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Hear hear,
Have you heard?
A tale that even the oldest of the aeons do not know?
A story of girl, so fragile and weak,
That made a wish to save her world, once so twisted and bleak.
Now she sits at the edge of the cosmos,
Where hundreds upon thousands of young girls follow.
She does not ask for praise or worship,
Nor does she wish for sacrifices in her name.
All she asks is that those of her worlds to smile,
knowing that she will be there to catch them
when their final hour strikes.
Is she truly an aeon, or perhaps a celestial being?
No one truly knows except she herself.
She takes away the souls of the weary,
Smiling gently as she herself takes away their suffering.
The kindness she brings forth is second to none,
Even to the Aeon of Harmony themself.
Perhaps she truly is an aeon,
Weaved from blinding starlight and gentle benevolence.
No one will truly know her nature,
For she is but a concept, and nothing more.
Specks of white fall from the sky as wisps of chilly air flow through the streets of Belobog. Children run across the concrete floors as they smile and giggle to one another. Silvermane guards continue to patrol the area, ready to protect the people from any sort of danger.
Among the pearly white snow of the streets and the bustling citizens of the city, a petite figure manages to stick out in the large crowd.
The clack of heels follow as a young girl makes her way through the roads of Belobog. Her cream colored vest with a large red bow matches with her black plaid skirt, which sways in the cold winds. Her bright pink hair is secured into pigtails with two white ribbons, bouncing as she moves across the street. Those bright rose colored eyes of hers sparkle in the light, along with the silver ring on her middle finger, engraved with unreadable markings.
A few citizens and guards send a couple of odd looks at her outlandish appearance, but chalk it up as a new fashion trend amongst girls of the younger generation.
Madoka Kaname continues to stroll through the alley ways, humming an unfamiliar tune under her breath. She feels the frosty air nip at her face, doing a small little spin in place as she continues to walk around the winding roads.
She walks in front of the Everwinter Monument, watching a group of small kids being led by a young miss with gold rimmed glasses and a large hat. It sort of reminds her of Mami, in a way. The woman with glasses carefully explains the history of the monument and the city itself as the children listen intently, Madoka as well.
As her attention drifts off, the girl with pigtails catches the sound of instruments being played in the nearby building. Curiosity killed the cat, as the young teen walked towards the said building with interest in hand.
Petite hands lay themselves on the cold glass as rosy colored eyes peek into the shop. Mechanical objects are found in every inch of the room, from gears to wires to unfinished machines. In the center of the room, a tall blonde woman with a unique sense of style can be seen holding a guitar of some sorts, strumming and singing to herself.
A small smile makes its way to the young girl’s face, her eyes sparkling with nostalgia. Perhaps Sayaka would have liked to see this sight, along with that bright red haired friend of hers. The two of them both liked music, albeit for different reasons. Another reason why they could have been close friends.
The blonde haired woman catches her bright pink hair through the glass and chuckles. She can see her interest and curiosity as clear as day. Serval gives a wave to the young girl, who jumps a bit before returning the gesture, though much more shyly. She laughs to herself before giving a glance to the clock above her.
Meanwhile, the pink haired girl catches the sound of footsteps and turns around. A tall man appears in her vision, almost twice her size. Madoka blinked in surprise, observing that the blonde man had pieces of armor on him, a Silvermane guard perhaps?
Gepard raises a brow at her appearance, which was not that of Belobog fashion. She seemed to be a bit too young and petite to be any criminal of some sort. Perhaps it was something between young girls to wear. Then again, how would he have any idea what girls wanted to wear, much less teenagers?
He gives a curt nod out of respect, passing her staring through the window as childlike curiosity. The small girl copies his action, nodding at him with a shy expression. He opens the doors to the workshop, closing them behind him.
Madoka glances back at the window, watching them interact. The woman smiles at the arrival of the guard, walking around the counter to ruffle his hair affectionately. The taller man seems a bit exasperated by the gesture, but smiles fondly nonetheless.
