OC Disclaimer
the Male Witch belongs to Nekuro Yamikawa
~Akemi Homura- Two Jumps Prior to Present~
Kyouko cried as she held onto Shotaro tightly as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.
"I'm so sorry, Kyouko… I tried everything I could to stop her." he apologized while closing his eyes.
I turned around to see Izumi looking down at the ground.
"To think that Mami-san would do something like that." she said in a gloomy tone.
"It is not surprising that Kyouko is acting this way." I said while keeping a straight face. "She did see her as family after all…"
Izumi nodded as she clenched her weapon.
"I fear that Sakurai-san is not going to be able to help fight against Walpurgis." she said.
I nodded. Kyouko was a strong willed girl, but everyone has their limits.
"Akemi-san, Izumi…" I heard Shotaro calling out to the two of us. " Please… can you leave me alone with Kyouko?"
"Why Sho-kun?" Izumi asked in confusion.
"It's Kyouko's gem…" he said solemnly.
I immediately understood what he meant right there.
"What about you?" I asked.
"I intend to be there until the bitter end with her." he replied firmly. "I don't want her to be alone…"
As he spoke, Kyouko looked up at him with a look of disbelief.
"No! You can't do that!" she protested. "I'm not worth dying for."
Shotaro shook his head in refusal.
"Listen, we've been through so much this past month! We lost close friends, and faced one hardship after another, but we had fun times as well. Remember how we first met? What about that concert we went to? Hell I even managed to pull a miracle out of my ass by helping you regain Rosso Phantasma! And you've helped me overcome my own personal demons." he explained in a firm yet gentle tone. "There is no way I can turn around and leave you to die alone. You've became too important to me."
Kyouko fell silent as she listened to him, though her tears ran down anew with every word that was said while blushing slightly.
"Shotaro…" she said softly as the older teen opened his eyes. Red looked into red as they stood there.
"I mean it. Every word I just said. " Shotaro said firmly, causing the younger girl to look at him with confusion.
Izumi sighed and turned her back towards the pair.
"I…I'm going to miss you two…" she said softly before biting her lip. "Thank you for everything, Sho-kun, Kyo-chan…"
"You're welcome, Izumi." Shotaro said in a friendly manner before looking over towards me. "Do you have any of those pipe bombs remaining?"
I nodded as I pulled out the object of question from my shield with the detonator.
"So, you've made up your mind." I said calmly. "I won't try to dissuade you, but are you absolutely certain about this?"
"I am." he replied immediately with no hesitation. "We both know that there's no grief seeds around, and Kyouko's soul gem is past the point of no return. Besides, I have to keep my promise."
I couldn't help but smile slightly as I was relieved of the bomb.
"You two better get out of here." he warned before taking the detonator. "Sayonara, Akemi Homura, Izumi-chan… I wish you both the best of luck against Walpurgis."
"Sayonara…Sho-kun." Izumi said sadly before she and I began walking off.
I closed my eyes while listening to the pair.
"Sakamichi… you can go and leave me behind… I won't hate you for that." I heard Kyouko say solemnly, her protest lacking any force behind it.
"I can't and won't." Shotaro said in refusal.
"And what the hell do you mean by that?"
"How could I abandon the girl I've fallen in love with. " he confessed.
All that came from Kyouko was a gasp before hearing the bomb hitting the ground.
I opened my eyes and looked over my shoulder to see Shotaro kissing the startled girl. Kyouko slowly relaxed and reciprocated the kiss. I found myself standing in place when they finally broke the kiss several moments later.
"I love you, Sakura Kyouko…" the boy said endearingly.
"I…love you too, Sakamichi Shotaro…" Kyouko confessed shyly as a deep blush formed on her face.
The pair kissed once again before Shotaro held up the detonator.
"Heaven or Hell…"he said. "Wherever we end up, we're going together."
"I couldn't ask for anything else." Kyouko admitted before intertwining her fingers with those of the hand that held the detonator. "Thank you for being here with me. You don't know how much this means to me."
The older teen nodded and gave a chaste kiss on her forehead.
"I should be the one thanking you." he said. "Remember how we first met?"
"Yeah, it was at that restaurant." Kyouko recalled. "You were going to rob the place, but I kicked your ass after you knocked my cheesecake to the ground without noticing."
Shotaro couldn't help but laugh at that.
"Yeah, and you really got me good there. My ass was sore for over a week after that. I feel sorry for Mami-san though, as she was the one who covered for both of us."
The pair fell silent soon after that.
"Hey, do you think we'll see her again?" Kyouko asked.
"I bet we will. Same with Sayaka, Tenki, and Caruso." he answered before noticing that his lover's soul gem was completely jet black now and starting to crack. "I guess we're out of time. Are you ready?"
"Yeah, time for us to go then…" The two of them took the bomb and set it between each other before grasping the detonator together.
Kyouko and Shotaro smiled at one another before kissing again as I activated my magic just as they flipped the switch together, time stopping completely just before the bomb went off.
I stared at the frozen scene. Of all the various relationships I've seen in the many jumps, the sight of those two together always reminded me of my friendship with Madoka. They were opposite to how things happened between Madoka and myself. In my case, every jump seemed to have put more and more distance between us, eventually alienating me completely from her group of friends. However, the opposite was true in their case. While it wasn't consistent, whenever Shotaro and Kyouko knew each other, their relationship became closer and more intimate each time.
