Magia, Pacem, Bellum Terrarum
Will The Future Be Kind?
...
Act LI – Finem Somium
Bright, blinding lights flowed that night from the cityscape of steel and glass. Cast from the windowed skyscrapers and streetlights, these city lights reflected off the Mitakihara River and sparkled magnificently like the stars. It was almost as if these city lights challenged the heavens for dominance over the night sky.
From the ground, one would have easily mistaken night for day. Michi Hideyoshi, however, floated weightlessly in the midst of the celestial clash. The city lights could not hide the truth from her.
In reality, it was darkness that reigned over this strange plane. The city that stood below Michi and the bright lights it cast to the sky did not exist, nor did the sparkling river that flowed through it. Mitakihara City did not exist.
Only two things existed in this vast expanse, Michi thought. The first was the specter of Lorelei Sankt who floated in the night sky, seated on a throne of soft white clouds. The second was herself, watching this world with guarded eyes. They were the only fragments of truth in this marvelous plane of dreams and only Michi knew.
The specter watched its guest from her throne with kind eyes and a welcoming smile. Not a hint of malice or caution could be seen in that smile. Why did this specter smile at Michi so warmly? The Japanese girl could only wonder.
Lorelei was innocent – as innocent as she had always been. She was yet another innocent victim of the Taint of the Dreadnought – another girl who yielded to this cruel fate. The specter then stood up from her throne and spread her arms out wide, showing Michi the vast town below them with great pride.
"So, what do you think, my friend?"
Michi's eyes sharpened.
"What do you think of this sanctuary I have built for us and for the girls we have taken under our wing?"
Lorelei's words unsettled Michi, prodding her to draw her hairpin and let her hair flow down to her shoulders. The paulownia-shaped gem bore an unusual color. Faint wisps of olive green and faint wisps of amber melded together with the turquoise blue of her gem. Together, the colors resembled Lilac – the color of the fleur-de-lis of Elise de Lamarliere.
Michi raised her eyes up from her Soul Gem up to Lorelei then spoke,
"I see no sanctuary here, Lorelei Sankt." Michi looked straight back into Lorelei's eyes, "Open your eyes and awaken – see where it is you really stand."
Silence. The happy glow that had emanated from the specter was replaced with a troubled look. She did not expect that sort of reply.
"Whatever do you mean? In this grand city, all of us can be happy here!'
Lorelei's cheerfulness then promptly returned to her face, trying to thaw Michi's guardedness with her warm smile.
"Also, am I not standing here in this city with my dearest friend, Elise?"
A disappointed sigh escaped Michi's lips.
"You are mistaken, then." Michi returned her hairpin then summoned her naginata with a flash of turquoise blue light. Seeing this light, the specter gasped in shock. She recognized that pole-arm and the curved blade that crowned it. Michi pointed this blade at the awestruck specter. "Awaken from your delusions, and face the truth!"
"Y-you aren't Elise… no… who the hell are you?"
The specter growled and a host of spotlights from the city fixated on Michi one after the other. The light illuminated Michi's kimono, highlighting its turquoise blue dye and its morning-glory patterned design. Lorelei shook her head in disbelief.
"My dear interpreter…"
The bright cityscape below them then started to flicker. A massive blackout swept through the city blocks, shutting off the city lights one block after another. Shades of grey then bled into the dazzling white of Lorelei Sankt, darker shades emerging with every city block that fell dark. Fright soon held the specter captive.
"T-the… the girl in the blue kimono…"
An invisible force soon took hold of Lorelei, forcing her to sit back into her throne. The grey shades found their way to the throne of clouds and lightning started to crackle furiously around her. Lorelei sank into her throne, feeling darkness seep into the depths of her mind. She could not arise from her throne. She could not resist the darkness any longer. The specter reached out to Michi and cried,
"Get away from here! This is no place for you!"
Tears then formed in her eyes as she struggled in vain against this invisible force. Her eyes pleaded with Michi, desperately begging her to leave.
"Get out of here before it's too late!"
Michi, however, stood her ground and held onto her naginata firmly.
"I am the Puella Magi who will succeed you." Michi faced Lorelei with conviction, "This is a battle I will fight to the bitter end."
