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At What Cost? (Kirby Madoka Magica AU)

Summary:

The Beginning Story:

Taranza - an eighth grader who lives a peaceful life in Floralia. One night, she has a strange dream. The very next day was supposed to be the usual routine, but it was unusual. Magolor - a transfer student who came to Taranza's class. He looks exactly the same as the person Taranza saw in their dream.

Chapter 1: As If We Met in a Dream

Chapter Text

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

...

The spider's footsteps echoed through the halls slowly, as he carefully placed one foot in front of the other. He wasn't sure what was real, or what was an illusion. The whole place was an optical illusion, black and white squares and shapes messing with his mind.

He shook his head, trying to focus on finding a way out.

He turned the corner, and his eyes immediately focused on the bright green sign that was the only splash of color in the room.

Exit.

He sighed in relief. Finally, he could be out of this maze.

Slowly, he ascended the staircase in front of him, listening to only the sounds of his own breathing and his footsteps echoing off of the walls. He hadn't stopped to think about what would happen when he finally escaped, or what would be waiting for him outside. It was weird, but he had a gut feeling that he absolutely had to leave. That there was something he needed to do once he left. Someone he had to look for.

He reached the top of the stairs to see a large black door. He sucked in a breath, and pushed it as hard as he could. The door creaked open, and the boy gasped at the sight in front of him.

He was standing on a platform high in a giant black tree. Buildings of the city were floating in the air, ripped from their foundations, and spiked rocks jutted out from a purple ocean that had taken over the ground below.

The tarantula flied to the edge to see a strange creature floating in the skyline. It appeared to be a giant person in a dress hanging upside down from an equally large gear. A bright red smile was spread across its face, and it had no eyes or nose.

Taranza turned his head away from the monster, and his eyes locked on to another figure standing on top of a building. It was another boy, a short alien with no feet and detached hands with cream mittens, having a clad in a regal blue suit with a gold trimmed cog design on the front and back, as well as a bit of purple right above them. He wears a white cape that has cream trimmings, and gold-trimmed cog designs, along with a white scarf that has a blue belt interwoven.

Taranza watched as he launched off of the building towards the warlock, seeming to fly towards it. The warlock must have sensed him, though, because another building came flying towards him. The building crashed into the boy, and he disappeared amongst the rubble.

Seconds later, the boy reappeared in the air, farther away from the wreckage. The warlock sent blasts of flames his way, but the boy held them back with his shield. It seemed to take a lot out of him just to hold them back.

"That's awful..." Taranza breathed.

"It can't be helped."

The first boy turned to see a strange crown creature with an eye looking like a gem sitting next to him, only much smaller. "One person can't beat that monster on their own. Of course, you know that, don't you, Taranza?"

Taranza turned back to watch the cat struggle against the flames.

"He knew that, too." The crown said. "And yet, he still came to fight."

"But this isn't right! This is too much for him!" Taranza exclaimed as he watched.

The flames finally overcame the boy, and the blast threw him backwards into a building, trapping him there. His head turned towards Taranza weakly, and Taranza could swear that their eyes met, but this person was too far away for Taranza to know for sure.

"If he gives up, it's over." Said the crown. "But you, Taranza, The Master of Puppetry...you have the power to change this destiny."

Taranza stared at the crown, and at that moment, something smashed above him, startling him. He held his hands over his ears, hoping to block everything out.

"All this tragedy. All this destruction. You can change it, if you wish it so." The creature said. "The power to do so lies within you."

The spider looked up. "I can change it?"

He watched the monster destroy the building the boy was stuck in, and the boy fell to the ground. He appeared to be screaming, but Taranza couldn't hear him.

"Even someone like me can do something to help?" TaranA asked the creature, not being able to believe it. "Can I really change how this ends?"

"Of course you can!" The crown said. "Just make a contract with me, and become a magical boy!"

Taranza looked away for a second, unsure, and caught a glimpse of the cat falling.

He could save him.

Taranza looked back to the crown, staring it dead in its eyes.

He knew what his choice was, and he knew what he's going to do.

...

 

Taranza's eyes slowly opened to find himself back home in his bed.

He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and looked around. Same room. Same bed. Same desk. Same royal bedroom, and same plants

He sighed.

"That was a crazy dream, just a crazy dream..."

 

...

"Bonjam, guys.!"

Taranza raced to catch up with his two friends, both of which turned at the sound of his voice.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Yeah, what took you so long, Taranza?" Francisca asked. "Going with glasses? Cool."

"Thanks." Taranza smiled. "You don't think they're too...I don't know, nerdy?"

"Hey, what does that say about me if they are?" Francisca grinned, adjusting his own glasses.

"Probably that you're a bowl cut intellectual." Zan replied with a smile that almost matched Francisca's.

"Wow, someone should give you a Best Comeback of the Year award, Zan, because I have no idea how on earth I'll ever recover from that."

"Call 999, we just witnessed a fatal burn." Taranza chimed in.

"Oh, hush." Zan said, and the three of them began to walk towards the school, not bothering to hurry.

"So, Gryll says even if you were into boys, a letter's too sappy of a way to go about it, so you shouldn't give two thoughts to him."

"I wish it were that easy." Francisca said, turning around to face the other two. "He won't leave me alone, no matter how many times I tell him I'm not interested."

She sighed. "I guess I'm just too beautiful i see."

Zan laughed. "If only everyone could have your problems."

"Zan is right. I kind of wish I could get a love letter sometime. It'd be kind of nice, you know?"

"Aha, now I get it." Francisca said, pointing at Taranza. "You're wearing those glasses so more girls will think you're cute, like Joronia!"

"What? No, that's not it at all!" Taranza protested. "Joronia said-"

"You got your best friend to tell you how to get girls, didn't you?" Zan accused, a eyebrow on her eye. "Well, we can't let you go get popular with all the girls, you know? So you can leave is behind?"

"What? No way!" Taranza said, jokingly shoving Zan. "I'd never leave you guys behind!"

At that moment, the bell from school rang. All three gave each other a look, and all simultaneously began sprinting for the door to the school building.

...

 

"I have something very important to discuss with you today class, so eyes front and ears open!"

Taranza bit back a laugh when he saw Francisca jolt upright from where she had been half asleep with the sound of the teacher's foot stomping on the ground.

"What is the correct way to fry an egg, sunny side up, or down?" The teacher pointed directly at one of the kids at the front of the class. "I don't have all day!"

Taranza silently thanked whatever god was listening that he didn't sit up front as he watched the kid struggle.

"Um, well...you can fry it either way, can't you?" Bandana Dee stammered.

"Yes, precisely. You can fry it either way. Therefore, it goes without saying that you should never judge a woman's looks by the way she fries her eggs! Remember, girls, never associate with a man who thinks like that!"

Francisca leaned over and whispered to Taranza. "I guess it didn't work out."

"What possibly gave you that idea?" Taranza replied, arching a eyebrow.

"And you boys better not grow up to complain about the darn eggs are cooked, understand?"

Nobody in the class said anything, and the teacher sighed and smiled. "Well, now that that's out of the way, let's welcome our new classmate."

"Shouldn't that have come first?" Francisca muttered, absentmindedly scribbling on her paper without looking at it.

Taranza turned to see a cat with a blue hood waiting by the door. He looked extremely monotone, like he had done this a million times before.

"Don't be shy." The teacher said. "Why don't you come up front so everyone can see you?"

He didn't say anything, but slowly walked towards the front.

A few girls squealed when they saw him. Literally squealed.

"Woah, Taranza, he stole your eye's colour." Francisca joked.

Taranza stared at the boy, and felt his heart skip over a beat. Not in the romantic way, though. He knew who the boy was.

It was the exact same boy from his dream.

"No way...it couldn't be..." He breathed, so quiet that not even Francisca heard him.

"Why don't you tell the class a little bit about yourself?" The teacher suggested.

"My name's Magolor Starcutter. It's nice to meet you." He said, but it didn't sound like he meant it.

He looked across the room, and his eyes landed on Taranza and stayed there.

Taranza's eyes widened for a second before looking away, not sure what to do. What do you do if you see someone who you only saw in a dream in real life? Taranza didn't think there were any proper social skills to use in the situation.

The entire class was silent, and Magolor's eyes stayed locked on Taranza.

"Okay!" The teacher said, breaking the silence. "You can take that seat up front then. Now, let's begin."

...

 

"That guy is awfully mysterious, don't you think?" Zan asked, staring over at the crowd of girls that had surrounded Magolor. Taranza could hear them asking him questions from the opposite side of the room.

"Hey, Ranz, do you know that guy?" Francisca asked, turning to Taranza. "I could swear he was glaring at you earlier. Like, full on death stare."

"Well, actually, I'm not really sure." Taranza said, nervously grinning.

"Oh, I could take you!" Taranza heard one of the girls say, and looked back over.

"No, that's fine, I'll just ask the Teacher's Assistant." Magolor said in the same tone he had in the beginning of the class, and stood up.

Taranza realized with a jolt that he was the Teacher's Assistant, and nervously looked away from Magolor. The guy was freaking him out a little. He wasn't sure how someone from one of his dreams could be in real life, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to speak to him. He quietly hoped he would mistake the Teacher's Assistant to be one of the other girls.

No such luck.

Magoloe walked right up to Taranza's desk, ignoring both Francisca and Zan. "You're Taranza, right?"

"Um, yeah." Taranza said, his voice small. "Yeah. That's me."

"And you are the Teacher's Assistant?"

"Yes."

"Can you please show me the way to the Nurse's Office?"

***

Taranza walked behind Magolor through the halls of the school, nervously intertwining his fingers together and untangling them again.

"Um...so...how did you know I was the Teacher's Assistant for the class?"

A few seconds went by with no response. Taranza stared at the floor. Maybe Magolor wasn't one for talking.

"The teacher told me." He finally spoke, startling Taranza a bit.

"Oh, of course she did!" Taranza said, feeling relieved that Magolor wasn't some creepy stalker. "By the way, the Nurse's Office is to your-"

Taranza stopped when he saw Magolor going the right way.

"This way, right?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah." Taranza said, going back to messing with his fingers and ignoring the stares that Magolor was attracting from other students as best as he could. "So, how do you know your way around? I mean, you're new here and all..."

Magolor didn't say a word, he only continued down the hall with his back to Taranza.

"Um, Magolor?" The tarantula asked.

"Mags." He replied.

"What?"

"You can call me Mags."

"Huh. Mags." Taranza said.

"Yes?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that I've never really known somebody who's name is Mags."

When Magolor went silent again, Taranza worried. Maybe he had said something that offended him?

"Not that Magolor's a bad name, I think it's pretty cool!" He said, smiling.

Magolor stopped, turning around and staring Taranza directly in the eyes. Taranza froze in place, suddenly realizing the hallway they were both in was empty. They were the only two around. He looked back to Magolor, and it felt like Magolor's yellow eyes were staring straight through him.

"Taranza, do you treasure the life you currently live?" He asked. "Do you consider your family and friends precious to you?"

Taranza stepped back slightly. What was he talking about? "Of course. I mean, I do. Of course I do."

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course! I couldn't lie about that! My family, and my friends. I love them all very much, and yes, they're very precious to me!"

"Good." Magolor said. "Then you wouldn't try changing the person you are now, would you?"

"Magolor, what are you talking about?" Taranza asked.

"Because if you do," Magolor continued, ignoring Taranza's question. "You will lose everything you love."

Taranza took in a sharp breath, feeling his heart beat faster in fear. Was Magolor going to hurt him?

"Don't change. Stay as you are." Magolor said, turning around. "Stay as you are, forever."

And with that, Magolor walked down the hall towards the Nurse's Office, but Taranza stayed, feeling like he was rooted in place.

***

"Huh? He said what?"

Francisca stared across the cafe table at Taranza, not sure whether or not he was joking.

"It doesn't make any sense, does it?" Taranza agreed.

"And here I was, thinking he seemed like a pretty cool guy who could come and hang out with us sometime, but it turns out he's insane! I hope he doesn't think acting like a hero character is cool! That's so low, it makes me sick!" Francisca exclaimed, slamming her head on the table.

Zan rolled her eyes at Francisca, and turned back to Taranza. "Are you positive you've never met him before?"

Taranza shifted in his seat. "Well, I guess the true answer would be yes-"

"Okay, what do you mean by true answer?" Francisca asked, sitting back up. "Either you met him or you didn't."

"Well, it's...you're going to think I'm weird, but I first met him in a dream...I think."

Both Francisca and Zan burst into laughter, and Taranza gave them both a look.

"Taranza, I think you've been watching too much shows!" Francisca grinned.

"C'mon, that's mean, this is really bugging me!" Taranza exclaimed.

"I've got it all figured out." Francisca said. "You two knew each other in a past life, and fate has reached across time and space to bring you together again!"

Zan shook her head at Francisca's antics. "In your dream, what happened when you met him?"

"That's the thing, I can't really remember." Taranza shrugged. "I do remember it was a really weird dream."

"Well, if you want my opinion, I think it's totally possible you've met Magolor somewhere before."

"Huh?" Taranza asked.

"You may not remember it, but your subconscious certainly took note of him. Then, your subconscious brought up the image of him in your dream."

"Seriously? Isn't that a little bit too coincidental?" Francisca asked, raising an eyebrow at Zan.

Zan shrugged. "Maybe."

He pulled out his phone. "Oh God, is it that late already? Sorry guys, I have to go. Parents want me home studying by five thirty."

"And there's another reason I'm glad my parents don't get on me about grades." Francisca said as Zan stood, picking up her backpack.

"We should get going, too." Taranza agreed, standing up from the table.

"Hey, Taranza. Would you mind if we stop by the music store on the way home?" Francisca asked.

"Sure. Something for him, again?" Taranza asked.

"Yeah, maybe." Francisca admitted, smiling a little.

***

Farther away, a small creature that resembled a crown flied throughout a dark corridor. Bright red blasts of light shot at it, and it dodged almost every single one before being hit, sending it crashing to the ground. It quickly got back up and darted further into the darkness.

A figure stepped into the hall. A boy.

He stood there for a few moments, before heading in the same direction the creature had ran, his cape flying out from behind him, providing the only splash of color in the whole corridor.

***

Taranza slid his headphones at the station next to Francisca, and scrolled through the options of songs on the screen in front of him absentmindedly. He selected one with a title so long it didn't fit on the screen. Just the genre he liked best.

He closed his eyes and bobbed his head to the music, and finally felt relaxed for the first time that day. He hadn't realized how on edge the whole Magolor situation had left him until that moment, where it was just him and some music he liked.

"Help me!"

Taranza's eyes opened with a start as he heard a voice. He looked over at Francisca, wondering if she was just trying to scare him, but no. Francisca was intently staring at the screen, not paying any attention to Taranza.

Taranza wondeed if he had maybe heard someone else.

"Taranza, help me!"

Taranza turned around when he heard the voice again, but no one else in the store was looking his way. Taranza cupped a hand around his horn, wondering if he was just hearing things.

"Please, help me!"

The voice sounded like it was coming from outside the store and somewhere in the mall. Taranza walked out of the store towards the voice, both curious and concerned.

Francisca looked over to see her friend leaving the store without her, and slid the headphones off of her ears.

"Taranza?" She asked, but Taranza was too far away to hear her.

***

Taranza had walked all the way to a part of the mall that was marked as under construction. No other people were around.

"Hello?" He asked aloud. "Are you here?"

"Help me..." The voice spoke again, but it sounded like it was getting weaker. Taranza was certain it was coming from inside the area under construction.

He carefully slipped through the door, hoping that no one would see him and that he wouldn't get into massive trouble for being somewhere off limits. He didn't think 'I heard a voice begging me to help them coming from here' would be a good enough excuse for any mall cop.

He walked slowly through the dark corridor, his nerves starting to get the better of him.

"Where are you?" He called. "Um...do I know you? How do you know my name?"

He froze when he heard something moving above him, and looked up to see a ceiling panel shaking.

Suddenly, it fell through, crashing to the ground. Taranza stumbled backwards, and ended up falling to the ground on his back.

He pushed himself up onto his hands, and looked in front of him to see what looked to be like a very small crown . It was bleeding, and didn't seem like it would be alive much longer.

Taranza got closer, scooping up the small crown in his arms. "Are...are you what was calling out to me?"

He felt stupid for even suggesting it, but the crown looked up at him, and Taranza heard the voice in his mind, clear as a bell.

"Help me..."

A sudden crash startled Taranza, and he snapped his head up to see a person standing in front of him.

"Magolor?"

"Get away from that creature." Magolor said, staring at Taranza.

Magolor was in the same strange outfit he had worn in Taranza's dream, and Taranza felt like it was too spot on to be a coincidence. Same blue clothes, same white cape.

"But...but it's really hurt!" Taranza protested.

Something told Taranza that Magolor was trying to kill the crown, and Taranza instinctively turned so that he was guarding the crown. "Don't do something cruel! Why are you trying to hurt it?"

"This doesn't concern you." Magolor said, taking a few steps towards Taranza.

"But he called out to me! He was asking me to help him!" Taranza exclaimed.

"Really?" Magolor asked, but he didn't seem like he would care what the answer was.

For ten long seconds, they both stayed in silence, looking at each other. Taranza wasn't sure what was going to happen once the tension broke.

Suddenly, a continuous spray of foam was blasting at Magolor, knocking him down. Taranza turned to see Francisca with a fire extinguisher in her hands, spraying it directly at Magolor.

"Over here, Taranza!" Francisca called.

"Fran!" Taranza exclaimed, relieved. He stood, running over to his friend, the crown still in his arms.

Francisca finished spraying the foam, and threw the fire extinguisher in Magolor's direction. "Come on!" She yelled to Taranza, and both of them started running down the corridor.

Taranza didn't look back to see if the fire extinguisher had actually hit Magolor. He followed Francisca down the hall as fast as her legs could take him, more scared than she had ever been in her life.

"Now he's attacking you in disguise?" Francisca asked as they ran. "What's his problem? And what's that thing you're carrying? It looks like a stuffed toy, is it alive?"

"I don't know!" Taranza exclaimed. "I don't know what any of this means, but we have to save it!"

They ran towards the exit, but seconds before they reached it, it vanished, and they were left in what seemed like a giant room made completely of paper mache that was consistently changing. Short walls and piles of seemingly random distorted flowers kept reappearing and disappearing.

"Wha-where'd the exit go?" Francisca asked, looking around. "Where are we?"

"I don't like this," Taranza said. "Everything keeps changing!"

"Oh, crap. How are we supposed to leave now?"

Taranza jumped when he heard something behind him. "I think something's over there!"

A strange creature jumped out from behind a pile of the flowers. It looked like a cotton ball with a mustache and legs, only it had dark sunken eyes that reminded Taranza of a slightly fluffier version of something straight out of Silent Hill.

He screamed more high pitched than he would have liked to admit, and backed up.

"No good! There's more over here, too!" Francisca exclaimed, stopping Taranza from backing up any further.

They stood back to back as more of the creatures appeared, surrounding them.

"This is a dream." Francisca muttered. "I'm stuck in some crazy dream, but I am dreaming, right? Right, Taranza?"

Taranza didn't respond, only held the crown closer to him in fear.

Suddenly, ribbons dropped from the ceiling, forming a circle that blocked the creatures from them. A blinding pink light shone from the ribbons towards the creatures, and both boys shielded their eyes. When the light died, they looked back to see the creatures gone.

"Woah." Francisca said.

"What?" Taranza asked.

"That was a close one, wasn't it?"

The two turned to see a girl walking towards them. She had pink hair, and she held a strange looking pink gem in her hand that gave off a bright light.

"But don't worry, you're safe now." She looked at the crown in Taranza's arms. "Oh, you rescued Mistilteinn for me! Thank you! It's a dear friend of mine, I was so worried!"

"It..." Taranza started, not really certain what to make of the girl. "He called out to me. I could hear his voice inside my head."

"Ah, I see." The girl said. "Those uniforms, they're from the local middle school, right? Are you eighth graders?"

"Hang on." Francisca said. "Who are you?"

"Oh, that's right. I should probably introduce myself." The girl said.

At that moment, multiple chains embellished with thorns shot out of the ground behind the girl, and more of the strange creatures appeared behind the chains. Taranza jumped back, and almost fell over.

"Actually, it's going to have to wait a bit." The girl said, and turned towards the monsters.

She threw the pink gem into the air, and it levitated in midair, before starting to glow even brighter than before.

The girl looked back to Taranza and Francisca. "Please excuse me, I have to wrap this up first."

She stepped underneath the gem, and she herself began to glow pink.

Taranza blinked, and she was stood in a different outfit, the gem above her head gone. She was dressed completely in pink, aside from a few white accents.

The girl jumped into the air and levitated there, which would have been enough to blow Taranza's mind, but then she waved her hand, and somewhere around one hundred pink muskets appeared in the air around her, all pointed towards the monsters.

She raised her hand, and all of the muskets fired at once, the bullets slicing through the monsters. The monsters disappeared the second the bullets touched them, and the girl dropped back down to the ground.

Francisca and Taranza stood with their mouths wide open, not being able to believe what they were seeing.

The strange paper mache room dissipated around them, revealing that they were back in the dark corridor.

"We're back!" Francisca said, sighing in relief.

Taranza turned when he heard the sound of a person landing on the ground, and there he saw Magolor. Magolor stood opposite of them and the girl, and for once, his eyes weren't on Taranza. He was glaring at the girl.

The girl smiled at him. "The warlock escaped. If you head after it now, you might be able to catch it. I won't mind if you take it this time."

"I still have work here." Magolor said in his usual flat tone.

"You don't read between the lines very well, do you?" The girl said. "I'm telling you that I'm willing to overlook this."

There was silence, something Taranza was starting to get used to. Francisca stood in front of Taranza, partially blocking him and the crown from Magolor.

"Honestly, don't you think it would be better if we didn't do this right now?" The girl asked.

Magolor stayed still and silent for a few more seconds. Finally, he slowly turned around, and walked down the hall opposite from where he had came.

Both Francisca and Taranza let out a sigh of relief, and Taranza looked up to see to see the girl smiling at them.

***

Taranza watched the glow come from the girl's hands over top of the crown, who had been set carefully on the ground. The crown'sinjuries slowly healed completely as the girl held her hands over him, and slowly, the crown opened it's eyes.

It sat up, and Francisca leaned away from it as if she were scared of it.

"Thank you, Susie!" The crown said. "You're a life saver!"

"I'm not the one you should be thanking." The girl, Susie, said, smiling. "They saved you, I was just passing by."

The crown turned towards Taranza and Francisca. "Thank you very much! My name is Mistilteinn!"

"Were you the one who was calling me?" Taranza asked, staring at the crown in wonder.

"Yes I was, Taranza! And Francisca!"

Taranza'seyes widened. "Woah, hang on a second, how do you know our names?"

"I called you because I have a proposition for the both of you!"

"What do you mean?" Taranza asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I want you both to make contracts with me, and become magical peeps!"

Chapter 2: That Sounds Wonderful

Summary:

After bringing Taranza and Francisca to her apartment, Susie, along with Mistilteinn, provides them with some much-needed explanations, and how to be magical peeps.

Chapter Text

"I'm Susie Haltmann. I'm a ninth grader at the local high school. And-"

Mistilteinn jumped into her arms as she stood up.

"Once I made a contract with Mistilteinn, and then I became a magical girl!"

***

Taranza's eyes slowly opened to see his familiar bedroom ceiling above him.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and yawned.

"Another weird dream." He mumbled to himself.

He looked at the collection of stuffed animals on his shelf, and there sat Mistilteinn .

"Good morning, Taranza!" Mistilteinn said, tilting its head to the side.

Taranza jumped a little, taking a second to remember what had happened yesterday hadn't been a dream, and laughed.

 

***

"Woah, cool apartment!" Francisca said amazed, as she and Taranza followed Susie into the room.

"Well, thank you!." Susie smiled. "I live alone, so feel free to make yourselves at home. But by the way of refreshments, I don't really have much."

In a matter of fifteen minutes, Taranza and Francisca were sitting on a small couch opposite of Susie, who sat in a chair. Each of them had a cup of tea, and they were drinking as they talked.

"So, since Mistilteinn chose the both of you, that means you're both involved in this, like it or not." Susie said. "I figured it'd be a good idea to have a chat."

"Sure, ask us anything you'd like." Francisca smiled.

"Francisca, I think you've got it backwards." Taranza said looking at the blue haired girl.

Susie smiled, and pulled the same pink gem they had seen earlier out of her pocket.

"Woah, that seems cool!" Taranza said, staring at the gem.

"It's called a Soul Gem." Susie explained. "When Mistilteinn chooses a person, one is created when they make a contract with it to become a magical person. It's the source of our magic, and proves that we're magical people."

"What's this contract you keep talking about?" Francisca asked, tilting her head.

"I will grant you one wish!" Mistilteinn said. "Any wish you desire!"

"Woah, really?" Francisca asked surprised.

"Anything at all?" Taranza added.

"Of course!" Mistilteinn said. "I can grant the most impossible of miracles."

"So, we could wish for anything?" Francisca asked. "Like, a mountain of treasure? Or eternal youth? Or a one-hundred course feast?"

"Maybe that last one's a bit much." Taranza grinned.

"In exchange for that wish, your Soul Gem is created." Mistilteinn explained. "However, if you possess a Soul Gem, it is your duty to fight witches and warlocks."

Taranza and Francisca both looked over at Susie, confused.

"Witches and warlocks?" Taranza asked, as he put one of his hand under his chin, confused.

 

***

Taranza was jolted out of his thoughts by the sound of the tap being turned back on.

"Hey, Joronia..." Taranza asked.

"Hm?"

"If someone came to you, and told you that you could have one wish, any wish in the world, what would it be?"

Joronia hesitated. "Huh. That's a weird one, even for you, Taranza."

"Hey!"

Joronia shrugged. "I don't know. I'd probably wish to be even more pretty. You know how much i put effort into my beauty."

"But you are already pretty, majesty!" Taranza said.

"I know but i work too hard into being pretty to everyone, Taranza, and you know it. But hey, wish or no wish, I got it under control. I hope." Joronia gived a small smile, and left the bathroom.

Taranza turned back to the sink, letting his thoughts drift again.

***

"So, what is a witch or a warlock? Are they different from magical people?" Francisca asked.

"If magical people are said to be born from wishes, then witches and warlocks are born from curses." Mistilteinn said. "Magical people bring hope to the world, witches and warlocks bring despair. And because they are invisible to humans, they're that much more insidious. Anxiety, mistrust, anger, hatred? A witch or a warlock spread these emotions like the plague."

"Things like suicides that can't be explained and murders without any motive? A witch's or warlock's curse is most likely the cause." Susie added. "It festers inside a person, and grows and grows until it consumes them from the inside out."

"If there are things like that out there, why don't people know about them?" Francisca asked, leaning forward slightly, anxious to hear more.

"They're very careful not to allow any humans to see them." Mistilteinn explained. "They hide deep within labyrinths they create. That maze-like place you were in today? Where everything kept changing? That was a labyrinth."

"To be honest, you were both in a lot of danger." Susie said. "Labyrinths are fatal to humans. If a human wanders into one, they very rarely make it out alive."

"Is that what you do, Susie? You fight these things?" Taranza asked.

She nodded. "Most times, at the risk of my own life. That's why you really need to think before deciding. Mistilteinn chose you and offered a rare chance. It's true it'll grant you any wish you desire, but remember, danger and death come with that deal."

"Ugh, now I'm stressed." Francisca said, falling back against the back of the couch.

"No kidding." Taranza agreed.

Susie smiled. "I know it's a tough decision, so maybe you two could join me on a few witch hunts? Seeing what fighting them is like may help you to make your decision."

"Really?" Taranza and Francisca said, almost simultaneously.

"Why not?" Susie replied. "Although, you should think about your decision. Ask yourselves if there's something you want bad enough that you'd risk your life for it."

 

***

"Good morning!" Taranza yelled as he flied to catch up with Francisca and Zan, who were walking alone on the path to school.

"Bonjam, Taranza" Zan said, turning around to see him.

"Bonjam Taranza, what's u-um!" Francisca said, turning to see Mistilteinn perched on Taranza's shoulder, only to get a wave from the crown creature.

Zan looked over at Francisca's shocked expression. "You look like you're going to be sick, Francis, are you alright?"

"I-" Francisca stuttered. "I'm fine. Let's keep going."

"Okay?" Zan said, confused, but they continued walking, with Taranza close behind.

"It looks like we can talk to each other like this now." Taranza thought, testing out a trick Mistilteinn had told him about earlier.

When Francisca jumped, Taranza guessed it had worked.

Francisca turned, staring at him, and Taranza heard her voice in his head.

"What? You mean we already have magical powers?"

"No, no." Taranza heard Mistilteinn's voice. "I just connected you two to my telepathy powers. It's much easier to communicate about things around others, doesn't it?"

Francisca turned back around, ignoring the strange look Zan was giving her. "It feels sort of...weird."

As Taranza caught up with Francisca, he heard Zan speak up. "Hey, what's going on, you two? You keep staring at each other."

"Oh, nothing's really going on." Taranza said, staring at the floor. He was a terrible liar.

Zan dropped her schoolbag. "No way. You two did not."

"What?" Francisca asked.

"You're looking at each other like you can speak to each other with just your eyes. But it takes a lot to get to that level of trust, so what the hell did you do after I left yesterday?"

"Ugh, I can't believe you're going there." Francisca said.

"Well a lot of things happen yesterday, but-" Taranza started only to be interrupted by Zan

"...Wait no..." Zan said "You guys are dating!?" But you are a girl and he's a boy! Girls can't love boys! girls can't love boys, girls can't love boys!" She exclamed running away

"Hey wait!, you forgot your bag!" Francisca exclamed as she grabbed her schoolbag only to be ignored "Well, that's bad, she got the wrong idea" she sighed as she saw Taranza.

...

Taranza sat down at his desk, and Mistilteinn  hopped off of his shoulder, sitting down on top of it.

Francisca sat down at her own seat, next to Taranza. "Hey, are you sure it's a good idea for you to be here, Mistilteinn?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Mistilteinn asked.

"Well, that cat guy who was trying to kill you yesterday just transferred to our class. Aren't you worried he might try to hurt you?"

"Actually, I think school is the safest place for me. He can't lash out at me here, it would only cause people to think he was going nuts. Besides, Susie is here!"

"Not really. Susie is at the school next door, the high school." Taranza protested.

"Don't worry, I can hear you all perfectly."

Taranza and Francisca jumped at the sound of Susie's voice.

"I can still reach her from here with my telepathy." Mistilteinn explained.

"O-oh! Good morning!" Taranza said.

"Don't worry about it, you two. I'll keep a close watch. Besides, it doesn't seem like the type to strike out in public."

"If you say so." Francisca said.

Almost as if on cue, Magolor walked into class, sitting down at his desk a few rows in front of Taranza.

"Ugh, speak of the devil." Francisca said.

Taranza scooped up Mistilteinn, hugging it closer to keep it safe as Magolor turned, staring at him just as he had done yesterday.

Just like he had earlier, Taranza thought about the night before.

***

"So, that transfer student, he's like you? A magical person?" Francisca asked.

"Yes, there's no doubt. And he appears to be a very powerful one as well." Susie replied.

"Well, then, he's a good guy, right? If he fights warlocks and witches and stuff. So, why would he attack Taranza out of the blue like that?"

"It was me he was after." Mistilteinn spoke up. "I think he was trying to keep me from making a new contract with another magical person."

"But, why would he do that?" Francisca asked. "If we're all on the same side, and we're all fighting the same enemy, wouldn't it be better if there were more of us?"

Taranza noted how Francisca was already referring to magical people as "us". Maybe she had already made his decision.

"Actually, not exactly." Susie said. "It's more common for magical people to fight each other."

"What? But why?" Taranza asked.

"When you defeat a witch or a warlock, you get certain rewards that are extremely valuable to a magical person. That's why, given some circumstances, magical people will fight each other for the right to those rewards."

"So, the reason that transfer student was staring at Taranza was because he knew Mistilteinn was trying to contact him? He saw Taranza as competition?" Francisca asked.

"Most likely, yes." Susie said, and waved her hand over her gem, and it shrunk into a small charm, latching on to a pair of headphones around her head.

***

"Don't worry, Taranza."

Francisca's voice brought Taranza back to the present, as Magolor continued to stare at him.

"If he tries anything or steps out of line, I'll punch his lights out. Besides, Susie is here to back us up."

"That's right." Susie said. "I'm right next door, so there's nothing to worry about, regardless of Francisca and her punches."

"Hey, what do you mean regardless?" Francisca asked, and Taranza laughed a little.

***

During lunch, Taranza and Francisca made their way to the roof of the school alone. Zan had gotten caught up with some of his other friends from her History class, and had gone to sit with them in the main cafeteria. Today, the rooftop was quiet, with no one but Taranza and Francisca to enjoy it.

"Hey, Ranz." Francisca started. "You figure out what you want to wish for?"

"No." Taranza admitted. "What about you?"

"I don't have a clue." Francisca said, stretching her arms. "I'm totally stumped. There's a lot of things I want, but maybe it's the risk your life part that's getting me. Nothing I want's really worth that much."

"Yeah." Taranza sighed, as Francisca stood, walking over to the fence that surrounded the rooftop and looked out over the city.

"That's so odd." Mistilteinn said. "Most people I make my offer to accept immediately."

"Huh. Then I guess we don't know any better." Francisca said.

"You think?" Taranza asked.

"Yep. We're blissfully ignorant." Francisca said. "Just think about it. Have you ever wanted something so bad that you'd trade your life for it? There's plenty of people with a lot less than us who would jump at a chance like this."

Taranza stared at her as Francisca's fingers tightened around the chain-link fence.

"We can't figure out what to wish for. That makes us blissfully ignorant to any kind of suffering. Why us? Why did we get this chance?"

"Francisca..." Taranza said.

"It's not fair, y'know?" Francisca said, turning back around. "I get to have a wish, but there's a lot of people who deserve it a lot more."

At that moment, another person walked out on to the roof, and Taranza immediately stood up, blocking Mistilteinn.

Magolor.

Francisca ran over, standing next to Taranza.

"Don't worry."

They both jumped slightly at the voice, and turned to see Susie standing on the roof of the high school, holding up her Soul Gem. Watching. Ready to fight if necessary. Taranza suddenly felt a lot safer.

"So, you're not satisfied with yesterday and you're back for more?" Francisca asked, glaring daggers at Magolor .

"I'm not here to fight." Magolor said in his usual tone. "I wanted to kill it before it made contact with Taranza. It's too late for that now."

Magolor looked at Taranza, staring him directly in the eyes. "So, now what? Are you going to make a contract?"

"Um..." Taranza said.

"Yeah, right. Like it's any of your business." Francisca retorted.

Magolor ignored her. "I warned you yesterday. Do you remember that?"

"Yes." Taranza said.

"Good. I hope my warning's not in vain." Magolor said, and turned, beginning to leave the rooftop.

"Magolor, wait!" Taranza called, and Magolor stopped, but didn't turn around.

"When you made your contract, what did you wish for?"

Magolor turned his head slightly, staring at Taranza , and Magolor might have imagined it, but it seemed like he was almost sad.

Not saying anything, Magolor turned back around, and left the rooftop.

***

"Hey, Zan."

Taranza watched as Zan turned from her locker to the sound of Francisca's voice.

"Sorry, but we have a few errands to run, so-" Francisca started.

"Something private?" Zan asked.

"Well-" Taranza started.

Zan sighed. "Alright, so maybe I'm a little jealous, but it's cool. Go do your boyfriend stuff or whatever, but I gotta go. See you!"

She waved as she left, and Francisca sighed. "Once again, she's got it all wrong."

"At least she's not mad at us." Taranza suggested.

...

"Okay, time for lesson one of the Being a Magical Person Experience." Susie smiled as she, Taranza, and Francisca sat around the table in the small cafe. "That's what I like to call it, anyway."

"I don't know if it'll make much of a difference, but-" Francisca started, reaching into her bag and pulling out a firelighter. "I brought this! I mean, I know it's not much, but I figured it'd be better than going in with nothing right?"

"Well, let's just say I'm glad you're going into this with that mindset." Susie smiled at her, making Francisca blush for a moment then turned towards Taranza.

"What about you, Taranza? What'd you bring?"

"Oh, um..." Taranza said, rummaging through his bag and pulling out a notebook. "I didn't really prepare anything, but I was just doodling these in class, and I figured it'd be a good idea to come up with a costume idea?"

Both Francisca and Susie looked at Taranza's doodles, and then started to giggle to each other.

Taranza sighed, sinking lower in his chair.

"You've certainly got enough spirit for this!" Susie said.

"That's awesome! You've totally got my firelighter beat!" Francisca smiled.

***

The three of them stood together in the same abandoned hallway they had been in yesterday, surrounding Susie's disembodied hand, where her Soul Gem sat. It faintly glowed in short bursts.

"It's detecting the witch's magic." Susie explained. "When we hunt, we have to scour the city on foot. Once your Soul Gem picks up a trail, you simply follow it until you find a witch or a warlock."

"Oh. That's it, huh?" Francisca said, as they began to walk, following Susie's trail.

After a while, they had made it to a bridge nearing the edge of town.

"So, what now? Your gem's not glowing any brighter." Francisca pointed out.

"That's because it's been a full day since the witch escaped." Susie replied. "The trail's gotten pretty faint."

"So, if you had followed it right after it attacked us yesterday..." Taranza began.

"I may have been able to finish it off, but I would have had to leave you two behind. After what you had seen, I didn't want to risk it."

"Sorry." Taranza apologized, staring at his shoes.

"Don't be." Susie smiled. "It's no problem."

"Yep! You're truly an ally of justice, Susie!" Francisca grinned. "Not like that transfer student. What's his deal, anyway? He really gets under my nerves!"

Taranza thought about the slightly sad look Magolor had given him that afternoon, right after Taranza had asked what he had wished for.

I wonder, Taranza thought to himself. Is he really a bad person?

"Hey, Susie?" Francisca said, seemingly finished with yelling about Magolor. "When you're hunting a witch, do you go any place special to find them?"

Susie thought for a minute before responding. "Well, yes. Sometimes you can find traces of a witch or a warlock around fatal car crashes, so I check streets with heavy traffic. Then, I check more violent parts of the city, where fights tend to break out more. Also, I check out of the way places that people might go to commit suicide. Then, I check hospitals. It's unbearable to see them there, sucking the life from a helpless person who's already weak from illness."

Suddenly, she stopped as her Soul Gem began glowing a bright yellow.

"It's picked up some powerful magic." She said. "And it's close."

***

Francisca and Taranza followed Susie as she ran towards the front of an abandoned building, her Soul Gem growing brighter with every stride.

"There's no mistake." She said. "It's here!"

Francisca gasped. "Look, up there!"

A woman was standing at the ledge of the top of the building, and right after Francisca yelled, she jumped, starting to fall from the ground.

Taranza screamed, and Francisca covered her eyes, but Susie jumped into action, transforming and sending a net of robotic ribbons up to catch the woman, lowering her safely to the ground.

Francisca and Taranza ran up to Susie, who was staring at a strange mark on the woman's neck that appeared to be shaped like a butterfly.

"A Witch's Kiss." Susie said. "I knew it."

"Is she dead?" Taranza asked.

"No, she just fainted, that's all. We've got to go, come on!"

She ran to the door, Susie and Taranza close behind, before slowing to a walk as she entered, as if she was afraid she'd set off a land mine. The two boys copied her pace, looking around the abandoned building for anything strange. Francisca held up her firelighter in defense.

Suddenly, a glowing circle appeared in front of them, with the same insignia they had seen on the woman's neck brandished across it.

Susie smiled. "I won't let you get away this time."

She reached over, placing a hand on Francisca's firelighter, and instantly, it changed into a much more impressive looking one, and it glowed slightly.

"Woah, look at that!" Francisca exclaimed, as Susie began to ascend a set of steps up to the portal.

"I know it's not much, but it will help you fend off anything that tries to attack." She said, stopping at the entrance of the portal. "But once we're in there, stay close, okay?"

"Okay!" Taranza and Francisca said in unison, and raced up the stairs to meet her, all three of them entering the portal together.

***

As they ran through the labyrinth, strange creatures continued to fly at the three of them. Susie must have made at least fifteen different muskets appear when not even fifteen minutes had passed, shooting down the strange creatures that reminded Taranza of scary looking ice-cream cones.

"Get back! Get back!" Francisca yelled, swinging her firelighter, which created a shield behind the three of them, blocking the strange creatures from hitting them from behind.

"So, how about it?" Susie asked as they ran through yet another hallway. "Are you two scared yet?"

"Y-yeah right!" Francisca yelled. "As if!" This made Susie laugh until she stopped, holding her arm out to block the two of them from going over a bridge that the strange creatures were zooming over top, making it impossible to pass. She made another gun materialize, and shot it at the creatures, and as one came to close, slammed the gun into the creature's body, causing it to fall apart.

Francisca and Taranza watched, not noticing the huge swarm of the creatures forming behind them, before Susie turned around.

"Duck!" She yelled, and they obeyed, watching as she shot the swarm once, twice, three times before it finally evaporated into nothing.

I am scared, Taranza thought. But...

He didn't have time to finish thinking as they continued to run.

"Keep going!" Mistilteinn encouraged. "We're almost at the center of the labyrinth!"

They stopped at the edge of a pit that was filled with the strange cotton-ball like creatures they had encountered yesterday. Susie jumped down into it, materializing multiple guns behind her and firing all at once, clearing out the pit in seconds.

Suddenly, some invisible force pulled all three of them through a door that appeared, slamming it shut behind them, and when Taranza looked, they were stood at the edge of another pit, only this one was much larger. In the center, stood a giant being that looked as though it was made of a disgusting combination of paper mache and human organs.

"Look. That is a witch." Susie said.

"Ew, gross..." Francisca muttered.

"You're going to fight that thing?" Taranza asked.

"I'll be fine." Susie smiled, taking Francisca's firelighter and absentmindedly spinning it around. "As though I would lose to that!"

Without warning, she slammed the firelighter into the ground, forming a glowing shield around Francisca and Taranza.

"Stay behind, okay?" She called, and jumped into the pit.

The witch immediately turned toward her, and two muskets appeared in her hands.

The witch conjured up-was that a giant couch?-and tossed it directly at Susie, who jumped out of the way and fired at it, disintegrating it into nothing.

The witch began to fly around the room, and Susie conjured group of muskets that stuck out of the ground, taking them one by one and firing at the witch.

