Kamen Rider Dragon Knight (c) Adness Entertainment / Toei / Ishimori Production. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (c) Magica Quartet / SHAFT / Aniplex / MBS.
Phase III: Sad Memory
I woke up in a hall full of mirrors, and I noticed that the wound resulting from Mayuri's backstab was gone. My jacket wasn't riddled with three holes, either.
Probably the members of the Afterlife Battlefront, also called the SSS, did that to me.
Oh, wait. I watched too much anime back at my foster home, darn it!
Suddenly, someone spoke out to me.
"Kit Taylor..."
"Master Eubulon?"
Indeed, it was the Advent Master speaking to me.
"Hey... what happened to me? First, I was stabbed in the back, and then the woman I loved laughed at me for falling into her trap so easily..."
From hearing his authoritative voice, I was convinced that Master Eubulon fully healed me of my wounds – like what he did to Chris Ramirez, when he was fully cured of his asthma.
"Yes, I know. The flurries of events that happened in the space station called Yousouma... I monitored them all. You were brought there by some coincidence... after you, Len, and Kase fought the lost Kamen Rider... Kamen Rider Abyss. Indeed, Xaviax's best-laid plans worked out even after he was perished. But you... who has found love in a Puella Magi named Kyouko Sakura... stayed strong to love her... even after revealing herself to be a traitor in the end. I know that you are a bit naive to what she really is... but your final words before perishing were..."
"You can still be redeemed, Kyouko..."
"Correct. Even an individual with the darkest of pasts can still be redeemed. I forgave Adam for selling Ventara to Xaviax because he wanted to live a peaceful life with Sarah all along... the Descender forgave Kanonno for fighting her after she was revealed to be a pawn of Widdershin... and you, Kit, can forgive Kyouko for all the things she has done in her career as a Puella Magi... especially the things she had done to you. Only then will your willpower, both as a Kamen Rider and as an ordinary person, be at its peak."
"Yes, Master."
"Now... close your eyes... and wish for a future... a future full of forgiveness, redemption, and a brand-new lease in life. Think of that girl who brought new hope to the world… by sacrificing herself…"
Indeed, what Eubulon had advised to me only strengthened my resolve to not just recover my relationship with Kyouko from oblivion, but to further nourish that relationship to a level never reached before.
I closed my eyes, and Eubulon and the hall of mirrors vanished.
The scenery was replaced by a tall building in the night sky.
The sight, the smell, the feel – no doubt, this is indeed Ventara.
After Xaviax's defeat, all the Ventarans who were abducted by him were freed and are now living their normal lives. Ventara as a whole now feels as lively as its parallel world, Earth – my home planet.
After sensing some footsteps behind me, I finally faced my beloved... the red-haired (not-quite-)deviant Puella Magi, Kyouko Sakura.
Like me, she fully recovered from her numerous wounds in her body – and her juvenile delinquent's outfit became whole again.
Nothing could describe my status at that time better than a wellspring of mixed emotions.
"Kyouko… we've met again."
"K-Kit… eh…"
Upon hearing my voice, her voice started to break a little.
"We are now even. I was betrayed by you, and you were then betrayed by the master you pledged your full allegiance to."
"Yes… I now know… the futility of blind loyalty… since I couldn't escape from my role as a Traitor. And even worse, the futility of doing something drastic out of desperation. I now know… what Kanonno felt when she fought the Descender. She only wanted to bring her world back… while I only wanted to warn fellow young girls not to employ being a Puella Magi as a be-all and end-all for the fulfillment of their insignificant wishes."
"And you're fully healed because of…"
"Yes. Kanonno healed me. The reason was more than just sympathy for a fate similar to hers… but also…"
"Because we want to break free from what prevents us from living to the fullest. Thank the heavens for Master Eubulon, the Descender, and Kanonno. And I also extend my special gratitude to… Madoka Kaname."
"Madoka Kaname… I… have heard that name before… but I couldn't know who she really is… but…"
"Yes. She was a Puella Magi who eventually shunned her mortal coil to ascend to a higher plane of existence. Her final wish was for the extinction of witches that are heralds of chaos… the witches that spawned from the souls of Puella Magi whose wishes backfired on them."
"H-how did you… know all of this, even though you're not a Puella Magi?"
"Master Eubulon told me this."
I recalled how I felt Madoka's gentle yet powerful force when I closed my eyes. Perhaps, Eubulon, too, felt Madoka's miracle – and so he forged an alliance with her to guide us.
