"Is that a car?"

Kirika's voice echoed out into the open air as they leapt along the road. Yuma was holding on to Kyoko's back while Kirika and Oriko were taking the lead.

"Nope, it's two. For our next great discovery of the day, I give you cars!" Kyoko's voice was sarcastic and bored sounding. Oriko heard Yuma giggle. But Kyoko's next tone was suspicious. "But ain't that the car that Mami and the rest of em drove off in?"

It was. Parked on the end of the paved road, where concrete turned to dirt. Beyond it was another vehicle that had apparently been brought to a stop by a fallen tree strewn across the road. Beyond the blockage, a gravel driveway meandered off into the distance framed by wooded hills and a small mountain in the distance. Even with the sun beginning to set and red and gold rays shining through the leaves and pine needles, there was a strangely oppressive feeling. An odd feeling of being an intruder was growing within Oriko.

"Homura?" Oriko tried to telepathically contact the girl, much as she had done multiple times over the past hour.

There was only the silence of her own head, unless she could hear a half-imagined static sound on the edge of hearing. Text messages sent had gone unanswered as well.

"Guess your vision was worth something after all" Kyoko smirked, though her eyes were a bit narrowed.

Oriko had taken a good amount of time to come to a decision, before finally electing to try and actively figure out what had happened. She was lucky that Homura had given her directions on how to find the property they had been headed to, though that left the task of not cluing the others in to her true source of information. She had ultimately decided to 'have a vision' that gave her instructions on where to go. She wasn't sure it had worked fully, for Kyoko had been prodding her during their trip to the place.

Not that she didn't have a vision. She'd tried for real. But when she'd tried . . .


It was so dark that all Oriko could see were trees. For a few moments, she turned around, trying to find a reference point before, all of a sudden, Homura and Madoka appeared. With the characteristic sudden pop in that heralded Homura's ability (whatever it was), the two girls appeared, backing up until they were against a tree trunk. They were clutching at each other, a rope that seemed to have formerly been connecting their arms was hanging free from Madoka's wrist. Fear was evident on both their faces.

After a moment, Oriko saw why, for a long black tentacle had fastened itself around one of Homura's arms and was waving back and forth lazily. The darkness grew blacker and heavier as the two girls cried aloud. Trying to see what the tentacle connected to, Oriko could only discern a giant mass of Darkness, out of which, writhing appendages galore were sprouting.

The tentacles were coming closer and closer as Homura and Madoka twitched and skipped ahead like a poorly animated cartoon. Weapons suddenly appeared as Homura brought them forth, but no shot she fired stopped the oncoming presence.

Then, as the dark mass bent over them, all motion halted. Oriko, who could barely keep her eyes on the scene, saw why a second later.

Homura's shield was glowing purple . . .


Soundtrack: Slender the Arrival OST – No Friends

The vision had ended there, and Oriko had been forced to come up with a fake vision on the fly to supply the directions that she had been given by Homura. Oriko could only hope she had been convincing enough.

Yuma's voice brought her back to reality.

"Why didn't they lift the log out of the way?" the small girl asked quietly as she looked from over Kyoko's shoulder. The long jumps they had used to get here had necessitated her riding on Kyoko's back.

"It may be they simply didn't think of it." Kyubey's voice was his usual light fair. Oriko grimaced slightly as she felt its weight on her shoulder. "Many times girls can forget simple applications of their powers."

Oriko hadn't necessarily wanted to bring the Incubator along, but, all things considered, she reasoned that he might be useful. He might not be as well, but . . . Oriko didn't know. There was an icy pit in her stomach that even now was pulsing as she followed the decision to pursue Homura Akemi, in spite of the fact that she had no idea what this might result in.

Or rather, perhaps she was afraid that she did know what this might result in. Homura had made things amply clear after all when they'd first spoken.

In any case, Kyoko had been repeatedly trying to keep Kyubey as far from Yuma as possible in their group, hence why the Incubator had gotten onto Oriko's shoulder. Oddly enough, it hadn't made any sort of play towards getting Yuma to make a contract, nor any acknowledgment of her at all beyond a simply introduction and greeting. Oriko could tell that this was another thing putting Kyoko on edge as she constantly held Yuma away, even though it was obvious the small girl wanted to pet the Alien creature.

"Hey, we goin or what?!"

Kyoko's voice shook Oriko out of her thoughts.

"Yes, yes of course. Be on the lookout for them. With any luck we can avoid detection and see what they're doing here."

Kyoko snorted, but then looked up at the sky.

