***

If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? ~William Shakespeare

***

Akira stumbled backwards unconsciously, making some distance between herself and the draconic monster.

"Shika...?" she breathed in disbelief, "Please tell me that's not you."

The creature landed on her feet in front of Akira with a solemn expression. 'It is me. And there's one thing I must tell you before I stop our mental link.'

"What is it? Shika, I'm worried... What is happening to you?" Worried, dismayed and curious at the same time, Akira took a step forwards, extending a wary arm towards her friend. Shika looked down at the trembling hand, hesitated a while, then held out her claws, gently touching Akira's fingers.

The grey-eyed girl seemed to relax at the small gesture, and held onto the long claw, gazing resolutely at Shika. "Tell me. I need to know."

The Earth Magi fixed her reptilian eyes on the floor between them, as if reluctant to speak. 'This creature you see here... it is actually the incomplete form of my...'

***

Tera sniffed loudly for one last time before she finally forced herself to exit the bathroom. Her face was a mess and her eyes and nose were so red, she could have been Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. (But she didn't mind, 'cuz Rudolph is such a cute lil' bugger anyways'. At least, that was how she tried to cheer herself up.) Swallowing a sob, she made her way back to the living room, wanting someone to comfort her.

Plopping herself back on the floor in front of her two seniors, she was about to make a remark when she noticed that both their eyes were shut tight. Their silver and green Soul Gems pulsed in a synchronized pattern, seemingly connected to each other via thin, shining strands.

"Senpai...?" Tera warily moved closer to them, unsure if she should do something or leave them alone. "Uhh, can you hear me? Akira-senpai? Shika-senpai...?" She waved a hand in front of them uselessly.

Pursing her lips, she slouched over moodily and stared at the two Gems. Whatever was happening between them, she was missing out on it. Maybe... if she placed her Gem next to theirs, she'd be able to see what was going on?

Hastily, she took off her ring, which promptly transformed into a semi-dulled orange Soul Gem, and put it next to the shining strands.

There wasn't even time for her to jump away. The strands snapped away from each other with a load bang and blasted the three Gems apart, raising a cloud of black dust. Akira and Shika's eyes flew open and they both gasped as if in shock.

"Hellstorms, what the heck happened?!" exclaimed Akira, looking disorientated.

Shika blinked rapidly. "O-Our connection was lost... I don't know why..."

Then, Akira noticed Tera chewing down hard on her lip, a guilty look crossing her tigerish features.

"What did you do, Aido?" demanded the older girl while trying to locate her Soul Gem. It was blasted onto the kitchen counter, glittering innocently. She stood up swiftly and retrieved it, picking up Shika's and Tera's Gems as well and depositing them in front of her friends.

Shika gave Tera a long, hard stare, noticing the orange Gem. "Tell me what you did, Tera-san."

Tera curled up into herself, feeling extremely scared. Shika looked like the personification of a thunderstorm from hell. "I came outta of the washroom and saw you guys with your eyes shut, so I was curious what was happenin'. Then I saw your Gems together and thought if I put mine there too, I'd be able to join in..." Her voice failed her and she simply looked down at the floor.

Shika sighed. "We were sharing a mental link. Your Soul Gem intruded upon ours and disconnected the link abruptly..." Her features clouded over darkly. "Tera-san, this link between Akira and I is private, so if it senses an outside party, it will snap to maintain our secrecy. That was why the strands exploded, to prevent you from entering the link... Next time, don't pry."

The tiger felt her insides flip like an acrobat. "I'm sorry... I had no idea."

Shika merely stared back, her eyes lighting up unnervingly.

Akira looked back and forth between her two friends, feeling the tension rise. She had to intercept, especially now when Shika was in a dangerous mood.

"It's alright, Tera-san, you didn't know and you were just curious," said Akira hurriedly, patting the younger girl's hand. "You didn't see anything, did you?" She was hoping fervently that Tera didn't.

The tiger shook her head mutely, and the older girl felt relieved.

Akira then glanced at Shika, saying carefully, "Shika, it's fine. Nothing was revealed. She didn't mean to intrude."

"As I said before, curiosity kills the cat," replied Shika with a point-blank glare at Tera, making the other girl flinch. Without another word and ignoring Akira, she got up and exited the house through the front door, closing it after her. Yuki hurriedly followed through the garden path, anxious about her mistress.

"Shika!" cried out Akira in exasperation. She made to go after her, but her Soul Gem pulsed suddenly. She glanced at it.

