Creative Corner

The next day, Marcelina woke up feeling rather refreshed and… Genuinely happy. The previous day had definitely affected Marcelina’s mood, that was for sure. She got out of bed and headed downstairs, only for her great mood to shatter the second she saw what was on the television screen.

CHRISTINA LOWE, 17, KNOWN FOR HARBORING DEMON CHILDREN, FOUND DEAD IN ALLEYWAY WITH MYSTERIOUS CRYSTAL SHATTERED IN HER HAND

Marcelina shuddered, before looking away immediately. That same girl she had met a couple of days ago was now dead. She started to tear up a little once she thought about it a bit more. Why would she have given Marcelina a Grief Seed when they were so scarce around here? Why was her Soul Gem crushed in her hand?

Finally, Marcelina came to a conclusion.

She pulled out the Grief Seed Christine had given her, just to see if she still had it. She headed back upstairs, opened up a small, ornate box in her room and placed the Grief Seed inside, to ensure that she would never use this one. It would have killed her, really, to use up a gift from a dead girl, even if she barely knew her.

When she came back downstairs, wiping her eyes, her parents had turned off the TV and were making breakfast together, bickering about what spices to use on the bacon and what kind of hot sauce to put on the hash brown.

Her mother turned around and smiled. “Oh, hi, honey!” She said. “I saw that the news was a little too depressing for you today, so I turned it off. Did you know that girl?”

“No,” Marcelina replied. “I don’t know her at all.”

“Good thing you didn’t,” Her father piped up. “Heard she was a gang leader. Those types of girls can’t ever be good for the community.” Her mother and she glared at her father, not even bothering to say anything to him.

“Well, sweetie, I hope you have a great day at school!” Her mom called as Marcelina left the house, and started on her path to school. There didn’t seem to be anyone else on the path she normally took, which was just fine by her. She held her Soul Gem close to her, trying her best not to break it, as she started to think about what she was doing with her life.

They’re both right. Christine, Reed… Something’s gotta change. She looked around at the leaves scattered around her, waiting for someone to join her on this long walk, even if they kept their distance. Fortunately, her wish came true.

“Hey, Marcelina!” Reed called as she ran along the pathway. “Great day today, huh?”

“Uh…” Marcelina stopped for a second to take in the view, and what she had seen on the news. Tears pricked at her eyes, so she turned away from Reed and pinched her nose. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Wasn’t yesterday so much fun?” Reed asked as she slowed down to a walk beside Marcelina, pulling her earbuds out of her ears. “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to do that, y’know? Just go out and… Be myself. But I’m getting kinda uneasy, you know? Like someone’s following me around. I’m thinking of heading down to The Pipes for protection, but Zena would kill me if I went missing.” She turned around, and her face of excitement turned to one of bewilderment. She grabbed Marcelina’s sleeve and tugged a little to get her attention. “Uh… Marcelina? Are those two…”

Marcelina looked to see what was going on, and recognized one of the two girls that Zena had met up with a couple of days ago. What the shorter one wore was highly against the school dress code, being a torn up tube top and a leather jacket, and super short shorts, while the taller one with short black hair wore a more conservative dress with a tie.

“We-e-ell, hello there!” The shorter one drawled, bending over and placing her hands on her knees, with a smirk on her face. “We just keep seeing each other, don’t we?”

Reed glanced over at Marcelina worriedly. “Do you know these people?”

“N-no.” Marcelina shook her head as she backed away slowly.

“Oh, don’t be a stranger!” The smaller girl came even closer, and even though she was just below Marcelina’s shoulder, she seemed to tower over her. “My sister here was just begging to come and meet you! Isn’t that right, dear sister?” She turned towards the taller girl, who just rolled her eyes and came over to really tower over Marcelina.

“So you’re the chick Zena was going on about,” She huffed, before pulling out a notepad. “Huh. Pretty interesting, if I say so myself.”

“Excuse me?” Marcelina tilted her head, quickly grabbing Reed’s hand for comfort.

“Oh, I just find it surprising that you- Despite hating anyone weaker than you- Are spending time with this child.” She scribbled something down, before pulling out her Soul Gem. “Well, then. Shall we?”

The short girl giggled. “Hehe! I guess it’s time!”

Reed picked up on what was about to happen, and transformed into her Puella Magi outfit immediately. Marcelina followed suit, before leaping into the air just as Maya launched a stream of acid at where she once stood. As she landed, she watched the acid eat a hole through the ground before solidifying. Marcelina took out her chains and started lashing at the two girls. Maya simply reached out and grabbed the chain, melting it instantly.