"Better find em quick then. The sun's setting fast."

They set off down the path, walking cautiously so that a careless leap wouldn't carry them within sight of their quarry. Even with the reduction in speed, their legs ate up distance. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind and of branches creaking surrounded them. As they walked, hearing the wind whistling through the trees, a feeling grew on them, almost without them knowing. Some presence of power, some unknown force seemed to snake its way through the trees, causing them all the look around warily. It felt disturbingly like something was watching them.

"Um, Oriko?"

Kirika's voice broke the silence like a firecracker, even though she hadn't raised it at all.

"Yes, Kirika?"

"Is it just me, or is the sun moving a bit quick?"

Looking up, they all suddenly realized that the sun was sinking below the horizon. Even as they looked, the last edge of it vanished, and with its disappearance, true darkness began to set in. The woods suddenly grew far more sinister as dark shadows formed and grew.

"We in a Witch's Labyrinth?" Kyoko asked, her voice somewhat guarded. "Something feels off about these woods. You sure they came this way?"

Oriko was glancing around, trying to ensure they didn't stray from the path. A small doubt flared within her that Homura may have given her deliberately bad directions. But she ruthlessly forced it down.

"I . . . don't think this is a labyrinth, though I understand the feeling. As I said, I had a vision of this sort of area and so far we appear to be going in the right direc-"

A sudden scream cut through the night air and they all froze. Utter despair and hopelessness carried itself in the shrill octaves, suddenly cut off after a second. For a full minute, the four of them stood silent in the dark. Kyoko blinked, and suddenly realized that she had pulled Yuma into her arms and was holding her close. The smaller girl was shaking, why had Kyoko thought it was a good idea to bring her along?!

"W-was that . . . who was that?"

It was Kirika who had spoken as she turned to look at Oriko. Kyoko and Yuma also looked at the girl, who was frozen.

"I . . . I don't know. But I can't . . . it might have been one of them."

She noted that Kyoko twitched and seem to grow slightly pale out of the corner of her eye, but Oriko was far more consumed by her own doubts. This whole exercise seemed mad. Why oh why had she lead them off into the woods of their own volition?!

"S-so," Kyoko was obviously trying to keep her voice steady. "We gonna stand here or we gonna find Mami and the rest?"

Oriko shook her body, trying to get a grip on herself.

"Y-yes. We're at the limits of my v-vision, but this path should lead up to a house or something. Kyubey, what do you think?"

The Incubator hopped down from her shoulder.

"I agree, the most logical course of action at the moment is to follow the driveway to its destination. Hopefully we'll find the others and see what has happened to them."

They resumed walking, Oriko now taking out her Soul Gem and using it as a makeshift flashlight. The stretched on ahead unending, turning and twisting until they were deep into the woods. Then, as they crested a steep hill, something caught Oriko's eye.

Nailed up to a tree surrounded by bushes, clearly visible, was an yellowed and weather beaten poster. It had the picture of a small boy child along with captions naming him as "Charlie Matheson" (strange name, must be American). It was clearly a missing persons poster, just as clearly as it had been hanging up for years.

"So at least one kid went missing in these woods." Kirika noted curiously.

"Or this was just hung up here," Oriko noted, but then her eyes narrowed, "but why here? This isn't a heavily trafficked road, it's a driveway, so it doesn't make much sense to hang it here."

"Yeah," Kyoko said with a snort. "Well-"

It happened so fast that it caught all of them by surprise. They all heard the quick thumping of footfalls, growing louder and louder. Then something burst out of the bushes. Several flashes of light occurred as the three girls shifted to their costumes on instinct, but that only had the effect of disorienting them all even further.

Trying to blink away the bright spots in her eyes, Oriko saw a black figure, human in shape but moving inhumanly fast, lash out. A person she thought might be Kirika caught a backhand that sent her flying through the air and into the darkness. Oriko's hand lashed out and three spheres rocketed forward. Two missed, but one slammed into the creatures shoulder. It was knocked around, spinning on the spot, but it maintained its footing in the end. A second later, it charged Oriko, dodging out of the way of Kyoko's spear as she swung.

Leaping through the air, the thing tackled Oriko before she had a chance to do anything. Her back slammed into the ground and then she felt the incline of the hill take them. The two of them, the thing stubbornly clutching and clawing at her, tumbled end over end down through the darkness. Oriko tried to concentrate for an attack, but the battering her body was taking, coupled with the constant motion, made such an action impossible.

