(A/N: After giving it some thought, I've decided to keep this story going. Sorry for almost dropping it—I got way too hooked on reading novels and hit a creative block after exams. That's what led to me nearly dropping this fanfic.)
"As that concludes our meeting, if anyone has further questions or doubts, please feel free to speak up," Aki said, adjusting her glasses.
Observing the room and seeing no one with additional queries, Aki announced, "Then, this meeting is adjourned. We'll reconvene if an emergency arises."
"Thank you for your cooperation," the group responded in unison, bowing their heads respectfully towards Aki, who nodded in acknowledgment.
"Yawn! Finally, it's over!" Selesia stretched her arms, resting her cheek on her hand, a hint of boredom in her posture.
"Let's head out now. It's about time for lunch," Rozen suggested, checking the time on his phone. Selesia and the others quickly stood up, bidding farewell before leaving the room.
"Rozen-kun, wait a moment!" Gojo called out, halting Rozen in his tracks.
"What's the matter, Gojo-san?"
"The reason for my lateness last night was actually quite serious!" Gojo said earnestly, but something in his tone made Rozen suspect he was jesting.
"Hey, it hurts to see you doubt me like this!" Gojo feigned heartache, playfully responding to Rozen's skeptical look.
"Just get to the point, Gojo-san," Rozen replied, maintaining a deadpan expression.
"Alright, no more jokes. I actually encountered Esdeath last night and indeed saved an elderly woman from her attack."
Esdeath... Didn't I eliminate her before? Could this be the real Esdeath, or has Altair summoned her again?
"Hey, Goj—"
"Got to run, urgent matter!" Gojo interjected with a smile, waving his hand as he vanished from sight.
Rozen felt a vein throb in frustration at Gojo's antics but soon sighed and shook his head in resignation.
"He's quite a handful, isn't he? I've never met someone as infuriating as him," Selesia remarked, with Rozen and the others nodding in agreement.
"By the way, did you get a chance to meet your author?" Rozen inquired, turning his attention to Selesia.
"Ah, you mean the bald, middle-aged man who created me? Yes, I've met him. It's hard to believe someone like him is my creator," Selesia sighed, almost unable to fathom that a balding middle-aged man was responsible for her existence.
"Yet, I could sense his genuine care and love for his creation," she added, her smile softening as her impression of her author improved.
"And what about you, Meteora?"
"Unfortunately, my author has passed away, making it impossible for me to converse with him," Meteora responded, her usual expressionless face masking her feelings.
Hearing this, Rozen and the others looked at Meteora with sympathy, understanding the unique bond between creators and their characters.
As Rozen and his party made their way to the dining area, meanwhile In a secluded place, a young girl with black hair, dressed in a school uniform, lay asleep.
Her face was marked by discomfort, sweat beading her forehead as if she were trapped in a nightmarish dream.
Suddenly, she jolted awake, her hand reaching out as if trying to grasp something just out of reach. "Madoka!!!" she cried out, her voice laced with urgency.
Confusion clouded her features as she looked around, holding her head in pain. "I-I…" she stammered, trying to make sense of her surroundings. This wasn't a hospital; why was she waking up in such an unfamiliar place?
With a mix of caution and wariness, she slowly rose to her feet. And like a magic, a round shield appeared in her left hand, and a pistol materialized in her right.
This girl, known as Akemi Homura, stood still, her senses heightened, anticipating a sneak attack.
Time passed without any attack, allowing Homura to release a sigh of relief and lower her guard.
"Where am I?" she murmured, trying to make sense of her surroundings.
Could this be one of Kyubey's tricks?
As the thought crossed her mind, her expression darkened, her grip on the pistol tightening—a clear sign of her loathing for the creature named Kyubey.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" A melodious, distinctly feminine voice emerged from behind, causing Homura to startle and whirl around.
"What a cute girl you are. But what's truly fascinating is the immense power of time within you," a stunning woman clad in gothic attire, with twintail hair, remarked, her eyes blazing with an unsettling intensity as she bore into Homura.
Homura felt a chill run down her spine; the gothic girl's gaze was that of a predator eyeing a delectable prey.
Is she a witch? No, witches don't possess such self-awareness.
