Innocence Seekers: April Light Chapter 1 "Three years ago, a powerful demon named Gakran threatened the entire galaxy. I don't know why, but he intended to destroy humanity. However, eight magical girls, one of whom was my sister, fought Gakran and managed to defeat him once and for all. They did what no one else throughout history could, and it is because of them that we're still around now. "Me? I was but a mere spectator in the events which unfolded then. As much as I wanted to help, I was too young to fight. But now that I'm old enough to join the Zodiac Warriors, I want to prove to them, that I can live up to their expectations. I am Uzuki Miyana, the younger sister of Yayoi Miyana, and this is my story." -?????: "Uzuki! Uzuki! Hello! Uzuki, are you there?!" Uzuki was sitting on a bench in the school grounds. Benio was trying to get her attention. -Uzuki: "Ah! Oh, sorry about that, Benio. I was just thinking." -Benio: "Thinking about what?" -Uzuki: "About that time three years ago." -Benio: "You're still thinking about that? Uzuki, you should be looking to the future, not reminiscing about the past." -Uzuki: "True, but... I can't help but think that people are expecting great things from me just because I'm Yayoi-nee's little sister." -Benio: "Well, to me, Uzuki will always be Uzuki. Sure, I might be related to Akari and Inori, but that doesn't mean I can't be myself." -Uzuki: "Still, all of us are related in some way to someone who made a significant contribution to solving that incident three years ago. I mean, Aocchi is Himacchi's sister, and Wakaba is related to Mizuki." -Benio: "You may say that, but..." Wakaba and Aoi approached the two. -Uzuki: "Ah, Wakaba, Aocchi, good morning." -Wakaba: "Good morning to you too, Uzuki." -Benio: "Ah, did you check what classes we'll be in?" -Aoi: "I did. We'll all be in class 4-7." -Uzuki: "We're in the same class? All together?" -Wakaba: "Yes." The school bell rang. -Benio: "Ah, we'll be late to the entrance ceremony. Everyone, let's hurry." -Everyone: "Okay!" After the entrance ceremony, the girls headed to their classroom. Uzuki looked around the classroom, and headed to her seat. -Uzuki: "Aocchi..." -Aoi: "What is it, Uzuki?" -Uzuki: "Doesn't it feel a bit lonely? I mean, Sa-chan, Himacchi and the others have all graduated and are now in middle school, and Yayoi-nee has returned home, along with her friends." -Aoi: "It does feel that way; however, don't forget, we're still together." -Uzuki: "I guess so." -Aoi: "Uzuki, there's something I want to ask you." -Uzuki: "Aocchi? What do you want to ask?" -Aoi: "If something similar to what happened last year, or even three years ago, happened again right now, what will you do?" -Uzuki: "Last year... you mean the World Orbs incident?" -Aoi: "Yes." -Uzuki: "I'm not sure... but wouldn't there be people who will deal with such incidents? I mean, Yayoi-nee and the others dealt with the previous incidents, so..." -Aoi: "Uzuki... you can't just rely on your sisters. Someday, you will have to solve this world's problems with your own power. That is the fate of a magical girl." -Uzuki: "But..." Benio walked up to the two. -Benio: "Aoi's right, you know. Someday, we will have to fight. It's a hard truth to come to terms with, but it is the truth nonetheless." Wakaba approached the three. -Wakaba: "Uzuki, we may not want to fight. We may think it's better to just live the lives we have right now. I think that too. But, Mizuki told me that we cannot simply run from our destinies. We either have to accept it, or fight it. So, Uzuki, do you want to simply run away?" -Uzuki: "Everyone..." -Aoi: "Uzuki... you are still Yayoi's little sister. Like her, you have the powers of a magical girl. What we're asking is, will you use that power?" -Uzuki: "... I... I... I will. I'll use it, because I want to protect the ones I hold dear to me." -Benio: "Uzuki... Yayoi would want you to become a magical girl like her." -Uzuki: "I know. I want to prove to everyone... that I can be as great as my sisters." -Aoi: "Well said, Uzuki." -Wakaba: "When the time comes, we will fight alongside you, Uzuki. Because we are friends, and friends never abandon each other." -Uzuki: "Wakaba... everyone, thanks." The girls heard footsteps. -Wakaba: "Ah, it's the teacher." The girls sat down at their seats. The class's homeroom teacher, Nomura, entered the classroom. -Uzuki: "Nomura-sensei?" Nomura stood at the front of the classroom. -Nomura: "Everyone, welcome back to Mimori Elementary School. It's a new year, and that means new challenges await you ahead. I trust that you will all punch above your weight, and do this school proud by performing your very best in your studies." Nomura paused for a bit. -Nomura: "Now, since, like every year before, the class allocations have changed, could everyone please introduce yourselves to the rest of the class." The introductions began. When it was Uzuki's turn: -Uzuki: "Umm... ahh..." -Benio: "Come on, don't be shy." -Uzuki: "Umm, I am Uzuki Miyana." -Nomura: "Wait, Miyana? You're the younger sister of Yayoi Miyana?" -Uzuki: "You know her, Nomura-sensei?" -Nomura: "In the time she was here, she was an earnest student. She constantly strove to better herself, and improve every facet of herself, whether it be her academic performance, her physical ability, or her ability as a magical girl." -Uzuki: "Nomura-sensei, I've always looked up to my older sisters. But, this time, I want to make my own path. I can't just rely on them; it is up to me to decide my path. That's why, I want to become as great as my sisters." -Nomura: "Miyana-san, you are aware that the path you're about to take is not an easy path. Your sister helped solve not one, but two major incidents which had threatened to cause widespread destruction across the galaxy." -Uzuki: "I know that. But when the time comes, I want to be there to help. It's not like I can run away from everything." -Nomura: "Miyana-san..." -Aoi: "Umm, Nomura-sensei, should we let the others introduce themselves now?" -Nomura: "Ah, right, I almost lost track of time." At the lunch break: -Uzuki: "Everyone, what are you going to do after school?" -Benio: "Inori asked me to come to her place after school. She wants to show me something she got during that incident three years ago." -Wakaba: "Mizuki wants me to attend Hinawa-san's match and help out with the equipment." -Uzuki: "Ah, right. I've been thinking, why did she choose to play soccer, instead of continuing as an idol singer?" -Wakaba: "I don't know; you'll have to ask her. Mizutani-san's also considering giving up, to persue some of her other interests." -Uzuki: "What about you, Aocchi?" -Aoi: "My family is going out shopping, and I have to come with them. Uzuki, was there something you needed us to do?" -Uzuki: "No, I was just asking. Besides, Sumippe wants me at the Furusaka Shrine after school. I don't know why, though." -Wakaba: "Why the shrine?" -Benio: "I wonder if something happened. Uzuki, what did Shiba-san say about this?" -Uzuki: "Umm... she said that it was very important. She also said... that I may need to use magic." -Aoi: "Are you sure? It could be dangerous." -Uzuki: "I understand that. But... as you said, we're magical girls. There may come a time when we will be forced to use this power." -Wakaba: "Well, Uzuki, I hope everything goes well." -Aoi: "Me too." -Uzuki: "Everyone..." After school: -Uzuki: "See you later, everyone!" -Benio: "Take care, Uzuki!" Uzuki headed out of the school, and headed towards the Furusaka Shrine. -Uzuki: "I wonder why Sumippe called me to the shrine? Is it really that important?" While Uzuki was walking along the street, she noticed something. -Uzuki: "Hm? It feels like someone's following me." Uzuki looked behind her, but found nothing, other than the walking pedestrians. -Uzuki: "I hope that was just my imagination." Uzuki continued along the street. Suddenly, she heard a rustling noise. She looked towards the direction of the sound. -Uzuki: "What... was that? This is beginning to get a bit scary..." Uzuki walked towards the direction of the noise, right up to a bush. Uzuki inspected the bush, but found nothing. -Uzuki: "Nothing here. But it can't just be my imagination. I really did hear something from here." Suddenly, Uzuki was knocked to the ground. -Uzuki: "Ahh... what was that?" Uzuki tried to get back up again, but the same thing knocked her back down again. It was then that she saw what was attacking her. -Uzuki: "M-M-Monster!" The monster stopped its movements, and was now standing in front of Uzuki. -?????: "Hmph, I expected that a magical girl would give more of a fight than that." -Uzuki: "W-Who are you?" -?????: "It's not something you need to know. I just came to stop you from getting to the shrine, that's all." -Uzuki: "Why, though?" -?????: "As I said, it's not something you need to know." -Uzuki: "Someone's waiting for me there! If I don't go..." -?????: "How should I put this... we don't want anyone at the shrine. The person you're waiting for has already been intercepted." -Uzuki: "No way... Sumippe wouldn't go down to something as weak as you." -?????: "And who are you calling 'weak'? You're the one who went down like a twig." -Uzuki: "And this is coming from someone who snuck up on me? At least fight fair, you know!" -?????: "We're not interested in 'fair fights'. Our goal is to be obtained no matter the means." -Uzuki: "I don't care why you're doing this! If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!" A yellow magic circle appeared beneath Uzuki's feet, and she changed into her mage outfit after a bright flash of yellow light. A sword materialised in her right hand. -?????: "So you've decided to use your power after all. Very well. It seems I have no choice." The monster charged at Uzuki, who managed to dodge the attack. Uzuki attempted a counterattack, but she missed. -?????: "Is that all you've got, girl?" -Uzuki: "No, you haven't even seen the full extent of my power." Uzuki began to cast a spell. Suddenly, thunderbolts began to rain down on the area, narrowly missing the monster. -?????: "Impressive. But can you handle this?" The monster shot a green beam at Uzuki, knocking her down to the ground. -Uzuki: "I don't know why you're doing this, but I don't want to fight. If you tell us what is it you want, then we can help you." -?????: "Hmhmhm.... You humans amuse us. You think you can solve the galaxy's problems all by yourselves. Well, we're here to show you that the power of humanity is limited." -Uzuki: "Even so, we're not to be underestimated. Do you know how many times us humans have averted galactic catastrophe?" -?????: "You speak of anomalies which, to us, are mere bumps on the road. Something like Gakran cannot even hold a candle to our power." -Uzuki: "Tell me, what are you, and who do you work for?" -?????: "We are beings who transcend your understanding. As for the latter question, it's not something you need to know." -Uzuki: "If you're not going to answer my questions... then I'll force them out of you." -?????: "Go ahead, try. You'll kill me before that happens." Uzuki began to cast a spell. Yellow ribbons suddenly appeared and bound the monster; however, it managed to break free of the bonds. -?????: "It'll take more than that to stop me." The monster charged at Uzuki, who dodged the attack and executed a counter- attack. Her attack managed to hit the monster, sending it a few metres away. -Uzuki: "As I said before, I don't want to fight. If you will at least tell me why you wish to stop me from getting to the shrine..." -?????: "How persistent. As I told you, it's not something you need to know. And if you persist, one of us will die." -Uzuki: "So be it, then. If you're not going to answer, then you may as well be another obstacle." Uzuki began to cast a spell, and her sword began to be surrounded by electric energy. The monster readied a shield in anticipation of the attack. Uzuki charged straight at the monster, with her sword impacting its shield. -?????: "As it shows, you lack experience, girl. Let me show you the gulf between us." Suddenly, a pillar of rock emerged from below Uzuki, sending her flying into the air and landing in a nearby tree. -?????: "Well, I didn't expect much... but I wonder how the others are doing. They're the ones saddled with the more difficult targets. Anyway, I better go and see if they need help. But what to do with the girl..." The monster attempted to leave the area, but it was suddenly attacked by a fireball. -?????: "? Who's there?!" It was Aoi and her older sister Himawari. Both had changed into their mage outfits. -Himawari: "Aoi, please check on Uzuki for me." -Aoi: "Okay." Aoi headed to the tree in where Uzuki was stuck. -Uzuki: "Aocchi? You... you and Himacchi are here to save me?" -Aoi: "Well, my sister sensed something odd, so we came here as fast as we could. But to think that you would be attacked by some unknown being..." Meanwhile: -Himawari: "Tell me, who are you, and why did you attack Uzuki?" -?????: "We are beings who transcend your understanding. We are here to isolate the Furusaka shrine for reasons we feel are not necessary for humans to know." -Himawari: "The shrine, you say? I don't know the reasoning behind your actions, but we humans will not give it up without a fight!" -?????: "The power of humans is limited. What makes you think that you can defend this planet from us?" -Himawari: "So... you wish to take over Earth?" -?????: "It is not something you need to know." -Himawari: "But you implied that your intentions are to take over Earth." -?????: "That is merely a hypothetical scenario. But, make no mistake. The power of humanity is limited, and we're here to show you that. We are more powerful than Gongor, more powerful than Gakran, more powerful than all those demons you've fought in your history." -Himawari: "Even so, humans are tenacious by nature. We will not give up, until we find a way to defeat whatever adversity comes in front of us. We will not give up, until we find a way to bring about the miracle. You may defeat one of us, or a thousand, but there are seven billion people on this planet alone, and more on other planets." -?????: "But can you back up your words? We are beings who transcend your understanding." -Himawari: "Tell me, why are you doing this? Just what kind of being are you?" -?????: "The former is not something you need to know. As for the latter, well, there's no point in answering that question. We simply are." -Himawari: "I see that speaking further to you would be pointless. I hope you enjoy my sun-powered flames." Himawari began to cast a spell, and a yellow magic circle appeared beneath her feet. A massive fireball appeared in the air. The monster tried to interrupt the spell by attacking Himawari, but Aoi knocked the monster away with her spear. Himawari threw the fireball straight at the monster, annihilating it. -Himawari: "Well, that's over. But what it said worries me. Could the galaxy be in danger again?" Himawari walked to the tree and dragged Uzuki out. The three girls changed out of their mage outfits. -Himawari: "Are you okay, Uzuki?" -Uzuki: "Yeah... thanks, Himacchi." -Aoi: "Uzuki, do you have any idea what that monster was?" -Uzuki: "No, it was quite evasive in its responses. But 'beings who transcend our understanding'..." -Himawari: "I have a dreaded feeling about that. It could be... the Donsilans." -Aoi: "The Donsilans? What are they?" -Himawari: "Shiba-senpai told me that the Donsilans were a race which lived in this galaxy two million years ago. While it is not known why they disappeared, their magic and technology was far more advanced than anything we've made." -Aoi: "And you think they're returning to reclaim this galaxy?" -Himawari: "Well, the first signs came three years ago. Two individual magical girls, Donsilans, appeared at different times. The first time, it took the combined efforts of Amelia and Erika, and their witches, to defeat the girl. The second time, we were lucky." -Uzuki: "Lucky?" -Himawari: "'Overwhelming Blow'. That is Mirai's Inherent Ability. Very rarely, one of her attacks will deal incredible damage. While it doesn't work against humans, it seems to work against humanoid aliens. Anyway, I believe that those two were vanguards." -Uzuki: "You mean..." -Himawari: "They're coming. Or at least some of them are, anyway." -Aoi: "Then, how do we fight back? If they're as powerful as you say, then..." -Himawari: "The spaceships Likkra and Namari unveiled three years ago, just in time to see action in our war against Gakran. It may not be enough, though." -Uzuki: "Then... what can we do?" -Himawari: "Obviously we need to rally everyone. Unite the Zodiac Warriors and Puella. Get every nation on every planet on board. However, that last part is easier said than done." -Aoi: "Do you have any ideas, Hima-nee?" -Himawari: "No... but I'm sure we'll manage." Himawari took out her phone, and sent a text message. -Uzuki: "Himacchi, to whom were you sending a message?" -Himawari: "Akari. I told her what happened here." -Aoi: "Do you think she'll be able to help us?" -Himawari: "Well, she'll be able to find a way, I'm sure of it. Besides, she is considered a hero throughout the galaxy." -Aoi: "Yeah... everyone made a big deal when Gakran attacked Busan. But when they said that Akari not only repelled the attack, but defeated Gakran..." -Himawari: "Before the Gakran incident, even the existence of magic was kept secret from much of Earth's population. I think it was then when the civilian governments realised that they could not keep it secret any longer. Of course, this had wider implications for society as a whole; a fair percentage of the planet's population had rejected magic entirely because of their beliefs." -Aoi: "If I recall, the revelation about magic made the front pages of virtually every newspaper in the world." -Himawari: "Now, close to three years since the incident, the world is slowly adjusting. While Japan and Korea have been magic-using nations since the end of World War II, the rest of the world is now looking into magic-based technology as a cheaper alternative. Spearheading the move to such technology is China, who before the revelation had already been looking at renewable technology. I think it is this which will help us defeat the coming threat." -Uzuki: "... Anyway, I'm going to head to the shrine. See you later." -Aoi: "Take care, Uzuki." Uzuki headed off. When Uzuki reached the shrine, no one was there. -Uzuki: "Sumippe..." Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind Uzuki. -?????: "Uzuki!" Uzuki turned around. It was Sumire. -Uzuki: "Sumippe!" -Sumire: "Sorry I'm late. I just ran into a problem on the way." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Three years ago, the galaxy was facing a massive threat. Gakran had returned and was wreaking havoc in the galaxy. His ultimate goal, was to destroy the entire human race. However, as we all know, eight magical girls managed to defeat him once and for all. Throughout history, many have tried, and failed, to defeat this demon. In a way, he represented our ultimate threat. "Now, three years after Gakran's defeat, we are still trying to rebuild the many areas he devastated. In Namari, there wasn't that much damage to repair, but Earth is a different story. Many of the cities had sustained at least some damage, and the nations of the galaxy chipped in to help them recover. Busan, the site of the decisive battle which led to Gakran's ultimate defeat, had been all but ruined. But, it managed to recover, and quite rapidly; sometimes I'm amazed at what the Koreans can do. "Haralni, however, was almost completely devastated. Thanks to Gakran, it had spent well over 50 years in a 'Snowball Earth' state, considerably damaging the planet's ecology. Even now, we're trying to increase the planet's temperature in any way we can; the ice is making it difficult. I, Himawari, the princess of Namari, am helping out the people trying to restore Haralni. I have to admit, it is like terraforming an ice planet. We've made many strategies for restoring the planet, including placing large black mats, pumping the atmosphere with carbon dioxide and methane, and even at one point firing the Amaterasu's main gun at a part of the planet. But our work is still not done. So far, there is only a thin band of ice-free water and land, around ten degrees in width around the equator." Himawari was sitting on a chair in the camp. The team had set up camp in the boundary region between the ice and ice-free sections of the planet, and they were assembling a massive device which will pump trapped carbon dioxide from underground up into the air, in an effort to increase the planet's temperature. Already, the effects of the restoration could be seen; the mere existence of the ice-free section was the most obvious sign. The water cycle, which stopped right after Gakran was defeated, had already restarted, and the first flakes of snow falling brought smiles to the teams working on the restoration. Soon, the snow turned into rain, signalling that the restoration had been a success up to that point. For Himawari, though, she would not see that rain for a while. At the boundary section, the main form of precipitation was still snow. The large black mats, placed on the planet in the initial stages of restoration to decrease the planet's albedo, lost their effectiveness as snow fell on them, so the addition of greenhouse gases was needed to increase the temperature further. She knew that glassing parts of the planet in order to heat it up might do more harm than good; indeed, she was the one who ordered a stop to it. Himawari looked at the sky above. The clouds had been gathering for the past few hours, and the forecast said that there was a fair chance of snow. She stood up, and inspected the area to see if there were any hostile creatures around. The area the camp was in was a fairly flat plain, with a very thin sprinkling of snow covering the bare soil. Nothing grew here, or in any other place, for the last 50 years. Any trees which could be seen were long dead. A light breeze blew through the camp, sending a light chill up Himawari's body as the cold air blew around and into her bare legs. She headed into one of the tents, where she will stay until the weather clears up. One of the workers in the tent began to speak. -Worker A: "Princess, how is everything out there?" -Himawari: "Well, it'll begin snowing, so we should wait until the weather becomes sunny again. I had a look outside, and I couldn't find any monsters around." -Worker B: "I've been thinking... wouldn't it be easier to just blast the planet with heat? Why do we have to do things like this?" -Himawari: "Someone did try to blast the planet. I put a stop to that; weapons aren't meant to be used for things like this. Thanks to him, there's now an extra crater on this planet." -Worker C: "What about using magic to heat up the planet?" -Himawari: "That would work... if it weren't for the fact that the heat has to come from somewhere. We could fill the atmosphere with methane and burn it up, but that'll kill everyone. And besides, the scope of this project is far too much for someone like myself." -Worker C: "Then how did Gakran do it?" -Himawari: "You should remember that Gakran applied his magic for around a thousand years. It was only in the last 50 years that we've gotten the situation where the entire planet is frozen." -Worker A: "What about the mats?" -Himawari: "We removed them because snow was building up on them. Besides, we have an ocean with which we can replace them. Fortunately, if we melt enough ice, we can get enough bare ocean for the process to feed itself." -Worker B: "Princess, why are you here? Shouldn't you be back home?" -Himawari: "I wanted to personally oversee the progress here. You know, I actually came because I heard rumours that someone in the navy was misusing the Amaterasu." -Worker B: "Ah, that." -Himawari: "And besides, I wanted to see this planet for myself." -Worker A: "Anyway..." Suddenly, a scream was heard. -Worker C: "What was that?!" -Himawari: "I'll go check. You three stay here." Himawari left the tent and headed in the direction of the scream. Suddenly, a monster leapt into her path. -?????: "Look at what we have here. A princess, all alone." -Himawari: "What do you want?! Who are you?!" -?????: "Hmhmhm.... It's not something you need to know. I'm just here to stop you from interfering with our plans." -Himawari: "I heard a scream. Could that be your doing?" -?????: "I won't say. I'm only here to stop you." -Himawari: "Then try!" Himawari changed into her mage outfit. An orange magic circle appeared beneath her feet. The monster charged straight towards Himawari, but, at the very last moment, Himawari shot a fireball at the monster, critically injuring it. -Himawari: "Just what was that thing? Just in case..." Orange chains bound the monster. -Himawari: "I better hurry." Himawari ran towards the direction of the scream. When Himawari found where the scream came from, she saw a large monster attacking a young girl. -Girl: "G-Get away from me!" The monster was about to attack the girl; however, Himawari shot a fireball at it, stopping its attack and diverting its focus. -Girl: "Eh?" -Himawari: "I'll take care of this. Run away as fast as you can!" -Girl: "Y-Yes!" The girl ran away. The monster saw this, and tried to attack the girl again, but Himawari leapt into the path of the attack and blocked it with her staff. -Himawari: "Sorry, but I won't let you harm her." Himawari's staff glowed orange, and flames started appearing from it. The monster took several steps back, then charged straight at Himawari. She leapt into the air to avoid the attack, and pointed her staff at the monster. An orange magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and a massive fireball appeared in front of her staff. Himawari swung her staff, and the fireball was thrown straight at the monster, annihilating it. -Girl: "Wow, you're really strong." -Himawari: "Can I ask you something?" -Girl: "What is it?" -Himawari: "Why was that monster attacking you?" -Girl: "I... I don't know." -Himawari: "Actually, can you tell me who you are, and why are you here?" -Girl: "I..." The girl paused for a bit, then responded with her name. -Lyra: "Lyra." -Himawari: "Lyra?" -Lyra: "Well, that's a rough translation of my actual name. But the people who brought me in had some trouble with pronouncing it; in fact, I had trouble as well, and I had to write it down to show them." -Himawari: "So that's why they decided to translate your name. And I assume that the people who brought you in are English speakers, right?" -Lyra: "Yeah, they speak English." -Himawari: "Anyway, why are you here?" -Lyra: "I heard a voice calling for me. Something about a 'return to the galaxy'." -Himawari: "What do you mean?" -Lyra: "I don't know. But... I don't know much about where I came from. No one knows." -Himawari: "Do you know where and when you were born?" -Lyra: "I don't know where. As for when... around nine or ten years ago." -Himawari: "So you're around a year younger than me." -Lyra: "Eh?" -Himawari: "I'm going to be eleven in around two weeks." -Lyra: "I see. Anyway, you haven't introduced yourself." -Himawari: "Ah. I am the princess of Namari." -Lyra: "You're... a princess?" -Himawari: "Yes, I am. My name is Himawari." -Lyra: "Himawari..." -Himawari: "Anyway, Lyra, do you know how to get back?" -Lyra: "No..." -Himawari: "It can't be helped, then. There's a camp to the southwest of here. Let's go." -Lyra: "Yes." The two girls headed to the camp, only to find it ruined. Several monsters were roaming around, and the dead and wounded were scattered around the campsite. -Himawari: "Oh no..." -Lyra: "Monsters!" -Himawari: "First thing to do is to take care of the monsters. Lyra, could