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The End of the Circus: A Tale of the Yizibajohei
Girls of the Crystal: Travestire
by Regina Magia
C&C by Fred Herriot and Rose Ash
A side story to The End of the Circle: A Tale of the Yizibajohei, by Fred Herriot
Including characters and situations from Harry Potter, created by Joanna K. Rowling; Urusei Yatsura, created by Takahashi Rumiko; Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika, created by Urobuchi Gen, Shaft and Aniplex; and normalman, created by Jim Valentino.
Mitakihara (near Fukushima), the third Sunday of July in 2009, late evening...
Lying within the wreckage of the car, Tomoe Mami found herself looking up at the night sky, a weary expression on her face. One moment, she and her parents had been on their way home without a care in the world. The next, an out-of-control car came skidding towards them, hitting them dead on.
Is this it? the middle school sophomore wondered as the pain of broken bones and torn tendons threatened to overwhelm her. Am I going to die...?
"It's too late for your parents...but you can still be saved."
Weakly turning her head, Mami saw a young man, clad in a teal blue-green martial artist gi-like jumpsuit with flared sleeves and bell bottom-like leggings, such trimmed in light green accents with a matching cape and hood slung over her shoulders. He also bore a chest emblem resembling a stemless three-leaf clover in light green, a white triangle in the centre. "Don't speak, Mami Beni," he said after kneeling down to gently scoop her up. "Not yet. Save your strength."
"Who...are you...?"
"You can call me Exemplar," he replied, a reassuring smile crossing his face. "That's my battle name. Terrans such as yourself tend to find my birth name quite difficult to pronounce."
As a curious feeling flooded the wounded girl as she wondered if this normal looking man was an alien, Mami felt a jolt as Exemplar rose above the car, soaring into the sky. Once they were about twenty metres above ground, he gently shifted her around so that he could hold her with one arm. Taking a small device the size of a cell phone out of his pocket, he tapped a glowing crystal. As a circular portal appeared before them, he slipped the device back into the pouch on his belt before flying her through.
On the other side, there stood a woman several years older than Mami, wearing a white-and-black jumpsuit, a welcoming smile on her face. "Hello, Mami Beni," the woman said, her dark eyes twinkling as she politely bowed her head. "I am called Dictum. I'm sure you're wondering why you're here..."
Near a village on Yiziba's central equatorial continent, a year before...
"Are you sure you don't want to handle this yourselves?" Dictum — her birth name was Nu'utam Sibie — asked as she and her friend gazed on their guests.
"I'm positive about this, Madame Numr'buo," replied Tiophria. "Much as we hate the Incubators for creating that perverted mockery of a 'magical system' for their twisted purposes, we know how your kind feel about having your fight scenes interfered with by outsiders. That is why we were sent here to give you advanced warning." She grinned as she gazed on the two Yizibajohei. "We know of Madame Tuyuki's efforts to recruit people from her birth planet to accept Gifts from the Great Forge to stave off the Chaos Bringer's return...and how those who accepted such have started their own "recruiting drives" to keep Earth free of alien or interdimensional encroachment. You'll get a whole new class of recruits to welcome among the Named — which guarantees more interesting fight scenes in the future, especially for members of both the Cosmic Mage Guild and the Shadow Court — and we get the Incubators to leave Earth alone. Both sides come out the winners."
Tiophria — who also went by the battle name "Lovely Emerald" — and her companion/partner Parys ("Saint Violet") had been sent to contact the Yizibajohei by the Magical Heart Alliance, a confederation of planets and societies who used what they called "Heart Magic". Recalling what had been passed along to the natives of the World of the Forge by the future Trickster of the Show and all her friends from the nation-state called "Nihon" by its natives, practitioners of Heart Magic were quite similar to the concept shown in "magical girl" anime and manga series that were quite the rave among female Named and Nameless alike on Yiziba; some on the planet now believed that the Magical Heart Alliance somehow inspired that particular entertainment genre via their agents now active on Earth. Thus, it was more than understandable that they would be outraged on learning there was a race of beings who stole actual SOULS using a dark version of Heart Magic. Leaders of Tiophria's and Parys' races, the Hoshoseki and Blumenites, were especially infuriated at the existence of the Incubators; the former race's magical syllabus was being perverted by those umale and Blumenite investigators had discovered that the Incubators' many loud claims of "staving off heat death" were a flat-out lie!
Fortunately, members of the Magical Heart Alliance got along very well with many Yizibajohei. On hearing there were Yizibajohei recruiters operating on Earth, they realized that the Children of the Forge could be a tremendous help in beating the Incubators back and keeping innocent souls safe.
"Well, if you're leaving Earth to us..." Exemplar — born as Aara'a Wimgusadum — wondered, "...what will you be doing? Have you thought of approaching Lokrole directly? She's one of Tuyuki's recruits. Since this is an issue concerning the use of lomtumsam, she should be informed of this quickly."
"We'll speak to Madame Lokrole after we're done here; we know she's working on an interesting project concerning that heel that murdered her birth parents shortly after she was born." Here, Tiophria sighed. "As for us, we have reason to believe the Incubators are working for — or are connected to — the Sidines, Master Dehum," she explained. "Those lunatics are among the worst heels — to borrow your term for this — in the galaxy, maybe even the whole Universe!" As the two Yizibajohei gaped, she smirked. "The Alliance will be looking into that while you're recruiting and enjoying some fight scenes."
"But if you want us to help," Parys added, winking, "...give us a call!"
"We'll pass that on," Nu'utam said, nodding...
Habitation Four (on the central equatorial continent)...