Don't follow me.

She fell back down on her knees, feeling nothing but disbelief.

Shika was pushing her away again.

Limp with anguish, she covered her face with a hand and tried not to choke on the rising pressure in her windpipe.

"Senpai, are you okay...?" mewed Tera nervously, edging closer to Akira.

"No... I'm not." Akira was barely keeping herself together. After witnessing all the horrendous memories of her friend, she was shaken. And now, Shika had taken off in a show of anger and she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't even calm her down.

She had failed her best friend.

Akira suddenly felt Tera hugging her. Reluctantly, she allowed herself to stay in her junior's arms, crying silent tears.

***

Shika walked very slowly, a hand on Yuki's neck as her fingers played with her dog's fur. No doubt Akira was now thinking that she had become an emotionless monster. For her to snap at Tera and rudely stop Akira from following her, she was truly cold-blooded.

I'm sorry, Akira, she thought, and wished that she had to courage to tell that to Akira's face.

Saying sorry was harder than taking her own life.

However, it was not like she was completely devoid of emotions. She still felt sadness, happiness, anger, fear and nervousness once in a while. And she could still genuinely worry about Akira and Tera's well-being. She could reflect on her own thoughtless actions that may have hurt them, and try to not repeat them. Surely, if you lost all your emotions, you wouldn't be able to do so?

Shika found that her feet had taken her all the way to the Kazamino Central Park. Stunned, she wondered how she could have gotten there without knowing it. She stared up into the sky, searching the cloudy vaults for stars. She loved to stare at them, those small twinkling objects, because they told her that even the faintest of lights could shine in the darkest of nights.

But there were none tonight. Maybe those lights had somehow lost to the expansive darkness.

Sighing, she led Yuki in through the main gateway and they headed towards the lake, where they had first met Tera a few days back during the Water Festival. It seemed so long ago, like a foolish, happy memory.

Sitting down on an ornate bench, she stared across the softly lapping waters, with Yuki next to her. Her mind was blank. She didn't know what to think now that she was out, away from Akira and Tera.

Eventually, her mind wandered to her Soul Gem in the ring holder. Lately, the patterns around the ring had been changing, and she didn't like it. The runes were shifting into something weird, something that was not her name... and yet she knew what it was. She knew the name that was being etched across her ring, right above her own name, like as if she were being crossed out and replaced by the monster within her.

Was this her destiny, to be consumed by her own darkness, like how the smallest stars were inevitably swallowed by the eternal night?

She shivered and drew her legs up, hugging them close. Resting her chin on her knees, she stared blankly at the runes.

DR...K...D

As far as she knew, her name did not consist of the letters 'D'  or 'R'.

Her mind soon emptied itself, not wanting to linger on the unpleasant runes, and a new problem arose. How was she going to explain to Akira about her creature-form? She hadn't managed to tell her about it due to the link breaking, but no doubt Akira would ask about it as soon as she could.

The only thing was, she didn't know how to approach it without shocking Akira again. Her friend was already badly shaken from the dreadful scenes in her memory, and she hated to scare her even more. Knowing Akira and her ways of pretending to be calm and collected in stressful situations, she didn't want to force Akira into acting like she was fine when she was not.

Learning about her true form was an inescapable fate, and all Puella Magi would face their inner-selves sooner or later... Or did they not?

Maybe it was just her. Akira had certainly not told her about any such thing, and she was not the type to keep such important facts to herself. Her question now was this – Would all Puella Magi discover their inner-selves and be prepared for what awaited them at the peak of their Corruption?

"Wondering about your fate, Shika Kiyomizu?" A familiar deep, rich voice sounded from behind her. Immediately, she lowered her legs and spun around, her eyes scanning the muted landscape, her mind forming an image of a large purple Incubator. Yuki growled around her, hackles rising.

"I know you," said Shika, trying to sound confident, "You're that Incubator that I met in the World Between Worlds. You made me summon the Goddess..."

"How nice of you to remember me," chuckled the Incubator. He leapt down from a nearby tree and landed neatly on his four paws, shaking his ruffled mane. "I apologise if I left abruptly that day without a single word. You see, I was in a hurry. But forget that..." His eyes gleamed like liquid amethyst. "I have been constantly observing you in the shadows, and the findings have been exciting so far. Do you want me to share them with you?"

