Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I knew something was wrong before I processed the unfamiliar piano piece floating to my ears. I opened my eyes to an odd-looking man behind a desk, the navy walls of a stone maze behind me stretching off to beyond what the eye could see. 

As the odd-looking man began to speak, I leapt to my feet and transformed, swiftly pulling a gun on him. 

“Blazing one.” My head snapped to the side to where a girl with a large book was gazing at me concerningly, but for an odd reason, it seemed to directed at me. “You’re safe. No harm will come to you here.” 

My eyes flickered between the two as I demanded. “Who are you? Where are we? What do you want?” They didn’t seem threatening, but I didn’t like this whole situation. 

“Am I Igor, and this is my assistant Lavenza.” The odd-looking man answered. “I would like to welcome you to the Velvet Room. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a ‘contract’ may enter, though your circumstance is quite different that previous guests. Circumstances that have prevented us from meeting before now.” 

Between mind and matter ... Was this a labyrinth? If so, I don’t sense a witch. But it was obvious some sort of magic was at play, a particularly strong magic I suspect. I let him continue, as I had a feeling that fighting my way out of here would be difficult, but did not lower my gun. 

“As with previous guests, we are offering our services to you.” 

“Services?” I questioned. 

“We will explain when those services when they become available. For now, a greeting is all we can provide. We will meet again when you awaken to your potential.” 

“But you haven’t explained-” I didn’t even blink and I was back in the hospital. 

Grunting, I went about my new loop routine. Nothing was any different until I entered the last labyrinth of the night. 

A young woman with blue braided hair turned to face me. She wasn’t Witch-kissed and seemed perfectly aware of her surroundings, which shouldn’t be possible. She was too old to have magical potential. 

“Um-” 

I cut her off. “Stay right there. I’ll finished this quickly.” 

I stopped time and sprinted to where I knew the Witch was hiding. Some C4 and the Witch when up in flames. 

The labyrinth faded as I picked up the Grief Seed. 

“Excuse me.” 

I turned to the blue haired woman. “You should just forget what you saw today.” 

“Wait-!” 

I was already gone. 

*** 

I was returning to my apartment about 24 hours later when I noticed police cars parked in front of the complex. 

That had never happened before, not even in the early loops. 

I found a good perch on top of a nearby building and listened in to some chatting officers. 

“Why the hell are we looking for a random middle schooler who isn’t even missing?” 

“Apparently it’s above our pay grade to know.” 

“Fucking Shadow Operatives.” 

Shadow Operatives? What could they want with me? 

Is it possible that they found out about the weapons I stole? 

In any case, there was investigating to do. 

Investigating that wasn’t baring any fruit. I had gone through hours of police reports to no avail. Nothing, like they didn’t even exist. 

I ended up temporary giving up to go hunt some Witches. On the way to one, I noticed a suited man talking to some police officers. On a gut feeling, I stopped to listen. 

“Still nothing?” 

“Barely a trace. We even tried the hounds but they kept leading us to dead ends.” 

The suited man rubbed his beard before dismissing the officers. He pulled out a phone and dialed an unseen number. 

“Any updates?” A feminine voice spoke from the other side. 

“None. I think we need Yamagishi if we want any chance of finding her.” 

“Yamagishi will be back in Miktakihara tomorrow. Keep searching, and keep me updated.” 

“Will do.” 

Sensing that I probably wouldn’t get anything else, I left. At the very least, I had a name now, though I don’t know why they were so confident this Yamagishi could find me. 

I entered the labyrinth and began making my way to the witch, idly noting a few stray witch kissed people inside.  

I was in the middle of activating my time stop to wipe out a large gathering of Familiars when I heard someone cry out: “Watch-” 

Whirling around in stopped time, I saw who I barely recognized as the man I just eavesdropped on. He was wearing an outfit akin to a magical girl’s, a great-sword in his hands, with what looked like a Witch floating behind him, only it looked more sensical than the usual insane appearances of Witches. 

There were too many impossible things about the display in front of me. One, he was an adult male , the exact opposite of the Incubator’s clientele. The was no way he was contracted. The lack of a notable Soul Gem backed up that. Was it possible that there was some other way to harness magic that I did not know of? 

Then there was the not-Witch, which was more of a puzzle than having an adult male use magic. Was he possessed? His back was turned to the not-Witch, that implied some level of trust or perhaps he didn’t know it was there? 

