It had been a few days since Yui had been brought to her new home - the home of Tamashii Pandoria, her new adopted Mother. While she was as happy as can be, it was not long before the girl went back to her regular routine. Rather, she fell into a new routine. Until recently, Yui had been a relatively new Mahou Shoujo; skipping some nights or making them short, taking things less seriously. No more. Not after the loss they all had to bear that was still recent to all. The loss of Luna had it's left it's mark on the city, for a lot more Nightmares than usual prowled the Night. Like many, Yui had been up and about almost every nights.

Without any day activity to be had such as school, which she did not yet transfer to, she practiced and experienced with her magic during sun light. Even armed with some new reflexes, battle techniques and even a new form of bending her magic it wasn't enough. Each nights, the numbers of those feeding on negativity did not dwindle. All the same, she would keep on culling them as was her duty...

"...Well, let's just say being a magical girl isn't all sunshine and rainbows, not by a long shot." Only now were those words ringing true to Yui's ears.

Gaia jumped forward, using one hand to grab one Nightmare's 'shoulder' and using it to shoot herself further in a twisting dive before landing in front of another Nightmare, cutting it in two with Vestige. The Nightmare which had been left behind exploding due to the multiple flower bombs she had left on it's vile being.

Then...she turned to Angelite and Yurei. "You should have waited for me." Gaia simply said as she walked closer to them and landed one hand on Tama's shoulder, smiling her honest, truthful smile. Yui knew how hurt they all were, but guilt and regret would not make them prevail. "We stand together, right? Over eagerness can only be our enemy."

She then turned to face some more Nightmares who came lurking by. "Remember...together."

---

Karaoke night was perhaps the worst night in all of Yurei's life thus far. Even now her stomach ached with the bad feelings of loosing someone; an icky goop filling up her insides, making it hard to eat. She left the party early. She was out fighting Nightmares. But why didn't she know of Luna's death until it was too late? If there was anyone able to help her new friend, she should've been able to. But she didn't. And as the days grew colder, so grew her view of magical girls in general. Perhaps that's why she didn't cleanse herself of her hard feelings. But, she'd not have the time to mourn.

She was sure her parents knew something was wrong. Sleeping longer, eating less, even sneaking out a bit early just so she could try to cull the increase in Nightmare activity. She was thankful her parents didn't try to push anything out of her. Thankful for more than they'd ever know. But a day like today wasn't one she could let up. She had to make sure no-one else died; that everyone was at the top of their game to battle today's wave of Nightmares that flooded the city.

Yurei watched as Angelite landed beside her. Immediately breaking from cleansing the Nightmares into oblivion to cleansing the girl's spirit. Removing her battle fatigue and closing the wounds she received without a problem. As much as she didn't like the way Angelite pushed herself; she knew everyone had to move on in their own way. And anyone able to push back the Nightmares was a welcome sight; thinking about the new girl, Aegis, and her wave of cleansing light. Someone she'd want to speak with if there was ever a break in her duty.

A pat on Angelite's back, she gave her a reassuring smile and a nod to let her get back into the fight. Taking a moment to grab Gaia by her her arm with a nod as her answer, quickly topping off her wellness to fight. Her eyes rushing across the battlefield to pick up any and all combatants that needed her help. Channeling her magic to cleanse all the nightmares she could get her hands on. Securing the area around her and at least none of the Nightmares got past.

@I Need A Name @SimpleWriter

"Urgh..." The shell growing over Angelite's arms started to crumble, pieces clinking to the ground and disappearing. A second later, at the touch of a gloved hand, she felt some of the strain leave her body. Her cuts and bruises vanished. Her stone armour strengthened.

"Thanks, Yurei." As much as Tama hated making excess work for Alara or anyone else, everyone had to give this fight their all. She curled a wing around herself, the gem shards closing into a solid wall and blocking a tendril, then drove a point-covered fist into the mass of slime. Whirling to face the advancing horde, she spread her wings wide, the gems separating and floating once more, connected by thrumming energy streams. The threads brightened, sharp fragment shapes forming from the glow, which Angelite sent hurtling at the Nightmares with one sweep.

It wasn't enough. For each monster defeated, another would take its place.

"Great..." Tama muttered as the magical crystals faded, a fresh wave of Nightmares crawling over the ground where they'd been. "Yet another game of supernatural Whack-A-Mole."

Sensing a familiar presence, she raised her head to see Gaia making good use of her new battle skills. As the green-haired girl settled on the ground and swung an ornate floral blade at a Nightmare, Tama's dour expression turned into a fraction of a smile.

"We would have," she replied to Yui's comment, "but waiting isn't exactly their strong point. Not any more. So we had to turn up early too." She gestured at the nearing creatures, then nodded. "Together."

As she spoke, an idea came to her. "Gaia!" Shifting her stance to a suitable angle, she crossed her wings, a shimmering, diamond-faceted barrier appearing. "Hit the shield with a flower bomb!"

If this worked, she could reflect the energy at not just one Nightmare, but many.

The cold breeze coming from the nearby mountains sank into one’s body like a thousand knives, sending shivers up the spine of anyone unfortunate enough to not have the right kind of protection against it at hand. The only thing colder than the winds that scoured Miso City merciless were the hearts of its people. When even their sworn protectors were but an inch of being crushed under the inexorable weight of despair, it was more than right to wonder…


Normally the answer to such a question would be vague and attribute such task to the higher, or maybe the lower, Powers that Be. However, in a world were such powers took on a very much physical form, this assertion had a whole other meaning.

"This city… what’s the deal with it?" Aegis said in an introspective voice as she observed Miso City’s desolation from her new perch, atop a vacant office building. She could feel the unnatural aura permeating the whole city, but more important than that, she could feel them. The children that were supposed to protect this place from the ever-encroaching wave of darkness. And she could feel their conflict, their pain, and the weight they carried.

"Perhaps I should look for them before ‘that’ happens again,", the blonde said, facing the direction where she could feel the greater concentration of uncorrupted magical girls.


Unbeknownst to the light magical girls who had finally gathered to fight as a team, someone else was watching them.

No one other than Chie was sitting atop the branches of a nearby tree, munching on some leftovers from the Christmas party of a few days ago. Without Luna around the unruly dark magical girl didn’t feel motivated enough to engage with the remainder of the light ones. However, she spent the last few days observing, no stalking, them while remaining unnoticed with the aid of her powers, almost as if she were one with the shadows themselves.

"What a waste of time, at least I’m getting plenty of freebies from looking over these headless chicks," Chie said to herself as she kept on siphoning the residual energies of the Nightmares slain by the light magical girls and taking note of every of their activities, grinning maniacally at the prospect of pouncing them as soon as she was allowed to.

---

---

Another day, tirelessly beating the crap out out of the Nightmares flooding the streets. Her ring blade decapitating foes left and right as her fists pummeled down any that got too close. Where some magical girls would find joy in the buffet presented before them; Kiru only found annoyance. An annoyance that just made her even more unwieldy than normal. Say what you want about dark magical girls only in it for power and themselves; Kiru couldn't stand by idly when there wasn't anything to go on after a poor girl's death. Even if she didn't care about the victim in the slightest, and even if she thought the no killing rule was too dampening; Kiru hated the fact that there was someone who was above it all, and most likely someone who carelessly wielded enough power to let them think they could get away with it.