He stood there so proudly, his regal head raised high as if mocking Shika and daring her to refuse. Yuki snarled, looking ready to tear him to bits, but he didn't even flinch. Biting down on her lip, Shika hooked a finger around Yuki's collar to prevent her agitated dog from pouncing on the alien-cat, and said cautiously, "Tell me what you've found out, Incubator."

"Ah, I have a name. Call me Ryubey," he grinned, licking his prominent fangs. "And I would be happy to enlighten you about them!"

***

Homura was sitting on her bed, holding onto a sleeping Madoka's cold hand when a Clara doll popped out of nowhere. It turned a cartwheel in front of her, then stood up smartly to attention, gabbling something rapidly. The Demon nodded, then with a wave of her hand and a satisfied smirk, she sent the Clara doll off. Getting up, she tucked Madoka in more comfortably, then walked to the teleport portal in her living room.

Shika Kiyomizu was alone at the Central Park, seemingly upset about something; Tera Aido was badly hurt, physically and emotionally after the fight with her beloved, now-deceased Rikka; Akira Oda was mentally shaken after sharing a memory with Shika and looked in no condition to think straight.

Now was the perfect time to strike. She would catch them at their weakest moments and kill them for good. Then no one would be able to get between her and Madoka. She would start with the passive Earth Elemental, followed by the annoying tiger girl, and lastly, the formidable cryomancer.

She smiled evilly, stepping through the portal that would bring her to the Kazamino Central Park. Very soon, her nightmares will end, and there would be no one left to oppose her. Madoka will stay human forever, and she didn't give a damn if that meant the eventual destruction of all Puella Magi on Earth.

***

"Have you ever wondered why you're still alive to this day, Shika Kiyomizu?" said Ryubey, staring at her piercingly. "You're seventeen, well beyond the average survival age of a normal Puella Magi. Why is it that you're not succumbing to despair, or getting yourself killed by a Witch?"

Shika went slightly rigid at his question, staring at him with a penetrating gaze. "I don't know. You tell me."

He chuckled, licking his fangs. "That's a nice reply. I like straightforward beings like you." Sitting up straight, he said with a solemn tone, "Listen carefully, Earth Shaker. Your karmic lines are immensely powerful, bordering on Goddess level, and this is all because of you experiencing the time warp eight months ago."

The green-haired girl tried not to show distress at his words, but her voice betrayed all. "How did you know about my past life?" she demanded all too quickly, thrusting herself forward to face Ryubey directly. Demons danced in her eyes, but the cat was unfazed.

"I am the true leader of the Incubators, Earth Shaker. I have my ways of gathering information," he said with a smile. "Do not interrupt until I'm done talking... alright?"

Feeling too cautious to argue, Shika decided to play along for now, as she had done with him in the World Between Worlds. He may yet provide her with another important piece of information.

"As I was saying, your karmic lines are powerful due to your experience back then. The fact that you managed to remember the time-rewind when no one else save Tera Aido and the Demon herself could, shows that you already hold vast amounts of magical energy. However, what makes you different from the Fire Singer is that you grew exponentially in strength, while the tiger's abilities remained somewhat stagnant."

"To add on to that, you managed to survive what the average person couldn't. Killing yourself, your friend and your enemy over and over again, and in the process, honing your combat skills to legendary levels and finding yourself a fighting partner in your dog... who would have imagined that a person as quiet and timid as you could have achieved all that? A normal person would have outright died from the stress, don't you agree?"

"I would have died if time didn't rewind itself," replied Shika blandly. "Sometimes, I wish I had died rather than continue living like a breathing corpse, remembering all those ghastly memories. I'm sure you agree that death is a kinder option for me..."

"I wouldn't say so." Ryubey shook his luscious mane once. "If you had died, then we would have lost a great warrior. Who would lead the charge against the Demon's army if you weren't here? Sure, Akira Oda is an invaluable ally and strategist and may look like a good leader, but she lacks the grit and determination, unlike you. Her morality and sense of duty is too high for her to commit actions that are otherwise crooked, and this battle that we're fighting is indeed highly crooked. You, on the other hand, wouldn't hesitate to kill someone that deserves to die... won't you? You've even taken your own life multiple times, and that's going against the law of any religion."

"I'm not exactly religious," Shika said with a frown. "Ever since my parents died, I've been cursing the existence of a so-called God. If God did exist, and I broke His law, then I'll go ahead and rot in His Hell, then bust myself out and kill Him. What sort of God would torture their creations just because He fancied it? Hence, if someone deserves to die, I'll kill her without hesitation, cause I'm not afraid of any judgement."