The first time was them as bitter rivals, which sparked over a debate over what was the best flavor of pocky. Then they became acquaintances through Mami who only tolerated each other, friends, childhood friends, surrogate siblings to one another, and now lovers.
I couldn't help but be envious of those two for that…
Madoka…
I turned around and walked out of the building, undoing my magic once I was safely out of the blast radius.
Antithesis
~Praedari- Upsilon - Present~
I frowned as I began to type faster than usual, using every trick I knew to decipher a folder I found not long after I finished examining the list of armband abilities.
I stopped to take a moment to collect my thoughts. The level of encryption used was so detailed that it wasn't meant to be seen by anyone outside of whoever knew how to view the contents that were inside.
It's been a while since I had a challenge like this.
I stared at the screen, running through my mental checklist of the approaches I've used already. Yeah, I used every trick I knew…
I groaned before banging my head against the keyboard in frustration.
"DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!" I screamed, my head banging in synch with my words.
I stopped and looked up at the screen, noticing that a "password" was put in. I sighed and just pressed "enter", not expecting anything to happen. When a new window opened up, I could only gawk at what just happened. I succeeded…through head banging… God, reminds me of that time at that concert in Berlin… Or was it Antarctica?
Gah, forget it! I got access, so it's time to see what was hidden inside. I skimmed through the contents and my eyes widened upon seeing what was inside.
Welkin's overall objective…
I gritted my teeth as I slammed my fists against the keyboard after reading the first two sentences.
"ARE YOU FUCKING ME?!" I screamed.
It was then a peculiar memory flashed into my head.
I screamed while tapping the arm in submission while Kyouko held me in a headlock.
"I GIVE! I GIVE!" I pleaded. "THE PUDDING'S ALL YOURS!"
"Kyouko-san, cut her some slack." I heard Shotaro said in amusement.
Mami tried her best to stifle her laughter, while Sayaka was holding her sides, laughing like a hyena.
Homura was cracking a small smile as well. The only one who was showing any form of concern was Madoka herself.
"Idiots." Caruso said in his usual tone of voice.
"And who accepted the invitation to join us, knowing what to expect?" Akiza questioned as she and Anzu emerged from the kitchen with trays, one with pudding, pie, and cheesecake, the other with a teapot with teacups and saucers.
"NO JERI, DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Tenkimaru's voice came from within the kitchen still, causing another outbreak of laughter.
I sighed as I looked at a nearby mirror, and I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous I looked in my current position.
I noticed through the reflection to see the door open as the twins, Himari and Jyo entered, each holding a wrapped present in their hands.
"Sorry we're late!" Sekai cried out. "Himari had to finish her dress rehearsal for her concert tomorrow."
"Glad to see you made it." Izumi said smiling as she emerged from the kitchen.
"When do you think they'll show up?" Shotaro asked before narrowing his eyes. "I'm hoping Shogo doesn't come."
The ruby eyed boy grimaced when he was smacked in the back of his head by Anzu after she placed her tray down onto the coffee table.
"You know it's his girlfriend's birthday, so of course he's going to show up." she reminded him. "Besides, you know she keeps him on a short leash."
"Alright, but don't blame me when he gets pissed." Shotaro said while raising his hands up.
"Anyway, Nozomi and Fuuko are out getting the cake."
"Still, to think we managed to do the impossible…" I reminisced.
"Yeah, to think you girls all managed to defeat Welkin." Shotaro said with a smirk.
"You boys helped us greatly." Homura said. "You helped keep us from succumbing to our despair."
"I would've became a witch if it wasn't for Caruso-san and Kyouko bringing some sense into me." Sayaka said with a grateful smile.
"Hey, I think our fearless leader should get some praise too." Shotaro said while gesturing towards Madoka, who was starting to look a little nervous.
"I-I didn't really do much." she said while adverting her gaze slightly.
"You're wrong about that, Madoka." Caruso said.
"Wow, more than two words. That's a new record for you, Dante." Anzu joked with a smirk.
The normally quiet boy started mumbling in Italian while tugging the hood over his face.
"But he's right, you've probably did the most out of everyone." I spoke up. "You've helped keep everyone together, especially after we learned the truth about witches from the Pleiades."
"I'm glad they've taken in Yuuma too." Kyouko said while finally releasing me from the headlock.
Shotaro got up and moved next to the redhead, causing her to blush slightly.
"I miss her. Having her around reminded me of when I had a family." he said solemnly.
" Same here." Mami admitted.
"Sure she whined a bit, but she's a good kid." Kyouko said while smiling happily.
"We've really came a long ways…" Shotaro said. "Before it was just Akemi-san all by herself, but over time, little by little, the rest of us joined her."
I looked over at Homura, seeing her usually cold face slowly give way to a genuine smile.
"I never once thought that you'd actually succeed in your promise." she mused. "But I'm glad you've proved me wrong then."
"Which one?" I asked.
"That you'd 'Screw Kyubey's plans to the moon and back.' as you said it." the normally distant girl said. "Kyubey wanted Madoka to fight, and tried to guide us in that direction. But you stuck around her like glue and always asked questions that revealed some hidden truth that he withheld, or pointed out something that didn't sound quite right."