And what better person than the new girl who flooded the streets, eradicating every single Nightmare without even blinking? She was lucky Kiru lost track of her shortly after beginning her chase. Having to run into the Nightmares around ever corner really pushed her luck. But that didn't matter now that she caught sight of her target once more. Lording herself above them all. Not even bothering to help clean like the rest of them.

Calling her blade back to her, she held on to the weapon. Putting the ring around her body and letting it spin with sonic speed. "I gottcha this time..." She mumbled loudly to herself. Letting the blade dig into the ground, propelling them both forward at blinding speed. Ripping through any and all Nightmares and even digging into the side of the building as she began transversing up the outer wall. The blade spun wildly as she launched herself up above Aegis, falling down with a focused fist aimed straight at her face. "You have a lot of gall coming in like you own the place. Are you the one responsible for everything? Who are you?"

---

@KoL

---

“Who defends the defenders…now that’s a silly question.” In Miso City, it was often difficult to remember the day to day lives of its inhabitants. While the Magical Girls residing in its borders were facing their own existential crises, those who knew naught of magic led assured, blissful lives. Ignorant lives that held no meaning and greater purpose. It was a fate that, perhaps, many Magical Girls would have liked to return to. Such was the case now, the snow blurrying without end outside the windows of a small coffee shop.

“Sheesh. It’s not that hard a question to answer you know.” Such words came from a girl who had chosen to seek refuge in this cold weather inside the coffee shop. Warm, visible steam wafted from her cup of tea as she gingerly sipped at it, enjoying the soft crowd bustle around her. Chatter of New Year plans and bemoanings of returning to work and school were all the gossip for her ears and she smiled only to herself in her solitary booth.

“You act like these people are your playthings to mess around with. Your helpless victims to protect like a shining hero. But let’s not kid ourselves; these people are having a good time,” the girl said, as if talking to someone or acknowledging herself. Another sip of her tea, the girl sighed when she heard the atmosphere swiftly change in the little shop. There was a gasp among its residents, and then thunderous, rounding applause.

A young man had just proposed to his young lover, ready to give to her his young heart and start young love. “Just look at what you did. Do these people look like they need protecting?” the girl asked, glancing away from the congratulatory festivities to look outside where the ice and snow remained. There were many Magical Girls out and about…but not much sign of their dark counterparts. Now why was that? There were certainly several Nightmares to take care of tonight.

“Have the champions of Darkness shriveled away from the weather? No, that can’t be the case and you know it.” The girl sighed lightly. “They’ll show up eventually.” The roar of a motorcycle caught her attention, one that went unnoticed by anyone else. As the girl’s eyes tracked the bike and its rider’s movements, she rested her cheek against her hands, clasping them together upon the table. “Ah, there goes one now….”

---

@I Need A Name @KoL



"Aaaand just like that..." Ayumu fanned out torn card pieces with one hand, raised the other and clicked her fingers. As she unfolded a whole card, several pairs of eyes widened. "Good as new!"

If any other magical girls, light or dark, spotted her, they would likely find it odd that somebody who drew strength from suffering liked to spread joy. Well, it was only natural for someone as unapologetically self-serving as a dark girl to revel in being the centre of attention. Ayumu worked through her carefully calculated repertoire, such motives hidden along with her cards and coins - and yet, she couldn't help but find something heartwarming about the enthralled face of a little girl.

"How do you do all that?" the child piped up. "Tell me! When I grow up, I wanna be magical like you!"

Ayumu suppressed a wince. All she'd done were classic tricks anyone could do with enough practice, but if only this kid knew of her true nature. "Hehe, sorry but we magicians have gotta keep our secrets," she replied. "And don't you be in too much of a hurry to grow up."

The temperature started to drop, not just from the winter weather. "Well, I'm afraid I'll have to do a disappearing act of my own, but thank you all!" Ayumu announced with a bow, gathering up coins from the box at her feet as the crowd dispersed. Not that she needed the money, pockets being so easy to pick, but a little extra was always appreciated. She slunk from the street corner into an alleyway, slipping the real torn card into a trash can as she did so.

If only broken things could be so easily fixed, she thought as she let a black and crimson aura flow over her.



"Wow, someone sure got out of bed on the wrong side," Phantasmagoria commented, flicking cards at any Nightmares that got in her way as she skipped after Kiru. "I know, I know, it sucks that someone thinks they can lord it over us, but easy there. We've gotta know what we're doing."

Although she meant to calm Kiru, her words came out strained. She hadn't been quite herself lately, and even the abundance of prey could only help so much. In fact, as the remnants of Nightmares seethed into her to bolster her power, the shudder they brought wasn't purely thrill. It was like eating something with a bitter aftertaste.

That face...

She couldn't drive it from her mind, the image on the screen three days ago, the look of utter horror and disbelief. Ayumu knew next to nothing about this girl, but one thing was obvious. The former Detention Club president must have been close to the victim. Eyes prickling with the threat of tears, Ayumu tried to focus on the here and now, but the visual message lingered.

Had her own face looked like that, back then?

And now here she was, making others' grief into her gain... Of course, she told herself, flinging another card, decapitating a Nightmare, drawing out its essence. What else was there to do? No point in living in a fantasy world. No point in holding on to such useless feelings as hope and compassion. Better to live as she'd promised, and follow Kiru's example.

Kiru... Veiling herself in a shadow illusion, Phantasmagoria sped up her pace. "Please," she whispered, the target's presence growing stronger and setting her more on edge with every step. She'd never felt one like this before. "Remember, you've gotta think something through before you can pull it off! Who knows what tricks are up her sleeves?"

No use. Before Phantasmagoria could stop her, Kiru had launched herself at top speed into the air, closing in on the girl looking down from the building. "Kiru, no!" Fuck stealth. Dissipating the illusion, Phantasmagoria threw her cape open, a jackalope silhouette springing forth and growing to the size of a small horse. "Let's go," she commanded, leaping astride it. The shadow creature jumped onto a roof, pushing off it to reach a taller building, then another.

She wouldn't fail to protect somebody close to her. Not a second time.

Ami stepped out of the shower with a troubled expression, the death of a Magical Girl weighing on her surprisingly heavily. Word had spread fast, a Magical Girl being killed was very big news. Nightmares just didn't have it in them to kill one, not unless it was an absolutely massive hoard, meaning only one thing. Something else had killed this child of the light, more specifically, someone else. It was absolutely unprecedented, it had everyone on edge, even the carefree Ami who rejoiced in bloodshed and carnage. While she wasn't worried about the killer coming after her, she had come to terms with her own mortality long ago when she first spilled blood, she was most certainly worried about the precedent this set from here on out. The Light Magical Girls would think it was the Dark Magical Girls who did this, that was guaranteed. With their holier than thou attitudes and prejudices against the Dark, they would automatically jump to the conclusion that one of them was the killer.

What worried her even more though, was that they might be right. Ami didn't want to have to kill one of her friends, not even in self defense. She finished getting dressed and exited the bathroom quickly, shaking her head as the heat from her body dried her off in quick order. As she reached into a bowl full of candy and pulled out some chocolate, something dawned on her. This was only the first killing. Even if she wasn't afraid of death, one of her friends could be next. "Fuck." She cursed under her breath as she threw the chocolate back into the bowl, slipping on her shoes and heading for the door.