Dirt entered her mouth as the tumble leveled off and her face was shoved into the ground. She felt clawed hands rake at her back and she cried aloud. Then she felt a mouth, sharp-toothed, bite into her shoulder and clamp down, followed by it beginning to tug on her. Stunned for a moment, she felt her body drag along the ground as the thing pulled her away as fast as it could. She felt like nothing so much as a piece of meat it was spiriting back to a den to feast upon later.

This thought spurred her to action and more engraved spheres came into being and sped towards the monster. It grunted as it was struck, but its teeth remained locked. Then new footsteps were heard and the thing released Oriko with a spitting sound as the whir of blades filled the air.

"DIE!" Kirika screeched as she attacked. The monster bellowed as two of her blades sunk into its arm. But then it reached forward and caught her by the throat. Perhaps it would've done horrendous damage if given a second or two more, but then spheres summoned by Oriko smashed into it and it was knocked to the side, its grip slipping.

A fist by Kirika to its head allowed her to wriggle free and more orbs caused the creature to leap away. Its form disappeared into the darkness in seconds and a sudden silence fell upon the two girls. All that broke it was their shallow breathing.

Oriko felt a throb run through her body, originating in her shoulder. She winced and then gritted her teeth, forcing herself to look at her wounds. Her dress was torn and drooping down around her shoulder, with large gashes and cuts in her flesh where the creature had bitten her. She was sure she had multiple bruises as well across her body from her tumble down the hill.

"Oriko!"

Kirika's cry was not her usual shrill voice when scared, instead, it came as a croak. As the girl came to Oriko's side in an instant, her hands beginning to glow as he sought to heal the terrible wounds, Oriko could see that her throat was beginning to show severe bruising.

"You should-" Oriko grit her teeth as the pain bit once more at her, "-you should heal yourself Kirika."

"That's not important!" Kirika snapped, or tried to with her croaking voice.

Oriko blinked, feeling uneasy. Then she held up a hand, a glow surrounding it, and applied it to Kirika's throat.

As the two of them healed each other, Oriko looked around, some worry coming into her mind. Where was Kyoko and Yuma? And Kyubey for that matter? All she could see around her was darkness.

"Kyoko!" she gave a short cry.

There was no response, her words seeming to not travel at all.

A few minutes later, after both had healed the worst of the others injuries, they made their way back up the hill Oriko had fallen down. Or at least, they were going to, but after walking for a minute or two, they both realized that no hill of the sort they had been on was coming into view. And even if they did find a hill, how could they know in the dark that it would be the exact same one? No answer to further cries was forthcoming either.

"Kyoko!"

Oriko's telepathic cry also seemed to disappear off into static, and there was no reply to it either. Even telepathy to Kirika this close seemed a tiny bit spotty.

"Kyubey?" Oriko telepathically called in what she was sure was a very quiet tone.

Nothing but silence.

The two of them stood, alone in the dark forest.

Then suddenly, lights suddenly appeared off in the distance. Not eldritch or strange ones either. What looked to be red emergency lights suddenly flashed out in a pattern in the darkness, high up on a small mountain. Other lights appeared further down. Clearly laying out a path to it.

"Maybe that's them!" Kirika said in a bright, somewhat hopeful voice. Oriko, however, had frozen. That height, this darkness, she had seen it before. In a flash, her vision, the one she had had days ago, came back to her. The tower, the group, Kyoko and Yuma's absence, and what had happened at the end.

The future was coming and would soon be the present. And for the life of her she couldn't tell if she should be elated or more frightened than she'd ever been before.

"Oriko?" Kirika's tone was worried as she waved a hand in front of Oriko's face.

The girl blinked, then, with a great force of will, she shook her head. Now wasn't the time to clam up. Whether or not she'd had a vision of this scenario, she needed to make the best of things, like she always did.

She repeated that like a mantra as she and Kirika made their way towards the lights.


Soundtrack: Puella Magi Madoka Magica OST – Umbra Nigra

The stream of curses and swears now felt unfamiliar to Kyoko's lips, which in turn only caused her to vent even more furiously as she swung her Soul Gem around, trying to use its light to find her way.

After Oriko had gone tumbling down the hill with that thing, Kyoko had rushed after her. However, the darkness had swallowed them up and Kyoko figured she must've taken a wrong turn, because she had not been able to find them. About a minute later, she'd realized her other error with a ice cold thrill down her spine. In trying to rush back to the groups original spot to find Yuma, she'd only succeeded in disorienting herself even more, and Yuma was nowhere to be found.

