*
She wonders how she got here, it might have been the shock from Kaori's magic smashing into her body over and over, the physical trauma forcefully rebooted her mind as it stripped her flesh apart into its bare constituents.
Strangely enough, even though her spiritual body was dissolving into nothingness in the storm of energy, she found herself strangely at peace. With enough breath to calmly think about her life. Her promise with her dear friend hitomi, her dealings with Himei, the journey that set her off to arrive at this impasse. She lived on from the dark ages. She killed the king of a small country who held the absolute power of The Progenitor and stole the inheritable skill that granted access to the library of Akasha.
Akasha was an extra dimensional space filled with data, it was another sub dimension that exists in the main universe just like the edge of the world. It contained information on all there was and all there will be.
On the way through time, she met someone named Hitomi. It's been such a long time. How was she feeling? They made a ridiculous promise, but who could help it? It was fine for a dream to be crazy, it's a dream. It's something that one admires in the sky and desperately grasps at all their life.
In the country she was born in, she was born to a family of peasants. Idyllic days passed by where she would help out with farm work, drawing water and storing crops in the silo. Preparing long and hard for winter and then working her back off in the summer. Working as a farm hand, she trudged through her youth full of the vigour that came with physical labour, the future was set and she could easily envision herself doing this for the rest of her life.
One day she might settle down with a partner and continue helping out in the fields, they would then have children of their own and begin to raise them the same way they were raised, fulfilling the unchanging constant that is their life. At night, she would admire the stars, joining imaginary lines over her eyes to form constellations.
But would the world really be so convenient as to leave her alone? Using the power of magical girls under the guise of knights, the feudal lords launched territorial disputes, wreaking death and plague across the land. She might have lived in the farming fields at the East of the small kingdom, but the West was pillage, burned to rubble and full of corpses lining the streets. It was a denser area with more people living closer together, allowing the enemy to inflict more casualties easier.
The farms were only spared due to how sparse with people they were, and the minimal threat that they posed to the enemy. Attacking the farms might cripple the small kingdom, causing a siege to be a slow suffocating death as they wait for their enemies to starve to death inside their walls. But why bother when your own military might was vastly superior?
One detail that was paramount to the victory of this war. They had magical girls. Back then the line between feudal lords and rulers might have blurred too much, the royalty was losing power, everyone was claiming to be part of royalty in order to gain support from the people. It was ingrained in the people that the royalty should rule, there was no other way than to conflate their faith with the government to consolidate power. The king was chosen by God, a phrase repeatedly beaten into the ground.
But at that time, they weren't exactly wrong. The kind had the power of the progenitor, they could create new magical girls by imparting skills onto normal humans. But similar to how the progenitor would never use a magical girl's own skill against them, those that would awaken naturally held more power and managed to overthrow the king.
At that time... Zedicia had a slightly different name and a drastically different standing. She worked as a humble maid in the royal castle and managed to poison the king. Credited with the murder, the skill was inherited by her right before her fruitful escape. But all these things were have swirled into the whirlpool that is her past. Now, her origin was as good as the leaves she watched fall during last autumn. In other words, while it was a little pleasant, it wasn't particularly important.
She lived through the dark ages. Her parents were long gone when that tyrant king forced her father, uncles and brothers to conscript while stripping the women of their rights. The king was blending together whatever the kingdom had left to push away external forces, but he ended up killed by one of his subjects in the end.
She no longer thinks about them, it's too far back. She always felt secure, telling herself that she could reminisce about her whole life if she wanted to, but the truth was that everything faded with time. Ah. Why am I thinking about all of this now? Her heart tightens as her thoughts chaotically surge through what's left of her logic circuits formed from magical particles.
In the end, what did she achieve? To answer that, she must first answer what did she set out to achieve?
"... Ch..." (?)
"..... T.... Tch..." (?)
She hears something, but it's vague and too soft to make out. Her thoughts were like loosening threads as well, no matter how hard she tries, she can't piece them back together and form anything coherent. Her comprehension is in fragments that cannot connect back together, she felt like she was desperately grasping at thin air that slipped through her fingers mercilessly.
".... At.... Itch..." (?)
"Great Witch!!!" (?)
" Haaugh?!" (Zedicia)
The girl's voice enters her ears with absurd clarity, it's as if reality has finally fixed its resolution. What's going on? Her mind feels groggy with a minor headache, as if she had just woken from a long dream. Her thoughts were muddled and sparse up till now, so it's as if all of her life experiences were forgotten until this point that lay slumbering in her memories. It was during her time with Hitomi that really struck a chord with her soul. Something like this cannot really be taken away from her.