you hide for a bit?" -Lyra: "No, I'm going to fight with you, Hima-chan." -Himawari: "Well, I guess you could; I can feel that you're a magical girl... wait, did you just call me 'Hima-chan'?" -Lyra: "It's easier this way." -Himawari: "... Anyway, let's get rid of these monsters." -Lyra: "Okay!" Lyra changed into her mage outfit. The two girls fought the monsters, and in less than a minute, killed them. -Himawari: "Okay, that should be the last one. Lyra, how is everything over there?" -Lyra: "Everything's okay here." -Himawari: "Anyway, could you tend to the wounded? I need to get in touch with the Amaterasu." -Lyra: "The Ama... what?" -Himawari: "One of Namari's spaceships." -Lyra: "You have a spaceship?!" -Himawari: "Okay, it's not mine specifically. But I did come here on it, so..." -Lyra: "I wanna see!" -Himawari: "I'll show you around the ship sometime." Himawari took out a device, and began to speak into it. -Himawari: "To the Amaterasu, this is Princess Himawari. I'm here to report that the camp has been attacked." -Voice: "Are there any casualties?" -Himawari: "There are many. Could you please send a rescue team down here?" -Voice: "Yes, Princess. We'll send a rescue team." Orbiting Haralni was the spaceship Amaterasu. It was monitoring the restoration efforts around the planet. One of the bay doors opened, and a shuttle took of from it. The shuttle entered the planet's atmosphere, and began to be enveloped by a bright red glow. Eventually, the shuttle slowed down enough for the glow to disappear, and it glided its way to the ruined camp, where Himawari was waiting. Once the shuttle landed, the door opened, and several members of the rescue team exited the shuttle. -Rescuer A: "Princess, what's the situation?" -Himawari: "Well, as you can see. monsters have attacked the camp. While we have eliminated most of the monsters, there could still be some remaining, and it is possible that the attackers are planning another attack." -Rescuer B: "I see. Well, we've made plans for this. Princess, I suggest that you return to the Amaterasu. We'll handle things here." -Himawari: "Very well. Anyway, I found this girl a short while ago. She was being attacked by one of the monsters, and I saved her." -Rescuer B: "Hm? Oh, her. Well, do you know where her home is?" -Lyra: "... I was lost." -Rescuer A: "Lost? Well, it can't be helped. Princess, take her to the ship. Maybe you'll be able to find her home from there." -Himawari: "Okay, then." The rescuers all left the shuttle, leaving only the pilot. -Himawari: "Lyra, let's hop on." -Lyra: "Okay!" The two girls boarded the shuttle, and the door closed. The shuttle began to fire its jet engines, and it took off. The girls saw from the window a barrier being erected where the camp was. -Himawari: "Hopefully that'll be enough to ward off another attack." -Lyra: "Hima-chan?" -Himawari: "What is it, Lyra?" -Lyra: "What do you do as a princess?" -Himawari: "As a princess, I do many things to help my country. Namari is a very powerful nation in the entire known galaxy, and a founding member of the Federation of Four Earths, so my job takes me to faraway places. Of course, I'm also a magical girl, and at times, I may be asked to fight." -Lyra: "I see. That's very unlike the stories I've read." -Himawari: "Those stories were reflective of a time and place where girls only existed to be married off. Being a native of Namari, I cannot really understand their rationale with regards to that, as in my country, it is always the women who hold the power." -Lyra: "I see." -Himawari: "Anyway, one day I'll introduce you to my sister." -Lyra: "Your sister?" -Himawari: "Erika, the queen of Namari. She was only crowned less than three years ago, and often needs help from others with regards to running the country. But, she's a very powerful mage in her own right." The pilot interrupted the girls' conversation. -Pilot: "Princess, we're at 35,000 metres. We'll be firing the rockets now, so hang tight." -Himawari: "Understood. Lyra, is your seatbelt on?" -Lyra: "Yes." -Himawari: "Okay, then." The shuttle turned off its jet engines, then fired its rocket, sending it far up towards the sky. The shuttle left the atmosphere of Haralni and turned off its rockets. It continued towards the Amaterasu, which was parked in Low Earth Orbit. The shuttle extended its radiators on the way to the spaceship. On board, the girls looked out the window. -Lyra: "Hima-chan, is this what you were trying to do?" -Himawari: "Ah, that? Well, it'll take a long time, but we will get the planet back to the way it was before Gakran came. As you can see, we're beginning to melt the ice." -Lyra: "I wonder what the planet will look like once this is finished..." -Himawari: "I'm sure it'll be very pretty once everything is finished. Lyra, have you ever been to any other planet?" -Lyra: "No. But I want to someday leave this planet." -Himawari: "Well, the first thing is to find your home." -Lyra: "Ah, okay." The shuttle turned 180 degrees, then fired its rocket. This slowed down the craft to a speed where it can maneuver into the hangar of the Amaterasu. The shuttle extended its landing gear and, with a burst of its maneuvering rockets, touched down onto the deck and came to a complete stop. -Pilot: "Right, we're here. Princess, could you and the girl please change into your mage outfits?" -Himawari: "Ah, right. Lyra, let's change." -Lyra: "Okay." The girls changed into their mage outfits. Meanwhile, the pilot had donned his space suit. -Pilot: "I'm now going to open the door. You two still have your seatbelts on, right?" -Himawari: "Yes. Please open the door." The pilot pressed a button, and the door opened. Air began to rush out of the shuttle. -Lyra: "Wait... without air..." -Himawari: "You shouldn't need to worry. Your mage outfit should protect you from the vacuum, as well as sustain you." -Lyra: "Ah, okay." After a while, the shuttle was emptied of its air. The girls left the shuttle, and proceeded to walk towards the airlock. Lyra tried to speak, but no sound came out of her mouth. -Himawari: -Lyra: -Himawari: The girls entered the airlock, and the door sealed shut. After a while, the opposite door opened, and the girls walked out, after changing out of their mage outfits. On the way to the CIC, Himawari's phone alerted her to a new message. She took out the phone, and read the message. -Lyra: "What is it, Hima-chan?" -Himawari: "It's from Akari. It appears that strange beings appeared on Earth and attacked several magical girls within the vicinity of the Furusaka Shrine. Apparently they were evasive in their responses to questions regarding their origins." -Lyra: "Hima-chan... do you think this is related to the monster which attacked me?" -Himawari: "I don't know. It could be possible, but we need to investigate further." -Lyra: "And this Akari... is she a friend?" -Himawari: "Yes. She was one of the magical girls who taught me how to use my powers." -Lyra: "I see." -Himawari: "Anyway, let's continue." In the CIC, the captain of the Amaterasu, Mayu Fukuyama, was monitoring the situation on the ground. Suddenly, the radar operator alerted the captain about an unidentified ship approaching. -Radar Operator: "Captain, unidentified ship approaching." -Fukuyama: "What is its distance and bearing?" -Radar Operator: "The unidentified ship is around 12 light minutes; approach into weapons range is expected in 20 minutes." -Radio Operator: "Should we try to communicate with the ship?" -Fukuyama: "No, let us wait. Everyone, try to identify the ship." -Everyone: "Yes, ma'am!" Meanwhile, Himawari entered the CIC, with Lyra. -Fukuyama: "Ah, you're here, Princess." -Himawari: "Is something the matter, Fukuyama?" -Fukuyama: "We've encountered an unidentified ship heading our way. We have around 20 minutes until it enters weapons range." -Himawari: "I see. Anyway, what is the current course of action?" -Fukuyama: "Currently, we're monitoring the situation and trying to identify the ship." -Himawari: "Could you let me have a look?" -Fukuyama: "Sure." The viewscreen showed the data obtained by the ship's sensors regarding the unidentified ship. Himawari inspected the data. -Himawari: "I see. Fukuyama, please be careful. -Radio Operator: "Captain, incoming signal!" -Fukuyama: "Put it on the display." The viewscreen began to show a video feed from the unidentified ship. -Himawari: "This is... could it be..." -Lyra: "They're... returning." Everyone looked at Lyra. -Himawari: "What do you mean, Lyra?" -Lyra: "They're here. The Donsilans." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Three years ago, a massive catastrophe was about to bear down on the galaxy. Gakran, a powerful demon who first appeared around a thousand years ago, had laid out his plans to eliminate humanity. Standing between him and this goal were eight magical girls. These eight girls set out to do what no one had ever done before. "In the end, they succeeded in their quest, and Gakran was defeated. I could do nothing but watch, while my sisters gave whatever assistance they could give to the girls. Now it is my turn to help out in whatever crisis will come. I am the princess of Likkra, Louise, and this is the beginning of the story of the April Light." The sun shone through the windows of Haguya Castle. Once a mighty fortress which had held off the Radicals during the Sunflower Revolution, it is now one of the gems of Haguya, its magnificent shape standing tall amongst the old buildings surrounding it. Although it is now dwarfed by the many skyscrapers found within the city, it is still the home of the royal family of Likkra, and the meeting place for the Likkran Parliament. Within one of the bedrooms of the castle, the light shone through the glass of the window, illuminating the room. The sun's light touched the face of the girl sleeping in the canopy bed, and she began to stir. Eventually, the girl woke up and got out of bed. She walked to the small bathroom attached to the bedroom, and did her normal morning routine. After doing so, she exited the bathroom and got changed. Her outfit consisted of a long-sleeved yellow blouse, a sweater of the same colour, an orange skirt which fell just below where her fingertips would be if her arms hung straight down at her sides, and dark grey knee-high socks. She put her hair into a ponytail, and then left her room. While the girl was walking along one of the numerous hallways of the castle, a voice called out to her. -Voice: "Louise!" The girl turned towards the direction of the voice. It was her older sister, Stephanie. -Louise: "Stephanie? Did you want me to do something? I was heading to the main dining room to have breakfast." -Stephanie: "You know, you could have breakfast delivered to your room." -Louise: "I'm not that busy, you know. Anyway, why did you call out to me?" -Stephanie: "Well... I received a message from Akari." -Louise: "Akari? What did it say?" -Stephanie: "Well, she said that there was an attack near the Furusaka Shrine in Tokyo. Several magical girls were targeted by a mysterious being. We don't know why, but they kept saying that they were beings who transcended our understanding." -Louise: "And you're asking me to investigate, right?" -Stephanie: "Well, I would... but I'd like to hear your thoughts." -Louise: "Stephanie... you're older than me. You should be making these decisions for yourself. You can't just defer to others all the time. What if something happened to Amelia? That'd leave you in charge." -Stephanie: "True, but... okay. Louise, head to Tokyo, and meet Sumire." -Louise: "Understood. But let me eat and get ready first." -Stephanie: "Okay." The two sisters parted ways. While Louise was eating in the dining hall, Stephanie walked up to her and sat next to her. -Louise: "Weren't you going to eat in your room?" -Stephanie: "Well, I wanted to speak to you about the recent events." -Louise: "You mean that attack?" -Stephanie: "Well, what do you think?" -Louise: "I'm not sure myself. Do you have any ideas?" -Stephanie: "Well, there is this theory Akari put up. She said that the ones controlling the monsters might be Donsilans." -Louise: "Donsilans? You're kidding, right?" -Stephanie: "Well, it's just a theory. Anyway..." Suddenly, Louise's phone rang. -Louise: "Ah..." Louise picked up the phone. -Louise: "Hello? Oh, it's you, Himawari. Wait... where are you exactly? I see. Anyway, I'll inform my sisters. Bye." Louise put the phone away. -Stephanie: "What's going on?" -Louise: "It appears that the Amaterasu has encountered a Donsilan ship, and is now being attacked. Himawari and a mysterious girl she saved while on Haralni have been sent back to the surface for their own safety." -Stephanie: "I see. I'll inform Amelia right away." -Louise: "I... I'll come with you." -Stephanie: "Okay, then." The two sisters headed to the throne room. When the sisters entered the throne room, they found it empty. -Stephanie: "Huh? Where is Amelia?" -Louise: "Maybe she's still in her room. Should we check it out?" -Stephanie: "Okay." The sisters exited the throne room, went through another hallway, and stopped in front of the door to the room at the end of the hallway. Stephanie knocked on the door. -Stephanie: "Amelia! Are you there?" There was no response. Stephanie grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it. -Stephanie: "? The door's unlocked." Stephanie opened the door, and she and Louise entered. There was no one inside. -Stephanie: "Where could she have gone? And just when we need her..." Louise saw a note on the coffee table, and picked it up. -Louise: "Stephanie, she left us a note." -Stephanie: "Let me see." Louise handed the note to Stephanie. The note read: "Sorry for leaving you on such short notice, but something has come up and I have been requested to head to Cedysna to meet with the other leaders and discuss our next course of action. You may have found out by now, but there have been several attacks on mages and magical girls in recent days, all done by mysterious beings whose origins we have yet to figure out." -Stephanie: "I'm guessing she already knows." -Louise: "Stephanie, what should we do? If these attacks continue..." -Stephanie: "Wait, why are you asking me?" -Louise: "Well, since Amelia isn't here, you're in charge now." -Stephanie: "Okay, okay. Louise, if you can, try to meet up with Himawari." -Louise: "Understood. But how can I get there? None of our spaceships are in operation, and it'll take too long anyway." -Stephanie: "If I recall, there are Portal Monoliths in the castle's basement. They haven't been used much in the past three years, though, since we now have spaceships which can take us anywhere without risk of encountering monsters." -Louise: "Okay. Well, then, I'll be off." -Stephanie: "Take care, Louise." Louise left the room, and headed to the castle's basement. In the castle's basement, there was a large room containing the Portal Monoliths. The room was guarded by two guards. -Guard A: "Princess, what business do you have down here?" -Louise: "Stephanie told me to head to Haralni, to meet up with the princess of Namari." -Guard B: "You know it's dangerous to use the Portal Monoliths. And besides, we already have our spaceships." -Louise: "This is urgent; the Amaterasu is being attacked right now. We're not going to spend ten hours just to get one of our ships up and running, spend another 60 hours heading to Earth, and then another hour to get to Haralni." -Guard B: "I see your point. Very well, have a safe trip." The guards opened the door. Louise entered the room, and headed to a specific Portal Monolith and activated it. In a flash of yellow light, she disappeared. On a snowy plain, a lone house stood. The house was not particularly big; it could accommodate three people. But, for a long time, it had been unoccupied due to Gakran's influence on the planet's climate. The house was supposed to be part of a farm, but since nothing could grow, it had been abandoned. In the years since its abandonment, the other buildings had been demolished, and the house itself repurposed as a navigation point for travellers, complete with a Portal Monolith. Inside the house, the Portal Monolith began to glow in a yellow light. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and Louise appeared beside the Portal Monolith. She exited the room where the Portal Monolith was, and found Himawari and a strange girl sitting in the hallway of the house. -Louise: "Himawari, what are you doing here? And who is that girl?" -Himawari: "Ah, Louise, you're here. Listen, this girl I found seems to be connected to the Donsilans in some way." -Louise: "What makes you think so?" -Himawari: "She identified the ship attacking the Amaterasu as a Donsilan ship. We still don't know the significance of this, though." -Louise: "Anyway, what is the girl's name?" The girl, Lyra, responded. -Lyra: "It's Lyra." -Louise: "Lyra?" -Himawari: "It's not her actual name, but a rough translation of it into English." -Louise: "I see. Anyway, Lyra, I'm Louise, one of the princesses of Likkra." -Lyra: "Nice to meet you, Lou-Lou." -Louise: "Nice to meet you too... wait, 'Lou-Lou'?" Himawari giggled. -Himawari: "Yeah, she also insists on calling me 'Hima-chan'." -Louise: "It sounds like something Uzuki would call me..." -Himawari: "Anyway, speaking about Uzuki, I've asked Sumire to send her here." -Louise: "Wait, why?" -Himawari: "Louise, do you know of Uzuki's Inherent Ability?" -Louise: "No, what about it?" -Himawari: "I think it might help us get out of the trouble we're in." -Louise: "You mean the battle between the spaceships?" -Himawari: "Yes. Akari believes that Uzuki has a similar Inherent Ability to that of her eldest sister." -Louise: "I know about Mutsuki's Inherent Ability, and it is quite scary; to think one could use up a large percentage of mana to deliver an exceptionally powerful attack..." -Himawari: "Anyway, I don't know when Uzuki will arrive, so..." Suddenly, the door was knocked down by a mysterious being. -?????: "Hmhmhm.... There you are, Lyra." -Lyra: "W-What do you want?" -?????: "We have returned to this galaxy to take back what is rightfully ours. You are one of us; you will come with us." -Lyra: "No... I don't understand. What are you talking about?" -Himawari: "Lyra, don't listen to that thing." Louise changed into her mage outfit, and drew her gun. -Louise: "I don't know why you want Lyra, but you'll have to get past us first. Prepare yourself!" Himawari also changed into her mage outfit. -Himawari: "We will not negotiate with the likes of you. You have attacked our people repeatedly, and show no signs of ceasing your actions." -Lyra: "Hima-chan, Lou-Lou..." -?????: "Very well, then." The being charged straight at the three girls. Louise fired her gun at the monster, but it had no effect. Himawari sent a fireball at the monster, again to no effect. Both erected barriers right before the monster closed the distance, resulting in it bouncing off the barriers. -Himawari: "This one is stronger than the one from last time. Louise, you'll need to use stronger magic." -Louise: "I know. Let me try something." A yellow magic circle appeared beneath Louise's feet. Metal spheres appeared out of nowhere, and were sent flying towards the monster. Upon impact, they sent the monster flying, but it only took a little damage. Soon after, an orange magic circle appeared beneath Himawari's feet. Multiple fireballs appeared, and were sent towards the monster. Upon impact, the monster took more damage, but did not appear to be significantly disabled. -Louise: "Himawari, should we try that?" -Himawari: "You mean... wait, it's too cramped in here. We should take the battle outside first." -Louise: "Good idea. Lyra, come with us." -Lyra: "Ah, okay." The three girls leapt past the monster and landed in front of the door. -Himawari: "Come on, let's take it outside." The girls ran out of the building and onto the plain. They ran to around three kilometres from the house. -?????: "Very well, then." The monster followed them. Magic circles appeared beneath the feet of both Louise and Himawari. A massive metal sphere appeared in the air, and began to glow red hot. The monster attempted to stop the spell by attacking one of the girls, but they had pre-emptively put up barriers. -Louise: "Right, then. Lyra, hold on tight!" -Lyra: "Okay!" Louise and Himawari leapt out of the way of the massive sphere, with Lyra holding onto Louise. The monster tried to follow them, but... -Louise and Himawari: "Steel Inferno!" The red-hot metal sphere suddenly fell straight down onto the monster, creating a massive fireball as it impacted the earth. Once everything cleared, an area of around a kilometre in diameter was covered with sporadic puddles of rapidly- cooling molten metal. The snow had completely evaporated from the area, revealing bare rock. However, despite the massive power of the attack, the monster was still standing. -Himawari: "That wasn't enough?!" -?????: "Was that all? Let's see if you can take this!" A green magic circle appeared beneath the monster. Suddenly, thousands of green lances appeared and were thrown at the girls. The barriers they put up managed to withstand the onslaught, but after a minute, they began to develop cracks. -Louise: "Himawari, I don't think we'll be able to take this much longer. Do you have any ideas?" -Himawari: "No. But we do have Lyra." -Louise: "I suppose. Lyra, you're able to fight, right?" -Lyra: "Yes." -Louise: "Well, it seems we have no choice but to ask you to fight." -Lyra: "Okay." Lyra changed into her mage outfit. A white magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and thousands of white magic orbs appeared in the air. -?????: "You dare turn against us?!" -Lyra: "I don't know who you are. I don't understand what's going on. But you won't harm my friends!" The magic orbs were thrown at the green lances, obliterating all of them. -?????: "You are one of us! You belong to us! And yet you fight us?" -Lyra: "Then tell me. Who am I exactly?" -?????: "If you come with us, you will find out." -Lyra: "If so, then I will not come with you. I don't trust you." -?????: "Then so be it. I will have to take you by force!" More green lances appeared, and were thrown straight at Lyra. However, a golem suddenly emerged from the ground and blocked the attack. -?????: "Who's there?!" A young girl's voice spoke. -Voice: "Sorry I'm late, Louise, Himawari." The girls turned towards the direction of the voice. It was Mirai. -Louise: "Mirai? What are you doing here?" -Himawari: "Mirai?" -Mirai: "Well, I've brought someone with me here. But before that..." A blue magic circle appeared beneath Mirai's feet. A far larger magic circle appeared behind her, and a dragon emerged from it. -Lyra: "A dragon?" -?????: "Tch. I never thought I'd encounter a summoner here." The dragon took off and flew towards the monster. It breathed out a massive plume of fire, incapacitating the monster. -Mirai: "Now, for the finishing blow..." The golem walked straight to the monster, and with one mighty punch, crushed it on the ground. -Himawari: "Is it over?" -Mirai: "It is. Anyway, let's head back to the house." -Louise: "Okay." The girls returned to the house. The girls entered the house, and headed upstairs. -Mirai: "By the way, who is that girl anyway?" -Lyra: "Ah, umm, I'm Lyra." -Mirai: "Ah, nice to meet you, Lyra. I am Mirai Aooka." -Lyra: "Ah, nice to meet you too." -Louise: "Anyway, Mirai, whom have you brought here?" -Mirai: "Well, let me get her." Mirai entered the room. After a while, she exited. Alongside her was Uzuki. -Himawari: "Uzuki!" -Uzuki: "It's been a while, Himawari. By the way, you must be Princess Louise, am I right?" -Louise: "Yes. It's a pleasure meeting you, Uzuki." -Uzuki: "Same here, Lou-Lou." Lyra giggled. -Louise: "You're calling me that as well?" -Lyra: "Umm... ah..." -Uzuki: "Ah, I haven't seen you before. Who might you be?" -Lyra: "I'm Lyra." -Himawari: "Anyway, Uzuki, you know why you're here, right?" -Uzuki: "Yes; Sumippe, Mi-chan and Inorin told me everything." -Himawari: "So you know that the Amaterasu is being attacked by a mysterious ship, and that you have the ability to possibly destroy the ship." -Uzuki: "Yes. But... I don't know how I can use this power." -Louise: "Well, the first thing to do is to leave this house and head to the plain outside." -Uzuki: "Ah, okay." -Mirai: "Wait, before we go, some of Uzuki's friends came with her." Mirai opened the door, revealing Uzuki's friends. -Uzuki: "You can come out, everyone." The three girls inside exited the room. -Wakaba: "It's a pleasure to meet you all, everyone. I'm Wakaba Harumi, and I'm one of Uzuki's friends." -Aoi: "Same here. I'm Aoi Higasa." -Lyra: "Ah, nice to meet you too." -Himawari: "It's been a while since I last saw you, Benio. How have you been, and how is Inori?" -Benio: "I've been well, and so has Inori. What about Akari?" -Himawari: "She's still her usual self. Oh, everyone, I should introduce this girl to you. Her name is Lyra. I don't know why, but the mysterious beings are after her." -Wakaba: "Wait... I think I know about her." -Everyone: "Eh?!" -Wakaba: "If I recall, Natasha and Chelsea mentioned that their cousins' families had adopted a strange young girl whose origins no one knew. Her name was Lyra." -Louise: "Now that you mention it, Stephanie mentioned something about a girl whose origins no one could figure out. I never thought I would actually meet her." -Uzuki: "Wakaba, where did you get that information?" -Wakaba: "Mizuki told me." -Mirai: "But I wonder, Lyra, why are those beings after you?" -Lyra: "I... I don't know. They seem to know something about me I don't know." -Mirai: "Well, you are fairly strange, for a magical girl. Your mana signature differs significantly from that of a normal human magical girl, for example." -Himawari: "Anyway, let's focus on the task at hand. Everyone, let's head outside." The girls headed outside. The sun was beginning to set. -Aoi: "So, you're saying that Uzuki has the ability to destroy the ship attacking the Amaterasu by herself, right?" -Mirai: "Not quite; her power is necessary to disable its magic barriers." -Himawari: "We have ordered the Amaterasu to set the SMMC to full power and to commence charging of the weapon. At full power, and when fully charged, we estimate that the weapon can deliver nine megatons of magical energy to the target." -Mirai: "But the Donsilan ship's magic barriers can soak up to 20 megatons of energy. In comparison, the Amaterasu's magic barriers can only take up to ten megatons before being disabled." -Himawari: "And we estimate that Uzuki's Inherent Ability can deliver up to 30 megatons; more than enough to disable the barriers." -Wakaba: "So it's more than enough, right?" -Louise: "Of course, such an abillity is very dangerous. Uzuki, are you prepared to use this ability?" -Uzuki: "I am, but... I don't know how to use it." -Mirai: "Uzuki, I'll show you how to activate your Inherent Ability." Mirai's dragon flew towards the girls and landed next to them. -Mirai: "Hop on, Uzuki." -Uzuki: "Okay, Mi-chan." Mirai and Uzuki leapt onto the dragon's back. The dragon then took off. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mirai's dragon flew very quickly up into the air, carrying Mirai and Uzuki. When the dragon reached an altitude of around 5,000 metres: -Mirai: "Uzuki, the air's getting thinner, so let's change into our mage outfits." -Uzuki: "Okay." Both girls changed into their mage outfits. -Mirai: "Right, then..." The dragon picked up speed, until it was moving at supersonic speeds. Soon, it reached an altitude of 30,000 metres. It was then that Mirai spotted enemies. -Mirai: "Uzuki, there are enemies up ahead. Could you disembark and engage them?" -Uzuki: "Eh? At this speed? Couldn't you do something, Mi-chan?" -Mirai: "Sorry, but apart from my abilitites as a summoner, I'm pretty much useless in the air. Unlike you or your sister, I lack the ability to use wind- and electricity-based spells which are vital for aerial combat. I'm pretty much reliant on my dragon right now." -Uzuki: "Ah, that's too bad. But, at this speed, wouldn't I..." -Mirai: "Keep your barrier up. With or without a mage outfit, no one likes having air being blown at them at supersonic speeds. Uzuki, you are capable of flight, am I correct?" -Uzuki: "Ah, yes." Uzuki jumped off the dragon, and flew towards the enemy. She began to cast a spell, and a yellow magic circle appeared beneath her feet. The air began to become electrified. -Uzuki: "Here goes..." In a flash, the enemies were struck by a massive electric shock, causing them to fall. However, more enemies arrived. -Mirai: "More?" Uzuki headed to the second group of enemies, and proceeded to attack them with the same spell, with similar results. A third group of enemies arrived. -Uzuki: "Mi-chan, they keep coming. How long are we..." It was then that Uzuki noticed that Mirai was not responding. -Uzuki: "Mi-chan, can you hear me?" Again, there was no response. -Uzuki: "Mi-chan!" This time, Mirai turned towards Uzuki. She began to communicate with Uzuki, but without using speech, instead using telepathy. -Mirai: -Uzuki: -Mirai: Meanwhile, Mirai's dragon sent out a massive flame breath towards the enemies, incinerating them. A fourth group of enemies arrived. -Uzuki: Uzuki was about to cast another spell; however, green magic bullets flew from behind Uzuki and shot down the enemies in front of her. Uzuki turned around and saw a green figure flying straight towards her. -Uzuki: Mirai turned around. -Mirai: The girl in green caught up with Uzuki and Mirai. It was Wakaba. -Uzuki: -Wakaba: -Uzuki: -Mirai: -Wakaba: Wakaba flew ahead, to meet with the next wave of enemies. -Uzuki: -Mirai: -Uzuki: -Mirai: -Uzuki: Mirai giggled. -Mirai: -Uzuki: -Mirai: -Uzuki: -Mirai: -Uzuki: -Mirai: -Uzuki: -Mirai: -Uzuki: Uzuki closed her eyes and began to focus. A large yellow magic circle appeared beneath her feet. -Mirai: -Uzuki: -Mirai: Uzuki gathered herself for a moment, then she took a deep breath. -Uzuki: "Bloom, my flower!" Suddenly, there was a massive burst of yellow light. When the brilliant glow died down, Uzuki's weapon and mage outfit were altered. There were what appeared to be boosters embedded into her mage outfit's boots and gloves, and her sword was not only a lot longer, it continuously crackled with electricity. -Mirai: -Uzuki: Suddenly, there was a telepathic signal. -Wakaba: -Mirai: -Wakaba: -Mirai: -Uzuki: Uzuki reinforced her barrier, then sped off towards Wakaba. Thanks to Full Burst mode, she was able to achieve hypersonic speeds, which, while putting her barrier under significant thermal and mechanical strain, allowed her to close the distance between herself and Wakaba. In less than half a minute, she managed to reach the monsters, 65 kilometres from the ground. -Uzuki: -Wakaba: -Uzuki: -Wakaba: -Uzuki: Wakaba readied her bow, and a massive amount of green magic arrows materialised within it. Uzuki began to cast a spell herself, and her sword began to build up electricity. -Uzuki: -Wakaba: <... two...> Both girls began their attack. The sheer scale of the attack resulted in a massive display of light, and when the attack stopped, the enemy was nowhere to be seen. -Wakaba: -Uzuki: Uzuki went ahead. "It's now up to me. If I don't do this, then..." Uzuki managed to reach space. However, she could not see where the enemy spaceship was, as it was so far away. However, she found herself right next to the Amaterasu. It was then that she saw what appeared to be a salvo of missiles heading straight towards the Namari spaceship. Uzuki reinforced her barrier to prepare for the onslaught. The Amaterasu's point defence system went to work straight away. Laser turrets and guns tracked the missiles, shooting them down whenever they got too close. However, they appeared to be at their limit. Uzuki looked around and saw that the Amaterasu's radiators were glowing red, brighter and hotter than it should. Of course, Himawari had said that she ordered the Amaterasu to charge its main gun, but there did not seem to be much more power the Amaterasu could consume in its current state. Inevitably, some of the missiles went through the point defence, detonating close to the magic barrier. Each detonation created a massive blinding flash of light, straining the ship's barrier further. Uzuki did not know what exactly were the missiles, but knew that she needed to get away very quickly. She flew away from the Amaterasu, and tried to find the origin of the missiles. It was then that she sensed it. It was very faint, but it was the enemy ship, or at at least the glow from its radiators, a thousand kilometres away, at a higher orbit than the Amaterasu. Now Uzuki knew where the ship was, so she began to activate her Inherent Ability. She closed her eyes, and began to focus. A large magic circle appeared beneath her feet. She mouthed her incantation, a short poem in Namari taught to her by her eldest sister Mutsuki, but with her own modifications, but with no air, there was nothing which could hear it. With the incantation complete, she pointed her sword, almost completely covered with sparks and electric arcs, towards the enemy ship. At that moment, there was a massive flash of light originating from the enemy ship, almost as if a 30-megaton nuclear weapon were set off right next to it. Then, almost on cue, the Amaterasu fired its main gun at the enemy ship. The massive white orb travelled very quickly towards the enemy ship and impacted it, destroying it in an instant. Then, silence. Several minutes of silence. Of course, the entire battle was always silent, as there was no air, but this was a lack of communication, a wait. Then came the telepathic message from Himawari. -Himawari: -Uzuki: Uzuki returned to Haralni's atmosphere, where Mirai was waiting. Uzuki went out of Full Burst mode and landed onto Mirai's dragon. -Mirai: "Good work, Uzuki." -Uzuki: "I... I couldn't have done it without you. But now... I feel... very tired..." Uzuki lost consciousness. -Mirai: "Uzuki?" Mirai grabbed hold of Uzuki, to ensure that she did not fall off. Mirai headed back down to the surface, where everyone else was waiting. -Wakaba: "Uzuki!" Wakaba ran towards the dragon, while Mirai leapt off it, carrying Uzuki with her. -Wakaba: "Mirai, is she okay?" -Mirai: "I guess the strain was too much for her. But at least she's still alive." Aoi and Benio walked towards Mirai. -Aoi: "Mirai, do you know what happened?" -Mirai: "I've personally never seen the condition Uzuki is in. But I think I know what has happened." -Benio: "Uzuki.... Mirai, you said that the strain was too much. What do you mean?" -Mirai: "My guess... is that Uzuki used up too much of her mana." -Aoi: "So, what happens now?" Himawari and Louise walked up to Mirai. -Himawari: "Mirai, can you take Uzuki inside? I'm going to contact Fukuyama about this." -Mirai: "Ah, okay." Mirai headed inside the house, while carrying Uzuki. -Benio: "Himawari, what are you going to do now?" -Himawari: "First I'm going to tell Fukuyama everything which has happened. Hopefully she'll send a shuttle down to take us to the Amaterasu." -Benio: "But what exactly happened to Uzuki?" -Louise: "I'll answer that. My sisters knew of two cases, both which happened four years ago. It's called mana starvation, and it occurs whenever a mage uses up all of his or her mana." -Wakaba: "I've heard of it from Mizuki. Louise, the two cases were Natasha and Chelsea, right?" -Louise: "That's correct. Those two cases were quite severe, and we needed a rare medicine in order to cure them." -Aoi: "Just how rare is this medicine, and will we need it?" -Louise: "The medicine must be created by at least two exceptionally powerful alchemists, over a period of four months. At the moment, there are only three doses, and all of them are in Treproa. However, given Uzuki's condition, we won't need it." -Aoi: "Well, I'm glad it's not that serious." -Louise: "However, if we don't act now, her condition could worsen." -Aoi: "What do you mean?" -Wakaba: "Aoi, there hasn't been any cases of anyone recovering from mana starvation on their own." -Benio: "If that's the case, then we must do something. Louise, how much time do we have?" -Louise: "I'd say... about two weeks. Once that much time has passed, if she hasn't been treated, then we'll have reached the worst case scenario. It is possible to delay this with healing magic, but we need someone with specific knowledge about this condition." -Benio: "Do you know someone who can help us?" -Wakaba: "Well, I know someone who may be able to help." -Benio: "Wakaba, who is it?" -Wakaba: "It's Chelsea's younger sister, Catherine." -Aoi: "Catherine?" -Louise: "Wakaba, I knew you were going to mention her. However, she's normally on Earth, and the Portal Monolith inside only leads to Fuenod." -Himawari: "I was thinking the same thing, Wakaba. Catherine is one of the most powerful healers among us magical girls, and has been for quite some time. So I asked Fukuyama to take us to Earth, so we can meet with Catherine. It should only be an hour from here." -Aoi: "One thing, though. Do you know where Catherine lives?" -Wakaba: "She lives in Sydney... I think. I don't know her address, though." -Louise: "Okay... how are we supposed to find her?" The house's door opened. It was Lyra. -Lyra: "... I can show you the way." -Louise: "Ah, Lyra, we appreciate it." -Himawari: "Lyra, have you been to Chelsea's house?" -Lyra: "I have. I know where it is." -Himawari: "That makes our job easier." One of the Amaterasu's shuttles suddenly appeared, and landed near the house. -Himawari: "Well, Lyra, can you get Mirai to come out?" -Lyra: "Okay!" Lyra entered the house. After a while, she exited. Mirai was accompanying her, while carrying Uzuki. -Himawari: "Okay, everyone, let's hop on." The shuttle's door opened. Everyone boarded the shuttle, and then the door closed. The shuttle then proceeded to take off. At the Amaterasu's infirmary, Mirai set Uzuki down on a bed. The ship's doctor, Tomomi Ishizuka, took a look at Uzuki's condition. -Ishizuka: "I see. This is indeed mana starvation. Princess, while I can treat her condition, she won't wake up unless it is cured." -Himawari: "I'm sure the captain told you this, but we're heading to Earth to meet with someone who can cure mana starvation." -Ishizuka: "Princess, I know you are the princess, but you should be considerate to the crew here. After all, everyone has to live in cramped conditions here for who knows how long." -Himawari: "Well, my sister had ordered the Himiko to replace this ship at Haralni; it should reach the planet in around 14 hours. I've asked the captain to have the ship remain in orbit around Earth to undergo repair before returning." -Ishizuka: "Well, we were lucky there weren't any casualties in that battle." Benio walked up to Ishizuka. -Benio: "Umm, might you be Tomomi Ishizuka?" -Ishizuka: "You know me?" -Benio: "I'm Benio Shinokura. I'm one of Akari's second cousins." -Ishizuka: "Wait, you're Akari's cousin?" -Himawari: "I can see why Benio seems to know about you. After all, you worked alongside Akane while both of you were still magical girls." -Ishizuka: "I see. I still remember the time when we fought together." -Aoi: "Ishizuka, who else fought with you at that time?" -Ishizuka: "Well, apart from Akane, there was Mayu, who's now the captain of this ship..." -Wakaba: "You mean Fukuyama, right?" -Ishizuka: "Ah, yes. The others were Amane, Minori, Tsukika, and Mikako." -Aoi: "Wait... I'm confused. You just gave me a list of given names." -Himawari: "Okay, Amane is Amane Kigawa. Minori is Minori Kurosawa. Tsukika is Tsukika Miyana. And Mikako is..." Mirai interrupted Himawari. -Mirai: "Umm, Ishizuka-sensei..." -Ishizuka: "Ah, it's you, Mirai. I almost didn't recognise you. How have you been? What about Mikako?" -Mirai: "I've been well, and so is my mother. Um, there's something I need to tell you." -Ishizuka: "What is it?" -Mirai: "The girl we just brought in, well... She's one of Tsukika's daughters. Her name is Uzuki." -Ishizuka: "I see. But what was she doing on Haralni?" -Himawari: "Well, it was the only way we could destroy the Donsilan ship. Mutsuki is currently on Elrodom on an assignment, and there was no one else with the required abilities." -Ishizuka: "I have to admit, though, she saved all of us. If it weren't for her, we probably wouldn't be here." -Mirai: "Umm, anyway, what do we do with Uzuki's magic device? When I checked, it had entered safe mode." -Ishizuka: "When I was still a magical girl, we had Amane check for us. This time, though, Amane's not here. But at least her daughter is." -Mirai: "Eh? Hiyori is with us?" The door opened. It was Hiyori. -Himawari: "Speak of the devil..." -Mirai: "Hiyori!" -Hiyori: "It's been a while, Mirai. I trust you've been doing well." -Mirai: "I have. But Uzuki..." -Hiyori: "I heard everything from Louise. Mana starvation is one of the worst things which can affect a magical girl. It's probably up there with mana poisoning." -Benio: "Mana poisoning? You mean the condition where a mage exceeds his or her strain capacity for an extended period of time?" -Aoi: "Wait, what is mana poisoning?" -Benio: "From what Inori told me, each mage has three parameters detailing their ability to use mana. They are pool capacity, bucket capacity, and strain capacity. Pool capacity represents one's internal mana reserves, and using more mana than one's pool capacity without an intervening recovery period or the use of a mana potion will lead to mana starvation. This happened to Uzuki, as you can see." -Hiyori: "But if one tries to use more mana than one's strain capacity at once, provided that it is not an Inherent Ability, it will lead to mana poisoning. However, let's not discuss these things for the moment. I have a device to fix right now." -Aoi: "Ah, okay." Hiyori took Uzuki's magic device and inspected it. -Hiyori: "I can see that Uzuki's device was not built for her Inherent Ability. If you ask me, it's a serious design flaw. Whoever designed this either did not know about it, or did not have the resources to account for it." -Aoi: "Hiyori, can you fix it?" -Hiyori: "I could, but the problem will still remain. Anything I do to this right now will only be a short-term solution; to fix the problem I would need to design an entirely new device for Uzuki." -Wakaba: "What will you do for now?" -Hiyori: "Well, even if the device is fixed, it will still give an error message. That's because of Uzuki's condition, and I can't do anything about it. However, for now, I'll just repair the damage." Hiyori took the device and left. -Himawari: "Well, what will you four do until we get to Earth?" -Mirai: "I'm going to help Hiyori. I know a bit about magic devices, so I can help her if she needs help." Mirai left the infirmary. -Wakaba: "We'll look after Uzuki." -Himawari: "Okay, then. I'm heading to the CIC; there are a number of things I need to discuss with Fukuyama." Himawari left the infirmary. Wakaba glanced at the display, which was showing Uzuki's condition. Although her vital signs were okay, Wakaba could not help but stare at the red warning mesage on the display, stating that Uzuki's mana was not recovering on its own. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wakaba looked at the display, then glanced at the unconscious Uzuki. Then she turned towards Ishizuka. -Wakaba: "Ishizuka-sensei, is there anything I can do?" -Ishizuka: "Unfortunately, no. While it is possible to transfer mana if the recipient isn't suffering from mana starvation, a mage under mana starvation has had his or her mana-capturing structures damaged. From information given by the Zodiac Warriors, those structures are often the first to go once one's mana reserves are completely depleted." -Wakaba: "Is that so... then, is it possible to restore those structures?" -Ishizuka: "Of course it's possible, but not just any healer can do it. Mana- capturing structures are quite intricate, and restoring them requires special knowledge of these structures. If you hadn't even heard of mana starvation before Uzuki became affected, then you wouldn't be able to restore them." -Wakaba: "I have... but... I wasn't given the details. This is all new to me." -Ishizuka: "Well, even if one taught you, you still wouldn't be able to cure Uzuki. The knowledge required is so intricate that no human can possibly understand everything. In fact, to be able to use this knowledge to cure mana starvation, one needs to have a magic device specialised for this purpose." -Wakaba: "Then, would Hiyori be able to create a device specifically for this purpose?" -Ishizuka: "Despite the fact that Hiyori is a prodigy, this is far beyond her. In fact, I doubt even Amane can create such a device." -Wakaba: "If not them, then who?" -Ishizuka: "The only name I can think of is Rachel Mason, the inventor of the waystones. She is considered the best alchemist in the entire galaxy, and is also capable of crafting the finest magic devices. However, even for her, creating such a device is time-consuming; I'd say it'd take about a month." -Wakaba: "A month? But most magic devices only take days to manufacture." -Ishizuka: "This is why we have so few people able to cure mana starvation. Even though this and mana poisoning are the most serious afflictions to affect mages, the effort needed to cure these conditions is so much that only the most powerful can pull it off." -Wakaba: "Ishizuka-sensei, who exactly has the ability to cure mana starvation right now?" -Ishizuka: "If I recall, there are only four people in the entire galaxy who have the ability to cure mana starvation. You're heading to Earth to meet Catherine Allen, right?" -Wakaba: "Ah, yes." -Ishizuka: "She is one of them. Her mother, Jacinta, is another. The other two are Lily Benson and her daughter Natasha." -Wakaba: "I see. One other question, though." -Ishizuka: "What is it?" -Wakaba: "What would happen to Uzuki if she isn't cured?" -Ishizuka: "Theoretically we can keep her in this state of limbo forever. But, if this condition is left untreated, in two weeks we will reach the worst case scenario where the magical structures needed to sustain her body begin to break down. At that point only a rare medicine called an Omnilixir can cure her." -Wakaba: "Ah, yes, Louise told me about it." -Ishizuka: "Then you must know how difficult it is to make such a medicine. Anyway, if she is still left untreated, then in three days her body and spirit will begin to be broken down." -Wakaba: "Eh?! That's scary! What happens then?" -Ishizuka: "Once one reaches that point, no amount of treatment can completely reverse the condition. Curing a patient in such a condition would mean he or she will suffer numerous long-term effects, such as paralysis, loss of organ function, memory loss, and reduced magic output. At worst one would become an empty shell with no memories." -Wakaba: "I... I don't want to know any more..." -Ishizuka: "It's understandable, your reaction." Aoi and Benio entered the infirmary. -Benio: "Wakaba, we were listening to your conversation. You want to know what happens when mana starvation runs to its conclusion? What happens is..." -Wakaba: "NO!" Wakaba lunged at Benio, inadvertently taking both girls out of the infirmary. -Aoi: "Anyway, Ishizuka, what happens at the end?" -Ishizuka: "The patient... will cease to exist. No body, no soul, nothing. That is why we take mana starvation very seriously; we simply do not let this happen unless it is an emergency." -Aoi: "When you say that the patient will cease to exist, you mean..." -Ishizuka: "Oblivion. If that happens, then there will be no afterlife, no reincarnation for those affected. The only thing left of the patient will be pure energy, left behind by the laws of the universe." -Aoi: "I see. Ishizuka, do you think we could've avoided this situation?" -Ishizuka: "No. As I said, Uzuki saved us all. The only other mage we know who has that kind of Inherent Ability is her eldest sister, Mutsuki, and as the princess said, she is currently on Elrodom." -Aoi: "Well, I hope Uzuki will recover. No, I'm sure of it. Anyway, Ishizuka, I better get going." -Ishizuka: "Ah, okay. By the way, you never told me your name." -Aoi: "It's Aoi Higasa." -Ishizuka: "... You're the younger sister of Himawari Higasa, right?" -Aoi: "I am. What about it?" -Ishizuka: "It's just... never mind." -Aoi: "Anyway, I'm going out. See you later." Aoi left the infirmary. -Ishizuka: "Higasa... are they related to me? I wonder how Mayu would react when she finds out that the younger Higasa sister is on board." Aoi exited the infirmary, only to find Wakaba and Benio in a fight. Aoi grabbed both of them by their heads and dragged them down the corridor. -Aoi: "Again... what did I say about not getting into fights with each other?" -Wakaba: "Owowow... Aoi, let go..." Aoi let go of both of them. -Aoi: "You know that Uzuki is in there. Even if she can't wake up at this moment, you shouldn't disturb her." -Benio: "Well, it was Wakaba who started it." -Aoi: "You provoked her, Benio. And Wakaba, you're overreacting. Look, are we going to cure Uzuki, or are we just going to bicker?" -Wakaba: "Aoi... I'm sorry." -Benio: "Same here." -Aoi: "Well, I'll let you two off, for now. I'm going to head to where Himawari is. Is anyone else coming with me?" -Wakaba: "Ah... I'll come." -Benio: "Me too." -Aoi: "Okay, then." Aoi headed to the CIC, with Wakaba and Benio following her. When they entered the CIC, they saw Himawari in discussion with Fukuyama. -Himawari: "Fukuyama, what do you know about the Donsilans?" -Fukuyama: "As many people know, they disappeared around two million years ago, leaving behind only their powerful artifacts. However, you know about those encounters three years ago." -Himawari: "Ah, yes. We're not sure if those encounters are related to this recent incident, though." -Fukuyama: "However, if they are truly returning to the galaxy, then... why?" -Himawari: "Fukuyama, what do the others know of this?" -Fukuyama: "Akane already knows about this. Her daughter is working diligently to coordinate the response. We're also working to contact the higher-ups in the Zodiac Warriors and Puella." -Himawari: "Fukuyama, we'll call on your assistance when we need it. In the meantime, please stay on Earth." -Fukuyama: "Understood." Himawari turned towards the door, only to notice Aoi and the others. -Himawari: "Ah, you're here. Did you listen to what we said?" -Aoi: "A bit. So do you think anyone will help us in this?" -Himawari: "I'm sure of it. However, I'm worried that Yamamoto will just ignore all of this." -Aoi: "Yamamoto?" -Benio: "You mean the leader of the Zodiac Warriors?" -Himawari: "Yes. He's been acting strange lately. I don't know why, but he seems to be repeatedly saying that he'll forge a new world from his own vision. If you ask me, that doesn't sound very good." -Wakaba: "What about the others?" -Himawari: "Well, the queen of Cedysna, Cecilia, is almost guaranteed to help us. I know because she and my sister are friends. Of course, we can rely on the others. Amelia, the queen of Likkra, and Madeline, the princess of Nodaima." -Wakaba: "Is there anyone else?" -Himawari: "Well, we are heading to Earth, to cure Uzuki. Kaori already knows about all of this, and is actively helping us. You know, she's been a part of all of this since she was only eleven." -Fukuyama: "Ah, about Kaori..." -Himawari: "What is it, Fukuyama?" -Fukuyama: "We've received a message from her. She told us to send Aoi Higasa and Benio Shinokura to Tokyo to meet with her. She also wants you to come as well." -Himawari: "I see. Aoi, Benio, I'll be taking you back to Tokyo." -Fukuyama: "Come to think about it... are you really Aoi Higasa?" -Aoi: "I am. What about it?" -Fukuyama: "You know, Tomomi has this feeling that you and your family are related to her." -Aoi: "Is that so?" -Fukuyama: "Not only that... in the Gakran incident three years ago, we knew that eight magical girls with a specific power Inori told us about were needed to defeat Gakran." -Aoi: "But, Hima-nee said that it wasn't enough." -Fukuyama: "Four other magical girls were needed as well. Your sister was one of them." -Wakaba: "If I recall, the others were Yuri, Sumire, and some girl named Kaede Yuzuhara." -Fukuyama: "If you don't know, Tomomi is Kaede's aunt." -Aoi: "You you're saying that I may be related to Kaede?" -Fukuyama: "Perhaps." Meanwhile, the display in front of the bridge indicated that the spaceship had arrived at its destination. -Navigator: "Captain, we've arrived." -Fukuyama: "Prepare to leave hyperspace." -Navigator: "Yes, Captain!" The navigator pressed a button, and the ship was pulled from hyperspace back to normal space. However, they were still a fairly long way from Earth. -Navigator: "Setting course for Earth." The navigator pressed more buttons, and the ship began to move towards Earth. -Wakaba: "Wait, why are we not near Earth?" -Fukuyama: "It's very difficult to accurately reach our destination from even a light year away. From the displays, we were dumped at around the orbit of Saturn." -Wakaba: "Anyway, what do I do now?" -Himawari: "Wakaba, you will accompany Louise and Lyra to Sydney." -Wakaba: "Understood." -Aoi: "Anyway, let's go meet up with the others." -Wakaba: "Okay!" Aoi and the others left the CIC. In a small room, Hiyori and Mirai were inspecting Uzuki's device. -Mirai: "Hiyori, what exactly is wrong with Uzuki's device?" -Hiyori: "It has sustained damage from her activation of her Inherent Ability. I wonder who made this device, though." -Mirai: "Are you thinking of creating a new device for Uzuki?" -Hiyori: "Well, if she is to use her Inherent Ability again, she'll need a new device. Mirai, can you contact Mutsuki and tell her to head back to Yaezora?" -Mirai: "Yes, but why?" -Hiyori: "I want to use her device as a template for Uzuki's new device." -Mirai: "Ah, okay." Hiyori placed the device inside a special machine. The machine's screen began to display the device's detailed statistics, including where the device sustained damage. -Hiyori: "I see. This should be simple to repair. The spare parts are all here, at least." Hiyori took another look at the screen, and noticed something. -Hiyori: "Mirai, take a look at this." -Mirai: "What is it?" Mirai looked at the screen. -Mirai: "Wait... that's the creator field of the device's stats. But, that name..." -Hiyori: "Harumi. That's the name given there." -Mirai: "You mean, Wakaba's family?" -Hiyori: "Yes. However, Wakaba's parents aren't known for manufacturing magic devices. From what I know, they're researchers of magic." -Mirai: "Then, who?" -Hiyori: "It can't be Wakaba herself, so that leaves her older sister." -Mirai: "Aoba?" -Hiyori: "It's possible that she gave it to Uzuki as a farewell gift before she left for Australia. That said, Mirai, could you tell the girls to meet up with Aoba?" -Mirai: "But Aoba is in Brisbane, while the girls are heading to Sydney." -Hiyori: "Then why don't you go?" -Mirai: "But I have to meet up with Inori." -Hiyori: "Then I'll have to go. The Himiko will be arriving in 12 hours anyway, so I have some time to spend on Earth. Anyway, just let me finish this." -Mirai: "Okay." Mirai left. At the hangar, everyone had gathered. -Himawari: "Right, is everyone here?" -Aoi: "Well, we are, but the others..." -Benio: "Ishizuka is checking Uzuki one last time." -Himawari: "Ah, that's okay. Anyway..." Louise and Lyra entered the hangar. -Himawari: "Louise, how is Uzuki's condition?" -Louise: "It's stable, for now. You know, Wakaba really cares for Uzuki. I don't know what she's going through right now, but..." Lyra interrupted. -Lyra: "Umm, Lou-Lou, it may be just my feeling, but I believe that Uzuki will pull through." -Louise: "Maybe you're right, Lyra. We shouldn't have to worry about a thing. I know that Catherine can cure her." Wakaba entered the hangar, carrying Uzuki. -Aoi: "Anyway, what about Mirai?" -Wakaba: "Aoi, she's going to come with you." -Benio: "What for?" -Wakaba: "From what I've heard, Inori wants to speak to her." -Benio: "I see. Anyway..." Hiyori and Mirai entered the hangar. -Himawari: "Wait, Hiyori, you're coming as well?" -Hiyori: "Actually, I need to head to Brisbane. I want to speak with Wakaba's sister." -Wakaba: "Wait, why? Is it about Uzuki?" -Hiyori: "Well, it revolves around Uzuki." -Wakaba: "What do you mean?" -Hiyori: "Wakaba, do you know who created Uzuki's magic device?" -Wakaba: "No. Uzuki never said where, when, how or why she got that device." -Hiyori: "What I can say is that her device was ill-suited for her Inherent Ability. Not only did it sustain damage after its activation, but the device allowed Uzuki to be affected by mana starvation." -Benio: "Wait, can magic devices prevent mana starvation?" -Mirai: "To an extent. What they do is analyse a mage's mana output and reserve mana and control the amount of mana extracted based on that information. This works even with Inherent Abilities, but the device must be specially designed for it. I have to admit, the first time my Inherent Ability activated, I almost immediately went to Hiyori out of concern for my device." -Hiyori: "If a device isn't designed for the magical girl's specific Inherent Ability, then it cannot determine how much mana would be used up when it is activated." -Aoi: "Then, how much mana did Uzuki's Inherent Ability use?" -Mirai: "My own device measured a mana output of 52 terajoules from Uzuki's body. Her pool capacity is 71 terajoules." -Benio: "Anyway, who did create Uzuki's device in the first place?" -Hiyori: "It was Wakaba's sister." -Wakaba: "Eh?!" -Himawari: "This is news to me. Hiyori, do you know any more?" -Hiyori: "No." -Himawari: "Anyway, we should head into our shuttles. The hangar door will open soon." -Aoi: "Ah, right." Everyone entered their respective shuttles, and the shuttle doors closed. The hangar door opened, and the three shuttles taxied their way to the runway, and, one at a time, moved onto the runway and fired their rockets. The three shuttles headed towards Earth. Each of the shuttles headed to their respective destinations. In Sydney, preparations were underway for the arrival of one of the shuttles at the airport. The shuttle entered the atmosphere, in the process becoming cloaked by a red glow. The glow eventually disappeared as the shuttle descended, and the shuttle settled into a holding pattern above the airport. After a while, clearance was given, and the shuttle landed on the runway. The shuttle's door opened. The first to leave the shuttle was Louise. She leapt out of the shuttle and onto the ground. -Louise: "It's been a while since I last set foot here." Lyra followed Louise. -Lyra: "Lou-Lou, you've been here before?" -Louise: "Well, my sister is a friend of Catherine. Anyway..." Louise looked back at the shuttle. -Louise: "What's taking Wakaba so long?" Louise headed back inside the shuttle, and saw that Wakaba was knocked to the floor, with Uzuki lying on top of her. -Wakaba: "Ah... Louise, a little help here?" -Louise: "Wakaba, how did you get into that mess? Don't tell me you forgot to put your seatbelt on." -Wakaba: "Ah... I think it's that." -Louise: "Here, take my hand." Louise extended her hand, and Wakaba grabbed hold of it. Louise then pulled Wakaba out. -Louise: "Now can you carry Uzuki outside?" -Wakaba: "Okay." Louise exited the shuttle, with Wakaba, carrying Uzuki, following her. -Wakaba: "Lyra, do you know where Catherine lives?" -Lyra: "I do... but I'm not really familiar with this place." -Louise: "Lyra, what's her address?" -Lyra: "Umm..." Suddenly, a voice called out to the girls. -?????: "Hey! Over here!" The girls turned towards the direction of the voice. They saw a girl alongside an ambulance. -Louise: "Wait, Catherine? What are you doing here?" Catherine approached the girls. -Catherine: "I heard about what happend. For the mean time, let's load Uzuki on to the ambulance." -Louise: "Okay. Wakaba, did you get that?" Wakaba did not respond. Instead, she appeared to be confused. -Wakaba: "Umm... could you repeat that... in Japanese?" -Catherine: "Ah, sorry. I didn't realise that you can't understand English. Anyway, can you place Uzuki on the stretcher over there?" -Wakaba: "Okay." Wakaba walked towards the stretcher lying just outside the vehicle, and placed Uzuki on it. -Louise: "Anyway, Catherine, how did you know that we were going to arrive with Uzuki?" -Catherine: "My mother called me. She said that there was someone who was affected by mana starvation, and that I was chosen to treat her." -Lyra: "Umm..." -Catherine: "Oh, you're here, Lyra. How have you been?" -Lyra: "I've been well." -Catherine: "Anyway, why are you here? Shouldn't you be back on Haralni?" -Louise: "Himawari found her wandering alone for some reason. Not only that, she was attacked by monsters similar to those which attacked some of the girls in Tokyo." -Catherine: "I see. Do you know why they were after Lyra?" -Lyra: "The monsters seemed to be interested in me for some reason." -Catherine: "Well, you aren't exactly a normal magical girl, Lyra. I can see why they're after you. Which makes protecting you even more important. Anyway, we need to take Uzuki to the hospital first, so let's hop on the ambulance." -Louise: "Okay." The girls entered the ambulance. -Louise: "Wakaba, hop on as well." -Wakaba: "Ah! You surprised me! Okay, I'll hop on." Wakaba entered the ambulance. The doors closed, and the ambulance drove away from the airport. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Himawari, Aoi and Benio entered the Furusaka Shrine. Inside was Kaori Otohane. -Kaori: "You're all here. Do you know why I called you all here?" -Himawari: "Is it something to do with the recent incidents?" -Kaori: "It is, but what I am about to tell you will go beyond these incidents. You know about the speculation that the Donsilans are responsible for all of this, right?" -Himawari: "Ah, yes. That's what Akari said, anyway." -Kaori: "I've just been made aware of the fact that the Donsilans are, indeed, here to take back the galaxy." -Aoi: "Wait, Otohane, how did you find out?" -Kaori: "The mere fact that a powerful intergalactic race is here to conquer the entire galaxy has not only humanity, but countless alien civilisations in a state of distress." -Benio: "Aliens?" -Kaori: "Yes, first contact occurred last night. For much of our history, more advanced alien civilisations have been keeping an eye on us. Apparently, they were afraid of our power, as we were one of the few races that could use magic directly. Don't tell anyone else about the aliens though; it's currently classified information, to be given only to those directly responding to these incidents." -Himawari: "So why did these aliens initiate contact?" -Kaori: "While they were afraid of us, they were even more afraid of the Donsilans. They believed that we were the only ones who could repel the invasion." -Himawari: "Did you get any more information?" -Kaori: "The World Orbs incident only a year ago is somehow linked to all of this." -Himawari: "What do you mean?" -Kaori: "Himawari, you know that on each inhabitable world, there are four or five World Orbs, right?" -Himawari: "Yes." -Kaori: "That incident involved a being trying to steal one of Earth's World Orbs. While Earth is largely immune to the effects of having its World Orbs removed, I'd hate to think about what would happen if another planet's World Orbs were stolen." -Aoi: "So, how does this link to the current issue?" -Kaori: "There's some evidence that the Donsilans are attempting to reclaim the World Orbs. While the Federation of Four Earths has yet to record an attack on the Orbs themselves, the aliens who contacted us mentioned that they had to fight back against the Donsilans over the Orbs." -Aoi: "Do you know where and when they'll strike next?" -Kaori: "We do not know at this point in time. It has been only three years since Likkra and Namari unveiled their spaceships, and there is still much of the galaxy we've yet to explore. However, it is likely that the Donsilans will take the World Orbs of uninhabited planets." -Benio: "Wait, if they wanted to destroy us, wouldn't they try to take the World Orbs of our own planets?" -Kaori: "It isn't just removing World Orbs which can cause disasters. Simply adding an extra World Orb to a planet can also cause disasters." Suddenly, Himawari's phone rang. Himawari picked it up and answered it. -Himawari: "Hello? Oh, it's you, Akari. What is it?" Himawari paused for a moment. -Himawari: "Wait, what?!" Everyone looked at Himawari. -Aoi: "Himawari, what's going on?" -Himawari: "Okay, I'll tell everyone. Bye." Himawari put away the phone. -Himawari: "Everyone, there's something really important I need to tell you." -Kaori: "What is it?" -Himawari: "Akari has told me that a Donsilan ship has been spotted by the Himiko. At last sighting, it was heading towards Murgin, at a trajectory which will see it slow down enough for it to exit hyperspace right next to the planet." -Aoi: "How much time do we have?" -Himawari: "Unfortunately, we do not have enough time. As of now, it'll take three hours for the Himiko to reach the solar system. The Amaterasu is currently undergoing repair, so it cannot set out right now. The Donsilan ship is estimated to reach its destination in three hours." -Benio: "That's not enough time! How long will it take to get to Murgin?" -Himawari: "Murgin is at Proxima Centauri, so just over 40 minutes. Unfortunately, that means for at least 40 minutes, the Donsilans are free to do whatever they want there." -Aoi: "What about the Portal Monoliths?" -Kaori: "Unfortunately, there are no Portal Monoliths leading to Murgin. In fact, it's been so little time since we discovered the planet that it was only two weeks ago that we laid a waystone there." -Benio: "What about the World Orbs themselves? I know that Earth's World Orbs are located deep within the mantle." -Himawari: "The same applies to Murgin. However, we shouldn't underestimate the capabilities of the Donsilans. For all we know, they could be capable of overturning massive portions of a planet's crust. In fact, that ship the Amaterasu fought wasn't an actual Donsilan ship; it was a hijacked alien ship." -Aoi: "Then... what if we meet an actual Donsilan ship?" -Himawari: "We do not know for now. Although, given their capabilities, we should consider ourselves lucky." -Kaori: "From what the aliens told us, actual Donsilan ships are far more powerful than what attacked the Amaterasu. Their ship-to-ship weapons have powers ranging into the teratons." -Aoi: "They're that powerful?" -Kaori: "And even their personal spells possess as much as a megaton of power." -Benio: "Then, can we defeat them?" -Kaori: "Against a single individual, it is possible. However, the Donsilan magical girl who fought Amelia and Erika three years ago was powerful enough to put them on the defensive. It's unlikely you two will even be able to make a scratch on one of them." -Himawari: "Ah, but there's Wakaba's Inherent Ability." -Kaori: "Ah, yes. Infinity Arrow. With such an ability, you may stand a chance. However, like all active Inherent Abilities, it drains a significant amount of mana." -Himawari: "Anyway, the only thing we can do now is wait." -Aoi: "By the way, where is Mirai?" -Himawari: "Ah, she's currently at Inori's house. Did you want to speak to her?" -Aoi: "No, I was just wondering. But why did Inori call for her?" -Himawari: "I'm not sure myself. I'd ask her if I were you." Meanwhile, in Sydney: The group was in a hospital. Uzuki was lying in a bed, while the other girls were sitting on chairs beside the bed. -Wakaba: "So... what now?" -Catherine: "Well, the first thing to do is for me to cure Uzuki's condition. However, even if she is cured right now, she will not regain consciousness for at the very least a few hours." -Wakaba: "So that means..." -Catherine: "She'll stay here for a few days while she recovers." -Louise: "Catherine, is it possible to hasten the process?" -Catherine: "No. Curing mana starvation itself takes several hours, and the recovery period cannot be skipped for any reason." -Louise: "I see. Well, then, it seems we'll be one short for the upcoming battle." -Catherine: "Battle?" -Louise: "I heard from Akari. A Donsilan ship is headed for Murgin, and in less than three hours will arrive there. The Himiko is set to reach Earth in around the same time." -Catherine: "Wait, what do they want on Murgin? No one lives there." -Louise: "It's probably a guess, but I think they're after the World Orbs." -Catherine: "The World Orbs?" -Lyra: "The World Orbs..." -Louise: "Lyra?" -Lyra: "The World Orbs... protect them... at all costs..." -Catherine: "Lyra, what do you know about this?" -Lyra: "Everything... it's all coming into my head. I don't know why, but for some reason all of this knowledge is coming into my head." -Wakaba: "What is it about?" -Lyra: "The World Orbs... belonged to the Donsilans. They were created to turn barren worlds into worlds in which we could live. However, some Donsilans want to take back the World Orbs. I don't know why, though." -Louise: "Lyra, tell me. How did you get this knowledge?" -Lyra: "I don't know. It all just came into my head." -Catherine: "Wait, you said 'some Donsilans'. Does that mean that not all of them are against us?" -Lyra: "I... I think so." -Louise: "Well, if they did want to eliminate us, they would've gone in all guns blazing. But so far, our few encounters have either been with individuals, or with what appears to be a hijacked alien ship." -Catherine: "I wonder what this means. If not all of them are a part of this, then there's the possibility that some of them may help us." -Wakaba: "Wait, Catherine, there's something I'd like to know about Lyra." -Catherine: "What is it, Wakaba?" -Wakaba: "Lyra, isn't an ordinary magical girl, right?" -Catherine: "Well, she isn't. Her mana signature is not like any magical girl we've encountered before. But why do you ask?" -Wakaba: "This is just a theory, but perhaps Lyra is related to the Donsilans in some way." -Louise: "I think so too. Given that they are after Lyra..." -Catherine: "Anyway, I better start the procedure." -Wakaba: "How long will it take?" -Catherine: "It shouldn't take more than an hour. Louise, can you take Lyra outside while we prepare?" -Louise: "Okay. Lyra, come with me." -Lyra: "Okay!" Louise and Lyra left the room. -Wakaba: "Catherine, did you want me for something?" -Catherine: "It's perfectly fine for me to cure mana starvation alone. However, you're a healer as well, right?" -Wakaba: "Ah, that's right." -Catherine: "I want to show you how this works. Wakaba, I think you're capable of having this ability. So if you can handle all of this, then maybe I can ask to have a device created for you." -Wakaba: "I... I'll try." -Catherine: "Well, then, I'll begin." Catherine took a small green orb from her pocket, and placed it on Uzuki. Catherine began to cast a spell, and a green magic circle appeared beneath her feet. The orb began to glow. -Catherine: "Wakaba, now you try." -Wakaba: "Ah, okay." Wakaba began to cast a spell, and a green magic circle appeared. After an hour: -Wakaba: "Is that it? That was so tiring..." -Catherine: "Well, it was the first time you've done something like this. But I could see that you were able to complete all the needed tasks successfully. Wakaba, take a look at the display." Wakaba glanced at the display. -Wakaba: "Does this mean..." -Catherine: "It's a complete success. Not only is she gathering mana normally now, but electrical activity is returning to her brain." -Wakaba: "Then... she'll make a full recovery?" -Catherine: "She will. At the moment, she needs to sleep. It'll be a while until she wakes up." -Wakaba: "Ah, okay. Anyway..." Louise entered the room. -Louise: "Catherine, your mother's here. She wants to speak with you about something." -Catherine: "I see. Is it about the Donsilans?" -Louise: "I'm not sure. You'll have to ask her." -Catherine: "Well, then, I'll be going." Catherine left. -Louise: "Wakaba, how is Uzuki?" -Wakaba: "She should make a full recovery. In a few days, she should be back to normal." -Louise: "Well, I'm glad. Anyway, while I was waiting outside, a blue orb suddenly appeared out of thin air." -Wakaba: "Wait, how?" -Louise: "I'm not sure. Lyra seems to know what it is, though." -Wakaba: "What did she say it was?" -Louise: "She said that it was a miniaturised version of a Portal Monolith. Blue indicates an entry point, red an exit point." -Wakaba: "If so, then where does it lead to?" -Louise: "At the moment, we don't know. However, Lyra said that we should wait until the Donsilans actually land on Murgin before activating it." -Wakaba: "Then that means..." -Louise: "Whoever's helping us will send the exit point to Murgin. Wakaba, I've received some more information from the Himiko, via Himawari. From what I've gathered, the Donsilan ship won't actually exit hyperspace right next to the planet; instead, it's likely that it will exit at 40 astronomical units." -Wakaba: "Then, once they've exited hyperspace, how much time do we actually have?" -Louise: "My guess, is around 12 hours." -Wakaba: "Which means..." Louise looked at the clock. It read 8:30. -Louise: "By the time the Donsilan ship leaves hyperspace, it'll be around 10 o'clock here. Which means, they'll arrive at 10 in the evening." -Wakaba: "So we have plenty of time. But, what about Uzuki?" -Louise: "I don't think she'll be able to fight in that condition. And even if she's fully fit, Hiyori still has her device." -Wakaba: "Ah, right. Anyway, we should let Uzuki rest for a bit. Let's head outside." -Louise: "Okay." The two girls headed outside, where Lyra was waiting. -Lyra: "Ah, Wakaba, how is Uzuki?" -Wakaba: "She'll be fine. She just needs to rest." Suddenly, Wakaba's phone rang. She picked it up and answered it. -Wakaba: "Hello? What is it, sis? Ah, so Hiyori visited you, right? And she told you about Uzuki's device, right? To be honest, I never knew that you created that device for Uzuki. Wait, you're heading here?! Ah, it was Hiyori's idea. Anyway, I'll see you later." Wakaba put away her phone. -Wakaba: "Louise, Hiyori and my sister will be heading here to return Uzuki's device. They'll arrive in around a few hours." -Louise: "Wait, wasn't Hiyori going to create a new device for Uzuki?" -Wakaba: "That'll take a few days, and I recall Hiyori mumbling something about a template she needed. Anyway, what about the others?" -Louise: "Ah, Himawari said that she and the others will arrive here at around 9:30 in the evening, local time." -Wakaba: "Well, I better tell them about Uzuki's condition." Catherine left the hospital building. -Catherine: "Ah, you were waiting for me?" -Louise: "Well, we don't exactly have a place to stay, other than your house." -Wakaba: "By the way, Catherine, what did you discuss with your mother?" -Catherine: "Most of it was the usual. However, she wanted to speak to me about Lyra." -Lyra: "Me? Is there something about me?" -Catherine: "My mother thinks she knows what kind of magical girl Lyra really is." -Wakaba: "And that is..." -Catherine: "From what we know about the Donsilans, they were able to create their own telepathic languages, designed to be used by specific groups of people." -Louise: "Wait, what would be the need for additional telepathic languages? We mainly communicate telepathically via the language of magic, so you mean that they communicated with non-mages as well?" -Catherine: "Not quite. Non-mages, particularly those born without the ability to use magic, cannot communicate telepathically. These additional languages were probably used for secret communication, either one-way or mutual." -Wakaba: "One-way? Then, the additional knowledge Lyra gained was..." -Catherine: "That was telepathy. Specifically, telepathy in a language Lyra can understand, but not use herself." -Lyra: "So, are you saying that... I'm related to the Donsilans?" -Catherine: "My mother believes that you are one." -Lyra: "Eh?" -Louise: "Well, given that those monsters seem to be after you..." -Catherine: "Of course, we won't know until we investigate further." Catherine noticed her mother walking out of the hospital building. -Catherine: "Ah, it seems my mother has finished whatever she was doing. Let's get into our car, and we'll discuss more at my house later." -Wakaba: "Ah, okay." The girls followed Catherine's mother until they reached a car in the car park. Everyone went inside, and the car started and began to drive out of the car park. By the time everyone arrived at Catherine's house, Lyra had fallen asleep. The car stopped outside the house, and everyone exited, except Lyra. Catherine went to the front door and unlocked it. -Catherine: "Louise, Wakaba, can you take Lyra inside for me?" -Wakaba: "Okay, we will." Louise and Wakaba carried Lyra inside. -Catherine: "Mum, are you heading out again?" -Jacinta: "Well, I need to head to the airport, to pick up some of the other people coming here today." -Catherine: "But Wakaba's friends aren't going to arrive until the evening." -Jacinta: "I wasn't talking about them." -Catherine: "Then you mean, Hiyori?" -Jacinta: "Yes. Anyway, I need to go now." -Catherine: "See you later, Mum." Jacinta entered her car, and drove off. Catherine entered her house. -Catherine: "Louise, how is Lyra?" -Louise: "She's fine." -Catherine: "Actually... how much sleep did all of you get lately?" -Louise: "Not that much. I think we got around six or seven hours of sleep on the Amaterasu. Wakaba was the one having the most trouble sleeping; not only was she not used to sleeping on a spaceship, but she was also constantly worrying about Uzuki." -Catherine: "Anyway, where is Wakaba?" -Louise: "She went upstairs." -Catherine: "I see. I better check that she's okay." Catherine headed upstairs. She saw Wakaba standing just outside of a room, staring inside. -Catherine: "Wakaba, what are you doing?" -Wakaba: "Ah! You scared me, Catherine! Anyway, what is your sister doing?" -Catherine: "I'd just ignore her. Whenever she's busy, she doesn't usually like having visitors around." -Wakaba: "Ah, okay." -Catherine: "Anyway, there's a spare bed in the guest bedroom. If you want to use it, by all means, go ahead." -Wakaba: "Ah, thanks, but that's okay." -Catherine: "Wakaba... how much sleep did you get last night?" -Wakaba: "Umm... actually, I couldn't sleep much last night. All I could think of was Uzuki." -Catherine: "Not only that, you exerted yourself significantly back at the hospital. You really need to rest now; if you falter on Murgin, then..." -Wakaba: "I understand." -Catherine: "Now go and get some rest. Maybe after a while, you'll feel better. Remember, we need you to help us, so it wouldn't do to have you feeling tired." -Wakaba: "Okay." Wakaba entered one of the rooms. Catherine entered her sister's room. -Catherine: "Chelsea, just what are you doing right now? Have you had breakfast yet?" -Chelsea: "Catherine, you know I'm busy right now. And yes, I have had breakfast. Right now I'm trying to figure out how we can achieve a satisfactory result at Murgin." -Catherine: "So that's why you're running the space combat sim. You know, it won't just be the Himiko fighting." -Chelsea: "I know, I know. But with Uzuki's condition right now, we're severely constrained. I mean, she's the only magical girl with that kind of Inherent Ability." -Catherine: "Anyway, it'll be a while until they actually arrive at Murgin. Do you know the capabilities of this Donsilan ship?" -Chelsea: "Not exactly, but we're assuming that it's another hijacked alien ship." -Catherine: "Anyway..." Suddenly there was the noise of something rolling on the floor. -Catherine: "Chelsea, what was that?" -Chelsea: "I don't know. Can you check it out?" -Catherine: "Okay." Catherine left the room, only to find another orb rolling along the floor. This time, though, it was red. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Catherine inspected the red orb. She knew that it was an exit portal, but she did not know where its corresponding entry portal is. She picked it up, and walked downstairs, where Louise was reading a book. -Catherine: "Louise, there's something I'd like to show you." Louise put the book down. -Louise: "What is it, Catherine?" Catherine took the red orb out. -Louise: "That's..." Louise took a closer look at the orb. -Louise: "That's an exit portal, right?" -Catherine: "I believe so. But why did one appear here?" -Louise: "I think you better check out Lyra. I'm not sure who or what caused it to appear." -Catherine: "Ah, okay." Catherine headed back upstairs, and into the guest room. Lyra was fast asleep on one of the beds, while Wakaba was lying on another bed with her eyes open. -Catherine: "Wakaba, you should really get some sleep. Even just a nap." -Wakaba: "Catherine... there's a note next to Lyra. It just appeared out of nowhere, so..." -Catherine: "I'll have a look." Catherine walked to Lyra's bed, and took the note. However, it was not in a script or language that she could read. -Catherine: "I don't think we'll know what this says until Lyra wakes up. As I said, Wakaba, you need to get some sleep." -Wakaba: "Okay, then." Catherine left the room, and headed back downstairs. -Louise: "Catherine, how are the two girls?" -Catherine: "Lyra's still asleep. I just told Wakaba to take a nap." -Louise: "Ah. So you don't know why that orb appeared?" -Catherine: "No. All I got was this note, and it's in a language I can't read." -Louise: "Let me see." Catherine handed the note to Louise. -Louise: "I see. Catherine, do you suppose that this is written in a language Lyra can understand?" -Catherine: "It's possible." -Louise: "Well, we won't know until Lyra wakes up. With that said, though, do you think Natasha will be able to read that note?" -Catherine: "I don't think so; while she can acquire fluency in a language with only minutes of face-to-face conversation, it doesn't extend to writing. But it is possible, given that stranger things have happened in this galaxy." -Louise: "I suppose. Anyway, let's rest and prepare for the battle ahead. Himawari's group won't arrive until at the latest only 30 minutes before the enemy arrives at Murgin, so we have to do most of the preparation." -Catherine: "Well, I'll make sure everything's ready when the time comes." Four hours later: At Catherine's house, the doorbell rang. Louise opened the door, to find Hiyori and Aoba at the door. -Louise: "Ah, Hiyori, you're here. Are you here to return Uzuki's device?" -Hiyori: "No, I left it at the hospital on the way here. But her new device will be ready in just a day; it seems Aoba found out about Uzuki's Inherent Ability a bit too late." -Louise: "But still, why did you come here? If you left Uzuki's device with her, then there was no reason for you to be here." -Aoba: "Actually... we came here to give Wakaba a new device." -Louise: "Wait, does Wakaba need a new device?" -Hiyori: "Wakaba's device is a standard-issue Zodiac Warriors magic device. As you may already know, that kind of device is best suited to normal mages, and in the hands of a magical girl, is meant to be just a training device." -Louise: "I see. Anyway, why don't you two come inside." The girls went inside. -Aoba: "Anyway... where is Wakaba?" -Louise: "She should be in the guest room. However, she's currently asleep; I wouldn't disturb her if I were you." -Aoba: "That's okay; I can just leave it here." The girls noticed Catherine heading upstairs, carrying a cricket bat. -Louise: "Catherine, what exactly are you going to do with that?" -Catherine: "Well, I intend to wake up Lyra. And if it means poking her with this..." -Louise: "Catherine... that is a piece of sporting equipment, not an alarm clock. You hit balls with that, not people." -Catherine: "Anyway, I'll be upstairs for a bit." Catherine continued upstairs. -Aoba: "Is she always like that?" -Louise: "Well, my sister said that she had no issues making a sudden entrance by performing a massive ground-pounding attack." Suddenly, voices were heard upstairs. -Voice: "Hey, hey, will you stop that, Catherine?!" -Louise: "Well, it seems Wakaba's awake now." -Aoba: "Anyway, can I head upstairs?" -Louise: "Ah, sure." Aoba headed upstairs. -Louise: "Hiyori, are you going to head to Murgin as well?" -Hiyori: "Yes, but I'll be on the Himiko. I was originally supposed to be stationed at Haralni, but Akari said that I should board the Himiko as originally planned." -Louise: "I see." -Hiyori: "By the way, how are your sisters?" -Louise: "They're doing fine. Amelia has been working hard, as usual. On the other hand, Stephanie always tells me to make decisions for her." -Hiyori: "Ehehehe..." -Louise: "I mean, she is literally next in line to the throne, and her Inherent Ability can single-handedly turn around a battle. And yet she's as indecisive as ever." -Hiyori: "Maybe it's because no one expects her to become queen in the first place." -Louise: "And that is why many kingdoms and empires fell. If the heir dies, and the next in line isn't trained for the job, then how will the country survive?" -Hiyori: "And empires have split because each child was equally capable. I mean, it's the reason Namari gained independence from Likkra in the first place." -Louise: "The two countries split because of cultural differences, not the fact that both children wanted something to rule. Sure, Queen Emma was a unifying figure across the entire continent, but the democratisation she introduced would've led to the two countries splitting. Even now, Amelia hasn't even thought of reunification, despite the fact that she's popular in Namari." -Hiyori: "I'm aware of that. But anyway, what's your plan for when you get to Murgin?" -Louise: "To be honest, we don't even know where the World Orbs are, or who will be there." -Hiyori: "By the way, Louise, I'm preparing new devices for Aoi and Benio as well." -Louise: "Wait, why?" -Hiyori: "It was a request by Inori. She figured out that the devices they do have right now are inadequate for their Inherent Abilities." -Louise: "I see. Well, that was thoughtful of her, given what happened to Uzuki." Aoba went back downstairs. -Aoba: "I see that Wakaba is doing fine at the moment. I thought that Uzuki's condition might've led her to break down emotionally." -Louise: "It wasn't that bad, you know. Uzuki would've still survived even if we took our time." -Aoba: "Anyway, I better get going. Oh, and Catherine's mother wanted to give you this." Aoba gave Louise a small bag. -Louise: "What is in this?" -Aoba: "A collection of potions. They're... well, you'll most likely need them for the upcoming battle. Anyway, I better head back to the airport. See you later!" -Louise: "See you later, Aoba." Aoba left the house. -Hiyori: "Potions... they're one way to avoid mana starvation. Anyway, I need to head to the airport as well, if only to get the shuttle to the Himiko. Bye." Hiyori left. At 9:45 in the evening, the girls had arrived at the airport, to wait for Himawari's group. -Louise: "Lyra, do you still have that note with you?" -Lyra: "Ah, yes." Lyra took out the note. -Wakaba: "I wonder why we were given that note?" -Lyra: "It says that the exit portal which appeared at Catherine's house is our way off Murgin, and the entry portal for that won't appear until we actually arrive on Murgin." -Wakaba: "So they really are helping us. Well, I hope everything turns out well." -Louise: "Me too." Suddenly, a voice called out to the girls. -Voice: "Hey! Over here!" The girls turned towards the direction of the voice. It was Himawari. -Louise: "Ah, Himawari!" -Himawari: "Well, we're here." -Wakaba: "Ah, where's Aoi and Benio?" -Himawari: "I'm not sure. They must've run off somewhere." Benio crept up behind Wakaba, and then placed her hands in front of Wakaba's eyes. -Wakaba: "Ah! Who is it?! Who is it?!" Aoi then crept up behind Benio, and slapped her on the head. -Aoi: "Benio, cut that out." Benio let go of Wakaba. Wakaba turned around. -Wakaba: "Benio, why did you do that?" -Benio: "I wanted to surprise you, Wakaba. Anyway, what do we do now?" -Louise: "We still have around 15 minutes until the Donsilan ship arrives at Murgin." -Himawari: "Then I suppose we should wait. By the way, Wakaba, how is your new device?" -Wakaba: "It is a lot better than my previous one. My old device felt rather awkward to use, and I couldn't use as much mana as I wanted with it. With the device my sister gave me, I'm able to use the full extent of my power. Also my sister told me of my Inherent Ability; it appears she designed this device around it." -Himawari: "Oh, and Mirai said that Aoi and Benio will be receiving new devices soon." -Louise: "Hiyori told me. It was Inori's decision, right?" -Himawari: "That's right." Suddenly, there was a bright glow in front of Lyra. -Himawari: "Lyra?" -Lyra: "They're sending something to me." -Louise: "Again?" The glow died down. In Lyra's hands was a note. -Louise: "Another note? Lyra, what does it say?" -Lyra: "Let's see... it says that even though the enemy ship has yet to arrive at Murgin, they've managed to teleport a magical girl down to the surface." -Louise: "No way!" -Lyra: "However... it says that they've sent an exit portal linked to the entry portal I have to that magical girl." -Himawari: "So that means... wait, what do you mean about entry and exit portals?" -Louise: "They're like one-way Portal Monoliths. They'll send us to Murgin." -Himawari: "Ah, okay. Anyway, does that mean we can go after her now?" -Lyra: "Yes." -Himawari: "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" -Everyone: "Yes!" Lyra took out the blue orb, and began to cast a spell. A white magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and the blue orb began to glow. -Lyra: "Everyone, get inside my magic circle." The girls walked to within the magic circle. With a bright flash of light, everyone disappeared. Murgin was a pristine planet, largely untouched by civilisations. The faint sun of the planet bathed the landscape in an orange light. Normally, the sun would barely move in the sky; however, the World Orbs changed the planet's rotation period so that the Donsilans could inhabit the planet. Lying on the ground was a red orb. Suddenly, the orb began to glow, and a white magic circle appeared under it. With a bright flash of light, the girls appeared around the orb. -Wakaba: "Okay... we're here. So this is Murgin, right?" -Himawari: "Looks like it. It matches the pictures that the unmanned probes sent to us." -Aoi: "Anyway, what do we do now? We're kind of lost here." -Louise: "Now that you mention it... you're right! We are lost." -Lyra: "Wait... I sense someone nearby." -Louise: "Who? And where?" -Lyra: "I think it's another magical girl. She is... wait, which way is north?" -Aoi: "Lyra, just use the sun." -Lyra: "Ah, okay. She's in the direction opposite the sun." The girls turned away from the sun, but they did not see anything. -Benio: "There's no one there. Looks like we should try to catch up to her." -Wakaba: "I agree." -Himawari: "Right, everyone, let's go." The girls headed in the direction they were facing. After a while, they came across a girl. -Girl: "Hm? I never expected people to arrive here." -Himawari: "Well, whatever it is you're after, we're here to stop you!" -Girl: "To be honest, I don't really care for your empty threats. After all, you might as well be insects to me." -Benio: "What did you say!" Benio lunged at the girl, only to be restrained by Aoi. -Aoi: "Benio!" -Girl: "Well, then, why don't you try to stop me?" The girl turned around and fled. The party ran after her, but after a while, they lost track of her. -Himawari: "We lost her..." -Wakaba: "Hold on, let me follow her. I think I can keep up." -Himawari: "You can, Wakaba?" -Wakaba: "Yes. Speed is one of my strengths." Wakaba changed into her mage outfit, and took off. After flying for around a minute, she spotted the girl. -Wakaba: "Found you!" -Girl: "Urgh... you're fast. But can you handle this?!" The girl began to throw blue magic bullets at Wakaba. Wakaba took out her device. -Wakaba: "Right, let's do this." The device transformed into a set of wings on Wakaba's wrists and ankles, allowing her to effortlessly dodge the magic bullets. -Girl: "Oh, will you just stay still for a moment so I can hit you?! I won't let a human like you best me!" More magic bullets appeared and were thrown at Wakaba. Again, Wakaba evaded the bullets. -Wakaba: "Just how long are you going to flail around like that?" -Girl: "Will you stop being annoying?!" The girl fired a magic beam at Wakaba, who evaded the attack. However, the beam bent back towards Wakaba, forcing her to put up a shield in response. -Girl: "Hehehe... got you now!" The girl fired another beam at Wakaba. However, Wakaba only needed to stop the first beam for as long as she needed to get out of the way. She jumped out of the beams' paths, allowing the beams to impact each other. It was then that the rest of the group caught up with the girl. They had already changed into their mage outfits. -Girl: "Do you all have a death wish or something? Why do you insist on challenging a being who transcends you in every way?" -Benio: "Because we can." -Girl: "And that is what I hate about humans. They always try and take on things which should be far beyond their control." -Lyra: "Tell me, why are you doing this?" -Girl: "I'm not answering... wait, Lyra?" -Lyra: "You... know me?" -Girl: "I do. You probably don't remember, but we were in the same orphanage." -Lyra: "I don't remember a thing about my past. All I really know from then is my name, and a rough estimate of my age. And there's no need for you to refer to me by my human name." -Girl: "Lyra, there are humans here. So of course I'm going to refer to you by your human name. But what happened to you? How did you end up in the Milky Way? What made you join the humans?" -Lyra: "As I said, I don't remember a thing. It was five years ago, that I found myself on Haralni." -Girl: "Let me guess... a demon. A demon who was originally a human." -Himawari: "That sounds like Gakran." -Lyra: "Anyway, what do you know about me? I'd like to know." -Girl: "I'd like to tell you, Lyra. After all, you've lost your memory in that incident five years ago. However, I'm under orders not to tell you unless you join us." -Lyra: "Just like before..." -Louise: "Don't you see that Lyra wants to know about her origins?! So tell her now, instead of forcing her to join your cause!" -Girl: "You should really tell my superiors that. However, since I'm nice, I'll tell her if you defeat me." -Everyone: "Eh?" Everyone stood in silence. -Girl: "As I said, I'll tell her if you defeat me. But I suppose it's beyond the capabilities of humans like you." -Himawari: "We... we'll accept your challenge. Prepare yourself!" -Girl: "Very well, then." The girl changed into her mage outfit. In a hospital room in Sydney, Uzuki was reading a book. Catherine entered the room. -Catherine: "Uzuki, you're still awake?" -Uzuki: "Yes, but... what's going on out there?" -Catherine: "You mean, what your friends are going through?" -Uzuki: "Yes. By the way, you haven't introduced yourself to me yet. While I know who you are, this is the first time we've spoken to each other." -Catherine: "Ah, sorry about that. I'm Catherine Allen, and I helped to cure you of the condition you were suffering from." -Uzuki: "Then I suppose I should thank you." -Catherine: "You should thank Wakaba as well. She helped me with your condition." -Uzuki: "By the way, what was I suffering from?" -Catherine: "Mana starvation. Basically, you used too much of your mana. And that's why Hiyori and Aoba are creating a new device for you." -Uzuki: "Is that so. I'm sorry, for being such a burden on all of you." -Catherine: "You don't need to apologise. In fact, it is we who should apologise to you. Without your actions, the Amaterasu would've been destroyed." -Uzuki: "Anyway, where is everyone?" -Catherine: "They're on Murgin." -Uzuki: "Murgin?" -Catherine: "It's a newly discovered planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. They're currently trying to defend the World Orbs of the planet from the Donsilans." -Uzuki: "Then..." Uzuki tried to get off the bed, but Catherine stopped her. -Uzuki: "Catherine, let me go. I need to help them." -Catherine: "Don't, Uzuki. Please remember that you're still recovering from your condition, and you shouldn't exert yourself too much." -Uzuki: "Okay..." -Catherine: "Besides, you need to head back to Tokyo anyway, to receive your new device." -Uzuki: "But... do you think they'll be okay?" -Catherine: "I'm sure of it. Besides, if we find it necessary, then we can send additional people to help them." -Uzuki: "I see that you're still looking out for them." -Catherine: "By the way, Uzuki, you have a visitor." -Uzuki: "Eh? Who is it?" Catherine opened the door. It was Yayoi. -Uzuki: "Yayoi-nee?!" Yayoi entered the room. -Yayoi: "Uzuki, don't worry me like that. But I'm glad that you're all right. Catherine told me everything that happened, and I understand that you needed to do what you did." -Uzuki: "Yayoi-nee... thanks for your understanding." -Yayoi: "Uzuki, please hear me out." -Uzuki: "What is it, Yayoi-nee?" -Yayoi: "Once the crisis on Murgin is solved and you have recovered from your condition, you and your friends must return to Tokyo." -Uzuki: "Eh, why?" -Yayoi: "It concerns the Donsilans, and their intentions regarding the galaxy. It has become apparent that the threat which faces us is far greater than anything we've ever faced before. Or, at least that was what Akarin said." -Uzuki: "I understand. I'll tell everyone when they get back. By the way, wasn't Chiru-chan with you?" -Yayoi: "Ah, she's waiting outside. You know, as much as I was worried about you, she was even more worried." -Uzuki: "Ehehe.... That sounds just like her." -Yayoi: "Anyway, Uzuki, get better, okay?" -Uzuki: "I will." -Yayoi: "Well, see you later, then." Yayoi left the room. -Catherine: "After seeing you speak to your sister, I feel like I want a little sister of my own. I have an older sister, but..." -Uzuki: "Catherine, sometimes I feel lucky I have such caring older sisters such as Yayoi-nee. Doesn't Chelsea treat you the same way?" -Catherine: "Not really; if anything, she's closer to Natasha than to me. Anyway, I better go now; it's getting late." -Uzuki: "Ah, okay. See you later, Catherine." -Catherine: "See you later, Uzuki. And get some sleep." -Uzuki: "I will." Catherine left the room. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On board the Himiko, Hiyori was watching a display in a small room. The ship had sent an unmanned probe to observe the girls' progress on Murgin, and the video streamed by the probe showed the group confronting an unknown magical girl. -Hiyori: "It's about to start..." A girl walked up behind Hiyori and tapped her on the back. Hiyori turned around and, upon noticing the girl, jumped back in surprise. -Hiyori: "?! Oh, it's you, Kaede." -Kaede: "Hiyori, those girls... do you think they can pull it off?" -Hiyori: "A Donsilan magical girl is far stronger than the witches we fought three years ago. However, the battle is six-to-one, and Wakaba has a fairly powerful Inherent Ability." -Kaede: "You know, in the two times humans have fought Donsilans, it took two magical girls and two witches working together to defeat one the first time, and we only won the second confrontation due to sheer luck. I don't know how well they'll do down there, but we really need Uzuki right now." -Hiyori: "Uzuki is recovering at a hospital in Sydney. Even if she were discharged right now, she wouldn't make it in time." -Kaede: "True... however, I think they still have a chance. Wakaba's Inherent Ability, and Aoi's Inherent Ability, may be enough to turn the tables." -Hiyori: "Eh? What about Aoi?" -Kaede: "We actually have similar Inherent Abilities." -Hiyori: "Wait, how do you know?" -Kaede: "I did a bit of research. Besides, I've been investigating Aoi and her sister for a while. I think we may be related to each other in some way." -Hiyori: "Ishizuka said the same thing." -Kaede: "Anyway, I want to see how this goes." On Murgin, the girls faced off against the unknown magical girl. -Girl: "They said that humans are fairly weak compared to us. However..." -Aoi: "What do you mean?" -Girl: "Six of you is an entirely different story. It is well-known that if you have greater numbers, you're more likely to win. I want to see... if your teamwork can defeat me." The girl began to cast a spell, and a blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet. Thousands of what appeared to be blue orbs appeared around the area. -Himawari: "We'll show you..." Himawari began to cast a spell herself. Thousands of fireballs appeared around her. -Himawari: "... the true extent of our power!" The blue orbs were thrown straight at Himawari's group. Himawari responded by throwing the fireballs at the orbs in an attempt to neutralise the attack. However, the fireballs dissipated upon impact without doing much to the orbs. -Himawari: "No way..." -Wakaba: "Watch out!" Wakaba began to cast a spell. All of a sudden, there was a massive burst of air coming from where Wakaba was. The powerful winds which resulted had managed to cause the orbs to dissipate. -Himawari: "Wakaba, thanks for that." -Wakaba: "Himawari, please be more careful next time. That was a water-based attack." -Himawari: "Water? You mean..." -Aoi: "Your flames had little effect on her attack." The girl readied another attack. -Benio: "Everyone, here she comes again." The girl activated her weapon, then proceeded to charge towards the group. Aoi responded by creating a massive wall of ice between the group and the girl, which managed to stop the girl's attack. -Aoi: "That was close... but how do we stop her?" The girl attacked again, this time shattering the ice wall. However, Benio was alert to this and managed to punch the girl away before the girl could reach the others. -Benio: "She must have a weakness somewhere. Why don't we try out everything." -Louise: "Benio, I don't think we have that luxury. She'll be constantly attacking, and our mana pool is limited. We don't know how much mana she has, but I'm sure it's a far higher amount than what any one of us has." -Lyra: "Umm, I'm not so sure about that, Louise. After all, you have me. I realise now. I did not know because I lost my memories, but everything that has happened has told me that I am a Donsilan. And that means that the girl must be similar to me." -Louise: "Then why don't you try, Lyra? Maybe you'll fare better." -Lyra: "Perhaps. But, everyone, we need to help each other. That's the only way we can win." -Wakaba: "Don't worry, I have you covered." Wakaba took off and fired thousands of magic bullets at the girl. -Aoi: "Benio, let's flank our enemy." -Benio: "Right!" Aoi and Benio charged towards the girl, attacking her in opposite directions. -Himawari: "Louise, do what you do best." -Louise: "Right! Here I come!" Louise took out her gun and opened fire on the girl. Meanwhile, Himawari began to cast a spell. -Lyra: "I don't remember who you are, and I don't even know your name... but... as a fellow Donsilan, I know what we are capable of, and what we are not. So... here goes..." Lyra began to cast a spell, and a massive white magic circle appeared beneath her feet. -Girl: "Hehehe.... Did you think that could stop me?" The girl fired thousands of magic bullets, forcing everyone on the defensive. However, Himawari had finished her incantation. -Himawari: "Aoi! Benio! Get out of the way!" -Aoi: "Wait, where's your spell coming from?" -Benio: "Aoi, the ground!" -Aoi: "Ah!" Aoi and Benio leapt away from the girl, just before the ground below erupted into a massive column of magma, engulfing the girl. When everything cleared, however, the girl was still standing. -Himawari: "That wasn't enough?" -Wakaba: "Of course it wasn't! This is a Donsilan magical girl we're dealing with! I don't think we'll do much unless we enter Full Burst mode." -Himawari: "Wait, Wakaba, do you know how to enter Full Burst mode?" -Wakaba: "I do; I overheard it when Mirai was giving Uzuki instructions on how to activate her Inherent Ability." -Aoi: "Wait, Wakaba, you can't..." -Wakaba: "Aoi, I'm sure I can handle it. Besides, Hiyori and my sister gave me this device to realise my full potential." Wakaba held out her bow. A massive green magic circle appeared beneath her feet. -Benio: "Wakaba!" -Aoi: "Benio, let her be. I'm pretty sure it's the only way we can win. Besides, what is Lyra doing?" -Benio: "I'm not sure. She seems to be casting a spell, but I don't know what." -Wakaba: "Bloom, my flower!" Suddenly, there was an immensely bright flash of green light coming from Wakaba. When the light died down, Wakaba's weapon had morphed into two cannons attached to her forearms. The cannons themselves were attached to each other by a magic cord. -Wakaba: "Right... here goes..." Wakaba aimed at the girl, and used her arm-mounted cannons to shoot magic bullets at the girl. The girl managed to dodge the bullets, but the destructive power of the bullets was clearly demonstrated when they hit the ground; they managed to carve out significant portions of the earth, and every impact was accompanied by a sonic boom. -Louise: "Wakaba..." -Himawari: "Wakaba, don't overdo it." -Wakaba: "I know, Himawari." -Girl: "I knew you were going to resort to that. But... I don't need Full Burst mode to defeat you. I can just try and beat you out of it." The girl charged straight at Wakaba. -Aoi: "Wakaba!" Wakaba managed to dodge the attack. However, the girl launched another attack almost immediately, and managed to close the distance very quickly, before Wakaba even noticed. -Lyra: "Go!" White magic circles surrounded the girl. The girl's attack managed to connect; however, it had little effect on Wakaba. -Girl: "Lyra... what have you done?!" -Lyra: "The ability to force mages out of Full Burst mode is a defining trait of Donsilan magical girls. However, what isn't as well-known is that a Donsilan magical girl can neutralise this trait. That is precisely what I have done to you." -Girl: "Then I have no choice." The girl held out her weapon. -Girl: "Bloom, my flower!" There was a bright flash of blue light. When the light died down, the girl's weapon had transformed into twin swords, connected by a blue chain. -Girl: "Now let's see if you can take this!" The girl threw one of her swords straight at Lyra. The chain extended as the sword flew through the air. -Louise: "Lyra!" -Lyra: "I know!" Lyra leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding the attack. -Wakaba: "Lyra, watch out!" -Lyra: "Eh?" The girl sent a massive amount of magical energy through the chain. When it reached the sword embedded in the ground, it cause a massive explosion, and Lyra ended up being caught in the explosion. -Girl: "Not many have withstood the attack I've just executed. In my previous battles, this was enough to end the battle in my favour." When the light from the explosion died down, it revealed that Benio had managed to reach Lyra and put up a barrier. -Benio: "That... that was close..." -Lyra: "Benio... thanks." -Girl: "How... how?! How were you able to withstand my attack?!" -Aoi: "Sorry about that... but that's the nature of my Inherent Ability." Everyone looked at Aoi, who had activated Full Burst mode while everyone else was preoccupied with the attack. -Aoi: "The flower bud on my left hand... absorbs mana from any spells cast in its vicinity. With that, your attack's power was significantly reduced." -Girl: "You..." The girl responded by firing a massive magic beam at Aoi, who effortlessly blocked it with her left hand. -Himawari: "She blocked it without putting up a shield?" -Louise: "I knew Inherent Abilities were powerful, but..." -Himawari: "If I recall, Kaede had a similar ability." On board the Himiko: -Hiyori: "Wait... could that be..." -Kaede: "That's Aoi's Inherent Ability. In many respects, it is similar to mine. We both have the capability of absorbing the mana of any spells cast around us, and storing that mana in a special structure. However, there's a limit to how much mana can be stored." -Hiyori: "What happens if that limit is exceeded?" -Kaede: "Basically, you get a massive explosion of mana. That's why, when it reaches a certain point, you need to unleash that mana in a single attack." -Hiyori: "So, it's basically a mana-gathering mechanism, right?" -Kaede: "In principle, it is, but our Inherent Abilities gather mana straight from spells, not the background. This means that the enemy's spells are weakened, as you just saw." -Hiyori: "I see." Suddenly, there was an alert. -PA: "Attention. An enemy ship has been identified approaching the Himiko. Attention. An enemy ship has been identified approaching the Himiko. Entering combat mode; diverting power to critical infrastructure." Suddenly, the display turned off and the lights dimmed and turned red. -Hiyori: "It has begun." Drifting towards the Himiko was the Donsilan ship. The Himiko's sensors had spotted it from hundreds of thousands of kilometres away, and the Himiko is now preparing to engage it in combat. The hangar door opened, and thousands of drones exited the hangar and flew towards the enemy ship. The turrets covering the Himiko turned towards the enemy ship, and almost immediately fired barrages of lasers at the ship. Back on Murgin: -Girl: "Just... this is by far the most effort I needed in order to win. Even though you are six people..." -Lyra: "So... you haven't lost at all yet?" -Girl: "That's right. I was by far the strongest magical girl in my group. I was chosen for this assignment because of my strength." -Himawari: "You know, it is kind of shortsighted to hinge the success of a mission on just one person. My question is, why are you alone? Why don't you have someone else to help you?" -Girl: "I was chosen specifically because of my relationship with Lyra. No one else from that orphanage was taken up by the ones who took me up and raised me in the first place. Still, it's not like you humans can win against all of us. Even if I lose, we'll blow apart your ship." -Louise: "We'll see about that. Everyone, let's go!" Wakaba shot more magic bullets at the girl. This time, though, the bullets followed the girl, so she could not evade them. The girl put up a shield to block the bullets, but the sheer power of the resulting blasts caused it to crack. At that moment, Benio blindsided the girl and punched her out of the air and towards the ground. -Benio: "Wakaba, now!" -Wakaba: "Right!" Wakaba aimed her cannons at the girl, and fired a massive magic bullet at her. The bullet, despite its size, was fast, and it reached the girl in very little time. The resulting explosion gouged out a crater over 70 metres in diameter and nearly blew away the other girls, who had to use binding magic to attach themselves to the planet to avoid being blown away. -Himawari: "Is it over?" -Wakaba: "No, not yet." The girl emerged from the crater and charged straight at Wakaba, who responded by firing another massive magic bullet. This time, the girl put up a shield to block the attack. Although the shield was broken, the attack lost most of its power by the time it impacted the girl, and as a result dealt little