Now that they’re placed next to each other, she can actually see the similarities between them. With the same shade of blonde hair and similar hue of blue for their eyes, she wouldn’t be surprised if they’re siblings or something.
(A small pang of hurt flashes through her. She used to be a sister once.)
The young girl steps away from the window before turning in the other direction. She ignores the aching feeling in her chest as she continues to walk around the snow powdered streets of Belobog.
Madoka takes a bite into the warm pelmeni, savoring the delicious taste of the filling inside the Belobog dumpling.
While walking through the roads of the city, she spotted a street vendor selling some food. While peeping at the stall, the vendor had engaged in a bit of small talk with her. After revealing that she had never had a pelmeni, the male vendor gasped out of horror before screaming his head off, saying that it was practically a crime for her to never try one.
He quickly placed five of the treats into a small takeout container before shoving it into her arms. She panicked, saying that she had no currency to pay him, but was waved off immediately, being told she was free of charge. About a minute of refusing politely and insistent gifting, Madoka reluctantly took the takeout with her as she turned the corner (after profuse thanks of course).
Even after being told that it was fine, Madoka still felt a tad bit guilty for taking the food without paying. She took another bite of the pelmeni, finishing her second one. She had to admit, the dumpling was quite delicious. No wonder the vendor freaked out about how she never ate one. Sticking her toothpick into another one, she turns a corner around the street, admiring the tall buildings surrounding her.
While continuing to eat the food given to her, she watches fondly as the adults talk to each other about their family members while their kids play in the snow. Her skirt moves along with the cold wind, bringing small specks of white along with the breeze. Some land on her uniform, which she brushes off every now and then.
If she tried hard enough, she could imagine she was back to her normal life, taking a detour through the town park while chatting about mundane things with Sayaka and Mami.
Unfortunately, those days would and will never become reality. She never existed in Mitakihara Middle School anyways.
With a small sigh, she finishes off her last pierogi before placing the toothpick in the container and closing the lid. She might get another batch the next time she visits this world, with some money of course.
Does magically made money count as counterfeit money though…?
She may be a celestial concept but hey, you can’t blame a girl for not wanting to break a law or two. While questioning herself, she walks by to the nearby trash can in a secluded alleyway, a few ways from any crowded area. She did walk a tad bit too far, she supposes.
She takes the lid off the can-
And finds a whole GROWN MAN IN THE TRASH CAN .
Madoka narrowly avoids shrieking her lungs out as the man acknowledges that the lid of his secret (not really) hiding spot had been lifted. He had sharp green eyes, as well as dark blue hair, which faded into white at the ends. He blinked rapidly before turning his head upwards. Green met pink as the two of them stared at each other awkwardly.
Sampo, all the meanwhile, internally breathed out a sigh of relief, thanking the Aeons that it wasn’t a Silvermane guard that had found him. Instead, a petite girl with bright pink hair in pigtails greeted him, her bewilderment clear as day. She looked to be even shorter than Clara, only by an inch or two. Then again, he was sitting in the middle of a smelly trash can, so his perception of height was not all that great.
“Hey there little miss! Mind putting back the lid? Don’t worry, I won’t be here for long.”
And for the hell of it, he winked and made a thumbs up with his hand.
Madoka blinked in confusion, looking at the metal lid in her hand before glancing back at the strange man. Slowly, she puts back the lid of the trashcan in its original spot. She takes a step back, glancing around awkwardly.
“Thank you little miss! OH, and please don’t tell anyone that a mister is hiding here, ‘kay? Okay, thank you~!”
The pink-eyed girl stared at the trash can with imminent confusion, taking an additional two steps back from the metal waste basket. She tucks the cardboard container underneath her arm before turning around. But just as she took a few steps forward, she was suddenly confronted by a group of guards, brandishing their weapons.
“Excuse me, young miss. Is there any chance that you’ve seen a suspicious person that looks like this?”