Suddenly, a rope shot out of the ground, wrapping around Susie as she tried to get it off of her. She was lifted into the air to the point where she was hanging upside down, and she struggled against the rope as she continued to fire at the witch. The rope lurched backwards, and slammed Susie directly into a wall.

"Oh no!" Francisca yelled. "Susie!"

The rope pulled her back out of the wall, dangling her upside down.

"I'm fine!" She called. "I'm not going to let this thing let me look like a fool in front of my magical person trainees!"

Multiple pink ribbons suddenly shot up from the ground, ensnaring the witch in place.

"Let's wrap this up, shall we?" Susie smiled, as one of the ribbons sliced the rope around her waist, and she was free to move again. She turned herself right-side up in midair, and summoned the largest gun Taranza had ever seen in his life. The end of it glowed as it powered up.

"TIRO FINALE!" Susie yelled, pulling the trigger and firing a huge blast of light towards the witch. The witch was wrapped up in a giant beam of light, and exploded into pieces as Susie touched down to the ground, brushing off her skirt.

"You won?" Francisca asked.

"Awesome!" Taranza exclaimed.

The Labyrinth began to vanish around them, leaving them on one of the higher floors of the abandoned building. Susie de-transformed, walking over to a small black thing lying on the ground. She picked it up, walking back over to the blue haired girl and the tarantula.

"This is a Grief Seed." She explained. "It's a witch's or a warlock's egg."

"An egg?" Francisca asked.

"Witches and warlocks carry them sometimes. If you're lucky, you'll find one after a battle."

"Don't worry." Mistilteinn said. "When they're like this, they're perfectly safe. In fact, they're valuable because of what they can do."

Susie pulled her Soul Gem from her headphones. "The color of my Soul Gem looks duller than it did last night, doesn't it?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah." Francisca said.

"But, you see, if I do this with the Grief Seed..." Susie said, and touched the Grief Seed to her Soul Gem. Instantly, little clouds of black smoke drifted from the Soul Gem, and were instantly sucked up by the Grief Seed.

"Wow, it cleared right up!" Francisca exclaimed.

"Yep. And the magic I used during that fight has been restored as well." Susie smiled. "Remember when I was talking about rewards? This is it."

She turned towards an empty door frame and threw the Grief Seed towards it. The sound of it hitting the ground, which Taranza expected, did not come.

Magolor stepped through the doorway, holding the Grief Seed in his hand, seeming to have materialized out of thin air.

"It should be good for one more use." Susie said. "Take it, I'm giving it to you, Magolor Starcutter."

"Him again?" Francisca asked, glaring at Dan.

Magolor stayed silent.

"Or are you not the sharing-with-others type?" Susie asked.

"It was your kill." Magolor said. "So keep the reward for yourself."

He threw the Grief Seed back to her, and she caught it with one hand. "Fine then. If that's the way you want it."

Magolor turned, walking out of the room.

"Seriously, what's his problem?" Francisca exclaimed. "He bugs the hell out of me!"

"Why can't we be friends with him?" Taranza asked. "I mean, he is a magical boy."

"He has to want to be friends with us in order for us to be friends with him." Susie said, shaking her head slightly in the direction Magolor had left.

***

Susie sat next to the woman, waiting for her to wake up as the two boys sat a little distance away.

"What...what the...?" The woman mumbled, her eyes opening. "Where am I-oh my gosh!"

She shook, and Susie pulled her in for a hug.

"I jumped, but I don't know why!" The woman cried.

"It's okay, you're safe now." Susie smiled. "It was just a bad dream."

"Well, I guess that's it." Francisca said. "Case closed, huh?"

Taranza nodded. I guess I still don't know what to wish for, He thought.

It's not something I can easily put my finger on. But Susie tries so hard to save people, and does such a great job at it. If someone like me can go around helping people, saving them like she does, then I think that would be truly amazing. 

 

Chapter 3: I'm Not Afraid of Anything Anymore

Summary:

Tensions starts to rise between Susie and Magolor, and when a Grief Seed appears at the nearby hospital, ready to hatch, Francisca stays behind to keep an eye on it while Taranza goes to find Susie.

Notes:

CW: Character Death

Chapter Text

Francisca stood in the hallway of the hospital, outside of the room she had visited just about every day for the past few years. She sucked in a breath, pushing the door open.

Jammerjab turned at the sound of the door opening, and their face brightened at the sight of Francisca. "Bonjam, Francisca!"

Francisac instantly smiled. "Bonjam.."

She walked over to the bed, where Jammerjab was sitting upright. The sterile white sheets were the same as they'd always been, and as usual, there was an extra chair next to it for guests. Francisca was sure she could sit in that chair for hours on end if given the chance.

"I brought you something." Francisca said, reaching into his schoolbag and pulling out the CD he had gone back for the day before. "Here."

"Woah, that's so jamazing!" Jammerjab smiled, taking the CD and reading the name on the cover. "This band's pretty obscure, but they're great! How'd you find this?"

"Oh, y'know," Francisca shrugged. "Luck."

If by "luck", she meant scouring every shelf of the closest three music stores.

"Well then, you've got some of the best luck in the world." Jammerjab said, taking a portable CD player off of the bedside table, along with a pair of earbuds. "You want to listen?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, if you don't mind!" F rancisca said, accepting the other earbud from Jammerjab .

"I'd love to put it on a speaker system and play it loud, but I'm pretty sure the nurses would kill me." Jammerjab laughed.

Francisca went to put the earbud in her ear, but the cord was too short.

"Oops. Here." Jammerjab said, leaning close enough so the cord would reach.

Francisca's heartbeat suddenly felt a lot more noticeable. "T-thanks."

Jammerjab pressed play, and an violin started playing, followed by a set of piano, and ten seconds later, it was a full-on classic song. Francisca still had no idea how they were able to do that with on melody, but they did. She closed her eyes, and imagined the concert she had been to. 

She had been dragged their by her friend Sailor Dee, and she had no interest in going at first. The band had sounded pretentious, but Sailor Dee insisted, and it was her birthday, so Francisca went. She had stayed seated until about halfway through the concert.

"Hey, you know, when you're at a concert, you should at least try to have fun."

And that was when she turned to see Jammerjab, all smirks and sarcasm, but at the same time, genuine kindness behind it all.

That was a year ago, before the car that hadn't seen Jammerjab took out their legs in a millisecond.

Funny how quickly a millisecond can change everything.

Francisca looked up a Jammerjab to see them looking out of the window, tears dripping down their face.

If only I could do something to help them... Francisca thought.

***

"Tiro Finale!"

Taranza shielded his eyes from the bright glow of Susie's gunfire, and as the glow died, he opened his eyes to see the labyrinth fading around them.

Francisca stepped out from behind the bench she had been hiding behind, resting her firelighter on her shoulder.

"That was awesome, Susie! Oh my Floralia, this is so cool!"

Susie laughed. "Thanks, but don't forget, this isn't supposed to be all fun and games. This is always very dangerous."

Her magical girl form disappeared, and Susie was back in her school uniform, her hair back in a curly way with her glasses on.

"Wait a minute." Taranza said, looking around the area. "Where's the Grief Seed?"

Mistilteinn jumped up on Taranza's shoulder. "That was a familiar, not a witch or a warlock. Sometimes, parts of a witch break off from the labyrinth, and they become their own entity. But they don't carry Grief Seeds."

"Huh. Seems a shame to fight them if you don't get anything back. I mean, isn't it just a waste of magic?" Francisca pointed out.

"Well, we can't let familiars just do whatever they please." Susie said. "If a familiar causes enough destruction, they become another witch. We can't let that happen."

"I guess that makes sense." Francisca said, holding her own arms.

"I think it's about time we all head home." Susie said, a smile on her face.

...

"So, any ideas on wishes?" Susie asked as the three of them walked through a street towards Francisca's house, the closest house out of all three of them. The street was mostly empty except for them.

"Nope. Haven't got a clue." Francisca sighed. "What about you, Taranza?"

Taranza shook his head.

Susie laughed. "Well, I'm not surprised. It is pretty tough to think under pressure, you know?"

"Maybe it'll help if you tell us what you wished for, Susie!" Taranza suggested.

Susie stopped, the smile on her face suddenly gone.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Taranza quickly exclaimed, scared he had hurt her somehow. "I didn't mean to pry, I was just curious, and-"

"No, no, it's okay." Susie said, a small smile back on her face when she looked back up. "For me, it was different. Do either of you remember that news of the president of Haltmann Works Company's daughter?"

"Oh my god." Francisca said, realizing what she was getting at.

Susie nodded. "I was in that incident. my dad died, and I was left to die amongst all of the wreckage. There was no way any paramedics could get to me in time. And then Mistilteinn showed up, and that wish was the miracle I needed to survive."

"Oh. Wow..." Taranza said, staring at the ground, slightly embarrassed that he had asked.

"It's not that I regret my decision. I mean, I think that the life I have now is a much better alternative to being dead. But I do think that since you've been given this chance, you should take as much time as you need. That wasn't an option for me."

"Hey, Susie?" Francisca asked.

"Hmm?"

"Does -- and this is just hypothetical-" She started. "When you make a wish, does it have to be for yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Susie asked.

"I mean, say that there was someone who was having a much worse time than I was. Could I use my wish to help them? Would that be wrong?"

"Are you talking about Jammerjab?" Taranza spoke up.

"I said hypothetically, I'm not talking about anyone!" Francisca protested, but Taranza's smile made it clear what he was thinking.

"There's no rule that says the wish has to benefit you." Mistilteinn said. "In fact, people making wishes to help others has happened plenty of times before."

"Although, there is something to say about that." Susie said. "If you're making the wish for someone else, you have to be absolutely sure it's what they want. Ask yourself why you're doing it. Are you truly doing it to help them? Or, on the other hand, are you doing it so that you'll earn never-ending gratitude?"

"Susie..." Taranza said, a little confused by her sudden serious tone.

"The motive behind a wish is the most important part of all." Susie continued. "You know?"

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Franciscasaid. "I was just curious."

"Sorry, but I had to say it now before anything went wrong." Susie said. "If you don't know exactly why you're asking for what you're asking for, you'll most certainly regret it later."

Francisca hesitated for a moment, before a smile appeared on his face. "You're right. I guess I was being a little naive there. My bad."

"That's okay. Remember, neither of you need to rush this." Susie said, returning the smile.

"As far as I'm concerned, the sooner you make your wishes, the better." Mistilteinn piped up.

"Oh, you silly crown." Susie laughed. "Haven't you heard? Nobody likes a pushy creature!"

***

"Deciding what to wish for is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

Taranza was lying on his bed, staring up at his bedroom ceiling. The sky was dark outside, and his clock read 1:22 A.M.

"As much as I'd like to help, I can't." Mistilteinn said from the bedside table where it was sitting. "Suggesting a wish is also against the rules."

"Would wishing to be a magical person be dumb?" Taranza asked. "It's the only wish in my head right now."

Mistilteinn tilted its head to the side. "Taranza, do you just wish to become powerful?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't care less about being powerful." Taranza said, but then thought for a second. "Although, I guess, maybe a little bit. I mean, I'm not very smart, and I don't have any talents. I think I'm one of those people where if I just disappeared, the world wouldn't be impacted too much. But if I could become someone who's as wonderful and cool as Susie is, I think that would be all I need to make me happy."

"If you became a magical boy, you'd be much more powerful than Susie."

"What?" Taranza asked, turning his head to look at the crown.

"It's true." Mistilteinn said. "Although, a lot of it depends on the type of wish you make. Let me put it this way: I can't even begin to predict how large your Soul Gem would be. I've never met a person with so much potential before."

"Oh, come on." Taranza  said, propping himself up on his elbow. "You're joking, right?"

"No. Not in the slightest. I don't know what it is, but I think that you would be one of, if not the most powerful magical person in the entire world if you made the contract. You could probably take out a warlock or a witch with a snap of your fingers."

"Oh." Taranza said, turning back to look at the ceiling, having trouble processing the news.

...

Susie walked through the courtyard, her Soul Gem in her hand. She stared at it intently, but nothing about its glow changed. She sighed, transforming it back into the charm on her necklace. She could have sworn she had seen some sort of witch activity around here.

"You do realize what you're doing, right?"

Susie jumped, the sudden voice startling her, and she turned to see Magolor behind her, standing so that he was just barely visible in the shadows. He seemed like some sort of ghost.

How did he always manage to pop up behind her?

"You're leading innocent bystanders into danger." Magolor said, stepping a little further into the light.

Susie narrowed her eyes. "They were chosen by Mistilteinn. They aren't innocent bystanders anymore."

Magolor's expression didn't change. "You're leading them so that they'll want to be magical persons."

"And you don't like that?" Susie said, and began to mess with the charm around her headphones.

The message, though subtle, was clear. I'm not afraid to fight you if I have to.

Magolor eyed the charm. "No. I don't. Particularly in Taranza's case."

Susie smirked. "I see. So you've noticed it as well? That their potential levels are through the roof?"

"He will not make the contract." Magolor said, his fists clenching. "He will not become like us."

"Afraid that a magical boy stronger than you will get in your way?" Susie asked, giving him a smile that was a little too sweet to be genuine. "Because, I hate to tell you, you'd be acting like a childish bully if that was the case."

Ten long seconds of silence ensued.

"I don't want to fight you, but-" Magolor began.

"Then you should take great care never to see me again." Susie said, her tone still kind despite the words she was speaking. "It's none of your business whether or not Taranza and Francisca make their contracts. You may not want to fight me, and I don't wish to fight you, but if necessary, I will not hesitate to in the future."

Susie turned, and began to walk away, but stopped.

He turned towards Magolor. "Oh, and I'll have you know, Taranza seems set on making the contract. Good luck changing their mind."

And with that, Susie turned and walked away, and Magolor was left alone in the darkened courtyard.

***

The hospital elevator door opened with a ding, and Francisca stepped back out into the lobby, where Taranza was waiting on one of the benches.

"Hey. Sorry for the wait." Francisca said, waving a little.

"Something the matter?" Taranza asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Apparently, they dont want visitors today. Come on, let's go." Francisca said, and the two of them walked outside, starting down the sidewalk next to the hospital that lead back to Francisca's house.

"And I came all this way, too. How rude." Francisca said, walking slightly ahead of Taranza.

Taranza turned his head, and his eye caught on something.

"Uh, Francisca?"

"Hm?"

"Over there, can you see that?"

Francisca walked over to where Taranza was stood, and could see something embedded into the wall of the hospital. It glowed in pulses of light.

"It's a Grief Seed!" Mistilteinn exclaimed. "It's about to hatch!"

"Oh no, what's it doing here?" Taranza exclaimed.

"A labyrinth is about to open up, we have to go!" Mistilteinn said.

"You mean one of those mazes?" Francisca asked. "Taranza, do you have Susie's number?"

Taranza shook his head, and Francisca's heart sank.

"What do we do?" She said to herself, and after a few seconds of thinking, she looked back up. "I've got it. You go find Susie and bring her back here. I'll stay here, and keep an eye on it."

"Francisca , you can't!" Taranza exclaimed.

"Taranza's right. It's too dangerous. We still have time before the Grief Seed hatches, but once the labyrinth is formed, you won't be able to leave. Susie might not be back in time to save you."

"But if we run, it's just going to run rampant, and then well lose it!" Francisca said. "I can't let that happen. Especially not here."

"Francisca..." Taranza said, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

Mistilteinn jumped down from where it has been sitting on Taranza's shoulder.

"Taranza, you go get Susie. I'll stay here with Francisca. That way, if the labyrinth opens up, Susie can use telepathy to track my position. If we're not here, I can guid her down the shortest route to us."

Francisca smiled, feeling a little braver about the situation. "Thanks, Mistilteinn."

"Okay. I'll go get Susie as fast as I can!" Taranza exclaimed, and he ran down the path, on his way to Susie's house.

Francisca turned to stare at the Grief Seed, and right as she did, it suddenly burst into a bright light. Francisca covered her eyes, and when the glow died, she was standing in a different place entirely. A labyrinth that had random assortments of typical hospital supplies in muted and dark colors was flashing around him.

Mistilteinn jumped onto her shoulder. "The Grief Seed still hasn't hatched. We should go and find it."

"Okay." Francisca said, and began to walk through the labyrinth's pathways.

"So. Are you scared?" Mistilteinn asked.

"Well, yeah, a little." Francisca admitted, only hearing her footsteps echo.

"All you'd have to do is make a wish." Mistilteinn said. "I could turn you into a magical girl here and now."

Francisca spotted the Grief Seed a few feet away. It was surrounded by a cage, and a large red sign above it read "OPERATION IN PROGRESS".

"Well if things get bad enough, I might just ask you to do that." Francisca said. "But this wish thing is important to me. I don't want to make my decision in a rush if I can help it."

***

Susie ran up to the wall of the hospital, Taranza right on her heels.

"This is it?" Susie asked, and Taranza nodded.

Susie held the charm of her headphones out, and what looked like a portal opened up on the wall. A witch's symbol was glowing across it, as if it were a hologram.

Susie closed her eyes, and Taranza could hear her voice inside his head as she spoke in telepathy.

"What's happening, Mistilteinn?"

"It's alright. The Grief Seed hasn't hatched yet." Mistilteinn responded.

"Francisca, are you okay?" Taranza asked, having had worried about her since the second he had left.

"Of course. I'm so bored I'm about to fall asleep." Francisca said, and Taranza instantly relaxed. Francisca was okay. Thank Floralia.

"I wouldn't advise using large amounts of magic." Mistilteinn said. "You might disturb the Seed. You don't need to come quickly, just do it as quietly as possible."

"Got it." Susie replied, turned to look at Taranza, and gestured toward the portal.

"Shall we?"

***

"Thank god we made it." Taranza remarked as he walked through the labyrinth behind Susie.

"I'm a little angry, though." Susie said. "Francisca took a huge risk. Although, here, I guess it paid off. Now, we don't have to worry about the witch getting-"

She looked behind her, intending to look at Taranza , but her eyes locked onto something else. Taranza turned to see whatever she was looking at, and saw a very familiar person in a red cape approaching.

Magolor.

"I thought I told you yesterday." Susie said, shaking her head slightly. "You're very stubborn, aren't you?"

"I'm going to be the one to kill this witch." Magolor said. "The two of you should leave immediately."

"Let me think about it." Susie said, tapping a finger on her chin. "No."

"It's not safe in here for regular persons." Magolor said. "And Taranza is a regular person."

Taranza tensed at Magolor mentioning him. It always felt weird. Like Magolor knew more about Taranza than he was letting on.

But that was impossible. He'd only just moved to the city a few days ago.

"Of course it's not safe. That's why I'm here." Susie said. "I'm here to find Francisca and kill this witch. And I can do it just fine on my own."

If he wondered why Francisca was in the labyrinth, it didn't show on Magolor's face. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Enlighten me, then."

Magolor ignored the question. "I'll say it one more time. Get Taranza out of here. I can guarantee Francisca's safety."

"Yeah, see, about that..." Susie said, and grasped onto her charm. Pink ribbons shot up from the ground, and targeted Magolor instantly, securing him tightly and lifting him from the ground. A lock appeared on the front of him, securing the ribbons even further.

Susie smirked. "I don't really think I can trust you."

"You idiot!" Magolor exclaimed.

"Susie, Mistilteinn said you shouldn't-" Taranza began.

"Don't worry about it. It's just a little magic. The witch won't even notice." Susie cut him off, and turned back to Magolor. "That being said, I'm not going to hurt you just yet. You can wait here so you don't try anything stupid to stop me."

"This witch is not like the others!" Magolor exclaimed. "You're only going to get yourself killed!"

"Behave yourself and I'll consider letting you go when I'm through here." Susie said, and turned to Taranza. "Let's go."

"O-okay." Taranza said, nervously glancing at Magolor, but followed after Susie.

"Wai-" Magolor attempted to break out of the ribbons, but they held him back. Susie hadn't lied about them getting tighter.

***

Taranza was starting to feel on edge. They had walked through what felt like countless doors, and there was still no sign of Francisca or Mistilteinn. As Susie pushed yet another door open, he spoke up.

"Susie ?"

"What is it?" Susie asked, continuing on ahead without looking at Taranza.

"I've been thinking about this whole wish thing, and..."

"Have you decided on one yet?" Susie asked.

"Yeah." Taranza answered. "But I think it's kind of a naïve wish, it might make you mad."

"Let's see, then. What's the wish?" Susie said, opening up a door and heading into another hallway.

"Well, I've never been all that great in school, and I don't really have anything that I'm really good at, and to be honest, I think I'll just continue on like this. Being no use and always having to bother people for some help. It makes me sick."

Susie stayed silent, but continued travelling through the labyrinth.

"And then I found out about all this. About you and the other magical people. And you showed me what it's like to fight to save people. And then you told me I could do it too, and I don't think I've ever been happier. That's why I think that just becoming a magical boy, one of you, would really be my wish. I want to help people."

"You do know that it's not all fun and games, right?" Susie finally spoke. "You're talking about risking your life every day. And you won't have time for any normal teenage stuff, like dates or hanging out with friends or anything like that. You're going to get hurt a lot, too, even if you do make it through every battle."

"I know." Taranza said. "But I just want to do this."

Susie stopped. "Why would you want this after watching me? I'm not a good person to look up to. I just push myself and pretend to be fine. When I'm hurt, or scared, there's no one for me to go to. I just have to deal with it all on my own."

"Maybe, but Francisca and I, we can both make the contract, and then you won't be alone. We'll be a team!"

Susie turned to look at Taranza, a surprised expression on her face. "You...you aren't joking? Wouldn't you rather go to some other town and protect the people there?"

"Hey, our whole lives are here. Why would we want to go somewhere else?"

"You want to fight beside me?" Susie asked again, as if she couldn't really believe it.

"Yeah." Taranza smiled. "That is, if I'm good enough..."

"Are you serious? Of course you'll be good enough!" Susie grinned. "Although, it's not every day that you get a magic wish."

"Yeah. I guess it is pretty crazy." Taranza said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Just think of something you'd really like, if you just want to become a magical boy." Susie said. "Then you get your true wish, and something else, like, oh, I don't know, a car, or a lifetime supply of chocolate-chip cookies, or something like that!"

"I dunno..." Taranza mumbled, looking at the ground.

"Hey, then how about this? After I take down this witch, if you still can't decide, you can wish for, um, a giant feast with a huge cake or something!"

"A cake? I can't become a magical boy just for a cake!" Taranza exclaimed.

"Then decide on a wish you really want!" Susie smiled, and starting walking through the hall again.

"Susie!"

Susie stopped hearing Mistilteinn's voice

"The Grief Seed! It's moving! It's going to hatch-you have to get here, quick!"

"Okay, I've got it. I'll finish it off fast." Susie said, and the pink charm around her neck changed into her soul gem, which glowed brightly, causing Taranza to shield his eyes.

When the glow died, Taranza looked to see Susie, in her magical girl form, grinning.

"Well, that's better, isn't it?" She smiled, and jumped off of the bridge, landing on the ground below. A shield barrier appeared around Taranza, and he ran to the edge of it, watching her fight.

Six familiar shotguns appeared by her side as the witch's minions began to take form. They looked like black donuts with legs, and they weren't very threatening-looking.

"Witches seem to have the weirdest looking minions." Taranza thought to himself, as Susie began gunning them down, one by one.

She twirled her guns around as she fired them, the minions not being able to even get within a few feet of her. Pink blasts of light burst through the air, lighting up the slightly grim atmosphere, and Susie had the biggest smile on her face.

"I've never felt this happy during battle before." Susie thought to herself as she fired another shotgun, taking out the closest minion she saw. "I'm afraid of anything anymore."

She jumped back up to the bridge as the shield around Taranza disappeared. "Let's go!"

"That's because...I'm not alone anymore." Susie thought, as Taranza followed her through the final door.

A loud crash startled both of them as they entered the room, but Susie spotted Francisca, who was close to the door, hiding behind what looked like a giant donut.

"This witch sure does like sweets." Taranza said, as they both ran over, gaining Francisca's attention.

"Sorry I'm late." Susie smiled, crouching down behind the donut next to Francisca.

"Thank Void, you made it." Francisca grinned.

"Be careful." Mistilteinn warned from where it was sitting on top of the donut. "It's coming."

The three of them watched as the glowing Grief Seed a few feet away finally exploded, hatching into what looked like a small doll with muted white hair. It landed on a tall chair in the center of the room, and just sat there, unmoving.

Suddenly, the chair toppled over, and Taranza looked to see Susie at the base, slamming her gun into the legs of the chair, taking it out.

"Sorry to spoil your party, but I'm here to finish you off quickly!" She exclaimed, hitting the witch with her gun like the witch was nothing but a baseball. "Gotcha!"

The witch flew across the room from the force of the hit, slamming into the wall. Bright pink bullets shot right through the witch's body, each hitting it's mark. The witch fell to the ground, completely limp.

Susie calmly walked over to it, pressing the barrel of her shotgun into its head, and fired. She stepped a few feet away, and ribbons lifted the witch up into the air.

"Yeah, you did it!" Francisca cheered, pumping his fist in the air and standing up, no longer worried about having to hide.

Susie smiled, and turned a single shotgun towards the witch. With a bright pink glow, the gun transformed into something that was much more akin to a cannon, and it stayed planted on the ground as it aimed at the witch, ready to fire.

"Tiro Finale!" Susie exclaimed, firing the cannon with a boom that Taranza had already gotten used to over the past few days.

Ribbons shot from the gun, wrapping around the witch and squeezing it to death.

But then, something changed.

As the ribbons got tighter around the witch, it opened its mouth, and what appeared to be a gigantic snake sprouted from it. It's mouth was a menacing grin full of spiky teeth. It zoomed towards Susie, who stood staring at it, frozen in place, her eyes wide.

"SUSIE!" Francisca screamed.

***

***

Magolor almost landed flat on his face when the lock on the front of him snapped clean in two, and he was dropped back to the ground.

"What?" He thought to himself.

One of the ribbons fell next to him, and he picked it up, staring at it to see what was wrong.

The ribbon disintegrated in his hands, the once bright pink, satiny thing turning into nothingness right before his eyes.

His eyes went wide as he realized what had happened.

"No..."

***

Taranza had never witnessed anything more brutal in his life, and yet, he found himself unable to look away as the witch hacked away at Susie.

Francisca was staring, too, and she reached out to grab Taranza's hand, not even thinking about what she was doing. Taranza accepted her hand, pulling hercloser as they both watched their friend become torn to shreds, powerless to do anything. They didn't speak, but both of their hearts were going a mile a minute, fear completely over taking them.

"Both of you! Make a contract with me! Hurry!" Mistilteinn exclaimed.

They didn't respond as the witch finished with Susie, and looked up at the both of them, its grin even more menacing than before.

"Wish for something! Anything!" Mistilteinn exclaimed. "Francisca! Taranza!"

"That won't be necessary."

Both Francisca and Taranza were suddenly snapped out of their fear when the voice sounded across the room, and they stared as Magolor jumped in out of nowhere, landing on one of the tall platforms in the room.

"This one's mine." Magolor said, not turning back to look at either of them.

The witch lunged forward, chomping down on the platform where Magolor had been standing, but as Magolor disappeared from sight, he reappeared another few feet in front of the witch. He turned back to look at it, and it lunged forward again, and Magolor disappeared.

But then he reappeared again, a few platforms ahead.

The witch looked angry, and started lunging for him quicker and quicker, but Magolor kept reappearing a few feet away. It seemed as though he could keep it up all day.

Finally, the witch chomped down on him, and Magolor didn't reappear.

The witch stopped looking around for Magolor, and it seemed to be pleased, until a bomb suddenly went off.

Steam blew from the witch's mouth, and it looked almost confused as it straightened up again, right before another bomb went off.

Magolor suddenly reappeared, landing on another platform, and did nothing but stare at the witch as multiple explosions went off, destroying the witch bit by bit before it finally blew up for good, disappearing forever.

Magolor turned, jumping off of the platform and landing on the ground. He walked back towards Francisca and Taranza as his magical boy form disappeared, being replaced with his regular hood. Francisca flinched as she came near.

"A second later and that thing would have certainly killed you." Magolor said, his expression blank. "Never forget this. This is what it really means to be a magical person."

Tears welled in the corners of Francisca's eyes as the labyrinth faded around them, bringing them back to the outside of the hospital.

Magolorturned, walking to where a Grief Seed, shiny and safe, had landed on the ground. Mistilteinn sat beside it, not saying a word, but stared at Magolor intently.

Magolor picked up the Grief Seed, slipping it into his pocket.

"Give it back."

Magolor turned to see Francisca standing up, staring at her with tears in her eyes. Her fists were clenched.

"Give it back!" Francisca exclaimed, her voice cracking as the tears started to roll down her cheeks. "It's hers! It belongs to Susie! Give it back!"

Magolor's expression didn't change as he started to walk past Francisca and Taranza, who was crouched on his hands and knees, staring at the ground with wide eyes.

"You can't have it!" Francisca yelled, starting to sound almost hysterical. "It belongs to her!"

"You're right." Magolor finally said. "But this belongs to magical people. Therefore, neither of you has any right to touch it."

With that, he walked away.

Francisca broke down into sobs, falling to her knees as tears streamed down her cheeks, and if anyone had been around, you could've heard her cries from a block away.

Taranza continued to stare at the ground, his entire body shaking, as tears began to drip one by one onto the pavement.

One drop.

Two drop.

Three drop.

Why?

Chapter 4: Both Miracles and Magic Exist

Summary:

After Susie's death, Taranza and Francisca are both crushed and frightened. Taranza begins holding doubts about becoming a Magical Boy, and tells Mistilteinn that he is too scared to become one at that moment.
Meanwhile, Francisca continues visiting Jammerjab at the hospital.

Notes:

CONTENT WARNING: Suicide Attempt in this chapter and detailed body horror

Chapter Text

The sound of rushed footsteps echoed through the hall of the hospital as Francisca ran to Jammerjab'sroom. The sun was beginning to set outside, and she didn't have much time before she'd have to be back home, but she still wanted to stop by.

She made it to the door to Jammerjab's room, and pushed open the door.

"Hey, it's me-"

Francisca stopped.

Jammerjab's room was completely empty.

Where were they? Did they got worse? Did something happen?

"Oh, are you looking for Jammerjab?"

Francisca jumped when she heard the nurse's voice. She'd been so caught up in her own head that she hadn't even heard her walk up behind her. She turned to her, nodding.

"I'm sorry." She smiled. "Their examination was moved up. They are in physical therapy now."

"Oh." Francisca said, looking towards the floor. "Okay."

"Would you like me to tell them you were here?" The nurse asked, her voice sounding sympathetic.

"No, that's okay. Thank you." Francisca said, and turned away, walking back towards the elevator at the end of the hall.

A few steps down the hall, she heard a second nurse begin speaking to the first.

"She comes to see them a lot, doesn't she?"

"It's good she does. That Jammerjab person is a difficult case."

Francisca clenched her teeth, pressing the button on the elevator.

She never liked hearing people talk about her or her friends when they thought she couldn't hear.

...

 

"She always comes by to pay them a visit."
"That patient is a real handful."
"We're lucky to have her."

"I hope she can do something for them."
"Before the accident, they were a child prodigy with the piano.
"Even if they were able to walk again, their fingers will prevent them from being able to play music."

 

Francisca stood in the elevator alone as it descended, staring at her fingers.

"Why did it have to be Jammerjab?" She thought to herself. "I can jump and dance around like an jamdiot at concerts all I want, but it's no fun if they are not there. Why couldn't it have been me, and not Jammerjab?"

She sighed, staring through the glass pane of the elevator door.

"If I used my wish to heal them, what would they think about it? Would they just say 'thanks'? Just 'thanks', and that's it? Or am I hoping for something more to happen?"

She clenched her cold fists. "What am I thinking?"

"I'm horrible..." She muttered aloud.

"Now that I think about it, I really was stupid." She thought. "Just a few days ago, I had no idea what it meant to pray for a miracle."

She sucked in a breath, and blinked back tears.

"Or the price of one."

...

Joronia nudged Taranza, snapping Taranza out of her thoughts.

"Hey, we're going to be late if we don't move, come on." She smiled, and started humming a song.

"Oh. Right." Taranza said, and his moves were almost robotic as he squeezed some toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

He stopped, the memories with Susie all flooding back, and tears started welling in his eyes.

Joronia stopped humming when she glanced over at Taranza. Her expression instantly changed to concern.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Joronia said. "You okay?"

"Yes." Taranza said, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. "Look at me. I'm okay. I'm alive."

Joronia turned Taranza to face him. "Hey, you're scaring me. Did something happen? What's wrong?"

Taranza didn't reply as he suddenly realized he needed to pull it together in front of everyone else. He wiped his tears from his face, blinked away the fresh ones, and slung his backpack over his shoulder, leaving the bathroom, making Joronia confused, and concerned about him.

...

"So, I was talking to-"

Taranza, Zan, and Francisca were walking together towards the school. Francisca talked as camly and as happily as she normally did, and Zan listened with a smile on her face. Taranza lagged behind slightly, staring at the ground. If Zan had noticed, he wasn't saying anything about it.

Mistilteinn stayed right on Taranza's cape, and there was a part of Taranza that wanted to turn around and scream at Mistilteinn to go away. Go away and never come back, don't you care that she's dead, don't you care that you watched her die?

But he didn't. It wasn't Mistilteinn's fault she died, and Taranza knew it.

"And he keeps saying something about this new song he's working on, and of course, I'm barely listening, 'cause his stuff's boring to me."

"Francisca, can we talk?" Taranza thought, hoping that Francisca would reply.

As Zan started interjecting to defend her posture, Francisca answered.

"Sorry. Not now. We'll talk later."

***

At lunchtime, Zan broke away to sit with a few of her other friends, and Franciscaa Taranza went to the roof to find it thankfully empty. They both sat down on one of the benches, and sat silently for a few minutes as Mistilteinn watched.

Finally, Taranza spoke.

"It feels like we're in a different country, doesn't it?" He said. "Even though everything's the same, school, my queen, Zan...it feels like everything's changed."

"No one knows." Francisca said. "That's why it feels like that. No one knows about warlocks and witches, about magical people and Susie. We're the only ones who know. Everyone else is living in another universe."

"Francis..."

"Everything changed a long time ago, didn't it?" Francisca said, staring at the ground. "We were just too caught up to realize it."

Francisca turned towards Taranza. "So after all of this, after everything that's been happening, everything we've seen...do you still want to be a magical person?"

There was a moment of silence, and Taranza looked away, staring at his disembodied hands.

"Yeah. I feel the same." Francisca said, and put her hand on Taranza's shoulder. "It's alright, I understand."

"I know it's unfair." Taranza said, tears beginning to drip down his face. "I know it's selfish to back out now, after everything I promised her, but...I can't. I just can't...just thinking about the way she died..."

He choked back a sob. "It gets so hard to even breathe. I'm scared, I don't want that."

"Susie was the best person." Francisca said. "She cared about us, I know it. But in order to truly show us what it takes, the kind of courage we need, she had to..."

She couldn't finish her sentence, blinking back tears of her own. It was bad logic, and it did nothing to make either of them feel better, and she knew it. But she needed some kind of a good reason she was gone, and that was the best she could come up with.

Francisca looked up at Mistilteinn. "Hey, Mistilteinn. What's going to happen to the city now? Now that Susie is gone, is there someone who's going to protect everyone?"

"This city has been Susie's territory for a long time now." Mistilteinn replied. "But once other magical people know she's gone, they'll come. I'm sure someone will arrive soon to pick up on the hunt."

"But all they're going to care about is finding Grief Seeds." Francisca said. "Just like that stupid transfer cat student."

"It's true, most magical people do fight with that mindset." Mistilteinn said. "But it's normal. It's normal to want to be paid for your work. Susie was a rare breed of magical person."

"But then-" Francisca began.

"You don't have the right to judge their actions, though." Mistilteinn interrupted. "Only other magical people have that right. They share the same destiny."

Mistilteinn sighed. "I know what you're thinking. It's a shame, but I can't force you, can I? Goodbye, then. I need to find people who have a greater need to make the contract."

Taranza looked up. "I'm sorry, Mistilteinn."

"No, I apologize for getting the two of you mixed up in all of this." Mistilteinn said. "We weren't together very long, but it was fun while it lasted. Thank you, Taranza."

With those words, he walked away, leaving the two boys alone on the rooftop.

Taranza watched as she left.

"I'm sorry."

***

Taranza stood, ringing the doorbell to Susie's apartment even though he knew there would be no answer. After ringing it for a few times, he turned the doorknob to find it unlocked, and he stepped inside.

There were still dishes left in the sink. A cup of unfinished tea sat on the coffee table, the teapot beside it. It looked like Susie was about to come walking through her bedroom door and smile, apologizing for the mess. I've been busy lately, she'd say. Witch hunting doesn't leave much time for chores.

But that didn't happen, no matter how much Taranza wished it would.

Taranza walked to the coffee table, and pulled his notebook out of his bag, tearing out the page where he had doodled himself as magical boy. He set it on the coffee table, and stared at it.

"You should have the only part of my promise I kept." Taranza thought, and felt tears well in his eyes for the third time that day. He let them spill over, knowing that he was alone. Truly, utterly alone.

"I'm sorry." He said aloud. "For being so weak, I'm sorry..."

Taranza sat down on her couch, hugging his arms to his chest, and buried his face in his arms. He let his tears roll down his face, and let himself sob.

***

Taranza left the apartment building, staring at his clothes.

"Taranza."

Taranza jumped, looking up to see Magolor standing in front of him.

"Magolor!" Taranza exclaimed, and hurriedly wiped the tears from his eyes. "I wasn't crying, I was just-"

"You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened." Magolor interrupted, walking towards him. "It couldn't be helped. No one can blame you or criticize you for anything. I won't allow it."

"Magolor..." Taranza said, unsure how to respond.

"So then," Magolor continued. "Are you going to listen to my warning?"

Taranza nodded.

***

They walked together back towards their homes. It turned out that Taranza's house was a little more than a block away from Magolor's. They were both silent for most of it, until finally, Taranza spoke up.

"I keep thinking, that maybe if I had listened to you-"

"It wouldn't have changed her fate." Magolor cut in. "Nothing would have. But I was able to change yours and i'm glad for that."

"You know, Magolor," Taranza said. "I get the feeling you're a veteran at all this, too. Like Susie, but different, in a way."

Magolor nodded. "I've been at it for a while, yeah."

"And that means, you've seen a lot of people die horribly."

"Yes. I have."

"How..." Taranza said, swallowing the lump in his throat. "How many?"

There was a long ten seconds of silence.

"I gave up on counting them a long time ago." Magolor finally answered.

Taranza felt horrible for them. Taranza was so torn up over one person dying. He wondered how it felt to have seen so many people die that you grow numb to it.

"And her apartment," Taranza continued. "Is it just going to stay like that?"

"Most likely, yes. Until someone notices that the rent's not coming in. It will be a long time before she's even reported missing. She didn't really have any family." Magolor said.

"So, no one will even notice that she's gone?" Taranza asked.

"When you die in a labyrinth," Magolor explained, "Your body stays there. It disappears with the labyrinth. Here, in this world, she will be known as a missing person forever. It's the fate every magical person can look forward to."

Taranza stopped walking, trying to take it in. No one knowing that Susie was dead. Brushing her aside as a missing person for all eternity.

"That's...awful." Taranza said, feeling tears start to well in his eyes. "She was all alone, but she fought so hard to protect everyone. And now, no one will even notice that she's gone? It's horrible."

"It's part of the deal." Magolor said. "When we make contracts, we become bound to our wishes. Magical people are not protectors. We fight only to keep our wishes alive, not to help people. If that means being forgotten, then I guess that's just how it is."

"I'll remember her." Taranza said, standing up straighter. "I'll never forget her, ever. I promise."

Magolor didn't respond for a while.

"Then Susie is a lucky one. She would be happy to hear that." He finally said. "At least one magical person has someone who cares about them."

"I won't forget you, either!" Taranza exclaimed. "I won't forget about you, Mags, and how you saved us yesterday! I'll never forget! I swear! I'm always going to remember you!"

Magolor sighed as he turned to Taranza and adjusted his blue hood.

"You're too kind." Magolor said.

"What?"

"You're too kind." Magolor repeated. "If you're never going to forget something, never forget this. Kindness can sometimes lead to even greater tragedy."

And with those words, Magolor turned and walked away, leaving the spider alone on the street.

***

"What're you listening to?"

Francisca sat by Jammerjab's bed, looking at them stare out of the window. Jammerjab had a set of earbuds plugged in to a CD player, but they left one earbud out so they could still hear Francisca.

"The CD you gave me the other day." Jammerjab answered, their voice monotone.

"Oh, cool." Francisca smiled. "Y'know, people don't really tend to listen classical music type. It really surprises some people when I can name some of the more obscure bands and stuff. It's great to watch their faces."

Jammerjab didn't reply, and the silence was too awkward, so Francisca continued.

"The only reason I gave any of it a chance was because of you." Francisca said. "I would have never really given any of those bands a chance if it wasn't for you."

"Hey, Francis?" Jammerjab asked.

"Hm?"

"Why do you come here so often?"

Francisca hesitated, confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

"Why do you come here so often?" Jammerjab repeated.

"Because I like seeing you." Francisca said. "Because we're friends."

"Why do you still even want to be my friend?" Jammerjab asked. "Nobody else does. Everyone else has it figured out by now - I'm useless. I can't dance, I can't jump around, I can't run, I can't even walk from place to place. I'm useless as hell, and I know you know it."

Jammerjab turned to look at Francisca. "Just stop coming here just because you pity me."

"I don't...I never..." Francisca started, but couldn't finish the sentence. Did she pity Jammerjab?

Yes.

And she suddenly hated herself for it.

"Look, I never saw you as useless." Francisca said. "I'm sure that they can fix this, just give it some more time, you can't give up!"

"But they already told me to give up!" Jammerjab said. "They say I'm never going to walk again. The doctor came in a few days ago and told me himself. He said that today's medicine just can't help anymore."

Without warning, Jammerjab shoved the CD player off of their lap as hard as they could, and it shattered on the floor. Francisca jumped, and Jammerjab pressed a hand to their face, tears rolling down their cheeks.

"I can't...I don't want to listen to it anymore." They said. "It's just a reminder. I'm going to be paralyzed for the rest of my damn life, unless miracles and magic suddenly become real."

"They already are!" Francisca blurted, and Jammerjab looked up at Francisca, startled.

