head, disappointed. "Then your plan depends on the emotions you 'calculated' this magical girl will have."
[Yes, she will act, and if Leona Julieta Contreras dies, she will surely take revenge.] Kyuubey nodded. [Incidentally, such a scenario would favor you more, wouldn't it?]
"DO NOT try to dirty my hands!" Sunbird advanced a few steps toward the creature, pointing with her finger. "You are completely responsible for this disgrace, for not telling me who and where the girl behind the Law of Cycles is."
Kyuubey closed his eyes, as if he was tired in saying that, [I only know two magical girls with the power to interfere with the Law of Cycles, and you are not one of them. If I reveal the source of the Law of Cycles to you, you will be defeated by her and any possibility of the Souls' Sisterhood continuing to exist will fall with you.]
The woman turned her back on the creature and leaned on the desk, feeling the weight of frustration.
[You have no choice, you have nowhere to go, this place represents that. As much as you don't believe me, this is your only chance.]
Sunbird asked, "What would Matriarch do?"
Kyuubey waved his long pair of ears. [What did you ask?]
She turned to the alien. "What would Matriarch do if she were in that situation?"
[I can't be her. I have no means to-]
"Dammit! You love to conjecture, to think about the possibilities, to estimate..." She gritted her teeth. "Say it."
The creature was silent, for a time too long.
"SAY IT!"
[She would have disbanded Souls' Sisterhood and joined the Law of Cycles.] Kyuubey stated.
Sunbird turned her face away and sighed, "Yeah, that's what I think she would do." She held out her left hand, where her egg-shaped soul gem was, red with a flickering glow, as if there was a flame inside. "I made a promise to Matriarch. In case something happened to her, I would ensure the existence and prosperity of the Sisterhood." The soul gem began to float, as did the woman, who turned back to glare angrily at Kyuubey. "She saved my life, and I didn't even get the chance to do the same for her. I can't be Matriarch!"
Feeling the surge of energy, Kyuubey said, [This is not necessa-]
A strong light took over the room.
Kyuubey did not close his eyes, the glow did not bother him, but he was unable to see anything. For this reason, he was unable to avoid a metal hand, sharp-edged like a bird of prey.
The light dimmed, but not completely, it was as if there was a sun inside the room.
Kyuubey did not fight against Sunbird's grip, nor did he protest, he just examined what she had become.
The woman wore a helmet shaped like a bird's head, with her eyes being a pair of yellow visors and a beak as a nose. The mouth was the only part still visible, with everything else being covered by cybernetic armor, predominantly white, with some red and black parts. Tracks of circuitry pulsed light at a coronal rate, while her soul gem, installed in the chest armor and now in a semicircle shape, burned like fire. Sunbird did indeed have a large pair of wings, but it was a rigid structure, like part of the armor.
The wood in the room began to crack from the heat.
Each wing was a containment unit for a plasma ball, the source of light and heat, and it was what gave Sunbird thrust to fly around the room. "It's time to show you this, again..." She went to the window, opened it, and extended her arm that was holding Kyuubey.
The creature felt the rays of the Sun coming through the treetops.
"You always know better about this than I do, don't you?" Sunbird mocked, "the Sun is what allowed life on this planet, and it can very well extinguish it," she smiled with satisfaction as she uttered her next words, "and when I make that happen, you'll say goodbye to your energy source."
[It's what I wanted to say.] Kyuubey replied, not daring to exchange glances with her, [you don't need to remind me of that.]
Sunbird hurled the alien against the dirt ground.
Kyuubey rolled over and remained collapsed like a lifeless stuffed toy, his pure white fur was filthy and burnt.
"I want news very soon, and it must be about your plan having worked, or I will act. I swear I will destroy the Law of Cycles, even if in the end only ashes remain for you to make contracts!"
Kyuubey heard the window shut violently, that was the signal he was waiting for in order to move. He observed the window from the ground, noting that there was no one else there, and no light in the room.
In a hurry, he moved away from the location. Despite the state he was in, there was still grace and lightness in his movements as he jumped through the vegetation.
He stopped when he came to a place where there were tire tracks from a vehicle, certainly the one that had been used by Moonlynx.
An ant trail was in the way and ended up being crushed.
[Inevitable. Inevitable, isn't it?]
Kyuubey approached and watched the ants rescuing the injured and carrying off the dead, while the flow of the trail was almost restored.
