"Colten! It is you!" To her bones, Seina understood this as an indisputable fact. Though, how he'd gain magical powers and a human form was beyond her.
"Uh, well." Paliah dithered, taken aback by this pronouncement. She stared at him, daring him to lie to her face and deny it. He sighed and capitulated, admitting the truth. "Yes, it's true, Seina. I'm your partner, Colten."
"But how?"
"It's a long, complicated story," Paliah said.
"Wait, what?! This guy's your fairy partner?!" Miko gapped, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"Yep, this is Colten," Seina said, confirming the truth.
"…" Chō stared, eyes wide. This sudden revelation was just as shocking to the usually unflappable magical girl.
"Yes, explain!" Miko said, outrage creeping into her voice. "This shouldn't be possible!"
"Well, you're not getting one!" Paliah said, smugly. "It's a secret!"
"Whatever," Miko said, snorting. "All the more reason to kill this monster! I-it's just unnatural!"
"Your face is unnatural." Paliah shot back.
"Shut up!" Miko's face turned red as she backhanded Paliah across the shore. With a rough hand, she grabbed him by his long white hair and put a blade to his exposed throat. "If you're a fairy, it makes sense I wasn't able to kill you."
Blood pooled down Paliah's armor as the knife's tip nicked into his jugular. Miko continued her speech, her tone conversational. "As long as Seina lives, you can't die. Well, whatever. You can survive as just a head."
"Colten!" Seina's hackles raised, fury guiding her as she fought against the robots restraining her. While she struggled to get leverage, her captors were having great difficulty holding her. No one hurt her fairy partner!
My power is strength, right? That means nothing should have the power to contain me! She focused her energy on herself, refusing to be contained.
"Shoot!" Miko said, tossing Paliah aside to address Seina. "I'm forgetting who's a greater danger."
Liquid agony passed through her as knives dug into her chest, each aimed at a different vital organ. The pain caused tears to string Seina's eyes, but it only fueled her determination to save her friend. The entire coast shook from the impact as she stomped one foot on the ground. Her robot captors flew sideways, jolted out of place. With their grip slackened, Seina ripped herself free. With a dismissive slap, each shattered to dust. Seina staggered as a kunai pierced her heart, but she only sent a baleful glare toward her attacker.
"..."
"What a monster." Miko's ever-dominant confidence became speckled with doubt. But such hesitations faded, replaced with certainty. "You're right, Chō. She's too much of a hassle to bring in alive. Killing her is our best option."
"Bring it," Seina said, her tone frigid. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped her staff hard.
"Careful," Paliah said. "Miko's ability can detect any weakness. She'll always strike where you're the most vulnerable!"
"Thanks, Colten." Seina gave her friend a half-smile before redirecting her baleful glare back toward her opponents.
Without preamble, she darted toward Miko with her wand prepared for battle. Despite Seina's nimbleness, Miko's knives always seemed to know where to strike her. Seina's knees buckled as several kunai stabbed her legs, but no amount of pain would deter her from her goal.
Sweat dripped down Miko's forehead as she tried to keep her distance, but Seina's ceaseless persistence dogged her. A kunai dug into her dominant hand, causing Seina to almost drop her weapon. It didn't stop Seina from whipping her wand toward Miko's chest.
"Monster," Miko gasped, blood dripping from her mouth as the blow connected. Her knees wavered as she struggled to keep standing. Her fight against Paliah had weakened her almost to utter exhaustion. Even magical girls had their limits. Before Seina could finish her opponent, Chō boosted her mecha forward to protect her ally.
"You're nicer than most. Other magical girls would have abandoned their ally without hesitation." Seina said, surprised by the sudden act of loyalty.
"..." Chō only tightened her grip on her controls, ready to fight.
Before Seina could engage, her steps paused as something unusual happened. The sky, which had already shifted into daylight, darkened, turning a deep red. No, it'd gone blood-red.