"To think after all that, he just up and left." Sayaka muttered.
I nodded before Homura spoke up.
"He realized we were not going to let him get what he wanted, and with you around, it was truly a lost cause." she added. "All that remains is us dealing with Walpurgis Nacht, but with everyone, I think, no, I am certain that we will prevail."
Before we could speak any further, the phone rang twice and hung up, the signal that the birthday girls have arrived.
"Places people!" Shotaro cried out as we all began to scramble into different hiding spots.
I remember… That was MY memory without a doubt, as I saw my own face in that mirror. I know I haven't seen the names of just about every girl that I saw in that memory. They were complete strangers, yet so familiar at the same time… That's right… Oriko… Kasumi…
I remembered… a life different from the one I live now… One where we were smiling and having fun. We fought, and Homura finally trusted us and started enjoy life as much as a magical girl could…
I slammed my fists against the keyboard, frustrated more than before.
What the hell happened to all of us?
What was I remembering exactly?
~Praedari Xi~
Chi started to laugh at what I just said.
"How can you show me when I literally have your soul in my grasp?" she boasted. "You can't do a bloody thing about it. Kill me and I simply rip your soul out before I die."
I remained silent as I held up my hand as the armband began to glow. The spectral hands began to dissipate slowly as the blue executioner was obviously dumbfounded by what was happening.
"What the hell did you do?!" she cried out as she stepped back.
"You rely too much on your armband." I pointed out as I started to flex my fingers. "After all, I have Negate."
I heard Chi gasp upon hearing this as I stepped forward.
"Your ability may be a respectable A-rank, but mine surpasses yours." I continued. "I can negate just about anything one could think of. The flow of electricity, gunpowder igniting, the magic of magical girls, the flow of one's circulatory system. If early enough, I can even negate the hatching of grief seeds."
Chi stepped back more as I kept coming towards her.
"With a single thought, I can kill every single person in a two kilometer radius by negating their heartbeats." I then snapped my fingers. "Bam, mass synchronized heart attacks."
Chi immediately grabbed her chest where her heart was when I snapped my fingers.
"Tell me, Chi, what are you planning to do to Alpha, and don't you fucking dare lie to me. Otherwise, you WILL die after I tear out those eyes of yours."
~Puella Magi- Sakura Kyouko~
I struggled against the webbing that bound me to the side of the building, the others were doing the same, though they had their mouths covered, preventing them from speaking. The spider like witch, Spinnan, came over towards me and examined me as if I was something weird, at least that's what it looked like. She didn't have anymore webbing from her fingers.
"To think we're not comrades this time around." she said in disappointment.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" I snapped back.
"Who was I trying to fool?" the witch sighed. "You wouldn't remember what happened before everything was reset. Just like every other time, you are going to die at some point."
"Spinnan, what are you blabbering about now?" the snake bitch asked.
"Just reminiscing about the past." the spider replied before raising a hand, revealing it to be human before using it to gently stroke my cheek. " It was nice seeing a familiar face again, Kyouko-chan."
"Wait… How did you know my name?!" I cried out.
The spider removed her hand and gently retreated before something cried out.
"Nya?"
The witches turned their collective attention towards where the corpse of the feline witch once laid, replaced with something different.
A girl stood with a confused look on her face. She looked pretty much human except for a long black feline tail and ears. Her hair was a dull gray, while her only exposed eye was similar to the snake bitch's but with a silver iris. The other was hidden behind an eye patch with a red button sewn on.
"You had me thinking you were killed back there." the snake said with a sigh of relief.
The catgirl tilted her head in confusion before speaking in a foreign, but human, language.
"Apparently, she only speaks English…" the spider remarked. "If Same was here to translate…"
She then snapped her fingers.
"We're falling back everyone." she announced.
Without any response, the other robed witches began to step back as the spider approached a building and used one of her legs to stab into it, causing a hole to appear. On the other side was the music venue with the stage in the background.
The snake bitch slithered towards me again and smirked.
"I'll see you again, my little pet." she said before kissing me on the cheek, causing me to grimace. "Next time I'll mate with you for certain." this time she raised her voice, to make certain that everyone heard.
As she finished , her forehead spurted blood just as a feather embedded itself into it.
"Lamia, I won't let you do that." the angel like witch warned in a firm manner as she landed besides me.
"Dammit… you always have to kill the mood." the snake bitch said in annoyance before slithering towards the catgirl, pulling the feather out of her head in the process.
The platinum blonde stayed behind as the other witches shepherd the confused catgirl through the hole. The angel folded her wings against her back and sighed.
"I'm sorry about everything, Kyouko." she said apologetically. "While this may not make any sense to you. Spinnan and I once were friends of you guys. We don't know how, but the two of us remember things that haven't happened. While Spinnan hasn't really cared much about it, I want to find out why. If you run into Akemi Homura, tell her that there are some who remember. I must take my leave, but don't worry, your restraints will disappear in a few minutes."
The angel smiled at me, waving before running towards the hole.
I stared at her in confusion. She was right about anything not making any sense at all.