damage. -Benio: "Wakaba, are you trying to blow us away?!" -Wakaba: "You'll just have to deal with it, Benio! So what if I can't confine my wind magic?" -Aoi: "Could you two cut it out?! We have a battle to win here." Wakaba followed her attack up with another barrage of magic bullets. The girl put up a barrier in response to the barrage, and managed to keep them all out. Wakaba began to cast a spell. -Wakaba: "Here goes..." Wakaba held her right arm up, and aimed at the girl. She then fired a single magic bullet. Unlike the others, this one was fairly small. -Benio: "Wait, Wakaba, that isn't going to do anything!" -Himawari: "Benio, just wait. You'll be surprised." The magic bullet flew straight towards the girl. However, instead of impacting the barrier surrounding the girl, it flew right through it, and then through the girl, dealing damage to her. -Benio: "Wait, is that your Inherent Ability, Wakaba?" The bullet turned back and hit the girl again, dealing more damage. -Girl: "What?! What is this? Why can't I block it?" The girl attempted to evade the magic bullet, but it was too fast. She was hit again. -Louise: "Wakaba, don't overdo it. Here, catch!" Louise threw a potion at Wakaba, who caught it. -Wakaba: "Thanks, Louise." Wakaba drank the potion, then proceeded to send out two more magic bullets. Like the one still flying around, this had the same property of going straight through obstacles and barriers. The bullets then proceeded to hit the girl repeatedly. -Girl: "Just how long will this go on for?" Suddenly, the girl was hit on the head by an empty potion bottle. She caught the bottle. -Girl: "No way... they have mana potions?!" While the girl was harassed by the bullets, Aoi began to cast a spell. A massive blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet. -Aoi: "Everyone, I'm going to send a massive attack her way." -Everyone: "Right!" Hundreds of large icicles appeared in the air, all aimed at the girl. -Benio: "Aoi, what are you..." -Aoi: "My flower bud will soon open. When it opens, it will have gathered enough mana for me to unleash my ultimate attack. Wakaba, thanks for giving me the power to perform this attack." -Wakaba: "Did I? But, you're welcome." Suddenly, the air became extremely cold. -Wakaba: "It's starting. Everyone, clear the area!" -Everyone: "Right!" Everyone flew away from the girl, leaving only Aoi with the girl. -Aoi: "Here goes..." The flower bud on Aoi's left hand opened, revealing a very pretty flower. The flower then began to glow blue, and the icicles then flew towards the girl. The girl tried to defend from the attack by putting up a barrier, but just one of the icicles was needed to completely shatter her barrier. The icicles impacted the girl, dealing massive damage. -Benio: "Is it over?" -Wakaba: "I'm not sure. Lyra, do you know?" -Lyra: "It's over... I think." When the attack ended, the girl fell towards the ground. Lyra flew towards the girl and caught her. The rest of the group followed. -Benio: "Aoi, how were you able to do that?" Benio approached Aoi, who was on her knees on the ground as a result of exerting herself. -Aoi: "Benio... I'm not sure. But... this power, might be too much for me." Louise approached the two. -Louise: "Well, it certainly was too much for your device." The three looked at the ground in front of Aoi, where her device lay. It was completely shattered. -Louise: "Not to worry, though; Hiyori will make a new device for you." -Aoi: "Ah, okay." -Louise: "But at least you're not suffering from mana starvation or mana poisoning." Wakaba and Himawari approached the group. -Wakaba: "Aoi, you did well. I never knew you had that much power." -Himawari: "Anyway... let's get on board the Himiko." Himawari took out her communication device, and attempted to contact the Himiko. -Himawari: "To the Himiko, this is the princess, do you report?" -Voice: "Yes, Princess, this is the Himiko. We are... currently engaged in combat. However, we seem to have the upper hand now; the enemy ship's barrier is about to fail, and our barrier is currently at 65 per cent." -Himawari: "That's good to hear. Now can you send a shuttle to our position?" -Voice: "We will, once the battle's over." -Himawari: "Right, then, we'll be waiting." Himawari put away the device. -Wakaba: "Is it like last time? I mean, with the Himiko." -Himawari: "The Himiko has more advanced weaponry and defence systems than the Amaterasu, so it's more than capable of fighting the enemy." -Wakaba: "I see." Lyra flew towards the group, carrying the girl. -Wakaba: "By the way, Lyra, how is the girl?" -Lyra: "She's currently unconscious, but she'll make a full recovery. There's still many things I want to ask her, though." -Himawari: "Ah, but we can do that once we're on board. Anyway, Aoi, we need to get your device replaced. If you speak to Hiyori and Kaede I'm sure they'll be able to create a new device for you." -Aoi: "Ah, yes. But what will I do before I get my new device?" -Himawari: "For the time being, you need to rest. And that goes for everyone else." -Louise: "Himawari, I'm going to contact the others. Besides, we need to give all of the information we've gathered to Akane and Kaori so they can report our progress to the Zodiac Warriors leadership." -Himawari: "Ah, right." In a hospital in Sydney: -Uzuki: "So... have they succeeded? Have they successfully protected the World Orbs on Murgin?" -Michiru: "It appears so. I heard from Akari that your friends managed to defeat the Donsilan magical girl sent there, and that the Himiko managed to destroy the Donsilan ship." -Uzuki: "I see. Well, I'm glad they were able to do it without my help. By the way, Chiru-chan..." -Michiru: "What is it, Uzuki?" -Uzuki: "I'd like to know... what do you think will happen from now on?" -Michiru: "Well, the first thing we're planning to do is to interrogate the Donsilan magical girl. She may have some valuable information on who is ultimately responsible for this. The next thing is..." Suddenly, a voice called out from outside. -Voice: "Chiru-chan, are you finished talking to my sister? Come on, let's go now!" -Michiru: "Ah, I'm coming! Sorry, Uzuki, but it's getting late, and Yayoi wants me at Catherine's house." -Uzuki: "Ah, see you later, Chiru-chan." -Michiru: "See you later, Uzuki." Michiru left the room. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On board the Himiko, the girls headed inside the infirmary, where Kaede was waiting. -Kaede: "You did well, everyone. But it came at a cost, right?" -Himawari: "Ah, yes. Aoi's device was destroyed in the battle." -Kaede: "Well, Hiyori and I can create a new device for her. Besides, for Aoi, I have just the thing I need." Kaede took out her own device. -Aoi: "Your own device?" -Kaede: "That's right. Aoi, we actually have similar Inherent Abilities. So my own device will be useful as a template for your own device." -Aoi: "Is it to do with the fact that Ishizuka seems to think I'm related to her?" -Kaede: "You know, I have the same feeling as well. The fact that our Inherent Abilities are similar just makes the connection seem more plausible." -Aoi: "Do you think we'll ever know if we're related?" -Kaede: "I'm not sure. But, then again, the further back we go, the more likely it is that we will find a common ancestor." -Louise: "Anyway, about the girl we brought in..." -Kaede: "Her condition is stable right now. Louise, when we arrive back on Earth, can you take her to Natasha's house?" -Louise: "Ah, okay. But we were initially intending to head back to Sydney first." -Kaede: "Well, you can take her yourself. The others can head back to Sydney without you." -Lyra: "Umm, I'll come with you, Lou-Lou." -Louise: "Ah, thanks, Lyra. By the way, Lyra..." -Lyra: "What is it?" -Louise: "When we encountered the girl, your speech was... different. Not only did you not refer to us by nicknames, but you seemed... more blunt than usual. Why was that?" -Lyra: "I... I don't know. It was a weird feeling, but it made me a bit more serious than usual." -Himawari: "I'll remain on the Himiko. Aoi, do you still have that blue orb?" -Aoi: "Yes." -Himawari: "Then you three can use it to return." -Aoi: "Ah, okay." Aoi left the infirmary. -Kaede: "Are you sure it's okay to let them go like that?" -Himawari: "Well, they do need rest after that battle. Besides, when we head back to Earth, it'll be Saturday there." -Kaede: "Ah, right, the weekend. Anyway, what will happen next?" -Himawari: "Well, we don't know at the moment. For now, we need to report to the higher-ups about this." The next day: -Lyra: "Is this it?" -Louise: "Looks like it." The two girls, carrying the mysterious girl with them, found themselves at Natasha's rather large mansion in Melbourne. -Lyra: "It's so huge..." -Louise: "Well, the Bensons are one of the richest families in the Zodiac Warriors. You should see their London property. It's even bigger than this." -Lyra: "So... can we just go in?" -Louise: "No; the gate won't open by itself. We need to tell whoever's inside that there are visitors." The two girls walked to the gate. Louise pressed a button on a panel beside the gate. A woman's voice responded from the panel. -Voice: "The young lady has been waiting for you. Please enter." The gate opened. -Louise: "Right, then, we should head inside." -Lyra: "Okay." The two girls entered the mansion. Inside, a maid was waiting. -Maid: "Welcome to the Benson family mansion, Melbourne. The young lady has been waiting for your arrival, so please allow me to lead you to her." -Louise: "Please do so." The maid headed towards the room where Natasha was waiting. On the way, Lyra began to speak to Louise. -Lyra: "Lou-Lou, I knew Natasha's family was rich, but not this rich. I mean, you said that they have a mansion even bigger than this, and I feel like I could get lost here." -Louise: "You know, Lyra, her grandfather is actually quite famous in England. They speak of him as possibly the most successful businessman in the entire country." -Lyra: "Wow, I didn't know that..." -Louise: "It's too bad, though, that his son isn't following in his footsteps. But Natasha herself is already looking to make money through working as a medical researcher. It's a bit too soon, but I'm sure she'll succeed." -Lyra: "I see." After a while, the girls arrived at the room where Natasha was waiting. The maid opened the door, and the girls entered. -Natasha: "Welcome, Louise, Lyra." -Louise: "We were asked to send this girl to you." -Natasha: "I heard from Amelia. The order was to interrogate this girl once she wakes up. Can you please set her down on one of the beds?" -Louise: "Okay." Louise and Lyra put down the girl on one of the beds. -Natasha: "Now, there is one other reason why you are here, Louise." -Louise: "What is it?" -Natasha: "It's about Lyra. In fact, I'm glad you brought her here." -Lyra: "Me?" -Louise: "What did you want to ask me about regarding her?" -Natasha: "Chelsea told me that Lyra is likely a Donsilan herself." -Louise: "Well, the battle we just had all but confirms it. I knew that the Donsilans had the ability to nullify species-specific abilities, up to and including the Donsilans' own ability to knock a mage out of Full Burst mode. The girl we fought attempted to knock Wakaba out of Full Burst mode, but Lyra was able to prevent her from doing that." -Natasha: "I see. Now, Lyra, I know that you've lost your memories five years ago, so I won't force answers from you. But, can you at least tell me if any of those memories have returned?" -Lyra: "I... I still don't remember. But that girl told me that we were in the same orphanage." -Natasha: "I see. I'll ask more from her when she wakes up." -Louise: "This is just a theory, but I think that Gakran was responsible for Lyra's memory loss, as well as the fact that she's here in the first place." -Natasha: "You think so too, Louise? Gakran has affected us all in one way or another, so it wouldn't be surprising if that were the case." -Lyra: "Umm... there is one thing I've had for as long as I remember." Lyra took out a pendant. -Natasha: "Ah, you showed me that before. It's an Innocence Shard, a powerful object said to contain the essence required to kill demons and witches." -Louise: "An Innocence Shard? Natasha, what do you know about them?" -Natasha: "I don't know about Donsilans, but for humans, there is a very small chance that one will appear once a magical girl loses the ability to use the power we need to kill demons and witches. It can be used by any female mage, and is just as effective at killing demons and witches as a magical girl." -Lyra: "But why do I have something like this? And, who originally owned this?" -Natasha: "We don't know. You clearly don't know, as you lost your memories. But the girl may know." The girl lying on the bed began to wake up. -Girl: "Umm... uhh... where am I?" -Lyra: "Ah, you're awake." -Girl: "Oh, it's you, Lyra." -Louise: "About time you woke up. You promised to tell us about Lyra if we defeated you." -Girl: "Ah, right. By the way, weren't you speaking a different language when we fought?" -Louise: "Ah, I'm fluent in both Japanese and English. Anyway, what do you know about Lyra?" -Girl: "Before I say anything about her, let me introduce myself first. I didn't get the chance to introduce myself before, so... call me Melody." -Lyra: "That's your human name, right?" -Melody: "Yes. I'll tell you my real name later on, in private." -Lyra: "Ah, okay." -Louise: "I should introduce myself as well. I am Louise, a princess of Likkra. The other girl with us is Natasha." -Melody: "Nice to meet you. By the way, Natasha, might you be the daughter of Lily Benson?" -Natasha: "Wait, how do you know about my mother?" -Melody: "I was specifically told to avoid her. My superiors told me that no one they knew was powerful enough to defeat her in a straight fight. They specifically mentioned her incredible defensive powers, her ability with healing magic, and her Inherent Ability." -Natasha: "I guess even the Donsilans know about my mother. Anyway, Melody, can you tell me why you came here in the first place?" -Melody: "It was to take back the World Orbs. Or at least that's what my superiors said. To be honest, I don't know the true purpose of my mission." -Louise: "Then, what do you know about Lyra?" -Melody: "As I said before, we were from the same orphanage. My memories of the time when we were together are a bit hazy, but I clearly remember the time I first met her. Lyra was a shy girl, so she often kept to herself, even when others want her to play with them. I was actually her first friend; it just so happens that I was persistent enough to get through to her. Then, of course, that incident happened, and we never saw each other again, until now. It's just a bit unfortunate that Lyra had lost her memories in that incident." -Lyra: "But... I get the feeling that they may someday return. But, thanks for remembering me, Melody." -Melody: "I see you're still the soft-spoken girl I befriended five years ago." -Natasha: "Now, can you tell me why the people you worked for are after her?" -Melody: "I'm not so sure about that. I was specifically told to take Lyra alive, but I was not told why. However, from what I heard from my superiors, Lyra is an important character in a prophecy passed down among the Donsilans." -Louise: "A prophecy?" -Melody: "We originally left the galaxy because a powerful abomination threatened our entire galactic civilisation. The prophecy states that one day, a magical girl, referred to in the prophecy only by the name 'April Light', will defeat that abomination once and for all." -Louise: "But why the name, though?" -Melody: "The prophecy states that the event will occur in the fourth month of our calendar. Hence the name." -Lyra: "And what do I have to do with this prophecy? Are you suggesting that I am the April Light?" -Melody: "No, I'm not. No one even has a clue. We searched long and hard, but we still do not know who is the April Light. However, Lyra, you hold one of the keys to finding out who the April Light is." -Lyra: "Eh, me?" -Melody: "Lyra, you still have that pendant, right?" -Lyra: "Ah, yes. But how did you know?" Melody took out her pendant. -Melody: "This is my own. Lyra, take yours out as well." -Lyra: "Ah, okay." Lyra took out her pendant. -Natasha: "Wow, they look nearly identical." -Louise: "Melody, what about the pendants?" -Melody: "There are four of these pendants. They are the four fragments of the Innocence Shard originating from the magical girl who helped the Donsilans escape the galaxy in the first place. Legend has it that she fought the abomination to a stalemate, but ultimately lost her life. As of now, the Shards are the only things we have left of her." -Louise: "And what are your roles in this prophecy?" -Melody: "Each of us is to search for a magical girl with particular traits. Unfortunately, we don't have much information we can use to help us in our search; in fact, our pendants are the only way we can even determine who to search for. Lyra, let us hold out our pendants." -Lyra: "Okay." The two held out their pendants. -Melody: "Now, focus." -Lyra: "Okay." The two focused. Magic circles appeared beneath their feet. The pendants began to glow, but the colour of their glow differed from the magic colours of the two. After a while, the glow died down. -Louise: "And what does that tell you?" -Melody: "It's only a start, but it told us the magic colour of the girls we're after. Lyra is to search for a magical girl with yellow magic colour. Mine is green." -Louise: "You know, magical girls with those magic colours are right here." -Melody: "I know you're joking, but we really need more clues before we can conclusively determine anything. Lyra, let me tell you one thing." -Lyra: "What is it?" -Melody: "Out of the four girls tasked with searching for these magical girls, you are the one with the closest connection to the April Light." -Lyra: "I am?" -Natasha: "Wait, what do you mean?" -Melody: "That's what my superiors said. I don't know how or why, though." -Louise: "Anyway..." -Lyra: "Wait... something is coming back to me." -Melody: "Lyra, what is it?" -Lyra: "Are these... some of my memories?" -Louise: "Lyra, tell us." -Lyra: "Faces which I could not recall before now... yes. It really is you, Melody. I... I remember now. You've been by my side all those years ago, in some way I'm glad that you're still looking after me." -Melody: "Well, at least you have some of your memories back." -Natasha: "Lyra, did anything important come back to you?" -Lyra: "No... not to my knowledge. It was mainly my time with Melody." -Louise: "I see. Anyway, Melody, about your superiors... do they represent the entire Donsilan race?" -Melody: "No; in fact, my adoptive mother was actually opposed to all of this. It just so happens that she was blackmailed into sending me off. I know of countless others who want to leave you humans alone." -Natasha: "So that confirms what some of us have theorised." -Melody: "So you've figured it out? I was wondering why my superiors didn't send state-of-the-art ships to just take over the galaxy." -Louise: "Anyway, Natasha, is it okay if we stay here?" -Natasha: "Ah, you're always welcome here. Lyra as well." -Lyra: "Ah, thanks, Natasha." -Melody: "Anyway, there's one more thing I have to say right now." -Natasha: "What is it?" -Melody: "But before that, I'd like to ask you something. Who do you think the April Light actually is?" -Louise: "We have no idea. We can only guess." -Natasha: "But, even though this is a Donsilan prophecy, it doesn't mean that this magical girl must be a Donsilan." -Melody: "Natasha, you may be right. I think so too. I actually believe that the April Light is actually a human. After all, it is humans who inherited the galaxy." -Louise: "That makes sense." -Natasha: "Anyway, Melody, I've been ordered to not allow you to leave this mansion. There are many others who wish to speak to you." -Melody: "I understand." Suddenly, the sound of plates shattering was heard from the lower levels. -Voice: "The plates!" -Voice: "I told you to be careful; you know there's a toddler running around the place." -Voice: "Well, why is she even allowed to just wander the place?" -Voice: "Then call the young lady. I'm sure she'll sort things out." -Melody: "What... was that?" -Natasha: "It must be my little sister wreaking havoc among our maids. And it looks like we need new plates." -Melody: "Your sister?" -Natasha: "Her name is Olivia. Well, you'll have to get used to all this." -Melody: "I... I am not looking forward to this..." -Lyra: "Well, you have to feel for the maids, though; they need to deal with this every day." -Natasha: "Anyway, I'll be heading down to see what's going on." Natasha left the room. Meanwhile, in Sydney, Wakaba, Aoi and Benio arrived at Catherine's house. -Catherine: "Welcome back. I assume that you were successful, right?" -Aoi: "We were." -Catherine: "Now, Chelsea has told me that we need to visit Uzuki right now." -Wakaba: "Why? Is it that important?" -Catherine: "We'll tell you when we get to the hospital." -Wakaba: "Ah, okay." At the hospital: -Wakaba: "Uzuki! How are you feeling?" -Uzuki: "I'm fine now. The doctor said that I can leave at any time." -Wakaba: "Thank goodness... we can return home now, right?" -Uzuki: "Yes, that's right. However, Yayoi-nee told me that it is imperative that we return to Tokyo." -Aoi: "What for?" -Benio: "Uzuki, why? Is there more coming?" -Uzuki: "I'm not exactly sure; the only thing I can think of is to ask Inorin or Sumippe." -Catherine: "Ah, I'll tell you why. The Donsilans are heightening their effort in taking back the World Orbs." -Uzuki: "What does that mean?" -Catherine: "Unfortunately, I don't know much beyond that. It's possible that Kaori can tell you more." -Aoi: "Anyway, it looks like we should get going. Uzuki, let's head back home." -Uzuki: "Yes, Aocchi." -Catherine: "Oh, and Chelsea and I will be coming with you to Tokyo." -Uzuki: "Why?" -Catherine: "Natasha's mother requested us to accompany you four." -Uzuki: "Okay..." -Aoi: "Anyway, let's go, everyone." The girls headed to the airport, to take the next flight to Tokyo. -Uzuki: "By the way, Catherine, where are the others?" -Catherine: "From what I heard, Himawari is currently on board the Himiko. Louise and Lyra are in Melbourne right now, speaking to the Donsilan girl." -Uzuki: "Ah, okay." -Catherine: "Uzuki, there's something I need to tell you." -Uzuki: "What is it?" -Catherine: "I just heard from Natasha. The Donsilan girl has mentioned a prophecy known among the Donsilans." -Uzuki: "A prophecy?" -Catherine: "This prophecy speaks of a magical girl known only as the 'April Light'. Lyra, and the Donsilan girl, are apparently supposed to search for specific magical girls important to this prophecy." -Uzuki: "So, what significance does this prophecy have?" -Catherine: "So far, the Donsilans are after the World Orbs. It's not clear what their true intentions are, but it's possible that they're actually after the April Light." -Aoi: "But why, though?" -Catherine: "It is said that the April Light will one day defeat the very abomination that forced the Donsilans from the galaxy in the first place. To find the April Light, four specific magical girls must be sought, and must be brought together. Only then will the April Light be revealed. Lyra, and the Donsilan girl, have the means to search for them: pendants consisting of the four fragments of a special Innocence Shard." -Benio: "So, does that mean that they're seeking the April Light to take back the galaxy?" -Catherine: "As I said, it's not clear what their true intentions are. But the fact that the Donsilans are specifically after Lyra, and with the appearance of that specific girl, I think it could be related to the April Light." -Wakaba: "Then do we have any clue as to who the April Light is? Or the four magical girls?" -Catherine: "The only thing we know, according to Natasha, is that one of the four has a yellow magic colour, and another of the four has a green magic colour." -Aoi: "What about the others?" -Catherine: "We do not know; in fact, we cannot know until the other two girls tasked with searching for them arrive in the galaxy. Anyway, we better get going." -Uzuki: "Ah, right." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Orbiting Earth were two Namari spaceships: the Himiko, and the Amaterasu. The Amaterasu was undergoing repair, while the Himiko had just arrived from Murgin. The two ships were docked together. In the Amaterasu's docking port: -Ishizuka: "Ah, you're back, Kaede. How were things on Murgin?" -Kaede: "It was a complete success. The World Orbs are safe. Although Aoi's device was destroyed in the battle." -Ishizuka: "I see. Kaede, is Hiyori going to create a new device for Aoi?" -Kaede: "She is. However, she'll need my device as a template, and I intend to assist her." -Ishizuka: "Well, in some ways you and Aoi are similar. Anyway, let's head in." -Kaede: "Okay." The two headed towards the door leading to the Amaterasu's hallway. On the way, Kaede turned around and waved her hand. Himawari, who was standing on the other side, waved back. In the Amaterasu's CIC, Fukuyama was reading through the damage reports. In some ways she was glad the Himiko came, as they had the spare parts which the Amaterasu needed. Some of the crew members were performing EVAs to repair the damage taken during the battle in orbit around Haralni, while other crew members stayed behind to wait for further orders. Suddenly, the door opened. It was Ishizuka and Kaede. -Fukuyama: "Ah, Tomomi, you're back." -Ishizuka: "How are the repairs going?" -Fukuyama: "There are currently no problems with the repairs." -Ishizuka: "Have we received any orders from higher-up?" -Fukuyama: "Not at the moment. Right now, we're just going to stay near Earth. However, we're still on the lookout for any Donsilan ships." -Kaede: "Umm, Fukuyama, the princess asked me to tell you that the Amaterasu is to remain in orbit around Earth after the repairs are finished. She also issued the same order to the Himiko." -Fukuyama: "Understood." -Ishizuka: "Anyway, we'll be off." Ishizuka and Kaede left. -Radar operator: "Captain, unidentified ship approaching!" -Fukuyama: "Give me more information on this ship." -Radar operator: "It appears to be two light hours away, and with its current velocity and acceleration it is expected to reach Earth in around 24 hours." -Fukuyama: "Can you identify the ship?" -Radar operator: "Unfortunately, no." -Radio operator: "Captain, we've received a message from the unidentified ship. It appears to be readable." -Fukuyama: "What does it say?" -Radio operator: "It's in English. Captain, can you read it out?" The message appeared on the viewscreen. -Fukuyama: "Let's see... 