"This is your doing?" Seina asked, somewhat confused. This didn't match either magical girl's power set. Instead of responding, pure fright appeared on each magical girl's face. What was going on? What had spooked them?
"..."
"I agree," Miko said, whipping the blood from her lips. "Do it."
Before Seina could ponder this mystery, Chō's mecha's arms opened to reveal two missile launchers. Seina braced for battle, but the other magical girl aimed them toward the ground instead. An explosion blasted sand everywhere, choking and blinding. When the dust cleared, both magical girls had vanished.
"What was that about?" Seina blinked, searching in vain for the other magical girls.
"This is not good!" Paliah said, limping towards her.
"What's going on?" Seina asked. "What spooked them?"
"This sky must be due to another magical girl," Paliah said, voice grim. "I think it's blocking any escape from this universe."
A sneaking suspicion drove ice into Seina's heart. Little wonder Miko and Chō had been so terrified. "Reiko, she must have found us!"
"I hope not," Paliah said, alarmed. "Though I'm not sure why she'd announced their presence like that."
"I don't like this." Seina cursed, daggers of worry stabbing at her heart. "Let's get back to the others. We can't afford to be caught alone, especially if it's Reiko!"
In a poof of smoke, Paliah transformed back into regular, old Colten. While bruised, he seemed otherwise alright and perched on her shoulder. The poor little guy needed a rest, but Seina figured their nightmarish day had only begun.
---
The city of Osaka was a jumble of pent-up nervousness as Seina and Colten walked back toward the Prime Minister's apartment complex. People gave the unusual-colored sky nervous glances, fearful of what it might portend. Otherwise, the citizens tried their best to resume daily life.
Wary of getting caught unaware, Seina remained in her magical girl form. It was an unexpected blessing, ordinary people taking comfort in their guardian's presence. While they walked, Seina listened to her fairy partner's wild story.
"Really? And drinking her blood made you like that?" Seina said, amazed. It'd been brave standing against a foe such as Lotus Butcher. If Colten hadn't intervened, Dreven might have gotten super powerful with Emiyo's blood.
"The next day, I noticed I had time powers! I experimented with them in secret. With some effort, I figured out how to assume human shape. I absorbed some humanness from Emiyo? I don't really understand how this whole business works. Something about taking her blood changed me, altered how my natural magic works!"
"Huh." What a remarkable story. "So why the mask and secret identity?"
"I thought it'd be cool." Colten sighed, giving a chagrined smile. "A mysterious protector! A cool guy with a sword fighting from the shadows. Pity, it failed so badly."
"Well, I thought you were really cool! You're so strong, Colten!" She giggled as her partner turned to beat red from embarrassment and stuttered his thanks.
"I was going to tell you, eventually! When the time was right!"
Seina chuckled, wondering how long he would have stalled telling her. Or would she have figured it out? With Colten and Paliah never appearing in the same place together, she was sure she would've picked it up eventually.
"Mind if I tell the others?"
"No, go ahead," Colten said, resigned. "No point in hiding it."
"Still, I'm glad to have you on the team! It's great to have you at my back!" Seina said, with feeling. She blinked as Colten frowned. "What is it?"
"I'm not sure. Do you hear something?" Colten said, ears flicking.
They both screamed bloody murder as a plane came out of nowhere, scissoring the nearest building in half. People shrieked in panic, fleeing for their lives. The next few moments were utter chaos, with dust and debris flying everywhere. The plane continued barreling forward, almost crashing into her. It landed in a scream of metal, devastating anything in its path. It had reduced the area into a complete disaster zone. During the entire time, Seina thought she'd heard someone laughing in glee.
"Are you okay?" Seina said, choking on dust. Smoke was added to the flavor as the engine caught on fire, adding to the misery. Around her, people wept and moaned, some seriously injured as the shockwave blew them clear.
"I'm fine," Colten said, trying and failing to crawl back to her shoulder. With a plop, Seina placed him back in place.