The specter then howled madly, thrashing around in its throne till the throne was a cloud of storms. Lorelei's innocent reason was eclipsed by primal fury and crippling fear. Her sky blue eyes grew cloudy and glazed over with rage. Hounded by pain and memories of the truth she thought she had forgotten completely, Lorelei growled and bared her teeth.
"Then perish! Be gone from my sight!"
As the maddened Lorelei spoke these words, the weightlessness that had let Michi float in the sky was dispelled and gravity took hold of Michi once more. The Japanese girl, though, gracefully glided through the air, completely in control of her fall. The specter was not amused.
Violent winds swept through the dark city streets, uprooting trees and plucking lampposts from the earth with overwhelming force. Tree trunks and metal poles shot up like darts to the sky, aimed at the Japanese girl gliding towards the specter. Michi saw this volley of debris headed towards her and skillfully glided away from the bulk of it. No matter how many posts or trees came Michi's way, the Japanese girl managed to find a way around them unscathed. She was determined to close the distance between her and Lorelei Sankt.
"Leave me be, you spawn of darkness!"
Massive tremors then tore through the city, shaking the towers of glass and steel ferociously. The towers swayed back and forth until they snapped and were severed from their foundations. Free of their bonds, the skyscrapers were sent skywards, carried on by the gusts of the ceaseless, howling winds to intercept Michi. The specter seated on the throne then proudly cried,
"Look upon my works, my dear, and despair!"
From the glass frames of the flying towers, the Japanese girl caught the reflection of a most unwelcome sight. The mass of tree trunks and lampposts she had evaded were now falling towards her from the heavens – a hail of wood and steel.
"Hmph…" Michi realized the pincer she had fallen into, "I won't lose to you today!"
The Japanese girl spread out her arms, slowing down her glide to grant her some more control. She found a manageable speed then readied her naginata, eyeing the mass of towers that were heading her way. The first tower approached and Michi gripped her naginata and steeled herself.
Michi slashed at the building, cutting a straight line down through the middle of it. She then returned her arms to her side to pick up speed again and flew through the halved building with practiced ease. The hail of tree trunks and lampposts couldn't follow Michi, striking the frame of the building instead. The sheer strength of the impact decimated the remnants of the tower. To Michi, it looked as if the structure had been ground into dust – or rather, white sand.
Despite this, many more trunks and posts still followed Michi through the skies. The Japanese girl eyed the mass of flying towers ahead of her and planned her route.
"Just a little more…" Michi thought, feeling her heart beat against her chest, "We're almost there."
She then landed on a steel-framed building and hit the ground running. Pushed forward by the momentum of her flight, Michi ran exceptionally fast through the length of the building. Poles and tree trunks smashed into the metal frame around Michi, missing her by mere inches. As the second tower crumbled into white sand as well, Michi had already found her way to a third tower while eyeing the fourth with anticipation.
To Lorelei's horror, the lone Japanese girl drew uncomfortably close. She impatiently raised up a grey scepter and called forth lightning from above. Michi saw the specter's move, but stayed on her course determinedly. Crooked lines of lightning descended from the heavens, snaking down towards the Puella Magi to strike her down. Michi, though, was able to leap forward, away from the lightning bolt with her naginata in hand. As the last tower was struck by lightning and crumbled into that same white sand, Lorelei felt a shiver run up her spine. Michi was within striking distance now.
"Why do you persist so stubbornly?"
The storm clouds that formed Lorelei's throne expanded around her to protect the specter. A wave of light and sound coursed through this storm cloud and shot towards Michi.
"Do you resent the truth this much?" Michi's thoughts were aimed towards the specter behind the dark cloud, "Has the Taint tarnished your dreams with this delusion?"
Michi took a deep breath as she watched the wave of lightning come to crash into her. She exhaled then whirled her naginata around gracefully, the heavy pole-arm flying weightlessly at Michi's will. Lines of blue energy were traced around her and clashed with the sea of sparks from the storm cloud. The rest of the towers and the hail of trunks and pole that had taken to the sky were ground into sand.
From Michi's line of energy, blue light filled the entire plane. The storm cloud and the sea of lightning were cast away by Michi's light and the bright turquoise blue fell upon Mitakihara City. All of the towers that remained on the earth were stripped of their metal and glass frames as the light tore through them. The husks of the buildings looked like hourglasses, shattering in the midst of the blue light and releasing pure white sand. This sand then coalesced in the blue light, turning into the petals of cherry blossoms.