Sweat was beading her face as she spun around, giving an occasional shout, both telepathic and otherwise, that fell flat to the ground.

"Ya know" she said idly, raising her hands up to the sky, "I might be more willin to pray if you didn't keep sendin me flippin problems like the one I got here! I could use some help!"

The starry sky remained silent. Kyoko cursed again.

"Ya know what! Fine! You stay quiet, s'not like you answered before anyway! I jus-"

But then she was distracted as light suddenly flared through the trees. Red emergency lights and other lights leading up to what was either a large hill or a small mountain became clearly visible in the distance.

Kyoko was frozen, staring at the lights. Finally, she blinked and looked around. Then she gave a quick glance to the sky.
"Just gonna ignore that creepy coincidence," she intoned darkly as she considered her options.

Stay here and wander around blindly in the hopes she'd stumble onto Yuma and the rest, or go see what the lights were about and hopefully find either them there also or something/someone that could help her find them. In the end, it wasn't a very hard choice.

Slowly but surely, hardly daring to think that this path would reunite her with Yuma, Kyoko walked towards the red flashing lights in the distance. Her pace picked up as she moved, her fear driving her forward. Soon she was sprinting, not wanting to hope, but still feeling a small one that the source of the lights might help her find her friends.

So distracted was she, that she didn't even notice she'd thought of them as such.


Yuma could not tell if she had gone blind or not.

She was sitting against a tree that she'd managed to find, holding her arms to her body. Soft whimpers were leaking out of her, along with her eyes dampening slowly but surely. The rest of her group had vanished off in to the darkness. Even as Yuma had tried to run to catch up to them, their silhouettes had disappeared. Yuma had sprinted as fast as she could for as long as she could, hoping that the next step would see her find the girl she loved as she had never loved anyone before. But no matter how far her legs took her, all that greeted her was darkness and trees. Finally, after too long of moving, she'd had been overcome by the oppressive atmosphere and had slumped up against a nearby trunk.

Her face was buried in her hands as she sobbed, trying to hunch in on herself as much as possible.

Then she heard a roar. Not a cry, not a call, but a roar. A roar unlike anything she'd heard before. It sounded wrong somehow and set her teeth on edge. Her head shot up, only just noticing that lights could be seen in the distance. But before she could decide what to do about that new development, another roar had sounded. This one was closer and Yuma tried to shrink against the tree further. A crashing through the undergrowth was growing nearer and nearer as whatever it was was coming towards her. From what she could hear, it seemed to be tumbling down a steep incline, making roars and yelps as it did so.

With a crunching and a snarling, it finally came into view and Yuma's shoved her eyes shut and pushed her hand into her mouth to stop a scream. The small view she'd gotten, though it was shrouded in darkness, was more than enough to make her very much not want to think about it, a strategy that did not work at all.

There seemed to be a commotion going on in front of her. She heard the painful roars again as well as what sounded like something slamming against trunks and branches. Also to be heard were other strange snarlings and moanings. These were more human-like, but also distorted and raw sounding.

Unable to resist, Yuma squinted. She vaguely saw the outline of a large blob creature with tentacles galore coming off of it. These tentacles were currently attempting to grab someone in baggy jeans and sweatshirt wearing a white mask. This someone always knocked away a tentacle as soon as it came close, as well as biting a few as well.

Abruptly, the human made a move to the left and the blob monster followed, attempting to block its opponent's progress. But it proved to simply be a feint as the human changed course and threw themselves to the right and out of reach of the enemy. The second they were in the clear, the human took off and was swallowed up by the darkness.

The blob sat in place, and Yuma, through her eyelashes, could barely make out that it seemed to be shaking. Then it shifted, seeming to turn towards her. Yuma's eyes snapped shut and she sobbed, trying to block out the world.

She could only pray that her Onee-Chan would find her soon.


Saya was not feeling the best. Ever since the Devourer had come to warn her, she had been poking around the area she'd come out of. Hoping against hope to find a way to collapse the portal she'd come through before the faceless horror realized what she was doing.

But then, Fuminori had come into the mine. Fuminori was here! Right were she hadn't wanted him to be! The broken human in the tunnels had stalked him and the others and Saya had watched, not knowing what to do.

When the broken human had gone to attack Fuminori on the elevator, Saya had found she couldn't stay hidden any longer. She had to get Fuminori out of there, no matter what! That had been the start of her duel against the broken human. She admitted, since the faceless monster had gotten ahold of her, the girl's physical strength seemed to have increased, for she was not an easy thing to fight. Even so, her opponent had, soon enough, attempted to escape, forcing Saya to pursue.