Ryubey crooned. "I like how you can speak your mind so honestly and harshly. Do you always talk like this?"

"No, I never talked like this before. You're the second witness, after Yuki." Shika looked over at her dog, who was whining. "It's just easier to talk to animals than humans. I find I can be completely honest with them."

"Ah, so can you be completely honest with me now, Earth Shaker?" questioned Ryubey, his fangs shining as he grinned.

"Depends," answered Shika. This Incubator was definitely different from Kyubey.

"Hear me out. Your destiny has been written so that you will never be able to truly die. It has become obvious to you, hasn't it? Even if you try to kill yourself, people will thwart your plans. Akira Oda saved your life when you were younger. The time warp brought you back to life even when you didn't want to live again. And right now, the Demon wants to kill you, but she's not likely to succeed. So, an entity like you who cannot die through normal methods, if given the chance to slay the Demon and restore the Goddess, Madokami, to her Law of Cycles, would you do that? The Goddess may finally pity your fate and allow you a swift death. It's a win-win situation. We Incubators get our entropy, you get your wish to die. You do still want to die, don't you?" said Ryubey, his mane bristling with anticipation.

"I'm not interested in dying right now."

"Hmm?" Ryubey was taken aback by the immediate, clipped answer. He quickly recomposed himself. "You told me just now that you'd rather have died than continue living like this. Besides, I believe that only you have the potential to restore the Goddess to her throne. Out of the three of you Elementals, you're the one whose karmic destiny is the highest, automatically making you the Messiah of Puella Magi, the Saviour. I'm not sure what that means yet, but you are playing an active role in determining the future of the world, whether you like it or not."

Shika groaned. "Right now, I'd very much like to live, at least until I've uncovered the mystery of my experience eight months ago... Also, as I've once told Kyubey, I'm not interested in all this Messiah business. All I'll agree to do for you is to kill the Demon, and that's that. Go find yourself another Messiah."

She paused, then narrowed her eyes at Ryubey. Madokami had called her an Angel, her Angel, and she would never betray her Goddess, unlike the invisible God that she had forsaken long ago. Whatever Ryubey was playing at, he seemed to be egging her on to take Madokami back to the Law of Cycles. For what reason, she was unsure of, but it would be anything but noble.

"You're being very suspicious, Ryubey... Why are you so desperate for me to restore the Goddess to her Law of Cycles? As far as I'm concerned, the Law doesn't contribute a thing to your precious entropy, and in fact goes against it. Wouldn't that be bad for you Incubators, seeing as you're all entropy-mad cats?" said Shika in a stinging tone. It hit home, irking Ryubey.

"Do not speak of the Entropy like that, Shika Kiyomizu," growled Ryubey warningly. "It is a sacred force that keeps the universe going, and you know that. If it means sacrificing a Goddess to ensure the correct flow of entropy, then so be it!"

"You mean to murder her, don't you?" snarled Shika, feeling a sudden sense of protectiveness for the pink-haired Goddess. "My job is to restore her to the Law and Cycles and protect her, not allow you to kill her. If you so much as lay a paw on her, I, as her Angel of Battle, will not hesitate to kill you..."

"Her Angel of Battle? Hah! You amuse me so, human," hissed Ryubey. "Since when had you become hers to command? Was it ever since you met her in the World Between Worlds? The Goddess, for all her innocent looks, is destroying the universe and brainwashing stupid individuals like you to protect her. Angel or not, you are still our Messiah, and you're destined to restore Madokami so that we Incubators can restrain her and maintain the balance of entropy. It is for that reason that Homura Akemi is your enemy. She seeks to curb Madoka Kaname from Awakening to her Goddess powers once again, so that she may lead a normal life. You, on the other hand, who are destined as her Angel, will do whatever it takes to save her and restore the Law of Cycles. We Incubators will simply wait it out and see who wins. Either way, whichever party loses, we will still get our paws on the Goddess. Madokami must not be allowed to exist if we are to preserve entropy."

"You bastard!" growled Shika, standing up. Yuki bared her teeth at Ryubey, ready to pounce at the word. "You tricked me into bringing you along to the World Between Worlds so that you could prove the existence of Madokami and plot her death. Well, you'll never achieve that as long as I'm alive! I will not allow you Incubators to destroy the hope of all Puella Magi, because I am the chosen one - the one who will stop your plans, kill the Demon and restore the Goddess!"