The light faded away and the cherry blossoms swirled around the Japanese girl. Lorelei was awestruck as she watched Michi wielding such immense power that rivaled hers. This girl standing before her had taken the lifeless white sand and turned it into something wonderful. Where does this girl draw such strength and power?
Michi swung her naginata and the cherry blossom petals gracefully traced the path of her blade, weaving a circle of blossoms around her. With a valiant cry, Michi swung her naginata forward and the petals shot out in one magnificent mass – an endless multitude of daggers. These daggers struck Lorelei and knocked her out of her throne.
"W-what… what is this?"
Lorelei's glazed, cloudy eyes grew clear as the cherry blossoms showered her and flew around her. These daggers of petals struck her, but she felt no pain. Instead, she felt incredibly light – as if a weight had been lifted from her very soul. Her blackened dress slowly started to revert back to bright white.
This was Michi's chance.
Under the falling cherry blossoms, Michi dashed towards the seemingly defenseless Lorelei one last time. She charged with her naginata extended forward, its blade trained at the specter's heart. One strike was all she needed to defeat this Dreadnaughthexe – but it would not come to her easily.
One last barrier stood between Michi and Lorelei – an electromagnetic field that cradled the specter. Behind the walls of this electric shield, Lorelei kept Michi and the rest of the world away.
Though the blades of cherry blossoms had been able to pierce through it, Michi's naginata was faced with tremendous resistance. Here was a herald of the truth, thought Lorelei, coming to return her to that cruel, uncaring world. Lorelei did not want to return – she wanted to stay there in that world of her dreams. Sparks flew in all directions as the naginata wedged through the shield, taking the form of an hourglass of shimmering light.
Michi, however, was determined to break this resistance and bring Lorelei back to reality. She would tear down this wall of sparks with her own strength. She would bring Lorelei back to the truth.
Michi gathered every ounce of strength she had and pushed her naginata through the field. With every inch she broke, through, the resistance multiplied and the sparks intensified. Time seemed to slow for Michi and the sparks blocked her sight of the world around her. All she could see was this specter of Lorelei Sankt behind this electric shield. She had to set Lorelei – this captive of cruel fate – free.
As Michi thought of this, her mind was filled with dazzling white. The crackling sparks became mute and the violent gusts of wind pushing Michi back felt like a gentle caress. She felt as if she was suspended there in mid-air, moving ever so slowly forward as her naginata dug through the shield. Then, she saw Lorelei Sankt standing before her there in that vast expanse of white.
"Frau Hideyoshi." Lorelei spoke to Michi, her sky blue eyes fixed upon the Japanese girl, "Are you really sure you want to do this. Once it is done, there is no turning back."
"I know that – but I do intend to succeed you." Michi's thoughts reached Lorelei, ringing through the unearthly silence in that white plane. "I have to do this."I've spent my whole life searching for a way to end the misery of Puella Magi."
A somber pause would pass before Michi could speak again.
"Both Elise de Lamarliere and I sought the same thing – to help them fight and win back the lives that had been stolen from them. Neither of us could prevent the Dreadnaughthexe from manifesting, nor could we break the cyclical war we have been cursed to fight for eternity and the both of us knew."
"And yet you still willingly plunged into darkness to search for an answer." Lorelei couldn't understand. "Are you not afraid?"
"The darkness never scared Elise, for she had a beacon of light guiding her way – a beacon of light she vowed to protect until the very end."
A small smile formed on Michi's lips,
"I too have found my light in the darkness. With them at my side, how can I be afraid?"
"They all really do mean that much to you, huh?" Lorelei's lips too seemed to form a weak smile, "Friends you cherish with all of your heart."
"Yes." Michi's tone was peaceful, "I live for them now, and I will fight for them no matter what."
"I see." Lorelei was satisfied with her reply. She then turned away from Michi, looking out to the vast expanse. A tear ran down Lorelei's cheek. "Elise cared for me that much, huh?"
A sniff echoed through the vast expanse.
"How could I not have seen?"
Lorelei wiped the tears from her face then turned back to Michi.
"I don't know what you plan to do, Frau Hideyoshi, but please find a way to destroy this Taint. Don't let all this sacrifice, yours and ours, go to waste."