As Ami opened the door, she quickly noticed Tsuruga sitting down waiting for her, her hand darted to her phone to check if any new messages were there. One from the president telling her it was time to work, none from Tsuruga. "Jeez Tsu, you need to call or something if you're gonna show up at my doorstep! I would've invited you in while I got ready." She pouted as she said this, wrapping Tsuruga in a warm hug as she pulled her up to her feet. "Now you're all cold and I gotta warm you up." Not that she was complaining, Ami loved nothing more than physical contact with close friends. Weird habit, but nobody minds a living heater on a cold winter night.

---

It struck the motorcyclist how active Miso city was. Like the pervasive rumble of drainage pipes after a heavy rain, her trek was accompanied by the clash of distant powers and the shifting of Nightmare hordes. Flush with choices she took to her fight's without any great commitment, side swiping masses of Nightmare and decimating them with potent spears of ice or sprays of fragmenting bullets in passing before dashing off to bigger hordes.

The name of the game wasn't eradication. It was control, and breaking apart clusters before they built into an actual threat to their kind seemed a good approach for one on their own. With the benefit of speed beyond her peers, it suited the Code Keeper just fine.

"Though I hope Chie has the sense not to start another fight. Luna was accommodating, but the rest...not so much." Kanbaru exhaled into her mask, words lost to the roar of her stead as she road from street to roof top, unseen save to the magically inclined. In the course of such a broad, sweeping journey it was only natural to draw close to a threat eventually, one that had her choking the brakes hard and careening to a stop as she ogled a vacant office building whose side now sported an ugly gash that sent shattered glass raining to the streets below. Kanbaru idly hoped no one was walking beneath it or there was going to be a truly gruesome corpse perforated against the pavement in a few seconds.

The rest of her attention was on the energies coming from the top, one familiar enough to be labelled Kiru-Kiru's, while the other was the sort of Light one would call holy in its radiance. Kanbaru dug out her phone and shot a text to Touka. We've got trouble downtown, and Kiru is trying to punch it in the face. Help now.

---

---

She jolted in place, head snapping back with with alacrity as the door opened and Ami emerged at long last. Her cheek twitched as her partner pulled out her phone for a message Tsuruga knew she never sent and had deliberately done so. It put off this 'confrontation' just a little longer and she could take in the peace of the stoop without a care. That being why it's prompt shattering and even swifter hug left her wishing to crawl into her clothes and die of embarrassment for being caught. Caught doing what was never the question, just a matter of awareness in her mind.

"It's okay, I wasn't here long." She lied easily, despite nothing else coming so naturally when wrapped in an admittedly welcoming embrace. Tsuruga would curse their glorious leader for assigning her such a libertarian huger as Ami, even if a small part of her acknowledged she was in greater proximity to the brawler then she was her own mother. "Really I'm fine!"

Her protests were as limp as her physical struggles against Ami's crushing hugging. It was a small consolation that her face was already red as a tomato from the cold outside or her partner would get funny ideas. "C-Can we just go already? We don't need to bundle up when we're just going to transform anyway..."

Aegis expression changed from one of concern to a sneer of displeasure as she heard a yell direct towards her. "So very typical," she said to herself as a duo of magical girls wafting the rancid smell of corruption from every of their pores approached her. Correction: the blonde’s face became a grimace of disgust as the two crashed down at her, launching a reckless assault without a second thought— or even a first, she mused.

Kiru would find that her fist indeed connected to something, but not the target she intended to. Instead of Aegis’ face, the dark magical girl’s strike hit the blonde’s book bag, spreading its contents around the barren rooftop and likely throwing Kiru off balance with the force of Aegis’ counterswing. "I’m sorry, I thought I heard an insect zooming nearby and tried to smack it," she said in an obvious attempt at mockery.

"Now then, would you care to explain why you girls would attack an unknown bystander like this, or do I have to squeeze the truth out of you," Aegis said, throwing such a sharp glare towards Kiru’s approaching partner that it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that it could actually cut.

---

Yui briefly nodded at Tama before executing herself. After deploying her fairy-like wings, she rose high into the air. From the palm of her hand, she summoned a very large Rose-shaped flower bomb that she then threw with force upon Tama's crystal shield. The results were instant; the bomb exploded, but Tama's magic acted upon it and redirected the full force of the blast towards the advancing Nightmares, spreading petals along it's way. Despite the tactic's initial success, however, some of them seemed to have been able to either jump aside, or tank the blow. Now, they threatened to counter attack...

Some time Earlier...
The morning started out less than favorable being woken up by the sound of her sister Eve slaughtering Nightmares and chasing them out into the street with her friend hot on her heels behind her. The most annoying part didn’t start until her house received even more visitors trying to claw their way into her room, completely upon reflex, she summoned her weapon de-activating the summon on the house slaughtering every nightmare in the vicinity. Soma stood there irritated hair a complete mess as she slowly ascended to her fully transformed state something she hasn’t done since moving into Miso city. Soma began a crusade of her own, determined to end this now before going back to sleep where she belonged.

It was some time before she found the other girls “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again the nightmares in this city are entirely too numerous!” she yelled spinning her pole arm around her neck slicing off two heads.

Yui smiled. Soma. However there were more Nightmares coming their way. So many...was Luna that important to Miso City...? And now, she was gone... Yui's grip on her sword hardened as she spoke up, looking straight ahead.

"Girls, I think I have a plan to finish this as quickly as possible. Tama, you and me can shepherd them and try to group them up. Once that is done, Soma! You can create a shield around them to trap as much as possible, right? Once that is done, you shattering your shields should get rid of most of them, then Yurei can support and purify the rest while me and Tama get on the stragglers. What says you...Together?"

"Aren't they just," Tama replied as a fully transformed Soma entered the fray. Here they were, a team of four, fighting in unison. At Yui's suggestion, Tama gave a nod, punching through a straying Nightmare. "Sounds like a plan." This time, she made her armour break away and fade of her own volition, using the increased mobility to round up straggling enemies. Any that made a bid for escape, her stone shards and Yui's overhead flower bombs made quick work of.

"Now, Yui!"



Tama called, crouching and spreading her wings wide. The gems fused, creating two platforms. "Climb on!" As Yui's feet touched the dual surfaces, Tama leapt to a standing position, thrusting her wings upwards and launching her ally high above the rest of the group. The gemstone structures split into their normal jagged forms, swept forward and unleashed another Crystalline Hail at the morass of monsters.

Ascending fast into the air, Yui deployed her wings once more at the top of her ascending speed, then dropped back down in a free dive, gaining immense acceleration from the high altitude Tama provided her; which she used the circle around the Nightmares gathered in the empty square in order to get them centered in the same general area. Tama could take care of the stragglers.

"Soma! Yurei! You're on!"

