Villamvihar

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

There was no progress on the matter of Chiaki or the ‘new’ existence within Takae Shuuko’s body. Or rather, Ember had made a single discovery, but it helped no one: Hiramatsu Chiaki did not exist in their shared space, as far as she could sense her. She was not certain, yet the only one who could have been able to confirm it, Sylvia, had far more pressing matters to attend to, such as trying to restore the very foundations of her existence. If Ember were a lesser woman, she would have screamed her frustration to the high heavens.

As it was, she put on the appearance of a composed adult in the new ‘club room’, which turned out to be a dusty attic of some building Rei had appropriated with the help of Nyxia’s family, thus proving how far the Detention Club head’s fingers reached. It was disturbing, especially in the light of the information she learned from Ryoba and the others. Which came from Ashbringer. Their enemy.

Regardless of that, Ember listened carefully to Suki, Kiyo, Nyxia and Tsubomi and it seemed that it fell to her to point out the obvious.

”Why are we so certain that Ashbringer is feeding us the unvarnished truth? Though I had not encountered her personally, if she is as dangerous as you say she is, I would not put it past her to have plans within plans.” While she did not share the paranoid opinions of Hotaru, it did seem all too convenient for Sink Queen to show up at a crucial moment and then snatch Michi away from them. With the club’s permission, no less.

”We are already stretched thin as it is and while the GEMS have not attacked us,” she nodded towards Haruna as a way of acknowledging her contributions to the matter, ”we can not know for certain when they will barge into Hibusa Town again. I do not want to expose us more than we already are. And even if we assume what Ashbringer says is true, I believe Tsubomi brings up a valid point.”

Ember ripped off one a piece from one of the cardboard boxes, then held it up. She then grabbed a pen from her pocket and drew a rough approximation of a circle, then added lines heading towards the centre of it.

”What if every Dark Magical Girl is, in fact, a singularity… my apologies, a black hole… for Miseria specifically? It would imply they have a radius in which they ‘pull’ the power of dead Miseria in,” she tapped the circle’s edge and the lines, ”and that radius could be any size. If we continue the metaphor, then we are lesser black holes, but that does not prevent us from drawing on power from Miseria if we are close enough.”

”Hunting lesser Miseria more frequently or extending our hunting grounds, I believe, is also an option. And while I appreciate your extensive work on locations for the club to scope out, Kuroki-san,” she nodded towards Kiyo in respect, ”I am against the idea. I think we need to establish a stronger foundation here, in Hibusa Town.”

Because I don’t want to drag the others through hell and back again if we lose our home.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

The maddening cackles of Miseria continued to fill Hotaru’s ears while the fight went on. Forced to witness the disciple’s agile moves that would have given away her presence to anyone who paid even the barest amount of attention to her, the warrior let out a frustrated groan. Why was it always that she could not do anything in the most important moments? Why was it that people hated her for reasons she did not even control? It was not her fault if Sylvia was a scaredy cat! It was not her fault that Ember was being a bitch! Not even refusing to work with her helped!

She grit her teeth. Pounded the floor with a fist as hard as she could. The hand barely raised up into the air before it hit the ground again, leaving behind no impact at all. If only she could swap into a different body like the old times…

Hotaru grit her teeth. She wanted to scream. Pressure kept building inside of her, superheated steam assailing the thin walls of a tin boiler. Her head, too, felt as though it had been locked into a vice as she considered what she could do to get out of this, but only one solution presented itself: apologise to Ember. Ask for the schemer’s help. Lower herself to meet them halfway or she would not be able to live her life.

The warrior hated that the schemer won in the end.

Steam punched a hole in the metaphorical boiler’s side, escaping with a pained-furious hiss through Hotaru’s mouth. The cracking of concrete, the creaking of walls and the crumbling of the ceiling provided the percussion to her wind instruments, composing a beautiful finale for this body of hers before she retreated fully into their shared space and abandoned it just in time for the Miseria to take interest in it. No doubt the scene would turn into fuel for another one of Hibusa’s strange rumors.

Having resigned herself to not interfere with… Wait a second. She could feel the presence of Ember and Sylvia in a distant corner. Her senses were not exactly the sharpest amongst the three of them, but even she could tell the schemer remained focused on the protector. So, who was fighting out there?

It could not be Chiaki. They had ensured she would remain asleep, sheltered from the real world until they could figure out how they could protect her from all the evils rearing their ugly head. As if to make matters worse, Hotaru knew the fighting style of Chiaki well and the one outside did not move like the Hiramatsu family’s child at all. They had been far too graceful, far too precise based on what she could see. It was almost as though the warrior herself was at the helm, but cared more about the body than she usually did.

Normally, she would have ran straight to Ember. Yet she dismissed the thought immediately. Not only could she not trust the schemer, if she interrupted now, it would be Sylvia paying the price tenfold. The way those lines showed up in the dream-

Hotaru shivered. Her entire body felt as though she had dunked ice water on it. Because that one was her fault. Had she been stronger, faster or more decisive, Sylvia would not have had to suffer like that. She would not have…

Once again, she could do nothing, save for watching it unfold from afar.

…

…

What if that was exactly what she needed to do?

Ember kept her cards close to her chests. But not even she was invulnerable. Not even her schemes were infallible. And if the warrior could find a weakness to exploit, or even something to learn, then she could overcome even the schemer. She still needed to figure out if she was wrong with Sylvia. That would be a visit to Kiyo just in case. No matter what, Hotaru thought she glimpsed the key to her freedom.