Either way, I didn’t like this situation. I grabbed a bazooka and fell back behind the man and not-Witch and out of the Familiar’s range. 

Time resumed and the Not-Witch plowed through the Familiars with it’s chains while the man looked around in near-frantic confusion. The Not-Witch looked my direction and immediately the man spun around to face me and flinched. “And I thought Noir having a grenade launcher was ridiculous...” He muttered before dropping his sword and raising up his hands, the not-Witch fading away and a black mask oddly forming on the man’s face. 

There were so many questions to ask, but I settled with, “Who are you and how did you find me?” 

“My codename’s Wolf, it’s policy not use our real names in places like this.” He gestured to our surroundings. “As for finding you, it was a complete accident. I was following some odd behaving people and I wound up here. Had no idea you were in here.” 

“Why are you after me anyway?” 

“Figured you knew about that with how well you have been avoiding us.” He frowned. “You saved one of our reserve members from one of these and we want to know exactly what these things are.” 

The blue-haired woman! Of course, that had been the only thing different about this timeline. She didn’t look like she would have any connection to the police though. 

“...You work for the police?”  

“We are very much an unofficial section.” Wolf shuffled his feet a bit. “If that’s a problem, I can make sure nothing leads back to you. I’ve worked with kids distrustful of the police before.” 

I frowned in thought for a moment before I saw more familiars coming our direction. “On the condition that I can back out whenever I please with no repercussions, I will work with you.” 

“Of course.” 

I stopped time and quickly destroyed the Witch. 

The labyrinth disappeared as I grabbed the Grief Seed. 

“Wow, Yamagishi wasn’t kidding...” Wolf glanced at the collapsed Witch’s victims. “What about-” 

“They’ll be fine. Let’s find a better place to talk. Oh, and please call off the search for me.” 

After he called off the search citing mistaken identity, we sat down at small café. Conversation was sparse until we got our respective drinks. 

“I suppose a proper introduction is due. I’m Zenkichi Hasegawa, used to be regular investigator until the Shadow Operatives picked me up.” He held out a hand to shake but I didn’t take it. 

“Who are Shadow Operatives exactly?” 

“We deal with Shadow and Persona related activity.” At my raised eyebrow, he continued. “Ah, I suppose you wouldn’t know the proper name. Shadows are those monsters we fought, though they are usually less... trippy. They are born from humans, specifically from repressed psyche. Personas are tamed personal Shadows. You saw Valjean back there.” 

Taking a sip, I mulled over his words. Witches and Familiars fit quite nicely into that definition. Wouldn’t be surprised if there was a connection there. But the concept of Personas intrigued me. Having my Witch work for me. An edge that would undoubtably help in the future. 

I set down my drink. “I’ll tell you what I know, but in exchange, I want to know how to gain a Persona myself.” 

“Well, according to Yamagishi, your Persona is already partly awakened. Honestly, we do not know much about partial awakenings because of how rare they are. Usually, significant exposure to danger causes an awakening but confronting your shadow and accepting it is considered a more reliable way.” 

I frowned. What would make this Yamagishi say that? “Confronting, as in a literal confrontation?” 

Zenkichi scratched his beard. “Yes, but I have never been present for an awakening like that. One of my comrades arriving tomorrow awakened their Persona that way though. You can ask her about it. Not saying that’s all we’ll do for you, but it’s a start.” 

“I suppose it is time for my side of the bargain.” I took another sip, idly wondering how to phrase this without revealing myself as a Magical Girl. “I don’t know about the Shadows you have encountered, but these particular Shadows tend to influence humans into suicide to feed off them or directly drag them into their labyrinths, that pocket dimension we were in, to attack them directly.” 

He frowned. “Do you know how long this has been going on?” 

“Definitely longer than I have been aware of it.” 

He asked a few more questioned that I gave vague answers to before seeming satisfied. We exchanged phone numbers and he got up. “I would appreciate it if you stopped by our temporary base tomorrow to meet the others.” 

“Alright.” 

*** 

After some munition raids and armory maintenance, I went over to the address given to me. I was an apartment in a standard complex, nothing too out of the ordinary. 

I briskly knocked on the door and was soon greeted by a blonde woman opening the door. “I take it you are Homura Akemi?” I nodded she led me inside. 

