The next day, Madoka's parents notified her of a request from Commander Parasoul. They didn't know why the Commadner wanted to talk with her and asked what Madoka did. Madoka didn't know why; in truth, she did save one of Parasoul's officers, Adam, but she wasn't going to tell this to her parents. The request stated that an escort will arrive at her house to escort her to the hospital where Commander Parasoul will be waiting in the recovery room where Sayaka and Homura are.
Madoka's Parents hesitantly allowed Madoka to go, and they remind that this may be an important meeting for the Commander and that she must behave. Madoka followed the request, making her way to the hospital with the escort that's prepared for her. It consisted of three motorcycles and one black modern car.
When Madoka enter the car, there was someone sitting with her: a communications officer named Molly. She's another Black Egret officer, dressed in a more lighter outfit that is different from the soldiers. She had a headset on and a laptop in her hands. She was there to inform Madoka on what to expect when meeting Commander Parasoul. Madoka sort of had trouble catching up with what she's said. Yet, her speech was quiet fast and overwhelming.
"Uhm..." By the time they arrived at the hospital, Madoka was a bit dazed.
Molly noticed and felt terrible for giving so much to Madoka.
"My apologies, I'll simplify it," Molly clarified, "Just talk with her like any other person would do."
Madoka reached the recovery room where Sayaka and Homura are in. Adam just walked out of that room, carrying a bundle of documents in a folder. When he took notice of Madoka, he greets her with a nod.
"It's good to see you again, Miss Kaname," Adam greeted.
"It's good to see you too," Madoka happily replied, "Is Commander Parasoul in there?"
"Yes, she is in there." Adam then saluted. "And she's waiting for you."
"Thank you." Madoka looked to the door and took a deep breath.
Adam walks off to performed other duties assigned to him by Parasoul.
When Madoka entered the room, there was one more person present. It's a young woman with red long hair, amber eyes, and light skin. Her ensemble consists mostly of black clothing: a long sleeve shirt, a short skirt, dress shoes, and a silver cross pendant. She had a Luger pistol and an unusual parasol in her possession. This is Commander Parasoul. She looked somewhat intimidating, but she was approachable.
Sayaka and Homura were there, being sort of cautious towards the woman in the room, but both of them were glad to see that Madoka arrived.
Madoka noticed that Sayaka contracted blackened scars just like Homura, except Sayaka's scars are on the side of her neck and on her right chest. There were signs of small crystal specks covering those areas in a unique pattern. It was the same for Homura except the crystal specks were making wing patterns on her entire chest; And despite the patient's gown covering the chest, bits of crystal can be seen.
The Parasoul stood with her arms crossed. When she saw Madoka come in, she was sort of surprised. She gave a surprised look as if she found a long-lost relative or as if she saw a ghost. That look faded as she closed her eyes and shook her head. She then cleared her throat and showed a more serious and solemn demeanor, putting her arms down.
"You must be Madoka Kaname?" Parasoul politely asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Madoka replied faced Parasoul and bowed, "It's nice to meet you."
Parasoul nods in understanding. "Go ahead and sit down somewhere."
Madoka walks over to sit a chair between Sayaka's bed and Homura's bed.
"Allow me to properly introduce myself," the woman began, "My name is Parasoul Renoir, Crowned Princess of the Canopy Kingdom. I'm the Commander of the military personnel called The Black Egrets. And before you ask, I'll just slowly break it to you." Parasoul sighed. "Mitakihara and two of its neighboring cities, Asunaro and Kazamino, have somehow moved from your world into mine. They appeared out of nowhere in No Man's Land, and I put them under the protection of the Canopy Kingdom."
"No way..." Sayaka commented.
Homura is sort of shocked to hear that about Mitakihara and the other cities.
Whatever the Canopy Kingdom is, it was a place that Madoka and her friends never been to. It's not a place they can find on a map, so it was good for the Princess to explain despite how big this information was to take in. Before Madoka can reply, Sayaka spoke first.
"So, Crowned Princess. What happened to the King and Queen?" Sayaka uncomfortably asked.
Parasoul closed her eyes and shook her head. "The Queen's been dead for years now... as for the King... He's been missing."
"What brings you to Mitakihara?" Madoka asked.