With the chase eventually leading them outside, it had been hard to stay close enough to prevent the broken one from scarpering off. Now though, Saya heard a sob and turned to look.

There was a small human, obviously very young, pressed back against a tree. Saya stilled as she stared, the faint stirrings of hunger reminding her that she hadn't eaten in awhile. It wasn't Fuminori so she really shouldn't have any qualms about eating it and moving on. But then again, a part of her wondered if that was what Fuminori would want.

No, safer to simply leave the little human were it was. It wasn't as though it would want to be anywhere near Saya. Its small size and apparent cowardice would be a hindrance to her goals, which she could not afford if she was going-

The shallow pad of footfalls caused Saya to turn her attention to the side. A small, white creature, most resembling the pet human's kept called cats, was idly walking through the trees.

Saya was still as the little thing padded forward. She didn't even notice that the little human had taken its eyes off her and was staring at the newcomer.

Then the cat-thing stopped and Saya twitched, ready at a moment to strike. The cat-thing licked its paws for a moment, then looked between Saya and the human.

"You two seem to be in a bit of trouble. Perhaps you could use some help."

Saya felt her innards lurch. She knew this thing, knew it's reputation, only enhanced by her encounter with it at the hospital and once more just earlier today. But then again . . . it was right.

"D-do you kn-know wh-where Kyoko Onee-Chan is?"

The tiny human had barely managed to get the words out. In response the cat-thing scratched behind its ears.
"She's not within my sight at the moment, so I can't advise you on that. Given the enemy you're up against however, I would not be confident in her survival. Nor that of your love, creature"

The small human gave a squeal and Saya, for once, felt like joining in. Did it mean that Fuminori would die!

The creature was not done speaking however, and Saya, in spite of herself, found herself listening with rapt attention.

"Indeed, it's quite possible, that all those you've gotten to know will die in the next few hours. However . . ."

It paused in its scratching and looked at them, it's blood-red eyes captivating Saya. To her, as well as the tiny human she was sure, they seemed to fill her whole vision.

"I can change this destiny. If you truly desire, I can give you the power to save them, to prevent this from happening. All of it lies within you."

Lightness, or something like it, blossomed inside Saya as she heard the words. Even in spite of what she knew about the creature.

"I . . . I could save Onee-Chan?!"

"i cOUld SaVE FumiNoRI?!"

The cat-like being flicked its head, the tentacles coming from its ears swinging as its tail wagged around behind it.

"Of course you could! Just make a contract with me, and become Magical Girls!"


Oriko and Kirika were heading up the hill towards the lights when they heard the footsteps. Off to their right they heard gravel crunching as several pairs of feet approached. Summoned orbs and blades at the ready, both girls hid behind a large tree, trying to make out the source of the noise.

Soon enough, a soft glow lit up the silhouettes of three small figures. They were walking up the hill as well, seeming to be making for the source of the blinking lights, much as Oriko and Kirika were. They came closer and closer and Oriko tensed up as they did. She could not make up her mind on what to do, there were so many unknowns!

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped and Oriko froze. Beside her she felt Kirika do the same. For a few long seconds, there was nothing. Then, a soft voice called out.

"H-hello?"

"Kaname-San!"

Kirika's mental voice confirmed Oriko's suspicion as to the speaker.

'I-I can see you behind the tree." Madoka's voice shook a bit, but Oriko could tell she was trying to sound confident. A small pang through her reminded her of how her own voice had sounded so similar after her father had died.

"C-could y-you come out so w-we can talk? It's a-alright."

Oriko's guts felt like they were made of ice. The choice was here, wasn't it? Run away and get lost in the woods, or face Madoka and risk everything. Risk Homura executing Kirika. But . . . what choice did she have? Homura had vanished and Oriko was sure it had something to do with this wood and the strange monster that apparently roamed it. She was blinder than she'd ever been before and . . . this was her only opportunity to get things back on track. Also, given the situation, what would Homura say if she found out that Oriko could've helped Madoka and didn't?

Silence held for a moment.

Then, with a sinking feeling, Oriko gave a wave to Kirika to follow and began to inch away from glow that marked Madoka Kaname's location. The darkness shrouding them seemed to be enough of a cloak, for there was no acknowledgment that she noticed them leaving.

Once they were about 20 feet further away, Oriko turned to begin walking in earnest, and felt her face go white.