'We are the Donsilans. Unlike the ones you have fought, we do not intend to fight or oppose you. However, we are here because the galaxy is in danger right now. As of now, a splinter faction has, in fear of a cataclysm which will affect the galaxy, attempted to take the World Orbs. It appears that they have found out about their defeats and have decided to send their own ships to the galaxy. We estimate that their small fleet of six ships will arrive in Earth's solar system in 14 days. Of course, we have sent our own fleet to help you; they are currently in orbit around Mars, and the ship which has sent this message will approach Earth.' That's what the message says." -Radio operator: "So, should we trust them?" -Fukuyama: "I'll leave that to the higher-ups. Radio the Himiko." -Radio operator: "Yes, Captain!" On the street just outside the Furusaka Shrine in Tokyo, a red magic circle appeared out of nowhere. The glowing figure of a young girl appeared in the middle of the circle, before both the glow and the circle faded to reveal the girl. -Girl: "So... this is the humans' homeworld..." The girl noticed the shrine. -Girl: "Ah, so that's where I'm supposed to go." The girl entered the shrine. She saw Inori sitting alone. -Inori: "Do I know you?" -Girl: "Ah, no. It's my first time on this planet." -Inori: "I see. Well, why are you here?" -Girl: "I wish to speak to Kaori Otohane." -Inori: "Unfortunately, Otohane is not in this shrine. If you just want to leave her a message, you can tell me." -Girl: "It's something I wish to discuss with her directly. However, I can wait here, if it's okay." -Inori: "By all means." The girl sat down opposite Inori. Several minutes of awkward silence followed. Eventually, there was activity, in the form of Mirai entering the shrine. -Mirai: "Ah, Inori, who's the girl?" -Inori: "Mirai, she came here because she wanted to discuss something with Otohane." -Mirai: "I see." -Girl: "Umm..." -Inori: "What is it?" -Girl: "Can I ask your names?" -Inori: "Ah, right, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Inori Akagawa, and this is Mirai Aooka. By the way, what's your name?" -Girl: "..." -Mirai: "You... don't know your own name?" -Girl: "That's not it. It's just that I can't really say my real name, lest someone mispronounce it, and mispronouncing one's name is taboo in my culture." -Mirai: "I see. Then, what should we call you?" -Girl: "... Kanade." -Mirai: "Kanade, nice to meet you." -Inori: "Wait, Kanade, are you by any chance a Donsilan?" -Kanade: "Yes, I am." -Inori: "So that's why you won't say your real name. From the Donsilans we already know, one had lost her memories, and the other explained this real name issue." -Kanade: "So you know Lyra and Melody?" -Mirai: "Do you know them?" -Kanade: "I know of them. We never met, though. However..." Kanade took out a pendant. -Kanade: "... those two should have pendants similar to this one." -Inori: "Ah, so you're one of the girls tasked with finding the four magical girls linked to the April Light." -Kanade: "That's correct. The girl I'm searching for has a blue magic colour." -Mirai: "So, yellow, green and blue. Inori, do you have any idea?" -Inori: "No. The four magical girls could be Uzuki's group, but it could instead include you. As far as we know, they could be anyone." -Kanade: "More clues will come to us over time. Now, there's something really urgent I'd like to say. Could you pass this on to Otohane?" -Inori: "We will." -Kanade: "The faction which sent Melody to this galaxy, and which has attempted to take the World Orbs, is sending a fleet to Earth. Unlike the previous battles, these won't be alien ships; instead they're Donsilan ships, straight from our extragalactic colony." -Mirai: "Then, that means..." -Inori: "We know the Donsilans' capabilities are far greater than ours. Kanade, is there any way we can defeat them?" -Kanade: "Yes. However, you will need our help. We have already stationed our own fleet in the solar system; they will be part of Earth's defence." -Inori: "So, you're helping us?" -Kanade: "Yes. In 14 days, the enemy will arrive. However, we are confident that we can win." -Mirai: "14 days? I think that's plenty of time to prepare. Alright, Kanade, I will inform everyone." -Kanade: "Okay." -Mirai: "In the mean time, do you have a place to stay?" -Kanade: "No. Well, I was on a ship, but... my superiors told me that I should remain on Earth." -Mirai: "Well, then..." Sumire entered the shrine. Accompanying her was Uzuki. -Mirai: "Ah, Shiba-senpai. You're here." -Sumire: "Mirai... who's the girl?" -Kanade: "Ah, let me introduce myself. I am a Donsilan." -Sumire: "A Donsilan?" -Uzuki: "Ah, so you're like Lyra, right?" -Kanade: "In many ways, we are similar. You can call me Kanade." -Uzuki: "Nice to meet you, Kanade." -Sumire: "I'm Sumire Shiba, and this is Uzuki Miyana." -Kanade: "Nice to meet you too. Wait... Uzuki?" -Uzuki: "What about me?" -Kanade: "Uzuki... I really needed to speak to you." -Uzuki: "Eh? What for?" -Kanade: "Come with me." Kanade grabbed Uzuki's wrist and took her outside. -Uzuki: "W-What are you..." Kanade took Uzuki behind the shrine. -Kanade: "Uzuki, the Donsilans wish to speak to you." -Uzuki: "Why?" -Kanade: "Well, they said that you alone are capable of destroying spaceships. They know what happened on Haralni." -Uzuki: "Ah, that. To be honest, I never knew I had such a powerful Inherent Ability, and the only time I used it, my body couldn't handle it." -Kanade: "But now you can. Uzuki, we need you." -Uzuki: "Kanade... I think you're pushing me too much." -Kanade: "Ah, I'm sorry. If you feel uncomfortable, just say so." -Uzuki: "But... I'll fight alongside all of you. Just as I have done with the others before." -Kanade: "So, you'll come with me?" -Uzuki: "To where?" -Kanade: "To my ship. My superiors want to speak to you." -Uzuki: "I..." Suddenly Wakaba leapt from the roof of the shrine down to where Uzuki and Kanade were. -Wakaba: "I'll go in Uzuki's place." -Uzuki: "Wakaba, just how long have you been on the roof?" -Wakaba: "For pretty much the entire time." -Kanade: "Then you must've heard our entire conversation. I was planning on asking you and your friends to come as well." -Wakaba: "I see. We'll come." -Uzuki: "Wait, Wakaba, the others aren't here." -Wakaba: "Oh, but they are. Ah, there's Aoi." Wakaba pointed towards Aoi, who was walking towards them. -Aoi: "This seems urgent, so I think it's imperative that we go." -Wakaba: "Huh? Where's Benio?" -Aoi: "She ran off right after we arrived. Did you really not notice that, Wakaba?" Suddenly, Benio leapt from the roof and landed right on top of Wakaba. -Benio: "Ehehe..." -Wakaba: "Benio! Why did you do that?! You could've hurt me, you know." -Benio: "Are you just going to whine every time I play with you?" -Wakaba: "This isn't 'playing'!" -Aoi: "You two, cut it out!" -Benio: "Ah, sorry, Aoi." -Uzuki: "Seriously, I don't see how that is fun. Wakaba clearly doesn't like it." Benio stood back up. -Benio: "Anyway, it's important, right?" -Kanade: "Yes, it is. I suppose that now everyone's here, we can go." -Uzuki: "You mean, right now?" -Kanade: "Yes." -Uzuki: "But how do we get to your ship? There aren't any shuttles around." -Kanade: "I teleported here. Of course, you humans need to use shuttles, since you have trouble with accuracy, but we Donsilans can teleport very accurately even at light-hour distances." Kanade began to cast a spell, and a red magic circle appeared beneath her feet. All five girls began to be enveloped in a red glow, before suddenly disappearing. On board the Donsilan ship: -Uzuki: "So this is your ship..." -Aoi: "Compared to this, the Amaterasu seems crude." -Wakaba: "Kanade, you're not the only one from this ship, right?" -Kanade: "Of course not! What gave you the idea that I came alone?" -Benio: "Anyway... wait, is that Himawari?" The girls turned towards where Benio was pointing. It was Himawari. -Uzuki: "Himawari!" Himawari turned towards the girls. -Himawari: "Ah, Uzuki, you're all here." -Aoi: "What are you doing here?" -Himawari: "I came here to talk strategy. After all, in 14 days, the enemy will arrive, and we need to prepare for that." -Aoi: "Do the others already know?" -Himawari: "I'm not sure; we only just received the news." A familiar voice called out to the girls. -Louise: "We already know. As for the others, the news is spreading very quickly." The girls turned towards Louise. Beside her were Lyra and Melody. -Louise: "Himawari, we don't know how long this will go for, but we must play our part in ensuring our success. Uzuki, I know you've only just started helping us, but... we need you. Everyone needs you." -Uzuki: "Louise... am I some sort of chosen one? I am willing to help you, but regardless, I feel that too much responsibility is being put on my shoulders." -Melody: "Well, it's only going to get tougher from here." -Uzuki: "Wait, who are you?" -Melody: "Ah, you can call me Melody." -Louise: "She was the girl we fought earlier." -Uzuki: "Wait, is it really okay to have her around?" -Melody: "Don't you trust me, Uzuki? I didn't attack your friends because I wanted to." -Aoi: "She might seem arrogant, but Melody is actually a nice person. Besides, it wasn't her choice to help our enemy." -Uzuki: "But still..." -Lyra: "It'll be fine, Uzuki." -Melody: "Anyway, Uzuki, I've heard quite a bit about you from my superiors." -Uzuki: "Do the Donsilans really know that much about me? How do they find out? Do they have observers everywhere?" -Kanade: "News spreads fast within and between the colonies." -Melody: "Yeah, they were saying things about how you nearly destroyed an entire spaceship alone." -Himawari: "That's not far off from the truth, actually..." -Melody: "Come to think about it... Kanade?" -Kanade: "You only just noticed, Melody?" Melody ran towards Kanade, only to be yanked back by an invisible cord attached to a small magic circle beside Louise. -Louise: "Sorry, Melody, but I've been ordered not to let you go freely." -Melody: "Ah, right." -Kanade: "Anyway, everyone, follow me." Kanade headed towards the CIC of the ship. The rest of the girls followed. The girls entered the CIC. -Captain: "Ah, welcome back, Kanade. And I see that you've brought the ones we've requested to board this ship." -Kanade: "Captain, the humans have also brought two of the other girls tasked with searching for the four magical girls." -Captain: "I see. Melody, can you step forward?" -Melody: "Yes." Melody stepped forward. -Captain: "Now, I've heard that you were sent by the enemy to take the World Orbs on Murgin. Is that correct?" -Melody: "Yes." -Captain: "Tell me. Do you know why the enemy is after the World Orbs?" -Melody: "I do not know. All I know is that it may have something to do with the April Light." -Captain: "The April Light... Melody, you know your role in the search for the April Light, am I correct?" -Melody: "Yes." -Captain: "Then I have some additional information to give to you regarding the search. Lyra, Kanade, please listen as well." -Lyra: "Yes." -Kanade: "I'm listening." -Captain: "At the moment, you only have one clue. The girls you are searching for have the same magic colour as the glow your pendants emitted. You will not receive any more clues unless you have them interact with their respective World Orbs, on specific planets." -Kanade: "So, the only way we can find the four magical girls is... to find the World Orbs, right?" -Captain: "That is correct." -Lyra: "But which set of World Orbs should we find?" -Captain: "There are five specific sets of World Orbs you should find. Four of them belong to the main planets of humanity. The fifth set is located on the Donsilan homeworld." -Melody: "Wait, what do you mean by the main planets of humanity?" -Louise: "Earth. Ocypsa. Fuenod. Elrodom. Those four are the main planets of humanity. Melody, remember that." -Melody: "Ah, okay." -Captain: "Well, since we're already near Earth, I think we should start our search here. However, there is the matter of the enemy fleet which will arrive in 14 days." -Himawari: "Ah, I wanted to speak to you about that. And besides, searching for the World Orbs can wait until we find the fourth girl tasked with the search." -Captain: "Indeed; searching for the April Light is currently not an urgent task." -Uzuki: "But, before that, where exactly is the Donsilan homeworld?" -Himawari: "Uzuki, as far as we know, it's not on the waystone network. As a matter of fact, most of the galaxy has yet to be explored." -Captain: "The World Orbs of the main planets will guide you to the Donsilan homeworld, Uzuki. Until then, focus on the task at hand." -Uzuki: "Ah, okay." -Himawari: "Anyway, how large is our fleet?" -Captain: "Currently, we have ten ships. Their fleet is only six ships. Therefore, we currently outnumber them. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that they will send ground forces." -Himawari: "Then I will inform the other nations about the impending threat. We're still unsure whether we can repel a full invasion, given the devastation caused by Gakran three years ago." -Aoi: "Himawari, that was when Earth was largely ignorant of magic. We're much better prepared this time." -Louise: "Earth's combined military forces have improved quite a lot in the intervening years. I'm sure they can cope." -Captain: "Not only that, but we have you." Everyone looked at Uzuki. -Uzuki: "Me?" -Melody: "Ah, right, your Inherent Ability. We could use a starship killer like you, Uzuki." -Uzuki: "'Starship killer'? Is everyone relying on me now?" -Lyra: "Uzuki, no one's forcing you to help us." -Uzuki: "I know that. I want to help, but your expectations are too high." -Captain: "Well, there are very few magical girls with Inherent Abilities like yours, Uzuki. We've observed your battle on Haralni, and we've concluded that something like that can take down a Donsilan ship." -Uzuki: "Then why don't you have my sister help?" -Himawari: "Mutsuki? We'd like to, but... she's no longer a magical girl. Even if a mage was formerly a magical girl, she is still as vulnerable to death as a normal being. Uzuki, we're specifically asking for your help because you are a magical girl, and magical girls cannot be killed easily." -Uzuki: "I said that I will help anyway, it's just that you should not overestimate my abilities, or my skill." -Benio: "Uzuki, with that attitude, you aren't going to surpass your sister, or Akari for that matter." -Wakaba: "Don't say that, Benio. Uzuki is clearly uncomfortable with the high expectations laid on her." -Kanade: "Well, regardless of our expectations, we need to defeat the enemy. We have 14 days to prepare, so let's begin. Captain, do you have a strategy?" -Captain: "Wha- Kanade, I'm not the admiral. This ship was only sent here to communicate with the humans." -Himawari: "Then, can you take me to the flagship of your fleet?" -Captain: "I need to authorise such a transfer, so please wait. You're the princess of Namari, am I correct?" -Himawari: "That's correct; my name is Himawari." -Captain: "Then I'll make arrangements for you to meet the admiral." -Louise: "I'll come too; I'm a princess as well." -Captain: "Okay, then. Kanade, you are to stay on Earth. Uzuki, please take good care of Kanade; she's earnest, but a tad shy and introverted." -Kanade: "Captain!" -Benio: "I was watching your interaction... or rather, non-interaction, with Inori. It was a bit funny seeing you two just sit there, not saying a word." -Wakaba: "Benio!" -Uzuki: "Anyway, what about Lyra and Melody?" -Louise: "Lyra, take Melody back to Melbourne." -Lyra: "Okay. At Natasha's mansion, right?" -Louise: "Yes." -Uzuki: "I guess we should get going now. See you later." -Louise: "See you later, Uzuki." Uzuki and the other girls left the CIC, leaving Himawari and Louise. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On board the Amaterasu: -Radar Operator: "Captain, the enemy fleet has arrived!" -Fukuyama: "Very well, then. Let us begin. Radio the Himiko!" -Radio Operator: "Yes, Captain!" -Radar Operator: "Hold on... another ship has arrived." -Fukuyama: "Identification?" -Radar Operator: "It's the Eternity! Likkra has sent its flagship to help us!" -Radio Operator: "Incoming communication from the Eternity!" -Fukuyama: "What does the message say?" -Radio Operator: "It said that their queen had personally ordered them to help us. As of now she's in close contact with our own queen, monitoring the progress of this battle." -Fukuyama: "Reply to them. We'll accept their help." -Radio Operator: "Yes, Captain!" "April 22, 2012. That was the day when the Donsilan fleet arrived in Earth's solar system. We are ready. We are prepared to fight the invaders, and drive them from our home!" In the Furusaka Shrine in Tokyo: -Mirai: "It has begun, right?" -Himawari: "Looks like it." -Sakura: "Well, we still need to do our bit to ensure victory. The government had ordered a general evacuation of the cities a few days ago, so it should be mostly empty." -Yuri: "You know, Sakura, someone still needs to pay for any damage done during the battle." -Sumire: "But the fact that all of us are gathered here, means that the enemy force is quite strong. Do you really think Earth's defences can cope?" -Mizuki: "It has been three years since Gakran. Earth has improved quite a lot in that time. But, really, this is their first test. I wonder if they can hold out." -Mirai: "By the way, where is Inori?" -Sakura: "She said that she went to ask for her brother's help." -Mirai: "You mean..." -Yuri: "Kazuya. I had the fortune of meeting him a year ago. In terms of personality, he's very similar to Inori." -Himawari: "He's also fairly powerful, if the rumours are to be believed. From what I've heard, his powers are nearly at the same level as that of a magical girl, and that is impressive for an ordinary mage." -Mirai: "I see. Anyway, what about Uzuki's group? I'm the most concerned about them." -Sumire: "I have faith in them. After all... they hold the key to winning this war." -Mizuki: "I too, am concerned about them. Particularly Wakaba. But, I know they can pull through." -Himawari: "I feel the same way about Aoi. She's my little sister, after all." -Yuri: "But... we can't do much from here. Let's do what we can." -Everyone: "Yes!" Just outside the door of Kazuya's apartment, Inori was waiting. She had knocked on the door a minute ago. -Inori: "Brother, I know you're in there! Can you answer me?!" There was no response. -Inori: "Brother!" Finally, Kazuya responded. -Kazuya: "I'm coming, I'm coming..." The door opened. -Inori: "How many times do I have to knock on the door and call you out? You know what's going on out there, so at least do something to help!" -Kazuya: "Inori... it's been quite a while since you last visited me." -Inori: "Well, last time I came I found the door unlocked, and you reading manga. But anyway, you need to help us." -Kazuya: "I know, I know. But, can you allow me to go outside for a bit?" -Inori: "Ah, but be quick." Kazuya walked outside of his apartment. Suddenly, he leapt from the walkway down onto the ground, and began to cast a spell. There was a bright flash of red light, and when the light died down, he was riding his magic device, which had transformed into a hovering vehicle. -Kazuya: "Hop on, Inori." -Inori: "Ah, right!" Inori leapt onto the vehicle. The two then flew away. Just outside the Benson family mansion in Melbourne, Natasha was sitting alongside a maid. -Natasha: "I guess the battle is going to begin very shortly, right?" -Maid: "It seems that way. A fair proportion of the city's population has already evacuated; the government has told those remaining that it is too late to leave. I told the other maids that they have the option of staying or leaving; most decided to head to safer areas, but some are staying to defend the city." -Natasha: "Ideally the entire population should have evacuated. But, of course, it's impossible to order millions of people to just leave the city for the regional areas. Anyway, it's now up to us, and the militaries of the entire planet." Suddenly, Natasha's phone vibrated for a short amount of time. She took it out. -Natasha: "So they're here now. Alright, you know what to do. Secure the entire area. I'll keep an eye out for the enemy." -Maid: "Yes, milady." Just outside Catherine's house in Sydney: -Catherine: "Chelsea, did you receive the text as well?" -Chelsea: "Yeah... it looks like the alert system is still working. Anyway, it all comes down to this." -Catherine: "Alright, then. Let's go!" Green magic circles appeared beneath the feet of both girls. With a flash of green light, both girls changed into their mage outfits. Meanwhile, the household maid exited the house. -Chelsea: "Ah, protect the house while we're gone, okay?" -Maid: "Ah, yes." On board the Amaterasu: -Uzuki: "It has begun, right?" -Aoi: "Looks like it." -Wakaba: "Everyone, look!" Everyone turned towards the viewscreen. It was showing one of the enemy ships deploying thousands of what appeared to be drone fighters. -Benio: "So many..." -Wakaba: "Where are they heading?" -Aoi: "Some appear to be heading towards Earth." -Uzuki: "Wait, can't we do something here?" -Aoi: "Unfortunately, no. We can only wait for now." -Benio: "Wait... that one looks a bit different." Benio pointed at one particular spacecraft. It did not resemble the drone fighters, but instead looked like a shuttle. -Uzuki: "A shuttle? Is it heading towards Earth?" -Benio: "Looks like it." -Uzuki: "Tell the others. I'm going to ask the captain to lend us a shuttle so we can intercept it." -Aoi: "Uzuki, what do you have planned?" -Uzuki: "If it's a shuttle, then we may be able to capture whoever's inside. Aocchi, go get the others." -Aoi: "Okay." Aoi left the room. -Wakaba: "Uzuki..." -Benio: "I hope you know what you're doing." Uzuki left the room and headed towards the CIC. In the CIC: -Fukuyama: "Ah, Uzuki, what brings you here?" -Uzuki: "Captain, we've found an enemy shuttle heading towards Earth. Can you lend us a shuttle so we can intercept it?" -Fukuyama: "Why, though?" -Uzuki: "We think that whoever is inside that shuttle may be able to give us valuable information. If we simply shot it down whoever's inside will most likely be killed, but I want that person alive." -Fukuyama: "Uzuki... are you sure you're able to capture a Donsilan?" -Uzuki: "I am; I'm confident in my abilities." -Fukuyama: "Very well, then. I'll send a pilot to accompany you." -Uzuki: "Thank you, Captain." -Fukuyama: "But remember, we're working to win this battle." -Uzuki: "Right." Uzuki left the CIC. While Uzuki was heading back, the spaceship suddenly shook, nearly knocking Uzuki off-balance. -Uzuki: "What was that?" -PA: "Attention all hands. Attention all hands. The magic barrier is down. Damage has been sustained at port." -Uzuki: "I better hurry." Uzuki returned to the room where Wakaba and Benio were. Aoi had already returned with the others. -Wakaba: "Ah, you're back." -Uzuki: "Anyway, we've been lent a shuttle." -Louise: "Uzuki, you're going to try and intercept that enemy shuttle?" -Uzuki: "Yes. We should head to the hangar immediately." -Himawari: "Uzuki, I don't know if your plan will work, but I guess it's better than just waiting around." Uzuki headed towards the hangar, with everyone else following. At the hangar, the pilot was waiting for the girls. -Pilot: "Ah, you're here." The spaceship shook again. -PA: "Attention all hands. Attention all hands. Damage has been sustained at port." -Uzuki: "Again..." -Kanade: "Anyway, we better get on. I don't know how long we should stay on board." -Uzuki: "Okay." The girls boarded the shuttle, with the pilot following close behind. The shuttle door closed, and the hangar door opened. The shuttle taxied towards the runway, then fired its rockets, sending it into space. On board the shuttle: -Himawari: "Do you have any idea where the shuttle is heading?" -Pilot: "At the moment, it appears to be heading towards Europe." -Louise: "Do we have any personnel stationed in Europe?" -Himawari: "Not that we know of. But there should be some mages and magical girls on standby there." -Uzuki: "Well, regardless, we're going to intercept that shuttle." -Pilot: "I hate to say this, little one, but the rockets are at its maximum thrust right now. And it appears that the enemy shuttle is faster." -Aoi: "And this shuttle doesn't have any weapons. But neither does the enemy shuttle. How about we follow the shuttle and try to capture whoever is inside it?" -Himawari: "That sounds okay with me. Alright, then, let's see where the shuttle lands." -Melody: "Lyra, can you tell where the shuttle is right now?" -Lyra: "Sort of. I feel something coming from it." -Kanade: "Me too. It's as if the fourth pendant is on board that shuttle." -Melody: "Wait... then that means Aria is in that shuttle." -Uzuki: "Wait, who is Aria? Is she the fourth of your group?" -Kanade: "She is. However, she willingly joined the enemy faction, unlike Melody, who was pretty much dragged kicking and screaming by the faction to work for them." -Aoi: "I see. So it'll be like before, right?" -Melody: "Ah, right. Our battle." -Lyra: "Everyone, I think I know where the shuttle is heading." -Himawari: "Lyra, where?" -Lyra: "It's heading for Italy." Himawari looked out the window. -Himawari: "I see. But where exactly?" -Pilot: "As we speak, the enemy shuttle is heading towards Naples." -Himawari: "Thanks. Can you take us there?" -Pilot: "Yes." -Louise: "Himawari, do you think that girl will try to destroy the city?" -Himawari: "We can't rule it out. But I don't think they'll send such a girl to a specific place just to destroy it. She's probably after the World Orbs." -Louise: "But why would a World Orb be in a city?" -Himawari: "Louise, I don't think we can assume that. It's possible that her destination is not Naples, but rather, Mount Vesuvius." -Uzuki: "Vesuvius? You mean the volcano which destroyed Pompeii?" -Melody: "Well, we had the suspicion that Earth's fire-elemental World Orb was around Mount Vesuvius. Don't tell me that the girl is going to..." -Louise: "Indeed. A volcanic eruption can cause more devastation that we cannot prevent." -Pilot: "Everyone, we're about to enter the atmosphere. Please brace yourselves for re-entry." -Everyone: "Right!" The shuttle landed just outside Naples. Everyone exited the shuttle. -Himawari: "Oh, and one more thing I'd like to ask. Does anyone speak Italian?" There was an awkward moment of silence. -Himawari: "No one?" -Uzuki: "Sorry... I do speak English, though." -Himawari: "That wasn't what I was asking." -Kanade: "Umm... I can speak their language." -Himawari: "You can, Kanade? Then you can be our interpreter." -Kanade: "Ah, okay." -Uzuki: "Kanade, what did the soldiers know about the enemy shuttle?" -Kanade: "They said that it was headed straight for the mountain. I told them that they should prepare for an eruption, just in case." -Uzuki: "Then... let's go, everyone. To the volcano." The girls flew over and around Mount Vesuvius, trying to find the occupant of the enemy shuttle. While they were searching, the enemy launched several attacks. In the air, their drone fighters were locked in battle with the combined air forces of Europe. -Uzuki: "Do you see her?" -Lyra: "No..." -Kanade: "There's no sign of her." -Melody: "Wait... couldn't we use our pendants to find her?" -Kanade: "Ah, why didn't I think of that? That's a great idea, Melody!" -Melody: "Alright, then. Let's hold out our pendants." The three took out their pendants and began to focus. The pendants began to glow, and eventually emitted beams of light, all pointing to a specific spot on the mountain. -Aoi: "Over there!" The girls headed in the direction of the beam. When they arrived, the found what appeared to be a young girl. -Kanade: "We finally meet... Aria." The girl initially did not respond. -Melody: "Are you going to say something, Aria?" The girl finally responded. -Aria: "Kanade... Melody... Lyra... fancy meeting you here. I didn't expect to find you here. But now that all of you are here... abandon the humans. Let us work together to retake the galaxy." -Kanade: "No." -Melody: "I never wanted to work with you. Besides, I can't really switch sides given my situation." -Lyra: "I don't remember anything, so no." -Aria: "You won't? The World Orbs are ours, and ours alone. We are tasked with searching for them, to return the galaxy to the Donsilans. Us. Don't tell me, you're just going to give these filthy humans the galaxy?" -Kanade: "What would be the purpose, though? Genocide is a solution I will not accept. I will not forgive anyone who dares to suggest exterminating an entire species. That is not what we Donsilans are supposed to do. We must work for peace in the galaxy. Taking it back through strength of arms is not the right way to do it." -Aria: "And what about you, Melody?" -Melody: "As I said, in my current situation, I cannot switch sides. Besides, I never wanted