*
"... Lastly, who are you...?" (Ledia)
She felt a little choked up as she forced out her voice, but her fiery unwavering will could no longer hope to be passive. She must get as much information as possible, as ruthlessly as possible. If she wanted to get the ending she wanted, if she wanted to all her friends and family to live she has to get her hands dirty...
"... Hmm... That's a hard one..." (Kaori)
She raised her finger to prop her chin into her palm, shutting her eyes off from the outside world to ponder. She notices that Ledia flinched when she raised her hand to her chin, choosing to ignore it. She then opens her eyes, as if revealing jewels that were previously concealed. Glistening crystals of beauty that contain the entire world in them. A foreign smile blooms like a flower.
"Of course, I am Kaori. The one and only. But ordinary people shouldn't know who I am...
It's nice to meet you." (Kaori)
She extends her hand, this time Ledia holds herself back from flinching. She cranes her neck down to gaze at the open palm, her heart rate remained an all time high even though she stopped crying a bit ago. She felt a little confused, why was she being so friendly? Was it all a ruse...? To humuliate her? She hesitates, stretching her palm back and forth.
Kaori notices, but in true Kaori fashion, she leaned forward and pressed both her palms on Ledia's. She shakes her palm teasingly before letting go.
"Rather than asking about me... You look more like you have things you want to tell me instead." (Kaori)
"Th-that's unfair! I can't!" (Ledia)
"heh~~" (Kaori)
She seemed interested in digging into Ledia's information, but Ledia didn't know if it was because Kaori was strong or something... She was able to quickly let go without a care in the world... Was she always this carefree? But this... Was just the cue for her to continue.
"What is your goal?" (Ledia)
"Hmm... It's basically the same as every other magical girl... To be a hero I guess. To be a magical girl that can save everyone.
I was someone who used to be... Very useless. That's why when The Great Disaster came, it was like a second chance at life. If I don't cling to it with everything I have, I might lose everything and return to the same state as back then... " (Kaori)
To be a hero? Someone who would use such enormous power to wipe out a continent, just to taunt a single person? It was ludicrous, there was no other way to describe how contradictory the information was. Is this it? Was it really so simple...? Then if she was someone who aspires to be a hero, why torment her? Was Ledia some sort of person bound by fate to be an evil person in the future? Was this really fair? The judgement made by the hero upon herself...
The only way she could explain it...
"DON'T MOCK ME!!! I'VE SEEN WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND WILL DO! HERO?! WHO THE HELL WILL ACKNOWLEDGE YOU!!!!!" (Ledia)
From Kaori's perspective, her mood was really unstable, turning a complete 180 in a matter of moments. But throughout her adventure, she had gained a much thicker skin, a much higher threshold to truly call her emotions that were evoked as 'surprised'. She merely smiled gently as she thought of a way to pacify Ledia. She concluded that Ledia must have gone through a lot of she was this on edge.
"... Hmm... Yeah, maybe you're right. Even though I've come this far, it's built upon a mountain of corpses. Countless enemies, I wonder if I were stronger then I wouldn't have needed to kill them.
So as grand as my dreams were, I was still weak. A coward who wouldn't rest easy at night unless her enemies were well and truly dead.
If I could, I also want to save those from before The Great Disaster too, but too much time has passed. Making that decision would be weighing the lives of the past against the lives of the future, where would they be sheltered? Who would feed them? Is it sustainable?
It is not a decision I am strong enough to make, so I remain at a cowardly impasse and idle my life away with those I'm close to. I have finally amassed enough power to touch my dreams at my fingertips, but lack the courage to follow it through.
What about you? What is your dream? " (Kaori)
It seems her outburst was completely ignored. Has Kaori known about the time loop this whole time? But compared to those times she saw Kaori after 12 pm... She looked to be very tranquil now. Why was it ignored? Why was this person suddenly talking about dreams? What does your failure have to do with me?
Ledia ponders hard within the confines of her own heart, concealing any thoughts she might have had. She shut her eyes. What was her own dream? Does it matter...? It wasn't too hard to find it anyway...
There was nothing better... Than her family being together. Her mother alive and her father indulging in his usual hearty laughter. A picture of their normal lives... Marie and the others, she hoped that they'd be fine and come to terms with their own demons, wishing luck on whatever challenges that they may face in the future. Kaori acknowledged that she wasn't perfect despite being so powerful. Shouldn't Ledia return in kind? After all, Ledia has done nothing wrong. Kaori will be the one to answer to her sins.
"I... I want a normal life. I want my dad and mum to be alive and healthy, I want my friends to overcome any problem they might face and enjoy their current lives. At the end of the day, I wish things would return to how they were before The Great Disaster... " (Ledia)
" Hmpf... How greedy... " (Kaori)
" Wha!? " (Ledia)
" Ah... No, it's fine being greedy. It's better to live life that way than to have no desire. I just wanted to say, at the end of the day everyone wants to turn back time to before The Great Disaster, don't they?" (Kaori)
"... Why don't you do it? " (Ledia)
"... It's not my decision to make. If I do so, how many lives do you think wouldn't have been born as a result? How many people... Would lose their memories and act as if they were transported 1.5 years into the future... Losing their ability to survive...
