Chapter Text
30 DAYS AFTER THE BATTLE FOR GEONOSIS
- Akemi Homura -
Akemi Homura opened her eyes.
And her gaze was met by a city shrouded by the night. The lights from windows and homes were lit. But there were no cars on the streets, nor people wandering around. The stars and the Moon dominated the night sky.
She looked around, and she found herself standing on top of a grassy hill in the middle of an empty park. Next to her was an empty wooden chair, facing towards the city.
There were winding stone paths all around the hill. Lampposts illuminated the path, not that there were any people around who needed it.
The only humans she could see were fourteen children. Playing around on the base of the hill. They didn’t seem to notice her, and they didn’t seem to notice the odd silence either. Their laughter was the only sound that filled this silent realm.
She recognized that city, she recognized this hill, she recognized this park. It would be difficult not to, as she had spent most of her life wandering around those streets, lurking in the shadows of those towers of steel and glass. Seeing those magnificent structures brought to ruin in every one of her failures.
This was Mitakihara City. Her home, or rather, the place where she spent most of her life.
How did she get here?
She remembered fighting without her Magia form. Alone and facing a relentless enemy. She was defeated, her enemy managed to get away, and she could do nothing but watch.
Then she tried to transform, and she remembered how it failed. She remembered the pain, the all-encompassing agony, the confusion, the fear, the despair. It overwhelmed her, until…
She didn’t remember what happened next. But it felt like…
She blinked as it occurred to her.
Did she just die?
No, she refused to accept it. Of all the things that could get her killed, she refused to accept that transforming would be what got her killed. After everything she went through. That would be such a pathetic way to go.
“Well, I wouldn’t call it death. But it is very similar to it.” A familiar voice spoke to her, and she turned towards the voice.
And there, she found a girl with long raven hair and a pair of striking amethyst orbs. She wore the brown and white robe and tunic that the Jedi wore. She sat on the empty chair on the hill, her gaze directed towards the city. Her eyes were blank, her tone was dull and even. Emotionless and distant.
The sight unsettled her.
“Soul Magic and the Force are hostile to one another. The Force would try to suppress the effects of Soul Magic, but Soul Magic often overpowers the Force, most of the time at least.” The girl then turned towards Akemi Homura. “However, since you’re a Force user, your connection to the Force is stronger than most compared to other people that the Incubator contracted.”
“Every time you transform, the Force would try to reject your transformation. Normally, this wouldn’t be much of an issue. But since you’ve kept yourself transformed for over a month, the magic tethering your soul to your body was much weaker than it should be. And your repeated attempts to transform back eroded that tether further and further, until it snapped.”
Akemi Homura stared at the girl. She processed her words, then she muttered, “Shit.”
The girl’s expression didn’t change, and her tone of voice remained even as she scolded her. “Be careful with your words, you don’t want the kids to hear that.” She gestured towards the children playing at the base of the hill. All of whom are ignorant of their presence.
What are those kids? Why were they the only living beings around, other than herself and this girl?
“You have nothing to worry about.” The girl continued, “Your Soul Magic continues to grow stronger, even while you’re here. It would eventually restore your soul’s connection to your body, and when it does, you should be able to transform into your Magia form again.”
Those words did not give Akemi Homura relief. This battle was a race against time. She needed to return. “How long would that take?”
“I do not know. I have never been a Magia, so I do not understand the intricacies of being one. I only know what she had told me.” She admitted without hesitation. As if she didn’t care about what she would think about that information.
“Did ‘she’ also tell you how to make the process go faster?” Whoever ‘she’ was, it would be a question whose answers she would look for when there is no emergency.
“She did not.” Homura scowled at the girl.
Then she looked down at herself. Her body was undamaged, her clothes unblemished by blood. Her shield was already summoned, sitting inert on the back of her wrist.
She figured it was worth a shot, which was why she tried to activate the shield.
The noises from the children stopped, but not because time had stopped. The color of the world remained the same, time itself remained out of her grasp. Instead, all the children had turned their heads to her. They gave her an unsettling grin.
“Do not provoke them.” The girl warned.
The children then began chuckling and pointing at her, though they did not make any other sounds. But other than that, they did not do anything. It looked like they were mocking her. They reminded her of the kids in the orphanage. And all the people who grew up pitying and mocking her for being born wrong. Akemi Homura blocked them out as her thoughts became preoccupied with trying to think of another way out of this predicament.
Her magic didn’t work here. And she had no idea how to use the Force. And this girl didn’t seem like she knew anything about how to find a way out of this place.
Or maybe she just didn’t care.
This made her scowl.
Why didn’t she care? Why didn’t she seem concerned? Madoka was out there, in danger. And if she didn’t wake up soon, who knows what would happen?
“I am well aware of what’s at stake, Akemi Homura. Do not presume otherwise.” This time, the girl’s voice sounded cold.
“Then why aren’t you more worried?” Akemi Homura asked; she should understand more than anyone.
“The world will not change, no matter what you feel about it.”
In any other instance, Akemi Homura would agree. But not right now. Not when a murderer was closing in on the girl that she loved.
The girl’s eyes turned low, her bangs covering them. “You’re not the only one who loves her.”
“If you love her, then you will help me find a way back!” She barked out.
The girl gave her a steady look. Before she spoke again. “What does it matter anyway? You will fail this timeline. Just like you keep failing the previous ones. Then you will go back and redo everything all over again.”
Akemi Homura gritted her teeth as she growled her words out, “If Madoka is still alive, then I will not stop fighting to save her!”
The other girl frowned before letting out a sigh, “You’re far more stubborn than I expected.”
Akemi Homura glared at the other girl. Before turning away. Getting involved in an argument with that girl wouldn’t help anyone. It certainly wouldn’t help Madoka.
“You’re trying to distract me.” Akemi Homura murmured.
“I am.” The girl said.
There was one question that Akemi Homura had wanted to ask this girl since she arrived in this world. If she couldn’t find a way to escape back to reality, maybe she could get something else from this nightmare. “You said you loved her, but you were quick to give up on her.” Akemi Homura said slowly. “Why?”
“The same reason why you are here now. Love.” The girl then continued, every word making Akemi Homura more and more uncomfortable. “From the very beginning, I knew my life was worthless. That my soul was just occupying a body, for someone better than me to take my place. I have made my peace with it.”
Akemi Homura blinked before she turned back to the girl, to Homura Akemi. The girl whose life she had stolen. Whose body she had taken for herself. A girl who she had ripped out of this world.
She gave her a skeptical look. She didn’t believe that. If she really did love Madoka, then why didn’t she fight to keep this life? Why didn’t she fight to stay by Madoka’s side?
“That would be selfish of me. To hang on to this world, when the Force demands that you be brought into it.”
Her words, the way she said it, irritated her. “So you abandoned her because you think it’s what ‘the Force’ wants?”
Homura Akemi gave her a glare, her stoic demeanour cracking, “If I stayed, then we would share the fate that awaited every Jedi at the end of this war.” Her glare softened, “Only you could save us now. Your power, your skill, and above all, your will, are what the galaxy needs to bring itself back from the precipice. You will save them all.”
Akemi Homura sent her a glare after she heard those words. What did she expect her to do? Win the war for the Republic?
She crossed her arms and said, “You expect too much from me.”
“You expect too little from yourself.” Homura Akemi said with a raised brow.
A purple glow then began to appear in the sky. Emanating from the Moon, and spreading like an expanding mist.
“You will understand soon.” Homura Akemi then continued before she could, “May the Force…”
…
“...be with you.”