Odd-looking machinery lined the far wall with some noticeable boxes of various ammunitions in a pile next to them. The blue-haired woman I saved looked up from said machinery. A girl with metallic limbs and school uniform I didn’t recognize lounged on the couch next to Zenkichi.  

Zenkichi stood up. “Glad you could make it. Let me introduce my comrades.” He motioned to the blue-haired who waved. “This is Fuuka Yamagishi. She handles data collection and analyzation. Aigis is the one who let you in,” The blonde stepped into my line of sight and nodded. “And finally, Labrys.” 

“Pleased to meet you.” Labrys said in a notable accent. 

I nodded politely before speaking. “I take it you want something a bit more than simple introductions?” 

The room grew tense. 

Fuuka fidgeted. “Well, we were hoping you could lead us into one of these pocket dimensions so we can run some tests. Zenkichi did report that you, unlike us, are able to sense them.” 

I did say that. I frowned. “I could but not with confidence that none of you will get hurt once we get inside. Those places are dangerous after all and I can only be in so many places at one time.” 

“Labrys, Zenkichi, and I are capable to defending ourselves, Fuuka, and any equipment we might bring in.” Aigis stated. 

“I’ll hold you to that.” 

Fuuka picked up a laptop while Labrys retrieved an axe bigger than herself from the corner of the room and attached it to her back. 

“Alright, let’s go!” Labrys said before meeting my questioning gaze. “Oh, don’t worry. Most people think it's just cosplay.” 

Before I could question it, Fuuka spoke up. “Also, before we go, I sensed another person that had a partially awakened Persona. Do you happen to know anything about them?” 

Of course they noticed Mami. I couldn’t let them contact her. If they learned about Magical Girls, or worse, about where Witches came from, I had no idea how they would react. “Her name is Mami Tomoe. I would avoid her as she is extremely unstable.” 

The four exchanged glances. “How unstable are we talking?” Zenkichi asked. 

I took in a deep breath. “She nearly killed me. If it was not for Ma- my friend, I would be dead.” 

Another exchange of glances. “We will be wary of her.” Aigis responded. 

I lead them to a familiar’s labyrinth I remembered the location of. Better to be safe than sorry.  

“Here we are.” I said when we were just shy of the entrance, an empty alleyway.  

As the others glanced around, Fuuka opened up her laptop and frowned at what she saw. “I’m not getting any abnormal readings at all...” 

“Have you tried scanning with your Persona?” Aigis suggested. 

“I was just about to.” She set down her computer and retrieved a gun from her bag. 

It was a model, I could tell that instantly. That made it all the more confusing when she pressed the barrel to her head and fired. 

The sound of breaking glass filled the air as a feminine figure formed around Fuuka. 

I looked at Zenkichi, who seemed completely unbothered. He met my gaze and said, “Oh, that was an Evoker. It’s used to summon Personas in the real world. I don’t know exactly how it works, something about the fear of death or something.” 

“...Do all the Shadow Operatives carry those?” 

“When on duty, though there are a few members who don’t need them.” 

“I’m sensing something.” Our attention turned back to Fuuka as her Persona disappeared. “It’s faint though. We probably need to engage to get the data we need.” 

Aigis nodded before looking at me. “According to our reports, you seemed to able to do a large amount of damage in a short amount of time.” 

I frowned. “...Why are you bringing this up?” 

She blinked. “I am simply strategizing. It’s my duty as operation leader.” 

“I’ll step in if it is necessary.” 

The blonde stared at me until she figured out that I wasn’t going to say anything more. “Zenkichi and Labrys will take point. I will be in the backlines for support.” 

Labrys’ axe seemingly jumped off her back and into her hand, completing deploying it with a flick. “Hellfire protocol?”  

“Only if I am down or Fuuka is in imminent danger.” Aigis responded, not making a visible effort to prepare herself. 

I turned to Zenkichi who was mid-stretch. “Hellfire protocol?” 

“Nuclear option basically. Not enjoyable for anyone.” 

“Well...” Labrys started. 

“Excuse me, only enjoyable to one person.” 

Labrys frowned but did not respond. 

Zenkichi glanced around. “So do we wait to be sucked in or-” 

A spear stabbed the air in front of us, causing the glyph-like entrance to the labyrinth to appear. 

He nearly jumped out of his skin. “Jesus, Aigis! At least give a little warning next time! How did you even know that was going to work?” 

“I didn’t.” She said, not looking apologetic at all.  