[Madoka Kaname, you will be able to say nothing against us, for we have bought as much time as possible, but that is the fate of your actions.]
Kyuubey looked up at the sky, at the Sun, at the night on the other side of the world, at the Earth, at the Solar System, at the Milky Way.
[You said you would break any rule to get what you want, but what will you do about the rulers? Now we can only wait for your move.]
Grief syndrome
"I want ya ta form a row." Madre held up some novices and guided them to set up the formation. "Generalíssima has asked ta be like this, so make it quick, 'cause she'll be comin' soon."
"She and Inquisitor, I presume," Matryoshka commented, as she watched Madre's efforts.
All the magical girls were in the refectory, waiting.
Lucky was leaning back against the wall. "What'll it be this time?"
Revenant was close to her. "Anythin' with that Inquisitor, I... ain't sure I wanna know."
"Why're you so worried?" Matryoshka asked the two, "they must just be bringing a formal announcement of the good news about Washington, right?"
Lucky cracked a big smile. "Yeah, that must be it."
Nano and Invader were in another part of the hall, whispering to each other.
"That private conversation between the two was pretty long, huh? What would the subject be?" The child inquired.
"I have no idea." The ballerina shook her head. "But from the security camera footage, they stayed in Inquisitor's room all that time. I find it odd that Generalíssima agreed to that."
Generalíssima arrived through the tunnel, accompanied by Inquisitor.
Madre gestured and made faces, calling the other sisters to join the row.
Lucky left the wall in a leap, following Revenant.
Matryoshka decided to look for a place in the row. But not in a big hurry.
With everything in order, Madre straightened her composure and waited for Generalíssima to speak.
The woman extended her left arm making her egg-shaped, dark pink gem appear. "SISTERS! Show your souls!"
The novices and sisters imitated the gesture, with two exceptions.
Matryoshka, who kept her hands in her pockets.
Inquisitor, who kept his hands behind his back.
The sisters looked at the man, surprised at his attitude. Generalíssima apparently had not noticed, because he was one step behind her.
Madre is the one who was visibly most upset. She tried to remember another time he had done this, but realized that he was never present for this formality! He always arrived later, or simply did not show up. It could not be a mistake, but perhaps it was a 'privilege', since she knew he had supposedly special standing in the Sisterhood.
The sisters' reaction had not caught Generalíssima's attention, her gaze was focused on something else.
A good deal of time had passed and some novices looked at Madre, waiting for a sign, but no one dared to lower their arm.
The long silence made the situation more and more awkward and tense, even the sisters were starting to look at each other out of the corner of their eye.
Generalíssima finally lowered her arm.
The others readily followed suit, some eventually letting out a sigh of relief.
With a short smile, Generalíssima began to speak, "As you may have already been informed, our members on American soil have made tremendous progress in the search for Washington. They have even managed to establish temporary contact with them."
Lucky looked at Revenant.
The black woman sensed this and shook her head a little, sighing.
Generalíssima's smile was gone, maintaining a firm and controlled voice. "Unfortunately, not all news is good, and that's the reason the situation is still delicate. During this temporary contact, Washington reported that these new witches have managed to infiltrate several Sisterhood cells around the world, including Washington."
Madre held her breath.
Nano and Invader looked at the novices, who had begun to talk openly about that announcement.
Before it got too noisy, Generalíssima raised her voice to interrupt, "So, the recent announcement that Inquisitor made, about the possibility that the seed thief is a witch, is..." She pressed her lips together. "Plausible."
Inquisitor was the one who smiled this time, that was his cue, in a way. He walked towards the row of magical girls, looking into the eyes of each of them, beginning to speak, "Fortunately, that means we have a way to find out who the traitor is, we just need to find out who among us is a witch."
"That sounds too simple ta believe," Revenant remarked with rancor.
"No, it's not simple, it's not easy." Looking at a few novices, Inquisitor nodded and held up a finger. "But there is a way! I've talked a lot with Generalíssima and we agree that if there is a witch in disguise here, she doesn't have something we all have: a soul gem."
Madre lowered her gaze, more specifically to the silver ring on her left hand.
Matryoshka stretched her neck.
Nano examined her gauntlet and in its closed compartment, where her gem was well protected and hidden. She felt she was being watched and ended up exchanging glances with Invader.