Soma’s skill with her weapon was like poetry in motion, able to twist and turn the pole around her body with no effort, grabbing the end of the pole arm and thrusting the spear several times in front of her landing a near perfect single kill shot on every target all with the same face that looked like she had just smelled goat shit; Soma was not having a pleasant day. Once a good number of the nightmares themselves were clustered together, she erected a small bubble around herself, then created many spiral shaped shields around her that expanded out piercing each one through the stomach or head. The spirals continued to build upon themselves and like the roots of a tree, creating a hanging tapestry of death out of shields, now that Soma was fully transformed her creations could be more creative as she had the entirety of her mana supply now instead of half.

Yurei, not one to wield any fancy weapons, watched carefully as her teammates safely executed the Nightmares that plagued the streets. Satisfied that they were in no real danger, for the time being anyway, she reassured herself with a slight smile. Focusing her gaze at the remaining Nightmares as she charged forth. Finger brimming with magic as she graced each and every beast with her touch; careful not to take any meaningful damage. One by one, the Nightmares in her path began dissolving; cleansed of their negative composition as she continued to run through them. Any and all rebuttal the monsters had to her actions swept away as she healed off anything they tried to lay onto her.

---

After a quick cleanup of stragglers and escapees, Yui finally landed close to Soma, looking over at Yurei cleaning what Nightmares remained in this area. The number of nightmares had just been increasing, but to see such a group in one place was something else. "Good works, girls." Yui said, looking around the empty square "I think we did fine work together." Although, on the back of her mind there had been something that was troubling - and the others probably felt it, too. Yui waited for Tama to be close by before going on.

"You guys felt it too?" Some time earlier, she had felt a surge of something, somewhere in the city that reminded her of the fights they had with the other Magical Girls some days ago. By focusing, Yui could feel that some of them were gathered at one spot just as they probably could tell that she and the other Light Magical Girls were gathered here. The troubling thing was not this, but the fact that they were close by the surge of energy she felt some time ago.

"Something is brewing...I don't know what exactly, but if the dark ones from before are involved..." Yui saw them as the same as herself - magical girls bound to destroy Nightmares. She didn't know why they turned out the way they did, just that it was not 'right'. She deployed her wings. "...I'll go on ahead and check things out !" And with this, she took flight.

Yui hated to leave them behind, but it was necessary. Or so she told herself. Luna's loss may have wounded her more than she realized, causing her to push forward with less caution that she might have had otherwise...seeking out the answers to her 'why' and, most important of all, 'who' questions. It didn't take long for the fairy-like Magical Girl to find what she was looking for. A quick glance at the scene revealed two dark ones, of which she recognized only one, and one other whom seemed to be...a Light Magical girl? and if that was the case...

...Yui landed some distance behind the blonde girl, atop of the roof door's small cabin "These ones are tied to the dark...!" she simply said as presentation, looking mostly at the one whom she had met before. Although Yui did not know who the blonde girl was, she was determined to repay Luna by offering the same help and trust Yui was offered when she first met her friends. "My name is Gaia."

@I Need A Name @KoL @SimpleWriter

Once beside her partner, Phantasmagoria jumped off the jackalope's back, and with a wave of her hand, it vanished into swirling black mist. She dodged one of the books that scattered across the roof as the blonde swung a bag to block Kiru's attack. "Kiru, sorry I've gotta do this..." Phantasmagoria took off her hat, the smoke-like substance pouring from it and forming several crow shapes. Their talons grasped the ragged extensions of Kiru's cape, holding her back from the blonde.

The magician's breath rushed out in a sigh of relief. Books. Just books. Nothing worse. Were the duo facing anyone else, Ayumu would have sneered, asking if that was the best they could do. Not this time. The stranger looked like a light magical girl, but her aura... Ayumu couldn't place it. It didn't feel like any light presence she'd ever known, or any dark one. All she knew was it gave her the feeling that if anyone got on the blonde's bad side, they'd be in deep trouble indeed.

Like she and Kiru were undoubtedly in now.

"Ehh, please excuse my partner, she just got a little carried away there." Phantasmagoria explained, a cautious smile creeping across her face as she advanced, placing herself between Kiru and the scowling girl. "Couldn't help but wonder though," she added, tilting her head, trying to deflect the question, "You don't seem to be a face we've seen in the light crowd, who might you be?"

Her eyes shifted from the stranger to a winged girl fluttering over and settling nearby. "Ahh, well I remember you all right. The flower fairy from the park." Again, Ayumu refrained from taunting. The pixie wasn't a threat, but who knew what the girl with the strange aura might try if anyone made a wrong move.

---

@I Need A Name @SimpleWriter @Noxx

"Gaia!" As Yui took to the air, Tama sprinted after her. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, some of the battle fatigue returning, but she pushed on. "We've got your back. Like you say, together."

She could already feel auras of corruption seeping through the air, some of them familiar yet twisted. Angelite's fingernails dug into her palms. So many magical girls gone astray... and the worst thing was, she couldn't exactly say she blamed them. Trying to block out memories of happier times, she stopped by an office block, from the top of which she could sense something else. Something odd. Something powerful.

Frowning at the bizarre presence, she stared up at the distant forms atop the building. Gaia, standing in front of two girls, one of whom Angelite recognised with a pang. Trick of the Light, or whatever she called herself now. And in the middle, a deceptively ordinary looking blonde radiated that surge of energy. Tama turned her attention from the group to her comrades. If a confrontation between light, dark, and some other force entirely was about to break out, she wouldn't just stand by. They were a team. They had to stick by their leader, just as they'd agreed to do.

Somehow.

"Hmm, it'd be easier to keep up the deal if my wings worked like Gaia's," Tama muttered. "Clusters of rocks may be useful for fighting with, but flying, not so much." She glanced upwards, mulling over options. Encasing her hands and feet in rough crystal shells would give her enough grip to climb, if she extended the points and grasped on to ledges, but that would take a while, and wouldn't help Alara or Soma... Soma. Of course. Remembering the shield user's full power in action, she faced her.

"Alright Soma, this might call for those spiral shields of yours," Tama suggested. "Think you could create ones tall enough to take us to the top if we held on?"

---

Yurei paused briefly as their team slowly broke apart. She knew she needed to keep her sisters alive, but there was still plenty of Nightmares elsewhere to take care of. Her judgement got the better of her, hoping (at least) that with as many girls as there were gathering; they'd be safe. Or at least long enough for her to rush over if anything could happen. Yurei kept her eyes on the fleeing girls as she fled herself down to the next area. Turning her attention to the scattered collection of Nightmares still spread across the city. It wasn't anything she couldn't handle, even if alone. Cleansing away any who dared to get close. They'd at least be safe together with everyone should something rise up.

---

Kiru's fist recoiled after connecting with the bag. Ready to strike once more as the snarky reply only made her want to punch in her face even more. Kiru's face equally unpleasant of the girl she chosen to spar with. But as luck would have it, she wasn't the only ones to gather on the rooftop. Holding her back from sending another fist of interrogation was her partner. Which she could only sigh and cease her attack. It didn't look like their visitor was attacking back anyway and a one sided pummel wouldn't be all that fun. Letting her partner play the good cop was probably for the best right now.

Another girl landed on the roof and joined the fun; "OOoh! Ribbon Girl!~" Her demeanor changing slightly to being more friendly and fluffy. Though only briefly as she turned back to Aegis. "So why you here if you ain't gonna help clean away the Nightmares? Yer obviously strong enough to take on any of us. Strong enough to even kill one of us if you really wanted to, I'd imagine."