Akemi Homura blinked herself awake, and her eyes met the night sky. There were no stars, as it always was in a city like this.
How long has it been since she passed out?
Alarmed by that thought, she summoned her transformation. And this time, she only felt a slight headache. Which disappeared as soon as the light of the transformation dissipated.
She found herself back in her Magia form. Still injured, but alive and now with full access to her magic.
She summoned her shield and activated her magic.
And the world stood still.
As she jumped from building to building, she took out a grief seed as she began using her magic to heal her body. She focused on sealing wounds, healing her burns, and regrowing her hair. All surface-level damage, ignoring all her injuries within.
As she did so, she used the grief seed to drain away the darkness that began to engulf her soul. This wasn’t efficient, but fighting with an injured body would not be ideal.
Sure, she could turn off her senses and use magic to allow her body to fight at full performance despite her injuries. But that wasn’t efficient when it comes to magic use. And if the others saw the state of her body, they might get distracted instead of focusing on their battle against the enemy.
When she managed to seal up all wounds, she unleashed her pure magic, manifesting through purple fire, all around her. It wreathed her body, and burned off the blood that had soaked her Magia form.
Now, as long as nobody noticed how pale she looked, how cold her skin felt, or placed her under an X-ray, no one would care.
Then she checked her sands.
She had half an hour’s worth of time-stop left.
This is not ideal, but she had done more with less.
With that done. She reached her magic outward. Trying to sense the magic of everyone. Her enemies, her friends, Madoka. If she could locate them, she would be able to head there without issue and deal with the threat within frozen time.
But much to her alarm, she didn’t say any of their magic.
She shook her head. Madoka was a Jedi. Maybe there was something in the Force preventing her from sensing her location.
But that didn’t explain everyone else, though.
Well, there was one thing she had to do. Oriko and Kirika had to be eliminated. With her mind now clear from the debilitating effects of a darkened soul gem, she could analyze the battle.
So far, she had only seen 2 enemy Magias, Oriko and Kirika. Even though a third enemy Magia could have played a decisive role in their engagement. Either in eliminating her, or enabling them to target Madoka while keeping everyone else distracted.
That must mean, unless Oriko was seeing something that she didn’t, there were only 2 enemy Magias that she was fighting against.
Maybe her ability to see the future warned her that there was a risk.
Either way, both Oriko and Kirika had to die. When they’re gone, Madoka will be safe. Wherever she was.
She made her way to the roof of a building that overlooked the intersection where she and Oriko had fought one another.
It looked like the soldiers had turned the intersection into a casualty collection point. With the dead soldiers and civilians lying out in rows in the middle of the street.
Among the dead was the familiar figure of Mind Healer Malla. The woman who saved her life. A complete stranger to her.
She averted her gaze from the woman. And she turned towards the people, at the soldiers around her.
Soldiers formed a perimeter around the intersection. Keeping an eye out for threats. Others were moving around, their purpose she could only guess. And she saw a group of exhausted soldiers sitting on the wreck of a speeder.
She didn’t have enough sand to keep her hold on time long enough to search the whole city. She needed information. And they might have it.
Now, how would she convince them to give her the information? These soldiers would have no reason to tell a random girl on the street about that.
Well, first she would try to ask nicely. If that doesn’t work, take one of them hostage, and if they don’t take her seriously, kill one of them as an example.
It was a rather extreme plan. But it was a plan she conjured up in a hurry.
And she didn’t really care about the fate of these soldiers.
Yes, they had helped her earlier. But if she had to make a choice, she would always choose Madoka’s life and safety over anyone else.
She jumped off the roof, and she landed in front of the soldiers around the wrecked speeder.
She turned to the soldiers. And just in case, she prepared herself to throw a barrier in front of her.
Then she let go of her hold on time.
The soldiers were indeed startled, and one aimed a blaster pistol at her. But they didn’t fire a shot. In her mind, she nodded in approval at their excellent trigger discipline.
“Where is the enemy?” Homura asked.
“Who the kriff are you?” One of the soldiers asked, calming down as they noticed that she was just a little girl.
“It’s you! We finally found you!” A feminine voice called out to her, and she turned her head to look at the person who had just run to her when she had appeared.
She was a female soldier, and she wore an earpiece in her right ear. The woman tapped a finger on the earpiece, “This is 23-3 commander, I found the other Jedi Initiate! She’s here, she’s alive.”
That woman must have been told about who she was. Or at least, what the Jedi knew about her.
“Where is the enemy?” Homura repeated, becoming impatient.
“Last I heard, they were fighting the Jedi and other ERU officers on Block 84.” The woman answered, almost absent-minded. She seemed to be listening to someone talking on the other end of her earpiece.
Homura caught that. Block 84, that was on the western edge of the district.
With the information obtained, Homura brought time to a halt.
And the world stood still.
The woman, unaware of what she had just done, could do nothing to stop her as Homura leaped into the sky.
…
Every time her ascent slowed down, she would summon a barrier under her feet, and she would use that to propel herself higher into the sky and further forward. She needed to get to the battle before too much of her sands were wasted. She jumped, summoned a barrier, then jumped again. She needed to get clear of most of these buildings.
Once she did, she landed on another one of her barriers. And from there, she stopped to stare out at the city, towards the west. Even pitched black, her eyes could still see glimpses of the devastation in the distance. Smoke billows out into the sky from that direction.
She leaped into the sky, and while in mid-air, she flipped herself forward until her body was horizontal. Her head pointed towards her destination.
Then she summoned a barrier to her feet. Purple circles emanated from where her feet had made contact on the barrier. Expanding outward as she applied more pressure on the barrier.
Then, like a coiled spring, she shot forward. Towards the battlefield at supersonic speeds. This was a trick that she learned from Sayaka. But while Sayaka tended to use it as an offensive battlefield tactic. Homura used it as a method of moving around.
With a flare of her magic, she slowed herself down. Until she managed to land on the roof of one of the buildings on Block 84.
And as she looked around, the level of devastation astounded her.
She could see soldiers escorting civilians out of buildings. They would walk past corpses of both soldiers and civilians alike.
There were wrecks of speeders everywhere. Craters littered the streets. Glass from shattered windows was scattered all throughout. Fires were raging in some areas.
It was horrifying. How much damage a single Magia could cause if they went on a rampage.
The one good thing about the Incubator’s system was that it discouraged Magia from doing something like this. And if they still did it, they would be punished for it by their soul being overwhelmed by darkness, without any grief seed to free it.
And speaking of, where did they go? She didn’t see any of Oriko’s orbs, or Oriko herself, anywhere. Heck, she didn’t see any stray blaster bolts as she was making her way here.
Is the battle over?
Did they win?
Did they lose?
She needed answers. If she did lose, then she would turn back the clock.
But while there was still a chance, then she would keep fighting for it. She would hate to leave this timeline without at least saying goodbye to Mami Tomoe.
A building in the corner of her eye caught her attention.
While a lot of the buildings had been damaged. The damage she saw on that structure seemed excessive.
One of the floors close to the roof had been blasted apart. The walls and windows had been reduced to rubble. Exposing its insides into the night sky.
She looked towards the roof. And there, she saw several gunships parked on the roof. But no clones nor Jedi around it.
She leaped and made her way towards the building.
The Jedi and the Republic would have wanted to minimize the damage to the city. That means, they wouldn’t be responsible for the damage to that building. And if the gunships were there, that means the Jedi, and their clonetroopers, had deployed into the building as well.
Something was in the building that both Oriko and the Republic and their Jedi were after. And she thinks she knows what it was.