"Naïve girl!" huffed Ryubey, his fangs glittering perilously. "Just a moment ago, you wanted to die, so I gave you an option of how to achieve it, but now you're fighting to live? You humans never stop amusing me so! Hah! So be it, do as you like, but remember this, Earth Shaker, I will return and by then, I won't be as amiable as I am now if you are to disobey me again."

Shika's eyes glinted like hard-edged diamonds, burning up with intense determination.

"I will never obey you."

The Incubator gave a disdainful sigh. "Let's hope you've changed your mind by the time I come back for you... And about something you've said earlier, yes, I agree that death is indeed a kinder option for someone with a fate like yours."

Purple energy shimmered around him and suddenly, he was gone. Yuki flattened her ears in surprise, while Shika stared in confusion at the spot where he was standing at just a millisecond ago.

"Someone with a fate like mine..." repeated Shika under her breath, slowly sitting back down on the bench. "Ugh..." She hunched over and curled up, her mind racing with thoughts. Yuki rubbed her head against Shika's side, trying to console her mistress.

"He said I couldn't die. Can I even trust in such a crazy idea?" she whispered, not lifting her head to meet Yuki's gaze.

"No idea, Shika," whined Yuki. "But don't you dare go around trying to kill yourself just to prove it. I know you enough to tell that you'd actually do such a thing."

Abruptly, the girl stood up and walked over to the lake's edge, her features set in grim stone. "What if I jumped in now and drowned myself? I'd be dead that way, won't I? No one's here now besides you, Yuki, and you wouldn't be able to save me if I tied you to a tree..."

"H-Hey, Shika, don't do such a crazy thing!" barked Yuki in fear, running ahead of her mistress in hopes of stopping her in her tracks.

"I'm just testing it out," she said coldly. "If Ryubey lied to me, then I'll probably be dead after a few minutes. If he was telling the truth, someone or something will appear to stop me from jumping."

"Don't do it, Shika! Don't jump! You might really die!" yelped Yuki helplessly as Shika tied her down to a sturdy tree. She barked uselessly, paws clawing at the leash to free herself.

"At this point, I don't give a damn anymore..." Staring down into the black water, Shika was about to plunge in when a familiar voice seeped into her very being like a warm hearth-fire.

"Shika? Why are you standing there...?"

Whipping her head around, she saw Akira and Tera standing eight feet behind her, both looking extremely pale. Yuki barked loudly, whining and tugging at her leash and looking over to her direction, relieved that someone had come.

She had been stopped from killing herself. Ryubey was right.

Choking, a sudden wave of emotion threatened to overtake her. She turned her back on them and continued to stare downwards at the choppy liquids, cursing her fate.

"Shika, are you okay?" said Akira softly, walking over and circling an arm around her friend's shoulders.

The physical contact seemed to snap her out of her maddened mood. Throwing herself into Akira's arms, Shika hugged her best friend tightly, burying her face into her chest. Akira's face registered a moment of shock, but it quickly turned into that of compassion.

"I'm sorry, Akira. I'm sorry for being so mean," she whispered, grinding her teeth hard together to stop herself from crying. "I'm sorry for being so selfish and heartless and walking out on you... I'm so sorry..."

The older girl was surprised by the sudden apology and lost her tongue, only managing to hug Shika back. Tera shuffled around, jerking her head at Akira to say something back.

"It's alright. You don't need to apologise. I understand," said Akira soothingly, patting Shika's back. "As long as you're safe, then no harm was done."

Tera nodded eagerly, feeling thankful that Shika was fine. "Yes, as long as you're fine, senpai. I shan't ever pry again, promise!"

Shika took in a few deep breaths, trying to stabilise her emotions. The fire and ice Elementals let her be, allowing her time to gather herself. When she finally felt calm enough, Shika took a step back from Akira and said quietly, "You located me through our Soul Link, didn't you?"

"What other way could there be, dear?" sighed Akira. "I was just too worried about you, and so was Tera-san... I'm sorry if I intruded on something private."

Shika shook her head, thinking about how close she was to dying again. "No, you came at the right time. Thanks for worrying."

"Woof!" Yuki gave a shrill bark and surged forwards, finally snapping the leash. She bounded over to Shika and licked her hand affectionately, whining all the time. Akira noticed the extreme level of relief coming from the Shiba Inu, and could only guess that something horrible had almost happened to Shika. She decided to not ask.