One could say they had just escaped the dark ages, Hitomi lived in what could somewhat be considered be a village, but urbanisation had taken root and people's lives were getting relatively better. What year was it...? She can't recall. Year...? That's right, this was suppose to be the past... She almost got lost in it.
She felt drunk, but at the same time she knew she was sober, just what's going on...? Was this what they meant when they said one's entire life flashes right before death? For some reason she didn't believe so. This was no simple dream, she felt the resolution to step forward to wherever it was taking her.
She must see it with her own eyes... Hitomi was right in front of her, she must have moved to the East to live a life in the forest. Something about living a humble life in a forest to the far East intrigued her. It would be absurd to tell anyone of that era that these were her thoughts, that she travelled across the world on a whim. At that time, planes weren't a thing and travelling was pretty much still a luxury.
She lived secluded deep in a heavily shrouded part of the forest, the trees seemed tropical and moisturised throughout the year and she didn't really need food or water, so she scarcely enjoyed some fruits. Most of her time was spent on her hobbies, after building her new house by hand she had taken an interest in carpentry, embroidery and sewing. Were these ambitions that she carried since young? She couldn't remember much, but she could scarcely recall that she once wanted to wear some nice clothes, so she decided to make some herself in this forest where no one else could contact her.
She stepped forward and pat Hitomi on the head, affectionately
caressing her hair to the side like she would her own child. The younger girl smiles with exuberance, her eyes closed to enjoy the sensation. She met Hitomi one day when Hitomi got lost in the forest where she resided. Hitomi always called her 'miss witch' or 'great witch' because her appearance apparently suited one, and her seclusion didn't do anything to help thay impression.
She was too lazy to put on a lot of clothes, so she did the bare minimum of wearing a robe and some undergarments. She even had a spacious pointy hat that tapered off at the end, sitting casually on one of her shelves. Yeah... She brought this on herself...
She offered to bring Hitomi back to a settlement, but she refused. It was a case of running away from one's own home. It's not as if it was a foreign concept, Zedicia had seen quite a few during her time as well, running from the farms that raised them to attempt to get some big job at the capital... Needless to say, she saw them after their attempt. It was no secret that they were captured and sold into doing less than desirable jobs...
It was absurdly common to see some prostitutes hanging around the capital, if one overheard their conversations they could catch a glimpse of their previous lifestyle... It was a harrowing eye opener for her, who naturally dreamed of more... With these experiences locked in her heart, she thought it would be far better to take Hitomi in than to leave her to fend for herself.
Days went by where we would live together in bliss. Having lived in this forest for a long time, it was extremely hard but I managed to grow some fruits. But having just fruits wasn't healthy, there needed to be balance to everything in life, even one's diet.
So I went to town to buy some groceries. I hid my face and quietly traded in some old coins I had saved up. Perhaps if I work an odd job or two, I wouldn't need to worry about my money running out or my currency becoming outdated... Little did I realise, they were outdated. It was only a difference of about a couple decades... But little did I know that that was enough to set off someone's suspicion.
"... You're getting older, you have to learn to clean your own mouth!"
I chidded her while wiping her mouth. Truthfully I was giddy with happiness, this was the down to earth life that I desired. The small joys of seeing her smile and the satisfaction from seeing her enjoy the apple pie I made. She was going to turn 17 soon, she arrived when she was slightly older than 16. We looked pretty much the same in age, though I haven't kept track of time, it must have been a few centuries... Or at least many decades since I last checked. Sometimes I look at her youthful bliss, her naive enjoyment of the world and I wonder how long it would last?
... They came... Why...? All the way here, even though I chose a secluded place on purpose... Even though I told her I would do it... I told her I would provide her a home... I told her I loved her like a little sister, that I would protect her. How did this even happened...?
It was a year after I met her that I found her corpse burnt to a crisp. My house was also set ablaze, they had somehow gotten hold of my schedule... And chose a time when I would be away... This is absurd... Just because I didn't want to open the library's doors... Just because I feared that I would go mad from power... I wanted to live a modest life with her... Because what I desired was simplicity. Nothing more nothing less, I would build and procure what I need rather than take from others like that king did... Why... Why. Why. Why. Why?
Ahh... Was it my fault from the very beginning? I wanted what was simple, hid in my own corner of the world... But the moment it slightly inconvenienced someone, they set it ablaze...
I see, I remember now. It was much clearer. It was much needed reminder, thank you Kaede.
Now I remember. I don't think I can give anymore courtesy, to the entire human race... I don't care if they were set ablaze.