The electromagnetic barrier then started to weaken and Michi's naginata drove through deeper and deeper.
"I know." Michi thought, thrusting her naginata one last time, "I will find a way."
Lorelei then smiled at Michi.
"I leave the fate of the world in your hands, Frau Hideyoshi. Everyone is counting on you."
In that bright, bright space, a multitude of specters started to appear one after the other. Every one of them were Puella Magi. The Carissimas of North America appeared along with their wards, smiling warmly at Michi. Serafina Larivenko nodded to both Michi and Lorelei and gave them her confident grin. Then, Elise de Lamarliere faced Michi with a serious look in her eyes.
"Don't you ever falter, Michi Hideyoshi." Elise said sharply, "If you do, I will never forgive you!"
"I won't." Michi reassured, "I definitely won't."
"Then, come." Lorelei said with finality. The specter behind the electric shield then spread its arms out wide, ready to embrace Michi's blade. "Come and accept your destiny! Lead us home!"
Michi's naginata finally broke through the electric shield and pierced Lorelei with a clean strike. The specters that had appeared now started to fade away into oblivion.
Then, everything fell dark.
…
.
…
At the center of the vast white expanse of Homura's room, the time-traveler stood in meditative silence with her bright Soul Gem cradled in her hands. Scattered around the room were formless screens tuned in to the local news channels, broadcasting tomorrow's forecast. None of them knew of the storm of destruction that was coming into town. Homura, though, knew better.
"Run the simulation." Homura whispered, her small voice echoing throughout the room.
At that command, the formless screens froze and started to dissipate while the floor beneath her feet started to shift. The ground blurred for a moment but stabilized before long. Now, the floor projected an aerial map of Mitakihara City – the same map that Mami's Mercator map had generated. Homura stood at the riverbanks, watching over the Mitakihara River. Meanwhile, a large red sphere formed at the other side of the river. Homura took a deep breath and heaved a sigh, staring knives at the red sphere.
"Hideyoshi-san, huh?" thought Homura.
Numerous small markers started to appear on the map, outlining Homura's order of battle with excruciating detail. Her plans were laid out with a surgeon's precision and clockwork timing. Every second counted and every piece of materiel she had gathered would be used. It all seemed so simple, so why did doubt still linger in Homura's heart? As her simulation played out, her mind started to drift away.
"Akemi-san, you have seen what you had asked to be shown to you." Kyuubey's airy voice returned to Homura's memory. "Are you satisfied?"
Hours ago in that very same room, Homura sat face to face with the Incubator. The formless screens that floated around were frozen, fixed on the scene where Michi's naginata pierced Lorelei Sankt's heart. A long moment of silence followed Kyuubey's query as Homura considered her response. Behind her indifferent expression, her mind was swimming. Naturally, the Incubator grew curious.
"Are you still confident that you can defeat Hideyoshi-san?" Kyuubey wagged its tail comfortably, awaiting Homura's reply. "Do you now believe you can change Madoka Kaname's fate?"
"What do you mean?" Homura suddenly lashed, taken aback by Kyuubey's last question. The way this creature asked had hidden meaning, masked by its eerie, ever-present smile. Its emphasis on the word 'fate' was especially unsettling. Homura gathered her thoughts then confidently declared. "Of course I can."
"You truly are an enigmatic one, Akemi-san." Kyuubey tilted his head ponderously. "However, I can see through you now. I have finally figured out what you truly are."
The creature then heaved a heavy sigh then spoke.
"You are Akemi-san, the time-traveler."
The air of indifference around Homura was tarnished with the faintest hints of shock. Though her face was calm and collected, her hands clenched into fists - fists that trembled ever so slightly on her lap. Kyuubey knew he had hit the mark.
"You've repeated this one month countless times in multiple worlds, changing the possibilities of the past and looking for the conclusion you wanted. You sought a conclusion wherein you save Madoka Kaname from the fate of Puella Magi – a conclusion where she will not die or become a Witch."
Homura's eyes sharpened with hostility.
"What does it matter to you?" Homura asked. She knew could hide the truth no longer.
"Your existence serves to prove my hypotheses." Kyuubey replied without hesitation, "I now understand why Madoka Kaname wields such immense magical potential! You are the missing piece, Akemi-san!"