Or rather, who it was.
She flared her magic outward, trying to sense Madoka’s overwhelming magical presence. She could not find it, find her. And this drove her forward, faster and faster.
She landed on the floor of the building, which had been blasted open. And when she arrived inside, the light of her soul gem caught her attention.
Her soul gem was glowing.
A Labyrinth was nearby.
She figured out what had happened.
And she strode towards the entrance to the Labyrinth, intending to kill the Witch while in frozen time.
And as she wondered about the identity of the Witch. The answer came to her as she was greeted by a field of red and black with a thick fog limiting her view.
Ophelia.
- Sayaka Miki -
The explosion of darkness threw her off her feet. And she landed a few feet away from where the darkness had emanated from.
When she opened her eyes, she expected to see a concrete ceiling. But instead, she saw a pitch black sky.
At first, she thought she must have fallen off the edge of the building. But that didn’t make sense, since she was still lying on the floor, no, the ground.
A pitch black ground with blood-red grass.
She got up to look around. But before she could get a clear view of where she was, where everything was, a thick fog engulfed everything.
Then, she heard screaming. Agonized screaming.
She recognized those voices; that was her men.
She reached out into the Force to help guide her through the fog. But instead of the familiar feeling of being whole, she shivered as its absence became apparent. The Force, a force that had been with her since birth, a force that completed her being, a force that allowed her to chase her dreams.
She could no longer feel it. She had been cut off, severed. As if one of her limbs had been torn off.
No, this was worse than that. She knew how a missing hand feels. The absence of the Force cuts deeper into her being. As if a part of her soul had vanished without a trace. And she had no way of bringing that part of herself back.
Whatever that darkness was, it not only transported her into a strange world. It must have severed her connection with the Force as well.
She looked at her lightsaber. At the heart of every lightsaber blade was a kyber crystal. To most, it was just a shiny rock. But to her, and to every other Jedi, it was no mere object or a tool.
This crystal was as much a part of her as any other part of her body. To lose a crystal would be to lose a part of herself.
But without the Force, she had lost her connection to the kyber crystal housed within. But maybe it would still work.
She pressed the button. And nothing happened.
Fear gripped her heart, but her training kicked in before it could overwhelm her. With or without a weapon, she needed to get to her men.
She placed her lightsaber on her belt before she proceeded towards the sound of the screams.
Whatever danger awaited her in the fog, she would face it head-on. That is what a Jedi Knight should do.
...
It didn’t take long for her to find her men. Along with Madoka and Barriss.
Most of her men were writhing on the ground, clutching at their heads in pain. Madoka had Captain Naoki’s head in her lap, her hands on both sides of his face. While Barriss held the Captain's body down, preventing him from squirming away. One of them must have removed his helmet, as it was lying on the ground next to them.
Madoka must be trying to use the Force to calm Naoki down. But it didn’t seem to be working. Their connection to the Force must have been severed as well.
“What’s happening to them?” Sayaka asked, worried.
Madoka looked towards her, giving Sayaka a glimpse of her teary eyes. “I don’t know. They just collapsed and started screaming.” She then turned back to Naoki. “I’m trying to calm them down, but it isn’t working.”
“I fear that we may have lost our connection to the Force,” Barriss explained.
“It’s the same thing with me.”
They all turned their heads as they heard a roar in the distance. The sound didn’t come from any beasts that she recognized, but whatever it was, it must be huge. Considering how loud that noise was, even though they were far away from whatever that was.
“We need to find the masters.” Barriss proposed.
“We can’t just leave them.” Madoka pointed out.
Sayaka pursed her lips as she stared at all of her clones. She entered the battle with 41 clonetroopers. Now, there were only 6 left.
She didn’t want to abandon them. But the noise they were making was bound to attract the beasts. And whatever else lurked within the fog.
“I’ll stay behind and protect them,” Sayaka told them, drawing both Barriss and Madoka’s gazes. “You two, go look for the masters.”
“Sayaka-chan, if you’re staying, then I’ll stay with you.” Madoka offered.
Sayaka shook her head, “No, it would be safer if you two stick together. We don’t know what else is lurking in the fog.” That is what she said, but in reality. She just needed Madoka to leave.
She would be safer with Barriss.
Madoka gave her a look before she gave her a nod. “Alright. But please, stay safe, Sayaka-chan.”
Barriss let go of Naoki, which allowed Naoki to squirm out of Madoka’s hold. He writhed on the ground, like the others. His screams made Sayaka flinch for a moment before she tamped down on that reaction.
Then Barriss moved to pick up 2 discarded blaster pistols lying on the ground. She gave one of the blasters to Madoka. Who stared at the blaster with wide eyes. After placing the other blaster pistol on her belt, Barriss picked up two other blaster pistols, one of which she put on her belt, and the other she held in her hand.
“Let's go, Initiate Kaname,” Barriss said. Shaking Madoka out of the trance she had fallen into as she stared at the blaster in her hand. Then, she gave Barriss a nod.
Before the two disappeared into the fog, Madoka turned back to Sayaka. “We’ll come back for you, Sayaka-chan.”
Sayaka gave Madoka a small smile as she acknowledged her words with a nod.
When the two disappeared into the fog, she found herself standing alone. Her clones, still in agony and writhing on the ground. She could only stare and watch, not knowing how to help.
She picked up a blaster pistol from the ground and moved to face the direction of the roaring from earlier. A finger outside the trigger guard.
While her master didn’t approve of it, she wanted to know how to use a blaster. Yes, a Jedi should only fight to defend themselves. But a Jedi should also fight to protect others. She didn’t want to wait for the enemy to shoot at her before she could fight back.
Of course, she wasn’t any good at it. And with her dominant hand gone, without the Force to guide her, and with the fog blocking her view of any approaching enemies, she stood no chance.
Even with that knowledge, she remained where she was. She would never leave her men to die.
Then, she heard silence.
The clones all stopped screaming all of a sudden.
She turned back to her clones, and she sighed in relief when she saw them sitting still, staring at the sky, their breathing steady.
“Commander.” Captain Naoki called out to her, his voice raspy from screaming. He had a strange look in his eyes. He must be confused about what just happened.
She sighed in relief, “Thank goodness you guys are okay.” Sayaka then asked. “Can you still stand? We need to get away from here.”
“I don’t want to be a good soldier.” Captain Naoki said to her as he stood up, picking up his helmet, but he didn’t put it on his head. Instead, he held it in his trembling hands as he walked towards her.
Behind him, she could see the rest of her men standing back up. Checking their blasters as they returned to their feet.
She saw Naoki’s eyes tearing up as he approached, his helmet still in his hands.
“I don’t want to be a good soldier,” Naoki said, his mouth quivering.
Sayaka was confused, but she thought that maybe he was just saying that because of the battle. She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to fight anymore. It wasn’t the glorious stand against evil that she imagined it to be, either.
It was a brutal back-and-forth, where death was in every corner. No matter how well-trained you are, a single blast could mean the difference between becoming a legend or becoming just another casualty.
“It’s alright, Captain. Maybe I can get you a position in the rear echelon units. Or if you want to leave the army, I’ll try to help you adjust to civilian life.” Sayaka offered.
“I don’t want to be a good soldier.” Captain Naoki repeated, as his left hand let go of his helmet, leaving his right to hold the blunt object.
Behind him, Sayaka noticed the rest of her men approaching. Their blasters ready, the barrels aimed.
At her.
“Captain?” Sayaka asked. What was going on?.
“But we have orders.” Captain Naoki raised his right arm.