"Senpai, you wanna go home now?" asked Tera, looking hopefully at her senior. "You need a break and some attention, and so do I and Akira-senpai. Let's not hang around here in the dark... It's creepy."

"Tera-san is right. We should go home, Shika darling. It's not safe to linger around outside..." Akira's words trailed off, and she snapped her head to the left. She urgently pulled Tera to her side and grabbed Shika's arm protectively, dropping her voice to an undertone. "Someone is behind us. Be on the alert..."

A low chuckle floated through the night air like an evil chime. Awesome raven wings unfurled into the sky, and a gloved hand swept aside long, shining hair of the darkest black.

"I had wanted to catch you alone, one by one, but it seems that you're all here together," came a voice dripping with malice. "It just makes my work that much easier..."

Knowing that they had been seen, Akira faced Homura with a savage expression, still holding onto her two friends defensively. "Do your worst, Demon. We will not go down easily!"

"Did I ever say I was going to kill you personally?" teased Homura, her fingers going to her lips playfully. A wide grin plastered itself onto her face as a portal the size of the lake opened up behind her. Hundreds of arms reached out, each holding a crudely fashioned weapon. They seemed to be held back by an invisible force, as they could be seen to be pressing hard against the portal exit.

Tera bristled at the sight, hiding behind Akira at once. "Holy fudge, those arms are rottin'!" she hissed to her two friends. "What the frick are they?!"

"God knows!" said Akira, feeling slightly freaked out herself.

Homura seemed to be enjoying herself. Their distress brought her satisfaction. But Shika Kiyomizu didn't seem to be disturbed.

"What purpose do you have in digging up the bodies of the damned and sending them here?" demanded the Earth Shaker, looking outraged. "How could you reanimate the dead and disrupt their peace?!"

"Huh, why are you so worked up over a few dead bodies?" drawled Homura. "They're already dead, so they should at least do something useful rather than rot in the earth."

"D-Dead bodies?" gulped Tera, her pupils dilating with terror. "I'm no good with dead bodies, hell no!"

"Shush, Aido!" snapped Akira, trying to maintain her cool. "Gather your wits about you! This is a battleground, not an amusement park!"

Homura smirked. "I guessed that if I couldn't hurt you, then perhaps these zombies can. Isn't it just sick to kill another human? Huh? Whoops, I forgot, they're actually already dead. Haha!"

"Hellstorms! You'll pay for this sacrilege, Demon!" shouted Akira, trembling with rage and injustice. She transformed into her Puella Magi garb, twin rapiers materialising from the moisture in the summer air.

"Akira-senpai! You're gonna fight that mob?! You can't, there's too many of 'em!" cried Tera, thoroughly frightened and weak at the knees. She was hyperventilating, and her earlier loss of blood from fighting Bellatosa was making it worse.

"What choice do we have?" she snarled in reply, readying her weapons. The crowd behind the portal wailed chillingly, poorly made spears jabbing in all directions.

Homura smiled even wider. "Think of your condition before charging in, Akira Oda. Tera Aido is obviously in no condition to fight, Shika Kiyomizu is conflicted and confused, and you yourself are mentally disturbed. It would be suicide to attack now... But then, it doesn't seem as if you have a choice." She laughed as Akira recoiled from the comment, shaking her head scornfully. "Pitiful. Before you die though, let me tell you something that might interest you..."

She stared pointedly at Shika and Tera. "Earth and Fire Elemental, do you know what caused you to repeat the events of one month last time?"

By now, Shika was transformed as well, her hands gripping the handle of her warhammer like a clamp. "No, I don't. If you do, please tell me about it," she snarled. Tera licked her lips nervously, trying to force herself to transform and contribute to the conversation, but felt too frightened and dizzy to do so.

"When I was a normal Puella Magi, I had the ability to turn back one month's worth of time. I did that to save someone that I love very much. No one was supposed to remember time rewinding itself, but you two obviously did..." She continued to stare at them, wanting to unnerve the two girls.

Shika could feel her blood rushing through her veins and arteries, pumping adrenaline into every part of her body. If Homura was trying to scare her, she was failing. "So it was you who caused it..." she seethed, eyes widening with anger.