The knight in front of the group pulls out a piece of rolled up paper, which he then rolls down, revealing the contents of the said paper. Almost immediately, Madoka has to slap a hand over her mouth as her shoulders tremble with suppressed laughter.
She doesn’t mean to be rude or anything, no. She’s seen Tatsuya’s drawings in his small sketchbook and her drawing skills weren’t the best either, she hasn’t even picked up a pencil for a long time. But the picture drawn onto the paper can only be described as absolutely horrible.
She can tell that the man she found in the trash can was supposed to be the same person as depicted in the drawing, but it's so horribly drawn that she’s not sure she can commit to a conversation without bursting into a fit of hysterical giggles. By staring at the funky expression drawn onto the man, she has to press her hand harder against her mouth even harder as she trembles even more.
Madoka carefully removes her hand, looking downwards as she bites her lip. Although the waste bin itself was not capable of expressing emotions, she could tell that the man inside the bin was practically radiating with caution.
“N-no, I haven’t seen,” A small giggle escapes her. “Anyone like that s-sir.”
Even though the guard had a helmet on to block his face, she could tell that the guard was making an odd expression. “I… see. Sorry for bothering you young miss. Have a good day.” He does a small bow before gesturing towards his group to leave. They follow his instructions, leaving Madoka (mostly) alone in the alley way once more.
The moment they leave her alone, she immediately bursts into laughter, clutching her stomach with her free hand.
She wouldn’t have done so in her old life, but once you become nothing more than a concept, you become a bit more free to express yourself. After all, who would ever catch sight of a goddess laughing her head off? Perhaps the aeons would, but she’s never bothered to search for one. She’s been far too busy trying to get used to the transformation and managing the other universes under her jurisdiction.
She wipes a stray tear of laughter from under her eyes, coming down from her bout of laughter. She glances back at the trashcan, feeling another wave of giggles in her throat. She shakes her head, sighing. The pink haired goddess walks towards the stairs, tucking the cardboard container under her arm a bit more securely.
She takes a few steps onto the steps before glancing back at the alleyway, more specifically the trash can. A mischievous smile makes its way to her face as her eyes crinkle.
“Hope you have a good day Mr. Trash Can~!”
Madoka runs down the stairs in a fit of giggles, her pigtails bouncing upwards with her movements. He looked like someone from the Underground… a place where a bunch of miners were forced to live because they were sealed off from the outside? She thinks that’s right.
Maybe she’ll visit the mines when she comes back.
Madoka hops up the steps, careful of the ice coated on the stairs.
So far, she has just been casually walking around Belobog with no destination in mind. Every now and then she waves to the guards stationed at their posts, who either nod in acknowledgement or wave back as well. Either way, it's a rather peaceful walk.
T̷̫͉̰͕̒́h̶̯̰̝̻̿̓͢ę̷̵̧̖̫̗̆̊ Ȧ̶̵̗̳m̶̷͔ͪ̽͡b̵̸͙̅̽͡ͅę̷̵̧̖̫̗̆̊r̶̷̲͍̭͐̾̀͟ L̳͈͉̅̊ȍ̸̢̢̮͚̐̚r̶̷̲͍̭͐̾̀͟d̸̡̩͍̔ͥ͜ d̸̡̩͍̔ͥ͜i̵͓͙̱͚̎͟d̸̡̩͍̔ͥ͜ n̷̶̯͉̊̽̐ͦ͘ȍ̸̢̢̮͚̐̚t̴͕͖͓̀h̶̯̰̝̻̿̓͢i̵͓͙̱͚̎͟n̷̶̯͉̊̽̐ͦ͘g̴̶̛̮̣͙͠ t̴͕͖͓̀ȍ̸̢̢̮͚̐̚ s̩͙͖̋͛͟ă̶̸̝ͦ͊̿͋͞v̸̵̝͙͆̈ͤę̷̵̧̖̫̗̆̊ û̶͙̽̿͆̈s̩͙͖̋͛͟.