---

"I wouldn't notice their scent even if I wanted to," Aegis replied to Yui in a friendlier tone than the one she used with the dark magical girls before her. "Well, I suppose you can call me Aegis; all of you, in fact," she followed her self-introduction by bringing a hand to her hips before turning her eyes back at the issue at hand.

"I should be the one making questions here. Why don't you try looking in a mirror before projecting your fantasies on others?" Aegis said, replying to Kiru's accusations. "Also, how is it that you know that I'm that strong? Did it never go through your head that it may be you who's too weak? I know for certain that this has never gone through your head, has it?" the blonde followed up with a string of barbs aimed at Kiru.

"Unless you have any serious business with me, I would like it if the two of you left. You already made me ruin my books, you don't want to see what would happen if I got really annoyed. But you can stay; I have something I'd like to ask of you," Aegis said, to the dark magical girls and then to Yui. However, whatever it was the new girl wanted to ask, it was unknown to anyone's ears. That was because Aegis, who had been standing on the rooftop one moment, was gone and out of sight the next.

The cause of her speedy retreat was a green blur, one that barreled right into her and forced her off the roof. Red Wire must have been traveling at intense speeds to pull off such a feat-Black Shot had given her a bit of a boost for a headstart-but the results were all the same. The Detention Club President hissed, flinging herself and Aegis into the far corners of Miso City. Their destination: The now abadoned set of buildings under construction in the derelect parts of the city. The former battleground between Getsuga and Black Shot.

Their bullet-shot forms would not go unnoticed, the city's second newcomer watching them from a distance. Having just exited the coffee shop, the girl sighed to no one but herself. "It's beginning to snow again," she mused, propping open an indigo umbrella to avoid the slow fall of slush. "Or maybe it's from that ice user...goodness, you dark girls are slacking. And you light ones...why, you're just as bad. Making quick work of the Nightmares."

As the girl waltzed down the merry streets of post-Christmas Miso City, she held out a hand from her side. To onlookers, it might appear she was embracing the frost and snow building up in the air, daintily falling to her finger-tips. In reality, she was lamenting the so easily defeated strands of darkness, the ebbing remains of the Nightmares the light girl group had defeated. "Now that I'm in town, it's about time we made some prim and proper changes. Right then. No more pushovers."

All it took was a small spark of magic and life was born anew. Invisible to the untrained eye, more Nightmares began to rise from the shadows of passing citizens. Only, there was something new. Something different. The girl smirked and with an additional push of magic, the foes of Magical Girls began to shift and change. Some began to sprout from their whispy bodies, their masks elongating and spreading out over their forms. It crystalized into armor and once their tall shapes had emerged, they would leap off into the night to duel any Magical Girl they came across.

Still yet some Nightmares made drastically different transformations, their masks splitting open violently into flowing prongs of teeth and fangs. The shadows flowing away to reveal flesh and muscles, these ever new mutated Nightmares would hiss and snarl, their targets that of humans. Once more invisible, the bloodbath would begin as they attacked on sight. Soon the screams picked up; everyone began running once blood was in the snow, run rampant by an invisible monster.

"Show me what you can do, Magical Girls. Do you want an enemy who can give you a challenge? Or an enemy who's an actual threat to the people you protect? Call it a late Christmas gift, because I bring both~" the girl said merrily. She walked, undisturbed by the chaos around her.

---

For the past few days, Rania had been residing in her lavish condo, smack in the middle of one of the richest part of Miso City. Her sole company; Chiaki. She had been looking out for her partner ever since Luna's death. On that evening, Rania remembers having held the umbrella atop Chiaki for as long as she needed. Not out of sympathy, but of respect. Thus was their relationship. Still, she was loyal to her partner and, to a degree, sole friend, and gladly allowed her the time she'd need to mourn, think or whatever it was Chiaki was waiting for before going back out there. Rania cared not to ask about how they felt as she would know only once her partner would tell her. Or not.

Every night she would leave and scour the city, fully profiting from the increase of nightmares to cull them wherever they were and bask in her increasing strength as she absorbed them. Tonight, however, things were different. As Apep discarded the third Nightmare, Pharaoh began to realize that they seemed stronger than usual. Interesting.

It didn't take long for her to pick up the scent of something much more interesting, and following it's origin was rather easy. She just had to follow the humans that were being butchered by what they could not see - but she did. Pharaoh would cut down those in her path, while not going out of her way to protect the fleeing humans...until she saw her.

Apep slowly crept up behind the girl; standing almost in the middle of the road, unaffected by the chaos around and having such a curious aura about her. There was no mistaking it. The ex-Code Keeper jumped down from her snake, as it then raised it's head, hissing at the potential target.

"Truly...this night has been full of surprises! Are you the one I have to give thanks to for this...opportunity?" she said, theatrically raising both arms and turning on herself to show all of what was happening around them.

"...and here I was hoping I could enjoy the city sights without interference." Contrasted to Rania's boistrous optimism, the new girl spoke with an irritated venom in her voice. No matter; because it was all the same for her, and as such, she turned to take in the Dark Magical Girl. Rania had successfully taken away a good number of her new creations, albiet not enough to stop the rampage going on. "If you were aiming for a minimal loss of life, you'll need to put more effort in, Dark Magical Girl." The girl twirled her umbrella, glancing up at the sky. The humans were too busy scrambling about to notice she was talking to what would look to them as invisible air. "What do you want. I'm a fan of the work here so if you speak quickly, I might not use your entrails as bird feed..."

"Scary." Rania simply answered, a smirk on her face. Fear was simply not part of who she was. "I think I actually believe you, but even then - you are mistaken. I am here for my profit alone. This increase in Nightmares gives ample opportunity...I was merely curious." As she said so, Apep lashed out at yet another creation that lurked too close, tearing it in pieces while absorbing it for it's Mistress. it slightly raised it's tail for Pharaoh to sit upon it, crossing her legs while she kept on talking. "...and if truly you are as powerful as you say, then you truly have got my attention. May I be as bold as asking your name at least?"[color=aba000][/color]

"Cute pet," the girl mused, eyes watching the great serpent crush her new toys. "I'm glad to see someone is taking advantage of the excess negativity. Though it's a little frustating to see you break such hard work on my part...." A sigh passed between the girl's lips and she fixed Rania with a stare. Her eyes seemed to gleam in the dark light of the night, and her pupils were merely slits of black that appeared inhuman. "My name is Palis. Short for Palisade. Did you just come to gossip? Maybe ask me on a date~?"

"You created more than enough for me to pick some...don't be selfish." Rania scanned the girl form head to toe, noting her strange cat-like eyes. She definitely did not belong to the Light, but there was something strange about her and not just about her powers. If she truly did create Nightmares, then maybe Rania should be afraid. "If you are asking if I came for a fight, the answer is no. I truly am a curious person." She shifted her legs "What a strange name...and just what exactly are you, Palisade?"