I turned my attention towards where Shotaro was, watching him and another of those Praedari evading the rabbit while shooting at it on occasion while the others were running towards us. The witch slammed its paws against Shotaro, sending him flying backwards and into the two incoming Praedari.
My eyes widened in horror as I struggled as hard as I could, ignoring the pain of the webbing digging into my skin.
"SHOTARO!" I cried out desperately.
Why am I so worried about him? I only just met him not long ago.
At that moment, the angel turned and flapped her wings as he rolled across the ground. Her face now in a panic, the witch took off, darting as fast as she could and landed next to them.
"Speak to me!" she cried out to the trio.
"Oww." the boy groaned weakly.
The other two got to their feet, disoriented by the collision.
The angel sighed in relief and gingerly picked Shotaro into her arms and flew off towards me.
"He obviously has a dislocated shoulder, and probably a few cracked ribs at least from that last attack." the angel deduced. "Nothing life threatening, but he's incapable of fighting any further."
She turned her attention towards the witch as it was charging towards the pair who were still getting their surroundings.
"Not this time…" the platinum blonde said firmly before flapping her wings, firing a series of feathers towards them. The projectiles missed the two Praedari and embedded themselves into the forepaws of the witch, causing it to halt its attack. "This witch is a fusion type. That explains why it's so difficult to bring down."
"A fusion type?" I asked.
"It used to be more than one witch, but they merged together." the angel explained. "As such, it's not likely going to drop a grief seed."
"Why are you helping us?" Shotaro asked. "You're a witch as well, right?"
"I just don't want my old friends to die here, Shotaro." she replied. "I'll finish the witch off."
"Who are you?!" I demanded. "Where the hell did you hear that name?"
"I don't have a name." the angel replied. "And we've met before, though I guess you can say, in another life."
"You seriously don't have a name?" Shotaro asked as he tried to sit upright, only to yelp in pain when he moved his right shoulder. "Ow, pain!"
"Neither my twin or myself have any." she replied solemnly before walking towards the monster rabbit.
"Tenki, Sekai, you two keep watch over the others until the girls are free of their webbing. I'll take care of the witch."
"Who the hell do you think you are, bossing us around?" the female Praedari blurted out.
The angel looked over her shoulder.
"Please, just trust me on this. Do you want to lose your family?" she asked in a pleading manner.
The Praedari fell silent and shook her head.
"You better not let her die." she warned her, though there was barely any malice present in her words.
The angel nodded before turning around and emitted a blinding white light.
~Praedari Alpha~
"I-Impossible…" I said in utter disbelief at the sight before me.
"Nice try loser!" Kyouko said triumphantly as she dealt the finishing blow.
Two days have passed since the incident at the music venue. To say the aftermath was insane is an understatement. That angel like witch did in fact managed to defeat that rabbit witch like it was nothing, completely destroying it. Everyone was blinded by the light she created for a good while, so we didn't know exactly what happened. To think a witch saved us. Anyway, afterwards, some female Praedari who never mentioned their call signs tended to everyone, and brought us back to my place. Those talking witches were also nowhere to be found.
One of the two Praedari who helped us told me that they weren't going to apprehend the magical girls who were present, as they work directly under the Chief, so they knew about my mission to amass a "collection" of magical girls.
The voice of that Praedari who spoke to me was oddly very familiar, like it was someone I should know but don't.
I thought the debriefing was going to be hell. Oh, was I wrong. The chief told me that a certain partner of mine requested to be reassigned to someone else, which he approved, as with what he had in store for me. In place of Delta, I was assigned to be part of a team consisting of Nu, Mu, Pi, and myself, on top of the magical girls.
Speaking of which, my place was now overrun with girls left and right, magical and mundane, with one extra guy besides myself. Every magical girl who weren't already associated with either Pi or me were given the choice of "submitting" themselves to me, or be eliminated. All chose to join, though the one called Jyo was a little too happy to do it. I'm uneasy whenever she is calling me "Master", especially after learning that she was that serial murderer, Cutter Jyo. Anzu and Akiza both accepted without complaint.
Then came Himari. She was apparently immortal, having to survive that fatal injury like it never happened. I wasn't the only one who honestly thought she croaked. In fact, just about everyone thought she was dead. In addition to her powers, Himari was the most problematic for Welkin to handle due to her public status as an idol. Having her disappear would risk exposing the organization to unwanted attention. However, the idol was very cooperative, willing to do anything under the condition that they can do something about her parents. The following day, both mother and father were reported to be taking an "extended vacation abroad" as I heard. Probably were abducted and dumped off on some uninhabited island in the middle of the Pacific.
Anyway, getting back to my place being overrun, I was told that the entire floor I lived on was going to be renovated into one huge apartment. But for now, it was going to be cramped beyond belief. Sleeping arrangements were still being negotiated, but Kyouko commandeered my bed, while I was forced to the floor. And oh god… DO NOT get me started with the bathroom.
Right now, I was hanging out with Kyouko at an arcade, as the both of us were feeling too cramped to relax back home. We were playing a certain rhythm game that I just learned that the redhead was a master of. I was also good at the game, though it was mainly to keep my feet's reaction time as sharp as possible. As for the high score, that remained untouched for over a whole damn year. However, Kyouko just beaten it by an impressive margin on her first try. That's a magical girl for you.