There's too much to think about, so while I don't know how you found out about me being a God magical girl... I don't really have the mental faculties of a God willing to pull the trigger... " (Kaori)
"..." (Ledia)
Was she not suspicious of a stranger who knew about her? Ledia knew her secret, so how could she remain so calm? Just what was lurking in that mind of hers that hides so much?
"Y-you're not mad that I knew?" (Ledia)
"... Well it's fine. If something happened I could always push to undo button or silence everyone...
But rather than that it's fine isn't it? Having a few secrets might make you more attractive! " (Kaori)
She flashed a goofy smile, she hadn't thought about it at all and was just playing it off cool.
" Pftt... Haha!" (Ledia)
She felt like a fool for taking her so seriously, but at the same time she was grateful that Kaori was so easy to talk to. A little strange, but then...
"Why... Did you kill me in the future?" (Ledia)
"The... Future...?" (Kaori)
Kaori froze at her words, unable to comprehend them. This time Ledia was the one to initiate contact, she was the strangest person here, spouting nonsensical drivel the whole time. At least that was how she thought of it when she tried to understand why Kaori was confused. A random person, clearly alive, coming up to you to plead for their life...
"I see... I'm sorry, I don't know..." (Kaori)
She lied. She had a hint for weeks now. But she can't share mere speculation, her pride wouldn't allow it. Did she go crazy? Murdered a person out of paranoia? What the hell happened to have led to it... And how did Ledia know...? Ah...
The only person who she knew how to control time... Was herself. Then, did her future self really kill Ledia and sent her memories to her past? Why didn't she send her own memories back? What's going on? She checked her radar once more, there was no one around. Was this some kind of prank? She couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"I'm sorry... I don't know anything..." (Kaori)
She made a difficult face, as if the words she really wanted to say were lodged in her throat. Her willpower seemingly useless in this situation. Ledia turns to the ground, disappointed.
Was she being tricked? Was Kaori acting the whole time? Someone who has killed so much couldn't possibly be a hero, if anything they are the villain for having claimed so many innocent lives. Then this will be the last test, no more. There's no more information to be gleaned from her.
"... Then... Will you save me when it hits 12 pm?" (Ledia)
"...? I will." (Kaori)
She answered with relative ease, so much so that it shocked Ledia into flinching out of surprise. Her thoughts ran at full speed, attempting to deduce if all of this was a ruse. What if Kaori was trying to get something out of her all this time? And destroying her hope was to induce her despair and voluntary surrender? But this wasn't a surrender... It was a request to save her...
Then, it should be fine right? If she doesn't surrender voluntarily, then Kaori can't steal her soul or anything weird right? She had no clue what Kaori's motives were, so anything could go. Her main suspicion was that Kaori inducing so much despair in her was to trigger some kind of condition. It was ambiguous and unhelpful, but it was the best she could come up with.
By tormenting Ledia, Kaori hopes to gain something out of it. She was inciting Ledia to do something, which would trigger the victory for Kaori. But she didn't know what it was.
"How... Could you say that so easily? You're only painting yourself as someone more untrustworthy! How could you make a promise so lightly!" (Ledia)
Kaori turned her gaze to Ledia, staring straight into her eyes. Ledia thought she might have gotten angry and prepared herself.
"... Look, I don't know what you've been through, but... I don't make these promises lightly.
With this power, what is the point of it if I can't save a single girl like you? I won't tell you that you should feel safe or anything, but I'll try my best! So leave it to me! " (Kaori)
She ends off pointing a thumb to herself with a determined smile. But at this stage... When she was this deep into the time loops, would it really be possible to reverse fate? Nothing could save Ledia.
"... You're saying 12 pm huh... And what happens after?" (Kaori)
"... It looks like something happens to you, you go into your divine form and massacre everyone in central. Then my. Memories go back to the beginning of today, 7 am." (Ledia)
" I see... " (Kaori)
She was hiding something, how could she not? But she also seemed serious when she declared to Ledia that she would save her. Eventually it hits 12 pm. Kaori enters her divine form to bolster her magic defences, preparing for a mental attack.
'Timed magic activation, [Idealism of a magical maiden's transient heroism: panta rhei]'. She hears a ghastly voice strikingly similar to her own, but as it uttered the name of her final skill... It could only be her own voice. Her own tone and modulation, her own words from another time. The memories flood in, crashing into her mind like a truck. There was no way to describe the sensation of memories seeping into her brain, it was an odd feeling unlike any other.
Done. The memories were back. Ledia prepares herself for her next death. Kaori was already in divine form, is it not natural that now was time for her execution? Even though she came all this way, even though she spilled her heart out... She's in a disadvantageous state, now her enemy knows all of her thoughts and feelings... They can now step closer to their unknown goal.
So why? Ledia looks up. Her mind, her lips, both could only inquire with all their might. Why are you crying? Kaori stood there in all her glory, her pure seamless and flawless white wedding dress glowed passively like a lamp in the darkness. But nevertheless... She was unmistakably crying...
"Ughhh... This is unfair... How could you do this...? " (Kaori)
Do what? Kaori was the one who started the situation, she was the person who was undoubtedly behind the time loops... What was stopping her from just finishing Ledia off now...?