"What happened?" What a mess. It'd be a lucky thing this hadn't been that populated an area. But Seina wasn't sure about the building the plane had crashed into. The impact had caused it to implode, little remaining besides concrete rubble and support beams. With so much devastation, Seina wasn't sure where to begin helping.
After a split second of consideration, she headed towards the plane. There might be some survivors. But she wasn't optimistic, the machine was reduced to smoldering twisted metal. She grimaced when she spotted a dangling leg covered by rubble, crimson oozing like a waterfall. Metal shrieked in protest as it tore away from the plane's roof. As more bodies appeared, Seina's hopefulness dimmed. Nobody appeared to be breathing.
"Any luck?" A granny said, yelling up toward her.
"I'm not sure. You have better ears, Colten. Is anyone still alive?"
Her partner's ears twitched, nodding. "I hear someone breathing outside."
"Don't move them, dears." The granny said. "Help's coming!" Already, they could hear emergency vehicles zooming toward them. The recent recovery efforts after the vampire's defeat had made humanity good at quickly addressing disasters. Her occasional fights with vampires sometimes caused considerable damage. But what had caused this crash? Another mischievous vampire?
A whole plane, too. Those things aren't cheap.
"What the heck?" Colten called from higher towards the plane's nose, distracting Seina from helping the trapped person. "A crash didn't cause that."
Seina turned, finding what he'd been talking about. Her partner pointed towards the cockpit at a man slumped in the pilot set.
"What the?" A chill went down Seina's spine as she saw the poor pilot's state.
"That rocked!" A voice said. Seina yelped in surprise as a figure burst from some nearby rubble.
"Wha?" She blinked her eyes, uncertain her vision was working right. The girl was wearing an oversized fireman's outfit, its sleeves flopping about as she flailed her arms. Dust fell from her green hair as the girl shook her head like a dog. Much to her confusion, there wasn't a scratch on her.
"Are you okay, dear? Were you thrown by the crash?" The older woman said, concerned.
"Get away from her!" Colten said, pure panic in his voice. In a flash of insight, Seina realized why.
"Do you know this magical girl?" Seina asked. A fairy popped up from the rubble confirming her theory!
"Riding that plane's roof was so much fun!" The girl said, doing a dance. Her bizarre outfit bounced with her steps. "So epic!"
"Too right!" The fairy fist-bumped her partner.
The granny blinked, uncertain if the girl was okay in the head. She stepped back, sensing something was wrong.
"That's Yuuka Tsujikawa!" Colten said, his voice quivering. "She's one of the Devil Princesses!"
"Yep! Call me Geranium Mania!" Yuuka said, not turning to address them. Instead, she studied the carnage she'd caused with utter delight.
What's with this girl? While the other magical girls of Starlight Dream were evil, this one seemed beyond callous of the havoc she caused.
"That's far enough. Your reign of terror stops here." Seina said, entering a fighting pose. Much to her irritation, the girl continued to ignore her.
"Er," Seina stood awkwardly, waiting for the other magical girl to respond.
"Attack her now, before she can transform!" Colten said, showing an uncharismatic amount of ruthlessness.
"But," Seina hesitated before nodding.
Against such a foe, they couldn't afford to show any quarter. Thankfully, the older woman realized the situation and fled for her life. Sirens approached closer, increasing Seina's urgency to defeat this monster.
But she faltered, her instincts screaming Yuuka wasn't as vulnerable as she appeared. The Devil Princess's posture was utterly unconcerned, making Seina hesitate further.
"You're smarter than you look," Yuuka said, turning to address her. "But I don't mind if you attack. I don't need my full magical girl powers to defeat you." She said this so casually. It terrified Seina even further.
Yuuka spread her arms wide, inviting attack. "Go ahead, hit me with everything you've got!"
I can't afford to hold back. She's underestimating me. I'll use that to my advantage.