A multitude of assumptions swirled in Homura's mind, but she had no time to ponder as the gothic girl conjured two weapons and fired.
BANG!
Homura leaped aside, evading the shot. "Why would you shoot at me without provocation? You're not a witch!"
"Witch?" The gothic girl cocked her head, her smile morphing into a malevolent grin. "Yes, I suppose I am a witch in the eyes of many. Would it really be so strange for me to want to end you here?"
BANG!
"She's lost her mind! What is she thinking?" Homura cursed, as she leaping building to another building, dodging each shot.
But if this is how it's going to be, don't blame me for retaliating!
Homura initiated her counterattack, summoning a sniper rifle from her spatial shield, leaving the gothic girl momentarily stunned by the sight.
BANG!
The sniper's bullet found its mark, and the gothic girl's body collapsed. Yet Homura didn't relax; her instincts screamed that something wasn't right.
And they were correct. Soon, a dark shadow emerged beside the gothic girl's body, giving rise to another version of her.
"Oh dear, to think I was killed because I got distracted. How utterly careless of me," the gothic girl chuckled, though Homura's heart raced with fear at the sight.
"You were clearly—"
"Dead? Indeed, 'I' was, but that was merely another self I can discard at will," the gothic girl laughed, sending a shiver of dread through Homura.
"Playtime is over. Come forth, Zapkiel!" A large clock materialized behind the gothic girl, causing Homura's eyes to widen in shock.
"Aleph!" Accompanied by the sound of a gunshot, the gothic girl vanished, moving with such velocity that she appeared to teleport directly in front of Homura.
TING!
Homura deflected the attack with her shield and attempted to strike back, but the gothic girl vanished once more.
What are her powers? Are they related to time, like mine?
Realizing her adversary shared a similar power, Homura's expression turned grave. Facing an opponent with matching abilities was daunting, as neither could fully exploit their advantage.
"Bet!"
Another power?
With heightened vigilance, Homura scanned her surroundings. Unfortunately, she couldn't track the gothic girl's speed, who was already behind her.
"Bye~ cute girl~"
"Damn!" Homura spun around, but it was too late to fire her weapon.
But before the attack landed, Homura activated her hidden power, and in an instant, the bullet poised to strike her froze, along with the world around her falling into sudden silence.
"Thankfully, I wasn't too late in using it," Homura breathed out as she eyed the suspended bullet and the frozen gothic girl before her.
I was reluctant to use my power earlier, wary of her, but it seems she can't move when time is stopped.
Homura aimed her pistol at the gothic girl's forehead and fired; the bullet halted precisely at its target.
It won't kill her, as she said, but it's enough for me to escape.
Homura swiftly retreated from the area and, after a safe distance, deactivated her ability, allowing time to resume its natural course.
BANG!
The gothic girl collapsed once more, but another version of her soon appeared, scanning the area with curiosity and bewilderment at Homura's absence.
"Well, the prey has escaped, what a pity... but I can catch her again as long as she remains in this world," the gothic girl mused, and from her shadow, many clones emerged. "Go quickly, and find that girl."
All the clones nodded and dispersed, leaving the gothic girl alone in contemplation.
"That moment, I felt time stop. How delightful, a girl with such magical power. I can't wait to devour her," the gothic girl licked her lips before vanishing into her own shadow.
Now, back to Homura, she panted wearily, sweat drenching her petite frame, a testament to her current exhaustion.
What's happening? Why am I so drained after using the time stop?
Confusion clouded her thoughts. Usually, the power exertion didn't tire her at all; this was the first time she felt the substantial toll of wielding such force.
Could Kyubey have noticed my reincarnation? And altered me in this way?
The thought led her to despair, as she knew it would be nearly impossible to save Madoka in her current state.
"Hey~Hey~ Look what I stumbled upon—a cute girl all alone," a melodious and sweet voice called from behind, snapping Homura to attention as she spun around, pistol aimed.
"Wow! Please don't shoot~ I'm just a regular, adorable, and utterly harmless girl~" Homura laid eyes on the owner of the voice—a strikingly beautiful and cute girl with short pink hair and enchanting blue eyes with pink pupils.
For some reason, upon seeing the pink-haired girl, Homura's defensive stance softened as if the girl possessed a magical charm that disarmed hostility.