"Well, you proved me wrong." I sighed. "As promised, lunch is on me."
Kyouko nodded in response to that before smiling. I have to admit, the girl was adorable at times. Kinda strikes that "I-must-spoil-her" itch one could get from seeing a cute girl. She was fiercely independent for her age, but her cuteness really shines when free food is involved.
I flexed my formerly dislocated shoulder, courtesy of Izumi healing my wounds. I honestly didn't want her to do it, due to the situation with her Soul Gem. However, she didn't take no for an answer, and healed me regardless. Still, it was fortunate that the gem didn't get that murkier than I feared.
"Hey, Alfy!" I heard a familiar voice cry out from behind me. "Been a while, hasn't it?"
"Taiga-Sensei?" I asked while turning around.
Standing with a wide grin was a bald man in his early fifties. He wore a loose white shirt with shorts and combat boots that have seen better days. On his left arm was a brown armband.
This man was the one who trained me the basics before becoming a full fledge Praedari. Taiga Kana, a former Preadari who still works with Welkin as an instructor. He is also the closest to a father I've ever had. Unlike most, he was genuinely kind towards me, often taking me out for udon after a hard day's worth of training, and gave me advice when I needed it. He is the only one I actually looked up to now, ever since the Chief showed his true colors. Still, I don't know if I could trust Taiga that much after that... He was the one who warned me not to trust anyone within Welkin after all.
"THE ONE AND ONLY!" Taiga shouted enthusiastically while pointing to the sky for no reason.
And I might have forgotten to mention that he's a little… eccentric at times when it's not involving a serious issue.
"W-Who's this old fart?" Kyouko asked, taken back by Taiga.
"My, I never pegged you to be quite the player, Alfy." the old man mused. "Are you attempting to build a harem? If so, then I have the utmost respect for you. "
Kyouko and I blushed deeply upon hearing that while gawking.
"What the hell?!" we said in unison.
Taiga chuckled and put both of his hands on top of our heads before ruffling our hair playfully.
"I'm just teasing you two." he said before stopping his hands. "So, how's the date going?"
I felt my cheeks flush with heat while I looked over at Kyouko, whose now flustered face was slowly turning into a shade that matched her hair.
"We-We're not on a date…" I said while looking away from my teacher.
"Hmmm, judging by your reactions so far, one would think otherwise."
I swear I could feel steam coming out of my ears at this point.
The smile on the old man's face slowly receded, being replaced with a more serious expression.
"Enough fun for now Shotaro," he said firmly. "I came here to tell you about some things that I've overheard that you'd like to hear."
I too soon adopted a serious face and nodded in acknowledgement. Taiga looked at Kyouko with a curious look in his eye.
"You better get going home young lady, I apologize, but this doesn't concern you." he said while putting his arms behind his back.
"She's with me when on business as well." I stated cryptically.
"Ahh, so she's one of those new 'coworkers' of yours I've heard about." Taiga said in realization. "The Chief informed me of your new mission."
I nodded in confirmation before the old man looked at Kyouko again.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." he said respectfully. "And I'd like to thank you for helping to keep the 'vermin' in check, even before you joined the team."
Kyouko had a surprised look on her face upon hearing that. Guess she didn't get thanked for what she does as a magical girl. Then again, the same could be said for most magical girls. It was a thankless job after all.
"Anyway, have you both heard about the reports of 'odd rats' lately?" Taiga asked. "Besides the ones you've reported."
"I haven't." I said before looking towards Kyouko. " What about you?"
"There was this one that I encountered not long ago, but it was also where I met that snake for the first time." the redhead said with a shudder. "She's now one of those talking 'rats' as you call them."
The old man nodded in understanding before frowning.
"There are other anomalies besides witches like Lamia." he stated grimly.
"What kind of anomalies?" I asked.
"For example, a male witch." Taiga responded.
Kyouko and I both did a double take upon hearing that.
"Hold on… did you say a MALE witch?!" the redhead asked.
The bald man nodded in confirmation.
"This one's quite a doozy, as it seems to have a connection with a magical girl." he added. "Thing is, just about everything we've done has been futile. The witch always drops a grief seed if it dies, but it always hatches the exact same guy. And it gets better too. There's a magical girl that doesn't have a soul gem. She is using the witch and its grief seeds as a substitute for the gem. So she's hard to kill too."
Okay, this is just unbelievable. Even for a surreal world that Praedari and magical girls live in, this is going a bit too far.
" I haven't gotten to the best part. It isn't confirmed which one is responsible for this, but they've got this ability where anything involving magic, including the armbands, are nullified. Alfy, that means you must protect your girlfriend here as she'll be your damsel in distress if you ever run into those two. "
We both blushed deeply upon hearing that. I would've responded, but Taiga kept a serious tone this entire time, knowing that he wasn't teasing us there.
"You mean there's literally nothing we can do against that witch?!" Kyouko blurted out.
Taiga shook his head.
" Far from it. This witch isn't some unstoppable monster. Any non magical methods can work on them. Guns, swords, you name it. Also, remember when I said that the witch is acting as a soul gem substitute? Separate them far enough and the magical girl drops dead until the witch returns to her."
"Sensei, is there anything else you wanted to share with us?" I asked.