Parasoul understood that Sayaka and Homura are also concerned about this, so she continued. "You may have heard yesterday that the Black Egrets are only there to handle the epidemic with a quarantine."
Madoka nods. "City hall has made that clear, but one of the Egret Officers, the one name Adam, said you were searching for us."
"The protocol could've been handled better, and I apologize for that," Parasoul acknowledges, "We want to bring you three to the Canopy Kingdom. Your two friends, Kyoko Sakura and Mami Tomoe, have asked me to do so. They informed me about Magical Girls and how they work."
"I was trying to call them, they never responded." Madoka took out her phone and to show her text messages. She decided to show them to Parasoul.
Parasoul took a quick look at the text. "Hmmm... You encountered a knight?"
"I took most of the damage," Sayaka admitted, "He's been saying weird things about the Multiverse and stuff."
Parasoul nods. "He said similar things to me when he came to the Canopy Kingdom."
"You encountered the knight before?" Madoka asked.
"Did the knight go by the name of Vitomir Riley Pryus?" Parasoul questioned.
"Yes!" Madoka and Sayaka both replied at the same time.
Parasoul continued: "When he came to the Canopy Kingdom, he threatened to break the years of peace that my mother sacrificed herself for. Then came an epidemic in Little Innsmouth, and then a revolt followed after some miscommunications. Then your cities appeared: First Asunaro, then Kazamino, and now Mitakihara." Parasoul looked at Sayaka. "And speaking of the epidemic, did the Knight come into physical contact with you?"
"He chocked me and shot a bolt into my chest." Sayaka had a hand placed lightly on the area where the bolt hit her. "Is that bad?"
"My medical team tells me he's likely to be the origin of this — a vector." Parasoul crosses her arms. "And those currently infected are only at the early stages." Parasoul then adjusts her left sleeve, revealing black scars and large thin patch of crystal specks. She was infected as well. "Oddly, the symptoms that follow go away in less than a three days, and they become a part of our body in the form of symbiosis. In other words, the infection is temporarily bengin."
"What do you mean by 'temporarily'?" Homura concerningly asked.
"There will be time that these crystal drive the host to commit violence and succumb to twisted mentalities." Parasoul looks down, closing her eyes. "And there may be more we have yet to understand about this crystal infection."
This left Homura more worried, and Sayaka decided to change the topic.
"Back to the situation with Mitakihara, don't laugh at me for this but...," Sayaka assumed, "What if our worlds were merged by the knight in some way and that's how we ended up in your world. That knight did say he was going to 'bend the multiverse'."
"I wish I can believe that, but we have no evidence on how he did it. Yet, I'll keep that in mind." Parasoul then concluded with an offer. "Anyway, I heard from Mami and Kyoko about the Battle against this 'Walpurgisnacht', and I want to make a request: Come with me to the Canopy Kingdom and work with me and the Black Egrets."
"Seriously?" Sayaka looked surprised.
"I could use as much help as I can," Parasoul noted, "After all, we have a common situation at the moment."
"I can understand that, but what about our parents?" Madoka questioned.
"I had Molly and Adam contact them, and they granted permission," Parasoul assured, "However, I have to let you know that I am highly against this decision. I never want to let such youths into military affairs, especially in this situation. For now, you're my responsibility until the end. Prepare for tomorrow."
The next day, Sayaka and Homura were discharged from the hospital and picked up by Parasoul and Madoka. They were then escorted out of Mitakihara by a Black Egret Convoy and toward an unrecognizable city. Parasoul knows it as New Meridian. By the time they reached the city limits, Parasoul gives a warm welcome to the girls.
"The city we're entering is New Meridian, a well-known spot to visit in the Canopy Kingdom," Parasoul presenting.
The streets of New Meridian were bustling as Parasoul described it. Neon and noir dazzled the cities with skyscrapers, cafes, restaurants, casinos, and residences. The people here were mostly human, but there were other kinds of humanoid creatures that made New Meridian different from Mitakihara.
While the convoy passes through, some of the city's inhabitants were welcoming back Parasoul and the Black Egrets. They've praised them for protecting their city and the entire Canopy Kingdom.
"The people love you a lot," Homura complimented, "I guess being a Princess of the Kingdom and a Commander of a Military make you popular."
"And pretty busy," Sayaka pointed out.
