Despite having vanquished the Abyss Listener, the sorceress Phantom Butterfly continued to advance, her scythe in hand.
She approached the magical girl she had previously knocked unconscious, with two dark energies trailing her like a suffocating shroud.
In her eyes, this magical girl was no longer a mere girl of magic but a creature of the Abyss, a monstrosity.
When it came to such creatures, she was merciless, especially after the tragic events she'd endured. Ever since then, she had killed without hesitation, striking without a second thought whenever she encountered one.
Her violet eyes locked onto the Abyssal creature sprawled before her, and she gripped her scythe tightly.
With a single fluid motion, she swung down mercilessly.
No hesitation. No doubt.
…
As her head cleared from the fog, her delicate figure emerged from the shadows of a narrow alley. She stumbled along, haunted by the recent events replaying in her mind, her body trembling faintly in fear that she might have killed the wrong person.
When she first transformed, she could clearly distinguish between magical girls, beasts of calamity, and humans.
But after slaying one calamity beast, her perception shifted. Humans now appeared as beasts, and the magical girl following her transformed into an Abyssal creature, her aura completely altered.
Even so, she retained some memory.
Just moments ago, she could recall who was a magical girl and who was a calamity beast. There were no signs of other Abyssal entities.
She had no plans to engage the remaining Abyssal Listeners. If she did, their dark energy would gather at the Violet Star, potentially overwhelming her with madness.
Yet, a "human" voice lingered in her mind, muttering incessantly, like a familiar elder scolding a rebellious youth.
It urged her to stop resisting, to go home, to remember that her family was waiting for her.
Far from soothing her, these kindly words only intensified the violent storm within her heart.
Family? You think you're worthy of that word?
A glint of metal, and the "human" fell swiftly, slain by her blade.
In that moment, silence enveloped her world, though the wrath within her heart remained as fierce as ever.
Phantom Butterfly glanced around, an understanding dawning in her violet eyes. She turned her gaze to the "Abyssal creature" behind her.
"Oh, I see now. Another Abyssal creature lurked nearby. No wonder my anger and hatred weren't appeased."
Her fury urged her to strike, to destroy this new enemy.
But there was a faint voice in her mind, urging caution, warning her she would regret it for the rest of her life if she acted.
That warning, however, was quickly drowned by the boundless killing intent.
An "Abyssal creature" deserved nothing less than death. Even if her strength was depleted, she could not afford mercy.
Crash!
The sound of a shield shattering echoed in the damp park.
One strike shattered the creature's defense.
This "Abyssal creature" even had a guardian spirit.
Why would an Abyssal creature have a guardian spirit?
The question barely emerged before it vanished in the chaos of her mind.
She raised her weapon again, only to see a familiar yet strange figure appear on the gray ground where the "Abyssal creature" lay.
With her magic depleted, the magical girl's transformation dissolved into greenish particles of light.
In that moment, a spark of clarity flickered in her clouded mind.
Bai Youqing?
At that moment, shadows from her past engulfed her once more.
Pain, fear, and unease ensnared her tightly…
She couldn't stay here any longer. She needed to leave before the last of her clarity slipped away, or she knew she'd strike without mercy.
She walked down the alleyways, so familiar yet now foreign, brushing past "calamity beasts" without number, seeing street signs in a language she barely recognized.
For a moment, it felt as though this world had abandoned her entirely, as though the human's words might have been true—that she had lingered here too long and should finally return home.
That notion, however, was quickly dismissed. Go home to live among the calamity beasts? Ridiculous.
Thoughts surfaced and vanished, each time replaced by another. Every time she attempted to correct her perception, a piercing pain tore through her mind like a saw, stripping her thoughts bare.
The more she thought, the more it hurt, until her mind was a blank slate.
Only when she stopped thinking did the pain subside, though she knew her perceptions were terribly warped—her worldview had become something entirely alien to humanity's.
By now, she had become accustomed to this. Since the third wave of the Abyss, she had waged a daily battle against the madness in her mind, and things had finally started to stabilize. Just when she thought she was recovering, the Abyss struck her down once again.
Today, upon seeing a new magical girl, it all exploded within her.
That encounter shattered her last bit of hope.
A magical girl tainted by the Abyss could never return to normal.
Phantom Butterfly staggered forward, as if drunk, through the maze of alleys. She sensed movement nearby and a dazed confusion entered her violet gaze…
Why were calamity beasts approaching her? Didn't her Abyssal aura naturally repel them?
Without warning, three small, hideous calamity beasts appeared around her.
She dodged to the left.
"Swish!" A thick stick swept past where she had been standing, narrowly missing her.
"Quick reflexes. Are you sure she's not a magical girl?"
The speaker, a young man with a pale face, dark circles under his eyes, and short blond hair, looked at her with suspicion, the leering grin fading.
"Relax, no magical girl would dress like that. She looks like she's in some costume for show."
A burly man with a scruffy beard and a cigarette stepped out from behind her, his grin unashamed.
"Exactly. C'mon, what're you afraid of? She's all ours."
Another man, shorter and eager, licked his lips hungrily.
"Little sister, come along now. We'll take good care of you."
The bearded man tossed his cigarette aside and grinned wickedly.
The girl said nothing, trying to discern whether they were human or calamity beasts, but the three were done waiting. They began to circle her, ready to close in.
Her bewildered eyes turned dark violet, a glint of Abyssal fury within.
Those who dared provoke the Abyssal Witch…
…shall be killed.
A chorus of screams echoed from the alleyway, and when she emerged, her face was flecked with blood, her expression vacant, shadowed by a new fear.
She walked through the city streets, burdened by a complex and troubled heart, finally pausing before a small tea house.
The sign read Ink Tea House.
To her, it was an unremarkable storefront, yet it bore the only characters she could still recognize.
After a moment's hesitation, she stepped inside. Not far beyond the entrance, a faint aroma of tea wafted over her, washing away her turmoil and easing her thoughts.
Inside, sleek tea sets adorned the tables, while a few green plants dotted the room, mist gently swirling around them.
Business seemed quiet. Only a handful of people sat by the window, conversing softly.
The patrons, noticing her entry, gave friendly nods.
Without a word, she returned the gesture, then lifted the curtain marked with the character for tea and stepped into a smaller room beyond.
There, on a low couch, lounged a woman.
The woman's alluring face bore a serene smile, her delicate frame clad in a lace-trimmed cheongsam of dark purple and black, with long, porcelain legs bare under sheer fabric.
She had been gazing at her slender fingers but looked up as the girl entered, her smile warm and inviting.
"Welcome home, my dear sister."