"Is this the place?" Seina peered over at her new fairy friend, Charity.
"Indeed. This is the Hall of Agony." Charity replied, her expression grim.
Seina had seen nothing like it. Its crystalline features were grand, like the rest of Starlight Dream, but its proportions seemed to change every time she blinked. Its angles curved in ways that shouldn't have been possible. Just looking upon it assaulted the senses, making her dizzy.
"I hate this!" Nier shivered, wrapping his paws around his body. "No one comes here unless ordered to. Stories say magical girls have gone mad trying to navigate its halls. If it's by design, no one knows."
A question popped into Seina's head. "What do the Devil Princesses even do?" Having your town hall a building that drove the unwary mad wasn't conducive for a working leadership structure.
Neir opened his mouth, paused, then considered his answer. "They kinda do whatever they want, I guess. Mei Inouye is the one who usually keeps the lieutenants in order."
"So, they might not even be here?" Hope sprung in Seina's chest.
"No, Charity says one is present in the Hall of Agony." Charity said, interrupting their conversation. "The others are close. Lazy as they may be, they are true terrors. Best avoid them. At your current level, you stand no chance."
"True enough," Nier said.
These Devil Princesses seem little better than the vampire lords of her world. It saddened Seina's heart to see the magical girls of Starlight Dream suffer as her people had. Worse, they didn't realize they were little better than slaves. It only increased Seina's determination to rip Starlight Dream's reigns from the Devil Princesses' fingers. "Is there a safe way inside?"
"Its structure randomly changes to match the mood of the princesses. The only really safe path inside is the front door. Sneaking in only guarantees getting lost!" Charity said.
If only we brought Takako, her powers could counter that. And all I have are my worthless one-armed punches! Useless, as always! "Hop in my bag, Charity. We'll waltz in, pretending we have business."
"Um, we can succeed in this, right?" Nier gave Charity a nervous glance.
"Charity says we have everything we need to succeed!" For some reason, she gave a backward glance and winked. Seina glanced about, only to discover nothing.
Poor girl. Her imprisonment must have damaged her mind. Still, Seina trusted the fairy, knowing her strange prophetic powers would get them through this dangerous situation.
After Charity dove into Seina's knapsack, they boldly walked towards the Hall of Agony's entryway. If they pretended they belonged, nobody would pay them much mind. She hoped.
Here goes nothing.
---
"She winked at me again!" Himari's phasic powers had shifted them out of sync with the rest of reality. No casual glance should be enough to notice them!
"Yeah, that fairy's weird." Liam gave a worried glance towards their destination. "Of all places, why here?"
Sure, Himari had made many bold and boisterous claims that she'd aid Seina against the Devil Princesses but nobody dared enter the Hall of Agony if they could avoid it. And Seina just waltzed in like she owned the place? It made Himari question the girl's sanity.
Still, you pledged to help her. No backing out now! With rigid steps, Himari and her partner followed behind, hoping they weren't making the worst mistake in their lives.
---
Nier wasn't kidding about the Hall's unusual spacial properties. Instead of a crystal ceiling, an infinite expanse of space and stars spanned above them. Stunning nebula swirled along countless pinpricks of light, something Seina had only seen in rare books. Whether this was reality or an illusion, it was impossible to tell. Incongruous to the boundless beauty was a bored magical girl who sat over a plain-looking desk.
"May I help you?" The secretary said, her tone flat. Her dress was gorgeous, scarlet with pink roses branching down towards the hem of her gown. Much to Seina's puzzlement, there weren't any doors leading further into the hall. It must be some sort of safeguard to protect Starlight Dream's rulers.
"Hi, uh, my name is Seina. I'm here for the job interview!"
They'd practiced this exchange for over half an hour. Nier had informed them that the Hall was always looking for cleaning staff. Stories said the Devil Princess offered a wish to any willing recruit that pleased them. Not because they couldn't use magic to clean everything, but because the Devil Princesses enjoyed tormenting suckers stupid enough to seek such a position. It remained unknown if anyone had ever received their wish. Although she was loath to admit it, Seina appeared like the perfect naïve fool to fall for it.
"Is that right?" While the secretary kept a straight expression, Seina heard the subtle mockery in her voice. "Well, I can't disappoint an eager young magical girl like you, can I?"
"Yeah, welcome aboard!" Her fairy partner said, not hiding his snickering.
With a flick of her hand, a doorway appeared in space, it opened with a resounding creak. Beyond the portal, Seina could only see darkness, no matter how hard she peered.