The creature's tone grew excited,
"The countless timelines you have created revolved around Madoka Kaname – the benefactor of the wish you made, I assume. With every timeline you made, the grief that Madoka Kaname is destined to carry grew. Her magical potential naturally followed suit, bringing us to where we are today! You may have spared Kaname-san from the cycle of Witches and Puella Magi, but have you not just trapped Kaname-san in a cycle of your own design instead?"
"That's…!" Homura stopped herself from gasping. Kyuubey's smile grew wide.
"Thanks to you, the Soul Gem her contract will produce will be one of the most powerful ones I have ever seen!" Kyuubey was lost in fascination, "… nay! It will surely become the most powerful one!"
"What about Lorelei Sankt?" Homura asked, refusing to believe the Incubator's words, "What about Hideyoshi-san? Are they not powerful too?"
"The two of them are, indeed, powerful." Kyuubey conceded, "Both Lorelei Sankt and Hideyoshi-san wielded powerful magic and would become mighty Dreadnaught Witches. Their strength, though, comes from those around them – those who are bound to them."
"Madoka Kaname is different. This strength within her is all her own – and she has yet to make her wish. With such magical potential, her wish can make even a miracle come true! You, on the other hand, have no such potential, Akemi-san. You stand alone against one who wields the power of many. But with Kaname-san's wish, though, you may just have a chance!"
Homura felt her heart sink, her shivering fists crumpling the cloth of her skirt.
"I cannot allow that." Homura declared, "Definitely, I will not allow that."
"You have been so intent on changing the fate of Madoka Kaname, Akemi-san." Kyuubey challenged knowingly, "How do you get this confidence when you cannot even control your own?"
Homura's mind returned to the present, standing on the Mercator map that outlined her defense. Her heart raced, but she tamed it with a deep breath. She trained her sharp, sharp eyes on the red sphere on the map.
"Surely this time… I'll defeat you."
...
.
…
-MMLXXXIII-
Sunlight, thought Michi, as her dulled senses returned to her. The sunlight wrapped her in warmth and the wind caressed her gently, prodding her to ask – where was she? The saltiness of the humid Pacific air was familiar, but she could not figure out exactly where she was.
The air here was clean and birds took to the skies and sang their songs freely. None of the strains or tensions of warfare seemed to exist here. Had Michi wished, she would have stayed for a while to savor this fresh breath of peace that had eluded her for so long. Her curiosity, though, would prevent her from wanting to lie still.
Moved by this thought, Michi tried to stir – to try and explore her surroundings as she had often done in the past. Having traveled to many different places alone in the past, she had taken a liking to wandering around to know the lay of the land. However, she would find out that she could not move.
Strange bonds constricted her and held her down to the earth. No matter what she did, Michi couldn't move even a muscle. Her struggle against these bonds was fruitless and she grew extremely tired and groggy. It was as if she had just awoken from a long, long dream. Just like those absent strains of war, her battle with Lorelei Sankt seemed so far away. Did she not fight her just a few moments ago? Did she not defeat the Dreadnaught Witch?
Her memory betrayed her any semblance of certainty. All she could recall were jumbled fragments she could not put together. Suddenly, a strained, timid voice spoke into Michi's mind – the voice of a child.
"I-I can't do this anymore…"
It was a familiar voice – one she was sure she had heard before. Pain was woven into that small voice, trembling weakly in between bitter sobbing.
"…chi… …rey… itay. D-don't leave me… alone..."
Locks of curly black hair flashed in Michi's mind before fading away into obscurity along with the voice that accompanied it. A second voice then came forth. It was a voice more mature than the first but shared its tortured tone.
"Damn it… not like this…"
A ponytail of light brown hair now appeared in Michi's mind, but only for a mere moment.
"… I… want to go home…"
Soon, this voice too disappeared. From where did these voices speaking to her come from? To where did they vanish?
Michi felt terribly thirsty.
"Water..." she tried to say, but her words remained mere thoughts trapped in her mind. She could not speak either.
Then, she heard the sound of a river flowing nearby. She turned to the gentle gushing of water to find the sun sparkling like gems against the river. Beyond the spectacular river, though, a pair of curious eyes looked straight at her. Behind the walls of a hospital at the other riverbank, a young girl looked out to her through the thick windows of her hospital bedroom.