---

Misera, big and small, swarmed the disciple, who did everything she could to avoid their blows. She served more as a target than an actual force for her opponents, at least in the beginning until Nyxia started to thin them out, giving the disciple more room to move, which in turn had her go on the offensive. It was exactly what they needed to turn the tide; with the focus of their relatively small opponents being split and the Giga Misera seemingly weaker than before, it would be only a matter of time before they won.

Time, which they may not have.

She caught a glimpse of the massive, pitch black sphere in the sky. A huge mech - Hizuki - held its ground against it, barely so. The fight looked even, but she did not have much time to spare before she had to concentrate on the fight, only for the Giga Miseria to fall thanks to their combined efforts. And yet, it was still too late to help one of their comrades.

Her heart sunk as she both felt and saw the unleashed light, muttering a silent prayer beneath her breath as Kiyo caught her - then she was gone from this body. The sharp Evil Eye would surely catch on no matter what she did and it was better for everyone if no one knew about her for now.

---

As much as she hated to admit it, there was nothing more Ember could do. Despite all her efforts, she only managed to thin the lines and make Sylvia look as though she would not be shattering into thousands of pieces the moment someone blew on her. Now they had to actually take a lungful of air before the resulting “tempest” would sweep the protector away.

The conclusion was obvious: Takae Shuuko’s, Shatterscape’s magic was of no use here, at least not in the form Ember wielded it. She had to broaden her horizons, but trusting someone with this level of vulnerability… The only one she could think of from the top of her head was Earthshaker. She had been growing closer and closer to Sylvia lately.

It might work out well.

No, it had to work out well. If it didn’t….

She dared not to think about it. She did not even want to glance in its general direction.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

It was not the first time her feet impacted against the concrete of Hibusa Town, yet the disciple felt it more vividly than before. From the wind that blew past her face through the way her body moved to the feeling of magic in her soul, it felt real. As real as the pain that lingered from the dream and panged against her heart every moment she spent away from the battlefield. Fortunately, the Detention Club fought well. Earthshaker, Nyxia, Oros and Evil Eye made a great team. They kept besieging the Giga Miseria and culling the herd it disgorged onto the city, no doubt taking on wounds they should not have. Wounds that should have been the protector’s burden.

She had to pace herself. She had to preserve her magic for the upcoming fight. She had to stand side by side with the Detention Club. She sunk her teeth into her lips, drawing blood as she closed the distance at what seemed to be an agonizing pace. And to make matters worse, a second threat grew in the skies of Hibusa Town, above the school.

The disciple paused. She could feel, more than see, the blob of negative emotions that loomed over the school as though it were the sword of Damocles. It caught her neck between two equally sharp scissor blades, pressing against her windpipe, drawing blood as it demanded she make a choice between duty and friendship.

Hizuki remained alone. She fought against the great threat with no one by her side. The disciple’s heart tightened.

The Detention Club, even with so many of them arrayed against the enemy, could barely hold the line. The disciple's gauntlets folded into a fist.

She was a four-pronged spear broken thrice. She could have helped all of them, if only she were not lacking her greatest asset.

Duty won in the end. For no matter what, the disciple always moved according to the will of the heavens - even if that conflicted with the will of the gods. Still, she had lost crucial seconds; the giant had released a corrosive fog and a bird that was born from the fusion of five. Earthshaker swept it away; but it would have open access to her back.

The disciple disciple let out a nervous, yet cheerful laugh as she launched herself straight at the enemy. While the warrior may have lead with a devastating blow, such was not the disciple's way, as she grabbed hold of the creature’s wings and used its own momentum to spin it against one of the nearby buildings. Of course, the corrosive mist started to eat her flesh immediately, but she ignored that in favour of continuing her strike and catching a lesser bird monster.

She did not have to win here. This body… as bad as it sounded, it did not even need to survive. She only needed to distract enough of the birds to open an opportunity for Nyxia to truly quell their numbers and for Earthshaker, Evil Eye and Oros to keep striking at the giant.

”Please don’t care about me and destroy them!” she called out with a tone and cadence unfamiliar to everyone on the battlefield.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

Pathetic.

It was the only word good enough to describe Hotaru. The body she inhabited rebelled every step of the way, its coordination completely shot. It almost felt as though it were trying to stitch itself together from hundreds upon hundreds of pieces. Muscles twitched incoherently, responding to signals all too late or by doing the opposite of what she intended. Even the fury that should have been in her voice came across as begging Michi to undo what she did. And worst of all, Hotaru could not even dodge the fist in time.

It had been Oros who rescued her. The girl obsessed with romance, girls and boys.

Hotaru flailed as though she were a ragdoll, her limbs refusing to obey. She grit her teeth, about the only thing she could do properly as she came to a halt on the floor, limbs spread out. Scattered. Incoherent. And worst of all, forced to listen to Michi prattle on about people making a difference.

Had she truly made one? Even when she was born to take the burden off Chiaki’s shoulders, there was precious little she could do.

A swarm of Miseria headed straight for her. Hotaru clapped her hands and a wave of explosive force blasted forward, blowing away some of her opponents. Yet as always, there was little harm. Even the weakest of the wretches barely had any scratches on the surface of its skin and trying to use her actual magic on them would have been useless. She nevertheless smiled, welcoming the challenge… but only at until she realised she would have to take them apart with her bare hands.