“Who are you two?” Marcelina panted. “What do you want from us?”

The two girls said nothing, instead transforming into their Puella Magi outfits and summoning their weapons. The shorter girl leaped into the air holding two balls attached with chains and brought them together, creating a large shockwave sending small rocks flying, and leaving Marcelina to stagger. She brought one of them slamming down on the ground, and used the other one to extend and whack Reed in the face, sending her flying.

“I was there when Christine died, you know,” The shorter girl said dryly. “It always gets the audience worked up! The protagonist at her darkest hour! Backed against the corner, with nothing but a gun and the law! She who killed her own friends, who fooled us into thinking she was the hero by hiding these tragic demons to support her own illusions! Alas, when she has no other cards to play, turns the gun not to the vigilante, but to herself!”

“That’s not why she helped them, and you know it!” Marcelina roared as she pulled out two blades and began to stab at Maya, who simply stepped to the sides effortlessly. “These people had families! Families that they loved and cared for! They didn’t need to hide, they just-!”

“Really? If they really loved their families, then why’d they need to run away, instead of showin’ them what they got?” She gave a sly smile. “I mean, they’ve got all these magical powers. How about beating their ***** so that they know just what a good girl they’ve got? Ooh, I can just imagine it in live action! The demon girl, rejected by her family for sealing a deal with the devil, destroys her home and makes her name one to be feared! People will love that!”

Marcelina heard enough. She wrapped her own chains around the girl’s legs in order to trip her, before sending two chained blades at her to penetrate the ground. Reed managed to get up and fire a large bolt at Maya, before hiding herself with vines and running off to get help, leaving Marcelina to face these two alone. She swung her flail around and slammed it into Maya’s head. Despite this, Maya managed to get up again and sprayed acid from her fingertips at Marcelina.

The pain felt as though Marcelina was being impaled twice, both through the stomach and from down under, and the heat was that of a thousand suns. The acid ate at her clothes, her skin, even her muscles and parts of her organs. That sizzling sensation tickled her insides. She fell over, writhing in agony as she breathed heavily.

“You know, you can always give up right now. It won’t be as fun for me, but it spares the audience the visuals.” The girl stepped on Marcelina’s side and rolled her over so that she was looking up at her.

“Shut up,” Marcelina wheezed.

The girl tied her chains around Marcelina and swung her meteor hammer, slamming it against the wall and tightening the chains so hard that Marcelina could feel her intestines spilling out. She managed to wiggle herself out, dropping onto the ground and trying to regain her breath.

“Ha! You’re so cute when you’re struggling!” The girl cried as she landed on the ground. “At this point, I’d say you’re little more than Witch food!”

“What do you want from me?” Marcelina panted. “Why are you doing this?!”

“You’re all disgusting,” She spat. “Foolish girls desperate enough to make a wish in exchange for demonic powers. You girls need to be put in your place. And what better way to do that than to become one myself?” She picked up Marcelina by her choker. “Can you appreciate death, Marcelina?”

Her sister decided to join in, so she pulled out a halberd, and released a flurry of stabs unto Marcelina’s now exposed stomach. She then flipped it around and gave her a hard jab that launched her about fifty feet along the path. Marcelina managed to land on her feet, and mustered up the strength to summon a forest of chains to protect herself. She turned to run, only to find that she had backed herself into an alleyway. She was trapped.

Tentacles slithered in between the chains and found Marcelina’s feet, tying her down. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t find it in her to stay upright, so she fell on her knees, allowing the tentacles to wrap all around her. She could hardly care less when they found their way to her neck, and the chains disappeared to reveal the taller sister.

“My, you’re a tricky one,” She said in that emotionless, yet playful tone. “My pets are going to enjoy devouring something like you…”

The tentacles extended to hold Marcelina up, slithering up her chin, down her throat, slowly suffocating Marcelina… She could feel something inside her being stabbed, but her brain didn’t want to figure out what it was. They started to expand, closing up her airpipe, and Marcelina began to black out…

Only to be cut down soon after. Marcelina fell onto her side while the sounds of a battle could be heard around her. She lifted her head weakly to see a group of girls standing at the entrance, holding the two sisters up with ropes. One of the girls was holding an axe to their throats, and she could recognize Zena picking the girls up and slamming them down onto the ground, before punching them over and over. The shorter one grabbed Zena’s giant claw and managed to burn through it, before standing up and running.

“Let’s get outta here! We’re done with this kid!” She cried, before running off with her sister.