Here goes nothing. With a tentative step, Seina slipped a toe through the portal. When nothing painful happened, Seina stepped inside with Nier on her heels. The secretary guffawed with mocking laughter, amused the newcomer had been dumb enough to actually agreed to such an arrangement. It raised Seina's hackles. Did the universe place a "kick me" sign on her? For whatever reason, the cosmos had designated her its punching bag.
Irritated, Seina scanned her new surroundings. It appeared to be an old-style Japanese kitchen, complete with a large stone furnace. Besides the firewood shattered about, the room was almost completely bare. From the dust, it had remained unused for ages.
"Hello?" Seina furrowed her brow when nobody responded, the room empty beside them. She had imagined that someone would come to greet her for the job interview. Instead, only silence greeted her.
"Hey, I found something!" Nier pointed towards a piece of paper on the stone oven.
Your first task, clean this kitchen to a shine. When I return in about a hundred years, give or take, I expect it spotless! Apologies, but since there is such a high demand for the position you're applying for, it requires a rigorous qualification process. We appreciate your patience as we review your application.
P.S. If you don't have magic that can summon food, fear not. Magical girls can't starve to death. Have fun! ^_^
Your best friend,
Reiko Yoshida
"That jerk!" Seina fumed, outraged at such a callousness.
And clean it to a shine? There was basically nothing here! Much to Seina's dread, she couldn't locate any doors or windows to escape through. Of course, the Devil Princesses wouldn't allow anyone to just waltz inside. She'd been such a fool.
"Never worry, I'll just summon a portal away from here." Nier extended a paw. Several moments passed, but nothing happened. "I can't summon a portal! We're trapped!"
"Don't worry! I'll just punch our way out!" Seina summoned every ounce of power she could muster and drove her remaining fist towards the nearest wall. The wall crumbled with a satisfying crash, but only the endless expanse of space awaited them beyond the hole.
"We are stuck!" How had this single rescue mission gone so awry? They were at Reiko's mercy. Heck, there wasn't any guarantee she'd even learn they were here!
"When we escape, I'm going to kick her butt!" In frustration, Seina grabbed a piece of firewood and hurled it through the hole she created. It flew into the empty void of space, flying like a comet across the night sky.
A deep chuckle interrupted Seina's ranting. "Well, look at this. You weren't really after a job position, after all."
"You?" Seina eyed her surroundings, trying to locate the voice's source. It came from nowhere yet everywhere.
"I am the gatekeeper of the Hall of Agony, Masumi Tokunaga." The secretary said. "Can't have ruffians like yourself bothering the Devil Princesses."
"Let us out of here." Seina paced, trying to find the location of the mocking voice.
Masumi's mocking laughter echoed throughout the room. "You aren't going anywhere. Once I seal off this room, you'll be trapped here for all eternity. You aren't the only fool who's attempted to infiltrate the Devil Princess's domain."
"What?!" Another voice yelped in surprise.
Seina blinked. Who had just spoken that? She searched around, finding no one. It must have been Charity. "No, you can't!"
"Goodbye."
Seina lost her balance as the floor shifted beneath her, seeming to turn through ninety degrees. She flinched as a dislodged shelf crashed into her head, smashing to pieces. Nier hung on her remaining arm for dear life, screaming in terror. When the rumbling stopped, Seina studied her surroundings. Despite the room getting totaled after getting shifted onto its side, it seemed otherwise unchanged. Before Seina could respond, the hole she'd created earlier caught her attention, and her eyes widened in shock. Nothing existed beyond the gap, not even a single speck of light.
"This is bad. She's jettisoned the room into a pocket universe of nothingness." Nier said, fluttering around in panic. "Nothing exists out here, nothing! If we leave this room, we'd wander among the void for all eternity!"
"Are you certain?" Seina peered close towards the void, yet only finding more boundless emptiness.
"This is all your fault, Charity!" Nier said as the once prisoner fairy removed herself from Seina's knapsack. "So much for your clairvoyant powers! Why did I ever agree to this?!"
"No, Charity saw this outcome, too." The fairy said, somewhat smugly.
"Your plan was to get us trapped forever?" Seina blinked, too confused to get outraged by such a remark.
"Charity sees the advantage of this outcome." Charity said. "Now that magical girl thinks we're gone forever. She won't bother us when we sneak through the innards of the Hall!"