"So you see, Mami Beni," Nu'utam Sibie explained, "...we've added the Incubators' potential targets to the list of recruits to be Gifted. We've encountered them before while we've had fight scenes on many other planets, developing ways to counter all their defences." The current incarnation of the Scribe of the Future, Numr'buo ("Dictum"), smirked. "That's not to mention that these umale can't forge 'contracts' with Yizibajohei; our bonds to the Great Crystal of Power block such 'contracts' from clicking in. If these fools push it, it could arouse the interests of the Healer of Destruction." The native of a village on the south shore of the central equatorial continent was one of a few who had met the current incarnation of the Chaos Bringer after he was Gifted fifteen seasons ago after fleeing Earth; she had taken a vow of silence using her powers to ensure his true identity never got to Tariko Katabarbe's ears.
"They're on Earth...?" Tomoe Mami whispered. She was now enjoying a soothing cup of English breakfast tea after she had her injuries dealt with by a Nameless healer friend of Nu'utam's. She had also taken the chance to properly grieve at the loss of her parents; Nu'utam had contacted Tariko Katabarbe about what happened and Toranoseishin Finances were arranging to keep the National Police from launching a manhunt for the "missing" Mami. "How do you intend to stop them?"
"Like many races and societies throughout the galaxy, the Incubators fear us due to our Gifts, our links to the Seeker's Forge and our chosen way of life," Aara'a Wimgusadum answered for his friend. "For various reasons, we've begun seeking out natives of other planets to help them be Gifted. As you now know, Earth now possesses thousands of Named metahumans living among them thanks to Tariko." The current incarnation of the Proud Prince of the Central Kingdom, Dehum ("Exemplar"), then smiled. "Because of this, we and the Magical Heart Alliance believe the Incubators will most likely abandon their attempts at forging 'contracts' with your fellow Terrans. They have very little combat-related technology and their magic wouldn't stand up to anyone touched by the original source point of the Atom of True Life; look how magicals on your planet fared against Dean Raeburn, to say anything of Heather Thompkins." As the young native of Fukushima prefecture nodded on hearing of Earth's Jewel Warrior and her Québécoise friend who served alongside her in the War Hawks during the Greater East Asia War, Aara'a added, "To make this work, we need help. That's where you come in, Mami Beni."
"Me?!" Mami yelped, pointing to herself. "How can I help?!"
"By becoming one of us," Aara'a stated, his blue eyes twinkling...
The Cave of the Future outside Habitation Four, a day later...
Nesu...KUOBIM!
As people from the old capital city of the central equatorial continent's most powerful nation-state of Numyuoleim — the city itself had once been known as "Nimiro-kole" before that blood-soaked age — whooped at the Conservator's announcement, a smiling Tomoe Mami stepped through the wall of glowing mesonium crystal, dressed in the yellow and cream jumpsuit of the Self-Moulder of the Pure Chaos, a magically-powered shapeshifter who could also use her magic to create ribbon-like constructs that could be employed as striking whips or grappling tools. Taking a deep breath as she allowed her mind to absorb the memories of her twenty-seven past-selves' lives, the native of Mitakihara then focused on the smiling girl her age now standing patiently among the crowd of well-wishers.
"Kuobim Bolem," Rose Potter greeted, offering her hand.
Mami walked over, then went to one knee, gently grasping the hand of the current Sorcerer Supreme of Yiziba. "My magic is yours," she ritually intoned, her eyes glowing.
"We serve magic," Rose declared, her own eyes glowing.
"As it forever must be."
A cheer escaped the others as Mami rose, moving to shift the hooded brown-trimmed cream cape that came with her uniform closer to her. "How would you like to be known on Earth?" Rose then asked.
A smile crossed the magical shapechanger's face. "Travestire."
Both girls laughed before Rose summoned a teleportation circle to transport the newly-returned member of the Cosmic Mage Guild to the ancient castle on the southern polar continent where their battle group was based. However, before they could depart, a certain couple came up to join them hand-in-hand. "Interesting choice of Terran battle name, Mami," Aara'a Wimgusadum noted.
That made her blush, then she walked over to gently grasp the Proud Prince's hand, giving him a formal curtsy. Mami knew that in his first life, Aara'a was the would-be heir of a constitutional monarchy on this continent that had fought hard to protect his subjects from the ravages of the Dawn of Power.
"Guonu," she thanked him in Yizibajohei. "I won't let you down."
After hugging Nu'utam Sibie, Mami rejoined Rose. Both young women then disappeared in a flash of energy while people who had come to see the Gifting all cheered...
Fin...For Now!
EDITOR'S NOTES
This story, as indicated at the beginning, is a "gaiden" to The End of the Circle; Regina wrote this along with several omake as side tales of the main story concerning other people who were Gifted thanks in part to Tariko Katabarbe (Tuyuki) or those who took inspiration for her.
Time wise, this story begins three years before the main story. In Harry Potter continuity, it occurs around the time of Chamber of Secrets. I'm personally not familiar with Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika (known in English as Puella Magi Madoka Magica), so I'll leave it to those fans out there who are more familiar with the series to determine where this fits in the storyline. Please reference the notes of the main story to understand the concept of the Yizibajohei and how it came into being.
Quick translation list (all words are Yizibajohei in origin): Beni — Literally "princess", but normally used as an honorific to address a non-Gifted woman; Umale — Same/Sameness, can also serve as the Yizibajohei euphemism for a monster; Lomtumsam — Literally "pure chaos", the Yizibajohei term for magic; Nesu — Behold; Numyuoleim — Analogue of Egypt on Earth; Nimiro-kole — Analogue of the ancient city of Memphis in Egypt; Bolem — Literally "lady", normally used as an honorific to address a Gifted woman.