The Asian girl kept looking at the child with apparent curiosity.
Nano replied with a small smile and returned to look at the man.
"As you noticed, when Generalíssima asked, you showed your gems." Inquisitor nodded. "Of course. Witches deceive to destroy. It's not a challenge for this new type of witch, a master of disguise, to create a fake soul gem, simulating its appearance, even the corruption within it and the 'purification'. However, we believe it's not a perfect replica, there are certain behaviors in our sacred objects that they cannot emulate."
Invader raised her eyebrows, realizing what he was getting at. "Are you going to make the one hundred nine yards test?"
"No." Inquisitor stopped walking to answer. "Generalíssima suggested it, but I convinced her that it would not bring the necessary certainty. As I said, the soul gem of the witch is a magical fake, it's part of the disguise, part of herself. So, it wouldn't be hard for the witch to sense that the gem is away from her at a specific distance and feign unconsciousness." He took a deep breath as his temples pulsed in tension. "No... It has to be something you can't pretend. This has to end now."
Some novices gulped at the man's threatening tone.
"As our promising future sisters have learned, we're able to block all the sensations our bodies provide, including pain. However, Madre must have taught you that it's possible to stimulate our gems to cause sensations. These sensations cannot be avoided." Inquisitor resumed to walk along the row of girls. "For me to become Inquisitor, I went through tests where I received painful stimuli directly into my soul gem. It was a pain so pure and excruciating that even if you think you are prepared, it bends you. The suffering and despair that follows I know well, there is no way to cheat." Until he stopped in front of a certain bunny girl.
Lucky frowned and smiled, nodding. "Ahnn... Cool story..."
Inquisitor asked, "Your soul gem."
Revenant's eyes widened.
While Lucky opened a bigger smile, pointing to herself. "Ya wanna take this test with me?" But...but...it wasn't me! Ya know I was... hmmm... nappin' when the seeds were stolen."
Inquisitor replied coldly, "The hypothesis of there being accomplices has not been ruled out."
"Ah! C'mon..." Lucky put a hand on her transparent gem shaped like a rabbit's foot, in a mention of defending it.
Inquisitor held out his hand. "Do this for the Sisterhood. Prove to us that you're not a traitor once and for all."
Lucky made a frown, looking at her black friend.
Revenant shook her head slightly.
Still grimacing, Lucky sighed and offered her gem, "Okay, heah, take this. If it'll help catch the traitor 'nd get the seeds back, I'm all in."
"I'm very grateful." Lucky's gem took the shape of an egg in Inquisitor's hand and he left the gem on the floor, before picking up his silver cross.
The magical bunny girl became more tense.
Inquisitor separated the cross in two parts. The body of the cross became a stake, which he made evaporate. The head and arms of the cross became the handle of a whip. The metal thread gained length and moved like a serpent, circling the gem on the floor.
"Well, well, well, well..." Lucky put her hands on her waist, her heavy breathing denoting her anxiety. "It's gonna be a terrible pain, but, as they say, the worst pain a woman can have is from labour."
The wire of the whip strangled the gem.
"Not that I've evah had that experience, but theah're so many moms in the world out theah, fine 'nd very happy. So, this test won't be a big deal, right?" Lucky started to breathe through her mouth, quickly. "Puff, puff, puff. Just like fish. Like midwives in movies ask for durin-"
The wire of the whip turned incandescent.
"GYYYYAAAAAHHHHHGGGNNNNNN!" Lucky went down at once, screaming. "YYYYAAAAAGGGHH! UUUUAAAAHHHHHGGGGGG!"
"Lucky!" Revenant called out to her, but with no response. She turned to the man, "Stop, that's enough!"
Keeping his eyes on the agonizing Lucky, Inquisitor said with little emotion. "Not yet."
Lucky was struggling. Her muscles were rigid, her veins bulging, her skin flushed. Only the sclera of her eyes could be seen, while her mouth was wide open to scream, but without any breath left in it, it sounded more like the squeal of an animal in a slaughterhouse.
"Oh my God..." Madre could not believe the barbarism she was witnessing.
Many novices covered their ears and avoided the scene.
Nano and Invader were in shock. How far had the Sisterhood gone?
Matryoshka spun one of her taps on her shoulder and took a deep breath. "Cлабоумный..."
Bloodstains began to appear on the floor around Lucky.