"Yeah, I've actually came to tell you some good news." my former instructor said as a smirk formed on his face. "You've been selected to join Project Polaris."
"Project what?" I said in confusion.
"Project Polaris is a program that has successfully granted those who partake into it a second armband ability." Taiga explained. "Let's go into that hotel so we can discuss more about this. I got a room reserved already."
He pointed over towards a hotel that obviously screamed expensive five star. I feel sorry for the financial department right now. Taiga always goes for the most expensive room possible.
~Praedari - Upsilon~
Ever since that memory surfaced, my head had just been throbbing incessantly in pain, more than it would've compared to banging my head against the keyboard. I had long since logged out, opting to rest. What I've learned just sickened me. How can someone support something like that?! I knew Welkin was sketchy, but this was surreal… Research into time travel?!
Even amongst the magical girls, there's never been any documented with manipulation of time, let alone time traveling.
I laid in my bed looking up at the ceiling, recalling what I've learned before closing my eyes to sleep.
We were stunned by Mami's actions.
She learned about the truth about everything, all because Madoka felt it was the right thing to do. That wound up being the mistake that killed five of us. Jeri, Anzu, and Sayaka were lying on the ground, their soul gems shattered by Mami shooting them. The fourth victim was Kyouko, and the final one was Madoka herself. Homura has vanished all of a sudden soon after Madoka was killed.
Mami was just looking on with empty lifeless eyes, tears running down her face. Her mind has collapsed, leaving just a husk of her former self driven by fear. Shotaro remained silent before he took off his helmet, revealing his face to be devoid of emotion, while his eyes were dulled. He slowly raised the rifle he had at Mami as an emotion began to surface: Hatred. His eyes narrowed before dropping his gun.
"No… it'll be too merciful with a gun…" he said coldly.
He then removed charged towards Mami and slugging her as hard as he could.
"I will make you suffer for killing my best friend!" he screamed before pulling out a knife.
Tenki and Sekai ran in to stop Shotaro, but he sliced Tenki's throat and stabbing Sekai in her eye in one fluid movement. The rest of us stopped before the enraged boy closed in and grabbed Mami by the throat.
"I saw you as family…" Shotaro began saying. "Why did you did you do this, Mami? I swear… I will never forgive you for this, no matter what."
He dropped the knife as he reached for his Praedari helmet.
"Jyo and Akiza gave their lives to save you from that witch." he continued. "Izumi became a witch so that there was a grief seed for you. The all died to keep you alive!"
His eyes became completely black as thick purple veins began bulging from his left cheek. He choked up for a moment as tears formed in his eyes.
"I even allowed myself to be experimented on in order to gain the ability to purify your gems! WE fought for your life… and you just gave into despair…"
Mami just began to cry as she heard his words.
The Praedari fell silent before he set the magical girl down and placed on hand on top of her head and another under her chin.
"You deserve worse than this." he said coldly before twisting Mami's head with enough force to snap her neck. He allowed Mami to collapse to the ground before kneeling down to remove her soul gem. He then set it down and stomped on it as hard as he could, guaranteeing her death as the gem shattered underfoot.
Once Mami was killed, Shotaro just turned and began to laugh halfheartedly before it degenerated into sobbing. He slowly drew his handgun and pointed it to his head.
"I'm sorry everyone… I'm so sorry…." he said before pulling the trigger.
I watched silently as Shotaro's corpse fell to the ground next to Mami's. Of all of us, I was the only one besides Homura who was still alive. To think everything could go straight to hell so quickly. I couldn't handle the fact that I lost all my friends just now… I was all alone again. I can't stand that again.
I went towards Shotaro's body and collected the gun from the pool of blood that originated from him. I had nothing to lose, or to gain. A net zero that left me in despair. I raised the gun and placed the still scalding nuzzle underneath my chin. No amount of therapy could help me cope with this. There was only one guaranteed way to end this suffering of mine now…
I didn't feel any pain, nor hear the gunshot as I squeezed the trigger.
I opened my eyes and realized that I was now standing in the flooded ruins of a city. Somehow, I immediately recognized where I was, and what happened. I turned around and noticed that I wasn't alone. Fighting amongst corpses of various Praedari and magical girls were four people, two of which I saw just a moment ago before dying.
A helmetless Shotaro was swinging a gunaxe as Kyouko used the shaft of her spear to block. Both looked on at each other with the intent to kill one another.
"You god damn bitch!" the boy screamed as he kicked the redhead in the abdomen.
She lurched forward as the air was knocked out of her as I saw Airi leaping back to evade a slash from Sayaka's sword nearby the other two.
I watched on as Shotaro leaped back and raised up his obsidian armband.
"Phantasma." he said firmly as duplicates of himself materialized.
Each of the clones acted differently, causing Kyouko to have her eyes open in shock.
"What the hell?!" she said as all the doppelgangers charged forward.
The magical girl swung her spear in a sweeping motion as it became segmented for greater reach. The weapon went through all the clones like they weren't there, only to freeze when the real Shotaro used his weapon to parry the bladed end as he closed in. The younger redhead began to tense up as he closed in on her.
Time felt like it froze when he stopped close, the razor sharp edge of the gunaxe pressed against the magical girl's throat.