"Yes, it was me who caused you to suffer," said Homura matter-of-factly, addressing Shika directly. "But by doing so, I created an enemy without me knowing. Because you could remember time rewinding itself, you grew stronger in ability with each repeat, and your hatred for the person who caused it grew. I made myself a formidable foe by accident. So now, I'm telling you this – I am the one who caused you pain. I am your enemy."

She grinned insanely, stretching her lips to the max.

"Don't you want to kill me now?"

With a maddened shriek, Shika tore herself away from her trio and charged at the Demon, warhammer dragging at the soil and uprooting the grass. Yuki shot after her, howling the bloodhound's hunting call.

"No, Shika! It's a trap!" screamed Akira, horrified by the Demon's confession. All the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place now. Shika's internal hatred for the Demon was not unbased. It was rightfully so. She ran towards her friend, heart beating furiously.

"H-H-Hey! No, don't fight! Senpai, you'll die!!" Tera screeched, tears running down her cheeks. "Ugh, stupid Soul Gem, activate! Let me transform!" Hitting her Gem on the ground fruitlessly, Tera fought to keep her tears down as she tried to transform, but she was indeed at her limit.

Homura laughed uproariously, withdrawing a Grief Seed from her Dark Orb. Throwing it onto the ground, it promptly hatched, enveloping the whole of the Central Park in a desolate barrier, dark and damp. Runes of the lizard Witch's name, Mir, hovered around for a second before dissolving into the background.

"Die, all of you! Die! Ahahahaha!" With a snap of her fingers, the portal behind her exploded, belching out the undead. They yowled and wailed, running at their foes with thirsty bloodlust.

Shika ran forth with scary determination, her very soul on fire. Zombies either fell to her warhammer like leaves in a hurricane, or were mauled to pieces by the huge, beast-like dog running next to her. She had only one aim, and that was to reach Homura and slay her.

"Shika, watch where you're going!" yelled Akira, slashing at a zombie before it could jab her through her midriff. "Don't let yourself be taken over by blind fury! Agh!"

Distracted by her concern for her friend, she had failed to notice the Witch's gecko Familiar jump at her. She toppled over, wrestling with the monster as it sought to tear her throat out with its tiny fangs.

"Akira-senpai!" Seeing Akira in trouble was all Tera needed to finally force herself into action. Transforming, she swiftly set her claws on fire and jumped at the wriggling reptile. She flung it away with all her strength, aiming it at a group of zombies dashing towards them. She hit true, the gecko exploding into flames upon contact.

"Are you okay, senpai?" panted Tera, feeling woozy from the exertion. "Dammit, I don't feel too well..."

"Thanks, Tera-san... Don't push yourself, you've already lost a lot of blood from fighting the Witch in the forest. Stay back and try not to engage anything in battle! I'm going after Shika!" Giving Tera a quick pat on the head, she turned and chased after her friend, who was now far ahead.

The Witch, Mir, ogled her round eyes at Tera, drooling a foul-smelling saliva. She shuffled forwards, flattening a few corpses while flicking her blue tongue in and out. The tiger girl backed away, flexing her claws and gritting her teeth together hard.

"You tell me to stay out of trouble, but that's somethin' impossible, senpai," she laughed mirthlessly to herself. She tilted her head up to face the gigantic Witch, roaring her challenge with quavering bravado. "I am Tera Aido, MMA master and judo expert! I'll show ya what I'm made of, or die tryin' in a blaze o' glory!"

Akira heard Tera's challenge, and bit back a cry of helplessness. Between her two friends, Shika was more precious to her, and she could not allow her die. While Tera was equally important, her priority was now her only best friend in the world. She only hoped that Tera would manage to hold her own against the Witch.

Making such an upsetting decision was rending her heart in two.

Twirling around swiftly to avoid two zombies, she ploughed on, her increasing worry for her friend starting to take a toll on her fighting abilities. A spear nicked her on the arm, while a sword slashed her thigh lightly. A sabre caught her across her back and a halberd almost chopped her in half. Gasping from the shock of pain, she drove her rapiers into her assailants and tore through them all, only to be attacked by another mob.

Hissing through her teeth, her rapiers spun gory patterns of blood and ice in the space above the battlefield. Getting more and more frantic, Akira's intellect failed her for the first time. Unable to think straight, with only panic rising up her chest, she fumbled with her blades. The zombies moaned around her, grabbing at her with their dead hands. Scared stiff, Akira did something she had never done before.

The cryomancer dropped her rappers in total defeat and fell to her knees. She clapped her hands to either sides of her head and screamed the scream of a trapped animal.