"Holy shit!" Revenant cried out for her leader. "Generalíssima! Look what's happenin'!"
However, even though she had a guilty expression, Generalíssima looked away.
Revenant frowned and paid attention to her friend's gem. It was no longer transparent, presenting a black turbidity. "Stop, now! Ya're killin' her!"
"A little more..." Inquisitor replied, still looking at Lucky.
"Inquisitor, stop! She'll kill you!"
This time it was the voice of Generalíssima. Inquisitor was about to turn to see her, but he came across the sharp point of a javelin.
Revenant was holding the green metallic weapon. Her face had desperation stamped on it, it was not a bluff.
Lucky was still convulsing as the incandescent whip was wrapped around her gem.
Gritting her teeth, the black woman stepped forward.
The man pulled his head back in time for it not to be pierced.
"INQUISITOR!"
At Generalíssima's new request, the man pulled the whip, causing the weapon to release the gem, and the metal wire gradually lost its incandescence.
At the same moment, Lucky's body relaxed, but she was still agonizing. "Ah... gnn... gnnn..."
Revenant abandoned her weapon and helped her friend, holding her head. "Lucky, I'm heah!"
The freckled magical girl was bleeding from her nose, mouth and ears. She held her black friend's arm, revealing that her fingernails were badly torn from scratching the floor. She could not say a word, but she made it clear what she was feeling with tears and sobs.
Revenant's eyes also watered, with the muscles in her body tense with anger.
Suddenly, Lucky widened her eyes and gaped her mouth.
Leaving Revenant even more concerned about her condition. "Lucky? Lucky!"
Lucky stopped crying, she was calmer and also confused. "I'm feelin'... bettah?"
Revenant ended up sharing that confusion.
"Congratulations."
Hearing him, the two paid attention to the man.
Inquisitor was holding Lucky's gem, purifying it with a grief seed. "You're not a witch." Then he tossed the object.
Lucky caught the gem and rose, remaining seated on the floor. She examined the transparent core of the gem, while rubbing her lips with her tongue, tasting blood.
While Revenant stood up and approached Inquisitor, glaring at him.
Not being intimidated, the man stated, "I have a lot of experience with this test, everything was under control, but the magic girl has to get close to her limit for this to be legitimate. And now it's your turn."
"Ya go first," Revenant replied, "arsehole."
"I'll ask Madre to do this on me," Inquisitor explained, "but I'll be the last. That's to ensure that no witch tries to act while I'm incapacitated."
Revenant clenched her fists and narrowed her gaze.
"Know that being against me, you'll also be against Generalíssima." He offered his hand. "Now hand over your gem."
Revenant looked at her leader.
Generalíssima was with her face turned.
The black woman looked again at Inquisitor.
He still had his hand open, waiting.
With chagrin, Revenant reached out her left hand and dropped her white soul gem into his hand.
Inquisitor promptly placed the egg-shaped gem on the floor and coiled it with his whip. "Don't feel ashamed, no one with a real soul gem can tolerate that pain."
"Just do it!" Revenant hissed.
He looked into her eyes, said nothing more, just made his whip go incandescent.
"Gnnn!" Revenant lowered her head and her muscles stiffened.
Lucky looked away, she knew what was coming, as did the other sisters and novices.
However, Revenant did not fall. She slowly raised her head and took a deep breath, her muscles relaxed.
Inquisitor blinked. His countenance had not changed, as if he was still waiting to happen what was supposed to happen.
Yet Revenant smiled.
With his eyes widening and his head trembling, he looked at the floor.
The soul gem was glowing, the white light competing with the warm light of the whip.
Realizing what was happening, he looked at the black woman, now angrily. "You have made a grave mistake!"
"I want ya ta continue ta believe that I'm a witch," Revenant said.
Inquisitor frowned. "Really?"
"Yeah." Revenant nodded. "That way, when ya decide ta pursue me, I'll kill ya 'n claim self-defense."
The man shared the wry smile briefly, then he released the gem and moved on to the next magical girl.
Revenant picked up the gem from the floor. It was extremely hot, but it was incapable of burning her skin. She then looked at Lucky.
She was still sitting on the floor, surprised at what had just happened.
The black woman gave a wink. That was enough to make the magical bunny girl smile again.
Inquisitor stopped in front of Matryoshka.
