Sergeant O’Malley stood out of his chair and immediately saluted.
“Miss,” he said respectfully, and I blinked in surprise. Ji-woo seemed to pick up on it a second later, repeating the gesture and leaving me confused. Selene turned, looking between me and the officers.
[Some explanation is in order. Officers, I am afraid that my Magical Girl is entirely new, having only been contracted five hours ago. There are a few other irregularities, but it is safe to say she is ignorant when it comes to protocol or other facets of being a Magical Girl. Perhaps it would be best to eschew formalities in favor of efficiency. Please, sit while we continue this discussion.]
That seemed to make something click in Ji-woo’s brain, and her hand lowered from the salute as she sat back down. Sergeant O’Malley followed suit, giving a frown, and I nervously adjusted myself in my seat.
“Irregularities?” Sergeant O’Malley asked, and Selene looked at me.
[Mai,] she started, and somehow, I could tell she was only sending her voice to me. [Do you wish for me to continue taking the lead in this? If so, how much do you wish me to share with them?]
“I’m not really sure what would be best,” I thought back. “So it makes the most sense if you lead. As for sharing information, I suppose… Tell them whatever you think is relevant? About what’s happened in the mall, that is.”
I hurriedly added the last part, remembering Selene mentioning having all kinds of information on me from scouting me out as a Magical Girl candidate. While I was pretty sure Selene wouldn’t just go spilling whatever personal information she’d gathered, I also wasn’t about to take chances. Especially not when I wasn’t sure just what she knew or what she might think was best for me.
Selene’s head bobbed towards me in affirmation, and somehow I got the feeling that she’d sensed the general direction of my thoughts. She turned back to the two officers.
[Yes, irregularities,] she picked up from Sergeant O’Malley’s question. [Due to some unfortunate circumstances, Mai is unable to use her Astral Shift. If standard procedure holds true, then I believe you are familiar with both the term and implications?]
Sergeant O’Malley gave a nod while Ji-woo’s eyes widened.
“Wait, but that means-”
[That Mai did in fact fight multiple Anathema without protection or most of her enhanced abilities, yes,] one of Selene’s tails flicked in annoyance. [Besides using the Gate to summon materials, she otherwise fought in a fairly mundane manner. More than that, while the story she gave is mostly accurate, one major point of correction is that the liquor store trap did not get all the Anathema. Mai was left to fight off seven of them on her own, along with a lone hound on the way. Her total Anathema kill count currently rests at sixteen, including the one she killed before I made an emergency contract with her to save her from a near fatal injury. I’m afraid her first fight to protect Brian did not go as smoothly as originally reported, either.]
Ji-woo paled, and turned to look at me in horror. Even Sergeant O’Malley flicked in my direction, his face tight. Not really knowing what to do with the attention, I looked down to the table. I wasn’t quite sure why Selene had opted to tell them all of that, and the reminder of my first encounter made a knot of nausea swirl in my stomach.
[Needless to say, while Mai is still inexperienced and only operating with a fraction of the power and practically no protection, she has still exhibited high levels of natural talent, courage, and a unique ability to adapt and overcome the situations placed in front of her.]
My cheeks started burning as I looked up at Selene in surprise. I knew she was vastly overselling my abilities, that without her acting as a scout and advisor, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything. Still, her words made warmth bloom in my chest, and I shifted slightly.
[Naturally, with the direness of the current situation, it would only make sense to offer our abilities. Mai and I believe your plan to have a decent chance of succeeding, but with a few alterations, there will be a much higher chance of success.]
Sergeant O’Malley gave a respectful nod. “Of course, Miss Selene. We would be happy to hear your recommendations.”
[Very good,] she paused, for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts. [First, I would recommend contacting Guardian Command and getting any updated information we can.]
“Unfortunately, that’s not possible,” Sergeant O’Malley replied. “As you might have noticed, this shelter’s security is understaffed right now. We already sent out a group in an attempt to restart the mana generator, near the start of the usurpation. The person in charge, Sergeant Price, was a former magical soldier and technically the officer in charge of the shelter. She left her access card behind, but that card alone isn’t enough to engage the communications equipment.”
