Night
An Eldritch Society ritual space, beneath a park in Kojiki Arcology, south.

The Eldritch Society. A secretive group of like-minded individuals united in common purpose to protect humanity from the various other things that would do it harm. Unlike the government, however, they sought to do things their own way, and that way would often lead to conflict with the very same government, should they act too openly. Even if someone were to shout it from the rooftops, who would believe a man claiming one of the largest megacorporations was controlled by a dangerous cult and the physical avatar of their dark god? And they were far from the only threat, just the most obvious. It wasn't usual that the Society's underground activities were quite so literal, though.

Like any arcology, Kojiki had plenty of space where one could hide something like an illicit space for practice of arcane rituals. The buildings were always an option, but just as easy were the many spaces for maintenance, movement of materiel and personnel, and other such things just below the surface. Arcologies were, almost inevitably, far more than they let on, and someone had to be able to access things to repair the moving sidewalks, anyway. So it was that after much careful planning, a ritual space was set up under a park in an apparently abandoned section of the underground.

The ritual in progress had begun days ago. A long and grueling process for both the sorcerers and other participants, the Rite of Sacred Union demanded great asceticism and strength of will. It had been days since anyone present had had opportunity to eat or drink. But, the mystic energies gathering within the circle and poised to pierce the veil were well worth the effort and soon, with any luck, the candidates within would join the ranks of the Society's greatest warriors.

Something began to...shift, subtly, in the flow of the ritual. No fault of the participants, but of some other influence. And then, the sounds of violence. Their enemies had found them, but there was little that could be done to stop things now. At best, it would be a waste of the opportunity until the next time conditions were right. And the ritual was almost over. The beings at the threshold were practically scratching at the door. The defenders would hold the line.

Meanwhile, at the same park, on the surface
It was a pleasant night in the arcology. Not too hot, not too cold. Truly a blessing of the season and not the controlled climate and civil engineering. The park was almost empty, although the lights were still on. This was one of the nicer parks for an evening walk, with some lovely water features, and nice wooded areas, carefully curated to even look like the products of natural growth.

It was also pretty close to Saya's house, so that helped. She'd been doing well recently, so she and Nanami were out and about. It was getting pretty late, but things were still perfectly safe, so whatever. Neither of the young women would ever expect what would be in store for them that evening.

"It's so nice to get out of the house," Saya observed. "Even if I feel like some sort of vampire, doing it when the sun's already down." She had just as much reason to fear the sun, to be fair. At least at night, no parasol was required on her part. "It's been a while since we got together to really run around like this, hasn't it, Nanami?" She didn't mention why, but even if she usually had no problem making fun of her illness, some things just weren't worth bringing up.

A relaxing evening in the park was just what Nanami and Saya needed. The sun had already set, turning the sky dark blue, the soft glow of lamps illuminating ponds and flower beds that lined the path. The trickling of a waterfall over rocks was particularly soothing right now.

Nanami nodded. "Thought you'd want to," she said, strolling by Saya's side. Despite her health issues, or even because of them, Saya liked to get out and about when she could. Of course, it wasn't entirely for selfless reasons that Nanami was out here right now - the earlier argument with her parents still lingered in the back of her mind. Ever since her brother Aito had gotten that job at Chrysalis Corporation, they'd been on her case more than ever, pushing her to be more like him. Like that was going to happen. At least being around someone who appreciated her helped.

"And hey." She grinned. "Isn't night the best time for a magical girl to be out? Just in case there's any monster butt to kick." Her mom kept saying it wasn't healthy to enable Saya's delusions, but if an active imagination was how her friend coped with being cooped up, what was the harm in that? Besides, Nanami knew the need for escapism, having held on to her own mermaid fantasies. "Can't say I'll be much help, but I'll keep a look out, and cheer you on. In the meantime, wanna train by racing me to that bench?" She pointed to a steel bench in the distance, under a canopy of trees. Saya could be pretty energetic on her good days, so would likely be up for some silly fun. "One-two-three-go!"

With that, she was off, her pace a leisurely jog rather than a serious run. Her laughter carried on the breeze as she relished the feeling of freedom. For now, both she and Saya could leave all their worries behind.

"Yep, gotta go on patrol!" Saya was her usual chipper, gung-ho self. "One time I rescued a cat from a tree." She was happy to agree to the race, even if Nanami tended to win. "Sure, let's go!"

Saya took off at her own pace, though she's definitely going harder than Nanami's leisurely jog. By the end of the race, she'd slowed down quite a bit, despite her best efforts. Panting and clearly running out of steam, Saya finished a bit behind her friend. "Jeez...I guess I'm still a little out of shape." She paused to catch her breath, keeping a smile on her face. It really wasn't about winning or losing. And there was conveniently a bench to flop onto, right there.