I had to stop myself from backing away from the Greek looking Persona. There was something different about that Persona than Zenkichi’s or Fuuka’s, something dangerous, though I couldn’t put my finger on it. 

The Persona twisted its spear, and the Labyrinth exploded into being around us. 

Zenkichi’s not Magical Girl outfit manifested but Labrys, Aigis, and Fuuka’s clothing remained the same. 

I idly transformed myself and watched them work. 

Aigis’ persona raised it spear and I felt my magic being boosted in several different ways. Before I could pounder this ability, Labrys and Zenkichi struck. 

It was obvious that they were used to working together, as they both slashed the Familiar without remotely getting in each other’s way. 

“Ariadne!” Labrys yelled and a white Persona appeared and the remains of the Familiar were shredded red lines shaped like saw blades. 

The Labyrinth faded and the three combatants relaxed.  

“Huh, thought it would put up more of a fight...” Labrys mused as she flicked her axe up and it returned to her back. Still didn’t know how she was doing that. “Did you get any data from that, Fuuka?” 

Fuuka’s Persona faded. “A little bit. If I get more, I can create an algorithm to track these entrances.” 

I suppressed a frown. I didn’t want them to be able to track Witches as they could starve out Mami and I and find out about the Magical Girl system. Plus, they were more competent than I had expected, and I still haven’t seen their full abilities. They may be able to back Mami into a corner if they worked together. 

Though that would make them incredible assets against Walpurgisnact. Now that they were here, there was no way they were going to miss Walpurgisnacht. 

Zenkichi walked over to where the Familiar was and looked around. 

Shit. He saw me pick up the Grief Seed. How could I be so careless? 

He soon gave up the search though did not comment on it. 

“Akemi.” I looked over at Aigis. “Is there any other entrances you can sense right now?” 

“No.” A half lie. I didn’t sense any but I didn’t really need to sense anything this far into the loops. 

The blonde frowned slightly. “Then we will call on you at a later date.” 

I wanted to asked about awakening a Persona but I was possessed by the need to leave. 

So I did, but my anxiety did not fade. 

Chapter Text

The Shadow Operatives reconvened at their temporary base. 

“So,” Zenkichi started. “She is definitely hiding something.” 

“Do you think she’s in a situation like Akechi was in?” Labrys asked. 

“I don’t think she’s behind any of the Shadow activity, but she’s definitely connected to it.” Fuuka frowned at her laptop. “I did a more through scan of her and it seems like her Persona is stuck in a sort of limbo between being a full-fledged Shadow or Persona. Sadly, I do not have the data to compare this to any other partly awakened Persona users.” 

“There is Mami Tomoe,” Aigis suggested. “Though, according to Akemi’s vitals and body language, something highly traumatic did indeed happen between them.”  

“Also, I doubt Akemi would appreciate us disregarding her advice.” Zenkichi sighed. 

“Hate to go behind her back too, but if we call in some backup, we might get around betraying her trust.” Labrys suggested. 

“Mitsuru was working on scrambling on some more agents to send our way.” Aigis said. 

Fuuka’s laptop began to ring. 

“Speak of the devil...” Zenkichi muttered before they all assembled together to all be seen in the camera. 

The call started, and Mitsuru Kirijo, a regal looking woman long red hair, appeared on the monitor. Short greetings were traded before she asked for updates. 

“We found the where the Shadow Nest is, the problem is not just one, it’s a cluster of unconnected Nests with no uniform entrance and no current reliable way to track said entrances. The Nests also seem to collapse when the Shadows within are taken care of.” Fuuka reported. 

Mitsuru frowned in thought. “What about Akemi?” 

“She’s partially awakened and can sense the Shadow Nests, but we otherwise don’t know much about her. Even our background check just confuses things. Though she did identify someone like her, a Mami Tomoe, however it was with a warning to stay away from her, citing instability.” Aigis crossed her arms. “I request that a separate unit investigate her as we don’t want to burn bridges with Akemi.” 

“I’ll work on making a separate cover story for them then. Though it will still be a few days until I can get anyone else out there.” 

“Understood.” 

*** 

Madoka stirred at the sound of ticking. Opening her eyes, she found herself seated in a blue room she dimly recognized as the inside of a clocktower. Curious, she peered out the stained-glass clock face to find the scorched remnants of Mitakihara. 

Madoka jumped up but before she could completely descend into panic, a voice broke her out of it. “Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear guest.” 

