Wandering in the Snow
''There you are.'' said a man as he handed over some money to a girl.
''Thank you!''Yui bowed in thanks, pocketed the money and then handed out one beautiful white rose to the man. She kept on looking with a smile as the man ran back to his beloved's side to hand her the flower. The woman looked thrilled.
Happiness, like flowers, could fade quite fast. However moments like she just witnessed were what made it all worth it. She kept on wandering aimlessly through Miso's streets, selling some flowers to whomever wanted them. Sitting down on a bench in a park to observe the falling snow and rest. The cold was not biting at her skin, and tonight was a perfect night for such 'adventures'. However...something was strange. It was faint, but something was in the back of her mind; a constant feeling that she did not understand. Something akin to feeling observed, but not quite as negative or scary as that.
Yui did her best to shake off this feeling, not realizing that she was not wandering so aimlessly after all. She had received her Magical Girls power recently, only a few months ago. She had grown accustomed to her powers and to defeating some - albeit weak so far - nightmares. Never had she met another Magical Girl in all of this time though, and she did not recognize this magical feeling that was supposed to indicate the presence of one. Unknowingly, she walked straight towards the source.
Her not-so-quite-wandering soon brought her inside the Old City, a beautiful part of Miso she wished she could visit more often. Lost in her thought and guided by this feeling she did not recognize, Yui took an alleyway and stopped only when she heard something that no one else could. She turned around.
The sole lamp post in the alleyway cast her shadow on the wall, but it was distorted. It kept on twisting and warping until it formed a rounded shape. Out of it came an arm first, it's extremity more claws than hands. The sound of
moving shadows as it came out reminded that of shoving chunk of fleshy substances around. A second arm came out, then a head. Emotionless, yet full of rage.
A lone Nightmare?
Gaia had a knee on the ground and an expression of pain on her face. The Nightmare, while possibly wounded, still stood. Or
hanged. Legless, it was perched on the wall of the alleyway thanks to it's two massively long arms. It's head was twisted in an unnerving way staring down at it's opponents as it let out yet another chilling scream only she, and other Magical Girls, could hear. Even then, it's face bore no emotion nor expression. Petals of flowers were scattered about, a result of Gaia's magic.
Still with a knee on the ground, the Magical Girl stared down her foe as she brought both hands together. Light emanated from her palms and a flower-shaped ball of energy formed. Although it was small it was all she could muster right now. She did not know if this Nightmare was stronger than most, but it was stronger than the ones she fought so far,
and she was taken off guard.
'Come on, then...' If this was it, she'd bring this thing down with her...