"Miracles...magic...it's real, it's all real! I swear!" Franciscasaid, and in that moment, she looked up to see Mistilteinn sitting on the windows's hill.

Waiting.

***

Taranza walked through the city, headed towards his house. The sky was turning dark, but he knew Joronia wouldn't worry. At least, she wouldn't worry until it was at least ten. Taranza normally spent a lot of time hanging out with Francisca and Zan in the city, they wouldn't be concerned just yet.

"When I was talking with Magolor," Taranza thought to himself. "It almost seemed like we could be friends. I wonder why he and Susie didn't get along..."

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

"Is that Zan?"

Taranza ran towards Zan, waving his hand.

"Hey, Zan!" He called. "I thought you said you had a lot of homework to do today, why are you-"

Taranza froze when he saw it.

There was a strange sort of mark on the outside of Zan's hand, something that looked like a temporary tattoo.

"It's like that mark the woman had on her neck..." Taranza thought, and fear suddenly took a hold of him. He ran as fast as he could, to the point where she was right in front of him. Taranza grabbed Zan's shoulder, turning Zan to face him.

"Hey, Zan? What's going on, can you hear me?"

"Oh. Bonjam Taranza, how are you?" Zan said, but her voice sounded...different. Too calm. Way too calm.

"What happened to you?" Taranza asked. "Are you okay? Do you know where you are, where you're going?"

"Where am I going?" Zan repeated, a smile on her face. "Taranza, I'm going somewhere awesome."

"What?"

"I know, you should come with!" Zan said, her eyes shining like it was the best idea she'd ever had in her life, like if Hyness praised her job. "Yeah, you should come too! You'll see, it's going to be so awesome, come on!"

Zan kept walking, and Taranza had no choice but to follow.

"This can't be happening." Taranza thought to himself. "Zan..."

***

Taranza followed Zan into a more abandoned part of the city, towards a small factory that seemed to be hidden away amongst the taller buildings that surrounded it.

Various different people were walking towards it as well, and it took Taranza about thirty seconds to realize that they all had the same mark that Zanhad on their hands.

"Oh no." Taranza thought. "I have to call Magolor...but I can't, I have no way to contact him, I don't have his number. What do I do?"

They all entered the factory, and Taranza could see a man sitting on a crate in the middle of the building. The man was muttering to himself, and Taranza could just barely make out what he was saying.

"I'm useless, it's true." The man said. "I couldn't even keep this small factory open long enough to make any money. I'm a failure. There's no room for a failure like me in this world."

"So that's where the witch is coming from." Taranza realized. What was he supposed to do? Tell the man nice things until he believed them? Would that make the witch go away?

Two women in the crowd stepped forward, one carrying a bucket, and the other, two bottles of some kind of cleaner that Joronia kept in the laundry room. The woman with the bucket set it down, and the other woman began pouring the cleaner into the bucket.

"Okay. So what, are we going to clean the factory, or something?" Taranza thought. "That's not too bad."

And that was when the other shoe dropped.

A man started walking forward, and Taranza realized what he was carrying in horror.

Bleach.

He remembered something their mother had told both him when he was kid, before moving with Joronia, the day she started buying bleach in a bottle that looked extremely similar to the one she kept the cleaner in. Practically the only difference had been the label.

"Now, pay attention, Ranz, this is extremely important." She had said. "These bottles look the same, but they are not the same thing. Never mix them together, understand? It's extremely dangerous, and we could all get really sick and die if you do. Make sure that the labels say the exact same thing before mixing an almost empty bottle with a new one, okay?"

Taranza dropped his schoolbag that he had been carrying.

"No, stop!" He yelled, running towards the man. "Don't-!"

Zan suddenly grabbed a hold of Taranza's wrist, pulling him back.

"This is a sacred ceremony, you can't just interrupt like that." Zan said.

"But those chemicals are really dangerous!" Taranza exclaimed. "If you mix them together, everyone here could die!"

"Exactly!" Zan smiled. "And we're all going to go explore a mysterious and exciting new world, together! We're finally going to get rid of these earthly bodies that hold us back! Don't worry, Taranza. In a little while, you'll understand, too."

The people around them had stopped whatever they had been doing, and began to give a round of applause.

Taranza stood in horror, rooted to the spot, before his senses finally took over again.

"Let go of me, now!" He yelled, yanking his wrist out of Zan's grasp.

Before any of the people could do anything, Taranza ran forward, grabbing the bucket. He spotted a window at the other side of the factory, and did the first thing he could think of. He ran towards the window as fast as he could, and threw the bucket with all of his strength.

The bucket crashed through the glass of the window, and the contents spilled harmlessly into the dirt outside.

Taranza sighed in relief. Everything was okay. Everything was going to be okay-

That's when he turned around.

The people in the crowd all turned as one, and glared at him.

"Oh no."

They all started towards him at once, and Taranza immediately began to panic. He pulled at the windowsill, hoping to open the window to escape, but it didn't budge. He frantically looked around the factory for another way out-there.

A door to what he assumed was some sort of closet was just to his right.

He ran for it, opening the door and slamming it shut behind him, just as the crowd of people got to it. Their fists slammed against the door, and Taranza locked it shut, holding them back.

He stepped backwards, his breathing heavy.

"What do I do?" He said aloud. "What should I-"

He turned, and saw what appeared to be some sort of glowing blue portal in the corner of the room, and it was growing.

"Labyrinth." Taranza thought, and screamed, backing away from it.

His scream only seemed to encourage the Labyrinth and it started to grow even faster, and in no time, the entire room was bathed in a glowing blue light.

"No!" Taranza yelled, desperately trying to get away, but there was nowhere to run to. "Help! Someone, please, help me! HELP ME!"

With his last scream, he felt himself being sucked into the labyrinth, and his vision went black.

***

When he opened his eyes again, he was floating upside down, unable to move.

There was a blue world all around him, and little toy trains spun around and around on tracks that circled around him. There were television screens everywhere, and each one had two tiny angels that lifted the screen, flying it around to where Taranza could see everyone.

And every single one showed Susie.

A few were Susie's blue eyes after Taranza had told her he would become a magical person with her, he could clearly see that she was in fact smiling even if she didnt have a mouth.

Countless others showed her death, playing over and over again. And there was one that Taranza didn't recognize - Susie crying, curled in a ball on her couch, all alone.

Try as he might, Taranza couldn't close his eyes.

"I wonder if this is my punishment." He thought. "For being a coward, and a liar. I guess this...I guess it's what I deserve."

Suddenly, the angels dropped their screens, and they all reached for Taranza, grabbing at his stinger and his hands.

Taranza could only scream, unable to even try and struggle, as they began to pull. It felt like his arms and legs were about to be ripped out of their sockets in seconds.

"This can't be where it ends." Taranza thought to himself. "It can't be!"

Suddenly, four flashes of bright blue ice shot past, and the angels practically disintegrated.

Taranza gasped for breath as his arms and legs were suddenly relieved from the pain, and he looked around, finally able to move again.

A figure floated a little lower than he did, but this person seemed to have better control over where they were.

Taranza felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when he realized something.

He knew that person.

"Francisca?" He called.

Francisca only turned her head slightly, and gave her a tiny smirk, and she turned back to stare at the witch that Taranza hadn't been able to see.

The witch looked like a giant television set with wings, and two giant angels sat on top, but they seemed to be stuck there.

The screen of the television suddenly blared to life, and seven tiny angels appeared around Francisca, who immediately sprung into action, slicing them down as fast as he could with the bright blue sword she was carrying.

She suddenly zipped out of sight, and she looked like nothing more than a glowing blue streak in the sky of the labyrinth as she zoomed around to the back of the witch, and slammed the butt-end of the sword into the witch's back. The witch was caught off guard, and immediately began falling to the bottom, but it was definitely still alive.

Francisca flipped her sword back around, and zoomed after the witch.

"This is the end for you!" Francisca screamed, and at the last second, stabbed the witch in the back. The momentum of his speed combined with the witch falling sent it rocketing to the bottom of the labyrinth, where it crashed into the ground, dead.

Some sort of black liquid began spewing out of the witch, and Francisca was quick to dodge it as the labyrinth began falling apart. A Grief Seed clattered to the floor, and Francisca was quick to grab it. As the real world came back into focus, Taranza realized that instead of floating, he was only stood on a few boxes, and he carefully climbed back down.

Neither of them noticed Magolor standing far away, perched on a lamppost like a mischiveous cat, watching the whole thing.

***

"Yeah, sorry I'm late." Francisca apologized, a smile on his face. "I guess I cut it too damn close, didn't I?"

"Francisca, your clothes..." Taranza said, staring at Francisca. She was in a blue outfit that Taranza had never seen him wear before, and a gleaming cyan gem stood out on a band wrapped around her upper arm. A Soul Gem.

"Hm?" Francisca asked. "Oh, yeah, well, I guess you could say I kind of had a change of heart."

"But..." Taranza said, turning to look at the floor.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll be okay." Francisca said, waving her hand. "I mean, I did pretty well for my first time out, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but-" Taranza started, and stopped as he noticed the person standing a few feet behind Francisca.

Francisca noticed Taranza's stare, and turned around to see Taranza standing there, glaring at him.

"How could you?" Magolor asked.

"Hmph." Francisca smirked.

"You're late, transfer student."

***

On the other side of the city, back in the hospital, Jammerjab suddenly woke up.

They could feel a sharp pain in their left leg, and-

Wait.

They could feel their left leg.

They pushed themself up, pulling back the covers of their bed, and stared at their legs, almost afraid.

Slowly, They lifted one.

They stared with wide eyes as they tried to bend their knee, and it responded to their thoughts perfectly.

"How?"

***

A girl sat on the rooftop of a tall abandoned building that overlooked the city, a piece of bread in her hand. Her red hair was spiky, and his bright red eyes swept over the skyline, taking it all in.

The most notable thing about her, however, was the red jewel embedded into the necklace on her neck .

"I didn't think you'd be here."

The girl turned her head to see Mistilteinn sitting next to her.

The girl shrugged, taking a bite of her bread. "Yeah, well, I heard ol' Susie finally bit the dust. And I came all this way to check it out, so why don't you tell me something?"

The girl turned towards Mistilteinn, glaring at it. "What the hell's the deal, here? This is nothing like what you told me."

"Sorry, but another magical girl has already claimed this territory. In fact, she just made a contract with me a little while ago."

"What? You've gotta be kidding me. No way in hell am I handing over prime territory to some rookie, that'd be stupid as hell."

"What are you going to do, Flamberge?" Mistilteinn asked, tilting its head.

"Easy. I'll just have to put her rookie butt out of commission." Flamberge grinned, shoving the last bite of bread in her mouth and taking her flamberge.

"Permanently."

Chapter 5: There's No Way I'd Regret This

Summary:

Francisca fulfills her contract with Kyubey on the, her Soul Gem is forged and she makes her debut as a Magical Girl, making Taranza and Magolor worried about Francisca's decision to become a magical girl, especially Taranza.

 

tw. swears (although Flamberge is tecnically big mouth woman, so i let that slide with her)

Chapter Text

"Are you sure you can grant any wish, for real?"

Francisca stood on the roof of the hospital, and  Mistilteinn  was perched on top of the tall ledge that surrounded the edge, keeping anyone from being able to jump off. The sun was beginning to set, and it almost looked like  Mistilteinn  was glowing.

"Of course." Mistilteinn said. "Don't worry, I've granted hundreds of wishes like yours in the past. There won't be a single problem. So, are you ready?"

Francisca sucked in a breath.

"Yeah. Do it."

There was a moment where nothing happened. Mistilteinn sat there, still as a statue, and Francisca started to wonder if anything would happen at all, or if a Soul Gem would just magically appear in his hand. Was that how this worked?

Suddenly, a stabbing pain in her chest came out of nowhere, and her knees buckled as she gritted her teeth to keep from screaming. A blinding blue light made him squeeze her eyes shut. She wasn't sure if she should cover her eyes or grip at her chest, everything hurt.

"I'm dying." She thought. "Something's gone horribly wrong, and I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm-"

Then, as soon as it had started, the pain in her chest subsided, but thighs gave out, and she started falling backwards. It felt like time had slowed as she fell, and she opened her eyes to see something glowing a bright blue above her head. It started lowering towards her.

"Go on." Mistilteinn said.  "Accept it. This is your destiny."

Francisca reached out, and clasped her hands around the glowing light, right as she hit the ground.

***

"And then, I-"

Francisca's story was interrupted by a loud yawn from Zan, who sat in between Francisca and Taranza. She rubbed her eyes, and looked up to see both Taranza and Francisca looking at her, each with one eyebrow raised. Their expressions were nearly identical.

"Sorry," Zan said, resting her head in her hand. "Didn't mean to."

"What, did you stay up until three studying again?" Francisca asked, a smile on her face.

"Well, not exactly. I was up late answering questions from the police and the doctors and stuff."

"Wait, what?" Francisca asked, her eyes widening slightly. "What happened?"

"Apparently, I was sleepwalking, or something." Zan shrugged. "They said I was sleepwalking or something... Oddly enough, there were a lot of people with the same symptoms, and when I came to, they were all lying around me."

"You're kidding." Taranza said, but he didn't sound like he was in awe. Zan hesitated for a second, glancing over at Taranza. Everything seemed fine, she just looked a little worn out. Huh. Maybe she was the one who had been studying late.

"No, I'm not." Zan continued. "The doctors said it was called a collective hallucination or something. I have to go back for more tests after school today too. What a bother...."

"Oh, for Void." Francisca said, crossing her arms. "After all that, you should've just stayed home today."

"I couldn't do that! That'd make it seem like I was actually sick, and Lord Hyness would get even more worried about me." Zan explained.

"Ugh, you're too good of a student, Zan." Francisca smiled. "You're going to make the rest of us look bad."

Taranza glanced over to see Magolor sitting across the classroom in his usual seat. It was free period, so most of the other kids had left for other extra curricular activities, but apparently, Magolor had picked study hall over anything else, just like Taranza, Francisca and Zan had. Magolor glared over at Francisca, but it didn't seem like he was glaring at her. Rather, it looked like he had his gaze locked on the new silver band around Francisca's finger, and the blue gem embedded into it.

Taranza looked away, turning back to stare at her desk.

"I know," He thought to himself. "I think it's a mistake, too."

***

After school, Taranza and Francisca sat near the lake in the city park, taking a stop on their way home. Francisca leaned back, stretching her arms out towards the blue sky, and sighed in contentment.

"I haven't felt this good in a long time." She smiled, staring up at the clouds. "I feel awesome."

"Francis," Taranza started, hugging his knees to his chest. "Aren't you scared?"

"Hm?" Francisca asked, looking over at Taranza. "Well, maybe a little. But I'm sure I'll be okay. I mean, it wasn't too hard to beat that witch, and I'm just a rookie. Actually, now that I think about it, it was pretty easy. But when I start to think about how I could've lost you and Zan, man, that scares me way more."

"You shouldn't have to throw yourself in danger just to save us, Francisca." Taranza mumbled, but Francisca didn't hear him.

"Anyways, how do I really feel?" Francisca asked, and sat up, holding out her cyan gem towards Taranza. "I feel sort of...confident, I guess. Like I could take on anything that stands in my path. So don't worry about me. I'm excited about this, seriously!"

Francisca touched the top of her gem, turning it back into the silver band around her finger. He stood up, hee eyes sweeping over the lake, and put her hands on her hips in a superhero-esq pose.

"From now on, I promise that I, Magical Girl Francisca," She exclaimed. "Will always be here to protect the people of this city!"

Taranza ducked his head, pulling his hand closer to his chest.

"Are you sure you don't have any regrets?"

"Well," Francisca started, turning around and taking her hands off of her hips. "I guess, if I had one, it'd be that I waited as long as I did. I mean, I did it anyway, so maybe I should have made up my mind sooner. Maybe Susie would still be alive if I had been there, fighting beside her."

Susie's face flashed through Taranza's head, and he stared at the ground.

"Maybe."

Taranza could feel tears welling up behind his eyes. Oh, Floralia. He didn't want to start crying again. He'd been crying way too much the past few days, he was going to start worrying people. He blinked a couple times, and sniffled, trying to force them back.

Suddenly, he felt Francisca poke his shoulder. It startled his out of his thoughts, and he turned to see Francisca sitting next to him, a smile on her face.

"Hey, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

Taranza turned back, staring over the blue water.

"Maybe...maybe I should've-"

"Don't you start going 'could've, should've'." Francisca said. "Hindsight's 20-20, you know. I feel like I was meant to be a magical girl. I knew what I wanted more than anything else in the world, and if it meant I had to risk my life for it, I would've done it anyway. I shouldn't have dragged my feet about it for so long, but it took me a long time to figure that out, which is pretty frustrating."

She poked Taranza again, getting him to face her once more.

"So, basically, what I'm saying is, don't feel guilty if you don't want to be a magical boy." She shrugged. "Maybe you just weren't meant for it."

"Maybe." Taranza repeated.

Francisca stood up, stretching her arms over her head.

"Well, I better get going, or I'm gonna' be late."

"Oh, do you have somewhere to be?" Taranza asked, glancing up at Francisca, who just smiled a little.

"Sort of."

***

"Really? Why won't they let you go home yet?"

Francisca was seated by Janmerjab's bed, in her usual chair, as Jammerjab lifted their leg up and down, still in slight awe. Now that Francisca knew that Jammerjab was going to be okay, the hospital felt warmer. Brighter. Like it was actually the place of hope and renewal it was supposed to be, rather than just despair.

"No one knows why my legs healed the way they did." Jammerjab shrugged, staring at their leg. "They're concerned about it, actually. The doctors want to run a few more tests to see if they can figure out how it happened."

They turned to look at Francisca, and Francisca immediately straightened up, putting a smile on her face. For once, it didn't feel forced.

"Oh, that makes sense, I guess. Are you feeling weird, or does everything feel okay?"

"You sound like my doctor." Jammerjab laughed. "But yeah, I feel totally fine. Actually, I was thinking about it earlier and the accident just feels like a bad dream. It's funny. I wonder what I'm even doing in this bed. It's just like you said, Francisca. It's a miracle."

Suddenly, Jammerjab's smile dropped from their face, and they turned away, staring out the window.

"What's wrong?" Francisca asked, suddenly worried. Did something just happen? Was he okay?

"The other day," Jammerjab started. "I said some pretty bad things. I was really upset, I shouldn't have just lashed out at you like that."

"Forget about that stuff." Francisca said, glad nothing was actually wrong. "I get it. You had every right to be upset, really. It's no big deal. Your legs are working again, you should be over the goddamn moon about it. So don't make that sad face."

Jammerjab smiled a little.

"I guess you're right. It still kind of feels like a dream."

"Yeah, well, I'm not surprised." Francisca said, reaching into his school bag. "Hang on, I got you something when I found out about your legs."

"Hm?" Jammerjab leaned over, trying to see what Francisca had in her hands.

"So, I know they're not really too obscure the way most bands you like are, but I figured it be a classic to start off again with. Alessandro Clerici is coming to the next city over in a few months, so I convinced Hyness to get..." Francisca said, and pulled two slips of paper out of his bag. "Two tickets."

"Are you serious?" Jammerjab asked, their face lighting up as Francisca handed them one of the tickets. "Oh my Void, you're the best, Francisca!"

"I know, I know." Francisca joked. "I just thought you might want to go jumping around like an dummy at a concert again."

"You know me too well." Jammerjab grinned, and Francisca laughed.

Francisca watched as Jammerjab read over the ticket, their eyes practically shining.

"Hey, Susie, if you're up there, see that?" Francisca thought to herself, a smile on her face.

"My wish has been granted. I'll never regret my choice, and right now, this is the happiest I've been in long while, thank you Susie."

...

Far away, in an empty observatory tower, Flamberge blinked from behind one of the binocular sets, aiming it directly at the hospital window. The binoculars were larger than the others, and Flamberge had used magic to make them zero in on any other magical persons in the area. At the moment, she was staring directly at Francisca.

"Huh." She said. "So that's what the new magical girl in town looks like."

"You're not really going to fight her, are you?"

Flamberge returned to see Mistilteinn sitting behind her, perched on on of the other sets of binoculars. Flamberge wasn't fazed by his presence, however, and shrugged.

"Sure. Why not? She won't know what hit her." Flamberge said, and the second she took her hand off of the binoculars, they changed back to normal in a sudden flash of red light. Flamberge's Soul Gem shined in the hand that had been resting on the binoculars. "What? You got a problem with that or something?"

"Not at all." Mistilteinn said. "It just might be a little more difficult than you believe it to be. There is actually another magical girl in this city as well."

"Oh, really?" Flamberge asked, a smirk appearing on her face. She did like challenges. "So, what's her deal, huh?"

"I'm actually not really sure about that."

"Huh?" Flamberge stopped, raising an eyebrow at Mistilteinn. "What do you mean? If she's a magical boy, then he had to have made a contract with you, right?"

"You could say yes." Mistilteinn said. "But, you could also say no."

"Okay," Flamberge said, glaring at Mistilteinn. "For once, could you give me a straight answer, and not all of this cryptic jamshit?"

"She's an irregularity in the system, it seems." Mistilteinn said. "I have absolutely no idea what he's capable of."

"Hm. Sounds good to me." Flamberge shrugged. "Gettin' kind of boring around here, anyway. Gotta' shake things up now and then, you know?"

With that, he turned, and started towards the stairs leading back down to the ground floor of the observation tower. The stairs descended in a spiral, and without a problem, Flamberge jumped onto the railing. She started sliding down the stairs, going faster than a normal person would, confident in her magic to take her faster without making her fall.

An irregularity... She thought to himself, as the slight breeze from the speed blew through her curls. A small smile appeared on her face.

Sounds like fun.

***

Taranza didn't know where to begin.

He sat across from Magolor at the nearby coffee shop, and Magolor was looking at him expectantly.

"Soooo, you wanted to talk, right?" Magolor asked, and Taranza jumped a little at the sound of his voice. Magolor's yellow eyes seemed to stare straight through him, and it made him a little uneasy. And yet, there was something about him that made Taranzawant to trust him.

"Well, it's about Francisca." Taranza started. "She may be stubborn, and maybe a little sensitive, and maybe she argues with other people a lot, but she really is a good person. She's kind, and brave, and she's always ready to help anyone in danger, and-"

"Those are all fatal flaws for a magical girl." Magolor interrupted, watching still Taranza.

"Oh." Taranza said, and the coffee shop, even with it's bright lighting and calming music filtering in through the speakers, suddenly felt dark. "Really?"

Magolor this time didn't quite meet his eyes when he spoke.

"A person becomes naive if they're too kind, and careless if they're too bold. And no matter how hard you try to help others, there is rarely any gratitude. Those who can't comprehend such things aren't fit to be magical people." Magolor said, and reached for his cup of coffee. "And that's the reason Susie Halttman lost her life."

"Don't talk about her that way!" Taranza exclaimed, clenching his fists. When Magolor didn't respond, Taranza took a breath, calming himself down. "Anyway, this is about Francisca. She says she'll be okay, but when I think about Susie, and how the same thing could happen to Francisca I...just...I don't know what to do."

Something in Magolor's expression seemed to soften a little bit. It was odd to see him without his usual default stoic expression, but at the same time, it made Taranza feel a little better. Magolor did have emotions under all of that tough-person thing he had going on.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you?"

"Yes." Taranza nodded, suddenly feeling like he could confide everything in Magolor, and that it would be okay if he did. "But I can't do anything to help on my own, so I was wondering if you could. Please be friends with Francisca, and please don't fight with her like you did with Susie. And then, if you work together, when you go to fight warlocks and witches, it'll be safer for everyone and no one has to get hurt."

Magolor closed his eyes, thinking, and didn't respond for a while. Taranza wasn't sure why. The idea made plenty of sense to him.

"I don't like to tell lies." Magolor finally spoke, opening his eyes. "And I don't make promises I can't keep. So, I'm going to tell you that you should forget about Francisca. And the sooner you do, the better it will be for both of you."

Taranza blinked. Forget Francisca? Forget the person who'd been his best friend since he was a kid?

"Why...why should I?"

"She shouldn't have been allowed to make the contract in the first place." Magolor said. "I'm partly to blame for that, and I'm sorry. I should have looked out for her as I do for you."

"But she-"

"Even though I'm partly to blame, you must understand." Magolor continued, interrupting Taranza. "This is a mistake that she cannot undo or recover from. Like how the dead cannot come back to life. When magical people make the contract, we give up everything for one single wish. And then, we can do nothing but wait for the end and fight for the sake of our wishes."

"Then...does that mean..." Taranza started, and once he realized that Magolorwasn't going to interrupt him again, he continued. "Does that mean that you've given up, Magolor? On all the other magical people, on yourself?"

"Yes." Magolor answered, and Taranza couldn't help but notice how he hadn't hesitated in the slightest. "I won't make any excuses for myself. I have no choice but to keep fighting until I meet my own end, however that end comes."

Taranza didn't know how to respond as the catboy slid out from the booth he had been sitting in, picking up his school bag on the way out.

"If I've wasted your time, I'm truly sorry." Magolor said, and walked out of the coffee shop, leaving Taranza alone at the table.

***

Francisca stepped in front of the single mirror in her room, surveying her appearance as Mistilteinn watched from her bedside table.

Did she look tired? No. Did she look ready? Yes. Did she look intimidating, so that the warlocks would run away at the very sight of her?

Meh, probably not, she was still beautiful for that.

Oh, well. She was as ready as she could possibly be, that was all that mattered.

She started to leave the room, and Mistilteinn jumped on her shoulder right before she crossed the threshold and began going down the steps to leave the apartment complex.

"Are you nervous?" Mistilteinn asked.

"Well, yeah." Francisca said. "A little. I mean, one mistake, and it's goodbye me."

"You'll be fine." Mistilteinn reassured her. "You were fine with the first warlock, weren't you?"

"I guess so." Francisca said, as she started to walk out the door into the cool night air. She froze when he noticed the very familiar person waiting by the door, his schoolbag in hand. "Taranza?"

"Hey, Francis." Taranza said, a slightly worried look on his face. "Are you going out to..."

He trailed off, but Francisca knew what he was going to say. She smiled, holding up her Soul Gem.

"Yep! Time to patrol for all things wicked." She said. "Now that I'm an ally of justice, it's my duty."

"Are you going to be okay?" Taranza asked. "I mean, by yourself?"

"Oh, sure." Francisca said, shrugging. "If Susie could do it, so can I."

Taranza didn't bring up the fact that Susie couldn't do it anymore. That being alone had ended up killing her. He didn't want to think about that, or what it meant for Francisca. But that was why he was here.

"Well, I know I don't have any powers, and that I'll probably just end up getting in the way," Taranza started, setting his schoolbag down on the ground. "But if you don't mind me being around this kind of stuff, can I come with? At least as far as you can take me?"

Francisca smiled a little.

"Oh my god, you really are stubborn."

Taranza blinked, and stared at the ground, rubbing his arm.

"I know, it's too much to ask. I figured I'd give it a shot."

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Taranza said, and held up his hands. He could see Francisca 's fingers twitching slightly, and her entire hand shaking a little bit.

"Do you see this?" Francisca laughed a little. "My hands are shaking. They haven't stopped since I left my room. Isn't that pathetic? Even though I'm a magical girl now, the thought of going up against a warlock alone...it's kind of terrifying."

"Francisca..."

"I want you to come with, really." Francisca said, letting her hand drop back down to her side. "I already feel better knowing I won't be going it alone, and I'll be with my best friend."

"But what if-" Taranza started, but Francisca waved him off.

"Don't worry, don't worry. I promise, I'll keep you safe. Just follow my lead, and we'll be totally fine." Francisca said. "Ready to go hunt down some evil, just like we did with Susie?"

Taranza didn't think it was possible for any mention of Susie to make her smile again, but she stood there for a few seconds, remembering how much fun it had been to go hunting down witches and warlocks with Susie before they had come across the one at the hospital. It had been fun, and maybe, if he could have that again, it wouldn't be so bad. Taranza nodded.

"Yeah. Let's do it."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Mistilteinn asked, turning it's stare towards Francisca.

"You know how I am." Francisca said, as they started to walk away from the apartment complex. "If I went alone, I'd be too reckless. I'd end up getting myself killed. But now that Taranza's here, I'll be more careful because I'll know he's watching. I wouldn't want him to have to watch me die."

"Alright, well, as long as you've thought about it." Mistilteinn said. Out of nowhere, it suddenly turned its head, looking directly at Taranza.

"You've put a lot of thought into this too, haven't you, Taranza?" Mistilteinn spoke, but judging how Francisca didn't react, Taranza assumed she was talking only inside her head. "I know how much you want to protect Francisca ."

"Mistilteinn..." Taranza thought, but he trailed off, unsure what to say.

"I think it's good that you're coming along with us. This way, if we find ourselves in a tight spot, you can basically be our 'get-out-of-jail' card."

"I'm not...I'm not sure." Taranza thought.

"Oh, don't worry. You don't have to decide right now. But just know, if you ever decide on a wish,  I'll always be ready to grant it for you."

Taranza looked away from Mistilteinn, choosing instead to stare at the stone in the pathway he was walking along.

"...Okay."

***

Francisca's Soul Gem was glowing a bright cyan when they came along a tight alleyway near the edge of town, that had cracked stone stairs leading down through it. It felt like a dungeon entrance, and Taranza didn't like that feeling.

"Alright." Francisca said. "This must be it."

Not ten seconds after she said that, the walls on either side of the alleyway turned a bright fluorescent green, with little vibrant stars that looked like they were drawn in crayon dancing across the walls. It felt much smaller than any labyrinth they'd ever been in before.

"This labyrinth was probably one made by a familiar, and not a witch." Mistilteinn spoke up, answering the unspoken question that was in both Francisca and Taranza's minds.

"Sounds good to me." Francisca said. "Still, I'd better be careful. I'm still new at this."

"Yes, it'd be best to keep your guard up. The familiar could be nearby." Mistilteinn said.

"Roger that." Francisca said, nodding, and began to descend the steps deeper into the labyrinth, Taranza close behind. A few minutes went by of nothing really happening, before something hit the back of Taranza's head from behind.

"Ow!" They yelped, and turned around to see a wave of what looked like fire raining down on them.

"Get down!" Francisca yelled, and dropped to the ground, pulling Taranza down with her so fast Taranza was pretty sure he'd be picking gravel out of his chin for a week.

Francisca looked up when she heard a sort of distorted laugh, and saw something that looked like a drawing done by a three year old of a little girl riding an airplane.

"That's it! That's the familiar!" Mistilteinn exclaimed, confirming Francisca's suspicions.

"What do we do?" Taranza asked.

"I got this!" Francisca grinned, and threw her Soul Gem into the air. It floated in mid air, and Francisca stepped underneath of it. As soon as he did, a blinding cyan light exploded from the Soul Gem, and Taranza shielded his eyes. When Taranza looked back, Francisca stood in the center of the labyrinth as a magical girl, his bright cyan outfit easy to spot amidst the black color of practically everything else inside the labyrinth, and she was surrounded by a ring of her own swords stuck into the ground.

The familiar must have realized exactly what Francisca was, because it immediately began to speed away. Francisca was quick on her feet though, and began pulling the swords out of the ground and throwing them at the familiar, trying to nail it. Her first few just barely missed it, as the familiar began to realize that it was under attack, it was just barely able to dodge Francisca's swords. Her swords impaled the walls around the familiar, but none of them were right on the money.

Francisca decided to change her strategy. Instead of aiming for the familiar itself, she aimed just a little bit in front of it. The sword she threw impaled the wall right in front of the familiar, stopping it in it's tracks. Bingo. She threw a few more, surrounding the familiar, and keeping it from escaping. The familiar let out a distorted screech, and Francisca grinned, lining up one more sword. She aimed right for the center of the familiar, and threw.

Right as her sword was about to hit the familiar, something purple flashed by, knocking Francisca's sword out of the sky and saving the familiar.

"What?" Francisca asked, staring up at the familiar as the same red thing that she now recognized as some sort of spear knocked all of her swords out of the wall, setting the familiar free. It began to zip down the corridor, going as fast as it could to get away from Francisca .

A person suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, landing on her feet effortlessly. She was dressed in all red, and she was holding a red spear that looked like a sword, almost like a flamberge that was taller than she was. Francisca wasn't stupid, she knew what this was. She was another magical girl.

"Hang on a second, what do you think you're doing?" The girl asked. "Playing tag?"

As the familiar got farther away, the labyrinth began to melt around them, until they were back in the normal alleyway.

"It's getting away!" Francisca yelled, and started to run after the familiar, not caring about the random magical girl who apparently liked to save them. Not caring, at least, until she found the tip of the spear pointed right at her throat, and she stopped in her tracks. Francisca could feel her heart beat pounding in his chest, sudden fear shooting through him, but she gritted her teeth.

"Alright, fine. If this is how you want to play, I'll bite." Francisca said. She was already sure she didn't like this gal. "Who are you?"

"The name's Flamberge." The magical girl said, a small smirk on her face. "And what are you, blind or something? That isn't a warlock, it's just a familiar. It's not going to have any Grief Seeds if you kill it."

"Yeah, I know. But if we leave it alone, it's gonna' go and kill someone!" Francisca protested.

"Listen," Flamberge said, pulling a slice of bread from behind her pocket and taking a bite. "It has to eat around four or five people before it turns into a warlock. Then you can hunt it back down and you'll be sure to snag a Grief Seed for your trouble. You don't wanna' kill the goose before it lays the golden eggs, newbie."

Flamberge moved the tip of the spear away from Francisca's throat, confident that she had explained it well enough, but Francisca clenched her fists.

"What about the people it's going to attack, huh?"

Flamberge shrugged, taking another bite of her bread.

"Seriously? You're going to let them get killed?" Francisca asked, staring at Flamberge, unable to believe it.

"You know what? I hate to say it, but I really don't think you're getting this, are you? It's called the food chain. Didn't they teach you it in school?" She turned towards Francisca, and started walking towards him. "The warlocks go and eat the weak humans, and then we hunt them down and eat the warlocks."

As Flamberge got closer, Taranza slowly moved out of the way, backing up against the wall. Flamberge kept walking towards Francisca, obviously not caring about Taranza, and Francisca slowly started to back away as Flamberge advanced towards her.

"It's the natural way of things." Flamberge continued. "The weak have to give up to the strong."

Taranza jumped back as a translucent red wall full of fire suddenly appeared between him and the other two.

"Oh no..." He mumbled, his voice quiet, and ran as close as he dared to the wall, staring at what was happening behind it. Flamberge had stopped walking, and stabbed her spear into the ground right by Francisca's feet, as if to intimidate her.

"Why, you-" Francisca began, her eyebrows knitting together in anger.

"Oh, don't tell me." Flamberge cut her off. "You don't actually believe in all that fighting for justice and saving people is bullshit, do you? You didn't make the contract based on that load of bull, did you?"

"And what if I did, huh?" Francisca exclaimed, and swung her sword at Flamberge, but she blocked it with her spear easily.

"Whatever. Want to stop that?" Flamberge said, holding her spear with one hand but still holding Francisca back with ease.

Francisca pushed her sword forward, or at least, attempted to. Flamberge stayed put, not even moving an inch despite all of Francisca's efforts.

"You know, I don't like you coming in here and acting like it's a game." Flamberge said. "That seriously pisses me off."

She shoved her spear forward, knocking Francisca off-balance, and then slammed the butt end of this spear straight into Francisca's stomach, causing her to go flying. Francisca hit the wall, and fell to the floor. Her sword, which had been knocked out of his hand, pierced the ground next to her when it hit.

"Francisca!" Taranza exclaimed, but the wall blocked him from getting to his friend's side.

"Hmph. Rookie. That ought to knock some sense into you. Go clear your head for a bit." Flamberge said, and turned away, beginning to walk back towards Taranza. Taranza shrunk back, worried that this magical girl would try and hurt them, too.

Flamberge stopped, tilting her head slightly behind her as a noise came from where Francisca had been, and Flamberge could see Francisca slowly pushing herself up back to her feet.

"You have got to be kidding." Flamberge turned around in surprise. "The hit you took should have landed you in the hospital for at least three months."

"Mistilteinn, is Francisca okay?" Taranza asked, and Mistilteinn jumped up.

"She wished for someone to be healed when she made her contract to become a magical girl." Mistilteinn explained. "So now, she had the power to heal faster than a normal human being. All magical people get different perks."

"You think you're so tough, don't you?" Francisca said, gritting her teeth and pulling her sword out of the ground. "Susie's gone because of magical girls like you!"

"Okay." Flamberge said, finishing the last bite of her bread. She spun around, holding her spear in a battle ready position. "That really pisses me off."

A glowing circle appeared around Francisca, and the bruises from the hit she had taken slowly faded away, bright patches of blue light taking their place and then slowly disappearing to reveal the wounds to be completely gone, without a trace that they had ever even been there.

"You know something? You shouldn't talk to me like that." Flamberge remarked. "I've been hunting and killing warlocks for way longer than you have. I know what I'm doing. You clearly don't."

"Shut up!" Francisca yelled.

That was apparently the last straw for Flamberge. Without warning, she charged at Francisca, swinging his spear at him, attempting to hit him. But where Flamberge was strong, Francisca was fast. She held up her sword in defense, and blocked all of Flamberge's hits, even though the sheer force of the hits were knocking him backwards.

"Are you going to jump around all day, or are you going to fight back?" Flamberge asked, and swung her spear a little higher. It clashed against Francisca's sword, and she held it back, but Flamberge just pushed the spear forward, holding Francisca in place.

"Francisca!" Taranza exclaimed.

"Don't try anything, Taranza. It's too dangerous for a normal human." Mistilteinn said.

Flamberge pulled back her spear, and before Francisca could move, slammed it into her side, causing Francisca to hit the wall again. She fell to the ground, but this time, held onto her sword. Flamberge stepped towards her.

"You don't get it when I explain it, and trying to beat some sense into you doesn't seem to be working."

Francisca looked up at her, her teeth clenched together.

"Well! Seems like my only option is to kill you!" Flamberge said, and swung her spear at Francisca, but Francisca pulled her sword up at the last second, holding back the spear. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet, still holding the spear in place.

"I won't lose." She muttered. "Not to you!"

She pushed her sword forward, knocking Flamberge off-balance, but Flamberge was more experienced than Francisca. She recovered fast and stabbed her spear into the ground. The force of the impact knocked Francisca backwards, but she was learning how Flamberge worked and knew she had to get up fast. She went after Flamberge again, swinging his sword at him wildly, but Flamberge blocked every shot.

"Why is this happening?" Taranza thought aloud. "Neither of them are warlocks, they're magical girls. They shouldn't be fighting each other, they're on the same side!"

"It can't be helped. They certainly won't back down now." Mistilteinn said.

"Mistilteinn, make them stop. They're going to kill each other!" Taranza exclaimed to the crown.

"There's nothing I can do. I can't interfere with their choices." Mistilteinn said. "However..."

"What?" Taranza asked.

"If you truly want to stop them and you don't mind using force, there is a way." Mistilteinn said, and jumped back down off of Taranza's shoulder, looking up at him. "Only another magical person could come between them now. And you have more than enough potential to become one. If you really want to, that is."

Taranza looked up to see Francisca and Flamberge still fighting each other, both looking more determined to win with every hit as their weapons sparked off of one another's.

"That's right." Taranza thought to himself. "If I make a contract with it...I can stop them."

Flamberge finally landed a hit, knocking Francisca to the ground. Before she could stand up again, Flamberge hit her again, knocking the sword out of her hands and sending it flying a few feet away, too far out of Francisca's reach.

"Game over, rookie!" Flamberge called. Francisca stared up at her from the ground, unable to do anything but watch as Flamberge jumped into the air and came speeding back down, her spear aimed to Francisca's heart.

Taranza refused to see his best friend die today.

"I...I wish-" Taranza started.

"No need for that."

Taranza jumped when he heard Magolor's voice. He turned around, but no one was there. When he turned back, a very surprised-looking Flamberge had slammed her spear into the ground, and Francisca was behind her, still on the ground, but alive.

And between them stood Magolor.

 

Chapter 6: This Just Isn't Right

Summary:

After the fight between Francisca and Flamberge, Mistilteinn tells Francisca that Taranza could become a magical boy, but Francisca doesnt want to involve Taranza.

TW: Temporaly Character Death and some swears (like i said, Flamberge gets the pass on swears)

Chapter Text

The alleyway fell completely silent. Francisca shakily began to stand up, eyes widening at the sight of Magolor's sudden appearance. Flamberge was too stunned to move. Magolor, ever a stone-cold statue, grasped the girl's wrists tightly, keeping her in place. Taranza could only hear his own heart pounding and the blood rushing in his horns.

"Wha-" the Flamberge said. She yanked her hands free of Magolor's grip and took a step back, looking around suspiciously. "Where the fuck did you come from?" she yelled at him, reaching down for her spear and holding it up to Magolor's throat. "What the hell did you do?" 

Taranza blinked, and suddenly, Magolor was standing behind her, a full-blown smirk on his face.

"Magolor..."

"Wha-" she repeated. She whirled around on her heels and pointed the spear at Magolor again, eyeing him warily. "Oh, I see..." she said. "You're that irregularity, aren't you?" Magolor didn't say anything.

Irregularity?

From the corner of his eyes, Taranza saw Francisca stagger to her feet. She was bleeding, but she didn't appear to be in too much pain, like Mistilteinn said, she can heal pretty quick. Taranza felt the tension leave his shoulders. His best friend was alive... and she was going to be okay. As long as she didn't try to pick another fight, of course...

"Stay out of our way!" Francisca yelled, lunging towards Magolor with her sword drawn. But before he could land a hit, Magolor teleported behind her, knocking Francisca on the head with his shield, full of stars. Taranza watched in horror as Francisca fell limply to the ground.

"Francisca!" Taranza yelled. The barrier full of fire Flamberge had put up previously faded away and Taranza ran to his friend's motionless body.

"It's all right," Mistilteinn said from where it was perched on Taranza shoulder. "She's only unconscious."

Flamberge narrowed her eyes at Magoloe but didn't raise her spear to threaten him again.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded. "Who's side are you on, anyway?"

"I'm on the side of those who maintain their composure, and an enemy to idiotic aggressors, like you, Flamberge Rujū" Magolor said blankly. The red head gasped, looking truly taken back before she recovered and her gaze hardened once more.

"How do you know me?" Flamberge hissed. "Are you some sort of stalker or have we ever meet nefore?"