The young girl turned away for a moment to fetch a pair of red, oval-rimmed glasses. She wore them and turned right back to Michi, watching her with a perplexed look.
"Is it dead?" The young girl's thoughts somehow reached Michi. The girl's eyes then turned away with a troubled air about her.
To Michi, this girl seemed lost – not too different from herself. Who was this girl? Why did she look at her with such intent and expectation? What is it that had died? Michi was still alive, wasn't she? She was still alive, but none of this felt right.
A set of footsteps then echoed from nearby, snapping Michi away from her wandering thoughts. A young girl with golden hair walked by, holding onto a yellow soul gem in her hands. She looked like she was searching for something.
"That's strange…" the girl muttered to herself, "The trail just disappeared…"
She then turned to Michi, but didn't notice the Japanese girl there. "Maybe it was just my imagination."
As the girl spoke, bells started to toll in the distance. The golden-haired girl then wore a defeated smile.
"In any case..." the girl transformed her gem into its ring form and sighed, "I guess it's time to go to school."
With that, the girl turned around and went on her way. Michi watch her disappear into the distance.
Suddenly, the tiredness and fatigue caught up with Michi. The light and the warmth that had surrounded her faded away around her. Her mind started to fog up and she felt lightheaded. Just before her senses gave way, though, she felt one last presence nearby.
Not too far away, a girl was running with a piece of toast dangling from her mouth. Just before Michi could see her face, though, her vision blurred.
Who were these girls? Why did they trouble her so?
Then once again, the Japanese girl drifted off into slumber.
…
.
…
At the back seat of her family's car, Madoka Kaname sat in silence – troubled, uneasy silence. She leaned against the car door with her eyes turned to the darkening night sky. The dark clouds were moving unusually fast that evening, heralding inclement weather. As Madoka looked out, a Mitakihara City emergency vehicle drove past on the opposite side of the road, flashing a white light and wailing its sirens.
That's right, Madoka thought. Mitakihara City was being evacuated that night.
She and her family, as the city's weather networks advised, were headed to the city's convention center to stay the night and to wait for the storm to pass. The rest of the civilians of Mitakihara City too were headed to that convention center and the other evacuation sites in the vicinity. Emergency vehicles swept through the city to make sure that everyone followed the mandatory evacuation. Madoka, though, felt as if she knew one person who would disobey the advisory.
"Homura-chan…" Madoka whispered to herself. A small frown formed on her face.
"Madoka?" Her father called out from behind the wheel. He caught a glimpse his daughter's frown off the rear-view mirror. "Is something wrong?"
"… ah." Madoka was slow to react. "Oh, everything's fine, dad."
"Are you sure?" Her mother then asked, turning to her daughter with worried eyes. "You've been acting strange for a while now, Madoka."
"Really." Madoka turned to her parents and reassured them. "Everything's fine."
She then saw her baby brother Tatsuya seated in the car seat, looking at her with worry as well.
"I'm fine." She patted Tatsuya's back gently, "Don't worry about me."
Tatsuya's frown was quickly replaced with a smile while Madoka's father turned his attention back to the road before him. Madoka's mother, however, was still curious.
"You came home late last night, Madoka. Where were you?"
Her mother's words caught her by surprise. Madoka nearly choked as she muttered,
"I-I… just went out for a while."
Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered that odd scene at the Akemi household. She remembered Homura in tears, finally revealing the truth about herself to Madoka. She remembered the scenes of the past timelines play out in the formless screens of Homura's apartment – happy times and sad times. They were scenes meant to be filled with laughter but were overwhelmed with tears. Then, she remembered Homura embrace her tightly and the earnest plea she delivered with her wavering resolve.
"You were the only one I had left showing me the way!"
"I met with a classmate."
"Please! Let me protect you!"
"I'm sorry for worrying you, mom…"
Madoka's mother felt like her daughter wasn't telling her the whole story. Though Madoka acted calm and collected, her mother knew there was a lot on her mind. The mother could only sigh.
Minutes of silence would pass before the car started to slow down, guided by the father's slight tap on the brakes. The car came to a halt as it reached the tail of a long, long queue of vehicles en route to the convention center. Traffic that evening was terribly heavy. Since the evacuation warning came so suddenly, it couldn't be helped.
