I found myself standing in a desolate wasteland, the sky a sickly shade of green. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the ground beneath my feet was red, sandy, and hot to the touch. Plant-deprived mountain-like structures littered the landscape.

I looked around, searching for any signs of life, but there was nothing. Only ruins and death. But then, I heard a sound - a faint whisper carried on the wind.

"Ikki..."

It was a voice I knew but from where? I turned, searching for the source of the sound, but no one was there. The whisper came again, louder this time.

"Ikazuchi!"

This time, I recognized the voice. It was my mother's - a voice I hadn't heard since she died twelve years ago.

"Mama?" I called out, my voice echoing in the stillness.

Silence.

But then, as if in response, the ground began to shake. I stumbled, struggling to keep my balance as the earth beneath me split open.

From the crevice emerged a horde of monsters. They were unlike anything I had ever seen - humanoid creatures with twisted limbs, razor-sharp claws, and eyes that glowed with an unearthly orange light.

I reached for my pistol, but it was gone. I was defenseless.

The monsters closed in, with their fangs bared as they lunged at me.

I closed my eyes, bracing for impact. But instead of sharp teeth sinking into my flesh, I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes to see my mother standing before me. She smiled softly and held out a hand.

"Ikazuchi... my little lightning," she said. "You must be strong. The world will need you."

And with those words, she vanished.

I stood there in shock, staring at where she had been. I wanted to call out to her, to beg her to come back, but I knew it was pointless. She was gone.

The monsters were still closing in, their claws getting closer and closer. I had no weapon, no way to defend myself.

I was left alone, facing the horde of monsters once again. But this time, I felt a surge of power coursing through me. It was as if my mother's words had ignited a spark within me that had been dormant for too long.

I raised my hands, and arcs of electricity crackled between my fingers. The monsters hesitated, sensing the power that now radiated from me.

Outlines of thousands upon thousands of firearms materialized in front of me, all charged with the same electric energy as my body. Muskets, pistols, rifles, machine guns, cannons, and modern artillery alike.

Each and every one was a creation of mankind's ingenuity. A story to tell of humanity's never-ending determination to survive against all odds. To survive against nature. Against each other. And against the aberrant scourge that stood before me.

Without a second thought, I materialized the weapons into existence and aimed them at the approaching horde. I pulled the triggers, and the roar that rippled across the field was deafening.

A wall of projectiles flew from the guns, tearing through the air and striking the monsters with deadly accuracy. They fell to the ground, their twisted forms writhing in pain as the electricity coursed through them.

I continued to fire, my arms never tiring as I took down monster after monster. The ground shook with each blast, the air thick with smoke and the scent of burning flesh.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. The last monster fell to the ground, its body smoldering from the electric charge.

I dispelled the guns, looking around at the destruction I had wrought. It was a wasteland, a place of death and ruin.

But there was something else, too. A feeling of hope. A sense that maybe, just maybe, humanity still had a chance. That we could still survive.

I felt my mother's presence again, this time in my mind. "My little lightning," she whispered. "Many trials will come. You must be strong, you must be brave. You must never give up."

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and let the tears flow freely down my cheeks. I knew that my mother was right. There was still so much to fight for, so much to protect.

Suddenly, the whistle of a sword drawn from its scabbard snapped me out of my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see a figure approaching me, their features obscured by the smoke and haze.

Her strike was swift and precise, the blade cutting through the air with deadly grace as her long hair rippled through the wind. I dodged to the side just in time, my heart racing as I realized who my attacker was.

Mom?!

No. The gait, eyes, and jawline were all wrong. My assailant wore a cloak covering her face, making it impossible to identify her. She lunged at me again, the sword glinting in the dim light.

I instinctively summoned a titanium shield, blocking her next strike. We circled each other, each looking for an opening in the other's defenses.

"Who are you?" I demanded, my eyes narrowing as I prepared for another attack.

"Shut up..." she hissed, her voice low and menacing. "You... you're just wearing his face."

I was taken aback by her words. What did she mean by 'his face'? I had no idea what was happening, but I knew I had to be careful. This woman was clearly dangerous.

But she lunged at me again before I could ask her anything else. This time, I was ready. I summoned four plasma Raiju drones and fired them at her.

She deflected it with her sword, the blade ringing out as it collided with the plasma charge. I could see her eyes now, full of anger and hatred.

"You killed them," she spat, her voice cold and full of rage. "You could have turned back! You didn't have to betray us like that!"

