*
Kaede's body was unconscious... But ultimately, she was a foreign ego trapped inside someone else's soul, someone else's body. This phenomenon have birth to various other new phenomenon that haven't existed for centuries. After all, it isn't even common for magical girls to switch bodies.
She was greeted by a familiar sight, another urban environment but with a slightly different style to the Demon country's. She had been here before, but not before The Great Disaster. This was a memory of the recent past, when she had entered that cabin affected by the rogue magical girl's memory recreation magic, that space that allowed Grail to materialise herself... As she wasn't a corporeal entity, she could do so. It was as easy as pressing the start button on a game and controlling the avatar with practiced ease from playing other games.
She turns around, and sure enough behind her was Grail. She was in the form of Myuu. Yeah, she looked so lovely and beautiful when Kaede was still convinced that she was Kaori. But now... She still felt that Myuu was beautiful, but these feelings were reserved for the real Kaori to convey to the real Myuu. She had no business recreating someone else's business. It wasn't subconscious or vague in anyway, this Kaori imitation game of hers has completely consumed her, so she can't see those feelings as anything other than fake.
"... Looks like reality has set in and you've accepted that you are weak...
This is a step backwards. I'll be upfront, I've been thinking that if I make you copy Kaori perfectly, that she would return. And even if she didn't, I'll accept your copy and live the rest of life that way... " (Grail)
"... I... I've never trusted you from the start. What I trusted was our mutual interest to keep me alive... But other than that, I don't think I can genuinely accept your character... As a Myuu imitation stuck in my body that's suppose to help me. You're... Too different from the real Myuu I know. You only have her appearances and her mannerisms... But it somehow feels different. " (Kaede)
A little smile perks up at the ends of Gail's lips. Her eyelids lower as her mind skims through her disorganised thoughts.
" Our objectives are different. I can imitate her body language and expressions perfectly... But if we serve different purposes... Then wouldn't it show up naturally?" (Grail)
She looks directly into Kaede's eyes, her unadulterated devotion was present in her gaze. What was Grail, really? The real Myuu was dead due to her magic running out, how was Grail born? The progenitor never returned either, where did she go after that battle? Where have all the SS grades in the world gone?
Question after question, her ceaseless curiosity branches off like an infinite tree of branches. A question brings more questions, an answer brings more questions. There is no limit to the mysteries of the world, an endless drive for wisdom will naturally take root in those that yearn to know everything. To know is to comfort oneself as there is less unknown in the world, and more control over one's own life.
I see, Kaede thought. The lock that prevented her from knowing when exactly she switched should with Kaori, was a lock on her curiosity. To a tiny extent, she could function normally and inquire about trivial information like a normal person. But for the deeper things in the depths of her mind like the point at which her memories change from first person to third person... Those efforts are impeded subconsciously by this limiter on her curiosity.
It was quite simple really, it wasn't some gimmicky magic or anything, it was something incredibly natural. It was fear. She was afraid that her questions will bring more questions, exposing her tk more unknown. When she was practically a newborn ego, she had little knowledge about the world, but it was knowledge she could confidently control. Having full control of what she knew about brought comfort to her existence, at least her circumstances aren't spiralling into chaos that she cannot affect. But the more she learnt, the more she knew she didn't knew.
For example, she learnt that Oblivion Magia exists. She didn't know how it came to be or how it functions, only that it does. Isn't it scary? When you believe everything is fine, but things began to slowly slip out of your grasp. How will she counter it? How will she defeat the next opponent? How should she react as Kaori? Slowly, the list of unknown things will pile up and block out the sun. But that is life, even if she can not accept it. So she can only block her ears and pretend nothing exists.
"Aah~.
This is getting nowhere. You bastard, you keep going on about the grandeur of your ideals, how you wish to make the people in Kaori's life happy.
But when it comes down to it, you simply don't have what it takes. You want to know why? Your memories of Kaori are hazy and flawed, so I'll answer all of your questions just this once. Here and now, you will get closer to the answer dwelling in the bottomless abyss that is your hubris. " (Grail)
No more facades, no more coddling. This was what Grail had decided, this was the true moment that she acknowledged that Kaede was weak and useless. She was not weak combat wise, she was weak in regards to life. She can not live properly at all, this entire time... She's been acting out a distorted imitation of a lofty ideal that will never reach the earth. It belongs back in the heavens along with the other delusions conjured by humanity.
She herself knew that she was weak. She didn't expect Grail to have given up. Did something change her mind? Yeah, it was her current situation. They were running out of time. She could always have had a peaceful and uneventful life instead, finding a job and contributing to society as part of the labour force. If she had just gotten that kind of conventional employment, she would already be helping the efforts of the faction's revival, of modern society's revival. But she chose this life, despite not having the qualities to do it.
"Then I'll ask now... What drives Kaori... What gives her the ability to live in this forsaken world full of city destroyer magical girls and world ending nightmares?