The area where they were standing was beginning to clear it. The humans had fled to wherever their hearts led them while the Nightmares continued to hunt. Ever still were the efforts of other Magical Girls, though they followed where the Nightmares swarmed; away from their conversation. Palis turned her head, expecting Rania to follow her movement. She was looking in the direction of where Aegis had been flung. "You feel that? That, right there," she said, knowing the dark girl could pick up Aegis' disgusting aura. "I'm the opposite of that. Rightfully so."

"Hard to miss." she simply commented. Rania had felt the aura earlier, and might even have investigated it if she didn't also felt that others were grouping there - it became more of a bother than anything else then. "You do not seem in a hurry to stop her - though it looks like someone else is on that already." With a quick movement she replaced her hairs before looking back at Palis. Chances were, the new girl was feeling it; Pharaoh's was increasingly on guard, ready to strike at a moment's notice. "Well. I am sure you know how the circle works; Nightmares appears, we kill them and we become stronger. It would be a problem if someone was to start defending them or making them too strong, you know..." her voice was still sarcastic, taking a bothered tone.

"Oh yes. Yes, that would be a problem." Palis didn't move her head away from Aegis' direction. For a moment, her words were barbed, filled with the same venom she had shown Rania earlier. But soon enough, they dulled back down and a whimisical sigh passed through her lips. "But you girls are strong. Why, I'm sure of it; you can take down whatever Nightmares I conjure up and throw at you. The batch from earlier were easily dispatched by the light girls you know." Palis twirled her umbrella in her hand, looking at something Rania could not see. "Oh, I don't doubt the strength you Magical Girls possess, light or dark. Come to think of it....that one was strong too. What was her name again?"

Palis smirked to herself, the punchline to whatever joke she had memorized coming back to her. Or rather, that was what her expression looked like. "Yeah, there was this strong muscle head. All words, too flashy. She kept telling me the stupidest things. I almost forgot her name you know..." Palis snickered, finally turning her head to look back at Rania. "What was her name...ah, yeah. Lun. Ah~"

Yurei nearly tripped out into view. Her phased body quietly following the pair out of sight. Was she really the murderer? If this was the case, she couldn't stay out of the conversation any longer. Never again would she allow another to fall victim in her town. And this way, this dark girl wouldn't have to fight alone should it come to that. Preparing a small barrier around Rania, she stepped out from the wall she hid herself in. A sour look staring at Palis as she stood her guard. She was willing to play however the dark girl wanted to take this, but at least she wouldn't be alone. It was apparent she couldn't or wasn't going to respond to anybody anyhow.

As an answer to Palis, Rania's eyes narrowed ever slightly "If you are trying to get to me, you are using the wro--" her sentence was cut short when she felt something appear around her. Immediatily, Apep hissed in iritation as a newcomer revealed herself close by; a Light girl? "Tsk..." how troublesome to have her appear at this particular time. If what Palis said was true, then she could do it again. If so, this girl was in real danger of death, and although Rania would like nothing more than to smash the justice out of her she had to respect the code. For Chiaki, if nothing else.

"Get out, Kid. Vengeance is not your cup of tea - get out before you regret it." her voice was dry and snapping at Yurei. She was truly attempting to save her life, and at the same time she was ready to make a move against Palis if need be.

"What is this," Palis mused dryly, smirk remaining. The appearance of Yurei brought with it a fresh wave of annoyance, one that washed over Palis' body. "I could see you the whole time you know," she said to the checkered girl, amused by Rania's heat. "No, but seriously, what even is this. A light and dark girl working together? Seriously? And you; why does it even matter to you." This time, Palis' eyes were honed in on Rania, as if she was looking right through her. "Luna or whatever was spouting some idiotic sense of justice. That has nothing to do with you. Why do you care if I put her in her place, six feet under. It doesn't effect you."

Like a witch in the night, Palis suddenly glided forward at immense speed. Rania too would lurch, albiet backwards and crashing against a wall. Palis held her still with a hand clenched around her throat, smirk gone, eyes uncaring. "But if you're going to be a problem and get in my way, I'm not opposed to killing a dark girl too, you know." Clenching down tightly, Palis turned to look at Yurei. "Was that supposed to be a barrier? Cause you really suck at it. Keep sucking at it and you'll be getting her blood on your hands," Palis hissed.

Yurei could only sidestep Rania's concern for her safety by rolling her eyes. She could almost send the warning back her way. She was confident she could at least extend their lives some should things get violent; but part of her wondered if they should also not reach out for help. The other light girls were only down the stre-

Yurei stoped thinking. Her barrier failed and it was obvious to her that someone would have no problem striking down Luna. She gritted her teeth and quickly ran to Palis. She didn't have much to offer in terms of offence, in fact she was hoping to save this for a more dire time, but she could at least try to buy a second. Reaching out, she grabbed Palis by her arm, phasing out the mystery woman even for a second. Enough time to free Rania from the tight grasp.

While Palis' speed was staggering, it was not unexpected. By the time Rania was taken off of her seat and slammed into the wall with enough strength to make her groan in pain, her mouth soon turned into a small smirk. Behind them, Apep was no more and instead had risen an army of Dark Skeletons, each armed and ready. As soon as Rania was freed from the grasp, she grabbed her whip and attempted to get it around Palis' neck, hoping the troublesom Light girl would understand to stop whatever technique she used to allow the graps to give suit.
"Let's see how your magic taste..." she said as her skeletons were dangerously getting close to surrounding her.

"You still didn't answer my question." Palis' nails dug into thin air as Yurei managed to phase her newfound companion out of her grip. It mattered little when their opponent was whirling around, stare boring into the both of them. "You're pretty fired up for someone who was corrupted a long time ago. Don't tell me you're feeling remorse about Luna now. Cause I don't think I'll buy it and neither will you." The mass of undead that had sprung to life made Palis roll her eyes. But that wasn't the fun part; the fun came when Rania attempted to use her whip.

All it took was a subtle shift to the left and Palis snatched the weapon's length in her grasp, yanking it forward to pull Rania along. "There really is no need to kill you, but I'll do it if you keep being a nuisance. Besides, I know you agree with me. Justice brought about by the weak is only a fragile, temporary kind of peace." With her grip still held tight on the whip, Palis flicked her arm to drag Rania along and samsh her into the skeletal army. At the same time, she let go right when Yurei was in place, seeking to throw the dark girl right at her light counterpart with the speed and weight of a missile.

Yurei's fist clenched as Palis spoke, but quickly released as she tried to catch the incoming Rania. Not being one of physical might, she was quickly flown back with the other girl on top of her. But she held on to her tight. Magic coursing through the two of them to heal them both back to full spirit. Although the landing still took a lot out of Yurei, having been smooshed between the girl and the ground, it wasn't anything that would threaten them so easily. As pointless as it was, she created another barrier around the two of them, looking at her teamate for her next plan.

Rania quickly got away from Yurei's touch, even after she helped her. Even giving the girl a disgusted look for a split second before looking back to Palis. "My, oh my..." she said as she lowered her weapon, smiling. Her skeletons even stopped moving, following their Master's wish. "I don't care for that girl's death in the slightest, that much is true." Rania took a few steps forward, slowly and not menacingly, avoiding Yurei's stare as she did so. "The only reason I am 'fired up' is because you are strong. I have not met someone as strong as you since the President. You might be even stronger. The thing is; we have a code. As a Code keeper, I have to stand by it. You thought about killing this one too, did you not?" she said as she waved her head towards Yurei, still avoiding her stare. "This became such a bother, I am almost tempted to let you do it. Especially since she apparently wants to due, seeing how I told her to leave..." only then did her eyes briefly met Yurei's.