The girl with pigtails suddenly stops walking, snapping her head in a certain direction.
Her once cheerful smile is wiped off her face in an instant. Her gut churns with an unsettling feeling. She quickly looks around for any people, before speed walking towards a wall. She hesitantly peeks her head out from behind it, catching the sight of an ensemble of Sivermane Guards.
However, one person stood out from the crowd.
A tall woman with curled hair and purple eyes is standing in front of a large group of Silvermane guards, giving instructions with a commanding tone of voice. She seems to be an important and intimidating figure. But that’s not the part Madoka caught.
W̸͈ͯ̾̒̿ę̷̵̧̖̫̗̆̊ ẅ̷̷̢̟͇͈̒i̵͓͙̱͚̎͟ḻ̸͈ͧ͑̓̓̀͡ḻ̸͈ͧ͑̓̓̀͡ s̩͙͖̋͛͟ă̶̸̝ͦ͊̿͋͞v̸̵̝͙͆̈ͤę̷̵̧̖̫̗̆̊ B̟̈́̆̐̄̚͜ę̷̵̧̖̫̗̆̊ḻ̸͈ͧ͑̓̓̀͡ȍ̸̢̢̮͚̐̚b̵̸͙̅̽͡ͅȍ̸̢̢̮͚̐̚g̴̶̛̮̣͙͠...
‘That voice…’ The girl thought, gripping the wall with her hands.
When the voice spoke out, it seemed to influence the blonde haired woman, her voice raising a volume more.
The voice… it contained power beyond human understanding.
It emanated the means to destroy worlds with due time, sewing discord into the very essence of this planet. If she focused, she could sense the snowstorms that surround the walls of Belobog were the same essence of the dangerous energy. And it seemed that the said energy had found a way to establish a mental connection with the tall blonde woman.
Madoka quietly stepped back away from the wall, turning the other direction. She walked forward, not paying full attention to her surroundings.
“That woman… she must get rid of the connection.” She muttered under her breath.
There was nothing good that was going to come out of keeping that connection, both for her, and this world.
By not paying attention, Madoka found herself tripping on a crack in the ground. She felt herself tip forward, eyes widening. She quickly maneuvered her arms in front of her, readying for impact. It was going to hurt a bit, no doubt about it. Her uniform was probably going to get a bit dirty too. But the fall never came.
Slender arms placed itself around her shoulders, catching her. Her face crashed into something soft, and definitely not the concrete road. The hands on her shoulders pulled her upwards, setting her upright.
“Are you alright?” A feminine voice rang out from above her.
Madoka looked upwards to look at her savior. She was quite a bit taller than she was, with silver hair and a matching color of gray eyes. She also had a set of purple earrings,which faded into blue. Now that she thought about it, the blonde lady also had a similar earring of the same color.
A few seconds pass, and Madoka realizes she hasn’t responded yet. Her cheeks flush a light pink shade, matching her hair. She takes a step back, reaching down to fiddle with the ends of her plaid skirt.
“I’m alright, thank you very much, miss.”
She does a small bow out of respect and Japanese habits, displaying her gratitude for catching her. Madoka shuffles to the side a bit before scurrying away from the pretty gray haired woman. Although she may have grown to be a bit more bold when she became a god, that does not mean all of her shyness had gone away. Curse her social anxiety, if she could get rid of it she would. Not really though.
Bronya raises a brow at the small girl's sudden escape before shrugging. She turns around walking forward and straightening her posture. She cannot leave Mother waiting for long. She has something to discuss with her after all.
It’s about midnight when Madoka reaches the top rock formation.
Blistering winds continue to flow through the air, never ceasing. The cliff she’s on is covered head to toe in white powdery snow, as well as the terrain around her. It’s not ideal for someone to stay outside in such weather for long periods of time, no matter how trained they are.