Something was out there. Barely seeable in the darkness, all she could discern was a black silhouette of a tall man and a chalk white head. But just looking at it caused her head to throb. Beside her, Oriko heard Kirika give a soft gasp that sounded like a rattle.

A blink of Oriko's eyes, and the figure's position had shifted. It was closer now.

On instinct, Oriko began backing up, vaguely registering Kirika doing the same at her side.

Another blink and Oriko put all her effort into turning her head. Iron bands seemed to hold it in place, but with an enormous exercise of will, she tore her eyes away from the advancing thing and grabbed Kirika's arm. Oriko's best friend was still staring at the creature as Oriko began forcefully tugging her. Slowly, Kirika began moving, but nowhere near fast enough. Still her eyes were trained on the thing and she could only manage a slow stumble backwards. Out of the corner of her eyes, Oriko saw the silhouette appearing closer and closer, black tentacles growing out behind it.

"C'mon Kirika! Move!"

She didn't even register that she had all but screamed the words. The black-haired girl shook so violently that she seemed to be having a seizure for a second. Then her face smoothed out and she turned.

"Of course Oriko, if that's what you need me to do."

Her bland tone and expression were just as alarming as they had been when things like this happened before. However, Oriko had no time to think on this as suddenly there was a cry and something sailed overhead.

Tearing her eyes away from her friend, Oriko saw what looked like an enormous needle combined with a long-bladed spear hurtling through the air. It flashed in the direction that the monster had been, but the silhouette was there no longer. Following the string attached to the weapon, Oriko found herself staring into the eyes of what looked like a familiar. It had the same washed out color scheme and somewhat unnatural feel to it, in spite of it being in the image of a black-haired girl with pig-tails.

Soundtrack: Puella Magi Madoka Magica OST – Fateful #3

And yet, the familiar pulled the string and its weapon flashed back into its hands. It didn't attack them, but it stood at the ready, obviously suspicious of her. Its eyes were narrowed and they darted between Oriko and Kirika, as though taking them in and making some rapid-fire assessment.

"Um, are you alright?"

Oriko suddenly realize that, behind the doll familiar were two figures. One was Madoka, who was looking at them with a nervous expression. The other was Homura Akemi.

Homura Akemi.

Oriko felt her stomach begin spinning as she stared at the girl, waiting for the declaration of punishment, for the retribution for disobeying orders to keep secret.

The moment stretched on.

And on.

And Oriko finally took a good look at Homura.

The black-haired girl was staring down at her buckler. She had barely reacted to Oriko and Kirika's sudden appearance, indeed, Oriko couldn't be sure she had reacted at all. Her expression was rather vacant as she stared a the instrument of her powers.

What was going on?

"I . . . my name is Madoka Kaname and this is Homura Akemi, what is your name?"

Madoka's voice brought Oriko back to the present as she finally noticed that Homura was being held up by Madoka, who was steering her. Oriko finally put it together that the familiar-thing was standing guard over them, which only raised more questions than answers.

"Ms Akemi?"

Oriko's mental prod did nothing to stir the girl. Homura merely blinked, seeming almost dead to the world as she stared at her shield. Madoka and the Doll meanwhile were staring at Oriko, obviously growing a bit unnerved by her non-answer. Oriko tried mentally querying Homura a few more times, but the girl remained stubbornly indifferent to Oriko's presence.

Finally, unable to delay things any further, Oriko replied.

"My name is Oriko Mikuni, and this is my friend Kirika Kure."

The familiar shifted, glancing back at Madoka in some sort of consideration before returning its gaze to Oriko and Kirika, its eyes once again narrowed. Madoka, meanwhile, was looking equal parts curious and scared.

Um . . . I don't mean to be rude but . . ." Madoka seemed to hesitate before speaking further, " . . . what are you doing in these woods?"

Oriko tried to keep her breathing steady as she considered how to respond. She could say that she was a local girl who'd felt a disturbance, or that she'd heard tell of the rogue Incubator and come to see about him.

Or perhaps she should just tell the truth as it seemed that Homura was not in place to enforce the penalties she'd threatened. A large part of Oriko felt a desire to dispense with the lies and pretense she'd been forced to live under for the past week.

But then she internally shook her head. No, there was still much she didn't understand. It would not pay to place all her cards on the table just yet. Better be truthful but . . . vague.

"My friend and I were notified by Kyubey of a disturbance in this forest, so we came to investigate."

True, but not the whole story. Hopefully the girl bought it.

Madoka seemed at least a bit willing to accept the explanation. The Doll's face however, grew tighter and it leveled its needle-spear in Oriko's direction. It's tense posture made it clear that it did not trust her.