Flinching slightly, she turned to see a funny looking man behind a desk flanked by a girl with a large book. Madoka wrung her hands nervously. “Um, hello?” 

“Greetings! I am Igor and this my assistant, Lavenza.” The funny looking man gestured to the girl with the large book, who simply nodded. 

Madoka looked out the ruined Mitakihara. “Um-” 

“Do not worry. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. This place is simply reflecting the state of your heart.” 

“The state of my heart?” She echoed. Why would her heart reflect such... ruin? 

“A great importance has been placed upon you. They could be the chains that bind you to the earth or the wings to free yourself.” 

Madoka blinked, not quite understanding. But before she could say anything else, the great chime of the hour cried out. 

“Our time is at its end. ‘til we meet again.” 

Madoka jolted up in bed. 

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she shook her head. 

It was just a dream. An incredibly vivid dream. One that she remembered as well as if she experienced in the waking world. 

Huh. 

She got ready for the day, just like always. 

*** 

The next night Madoka had another dream of Mitakihara’s ruins, only this time she wasn’t in that blue clocktower. She was on a perch, overlooking a battle between a girl with long black hair and swirling nightmare of lace and gears. 

Well, battle maybe a bit of a stretch. It was more like a slaughter. 

Yet the black haired girl did not retreat. 

“It’s sad really.” Madoka startles at the sudden voice, one just like her own. She looks to her side to see a what could have been a doppelganger, if she could see the face under that white porcelain mask. She was sitting, legs and her long, black dress dangling over the edge. “No matter how she tries, fate remains unshakable.” 

“Who..?” Madoka barely mutters and the doppelganger turned her head to her. There were no eye holes in the doppelganger’s mask yet Madoka felt her gaze all the same. 

“It’s unfair yet she bares the burden gladly.” The doppelganger puts a hand to her heart. “All for us.” 

“I don’t...” Madoka trails off. She was missing something. Something important. But she did not know what. 

“It’s okay. If we’re talking now then perhaps things can change.” The doppelganger’s voice gained a sorrowful tone. “And perhaps we can truly meet. I’ll be by your side when the time comes.” 

Madoka woke up again remembering her dream just like before. It unnerved her somewhat, but it was a school day and she needed to get ready.  

Everything was going normally, until Ms. Saotome announced the arrival of a transfer student. 

A transfer student that looked just like the girl in her dream. 

She was confused, naturally, but under that confusion was dread. 

A gnawing feeling that chewed away at her stomach. 

There had to be a reason why Homura Akemi appeared in a dream laced with such destruction. 

And if anything, those odd words Homura had said to her during break just added fuel to the fire. 

“She said what to you?” Sayaka nearly spat out her drink when Madoka recounted her and Homura’s conversation after school. “Man, what a weirdo.” 

Hitomi hummed thoughtfully. “This may be an odd question, but have you two met before?” 

Madoka frowned. “Well, I want to say no, but last night, I had a dream with her in it…” 

Sayaka snorted. “What is this, an anime?” 

“It’s possible that you’ve seen her before and recalled her face in your dream.” Hitomi reasoned. 

...It was possible, but those dreams didn’t feel so random. Though, Madoka didn’t really want to talk about a destroyed Mitakihara, imaginary or not. 

Eventually, Hitomi had to go off to attend her lessons, so Sayaka and Madoka went to the music store to get something for Kyosuke.  

That is when Madoka heard a voice in her head, begging for her to save it. 

It felt like dread had consumed her entire stomach. 

Still, she followed the voice. 

Followed even as it led her to a closed off section of the mall. 

The dread had worked its self up her throat. 

A loud bang startled Madoka, causing her to fall on the ground. 

But she wasn’t the only thing that fell. 

A small, white creature speckled with red fell out of a vent before her. 

The dread had devoured her tongue. 

Yet she still spoke. 

“Is that you-?”  

Suddenly, Madoka’s vision swam as nausea overtook her. 

But only for a second. 

She regained her senses just fast enough to see the white creature burn up in what she can only describe as unholy flames. 

Madoka recoiled in horror, a scared yelp escaping her lips. 

Followed by a sharp inhale. 

Madoka looked up to see... Homura? 

No, no it couldn’t be. 

The thing before her couldn’t be Homura. Homura didn’t have those piercing yellow eyes. 

Though it wore her face. 