"Think of that girl who brought new hope to the world… by sacrificing herself…"
"Kit Taylor… isn't it? You may be male, and thus not a Puella Magi… but you have done so much for my fellow Puella Magi, Kyouko Sakura… saving her from an even worse fate… and then loving her for what she is… even when her role as a traitor in something called 'the traitor game' was exposed… You two have done so much – even calling me in times of need – that I considered you inseparable. Now… forge a path to a brighter tomorrow. And remember – there are no miracles. Miracles are made by the hands of man."
"Indeed… the fortunes of the Kamen Rider and the Puella Magi are meant to intertwine… Well… I extend my gratitude to you, Kit… for telling me who Madoka really is."
"And now… we have crossed paths once again. What's the name of your city, by the way? I know, from my trips via mirrors and other reflective surfaces… that the big ball of land we're stepping on… is the planet Ventara. The planet which is parallel to Earth."
"So… this world… is named Ventara. Most people also call this Earth – and they don't know the existence of parallel worlds yet. This city we're on, by the way, is called Mitakihara."
"Mitakihara… I see."
Kyouko's tone became more serious.
"Say, Kit… even after you forgave me for my great transgression… why do you still want to pursue me?"
"Because…"
My words were very firm enough to convince her that I still love her after all that has happened.
"It's not just fate that brought us together. It's not just consummate love that brought us together. It's not just all those sorts of crazy scientific theories about the universe that brought us together. We want… to break free of our predestined fates that will someday lead us into nothingness. After all, we all wish for a better future, right?"
"You're right, Kit."
"I've seen your Soul Gem darken several times."
"And I've seen you turn into Dragon Knight's dark counterpart, Onyx."
"Those are indicators that tell us… that we're not yet fully free of the chains that bind us to the path to nothingness."
"We're just tiny specks in this universe."
"You're a big fish in a small pond. But now, this is the ocean – and you're drowning."
"And you're drowning, too."
"But even small individuals like us can do big things."
"We both look up to Madoka as an example."
"You once said to me that you were the daughter of a preacher... and you are faithful to me as a result. Now... we admit we're both slaves... you're the slave of Kyubey, and I'm the slave of Dragredder. But we both have the potential to break free from our pasts! The Descender has done it, Kanonno has done it, Adam has done it, and every Kamen Rider who once worked under Xaviax has done it! We can too!"
"Yes. Now – since we both want to break free from our downward spirals while early – we must do one thing. And that is… to fight each other."
I elicited a gasp, but that gasp was not strong enough to startle her.
Kyouko continued: "The obscurity in my Soul Gem… and the savage nature of your Advent Beast… are manifestations of the darkness in our hearts. If we don't release and control that darkness… we become evil. Puella Magi become witches and Kamen Riders turn wicked due to this."
"I'm very sure… that what you've said… was also whispered to you by Madoka."
"You're correct. Now… before the darkness swallows us… en garde!"
Kyouko began her transformation into her Puella Magi form. Clasping her Soul Gem tight, flames surrounded her and her scarlet outfit manifested.
She then twirled and brandished her spear, signaling that she is ready to fight me.
I brought out my Advent Deck, and the deck's energy produced the Advent Belt. With one convincing morphing call...
"KAMEN RIDER!"
The deck spun, and two rings of energy enveloped my body… and I become Kamen Rider Dragon Knight once more.
"Now... Kyouko... we will save each other... from our own sad memories!"
Kit Taylor versus Kyouko Sakura. A decisive duel between the two members of the longest-standing couple in Mayuri's "traitor game" was about to start.
"SWORD VENT."
The sword and the spear clashed so many times atop the tall building. We gave our all, holding nothing back in battle like how we held nothing back when we made love to each other back at the space station.
We held back our tears, but minute traces of them could be shown in each other's eyes when our faces were close to each other. She could sense mine behind my helmet.
Eventually, Kyouko overpowered me, and she made the following call.
"Let us embrace the stillness of eternity... Kit Taylor."
A rain of spears fell down on me.
I felt the brunt of Kyouko's otherwise-fatal move, but despite my degrading stamina... I still fought with the same determination I had. I survived the final battle against Xaviax, after all.
"STRIKE VENT."
Dragredder appeared but tried its best to keep out of Kyouko's sight.
"Where did you unleash your dragon, Kit?"
With a motion of my charged punch, Dragredder appeared in a mirror directly behind Kyouko and struck her with so much impact.
Kyouko's stamina was almost spent, and it was time for me to bring out my trump card.
"FINAL VENT."
I leaped into the air, with Dragredder encircling me… and performed my all-powerful, patented… Dragon Rider Kick.
Kyouko anticipated my finishing move… with hers.
She imbued all her magical strength into her spear, preparing for a piercing assault at me – and leaped towards me for her own finishing move.
My kick and her piercing charge… then collided with each other.
With the remaining strength we had, we never let up.
And then something happened.
From our bodies, two dark entities were released – the representations of our sad memories.