"Sure, great, we've snuck in under the radar," Neir said, not hiding his sarcasm. "But it doesn't change that we're still trapped forever!" Seina blinked. Had she just heard an indignant huff? Again, the room was bare of anyone but them, guessing it must be nerves.
"Do you have a plan?" Seina said, tone hopeful.
"Correct! Charity says Seina will help us escape!"
"Sorry?" Seina replied, uncertain she'd heard the fairy right. She must be kidding. "I'm a brick and nothing else!"
"See, this is the problem!" Charity continued. "You put yourself down and ignore your true potential! While they've trapped us in a pocket universe comprising only a single solitary room, we still haven't technically left Starlight Dream!"
"So we can get back?" Seina asked.
"Charity says a profound yes!"
"You aren't making sense." Seina summoned her wand and swung it around. Tiny bubbles blew from its tip, which gently bobbed in the air. "My magic is useless!"
"Not so! Not so!" Charity clasped a bubble in her paws and played with it. "It's only useless because you believe it so!"
"Really?" Seina stared, unsure she could believe such a revelation.
"Yes! This is reason Charity trapped you in this pocket universe." Charity said. "Charity has seen you. Training is nice and everything, but you are the type that grows through struggle and adversity! Freedom from eternal imprisonment is an excellent motivator, yes?"
"Yeah, thanks. Great training program." Seina said, unable to hide her sarcasm.
"Hush, isn't this one reason you sought Charity's help? To improve your magical ability?" Charity said, countering the point.
"Fine." What have I gotten myself into? But arguing against the situation wouldn't help. She could get peeved at Charity later. "What do I do next?"
"That's up to you to figure out!" Charity replied.
"But! What about you being my teacher?"
"Adversity, remember. You already possess the tools to succeed! Just imagine it, and it will happen!"
Seina shared a worried glance with Nier, questioning the wisdom of ever freeing this odd fairy. It seemed wild that this insane training plan would ever succeed. But complaining couldn't help anything. If Charity says she has such power, it had to exist. Probably. Hopefully. Why did she keep getting into situations like this?
---
Tap. Tap. Tap. A ball stuck against the prison wall, bouncing to return to Cerbi's paw. He got fancy on his next throw, spinning around in the air after the ball left his paw. It was a near thing, but he caught it. After some consideration, Cerbi decided he'd spin it in the other direction next time. Before he released the ball, a hand tore it from his paws.
"Stop that, already!" His partner, Azumi, said, glaring at him. "It's annoying!"
"I have to keep myself entertained!" Cerbi shot back. He wasn't a weirdo like Charity, capable of sitting still for decades, never speaking a word.
"I don't care! It's annoying!" Cerbi smirked in amusement. He loved poking against his partner's quick temper.
"You want to return to playing I, Spy instead?"
"Whatever." Azumi tossed her partner's ball back and returned to the bars that held them captive. She grunted and howled as she gripped the bars, but they refused to budge a centimeter. "How'd she move these bars so easily? She's a damned rookie!"
"No kidding." Cerbi returned to bouncing the ball against the wall. He wasn't worried. It'd take a couple of days, but they'd break free, eventually.
His partner grunted as she struggled against the bars, refusing to concede. If only the room didn't disrupt Azumi's magical ability. Her powers could age the bars into dust in nanoseconds.
Tap. Tap. Tap. An hour passed, and Azumi's swearing became more pronounced and violent. Her efforts, however, had offered some success. A bar that Seina had previously dislodged had moved a couple of millimeters. They'd escape soon enough, then Seina would regret ever being born! Last time, she'd only gotten lucky!
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Yes!" Azumi laughed in triumph. Sweat almost poured from her skin, but her smile was triumphant. The bar had shifted two centimeters! Cerbi beamed back. Nothing could keep his partner down! Nothing!
"Ah, so that's what happened?" Both Cerbi and his partner jerked back in surprise as a newcomer appeared from nowhere. Azumi fell back onto her rump, terror dominating her features.
"So silly. Did someone get the jump on you?" Reiko Yoshida, The Devil Princess infamously called the Poison Ivy, asked, tilting her head. Her large blue eyes blinked a question.
The girl's dress was so stark, it hurt the eyes. The petals of her dress curved down into a five-sided star. A delicate yellow bow sat upon her blond hair, braided into an intricate twin ponytail. Despite its simplicity, its elegance was striking.
"Uh, hi, Miss Yoshida!" Azumi gave a nervous laugh. Behind her back, she hid a trembling hand. "Fancy seeing you here!"