Madoka grew impatient with the heavy traffic, unable to control her restless hands on her lap. They would be stuck there for fifteen minutes at least. Looking at the sea of car lights stretching down the riverside avenue made the young girl feel impatient. She had to be moving forward, not stuck in the same spot – that's what she thought.
She then remembered that small glimpse of a dream she before leaving the house that evening. It was a memory of Michi Hideyoshi that spilled into her dreams. The Japanese Puella Magi saw the Mitakihara River in that memory, but how? Madoka knew that Michi had been to Yokohama in 1944, but Michi had seen Homura in the hospital and Mami on patrol. Michi even saw Madoka, running late for school.
Madoka reached for a bag that lay at her side and fished out her sketchpad in a curious hurry. She flipped through the pages quickly, stopping at the last pair of colored drawings she had made. In the first page, celestial marble shattered in the skies and a chessboard floor broke to give way to a bright blue sky. Then, on the second page, sand fell into a river of turquoise blue, turning it darker and darker until it was completely blackened – robbed of its color.
The young girl turned to the Mitakihara River again then saw a barren cherry blossom tree waving in the wind – it was dead. She could sense immense sadness coming from that tree, as if a specter of sorrow lingered on in its husk.
"Madoka." Her father then said, seeing her daughter look ponderously out the window, "You seem awfully interested in that tree over there."
"That tree?" Her mother's attention was caught as well, "My, isn't that an old relic. Our grandparents used to tell us crazy stories about that tree."
"Such as?" Madoka immediately asked, her curiosity peaking.
"Hmm…" the mother hummed, trying to sieve through her grandparents' stories for anything tangible, "They told us that a lot of rumors flew around about that tree. It was a controversial tree, that's for sure…"
The two parents then started to share those rumors with Madoka.
Towards the end of 1945, the body of a mysterious girl was brought to Mitakihara, known then as Yokohama, to be buried. Nobody in the town knew who she was or why she was being buried there, save for the fact that her body was brought from the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur and the rest of the Americans who brought her to the town kept their lips sealed. Thus, the body of the girl kept the town abuzz till the end of the decade.
Why was this girl in the Philippines during the heat of the Second World War?
Some said she was a spy who served with the Japanese Army, found and killed during the Battle of Manila. Others would say she was a snitch who supplied the Americans with Japanese intelligence during the war. Then, there were those who believed she was just a regular girl – a casualty of the fierce hold-out by the desperate Japanese and the assault of the reckless Americans.
People said that the girl was found lying beside two others – a young Filipina and an American girl in her early twenties. All three of them were dead, but wore peaceful expressions. To the Allied commanders, though, it was a revolting sight. Scores of innocent civilians died in the horrible Battle of Manila and the casualties for the Allies and the Japanese were also high. This image of the three girls showed that all too clearly and would have tarnished the Allies' reputation immensely.
Thus, no pictures were taken and the newspapers were heavily censored, masking the shame with the afterglow of victory.
The Philippine President of the time, Sergio Osmeña, adamantly and openly protested the censorship and proposed that the girls be buried in Manila and a memorial be built on the grounds. The girls were found together, so it was only natural to bury them side by side as a symbol of the future friendship of the US, the Philippines and Japan and as a condemnation of war. Two atomic bombs had already fallen and the Japanese had given their humiliating surrender – enough was enough. Just before the President could take his proposal to the newly-formed United Nations, the bodies of the three girls had been taken away – gone without a trace.
Unmarked graves were dug months later where the girls were buried. In the midtown of New York City, the American was laid to rest while the city slept. In the remote town of Taysan, Batangas, the Filipina was buried in the fields. No one ever knew their names and no one would know they were they lay.
Only the body of the Japanese girl came up to prominence in Mitakihara. The cherry blossom tree was planted there in the memory of the girl nobody knew.
Madoka's heart sank as her parents were engrossed in telling their story. Though all of it was hearsay from the years gone by, Madoka could discern the truth from the tall tales. She had seen bits and pieces of it in her dreams, after all. These rumors only confirmed their truth.
"That tree used to be revered here in the city." Madoka's mother then said, taking one last look at the tree "I wonder why it just died. Maybe it was its time to go – nothing lasts forever, after all."
Madoka turned back to the dead tree and was heartbroken. Michi was all alone here in Mitakihara, separated from her friends by fate. She had parted from the beacons of light that had guided her way and was now trapped in darkness. She was drowning in the river of blackened turquoise blue. It wasn't just Michi who was sinking into despair – Homura too was barely afloat in the sea of her grief.