"Perhaps," Magolor said with an easy shrug. "I wonder" Magolor's yellow eyes bored into Flamberge's red eyes. Taranza couldn't help but wonder if the two of them were going to fight. It looked as though Flamberge wouldn't be able to beat him in the fight as long as he could do that teleporting... thing... but neither of them looked willing to back down from the other.

"You know what? Fuck this, since I don't have a clue what you've got up your sleeve... I'll back down for today." Flamberge finally said and she turned to leave, her eyes cutting into Taranza briefly before she turned around fully and leapt up the sides of the brick buildings until she was out of sight. Magolor cracked his knuckles and turned to Taranza, expression cold.

"You... saved us," Taranza breathed. "I-"

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Magolor snapped. "How much of a idiot are you? You shouldn't become involved in this. I told you to forget about Francisca, yet here you are." Taranza felt fear course through his veins and all over his body, as he remembered what Magolor had told him in the cafe. Was Magolor really his friend? What was he hiding?

"She's my best friend, " Taranza said. "I'm not leaving her."

"Well, then," Magolor spat. "If I have to resort to more drastic measures, so be it." Threat still hanging in the air, Magolor turned and slowly walked away.

"They are planning something," Mistilteinn mused. "We'll have to be more careful than ever." Taranza nodded mutely as he watched Magolor turn a corner and disappear from sight. Francisca was still unconscious next to him, so Taranza just hugged his knees close to his chest and waited. He would never let Francisca go it alone. Never. Magolor just didn't understand what it meant to be loyal, does he even know what is like to have a best friend?

Taranza didn't care if he was putting himself in danger if it meant he was there to support Francisca. And no matter what Magolor said, he wouldn't hesitate to make a wish if it meant saving his best friend's life. After all, Taranza thought as he played with his scarf. My life's not really worth all that much at this point.

Francisca tapped the grief seed against her soul gem and watched the darkness seep out. It began to glow more brilliantly than ever. She was glad they had eventually found a witch to fight... but she could care less about the victory. That girl. Flamberge, what was her deal?

"Your soul gem should be clear for a while," Mistilteinn said. Francisca sighed and examined the grief seed in her hand. It was pitch black. "Oh, and you'll want me to get rid of that for you. It's dangerous now."

"Huh?"

"If it absorbs any more impurity, it'll hatch a familiar," Mistilteinn explained pointedly. "Give it to me." Francisca placed it on her bed next to Mistilteinn carefully.

 She absolutely despised touching it. She knew, deep down, that that was ridiculous since grief seeds were something of a prize but seeing it reminded her of Susie. It reminded her of the danger she was really in, when she was weak and she couldnt do anything to save Susie.

Mistilteinn walked over to the grief seed and swallowed it whole. Francisca accomodated her blue hair and blinked at Mistilteinn in disbelief. "Did you just... eat... it?" she asked.

"That's just another one of my duties." The crown responded looking in that expression like it was smiling, as it was proud of it

"Geez," Francisca breathed. She stood up and shrugged off her hat "But in order to keep your Soul Gem pure, you'll need to find a new Grief Seed." Then Francisca remembered Flamberge and the fight she had "It must be really that important to keep it clean, why?"

"Flamberge was strong, wasn't she? She always keeps her Soul Gem in the best condition. That's why she can use magic so freely, the more magic you use, the more polluted your soul gem becomes," Mistilteinn continued as Francisca unconviced, looking more pissed off than ever. "And if it becomes too polluted, you won't be able to fight anymore." Francisca sighed, and turned to give Mistilteinn full attention.

"Susie fought familiars and witches. yet she was still able to fight just fine... Are some magical girls just more talented?"

"Indeed, some are" Mistilteinn said.

"Aw, what?" Francisca protested. "But that's not fair at all!"

"It's out of your hands," Mistilteinn said. "Flamberge has lots of inborn magical potential. So did Susie. You, however, do not have a lot of inborn talent, but that is not your fault. All you can do now is build up experience." Francisca sighed and laid back on her bed, as she didnt wanted to look at Mistilteinn. 

"There is someone who could beat Flamberge easily, though," Mistilteinn cut in. "Who has more inborn magical potential than anyone else I've ever come across."

 "And who would that be?"

"Taranza Makadee." Mistilteinn said.

"Ha!" Francisca said. "Good one." She raised her head and saw Mistilteinn staring at her. "You're joking, right? Taranza? "

"I cannot joke," Mistilteinn said. " That's why if you really want an edge in your fight with Flamberge, you could always ask him. That is, if he makes a contract with me-"

"No." Francisca sat up and stared at her desk across the room, which had a framed picture of the two of them laughing together. "This is my fight, i can't get him involved into all of this" Francisca pulled her soul gem out of her pocket and stared at it for a couple seconds before tucking it away.

---

  Flamberge combed through the racks of arms, biting her lip in distaste as she realized that there was nothing new. It was a shame... she really could do with some badass weapons full of fire. She supposed some of these could do in a pinch and thought about grabbing them just in case, but ideally, she'd be able to find something even more dangerous. After all, she had a wish to maintain.

Someone cleared their throat behind her and Francisca turned around, fully prepared to deal with a police about to arrest her. But it was just a cat boy. The irregularity. He was in his own clothes as always, with no weapons in sight.

"You... What do you want this time this time?" she snapped.

"I want to leave this city to you." he said simply.

"What," Flamberge said. She turned completely around and leered over him. "Are you serious? A change of heart? Well, isn't that nice."

"Despite you being someone who gets into fights a lot, you are fit to be a magical girl. Francisca is not qualified." Magolor said. 

"We both know she likely won't survive the month. She made a split-second wish and doesn't have enough magic to keep up with herself. She'll start to crack under the pressure any day now. Maybe she already has."

"That's what said," Flamberge said, rolling her eyes. "No need to mansplain it to me, whatever your name is." She waited for him to cut in and introduce himself, but he never did. "So what, do you want me to play nice ? If I leave her alone, she'll probably just come bug me again and if she's annoying, I might just have to finish her off. It's out of my hands."

"If she does, I'll handle her myself," he said. "But don't pick another fight with her."

"Yeah, that's great, that's great," Flamberge said. She had had enough of his whole "mysterious bad-boy" persona, really, it doesn't even fit him at all. She grabbed him by the hood and stared down at him, in her best attempts to make him flinch, make his stare waver. Christ, what is wrong with him? She would've thought he was just a picture, frozen in one moment. It was only the slightest rise and fall of his chest that indicated otherwise.

"You still haven't told me who the hell you are. What exactly is in this for you?" she demanded.

"In two weeks, a monster called Walpurgisnacht will come to destroy the city," Magolor said seriously. There was the smallest hint of emotion behind his eyes for a second. A fire, an anger. But it was gone as soon as she noticed it.

"How do you know that?" Flamberge asked, loosening her grip.

"That's a secret. Anyways, once it's defeated, I'll leave this city. You can do what you want after that.." As shady as it seemed, Magolor didn't look like he was joking around, even though he was obviously hiding things. And it seemed like a pretty good deal. She was already fighting witches, so what the hell. She'd cut him if he tried to pull a fast one on her.

"Walpurgisnacht, huh?" Flamberge said. She released his shirt and took a step back, sizing him up. "Fair enough. I'm not one for team-ups, but I'll make an exception. Even if I don't trust you further than I can throw you. Though to be fair, I could throw you real far if I wanted to."

"You made the right decision," he said. Then he extended his arm towards her, which she noticed that on his face, there were some yellow scars, why is that?. "Magolor. The name is Magolor Starcutter."

Flamberge got quiet for a moment and then offered him some hot candy "Want some?"

...

"It's not here anymore," Mistilteinn said to Francisca and Taranza as they stood huddled in the alleyway. "And it's been gone too long to leave a trail. Looks like you can't track the familiar from last night."

"Of course," Francisca said, rolling her eyes. "Nothing's ever easy, is it?." It was jarring, seeing Francisca acting so normal again. After she'd seen a different side of his best friend when he was fighting that girl, Flamberge. That Francisca was so serious... and terrifying. It had to be a fluke, right?

"Hey, Francis?" Taranza said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'll run into Flamberge again?" Taranza asked, quietly.

"Probably. With my luck, definitely." Francisca looked relatively unbothered, but then again, he'd always been good at putting on a happy face.

"Do you think you guys could uh... I don't know. Try to get along? Maybe she can meet Zan and-"

"Yeah, no," Francisca said. "Not gonna happen."

"Okay, so maybe not," Taranza said, cringing at the stupidity of his suggestion. "But I just don't want you guys you know... fighting."

"Um, did you miss that she was trying to stab me with her big ol' spear?" Francisca asked.

"You did kind of... provoke her, I guess? I don't understand why you have to fight at all. You have enough to deal with just from fighting monsters. Why waste your magic on other magical... people?"

"She was trying to kill me! You hear that? Kill! Me!" Francisca yelled, his anger finally breaking loose. "And you want me to sit down and then be friends with her? Of course no!" She kicked at the wall of the alley, making Taranza collapse a bit inside. "And you heard what she was saying. She lets people die so she can get grief seeds. How am I supposed to be civil with someone like that?"

"But you still can work together to fight the monsters so it's safer!" Taranza said. "You two should be on the same side... and Magolor, too."

"No," Francisca said coldly. "Weren't you even paying attention? He just watched and waited for Susie to die. He let her die so he could get that stupid grief seed. He's a murderer."

"Maybe he didn't mean to-" Taranza stammered.

"I-" Francisca stopped short, eyes growing wide and sucking in a breath. "I...wow. Um. God, I don't know where that came from... I need to chill out..."

Taranza stepped towards Francisca slowly and captured him in a hug, which Francisca returned after a second.

"I just want to keep people safe. If she doesn't agree, then how is she any better than the monsters? Jake was just the exception." He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair.

Letting out a final shaky breath, Francisca eased out of the hug and shivered. After a second, he began walking forward again. Taranza looked down at Mistilteinn, heart still pounding.

"He doesn't stand a chance against either of them," Mistilteinn said. "But of course, if it comes to it-"

"Yeah. I know."

...

"Joronia, can we talk?"

"So aparrently friend of mine is in a tough situation... What she's doing and saying probably isn't wrong... But the more she tries to do what's right, the worse it gets.."

"That happens a lot" Joronia said as she listened to Taranza "It sucks, but you can't expect a happy ending just by doing what's right all the time. Actually, the more people get stubborn and insist that they're in the right, the farther away happiness gets..."

"It's not fair if you can't be happy even though you're not doing the wrong things." Joronia just nooded at Taranza as she watched him "What do you think I should do?"

"...That's not a problem that can be solved by someone who isn't involved... Do you want to solve this, even if it's not the nicest way to do it?"

"All you need to do is make a mistake for her, Tell a white lie, or run away from something scary. Sometimes you realize that was actually the best choice in the end. Sometimes when you hit a dead end with no real alternatives, making a big mistake is an option, She may or may not. Especially at first. I told you it might not be the nicest way to do it. But would you rather give up on her, or give her the wrong idea about you?."

This maded Taranza worried as he sipped at his tea, then Joronia smiled at him

"Taranza, i know that you grew up to be a good boy. You don't lie, and you don't do anything bad. You're always trying hard to do what is right. You're already wonderful. That's why you should start learning how to make mistakes, you recover from injury faster when you're young. If you learn how to fall down now, it'll be easier for you later on... When you get older, making mistakes gets harder. The more things you're responsible for, the less mistakes you can make."

That's one of the things that Taranza remembered when he was talking with his roomate, although he didnt understand how he got the best roomate and the best queen.

...

Francisca let out a huff and stood up from where she was crouched behind a bush. Had his wish not worked? Or maybe it worked too well and now he doesn't need me to encourage him anymore. Francisca considered leaving and going home. All the spying seemed to do was bum him out. Taranza would talk to her if there was an issue. He always did, so there wasn't a point to worrying about it now... right?

"Let me guess: you're realizing you miss the way they'd run to you when they had a problem. Or better yet: you're their problem now." Francisca stiffened and turned to see Flamberge there, eating something like bread while blocking her way menacingly.

"Oh, don't tell me," she cooed mockingly. "Did you make your contract for them? You wasted your once-in-a-lifetime miracle on something that stupid? And let me guess...he's not falling into your arms like you expected?"

"What do you know?" Francisca shot back.

"A hell of a lot more than you, dumbass" she hissed. ". Magic is only supposed to be used to grant wishes for yourself. No good comes out of using it for someone else. Didn't Susie even teach you that much?" Francisca grunted in frustration but didn't say anything.

"If you want them to love you," Flamberge said, beginning to pace, "aren't there better ways to do it? After all... you've got all this magic now." She walked up to her and pushed her back mockingly. "Just go in there and break their hands and legs so bad, they'll never be able to use them again. Make them so helpless that they won't be able to do anything without you. Do that, and they'll be yours and yours alone. Both his body and his heart."

"You-" Francisca clenched her fists, seething with anger.

"If you don't have the guts, then I could do it for you. Just think of it as a favor to a fellow magical girl. It's no sweat"

"You're going down," Francisca growled. "This time you're going down, i'll turn you into a frozen ice."

"Alright," Flamberge said. "Let's take this some place else, then. We wouldn't want to attract a crowd, do we?."

Taranza's lungs burned as he ran; it felt like every inch of his body was on fire but he couldn't stop. When Mistilteinn had found him at home, warning him that Francisca was in trouble, he didn't think twice. He knew for a fact that if he stopped now, Francisca would be dead by the time he got there.

He pulled in a heaving gasp and fell to a stop as he found Flamberge and Francisca on a bridge, facing one another with steel expressions. Beneath them, a sea of cars roared down the highway, heightening the tension in the air and making Taranza's heart pound inexplicably faster.

"Let's see what you got," Flamberge said with a smirk. She held out her soul gem and transformed. Francisca narrowed her eyes as she summoned her spear and held in out threateningly. She reached into her sleeves and produced her own soul gem.

"Wait, Francisca!"

"Taranza? What are you doing? Don't get in the way. This isn't even any of your business!."

"Hmph. Annoying jerks sure attract annoying friends." Francisca said.

"What kind of friends do you have then, Flamberge?" Flamberge turned around and groaned in exasperation when she saw Magolor standing there. "This isn't what we agreed on. I thought I told you to keep your hands off of Francisca." Magolor said.

"Your method wouldn't get the message across! She's not backing down either way." Flamberge said. 

"Then I'll fight him," Taranza said simply, stepping forward. "You stay out of it."

"You've got until I finish eating this." Francisca spat as she started to eat some fries

"That's more than enough time."

"Don't underestimate me!" Francisca yelled, as she was about to lift her soul gem.

Taranza had to do something. There wasn't time for a moment of hesitation - let alone a better plan - so he didn't stop to think. "Francisca, im sorry!" He lunged forward in a sprint and snatched the gem from Francisca's hand, chucking it over the side of the bridge in one clean motion, into the sea of whooshing cars below.

Taranza just barely heard something muttering under Magolor's breath as he disappeared from sight in a second.

"Taranza! What in the actual crap is wrong with you!?" Francisca yelled, running towards Taranza.

"I'm sorry but I had to!" Taranza said, still shivering. "You two should be on the same side!" He glanced at Flamberge with pleading eyes, but she wouldn't look at him.

"But you..." Francisca trailed off as her expression suddenly shifted, turning completely neutral as her body went stiff.

"Francisca?"

Without warning, Francisca began to fall forward and Taranza had to awkwardly catch her. He pushed his friend away from her chest and saw that her eyes were glazed over, her muscles entirely limp. Her entire body was devoid of life.

"You shouldn't have done that, Taranza," Mistilteinn said suddenly, shaking his head. "No matter how angry you are, you should never throw your friend away like that."

"What?" Taranza said, feeling his heart beginning to thump. "What...what did you say?" Flamberge walked over to Taranza and took Francisca in her arms, slapping her cheek to see if she could get a reaction out of her. But... there was just... nothing.

"What the hell..." Flamberge said, fear beginning to seep into her tone. "Is she... dead?"

Mistilteinn hopped to the ground and padded over to sit on the ground in front of them.

"The furthest you magical girls and boys can control your bodies is usually within a radius of one hundred meters," Mistilteinn said.

"One hundred meters?" Flamberge repeated incredulously. "What?"

"You rarely have this kind of accident," Mistilteinn said nonchalantly. "Usually you carry it with you all the time."

"What are you saying, Mistilteinn?" Taranza said through his tears. Flamberge had laid Francisca down and all Taranza could do was just stare down at the motionless body. "Stop talking and help us! Don't let Francisca die!"

"That isn't Francisca," Mistilteinn said. "It's just an sad and empty shell."

"Just a..."

"Francisca is what you threw off the bridge a minute ago."

"What did you say?" Flamberge breathed. Taranza looked up and saw her hesitantly bringing a hand up to touch her soul gem, embedded in her chest.

"Did you really think you could fight monsters with those breakable human bodies?" Mistilteinn said. "It's unthinkable. Your real bodies are your souls, which can store magic more efficiently. When you make a contract, I remove your soul from your body and change it into a soul gem so it's easier to protect."

"Bastard..." Flamberge mumbled, advancing on Mistilteinn, spear in hand. "What have you done to us? Did you turn us into... zombies or something?"

"But isn't it handy this way?" Mistilteinn said, seemingly unbothered. "Even if your body's heart gets ripped to shreds or you bleed out your last drop of blood, you can just heal your bodies with magic and get right back up! As long as your soul gem is unharmed, you're basically invincible."

"That's horrible..." Taranza whimpered out. His tears were forming a small pool on Francisca's clothes. Taranza wheezed through his sobs. He had done this. He was an idiot and ended up throwing Francisca's...her soul ... of the bridge. He had killed his own best friend. Taranza's thoughts were drowned out by the sounds of his own sobs.

After a second, Taranza saw a hand placing Francisca's soul gem back in her outstretched hand. Taranza looked up and saw Magolor there, a solemn expression on his face. Flamberge ran over to where they were gathered, looking over Francisca with concern.

After a few seconds, Francisca stirred. Taranza rubbed at his eyes with trembling hands. He couldn't tell if this was just another scene in the nightmare that this evening had been, or if he was vfinally waking up.

"What?" Francisca asked, blinking drowsily. "What are you guys looking at?"

 

Chapter 7: Can You Face Your True Feelings?

Summary:

Francisca discovers the truth about her own body as a magical girl. She vacillates between the wish that came true by accepting the fate of fighting and the high price she paid for it. Francisca is depressed at home until Flamberge shows up.

 

Francisca angst moment

Chapter Text

Francisca hugged the pillow closer to her chest. She didn't feel sad. She didn't even really feel angry. She just felt empty. 

I guess I am empty. Just a shell of a person. She flexed her fingers, concentrating on the way it felt to move her body, to be in control. She could feel the texture of her bedspread and move each finger around with dexterity. It felt the same, but knowing that it wasn't really her.

She shuddered and buried her face again, hoping to bury those thoughts along with it

Francisca heard some soft, tiny feet from across the room, and she was almost relieved she could finally feel something. Anger. Betrayal.

"You tricked us, didn't you" she growled, not even turning to look at Mistilteinn.

"I did no such thing," Mistilteinn said.

"Yes, you did," Francisca said, now squeezing the pillow tighter and tighter, imagining that she was squeezing the crown, like shaterring in pure ice. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You never asked."

Francisca sat up and chucked the pillow at Mistilteinn, staring blankly at the wall, all the while clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Even if you didn't know, there wouldn't have been any inconvenience," Mistilteinn continued, jumping up onto Mistilteinn's desk, that hauting eyes penetrated into her. "After all, Susie never noticed, for example. It's because humans don't physically sense their souls." Francisca  stood up and walked over to Mistilteinn, now seething.

"Make no mistake," Mistilteinn continued. "I did this for your benefit. With your soul separated, you can protect it. By removing it, I'm helping you fight even more effectively."

"Well, nobody asked you to do that!" Francisca snapped. She advanced on Mistilteinn, grabbing for it. But she missed and Mistilteinn just hopped out of the way.

"You still don't understand what it's like to fight, do you?" Mistilteinn said, moving part of itself. "Let's say you've been impaled by a spear, how much pain do you think you could take before you simply went into shock?"

Francisca's eyes widened as she remembered Flamberge's spear hitting her straight in herchest, leaving a huge bloody gash. How she was able to brush it off and keep fighting as if it were a scratch. She had chalked it up to adrenaline but... she had hardly felt it.

Mistilteinn walked over to where Francisca's soul gem was lying on the desk and pressed one of its leg onto it. 

Francisca felted something sharp and then holded back a scream as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, tears poking out of the corners of her eyes as tried to contain her agony. It felt like she was burning from the inside out. Like there was a black hole opening up inside of him, tearing her to bits little by little. 

She finally couldn't contain herself and cried out, falling to the ground and curling into a ball, wishing for something, anything to help her escape the pain.

"This is what real pain feels like," Mistilteinn said. "See? A single strike would be enough to incapacitate you. The only reason you were able to fight with Francisca is because you were spared the full extent of your body's pain. You should be grateful that your mind and body are no longer connected." The pain finally finally subsided as Mistilteinn lifted his leg off the cyan soul gem. 

Francisca was still shuddering as she eased herself into a sitting position, silently sobbing at the unfairness of it all.

"If you concentrate," Mistilteinn said, "you can even learn to completely cut off pain. But I wouldn't recommend that, since it tends to slow you down."

"Why..." Francisca breathed out as she watched her tears stain the carpet. "Why would you do this to us?"

"You had a wish important enough to commit yourself to a life of battle, did you not? And your wish came true, didn't it?" Mistilteinn said

...

Francisca wasn't at school. Taranza watched the empty seat, he didnt know what to say, is she not coming today?. What could she possibly say to make Francisca feel better? She'd stop by after school...

The last thing Francissca needed was to be alone with her thoughts. Taranza even felt disgusted with himself for even going to school, for even trying to maintain an air of normalcy.

When lunch came, he didn't want to sit with Zan. After all, why should she have to deal with him if he broke down? So, he walked behind the school to sit and think. He rested his head against the cool brick of the school and tried to focus on the gentle wind toying with his tufts of soft hair and sneaking in under his scarg to make him shiver. If Francisca were here with me, maybe she'd realize that she can still feel things. Even little things like that.

"What are you doing back here all alone, Ranz?" Taranza's eyes snapped open. Magolor was standing next to him. As always, his face was blank. After a few seconds of silence, Magolor sat down next to Taranza, staring at him coldly without saying a word.

"Magolor, did you know about this?" Taranza asked eventually. Magolor nodded slowly, his faraway gaze never faltering. "Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I've tried to tell people before," Magolor said. "It's never ended well. Either they don't believe me, or that knowledge leads them to self-destruction." Taranza gaped at Magolor. For a second, there was a sort of sadness in his eyes. Regret. Terror. He couldn't help but wonder what awful things Magolor had seen... what he'd endured that was so awful that he was this dead set on keeping anyone else from making a contract.

"Why would Mistilteinn do something so cruel to us?" Taranza asked.

"It doesn't think of it as cruel," Magolor said simply. "It's a creature that doesn't understand the value of human life. It's like a computer. No empathy. No emotions, in a crown." Magolor finally turned to look at Taranza. "It insists that a soul is simply payment for the wish."

"But it's not fair!" Taranza said, cursing himself when he heard his voice break. Keep it together. "How could it do that to her? All Francisca wanted was to heal the person she loved!"

"It was still a miracle. It made the impossible possible." Magolor spat out "Even if Francisca dedicated her entire life to caring for them, they would have never recovered enough to play the pianoagain. Normally, a miracle costs far more than a human life, but that's the price for which Mistilteinn sells them."

"Francisca ... won't be able to go back to her normal life?" Taranza's breath caught for a second.

"Don't act so surprised," Magolor said. "I already said this before, have I not? Give up on Francisca." Whatever Magolor wished for must have been really important to him because he didn't seem to be that disturbed about the whole "soul stealing" business. Though, Taranza supposed Magolor didn't look like he was disturbed by anything. 

He was a hardened veteran it seemed, in a different way than Jake had been. Would Francisca turn that cold too? And for what? 

Francisca felt a warmth on his cheeks and realized he was crying. He didn't know how long ago he had started but he couldn't stop now.

"You don't know her, she saved me!. You just moved here a couple weeks ago. You don't know what she's capable of," Taranza clenched his fists. "And she's my best friend. She was just trying to save me. What kind of thanks would it be to just give up and let her die because of me? She even saved me from a witch!"

"I wouldn't have let you die," Magolor said. "And you shouldn't confuse gratitude with responsibility. Francisca's decisions are her business, and they will be her downfall."

"Well, if you're so sure she can't take care of herself, then why don't you just help her? I know you're strong enough. I thought magical people were supposed to protect people, but you're going to let my best friend die because you're being selfish."

"I don't protect people," Magolor spat. "Anyone who thinks they can save everyone is delusional. And that includes your friend."

Taranza turned around and punched the brick wall. Distantly, she could feel the hard surface tearing away the skin of her knuckles, but he didn't care. It was nothing compared to the deep-set pain eating away at his insides.

"Why are you cold?" Taranza choked out, not even bothering to wipe his never-ending tears.

Magolor picked up Taranza's hand, blood trickling down his fingers to pool in his palm. His touch was so much softer than anyone would expect. His skin was a whisper against Taranza's hand. Taranza saw Magolor's soul gem, hanging out of his hood, begin to glow softly. Magolor's fingertips brushed over his battered knuckles with a certain confidence like it was a path he'd walked many times before, so much so that he could almost feel of flicker of familiarity stirring in his heart. 

Then Magolor pulled away, leaving only a ghost of a touch where his fingers had just been. Taranza looked down and the blood was gone, his knuckles smooth and soft again.

"Maybe it's because I'm not longer what i used to be" Magolor said. Then he stood up, turned the corner, and left Taranza alone again.

Stupid Mistilteinn. Stupid contract. Stupid Flamberge. Stupid Magolor. Francisca couldn't remember how long it had been since her conversation with Mistilteinn, maybe it was stupid, but if she was supposed to live as a zombie until her inevitable death, she didn't want to look at everything she had thrown away on such a ridiculous impulse. It didn't feel right for everything to look the same if they'd never really be the same again if she'd never feel the same way again.

She pulled her hand out from under her pillow, fingers clasped tight over the too-smooth surface of his soul gem. This was the one thing that was worse to look at - its blue glow a beacon in the blur that was her old life, taunting her with the way it danced and flickered. 

Here is everything you are, it called, giggling in the dim twilight that snuck through her tightly shut blinds, Look how easy it would be to snuff you out, just like that! It dimmed for a split second, then sprung back to life.

Francisca shut hier eyes and laid back on the pillow, stuffing the ornament back in her sleeves, she was aware that not everything can be put in her sleeves, but sometimes, in her clothes there were no pockets, so that's the only way, and also the fact that she doesnt even use bags.

Francisca didn't even connect the dots to why she'd even taken the contract in the first place. It sure as hadn't been for her own benefit, and it was for Jammerjab, she felt bad for them and worse, distant - than ever...

"How can I visit Jammerjab after being turned into this thing...?"

Best of all, they'd planted a bright red fire on the back of that cape for Flamberge to use as target practice in her quest to let innocent people die for her own benefit. Might as well have just offed myself, it would've been so much faster.

"How long are you gonna lie there feeling sorry for yourself, dummy?"  A raspy voice rang out in her head. Great. Right on time, Flamberge was here to finish her off, of course she was here, of course.

Actually, this is the beginning of a four-step plan of misery.

She dragged herself out of bed and peered out the window to see Flamberge standing outside her house, untransformed. She looked like she was a atletic girl, was tomboy the right word to describe her? maybe... Her spiky hair was more shown into her, showing more of her scars and more than her magical girl outfit so effortlessly flaunted. As far as she could tell, there wasn't even any food detectable on her face.

"Come out for a bit. We need to talk."

Francisca considered just climbing back into bed and waiting until she got bored and left, but in all honesty, what did she have to lose at this point? With one last glance into her sleeve to ensure she still had her soul gem - scratch that, her literal soul - and headed down the stairs.

"So let me guess, I bet you're really regretting this, am i right?" Flamberge said as they walked. Francisca scoffed and buried her hands into her sleeves. 

She didn't need to rub her messy situation in her face. It was bad enough to be out among all the normal people, milling around in the comfortable naivete of their everyday lives. 

Oh for Void, since when did I get so pessimistic? "I'm just rolling with it, honestly," Flamberge continued. ". I mean, I'm able to do what I want because I acquired these powers. It's not really something I regret." Francisca squinted up at her, trying to glare her form out of existence so she would just leave her alone.

"And?..." Francisca said.

"So, if you only live for yourself, then everything that happens to you, good or bad, is your own fault. So I always feel in control." She kept walking ahead of her, out of the city and into a forlorn patch of land that looked entirely barren.

---

"We're here." Flamberge  stopped short and ignored her comment.

Francisca followed her gaze, confusion mounting higher than ever. It was... a cabin? No, a cabin would look nicer than this. She took in the dull brown siding of the mobile home, the windows patched over with duct tape, and the deflated soccer ball forgotten under the crumbling corner of the structure.

"What is this place?"

Flamberge approached and kicked open the door without answering. She stepped inside and gestured for Francisca to follow. 

The interior was even worse than she'd been able to gather from outside. The moonlight seeped in through the empty spaces between the frame of the kitchen windowsill, highlighting the ivy that was starting to crawl in the corner and the built-up grime on the washed-out tabletop. To her left was the living room, where smoke stained the peeling paint of the ceiling and the sofa had begun to collapse under the weight of decades' worth of use.

Francisca  was nervous to touch a single surface in the house, every corner was either too dark to make out or visibly coated in dust and debris and god knows what else. Flamberge, on the other hand, gazed at each room with a sad familiarity in her eyes, letting her hands drift comfortably along the walls as if clasping the hand of an old friend.

Against her better judgment, she did her best to crack a joke. "I think i get it now, it's a metaphor. This house is me: broken and devoid of love. How clever of you."

Francisca turned her attention to the counter to avoid Flamberge's glare, tucking her hand into her  sleeve so she could brush off a spot on its surface without catching some obscure disease. 

The caked-on dust fell to the floor in a curtain, and when she was satisfied, she hopped onto the counter and met Flamberge's eyes again.

"This is where i grew up with my father." She spoke in a soft voice, almost a whisper. It seemed so unlike her to be so quiet and vulnerable, which is strange.

"What happened to him?"

Flamberge gave a short, humorless laugh. "Way to assume, whoa."

For once in her life, Francisca shut his mouth and waited for her to continue.

"It's a long story, if you want to hear it"

"Called it," Francisca said as she tried to make herself at home, trying to take a seat.

Francisca crossed her arms n defeat, and she let out a resigned sigh.

"He was an extremely honest and kind person. The type of person who'd cry just from reading the morning paper, and put serious thought into how to make the world a better place.. My dad always said that a new religion was needed to save a new era. That's why he started preaching things that weren't part of the scripture." Even in the darkness, Francisca could see her eyes sparkling as she relived the memory. In the back of her head, he could feel a familiar image starting to stir, until she saw the photo, in that photo there was a man who's smile under a sprinkling of freckles topped off with a red mustache. She shook her head and forced herself to focus on her words.

"As you might expect, people stopped coming to his sermons. Then he got excommunicated by the Church.." Flamberge's expression turned unreadable, and she leaned against the table, even though it wobbled slightly under her weight, "No one would listen to what he had to say. It shouldn't have been a surprise. From the outside, it would've looked like some sketchy cult. No matter how right he was. No matter how logical the things he said were, he was just an outcast in the eyes of society."

"My dad and i were left with nothing, not even food..I couldn't accept it. My dad wasn't even saying anything wrong. It was just different from what people were used to hearing.If they had just listened to him for five minutes, it would've been obvious that he was right... But in the end, no one listened to him. That was so unforgivable, i couldn't stand it anymore, That's why my wish was that everyone would listen to my dad's words, the next morning, his church was filled with people. The number of believers multiplied at a frightening rate each day, and that's how i became a magical girl, but oh, what a mistake have i done?..."

"No matter how good his sermons were, they wouldn't get rid of the witches. I thought that was where I came in, so I got all hyped up about it like an idiot, thinking we'd save the world together, him in the light and me from the shadows, until he found out..."

Then Francisca got frozed for a moment, realizing what was going to end into "He completely lost it when he realized all his followers were only there because of magic. He called me, his own daughter, a witch who sways the hearts of others. Which is ironic. I mean, I was the one who'd been fighting the real witches every night, that ruined my father. He was miserable at the end. He started binge drinking, lost his grip on reality, and ended up burning the house, and offed himself, leaving me an orphan"

Francisca averted her gaze. After a minute, Flamberge sighed and continued.

"My wish destroyed my entire family.."

When Francisca looked up, she caught sight of her hands trembling for a split second before she gripped the table to steady herself. At this point, she could hardly keep herself upright. The feelings she was describing felt too familiar.

"Because I made a wish for someone else without knowing what he really wanted, I ruined many lives. That's when I swore to myself that I'd never use magic for others again. I'd use my powers only for myself." She raised one hand and brushed her fingertips over her hair, as if she could still feel her father there, smiling, despite almost killing her.

Francisca bit his lip. Truthfully... But it was probably worse that she was nearby and still not happy. Her wish... and her life, were essentially wasted.

"Why would you tell me this now? I already made the one wish that could possibly be stupider than infinite chili fries. It's not like I can go back and change that now," Francisca spat. She wanted so badly to be bitter and angry with her, but she just felt empty.

"You shouldn't do any more things that you'll regret. You've already paid too high a price for what you got. So now, start thinking about how to get your money's worth."

"If you just live for yourself, why bother helping me?" Francisca asked. She didn't trust her. Not for a second.

"Because we both started off with the same mistake. You get what you pay for, right? You can bounce back like I did if you just start getting your money's worth." Somewhere deep within her, she felt a fire light up. It was just the tiniest spark, but it was exactly what she maybe needed.

"Like you?"

"Exactly! You just need to stop worrying and do whatever you want. Live only for yourself." Even if Flamberge tried to meant well, Francisca was still not conviced although she is grateful that at least Flamberge is trying "...That doesn't add up. If you're only living for yourself, then why are you worried about me?"

Slightly dissapointed, Flamberge doesn't respond and tries to stay in the main focus "We both started off with the same mistake, i've come to realize mine, but you haven't. I couldn't watch you go on like that."

"I must admit, i misjudged very bad" Francisca admitted. "I had the wrong idea about you. I'm sorry for that. I really am." 

She let out a sigh, her gaze hardening. "But I don't regret having used my wish for someone else. I've decided never to regret my actions, so I don't cheapen the feelings I cherish. Never again.." The ice began to lick up throughout her body, higher and higher, Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the glint of his soul gem, gleaming from her pocket.

"Why don't you...-"

"Understand? Yeah, i know that you were about to say that, you are not that unpredictable, you know? and also, where did you get that food? did you even get money to buy them?" This left wordless Flamberge until Francisca gived her a cold glare "So you can't tell me, can you? In that case, I can't eat that. I wouldn't even want it."

"You dumbass! We're magical girls! There's no one else like us!" She let her voice fall, almost into a growl, Francisca turned her back and said before leaving. "I will continue fight in my own way. If that interferes with your life, you're welcome to try and kill me again. I no longer bear you any ill will, but won't lose, either."

As Francisca turned and walked to the door, she heard Flamberge kick the table behind her in frustration, and it fell to the ground in a useless heap.

...

"Bonjam, Taranza and Francisca!" A smooth voice cut into Taranza's thoughts. He looked up and saw Zan and Francisca. Francisdca was there, and she was beaming at Taranza, it looked like she didnt get any sleep.

"Bonjam Zan." Francisca said in a inusual tone. "Wait a moment, did something happened Francis? You look a little bit tired." Zan asked checking on Francisca, at this point Francisca didn't care that her friends were watching.

"I was feeling a little unwell.," Francisca said, laughing slightly as she crossed her arms. "I was only out of school for two days. No biggie."

"I know, but you-"

I'm okay now. It took me a bit, but I'm going to be fine.

...right. Yeah....sorry.

As Francisca was about to speak, she saw Jammerjab walking, making her frozen "My, has Jammerjab been released from the hospital? That's good news" Zan said with a small smile

Watching this, Taranza noticed that Francisca was more awkward to see Jammerjab rather than happy with troubled Taranza so much.

...

This was strange Zan never invited Francisca to something , like, dont get Francisca wrong, Zan and her always practice their religion together, with Hyness, but it was just religion, and the fact that there she was with Zan, was strange.

"So, um..." Francisca  started awkwardly, stirring the ice in the bottom on her drink with her straw. "What did you want to talk?"

"Francisca..." she said after a bit, looking like she was choosing her words very carefully. The way she was pausing was a red flag for Francisca - Zan typically said whatever was on her mind. "I... well... can I be frank with you?"

Francisca nodded slowly, her hand going completely still. Zan, though a little blurry-looking, radiated intensity. Whatever she was going to say, it was sure to be important.

"You need to tell Jammerjab how you feel."

Zan might as well have slapped her.

"Heh... heh... what?"

"I've... been attracted to Jammerjab for some time now.." Zan paused and bit her lip. "I know that you have known Jammerjab for such a long time, you're a precious friend to me, Francisca, you really are, so... I genuinely don't want to steal them from you or try to court them behind your back, you've spent far more time with them than I have. That's why you should have the right to go after them first..."

"Zan..." Francisca said, tapping her fingertips against the cool surface of the table.

"I will confess to Jammerjab after school tomorrow. You have one whole day. Please decide on a course of action that you won't regret. Decide whether or not you'll tell them how you feel, but please, tell them, i don't want to steal them from you in your back..."

Francisca didn't say anything. Zan was giving her way too much credit. Maybe if she wasn't so horribly aware of how cruel the world could be, she'd be that optimistic too. If her wish, the thing she'd basically traded her life for, couldn't tell her if Jammerjab felt the same, then there was no reason to believe she ever could.

She gave her hands to Zan but her mind was elsewhere. Zan was giving her, not only advice but also too much credit, it genuinely felt like a deadline. She was offering her solidarity but it felt like she was threatening her. She knows that I love them. If I don't do what she says, she could tell them. She could tell them how they feel.

"I ...uh, yeah. Noted." She pulled away from her, clenching her fingers onto the material of the booth, focusing on the pressure, the texture. You're okay. You're going to be okay. Zan is your friend: she doesn't know that you've become this...thing.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Zan said with a small smile. She stood up and patted her shoulder affectionately as she passed.

Tomorrow.

Taranza caught Francisca as she was leaving her house, presumably to go fight witches. She had a solemn look in her eyes. All the life that had seemingly been rekindled at school was nowhere to be found. After summoning what bits of courage she could find, Taranza stepped into view and followed Francisca's way.

"Can I come along?" Taranza asked earnestly. "You're going witchhunting, right?" Francisca didn't answer. She just sort of stared at Taranza, her expression unreadable. "I don't want you to be alone... I want to support you." Francisca stuffed her hands into her shoulders and looked away.

"Is that your way of offering to carry me there?" She asked shakily, trying to laugh. "I would usually accept, but I don't deserve it right now..." She sighed. "Why are you... Why are you so kind to me? I don't deserve it......" Francisca didn't finish, but her words still hit Taranza like a speeding train. She wasn't going to make an issue of it, she really wasn't planning on it. But the last of her apology snapped what little patience Taranza had left like a matchstick.

"That's not true." Taranza said. "You're my best friend!"

"Today, I almost regretted what I'd done." Francisca shot back. "For just a moment, I wondered what would have happened if I hadn't saved Zan.... Some heroine I turned out to be, Susie would be ashamed to have known me, she would have hated my guts for what i have become..."

"Francisca...I..." Taranza looked down at the ground, cringing. He sighed and took a gentle step towards Francisca. How was he supposed to say this in a way that wouldn't start another fight? 

"...I'm sorry," he said. "Susie wouldn't have hated you if she was still there" Taranza couldn't get the words out. Francisca was already suffering enough, and now this? 

Without futher Taranza opened his hands and let Francisca cry in his shoulders, he could feel the wet tears into his clothing, but that's not something that he didn't complain, he knows that Francisca is already suffering and he wants to let Francisca know that he's here for her

"How could anyone love me now that I've become this thing? " Francisca broke out in sobs. "I'm going to lose Jammerjab to Zan! And there's nothing I can do about it!, I'm already dead! I am a zombie! How can I ask them to hold this dead body? How can I ask them to kiss my cold lips?

The sun had set by the time Taranza looked up again, he feeled like his tears are about to burst out, he never liked to see Francisca like that, he never enjoyed that, he never enjoyed her suffering so, without futher ado, they embrace each other for some time, in tears.

After some time, Francisca let go of Taranza's arms, as he felt how Francisca feeled a little better "Thank you so much Taranza, i feel a little better." Taranza just nooded as he saw her

"Anyways, let's go. Those witches aren't gonna slay themselves." Francisca chuckled as she cleaned her tears. It sounded forced and fake. "Right, let's... get going. If you want." Taranza nodded and stood up. 

When they began to walk downtown, Francisca walked a few paces in front on him. And neither of them said a word.

...

Flamberge watched the glowing wall that housed the labyrinth with intensity, checking her reflection out of habit every few minutes. If she listened hard enough, she could hear sounds of struggle from inside. She wasn't really sure why she was there, watching Francisca fight. I should just go home. If she dies, then I get this city. Why should I care? I don't care.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of feet landing behind her. When her eyes flickered back to take in the visitor, she was unsurprised to see it was that cat, Magolor.

"I'm surprised you're just looking around here watching." he commented blankly. 

"What's it to you?" Flamberge snapped. "She's fighting a witch today, not a familiar. It'll drop a Grief Seed. It's not a pointless hunt.." Magolor rolled his eyes and said "And you'd let her take your prey for that, huh?" Flamberge turned back to continue watching not caring what Magolor says. After a second, she heard Francisca cry out in pain from inside. She stood up immediately, panicked.

"Idiot! How long is it going to take her to finish that thing?" Flamberge blurted. She stopped eating her candy and transformed, leaping down to the street to enter the labyrinth. "I'm gonna have to take care of this, won't I..." she mumbled to herself, summoning her spear. As she stepped through to the black and white landscape of the labyrinth, she saw Magolor turn to leave behind her.

"Do me a solid," he said. "Don't die."

...

Pants were heard from Francisca as she watched the witch.