Then, he slammed the helmet to the side of Sayaka’s head. Sending her to the floor.
She noticed the other clones shift their aim towards her new position. Their fingers on the trigger. But before they could pull the trigger, Naoki had crouched over her. Blocking their line of fire.
He had let his helmet go. And now both of his hands were on her throat, squeezing it.
Sayaka’s eyes locked with Naoki’s. He still had the professional stoic look on his face that she was accustomed to. But why was he doing this? Why was he trying to kill her? She thought they were friends!
“And good soldiers, follow orders.”
He felt his hands around his throat, cutting off her air. She tried to squirm away, but his knee on her stomach prevented her from escaping his hold. She tried to move her neck around, but his firm hold on her throat made that impossible.
Her right hand, or the stump that had remained of her hand, tried to punch him off of her. But it didn’t even seem like he was affected by it. She didn’t even think that he felt it through his armor. The only thing it did was open up the cauterized wound, and now blood began to drip out of it, staining her robes.
Her left hand still had the blaster. But she remembered that it had been set to lethal.
She needed to set it to stun first.
A hazy fog began to fall on her thoughts. But her left hand kept feeling around the blaster pistol. Looking for the lever to turn the gun to stun. She needed to find it; then, she would be free.
She couldn’t find it.
“I’ll deal with this one! Look for the others, kill them all!” Captain Naoki called out to the other clones.
She imagined the clones finding Madoka and Barriss. She imagined Barriss being gunned down by the clones. She imagined Madoka being in her position.
No! no! no! no! no! no! no!
Before she could think about it, her left hand grasped the handle of the pistol. Her finger entered the trigger guard. Then she pointed the blaster up, right at Captain Naoki’s chest.
Then she pulled the trigger.
As their eyes were locked on to one another, Sayaka witnessed the moment when the light left Naoki’s eyes.
She didn’t have time to mourn. As Naoki’s body collapsed on top of her, almost crushing her with his weight and the weight of his armor.
She heard the sounds of shuffling. The other clones must have seen what happened. And if she knew them well enough-.
She lifted Naoki’s body to the side and put him between her and the clones. Just as the clones began opening fire.
Sayaka screamed as she raised the pistol and fired back.
She hated herself for what she just did.
She hated herself for what she was about to do.
The sound of blaster fire drowned out her screams.
It drowned out the clones’ screams as well. As they all went down, one by one.
Until she was alone.
- Madoka Kaname -
She stuck close to Padawan Offee’s back as she followed her into the fog.
She envied how Padawan Offee maintained a calm demeanour despite finding herself separated from her master, despite finding themselves in this strange world, and despite losing their connections to the Force. She could see how sharp her gaze looked, as if she could just will herself to see through the fog. The firm hold she had on her blaster pistol, a finger already on the trigger. If any attacked them, she would be ready.
She tried to copy her stance, she tried to copy the way she looked, and she replicated how she held her pistol. She could not replicate her calm, as fear gripped her heart. It made her hands tremble, it made her eyes flit around, and made her flinch at every noise.
She had tried to pull her lightsaber out earlier, but Padawan Offee pointed out that without the Force, their lightsabers wouldn’t work.
Padawan Offee would know more about how the Force works. Which was why she didn’t argue with her, and she returned the lightsaber to her belt. Joining Homura’s lightsaber, the two objects dangled to her sides.
Then, as they continued their walk into the fog, the screams behind them, a sound she had tried to block out, came to a sudden stop. It made her turn around, but her eyes only met the fog.
Before she could wonder why the screams had stopped, she jumped as the sound of blaster fire ripped through the air. Then more blasters joined the chorus, and the sounds drowned out every other noise.
In an impulse, her foot took a step forward towards where Sayaka was. But before she could break into a run, a hand held her shoulder. Stopping her.
She turned towards Padawan Offee, confused. “We need to stick together.”
“But-.” This time, she tried to argue. Sayaka was in danger, so she had to go back and help.
“Padawan Miki will be fine. It looked like the clones had recovered from whatever was affecting them. They should be able to hold back any enemies that they might have encountered.” Then Padawan Offee reminded her, “We need to find the masters. If we find them, we might find a way out of this place.”
Madoka understood that Padawan Offee was right. But she still wanted to go back. Make sure that Sayaka is alright.
She has already lost one friend. She didn’t want to lose another.
But in the end, she decided to follow Padawan Offee’s lead. After all, without the Force, what could she do to help Sayaka fight off whatever monsters lurked within the fog?
That still didn’t stop the feeling that she had made a mistake. That she should have gone back.
That feeling became stronger as the sounds of blasterfire began to peter out.
Until there was silence except for the sound of their footsteps.
In a pathetic attempt to fill the silence, Madoka asked Padawan Offee a question.
“Do you know where we are?”
Madoka knew that she wouldn’t. If she knew, then she would have told her earlier.
Despite that, Padawan Offee still gave her an answer. “I do not, but this reminds me of a Jedi Temple my master and I explored a year ago.”
“A Jedi Temple?” Madoka repeated, surprised to hear that.
“A Jedi Temple in name only. It was located in the Outer Rim world of Lothal. It would disappear for centuries at a time, before reappearing again. It reappeared a year ago, and my master and I were dispatched to investigate.”
“What happened?”
“I do not remember much after my master and I were separated when we ventured into the Temple. But the isolation, the feeling of dread, of being alone, I could still remember it. What I feel right now reminds me of what I felt back then.”
Madoka blinked in surprise, “You’re afraid?”
“Yes, I am.”
They took a few steps forward. A lull fell on their conversation. Before Madoka spoke again. “You don’t look afraid.”
“It is a part of a Jedi’s training to be able to control their own fear, and not let that affect their judgement. My master was a diligent teacher, and I am grateful to be her student.”
…
“Someone’s coming.” Padawan Offee called out in hushed tones as she aimed the blaster towards the direction of the noise. A pair of footsteps, moving rapidly towards them.
Madoka kept her voice low as she spoke, “It might be one of the masters.”
“We can’t be sure. We need to be careful.” Padawan Offee said.
If they had the Force, they could have simply reached out and identified what was coming. But without it, they had no other choice but to wait. And brace for what was to come.
And it came.
She saw a shadow on one part of the fog, then one shadow became two, four, six of them. And the shadows were getting larger, no, closer.
Master Luminara Unduli emerged from the fog. Her clothes were roughed up, green blood pooling on her lip, red blood soaking her clothes.
“Master!” Padawan Offee exclaimed.
“Run!” Master Unduli yelled.
The rest of the beings casting the shadow then appeared.
All 5 creatures had a humanoid body, whose clothes looked like it was painted on with a mishmash of black and red colors, colors similar to the ground that they were standing on. They had a draconic, blue head with an extremely long blue neck. With teeth as large as her hand, visible from its gaping maw, as they tried to take a bite of Master Unduli.
She heard the sound of blaster fire. And she watched as a blue blaster bolt flew towards one of the creatures. The bolt missed.
Madoka scrambled to fire a single shot, while Padawan Offee fired 2 more shots, with one landing true. The monster she shot let out a shriek before disappearing in brilliant, glimmering lights. Similar to what happened to the droids from earlier when they were destroyed.
Her first shot managed to land at one of the monsters on the right, an easy task since the creature had gotten so close that, had it not been focused on pursuing Master Unduli, all it had to do was swing its head forward, and it could take a bite out of her.
Padawan Offee managed to take out another one of the monsters. While one of her hands reached into her belt.
She took out one of the blasters that she had taken from earlier, before she tossed it towards Master Unduli.