“Look, she’s over here!” A voice called. Marcelina could hear footsteps all around her as she saw a girl wearing a fluffy overcoat kneel over her.

“Marcelina? Oh my god, Marcelina!” Zena’s voice was full of panic as she came and rolled Marcelina onto her back. She turned to a girl with light red hair. “Heal her. Now.”

The girl nodded and came forward, placing her hands on Marcelina’s wound. The flesh and muscle began to weave itself back together, and now Marcelina could sit up without feeling excruciating pain.

Reed ran into view, leaning on the wall for support as she breathed heavily. “Who were those people?! Zena, did you know them?”

“I thought I did!” Zena huffed. “They do this all the time, and-”

“Hey, Reed, where’s your Soul Gem?” The girl with the overcoat quipped.

And then Reed fell over, dead.

---

@eternalFangirl @Everburn @Pikapoochi @Sumoru @Zemo @Yoaisami @FrozenGlacier @saltedsnails
Chapter 4 is here!

Zena immediately ran over to Reed and picked her up, shaking uncontrollably. “R-Reed? You okay, kid?”

“Oh, ****,” The girl wearing the overcoat muttered.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t she responding!?” Zena yelled, dropping Reed’s body and turning to the girl with the overcoat. “Siv, you better explain this!”

“Oh, dear,” The girl with red hair sighed. “I suppose someone stole Reed’s Soul Gem. I’m not surprised, to be honest. She supposedly got into a fight with another girl on her way, so maybe that’s what happened.”

“Goddammit,” Zena breathed, before whipping around and pinning the girl with red hair to the wall. “You better as hell change your attitude, *****. This girl can die any moment, and you’re acting like it doesn’t matter.”

“W-wait!” Marcelina stammered. “Zena, let her go! Can you all please explain to me what’s going on? Wh-who are you people?”

Zena dropped the girl, before turning away in shame. “...Sorry. It’s a bad habit of mine.”

“We came here after Reed called for help,” The girl in the overcoat explained. “Christine would have wanted us to do something if we were ever put out of a job, so here we are. I’m Siv, the calm one’s Malia, and the quiet one is Talia.”

“We knew it would be dangerous if Lily was involved. I don’t know who her partner was, though. I’ve never really seen her before.” Malia looked off to the side at Zena. “But we’ve never heard of anyone stealing Soul Gems before.”

Marcelina thought back to the girl with all the Soul Gems. “O-Oh! I think I know who did it!” Marcelina said. “Back in the cat cafe, there was this girl who had all kinds of Soul Gems- And she wouldn’t stop begging for Christine’s. She had spiky red hair, eyes were blue-”

“Oh, you mean Alexis!” Talia piped up. “Yeah, I thought the same thing, too! She comes around our house every once in a while for food, and we always thought she was stealing Soul Gems, but Christine told us to help her, ‘cus she’s not exactly in the best living conditions. She lives in the clock tower!” She pointed to the large clock tower in the distance.

“And you guys let her steal Soul Gems? Honestly, y’all are just unbelievable.” Zena shook her head. “Well, come on! We got *** to beat!”

“We can’t fight our friend!” Talia exclaimed. “She’s not doing it to be evil- She just wants to help!”

“I call ********! Reed’s dead right now! How is stripping someone of their soul supposed to help them in any way?” Zena turned to Talia with a calmer face, but angrier tone. “You don’t know **** about what I went through just to get her back. I can’t lose her again!”

“Then just ask for it back!” Malia suggested. “Chances are, she’ll give it to you.”

“As if that’s gonna teach her any manners! If I just go up and ask her with a pretty please and thank you, she’s gonna keep on stealing Soul Gems!” Zena pushed Malia against the wall.

“And acting like an animal is? If anything, that’s going to make you even more of a target!” Siv retorted. “Please, Zena. If you want your family to appreciate who you are, then you have to change something!”

“I’m not a ******* animal! You don’t know what we’ve been through! All we had was one tiny fight, and I’m gonna fix it!” Zena grabbed Marcelina’s arm and stormed out of the alleyway. “Come on, Marcelina. I’ve wasted my time plenty with these pieces of scum.”

Zena and Marcelina soon found themselves in front of the clock tower, and now they were climbing the stairs leading up to the clock itself. Shelves upon shelves lined the stairs, all of them full of Soul Gems. Each one was like an apple that was rotten to its core, and the floorboards creaked and sometimes snapped underneath their feet.