"We could have worked together." Shotaro said coldly. "but you decided otherwise."
"Like hell I was going to submit to a power hungry fuck like you." Kyouko retorted. "I still can't believe you killed that girl in cold blood?"
"You mean Madoka?" the Praedari questioned. "She was pivotal to Kyubey's plans. She had to die for humanity's sake."
"You're still a fucking murderer!" Kyouko screamed as she and Shotaro leaped back.
Airi stepped towards Shotaro's side while dragging a motionless Sayaka by her hair.
In a flash of light, the sight before me changed to a different event happening in the same place.
This time, Shotaro was already dead, a bullet hole square in the chest where his heart was.
Smirking in satisfaction was the one holding the smoking gun, Praedari Omega, Shogo.
"Finally the fucker's dead." he said before turning around and held the handgun right in front of Kyouko. "Now for that last remaining bitch of his harem."
The magical girl immediately ran, but Shogo only shrugged and fired to the left, catching her right in the knee.
"I know you wouldn't be able to go far, bitch." he said. "Besides, I had a little help from Walpurgis, remember?"
Kyouko looked on at Omega with a cold stare. She muttered something that I couldn't hear, but she went limp upon being shot in the head, slumping over as blood oozed out of her body. Omega raised his gun and smirked in satisfaction before I was blinded by a flash of light again.
This time I was back in my bedroom, but with a robed figure was at the end of my bed, looking at me.
"So, you're awake, Aoi." the figure said in a female's voice. "How's your head feeling?"
"Beside a whirlwind of 'What the fuck?' and confusion?" I asked.
"I'll give you answers later." the robed figure answered before vanishing into thin air like a ghost.
What the fuck?
~Puella Magi~
"Finalis Armamentem!" I cried out as Mami fired at the witch, Charolette. Originally, I came because I detected the hatching of a witch at the hospital, but all that changed when I entered the wards. It was fortunate to be able to come within time to save the blonde from getting her head bit off when she was distracted by the two girls she was with. Seriously, what made her think it was a bright idea to have them tag along? Still, I managed to create a barrier to keep the two girls safe as I engaged the witch with the magical girl.
"This is going feel weird for a moment." I warned her as my hand glowed with a magenta aura.
"What do you mean?" Mami asked before I plunged my hand into where her soul gem was. She gasped and twitched for a moment before she was covered in a yellow glow. Her body then went limp as her outfit changed back into a school uniform. I slowly drew out my hand as Mami's soul gem began to change shape while gently setting her body down to the ground.
" Armamentem: Tiro Grandeur! " I announced as the soul gem took on the form of a musket rifle similar to the one I saw Mami used earlier, but with a crystal barrel of the same color as the soul gem while the stock and trigger was of opaque black metal.
"W-What did you do to me?!" Mami's voice cried out from the gun in disbelief.
"It's okay, I've just tapped into your soul, this will only be temporary." I reassured her. "Just trust me, please."
"Alright…" she relented.
I saw Charolette lunging towards me with its mouth open. I raised the Tiro Grandeur and took aim.
I breathed slowly before pulling the trigger. The witch was hit with a large blast of golden energy, seemingly killing it before a new version of that witch emerged from the mouth of the previous like a snake shedding its skin. It then attempted to attack again, only to get blasted again. This repeated several times, with each shot getting more powerful each time, only for Charolette to get right back up.
"See you're getting used to this." I commented. "Think you can give it your all with the next shot?"
"I'll try." Mami replied as the barrel began to emit a golden light.
"That's it, I'll fire on your mark." I commented while taking aim.
The witch lunged towards me, but I kept calm, waiting for Mami's signal.
"Now!" she cried out as I pulled my trigger as the stubborn witch was pretty much in point blank range.
"Tiro Grandeur: Finale!" Mami and I cried out in unison as Charolette was caught in a gigantic blast that completely engulfed its body. I grimaced as the recoil caused me to slide backwards. It was surprising that the blast lasted about ten seconds before it stopped. The wards began to dissipate, signaling that the witch was indeed dead.
I went over towards Mami's body as the Tiro Grandeur reverted back into a regular soul gem. I knelt down and gently placed it in one of her hands. Mami groaned as she came around, sitting upright while clutching her gem.
"Wow… I never experienced anything like that…" the blonde stated before looking at me. "Still, thank you for helping me out."
I smirked as I dismissed my barrier, allowing the two girls to come towards us.
"That was amazing!" the blue haired one said in awe. "What was with that gun though you pulled out of her head, and why did it turn into a soul gem?"
"Mami-senpai, are you okay?" the pink haired girl asked in concern.
"I'm fine." Mami reassured with a warm smile before looking towards me. "I suppose I should introduce myself, I'm-"
"I'm aware of who you are, Mami-san." I interjected. "My magic allows me to tell the name of a witch or magical girl without needing to ask, amongst other things. Please let me see your soul gem for a second."
Mami blinked but held up her gem like I requested. I looked closely and noticed that it was slightly murky.
"Interesting…" I muttered as I looked at the crystallized soul.
"Something wrong?" Mami asked me.
I shook my head and looked at her.
"Your gem is pretty interesting." I simply told her.
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked me.
I shook my head.