This body could not move even when the room collapsed around her and Michi’s patchwork monkey tore the roof apart. Likewise, the Detention Club fractured into countless pieces, not only physically but also metaphorically. Everyone chased after their own goals.

Hotaru hit the floor with an angry thunk. It hurt worse than it had any right to.

”Was I really wrong?” She could barely hear her own voice. ”Damnit, Sylvia, what happened to you?! Why did you say you hated me?!” Another thunk. It felt like her fingers started to break. ”And why won’t this red-haired- fuck!”

A piece of debris had interrupted her. It sunk into the floorboard right next to the warrior’s head, pelting her with flakes of plaster and paint. Black Gate kept talking and ordered her creature to flatten the cafeteria, while small, pathetic Hotaru could do nothing. She was forced to watch on. To be nothing more than an observer.

A blast of force smashed some Miseria into each other. Some tumbled into walls while the rest were blown away, but it was still a tremendous improvement. If she continued like this, then those girls could never say a single bad word about Chiaki agai-

Miseria. In her face.

She screamed.

The Miseria giggled in delight and left deep grooves in her skin.

The others were fighting and Hotaru would have loved nothing more than to join them. Yet her useless body… this damned thing she inherited from Chiaki…! Ember with her arrogance! Sylvia with her distrust! The Miseria around her that just kept on forming and forming! Black Gate escaping! The whole world arrayed itself against Hotaru. An army formed itself against the warrior, line by line, spear by spear. What could she do against it?

No matter how hard she tried, there was always something. She failed to account for one of the Miseria. She did not use her powers well enough. She ran out of magic. Her hands started to bleed from using them too much. In the end, the warrior had to call for help, then she had to listen to the poisoned barbs beneath the pretend concern while looking at faces which only pretended to be worried about Chiaki.

The whole school started to fall apart. At some point even the sprinklers came online, but the ones in the clubroom had been broken or rendered dysfunctional; Hotaru could only tell that because she heard the shrill noise of the fire alarm sounding in the distance, blending into a bone-shattering screech that could only herald one thing. Giga Miseria.

---

The resistance was tremendous. It was as though Sylvia’s very being resisted every attempt of Ember to help her, or rather, the schemer had no idea what she was doing… and yet she knew she had the best chance out of all of them. After all, she was the one who had discovered the process to create and shape the Oss and Khir, their far-reaching eyes and hands. Still, sweat poured down from her forehead in thick rivers.

”Please live…” she whispered as she tried to reach out towards another piece of the protector, only to be met with refusal. ”Please. Sylvia, you barely started to walk! You can’t shatter into pieces on me, please…” As if anyone would hear these words. The schemer clung onto them nevertheless, because she wanted for Sylvia to have a better life. To smile again. Perhaps even to hug Earthshaker again.

Their shared space shook as the Giga Miseria’s scream reached even here, infiltrating through Hotaru’s perception. Ember did not care. Even if it resulted in a body being destroyed once again, the warrior had to learn a harsh lesson. She had to focus on Sylvia.

---

Nightmares could hold blessings in disguise. Even the worst of dreams offered an insight into the future or perhaps into the movements of the heavens, for such was the creed of the high priestess. This in turn would be adopted by her disciple who knew the exalted, yet still humble woman well. She knew that sometimes, even the best of the best stumbled on the road they wished to walk.

But that did not mean failure did not hurt.

The disciple felt the familiar pang in her whole body, as though she were being pulled into countless different directions. Then, when her tendons finished stretching out, a knife was placed between her ribs with enough care to make breathing difficult and not have her bleed out. Seconds turned into painful hours and yet the disciple held firm.

Because the high priestess never slept. Not even when the protector was on the verge of being shattered, or when the schemer was trying her best to do something her role was not suited for, or when the warrior’s instruments failed her in the crucial moment. Even now, fate showed her an opportunity she could use.

”I really don’t want to… but if the secular world wishes to gaze upon this humble high priestess, then she has no choice except to reveal herself.”

As soon as she said it, one of the many Shuuko bodies scattered through the city stood up, the Emblem of Takae Shuuko flashing into existence on its form. Seizing one-fourth of the whole’s magic, it took off towards the Giga Miseria with blinding speed, leaving behind street after street along with a trail of silvery blue magic. Of course, the High Priestess knew she was no match for the monstrosity closing in on the city, but at least she could aim for the countless Miseria it disgorged.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

The beatings continued to rain as though they were painless hailstones and yet, they still broke bones. Like the fists and feet of so-called gods, they inflicted wounds in places one could not see. Hidden from the naked eye, they would then fester until someone came along to prod them with innocent intentions. Or perhaps in the case of Michi, malicious ones. It was inevitable. People would always rip open the wounds of an injured fawn. Their smiles would become wider. And they would never stop clawing at it until its blood ran dry.

No castle could stand forever. No mirror could remain intact forever. The besieging army would eventually ram through the portcullis, then head straight towards the tower, in which lord, lady and their precious children lived. Knights would draw their swords, then replace the banner above the keep with one writ in blood. It was inevitable from the very first day of the fortress’ inception.

This was merely a bundle of rocks. A damaged piece of glass hiding cracked silver where myriad reflections collided. And yet…

It held out for long enough in the face of adversity.