The Advent Beast of Kamen Rider Onyx, Dragblacker, was released from my body.
And the witch that takes the form of a dragon with blood-red eyes, Kanzeon, was released from her body.
The two dark dragons clashed as the energies from our finishing moves continued to clash.
Eventually, our strengths were fully spent, and the dragons that clashed exploded and then shattered to tiny shards.
Our dark selves were fully banished.
We whispered this to each other…
"Now we... are filled… with light…"
Our bodies collapsed to the ground.
The decisive duel ended in a draw.
Her Puella Magi outfit showed signs of burns due to the impact of Dragredder's attacks. And my Rider armor was filled with cracks from her piercing attacks. My helmet was partly broken, even.
We reverted to our normal civilian forms, both gasping for breath.
We were at arm's reach upon collapsing, so we held each other's hands. We also leaned our faces towards each other.
"K-Kyouko… you're right after all… you've employed… a win-win solution… to save ourselves…"
"…and bring back… the love we enjoyed… because… our hearts… wished for it… Kit…"
"Truly… we've made our own… miracle…"
"Now… we will… finish… whatever unfinished business… we have… before… we start all over again…"
Hovering above us… were the Descender and Kanonno. They looked at our duel with interest.
We diverted our gazes to them.
"This duel we have witnessed… was indeed poignant," the Descender declared.
"Because… you wanted to mend whatever things needed to be mended before progressing in your relationship," Kanonno followed. "When we dueled, we also had this in our minds."
"The aftermath was indeed bittersweet… but when we finally faced Widdershin, our real enemy, we already cleared ourselves of our doubts and fears. Thus we triumphed and took our relationship to the next level."
"Now… the inheritors of the love we wield, Kit Taylor and Kyouko Sakura… you have banished yourselves of the darkness in your hearts. So… to further strengthen your bond… the intense display of affection you two showed to us back at the space station… must be escalated to a higher level."
We responded softly, "Yes… we will. We waited an eternity for this to happen again."
With a motion of their hands…
…they vanished, and the current backdrop changed into a familiar sight.
Yes, that familiar sight was our room in the Yousouma.
The exhaustion we had from our duel has been quenched, thanks to the two's unique healing abilities. Our hearts pounded very fast.
"Kyouko…"
"Kit…"
"We held nothing back then… and this time… it'll be no-holds-barred."
"We wanted to smile like we did then… that's all we wanted all along."
"Once we break our limits… we will wear nothing but pure smiles."
We gently held each other's faces with both our hands.
We felt each other's breaths as we drew closer and closer.
We sensed each other's tears of anticipated joy.
And then…
We finally locked our lips.
Our kiss was not just sweeter than nectar…
…but it also carried each other's various messages of thanks, forgiveness, and acceptance of what we really are.
It was no-holds-barred in a space station's humble room – though the room was just a simulation.
Our bodies were once again bathed in true happiness – reinforced by unwavering faith in each other. The light of pure, consummate love really enveloped us.
Once more – nothing will ever separate us. We are ready to face an uncertain future together.
From start to finish – we were at a climax.
Several hours passed, and our intimate moment has been gracefully ended.
We couldn't let go of each other's arms due to the intensity of what we did. It was like… we lost control of ourselves. But still…
Like what I said to her before we kissed… we wore nothing but pure smiles.
Smiles that were straight from our hearts… now fully purged of our dark selves.
After several minutes of our silent, yet fulfilling, afterglow…
We reoriented ourselves, and then noticed two figures standing before us.
The one on the left was Master Eubulon, and the one on the right was Madoka Kaname. Together, they spoke…
"You have succeeded in defying your fates… Kit and Kyouko… and have proven your worth as a couple who fights together. The Descender and Kanonno have done their parts to repair what should be repaired in your relationship… so we owe our credits to them. As a reward… we will transport you to the place of the true divine battle against Xaviax's last remaining commandant. And then… defy fate once more. For Ventara and Earth. And for the two of you, too."
A huge flash of light enveloped the simulated room in the space station, and then…
We landed on a vast, endless tunnel that is entirely composed of mirrors.
Kyouko asked me, "Hey, Kit. Are we gonna walk this long road by foot?"
I answered while pointing to a nearby red motorcycle, "No, Kyouko. What would a Kamen Rider be without his bike?"
"Tee hee. Oh, you."
As we sat together and put on our helmets (which were thankfully provided with the bike), she immediately hugged me. I started and revved up the bike, and off we go.
Despite the blistering speed of the bike, we both felt reassurance and confidence. I sensed Kyouko's warmth emanating from her hug running throughout my body. That warmth really prompted me…
…to finish the upcoming battle with flying colors and start a new life with her.