"Wh-where is Kyubey?"

Madoka's question made Oriko grimace.

"We were attacked by some creature, aside from the one that just did so, and it separated us. Have you seen him?"

Madoka shook her head.

"No, we were heading for the lights. We have some friends who we lost in the woods too. We hoped that they were heading there too."

The pink-haired girl seemed rather distressed as she glanced, first at the lights in the distance, then at Homura. In the awkward silence that followed, Oriko turned to the Familiar.

"And who is your friend? I've never seen a Familiar like this one."

"She's not a familiar" Madoka said quickly, sounding a little indignant. Then she blinked and blushed.

"At least, I don't think she is. But she found us and saved us! She's the only reason Homura and I are safe!"

"My vision" Oriko suddenly thought. "Did it come true with this thing saving them?"

The Familiar suddenly, seeming to have made up its mind on something, turned and began to walk towards the lights on top of the hill. She stopped after walking a few feet and made a gesture with one of her hands.

Madoka and Oriko glanced at each other.

"I . . . think she wants us to follow her" Madoka said quietly. She hiked Homura's arm up further over her shoulder and began moving forward. Oriko watched them go and then glanced at Kirika. The girl still looked a bit out of it from their encounter with the monster, but then she shook her head and shrugged as she looked at Madoka and Homura.

Sighing, Oriko turned and began walking behind the trio in front of them. Hoping and praying for something to start making sense once more.


Author's Note: Sooooo. I don't really have a new reason as to why this chapter took so much longer than the others. Well, maybe I do, I wanted to build a bank of other chapters to release. I have done so, and will probably release them over the remaining Christmas Season as a bit of an apology for not releasing anything all year.

I will say these chapters are rather stressful because I am trying very hard to write well and compellingly while not breaking the characters. Maybe I've succeeded, maybe not, I'll leave it up to you to decide.

In any case, I hope you've enjoyed what I've written and will stick around for the rest. Thanks to all of you who leave comments! I really appreciate all of you!

Mailbag:

StarlitDuck

First off, throw away my speculations in the review of the last chapter. Mami lived, and I am all the happier for it.

Also...Key's ability. We see what it is; he can purify grief seeds and turn them back into soul gems. You know, I actually guessed that was what it was when I read the last chapters. I'm actually really glad that that is the ability; it's a unique twist and gives a shred of hope to all of this.

There is just so much to like about this chapter. The emotional beats were amazing (Key finding out he could cry was...wholesome, in a way). And the way that he was given emotions was just...so cool. The different emotions running around in his head, both positive and negative...it must have been so overwhelming. I don't blame him for keeping the emotions though. There is just so much to like about being a thinking, feeling creature (I should know lol).

And Marethil. I have so many questions regarding him. Is he a God? He certainly has that sort of quality to him. I liked seeing him, even without the questions about what kind of being he was being answered (it adds a layer of intrigue to the story). I guessed that he was the person talking to Key, and that only makes me more enthusiastic about him.

Ooohhhh, this story is so good! I love it, I love it, I love it! It's so intriguing and unusual and fascinating. I can't wait to read further into it! :)

Yes indeed. Mami was always going to live in my version, but I had no qualms in making it a near thing. Haha. Key's ability was also kept secret for some suspense points as well. I remember that chapter was interesting because really it was one of the first to break from canon with what would become typical aggressiveness. I suppose in a way it might be something of a tone-setter for the story.

As for Marethil, he's definitely high up on the cosmic totem pole. How high though is in some doubt, though I do intend to keep sprinkling in hints on him as the story goes on. He's not random, I do have a plan with him.

Thanks again!

This was a really cool chapter. Usually, I have trouble reading chapters that are this length, but I managed to read through all of it (and chapter 4). I'm kind of proud of myself for that hehe.

First off, it's really interesting that you're including characters from the spin-off manga. I've never read those manga myself, so seeing Oriko and learning about her was really interesting. She has a cool power and an interesting (yet tragic) backstory. Her visions were an interesting way to get her involved in the plot; I can sense some conflict will brew regarding Key with her, at least for a little bit. I hope they realize that Key is able to be of help to them (although, I am interested to see if Oriko's vision regarding him is going to come true. I mean, her one involving Yuma didn't..)

Ah yes, Yuma. It was cute seeing how she interacted with all the characters. I especially liked how she was able to draw a softer side out of Kyoko (although, the circumstances surrounding why are really sad). I just hope that Yuma never becomes a magical girl. That would be way too tragic a fate for someone as young as her, even more so than the death of her parents (especially seeing how her parents were horrible to her).