“‘Just ask for her Soul Gem back!’” Zena said in a mocking tone. “Ha. Those girls don’t get it, do they? No sane person just hoards all these Soul Gems. This girl is dangerous. She needs to be put down.”

“Um… Zena?” Marcelina asked. “Why are you acting like this? What happened with your… Family?”

Zena sighed. “We had a huge argument. Someone went and convinced them that I made my wish solely for magic, and that I’m nothing otherwise. So, I went and stole a bunch of money, and blew it all on booze, getting myself into even more trouble. Just like old times.” Zena stopped and leaned on the wall. “I always was the animal of the group. Ripping things to shreds with my bare hands, not giving a second thought to what I was doing… Normally, I’d think that can be an achievement, but… That’s exactly how an animal thinks, I guess. Becoming a Puella Magi… It gave me the opportunity to change who I am. But it looks like that was just another impulse of mine, huh?” She blew out a huge breath.

“But you have changed, haven’t you?” Marcelina reminded. “The way you fight Witches-”

“Isn’t the way I fight people. Witches don’t know that what they’re doing is wrong, they just do what they do to survive. Humans, especially Puella Magi, know exactly what they’re doing. Someone’s gotta teach them a lesson. But I guess I’ve just gotta really try to stick this one out, huh?” Zena puffed out her cheeks as she pulled out her own Soul Gem. “Let’s just keep going.”

Finally, the two reached the top of the tower to find a room filled with Soul Gems, and a girl standing in the center. She wore all kinds of jewelry, and her hair swept in front of her face like an ocean wave. She gave an eerie smile as Zena and Marcelina approached her.

“I suppose you’re here for my Reed, aren’t you?” She smirked. “Sorry to tell you, she’s taken. You can’t have her.”

“Your Reed?” Zena asked in bewilderment. “The hell does that mean?”

“All these Soul Gems you see here… They’re all my children. Children who I intend to save from this twisted fate we all must face. And it is the innocent ones who I must save first.”

Zena and Marcelina looked at each other in absolute confusion, wondering if this chick was crazy. “Well, um, Reed is kind of my family,” Zena explained. “And- And if I can’t get her Soul Gem back, my family’s gonna blame me for it… And then I’ll lose them.”

“You can always be with her,” Alexis offered. “It won’t hurt.”

“No. I need Reed’s Soul Gem now. And if I don’t get it back, my life will be ruined. You have to understand that what you’re doing is wrong.” Zena took a step forward, careful not to step on a Soul Gem, and flinched, as if she were having second thoughts.

“Not wrong, my dear. Just morally ambiguous. What may be wrong to you might not be wrong to me.” Alexis gave an eerie grin, but Marcelina could see the pain behind her eyes.

“Listen, *****. I already told you why I need this Soul Gem. Give it to me, or there’ll be consequences.” Zena summoned two giant crystal claws and smashed them together. “Please. I already lost my family once, I can’t lose them again!”

“But I have to save her!” Alexis retorted. “I have to save all of us! This fate we’ve all been damned to, there has to be a way to prevent it!”

“To hell with our fate! What matters is the here and the now! And what’s gonna happen now is you’re going to give us Reed back, you *****!” Zena was fuming at this point, but it was obvious that the tears were starting to show. “You *******! I just want my family to love me again! This is my only chance!”

Alexis cringed, before turning around and fiddling around with something. She turned back to face Zena with Reed’s Soul Gem. “Here,” She said. “I’ll get it back somehow.” She grinned and held her hand out, pinching the Soul Gem by the bottom.

Zena looked up with uncertainty and reached out, only for Marcelina to notice the glare in Alexis’ eye before she dropped the Soul Gem and stamped on it with her foot. Little shards of the gem went everywhere, and the shattering was all Marcelina could hear.

Zena froze for a full thirty seconds, staring down at what was left of the gilding underneath Alexis’ boot, before looking up with tears streaming down her face and a broken, unmoving smile.

“All you Puella Magi… Really are the same, huh?” She grinned. “You can't bear to see another one of us happy. You all just want everyone to feel the same despair, like it’s some sort of game to you.”

“You idiot,” Alexis spat. “She’s mine. She was always mine from the start. And I saved her. Saved her from the likes of you, and from the fate that plagues us Puella Magi. If I can’t have her, nobody can.”