"I killed who? Turn back from what?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she charged at me again, her sword singing as it sliced through the air. I dodged her attack, then took it into the air as she swung again, tearing through the ground where I had just stood.

As she regained her balance, I noticed a glint of metal around her neck. It was a silver locket.

I stared at it momentarily, feeling a sense of familiarity wash over me. I had seen that pendant before but couldn't quite remember where. Her swordsmanship and footwork were familiar too. It tickled a memory, but it was right out of my grasp.

The cloaked woman noticed my distraction and took advantage of it, striking me with renewed ferocity. I parried her attack, but her strength was overwhelming. Her sword pushed against my shield with such force that it shattered the mountains around us.

"You don't remember, do you?" she sneered. "You don't remember how you took everything from me. How you destroyed everyone we loved!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I protested, trying to deflect her next strike.

But it was no use. She was too powerful, too consumed by her own rage. With one final shove, she knocked me down. I lay on the ground in agony, my chest heaving as I stared up at her.

"I'm going to make you remember," she hissed. "I'm going to make you feel every ounce of pain you've caused me! That you've caused the world! All the tears and suffering!"

She raised her sword and brought it down toward me with a primal scream of rage and sorrow.

As she moved in for the kill, I had no choice but to summon the last of my energy. I focused my mind, calling forth a massive electrical charge that surged through my body as I looked her in the eyes. Her eyes were familiar, but I couldn't quite place from where. They were painfully familiar.

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The sword was inches away from my throat when I finally saw her face. Her emotions shifted from anger to bewilderment, then to sorrow. Tears began to flow from her eyes as her hand began to tremble.

"No..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "No... this is not real. This can't be happening..."

The cloaked woman hesitated, likely sensing the power emanating from me. And in that moment of hesitation, I struck.

With a flick of my wrist, I created a massive steel spear imbued with electricity and shot it through her, impaling her. She sailed through the air and landed a couple of yards away from me on the ground. My spear had severed her silver locket, causing it to clatter on the floor with a dull thud.

I'm sorry.

Panting, I staggered to my feet and approached her. I knelt beside her, feeling the weight of my power as I stared at her prone form.

I pulled back her hood, and my heart skipped a beat. The exposed face was that of a young woman in her early twenties, with long black hair and brown eyes. Eyes that were identical to my own.

"I-Izumi?" I whispered in disbelief. She was my sister.

She was breathing heavily, her eyes shifting from side to side. I knew that she was dying.

"Brother... is it really you?" she asked, her voice cracking as she struggled to speak.

I nodded, tears welling up in my eyes. "It's me, Izumi. I'm sorry that I hurt you. I'll do anything to make this right."

She smiled; her face was still full of pain. "No... you can't... it's too late..."

My sister breathed a heavy breath, her eyes still locked with mine. I could see the pain there, the anger, but also relief.

Izumi slumped limply in my arms, and I realized she was dead. I stood up and stared down at the corpse of my sister.

I looked down at the silver locket on the ground beside her body. I picked it up and opened it, revealing a small photo of our father and the two of us as children.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at the photo, memories flooding back to me. I remembered the day that photo was taken and how happy we were.

"What have I done?" I whispered.

I stared down at the blood pooling around Izumi's body, feeling a sense of overwhelming grief and guilt wash over me. I had killed my own sister, the only family I had left in this world.

My reflection in the pool of blood looked back at me, and my heart nearly stopped at the face that stared back at me. It was not my own but that of a man. A monster. His eyes glowed with a menacing, manic orange hue, and his hair was long, tousled, and unkempt. His face was twisted with a cruel and almost nihilistic smirk.

I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face as I let out a deep, guttural scream. I screamed for my sister, my lost childhood, and the lives I had ruined.

I woke up, gasping for breath as I flailed in bed. The dream had felt so real, so vivid.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and took a deep breath to calm my racing heart. Once I regained my composure, I got out of bed and went to the bathroom.

As I splashed water on my face, the memories of the dream began to fade. But the guilt and sadness remained heavy on my chest.

I looked at myself in the mirror, studying the face that stared back at me. It was the same face as ever. Short black hair, brown almond eyes, with double lids. Angular features. No crazed hair or creepy glowing orange eyes. A cut and bruise here and there from the car crash.

Shaking my head, I tried to dispel the lingering feelings from the dream. It was just a dream, nothing more. The smell of breakfast wafted into the bathroom, and I realized my stomach was growling. I dried my face and made my way to the kitchen.