The earth shook as Seina dashed forward, aiming a punch toward the Devil Princess's exposed head. But a fist casually blocked it, like a toddler had thrown it. Her next attack only struck open air, Yuuka dodging with ease.
"What?" None of her attacks worked, Yuuka casually deflecting each one. Seina yelped in surprise as a sudden kick tripped her to the ground. Darn it. And her tiredness from her previous fight wasn't helping.
A sudden jab to the throat made Seina gag, howling a gargled cry of pain. She retaliated with a kick, but Yuuka only slipped aside. Blood coughed from her mouth as a fist impaled her chest.
"This is the reason I wear this jumpsuit," Yuuka said. "So much easier to clean up bloodstains!"
A kick sent Seina flying, the pain making even standing up impossible. She heaved, powerless against the Devil Princess's might.
"Seina!" Colten said, utterly helpless to assist.
"How dull. The greatest threat to Starlight Dream? Please." Yuuka said, hunching down and sulking to herself. "I rushed here for nothing!"
"We can still have some fun!" Yuuka's partner said, floating behind her. "There is plenty of stuff to destroy."
"Maybe," Yuuka said, her mood still deflated.
"Didn't Reiko say she had allies?" The fairy continued. "We could make a game of it!"
"Yes! I love games!" Yuuka said, her eyes sparkling.
"People's lives aren't a game!" Seina said, her heart blackening with rage. It brought back terrible memories of the sick games vampires had played with their slaves for their amusement. They'd once forced her to compete in one against their greatest champion in a contest she couldn't logically have won.
"Oh no, little one, they are! And you're a contestant!" A fist made Seina's head ring like a bell, thrust into the street's pavement so hard that a deep crack had formed along it. "And this world will be the arena!"
"But what will be the rules?" Yuuka swung Seina's head around in an absentminded gesture. Seina hissed, her neck throbbing something fierce from the jerky movement. "It should make things entertaining."
"And everyone should play! It's fairer that way! You have other magical girl friends, right?" Yuuka said, words coming out of her mouth as soon as they appeared in her head. "Have they tried to stop me from killing everyone on the planet? Naw, too easy for me. No! I have it! You can be the cops. I'll be the robber!"
"Eh?" Seina said, trying to reorient herself to look into Yuuka's eyes.
"I'll run, cause mayhem and you'll try to stop me! To make things fair, I won't use my magical girl form. If you're lucky, you might kill me!" The Devil Princess snickered, fighting back laughter. "No, I'm kidding. That's ludicrous! The very thought!"
"I'll give you a day to stop me," Yuuka said. "And don't worry about killing me. You just need to tap me on the head three times, then I'll surrender and leave your universe! I super promise!"
Doubtful. Would the Devil Princess really leave that easily?
"Don't worry, I'll give you some time to recover!" Yuuka said, giving Seina three patronizing pats on the head. "Because I won't make it easy for you. You may get a little bitty hurt trying to catch me. And if you fail to win, I'll kill you all and destroy this entire universe!"
A chill went down Seina's spine and stabbed daggers in her heart. How could anyone say that so casually?
"Come on. Let's get something to eat. I'm in the mood for Mexican! Think this universe has a Mexico?" The Devil Princess chatted with her partner, talking about nothing.
"Um." The granny said, peeking over some rubble. She gave Seina a worried glance, terrified by her injuries. "Don't worry, dear. I…" Blood spattered in an explosion of carnage as Yuuka blew her head off with a casual swipe of her hand. With a smirk, she tossed the woman's decapitated head toward Seina.
As the kindly grandma's head rolled to a stop, Seina stared into her dead eyes. Her breath came out in pained heaves, her emotions exploding with pain, grief, and terror. With stiff muscles, she scrambled away, not wanting to continue seeing such a horrible sight.
"And that's just a taste of the carnage tomorrow, Seina," Yuuka said, her eyes gleaming. There was no humanity within them, only madness. "You better entertain me. You won't like the consequences otherwise."