"Totally!" Cerbi said, perhaps too quickly.
"You didn't answer my question," Yoshida asked, giving them a placating smile to put them at ease, it looked more like a predator baring it's fangs. "Where's the prisoner? I sensed someone broke the charm I put over these bars. It's not something easily done, I assure you!"
"It was that girl, Seina!" Azumi said. "She and her traitorous partner attacked us!"
"Seina?" The Devil Princess tapped her chin, deep in thought. "That's not a name I'm familiar with."
"Her partner's name was Nier!" Cerbi added. "She was a fresh recruit, by our reckoning!"
"A recruit broke through one of my enchantments?" Doubt crept into Yoshida's voice, giving them a questioning glance.
"I don't know! She was some kind of freak!" Cerbi wondered if Seina really wrestled bears in her spare time. "Somehow, that one-armed weirdo laid my partner down in a single blow!"
"A single blow." Yoshida burst into uproarious laughter. "Now that's funny! Maybe it's just that you suck?" Azumi took the insult in stride, not daring to contradict the girl.
"Nier? Seina? Doesn't sound familiar." The Devil Princess shrugged. "I'm terrible with names! Doubtless, little Mei knows more. I swear, that girl has every brick in the Pin of the Cosmos memorized."
"Still, it's super concerning that she broke out the prisoner. She's a dangerous one, filled with terrible, mean, blasphemous knowledge. This Seina must be some villain trying to resurrect the horrible, wicked old queen! The monster!" Yoshida sniffed, a tear gently cascading down her cheek. "Who knows what terrible suffering the fairy folk will face if she returns! Oh, no! Did this vile Seina mention why she wanted to rescue the prisoner?"
Eager to please her princess, Cerbi answered the question with excitable vigor. "I overheard everything! These ears aren't just for show! They mentioned wanting to steal the Wicked Queen's wand from the Hall of Suffering!"
"Oh, no! It's worse than I ever suspected!" Yoshida gave a dramatic sigh. "Oh, the horror! Who knows what damage they might inflict with such a terrible weapon! It's a good thing I'm here to save everyone!"
Cerbi felt good about himself. While they'd failed to fight against Seina's freakish strength, they'd reported her deeds before she caused any more mischief. It wouldn't be long until the traitorous magical girl got her just deserts.
The devil princess clapped her hands together, almost dancing in her eagerness. "Well, that's easy enough to fix. Rest assured, my dear friend. I will find them and give them a suitable punishment! Yep!"
"Can you free us already?" Azumi asked. "We'll help you track her down! We owe that girl some payback!"
"Hm?" Yoshida's expression hardened, a mischievous smile grew on her face. "Sure thing."
"Wha?" Azumi choked on her own blood as a hand dug into her chest.
The Devil Princess's smile widened, eyes alight with malevolence. Cerbi's stomach did somersaults, looking away as Yoshida pulled what appeared to be his partner's spine from her chest. Bones cracked as what had to be Azumi's skull struck the back wall. Sickened, Cerbi averted his eyes, tears staining his cheeks. He skirted away as blood pooled towards him, trying to avoid the messy remains of his best friend.
"See! All free!" Yoshida said, her voice cheery, and the girl giggled to herself. "Oh, don't cry, little fairy. Your partner isn't dead. You'd be surprised what a magical girl can live through, what she can continue to live through."
Yet, this brought Cerbi little comfort. His horror mounted as the skull that constituted his partner rasped for mercy, pleading for help, to be allowed to die. He wanted to scream, howl, something to ease his Azumi's suffering. He knew that relief would never come.
Yoshida tapped at her chin. "The defenses of the Hall of Suffering are formidable. Even if this Seina is a first-class magical girl, it'll take time for her to pierce them. Oh, goody! That gives me plenty of time to play with you two!"
"I can't stand little s**** like you," Yoshida said, her voice cold. "I gave you one job, and you f***** it up." Her voice returned to its cheerful manner. "We are going to have such wonderful fun together. Oh, yes!"
Bile formed down Cerbi's throat as Yoshida stomped the life from Azumi, blood staining her pristine white dress. Its crimson stains were black holes amongst her dress as it emitted an unholy glow. His paws clutched against his ears, praying for the screams would stop. The Devil Princess seamed expert in prolonging Azumi's suffering. Much to Cerbi's dread, he realized the girl would push his partner's healing ability past its breaking point. Only then would the Devil Princess allow her to die. Worse, she planned for him to suffer through every single solitary moment.