My father was already up and cooking breakfast, humming a tune to himself as he moved around the kitchen. He turned to me and smiled.

"Good morning, son. Did you sleep well?"

I nodded, still feeling shaken from the dream. "Uh. Yeah, I did. Just had a weird dream at the end."

Dad raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What was it about?"

"It was nothing," I replied quickly, grabbing a plate of spam and canned vegetables. "Just some nonsense."

A slight twitch of motion from the living room caught my attention. Izumi held a wooden sword as Midori walked around her and adjusted her shoulders.

"Now, this is what we call the 'middle posture' in kenjutsu. It's a balanced stance to balance between attacking and defense. Keep your shoulders relaxed, Izumi! Pace yourself and remember to breathe."

Izumi nodded, her black hair tied up in a ponytail as she focused on Midori's instruction. I watched as she mimicked the stance with a wooden sword, her movements precise and focused.

My father chuckled as he noticed me staring. "Midori's decided to take your sister under her wing and teach her a little kenjutsu. They've been up all morning doing hundreds of swings — she's quite coachable, isn't she?"

I nodded absentmindedly, my thoughts still consumed by the dream. It was just a coincidence, right?

Izumi walked into the kitchen, a bright smile on her face. "Good morning, big brother!" she greeted me cheerfully.

I forced a smile onto my face. "Good morning, Izumi. Did you sleep well?"

She nodded, grabbed a plate of food, and sat down at the table. "I had the best dream ever last night. I dreamed I was a knight, fighting off evil demons and saving the world."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. "Man, that sounds like an awesome dream."

Izumi beamed at me, her eyes shining with excitement. "It was! And Midori is teaching me how to use a sword, so maybe one day I can be a real magical knight!"

My father chuckled as he sat down at the table, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Well, you'll have to start somewhere. But who knows? Maybe one day you'll be a famous swordswoman, traveling the world and challenging people to duels."

Izumi's smile widened, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and joy at her enthusiasm. She was so spunky, yet pure.

Talia took a bite of the spam and sniffed it with a scrunched-up expression on her face. "Earth's meat curing techniques are... something else." She added, pushing her plate away and opting for a glass of orange juice instead.

Midori shrugged, undeterred by Talia's dislike of the food. "It's not that bad, I think it's pretty good actually."

My father grinned, amused by Midori's adventurous palate. "At least someone appreciates my cooking."

The two children Midori had rescued from the streets, Thiago and Mei, rubbed the sleep from their eyes at the table. They reached for the plates they were given, instantly digging into the food.

"It's been a while since we had a full house," my father remarked, pouring a cup of coffee for Midori.

"Hehe. It's also nice to just have some company," Midori replied, taking a sip of her coffee.

We all sat at the table and ate breakfast together, chatting and laughing as we enjoyed the food. Any thoughts and feelings about the dream quickly dissipated.

As we finished breakfast, my father turned to Midori. "So, what do you have planned for today?"

Midori took a sip of her coffee, thinking for a moment. "Well... truth to be told, we'd come out here for two things over the weekend, really. We were going to scout out some magical girl missions to take on after midterms. And personally... I wanted to meet you and figure out if I could confirm we were related without making it awkward. I think we did a good job with the latter, if a bit haphazardly."

My father chuckled. "Yes, I think we did. I'll get some labs in to double-check, though."

Midori continued, "As for the magical girl missions, I heard that there are a couple of Ayakashi nests out in Hudson Valley. Do you know anything about that?"

My father shook his head. "I haven't heard anything about that. But I'll ask around and see if I can find out more information for you."

"Thanks, that would be really helpful," Midori replied with a smile.

Izumi looked up at Midori, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Wait. What's this about a magical girl mission?"

Midori looked at Izumi, a twinkle in her eye. "Well, there's a sanctioning international body for Magical Girls on Terra. The organization is called Babylon , and they offer missions to magical girls all over the world. These missions can range from simple tasks like helping someone with money to burn find their lost cat, to more dangerous missions like clearing out Chaos Beasts, dimensional anomalies, and other Aberrations."

Izumi's eyes widened with excitement. "That sounds amazing! Can I go on a mission too?"

Midori smiled. "Well... one big flaw with the processis that you need a Terran International Number to register with the organization, but I can help you get that. And once you have that, you can go on missions as well. The whole thing could take a year even with connections, though. Earth has magical girls, but they've been few and far in between so the whole system is pretty new."