Because in the end, Haruna came. She was a true friend that cast the whole world into familiar darkness and pained, agonising rest.

Hotaru’s voice cut through it.

”I couldn’t even touch her.” In the mental space of Takae Shuuko, the warrior sported bruises. Not the all-encompassing ones which caused Sylvia’s breath to be shallow, which rendered her skin pale and painted her skin with all-too-familiar fractures.

”She’s… She’s….!” A hiccup cut her off. For once, Hotaru could not finish her sentence, nor carry on with zeal.

”She is the best friend that one could ever extend their hand towards,” finished Ember for her, speaking between two shallow breaths. Hotaru whirled at her, all but ready to unleash hell on the schemer for not helping them this time, only to be met with a visage barely more suited for life than that of the protector. The only difference between them was that Ember did not have cracks on her very being.

”I refuse to condemn you, or to engage you with words, Hotaru-san.” A gasp. Ember’s voice remained level. ”So please remember this well and know what happens if you do not let the voices of others reach you. It is not only you who are suffering, Hotaru-san. And there are far more things in the world than a grudge against those who have driven their wicked knives into our body.”

Ember knelt down beside Sylvia and took the protector’s hand into her own. A pained smile showed on her face, despite her soul demanding that she vomit up blood and bile. She remained strong. Tall. Like the eldest was supposed to be.

”You look like absolute shit.”

”Have you ever taken the time to turn your eyes towards yourself, Hotaru-san?” Ember started to carefully remove Sylvia’s garments, trying to soothe the injuries with her hands. ”It just so happens that it helps tremendously with what you wish to accomplish.”

”If you’ve never taken the side of that girl-” Hotaru all but growled her words, like a caged animal.

”Then we have not a single clue as to what would have happened.” The schemer responded with her usual, calm clarity. ”I reiterate the same lesson as I have tried to teach you before this all happened. This is your fault, your mistake as well. I have already admitted where I fall short. Have you?”

The warrior snarled in response, but averted her head from the scene. Her fists drove into the non-existent ground, shattering it into non-existent spiderwebs.

”Why? Why did she hurt her?”

”Because that girl could see everything we tried to keep hidden.” The schemer did not speak lightly. Her voice trembled while red tendrils reached out towards Sylvia, trying to see if they could find anything. ”Or more than enough to know what to rummage through. We could have mitigated the damage if we stuck together.”

A sigh.

”Hotaru-san. This is solely my cross to bear. When you have chosen to hurt Sylvia, you have forsaken her. Be aware that if you want to take revenge on Michi, then I can not stop you now. But I will not help you either. Because Sylvia is…”

”She is precious to me.”

Hotaru swore she could hear her own heartbeat thunder in her ears.

”So I ask once again: Is she really precious to you?”

---

On the outside, Takae Shuuko’s body seemed calm. Her eyes remained close, as though she was at rest, though an observant individual could notice the rapid movement of her eyes beneath closed lids. It was almost as though she were looking for something, frantically, desperately. She did not react even when the window shattered into pieces, nor when Tsubomi’s body reached out towards Michi.

But it only took a couple more seconds for yellow eyes to open up and regard the room around them.

”You… you…” Hotaru struggled with words as much as she struggled with her body. It felt as though dozens upon dozens of needles had been driven into her, scrambling all of her nerves and without Ember helping her, she could not reach out to a more intact clone.

”You’re pathetic.” She stood up, knocking down her chair. ”You attacked us at our weakest.” A sneer appeared on her face. Her teeth ground. ”You hurt the weakest!” She roared. Like a lumbering, wounded giant, she stumbled towards Michi.

”Reverse it. Now.”

The warrior bore the physical pain well. Yet when hands grasped for her heart, when poison seeped into her veins, her voice cracked. She had intended to shout at Michi, to rip her limb from limb and yet she ended up sounding as though she begged the cause of Sylvia’s pain to end it. Like a prisoner pleading for mercy.

She felt like she was going to be sick.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

Not only did the monkeys hinder the warrior, they also threw her right into the club’s resident goody-two-shoes, causing both of them to tumble around. Even as Hotaru tried to find purchase on any surface, her claws kept either slicing things into ribbons or Haruna bumped into her to knock her aim off-course. Even worse, she could not find an angle to strike the annoyance she was being forced to endure, so the warrior grit her teeth and bore it. All the while the self-absorbed, prissy daughter-of-a-whore remained on stage, spewing nonsense about a sister or something, forcing everyone to go along with her whims.

Couldn't she just have told her story?!

Hotaru’s hypocrisy did not even register as they slowed down were slowed down when Oros got tangled up with them. Her tendrils helped to anchor them and with Hotaru also finding a groove to sink her claws into, they came to a halt.

”Thanks!” She shouted even as she tried to find her bearings before turning Haruna into minced meat for daring to-

”Sylvia.”

Hotaru felt as though her lips had shattered when the word broke through them like a battering ram. Her veins turned into poisonous ice. Curved knives stabbed into her brain. Painful electricity arced between her muscles. Every iota of colour around her fell away, her sight shrinking until she could only see the point of a needle. Sylvia.

Long-forgotten remarks surfaced in the warrior’s consciousness.

“She can't even fight.”

”It would have been better if she stayed home.”

”Don't bother doing something like that again.”

”I’m sorry, but I can't be your friend.”