As Rania's army, or what was left of it, halted in its advance, so too did the smile return to Palis' features. She had been clenching her hands so tight in annoyance that she almost forgot she was carrying an umbrella. "You understand life perfectly. That's expected of a Dark Magical Girl," she said, walking closer to the two of them. "You realize that above all else, strength is what matters. Strength is what is valued and power is what carries those who don't have it. That's what true justice is; the powerful must bear responsibility in leading the weak."

Palis was only inches away from the two girls now and her cat-like eyes flickered over to Yurei. "You on the other hand...you make me want to vomit. You're weak, incredibly so, yet you still think you have any right to protect anyone? Don't make me laugh," Palis sneered. "Although...I do like the little tricks you Magical Girls made. Kind of like this~" A flurry of darkness engulfed her body and frame, bathing her for a second before parting to reveal her own transformation. Her hand, which had once held her umbrella, now gripped a mighty staff that pulsed with a power most unholy, one that reverberated in Rania's core.

"Let this be a lesson for you...Magical Girl." Quicker than Yurei could react, the staff's end swung for her crown. As soon as the Emblem fell to the ground, forcing Yurei's transformation to dissipate, Palis stabbed her staff into it. The very familiar, very telling wave of negativity would become all too apparent for Rania to witness; Alara was becoming corrupted. "How can you save anyone when you can't even save yourself? If you were stronger, this wouldn't be happening," Palis hissed, ensuring the process by keeping an eye on both girls. "Be thankful I won't kill you tonight; your friend here's put me in a good mood since we share the same will. No, no...I'm giving you a second chance to see real justice. To see what true strength feels like. In darkness~"

Rania's smile slowly faded as Palis' words reached her on a whole new level; they ringed true to her. The human nature was as it is, and only strength could enforce change and affect this world they lived in. Strength was the only thing that mattered in this world, the rest always was only lies and fantasies to reassure the weaker ones. Rania's skeletons dispelled as she stepped aside, leaving the route to Yurei unopposed, an almost maniacal smile on her face now. Her truth had been renewed, never to be doubted again.

In one moment, Yurei felt fear as the girl transformed infront of her. Her umbrella taking shape and pulsating with darkness only allowed her to stand there before she soon found it swinging out towards her. Instintivly, she raised her arms to cover her face; but instead her crown was knocked off, and with it everything that stood beside the dark magical girl. Yurei fell to the ground, her transformed state dispersing back into her nightly clothing. Hand reaching out desprately to recover the crown as the spear stabbed into it. Her heart beat, pained as the pure was forced out of her and replaced. Tears streaming out as she laid unable to save herself.

@I Need A Name @KoL @SimpleWriter

Phantasmagoria let herself relax a little. Had she worried about nothing? Was this Aegis girl all talk? When the blonde took a break from snarking, Ayumu snickered at the request she made.

"Hm? And what's in it for us?" she asked, amusement flickering in her eyes, although she took care not to taunt Aegis too much. "Oh c'mon, do you expect us dark magical girls to help out of the kindness of our hearts? But I guess we could comply, as long as you don't try to pull anything..."

Whatever the request was, she didn't find out. No sooner had she spoken than a blur of green swept Aegis right off the roof, dragging her out of sight. "Why hello Touka, nice of you to pass by!" Ayumu called, although the Detention Club president was well out of earshot. "Thanks for dealing with that little annoyance."

With a chortle, she turned to Jin, releasing the crows' hold on her with a click of her fingers. "So much for all her tough talk. But geez, don't scare me like that again. You never know what to expect round here any more." Her eyes shifted to the green-haired girl, Gaia. "Although one thing you can expect is that Kiru here must be rather disappointed that her target got away. So shoo fly, before you become her next one. Of course, she does like a chase..."

The temperature suddenly plummeted as waves of dark magic pulsed through the city, grotesque forms like none Ayumu had ever seen before rising up everywhere. The normally composed magician couldn't help but stare in shock at four armoured Nightmares clambering up the building. "Proves my point about the unexpected, huh?" In a flash, she reached for her cards, flinging them at the long-limbed forms. One creature fell, an arm and a leg sliced off, but the remaining three managed to pull themselves onto the rooftop, closing in on the girls.

---

@Noxx


Without warning, the recently-cleared space filled with Nightmares, ones nothing like the horde the light girls had just fought. Angelite spun round, eyes widening as the shadow blobs sprouted spindly limbs, claws, rows upon rows of teeth...

"There are only two words for this," she said, breath rising as mist from the cold. "Oh. Shit."

No time to come up with a plan. Tama charged through the erupting panic, the rocky layers materialising around her arms once more. She raised her fist, the armour thickening and sharpening into one large spike, then plunged it into the side of a Nightmare snapping its jaws at a fleeing crowd. Its shriek ripped through the icy air as it twisted and turned on her.

"Ah!" Tama raised a wing just in time, fusing the gems into a shield. "And we thought the ones earlier were upping the ante..." Not wasting a moment while its guard was down, Tama slashed the crystal point jutting from her hand across its neck. As it fell back, more leapt in front of her.

No matter how she or anyone struggled against the creatures, blood of innocents sprayed across the snow. Bile crept into the back of Tama's throat. She whirled, sending a barrage of crystal fragments into a Nightmare's mouth before it could go for a man lying in the snow, a red puddle pouring from several deep gashes on his leg.

"Alara, we need Alara," she called, her desperate voice rising above the shrieks. "Someone needs to... agh... heal these people!" Plates of gemstone armour spread all over her body, blocking the enraged Nightmare's retaliation. "And Yui... If there's a time we've got to stick together, it's now!"

The others had to be alright. They had to. Tama clung to that hope as she fought, staying close by Soma. Alara, wherever she was, and Yui, atop the building... and Ayumu, and the other girls who'd gathered here... Dark or not, nobody deserved this.

It has been three days since the christmas party of all the dark girls. Elina had made it out alive without leaving to much of a bad reputation. She was probably known as the meat delivery girl but atleast they hadn't seen her christmas outfit that she awkwardly wore as only one, hopefully...

Three days time did move things forward a bit however. Eve had moved into her own house and they were now actually living together. It was quite a bit house yet lonely to live in all on your own. Someone being there did help to improve Elina her mood a lot even though Eve wasn't much of a talker. Her bed to sleep in was in her parents their room since it was the only sleeping room left.

She rather not touch their stuff but she could see through it if she only slept there. Eve wasn't able to cook or do most basic tasks of householding but everyone could clean and tidy up. At least she hoped, Elina had been trying to teach her how in order to keep her place in the house. She wouldn't be too harsh on the girl since she had to get used to it but. One thing did bother her quite a bit...

Elina closed the tap of the bath when it was near to running full. She wore a towel around her body just about getting ready to get into bath. She softly grinned as she looked up towards the door.



Elina headed out of the bathroom with sponge and soap almost stark naked. She wandered through the house untill she would find the blonde girl. A sly smile appeared on her face as she approached the blonde.