Zena’s eye began to twitch, and her face transformed into an emotionless, stone cold expression. Everything was silent for one second before all hell broke loose. Zena launched at Alexis, roaring and spitting at her as she beat her into the dust, shattering some Soul Gems in the middle. She had Alexis in a choke hold, and Marcelina didn’t know what to do. Blood stained Zena’s crystals as they started to sprout from Alexis’ mouth, breaking her jaw in the process. She ripped Alexis’ arms from her torso, leaving her completely defenseless, before she finally dropped her, panting and clenching her fists. She pulled out her Soul Gem and gave a small chuckle.

There was a Grief Seed where her Soul Gem should have been.

“...I was right, Marcelina,” She giggled, as she tilted her head backwards. “I really am an animal.”

---

@eternalFangirl @Everburn @Pikapoochi @Sumoru @Zemo @Yoaisami @FrozenGlacier @saltedsnails
And so is Chapter 5!

@eternalFangirl @Everburn @Pikapoochi @Sumoru @Zemo @Yoaisami @FrozenGlacier @saltedsnails

---

Marcelina couldn’t make sense of what happened next. The floorboards snapped and fell through holes, and the terrifyingly strong winds blew Marcelina off her feet, forcing her to cling to a large pole in the center of the room. Soul Gems were shattering left and right, while Alexis managed to stand on her own two feet and tried desperately to make her way to Marcelina as her arms regrew from their bloody stumps that Zena had left behind.

The winds finally stopped after an agonizing five minutes, leaving Marcelina on her back, and in an unfamiliar location. The first thing she noticed was the smell of… Popcorn? She stood up to find herself in an impossibly large circus tent, with bleachers that rose up to the sky, and brittle metal fencing that was probably the only thing that had protected her at this point from the Witch in the center.

It was gigantic. Its size was probably that of two large semi trucks, and its arms extending from its back only increased its height. Large, grey bloated legs carried it around its dirt circle as the… Creature? Organ? Whatever in the cage let out horrifying screeches. Screeches in Zena’s voice. Sharon, the Cage Witch.

“Marcelina!” She could hear Alexis’ voice, now stripped of any power it once had over other Puella Magi, as she ran across the dirt circle, avoiding the confused Witch’s legs, who didn’t even seem to notice Alexis. It only seemed concerned with how to get out of its cage. “Marcelina, I-I’m sorry!”

“Alexis? Why did you do that?!” Marcelina called back. “Why would you-”

“We can talk outside the Barrier! We need to leave this Witch alone for now.” She grabbed Marcelina’s hand and ran for the exit of the tent, leaving the two in the now torn apart clock tower, filled with shattered Soul Gems.

Marcelina immediately summoned her chains to hold Alexis in place. “Listen, *****. You’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Why did you break Reed’s Soul Gem? Why are you hoarding Soul Gems? And… Why is Zena… Like that?”

Alexis remained silent for a moment, before using telekinesis to remove all the jewelry she wore. “I… This is the fate I was talking about. Your friend would have never accepted the truth; just look at how she fared when she was exiled from her family.” Alexis took a deep breath.

“Her friend was doomed from the start. From the moment she contracted, a curse began growing inside of her. And I didn’t want anyone to go insane from the revelation, so I felt like… I felt like I had to put up the front of a stalker, I guess. Make it seem like I was obsessed or something so that they wouldn’t suspect anything. And, even more… I loved Reed. I couldn’t tell her anything, thanks to who I made myself, but I wanted her to be safe. And then I saw the curse in her Soul Gem… And I wanted to save her. And… I wasn’t thinking clearly when you two came. I wasn’t used to being confronted. I thought, ‘These people don’t understand, so I’ll show them what I mean!’ And… that happened.” She started trembling, tears dripping from her eyes as she whimpered. “God, I’m a failure…”

“You screwed up, Alexis. That much is obvious.” Marcelina released Alexis, trying to put aside her own fear for the sake of setting this girl straight. “But… Maybe there’s another way to save Puella Magi… Without taking their Soul Gems. That’s what Grief Seeds are for, right?”

Alexis looked down at the ground. “After I learned what we are, I couldn’t bring myself to kill another Witch. I mostly depended on other girls to fight for me, before stealing their Grief Seeds… I mean, I already am a villain, so why not?” She started laughing, before she fell to the floor, clutching her stomach. She looked back up and gave a weak smile. “Oh, it’s nothin’. Just a little side effect of my magic. I feel pain when I feel guilty.”

“That’s…” Marcelina transformed back into her civilian form and started to leave. She couldn’t afford the emotional energy for this girl right now. “I gotta go. Thank you for explaining, at least.”