"Whew... Lucky me, my charm still works wonders~ Just as expected from my beautiful self!" the pink-haired girl declared proudly, eyes closed in self-admiration.
"Cough, who are you? And where am I?" Homura asked, visibly disoriented. She didn't recognize the area as any part of Japan she knew, evident from the pedestrians and Japanese street signs around.
"Oh? Are you perhaps lost?" Homura nodded in response.
"Well, it's odd for a Japanese person like you not to recognize their own country, but we are in Tokyo, in the Shinjuku district."
"Shin...juku?" Homura was stunned. Shinjuku in her memory was nothing like this, and most importantly, it wasn't this modern.
At that moment, Homura sensed something amiss, recalling the gothic girl with her peculiar powers and everything she had seen thus far, she was certain she wasn't in the Japan she knew.
"What's wrong? Is there something troubling you? If so, you can confide in me, Elysia! I'd be more than happy to help a troubled cute girl like you~" Homura hesitated, then decided to voice her doubts, seeing the sincerity in Elysia's eyes.
"Hmm, I see. That's why I thought you looked very much like the character Akemi Homura, as if you've stepped right out of a fictional world."
Hearing this, Homura frowned, "What do you mean? And why am I a fictional character to you?"
"Well~ see for yourself," Elysia offered her phone to Homura. Taking it hesitantly, Homura's eyes widened in disbelief at what she saw.
"T-this..."
Impossible! Why are Madoka and I in a comic?! And it's exactly like what I experienced before! Doesn't this mean our lives are merely entertainment for others?
"Well, I never expected such a magical thing to happen~ but it's thrilling to meet a favorite character in real life~" Elysia's eyes sparkled with excitement, but then she noticed Homura's distress. "Umm...are you okay, Homura-chan?"
"Ha...Hahaha....Hahahahaha," Homura's laughter was hollow, tinged with an edge of madness. Elysia watched, worried that any intervention now might precipitate something dreadful.
Within Homura, where her soul gem rested, darkness began to spread, emitting overwhelming power with each pulse of corruption.
Feeling the terrifying surge of dark energy from Homura, Elysia bit her lip, knowing hesitation wasn't an option. "I'm sorry," she whispered before using her power to render Homura unconscious.
Elysia carefully lifted the unconscious girl and took her to the nearest hotel. There, she checked on Homura, whose soul and soul gem—was clouding over, a sign she was on the brink of becoming a Demon King.
Elysia was anxious; as someone who had watched the anime, she knew the destructive potential of Homura in her fallen state. But she also knew, without a doubt, that if Homura's descent wasn't stopped, it could spell the end for this world.
If Madoka was around, maybe she could've put a stop to this. But how in the world do I bring Madoka over from a fictional world?
"What should I do?" Elysia paced, fraught with worry and confusion, aware that time was running out.
She could probably kill Homura now, but how could she ever bring herself to do that? With a heart that loves everyone, especially a beautiful girl like Homura, and more so when Homura hasn't done anything wrong.
Elysia halted, a resolution forming. Her beautiful face set with determination, she reached toward her chest, where, miraculously, her hand passed through, drawing out a radiant pink core.
"Cough cough," Elysia coughed up blood, her face deathly pale with cold sweat, yet she smiled through the pain.
"Hopefully, with my power of miracles and hope, you won't succumb to despair again, Homura-chan." She placed the core into Homura's soul, where it fused with the soul gem, prompting a drastic transformation.
The darkness shrouding Homura's soul and the soul gem abruptly ceased its spread and vanished quickly, like ice melting under a warm sun. After the transformation, Elysia managed one last smile before collapsing to the floor, unconscious.
A few hours later, Homura's eyes fluttered open, and panic seized her as she bolted upright, the memory of her recent despair flooding back. She feared that her soul gem had been corrupted, that she had turned into a witch.
But she was left stunned. Instead of the cold aura of despair and darkness, her soul gem now radiated warmth and hope.
"What... what happened?" she muttered, her confusion clear. Her gaze then shifted to the pale and frail Elysia beside her, especially the stark bloodstain on her clothing.
"Elysia!!!"
(A/N: Creation is hard, so please consider support me by giving me your power stone and your review. Thank you!)