And yet the chilling winds do not faze Madoka as she looks over the civilization that is Belobog. She’s too far away to be spotted by any Silvermane guards, so she is free to do whatever she pleases. She places her hands behind her back as she watches over the large city with calm eyes.
She looks up into the sky, not minding the blizzards that continue to blow. The horizon has been clouded with white for the longest time, only visible inside the city. The stars and moon have been blocked out by the Forever Freeze, never stopping its path.
If Madoka were to close her eyes and focus on the world around her, she could feel the Fragmentum that plagues this planet come even closer to its residents, closing in on their lives. She frowns a bit. She has never liked needless sacrifices, especially to those who had full confidence in themselves, only to succumb to the cruel hands of fate when their final hour struck.
The pink eyed girl casts her gaze to the city below for one last time. She faces away from the civilization, looking past to the thousands of miles worth of snow and ice.
She closes her eyes and smiles, letting her corporeal body fade into the billowing breeze.
The goddess’s eyes flutter open, revealing two golden colored irises.
No longer is she in her school uniform, now clad in the purest shade of white as her dress fades in thousands of universes, waiting to become reality. Her pink hair is now much longer, with the two white ribbons in her hair still remaining. She sits up properly, settling herself into the fabric of space and time. She looks at the small planet in front of her, colored in pale whites and grays.
Madoka- no, Madokami, sits cross legged in her plane of existence, smiling down on the world they call Jarilo-VI. To a normal person, the planet may seem huge, but Madokami is no ordinary person. She is something beyond human comprehension, something that once was yet was never truly present in the universe, as she is the universe itself.
Amber waves come into being and ripple across space, knocking a few asteroids off course. The celestial soul blinks at the sudden aura, but does not make any moves otherwise. Instead, she smiles calmly, moving a gloved hand to cup her cheek. She glances to her side, her grin becoming a bit more cheeky at the end.
“Good day to you, Qlipoth~”
The amber construct does not respond, only staring at her with that amber orb of theirs. We share the same eye color, Madokami thinks bemusedly as the Aeon of Preservation floats next to her. The two of them continue their little stare down of theirs, Madokami continuing to smile while Qlipoth remains silent. After a few seconds, the Amber Lord speaks. Their voice, as old as time and space itself, rings out amongst the cosmos.
“You are not an Aeon.” A beat of silence ensues. “Why do you fight across universes, if you serve no purpose as a higher being?”
The girl in white smiles just a tad bit wider. She hums in acknowledgement, glancing into the depths of space that surrounds them. She closes her eyes, choosing to quietly listen to the melodies that play with every universe she encounters. She thinks back to the young girls who had once lost all hope, with no choice but to succumb to despair.
“I am no Aeon, nor am I a higher being.”
She opens her eyes, revealing a golden honey color. She smiles serenely, her long pink hair floating as the mirages of the universe under her dress shifts. She looks to the planet in front of her and extends her unused arm to cup the small world of ice and snow in front of her, smiling gently. She looks back at the Aeon next to her, who has remained silent.
“I am nothing more than a concept, formed to create hope and salvation for those who can not.”
The Amber Lord does not respond, choosing to remain silent. They look back at the world in front of them. Madokami can tell that Jarilo-VI is one of their own planets, as remains of their power still remain on the surfaces of the world. She removes her palm, settling it underneath the arm of which she rests her cheek.
“If you are meant to bring hope,” Qlipoth starts. “Then, will you bring hope to those of that planet.”
Madokami chuckles, leaning into her open hand. She closes her eyes once more, letting the records of the universe play their songs. She leans back into the essence of time and space, smiling.
“No need.” She says, a knowing grin starting to form on her face.
She looks back into the depth of space, where she feels a sudden change in the universe. She can tell that Qlipoth senses the change as well. The sounds of engines chugging and train tracks make their way into the melody of the world, forming their own path and rewriting what might have been.
“I have a feeling that change is soon coming to this world.”
She looks at the Aeon next to her, grinning.
“Perhaps you might want to stay for the ride as well, how about it?”