Meanwhile, Shika was still bulling her way through the throngs of rotting corpses, trying desperately to reach Homura. "Stop hiding and face me, Demon!" shouted Shika angrily, her face stained with dried blood. "You will pay for what you've done to me!"

"Ah, you shouldn't be prioritizing on killing me now, Earth Shaker," laughed Homura, her voice booming out from the sky itself. "Your friends are about to die, and all you care about is hunting me down? Tactless. Foolish. I thought killing all three of you together would be more challenging but it seems to be the other way around."

Shika gave a Familiar a hefty whack on the head, glaring upwards where she thought Homura was. "What are you talking abo-"

A piercing scream blasted into her ears. Her boiling blood ran cold at once, and her breath stuck in her airway. Without hesitation, she turned around and hopped neatly atop Yuki, all thoughts concerning Homura thrown away to the winds. "Go, Yuki! Run! Go to Akira!!" she urged, fear clawing at her insides like a shredder machine. Sprinting and knocking away foes like a juggernaut, the monster dog howled like a banshee as she galloped back towards their friend. Above them, Homura's laughter intensified.

"Run! Go back to your precious Akira! Hahahaha!"

They neared where Akira was. A mound of zombies and lizard Familiars were heaped into a small hill. Ice spikes jutted up all around, with some unlucky bastards speared onto them.

Was Akira under them?

It was too horrifying a thought. Abandoning her own safety, Shika dismounted and leapt atop the mound, battering away the bodies with a crazed fire in her eyes.

"Monsters! Murderers! Get off of my friend!" she cried in anguish. "Akira? Akira! Akira, can you hear me?!"

Body parts flew left and right as Shika continued her onslaught, with Yuki handling the other zombies and Familiars coming at them.

Her warhammer landed on something hard. It gave a ping and recoiled on her, but she shook off the impact, peering through the bodies to take a look at the hard object.

She almost screamed.

Akira had set up an ice barrier around herself before the zombies could consume her, but she looked utterly torn up and bloodied. There was not a single part of her that was not covered in red.

Shika had no time to save Akira from her icy tomb. Another shriek stabbed at her like a knife, and she instinctively looked towards the sound. Mir was suddenly towering over them, and in her snaggled mouth was Tera. A bloody claw was hanging out limply.

Horror took hold of Shika. She didn't know how to react. A hand suddenly closed itself over her ankle and yanked hard on it, sending her tumbling down the hill of flesh.

Mir loomed over her, parting her jaws slightly in a reptilian grin. Loosened from the hold, Tera slipped out from between the teeth and landed on top of Shika. She was covered in saliva and blood and was unconscious.

"Tera-san...? Tera-san, are you still alive? Tera-san!" said Shika in alarm, her voice breaking from the stress.

There was no response.

Homura's laughter pelted down on her like a mocking rain. "No one opposes me and lives to tell the tale! Your friends are goners. All I have left to deal with is you!"

Never before had Shika felt so much hate and torment in her soul, not even during the One Month of Hell. A primordial energy surged through her, filling her with an ungodly amount of determination and hatred.

She gently took Tera's body off of her and lay her down next to Akira's ice tomb. When she looked up, her irises were glowing in a deadly shade of green.

"I will not let them die..." Her voice was as hard as stone. She picked up her warhammer and stood up straight, glaring at the Witch. Earthen spikes erupted mercilessly from the ground and slew whatever remaining zombies there were around her. Sheets of earth then raised themselves over the forms of her two friends, encasing them protectively.

"I will kill you..." A shimmering aura surrounded Shika. Her pupils narrowed into slits. Green wings of pure energy burst from her back. Armoured plates ran down her body. Feathers trailed behind her like a bird of paradise's tail. The Witch hissed sibilantly at her, backing away nervously on her stubby feet.

Homura gave an involuntary gasp at the transformation. It broke her concentration and revealed her location, atop the Witch's head. "What are you...?" she murmured, drawing her lips back in a snarl.

Staring calmly back at her enemy, Shika smiled in answer.

"Your worst nightmare...!"

Hello, my dear readers! I hope you're all doing fine. I want to thank you all for reading up to this point even when I had not updated in a long time, and without letting you guys know too. For that, I'm very sorry.. But now, I'll try and do weekly updates again!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! What did you think about it? I would be happy to receive any feedback ^^
Have a nice day!

~Saithe