Well, almost completely wore her face. 

One cheek had been viciously ripped off, exposing muscle and teeth. 

And that was nothing compared to the state of the rest of her body. 

The weird, tattered, cosplay-like uniform covered her shoulders and most of her arms, but not her torso. 

Madoka wanted to throw up looking at it. 

The doppelgangers ribs were exposed, along with all the organs within. 

Including a heart. 

A still, unbeating heart. 

It shouldn’t be standing, much less looking at her. 

Are we in some kind of zombie movie, Sayaka would say. She had the kind of will to fight, the will to survive in a scenario like that. 

Madoka did not. 

Dread was pouring out of her mouth. 

Then, the doppelganger’s uncanny stillness ceased with the expansion of its lungs. It looked away, jaw muscles clenching before saying in a tiny voice. “Don’t... don’t look at me like that.” 

Confusion replaced some of the horror, but only some. Madoka continued to stare. 

“Please.” It’s eyes tightened. “If you can only look at me like that, I would rather you not look at me at all.” 

Madoka wanted to say something, anything, but she didn’t get the chance before the situation was flipped on its head. 

She couldn’t quite process what had happened, with it being so quick, but a fire extinguisher exploded against a far wall and the doppelganger’s expression had morphed into something completely different. 

“Sayaka Miki.” It spat with pure poison. “How nice of you to join us.” 

Madoka glanced over her shoulder to see Sayaka gapping at the doppelganger. 

“You know, if you really wanted to save Madoka, you should have sprayed me, instead of throwing it at me.” It laughed like a Sunday cartoon villain. “But you’ll all talk. When it matters you break !” 

The doppelganger was suddenly up in Sayaka’s face. Sayaka recoiled and tried to shove it away but it grabbed her by the collar and hosted her up into the air. 

“Sayaka!” Madoka tried to scramble to her feet but couldn’t quite find her balance. 

“You know, I should just kill you. Save myself the trouble later.” Its skinless hand erupted in those unholy flames. 

“No! Sayaka!”  

“Madoka-” Sayaka choked out. “Run! Get away from here!” 

Tears sprung from Madoka’s eyes. “I’m not leaving you!” 

Yet the doppelganger made no move to harm Sayaka. The manic grin on its face faded and its gaze turned to something behind Madoka. “You know, it’s quite unusual for you not to shoot first and ask questions later, Mami Tomoe.” 

A gasp and Madoka turned to the source find a blonde with a musket of all things trained on the doppelganger. “...What are you? Are you... a Witch?” 

The doppelganger dropped Sayaka and started laughing. It laughed and laughed, clutching its exposed stomach, clutching its face until it stilled, its features dead as its owner should be. “I should kill you for that.” 

The blonde narrowed her eyes. 

“What wrong? Don’t you want to shoot me?” It jutted out its arms in a taunt and leaned forward. “Aren’t you the hero? The noble protector of the innocent? And me, who is always the-” Gripping the side of its head, the doppelganger pulled out a chunk of its own hair. “- villain ?” 

There was a click and the doppelganger’s expression shifted once again, this time into one of utter disgust. “Late! Late! You’re always late !” 

It whirled around to reveal who could only be the real Homura.  

She was wearing a similar outfit, only whole and free of blood, and was pointing a pistol at the doppelganger. 

She studied it in silence for a moment, before saying, “What are you doing here?” 

“What am I doing here? What am I doing here ?” It spat. “ I am doing the job you are neglecting !” 

Homura eyes flickered to the blonde, then Sayaka and Madoka. 

“What? Did you think those Shadow Operative would hand everything to you on a silver platter? You’re making me think you’re forgetting your wish.” 

Homura tensed. “This is not the time. Not the place.” 

The doppelganger snorted. “Fine. We’ll see which of us will go forward. It will be decided were this all began. If you haven’t already discarded that memory.” 

And with that, the doppelganger was gone. 

There were a few heartbeats of silence before Sayaka said. “What the hell.” 

Chapter Text

Another wave of nausea passed over Madoka, and from how the others reacted, they felt it too. 

Homura frowned and somehow stowed away her gun into her shield before turning and beginning to walk away. 

“You knew that-” The blonde started. 

“I’ll handle it.” 

“But-” 

“I’ll handle it.” 

And Homura was gone just like the Doppelganger. 