Perhaps it was the way Michi talked. Or how Roche perceived the play, as though Michi had left her sister to fend by herself, throwing Norah to the wolves. Something about the scene reminded the warrior of the moment she first saw and heard, and the constant stream of vile lies that followed.

”You shouldn't hurt yourself like that!”

”Unfortunately, you are not suited to fighting.”

”I’m really sorry, I already have plans for the day.”

”I can't make it. Maybe next time.”

No matter how many times Chiaki tried to reach out, the answer would remain the same. Rejection followed rejection, all of them following the same, tired format: a thin, miserly apology that heralded a promise never fulfilled. Or a sarcastic, biting comment voiced as though it were a legitimate concern. There was not an ounce of compassion to be found in the so-called light girls. They all hated Hotaru, Sylvia and Chiaki. And despite that, because Chiaki was such a kind girl, she kept reaching out. No matter how awkward she was or how she stuttered, or how many wounds appeared on her, everyone turned a blind eye to her circumstances.

Just one promise. One acquaintance. A small act of mercy just so Chiaki would not have to cook for herself or the heartless assholes. Yet none ever came.

Ah. Now she knew why she remembered.

With a keen not unlike that of an animal, Hotaru slammed into the apes, right by the side of Roche and Hizuki.

”What has she done to you?!” Strange. She should have been angry. The warrior should have been exploding like a volcano, then she should have unleashed hell on the apes brutalising innocent Sylvia. So why did her voice sound as though she were choking on tears? Why did it sound as though she were questioning someone who did not care to answer and would keep on abusing Sylvia?

Her gauntlets found little purchase on the apes. Hotaru had pulled Miseria apart by the seams, ripping them apart by pure strength, or had splattered them with a callous move of her hand. Even the more resilient ones could barely match her strength and yet these… Even Roche had trouble. The warrior, despite her magic burning bright, could barely defeat a single one of her opponents. Sweat poured down her forehead, digging deep gorges into her skin.

Hotaru's voice choked. Her next words could barely be understood.

”Leave her alone!” The gorges glowed. Her body could not take much more of the strain she put it through. She still fought on valiantly.

She was not enough. She would never be enough.

Punch after punch. Kick after kick. Hotaru could do nothing but watch through foggy lenses even as she tried her best. Just like when she tried to fight instead of Chiaki. She was a hair’s breadth away and unable to do anything.

She could not do anything!

The bruises on Sylvia started to turn into cracks. Like lines on a damaged mirror. They leaked a wispy, strange substance instead of blood. An ape or two had fallen, but even if she managed to open the way for Hizuki to grab Sylvia, would it even matter? The masses of apes would pounce on Hizuki as well. The protector would shatter, just as Chiaki had a long time ago.

It was inevitable.

---

She should have never turned against her grandparents.

When Sylvia had landed her blow, it had felt like a small weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It had not been the relief she had been expecting, but it helped. Even though Michi bled, a strange sense of grim satisfaction jolted through the protector’s spine, knowing that she did this for those she thought important. And herself. Most importantly, herself. She needed to be all right, because she said that to Hizuki.

But as soon as darkness crept into her vision and she could no longer feel the others by her side - even metaphorically - she knew she would not be all right.

It was always grandfather who started and as Michi read correctly, with a punch to Sylvia's stomach. It had been the rightful punishment for eating too much, for taking away money from the family that had fallen on hard times because of Sylvia's traitorous mother. Fortunately, she did not have anything to throw up this time, but that never stopped the deceitful gods.

Then of course, the knee between Sylvia's ribs. Grandfather told her it was because she should be grateful she still breathed. That she was allowed to make up for the sins her mother committed against the family. It was always just as righteous as the first punch.

Grandmother followed it up with a stinging slap. The wedding ring on her finger would leave behind a dent and Sylvia would have to cover it up at school. The ape’s rough knuckles served as an apt stand-in for the cold metal, which made the following beating all the more expected. Punches along with kicks blended into one another in a symphony of unending pain. And like the good girl she was, Sylvia had to endure it all.

Not a single sound escaped from her mouth, clamped shut as though it were a vice. Her gums would start to bleed sooner than she would dare to let herself utter any single thing or beg for mercy; she had tried those too many times already. Her only option was to take the punishment of the gods, because they were the righteous ones. And even if they were not, what could she possibly do against them?

It would be over as soon as their ire subsided. Then she could take her break - except, it was not coming. The anger seemed never-ending this time and the hits kept torturing her. Every single one of them was aimed at a spot roughed ten times over. A familiar impact blossomed into familiar, agonising pain. If it were not for her magic, Sylvia would have died.

If it were not for her magic, Chiaki would have died.

In spite of her magic, Sylvia felt her impending death. The gods had no mercy for her this time and they would go on until she ceased her wretched, worthless existence. Only then will she have repaid the transgressions of her mother.

---

The connection shattered like a whip striking across First Shuuko’s back. She winced and jumped back at the same time, putting more distance between her and the huge arm as she tried to look for her fellows again, but found herself grasping for straws. Fortunately, she still had her own reserve of power to call on, so she transformed in an explosion of light blue shards.

What stepped out of the revelry, however, was not the Shatterscape everyone was familiar with. Firstly, rather than the orange and red of a purifying flame, her colours reflected the sky and a clear lake. Second, instead of the wicked, clawed fingers of her usual Devil Arm, she possessed well-articulated, dextrous fingers. The gauntlets seemed larger in exchange, with a row of holes above the magical girl’s wrist that implied the existence of hidden blades. And thirdly, there were no horns on her forehead, nor did her eyes burn with the crimson disdain that Shatteracape levied at her opponents.