"Mami-san, I strongly suggest you shouldn't keep up the strong front you're doing. It's making your soul tainted faster than you realize. It's not your fault for what happened to your parents."
The blonde's eyes widened upon hearing that. She took a step back as she looked at me in a mix of fear and bewilderment.
"Relax, I am not a witch." I reassured her while closing my eyes. "But I'm not a magical girl like you either."
I turned around and left, ignoring the magical girl's protests.
I opened my eyes, waking up from my dream of events that happened two weeks ago, only to frown upon seeing Kyubey looking right at me as he sat above my head.
"What do you want?" I muttered in annoyance. "I've got no interest in partaking in your plans…Magic doesn't exist after all."
~Praedari Alpha~
We were greatly taken back by just how extravagant the room was. Taiga took off his boots and plopped down onto a nearby leather couch in the living area.
"Make yourselves at home, you two!" the old man said in a manner like a giddy, eager schoolgirl would.
I simply shook my head but removed my shoes as well as Kyouko followed suit with a frown.
"So, what is the point of this Project Polaris exactly?" I asked.
"Allow me to tell you something that's been pretty tight lipped. The abnormal witch known as Lamia once cooperated with Welkin, even working alongside a Praedari at one point." the old man said with a sigh while putting his hands behind his head. "Cohabitation is possible."
"Cohabitation between witches and humans?" Kyouko asked skeptically. "As far as I know, that's impossible."
I however remained silent. This guy always has a reason for whatever he said.
"Lamia is also the founder of Project Polaris." Taiga added, causing both of us to tense up in disbelief.
"The purpose of this project was to create armbands that any Praedari could use freely, in conjunction to the one that's locked to them, allowing more options in combat."
I processed what was said before I opened my mouth to speak.
"Can you tell us more about Lamia's connection with the organization?"
I couldn't ignore Lamia's connection with Welkin. My former instructor gave me a smirk as he responded.
"I'll tell you what I know." he said confidently. "On the condition your girlfriend changes into a swimsuit I've got on hand for you to enjoy."
I immediately choked on my spit upon hearing that.
"OH HELL NO, YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!" Kyouko roared immediately as her face was as red as her own hair.
Taiga roared in laughter as he held his sides.
"I'm just kidding." he said. "I am no pervert. "
It took everything I had to keep Kyouko from attacking the man while screaming bloody murder.
~Praedari Sigma~
I stood at the front door of where my new partner was stationed at. I managed to eliminate one of those demons he resided with when she was fighting a witch on the way. Her screams were a gracious melody to my ears. I left the demon's corpse behind in the ward. Normally I'd take my time to thoroughly dispatch the demon, but alas, I had little time.
I rang the doorbell, and prepared myself to encounter a demon to open the door. For now, I must keep my resolve firm. I must tolerate the presence of the demons that infest my partner's home, and not kill them for the time being. My holy crusade must continue. I must rescue him.
"You've been led astray by them, Caruso." I whispered under my breath. "I swear I will save you, my friend."
Just as I finished, the door opened, greeted by a one of the demons.
"Hello, Is Caruso around? I'm an associate of his from work." I introduced myself politely with a bow.
"You are marked for execution, Omega."
"This is not what you had thought, right?"
" Your assumption is correct, Akemi."
"Killing you will be so much fun!"
"You were the one who trapped Homura in this world."
"I am the manifestation of the memories of her as a magical girl."
"Her despair divided her soul."
"I…I love you…"
"I refuse to let it happen… I WON'T ALLOW IT!"
"How… How can you use magic?!"
"Forgive me."
The past has reached the present…
The defiant desire, detached from the heart it came from, fights.
The one who laid the trap comes out of the shadows…
The one who is whole, yet incomplete at the same time.
Next time: The Fractured Soul
"I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL EVERY FUCKING ONE OF YOU ARE DEAD!"
FINALLY! Man, it's been so long since this was updated.
I apologize for the long wait, but this chapter has been tricky to work on, in addition to focusing on my other stories. I feel I've did a good enough job with it though. If this chapter was confusing, things should be clarified next chapter, though the preview could give an idea of what to expect.
Before I continue, I must point out that I do intend to have every OC that's been submitted (that I don't reject) included in some manner. However, not all will be used as characters for the story. For the Male Witch, named Necro, don't expect an actual appearance of that character in this story. I unfortunately can't use this OC as it couldn't work with what I have in mind, but at the same time, I wanted to include it somehow with how well designed the character was. In the end, that OC helped with giving scope of just how diverse the anomalous witches of Praedari Magica can be.
I reread the first chapter and realized that I left a HUGE mistake regarding the Civilis that I didn't notice until recently. The Civilis is supposed to be ambiguous for gender, yet I had a gender mentioned there for quite a long time. Talk about embarrassing… I'm going to go back and correct this one part, otherwise the first chapter will otherwise be unchanged. So for those who've been following this story already, there's no need to backtrack.
On that note, The Puella Magi who debuted this chapter is going to be ambiguous for appearance and name as well. Also, I wonder if anyone could recognize what series I've based her magic from.
Anyway, that's about it for now, I appreciate the patience for those who waited this long, and I hope to see you all next chapter. And Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate it. If you excuse me, I need to get to the turkey before someone gets the drumsticks.