The blonde sighed and let go of her musket, that burst in ribbons upon losing contact with her. She turned to Madoka and Sayaka, a strained smile on her face. “I think you’re owed some explanations... even if I can only offer some.” 

So that’s how Madoka and Sayaka followed Mami Tomoe out of the abandoned section of the mall and to her apartment. 

Though on the way, Madoka spotted an odd group of people going the opposite direction, towards where everything just happened. She caught the eye the blue haired woman, who looked at her with confusion. 

But it was only a fleeting moment. 

When Mami opened the door to her apartment, that white creature from before was there, holding up one of its paws like it was hurt. 

“Kyubey! You’re hurt!” Mami rushed to its side, pulling out a glowing egg like gem. 

Madoka just stared at it. She swore she saw it consumed by that odd fire... Could it be a different member of the same species? 

With a nudge from Sayaka, Madoka went in a shut the door behind them. 

“Thank you, Mami.” Madoka couldn’t help but flinch at the telepathic voice. 

The same voice that guided her to that fake Homura. 

“Did that thing... just talk?” Sayaka asked. 

“Yes.” Mami chuckled lightly. “This is Kyubey and well... I’m a Magical Girl.” 

Normally, both Sayaka and Madoka would be gushing over a real life Magical Girl, but the events of earlier weighed too heavily on their minds. 

Mami’s smile flickered as if she knew this. “Now, I would usually start explaining what a Magical Girl is but there are more pressing problems.” 

“You must be talking about the Shadow.” Kyubey stated. 

Mami blinked. “The... Shadow?” 

“The quote unquote doppelganger of Homura Akemi.” Kyubey leaped up onto the table. “It has been hunting me quite persistently for most of the day. I was lucky to have gotten away from it.” 

Sayaka flinched. “I don’t envy you. I thought that thing was going to kill me.” 

Madoka once again just stared at Kyubey, not knowing how to process what he was saying with what she saw. 

“What is a Shadow? Is it a type of Witch?” Mami asked. 

“The are both in the same category, yes, but there are noticeable differences. For example, Shadows usually have no way of bringing victims into their world by themselves, unlike Witches.” 

“Usually?” Sayaka said. 

Kyubey nodded. “Most people never encounter Shadows as they can only exist by themselves in alternate parallel dimension. That Shadow is odd as it was able to drag in people into its plane, much like how a Witch does.” 

Sayaka frowned. “I think we’re missing a few things.” 

“Witches are what us Magical Girls hunt.” Mami explained. “They are... a bit hard to describe, but they feed off of the despair and suffering of humans. They lay in these pocket dimensions called Labyrinths and ensnare the minds of those who wander close and force them to do horrific acts. If they don’t just drag their victims into their Labyrinths themselves.” 

“That’s horrible!” Madoka stuttered. Though the more and more she thought about it, the more Homura’s doppelganger seemed to differ. 

At first, it was very docile, only asking her not to look at it. It only got agitated when Sayaka threw a fire extinguisher at it. 

And even then, even with all of its threats... it felt like an act. 

It had called itself the villain but it seemed like it was just doing what was expected of it. It had ample time to kill Sayaka but it didn’t. 

“Why did that Shadow thing look like Homura, though? And it seemed to know her...” Sayaka wondered aloud. 

“That’s because that specific Shadow was born from her.” Kyubey’s tail swished back and forth. “It’s quite worrisome that such a strong Shadow spawned from her. It signals an intense inner darkness. If only I knew more about her...” 

Mami frowned. “Didn’t you contract her?” 

“She is a Magical Girl, so yes, but I have no memory of it.” 

“Well, maybe she contracted with someone else?” Sayaka said. 

“While such contracts are possible, they would not create a Soul Gem.” 

Mami blinked. “There are other contracts possible?” 

“Yes, specifically contracts with Shadows. They are much rarer than my contracts and work quite differently.” 

Sayaka recoiled. “Why would anyone want to contract with one of those things?” 

Kyubey looked at Sayaka. “You underestimate the human lust for power.” 

Madoka suddenly remembered something that Homura’s Shadow said. “...Are the Shadow Operatives some of those people that have contracted with Shadows?” 

Kyubey made a show of bristling. “Yes. How did you know that?” 

Mami’s frown deepened. “That Shadow mentioned them, like Akemi had been in contact with them.” 

“That is exceptionally bad. That specific group has heavy ties to the Japanese government, and if they catch wind of Magical Girls, they will most likely start to hunt them. And they will probably have the government on their side.” 