She started down the stairs, only to find that every Soul Gem in the tower had been shattered from the force of that Witch. All those innocent girls, dead. Just like that. She decided to jump from the railing and land at the bottom, just so that she wouldn’t have to look at all these Soul Gems. The second she got out the door, she started sprinting. She didn’t care where she was going, she just wanted to get somewhere where nobody could find her.

I can’t believe this… We’re all just Witches waiting to hatch… She thought as she pushed past random people. I can’t face my parents after this… I’m not even human anymore… I have to get out of here.

The streets flew by her as she ran down streets as if someone were chasing her, searching for an exit. Unfortunately, it was far too late for that. She shoved some random girl aside as she clutched her Soul Gem close to her heart. She had never felt so truly alone when there were so many other Puella Magi.

She found herself at a dead end, so she crumpled up against the wall and let the tears flow down her face. She pulled out her phone, hoping that maybe something online could help. Instead, she saw a news article about the attack in the park. It went on to describe how the two girls, who were named Maya and Lily, were hunting Puella Magi, and that ‘the victim’ was a coward for running and hiding. Now, she had been outed. She grabbed at her face as she sobbed grossly. What am I going to do now?

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up instantly to find a girl with bright red hair wearing a leather jacket sitting next to her. She was holding a bag from the local fast food place, and a warm smile held up her whole face.

“You okay, kid?” She asked, pulling Marcelina close to her. “C’mon. Tell me what happened.”

Marcelina only cried harder, for she didn’t know how this girl would react to being told about her Puella Magi life. From the way people hated Christine to the point of calling her a demon child, she wasn’t sure if she should

“I figured out something I wasn’t supposed to,” Marcelina replied. “And- And if anyone else finds out, then they’re only gonna hate themselves even more… And now my friend’s dead.”

The other girl sighed, before tapping her fingers as she tried to think of something to say. “That is… Incredibly hard to deal with, kid. Can you tell me about this friend? Maybe if you talk about her, you’ll start to remember the good times you had with her.”

Marcelina paused to think about Zena. As descriptions of her came through her head and out her mouth, the other girl nodded along, holding Marcelina’s hand the whole time. She told the other girl about Zena’s strength, how she retained her youth and beauty even if she felt otherwise, and how despite her age, she was still able to contract with Spikey. She told her about how Zena loved her family, and would have done anything to keep it together, even going as far as to show her ugly side just so that they would be safe. Marcelina couldn’t recall how she knew most of this, as Zena had never told her. But something was feeding the information to her brain, and Marcelina trusted it. Whatever it was clearly wanted to retain Zena’s memory.

When Marcelina finished, she was almost entirely out of breath, yet she felt a little bit better. The other girl let out a breath and looked up to the sky as she searched for the words to say.

“She must have been a good friend of yours,” She finally said awkwardly, pulling a burger out of her bag. “Let me tell you, nothing is worse than losing a good friend. But let me tell you right now: It wasn’t your fault, so you can clear that from your head.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Marcelina choked out. “I’m worried that she’s gonna live her afterlife in agony because of one stupid mistake. And I-I’ve already seen what her afterlife looks like, and… It’s not pretty.”

“Religious type, huh?” The other girl gave a warm smile. “I’m not the one to judge here, kid. Afterlife is serious business. And I’m gonna be honest, if she’s been damned to Hell because of one mistake, then from what you’ve told me, she’s probably already clawing her way out of there. Even if it seems impossible, because her mind has been entirely replaced from the torture of the afterlife, she’s probably still found something deep inside that reminds her of happiness, you know?”

“...Yeah, I guess so. She’s always been the strong type, so she probably won’t give in that easily.” Marcelina sighed. But she just did.

“Here. Have some food, and then we can go out for a walk to clear your head. Alright?” The girl set the bag of food down for Marcelina. “The name’s Katria.”

“Marcelina.” Marcelina stood up and wiped her face. “No, thank you. I’m not hungry. I just- I’m good.”

“Alright, then.” Katria picked up the bag, and followed Marcelina out of the alleyway and into the park. They were silent the whole way, with Marcelina taking occasional glances at her Soul Gem to see if she could maybe hunt a Witch to distract herself. They turned a corner just in time for Marcelina’s ring to begin glowing.

“U-uh, Katria? I appreciate you coming with me, but I- I gotta go.” Without warning, Marcelina began running off, following the glow of her Soul Gem. She was praying that this Witch wasn’t Zena’s as she approached the entrance to an abandoned amusement park. She nervously approached the portal in front of her, taking deep breaths and reminding herself that whatever that Witch was, it wasn’t Zena, and she would only be killing another mindless monster.