"It's a lot of work, but I get around every task and duties I'm given." Parasoul noticed Madoka being concerned. "Are you worried about Homura?"
"It's just that Homura has this heart condition, I'm worried this crystal infection is doing something to her heart." Madoka really cares for Homura.
"I'll be fine, Madoka, it's no longer there." Homura held Madoka's hand. "You don't need to worry."
Soon the Convoy leaves New Meridan and splits up into two. A small contingent that's carrying Parasoul, Madoka, Sayaka, and Homura enters a suburban neighborhood. The other contingent went off to station themselves at part of New Meridian. The streets in the neighborhood were more peaceful with only a few inhabitants walking about. Houses wind down hilly roads with picketed fencing. Maple trees are so abundant here that they litter the roads with their freshly fallen leaves; It's as if autumn is staying forever in this gentle neighborhood.
Parasoul looked outside her window. "This is Maplecrest. This is where we relocated survivors from Asunaro and Kazamino, including Mami and Kyoko."
The small convoy stops at a residence on a hilltop where you can see a view of New Meridian and a portion of Maplecrest. Parasoul drops Madoka and friends there.
"Once you reunite with your friends, wait Molly to come and deliver official instructions," Parasoul instructed.
"What will you be doing?" Madoka asked.
"I have to visit someone back in New Meridian. We will meet again soon." Parasoul gets back in her vehicle and the small convoy starts having back to the city.
"Hey! Who's out there—!" Kyoko came out of the residence. She was wearing a black ribbon hair tie, a black crop-top, a seafoam colored hoodie that unzipped at the bottom, revealing her belly button, unique denim short shorts with fur around the bottom edges, and black below-the-knee boots. "Madoka? Sayaka?" Kyoko is then surprised to see that Homura's present. "Homura?!"
"It's a bit of a long story to tell," Madoka sheepishly replied.
"But it's been like three days," Sayaka pointed out.
"...It's long enough," Kyoko commented, giving a weak laugh at the end.
Mami can be seen at the door with a white cat-like creature on her shoulder. "Madoka, Sayaka, Homura, you made it."
The cat-like creature has two cat ears, two long rabbit-like ears with gold rings around them, red beady eyes, a red egg shape on its back, and a large tail. This is one of the many Incubators who granted the girls the power of Puella Magi, Kyubey.
The Holy Quintet is now reunited.
Madoka told Mami and Kyoko everything from the encounter with the knight, Pryus, to the arrival of the Black Egrets. Mami and Kyoko also had a story to tell during those events:
It turns out that when Mami came to Asunaro, Pryus has already left it in ruins, killing of a number of Magical Girls there and taking away their powers. Mami regretted her failure to come sooner to help them for they were Magical Girls that she knew. She was forced to head to Kazamino where Familiars were rampant and Magical Girls there were making a last stand; the civilian population there was half of what it once was. It was until the Black Egrets arrived to help them fight back. Afterward, the civilians were relocated to Maplecrest while the Magical Girls were clearing Kazamino of familiars, and it was by that time that Kyubey finally came back.
Kyubey had new to give about the Magical Girls and their way of life.
"The rules of Puella Magi have been tampered with?" Madoka wondered.
"Yes, and it affects how we purify our soul gems. They purify themselves with time and without the need for Grief Seeds," Kyubey explained, "However, there is a drawback to using too much magic now. If you use too much, you'll become exhausted which is what I would like to call Magia Overload."
"So we don't need to worry about witch-hunting and instead worry about overusing our magic?" Homura asked.
"I'm afraid so, but I haven't confirmed how much magic it takes until you reach Magica Overload. It may vary among you five and the magical girls in Kazamino." Kyubey lies back and relaxes. "We all know this isn't a witch's doing, and that Knight you all saw was likely behind this."
"And how about Mitakihara, Asunaro, and Kazamino? Why are they in this world?" Sayaka questioned. "Did our worlds have merged with Parasoul's."
"This is beyond my knowledge," Kyubey confessed, "But I'm sure you can figure it out if you cooperate with the Princess."
Soon the conversation was halted by an explosive sound, coming from New Meridian. The Holy Quinet and Kyubey checked outside and saw some smoke coming from the city itself.
There's trouble in New Meridian.