Izumi's face fell slightly at the mention of a year, but she brightened up again quickly. "That's okay! I'll be patient. I want to help people and fight evil, just like in my dreams, you know?"

I watched as Izumi's eyes lit up with excitement. She had always been fascinated by magic and the idea of being a superhero.

My father cleared his throat, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Well, I'll make some calls and see if I can find out more about those nests in Hudson Valley. Maybe we can check them out with my boys."

Midori nodded. "That sounds like a plan. Ikki, Talia, and I planned to head back across the portal in the early afternoon, so we could have some time to rest and prepare for our recitation halls this week. But, we could stay a bit longer if you need us here."

My father smiled. "No, no, don't worry about it. Now that I've had time to actually prepare myself, I've got a handle on it, and I think we can help Mei and Thiago as well. We appreciate you coming all this way to visit. We'll make sure to catch up again soon."

Midori smiled back, finishing her coffee. "Definitely. It was great to finally meet you, and to meet Izumi as welll."

As we all stood up from the table, Thiago and Mei looked up at Midori curiously. "Are you really a magical girl?" Mei asked timidly with shimmering eyes.

Midori chuckled. "Yes, I am. And maybe one day, you can be one too."

The morning went by like a blur, filled with laughter and chatter. Midori continued running Izumi through calisthenics, and basic sword and staff drills, focusing on exercises she could practice independently.

I watched with amusement as Izumi tried to mimic Midori's movements with an oversized wooden sword, her face screwed up in concentration as she swung it through the air.

When we said our goodbyes, I couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness. It was like a part of me was leaving with Midori and Talia.

Izumi clung to Midori's arm, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "Hey, mind if I come visit you over at Terra sometime?"

Midori smiled down at Izumi, her eyes full of warmth. "Of course, Izumi. It would be great to have you visit me on Terra. We can go on a mission together and save the world, just like in your dreams."

Izumi giggled, her eyes shining with excitement. "Hell yeah! That sounds amazing. I can't wait!"

Midori, Talia, and I gathered our things and prepared to head back through the portal to Terra.

As we prepared to leave the safe house, my dad approached us and put his hands on Midori's shoulders.

"Listen, Midori," he said, firmly gripping her. "I know we've only just met, but I want you to know you have family here. If you ever need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to reach out to me. You're always welcome here, kid."

Midori smiled gratefully, touched by my father's offer. "Thank you, Uncle. I really appreciate it."

My father nodded, giving her a warm hug before we stepped through the door.

The trip down to the portal district was uneventful, and we arrived at the portal just in time for our scheduled departure. New York City had only been repopulated with a few hundred thousand re-settlers. However, the portal district was still a bustling hub of activity.

As we passed through the terminal and approached the portal, a group of teenagers in brightly colored costumes caught my eye. They were laughing and chatting excitedly, waving at each other as they prepared to step through the portal.

Midori noticed me staring and smiled.

"Those are some of the magical girl teams prepping like we are, getting ready to head out on missions," she said, gesturing toward the group.

A man checking passports and TINs approached us, and we stepped forward to present our documents. After a quick scan, he waved us through to the portal.

The portal hummed to life as we stepped onto the platform, the air around us shimmering with energy. Midori took my hand and Talia's with a grin, and we stepped through the portal together. The familiar feeling of being pulled through time and space washed over us.

As we stepped through the portal, our world shifted and twisted. It was like stepping through a veil into a completely different world.

We emerged onto the other side. I was immediately struck by how different everything looked over an open-air terminal. The sky was a deep, vibrant blue, and the buildings were tall and sleek, with smooth curves and sharp angles. The air smelled different, too, with hints of exotic spices and scents.

The three of us walked through the terminal on the Terran side and emerged out onto the streets. The city was alive with activity, people bustling around, their faces lit up with excitement and anticipation.

"Well, time for us to head home, guys!" Midori said a wide grin on her face. "Midterms are coming up soon, and we've got a lot of work to do."

She pulled us both into her arms, and I felt a warmth I hadn't known was possible.

"Thanks," I said, tears starting to fill my eyes. "Thanks for everything."

Midori hugged us both tightly.

"Look... Ikki," she said softly, her voice soft and full of emotion. "No matter what happens, you can always count on us."

"Thanks Midori," I said, my voice choked with emotion.

"No matter what life throws at us, or how hard things get," she said with a smile, "we'll be there for each other. Got it?"

We pulled away from the hug, and Midori dragged me along toward a crosswalk.

The three of us walked through the crowded streets, leaving the bustling terminal behind us.