The magical Russian girl quickly spoke up, "Are you going to do this test with me? I have diplomatic immunity, fufu..."
"That doesn't make you immune to my flames," he replied.
"Are you threatening to burn me? Actually, you'll end up blowing me up, killing you and a few others in this confined space." Matryoshka held up one of the transparent tubes connected to her mask, containing chemicals, as she sent a telepathic message to the man, [I wonder what Willa really said to make you so desperate, or does your intelligence have a short expiration date?]
"If you're a witch in disguise, it's worth the risk." He narrowed his gaze. [I have returned to the data center and it seems that your friends from Motherland Union have not replied to your message. I wonder if you really sent a request for help.]
"Hmmm... You're very paranoid today." She began to unbutton her coat. [They must still be deciding whether to help or leave me on my own, but I can ask them to confirm that they got my message. Now that you've given me access to the data center room, you'll only need to distract the ballerina of cameras for me.]
Inquisitor gulped.
Matryoshka opened her coat and searched inside. She pulled out a golden monocle, with an amber-colored lens with dark stains that were scattered like blood veins. "Let's stay friendly, shall we? Here's my soul gem. Nothing like pain to keep you alive."
The man nodded, in silence, and reached out to take the small object.
A hand held his arm.
It was Madre. "Do ya intend ta do that with the novices as well?"
He replied, "It's necessary."
The redhead became more distressed. "They won't endure it!"
"You must prepare them," Inquisitor instructed, "just like in the confession cycles you promote."
"No!" Madre shook her head, furrowing her eyebrows. "If ya're referrin' ta the punishments I recommend the novices receive, they're self-inflicted, a conscious choice, only then is it effective in gettin' the severity of the sin recognized and avoided. What ya're doing here is nothin' more than torture."
"A torture that can save the Sisterhood," he retorted, "do you think we are wrong? Talk to Generalíssima, she agreed to it."
"Enough, Inquisitor."
Hearing Generalíssima, the man immediately turned to her.
She ordered, "You will stop this, now."
Inquisitor exasperated, pointing at her, "You can't go back on your decision!"
Generalíssima crossed her arms. "I have decided to go back on my decision."
He rushed until he was face to face with her.
The woman lifted her chin as she looked into the man's eyes.
Holding back his cholera, Inquisitor asked, "Do you think this is a joke?"
"Of course not!" Generalíssima pointed at the magical bunny girl. "Look what you've done to Lucky!"
The row of sisters and novices had become an audience for the couple's quarrel. For many it was a source of embarrassment, but for a certain magical girl in mask and hood, it was quite amusing.
"I told you there would be pain," Inquisitor stated.
"Pain? You almost turned her into a witch!" Generalíssima exclaimed, "what's the point of finding the traitor if half our members die?"
"I know what I'm doing. I would never let that happen." Inquisitor was frustrated. "You said you trusted me."
"It's a mistake to leave anything in your hands," she said in a cold tone, "let's do the one hundred nine yards test, or one hundred meters, whatever."
"That..." Inquisitor shook his head, outraged. "That's ridiculous. I had convinced you that this method would not work, you agreed with me. You..." Suddenly, he widened his eyes.
Generalíssima weirded out. "What is it?"
He was gaping, only closing his mouth when he let out a whisper, "You bitch..."
The woman froze.
"Your suggestion that we have our conversation in my room, your admission that I was right about the existence of a witch in our base, and all that attitude of humility... All of that was a deceit." Inquisitor gritted his teeth. "You knew all along what I would do. You let Lucky suffer, you used her, so that you could then turn on me and get support from the other members. You premeditated this."
"What're you talking about?" Generalíssima shook her head. "This test was completely your idea."
"You agreed with me, you gave me permission! You cannot deny your responsibility!" After raising his voice, Inquisitor calmed down, but with a semblance of disappointment. "The Sisterhood is on the verge of collapse, our enemies are here, and you only think of your image."
Generalíssima uncrossed her arms, clenching her fists.
"But what else would you expect from a 'myth'?" he continued, "you're not a leader. You should never be in this po-"
A flash of pink light and Generalíssima was with her half-naked body, covered by her second skin.
Inquisitor was speechless.
No one even breathed in the room. Those moments of silence were only broken by Madre. "G-Generalíssima?"
The dark pink skin danced over the woman's original skin frantically, like the crackling of a flame. She said to the man, "You have a misconceived idea of why I am the leader here. I'll give you a clue: I know where your soul gem is."