“What? Why would they do that?” Sayaka cried out. 

“I wouldn’t know their exact reasoning, but I know it has happened before. That situation was contained because it was a smaller and less organized group.” 

Something in Madoka stirred. It wasn’t the overwhelming dread from before, or maybe it was simply a different flavor of dread. 

She remembered her own Doppelganger in her dream. Was that... another Shadow? Was it born from Madoka like Homura’s was from hers? Did... everyone had a Shadow? Madoka didn’t know. 

It was all so overwhelming. 

“I must stress that you cannot tell anyone about Magical Girls.” Kyubey stared at Sayaka and Madoka. “So many lives hang in the balance.” 

They hastily agreed, not considering the contrary. 

*** 

I understood what Zenkichi meant by confrontation now. 

I just had to beat my Shadow into submission. 

Though our time stops don’t affect each other which simultaneously makes this easier and harder. 

Nevertheless, I will prevail. 

Failure was not an option. 

I arrived at the spot where I made my contract all those timelines ago. It looked so different unravaged, just a normal building. 

I felt myself being pulled into that not quite a Witch Labyrinth world and there it was. 

A testament to my weakness. 

“I wouldn’t allow you to become a Witch.” The Shadow stated. “A Witch cannot protect Madoka, so go all out. Neither will I kill you. I need that body. And I will receive it, even if it is in pieces.” 

I had no words to say to it, so simply pulled a machine gun and started firing. 

So our dance began. 

A dance of bullets and blood. 

We traded shots, though few drew close enough to draw blood. 

I grit my teeth. I knew this wouldn’t be an easy fight but I couldn’t help but be frustrated by the lack of progress. 

It was tempting to use explosives, but I didn’t want to kill it and it would be easy for something to go wrong without my time stop. At least the Shadow felt the same. 

On and on, the fight went with more and more ammo being spent. I didn’t think about it potentially sharing ammo with me until we were both out. 

The Shadow growled when all that emitted from her pistol was a dull click and tossed it aside. It drew a combat knife from it shield and lunged at me. 

I did the same. 

Neither of us were as skilled at knives as guns, but we made up for it in pure ferocity and stubbornness. Neither backing down despite what injuries the other inflicted on them. 

I couldn’t tell how long this battle had been going on, but both of us were slowing down. Instinct told me my Soul Gem was near breaking, but I didn’t dare disengage to use a Grief Seed. No, I couldn’t give such an opening. I had to win. 

I had to. 

I had to. 

My leg locked up mid swing, sending me careening to the ground. No, No!  

I can’t lose! 

I can’t! 

I looked up to see the Shadow standing before me, more grotesque and mangled than before. One of its lungs had collapsed from a lucky shot and the other desperately drew in breath. It tried to take a step but fumbled and fell. 

The Shadow shakily rolled over onto its back before it started laughing, a painful almost gurgling sound. “Well, this got us nowhere.” 

I simply glared at it. 

“Ah, don’t look at me like that. If it weren’t for you, Madoka would have already been saved.” 

I opened my mouth to retort but it cut me off. “But I see now that struggling against you is a waste of energy. Energy that should be used for Madoka. So there you go. You win.” 

I blinked, disbelieving. 

The Shadow smirked. “Unless you want to reject me.” 

“Shut up and become a Persona already.” 

It laughed. “Of course, a weakling like you would need my power. But fine. We work together from now on.” It reached out a hand. “For Madoka’s sake.” 

I shakily grasped it. “For Madoka’s sake.” 

The Shadow glowed blue and slowly shifted into another shape.  

A tall figure in dark gothic dress emerged from a stone coffin. Its forearms and hands were skeletal, holding an old rifle with a bayonet. A hat whose brim was a record shadowed a hollowed-out abyss of a face, leaving behind only a pale white jaw. The only real color on it was the red spider lily pinned to its chest. 

Unknown Soldier, a name came to me. 

She nodded and faded into a tarot card that then disappeared into my being. Both of us were too tired to feel our new strength. 

As the Witch Labyrinth like world faded, so did my consciousness. I was just... so tired. It was like all the loops, the failures, were all tugging down on me at once.  

I should resist but... my blank mind couldn’t find a reason to. 

I dimly heard someone calling out, but I couldn’t parse who or what they were saying before the darkness came and enveloped me.