Hopefully this would go easy for her.

It took the death of one girl in a moonlit alley to increase the rate of Nightmare attacks to the points even the daylight hours weren't safe.

Three days later the very same murderer unleashed a hitherto unseen paired strain of Nightmares, and within minutes the once calm streets filled with ignorant masses trundling through snow and salt would find themselves slain without sight nor sound of their murderers. One second they were fine, and in the next their flesh was ripped by five sets of teeth set as though upon the petals of a flower, slick with gore and bright arterial spurts.

Yet still no one sees. Ignorance persists as the first bodies drop, only to be met with the stupor of confusion as eyes take in the fallen and people stop in their tracks. Murmurs break out, soon followed by shrieks as those closest are borne to the ground under the weight of invisible predators who leave neither footprint nor wafting plume of breath in their wake.

The stillness is shattered at last, the ignorant run in every direction, and the Nightmare's feast anew. These ravenous monsters were made to do what the common Nightmare couldn't and, spoiled for choice, they followed the crowds as they funneled themselves down the avenues. Perhaps it was a blessing by some twisted benefactor of Magical Girls, that at least with the mounting deaths these Nightmare's were yet still condensed and had yet to scatter far and wide.

However fortunes would soon turn against Miso City, for the fleeing citizens where passing a rather well appointed cinema, the sort of mega theater to parallel the American AMC with a grand lobby and two dozen theaters spread across two wings therein. Christmas had passed, but seasonal films both new and re-released were quite profitable.

One screening had ended, and the patrons casually ambled outside to be met with the curious sight of panic and disorder. Missing the corpses left in the snow, their lingering presence split the attention of the Nightmares. The newly formed horde split, half continuing the running slaughter through the street pulling down civilian after civilian, while the rest rushed for the darkness of the cinema.

Hundreds packed into dark, sound proofed theaters and limited exits. A massacre to shake Miso City to its very core was swiftly coming to pass, if neither Light nor Dark could intervene in time.

Zero hour. The beginning of a siblings conflict, and the darkness thrust upon the world by a Demon's disdain, staining the snow dark as pitch.

Things were already going left for the light girl group, now they were going completely sideways postal as nightmares spewed more into the streets causing Soma to dispel her shield and back up greatly putting her back to back with the other girls. Innocent people were being slaughtered thankfully Soma was there with full access to her abilities, her normal ten-foot range was greatly extended due to her protecting pedestrians and her teammates. She put every innocent person as well as all other magical girls that she knew was around in her mind and erected large bubbles around every last one of them that she could reach with her fifty-foot range, but she didn’t stop there, she built more shapes on top of those bubbles in the form of spikes that would protect the main bubble from direct damage. Gritting her teeth, she banged her head on her flagpole to maintain a blissful focused while her mana reserves weren’t nearly extinguished, it’s been quite a while since she’d done this, so her mind had started to waver.

“I just want ALL of you to KNOW THIS HURTS” she screams, blood starting to trickle down from the corners of her mouth gripping her staff harder she began to bulge more shapes in between them connecting each bubble together to extend the community and root out the nightmare presence.

Once the gaps were connected Bastion summoned the last of her strength to show how exactly she got her name, the gems on her flag started to shine one by one as it whipped in the wind, the earth itself be dammed as the fabric of reality was distorted the more the gems started to glow; Bastion had begun to conjure a structure. Stone and bricks started to poof into reality with the same blasphemous energy that lay at the foundation for her forcefield now turned physical, this was different than when she summoned her house that she had done so many times the preparation was near nonexistent. This wasn’t practiced it was as if she were wrestling with the building itself to pull it out by tooth and nail, each piece of brick and mortar was there clearly to see yet not their blinking at all at the same time blinking in and out of reality as the universe attempted to smite this clear abomination unto its set laws.

“You can fire arrows from the tower of babel and pierce the heavens themselves, take the army and march unto the pearly gates to unseat the throne of all, may all of mankind wage war and protect themselves from the devils and demons that plague the streets, play with their minds, disrupt thier peace and drove them to madness, seek Bastion, seek Sanctuary!” Soma chatted loud and clear something that had little to do with her power itself, but it severed to keep her mind on course and bend the structure to her whims; Space bent and turned in on itself, the force of the world fighting back pushed and pulled the ebb and flow of reality like everyone in it were nothing more than rag dolls being tossed around by an angry child, yet those in their bubbles were unaffected.

---

Three days had passed since Eve had begun to live with her friend Elina, she was given food and lodging for free, although given her own bed Eve had taken to sleeping next to Elina as a source of comfort, it had taken about two days for her to get over her encounter with Pandora. In those three days the shark girl had managed to rip up a set of spare sheets due to her tossing a turning, broken two brooms in her attempt to start cleaning and chased just about every woodland creature that lived in the trees around the house out of pure habit. This all being said when she did sleep peacefully, she curled up into a ball next to Elina or under the bed itself, it was relatively quiet in the house until her partner called her in for a hot bath.

Because of Eve’s powers she was wet nearly 24/7 in her magical girl form, although that didn’t clean her in the slightest, in fact strongly enough, she’d come out smelling worse than when she got in or just smelling plain wrong and foreign to the point of repugnance, making a bath completely needed at times.

“Don’t want to, ” she hissed on all fours, she hadn’t wanted to get wet for the past few days due to her encounter with Pandora leaving a perfectly etched memory in her mind.

---

Interactions: @liferusher@LuckyBlackCat

Pandoria sat with her eyes facing the wall opposite her, How long had it been? a day? a week? still, she couldn't help but question these strange feelings welling deep inside of her as she contemplated what she was going to do. She had recently adopted Yui, that much was certain, how the new child played into her... their plans. She did not know. Her main cause of concern however was trying to figure out what had caused a part of her to split off in the early days of infiltrating the city.

The part that now seemed to so vividly represent her daughter....

She breathed out a sigh as she lent back in her chair, looking down at the tests she had to mark as a result of the pre-holiday examinations. She had grown to quite enjoy this trivialities. The fact that marking papers on history meant she could offer somewhat a good amount of nurturing to the kids in their course meant that she was especially diligent, having already printed out sheets of work to help assist the students in order to pass.

Of course the one student she was always to hesitant to help was her own daughter... smart certainly but without the knowledge. As expected of a child. They looked peaceful, happy even, but Pandoria expected turmoil and rage towards her. Especially because she had made another mistake at who's door she had left that part of herself to be raised by. The complete opposite of what a parent could be. She had hopped though that the vile things that had raised her daughter, also understood at the very least the concept of being a parent.

Well they did. It was why Pandoria hadn't murdered them, but still she hoped her daughter could understand what she did for them. Looking over to her mantle, now with a picture of Yui and Her, taken on the first night of bringing Yui home. She smiled, maybe after Yui settled she'd finally take her daughter back, and this time her daughter would have a sister to look after!

Pandoria sighed softly as she looked out the Window. What on earth were her daughters up to now. She could feel a battle raging outside. She hoped Yui wasn't getting into too much trouble and that they could call her at any time. Still, Pandoria had to deal with a little leak. She might need to pay the girl named Eve another visit. She had to stop that individual from entering into her domain without permission once and for all...