Taranza was standing near the entrance, shaking uncontrollably as the monster, an amorphous form with limbs that stretched out like tree branches, thrashed Francisca around. Without a second thought, she leaped at the monster, using her spear to cut off the limb that was grasping Francisca. It fell uselessly to the ground, spewing blood that seemed to shine in the darkness of the labyrinth. She seemed to be badly hurt.

"For Void's sake, I can't watch this anymore," she groaned, standing in front of him protectively and spinning her weapon with a flourish, waiting for the witch's next attack. "Just get back. I'll take care of it." But Francisca didn't stand back. Instead, she got up into a running stance, summoning her sword and growling.

"Don't get in my way. I can do it myself." Then she rushed forward at it, to the heart of the witch, which took the form of a teenage girl and chopped off her head in one motion. Blood splattered everywhere, coating Francisca's cape with blood. But it wasn't dead yet. 

It gave a scream, sending out more limbs to grab Francisca, to rip it apart or tear into her flesh. They grabbed Francisca, but she didn't cry out. Flamberge's eyes widened as she saw there was something... different about Francisca's stance. 

She moved slower, her arms hanging as though she was barely controlling them at all. With every step, her feet landed heavily, too heavily, and the ground trembled below them. Flamberge blinked, and suddenly she saw the monster attacking with a deadly limb, aimed right for Francisca's heart.

"Francisca!" Taranza screamed from behind. Flamberge ran forward to try to push them out of the way, but the pointed end of the limb tore right through Francisca's chest, causing her to flail a bit as the other end came through his back. 

But Francisca simply severed the limb with a confident sweep of her sword and kept advancing, as if there weren't a gaping hole in his chest, gushing blood. When she got to it once more, he swiped at it again, and this time, her attack seemed to do it in. But Francisca just kept on attacking it, bringing her weapon down on the limp form again and again as if it were a hammer rather than a blade. She felt the monster's blood splattering onto her face, a morbid rain over the already grim scene, but Flamberge was too petrified to move.

"Ahahahaha, It's true!..." Francisca said with a deranged laugh as she hit the witch's dying body again and again with her sword as the hole in her chest crept inward, slowly knitting itself back together with the glow of her soul gem. "If I just detach myself... it doesn't hurt at all!"

"Stop..." Flamberge heard Taranza's weak voice behind her, voicing what she was too afraid to. "Please...please, stop."

 

Chapter 8: I'm such a Fool

Summary:

Despite her own injury, Francisca continues to destroy the witch in front of her.
Thanks to healing magic, she wins without a scratch in the end. But she looks extremely exhausted.

CW: You already know + swears
Also there's a warning about people being mysoginistic, i don't condone mysognist people, i hate that kind of people

Chapter Text

The distorted screams of the witch rang weakly through the labyrinth as Francisca brought her ice sword down on its dissolving form over and over until every particle was gone and the hollow ring of metal against brick reverberated in Flamberge's ears. 

She took a careful half-step forward, then ran, practically floated, to her side and rested a hand on her wrist as she tried to bring it up once more. She barely applied force beyond the weight of her arm, but it was more than enough to stop the jerky cycle of motion.

"It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it... There's no way I can lose now." Francisca said with a chuckle. 

Then she turned to face Flamberge, an unhinged look on her face. "And this way, you can never hope to beat me." The rattling scrape of his sword dragging along the ground felt as if it were grinding against her skull as she staggered towards the grief seed and crouched to collect it in trembling hands. 

Flamberge eyed her warily as she stood up and tossed it over to her "You can have it. That's what you were after, right?" She caught it in one hand and scoffed.

"What's this for?"

"It's a gift," Francisca said with a smirk. Her eyes had lost their sparkling, and she winced for a second, probably reconnecting this her body's remnants of pain. 

"Hey-"

"I don't want to owe you anything. This make us even, okay?, come on Taranza, let's go home." Taranza shakily walked over to Francisca, glancing back at Flamberge. 

Francisca took a step forward, but her stance was unbalanced and she fell forward in exhaustion, her transformation dropping. Taranza instinctively caught her friend, pulling her in close with a panicked desperation.

"Sorry..." he heard Francisca mumble into Taranza's shoulder. "I'm just a little tired."

"Don't push yourself," Taranza responded, just loud enough for Flamberge to hear. "I've got you."

Flamberge's  fist tightened around the grief seed as she watched them walk away, the majority of Francisca's weight falling on Taranza with every step.

That idiot...

---

She and Taranza had walked at least a mile from the site of the labyrinth before Francisca noticed the chill setting into her skin and the progression of dusk over their heads. 

If she tuned out the sound of her own stuttered breathing, she could almost pretend this was a normal day. Like he'd just roughed up some bullies trying to take Taranza's lunch money, and now they were headed home. Maybe she was bruised and battered, but she'd done something good for once, and at least he's going to be okay.

But instead of a black eye and skinned knees, she just felt the deep ache of fatigue through every inch of her body. Actually, it was less integrated through her body, and instead, the feeling just rattled around in the hollow shell that held her inside. The realization made her lose track of her footing, and she stumbled for a moment, right into Taranza's waiting arms.

"Hey, Francisca?" Taranza asked quietly. "Can we... sit down for a moment?"

"Are you getting tired?" Francisca asked. Taranza shook his head.

"I think you need to pace yourself. You nearly fainted earlier and you... you really don't look so good." Not wanting Taranza to worry, Francisca nodded and they veered off course to a small bench and sat down. It should have been a relief... but Francisca still felt exhausted.

"You shouldn't fight like that, Francis," Taranza said after a minute. "Even if it blocked out all the pain...like you said...it genuinely scared me."

Francisca's mind rushed as it pulled up the hazy memory. The sword coming down on the witch, over and over...

She didn't know that person. That person was angry... detached... inhuman.

"But I'm not human either, am I? No wonder Taranza was scared. Ever since he'd learned the truth, she'd felt detached. Not just from her former body-- from everything. Even, apparently himself. Fighting like that makes me lose control" She thought. "But what other choice do I have?". 

Taranza's breath hitched like he was about to cry. Francisca couldn't stand how that was his solution, how he just kept crying like his tears could change anything. Francisca's hand shook as she felt another wave of emotion overtake her brain and drown out all rational thoughts.

"... I couldn't have won otherwise. I have no talent, after all."

"If I don't fight like that, I can't win," Francisca said sharply. "Because I don't have any 'natural magic potential' or whatever."

"But when you were fighting like that..." Taranza's voice was quivering. "...it was like I couldn't even recognize you. it's not going to help you out in the end."

"Not good for me? Huh? and what would help me?" Francisca repeated. She angrily reached into her sleeve and produced his soul gem, holding it out for Taranza to see, that was the last straw.

"How can anything be good for me when my body's like this, huh? I have to fight now. I have to win. If I don't fight monsters I'm leaving everyone, people I care about, defenseless. Do you honestly think I could just let that go? Like Flamberge?" Francisca took a shaky breath and turned away, laughing humorlessly to herself. "And why should you care about my mental state anyway? Don't you get it? I'm just a thing that's good for nothing but hunting Witches. I just pretend to be alive by dragging my corpse along on strings. What could anyone do to help a thing like me? There's no point even thinking about it."

"I just want you to be safe again," Taranza whispered. "And happy."

"Then you fight them." She wobbled to his feet, more falling off of the bench than consciously standing up. Taranza took a sharp breath, his eyes widening with fear.

"What?"

"Mistilteinn told me you have more natural talent than anyone," Francisca said. "That you could easily finish off witches without having to suffer the way I am." Francisca stuffed her soul gem into her sleeve and scowled out at the dark street with the flickering lights. "But I know you won't. You can't give up being yourself just out of a little pity, after all."

"Pity?" Taranza stood to his sting suddenly. "Francis, that's not-"

Then he remembered what Mistilteinn told him.

...

"If you became a magical boy, you'd be much more powerful than Susie."

"What?" Taranza asked, turning his head to look at the crown.

"It's true." Mistilteinn said. "Although, a lot of it depends on the type of wish you make. Let me put it this way: I can't even begin to predict how large your Soul Gem would be. I've never met a person with so much potential before."

"Oh, come on." Taranza said, propping himself up on his elbow. "You're joking, right?"

"No. Not in the slightest. I don't know what it is, but I think that you would be one of, if not the most powerful magical person in the entire world if you made the contract. You could probably take out a warlock or a witch with a snap of your fingers."

"Oh." Taranza said, turning back to look at the ceiling, having trouble processing the news.

...

"You could be all-powerful, but you just sit there and watch me suffer instead. Don't act like you know how I feel from the sidelines." Francisca let out a bitter laugh and ran her hands through her hair, making her hair in a form of two pigtails, like braids.

Francisca took one step backward. Then another. She had to get away from Taranza. She was out of control.

"Don't follow me." And Francisca took off down the street and rain started to pour from above.

I'm so stupid... why did I say all of that? I'm sorry... I'm so sorry.

Maybe I am beyond saving.

Her Soul Gem has became even darker

...

Magolor's ship was clean. The space wasn't large to begin with, but the piles upon piles of paper full of haphazardly scribbled writing and sketches flung about the room seemed to pull the walls in close. It wasn't just the way some of the bigger illustrations clung eerily to the wall that unsettled her, but what little organization the room had was centered around.

Still gazing around the walls in awe, she took a sit and watched Magolor

Magolor straightened up and walked over to a huge map of the city that was hanging on one of the walls. He pointed to a red X in one area of the planet that was show in the screen of the Lor

"This is where Walpurgisnacht is going to descend," he stated.

"How do you know that?" Flamberge asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Statistics."

Flamberge let out a short laugh. "Statistics? What kind of statistics? I've never even heard of this witch before, but you're an expert on it?" 

Magolor didn't turn around and just continued staring at the map, his hardened gaze never faltering. "Look, we don't have to be all buddy-buddy. I'd rather we weren't, because you're a creep and a loser. But if we're gonna fight this thing together, I need to be able to trust you. What's your deal, anyway?"

"I'd like to know the same thing, Magolor Starcutter" a new voice said. Flamberge turned and saw that little crown, Mistilteinn. She immediately summoned her spear from her soul gem, glaring daggers at it.

"You've sure got some balls showing your face around here, even after what happened" Flamberge hissed.

"My, my," Mistilteinn said. "I get the feeling I'm not welcome. And here I came all this way just to give you some rather important information."

"Shove it," Flamberge said, advancing on him, spear reflecting the harsh light of the lamp. "Get out of here."

"Francisca's deterioration is happening far quicker than I anticipated," Mistilteinn said, seemingly unaffected. "It isn't just all the magic she's using. She's given up on her wish and she's started to carry a curse within herself."

"Oh, really?" Flamberge spat. "And who's fault is that, do you think? You wanna take a guess, bitch?"

"At this rate, it might become an issue before the Walpurgisnacht arrives. You'd best be on your guard." Magolor turned and looked at Mistilteinn, expressionless.

"What does that mean? What are you talking about?" Flamberge asked.

"Perhaps you should ask him instead of me," Mistilteinn said, beginning to back up towards the door. "I'm sure you already know what I'm talking about, Magolor Starcutter, don't you?." Flamberge looked over at Magolor, but his expression didn't change. He gave no indication that he'd even heard what Mistilteinn had said.

"I thought so," Mistilteinn said. "Where did you learn something like that, I wonder? I'm very curious to know. Are you perhaps-" Magolor narrowed his eyes and finally spoke up.

"I've heard all I care to hear from you. Get out." he said. Mistilteinn nodded its head and turned to leave, slinking off into the shadows. When it left, Magolor turned to scrutinize the map once again.

"You're just letting it go?" Flamberge protested. "After what it did to us?"

"There's no point in killing it," Magolor said. He started to grab his mouse and started to mark some more places on the map -- spots in the river, some sort of starting attack point, and a large, unidentified something.

"I don't care if there's a point," Flamberge said. "I'm gonna make that thing pay."

"Do whatever you want," Magolor shrugged, accentuating the movement with a large sweep of his arm as he drew an arrow between two marked points.

"What was that thing saying about Francisca?" Flamberge asked after a minute. "Is she in danger?"

"Yes," Magolor said. "Her soul gem is becoming too tainted. If it's not purified soon, the damage will be irreparable..."

"So, lend her a grief seed," Flamberge said.

"That might not be enough," Magolor said. "That fighting technique is making her lose her mind. Can't you tell? She's impulsive, but she's not bloodthirsty."

"What's that got to do with her soul gem?" Flamberge demanded. "We can lend her a hand for a while until we can help her fight normally, right? But she's got to clean it fast before she runs out of magic and you don't seem to give-."

"I won't let it become a problem," Magolorsaid.

"Would you just be straight with me?" Flamberge asked, advancing towards him. He didn't respond, not that Flamberge wasn't used to that. She huffed and turned to sit down again, looking over some of the assorted papers. 

All that mattered was that they beat this witch together. And as for Francisca... she'd check on herlater.

...

"Hey, Taranza," Zan said after a minute as they all sat at lunch. "Do you know where Francisca is? I've been texting her all day and she's not responding."

"I haven't seen her since last night," Taranza said, not looking up from the table.

"You really should eat something," Zan said, passing Taranza her apple in concern. "Did you guys fight or something?" Taranza shook his head, but couldn't find the strength to respond at all. He glanced up at Zan for a second, but she refused to meet his eye. After school, he'd find Francisca. He couldn't abandon his best friend, no matter what.

...

"Hey Jammerjab, i have something to tell you..."

"Oh? What's the matter Zan?"

...

Francisca swung her sword around violently, trying to fight back all of the distorted colors closing in around her

None of them would ever hurt Jammerjab, Taranza, Zan, or anyone else. Her head throbbed as the labyrinth faded away and she stumbled, catching herself against the wall and gazed down at the ground of... wherever she was. 

Somewhere downtown. She'd lost track along the way, and what was the use in going home anyway? She'd said horrible things to Taranza. Things she didn't mean, but couldn't take back.

Nova, I'm such a loser.

Her transformation dropped against his will and her knees grew weak as her grip tightened around her soul gem. She panted with exhaustion, each step forward carrying an impossible weight. She had never felt so tired... this exhaustion went to her very core and circulated through the empty shell of her body. She slowly pushed off the wall and stumbled. She felt like she should just let herself fall and become the useless corpse she nearly was forever.

"... You can't afford to waste any more magic. Focus on the Witches, not Familiars." Francisca felt anger rise inside of her stomach, and she found the energy to turn around and face Magolor, who had appeared suddenly as he always seemed to. 

She hated him so much.

"You need to stop fighting familiars," Magolor said. "You don't have the luxury of killing them when you're this weak."

"Thanks," Francisca said bitterly. "Didn't ask you, mind your own business"

"You need to purify your soul gem. Now." Magolor tossed Francisca a grief seed, which clattered to the floor and stopped at Francisca's foot. 

Francisca scoffed and kicked it back into the darkness as hard as he could without falling over.

"What are you planning this time?" Francisca asked.

"You're a idiot. You're in no place to refuse help right now," Magolorsaid. "Regardless of your feelings about me. Stop hanging onto the scraps of your pride."

"I'm not like you," Francisca said, standing up a bit straighter. "I won't associate with people who use or abandon others... I don't need any reward for my work... I'll never use magic for my own benefit."

"You..." Magolor said coldly, "are going to die."

"Bold of you to assume I can," Francisca said. "But for the sake of your argument, I'll humor you. Only when I can no longer kill any more Witches. And then I won't be any use anymore, right? That's fine. Someone like me has no other place in this world. I'd rather die than accept your help. you are a murderer, you let Susie die, and you let all these people die, and then you just keep going like their lives mean nothing to you."

"I just want to save you," Magolor said. "I'm trying to help, why can't you trust me for this moment?"

"Why?" Francisca paused, her legs shaking. "I don't know. I guess I just know somehow..." Francisca chuckled and looked up at Magolor with a grin. "...that you're a liar ."

Magolor stiffened and clenched his fists. "I can tell just by looking at you that you've given up on everything," Francisca continued, "You have the eyes of someone who's given up on everything. You're always saying empty words. This is no different. You say you want to help me, but I know that's not what you're really thinking. You can't fool me like that."

Francisca took a shaky step forward, glaring at Magolor and desperately trying to keep his body from collapsing.

"Don't you realize you're just making Taranza suffer?" Magolor snapped. Everything, from his hard-set jaw to his tightened fists were trembling as he stared Francisca down. He didn't know why, but there was an incomprehensible pain behind his eyes. Francisca had to look away.

"Taranza?" Francisca repeated, puzzled. "This has nothing to do with him."

"You're wrong," Magolor said intently, averting his gaze. "Everything has to do with him." Magolor seemed to snap out of his daze and turned to Francisca with that familiar cold stare once again. Francisca held her breath.

"You're very perceptive," Magolor said blankly. "And yes, you're right about me. I dont care if you live or die, i dont care, I just don't want Taranzato have to watch you destroy yourself." Magolor transformed in a quick flash of light, and Francisca stumbled and fell to the ground. "If you refuse me here, you'll die either way. And if you keep making Taranza suffer, then I might as well kill you myself, here and now, Francisca Ueda."

Francisca's eyes widened as the soul gem on Magolor's left hand shone brightly, until it was all she could see. She let the blue light overtake her.

There was a loud clang and the light died down. Francisca opened her eyes and saw Flamberge restraining Magolor, holding his arms and pointing her spear at his neck.

"Francisca! Run!" Flamberge yelled. Francisca shakily planted her hands on the ground and pushed herself up into a seated position. Then using the wall, she stood up and stumbled away, the exhaustion only building with every step until she was out of the building.

Flamberge tightened her grip as Magolor tried and failed to squirm free.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Flamberge yelled at him. "I thought you were here to save her, not kill her!"

"Let me go." Magolor hissed, which Flamberge smirked and inched her blade closer.

"I see... you can't use that weird technique of yours when I'm holding you like this, huh?" She smiled to herself. "Then there's no way in hell I'm letting you go, midget." Magolor finally stilled, not saying a word. 

Flamberge let a bit of tension release from her shoulders. All she had to do was keep him here long enough for Magolor to get somewhere safe. And after that...

She still wasn't going to let anyone hurt her.

Flamberge's thought train derailed when she heard Magolor fidgeting with his star shield and caught a glimpse of something in his hand that looked like... a apple bomb?

"Shit!" she cursed, releasing her hold and scrambling away as she watched Magolor snap his fingers. Flamberge covered her face as the explosion rang out, and when the smoke cleared, Magolor was gone.

...

Francisca grabbed onto the handrail of the subway as it harshly turned a corner, throwing his balance off. She didn't even know how late it was, and he had no idea where he was getting off. He just had to wander the streets until she found a witch or familiar to kill. And then she'd just keep on going.

"No way, man. You can't let that dumb slut make any excuses. You gotta get hold of all the money she makes. Dumb bitches, women are naive, y'know? The moment they get some money they'll blow it all on stupid shit." Two men at the opposite end of the car were having a conversation. Francisca wouldn't care to eavesdrop, but focusing on their words could help her keep the throbbing in her head at bay.

"Yeah, seriously, man. You can't treat those bitches like real people. Gotta train them like the dogs they are. My bitch gets off on that, you know. You just gotta threaten to smack 'em one and they'll shut right up."

"No shit. There's nothing honorable about him now, though. I shouldn't have let him go to a school with so many fucking art students, but I thought he was man enough to hold onto his morals."

"But give 'em an inch and they'll be all over you, whining about getting married and shit. You just can't let up on 'em. Like a carabret girl like her's gonna make the same kinda money in ten years. Bitch needs to learn her place, right?"

"And man, don't get me started on what a pain it is to dump 'em. You're damn good at that, im really jealous. Dude, I gotta learn from—"

"Hey." She'd spoken without thinking. That same numbness that overtook her brain when she was fighting with Taranza crept in from the corners of his brain. The two men looked in Francisca's direction, a bit taken aback by her outburst. "Tell me more about her," Franciscasaid.

"Uh, what?" the taller man asked.

"Your wife," Francisca spat. "Tell me more about her."

"Are you a highschooler, kid?" the other man asked. "You shouldn't be out this late."

"That woman probably loves you and tries her hardest to make you happy. You knew that, right? And yet you're comparing her to a dog? Are you not even going to thank her? You're just going to get rid of her when she's no longer useful?"

"What the..." the taller man said. He leaned over to his friend. "Do you know this kid?"

"No..."

The subway screeched to a halt and the doors opened to an empty stop. The world was silent for a moment. No one in the train moved. There was a ding, and the doors closed, the train speeding to life once again.

"Are people like you even worth protecting?" Francisca asked. "Why have I been fighting all this time?" He took a few steps until he was standing in front of where the two men were seated. Francisca could barely feel her body anymore.

"Tell me," she demanded. "You. Tell me. Right now."

There were bright colors and deafening music. Then a train roaring down the tracks.

...

"Francisca?" Taranza yelled as he squinted through the dark, turning yet another unfamiliar corner. The name echoed through the alleys and off of the dark buildings like whispering ghosts. "Francisca? Can you hear me?" There was no response. Taranza pulled his red scarf closer to his face and shivered. 

He'd been searching for hours, ignoring call after call from his father. He couldn't rest until he found his best friend.

Taranza tried not to think about Susie. He tried not to think about Flamberge's threats. He tried not to think about what Magolor had said after Francisca made her contract.

He eventually came upon an abandoned fountain surrounded by several empty benches, and he allowed himself to sit down for just a minute. 

As he lowered himself onto the bench, he felt his lip trembling and took a deep breath. I'm not going to break down. Francisca is probably fine. She's fine, she's going to be fine...

"Hello, Taranza." Taranza's head shot up, and his grief was quickly replaced with growing rage.

"You..." he choked out. Mistilteinn was sitting on top of the fountain, staring at Taranza, never blinking. "You need to undo what you did to Francisca..."

"I can't," Mistilteinn said unapologetically. "It's beyond my powers." ;agolorkicked at the ground harshly and crumpled into himself, listening only to the sound of his beating heart. 

There has to be a way to undo it. To stop him from fighting. It might not be what he wants...but it's what he needs. If only I could do something...

"Hey... Mistilteinn?" Taranza asked. "You told me once that if I made a contract... I'd be a pretty powerful magical boy, right?" Mistilteinn hopped off the fountain and padded over to sit next to Taranza on the bench.

"Pretty powerful is a gross understatement," Mistilteinn said. "Your power would be nearly incomprehensible. That is, if you made a wish that was great enough." Taranza swallowed. He still didn't understand...

"Why me, though?" he whispered out, mostly to himself.

"I have no idea either," Mistilteinn said, cocking its head. "Your latent power is on a scale that theoretically shouldn't even be possible. I would like an explanation just as much as you do."

"Why..."

"If you were to release your power, the miracle you could unleash may twist the fabric of the universe. Why you alone should carry such an unthinkable power..." Mistilteinn sat upright again, staring up at Taranza like he was scrutinizing an insect under a microscope, "I can't even begin to guess the reason."

"But..." Taranza said weakly, "There's nothing special about me. I can't even stand up for myself most of the time, and I don't even know what I want to do in college...I always figured I'd just stumble through life, not really helping anyone or doing anything significant. And...I want to be important...and to be brave. But I'm just...not. There's no helping it."

"Though the reality is quite different," Mistilteinn said. "Taranza, if you wished it... you could even become the god of this universe." Taranza stiffened, completely taken aback. It was unthinkable...but at the same time...

"So, if I made the contract, I could do things that you can't? I could put Francisca back to normal?" Taranza clenched his scarf and stared at the falling water of the fountain.

"Quite easily," Mistilteinn responded. It stepped closer to Taranza, like a little spider walking into the floor, towards him. "Would it be worth trading your soul for, then?" Taranza didn't have to think twice.

"For Francisca, yes. I'll do it." Taranzatook a breath, his brow furrowing in determination. "I wish that-"

BANG!

Mistilteinn was suddenly full of dozens of bullet holes. Its crown form collapsed.

Taranza recoiled and gasped in fright. His eyes darted around and instantly settled on Magolor, who was standing close to them, dropping his beam powers. He looked angrier than Taranza had ever seen him. Taranza considered running for his life, but he was frozen in terror.

"You...killed him..." Taranza said shakily. "I was going to save Francisca! How could you-"

"Why do you always try to sacrifice yourself like that?" Magolor demanded, walking closer and closer until he was staring directly down at Taranza as he sat unmoving on the bench.

"Huh?"

"Stop putting yourself down... saying that you can't help anyone or that you're helpless! Think about all the people who care about you!" Magolor protested. 

He gripped the steel armrest of the bench and dropped his head down to look at the ground.  "Stop being so..so stupid! Don't you know that there are people who would grieve if you died?" Magolor placed his hands on Taranza's shoulders, and the touch was like a shock for a second. Taranza's hands...they were shaking. Not just a tiny tremor either, they were fully trembling, a miniature earthquake localized just in his palms, radiating out through his fingertips into skin.

"Why can't you understand that?" Magolor continued. "What about the people who are trying so hard to protect you?" He finally looked up. Magolor was crying, an intense ugly cry that Taranza was far from prepared to see. He'd never seen Magolor show this sort of emotion before...and for... him? But... why? Why all of this?

Magolor let go of Taranza and crouched down, crying uncontrollably into the side of the bench. The sound of his sobs echoed through Taranza's brain. And for a second, something caught in his brain like a snag.

"Taranza... have we..." She couldn't place it. "...met somewhere before?"

"...I..."

And like that, it was gone. Taranza shook his head to clear it and stood up, beginning to back away.

"I have to go find Francisca."

"Wait, Taranza!" Magolor cried out. He tried to stumble to his feet, but couldn't seem to get up. "Francisca is already..." Taranza turned and ran.

"Wait!" he heard Magolorcall out after him. Find Francisca. Find Francisca. Find Francisca"Taranza!"

"You know there was no point in doing that."

Magolor looked up from where he was crying into the ground to see the crown glaring at him from a nearby wall. 

"You just don't learn, do you?" It jumped down and emerged from the shadows, walking over to its previous body. "I have countless spares, of course, but making me use them up needlessly like this... what a bother." Mistilteinn leaned down and began to sink its teeth into the bloody white corpse, swallowing down strips of mangled flesh as if it were boring. Like self-cannibalism was just some form of paperwork to it. 

Magolor wiped his eyes and glared at it, shakily rising to himself.

"That's the second time you've killed me," Mistilteinn remarked as it finished eating. "But I guess I should thank you. By killing me just now, I've figured out what your magic specialty is." A cold rush of air came tumbling from behind. Magolor stood his ground.

"That was time magic, wasn't it?"

Magolor's heart skipped a beat.

"That's what I thought. I had suspected as much already, of course. You're not even from this timeline, are you?"

"I know what you are," Magolor hissed. "And I know what you're planning."

"I see," Mistilteinn said. "So, that's why you've been working so hard to keep interfering with me. Do you want to change Taranza's fate that badly?"

"Yes," Magolor responded shortly. "And I'm not going to let you, or anyone else, stand in my way."

...

Flamberge ran down the stairs, more relieved than she'd ever felt when she saw a familiar girl with blue hair sitting by herself at an abandoned subway stop.

"Finally, I found you," she breathed, taking a seat next to him. "Don't scare me like that." Francisca didn't say anything, so Flamberge crossed her arms and took a bag of chips out of her pocket and started to eat. She glanced over at him every so often, but he wouldn't even look at her.

"How long were you planning on being stubborn like this?" Flamberge asked her.

"I'm sorry for making you look for me," Francisca mumbled out. Flamberge cracked a bit of a smile.

"You apologizing? To me? That's not like you...Come on. Crack a joke or something."

"I just can't care about anything anymore," Francisca continued. "When I do... I only make things worse. I can't even remember what I thought was so worth protecting about some of these people... and Taranza... I messed up. I was trying to make him happy, but he's miserable because of me. I can barely even fight witch... I'm not good for anything."

"Hey, don't say..." Flamberge cut herself off when she saw Francisca's soul gem, clutched like a lifeline in both his hands. It had lost all of its former vibrant color, and was now a swirling pool of black, with only the slightest hints of red glowing through, like a dim bulb hidden behind a cracked mirror. Flamberge gasped and reached out towards Francisca.

"I saved a few people," Francisca said, tears beginning to leak out of his eyes, "but I hurt people too. I even hurt my best friend.."

"Francisca, that's not true! You-"

Francisca gave a final sob and her shoulders bounced with a hollow laugh. With excruciating effort, he looked up and turned towards Flamberge, her blue eyes flooding with emotion.

"I was wrong, you know. Whenever we pray for someone's happiness, someone else must be cursed in exchange... Turns out that's how we magical girls work." The sobs gave way to a flood of giggles. 

She wouldn't call them crazed, if anything they were too normal, nowhere near as strained as she would expect. She leaned back, and barely managed to speak through the fits of laughter. 

"I was stupid... so stupid."

She saw a tear drip from his chin, straight down to the soul gem in his hands

She saw a tear drip from her chin, straight down to the soul gem in her hands. She could feel her stomach drop as it rolled down the glassy surface, and with it the last shard of cyan melted away.

Suddenly, the station was flooded with an array of color, and Flamberge was hit with a wave of energy that pushed her from her seat. Parts of the building began to collapse and the world glitched around them, Francisca at the center of it, her head thrown back somewhere between a laugh and a howl of pain. 

Flamberge caught a pipe in the way as the force of the cataclysmic release of energy blew her back.

"Francisca!" she yelled through the chaos.

Through the wind and the flashing lights, Flamberge saw Francisca's body fall over backwards, a limp puppet tossed away by its master. 

Her soul gem, on the other hand, began to rise into the air as the dark, crackling center shrank into a compact sphere. The once decorative metal frame snapped around it, one end elongating until it sharpened into a needle point and in that moment, Fkamberge's blood ran cold in recognition.

Francisca's grief seed clattered to the ground and the world around her disappeared.

 

Chapter 9: I'll Never Allow That

Summary:

Francisca's soul gem turns into a jet-black seed of pain, which hatches and a new witch emerges. Carrying Francisca's body, Flamberge focuses on fending off the approaching witch's attacks. Magolor enters the witch's labyrinth and leads Flamberge to escape.

 

FranFlam nation, congratulations, this is your chapter

Chapter Text

The world around them had erupted into color. Deafening music with a classic beat echoed through the open space as seemingly hundreds of girls' silhouettes danced tauntingly around the ice world. A witch's labyrinth... but how?

Flamberge saw Francisca lying on the ground in the midst of it, the form of a large witch casting a shadow over her. 

Acting quickly, Flamberge transformed and leapt forward, catching her before she hit the ground. 

The music grew louder as the witch turned towards Flamberge, pointing a sword twice her size menacingly at her. Flamberge clutched Francisca close to her chest and dodged as the witch threw what looked like large train wheels at her. 

She leapt to get away from the monster looming over her, running across broken subway tracks and resisting the urge to drop Francisca to cover her ears.

"What are you!? What have you done to Francisca?!"

"Stand back."

Magolor appeared suddenly next to her, reaching behind his shield and producing a apple bomb. 

Then he blinked out of existence for just a second and reappeared a bit closer to her. After a second, an explosion rang out, hitting the witch and causing it to growl and direct its shadowy minions in their direction.

"Take my hand," Magolor said. Flamberge glanced at the witch, and then back at Francisca.

"Why would I-"

"Just do it," Magolor demanded to her. Reluctantly, she moved Francisca so she was hanging over her right shoulder and gave Magolor her hand. She saw him do...something to that shield of his and in a second, the music stopped. Magolor started running, dragging her behind as Flamberge's eyes darted around. Everything was frozen... how the fuck did that even work?

"Don't let go," Magolor said as he dragged her away towards the exit. "Or you'll be frozen in time. So...hold on tight." That... actually explained a lot. But this was still impossible. What was even going on?

"Where did that witch come from?" Flamberge asked shakily.

"You saw it yourself, didn't you?" Magolor said. "That witch used to be Francisca Ueda."

"... Are we just gonna run away?" Magolor scoffed but didn't slow down.

"If you don't like it, toss that useless hunk of meat aside and we'll kill it here and now. Can you do that?" he said. He gestured with his head to the body slung over Flamberge's shoulder.

"Like hell i can!" Flamberge shot back, resisting the urge to yank her hand away from her grasp. This isn't right... she's not dead. I said I wasn't going to let her die! It was only after they had exited the labyrinth and made their out of the subway station that Magolor released the mechanism in his shield and time began to move forward again. 

She leaned over, wheezing heavily, the weight of the body on her shoulder a horrible reminder of what she'd just witnessed. It can't be true... it just can't... She dropped her transformation and stared blankly at the ground, wishing desperately to wake up, even though she knew she wouldn't.

"Right before Walpurgisnacht..." she heard Magolor mumble bitterly. "Perfect. Just perfect." Flamberge wanted to scream at him and rip him apart for not caring. 

For acting so above it all. But all she could find the strength to do was gently set Francisca's body on the ground and stare helplessly at it. 

Someone who had only wanted to help people... someone she could have been friends with was now dead. Not only dead, but doomed to a fate of cursing the world as a witch. 

That's what you wanted, though, a voice in the back of her head reminded her. Wasn't it? To finish the annoying little bastard off? Well. Guess who has the city all to herself now.

Magolor dropped his transformation as well, walking closer to her. He still didn't break the somber air of silence between them.

"Magolor? Flamberge?" Magolor turned quickly to face the familiar voice, that accent and Flamberge followed. 

Francisca's best friend was running in their direction, his arms holding in place as a makeshift shield against the unforgiving cold of the night. "Have either of you seen-"

His words seem to die in his throat as he approached and caught sight of his best friend's body, sprawled in the dirt. "Franci-" he got out before he covered his mouth with his hand and collapsed to his knees. 

"No," he whispered. "No...no...no..." He leaned over Francisca and started shaking her.

"Taranza..." Flamberge started.

"What happened?" Taranza cried out, voice cracking. "Where's...where's her soul gem?" Flamberge averted her gaze and closed her eyes. How was she supposed to tell him? This wasn't fair. None of this was right.

"Francisca fell into despair," Magolor said after a moment. His voice was strong and harsh. "So her soul gem turned into a grief seed. The Francisca you knew is now dead. All that's left of her is a new witch."

"You're lying..." Taranza's voice quivered. "That's not... you're lying..." He began to silently sob into the material of the sweater that Francisca was wearing. "Please tell me you're lying." Flamberge produced his soul gem, its shine highlighting the four haunted faces.

"When a magical boy or girl loses hope, their soul gem goes dark," he stated. "When your soul gem goes dark, you transform into a witch. And the inescapable cycle continues and that is the inescapable fate of all who become magical persons."

"No no no..." Taranza's whispers grew more intent, more anguished. "No! That's not... you're a liar! Francisca would never hurt anyone! She... she just wanted to protect me... to protect everyone!"

"Her intentions are irrelevant," Magolor said blankly. "And now her only purpose is to destroy until one of us finishes her off." Taranza gasped and started shaking, more violent sobs escaping and echoing over the empty streets. Flamberge was seething. She grabbed Magolor by his hood and hissed into his face.

"What the fuck is your problem?" she demanded. "Do you just get off on acting like you know it all? She was Taranza's best friend! How can you stay so calm at a time like this?!" Magolor rotated his head slowly to look over at Taranza, who was sobbing profusely into Francisca's sweater.

"I hope you understand now what it was that you aspired to become." Magolor said to the sobbing tarantula. "This is why I told you to give up on her."

"Shut the fuck up!" Flamberge roared, tightening her grip on Magolor. "Don't talk to him that way!"

"Try not to be seen with the corpse," he said to Flamberge. His eyes had no emotion behind them. No sorrow. No regret. "Be careful where you dispose of it." Flamberge dropped his hood collar and glared at him defiantly through watering eyes.

"How do you even call yourself human?" she demanded.

"That's because i am not a human literally," he answered shortly. He stepped past Taranza with care and turned to look back at her one last time before disappearing into the darkness. "And neither are you."

Taranza hugged his knees close to his chest. He should have been crying. He should have been screaming. 

He wanted to. He really really wanted to. But none of it felt real. He shouldn't have left Francisca alone. He shouldn't have let her run off. He shouldn't have let Francisca comfort her and protect her time and time again like it was her duty.

...

"Can I come in? I need to talk to you."

Taranza turned slightly to see Mistilteinn sitting on his windows. He nodded slowly, not seeing why it would matter.

"Magolor killed you, you are still alive after all" Taranza whispered. Mistilteinn didn't respond, but simply let itself in and settled on the end of Taranza's bed, looking at him intently with that heartless stare. 

Taranza shifted into an upright position slowly, brushing stray hairs out of his face. "Was what Magolor said true?" she asked after a minute.

"I can't deny it," Mistilteinn said, cocking its head.

"You've been turning us into magical girls and boys... just to create witches," Taranza said, voice shaking with fear. "Why? Why would you do something... so sick?"

"Make no mistake," Mistilteinn said. "We aren't doing this out of any ill will towards the human race. Your sacrifices are necessary to prolong life across the universe. Do you know what 'entropy' means, Taranza?" 

He didn't respond. He was doing everything he could to drown out Mistilteinn's words. 

He didn't want to hear excuses.

"To give an example, the amount of energy that's released when burning wood is far less than the energy it took to grow the wood. This loss of energy when it changes forms is called 'entropy'. So, as you can imagine, the amount of usable energy in the universe is steadily decreasing." Francisca's laugh filled Taranza's head louder than anything Mistilteinn was saying. He hugged his torso closer and shivered.

"So, my race began searching for a kind of energy that wasn't bound to laws of thermodynamics," Mistilteinn continued. "Our process is what you call 'magic' here on your planet."

"What...even are you?" Taranza whispered out.

"Our civilization found a way to harness strong changes in emotions as raw, usable energy," Mistilteinn said. "Unfortunately, our race cannot feel emotion. But your race... this race ... you feel emotions so strongly. We knew we had to come to your planet to harvest enough energy to meet our quota. We target teenagers and children since you have quickest fluctuations between hope and despair. At the moment when a soul gem goes dark and transforms into a grief seed, a large amount of energy is created. It is my job, as a artefact by the Ancients, to collect that energy by making contracts, and then ensuring that these magical boys and girls fall into despair."

"Are we just disposable energy sources to you, then? Are you saying we should just die for you?" Taranza asked weakly.

"A few losses are negligible in the long run," Mistilteinn said. "You cannot comprehend the number of beings in the universe and the amount of energy they use in a single moment. Even you humans will likely leave your planet one day and join us, so wouldn't you rather they not have to live in a world that is desolate and devoid of usable energy?"

"But you're killing people to do it," Taranza said, his throat closing up. "It's horrible..."

"I don't force anyone to make a contract," Mistilteinn said. "Like i said, do you have any idea how many civilizations coexist across the universe, and how much energy they consume in a single second? Eventually, even you will able to leave this planet and join us. When that day comes, you wouldn't want to venture out into an empty, desolated universe, right? In the long run, this arrangement benefits mankind as well.?"

"No!" Taranza yelled, hitting the mattress. He couldn't hold in his anger anymore. "You're telling me that ridiculous reason is why Susie had to die and Francisca had to suffer so much..? That isn't right. It's just too cruel!"

"Why is it that when people regret an agreement based off a misunderstanding, they grow to resent the other party?" Mistilteinn asked, shaking its head. "The act of deception in itself is incomprehensible to us. Why is it that when people regret a decision based on a misunderstanding, they feel resentment toward the other party?"

"We have a pretty hard time understanding your value system too. Your current population numbers over 7 billion and grows by ten every four seconds, so why do you make such a fuss over the life or death of a few people?" Mistilteinn stated.

"Get out... now" Taranza choked out between his heavy breaths.

"I was only trying put your mind at ease, Taranza," Mistilteinn said. "So you'd rest easy, knowing the death of your friend was for the greater good of the universe. I see now that for whatever reason, it has not helped at all."

"Of course not," Taranza whispered. "Why would it?"

"You called us selfish," Mistilteinn said, stepping closer. "Well, consider this. You have the potential to become the greatest magical boy in the world, and then, in turn, the most powerful witch. The amount of energy your despair would release would meet our quota instantly. So, by forcing us to keep making contracts with other humans and letting them die, isn't it you who is being selfish?"

Taranza buried his face into his hands, a few tears finally escaping his eyes.

"So. If you ever decide to give up your soul for the sake of the universe, come find me. I'll be waiting." And with that, Mistilteinn turned and slunk out of the window, leaving Taranza all alone once again with his sobs.

...

Flamberge held out her soul gem and let its glow shine over Francisca's cold body, which had been placed carefully on the couch of her grimy apartment. Her mind kept flickering back to the way life had returned to Francisca's eyes that one night on the bridge when her soul gem was returned. She had gotten up and was perfectly fine... so she couldn't let the body rot. Because she was going to get her soul gem back...somehow.

"Why expend so much energy to keep that body fresh?" Mistilteinn remarked behind her. She stiffened at the sound of his level, sniveling voice. She hadn't heard it come in. She stuffed her soul gem into her hoodie pocket with a huff.

"Is there a way to get Francisca's soul gem back?" she asked.

"None that know of," Mistilteinn said.

"So there could be some way you don't know of?" Flamberge asked. Everything inside her seemed to tighten into meandering knots.

"Perhaps. Then again, I don't know everything," Mistilteinn said. "As magical girls, your existence already defies established logic. I wouldn't be surprised no matter what implausible feats you managed to accomplish." Mistilteinn jumped up onto the windows and made direct eye contact with her. 

"So are you saying it's possible?"

"No one has ever done it before, so I don't know how you'd go about it. Unfortunately, I have no way of advising you on the matter." Flamberge just sighed and then said "I wouldn't need your advice anyway."

"As if I'd ever accept help from you." Flamberge spitted in disgust and crossed the room, sitting down at her small kitchen table and grabbing a chocolate bar that she had saved.

Every step it took felt like another mountain to climb. 

The sound of its feet on the sidewalk reverberated through its head, the hallow noise bringing back the image of that abandoned alleyway and the empty look in Francisca's eyes as she lay on the ground, without life. 

...

The news had filed an official missing person's report the previous night. Taranza shuddered a bit. He was already seeing ghosts of Francisca everywhere he looked. If they put up posters too of course...

"Taranza?" Zan said smoothlu after a minute. He stopped walking, not knowing if he had the strength to face her. Zan stopped as well, and though she couldn't see, she just knew they were sharing pitying looks. Zan put a hand on his shoulder and he hesitantly looked up to meet her eyes.

"You're looking a bit unwell this morning, Taranza. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, dont worry, i just didnt get too much sleep, you know, Joronia being herself." Taranza  said slightly laughing. 