---

Beneath the surface, the fighting continued. It shouldn't have been possible for several reasons. The Children of Chaos shouldn't have known this was happening, much less where. And even then, there were wards in place that would serve to keep their dhoanoids out. They must have some serious sorcerous support. And more importantly, they were winning.

There was no rushing a ritual, but this one was almost complete. Monsters broke through, and rushed their way to the ritual site itself. They didn't dare step foot inside the circle itself, for fear of their own lives, but it was still a simple matter to deal with those present. Everyone involved was too exhausted and focused on the ritual to truly fight back. The lead sorcerer was the last to die, and in his final moments, did his best to prevent the ritual from simply shattering.

Maybe that was it. Maybe it was that outside influence taking over, or at least trying to. Whatever the case, the magical energy didn't immediately fizzle away. Instead, it swirled, barely contained, and before long, burst upward. Perhaps the beings that were called knew there was no one waiting for them. Or they knew that some attempt at tampering was at work, and moved to escape it. The truth was likely far simpler: unwitting and unprepared as they were, the two girls were within the circle. Thus, they would be...considered.

With a breathless chuckle, Nanami sat down. "I say we've still both earned these though," she said, taking a box of strawberry pocky from her bag. The jog had been a fairly short one, but had cheered her up a great deal, and looked to have done Saya good. Flipping the box open, she held it out to share.

A ripple in the nearby stream caught her attention. Her smile vanishing, Nanami stared. For just a moment, among the glimmers of reflected lamplight, she thought she'd seen eyes looking out. Several pairs of bulging, inhuman eyes. "What...?" Tensing, she craned her neck. The talk of magical girls and monsters had to be making her imagination go haywire. "Did you see that?"

"No need to be afraid."

"Ehhhhh?" At the voice in her head, she dropped the box, pocky sticks spilling all over the ground - which wavered before her, cast in thin blue-green light as if she were underwater. "Ok, either I'm losing it, or we've got ourselves some kind of actual monster. Let's get out of here!"

She jumped up, only for a torrent of water to burst out of the stream, shifting like putty and taking on a solid form in front of her. An alien form, all fins and tentacles, those six yellow eyes fixed on her as she backed away.

"You want to be the best, don't you?" That voice sounded in her mind again, eerily calm, and cold. Hearing it brought the sensation of ice water trickling down her spine. "You want to be special. Noteworthy. In that case, we can both help each other."

The being reached out a hand, gripping Nanami's shoulder. Its form dissolved, seeping under her skin, permeating her very essence. Nanami's scream gave way to the gurgle of a drowning person as she collapsed, writhing. Her own body felt more liquid than solid, searing all over like she'd been plunged in acid. She could have sworn her flesh was melting, yet when she stretched out her arm like a frantic swimmer, she saw it was still whole.

Her lungs burned for air - and drew in a sudden deep breath as she surfaced back into reality. The pain was gone. Shaking and panting, she brought herself to one knee. "W-What the hell just happened?" Everything looked normal once again, but she couldn't shake the presence of something else in the park. Something otherworldly, something wrong, like whatever she'd just encountered. Raising her head, she gasped. "Saya!"

"Yeah, we have." Saya reached for the offered snacks, but something out of the corner of her eye didn't seem right, either. Some sort of movement, and a shape like a strange, inky jellyfish. "I think so? I saw something."

She also felt something. While Saya didn't hear a clear voice at first, there were some strange sounds beginning to impign upon her, like rushing of winds that weren't there, or scratching of ground glass. And there were these...probing sensations. And something deep within her was telling her to get away, some ancient memory of dark forests and things within them considering their next meal.

"We should definitely get out of here." Saya stood up to run herself, and her vision swam. Was she really in that bad of a shape? Wild colors burst across her vision, and she could almost see some other world superimposed, like some sort of film projection, over the park: a strange sky with many planets or moons suspended within it, and the pillars of what could be a temple. That presence she had felt earlier was hurtling toward her, but she couldn't move to escape.

Eyes, glittering coldly like gemstones in the dark, regarded her. "Small, weak." something that could almost be a dismissive snort echoed from all around her. "Refuses to die, at least. Not the one who called out, and yet..." The voice shifted its attention slightly, to actively address her. "What you need is strength. And you shall have it, unless you would be food." Saya didn't really have much choice in the matter, as at least in her vision, she was quickly surrounded by webs of flesh, bladed tentacles, and the eyes...those gleaming eyes.

The pain was exquisite. Even to someone who was no stranger to pain, it was almost impossible to endure, feeling as if Saya was being flayed apart layer by layer and rebuilt, all raw nerves. Even her mind hurt, crushed under a wave of pressure and force as her body was alight in sheer suffering. She managed to hold onto herself, somehow.

And then she was there, back in the park as if nothing had happened. "I'm okay! I...think. Just what the hell was that?" No reason to keep quiet as far as she could tell. "I think that thing was about to eat me or something."