Master Unduli caught it in her hands before leaping forward and landing on her back. She brought the pistol up and fired a shot, killing one of the monsters.
The final monster tried to bite Master Unduli’s head off. But before it could reach Master Unduli, Padawan Offee managed to kill the monster with a single shot.
With the threat now eliminated, Madoka turned to Master Unduli, and she went pale when she noticed the blood.
She wanted to ask where Master Drallig was. But she knew the answer to that question now.
The sight of blood, the smell of it, and imagining the gruesome fate of the person who it once belonged to, made the world around her whirl, all while she stood in place.
The next thing she knew, she had curled forward, her lunch now splattered across the ground.
“Breathe, Initiate Kaname.” Padawan Offee said, and Madoka looked up. And she caught sight of Master Unduli trying to wipe the blood off her dress. It wouldn’t work; there was far too much blood.
Madoka swallowed the bile down her throat and forced herself to stand tall. She used her hands to wipe her mouth clean, but all it did was stain the sleeves of her robes.
“I’m sorry.” Madoka apologized after everything that happened. They shouldn’t be concerned for her. Not when they had it worse.
She admired how Master Unduli maintained her steady gait. The way she kept her composure despite the blood splattered over her dark dress and green skin. She had an understanding look on her face when she saw her throw up.
“It is alright, Initiate Kaname. Your reaction is understandable. I had the same reaction when I fought my first battle. And you were much younger than I.”
Madoka heard what she told her, but she couldn’t believe that the Jedi Master known for her calm and steady presence in the Force and the model of Jedi discipline would have reacted like her.
She looked at Padawan Offee, closer to her in age. And she didn’t seem to have any reaction to the sight of the blood on her master’s body.
“Thank you, master,” Madoka said with a shallow bow.
Master Unduli gave her a nod before turning to Padawan Offee. “Can you still sense the Force?”
Padawan Offee shook her head, “No, master. We can’t.”
“Something in this world must be blocking our connection. We need to find a way out of this fog and send a signal out.”
“We tried using my commlink and the clone’s commlinks. But we could not get a signal out.” Padawan Offee informed her.
“Then let's find a way out of this fog, at the very least.”
“Wa-wait. What about Sayaka-chan?” Madoka spoke up, before she corrected herself, “I mean, Padawan Miki.”
Master Unduli gave Padawan Offee a look. And Padawan Offee explained. “When we were first transported here and the fog overtook everything, the clones began to break down, screaming as if in pain. We tried to ease their pain, but without the Force, we couldn’t do much for them. When Padawan Miki arrived, we agreed on a plan to find you first while Padawan Miki stayed behind to guard the clones.”
“I heard blaster fire earlier. Was that them?”
“Maybe. But they went silent a few minutes ago.” Padawan Offee answered.
“Well, we need to find out what happened to them.” Master Unduli declared.
Padawan Offee nodded in agreement, but Madoka frowned as she remembered something else.
Master Unduli seemed to have noticed that something was bothering her. “What is it, Initiate Kaname?”
“The girl. The blonde girl with the burned girl with the spear. Did you see where she went?” Madoka remembered that she was standing over the burned girl when darkness exploded from the burned girl’s body and engulfed the whole floor. Then, they were transported here.
Padawan Offee turned to Master Unduli, and she looked curious as well.
Master Unduli said, “Last I saw her, she was running away carrying the body of the burned girl.”
Padawan Offee looked shocked. “She didn’t try to help you?”
She had seen how the girl fought. How she could summon ribbons out of thin air along with slug-thrower rifles. She must be some kind of sorcerer like the witches of Dathomir.
Had she stayed with the masters and helped them, Master Drallig would still be alive.
“I do not blame her for running away. She was a child, maybe the same age as you, Initiate Kaname. As a Jedi, we should not expect others to fight our battles for us.” Master Unduli said.
Padawan Offee had a frown on her face for a split second before it turned neutral and said, “I understand, master.”
Madoka gave Padawan Offee a curious look before nodding in agreement to what she said. Though a part of her wanted to disagree. Yes, they should not expect others to fight their battles for them. But at the same time, had that girl helped the masters, Master Drallig would still be alive.
“Let us proceed to Padawan Miki and her unit’s location. If they’re not where they are, then we look for a way out of this fog.”
…
They walked in silence towards where they last saw Sayaka and the clones.
A silence interrupted by the rushing of the wind.
“Stop.” Master Unduli raised a fist. And they all stopped walking. Looking around them, trying to listen in on the motion.
She heard the distinct sound that the droids from earlier made when they fired their bolts.
They were shooting at something in the distance. Whatever it was, they heard it roaring.
“Was that from the monsters that we fought earlier?” Madoka asked, she didn’t recall any of the monsters making a sound, aside from their dying shrieks.
“No, their roars sounded different.” Master Unduli answered.
“Watch out to the right!” Padawan Offee yelled out, and they turned to their right.
And there they found one of those droids from earlier. Alone.
They were flying slower than usual. But they managed to fire a single shot before both her and Padawan Offee gunned it down. She had heard a yelp, but she hoped that she had imagined it.
“Master!” Padawan Offee cried out as she rushed to where Master Unduli had fallen.
Madoka could only watch, helpless as…
“Gahh.” Master Unduli groaned as she ripped the left sleeve of her dress, which was on fire. Revealing burnt skin underneath.
But she was alive.
How? She had seen a single shot from the droid kill clones. Yes, their shot couldn’t penetrate clone armor. But Master Unduli wasn’t wearing any armor.
How did she survive that?
“Master, are you alright?” Padawan Offee seemed just as surprised as her.
“I’m fine. It’s just a little burn.” Master Unduli admitted.
They heard more of the warbling noises, moving closer towards them.
She looked up and found 3 of those droids hovering over them. Before they could fire another shot, she and Padawan Offee fired first. Padawan Offee managed to shoot all three of the droids down. While Madoka's shots missed.
“They’re moving much slower than before.” Padawan Offee observed, and Madoka nodded. She noticed that too.
“We’re gonna have to keep moving.” Master Unduli spoke up; her left arm was limp. But her right gripped her blaster, ready to fight.
Of course, they only took a couple of steps forward before more droids came and attacked them.
Unlike before, they didn’t have a hard time destroying the droids. Their blaster-fire wasn’t as powerful as before. They didn’t move as fast or as erratically as they did earlier. And it took them a few seconds before they could fire a shot.
More than enough time for either her or the others to shoot at them.
Not that Madoka could hit anything.
But she did notice a problem. And maybe the others noticed it too.
The droids just kept coming.
They had to slow down, or even stop, just to shoot at them.
Were they trying to slow them down?
But why? What were they planning to do?
She remembered the girl, the girl that she saw Padawan Offee cut in half. The girl who seemed to control all of these droids. She should be dead by now, but if these droids were still fighting, does that mean she was alive?
Where was she?
Then the droids that had just emerged from the fog retreated back into it.
And there was suddenly silence.
Then, they heard a roar; the sound was much, much closer.
Oh no.
They heard the sound of blaster-fire within the fog, then the sound of hoofbeats before the blaster-fire was silenced.
One droid emerged from the fog and fired a shot. But not towards them.
It fired it towards the creature, hidden within the fog.
Almost as an afterthought, Master Unduli shot the droid. Halting its beam.
But it was too late.
The stomping noise of hoofbeats became louder and louder. They heard a roar, and…
“Stick together!” Master Unduli called out as she moved to stand at the path of the approaching beast.