Why did such grief have to exist?
By the time her parents finished their story, Madoka's family finally reached the convention center. They took their things and set up on a spot in the middle of the center. Tatsuya was excited to stay overnight in a new place and the parents were amused by the toddler's eagerness. Madoka, however, felt more and more distant from everything around her.
There she was in the middle of it all, doing nothing. While the storm howled outside of the convention center, she sat there – safe and comfortable. She couldn't stand it anymore.
"I have to go to the bathroom."
Madoka stood up from where she sat and made her way out to the hallways of the convention center.
Madoka then turned towards the staircase leading to the exit. There was somewhere she had to be at this moment. This wasn't the time for her to hide and cower in fear. This wasn't the time for her to be doing nothing.
She wasn't anyone special – just another middle school girl who lived day to day without a care in the world. She had no special talents and her grades weren't spectacular. However, she could make something of herself – she could surpass that mundane she had caged herself inside. She had been doing nothing for the most part of her life – but not that day.
Madoka took a deep breath to gather her strength and took the first step down the staircase. However, a hand suddenly grabbed onto her arm, stopping her from going any further. It was Madoka's mother.
"Where do you think you're going?" Her mother asked with great suspicion.
"… I have to go help a friend." Madoka replied, her face turned away from her mother.
"Leave that to the firefighters." The mother quickly replied, "Us civilians should stay put."
"But it has to be me!"
A slap echoed in the secluded halls. Madoka's face stung.
"This isn't just your life we're talking about here!" The mother started angrily, "Don't you feel anything when you think about what happened to…?"
"I… understand it." Madoka interrupted, turning to her mother with determination. "I love you, mom… and dad too."
The young girl lowered her head.
"I know how much you treasure me. I know I mustn't throw my life away."
She then turned back to her mother,
"I know how lucky a girl I am to have this life I have now." Madoka started to remember the girls she saw in her dreams. "I'm lucky to have parents… a family that cares for me, even though we aren't rich. I'm lucky to have a family that is alive and well and is always there to support me when I need help… and I'm lucky to have a family that loves me and protects me, no matter what!"
"Everyone's important to me and I have to protect these gifts that I have. That's why there's somewhere I have to be right now."
There was someone who needed Madoka to be there at her side. There were girls who needed Madoka to show them the way home.
"Mom, you told me that you raised me up to be a good person." Madoka shook her head, "I don't lie. I don't do bad things. Will you believe in me now too? Will you think I'm doing the right thing?"
"Are you sure you aren't being tricked by someone?"
Madoka nodded.
"Seems I can't stop you then." Madoka's mother pushed her daughter gently down the steps, making her face the exit. "Just remember…"
Madoka's eyes widened and she continued the sentence,
"Faith is all we have."
"Now go." The mother sent her daughter off. "And come back as quickly as possible."
"Thank you, mom."
...
.
...
.
...
This world feels strange.
From where I stand, I see the River Pasig reflecting the darkness of the night. In that river I can see no light, not even the faintest glimmer – such a terrible darkness that draws me closer and closer.
Fog swept down from beneath my feet and flowed out over the river. Then, I felt myself floating ever so gently from my perch of dead wood – such an odd, familiar texture. I parted from it and took to the sky, watching the fog roll into the opposite riverbank.
A pair of eyes watched me from that riverbank – eyes of a young girl with a Soul Gem encrusted on the back of her hand. I had seen these eyes before, kinder and more gentle than these sharp eyes that stared daggers. I had seen that color of gem as well – purple? No... lilac.
It was unmistakeable. This was the Carissima that Lorelei Sankt so loved, standing before me in defiance.
So, you still live? How can this be so?
Did I not kill you?
Did I not kill Lorelei Sankt?
Impossible.
This fantasy still exists, so my battle must not yet be over.
Stand aside! Let me through to Lorelei Sankt! Let me end this once and for all!
Why do you not listen? No matter what I say, this girl would not move. She just stood there adamantly, staring at me with intent. She wanted battle, so I must oblige. It was here at the River Pasig that this Carissima would take her final stand.
I will destroy you and this delusion you and Lorelei have created.
I will bring you back to reality!
To Be Continued
...