"Speaking of which, is Francisca absent again today?." She asked as she tilted her head making him speechless. Taranza almost thought to say about it, but Zan interrupted him 

"I was thinking of going to see her after school... but I'm not sure if it'd be appropriate... Things are a bit awkward between us right now..."  she said. "Zan... I-"

Hey, bowl cut intellectual. Are you seriously going to school on a day like this? It'll just make you more depressed, trust me.

Flamberge?

Taranza looked around frantically, and eventually spotted her standing on top of a building, in what looked like her normal clothes, her red hoodie. She must have used that telepathy thing to talk to him.

Come on. You wanna save Francisca, right?  I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?

Taranza nodded mutely, even though he knew Flamberge couldn't see.

Okay.

Zan looked at Taranza expectantly. He swallowed and fidgeted with the ends of his blue cardigan.

"I... don't feel well," Taranza lied, knowing how transparent he was. But he also knew none of the girls would call him out on his lie. Not after what had happened. "I'm going to stay home today, I think." Zan nodded, flashing him a sympathetic look as she turned around and continued her path to school "Hope you feel better."

...

"So, ummm, what did you want to talk about..?"

"Do you want to save Francisca Ueda?" she asked after a minute, voice tight, making Taranza gasp 

"Huh? ... We can save her?" He looked up at her"If we couldn't, were you going to just leave her like that?"

 Taranza nodded once, still not sure what her plan was, if she had one. Flamberge took a careful step towards him, biting her lip for a second, a bit of insecurity in her eyes. "Sorry, that came out wrong. This may sound foolish... but I don't want to give up until we know for sure that she can't be saved." Taranza looks stunned to realize that Flamberge is serious about this. Flamberge is turning out to be a rather different person than she had imagined.

"She may have turned into a witch, but she might still able to remember her friends' voices. If you call out to her, she might regain her memories from when she was human... If anyone can do it, it'd be you." Flamberge continued. "Maybe she'll remember you. Maybe that'll bring her back."

"You really think so?" Taramza asked quietly.

"There's no way to know, obviously, dummy," Flamberge said. "We're doing it because we don't know. Maybe if we slice that Witch in half, Francisca's Soul Gem might fall out instead of a Grief Seed... Wouldn't that be something? It'd be like one of those stories where love and courage triumphs over all." She paused to laugh to herself. 

"Come to think of it... I probably became a magical girl in the first place because I loved stories like that when i was a kid. I'd totally forgotten about it, but Francisca reminded me again.." She sighed as she grabbed one of her chips.

"I..." Taranza started.

"I won't force you," Flamberge said. "Labyrinths are really dangerous, especially for civilians. And... I can't guarantee I'll be able to protect you."

"I'll help." He didn't have to think about it at all. "I want my best friend back." Then, he stuck out his hand for Flamberge to shake. "Taranza. Just refer to me as Taranza." She grinned and took his hand firmly.

"Flamberge Rūju."

Flamberge was torn. She knew she ought to say something to comfort Taranza , but it didn't feel like her place to speak. 

She got the impression that Francisca and Taranza had know each other for several years, possibly for most of their lives, and she'd barely known Francisca for a week. The guilt and heartbreak she had over losing a potential friend, even more than a friend was nothing compared to the pain Taranza must have been feeling. Yet, his face remained neutral. He almost looks like Magolor, but the difference is that at least Taranza genuinely cares.

"Should we have asked Magolor to help?" Taranza asked after a minute. Speak of the devil. Even though he was clearly trying to hide it, there was fear behind his eyes.

"No," Flamberge said bitterly. "A fat load of help he would be."

"Oh..." Taranza said. 

They walked a few more paces, Flamberge's soul gem flashing more and more rapidly as they approached the labyrinth. It hadn't moved far from where it was previously. "I thought you guys were friends."

"With them? Please." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess you could say we have a common goal. We just teamed up in order to take down something neither of us could handle Walpurgisnacht."

"Walpurgis- what?" Taranza stumbled on the word and didn't bother finishing it.

"That's what Magolor calls it, anyway," she said. "The worst enemy of magical girls and boys. The mother lode of all Witches. I doubt either of us could beat it on our own. That's why we teamed up, so to speak... Well, that's how it is between Magolor and I." 

If it wasn't for that witch, there's no way she'd ever hang around that guy ever but ever again. He didn't care about Francisca. He didn't care about any of them, heck, he doesn't even care about her. 

She turned a corner with Taranza in tow, gazing down at the pulsing shine of her soul gem. It looked like the labyrinth was up ahead of them, in an abandoned parking garage.

"What does it look like?" Taranza asked suddenly. "That witch. Walpur...whatever." She gave a short laugh and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why would I know that? I've never seen it. No one has."

"Right..." Taranza  said, frowning slightly. "Of course. I just thought...nevermind."

"This is it," Flamberge said. The red flashes and fires of her soul gem were as rapid as they were going to get. She could feel it now, the hidden entrance to the labyrinth, right in front of them. She waved her hand and a dark portal opened on the side of the building. Taranza inhaled sharply behind her, so she turned around to face the spider.

"It's okay if you don't think you're up for this," she said carefully as she looked at Taranza. "It's dangerous."

"I'll be fine, at this point, i'm kind of used to this already." he reassured her quietly. "I've almost gotten used to trailing behind." He started playing with his green clothes, as one of his hands tried to accomodate his red scarf. "I've never been able to help at all, though."

"Why would you want to?" Flamberge said with a small smile. "You're one strange spider, aren't you?. Anyways, let's go, weirdo." His mouth pressed into a thin line -- he clearly had more he wanted to say -- but he followed her into the labyrinth quietly.

"Do you think I'm selfish?" It came out like a whisper, and for a second, Flamberge wondered if he'd even said it at all. She didn't even know Taranza that well... why would he ask her something like that?

"Huh?" she asked.

"For... not making a contract," Taranza clarified. "I mean you're tecnically risking your life... and Flamberge risked her life...but I'm just... useless."

"Wow. Alright, alright, stop that ," Flamberge said. "You're not selfish just because you have your head on straight in terms of self-preservation."

"But-"

"But nothing! We both know now that making a contract is a huge mistake that basically dooms you to a horrible death. You aren't a coward for not making a contract, you're smart. No one would call you selfish for not selling your soul. If someone did, I'd kick their ass." She glanced back at him and held up her spear a bit for him to see. "I'm going to keep you safe, okay?" He gave her a shy smile back and in that moment, Flamberge was flooded with all the regret she'd tried to keep out for so long. 

She shouldn't have made the contract. Then she wouldn't have dropped out of school. She'd be going somewhere in life. She could have had friends like Francisca... and Taranza. She wouldn't have lost Susie.

"Flamberge!" Taranza's panic pulled her from her thoughts. The labyrinth was compressing. The dark hall erupted into color and rushed around them, a grand door opening at the end of it. The witch... Francisca... was coming.

"She knows we're here, stay behind me," Flamberge commanded. "Do it like we planned."

And there he... it... was again. Distorted violins and trompets blasted from all directions, the waves of sound so thick she felt like she was swimming in it. 

A few of the silhouetted minions of ice began to swarm around Taranza, so she leapt into action, cutting straight through their stomachs with one swoop of her weapon. 

Taranza shivered behind her, but then took a confident step forward and tilted his head up to address the witch who was lounging at the head of the room, throwing subway wheels and vinyl records at them.

"Francisca?" Taranza yelled. "It's me! It's Taranza! Can you hear me? Francisca?" If anything, all the shouting seemed to do was get the witch's attention. 

It summoned a couple large wheels and commanded them forward with its sword. Taranza cried out in fright and Flamberge stepped in front of him, hitting each attack away. 

The witch was playing the offensive. That meant she had to do the same, even if it meant leaving Taranza's side.

"Keep going, keep calling her!" she yelled at him. She let her red soul gem glow and summoned a barrier of flames to block Taranza off. 

She couldn't risk him getting hurt. Francisca would never forgive her for that, if she ever got to see her again. She extended her spear and held it out as a challenge to the witch. It finally rose from its seated position and sent more of the shadowy soldiers after her. In the midst of the fighting and ice roses's thorns, she heard Taranza crying out behind her.

"Francisca, stop! You're hurting people! I... I know you'd never ever do that! Please... please come back. I'm not mad, just... please. Francisca, you wanted to be a hero, right, Francisca? You wanted to become just like Susie, right? So please... Please go back to your old self!!" She stabbed the last of the figures through the heart, and looked up, trying to assess any sort of change in the witch. 

But it only paused for a second before summoning hundreds of subway wheels and sent them careening at Flamberge . She didn't have time to react before they all hit her at once. The wind was knocked out of her, and she felt some bone, though she couldn't say which, crunch loudly. Everything was on fire.

"Flamberge! Flamberge!" Taranza was beside her. Her barrier had broken when she'd gotten hit. That meant... that things probably weren't looking good for her. 

She could feel it too. A sort of fatigue all throughout her body. Something clicked and she realized -- the fatigue was in her body... her real body. 

She brought a shaky hand up to touch her soul gem. Though she couldn't see it, she knew that it was beginning to grow dark.

"I'm fine." She stood up shakily, focusing on the task at hand. "I'm just warming up. Just... keep calling out...to Francisca!." She walked forward and summoned another barrier of full flames. Another wheel hit her from the side, knocking her to her knees again. 

She got up. Then it was the records, coming from every direction. She tried to hit them away but the ones that broke through the strokes of her spear penetrated her skin, leaving cuts that began to gush blood. She could feel it trickling down her cheeks and realized in a moment that she couldn't remember the last time she'd let herself cry.

This is payback, isn't it, idiot. For trying to kill you when we first met, huh? She hit away another wheel with a small chuckle. I thought you'd be a pushy mess... But no matter how much I beat on you, you always got right back up... You're mad, aren't you? You can't accept what's going on, right? I know how you feel... So let it out as much as you like. I can take it... Come back to us when you feel better... Okay?

Two more wheels hit her square in the chest before she could block them and sent her flying backwards into her own barrier, which shattered on impact as her focus was disrupted. She crumpled in on herself. The pain was almost unbearable.

Then she heard Taranza yell beside her. She sat up quickly and saw that the monster had grabbed him, taking advantage of the weak prey in the few seconds the barrier was down. Taranza was trying to squirm free of the witch's ice grip, which only tightened until it was strangling him.

"F-Francisca..." Taranza wheezed out weakly. He sounded like he was losing air quickly. "P-P-Please..." Something snapped inside Flamberge , and she found her strength fully restored, if just for a moment.

"Francisca!" she yelled. She leapt into the air and in one powerful swipe, cut the witch's arm clean off. A ocean blue liquid gushed out like a waterfall, staining the floor of the labyrinth grotesquely. 

"You said you wanted to protect Taranza!" she screamed. "You said you wanted to protect everyone!" The witch screamed back at her and brought down its blade on the floor of the labyrinth. It shattered beneath her, and the monster, Flamberge, and Taranza's unmoving body began to fall down, down, down.

I'm on the edge of despair... I can feel it. It's your fault, dummy. You made me feel again. You showed me everything I missed out on...  Please, Void... After all I've been through... I deserve a lucky break, even if it's just this one time...

Her back hit the ground, but the pain was like a dull static behind the raging storm in her mind. She squinted and tried to blink away the fatigue and assess her situation. She lifted her head up and saw Magolor standing a few feet away. 

She had no idea when he'd even entered the scene. He was holding Taranza in his arms, looking down at him with an alien but familiar expression on his face. That's how she used to look at me.

"Is he okay?" Flamberge choked out. Magolor flinched and met her eyes for only a second before fixing his gaze on the spider in his arms once again.

"I caught him before he hit the ground," Magolor said. "But he's unconscious." Magolor held Taranza a bit closer to his chest and turned to her, narrowing his eyes. "You shouldn't have brought him here."

"I know..." Flamberge wheezed out. She knew she was badly hurt. It was a miracle she was even maintaining consciousness. "Take care of him, i made her go along with my idiocy.." She reached out a hand and summoned a barrier of chains, locking herself in with the monster. Magolor's eyes widened. He began to protest, but she cut him off.

"You should never fight with a burden because you'll get both of us killed, right? It's fine. That's the right choice," she said shakily. 

"And I..." Flamberge brought a hand up to trace the circumference of her darkened red soul gem. "Just focus on the one thing you really want to protect and keep it safe 'til the end." There was no bite to it, and when she finally met his eyes, she knew he understood "It's funny. All this time, that's what I thought I was doing" Without another word, Magolor turned and ran away from the labyrinth until he and Taranza had disappeared completely.

Flamberge took a few deep breaths and finally looked up at the monster, who had been badly hurt by her previous blow and was almost...serene.

"Don't worry, Francisca... I know you don't want to be alone...," she said. "Believe me, i know how's this feeling" She let out a hollow laugh as she summoned a spear -- larger than she'd ever made one. 

She poured all her magical energy into it, until she was on the verge of being tapped out. She stood up straight and gave the monster a real smile. "I think it's time someone protected you , Francisca. And... I'm not going to let you live in your own despair any longer, so, it's okay Francis, im here with you." And this way... Flamberge thought as she used a trembling hand to detach her soul gem, you will never be aloneThen she closed her eyes as she kissed her soul gem and commanded the spear forward through the witch's heart. The last noise that rang in her ears was a shatter, a explosion... and then nothing.

The first thing he noticed were the sound of gentle footsteps reverberating through the night. They were steady footsteps, if not a little slow. 

And the next thing he noticed was the warmth of another person, right next to him. He could feel the beating of their heart, the rise and fall of their chest, their strong arms underneath his legs and shoulders.

Taranza's eyes snapped open. His vision was a bit hazy, but it was clear he was looking up at Magolor, carrying him for some unknown reason. Taranza couldn't hold back a noise of surprise, which made Magolor halt and look down at him with his signature stone cold expression.

"You're up," he said. "Think you can stand?" Taranza nodded slowly, not really knowing if he did, in fact, have the strength to stand. 

He just wanted to figure out what was going on. Magolor helped him to stand up as Taranza took in his surroundings as well as he could in the dark. This was... her street. His house was only about one hundred feet away. He blinked and turned back to Magolor, who he half-expected to be gone already.

"What happened?" Taranza asked drowsily. "Wh...where's Flamberge?" The cat looked away for a minute, but his silence spoke volumes. "Oh..." Taranza said softly. So, she's gone.

"She's dead," Magolor said. His tone was even -- entirely free of emotion. "But if that surprises you, you haven't been paying enough attention. It was bound to happen." A chilled wind blew through the corridor of neat houses, ruffling Taranza's hair. He shivered and let out a breath.

"Francisca was never going to come back...was she," Taranza said eventually. Magolor shook his head, never quite meeting Taranza's eyes.

"No. Flamberge was a idiot for making you think otherwise. But I guess she got what she deserved for that."

"You don't even care," Taranza realized. He felt his jaw tighten as he waited for any kind of reaction from Magolor. But that stare remained. "You don't even care that any of them died!" Taranza said, raising his voice. "Not Flamberge, not Francisca, not Susie! They die and you treat them like they were nothing!"

"They're gone. You have to let it go."

"You've never cared," Taranza  continued, starting to yell. "There's just...nothing inside you at all. If there was an ounce left in you, then you would have tried harder to save them. Or for fuck's sake, tried at all!" He was screaming now, angry tears gushing down the sides of his flushed face. "Francisca was right about you. You're not my friend, you're a witch !"

The word bounced off the pavement and reverberated through the darkness. Taranzacovered his mouth in horror, realizing the weight of what he'd said.

"I-I didn't mean-"

"No," Magolor said simply. "I know you meant it." Taranza let his head hang as he let the last of his tears fall unceremoniously on the dark cold ground. "And it's almost true, isn't it?"

"I..."

"You should really get some rest," Magolor said softly. Taranza looked up to reassure Magolor, to apologize... but he was already gone.

Magolor angrily swept the pile of papers off his desk and collapsed into a chair, staring at the mess he'd made. All that planning... all that time spent with Flamberge... it was all entirely wasted. If they had been friends and he had been weaker, he might have cried for her.

Across the room, Mistilteinn was pacing back and forth. Magolor hadn't seen it come in, but he didn't care that it was there. If it was with him, then it couldn't hurt anyone else.

"There was never any way to get Francisca back, was it?" Magolor said, narrowing his eyes at the crown. "Why did you give them hope?"

"Flamberge's death wasn't needless. It's a shame her soul gem shattered before it could become a grief seed, but it's no matter. After all, once I make a contract with Taranza, our quota will be met for certain." Mistilteinn walked closer to where Magolor was sitting among scattered papers.

"To answer your question, I told them getting Francisca back might be possible because it was necessary for Flamberge Ruju to die," Mistilteinn said. "Because now, you are the only one left who can fight Walpurgisnacht. And you are too weak to beat it alone. So, you have no choice but to let Taranza make a contract with me in order to protect this city." 

Magolor clenched the fabric of his jeans. He couldn't think of anything to say. No. No, I can't let that happen. Never.

"It looks like you're out of options, Magolor Starcutter," Mistilteinn said.

Then Magolor stared at the crown and said with determination "No, I will never let that happen. I swear it."

 

 

 

...

What does a heart encrusted in rust see
in a still and soundless world?
Looking for someone who looks like they can say, "I'll see you again",
I only end up repeating this over and over again.

Once you take notice, there's
the silhouette of someone's back, crying all alone
In a heartrending,
lonesome place.

I want to remain with my hand entwined in yours

How many times have I felt
the warmth here in this very place?
Even if I've only mistaken being by your side, I don't mind
The sound of our tears and the colour of our sighs
Now ascertain where we are now

The distraction of an everyday routine
is something that I want, I want to see, even in the future

When I think how my voice, full of false bravado, has cracked
I find myself surrendering to the dream world
When I hold my knees close and
cast my gaze downward
Suddenly I feel like I'm going to crumble

The distraction of an everyday routine is something that I want, I want to see, even in the future

When I think how my voice, full of false bravado, has cracked
I find myself surrendering to the dream world
When I hold my knees close and
cast my gaze downward
Suddenly I feel like I'm going to crumble

At this rate, at this rate,
The distant exit we dash toward together
is still within reach. Now, let us
smile and gaze into each other

Your guileless, innocent face
bears a jumble and medley of feelings
Even when you've lost your own way, you remain too kind

I call out your name again and again
Even if the future is uncertain
It pains me just to think of what I can't let go
I'm right here
I'm right here
You know there is always a place for you to return to, here

And that'll never changeWith these feelings that remain

 

Chapter 10: I Won't Depend on Anyone Anymore

Summary:

This chapter now focuses on Magolor Starcutter: his history is revealed and the mysteries behind his cold attitude are finally resolved and why is he like that

...

The longest chapter by the way so... good luck

Chapter Text

"Good morning, Magolor." A voice, a voice that Magolor knew well, the voice of the Lor Starcutter calling for him.

Magolor's eyes seemed to fall open in bed that morning. 

He should've been excited. He should've snapped awake, and run to the bathroom to get ready, but he couldn't help falling prey to the ever-growing pit of dread in his stomach. Instead, he was fighting every second not to drag the blankets over his head and go back to sleep.

There seemed to be lead weights attached to his hands as he rolled from the bed and let his body hit the cold tile floor of the bed. He couldn't tell if it was his mind or his body that felt like dead weight, but he didn't want to carry it.

There was something to be said for not being sick anymore, that was certain. But the last thing he wanted was to be thrown back into the real world that he'd been able to sit out on for so long. He'd missed so many friendships, not to mention class material, that he could've experienced if he'd never left in the first place. But it wasn't even the leaving that was bothering him. He'd just wished the leaving had been permanent, man, if only Marx, his friend was still here, then maybe... 

He saw himself of the mirror and sighed, as he looked at himself, sometimes he wishes he hadnt become like this, he didn't feel this body like himself.

..

"Well then," A teacher said. "Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to introduce our new transfer student to you all." Magolor gazed nervously around the classroom, not letting himself look at any of his new classmates for too long. There were so many eyes on him... He grasped the straps of his backpack tighter and finally settled his gaze on the floor.

"I hope you find everything okay here, Mr, wait a moment..." The teacher looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. "Mr Magolor Starcutter." Magolor nodded and scratched his hand. He didn't see why any of this was necessary. He just wanted to be able to get through the day without being made fun of or noticed.

"Would anyone like to volunteer to show Magolor around today?" The teacher asked the class. Magolor dared to look up. No one spoke up or raised their hands. One guy coughed, causing a few of the teens to chuckle under their breath. This was a nightmare he wishes to wake up, and be in the Lor Starcutter doing his stuff.

"I will!"

Magolor's eyes flickered over to the direction of the voice and saw a spider, with four eyes and silver hair raising his hand, looking just as shocked as everyone else that he'd spoken up.

"Excellent, Mr. Taranza," The teacher said. "I'll write you a pass so you can be exempt from your morning classes."

"Aw, what?" another girl with blue hair protested. "You should have said so!"

"Alright, dismissed," The teacher said. "Head to your first periods, please." Magolor awkwardly stepped out of the way of the sea of teenagers all bolting for the door. 

He supposed he had no choice but to wait for that boy. After most of the class, the teacher included, had left the room, he could see him talking to that blue haired girl.

"... just because he's cute-"

"That's not the whole reason-"

"Hey, no judgement from me, I'm just-"

"Francis, he's literally right over there!"

Both of them abruptly halted their conversation and turned to face him. Magolor wished he could just disappear. He didn't know how to talk to these people, seriously...

"See you at lunch?" The girl with blue hair called to her friend as she runned away, what a weirdo.

"Yeah!" the spider called back. 

...

"Are you really a cat? That's so cute! i love cats!" A girl said as she looked Magolor's ears hoodie "Were you from another school? did you have clubs, like art, sports, technology?"

He wasn't paying attention to any other person that was asking him, and that's because he was crowded, and he hated being crowded, until he saw the spider again

The first thing Magolor noticed were his eyes. They were a striking white colour but the other eyes were yellow, that reminded him of clear clouds and the sun and all that was worth observing on a quiet day. His gaze then fell on the sprinkling of freckles that covered the spider's face and his red scarf. Magolor had to stop himself from letting his eyes trail any further downward.

"Hi," the boy said, giving him a kind, but nervous smile. "I guess I'm showing you around, huh?" He let out an awkward chuckle and scratched the back of his neck. Magolor followed the movement with his gaze and found himself longing to run his fingers through his skin just like that.

"Yeah, I guess," Magolor said. He mentally kicked himself for choosing a word that ended in "s". This spider would probably think he was a loser now...

"I'm Taranza." He held out one of his hands for Magolor shake. "Just Taranza, a pleasure to meet you!"

He nodded and broke eye contact. Taranza... The name felt important. Maybe it wasn't anything special, a completely average person's name. But nothing felt average about Taranza, it was a cute name.

Or maybe he was just getting a crush. A really, really bad crush. Great.

"It was... Magolor Starcutter, right?"

He nodded again.

"You have a nickname or anything?"

"No..."

"Well, could I call you something? Maybe Mags?" He paused a second to read over his face. "There's nothing wrong with Magolor or anything! It just feels like you could be the kind of person that would have a nickname, kinda like my roomate who has also a nickname, I didn't know if something different would-"

Magolor cut him off. "Mags or Magolor is fine. I like it."

The blue blush in Taranza's cheeks faded a little bit and he gave another nervous smile. "Okay, I'm glad. Mags it is."

"So, how's your first week been, then?" Taranza asked. He stirred his bubble tea and let the little pearls at the bottom swish around the cup like rain and bump into the sides.

"I... don't know..." Magolor said. He looked down at his coffee and bit his lip. "I feel like I just keep embarrassing myself. I'm really behind on the curriculum... i dont know anything about this classes. And people keep crowding me all like im some sort of alien, I'm a loser."

"Don't say that," Taranza chided him. "You missed stuff in your home. That doesn't make you idiot." He pulled the straw from his cup and pointed it at Magolor's chest. "Or a loser."

"The blue hair girl doesn't even like me," Magolor said, pouting a little. "I can tell."

"You mean Francisca?, don't worry, she's just jealous," Taranza said, waving a hand dismissively. "I've never had a guy friend before. She likes you fine, though, trust me." Magolor wasn't so sure. He sipped his tea.

"She didn't even come along," Magolor pointed out weakly.

"Yeah..." Taranza looked away. Is he blushing? "I uh... kind of... asked her... not to come?"

"Oh," Magolor said. Don't ask why. That would be intrusive. Maybe he doesn't want to talk about why. "Why?" Shit.

"I mean!" Taranza practically screeched. "I just thought it'd be fun, you know...I mean I see Francisca all the time and I still need to get to know you. I mean, I guess she does too... you just said you don't think she knows you all that well...But I just thought it'd be fun to...y-know..." Taranza made a vague, swirling gesture with the hand which wasn't holding his tea and trailed off. Magolor just kind of shrugged. He was trying to follow, but...

"No," Taranza said, mostly to himself. "I said I'd be more confident. So uh... here goes. I was hoping... or, I wanted to ask if... You'd maybe want to consider this a date?"

Magolor felt hot and cold all at once as a wave of shock traveled down his spine. He wanted this, of course he wanted this, and he'd thought he felt... something back from Taranza, but he'd never expected...this. He opened his mouth, "I-"

Taranza's phone buzzed on the table, and Magolor went quiet. He picked it up without hesitation and furrowed his brow as he read what was on the screen. "Curses. I'm so sorry, but I have to go. I have to- I'm... Sorry."

He shot Magolor an apologetic smile, and left the coffee shop in a hurry. He didn't even stop to pick up his tea, he just left it on the table next to Magolor, dripping condensation as all the gears in his brain whirred in a desperate attempt to figure out what the hell just happened.

Taranza didn't come back. He'd probably bailed as soon as he saw a bit of hope in Magolor's yellow eyes and had grown disgusted with him. 

Maybe it was a joke or something. He didn't know. He didn't think Taranza would do something so cruel to him, but that didn't change the fact that he'd sat in that coffee shop alone for fifteen minutes, without a word from Taranza about where he'd gone.

He doesn't care about you. You're worthless.

Magolor kept walking down the sidewalk, staring at his feet.

Yeah... I'm worthless.

Magolor snapped out of it. Was that a voice in his head? He looked around and realized in an instant that he was no longer on the sidewalk. He was... what? What is all this?

Everything around him was tiled like a mosaic. The sky had taken on the haunting, clashing hues of stained glass windows. Pillars rose up from the ground, trapping him in one spot.

"What's happening?" he yelled, shaking uncontrollably. "Help! Somebody! Please..." He heard a horrible roar ricochet across the strange world, and Magolor stiffened, entirely paralyzed with terror. A figure that looked like a pencil sketch of a teenager was stumbling towards him, and somehow, 

"That was too close..."

"Hey, are you alright?"

Magolor cracked open his yellow eyes and adjusted his yellow glasses. That first voice had almost sounded like... Taranza? What is he doing here? And... what is that he's wearing?

"You're safe now, I promise," Taranza said, offering Magolor a gloved hand. "Mags." The fingerless gloves were probably the least notable piece of the outfit. He wore bright green, well-pressed red pants, and a green dress shirt with short, puffy sleeves. Overtop he had a soft red scarf, red boots and a cape that assembled the form of a spider's web, he saw that his silver hair was more refined... And was that an archery bow in form of spiders he was carrying?

"It's getting away!" A girl said. "Come on." Taranza nodded seriously and ran after the witch with the other girl. Taranza pulled back his bow, and fired, a beam of purple light in the shape of an arrow appearing and penetrating the heart of the witch, leaving blossom flowers in the explosión

They began to pull rifles from nowhere, firing them one by one at the smaller attackers to ward them off. All Magolor could do was watch in utter disbelief.

"How..."

"They're magical persons," a new voice said. He turned to see a small bit yellow crown creature that had as a jewel an eye, sitting on the ground, watching the fight unfold with a neutral expression on its face.

"It's kind of awkward to have you find out this way..." Taranza called, pulling back his bow once again as the other girl summoned an extra large gun and aimed at the heart of the witch. "Uh... don't tell anyone!" Taranza stammered out as he released the string, his magical(?) arrow striking the witch in time with the pink haired girl's attack, causing the witch to shrivel up and disappear with a final shriek.

Taranza was kind enough to walk Magolor home, but he still hadn't said anything about... well. About all the magic. Or whatever. At least he was in his normal, loose-fitting clothes again. That other outfit of his had been...distracting.

"So... Ummmm" Magolor said in an attempt to break the tension.

"You think it's weird, don't you?" Taranza groaned, voice filled with dread.

"Well... yeah. Kinda..." Magolor trailed off. "But I don't think you're weird! It was really cool! .. And you saved my life, so it'd be pretty mean to call you weird." He stopped walking in front of his apartment complex and waited for Taranza to meet his gaze. "Thank you for that... by the way."

"By the way?" Taranza asked, still looking at the ground. "About me... wanting to go on a date with you. Was that weird?"

"Of course not!, not as weird as the witch and all the magic," Magolor said, laughing nervously. "But... maybe a little. I don't think I'm really worth asking out."

Taranza finally looked up and gave him a small smile, relief flooding into his eyes. "If you weren't worth it I wouldn't have asked." Magolor felt an intense burn rise to his cheeks, turning yellow as Taranza reached carefully for his hand and intertwined their fingers slowly. Then he stepped a bit closer, and Magolor's eyes widened as he felt Taranza's warmth breath on his cheek.

"Kind of a dumb first date, huh?, yeah..." Taranza said.

"Are you kidding me? That's the best one I've ever had," Magolor laughed. "But I think we should... try again sometime?"

"Sure thing, catboy," Taranza said. Then he took a step back, waving his hands and cringing. "Ah! Sorry! That was mean! Oh my Floralia, why did I say that?"

"It's fine," Magolor reassured her. "Besides...if I'm catboy, then you're spiderman ."

"What?" Taranza protested. "I'm not even that manly!"

"You gave me a nickname!" Magolor said. "I think you deserve one too."

"At least Mags sounds cute," Taranza shot back. Magolor flushed. Oh geez... He felt his cheeks heating up again and brought his hands up to cover his face. It was embarrassing how easily he got flustered...

"I promise I won't ditch you again," Taranza sighed after a minute, shifting from foot to foot. Then he cringed. "No... I guess I can't promise you that. I'm still really new at this. I just made my contract with Mistilteinn this week and-"

"It's okay," Magolor said. He reached for one of Taranza's hands again and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I get it. And... I thought you were amazing. Fighting that thing."

"Really?"

"W-well...yeah."

"Well, Magolor...I think you're pretty amazing too," Taranza said. He was impossibly close. Taranza's eyes drifted down to Magolor's scarf on his mouth, probably unintentionally. In a moment, Magolor realized that he wanted this. He wanted Taranza.

"Back to the confidence thing... Can I?" Taranza asked softly. Magolor nodded. Taranza traced Magolor's scarf carefully with his fingers, as he pulled  the scarf out of his, revealing his mouth and pulled him in close to meet his lips.

 The kiss was short, messy, and more than a little inexperienced, but to Magolor, it was everything.

This was amazing...

...

It had come out of nowhere... a horrible witch, worse than anything they'd ever seen before. How could Susie and Taranza have been prepared for something like that? And now...

Magolor was choking on a gasp that was stuck in his throat, never escaping. He couldn't comprehend this. It was unfair...it was awful.

"I'd better go," Taranza said seriously, standing up. Magolor kept staring at the girl. Her blue eyes were wide with fear, now glazed over. The soul gem attached to her headphones was shattered, and her body was beaten all over

"No..." Magolor said shakily, reaching to grab Taranza's arm. "You can't..."

"I have to," Taranza said, wiping away his tears. "I don't have a choice! Someone needs to fight that thing!"

"But... but Susie..." Magolor breathed, turning to face the corpse once again. "She's... you could... I can't let..." Their words were swallowed up by rising sobs. Taranza pulled him quickly into a hug and petted his skin.

"I have to protect everyone," Taranza whispered against Magolor's cheek. "I have to protect you, too. I'm the only one who can beat Walpurgisnacht now." Taranza pulled Magolor into a kiss, which he easily reciprocated, but the tears pouring down his face kept him from enjoying their shared moment.

"Let's just run away together..." Magolor said weakly. "Somewhere we don't need to worry about witches or anyone else... please?"

He was lying to himself. He knew it was impossible, that Taranza would never do that to the people of their town... and Magolor wouldn't want him to. But the thought helped ease the ache in his heart, just the tiniest bit.

"Magolor..." Taranza started. He gave Magolor a smile that was genuine, but full of sadness. "I'm really glad I found you. Even if... I can't win... I'm really glad that I saved you that day. That you were okay and we shared this... wonderful month. I... I love you. You don't have to say it back. I know it's... ridiculously soon. But I know that I know you. And I need you to know that I love you, just as you are."

"Taranza..."

"Goodbye, Mags," Taranza said. He turned around and faced the witch. "Take care of yourself once I'm gone, okay? Make this worth it. You're... the one I really want to protect."

Taranza leapt away, Magolor wanted to imagine he was just taking off, flying away to somewhere he could never be hurt again. Then he pulled out his bow and Magolor's hands collapsed underneath him.

Shortly after the sky had cleared, Magolor found Taranza's body lying among the rubble and still puddles of rainwater. 

He was in his normal clothes again, the soul gem clenched in his hand, shattered. Magolor fell to the ground and let out a wail of anguish.

"You idiot!" Magolor cried. He took off his glasses as his eyes clouded with tears. "You knew you were gonna die and you still..." He heaved out some heavy breaths, his whole body overtaken by panic. 

"It should have been me...not...not you...never you..." He rested his face on Taranza's chest and cried into the material, clutching Taranza's red scarf like it was all he had left. "I'd...I'd do anything..."

"Do you really mean that, Magolor Starcutter?" Magolor didn't look up, but he heard Mistilteinn approaching behind him. "I can help you, you know. If you really mean that."

At that, Magolor slowly sat up and replaced his glasses, looking at Mistilteikn through watery eyes, as he sobbed.

"Y-you can't help me," he said. "Not unless you can..."

"I can't bring him back," Mistilteinn said. "But if you make a contract with me, your wish might be able to."

Magolor looked over at Taranza once again and was hit with another wave of despair. It couldn't be... She couldn't be dead.

"It's m-m-my fault..." he sobbed. "I just...I just wish I could have been useful! I didn't even-" he paused to wheeze out a few particularly heavy sobs. "I didn't even do anything! I let him die! I j-just...I wish I could go back and fix this. To become strong enough to p-protect him..." He looked up from the body and addressed Mistilteinn shakily. "Please... please help me, Mistilteinn."

Mistilteinn looked at him with the same unblinking eye, and after a moment, Magolor felt something strange moving inside of him. 

His yellow eyes widened like plates in awe as an blue glowing mass emerged from his chest and changed into the familiar shape of a soul gem.

"The contract has been completed," Mistilteinn said. "Take it. This is now your destiny, Magolor Starcutter." Hand trembling, Magolor reached out his hand and grabbed it.

.

.

.

.

 

Timeline 2

Magolor's yellow eyes snapped open and he floundered to take in the harsh glow of his surroundings. 

It all came rushing back in an instant. Taranza! He sat up in bed and looked around hurriedly. He was back in the Lor Starcutter, back to where the whole nightmare had started. 

He was holding something... he opened his hand and saw his blue soul gem sitting there. It wasn't a dream... this is real. I really am back here. Which means... He swung over the edge of the bed and hopped. 

He had work to do.

He knows what to do now.

"Well then," The teacher said. "Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to introduce our new transfer student to you all."

Magolor wasn't listening to the teacher, his eyes were scanning the classroom, tuning in to each individual face until... There. His knees felt weak seeing him there again. The spider, Taranza was alive. It worked.

He spoke up before the teacher could go any further. "Magolor Starcutter, my name is Magolor Starcutter" Then, he took off down the rows of desks, stopping right in front of Taranza and taking his hands. 

God, his hands. There was so much warmth, so much life in those hands. He was never going to let go.

"Taranza, it's me. I made a contract with Mistilteinn. I'm going to help you fight!" He briefly presented the soul gem, glowing bright orange in his hands, then he leapt forward without hesitation and placed his lips squarely on Taranza's. "I'm strong enough to protect you now." He whispered, forehead pressed tight to Taranza's.

There was a stark silence from his boyfriend. He expected relief, maybe appreciation, or at least a little reciprocation when they kissed, but there was nothing. 

He pulled back and was struck by the dumbfounded expression on Taranza's beet red face.

He noticed Francisca sitting behind him, eyebrows raised in complete shock with a hint of amusement mixed in. It was only then that it hit him, making his ears twitch.

Oh. Oh crap... I have to redo everything, crap.

 

...

 

It had been two days since Magolor had doomed his mission to start over with Taranza. It wasn't because of a witches or anything, no it was because he was apparently too much of a idiot to realize that Taranza wouldn't remember him. 

He was on his own now... he supposed he could at least try to find Susie -- then at least she wouldn't be alone. He had to fight witches now too. Magolor swallowed and realized his breathing was growing heavy. Why did I think I could do this?

"Uh... hey..."

Magolor jumped in his chair, whirling around to see Taranza standing there, giving him a odd look. 

Magolor's breathing began to speed up to the point where he felt like he was suffocating. He wasn't just going to have a panic attack, oh no, he was going to have a panic attack in front of his former boyfriend. His former boyfriend who didn't remember him. Who he'd kissed in front of the class. Magolor strongly considered bolting for the bathroom.

"Woah woah! Are you having a panic attack? Magolor? It was Magolor, right?" He looked up at Taranza and tried to focus on his breaths. 

Surprisingly, Taranza sat down next to him and grabbed his hand with two of his six hands, maintaining eye contact. "Hey, just focus on me... deep breaths..." Magolor nodded and kept holding his gaze, breaths slowing but heart pounding impossibly faster. But just a few minutes of Taranza's presence did wonders.

"I'm...I'm sorry..." Magolor mumbled out eventually.

"No no! It's okay. I tend to get panic attacks too... I know how hard it can be."

"I'm sorry about that thing two days ago!" Magolor blurted before he could stop himself. "I don't know what I was doing and I just-"

"Magolor. It's fine. I know you were in your home all this time and stuff so it must be weird for you to be part of society again, right?"

"Yes," Magolor said quickly. "That is the reason. That is the reason I did that."

"Actually... I wanted to ask you about that thing you showed me," Taranza said hesitantly. His eyes darted back and forth and he even turned around to ensure there were no eavesdroppers. "That was a soul gem, wasn't it?"

Magolor felt like he might panic again.

"Y-yeah," Magolor said. He hesitantly reached into his pocket and produced his soul gem, setting it on the table. Taranza smiled back at him and did the same. Magolor's heart melted a bit when he saw that familiar green shine.

"I only just made my contract!" Taranza said. "Last night. I'm going to train with this other girl, Susie, after school. Do you want to come? She seems like she's going to like you"

"Yes!" Magolor said enthusiastically. Taranza grinned and stuffed his soul gem back into his sleeve. "I'm brand new at this too," Magolor admitted. "I'd like to learn alongside another magical person..."

"Yeah," Taranza said. "Wow. That was weird, just telling you like that. Guess my secret's out, huh?" Magolor laughed good-naturedly, then cut it off abruptly when Taranza took his hand. "And I guess while I'm being brave... um..." He swallowed and squeezed Magolor's hand. "You're... uh... a good kisser."

"So, Magolor! Let's see what you got!" Susie gestured to the empty oil drum that was sitting across the warehouse. 

Magolor blinked and adjusted his yellow glasses. He hadn't thought this through. He had no idea how to do this. "What kind of weapon do you have?" Susie prompted, seeming to pick up on Magolor's nervousness. Magolor turned to him, and that million-dollar smile almost made him want to be sick. All he could see was Susie lying on the ground, skin a deathly white, eyes glazed over in fear. Magolor shuddered and cleared his throat.

"I... I don't know," Magolor realized. "I've never...um... done any of this before." He bit his lip. "D-Do I have to go first?"

"You'll be fine, don't worry," Susie reassured him. "I promise. Using magic is all about just trusting your instincts. Just do your best -- we'll go from there." Magolor nodded mutley and closed his eyes. He focused on his blue soul gem. It was like a little pocket of energy, something he could focus on... power hiding in there like potential energy. If only he knew how to bring it out... Bring the energy out.

Even with his eyes closed, Magolor could see the flash. His eyes snapped open and he gasped. He'd done it... he'd successfully transformed. He examined his new garments only for a moment before turning his attention to the shield attached to his left hand.

"Alright, Magolor!" Taranza called. "You did it!"

"Okay, now just take out that oil drum. Any way you can!" Magolor swallowed and turned back to face it. He didn't really know what came next. He'd feel kind of stupid just trying to summon weapons from midair. Trust my instincts, huh?

He brought his right hand up and let it trace the mechanism on the front of his shield. Something clicked and the gears turned and then froze with a couple rapid clicking sounds. Great... what did that do? That didn't do anything.

"Susie, I don't think-" His words died on his tongue. Susie wasn't moving. Taranza wasn't either. He walked over to them to look closer. They weren't even blinking... they didn't look like they were breathing! No no no what did I do? Magolor looked around frantically, eyes growing wide when he realized that nothing was moving. It was all... frozen... frozen in time. Just like my wish... Then he understood. Letting out a long sigh, Magolor walked over to the oil drum. He picked up a nearby lead pipe and began to beat up the drum. He hit it as hard as he could, but it always froze in midair as soon as the pipe broke contact with it.

He dropped the pipe, already winded, and walked back over to where Susie and Taranza were standing, motionless. He reached for his shield released the mechanism. In an instant, the oil drum fell to the ground with a loud bang. 

Taranza gave a yelp of fright next to him and Susie jumped in place, looking wildly between Magolor and the destroyed oil drum.

"How did you..." Taranza gasped.

"I uh..." Magolor said, fidgeting with the sleeves of his outfit. "Stopped time?"

"Woah..." Taranza breathed. "That's... woah. That's amazing. I just have a dumb bow and arrows."

"They're not dumb!" Magolor laughed, scratching the back of his head. "You're amazing too..." Taranza chuckled a bit in response, a small blush dusting his cheeks.

"Time magic might be hard to fight with..." Susiemused, his face scrunched a bit in thought. "Is that shield your only weapon?"

"I think so..." Magolor said. His smile dropped almost instantly. With all his guns, Susie was like a one-woman army. But Magolor's ability was pretty useless when it came to fighting offensively.

"No matter," Susie said, shooting him a smile. "We're a team! Your ability will be great in a supporting role. If things get sticky, you'll be our last line of defense." No... no I have to fight. I have to become strong. Magolor risked a small glance at Taranza. I can't protect you by just staying on the sidelines.