She cringed as she passed through the portal, finding herself in a carnival. Red skies flew overhead as the smell of popcorn filled her nose, and circus tents were crowded around her, making for a maze to the main tent. She started on her way, passing by small, elephant-like creatures who ran in between her feet and nipped at her heels. She ignored them, as they didn’t seem to do anything. She didn’t really seem to care about where she was going.

“Marcelina, what the hell?!” Katria’s voice brought Marcelina back to reality. She turned around to see Katria wearing a different outfit and holding a spear. She ran towards Marcelina and grabbed her shoulders. “You don’t just run off like that! You know that these things can-”

“I know. I know what I’m doing.” Marcelina pulled away and walked off in another direction. “I don’t really care if these things kill me, to be honest. ‘Specially not this one.”

“But what if it does kill you?” Katria followed Marcelina through the carnival. “How will your family feel if you suddenly go missing?”

“How will my family feel?” Marcelina froze, a broken smile spreading across my face. “How do you think they will feel, knowing their daughter is just a monster waiting to hatch?”

“What…?” Katria came closer, her spear at the ready. “Marcelina, you’re not a monster. You know that-”

“We turn into ******* Witches when we die! We turn into the very things we’re sworn to destroy, like- like we’re just ******* eggs! We don’t matter in the long run, because this-” She gestured to the Labyrinth around her- “This is what our home’s gonna be, whether we like it or not! How can I possibly face my family, knowing that I’ll always turn into this- This thing?”

“Marcelina, calm down! Please, just… Just listen to me!” Katria came forward and grabbed Marcelina’s hand and pulled her into a hug. “Look… It’s true. We turn into Witches when we die. That’s… Just how being a Puella Magi is, I guess.” She let out a sigh. “But that doesn’t mean you’re a monster. You’re not a Witch right now, are you? Why does it matter what we become, instead of what we are right now? Even if our fate is inevitable, don’t you think you can make something out of your life right now into something you would be proud of?”

Marcelina looked down to the ground. “But look at what I am now! I almost killed a younger girl just because I didn’t like her wish!” She turned into a sobbing mess, falling on her knees, still in Katria’s arms. “It’s all over the news, now. Those girls who attacked me… They’ve outed me by now. I can’t go home. I can’t. Not with the way everything’s been happening.”

“Kid, I…” Katria took a deep breath. “I don’t know what I can say right now. But… To tell you the truth? If what you’re saying is true, then… How do I say this… You’ll probably be living on the streets if you don’t get help.”


Marcelina pulled away, clutched her stomach and started breathing heavily. “Oh, god… Oh… I can’t do this. I’m sorry, but I-” Marcelina pulled out her Soul Gem, a blade, and immediately tried to crush the former with the latter. Katria grabbed her wrist just before the blade hit, and pulled her Soul Gem away.

“Kid, wait! Stop!” She ripped the blade out of Marcelina’s hands and tossed it aside. “Please, just… I’m sorry for what’s gonna happen to you. From the short time I’ve known you, it seems like you’ve got a lot going on.” She sighed. “I can’t do much to help. I’ve got a place for you to stay, and friends around the globe who can keep you safe from your family. But please- Don’t kill yourself. Your life has been ruined, yes, but you have so much more to live for. You have all these friends around you, all of them willing to support you. You can rebuild, you know?” She handed Marcelina a tissue.

Marcelina wiped her face. “Th-thank you. I really needed that.”

Katria gave a soft smile. “Do you wanna take this Witch together? You don’t have to go through this alone.”

“Y-yeah. Let’s go.” Marcelina transformed into her Puella Magi outfit, and made her way through the Labyrinth with Katria. They discussed the life Marcelina would be living, with Katria assuring Marcelina that she’d be able to deal with the cons.

Finally, they approached the main tent. It seemed to rise above the sky, and eerie giggling could be heard from inside. The two entered the tent, and Marcelina was immediately struck by a wave of emotions. Joy, anger, regret, but the biggest emotion Marcelina could identify was… Sorrow. Yes, something had definitely burrowed its way into Marcelina’s stomach and dug out a bottomless pit, forcing Marcelina to wonder if she really wanted to fight the Witch in front of her. The few memories of Zena she had flashed through her head, but Marcelina managed to block them out.