I could feel this vague gradient for a long while now, it roughly represented the conceptual concentration of good and evil in this world. The equilibrium lays straight in the centre, anything would easily tip it over...!
Why is this world so cursed? Where humanity is doomed to perish without the existence of magical girls...! " (Kaede)
"... You already know the answer to that. What drives Kaori in this wretched world? This cursed howling abusive land? Hell, most people know. It's impressive you're still too dense to notice. What? Have you been closing your ears and shutting down your mind whenever it happened? Or you can't take her words seriously? " (Grail)
" Her... Words...? " (Kaede)
She said it out loud in her memories? When? Kaede had assumed that this source of motivation for Kaori was deep rooted and profound, lasting all the way back when before The Great Disaster. But if Grail alludes to it, then she must have said it aloud during the first year after The Great Disaster... And 'most people' here referred to the other magical girls...
Everyone knew Kaori better than she did apparently. It was as if a shot of lightning had stung her on the spot, the thunder clap boomed at a volume exceeding her hearing, inducing a vivid ringing akin to the conditions caused by physical stress. The weight of everything caved in into her shoulders, scattering her thoughts into wind to usher in utter disarray, and the gaping void of futility settles into her chest like a parasite.
She had only asked a single question, she didn't expect her mental strength to have taken such a hit. Before she runs out of time, she feels a vague premonition that her body is about to regain consciousness. This Q & A only lasted for this session. Quick.
" How do I get stronger. Where is the path forward." (Kaede)
"... There is no path forward." (Grail)
"Kghh...!!!" (Kaede)
Once more, her question was dodged. It was better to tell her that her hopes didn't exist than to say she knew the answer but wasn't aware of it, that previous answer was just unhelpful to her.
"The only path available to you is inwards... I... Can not let go of my hope. The hope I put in you, it still wishes that you find the answers yourself.
But I guess to give myself some leeway, I've given you the hints. Everything lies at the core of your being, everything starts with Kaori and ends with you. If you search for it, you'll easily find it...
Really, it's so foolish... Bye. " (Grail)
She gave off a conflicted pained expression as she stared at the ground before she turned her eyes back to Kaede to say goodbye. This session lasted for a tiny instant between the time she was hit by an airplane and the time that she woke up.
"... Hehehahahah?! How stupid. How stupid I was to put all my eggs into one basket, thinking you knew the answers. I find it highly dubious now, the veracity of your claims.
But in the end... I still have to search for it on my own, don't I?" (Kaede)
Releasing a ridiculing smile with a hint of self depreciation, she turned around. Her body began to vanish into tiny sparkles of light as her ego moved to its natural position. Where it controlled its soul and body.
" Hmpf... If there was one thing, her hubris is similar to Kaori's." (Grail)
***
"Mhggmh...!" (HuoLi)
She was the first to force herself awake. After the Prava Phantasia broke apart due to Triney's magic, the members who were attacked were returned in an unconscious state. Even if they didn't die due to their physical constitutions withstanding the might of those vehicles, the experience of dying wasn't an illusion. The feeling of dying was completely real, and it was vividly retained in their minds.
Disregarding HuoLi who seemed to be completely unfazed, even Kaede stood back up without it having much of an effect on her. Her state of mind seemed to be completely fine. Though the others weren't aware... She was killed before by the progenitor and later revived by the vestiges Myuu's magic. 1000%, that was the amount of faith that Kaede had in herself, the sheer level of belief in the fact that she will fulfill her purpose and ambitions. She was simply confident that this operation will succeed, and she wouldn't hesitate for a moment to make it a reality.
All of her efforts, her willpower and feelings, she directed it all towards this mission to defeat The Demon King. A little scary experience wouldn't become the end of it. The ArcMaidens generally got out unscathed as well, with a high will stat, even the experience of death can be written off as an illusion. Unfortunately, some of the commanders were reasonably shocked into a comatose state, rather they sat on the ground with their gazes empty and dull as though they were buried under a mountain of their own thoughts.
She stood up, materialising her rapier as she stared down at the demonic heavenly king in question, the grotesque figure gazes back in response, sending chills down her spine. Rather than fear, he was an undead, his face was superbly disfigured. Her discomfort stemmed from her disgust instead.
"... Don't waste your effort. Everyone, let's speed up to 20 000. Triney and a few commanders will stay behind and take care of that thing. The rest of us have to advance." (HuoLi)
"Not if I have something to say." (?)
Another voice chimed in as if the sound of bells softly passed through the air to meet them. They looked up to see a distant silhouette floating far away behind the clouds. An awful premonition engulfed Kaede's heart as she changed her battle stance to face the unknown enemy. She flapped her black wings
"There's another one with unknown abilities. Both are S grade Heavenly Kings." (Kaede)
"... 3 Maidens will stay behind, commanders spread out and target the demon military. The rest of us advance." (HuoLi)
All that was left was a showdown between Triney and the undead, the newly arrived divine tengu with Miwa and Sufia.