…
A creature with the head of a flame astride a beast of darkness emerged from the fog. It wielded a spear, which it tried to run them through.
Master Unduli fired a shot as she moved to side-step the charge.
She was too slow.
The beast saw how Master Unduli tried to side-step its attack, so it tried to swing its spear in a sideward arc. Catching Master Unduli with the flat of the blade. Throwing her off her feet and out of the beast's path.
Neither she nor Padawan Offee tried to shoot at the beasts. Instead, they had jumped out of the way. To avoid being trampled by the beasts or getting run through by their weapons.
The beasts and their steed rushed past them and disappeared back into the fog.
“Master Unduli!” Madoka gasped as she pushed herself off her feet. Padawan Offee did so as well, rushing to her master’s side.
“Master!”
“I think I broke my spine.” Master Unduli muttered as she winced from her position on the ground. “You two, focus on getting away from here.”
“But-.” Madoka wanted to ask her how they would get her out of here, but Padawan Offee called out again.
“It's coming back around!” Instead of waiting for it to emerge from the fog, Padawan Offee fired blindly into the fog.
Madoka followed her lead. Maybe they could scare it off.
They heard a roar before the hoofbeats grew louder.
“Scatter!” Master Unduli yelled. Madoka turned around and she saw her firing her blaster as well, even while she was lying on her back on the ground, unable to move.
Before they could heed her words, the monster emerged from the fog.
It tried to run all three of them through. And with them standing close to each other. It wouldn’t have a hard time doing so.
Madoka, just like before, had jumped to the side. Out of the way.
Padawan Offee did not. She let out a fierce yell of defiance as she stood her ground, firing her blaster at the approaching monster.
She noticed how pieces of the monster’s skin would be torn off when Padawan Offee’s shot landed. But it did nothing to deter the creature’s charge.
She could only watch as the creature’s steed ran over Padawan Offee. Trampling her on its way as it disappeared back into the fog.
Madoka froze as she watched Padawan Offee’s body lying still on the ground. Unmoving. When she noticed her chest moving up and down, Madoka couldn’t stop her sigh of relief.
“Initiate Kaname, run!”
“I can’t abandon you both!” Madoka yelled.
“You don’t need to die with us! Go!” Master Unduli yelled as she continued firing at the beasts.
The beasts were circling around them like a predator preparing to land the killing blow on its prey. And she didn’t know how to stop it from its gruesome feast.
The hoofbeats became louder and louder.
“Go!” Master Unduli yelled as she fired her blaster at the incoming monster, screaming as she did so. “Run!”
That scream prompted her into motion.
And she turned around and ran away in a random direction into the fog.
Why was she so weak?
Why was she so useless?
Why was she here?
She yelled into her mind, but those didn’t drown out the grisly scream that rattled her very being when the noise reached her ears.
She should go back. She couldn’t do much, but she should do what she could. She was a Jedi. She was training to be a Jedi. If Sayaka were here, if Homura were here, if anyone else was here, they wouldn’t have hesitated.
But the idea of running back to face that monster again filled her with so much dread that it made her want to curl up and cry.
It was pathetic, unbecoming of a Jedi.
She didn’t hear it, but she felt it when it happened.
She yelped in pain as her right shoulder blade flared up with a burning sensation. It threw her forward, and she landed face-first on the ground.
She turned to find out what just hit her, and she found a lone droid making its way towards her. It began to glow, preparing to take another shot.
Madoka still has her blaster pistol. She fired first, and this time, her shot landed true.
She then heard more of those droids somewhere in the fog, firing shot after shot at something.
No, not at something.
She heard a roar, that was the monster.
Were the droids luring the monsters towards her?
She couldn’t stay here. She could hear the monster getting closer and closer.
She tried to lift herself off the ground with her right hand, and it flared in pain, prompting her to scream.
She tried to get up again, this time mindful of her injuries.
As she put herself back on her feet, she transferred the blaster pistol to her uninjured left hand. But just as she did that, she screamed as another one of the droids took a shot at her left leg.
The shot grazed her left thigh. Prompting her to scream, but she reacted quickly. She fired several shots at the offending droid, destroying it.
She limped forward; she wasn't injured by the blasts, but she could still feel the burn of the laser-fire on her thigh.
The sound of blaster-fire went silent once again.
And she turned around to face the beasts.
It looked imposing.
The rider reminded her of a candle, clothed in a mishmash of colors wrapped around a body of wax. Its head resembled a candle’s head, with a wick of cotton.
Its steed was devoid of any color, unlike its colorful rider. But what it lacked in color, it made up for in its ferocious appearance. It roared, revealing the source of the roar that she had been hearing since she found herself trapped in this world. It also revealed large teeth, almost as large as her hand. Teeth still dripping with green-.
That realization made her dizzy, prompting her to take a step back.
She yelped in pain as she collapsed to the ground. The burning sensation on her thigh made itself known.
The beast then advanced towards her.
Madoka teared up as she raised her blaster and fired it at the approaching beasts.
It did nothing.
She closed her eyes.
And the end-.
Explosions rattled her whole world, startling her into letting out a whimper.
“It will be alright.” A soft voice, a voice she never thought she would hear again, spoke to her.
This prompted her to open her eyes, and they were met with those same striking purple orbs.
They were staring at something in the distance. The sound of repeated explosions could be heard from it. But she couldn’t tear her gaze away from those eyes.
She teared up, this time not from pain, not from regret.
It was from joy.
She was here, she was alive. This wasn’t for nothing at all. “Homura-chan.”
- Akemi Homura -
So this was her plan.
It should not have surprised her.
The first time she met Oriko and Kirika, Kirika had allowed herself to turn into a Witch. In the middle of a school full of children. She should have realized that they intended to use a similar tactic in this new world.
She could only hope that she wasn’t too late. That there would still be someone to save.
She walked past the Familiars as she ventured deeper into the fog. They’ll be destroyed when she destroys the Witch.
Her mind scrambled to remind her of what she came here to do. A busy mind had no time to contemplate anything else.
Madoka was somewhere in this Labyrinth. Alone, or maybe with those soldiers and other Jedi.
Jedis were formidable warriors, and judging by the holo-articles she read and the holos of Jedis in battle, both in this new war and in previous conflicts. It was a reputation that they had earned.
But she didn’t know how effective they would be against Witches and Familiars.
The way the Force interacted with magic suggested that the Force could counter the effect of magic. But she had only seen how they affect a Magia’s magic. A Witch was not a Magia.
She would have to figure that out later.
If this was the culmination of their plans, Oriko and Kirika would remain here to ensure that they succeeded. She would have to hunt them down and eliminate them first.
Make no mistake, the Witch was the greater danger. But a Witch didn’t care who they fought, or why they were fighting them. They will kill what was in front of them, no matter who they were. But they will not seek out a specific individual.
Oriko and Kirika’s entire goal, their entire reason for kicking off this battle, was to kill Madoka. They might not be as dangerous as the Witch, but they were a greater threat to Madoka’s life.
She checked her sands. And she found that she had less than half an hour’s worth of sand left.
Not ideal, but she could work with this.
This should be enough time to locate Oriko and Kirika and kill them. Then go after the Witch and kill it, destroying the Labyrinth and freeing the survivors.
She forgot something.
No, not forgot. It was on her mind. Creeping into the corner of her thoughts. Trying to seek her attention.
She ignored it. She didn’t want to think about it.
But she knew it was inevitable.
She knew that she would go after Kyoko; she would have seen everything. And when she did, she would then know the truth.
The truth about what their real purpose was.
It would break her. And she would then try to break everyone else.