They remained a clear, crystalline blue instead. Not that anyone had much time to dwell on it, as First Shuuko immediately drove her gauntlets into the ground and collapsed the roof beneath her before she started her mad dash towards the cafeteria.

---

When Ember regained control of her body, she found herself in the middle of a black void, cut off from everyone else. And while she had plenty of experience with the former given how Sylvia, Hotaru and her had been interacting lately, being numb to the rest of their bodies should have been impossible.

”Shit.” Cold sweat coated Ember, forming icicles that reached all the way to her core. She felt as though she had been shoved into a dark, dirty and unpleasant ice cave hours ago, her strength having left her a long time ago. Her body along with her thoughts were sluggish, her mind seemingly unable to string two facts together. It instead filled up with the imagery of Michi doing whatever it pleased with Sylvia, Hotaru and even Chiaki.

The schemer’s spine turned into a frozen column at the thought. Her slow pondering turned towards the seemingly impossible power wielded by Michi, asking herself if this was the despair the club faced when they first encountered Ashbringer.

There seemed to be no way out. If she was correct and Michi influenced every student, then she had everything in the palm of her hands. Even worse, if she influenced them… She practically molded Sylvia, Hotaru and even Ember into their ideal selves. She cut off Ember’s magic. Was there nothing she could do?

No. She could not think that way. She still had Sylvia to take care of. She promised it to that girl, damn it!

And even if her magic broke, so what? They were still one. Their bodies might have split, but Ember knew better. She felt the strange ebb and flow of the threads. She studied them in detail. They were four halves of a greater whole.

They were never on their own.

So she had to be able to do something. Anything.

She forced herself to reach out to grasp whatever she could, willing her hands to hold still instead of trembling. A part of her screamed at her to leave this to Sylvia, because it was the protector’s duty to take on such burdens. Ember yelled back at that part, because she too, had something she wished to protect. Not just Chiaki or Sylvia. The Detention Club also counted and, as much as she loathed to admit, she wanted the best for Hotaru as well.

Then she felt it: the overwhelming pain of being slapped across the face.

Ember reeled from the blow. One of her teeth went flying, disappearing into the darkness as whoever assaulted her had no mercy. In fact, it felt almost as though it were one of the memories of Sylvia in the flesh. It meant she could do something.

”Sylvia?” She asked, reaching out despite the best efforts of her body to reel away from the pain. ”I don't even know if you can hear me, but…” The agony of being kicked in the shin blossomed in Ember’s foot. She screamed into the void.

”I will not yield in the face of consequences!”

---

It did not hurt as much now. The blows still landed on the protector, of course. But as they started to shatter her, less and less of the pain made it to her consciousness. If anything, they seemed to come more savagely than before, the apes seemingly intent on leaving her dead before anyone could reach Sylvia.

That was all right. No one could save her from the gods, after all.

A part of her wished she had spent more time with Roche. It even realised that perhaps, Roche would be sad about her being gone. Maybe Hizuki too. And come to think of it, Ember would definitely be sad.

That was all right. She had always been a bad child. She had no right to claim their friendship or their feelings. And yet if Sylvia could have one selfish wish of hers fulfilled…

It would be to say goodbye to them properly.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

Willow made no sense as usual, so even though it left a pang in her heart, Sylvia did not respond. She had no idea how to handle her without Ember’s assistance, who seemed to be wrapped up in her own problems involving Hotaru. But Tsubomi…

”Look, you’re rightfully angry now and hopefully at whoever caused you that original harm…”

The sentence struck a chord deep inside Sylvia. Her furious tears kept rolling down her face, the pyre of her emotions only intensifying as she found the words she had been looking for. She had heard them countless times in her life from Ember, but the protector kept on insisting that it was her who was bad and… this whole time, she had been lied to. Hizuki told her. And it did not feel like she had been told a lie.

”There are no misunderstandings under the eyes of the gods,” Sylvia responded. ”There… there are only Them and… Their lies.” It still felt painful to say it. She also felt that Tsubomi had a point. Even if she said something that confused her, maybe she could just let it out. Sylvia did not want to act like Hotaru, but… Maybe for once, it was permissible. Maybe she would discover something again.

It would definitely hurt. But maybe she would be getting hurt for a worthy cause this time.

---

”If you truly wish for everyone for have a good day, then you should have talked with us instead of setting up whatever this scheme is, then unleash your wrath at Suki because she just so happens to not act according to the plan you concocted in your head.” Ember kept the razor edge in her voice even while her knuckles whitened. If she were honest, she would have loved to have Hotaru’s cooperation, or even Sylvia’s assurance that whatever happened, it would not be painful. She felt like worms crawled on her skin, but still forced herself to put on a mask.

”And you throw insults left and right as though they were salvation to be meted out by your truly merciful hand.” The schemer continued with biting sarcasm. However, before she could truly start trying to rip Michi apart at the metaphorical seams, Michi grabbed Tsubomi - who seemed to have been trying to pacify Michi for some reason - and shifted Ember along with Hotaru onto a stage.

What the hell.