"No. I'm going to fight," he said. "I...I'll figure something out."

"Well... that's okay," Susie said. "Whatever suits you, I guess. Taranza, you're up!" Taranza nodded and produced his green soul gem. As he passed Magolor, he placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"What, no good luck kiss?" Taranza teased. Magolor choked out a few noises, but couldn't articulate any of his millions of panicked thoughts. Taranza just laughed lightly and leaned forward quickly to peck Magolor on the lips. Taranza... 

As Taranza transformed and advanced on another oil drum, bow in hand, Magolor remembered why he'd made the contract. Why he was going to fight. Where the hell am I going to find weapons?

Magolor did his best to steady his shaking hands as he picked up the apples and bombs and looked up at the instructions once again. 

He ran a trembling finger shakily along the fuse. For Taranza, for Taranza, for Taranza.

"Magolor! Your turn, now!" Susie called. Magolor nodded and clicked his shield into place, slowing everything to a precarious halt around him. This better work... He ran up to the huge witch in front of them, breathing heavily. 

He was almost right in front of it... it was the moment of truth. He reached behind his shield, where there seemed to be a pocket dimension of sorts, and produced one of his apples bombs. He activated it with profusely sweaty hands and threw it as hard as he could towards the witch.

It stopped in midair, right in front of it. Heart pounding with adrenaline, Magolor turned and began to run back to a safe distance, releasing time as he continued running, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Please explode... please...

After a few seconds, there was a loud boom from behind and a wave of heat from the explosion. Magolor looked back and saw the smoke clearing, revealing the witch, beginning to shrivel away until it was nothing but a lone grief seed.

"I-I did it? Did it work?" Magolor said shakily as the labyrinth faded.

"You did it!" Taranza yelled, running in from the side and capturing Magolor in a hug.

Magolor leaned into his embrace, relishing Taranza's warmth and the electric shock their touching skin gave him. Then Taranza let go and used his gloved hand to tuck some of Magolor's skin behind his ear.

"S-Spiderman" Taranza said nervously. Magolor beamed at him.

"Can I kiss you?" Taranza asked. "I know you're not one for asking permission but-" Taranza cut him off by meeting his lips first, hoisting himself onto his tiptoes for the best angle. Magolor giggled a bit against his mouth as he returned the kiss enthusiastically.

"Ummmm, hey guys," Susie said awkwardly behind them. They broke apart immediately. "Should we divvy up the grief seed?"

"Magolor..." Taranza mumbled out through his pained twitches as he writhed on the ground. Magolor grabbed Taranza's hand desperately. He didn't appear to be that hurt physically. So why...

"I'm right here, Tar-," Magolor said, squeezing Taranza's hand. "What's wrong? Can't you heal?" Taranza cringed and writhed around some more, his fist uncurling a bit to reveal his soul gem, which was a deep, horrible black.

"W-Why..." Taranza sobbed. Then he let out a yell and Magolor was blown back by a wave of energy. When he opened his eyes, he saw a sight he had hoped with all his soul he would never have to see again - the love of his life on the ground, dead. And rising from the corpse was a grief seed.

What? No. NO. Taranza! Magolor reached for his shield and turned the mechanism back.

Timeline 3

Magolor sat up in the ship room with a terrified gasp. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he wheezed out accelerating breaths. The room around him looked fuzzy as he held his throbbing head in his hands. 

It's not true... it can't be true... why? Why? He uncurled his hand to look at his soul gem, which looked like nothing more than a smeared blue light with his glasses off and eyes full of tears. He closed his eyes and curled in on himself as he remembered how Taranza's green soul gem had snapped and transformed into a grief seed before his very eyes. They had fought off Walpurgisnacht with the help of Susie and that other girl he hadn't caught the name of... but Taranza had used too much magic and his soul gem had gone dark.

Mine could too. Magolor buried his face in his pillow and heaved out another sob. My soul gem is blue bright for now, but for how long? It was noticeably darker already than when he'd last checked it. Resetting the timeline took a lot out of him.

Magolor grabbed his pillow and hugged it close to his chest, longing for Taranza, longing for someone, anyone to take his hand, play with his hair, and tell him everything was going to be okay. But he was alone. Everything was back at zero. I have to find Mistilteinn and talk to it about this. I have to find Susie and warn her. I have to find Taranza so I can have someone. I have to get a grief seed so I don't...

Magolor's thoughts got lost in his sobbing. When a nurse came to find him and inquire about whether he would be departing that day to go to school and settle into his apartment, he couldn't even bring himself to answer her.

He didn't come to school for another week. When he walked into homeroom, Mistilteinn was sitting on Taranza's desk and Magolor's heart sank. Taranza had already made a contract. Taranza didn't know the truth about the witches.

Mistilteinn, Magolor thought with as much authority as he could muster. I know you can hear me. We need to talk. Mistilteinn turned its head and looked right at Magolor, his unblinking stare sizing him up. Magolor's bottom lip started trembling slightly, but he stood his ground. How could you... how could you trick us... you-

"Mr. Starcutter?" Magolor was pulled from his thoughts by the teacher, who was looking at him tiredly. "Are you quite alright? I asked you if you need anyone to show you around."

"R-right," Magolor said. His eyes flickered over to Taranza, who looked like he was texting underneath his desk. 

"I... think I'll be fine." The bell rang and the students poured out of the classroom. Taranza gave him a shy smile as he passed, Mistilteinn perched on his shoulder, cutting into Magolor with his emotionless stare.

Magolor Starcutter, was it? Mistilteinn thought at him as Taranza turned to leave. If you want to talk, I will find you.

Mistilteinn came to his apartment that night, all by himself. Magolor thought he was prepared for the confrontation, but there was so much authority in that unbreakable gaze of Mistilteinn's ... if only Magolor could be as unshakable. But he knew that was impossible.

"This is quite a surprise," Mistilteinn remarked as he entered and made himself comfortable on the small table in the kitchen. It was bare, like the rest of the furniture. 

Magolor didn't know how it could be so refreshing and so unsettling at once. On one hand, he reveled in the absence of dirty bowls and empty beers scattered on every flat surface, but on the other hand, the lack of anything at all in his living space reminded him that everything he'd done so far since getting out of the ship room was for nothing. He'd never want his old home or his old life again, but he figured he might as well be back there with how useless his efforts were proving to be.

For a second, Magolor felt an overwhelming fatigue spread through every inch of his being and he shook his head to clear it. He had to focus on figuring out what to say to Mistilteinn ... on rationalizing what he'd learned.

"You're experiencing the beginnings of despair," Mistilteinn noted. "And you said I had 'tricked' you. Whatever did you mean by that?" He cocked his head and smirked a little bit, causing Magolor's mouth to close up a bit with fear. "I've never even met you before, Magolor Starcutter."

"I-I..."

"This is quite irregular. I have no memory of making a contract with you. And yet you're here all the same." Mistilteinn stepped closer, making Magolor shrink under his scrutinizing gaze. "But it's best you forget whatever you thought you saw, now isn't it? After all, there's more than one way for a soul gem to go dark."

"You-"

"You're beginning to fall into despair, as I said. You're losing hope in whatever wish I granted you, and once you completely succumb to your own despair, your soul gem will transform into a grief seed. If you tell them, you'll only be speeding up the process."

"You....you're lying..." Magolor said, hands shaking. "That's not... you..."

"I could be lying," Mistilteinn said. "But do you really want to take that chance? To take responsibility for their deaths if that knowledge leads them to despair?" Mistilteinn shook its head and began to pace in a circle. 

"You don't have a lot of time left to tell anybody, regardless. You appear to be quite emotionally weak." Magolor hurriedly pulled out his soul gem and paled when he saw a small black void growing in the middle of the orange gem.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Mistilteinn said. "I have to get back to Taranza." Mistilteinn slunk into the shadows and disappeared from sight. Magolor heaved out a few more breaths, then focused on stilling his shaking hands. Taranza.

Magolor could handle this. He could never let Taranza know the truth, but he could handle this. After all, as long as they worked together, they wouldn't have to use so much magic that they exhausted their soul gems. Not until Walpurgisnacht at least...

But he had learned one thing. He absolutely could not let himself fall into despair. I said I was going to protect you. That's more important than what might happen to me. I don't have time to dwell on that.

He let out a sigh, retraining his mind on his wish and Taranza, the spider boy he desired. When he shakily brought his soul gem up to his eyeline again, the growing void in the middle was gone.

Magolor grabbed Taranza's hand as Flamberge stared them down. She was terrifying... though she'd helped them fight Walpurgisnacht last time, it was only because Susie was there, being her usual charismatic self. 

They had struck some sort of deal that probably involved food. And that was mere hours before it descended, when all of them could feel the building threat hanging in the thick atmosphere. But Magolor had no idea what to say to her -- all he could offer her was his word.

"You want me... to team up with you two?" Flamberge said with a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah. No. Not gonna happen."

"But-" Taranza cut in, stepping in front of Magolor. "Magolor told us that a huge witchis coming in four days. And we really don't think we can beat it alone."

"You guys don't get it, do you?" Flamberge snapped. "I'm not interested in helping. I'm here because Susie kicked the bucket. I want this territory, and I'm not letting you two twinks take it from me." Magolor shivered as he relived the memory. The witch turning inside out, its sharp teeth clamping down over Susie's neck before Magolor could reach for his shield, warn him, or do anything.

"We don't want to fight you!" Taranza cried, desperation creeping into his voice. "Can't you just help us, just this once?"

"Don't want to fight me?" Flamberge repeated incredulously. "That sounds like fun though. Come on, skinny. Let's see what you've got."

"Taranza!" Magolor said, clutching his hand. "Let's just leave. We'll find someone else."

"Aw, look who was a concerned boyfriend," Flamberge mocked. "Don't make me vomit. Now, you can fight me, or I'll fight you. It's your choice, really."

"Mags, I'll be okay. I can take her." Taranza gave Magolor's hand a squeeze as he stepped forward to face Flamberge, pulling out his soul gem with a scowl.

"Actually, now that I think about it..." Flamberge said, making a show of bringing her finger to her chin in a thoughtful position. "I'd rather not waste my time."

Before Magolor could do anything, Flamberge snatched Taranza's soul gem out of his hand and chucked it at the wall of the building. Taranza cried out in surprise and Magolor watched with horror as the green gem shattered on impact, the pieces falling unceremoniously to the ground.

Then Taranza fell forward onto the cold ground. Magolor ran forward to him, hoping with all his heart that what he'd suspected for while just couldn't be the truth.

"R-Ranz...?" Magolor asked quietly, shaking Taranza's unmoving form. His eyes were glazed over and his body was lifeless. "H-h-hey Ranz. Get up." Flamberge walked over to the body, her eyes wide.

"What..." she said with a growing horror in her voice. "What happened to him? I..."

"Taranza!" Magolor yelled through his tears, shaking his motionless body even harder. "Taranza!"

Timeline 5

"Come here," Taranza said. Magolor leaned into him and Taranza messed with his silver hair, rucking it up. This was what made his wish worth it. Taranza being warm, alive, and right next to him, the spider that was right next to the cat.

Magolor traced his fingers down Taranza's shoulders and cherished the tenderness of his light skin.

"I'm a little nervous," Magolor said.

"Y-yeah," Taranza said, blood rushing to his face and horns. He shivered under the cat's touch. "Me too."

"But you wanna-" Magolor trailed off and met Taranza's earnest white like clouds eyes. There was so much passion in them. With every timeline, they grew closer, and those eyes got a little fuller. Magolor's breath caught as Taranza leaned in close and whispered against his cheek.

"Yeah. I do."

Magolor gave Taranza a small smile.

Timeline 17

"Susie is so cool..." Taranza sighed, elbowing Magolor. "She's like... a female model, is like... she is a girlboss." Magolor nodded and bit his lip, watching Susie doing target practice on the other end of the empty warehouse. He took off his hat and wiped the beads of sweat that had accumulated on his brow. 

Taranza wasn't wrong... her biceps shifted underneath the tight fitting dress with the motion, and Magolor couldn't help but stare. Once he started looking... it was hard to stop.

But one sidelong glance at Taranza was all it took to steal away his attention. Magolor couldn't blame Taranza, but it was still painful to read the desire in his eyes as he watched Susie's demonstration, knowing there was nothing he could do to capture it and keep Taranza all to himself. 

That was never part of the contract. Magolor didn't know how he'd changed or what he did wrong this time, but he wasn't enough anymore. Taranza must have sensed the guilt and sorrow weighing down Magolor's heart and realized he wasn't worth the trouble.

He tore his gaze away and fixed it on the ground. Softly, and slowly enough that Taranza wouldn't notice, he ran his hand over the skin on his wrist. 

For just a moment, he allowed himself to give into the ache of recalling what it felt like to hold Taranza's hand, or the gentle thumping of his heart as they laid next to one another in the dark.

And then he let go.

If there was one thing each new timeline taught him, it was that somehow, he really was getting stronger. 

Fighting was still excruciating, but little by little he was learning how to hold his own. More than that, he had learned to keep his distance. Not completely, not always, but just enough. 

He just had to keep reminding himself that it didn't matter how Taranza saw him now, all that mattered was keeping him safe long enough to make sure he'd never have to reset again. Then, and only then, he could put everything he had into Taranza. 

If that meant for now he'd have to watch him drool over Susie for some reason, that's just what he'd do.

Besides, if he and Taranza weren't technically together now, there wasn't really anything wrong with him drooling too, was there?

"Are you guys ready to get in here?" Susie called.

"What!?" Taranza practically screeched.

"Yes!" Magolor affirmed in a stark, almost militaristic tone. "I uh... need some target practice. I'm thinking about trying to use guns too..."

"Awesome, i didnt know you were a gun type!" Susie called. "Come here."

Magolor swallowed his anticipation and cast a sidelong glance at Taranza before walking over to where Susie had been aiming at soda cans. 

When Magolor approached, Susie patted him good-naturedly on the back. Magolor stiffened under the touch and gingerly accepted Susie's gun with trembling hands.

"You ever done this before?"

"Not exactly."

"Don't worry, that's fine," Susie said with a laugh. "I'll help you." Susie gently grabbed Magolor's arms and coaxed them into place on the gun. 

Then Susie moved her hands up to Magolor's shoulders to hold them in place. "Just relax for now. Focus on the target, see? Don't worry about doing it right the first time, because you'll get it eventually. Just go for it. Your form looks good so far."

Magolor squeezed his eyes shut and pulled the trigger.

Susie's image was the slightest bit blurred through the steam rising off of Magolor's coffee. Like he was up close and far away all at once. Like Taranza... He blew across the surface and took a deep sip.

"So you've really never seen one before?" He carded his fingers through his hair and shook it out.

"Never even heard of one. Where did you say you'd learned about them?" Susie asked.

At some point, he'd decided he'd seen Taranza fight the Walpurgisnacht one too many times. No matter how hard they'd trained, or how many gem apples bombs Magolor threw at it, it always managed to take Taranza from him. The only way was to leave him out of the equation altogether.

Magolor ignored Susie's question. "But you agree with me, right? He's just not ready for a fight that big. I don't want to..." He paused and took a breath. "We can take it by ourselves, he needs more time to train."

"Okay. You know him better than I do. I can trust you on this one." Susie sipped her coffee thoughtfully.

"Thank you."

It hadn't been hard to sneak away for this. He still couldn't pinpoint what it was about him, but Taranza wanted nothing to do with him now. 

Somewhere deep inside of Magolor, it left a sharp, searing pain. But it was what he needed to keep him safe. He couldn't let himself hurt over that.

Susie clenched her jaw for a moment, then spoke again. "Just wondering... You don't have to answer if you don't want to but... is he... are you two...?"

"He's single." Magolor bit the inside of his cheek and glared out the window. Of course. Of course this is what happens when he doesn't want me. I deserve this.

"Oh. I didn't realize..." He didn't turn back to check if Susie was looking at him.

"I have to go." Magolor stood abruptly, leaving his coffee on the table.

This is what I deserve. I can't be what Taranza needs. It has to be Susie- not even her, just someone better . As long as he's alive, that's all that matters.

Magolor blinked up at the dark ceiling and shivered a bit underneath the covers. He supposed it wouldn't be too weird to seek warmth in the boy laying next to him, but when he thought about what he'd done... he felt wrong.

"Magolor?" Susie said sleepily. "Are you awake?" Magolor briefly considered feigning sleep, but forced himself to roll on his side and meet Susie's blue eyes. He owed her that much.

"You don't look that awake yourself," Magolor retorted.

"You wore me out," Susie moaned sleepily, a tired but small "grin" spreading across her face. Magolor tried to smile too, but...

"I'm sorry," Magolor whispered into the dark. Susie didn't respond. He squeezed his eyes shut. I'm sorry I used you just now. I'm sorry I don't love you like I love him.

"Sorry?" Susie said eventually. "What?"

"It's just that you've always been so nice to me," Magolor said. "But... there's nothing I can do for you." He felt his hands begin to shake, so he pulled them in close, turning away from Susie once again.

"What do you mean?" Susie asked, sounding like she was falling asleep again.

"Don't worry about it," Magolor whispered. "It'll be over again soon."

Timeline 20

Maybe it was selfish, wanting to tell someone. But things were getting desperate. He needed to figure out what to do, how to keep Taranza happy and safe despite their predicament of being soulless husks that would eventually become monsters. And Francisca... well. Francisca seemed very relaxed and easy to talk to. 

There was also the fact that Magolor had never gotten to know her that well. He'd never had to watch Francisca die. Though, he thought, eyeing the soul gem that hung above Francisca's arm, if I'm not careful, that might change.

After he finished laying it all out, Francisca didn't say anything. She just stared at Magolor, a subdued horror behind her eyes, hidden just behind a layer of disbelief. Francisca shifted her weight and raised an eyebrow at him. So, she doesn't believe me.

"Yeah... okay. You trying to freak me out? Is that what this is?" he asked. "It's uh... not appreciated."

"No, of course not!" Magolor said. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know!" Francisca replied, getting worked up. "Why would you tell me something like that? It doesn't even make sense!" Magolor blinked, not really knowing how to respond.

"It's the truth," he said seriously.

"Like hell," Francisca said. "If it is true, then how about you tell me why?"

"Wh-why?"

"What could Mistilteinn possibly have to gain by turning us into witches and ripping out our souls? Doesn't that seem a little far-fetched?"

"I don't know why!" Magolor said, beginning to get frustrated. Why couldn't Francisca just believe him? "But I swear, it's the truth!" Francisca turned away from him and laughed dryly, her shoulders bouncing up and down a bit with the movement.

"There you guys are," Susie's voice called. Magolor turned to see Taranza and Susie approaching them from the abandoned warehouse where they usually trained. "You guys ready to head out and look for monsters?" Francisca crossed her arms and gave a little huff.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just that Magolor here was making up some dumb things that he just needed to tell me."

"Francisca," Taranza said, narrowing his eyes. "Be nice."

"I'm nice!" Francisca protested. "I was also just gonna ask our pal Magolorvery nicely if he could use something other than those stupid bombs to fight with. It's fine for you two, because you have long-range weapons, but I'm right up in the thick of things, and there's always explosions going off in my face!"

"Sorry," Magolor mumbled. As peeved as she was the Francisca wasn't taking him seriously, although she had a point there. And he supposed he really should try to become friends with Francisca . She was Taranza's best friend for a reason, after all. "I promise I'll figure something else out." Francisca met his eyes and her expression softened a bit.

"Okay," he said. "Thank you."

"Just catch up when you guys are ready, okay?" Taranza said softly. He shot Francisca a smile, and then gave one to Magolor too. Even after all the time he'd known Taranza, meeting his gaze still made his heart flutter. When Susie and Taranza were out of earshot, he heard Francisca clear her throat.

"Well... if it is the truth," he said quietly, "I don't want you breathing a word of it to Taranza. He's already upset because of the way Joronia is starting to act, and if emotions really turn you into... you know... then..."

"Right. I wasn't planning on it. I'd never let him get hurt."

"On second thought, don't tell Susie either. God, why the hell did you even tell me? That's the most horrifying shit I've ever heard!" There was a growing panic behind Francisca's voice and Magolor was suddenly all too aware that he'd made a grave mistake.

"I don't know!" Magolor whispered back, also beginning to panic. "I had to tell someone ! And you always seem so chill! You're the relaxed one!"

"What am I supposed to relax when my soul's been ripped out?" Francisca retorted.

"Are you two okay?" Taranza's voice broke through. The two of them turned to see him eyeing them nervously, hands clenched on his bow. "What are you guys fighting about?"

"We're not fighting, Ranz," Francisca sighed, running a hand through her blue hair. He reached for Taranza's hand and grabbed it reassuringly. "We're... we're fine. We're right behind you, okay?"

"Okay... if you're sure."

As Taranza left, Magolor watched Francisca's eyes. Usually they were so guarded in a haze of comfort and casual happiness but there was something so raw in them... almost like...

"You're in love with her," Magolor realized with horror. That explains so much...

"Whaaat?" Francisca said. "No. No, I'm not. No."

"That's why you don't like me..." Magolor mused to himself under his breath.

"Woah, woah. Okay. First of all, I'm not in love with Susie. That's stupid, she's just my friend. Second of all, if I was, I don't think you'd be much competition for..." Francisca gestured to herself and posed dramatically. "All. Of. This."

Magolor frowned, not knowing what to say. Francisca was either really relaxed... or she was really panicking and was trying to cover it up.

"And third of all," Magolor continued. "I'd like you a heck of a lot more if you eased up on the bombs. Sound good?" Magolor nodded, biting his lip and wondering where he should look for guns and ammunition. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, they wouldn't be that hard to find.

"Yeah," Magolor said. "Sounds great."

"Francisca!" Taranza called as he dodged flying records. "Please, it's us! You have to remember! Francisca!"

"Look out!" Flamberge yelled from across the labyrinth. Magolor's heart pounded as he watched the witch summon dozens of records and command them forward towards Taranza with its sword. 

Magolor yelled and stopped time as he ran forward, producing a small handgun. He stood protectively in front of Taranza, hand shaking as he tried to remember Susie's instructions. He fired at each of the records, the bullets stopping in midair, all precisely aligned so Taranza wouldn't suffer any harm. 

Magolor released his breath and the timeline at once, flinching as the gunshots all impacted the records at once, sending them flying back away from where Taranza was standing.

"M-Mags..." Taranza said, relief flooding into his voice. The witch roared behind them, and Magolor swallowed, knowing he couldn't wait any longer. 

He used his shield to freeze time once again, carefully reaching into the magic pocket behind his shield and grabbing his most powerful bomb. He walked carefully up to where the monster was perched, weighed down by the knowledge that he had done this. That Francisca had never had to die before, much less suffer like this as a monster. All because Magolor needed to confide in someone. Never again.

"I'm sorry, Francisca," Magolor whispered. He activated the gem apple bomb and threw it. Then as he walked away, he only allowed himself the few seconds of silence before the explosion to break down internally.

The labyrinth died away as the monster did, and soon it was just the four of them: Susie, Taranza, himself, and the newest addition to the ragtag team -- Flamberge. 

Susie wasn't saying anything. Now that Magolor was thinking about it, he hadn't helped at all in the fight. That didn't make sense at all... Susie was always so altruistic. But she was just standing there, his gaze far away, one eye twitching.

"Damn it!" Flamberge yelled, kicking at the ground and dropping her spear in frustration. "Why her!?" Taranza began silently sobbing, the reality of their situation finally setting in for him. 

Magolor had to focus on keeping it together. He couldn't allow himself to mourn, not when his emotional state was key to survival. He hadn't even known Francisca that well. But it still felt like something inside of him had snapped in half.

Suddenly, pink ropes appeared out of nowhere and tightly held Magolor's limbs in place. He fought against them for a second before turning his gaze to Susie, seeking an explanation. But what he saw...

Susie's eyes were streaming with tears, and there was something very alien in her expression. She was holding her gun in trembling hands, eyes darting around. Flamberge stepped forward, approaching Susie while wiping away some of her tears.

"Susie! What are you-"

Susieturned and fired, the bullet hitting Flamberge's soul gem directly, shattering it. The light in her eyes died out and her transformation dropped as her body collapsed to the ground. Magolor struggled for his shield, horrified, but he couldn't budge. Susie summoned another gun and pointed it at the gem on Magolor's hand.

"If... if... soul gems turn us into witches..." Susie said, the look in her blue eyes only growing deeper as she sobbed. "Th...then we have no choice but to...die..." Susie heaved out a large sob, his arms trembling so much Magolor thought she might lose her grip. "Both you... and me!"

"S-stop it, Susie!" Magolor stammered out, struggling against the ropes with all his might. "Don't!" He met Susie's eyes for a final moment, looking for any of his humanity left in there, but it was all clouded with a temporary insanity. Magolor closed his eyes and prepared for the end. Distantly, he heard a shatter.

But he didn't stop hearing the sound of his own shaky breaths. 

The tight pink ropes that were holding him felt like they had just faded away. His eyes snapped open and he saw Susie, in her civilian clothes, dead on the ground, and Taranza standing across from him, bow in hand with the bowstring still trembling.

"Taranza..." Magolor breathed.

"I can't take this anymore!" Taranza wailed, curling in on himself and falling to the ground, now sobbing ceaselessly into the dirt. Magolor carefully made his way over to him, not knowing what to say. Never in all the timelines he'd traversed had he witnessed such a bloodbath. 

Magolor sat down across from Taranza as he cried into his hands, eventually reaching out and pulling him into a hug, which Taranza shakily returned.

"It's okay..." Magolor whispered, rubbing Taranza's back. A few tears of his own began to fall. "It'll be okay."

"You..." Taranza said shakily. "You've lost people before right?" He didn't meet Magolor's gaze, but hugged him even tighter.

"Yes," Magolor said. His mind flashed with image after image. Susie. Flamberge. Francisca. Taranza. Taranza,Taranza, Taranza, Taranza"I never got to know my real parents, the most close thing to a parental figure to me, was my ship."

"It... gets easier, right?" Taranza asked through another round of choked sobs. "It has to get easier... it has to..." Magolor rested his head on Taranza's shoulder and allowed his tears to fall uninhibited for the first time in a long while.

"N-no..." he said quietly. "It never does."

Even in their situation, Magolor loved how it felt when their hands were touching. He glanced over at Taranza, whose eyes were half-lidded as he winced in pain. 

Each of their soul gems, exposed in their outstretched hands, were nearly black in color. They were just lying there together in the puddles and rubble, watching ash rain down from the sky. They had done it... Walpurgisnacht was no more -- but they had both pushed themselves to their limits and were paying the price for it.

Magolor swallowed and let his eyes drift closed for a second. Taranza had looked so amazing and powerful. It was strange... Magolor couldn't quite pinpoint when, but somehow Taranza had grown in power in some timeline, to the point where his attacks could surpass Susie's even on her first day of witches fighting. 

Magolor shuddered. He shouldn't think about Susie and speed up what was inevitable.

"I guess... this is the end for us," Taranza croaked out. Despite his raspy voice, he seemed almost peaceful. Magolor couldn't understand... he was fine with dying... but if Taranza had to as well...

"Do you have any grief seeds?" Magolor asked weakly. Taranza shook his head. Magolor used a bit of his waning strength to turn on his side and look Taranza in the eye.

"Hey..." he said. "How about... when we both turn into witches... we just fuck up this unfair world, huh?" Tears began to form in his eyes, but he couldn't bother removing his glasses to wipe them. "We can just... burn it all to the ground, until there's nothing. Doesn't that..." Magolor closed his eyes again, almost wishing the darkness would take him right there. "Doesn't that sound nice?"

He heard a small clink of metal, and he opened his eyes to see Taranza holding a grief seed to Magolor's blue soul gem, letting the darkness seep out of the blue center.

"T-Taranza!" Magolor said, feeling his strength beginning to restore. "You.... you can't! Why would you... on me?"

"I lied earlier," Taranza said with a small laugh. "I had one left... but... I had to give it to you." He paused a bit to cry out in pain, his fist twitching around his darkened soul gem. "I... I need you to do something for me. You... you can go back in time, right?" Magolor's yellow eyes widened.

"H-how did you-"

"I had a hunch," Taranza said, voice quivering. "You just... you know me so well. And I feel like I know you too. I... I need you to stop me. Stop me from being a dumbass and making a contract... please..."

"Anything..." Magolor said seriously. "Anything for you..." Stopping Taranza's contract meant severing their bond. It meant that he wouldn't get to spend time with Taranza and he'd have to push him away even further for the sake of protecting him. But that was the only way to save Taranza. He'd been avoiding that truth for far too long. "Anything for you..." Magolor repeated, tears beginning to stream again. "I... I love you so much, Taranza!" he yelled into the empty sky. I will save you. No matter how many times I have to try. No matter how much we have to grow apart, i'll save you, i'll try to save you, no matter what!.

"You should have told me," Taranza laughed through his pained twitches. "Then... I wouldn't have to die without ever being kissed." 

Magolor placed a hand over Taranza's dark soul gem and softly placed his lips on Taranza's, lingering on them and capturing their sweet texture and taste, knowing in the back of his mind that it might be the last time he ever got to do it. Taranza's reciprocated slowly, but soon had to pull away as he cringed through the pain.

"Th-thank you..." Taranza said weakly. Then he cried out again, arching his back and squeezing his eyes shut as he twisted and turned in pain. The jolts subsided for a bit, and Taranza's nearly dead eyes caught Magolor's a final time.

"C-c-can I ask you... one m-more thing?" he asked softly. Magolor nodded furiously. "I-I... don't want... to be a witch..." Taranza slowly lifted his right arm that held his soul gem up to Magolor's yellow eyes, shaking all the while. "Please..."

Magolor gasped in horror, but knew he couldn't deny the request. He transformed and felt another wave of sobs hit him, and he couldn't stay quiet anymore. He cried louder as he pulled out a gun, nothing but his sorrow filling his brain as he aimed at the gem. As the bullet left the barrel of the gun in one explosive sound, Magolor wailed out his last shred of innocence.

Timeline 21

As soon as Magolor opened his eyes to the familiar ceiling of the ship room, he rolled out of bed without hesitation. He grabbed his yellow glasses off his nightstand and walked over to the window to glare at his reflection. No one will believe me about the future. It was because of the way he looked -- like a scared little kid. Like a nerd. He had to fix that.

He tore the glasses off his face and held his soul gem up to his eyes, using the magic stored within it to heal them, not only their eyes, but also the scar on his mouth. 

He blinked, and everything in the room was crisp and bright. I wonder... He focused his healing magic on his teeth, then pulled it away.

He didn't bother healing the burn scars he'd acquired from the fight. He needed a reminder of what was at stake.

The first thing he did was hunt down Mistilteinn, who was staying with Susie, apparently. It wasn't hard to snatch him. 

It was a matter of stopping time and grabbing the bastard by the neck to take it to a quiet alleyway where he could put a few extra holes in it. With a couple shots, Mistilteinn's body collapsed and god was that therapeutic as shit. He should have done that long ago. Now it could never hurt anyone, especially Taranza, ever again. He stepped back and stuffed the gun behind his shield again, releasing a breath.

"I believe most people would consider that rude."

Magolor pulled out a gun again and pointed it at the corpse in front of him. His hands were begging to shake but he wouldn't let it. Not anymore.

"Who exactly are you?" Mistilteinn's voice came from above. Magolor looked up and saw... another Mistilteinn. It jumped down from the phone line it was sitting on and grinned up at Magolor.

"You..." Magolor growled. He pointed his gun at the new Mistilteinn warningly. "If you know what's good for you," he said, voice dangerously low, "you'll stay away from Taranza."

"Now that's odd," Mistilteinn said. "That's who I was planning on visiting today. He has enormous magical potential." 

Mistilteinn blinked slowly but didn't break his intent gaze. "How will you make me stay away? Shoot me? Feel free. I have countless spare bodies. And honestly, you don't look like the type who has the guts to stand up to me." Magolor pulled the trigger, reloaded, and shot it again. Then again. Then again.

Timeline 25

"Taranza!" he hissed outside the window. After a few seconds, Taranza appeared, looking very scared and confused.

"Who are you?" he asked, voice raising about an octave in fear. He was holding a heavy book and appeared to be considering whether or not to chuck it at Magolor. Magolor ran a hand over his scars

"That's not important," Magolor said. "I need you to listen to me now. If a creature offers you a miracle in exchange for something, you can't listen to him."

"What?" Taranza asked, clearly taken aback. "What does that mean? H-hey! Is this a joke?" Magolor narrowed his eyes and leaned in through the window.

"It's not a joke. Did you hear me? Don't listen to anyone that offers you a wish. Understand?" Taranza's eyes darted around.

"I... okay?" Magolor nodded and turned away from the window to head back to his apartment. He'd have to make absolute sure that Mistilteinn never made contact with Taranza.

Timeline ???

I won't rely on any of them anymore. I can do this alone. Magolor grabbed everything he could from the weapons vault he'd walked into. I have to get stronger. It was always something. Susie would bring him in with her charm. 

Mistilteinn would get to Francisca first and Taranza would follow. Magolor would try to fight it alone and it would reach the civilian shelter, wiping out everyone. I don't need anyone to understand me. 

He spent every day after school in the weight room, training. He stockpiled weapons and went out every night to fight monsters. 

I'll finish every last witch. I can't let Taranza fight anymore.

Grenades. Machine guns. Apples explosives. It had to be enough. He had to kill them all. That way, no one else would have to get hurt. That way he could become strong.

And when Walpurgisnacht comes... I'll kill it myself.

Smashed buildings, cars, streetlights, and other debris hung in the air, smoke rising up towards the cloud layer, making the sky a menacing cauldron, brewing hatred and destruction. The pieces smashed into each other, sending parts flying in every direction with deadly momentum. There was no color to be seen except the orange glow flickering over the grayscale ruins of the city. A large, burning form hung above it all, its laugh a distorted, thunderous sound. It was Armageddon. And in the midst of it, Magolor was fighting for his life.

Magolor held up his shield against the oncoming flames, grimacing as the heat flared up pain in his scars from last time. He stopped time and jumped closer, knowing he couldn't back down. The monster was approaching the shelter with no signs of slowing down. He pulled out a bomb and prepared to throw it, but in an instant, Walpurgisnacht threw a building at him, and he barely stopped time before getting completely crushed. He landed hard on the ground, vision going hazy. He couldn't keep time suspended for too long... he needed enough energy to reset the timeline if things went downhill. He just had to hold on a little longer...

Then he looked up. Perched on a building close to the shelter was Taranza himself, talking to... No.

"Taranza!" Magolor cried out. "Don't listen to it!" Walpurgisnacht sent a deadly blast of energy that broke the ground itself and sent Magolor flying. In the back of his mind, he could hear Mistilteinn's words.

...you have the power to change destiny. All this tragedy, all this destruction. You can change it, if you want. The power to do so lies within you.

"Stop!" Magolor cried as he was beaten by the witch's shadowy minions. "It's tricking you! Don't do it!" He stopped time briefly and pulled out his machine gun, heaving it up with broken arms to take out all the minions around him. When he released time again, he was so exhausted, he nearly collapsed on the spot.

Make a contract with me and become a magical boy!

Magolor lifted his head. He had to get over there. He couldn't let Taranza...

There was a bright blue glow from over on the building and Magolor's eyes widened. He was too late. "No..." he whimpered. "NO!" He shouted so loud he felt like the whole word was vibrating. Then the floating piece of ground he was sitting on crumbled and he fell down, choking on his tears the whole way.

"He really was amazing when he transformed, wasn't he?" Mistilteinn said. Magolor sat on the rubble covered ground, staring at his battered knuckles and torn clothes, wondering if he should even bother healing. "I knew, of course, that he had incredible magical potential, but to take down the Walpurgisnacht in a single shot..."

"Get out of here," Magolor said coldly.

"I intend to do just that," Mistilteinn said. "We've more then met our energy quota. You see, when a soul gem turns into a grief seed-"

"Spare me the entropy lecture," Magolor said blankly. "I've heard it all before." He kept his gaze fixed on the ground, his hair falling in his face. He had failed. He'd failed Taranza . He'd failed everyone.

"I'm not quite sure what made him fall into despair," Mistilteinn admitted. "But he said something about seeing other timelines... to think his power allowed him to do that much! But the why is no matter. Because now, Taranza has become the most powerful witch this planet will ever see, as well as the last one this planet will ever see. I'm guessing it will only take him about 10 days to destroy all life here. But we artefacts of the Ancients would like to thank your kind for the service you've provided us."

Magolor shakily got to his torso, pulling out the grief seed he'd retrieved from the battle field and used it to clean his sullied soul gem. 

Then with a calming breath, he healed all his bodily injuries, including his yellow scars on his fronthead. He just stared at the sky for a while. In the distance, there was a form of a faraway monster he couldn't quite make out. Then he turned away from it and began to reach for his shield.

"You're not going to fight him?" Mistilteinn asked, almost emulating surprise.

"No."

"Magolor Starcutter..." Mistilteinn said. "You're-"

If it's... if it's for him... I don't care how long I have to stay trapped in this endless loop.

He turned his shield all the way to the left, and then released it, letting the darkness take him back to that same ship room.

Chapter 11: The Only Signpost Remaining

Summary:

Say, Magolor? Could it be that Taranza's potential to become the most powerful magical boy is because you kept turning back time?
That's why?

CW: Graphic Descriptions of insects and dissection

Chapter Text

"The body of Middle Star High School student Francisca Ueda, aged 17, was discovered this afternoon in an apartment downtown. She was reported missing just two days ago. There were no signs of violence present at the scene of the crime, therefore, both murder and accidental death are being considered by the police. Up next, the weather forecast. Tonight, expect moderate rain that will carry over into tomorrow morning..."

Taranza closed his laptop and wrapped his comforter tighter around his body, coughing a bit as he did so. 

His throat was sore and dry from screaming and crying all night long. He wanted to cry a bit longer, because once he stopped, he didn't know what he was supposed to do. He swallowed and buried his face into his sheets. In one short month, everything had come crashing down around him. And all he'd done about it was sit and watch as everything fell apart.

"Taranza?" He lifted his head to see Joronia poking her head through the door, a solemn look on his face. "Can I come in?"

"No," Taranza said weakly. Then he broke into another coughing fit. Joronia entered anyway, sitting on the end of Taranza's bed and looking down at his hands thoughtfully.

"I've been keeping an eye on the news, private. And..." Joronia paused to wipe some of her own tears away. "I'm genuinely so sorry for..."

"She's dead," Taranza said quietly. "Th...-they found h... her body..." Taranza's body began to tremble again, and his queen reached over to grab his hand.

"Shhh... " Joronia tried to soothe him. "It'll be okay."

No. It will never ever be okay, he knows this.

"Do you want to be left alone?" Joronia asked after a minute. Taranza nodded, a few more tears slipping out. "The police... they might want to talk to you. Are you sure you don't know anything about... what happened?"

"I don't," Taranza whispered.

"Well... okay," Joronia said. She stood up after a second, shooting Taranza one last sympathetic look. "If you want to talk, I'll be here for you. And if you don't want to talk to me... I could find you a therapist or..." She hung his head and rubbed his face with his hands. "I... don't know what to do," She admitted. "But... I'm here when you need me." Then she turned and left the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Taranza curled in on himself and hugged himself. Joronia had a point... there was no way being alone with his thoughts was good for him. But there was no one in the world who could possibly understand. 

His phone buzzed beside him on his bedside table. He let it ring. Whoever was calling didn't bother calling back, but they'd left a voicemail. Taranza grabbed for it desperately, just wanting to hear someone's voice.

"Hey, Taranza," came Zan's familiar voice through the speaker. Except it wasn't familiar. "I... I just saw the news and I... I don't know what to do." She paused to sniff. "She was my friend too... but I know this is hitting you the hardest. Just... take care of yourself. We... can't lose you too. I... okay. Just... call me. Please..." The sound cut off and there was silence again. Taranza stared at the ceiling, blinking away the last couple of tears. 

He considered calling her and telling her everything, even if he would sound crazy. But there was just... too much.

"You know, it's not really that surprising, the signs had been there for quite some time."

Taranza's thoughts were left as he saw the crown, he glared at it with a frustrated and yet angry look, he didnt wanna hear anything of that crown, he didnt wanna look at it even, the way he even responded to what he did, of course, Mistilteinn wouldnt care.

"So you're saying you don't care? Even though you are the reason they are now dead?" Taranza looked at the crown, clenching his fists, Mistilteinn tilted part of its head and jumped to one of the desks, sighing.

"Tell me, do you ever feel guilty about what happens to entomoculture? Do you ever think about how their part of their bodies ends up on your table?" The crown putted itself in part of Taranza's head, using part of it's hallucinations

...

No

No

No

"Stop.. stop it... STOP IT! " Taranza shaked his hand, he feeled one of his hands trembling, he tried to get those images out of his heads, the way the worms crawled on his body, he could feel how they removed every part of the spider, from its feet to its head, and its eyes to make it part of their meal.
The spiders after all ate each other, it made no difference if Taranza ate one, he is a tarantula, cannibalism among arachnids was not something out of the ordinary, in fact they were just a prey, a prey that any pred can eat.

"That's not a justificed reaction. If you found that vision to be cruel, then you're not seeing the whole picture." Mistilteinn's voice could be heard on Taranza's head as he saw more images of the insects being dissected, until the hallucinations changed.
Young spiders, spiders that played at making silk, one of the things that both Joronia and Taranza could both do, something they were both taught as children.

If Taranza could throw up, he would have spilled all of the food he just eated before.

"In exchange for one day becoming food for people, entomoculture are provided for all their lives and sheltered from natural selection. Ants, beetles, maggots, spiders, they all have far higher rates of reproduction, they can lay more eggs that any oviparous. Wouldn't you call that the ideal symbiotic relationship?"

He went silent for a moment, speechless, as he tried to hold his heart and tried to breathe after watching all of the images, he knows that insects are part of his meal, that's one of the things that spiders always eat, and he never got the chance to see how he eated innocent beings, he was always told that most of them didnt deserve to live, its part of the cycle, but, if that's how the other insects saw him?

"In fact we're far more accommodating toward living beings than you are with entomoculture. Though we're not perfect at it, we at least negotiate with you as sentient beings." Mistilteinn started to crawl to the desk, leaving Taranza's hand, he shaked his head as a way to refuse to believe what it was saying.

"You don't believe me? How about I show you, then? I'll show you the history that living beings has spent together with the Ancients."