Jumping to her feet, Nanami took a step towards Saya, who doubled over in clear agony. "Saya, what's happening?" Mouth dry, she gently grasped her friend's shoulder. "Are you ok? Can you hear me? Saya!"

The monster was nowhere to be seen, but something lingered here, where Saya stood. That chaotic energy crackled around the two of them as if a storm were about to begin. It stabilised, but didn't fade completely, still thrumming in the air as Saya opened her eyes. Whatever had happened, she seemed to have shaken off the pain as quickly as Nanami had, but not the confusion.

"I'm ok! I... think. Just what the hell was that? I think that thing was about to eat me or something."

With a sigh of relief, Nanami shook her head, glancing all around. No alien creatures in sight, but she frowned as she noticed something else out of the ordinary. Had the lamps brightened, or had her vision sharpened a little? "No idea, all I know is it tried to either drown me or dissolve me. But let's not stick around to find out." She took off sprinting down the path, quickly realising she didn't have to look over her shoulder to check where Saya was. She could sense her, a short distance behind. "Huh?"

She stopped, something else dawning on her. There was no strain in her muscles. Her athletic pursuits kept her in good shape, but that run had been as effortless as a leisurely walk. For someone who'd just had an apparent near death experience, she now brimmed with vitality, as if she'd had the best night's sleep of her life followed by an energy drink. She could chalk it up to adrenaline, although that didn't explain the radar-like sense. A shiver ran through her, equal parts fear and exhilaration, as she recalled the alien's words. "You want to be the best, don't you?"

That creature... It had been real. And it had done something to them, but what exactly?

Turning to face Saya, Nanami tilted her head, eyebrows furrowed. "Hey... Are you feeling different at all, by any chance?"

Saya nodded at the suggestion they leave. "Yeah." She followed shortly after Nanami. There really wasn't much reason to stick around, and if anything, it was better to try and process what had happened elsewhere. Was this the sort of thing they were supposed to report?

She didn't notice anything odd like being able to tell where Nanami was without looking, but she could see the other girl, after all. That didn't mean she didn't feel things were plenty different as-is. For one, she felt truly healthy for the first time in her life. Like she actually could just run around for hours without worrying about anything.

"I definitely am," she answered Nanami's question. "I've never felt better." Would that be a problem, though? She'd have to still pretend to be sick, or something? "Like, no pain or anything. Heck, I bet this is how you must feel all the time." She did feel like she could take on the world.

"Wait a sec. Strange, uh, things, and all that...maybe we are magical girls now." Saya giggled. "Though until we run into some sort of monster, I guess we can't be sure."

"Huh... Maybe what happened wasn't so bad!" Nanami gave a shaky laugh. Her heart still hammered from the experience, but if Saya's health problems were cured, and she herself had grown stronger... "I mean, the way it happened certainly was, but that creature did say it wanted to help. And if you're feeling better, seems like it actually did!"

Her eyes widened at Saya's next words. "Magical girls? Heh, anything's possible after that!" As bizarre as the idea seemed, it couldn't hurt to test whether it was true. Taking a deep, steady breath, she willed herself to transform.

Water swirled around her. "Wha-?" Her body reshaped itself like liquid once more, but this time there was no pain. In fact, shifting came as naturally to her as walking or breathing. When the foamy whirls faded, she looked down at her new form and gasped.

Well, this wasn't what came to mind when she thought of magical girls. Blue, yellow and white fishlike skin glinted in the lamplights, translucent patches showing mechanical-looking muscle and sinew. Fins lined her limbs, and tentacles trailed from her shoulders and hips, each one tipped with a metallic pincer. "Oh wow..." She raised and studied the tendrils, the new limbs moving just as easily as her arms and legs. She barely had to turn her head, her field of vision much wider, her eyesight so sharp she could see deep into the shadows of the trees. Running to a nearby pond, she crouched and stared at her reflection. Looking back was a being with only traces of herself, her form mostly that of the aquatic alien.

"I'm..." Those six eyes blinked. She reached up, touching the smooth manta-like fin that had replaced her hair. "I'm an actual mermaid? Well, close to it anyway!" Through the whirl of bewildered thoughts, the word came to her. "A Thalassan." How had she even known that? She had no idea, but one thing was certain... this really wasn't so bad. Of course, if she could still blush, she would have done at the fact that she was naked, but at least scales covered everything. And while she was no conventional mermaid, a Thalassan seemed much cooler.

Not that she'd want to be standing around where she could freak out passers-by. She hurried and hid under a shaded, leafy canopy. Insects fluttered and crawled in the corners of her expanded vision, in stark clarity despite the darkness. That was going to get distracting, but everything else had to make it worthwhile. "This is awesome!" She grinned at Saya, her ribs convulsing with joyous laughter. "We're real magical girls! Hey, let's see your magical form!"