There was no saving her now.
Mami Tomoe has to die.
…
She found Oriko Mikuni.
Or rather, she found half of her body. Her legs and her hips, along with her lower clothes, lay on the ground of the Labyrinth, in the middle of a puddle of blood.
As she looked around, she noticed that there seemed to be a trail of blood running along the grass from the puddle.
She followed it.
And there, she found a one-armed Oriko. Her body draped over a lifeless Kirika. She could see tears in her eyes, dripping down her cheek, frozen in mid-air.
She must have dragged her upper body over to Kirika’s corpse.
She brought her right hand over to her shield, and she pulled out a stiletto knife. Before walking towards the girl.
As she loomed over the girl and the corpse, she raised the knife before plunging it right at the back of Oriko’s neck.
The contact brought Oriko out of frozen time. But she could only yelp in shock and pain. Then she began to choke on blood and the steel within her esophagus.
Homura used her left hand to shove Oriko’s body off of Kirika’s corpse. She then slammed Oriko on her back, to the right of Kirika’s body.
Then, their eyes met for a brief moment. And it seemed as if a moment of clarity went through Oriko’s mind.
Oriko didn’t fight anymore. At the corner of her vision, she saw Oriko’s left hand moving to clutch Kirika’s limp right hand tight. Gripping it, as if to brace for what was to come.
Homura’s right hand began to glow with purple flame as she reached forward towards Oriko’s soul gem, then the flame licked and burned the gem, scorching the gem’s surface black. And then she squeezed.
The gem shattered into dust, spilling from her fingers and into the now colorless and lifeless body of Oriko Mikuni.
She wiped the dust of Oriko’s soul from her hands before she stood back up and walked away.
When the Labyrinth was destroyed, their bodies would never be found.
…
It took her over 3 minutes of frozen time before she found Ophelia. And when she did, she was glad that she decided to keep her hold on time.
Because when she did find it, she also found Madoka. Helpless and on the ground. She had a blaster pistol in her hand, but she knew that a Witch as strong as this would be able to survive a hit from blaster bolts, especially blasters that had not been enchanted with magic.
The Witch was bearing down on her. Its steed’s mouth is dripping with some kind of green liquid. Had she not kept time frozen, she would have found Madoka run through by the Witch. And she would have to start all over again.
She began her assault against the Witch.
She brought out 8 rocket launchers. And fired it at Ophelia’s steed. She fired 4 more rockets at Ophelia herself. After firing the rockets, she would discard the launchers to the ground. When the Labyrinth gets destroyed, they will disappear as well.
She then deployed a ring of at least 3 dozen thermal detonators around Ophelia. She had set them all to detonate within a second after she allowed time to resume.
And just for good measure, she brought out one of those blaster gatling guns and fired it at the Witch. She kept firing until they ran out of ammunition.
After that, she brought out a fuel tanker truck and placed it right over Ophelia and its steed. It had been filled to the brim with fuel.
This was overkill. She knew that. But she needed to ensure that she killed Ophelia in this barrage.
Then, with all of that done, she looked back at Ophelia.
A Witch that could only live by burning its own body to sustain its flame. The Witch mirrored Sakura Kyoko’s self-destruction.
No, not a mirror. It was a mockery of the struggles of Sakura Kyoko.
She hated them. She hated all their Witches. They were a reminder of how weak everyone was. How they couldn’t handle the truth, how they couldn’t survive the suffering, how easy it was to make them fall into despair.
It reminded her that she could not rely on anyone. Eventually, she would have to put them down.
And she would prefer to see them die as a person, than see them live as a monster.
She sighed as she stared up at the girl and said her farewells. “Tengoku demo genki de ne. Sayōnara, Sakura-san.”
She then made her way towards Madoka. With how close Madoka was, she calculated that she would be caught within the blast.
She moved as close as she dared before jumping forward. To her surprise, time didn’t resume when she got close to Madoka, despite Madoka being a Jedi.
This allowed her time to lift Madoka in her arms and jump away from the explosions. Resuming time the moment her body made contact with Madoka’s own.
Despite the deafening noise, she could still hear Madoka’s whimper.
“It will be alright.” She said her as she turned to face the devastation that she had brought.
Then the whole landscape wobbled, then it faded, and then they found themselves back in the real world. When her foot met concrete, she let out a sigh of relief.
They were safe now.
She looked down at Madoka, and she blinked in surprise when she saw her looking up at her.
She recognized that gaze.
There would be loops where, somehow, she would earn Madoka’s love. She didn’t know how it would happen. She didn’t know what would make her look at her like this. But she would earn it. And she cherished those times that no longer existed in her memory.
But here, she knew why Madoka was looking at her like that. And because she knew why, she couldn’t cherish it. Instead of happiness or joy, guilt filled her heart. It froze her in place and made her unable to look Madoka in the eyes.
This was not for her. She had done nothing to earn this. The only thing she did was put Madoka in unnecessary danger because of her poor decision. And her failure to deal with a threat that she should have prepared for.
Homura Akemi, the girl whose life she had stolen, and a selfless and naive girl, that was the girl that Madoka was hoping to find.
Madoka would never find her.
She shouldn’t be here. Not in this place, not in this world, not holding Madoka in her arms like this.
Without a word, she put Madoka back on her feet. And a brief glance at Madoka’s face allowed her to see the surprised and hurt look that came over her when she turned and started to walk away from her.
She planned to escape and run as far away from this place.
…
Then a noise, a shrill keening whine that froze her in her steps. This reminded her of another person that she cared about. Another person whose life she had ruined by her very presence in this world.
A life she had to end, before…
She turned towards the source of the noise.
And in the middle of the whole floor, surrounded by rubble, she found Mami Tomoe.
She looked horrible. Her cheeks were reddened with tears, one of her immaculate braids was undone, and she was hyperventilating as she sobbed. She kept letting out broken noises as her hands, glowing with her magic, trembled over the body of Kyoko Sakura. But the worst was not her physical state, no.
She saw her soul gem and found it as dark as coal. And darkening further.
She had seen everything, then.
Homura placed a hand on her shield to pull out a gun. But before she could bring it out, her heart stopped when she saw Madoka approach Mami.
“No.” She gasped and tried to stop time. But it didn’t work.
She looked down at her shield and found that she had run out of sand. She must have used it up when she killed Ophelia.
When Madoka got too close, Mami’s healing magic cut out. This prompted her to jump up from her kneeling position over Kyoko, summon a singular musket with a ribbon that came from her hand, then aimed it at Madoka’s face.
“Stand back!” Mami demanded, shoving the barrel of the musket to Madoka’s face, who froze in fear and shock.
Homura wouldn’t freeze.
In a single leap forward, she charged Mami and Madoka.
Before either could react, she grabbed the musket with her left hand and turned the barrel away from Madoka. Then, she aimed the blaster pistol in her right hand at Mami’s soul gem.
She could not afford to hesitate.
Her finger moved towards the trigger.
Mami stared at her, not at the gun poised to end her life. But straight into her eyes. And through those golden orbs, she could see the dull look under the brilliance of her eyes. Her mouth trembled as tears fell down the side of her cheeks. Snot falling down her nose.
She had never seen her like this before. Not even when she fell into madness.
Mami lost her grip on her musket. And the musket fell to the floor, disappearing into glittering lights.
Then Mami’s hands moved towards Homura. Confused and wary, Homura tried to back away. But Mami managed to grab hold of her mantle before she could get out of her reach.
Her left hand, her only free hand, tried to wrench Mami’s hands away. But before she could apply enough force to do so, Mami lunged towards her, pushing Homura to the floor.
