Innocence Seekers: April Light/Chapter 1/Episode 5

This is the fifth episode, "Mana Starvation" (魔力飢餓), of the first chapter of ''Innocence Seekers: April Light

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Episode text
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.

End of Episode 5

Next episode preview
–Wakaba: How long will it take until Uzuki recovers?

–Aoi: It shouldn't take that long. After all, Catherine is one of the most powerful healers in the galaxy.

–Benio: Anyway, why did Otohane call us back to Tokyo?

–Aoi: I'm not sure myself. But whatever it is, it must be important.

–Wakaba: And what Himawari said about the leader of the Zodiac Warriors has me worried.

–Benio: You know, we'll probably end up having to deal with it someday. After all, why would they mention that in front of the audience?

–Aoi: You know, it could be there to mislead viewers instead.

–Wakaba: Next time on Innocence Seekers: April Light, Episode 6: "The World Orbs". Be sure not to miss it! Umm, Aoi, did I get that right?

–Aoi: It's exactly what Uzuki would've said if she were here.

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Commentary
In the previous episode, Himawari said that the Himiko will arrive at "the planet" in 14 hours. In this episode, right after the Amaterasu reached Earth's solar system, Hiyori said that it was 12 hours until the Himiko arrived, despite the fact that only an hour had passed. Note that Himawari referred to arrival at Haralni, while Hiyori referred to arrival at Earth.

It was mentioned that the Amaterasu ended up near Saturn's orbit after exiting hyperspace. What wasn't mentioned was that it took eight hours for the Amaterasu to reach Earth from Saturn's orbit. This is because the mana density in normal space is far lower (by around six orders of magnitude) than in hyperspace. While the Amaterasu&#39;s eight Fukuyama drives are capable of delivering 4.8 exanewtons of thrust each in hyperspace (for a total of 38.4 exanewtons, which gives the stated 13.5 parsecs per hour per hour acceleration for a 1.2 million-tonne ship), in normal space, each drive can only deliver 1.05 teranewtons of thrust (for a total of 8.4 teranewtons, giving an acceleration of 7 kilometres per second per second).

In the above paragraph, I mentioned the ridiculously high thrust of the drives. This naturally translates into extremely powerful exhaust. However, the Fukuyama drive only emits a very small amount of this exhaust as something which can interact with normal matter to a significant extent (and this portion is mainly photons). The rest of the exhaust is composed mainly of mana "radiant energy" which does not interact with baryonic matter at all (but tends to form mana "matter"), as well as a small proportion of mana "matter" (which, again, does not interact with baryonic matter) and neutrinos. Still, I wouldn't park a spaceship behind a Fukuyama drive. The Fukuyama drive itself is a ramjet drive, which gathers mana from the background. This means that it needs to reach a certain velocity to reach its full power. Unlike the Bussard ramjet, though, gathering background mana is enough to start it, and the increase in velocity will increase its thrust up to a certain point.

The amount of information needed to cure mana starvation is quite high. It is mainly because of this that it takes so much time and effort to create a device designed specifically to cure mana starvation. Not only would one need to verify that the hardware functions correctly in all aspects (and such devices are complex, making verification take at the very least a week), but one also needs to ensure that every bit in the device's information store ROM is correct (especially considering that the amount of information needed is approximately 250 gigabytes when compressed, and the information must be adapted to the mage).