Then Mistilteinn jumped on Taranza's desk to touch him on his forehead with one of it's rots, as he pulled one of Taranza's silver bangs.

Then Taranza could see, what was happening, he feeled himself on part of the story, as a spectator, of course.

"We have been involved with your civilization since before your recorded history, even before the creation of galaxies. Countless living beings throughout history have formed contracts with the Dark Matters, had their wishes granted, and ultimately succumbed to despair."

A knight with angel wings with pink eyes could have been seen, as he was getting seal by the gem, he used to be the greatest warrior in the galaxy, a reowned hero, but, what was the thing that go wrong?

Then more warriors appeared, being burned all in once, some innocent beings, when they were just a kid, he could see everything.

"That which begins with a prayer of hope ends with a curse of despair. Such is the cycle that countless magical beings have repeated to this day. Some changed history forever, and elevated your society to new stages of development." 

This type of tragedies, was too much to bear, as he saw how the struggles became into despair to finally, grief seeds.

"Stop... Stop, STOP! They all trusted you, they trusted you and you stabbed them to the back!." Tears were sailing from Taranza's eyes as he tried to cover them, not only his eyes from his face but also his front eyes, his orange eyes, Mistilteinn crawled and took one of his hands to make him see more of the truth.

"It was not we who betrayed them, but rather their own wishes, this was their own doings, they were the one who signed, no matter what their hopes were, anything that goes beyond reason will without fail cause some sort of distortion. It's only natural that this would result in disaster. If you consider a natural consequence like that to be "betrayal," then their mistake was to make those wishes in the first place. Not that I am calling them naive. It can't be denied that their sacrifices have shaped history."

The hallucinations ended with Taranza weeping on his room, as he tried to calm himself but, how can he get calm when all of this was too much for him?

"The current standard of living you enjoy was made possible by all those tears shed in the past, If you understand that, then how can you be so obsessed with the lives of a select few?" Mistilteinn tilted it's head as it looked every part of Taranza to inspect every detail of him.

"Did you really feel nothing while watching over them this whole time? Didn't you at least try to understand how much they were suffering?" In his voice could have been heard a part of him weeping and him being angry at the crown, his voice was tearing itself apart and trembling.

"In our society, the phenomenon known as "emotion" is nothing more than a rare disorder. That's why we were surprised when we found you. We never imagined a world could exist where each individual possessed its own set of emotions and still managed to coexist with others."

"If none of you, have come to this galaxy..."

"Popstar wouldn't have even existed."

 

...

 

There was only one other person he knew who could possibly understand his unbearable flood of emotions... and Taranza really really didn't want to talk to him.

The lights were off, and all is dark in the room. Taranza didnt even bothered to change his clothes, like, what would he do? There's not point.

But what choice do I have?

He didn't have a choice. Wiping his eyes one last time, Taranza climbed out of his window and began flying the street.

He didn't realize until he was halfway to Magolor's ship that there was no logical way he could know where Magolor lived. He'd never been there before.

Taranza knocked decisively on the apartment door, knees shaking. He didn't know what to expect from Magolor. 

He didn't know if he wanted to apologize to him or demand an apology from him. He didn't know why he thought someone who seemed so dead inside would offer him any kind of solace. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe this wasn't even Magolor's ship and he is mentally ill.

The door opened, just a crack. Sure enough, it was him.

"Hey," Taranza greeted him softly. "Can we talk?" Magolor's yellow eyes widened. It was strange to see him react so freely... if only for a second. 

Magolor's guarded expression returned as he slowly opened the door, gesturing for Taranza to come inside.

The ship was so dark and cold... the only sources of light were three lamps thanks to the Lor Starcutter all directed at a wall covered in a screen. 

Taranza's eyes darted about as he scanned the pages on pages of writing on the wall, that all framed a giant map of the Pop Star with dots and lines all over it. And just to the right was what looked like a pencil sketch of a large monster, bigger than buildings, engulfed in flame.

"Is that Walpurgisnacht?" Taranza asked quietly. Magolor, who was standing across from him, eyes averted, visibly stiffened.

"How did you..." he started. Then he turned to Taranza, looking like he was... searching for something.

"Flamberge told me about it," Taranza said. Magolor nodded, resigning his gaze to the papers once again. It must have been a sort of battle strategy. Flamberge had mentioned that they were working together to take it down...

"What about it?" Magolor asked shortly.

"Um..." Taranza said, shrinking into his red scarf a bit. "Flamberge... she said that it was too powerful for anyone to beat alone. So, you guys were teaming up... but now... Flamberge is..."

"I can beat it," Magolor said matter-of-factly. He narrowed his eyes at Taranza. "Don't concern yourself with it. That witch is my responsibility."

"Will the planet be in danger?" Taranza asked, heart beginning to thump right out of his chest. "Those maps..."

"Walpurgisnacht isn't a normal witch," Magolor explained. 

"It's a mega-witch made up of the remnants of others. So, it doesn't need a labyrinth in order to manifest. Since people who haven't interacted with Mistilteinn can't see witches, they'll likely attribute the wreckage to a storm of some sort. If it's allowed to roam, it will kill thousands. That's why I'm preparing myself, to beat it."

Magolor turned away again, and Taranza followed his gaze to a desk covered in chemicals and what looked like detached fuses. He's... making gem apples bombs? He couldn't hold back a shiver.

"You can really kill it yourself?" Taranza asked, clutching the material of his red scarf as tightly as he could. "If it's so dangerous, maybe I should-"

"No!" Magolor yelled harshly as he hitted the table. Taranza took a shaky step back, his breathing getting faster. He eyed the pile of weapons in the corner of the room again and suddenly began to feel a primal sense of dread. Magolor seemed to notice and let out a long breath, like he was trying to relax himself. "Flamberge wasn't strong enough to beat it alone, but I am." Magolor met Taranza's eyes again. His anger had dissipated, but there was still no warmth to his stare whatsoever. "Your job is to stay in the shelter with the other civilians until I've killed it."

Taranza focused on the sounds of his breaths. They were overwhelmingly loud in the quiet apartment. There was something almost otherworldly about it. Something disconnected. Magolor turned his back to Taranza, not saying anything more.

"I really want to believe you, i genuinely want to," Taranza whispered out. "But..." A burning witch. Magolor, fighting for his life. Magolor beaten to a pulp, bleeding and dying. "I... just can't believe that you're really going to be okay."

Magolor clenched his fists, but didn't turn around.

"And so what if I'm not okay?" he bit out. "Why should that matter to you?" His fists got tighter and tighter, until it looked like they were trembling. "You don't even know me!" Magolor shouted. "You said it yourself! I'm not even your friend! I'm..." Magolor turned on himself abruptly, and Taranza noticed instantly that his eyes were full of tears.

Why do you do this every time? " he cried.

Then, before Magolor could move, Magolor ran towards Taranza and wrapped his arms tightly around him.

Taranza blinked, assessing the situation through his shock. Magolor was... hugging him. It wasn't just a normal, friendly hug either. Magolor holding Taranza like he was the only thing worth clinging to, squeezing his chest desperately and burying his face into Taranza's neck as he continued crying. Every time, every time, every time ... echoed in Magolor's head.

The undeniable truth fell into place like the last piece of a puzzle clicking into the landscape. I've been here before.

"M-Magolor..." Taranza said.

Magolor quickly let go of Taranza, looking ashamed. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and took a step back, closing his eyes to try to stop the tears.

"I-I'm sorry..." Magolor said. Taranza couldn't say anything. "I shouldn't have..." he trailed off.

"Who are you?" Taranza asked. "I-I... I feel like I know you... but..."

"You see, i'm from the future," Magolor said, so quietly that Taranza was sure he had imagined it for a second. The tense silence was broken by the loud chime of a grandfather clock, striking the hour. 10:00 PM.

"What?"

"I'm from the future," Magolor repeated, slightly louder, but no less resigned. "A future... where you died." The word echoed throughout the apartment, and Taranza's head was once again filled with images of Susie, Flamberge, and most strongly of all, Francisca. "I've met you over and over again, and each and every time, I've had to watch you die. How can I save you? ... How can I change your fate? I've gone back in time over and over again, searching for that answer..." Magolor lifted his head and looked at Taranza , face radiating a dangerous vulnerability.

Taranza opened his mouth to try to speak, but no words came.

"Sorry," Magolor apologized again, wiping his tears with his hands. "I'm not making sense, am I? I sound like a total weirdo." He started chuckling humorlessly as another wave of tears came and he gave up his fruitless attempts to stop them. 

"After all, to you, I'm just some transfer student that you've barely known for a month." Magolor's whole body began to tremble as he continued to cry. "B-but... to me... you're..." Magolor wrapped his arms lightly around himself, and Taranza could see a longing in his eyes. A longing for comfort, for contact. A longing for...

"Were we... close? In any of those other timelines?" Taranza asked carefully. Magolorlet his arms fall to his sides. He stood up straighter, his eyes drifting to the side, almost like he could see into a happier world or a far off memory.

"We were more than just close, we were in love," Magolor breathed. For a moment, something like a smile almost teased at his lips. 

His hood was beginning to fall in his face, as it revealed more of his scars. Taranza didn't know what to say to that. Magolor was... cute, certainly, but Taranza just couldn't understand.

"In love?" Taranza asked, voice quivering. "But... but I don't know you. That's... not... not possible."

"You knew me very well," Magolor said softly, tracing the skin of his own hand gently with his thumb. "And I know you. You... you like apple tea. And you like the smell of flowers so you offer to help Joronia with laundry. I know that you're... a great listener. I know that you like to be kissed on the left side of your neck. And..." Magolor heaved a heavy breath. "And I know that Francisca was the most important person in the world to you. And I'm so so sorry I couldn't save her." Magolor's look of nostalgia fell for a moment, his eyes flooding with regret. 

Then he sighed, and there was something so real, so raw in his expression. "I know... that I love you so much, it feels like I'm suffocating. It might be the only thing keeping me going..."

"I... uh... I don't..." Taranza stuttered. Magolor was snapped out of his trance. He turned to Taranza, a sad smile finally spreading across his face.

"It's okay," Magolor said. "I... I know you don't. You haven't for a while..." Magolor wiped his tears again, and this time, it seemed that they wouldn't continue. "But that's okay. Saving you is all that matters to me." Magolor walked forward towards Taranza and gently grabbed two of his hands, intertwining their fingers. 

"So, please," Magolor said desperately. " Please. Just stay in the shelter and let me handle this. I can't watch you die again, Taranza. I just can't." Magolor squeezed Taranza's hands tighter and looked deeply into his eyes. "Promise me you'll stay where it's safe."

"O-okay..." Taranza said, tearing his gaze away. "I... I promise." Magolor nodded and sniffed away the last of his tears.

"Good," Magolor sighed, withdrawing his hands. "That's good."

"But what do I do if Mistilteinn comes back?" Taranza asked quietly. "That crown... it really wants my soul. It always says I have all this magical potential or whatever and-"

"It can't hurt you," Magolor said. "Not if you don't let it." Taranza nodded, biting his lip.

"And what if... what if you can't beat it?" Taranza  asked. Magolor's mask of indifference returned in an instant.

"Then I'll reset the timeline," Magolor said simply. "But make no mistake: I will beat it." Taranza's eyes drifted to the papers, the plans, the weapons. Maybe he will beat it. "You should go..." Magolor said, looking away. "They're going to issue the storm warning at one."

...

Taranza found himself in the same position in his bed before long. He supposed he could try to sleep, but it seemed useless, his eyes drawn to his digital clock nearly every minute as the hour ticked closer to one o' clock. 

And it shouldn't have been surprising, but Mistilteinn was back in his room, staring him down from his desk.

"What do you want?" Taranza finally spat at it.

"You know what I want," it said simply.

"You killed my best friend," Taranza growled. "You killed Francisca, Flamberge and Susie too... and you made so many others suffer." Mistilteinn blinked at him, unaffected. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Taranza demanded.

"Do you feel responsible for the deaths of cattle, Taranza?" Taranza scoffed and turned away.

"That's different."

"I should say so," Mistilteinn said. "Our treatment of your kind is far kinder than the way you treat your livestock. You provide the cows you kill with compensation by merely allowing them to live safer lives than they would in the wild, but we are far more generous. Not only do we harvest a far more negligible percentage of your population, we also compensate your race by providing you with technology and ideas it would take you millions of years to develop on your own. It's only fair to give humans something in return, as long as we keep harvesting. We've been around since the very start of your kind, making thousands of contracts."

"Thousands?" Taranza repeated horrified. "They all trusted you...and.. you..."

"You really should be thanking us," Mistilteinn said. "Or did you not hear me? Without our interference, your species would never had advanced like it has. You'd all still be living naked in caves had we not interfered."

No. I'll never ever thank them. Not after what they did to Francisca, my best friend and...

... and the others.

"I'm never going to make a contract with you," Taranza said. "Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"It's likely you'll die either way, though," Mistilteinn said. "Walpurgisnacht is coming in a matter of hours, and if it's not stopped, it will destroy everyone in this city."

"Magolor said he can beat it alone."

"Do you really believe that?" Mistilteinn asked. Taranza swallowed and stared at the wall. "I've been keeping an eye on you for quite some time, Taranza. Do you recall telling your friends of a dream about Magolor Starcutter fighting a large witch?" The sketch on  Magolor's wall... the witch from the dream was Walpurgisnacht.

"I... well-"

"Was he winning?" Magolor shivered and closed his eyes, wishing that Mistilteinn would just go away and never return.

"He will this time." He has to.

Taranza checked his phone, his back turned to his mother and father as they sat huddled together on the floor of the empty community center, which was being used as a storm shelter. 1:48. He stuffed it back in his pocket and squinted out the windows, trying to see. Magolor hadn't said when the monster would be coming. 

Taranza didn't have his number. There was no way for him to know if Magolor was okay, so he just had to wait here, suffocating on the knowledge that all this was wrong.

Taranza was losing his mind. He had to get a better look. He quietly tapped his mother on the shoulder and excused himself to the bathroom, promising to be right back. He shakily got to his feet and weaved through the hundreds of people sitting huddled on the floor, over to the larger windows where he could get a better look.

The sky was beginning to grow eerily dark, the clouds swirling around like mini tornados. There was no monster... yet... but even from inside Taranza could feel the air cackling with electricity, as if the feeling of dread had mass and was dissipated throughout the atmosphere.

...

It was time. Magolor took step after step, staring at the empty skyline, waiting for it to appear. He was ready. He had to be. He'd spent the whole month preparing, setting up weapons painstakingly, all for this one fight. And every second of every timeline would be worth it if he could just kill it so Taranza would be safe.

A brief glow of a flame caught Magolor's attention. Across the cloud layer, otherworldly colors began to dance about, clearing the stage for the entrance of the monster itself. And sure enough, it appeared seconds later, a complex collosal of gears and species parts, horrifically tied together with growing flames.

Magolor reached for the energy inside his soul gem and transformed, narrowing his eyes at the witch . This time, he thought to himself as he froze the timeline and pulled dozens upon dozens of bazookas out from behind his shield. I'll finish it for good. With the world frozen around him, he aimed each one at the monster and fired, every rocket suspending in midair, headed towards the menacing target. When he'd fired them all, he released time, almost reveling in the monster's cries of pain as they all hit at once.

The blowback drove Walpurgisnacht further away from the shelter, towards an undeveloped block. Magolor just had to get it all the way back there.

He leapt towards it, weaving in between its minions, which appeared to be silhouettes of past magical boys and girls. He couldn't let them slow him down. They were beginning to circle around him. Magolor cursed, knowing he'd have to deal with them. He reached for his machine gun and halted just for a second to turn around and shoot at the minions, forcing them to retreat or dissolve with an unearthly screech. Magolor stepped back and cringed as the weapon fired rapidly, warding off the attackers. Come on... come on...

"Gah!" Magolor cried out. There was a ripping pain in his chest as something cut into him from behind. He looked down and saw the front of a shadowy katana poking out of his chest. Wincing in pain, Magolor turned around and faced his attacker, one of the minions that was about a head taller than him and had a cape that flapped in the raging wind behind them. 

The pain isn't real. This isn't your body. Magolor pushed the pain to the back of his mind and stood up straight, knocking the minion upside its head with the end of his gun. After it collapsed to the ground, Magolor shot it point blank, wheezing heavily as it disappeared into thin air.

Magolor focused his magic on the wound, averting his eyes as his flesh knit itself back together. Walpurgisnacht was approaching again. Damnit! He leapt forward, running across floating pieces of rubble towards the monster. He had to push it back. 

Not even bothering to freeze the timeline, Magolor took out a gem appe bomb and chucked it at the witch. It exploded, sending Walpurgisnacht back a few feet. Magolor knew he had to keep up the pace. He threw bomb after bomb, advancing as the monster was pushed back, howling in pain with each blow. Almost... almost there...

He reached for one more bomb, but came up empty. No. NO. Shaking with a flood of emotions, Magolor let out a pained yell and pulled out any weapons he could grab. Grenades. TNT. A lead pipe from what seemed like a million years ago.

Magolor finally released his breath. He was cleaned out of weapons, but Walpurgisnacht was finally, finally in range for the final blow. Magolor removed the small remote from his pocket and froze time, using the remnants of his energy to get as far away from the incoming blast as he could. When he was well out of range, Magolor released time, pushed the red button on the remote, and waited. Countless hours of locating and stacking thousands of bricks of C-4 in the abandoned construction site were all worth it just to see that beautiful blaze, rising up above the city, with the striking melody of Walpurgisnacht's screams above it all.

As the explosions continued, piling higher and higher, Magolor panted and assessed his bodily damage. He... he had really done it. This whole long nightmare was about to be over forever.

Then, from the ashes, Walpurgisnacht emerged, barely scratched.

The whole shelter shook with a loud tremor. Taranza watched his parents exchange nervous glances while he rested his chin on his knees and squeezed his eyes shut. Unless that noise was the finishing blow... it really wasn't sounding good. 

But awful as it was... Taranza had expected this. His hands begin to shake, every inch of his brain telling him not to stand up and go through with his plan. This year's about working on your confidence. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. He wasn't going to let anyone fight his battles anymore. I know what I have to do.

He stood up abruptly and began to walk over towards the bathrooms, so he could sneak around out the front door of the shelter. Magolor isn't going to give up. He can't, if he wished for what I think he did. If he loses hope, he'll become a monster too and he knows that. He'll be trapped forever unless I...

A hand grabbed Taranza from behind and he yelped in surprise. When he turned around, fists raised, he saw his father.

"Taranza , where do you think you're going?" Joronia said seriously.

"I'm going to the bathroom."

"You used that one already," Joronia said. Taranza paled, feeling like a kid caught with the cookie jar.

"I... I have to go save my friend," Taranza said.

"Which friend?" Joronia asked as she tilted her head.

"You don't know him," Taranza said tightly. "But this is important and I know what I'm doing-"

"No, you don't!" Joronia said harshly. "For Floralia, Taranza. You're just a kid!. Do you know how dangerous it is out there?" Taranza shivered but couldn't respond. "How could you possibly think I'd be okay with this? Do you think I haven't noticed, Taranza? You going out late? Avoiding questions about Francisca?" Joronia held his face in his hands. It sounded like she was on the verge of sobs.

"Joro-"

"I can't lose you, Taranza!," Joronia said, guiding Taranza's face so they were seeing eye-to-eye. "I can't. Ever since I heard about the first person from the school who went missing I... I've been terrified, Taranza, You... are the best thing in my life. No contest." Taranza leaned forward and captured her queen and a tight hug, not allowing himself to cry. He felt like he had no tears left.

"You too, Joronia," Taranza said, his throat closing up. After a minute, he released his hold on Joronia. "But I have to do this. I know you won't understand, but...I have to go. I promise, I'll be careful."

"It's not safe, Taranza!" Joronia said, desperation overtaking her whole tone.

"And here is?" Taranza shot back. "That storm's not letting up Joronia. I'm not an idiot. I just... I can't let him be alone if we're all gonna..." He trailed off, not wanting to voice what they both knew was true.

"Then... let me go with you," Joronia said weakly. Taranza shook his head and began to walk away. Joronia looked like she might follow for a second, but she didn't, resigning herself instead to staring out the window.

"Goodbye, Joronia," Taranza whispered to himself.

Magolor didn't have time to react as Walpurgisnacht sped towards him, enraged. It sent out a wave of energy that made their corner of the city implode. Buildings all around were ripped from their foundations like daisies. By the time Magolor saw one heading towards him, it was too late for him to reach for his shield and avoid the blow. The concrete wall of the building slammed into Magolor, knocking him back at an impossible speed several hundred feet until he was only a couple blocks away from the shelter. Magolor felt every limb crush and crack under the weight, a particularly sharp rock hitting him in the head, causing blood to trickle down his face. 

Magolor opened his eyes, vision hazy. Walpurgisnacht was still advancing. Not towards him, but towards the shelter, filled with hundreds of civilians.

"N...no..." Magolor choked out, trying to sit up. He looked down and saw a large piece of concrete on top of his right leg, keeping him pinned down. He desperately tugged at it, trying to yank it free. Walpurgisnacht was moving slowly... maybe he could still...

Magolor broke into tears. All the pain, all the heartbreak, and all the loneliness came flooding in at once. He had failed yet again. Just like he always did. Magolor bit back the wave of despair by rationalizing it. I'll learn from this. No timeline is wasted as long as I keep learning. As long as I keep getting stronger. Magolor reached a trembling, bloody hand to his shield, prepared to turn it and let the darkness of time take him over.

"Are you sure you really want to reset the timeline again, Magolor Starcutter?" His head jerked up, and he squinted at Mistilteinn , who had jumped down from the rubble and was now perched on the very piece of concrete that was holding him down.

"Sh...shut up..."

"I have no problem with it, of course," Mistilteinn said dismissively. "After all, I really should thank you for all you've done for us Mistilteinn ."

"Who'd..." Magolor wheezed out as he tried yet again to wriggle free. "Who'd e-ever help you..."

"It was unintentional, of course," Mistilteinn said. "But you've helped our mission immensely. For so long, I was puzzling over one seemingly unanswerable question: why is Taranza's magical potential so impossibly high? But now that I've learned about all your meddling... it makes sense. All those timelines you created for the sole purpose of saving Taranza attached so-called "strings of fate" to him. He's the one constant in the converging of dozens of timelines."

Magolor felt sick, like a disease was building inside of him.

"Y-you... you m-mean..."

"Yes," Mistilteinn said with a sick grin. "Everything you've done for Taranza has only contributed to making his fate worse. You've created the most powerful witch in the world, Magolor Starcutter. And you can turn back time all you like, because next time, I'll only be more persistent. Because his power will only keep building."

"N-no..." Magolor whimpered out. "I..." Everything I've done is meaningless. Everything I've done has hurt him. Magolor sobbed harder, crying out into the sky, knowing no one was around to hear him and that no one was coming to comfort him.

He suddenly felt very, very tired. His blurry gaze fell on his soul gem, and he was unsurprised to see it rapidly going dark, starting at the bottom of the diamond and creeping up threateningly. Magolor sobbed harder, knowing that nothing was going to stop this. He had lost. And now... he was going to...

"That's enough, Mags." He felt warm hands clasping his, tracing his soul gem carefully. He dared to open his eyes. Taranza was sitting across from him, looking at him kindly, worry emanating off of him. "You've done enough."

"T-Taranza..." Magolor stuttered out. "You... you can't be here..."

"No," Taranza said. He stood up and turned to Mistilteinn, a fire in his eyes that was familiar and nostalgic. "This is right where I need to be."

"You can't!" Magolor yelled through his sobs, trying and failing to sit up. Taranza glanced over his shoulder and gave him a small smile.

"Magolor... I'm sorry."

Chapter 12: My Best Friend

Summary:

Taranza makes a wish from Mistilteinn: to erase all witches from existence before they are born. As Mistilteinn warned before, these choices have consenquences

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"I'm going to make the contract," Taranza said to Mistilteinn , feet firmly planted on the rubble-covered ground.

"P-please..." Magolor winced out behind him. "Please d-don't do this." Taranza turned around, taking in the horrible sight of someone who once seemed so strong, looking utterly defenseless. He sighed and got down on his knees again. He eyed Magolor's blue soul gem and drew in a quick, shocked breath. It was almost entirely dark.

"I have to do this," Taranza said quietly to him. "I... I have a wish that's worth sacrificing everything for."

"Don't!" Magolor cried out, his bruised chest heaving out another round of sobs. "Because then..." Magolor closed his eyes as more tears trickled down his face. "Wh-what have I been f-fighting for? You can't j-just throw your life away..."

"This is worth it," Taranza insisted, grabbing Magolor's hand gently again. "Besides... I've already lost so much." Magolor gave a pained yell, cringing as his body twitched in pain. He didn't have much longer.

"Hey, hey," Taranza said. Without thinking, he carefully swept Magolor's skin and cradled his cheek. "It's gonna be okay." Their eyes met, and Taranza felt that same, faint tug of familiarity flicker in his chest. There was a spark of burning affection, from sometime long, long ago, but the strength had persisted. Taranza snapped out of it after a second, pulling back his hand instinctively.

I really did love him. I loved him so much...

"I'm sorry, Magolor," Taranza whispered. Then he leaned forward and kissed Magolor delicately on his cheek. He pulled away slowly without another word and stood up. Magolor just looked on in disbelief.

"Taranza, member of the Royal Floralia," Mistilteinn said. "Since you are now the center of karmic destiny, from multiple converging timelines, the power of your wish is certainly limitless." Taranza swallowed, his dry throat protesting the motion as he stared at Mistilteinn against the blazing sky. "What is the wish that you will trade your soul for?" Mistilteinn asked.

Taranza allowed himself one last moment of quiet. He took a breath in... then released it.

"I wish to erase all witches," Taranza said. "Past, present, and future. Across all these timelines and worlds..." He focused on everything he loved. Zan, Flamberge, Jammerjab, Joronia. Everything he'd shared with Francisca. Magolor. "... with my own hands," he finished.

Before Mistilteinn could even move, a bright green light emerged from Taranza's chest, glowing like a newly-born star as if it were practically leaping to be freed.

"Taranza..." Mistilteinn breathed. "That wish... that wish is going to unravel the fabric of the universe! And to carry it out on your own... do you really intend to become a god?"

"You can call it whatever you want," Taranza  said. "But this world as it is... is too cruel and unfair, thanks to you, Mistilteinn. Someone has to fix that, so it might as well be me." 

The light grew brighter and brighter, until Taranza found he had to close his eyes to block out its glare. "If that unravels the universe... then I'll just rewrite it. But I'll give up all of me in a heartbeat if it means that your thousands of victims don't have to fall into despair forever."

"This can't be!" Mistilteinn said. "I can't allow you to-"

"Grant. My Wish," Taranza said coldly, eyes snapping open one last time as the light of his soul grew and grew, enveloping everything in sight. "Master of the Crown."

Taranza felt the distantly familiar fit of his magical boy outfit on his skin. Almost entirely on autopilot, he drew the bow he was holding in his hand and fired, an enormous blast of magical energy hurtling towards the sky. 

When it hit Walpurgisnacht, it evaporated instantly with a final screech, the sky turning a clear, brilliant blue once again.

After a second, he realized he could see everything. The span of history. The stretch of the universe. A mountain of timelines piling on top of each other and converging. It was overwhelming, and for a second, Taranza thought he might be overwhelmed by his own despair before he could take on anyone else's.

But all it took was once glance back at Magolor. Taranza smiled. He could do this. Then everything went white.

"Taranza, Do you truly understand how daunting that wish is?"

Taranza shrugged as Susie just looked on in disbelief. "I told you to think about it."

"I did!' Taranza said. "I thought about it a lot!"

"But you do realize what it means for you, right?" Susie said, frowning. "I mean, you have to collect every magical boy and girl's despair now. Which means you'll be on like... a different plane of existence." Susie sat back a bit, looking like thinking about it was blowing her mind. "You're just going to be like this forever," she said. "It means you'll cease to exist as an individual. Death would be a kinder fate. You'll be firmly implanted in this universe as a concept - a principle that destroys Witches."

"Very funny," Flamberge cut in as she entered. "And lay off him. I think it's... really cool. What you did."

"Really cool," Taranza repeated, smirking. "Thanks."

"You know what I mean!" Flamberge shot back. "I mean, you've found your reason to fight, haven't you? You've decided not to run away, right? That's all there is to it! All that's left is to run full steam ahead!" She sighed and stretched. "What I mean to say is... thank you. Thank you for giving us all hope again."

"I guess that means you'll be needing this again. Here you go.," Susie chimed in, as she gived the notebook to Taranza. Taranza saw the notebook and there it was, the whole doodles that he made of how they would look as magical persons, the one that he drawed in Susie's home

"Say hi to Francisca for me," Flamberge said. "Whenever you reach her." Taranza nodded and stood up.

"Speaking of that," Taranza said. "I'd better get to work."

"You're not just making people's hopes come true. you're becoming hope itself. The hope of us all."

He was everywhere at once. He came to them one by one, absorbing the darkness in their soul gems, taking their sorrow away. 

They all still had to die, there was nothing Taranza could do about that, but it was only natural. At least, he thought to himself, their sacrifices don't give way to more despair any longer. 

"I won't let your prayer end in despair."

"None of you have to hate anyone, or curse anyone. I'll bear the full, dreadful weight of your karmic destinies. So please, believe in yourselves until the very end."

They can die peacefully now. All the sorrow, all the hurt... it weighed heavy on Taranza's soul.

But he didn't lose hope.

When Magolor came to, the world was entirely empty. There was no ground underneath him, no sky, no other living thing as far as the eye could see. All he could see was an endless white void, stretching into infinity.

Am I dead?

He looked down at his hand and saw that his soul gem was sullied, but still intact. He was still beaten and bleeding as well, though he couldn't feel the throbbing pain he had before. Everything was just empty... and eerily quiet.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Magolor turned around and saw Taranza standing there, attempting a smoulder. It was just... his Taranza. With his normal voice, and none of sadness in his eyes that had only grown over the course of the month.

"Taranza..." Magolor breathed out. Taranza just grinned and walked over towards Magolor's body.

"I know... that wasn't smooth at all, was it?" He laughed a bit and stuffed his hands in his sweater pockets. "I don't really know how you're here, but..." He reached for Magolor's hand. With Taranza's touch, Magolor felt his wounds and cuts, and even his burn scars heal with a warm glow. 

"I saw the countless tears you shed, and the countless wounds you bore, and yet you kept going, all for my sake... I'm sorry I never knew this until now. I really am. It wasn't until I became this way that I could truly know who you were. I found out that I had such a great person by my side this whole time... I'm so glad I know now. I have no regrets Magolor Starcutter, thank you."

"...But now you can't go back home... and you'll be separated from everyone you cared about! Will you really be trapped here all alone, for all eternity?" Magolor asked, eyes darting around the empty void.

"I'm not alone. Mags. Everyone will always be with me." Taranza said with a gentle smile. "Because from now on, I'll be everywhere, throughout all time and space. So even if you can't see or hear me, I'll be right there by your side."

"Are you really alright with that... Taranza?" Magolor repeated. "Even though I'll forget you? Even though I won't even know you're there?"

"Hold on. It's too early to give up Magolor," Taranza said, turning his gaze away. "You followed me all the way out here, after all. You just might be able to remember me." Then Taranza took off his red scarf, the red scarf that always used to wear Taranza and hands it out to Magolor. "It'll be all right. I just know it will. We just have to believe."

"Taranza..." Magolor shivered, entirely paralyzed by what Taranza had said.

"After all, magical girls and boys make hopes and dreams come true! I'm sure if it's small enough, a miracle just might happen. ...Don't you think?" Taranza said. "Hey, come on... " Magolor couldn't listen to him. This was too horrible... too unthinkable. " I'm sure if it's small enough, a miracle just might happen. ...Don't you think?"

"You know, now that I'm... this way..." Taramza said, softly grabbing Magolor's hands again. "I can see everything. I... remember now. Everything you've done for me in all those different timelines. It was... really overwhelming at first..." 

Taranza let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long," he said. Then he leaned down and kissed Magolor, the familiar warmth of his lips reigniting the fire inside of him. Magolor reciprocated, bringing a hand up to feel the soft tufts of Taranza's silver hair and trace his freckled skin. And despite all the grief he felt, Magolor felt okay for just a minute when he felt Taranza smiling against his lips.

"I love you, Magolor," Taranza whispered as they pulled apart. Then his smile dropped, just a bit, and he fixed his gaze into the faraway void. "I'm glad, you know. That I'm able to see it all now. To know what you really mean to me," Taranza said. "But-"

Magolor squeezed Taranza's hands, reminding himself to cherish every second he could where Taranza was with him, solid and real. Taranza looked like he might cry, but was holding himself back.

"It's time for me to go..." Taranza took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 

"Taranza!" Magolor said, wrapping his arms around Taranza and holding on for dear life. He buried his face into Taranza's neck. "Please, dont go!, you mean so much to me..."

"I'm sorry... I have to go guide everyone else," Taranza said. "I don't know when but i will see you again, Magolor, i promise, so until then make sure to care of yourself"

"Taranzaaaaaaaaaa!!

And then Taranza was gone.

...

Magolor's eyes snapped open. He was standing, transformed, with Flamberge on his left and Susie on his right. They were peering out at an empty stretch of land. What? What's going on?

"I told her to let me finish it off!" Flamberge yelled in anger, slicing a nearby signpost in half with her spear, letting the top part clatter to the ground. "Fucking idiot! "

"No, no this is my fault," Susie said, voice sounding like it was breaking. "I should have been covering her.. I could have done something."

"We were just getting to be friends, and then she goes and gets herself killed!" Flamberge continued. "If she was still here, I'd kick his ass!"

Flamberge let out another yell of rage and drove her spear into the ground, causing it to rumble briefly, while Susie just cried silently to herself.

"What happened?" Taranza said robotically, finding himself unaware of almost everything happening around him. Flamberge and Susie finally turned to acknowledge him, looking at him almost incredulously.

"That's not funny!" Flamberge spat. "Francisca's dead! " She pointed a finger to the right, a few angry tears slipping out. Magolor followed the motion and sure enough, there was Francisca's body. 

Magolor couldn't find the strength to move any further. This was all... so much.

"What... were we fighting?" Magolor asked. Susie looked up at him through her tears, shaking his head.

"Th-that's not funny..." she said. "We just lost Francisca to the wraiths and living in denial won't bring her back." Wraiths? Magolor looked back at the body and scrutinized it for any wounds, but there were surprisingly very few. And a distinct lack of a...

"Wh-where's her soul gem?" Magolor asked quietly, eyes searching the corpse for any sign of it. Those wraiths couldn't be-

"It disappeared," Susie said blankly, wiping his eyes. "Like they always do when we use all our magic. You know? The law of the cycle?"

"The law of... " Suddenly Magolor sobered and searched around frantically, finally finding motivation to assess his situation properly.

Magolor quickly looked down to check his soul gem, remembering how clouded and dark it had been previously, but the first thing he noticed was that he was holding a red scarf in his hands, all balled up and still a bit warm with body heat.

"Taranza..." Magolor whimpered. That name echoed into the night for a second, alone and fleeting all too soon.

"Uh... my name is Susie," Susie said awkwardly. "I've known you for like a month, man."

"What's wrong with you?" Flamberge demanded. "You always act like such a freak, but this is a new low!"

"Hey, lay off him!" Susie interjected. "He's clearly in shock!" The rage in Flamberge's eyes died down a bit as she kicked at the ground and turned away, letting her anger settle. 

She sighed and dropped her spear to the ground, wiping her face with her hands. Then she turned to him.

"Why'd you say 'Taranza'?" she asked blankly. "Who's that?"

"He's..." Magolor choked out a sob, leaning forward and clutching the red scarf to his chest as tears began to fall. "He's... no one ..." He tried to say more, but there was no use. His crying had overtaken anything until he couldn't even think anymore. Why did you leave me behind? What am I supposed to do without you?

"I didn't think you and Francisca were friends," Flamberge said carefully after a minute. He looked up through blurry eyes and saw that Susie and Flamberge were both crying too. Magolor's gaze shifted to Francisca once again, and he felt another sting in his heart when he realized that this time, Francisca was really gone. 

There would be no redos. Magolor cried harder upon realizing he had to mourn Francisca too.

"N-not really," he said finally. "But we... could have been."

...

The wind lightly ruffled Magolor's blue hood as he sat in the grass of the park, just watching the people mill about the paths. The sun was warm and inviting on his face, and it wasn't that bad, being around so many strangers, doing new things. He'd spent so long seeming to know every nook and cranny of the month, but now he was just a passenger again. The stream of time was flowing again, and Magolor  figured he just ought to ride it for a while.

Across the park, under a tree, Magolor saw a woman he recognized as Taranza's queen, who was sitting. 

There were some teenagers he recognized from the high school splashing in the park fountain. Behind one of the buildings, he could see the school drug dealer lighting up. If he ignored one big, gaping hole in it all, it was almost like a peaceful moment.

"I like your red scarf!" a chipper voice said. Magolor looked down and saw a young boy who looked pink smiling up at him. Then they pointed at the red scarf insistently, as if to clarify.

"Oh," Magolor said. "Thanks!."

"It looks like Taranza's red scarf!" Magolor's eyes widened. He looked down at the boy in shock. It had to be some sort of coincidence.

"Hey, Kirby! You can't run off like that!" a new voice scolded. A girl Magolor recognized after a second, it was Joronia ran up to the young boy and grabbed his hand gently. Then she turned to look at him. "Ugh, I'm sorry..."

"No, no. It's okay," Magolor said. "He was just being friendly." Joronia smiled apologetically and sat down next to him, staring out at the park as her brother collapsed in front of them, pulling out two dinosaur toys and running them through the grass.

"I've seen you before," Magolor said after a minute. "You transferred to Middle Star about a month ago, right?"

"Yeah," Magolor said. "Feels a lot longer than that though."

"I get that..." Joronia said. Magolor glanced over at her. He didn't know her that well at all, but he could tell that something was weighing heavily on her.

"I know it's not really any of my business," Magolor started. "But... are you okay?" Joronia went quiet, her gaze fixed on the horizon, lip quivering.

"Well... not to get overly personal but...my friend died recently," she said. "A dear friend. I've known him since middle school and it was so sudden and..." She took a shaky breath, hugging herself a bit. "You might of heard about it. Her name was Francisca." Magolor nodded. "Everything just seems so empty now. It almost feels like... I lost more than just her." She let out a sad little laugh. "That's ridiculous, right?"

"I'm sorry."

"I'll be fine," Joronia said quietly. "Eventually. Not soon or anything." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I just... I can't break down in front of Kirby. I had to get out of my own head and..." she opened her eyes and gave a small laugh. "They always had a way of cheering people up."

"Really?" Magolor asked, smiling at her.

"Hey Kirby!" Joronia called to the kid, that she was babysitting|. He stood up instantly and hobbled over to the two of them, his toys grasped in his hands. "Say hi to... " Joronia trailed off. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

"It's Magolor," he said. "And you are?"

"Joronia."

"And I'm Kirby!" Kirby exclaimed, collapsing into his babysitter's side, tackling her in a hug. "Hey Mr. Magolor? Do you wanna see my dinosaurs?" He nodded and Kirby gasped in excitement, letting Joronia go stand up and position himself in front of Magolor.

"This one's a stey-gah-sore-us," Kirby said, holding it up for Magolor to see. Then he set it down and showed Magolor his other toy. "And this one is my favorite! It's a tray-sah-ra-tops. Taranza gave it to me." Magolor froze yet again. It's a common name. Just a common name.

"Who's Taranza?" Magolor found himself asking, biting his lip as soon as it was out. Joronia sighed.

"Just his imaginary friend," she said. "I think the name might have come from the spiders..."

"He said my red scarf reminded him of this... 'Taranza'," Magolor said. Joronia took a second to examine Magolor.

"Yeah, he always draws him with a red scarf just like that. And white hair. But he mostly does stick figures, so that's about all I can tell you," she said. Her lips twitched into a smile. "It's really cute, isn't it?"

"Say, Kirby," Magolor said after a minute. Kirby looked up from his dinosaurs and met his gaze with wide eyes. "Your friend, Kirby... you said he gave you the dinosaur?"

"Tray-sah-ra-tops," Kirby corrected. "Yes. Well... he said he was returning it but I don't know about that."

"Did he say anything else?" Magolor asked as he tilted his head. He didn't care what Joronia might think of him. Kirby nodded, his attention back on his toys.

"Yep."

"What did he say?" Magolor asked.

"He said, 'I'm not afraid anymore'."

...

"Theoretically, I suppose that system you described could have worked," Mistilteinn remarked. Magolor scoffed and took out a wraith soul, a tiny cube of concentrated darkness that they used to purify their soul gems in this strange new universe. He cleaned his soul gem and then tossed the empty cube at Mistilteinn, who abruptly ate it.

"It's not theoretical," Magolor said simply. "I lived through all of that, it really happened."

"Well, there's no way you can prove it, if it was real," Mistilteinn said. "If the laws of the universe really changed as you say they did, then we can never know that. All we can observe is the status quo." Magolor grunted and threw another empty cube at Mistilteinn . "That method seems far more wasteful," Mistilteinn said. "After all, with all these so-called 'witches' popping up all the time, we'd have to make three times as many contracts as we make now. It sounds far more efficient in terms of getting energy, though. You people and your ridiculous emotions would burn through your wishes far too quickly that way."

"Yeah," Magolor bit out. "Seems pretty dumb, doesn't it?"

"But in this world of witches you described," Mistilteinn said. "There were no wraiths to fight? Do you have an explanation for them, Magolor Starcutter?"

"Not really," he said. "I figure the world's just going to be like that no matter what anyone does. Can't change that. If witches don't exist anymore, than curses will just manifest in another way. I guess, the wraiths."

"Perhaps," Mistilteinn said.

Magolor sighed and stood up, stretching briefly before jumping off from where he was perched on top of the building. In the shadows of the abandoned alleyway, there were distorted figures that glitched like ghosts, weaving in and out of reality, spreading curses. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, Magolor reached for his newest weapon: a bow. The wraiths began to advance on Magolor , but he stood his ground, drawing back the bowstring.

If it's for you, I can keep going. I'll protect this world and the things you loved about it. I've lived this long, I might as well make something of myself, right? You wouldn't want me to lose hope. So I won't. I'll keep fighting, no matter what.

Magolor released the string and exhaled.

I remember that. And I will never forget it. That is why I'll keep fighting.

 

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading my fanfic! I'm glad you guys readed to the end!