to be a part of all of this anyway. Sure, humans may be inferior compared to us, but I believe that the galaxy should be left to them." -Aria: "What do you mean by your situation? You mean that you're actually their captive?" -Melody: "You could say that. The humans with us were the ones who defeated me. It seems that I had underestimated their power." -Aria: "I see. Well, in that case, I'll test their power." Aria readied her weapon. -Aria: "You are Uzuki Miyana, am I correct?" -Uzuki: "Yes, that is me." -Aria: "I've heard quite a fair bit about you. Especially the fact that you nearly took down a spaceship on your own. However, I'm here to challenge you. I want to see who is better. So, will you accept my challenge?" -Uzuki: "I accept." -Aria: "Very well, then." Aria charged straight at Uzuki, who managed to block the attack. -Wakaba: "Uzuki!" -Uzuki: "I'm fine, Wakaba." Uzuki countered by shooting a bolt of electricity at Aria, which temporarily stunned her. -Aoi: "Uzuki, let us fight alongside you. You alone may not be able to defeat her, but if we combine our strength, then we have a chance." -Benio: "Aoi's right. Only if we work together can we win." -Wakaba: "Uzuki... this isn't just your fight. This is everyone's fight. That's why, you need to allow us to lend you our strength." -Uzuki: "Everyone... thank you. Let's do this... together." -Himawari: "Everyone, here she comes again." Aria charged straight at the girls. This time, everyone launched simultaneous attacks to counter her charge. As a result, Aria was forced onto the defensive. -Aria: "Nine against one isn't fair, you know." -Melody: "You kind of have a point, since I had to fight against six magical girls at the same time. But, war isn't supposed to be fair." A green magic circle appeared beneath Aria's feet. Suddenly, thousands of vines emerged from the ground below, forcing the girls to fly into the air. Benio countered the attack by sending thousands of fireballs towards the vines, burning them off. -Aria: "Tch... I guess plant-based spells won't work, since you can use fire magic. Then, how about this?!" The wind began to pick up. Almost immediately after, it became so powerful that the girls struggled to remain in one place. However, the spell was suddenly cut off after Uzuki managed to hit Aria with another bolt of electricity. -Uzuki: "Right, it's our turn now!" Uzuki began to cast a spell, and a yellow magic circle appeared beneath her feet. -Uzuki: "Wakaba, Aoi, help me with this spell!" -Wakaba: "Right!" -Aoi: "Okay, then." Wakaba and Aoi began to cast their respective spells, with magic circles appearing beneath their feet. Storm clouds began to surround the mountain. -Kanade: "What are you three doing? Wait... you're manipulating the weather?" -Melody: "Even among Donsilans, fine control over the weather is rare; most of the time, when one tries to control the weather, one gets lots of heat, water or ice. But I heard that the humans' species-specific ability is to utilise the environment to its fullest advantage, and that includes manipulating the weather." -Louise: "So you're saying that the reason we have so many weather mages is because it's a special ability of humans?" -Melody: "Most likely. This also means that the only way a Donsilan can defeat a human is through overwhelming power; there are no advantages a Donsilan can take, nothing for them to exploit." -Himawari: "I see." Aria tried to attack the three who were in the middle of casting the spell; however, Benio snuck up to her and punched her towards the ground. -Benio: "Nice try, but you're forgetting about us." -Aria: "I wonder, just how far are you humans going to go for victory?" -Benio: "Further than you can anticipate. Aria, you're actually after the April Light, am I correct?" -Aria: "Who told you?" -Melody: "It was me." -Kanade: "Me too." -Aria: "I see. So you know about it. The World Orbs are the key to finding the April Light. With them, we will find her, and with her help, we will take back the galaxy." -Kanade: "How naïve, Aria. How do we know that the April Light is a Donsilan? What if she's human?" -Aria: "Don't be crazy. Of course the April Light is a Donsilan." -Melody: "The prophecy said nothing about who the April Light actually is, other than being a magical girl." -Aria: "Well, if it's a Donsilan prophecy, then the April Light must be a Donsilan." -Benio: "I don't quite follow your logic, Aria. I had the fortune of watching a performance of a particular play a while ago. In it, a prophecy had stated that one of the characters could not be killed by anyone born from a woman." -Aria: "Wait, isn't that everyone?" -Benio: "Not quite." -Louise: "The person who did kill that character, wasn't born properly. He was torn from his mother's womb. Although, nowadays it's a common procedure. Anyway, that should illustrate to you that we can only trust the exact words of a prophecy." -Uzuki: "Just what are you doing talking amongst yourselves?!" Suddenly Aria was struck by lightning. -Benio: "Ah, sorry, Uzuki." -Aria: "That wasn't very fair, Uzuki." -Uzuki: "Well, if you don't want that happening again, don't talk to your enemy, fight!" -Aria: "Right! Here I come!" Aria charged straight at Uzuki. Suddenly, it began to rain very heavily. Aria continued on her way towards Uzuki, picking up speed as she went. -Aoi: "Everyone, barriers!" -Everyone: "Right!" Everyone except Aria put up barriers. -Aria: "Huh? What's going on? Ow!" Hail suddenly fell onto the mountain. -Wakaba: "Also, Aria, I wouldn't fly through rain at speed without a barrier. Water can be quite damaging, you know." -Aria: "Now you tell me..." Aria began to cast a spell. The wind began to pick up again; however, it died down almost as soon as it picked up. -Aria: "What?" -Wakaba: "Sorry about that, but I won't let you blow us away." -Aria: "You..." Aria fired a magic beam at Wakaba, who evaded the attack. Wakaba responded by shooting hundreds of arrows at Aria, who put up a barrier to protect herself from the arrows. -Aoi: "My turn now." Hundreds of icicles appeared around Aoi. Almost immediately, they were thrown straight at Aria, who attempted to evade them. However, she was distracted enough not to notice Louise firing her gun at her, and one of the bullets managed to hit her. -Aria: "Ah.... If it were one-on-one..." At that point Aria was knocked out of the air by a massive jet of water. -Melody: "Ehehe.... How do you like that?!" -Aria: "Melody... I'll get you for that!" Aria charged straight at Melody; however, lightning struck Aria again. -Uzuki: "Hey, don't forget about me!" Uzuki charged towards the stunned Aria, and readied her sword, which was enveloped in electricity. With one mighty swing, she landed a hit on Aria, dealing significant damage and sending her straight towards the ground. -Benio: "Right, then, here I come!" Benio dived down straight towards Aria, while enveloped in a red glow. Upon impact, there was an explosion. Benio emerged from the explosion. -Wakaba: "Is it over?" -Aoi: "I don't think so. Not yet." Aria emerged from the resulting dust cloud. -Aria: "Looks like I have to resort to drastic measures. I severely underestimated you." A large green magic circle appeared beneath Aria's feet. -Aria: "Bloom, my flower!" Suddenly there was a bright flash of green light. When the light died down, Aria had green energy wings, and her weapon transformed into a giant spear. -Aria: "Now, let's see if you can handle this!" Aria began to cast a spell. The wind began to pick up, and eventually became strong enough to blow the storm clouds away. -Uzuki: "If you're going to go into Full Burst mode, then I will as well." -Wakaba: "Me too. I want you to witness first hand our full power." Large magic circles appeared beneath the feet of Uzuki and Wakaba. -Uzuki & Wakaba: "Bloom, my flower!" There was a bright flash of light. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When the light died down, both Uzuki and Wakaba were in their Full Burst forms. -Aria: "So you've entered Full Burst mode as well.... This time, I won't hold back." Aria threw her spear straight at Uzuki and Wakaba, who managed to evade the attack. When the spear impacted the ground, it created a large crater. -Uzuki: "Right, then..." Uzuki began to cast a spell. A yellow magic circle appeared beneath her feet. -Wakaba: "Uzuki, watch out!" Suddenly, the spear flew straight towards Uzuki. Wakaba fired a magic bullet at it, which managed to deflect the spear. The spear returned to Aria. -Aria: "That's odd. Usually my spear can't be deflected. Tell me, girl, is that your Inherent Ability?" -Wakaba: "No; my Inherent Ability is far different from that." -Aria: "But to deflect my spear with sheer power alone... you're no ordinary magical girl. Even though you're human, your power is comparable to that of a Donsilan magical girl." -Wakaba: "Then... would you like me to show you my Inherent Ability?" -Aria: "Eh?" -Wakaba: "Not that you have a choice, anyway." Wakaba fired two small magic bullets straight at Aria. Aria attempted to evade the bullets; however, after successfully dodging them, the bullets almost immediately turned towards Aria. -Aria: "Fast..." At around the same time, Uzuki activated her spell. Suddenly, several lightning bolts appeared from the blue. -Aria: "Lightning? When it's clear?" Aria put up a barrier to protect herself from the barrage of lightning; however, the barrier started to crack under the strain. -Aria: "No way... just... what is she?" Suddenly, the bullets that Wakaba fired sped through Aria's barrier and managed to hit her. -Aria: "Ah! How did she..." The bullets hit her again, and did so repeatedly. -Wakaba: "Barriers mean nothing to me, when my Inherent Ability is activated." -Aria: "Then... defence is pointless. Take this!" Aria fired two massive magic beams at Uzuki and Wakaba, and managed to hit them. However, when everything cleared, Aria was surprised to see Benio in front of both girls. Benio had entered Full Burst mode. -Aria: "No way! How did you-" -Benio: "My Inherent Ability allows me to nullify any attack which impacts the shield on my left arm, and allows me to nullify any defence which I attack with my right arm. -Uzuki: "Benio..." -Benio: "Aria, we have gone this far for victory. We will not back down now. If you wish to fulfil your mission, then I suggest you try and defeat us. Come on, give it all you've got!" -Aria: "Then..." Aria fired thousands of magic bullets at the three girls. However, Wakaba shot a single magic bullet upwards. This bullet then exploded, creating massive winds which caused the bullets to dissipate. Aria responded by firing a magic beam straight at Wakaba, but Wakaba managed to evade the attack. -Wakaba: "My turn now." Wakaba fired two massive magic bullets at Aria. Aria noted that Wakaba did not activate her Inherent Ability for this attack, so she put up a barrier. However, when the bullets impacted her barrier, the barrier completely shattered. At that point, Benio closed the distance between her and Aria and punched Aria. The force of the attack was enough to send her to the ground in very little time. -Benio: "Is that it?" Aria flew back up. -Uzuki: "No. Everyone, be on your guard." Aoi and the other girls arrived. -Aoi: "Uzuki, let us handle this." -Uzuki: "Ah, okay." Aoi held out her left hand. A large blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet. -Aoi: "Bloom, my flower." With a blinding flash of blue light, Aoi entered Full Burst mode. -Aria: "Now you've made me really mad. This will be the first time I go all out! Prepare yourselves!" Aria threw her spear straight at Aoi. -Wakaba: "Aoi!" Aoi did nothing until the spear was only three metres away. At that point, Aoi held out her left hand, and with her left hand, caught the spear mid-flight. -Aria: "H-How did you do that?! Any ordinary mage would've been shredded to pieces trying to do what you did there!" -Aoi: "The flower bud on my left hand absorbs mana. That's all I'll say. Unfortunately for me, it's yet to open, so..." Dozens of large icicles appeared and surrounded Aria. Aria attempted to blow them away with her wind magic; however, the icicles would not budge. As a result, Aria was forced to resort to putting up multiple layers of barriers. -Aoi: "Now, freeze." The icicles all began to fly towards Aria. One by one, they impacted the barriers, causing cracks to appear in it. Eventually the barriers were overwhelmed by the sheer power of the attacks, and the icicles hit Aria. -Uzuki: "Did we do it?" -Aoi: "I don't think so. But..." A massive metallic sphere appeared above where Aria was. Suddenly, it began to glow red hot. The sphere then began its descent. -Uzuki: "Himawari... Louise..." -Wakaba: "Let's hope it ends now." The sphere impacted Aria, causing a massive explosion and spewing molten metal all over the mountain. However, Aria was still standing. -Kanade: "Alright, it's our turn. Lyra, Melody, let's do this!" -Lyra: "Right." -Melody: "Very well." The three began to cast a spell. Large magic circles appeared beneath the girls' feet. Three large magic orbs, each in the magic colours of their respective caster, appeared above Aria. The red orb was covered in flames, the blue orb surrounded by clouds and water droplets. -Aria: "No way..." Aria put up another barrier to protect herself from the onslaught. Almost on cue, the three orbs fired magic beams straight towards Aria. The force from the impact only needed ten seconds to shatter Aria's barrier. However, after the attack ended, Aria was still standing. -Uzuki: "You just won't give up." -Aoi: "But my flower bud is ready to open. Aria, this is my ultimate attack!" The girls cleared the area. Suddenly, the atmosphere became very cold. Hundreds of large icicles appeared around Aria. Aria responded, not by defending herself, but by attacking the icicles themselves, as well as Aoi. However, Benio placed herself between Aoi and the attacks and blocked the attacks with her shield. The icicles themselves proved surprisingly resillient. At Aoi's command, the icicles flew towards Aria, dealing massive damage. -Wakaba: "Is it over now?" When the dust cleared, to the astonishment of the girls, Aria was still standing. -Aoi: "How..." -Uzuki: "Then that leaves me to finish it off." Uzuki leapt far into the air. -Uzuki: "I'll show you a little something Yayoi-nee taught me. Aria, can you take this?" -Aria: "Uzuki... what are you doing? This isn't your Inherent Ability, so what? What is it?" Uzuki began to cast a spell, and a yellow magic circle appeared beneath her feet. Mana began to gather at a point in front of Uzuki, forming a massive magic orb. -Himawari: "Mana collection... don't tell me..." -Louise: "Indeed, it is mana collection. Yayoi was known for her use of mana collection spells." Once the orb reached a critical size, Uzuki touched it with her sword. At that point, the orb then fired a massive beam at Aria. Upon impact, a massive explosion resulted. The explosion was so intense the other girls had to put up barriers to protect themselves, and the explosion itself created a crater on the mountain. -Benio: "Surely, that should be it." When the dust cleared, Aria was falling towards the ground, unconscious. Kanade flew towards her and caught her before she could hit the ground. -Kanade: "That is it. We've won." -Wakaba: "We... we did it!" -Aoi: "Indeed." -Benio: "That was a massive victory for us." -Himawari: "Hold on, this is only part of a larger battle." -Louise: "Actually, Himawari, I've heard from the Eternity. The battle in space has been won as well. All six enemy ships have been destroyed, with no loss of our own ships." -Himawari: "Then that leaves the forces already on Earth." Uzuki took out her phone. -Uzuki: "Actually, it appears that the Donsilan forces already on Earth are now surrendering. Mi-chan said that the JSDF already have around five thousand captured in Tokyo alone. I assume the same is in other parts of the world." -Himawari: "Well, I'm glad everything went well. However, the Amaterasu sustained significant damage in the battle, so we cannot return to the ship. For now, though, Fukuyama has told us to stay in Naples until the airports re- open." -Uzuki: "Ah, okay, then." "And so that ends the Battle of Earth. We have ended up victorious, thanks to the help of the Donsilans who oppose this faction. But, with the revelation of the April Light, I wonder what will be the enemy's next move. But, regardless, we've earned a well deserved rest. It's only a short period, but it's still a period of peace. "It would be a while until the airports reopened, so we decided to take this time to travel around Italy and visit its landmarks. I asked Himawari and Louise to join us, but they said that they had some things to do, and promptly headed off to London. "Eventually, we returned home. But, of course, we returned home with a lot of questions on our minds. The Zodiac Warriors were interrogating Aria and Melody, and from these interrogations we managed to gather a lot of information on the intentions of the enemy, as well as the April Light. "As for me, well, I've been told to remain on standby until Aria and Melody are released. After that, well, we're going to search for the World Orbs. The revelation that whatever entity which destroyed the Donsilans all those years ago will arrive in the galaxy again has everyone scrambling. The key to the upcoming battle is the April Light; without her we have no chance." At the airport in Melbourne, 13 days after the battle: -Lyra: "Melody, how are you feeling? I mean, it's been a while since we last saw Uzuki and her friends." -Melody: "I... I'm not exactly sure. On one hand the girls did treat me well. But with the policemen accompanying me wherever I go..." -Lyra: "Ehehe... well, you're still considered a risk by the Zodiac Warriors. But they don't want to take any chances. Aria is in the same situation." -Melody: "Well, I understand why. After all, even Donsilan societies still have individuals who are incapable of changing their incorrect ways." -Lyra: "Anyway..." Lyra looked outside the windows. It was an overcast day. -Lyra: "Come to think of it, the weather's getting colder here, right?" -Melody: "Yes; it's already May. But it's getting warmer in Japan." -Lyra: "Ah, right." Suddenly, someone called out to the two girls. -Voice: "Lyra, Melody, over here!" The two girls turned towards the direction of the voice. It was Uzuki and her friends. -Lyra: "Ah, Uzuki, you're here." -Uzuki: "It's been a while, Lyra, Melody." -Lyra: "It has. By the way, where is Kanade?" -Wakaba: "Ah, she went to Italy to meet up with Aria." -Lyra: "Ah, okay." -Melody: "Anyway, does this mean that I'll be free to come with you?" -Aoi: "Not yet; Hima-nee told me that they're still finalising the paperwork. However, we've been sent here to discuss our next steps with Natasha." -Melody: "I see." -Uzuki: "Also, we'll be staying here for the night." -Lyra: "Wait, where are you going to stay?" One of the Benson family's maids approached the girls. -Maid: "Miss Lyra, Miss Uzuki and her friends will be staying at the mansion. The young lady has allowed them to stay." -Lyra: "Ah, I see." -Maid: "Anyway, the young lady is waiting. Let us go." -Uzuki: "Okay." The group headed out of the airport, and into a waiting limousine. The limousine arrived at the mansion. Everyone exited the limousine, and the maid pressed the button beside the gate. After a moment, the gate opened, and everyone entered the property and the mansion. -Benio: "Wow, this mansion is huge..." -Aoi: "It feels bigger in person..." -Wakaba: "Benio, take care not to get lost here." -Benio: "Wakaba, I'm not going to get lost." -Uzuki: "But something feels odd here." -Aoi: "You mean the police officers? Lyra, why are there police officers in the mansion?" -Lyra: "Oh, after the Zodiac Warriors finished with their interrogations, they handed Melody over to the Australian authorities. It seems they're content with allowing her to stay here, as long as at least two officers accompany her." -Uzuki: "That makes sense." -Lyra: "Besides, tomorrow, they'll release her." -Melody: "Wait, I wasn't told about that." -Lyra: "Ah, Natasha told me. After all, we need you to help find the World Orbs." The girls followed the maid until they reached Natasha's room. The maid opened the door, and the girls entered. -Natasha: "Welcome, everyone. Please take a seat." The girls sat down. -Natasha: "Now, we're here to discuss what we will do next. As we know, the Donsilans have told of a prophecy stating that one day, during the fourth month of their calendar, the very entity which drove their civilisation away from the galaxy will return. It states that when that happens, a magical girl known as the April Light will appear and defeat this entity. However, we do not know who the April Light is, nor do we know her whereabouts. To even find her, we need to find four magical girls with connections to the April Light. And to do that, we need the pendants Lyra and the others possess. Now, these pendants can tell us where the World Orbs of a planet are. Not all World Orbs can be found with the pendants alone; the pendants can only guide one to the World Orb of its specific element. However, only those World Orbs are needed." -Uzuki: "Wait, so you're saying that the pendants can only tell the location of one specific World Orb for each planet?" -Natasha: "That is correct. Now, Lyra, you have the earth pendant. Melody, you have the air pendant. Kanade has the water pendant, and Aria has the fire pendant." -Melody: "Hang on, I think we already know where the fire-elemental World Orb is." -Natasha: "Actually, you're mistaken. We were mistaken. The fire-elemental World Orb is not actually around Mount Vesuvius; the Italian authorities confirmed it. However, they have found the actual location of the World Orb, and it is further south." -Lyra: "Further south? Where exactly?" -Aoi: "If I recall, there is another volcano, this time in Sicily. Natasha, is the World Orb around Mount Etna?" -Natasha: "That is correct." -Uzuki: "Then, when can we go find the World Orb?" -Natasha: "We're not sure. So far, the quest for the World Orbs has yet to be assigned to any group. However, Akari is lobbying for the Mimori Flower Club to be assigned this task. If that occurs, then the earliest you can reach the mountain is in seven days." -Aoi: "And if not?" -Natasha: "It means that everything is taken out of your hands. However, you may still accompany whoever is assigned to this task, if they let you." -Aoi: "Ah, okay." -Uzuki: "Natasha, no matter what, we want to be the ones who will find the World Orbs. Can you make sure that happens?" -Natasha: "At the moment, we've yet to make a decision. In fact, the reason we haven't decided yet is because of the absence of the leader of the Zodiac Warriors. Lately Yamamoto has been acting very strange, and he has yet to contact any of us about the Donsilans. One would think he knows about the recent events, but something tells me that there's more to it." -Wakaba: "Then, couldn't you proceed without him? Surely there's someone else who can act as leader." -Natasha: "Well, as of now, my mother is acting leader. The intended successor to Yamamoto, who is also Chelsea's mother, and who would be acting leader, is currently in Madrid for personal reasons." -Benio: "Personal reasons?" -Natasha: "It's a family matter. Chelsea told me exactly what is going on when we went on our first assignment six years ago, but I don't think it's right to tell you now. It's a family matter, and neither Chelsea nor her mother want you involved." -Uzuki: "But if it's still an issue now, then..." -Natasha: "August 17, 1986. That was when it all began for her family." -Uzuki: "So it has been going on for nearly 26 years..." -Natasha: "And there is one last thing I'll tell you about this. If you ever meet a man named Pablo Méndez, run. Don't speak to him, don't stand there and wait, just run." -Aoi: "Why? Is he that powerful?" -Natasha: "We don't know the full extent of his power. However, Chelsea's mother has been trying to find him and capture him since 1989. But, as of now, neither the Zodiac Warriors nor Puella have been able to capture him. We do not know his whereabouts, but should he be found, we will tell you." -Uzuki: "Okay." -Natasha: "Anyway, back on topic, I'll make a submission to nominate you to be assigned the task of finding the World Orbs. The Mimori Flower Club had served with distinction in the war against Gakran three years ago, and in fact, one of them, Mirai Aooka, performed well enough to be awarded a medal by the Zodiac Warriors." -Uzuki: "Mi-chan?" -Natasha: "And to think that I helped train her..." -Wakaba: "Anyway, do you think we'll be assigned this task?" -Natasha: "I absolutely believe that you will be assigned this task. After all, the Mimori Flower Club is quite well-known throughout the Zodiac Warriors." -Uzuki: "Anyway, Natasha, do you know where the other World Orbs of Earth are?" -Natasha: "Unfortunately, no. Due to the travel restrictions imposed on Melody, she was unable to leave the country. As such, we do not know where the air- elemental World Orb is. However, the intelligence we obtained from the Donsilans indicate that it may be located somewhere in northern India, or perhaps Nepal." -Aoi: "What about the others?" -Natasha: "I know the earth-elemental World Orb is located in this country. Lyra told me so earlier. A preliminary investigation indicated that it may be somewhere in southwest Queensland. As for the water-elemental World Orb, well, it may be closer to home than you think." -Aoi: "What do you mean?" -Uzuki: "Ah, Kanade did her own investigation. What she found surprised me as well. She said that the water-elemental World Orb is somewhere in Japan." -Aoi: "Ah, thanks, that cleared everything up." -Natasha: "Anyway, I'm sure you need to rest for now. You're free to stay here for the night." -Uzuki: "Ah, the maid told us. Thanks for having us over." -Natasha: "You're welcome. By the way, Melody, I need to have you go to another room. It's about tomorrow." -Melody: "Ah, okay. But which room?" -Natasha: "The maid will show you the way." -Melody: "Okay." Melody exited the room. -Uzuki: "Natasha, what will you be doing after this?" -Natasha: "I don't have any assignments given to me by the Zodiac Warriors right now, so at the moment I'm staying here. However, I've been told to remain on standby, just in case something happens." -Aoi: "And one more thing. Is it just you, your sister and the maids here?" -Natasha: "Well, that's pretty much it. My mother is, of course, meeting up with the other members of the Zodiac Warriors. My father is currently in London on an assignment. Why do you ask?" -Aoi: "It's just that I noticed Catherine and Chelsea living without their parents, and the only adult in the household is a maid." -Natasha: "Well, if you have parents in important roles in the Zodiac Warriors, you have to get used to having them absent for extended periods. And it's possible that you could end up orphaned, like you, Uzuki." -Uzuki: "Don't remind me..." -Aoi: "Don't you miss your parents?" -Natasha: "In some ways, I do. But I know they have very important jobs to do." Suddenly, there was a noise downstairs. -Voice: "Are you okay?" -Voice: "I'm fine. But the little one..." -Benio: "What was that?" -Natasha: "It's my little sister again. Anyway, the maids will take you to your rooms. I'll go see what's going on downstairs." Natasha left the room. -Uzuki: "Umm, should we head to our rooms?" -Aoi: "I guess so." -Wakaba: "Being on that plane for so long was tiring. I just want to rest..." -Benio: "I feel the same way. Let's go." The four girls exited the room, leaving Lyra behind. -Lyra: "Ah, wait for me!" Lyra exited the room. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of Chapter 1