Ember figured she knew a thing or two about teleportation, but this felt foreign to her. It was almost as though she moved through thick water, then deposited onto a shoddy stage which had not been there before. Which meant either that Michi had some sort of power that allowed her to manipulate reality to such an extent or that she kept them all in an illusion or worse. Both prospects caused sweat to pour down Ember’s face. She all but turned into a salt statue on stage, all colour draining from her form.

Hotaru had no such qualms, however.

The teleportation also had her disoriented. But instead of playing along, she watched the exchange unfold between Michi and Haruna and flared her magic, causing the stage’s wood to crumple beneath her feet when she took a step forward.

”The one and only thing that will be getting destroyed today,” her fury rung crystal clear, ”Is going to be you and whatever the fuck you’re doing to us!” Then she launched herself at Michi. Burning through her magic at a precarious rate, she intended to rip through her target in one swoop, only to be joined by a second from in the middle of her arc.

Sylvia.

What was the protector doing here?

With tears still brimming in her eyes, Sylvia had also launched herself at Michi, Shatterscape’s visage coalescing around her mid-air in a sight that resembled her leaping out of a shattered mirror. These two were as two comets; Hotaru aflame with an off-yellow light, Sylvia surrounded by golden threads concentrating around her gauntlets. Almost like she was trying to grasp them and part them at the same time.

All the while Ember watched on, unable to do anything to prevent the unfolding tragedy.

---

Ember may have felt alone, but First Shuuko also watched on. She held a similar sentiment in her heart, yet before she could reach out, something appeared on the rooftop and called out to a “Finn”. Opening her eyes - her concentration wavering as she split her focus into two - First Shuuko’s eyes widened as she beheld what seemed to be a demon.

”Excuse me. I’m sorry if I’m interrupting but… um… Can I ask you why you’re here?” She asked of the being with a somewhat nervous smile. ”Because I’m hiding. Please don’t tell anyone I’m here!” And she exaggerated her gesture with a cutesy - if, again, somewhat nervous - wink.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

”Bold words for someone who is being selfish and disruptive herself.” While Ember’s voice remained calm, on the inside, she broke out in cold sweat. Not only did Michi seem to be extremely strong - being able to hold her wrist - she also seemed to have information about everything inside the school at least. And if the blue ribbons were also tied to her, along with the strange happenings in the school, then she was at least on the scale of Ashbringer. Which means they needed to tread carefully here.

”Shuuko, don’t attack her just yet,” she said to her other self.

”Screw her!” Hotaru snarled back. ”Why shouldn’t I when she’s being an asshole?!”

”Because you’re playing straight into her hand.” Or at least so she assumed. She could have been wrong, but at least her sentence made the warrior pause. ”If this really is all your doing - and I don’t see why it wouldn’t be - then you’ve gone about it in the most callous way I have ever seen. Do not get me wrong, I have my own fair share of dark and dirty secrets, but never before have I seen someone so desperate to show the seeds of discord amongst us. Well, I am telling you, as long as I am here, I will resist that.”

”Roche, even if what she says is true, we can talk afterwards. You can explain it. We are the Detention Club after all, aren’t we? We aren’t exactly in the business of doing good deeds.” Ember flashed a nervous grin towards Earthshaker. Hopefully, the tribal girl along with Kiyo would understand what she was doing and move accordingly.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

The situation made less and less sense with every second. Ember picked up on the subtle signs of anger from Michi - the trembling of her hands along with the edge in her voice - but not in her wildest dreams did she expect to witness such a tirade. Her comrade watched with wide eyes herself, occasionally glancing at the schemer as the latter tried to figure out what could have caused this explosion. Instead, she ended up catching something that Michi had no right to know.

”...If you got to know her, you might actually find something in one of her fractured personalities. Sylvia’s just as selfish and whiny as you are…

That was not the only thing. Her reasoning did not fit the situation. It almost felt as though she were trying to make excuses for everything that happened, as though she were trying to rationalise the clearly irrational. Not a sign of guilt in and of itself, of course, but combined with what Ember assumed was a slip of the tongue, it started to build a certain picture in the schemer’s mind.

She tried to interrupt several times in order to stop the tirade, but just as the presumably magical girl plowed Suki aside, she barreled straight through Ember’s gestures and half-started sentences. Meanwhile, the warrior’s eyes grew ever narrower, her emotions making it clear that she was just waiting for Michi to finish digging herself a hole so she too, could give a piece of her mind. Now if only Roche had not chosen to deal a literal lunch box’s worth of justice.

”You were a huge fucking bitch just now,” she spoke up, looking Michi straight in the eye. Ember groaned in the background, the situation crumbling before her very eyes. ”Suki’s not the best, but she didn’t deserve that.” Unlike that damn light idiot who kept hanging around, walking off because her feelings were hurt or something.

”While I agree with both of your sentiments, Hananami-san and Takae-san… or rather, myself…” Ember stood up with a wry smile, ”I would have preferred if you asked what was wrong instead of rushing straight into the situation like a bull in a china shop.” She sounded as calm as she could be, but her hands folded in front of her body and her brows moved closer to each other, clearly disapproving.

”Of course you’re taking the side of a bitch again!” Hotaru snapped at her comrade, before she snatched the lunchbox from Roche’s hand and threw it at Michi. ”She’s just trampled Suki into the ground and you’re asking what’s wrong? She’s wrong!”