She could tell that the Witch could see her, but for some reason, it didn’t attack. Instead, it screamed in Zena’s voice, gibberish filling the tent as the shadows in the sky-high bleachers laughed and pointed. Finally, the Witch scuttled over to Marcelina and gave a half-hearted stomp, summoning dirty crystals that surrounded her. Marcelina leaped into the air and slammed her flail onto the Witch’s cage. It didn’t react, except to swipe at Marcelina and miss. Marcelina decided to tie the Witch’s legs together with her chains so that it couldn’t move, causing the Familiars to laugh even harder. The Witch fell over on its side, and Katria took control.

She brought her spear down in between the bars of the cage and took it out almost immediately after, her eyes wide with shock and the spear covered with black blood. She shook her head and summoned two horns to sprout from her head, and charged at the Witch, flinging it across the dirt circle. She landed next to Marcelina.

“Looks like this one recently hatched,” Katria muttered. “It seems pretty scared to be here.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s a Witch, and it has to die,” Marcelina interrupted, not wanting to tell Katria that this was the Witch that came from Zena’s Soul Gem. “To be honest, it does kind of seem like…” Marcelina looked back to the Witch, which now was ramming itself against the bleachers, before the thing inside of the cage shook its head, fell to the floor of the cage, and started sobbing as its legs simply gave out.

Marcelina called out to get its attention, and the Witch managed to get back up on its feet. It charged at the two girls, crystals appearing next to it and flying at Marcelina specifically. Marcelina jumped into the bleachers, wrapped her chains around the Witch in general and tightened them, bending the bars of the cage and causing it to walk weirdly. The Familiars laughed even harder now, rolling on their backs and crying tears of ink. The Witch responded by extending its arms and swinging them at the bleachers, attempting to attack the Familiars. They seemed to blink out of existence just in time to avoid the Witch, and were merely replaced by even more of the giggling familiars.

Marcelina couldn’t bear to watch this Witch suffer, so she summoned a giant spiked ball and slammed it down on the Witch, destroying the cage and killing it instantly. The barrier faded away, leaving the two girls back in the amusement park. Before them stood a single Grief Seed.

They walked to Katria’s apartment, trying to ignore the glares people gave Marcelina on the way. Marcelina desperately wanted to transform right now and give these people a beating, but she knew that would only make things worse. Instead, she just spent the whole time looking at the ground to hide her blushing face. All she could see now was the sidewalk being lit up by circles of light as she passed under them.

Finally, they got to Katria’s apartment, which seemed rather large for a girl like Katria. There was another girl sleeping on the couch with a laptop lit up on her lap and a half-eaten bowl of cereal on the coffee table. Katria set down her Soul Gem.

“I can’t keep you here for too long. The neighbors are nosy little *****,” Katria explained. “Thankfully, they’re on vacation, so we should be fine for a couple of days. I’ll try to get some of my friends to help you out, but… Yeah.”

“Thanks.” Marcelina absentmindedly headed to the pantry and fixed herself a bowl of cereal, taking some time to reflect on her current life. Christine had wanted Marcelina to stop trying to scare off Puella Magi because it was pointless, and Reed wanted Marcelina to stop being so jaded. She started to think about how she could make some money with her magic, while also having fun.

Yes, Marcelina had been outed as a Puella Magi. She could not go home, and would be completely homeless in just a couple of days. She wanted to cry about the life she had left behind, but she shook it off and sighed. Maybe she could make something out of it. Maybe I can start travelling, She thought jokingly. Her feet felt heavy as she stood up, and started wandering around the apartment. She looked around for some ideas of what she could make her life into.

She headed to Katria’s bookcase, where there were only five books. How To Survive In The City On Your Own. Seemed like something Marcelina could use. Long-Distance Relationships: What You Need To Know. She passed on that one. Treating Bruises and Cuts: A Manual for Troubled Wives. What the hell happened for Katria to need these books? It’s Not My Period!: Blackout Drugs. Oh, god. It Wasn’t Your Fault: Why You Miscarried. Oh, god.

Marcelina decided she’d seen enough for now. She headed into the spare bedroom, trying to avoid Katria at the moment, flopped onto the bed, and blacked out almost instantly, hoping that maybe she would be able to come to a decision the next day.

@eternalFangirl @Everburn @Pikapoochi @Sumoru @Zemo @Yoaisami @FrozenGlacier @saltedsnails Hey, just letting you guys know that I'm rebooting this project with a different setting, story and characters. I'm really disliking a lot of the crap I pulled in this story (ESPECIALLY with Zena because she was never supposed to be a Puella Magi OC) and I'm doing it over. Here's some concept art of the new villain. [img]https://i.imgur.com/qwWaLnv.jpg[/img]