There was something particularly miserable about waking up while the sun was hardly in the sky, a mind-numbing misery that made every step of hers feel just a little bit more shaky. Her breath escaped in cold puffs as she viewed Koto from atop a crest on the road, splitting apart her pork bun and chewing on it thoughtfully. The juicy meat and tender dough did a bit more to wake her up. At least she wouldn’t be heading to the scene empty-stomached. Others had already arrived upon the ice-glazed waters, slaying youkai by the dozens. Masashi was showboating as always, Jun was showing his boat, and the other magical girls were doing actual work. What did Haniwa call this again? The 100 Demon Parade? From her viewpoint, it was definitely more than a hundred, and definitely enough trouble to demand the attention of all magical girls in Tokyo.
Zen sighed. Even if her magical nature allowed her to live out her everyday life without any problems on only six hours of sleep a night, this certainly wasn’t doing her height any favours. All just belly-aching though. She finished the rest of her pork bun, already lukewarm from December’s cold, and turned. Parked on the side was a police vehicle, the speed redundant for a magical girl but the authority it granted very relevant. Officer Nadeshiko sat behind the wheel, the sharply-dressed woman enjoying a hot coffee within the confines of her vehicle. When eye contact was made though, the woman flashed Zen an ‘ok’ sign.
Preparations ready then. Time to meguca.
Twenty-seven beads rattled in the morning air as Zen brought her hands together in consternation.
“Sunrise burn bright! True Heart Zenshin!”…
【S】【A】【M】【S】【A】【R】【A】☯【S】【P】【L】【I】【T】【S】The world burns to sin.
Verdure reduces to shadows against the starless black. Dead leaves fall and sea waters rise, cold quagmire drawing the wanderer to the depths. She sinks with every step, vestments muddied by mud that clung like desperate hands.Mιʂҽɾყ υɳႦσυɳԃ, ʂυϝϝҽɾιɳɠ υɳƚσʅԃ, ʂαʅʋαƚισɳ υɳϝσυɳԃ.
She drowns, slipping into fathoms so crushing her breath could not escape her lips, fathoms so elusive her hands could find no purchase. The cycle of despairs and departures sanctioned deliverance not; a single light within the dark shone merely like a spider’s thread.
And yet, ‘twas a distillation of the Moon. ‘twas a sliver of the reflected Sun. ‘twas her Truth, regalia inescapable, vesture undeniable.Eყҽʂ ƈʅσʂҽԃ, ƚԋαƚ ʂραɾƙ ɯαʂ ҽʋҽɾ ʂσ Ⴆɾιɠԋƚ.
Sԋҽ ɠɾαʂρʂ ιƚ ƚιɠԋƚ, ԋσʅԃʂ ιƚ ԃҽαɾ, αɳԃ ʅҽƚʂ ιƚ ιɠɳιƚҽ.
Drumbeats ripple within the fathoms. Heartbeats fill the void. Her hair aflame, her heart alight, the wanderer paints the depths anew, burning winds like crimson ribbons.
Scorching rays upon flaxen fields, heady glows of golden days.
Blazing leaves coat callow crags, azure charms above skyward eyes.
Drifting flakes over soundless seas, halcyon bliss in starglazed nights.
Blooming hues from tender shoots, nascent lives beneath icesurge tides.Mιԃɳιɠԋƚ ʂυɳ Ⴆʅҽɳԃʂ ɯιƚԋ ρσʅαɾ ɳιɠԋƚ, ԃαყႦɾҽαƙ αɳԃ ƚɯιʅιɠԋƚ ɱҽʂɱҽɾιȥҽԃ.
Within this paradise, within artifice, the wanderer brings her hands together twice. For the land she seeks remains out of reach and the world she dreams remains incomplete. And thus, twenty-seven lights pierce her sky, twenty-seven beads weigh her hands, twenty-seven scents remind her of where she stands.
In this insatiable and insufferable world, this world without herself.
Her Pure Land beckons, and yet…
Sanguine eyes open.【T】【H】【E】☯【A】【R】【H】【A】【T】☯【D】【E】【S】【C】【E】【N】【D】【S】
…
In the parking lot of a Lawson’s, a rudimentary field hospital was set up, large white tents blocking off parking spaces while a quartet of ambulances rumbled, stocked up with supplies and personnel. Police sergeants jabbered on their radios, coordinating with officers on the streets to assist in evacuations around Koto, clearing civilians out of the incursion area as the mahou shoujos did their work. With the flood of more than a hundred youkai and Chiyoda’s Artillery Guardian having passed away a year ago, there were bound to be monsters that slip past the net of magical massacre. The ship in the sky had no cannons after all, while the spice witch’s hot sauce bottles only came in reasonably sized containers.
Which was why Tokyo’s police had gotten so much better with search-and-rescue and evacuations over the last three years. Which was why when large incidents like this came up, Zen helmed the backline, rather than join the vanguard.
A lab coat cloaked her shoulders, and a sarashi masked the light of her golden heart as the flame-haired maiden strode past the men and women, the fabric of her over-long hakama trailing her movements. Despite the winter chill, a pleasant warmth emanated from her pale skin, and her thoughts, guided by mystical enlightenment, remained in-step with her purposeful stride. Nadeshiko followed behind, her main contact and assistant within the force, ready to explain to anyone else who this child was.
It’d been some time since Zen had begun her activities though. Explanations now on the power of her healing fist were unnecessary, and the authorities stepped aside as she seized the radio connected to Koto district’s public address system. She took a breath, organized her words, and spoke clearly, the soothing voice of a juvenile Arhat drifting through the districts.
“Good morning, citizens of Koto and mahou shoujos. This is Shine Heart speaking. We’ve established an aid station at the Lawson’s beside Shinonome Station. If any mahou shoujo sees someone injured, please deliver them to the closest officer or to this station directly. Grand Admiral J, you should see a darkly-dressed magical girl throwing bottles of sauce down on the ice. If you could pick her up, that would be lovely, as her bombardments should compliment your flight. Red Rider, please be on a look out for the Turbo Granny, as you’re the only one who’d be able to match her speed if she arrives. And Masashi, you’re look great today out there! I’ll trust you to make sure that no other yokai leaves the ice and enters the streets.”She let out a breath. She could do with another pork bun, but inbound sirens wailed, bringing the first patients for the day.
“That’s all, comrades. Let’s have a good one and be done before school starts!”
Kero
High Moon
Phase
Rabidporcupine
Citrus
Candelabra
TheMushroomLord
Lucid Dreaming
Xaltwind