And lastly, the chapter ended with Saya. I'm still not sure what role she'll play overall, but I am at least interested in finding out more about her.

Glad my writing was on point!

I remember getting most if not all the spin off manga and reading most of it. This tale grew in the telling so I eventually ended up including a lot of the extra material. And a good eye you've got there, better than Oriko's at the moment. Her vision with Yuma dying didn't come true. Sadly, Oriko's not prone at the moment to question her conclusions. We'll see if that changes.

I think if any spin off character were to be added to the main series, I would want Yuma. Simply because she brings out so much in Kyoko and could potentially do the same in others.

Saya's has a part to play before the end.

This was an interesting chapter! Seeing how the girls interact with each other is sweet, specifically when they are revealing their magical girl skills to one another. It was interesting seeing Nagisa especially deal with stuff, as we don't really see much of her fighting skills (she only appears as a witch in the series and only briefly as a Magical Girl in Rebellion). So, getting further explanations on her was nice.

The section where we got the point of view of a Familiar was interesting too. I'll admit, I was a bit confused as to what was going on during that section; I didn't even realize it was the Familiar the girls were fighting until like the fourth or fifth time the descriptions of the characters (i.e. the gold maned one and the black maned one) were said. However, it was still a really creative section, as not only was the design of the monster a bit surreal, but getting to know about its thought process was interesting. Sad, but interesting.

And now, we have an adult that knows about Magical Girls. That's a pretty novel concept; I wonder what will become of this.

Good job! Sorry it took me so long to review :)

It is interesting to try and build her character somewhat as her in-series characterization is rather minimal. Not sure how well I've done, but I suppose we'll just have to see.

Thanks, it was interesting trying to get into the headspace of a mentally broken creature. As well as come up with an explanation for how Familiar's can become Witches after eating enough humans.

I hope I managed to make it interesting enough.

I don't think I have much to complain about for long waits, considering how long I can take to update. Thanks for reviewing at all! I really appreciate it!

Shadow8Phantom

If I had a nickel where I read a Puella Magica fanfic whoose main plot was suddenly intermingled by eldritch stuff I would have two nickels. Which isnt a lot but its weird that it happened twice. However the way Saya and Slender are introduced into this world does feel really organic and makes me interested what will happen next. And the eldrich stuff isnt interrupting the main plot since with every second ticking, the big witch herself is coming closer. Just like Homura says. Ah, I have only been recently introduced to this Anmie but she is one of the most tragic characters in fiction I have ever seen. Doesnt excuse her behaviour in this story though. She has of course her reason for the way she acts but in this situation she only stands in her own way. I think it is like you said in one of the chapters: The anime shows how strongly their flaws can negativly impact the girls.
I just want them and the other characters introduced in this story to find their happy end beyond all the terror. Not sure if everyone will get it. The one vision Oriko had where Homura apparently shot Key, if I remeber correctly it looked like a location from Selnders forest. And the rogue Incubator was described of having tentacles growing from his back, like Slender Man. So I wonder if he will absorb the entity, similiar to the Agony from teh Grief Seeds, but it will cause him to mutate. Corrupt Key alongside the Grief, since it is constantly shown that it takes a stronger toll on him. The only problem with that theory is that Homura seemed shocked reluctant in shooting Key inside the vision but as of currently... yeah, she wouldnt hesitate much. Probably even spin the blame of her brocken Buckler on him somehow. Well, all that remains is to wait and see.

I love that I know where that reference comes from (oh hi Dr Doofenshmirtz!). Thanks for the compliments. I admits it has been a worry of mine that I've wandered too far away from the beaten path with this story. But yes, this is a countdown type story as Walpurgisnacht is coming in some weeks. The strange stuff is also meant to build how weird this loop is intentionally getting.

Homura is tragic and flawed, to an ultimately horrible degree in the sequel. But this is why she is so interesting. I have tried to reflect this in that her habits and traits that she's built up are now causing her to react in ways that are severely damaging her relationship with her friends and herself.

Good eye, that definitely is a possibilty with Oriko's vision, we'll see how it plays out in the coming chapters. There is some foreshadowing to how Key can intereact with the energy from Grief Seeds a few chapters ago. And Homura isn't in a very good state of mind right now. That said, she still probably has some care for Key and the others, but as in the show, its tragically buried underneath her need to be in control and her fear of letting anyone else get close to her again.