Of course it would be that argument again. With nearly the exact same words as before, as though nothing changed between their interactions. Ember could not even manage anger at this point. Only cold, dead disappointment and apathy settled into her heart as she hardened it against any words the warrior would be throwing at her.

”Yes she is. What she did is not acceptable. At the same time, dumping food on her and berating her in return does us little good, especially if it puts us in danger.” Ember remained as calm and as undisturbed as a serene lake on the outside. On the inside, though, she had started thinking of the strange phenomena around them as threats, which meant they were sitting right in the middle of a trap.

”What the hell are you talking about?”

As if on cue, Evil Eye chose that precise moment to blast off. At the same time, Ember reached out towards the bodies outside, gathering the threads into the palm of her metaphorical hand so they could teleport away if the situation turned worse. Unfortunately, the warrior did not react as well and she transformed in broad daylight, her huge gauntlets overturning the table in front of them. Armed with the usual, eviscerating claws, Hotaru set her legs wide to be able to take an incoming attack. After all, this was merely just one body of the many. And damned if she would let anyone go without giving them a bruising.

---

”I-I-I’m not all right. Y-y-you’re making me less all right by talking. P-p-please leave me alone.” Sylvia’s hands clenched. Her head dropped down further, a twitch running through her entire form when Tsubomi mentioned the abusive relationship. She had heard that some time ago from either Hotaru or Ember. She had dismissed it back then, saying that her mother was the bad one. She abandoned the family, so Sylvia, her daughter deserved everything that happened to Sylvia.

It was a completely different matter if the gods lied.

If the gods lied, they used her. They treated her like… horribly! They beat her and denied her food and called her names! As such, they were not gods at all.

A flicker. A spark. Tears of anger. She could not even revel in them, because the situation around her shifted, blue ribbons coming out of nowhere and Tsubomi saying that they were being surrounded. The situation clearly called for a retreat.

Sylvia felt Ember gathering the threads towards the bodies. Especially towards one on the outside, situated on the rooftop. And yet at the same time, if Sylvia was in danger, then… people who could be her friends… they were in danger too. If there was such a thing as friends. But that was irrelevant. She simply chose to look Tsubomi in the eye, tears of fury still rolling down her face.

”Would you really have this humble high priestess abandon everyone to ravenous wolves?”

---

On the rooftop, First Shuuko straightened out. She had been paying close attention to the events through the eyes of her friends and while she was no Fourth Shuuko, she too, perceived the impending trap. So when Fourth Shuuko and Second Shuuko reached out to her - she responded. She let go of her sliver of magic with practiced ease. Her eyes fluttered closed into a trance-like state. She would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them once again, like she had done so many times.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

Neither the schemer, nor the warrior had expected Kiyo’s reaction, both of their eyes going wide at her quip. A brief moment of stunned silence followed before a small smile took over Ember’s visage, then she slid right up against Hotaru, into her personal space and well past her comrade-in-arms’ defenses, imitating the hug she had seen between the warrior and Kiyo.

”That’s right. There are two Shuukos in existence right now. Or maybe our numbers are three, four five, six… Kiyo, would you mind telling me exactly how many members are in the Detention Club? I am afraid that in order to not upset anyone’s feelings, I just have to make so many clones of myself. ” While her expression seemed to be one of mischief at the surface, someone who knew ‘Bad Shuuko’ well would realise that Ember’s lips did not quite match what she tried to project. A little bent in them showed her nervousness.

”What are you talking about? There aren’t si-” Hotaru’s jaws clacked shut before she finished her sentence, realising just what sort of trap the schemer had set up for her. ”Very funny. I was about to have a real conversation with Kiyo here.”

”As much as I loathe to say this, it might not be a good time.” Ember dropped her smile as she watched Kiyo look in the mirror to try and hypnotise herself. ”I am also of the opinion that something is not right here and while I hate to interrupt your conversation,” she inclined her head towards Michi in an attempt to include her in the exchange, ”It might be worth discussing why everyone suddenly has a blue ribbon and a silver fork.”

”Why is that any of your business?” The warrior frowned, looking around to see what was…

She saw them. She groaned as she threw her head back, lifting the back of her hand onto her forehead, understanding why Ember had emphasized the ribbons. While she was not nearly as observant as the schemer, she felt sure she would notice the entire student population having blue ribbons.

”Great. What the hell is going on?”

---

Jaws clacked shut with a loud noise of teeth against teeth. A flash of wanting to pull Tsubomi’s leg, then shove her face into the resulting mess blitzed through Sylvia’s consciousness, but once again, the desire - or perhaps principle - to not hurt overwrote it. Instead, she let go of it and attempted to look the other magical girl in the eye. She succeeded for all but a second or two before she found the floor much more interesting.

”I-I’m not telling you. A-and if you kick me again, I’m kicking you back.” Her voice carried very little certainty. In fact, it was almost as though she were asking herself question after question with every word she spoke. Because, Tsubomi looked at her as though she were… Them. That contempt. The roll of her eyes. Tsubomi had to be a bad apple that Sylvia could not trust.

Or was she? Did she even really speak to Tsubomi before this? She could not recall. She did not seem bad, just… stoic. So she looked back at the emotionless girl’s eyes for a second, only to be burned by her own attempt at reading the other. What would Grandfather think? What would Grandmother think? And did it even matter?

… What did Tsubomi think? What did she want to do to Sylvia?

That mattered.