Inquisitor winced and looked at his red cross-shaped gem that was on the right clasp of his mantle.
"That's very unfair, isn't it?" Generalíssima's second skin began to move more slowly. "I had an idea. If I tell you where my soul gem is, how long do you need to destroy it? Two seconds? One second? A fraction of that? How much time do you think you have?"
Inquisitor did not answer, not only because he did not expect such questions, but in the clear threat between the words.
Revenant stepped forward, exclaiming, "We're with ya, Generalíssima!"
The man looked at the black woman and the row of girls. No one objected to what she had said. He looked back at Generalíssima and she said nothing, and did not need to. With an ephemeral sardonic smile, he whispered, "I'm the minority here." Then he turned away from Generalíssima and raised his voice toward the row of girls, "You think I'm proud of my authoritarian voice?"
No one answered, some members were even confused by the question.
"Do you think I appreciate your suffering?" Inquisitor put his hand on his own chest and shook his head. "No, but I would rather hear your cries now, than when our last seeds are stolen too and we are killing each other."
Generalíssima rolled her eyes at such emotional appeal.
"I give up." Inquisitor bowed his head. "Without your cooperation, it won't be possible to catch this traitor." He turned and walked to the exit tunnel, passing Generalíssima. "I'll be in my room. If anyone wants to prove they are not a witch, feel free to visit me. I'll do the test and be honest about the result."
"Wait."
Hearing Generalíssima, he stopped, but did not turn around.
She said, "You're right."
Madre was perplexed.
Revenant much more. "Huh?"
Inquisitor looked back.
A new flash of pink light and Generalíssima had returned to the Sisterhood's standard uniform. "We're being too passive with this thief. I have a plan."
／人 ◕‿‿◕ 人＼
The night was in total darkness.
It was new moon, there were many clouds in the sky blocking out the stars, and there was not a hint of artificial light on the horizon in any direction.
For Homura, it was better this way, it would be less likely that anyone would spot her flying at high speed with her black energy wings. Using a military model handheld GPS, she had a clear destination.
She was not alone, there were passengers under her wings, being held by many hands that had sprung from the dark energy.
It was not a comfortable situation at all, as Kyouko had found out. With the skin on her face being pulled by the air friction, she exclaimed, "SOMEONE SEND ME BACK IN TIIIIIIME! I WANT TO BEAT UP MY PAST SELF FOR ACCEPTING THIIIIIIIIS!"
Unfortunately, only Sayaka was close enough to hear the muffled scream. It was better to use telepathy. [Hold on a little longer, Kyouko.]
[It's easy to say, but we're already hours like this!] A hand of black energy began to stroke Kyouko's face, and she reacted by biting one of its fingers. [We can't see shit, but there's probably only the ocean down there, right? If you fall, you'll sink and no one will find you ever.]
[Then be quiet and do not move.] Oriko cut in. [So, we will not have any incidents, it is what I predict.]
In the other wing, the mood was lighter.
[Homura-san is amazing!] Kaoru commented, [She can fly like that and even stop time! Imagine if we had her in the Pleiades Saints.]
[Yes. She's a very close friend of Madoka-san, she must be as special as she is.] Kazumi agreed. [What makes me most excited is that this is my first trip outside of Japan. I'm a little worried too, since I don't know anything about Australia.]
Umika said, [It doesn't matter. We're going to land in a desert, there shouldn't be many things to see. Maybe it's even better that there's nothing at all.]
With the darkness and in the position she was in, Oriko could not see Homura's countenance. However, it was not risky to bet that she was very focused. [If we continue at this speed, we will reach the coordinates before the Sun appears.]
Homura already knew this, she had done the calculations. What worried her was what was out of her control. [Did you get any more vision of the attack on Mitakihara?]
[No, but about that... Do you remember our first conversation? When I warned you about it.]
Homura held her breath. She would never forget.
[I told you that this was not the future I was seeing, it was altered. Whatever we find in those coordinates, we should be prepared to deal with someone who has agency over fate. Someone like you and me.]
Temporal anomaly.
Homura remembered what Madoka had said, something she preferred not to share with anyone. Time was her enemy, she already knew, but now it could be her direct opponent, the worst of all.
Next chapter: And the gates of hell shall not prevail