Homura’s right hand dropped the pistol. It clattered to the floor, out of sight and out of reach.
She slammed her back on one of the piles of rubble scattered throughout the floor. With Mami holding her, trapping her. Her hands moved to grab her shoulder, but before she could shove her off…
She heard it.
Sobs, pathetic wailing, sniffles.
She felt it.
The way Mami’s arms moved to hang on around her neck, hanging on to her as if she might fall off if she let go. The wetness that formed on her right shoulders, where Mami had pressed her head into.
She could see it.
The way Mami’s body spasmed with every sob. How Homura herself had moved her arms to hold Mami, instead of pushing her away. She could see how much of what had happened had broken Mami.
But she did not shatter into madness.
But she could see that there was still a risk that she would fall into despair.
If Candeloro emerged, and with her unable to stop time, there was a risk that she would fail to save Madoka.
Mami’s soul gem was in her reach. It was right in front of her. She was staring right at it.
She didn’t really care about Mami’s fate.
Yes, she helped her. Without her help, she wouldn’t understand anything that was going on in this galaxy. Without her help, she wouldn’t be able to read. She gave her a home, she fed her, and she allowed her to understand the girl that had been on her nightmares for years.
But if she had to make a choice, she would always choose Madoka’s safety over anyone else.
Her right hand ignited with the fire of her soul magic, and she moved it towards Mami’s soul gem.
And just as her hand reached Mami’s soul, the fire dissipated. And instead of crushing the gem, her hands moved to cradle Mami’s head close to her.
She didn’t want to lose this Mami.
“It’s alright.” Homura regretted those words when they came out of her mouth. Nothing about this situation was ‘alright’.
“I lost her. She-she-, I thought that I could heal her body and-. But-.” Mami stammered out.
Homura stared at Kyoko Sakura’s corpse. Kyoko’s clothes were drenched with blood. But her body was pristine, unblemished.
“She turned into-, a Witch. She-, we-, we turn into-.”
“Just don’t think about that,” Homura told her. She tried to sound comforting, but it came out cold. Like an order from an unfeeling leader.
“We turn into Witches!” Mami exclaimed as she moved her head away from her shoulders and looked up at her. “I would turn into a Witch!”
“You’re not a Witch yet,” Homura said to her, but Mami didn’t seem to hear her.
“What was the point of it all? I fought to protect people from Witches, but if I’ll turn into a Witch anyway, then what’s the point?” Homura felt Mami’s right arm move away from its position around Homura’s neck.
She saw Mami’s right hand move towards Mami’s head. “If all of us Magias would turn into Witches, then we all have to die!”
Homura’s left hand grabbed Mami’s right before the hand could reach Mami’s soul gem.
“Don’t.” She hissed at her. “We’re not Witches! We would never be Witches! So don’t bother thinking about that!”
“But-!”
“And so what if we turn into Witches! It doesn’t matter as long as we’re good people!” Homura suppressed a wince at the hypocrisy. She could hardly call herself ‘good’. Not with all the things that she had done. And will do.
“I’ve been forcing Magias to fight Familiars. I killed Magias who refused. How many Magias turned into Witches because of me!”
“Don’t blame yourself for that. You didn’t know. Kyubey doesn’t say anything that would make you avoid contracting.”
Mami’s broken look turned into realization, “You knew?”
Homura did not let a guilty look come over her. She was not in the wrong here. “I did.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because it didn’t matter,” Homura said. “I will kill you before you turn into a Witch, anyway? So you don't have to worry about what happens after you die.”
“Then why am I still alive?” Mami asked.
That was a good question. Especially now, that it looked like Mami was seconds away from falling.
She rolled them over until it was Mami who had her back to the floor. And then her right hand moved to grab both of Mami’s hands, to prevent her from resisting and to free her left hand as she moved to pick up Mami’s soul gem from her head.
“I’m not letting you fall,” Homura said with determination as she stood back up with Mami’s soul in her hands.
Mami remained on the floor, staring up at her. But she didn’t fight.
Good, if she wasn’t expending magic, maybe just maybe this would still work.
Homura moved Mami’s soul gem to her left hand, while her right hand moved to pick up a grief seed from inside her shield’s storage.
When she brought the grief seed and the soul gem together, her heart sank.
The rate of growth of corruption slowed, but it did not stop. At this rate, she was minutes away from falling, not seconds. But she would still fall.
Mami was past the Point of No Return.
When the grief seed filled up, she tossed it away without a second thought to bring out another grief seed.
Nothing had changed, nothing except for the fact that there was more darkness in Mami’s soul than ever.
She repeated the process over and over again, with the same results.
“It’s not working, isn’t it?” Mami spoke up, and Homura tried to ignore her, to focus on saving Mami’s life. “Akemi-san, could you promise me. When I die, please send my body into space. I want to be with my family.”
“You’re not going to die, Mami-san!” Homura barked out, which seemed to startle Mami.
She needed to think. She needed to find a way. She wouldn’t end up with another tragedy, not after she just lost Kyoko and Yuma.
“Um.” She heard a voice, and she turned and saw Madoka looking at them with an awkward expression. “I don’t know what is going on, but if you need help, you can ask for mine. I’m not that good with the Force, and I don’t understand what you’re doing. But I promise, I’ll do what I can!” Her voice turned determined at the end.
She should decline it. What could Madoka do?
But then she remembered how Mind Healer Malla came and prevented her from falling. If Madoka could do that, maybe…
“Could you heal?” Homura asked.
Madoka shook her head, and Homura’s hope was snuffed away, “No, but Master Malla taught me Mind Healing. It’s not like Force Healing but…”
“Do it.” Homura begged, “Please.”
Madoka gave her a smile before she walked towards Mami. “I’ll do what I can, Homura-chan.”
There were no lights, no aura, when Madoka used the Force. All she could see was Madoka leaning over Mami’s prone form with her uninjured left arm with the palms outstretched and pointed towards Mami. It looked similar to how Magias used their magic to heal others.
She would have thought that nothing was happening.
Then she looked down.
And found Mami’s soul gem glowing with a brilliant light. The rate of growth of corruption had stopped, then slowly reversed.
And Homura’s chest bloomed, and the tears in her eyes, tears that she didn’t realise had been falling, became happy tears.
She will live. Mami will live. Madoka will live.
She walked towards Mami and she sat down next to her, holding her glowing soul gem in her hands, in full view of Mami who looked in awe at what she was seeing. The glow from the soul gem turned brighter as soon as she sat down, and the light of Mami’s soul burned the darkness away.
“It will be alright,” Homura said as she grasped one of Mami’s hands with the hand that was not holding Mami’s soul. Mami looked up at her. “We don’t have to make those kinds of promises.”
Mami chuckled, “You used my name.”
Homura blinked in surprise. When did she…
Oh, right.
When she first saw her, she couldn’t help but look back on what happened at that train station from a time that no longer existed. The way she broke, the madness that made her turn on her own kouhais, and what she had made Madoka do, and what it did to her.
She expected that she would have to do to her what she had done to other Mamis from other times that no longer existed.
But this Mami was different.
She broke, she shattered, but the madness was never there. She could pick her up, put her back together, and if she failed, she would be the only one to bleed.
And that was alright.
From the very beginning, she had been piecing back together a world that she had lost. And she had bled from the shards of those worlds over and over again.
She could endure the pain as long as she could create that perfect world for Madoka.
And now, she could see Mami in that image as well.
“I’m not afraid anymore,” Homura murmured.