I looked up in surprise at the revelation. If they’d already sent people and none of them came back… no, they said it was near the start of the Usurpation. They must have made a gamble, sending a larger force to break through the Anathema when they would still be relatively weak, if not probably more numerous. It still left them the backup sneaking plan, effectively giving them two separate shots at restarting the generator.
Knowing that people had already gone and had failed made my stomach muscles clench tighter. I did my best to ignore that, instead focusing on the second part of his explanation.
“You mentioned before about talking to a Magical Guardian,” I said. “But I thought Usurpation zones cut off communications.”
“Yes and no,” he shrugged. “Internet and cellular devices don’t work. Radios only work within the zone but tend to be spotty. The only exception is landlines and advanced magitech devices. Mega shelters are built with direct lines to Guardian Command for obvious reasons.”
“Um…” I squirmed uncomfortably at having to ask another question. “What exactly is Guardian Command?”
[It’s the city’s headquarters,] Selene explained. [There, the volunteers of the Guardians’ Association, who are in charge of the Magical Soldiers, help coordinate the war on the Anathema. Some unbound Familiars provided by the Zenith and Magical Guardians with support skill sets assist from there as well.]
“With Arcadia not belonging to any one nation,” Sergeant O’Malley added, “you can sort of think of the Association as Arcadia’s military, but their only purpose is to fight the Anathema. Guardian Command is the name for the hub of all their local efforts. That’s why mega shelters have direct communication lines there, just in case of an emergency.”
[That is more or less accurate,] Selene’s tails mimed a shrug. [As for the issue of accessing the communications equipment, I am happy to say it will not be an issue. As a Magical Girl, Mai has all the proper credentials, and the biometric lock will be able to recognize her.]
I blinked, but then realization dawned on me. If I was remembering correctly, I had gotten a notification after my contract ceremony mentioning something about my credentials being updated. It had said a bunch of other things too, but I’d never really gotten the chance to ask Selene about any of it. I made a mental note, adding it to the list of questions to ask.
“That certainly makes things easier,” Sergeant O’Malley nodded. “And I agree, getting updated information would be ideal.”
[Excellent…] she paused, as if hesitating for a moment before continuing in her usual serene tone. [Assuming we do not learn anything to make us rethink or otherwise abandon the original plan, the next step seems obvious: Mai will be the one to go and restart the generator.]
“What!?”
Ji-woo, who had been looking down at the table with a disturbed expression ever since Selene’s explanation of events, suddenly interrupted in a startled voice. She looked at Selene like she was out of her mind. Sergeant O’Malley, for his part, had a grim expression on his face.
“Ji-woo-” he started.
“Absolutely not!” Ji-woo said, shaking her head. “You just told us she’s operating without most of what makes her a Magical Girl, and you want to throw her back out there?”
I felt my hands clench on top of my kneecaps as something ugly flickered in my chest. She wasn’t wrong, but-
[There are a few reasons this makes the most sense,] Selene continued calmly. [First, Mai will be able to use me as a scout, effectively neutralizing all but the most necessary encounters as I can telepathically communicate directly to her. I am also virtually invisible to Anathema and utterly silent. Finding an optimal route will be trivial.]
“The mana generator is in the basement level,” Ji-woo countered. “It’s mostly maintenance rooms or administrative offices for the mall, but connecting everything is a maze of long, narrow corridors. There might not be any way to completely avoid a fight or even keep Mai hidden, and fighting in confined spaces is not easy even for someone with training.”
[That actually will work for the better. The narrow corridors will give Mai’s unique fighting style a decisive advantage.]
She blinked, looking confused. It took me a moment to realize that I had arrived at the shelter with the ice axe, and she might be thinking that was what I used. I reached to my left, opening my backpack from where I’d set it on the seat. Starting to rummage through it and moving my spare clothes out of the way, I paused as I realized I was about to pull out a gun in front of two police officers.
“Um…” I said, then switched to thinking directly to Selene. “I won’t get in trouble for showing them this, will I?”
[You are a Magical Girl, and your legal status has been vastly upgraded,] Selene sent back to me. [Something as simple as owning a gun is trivial. Each Guardian has, for all intents and purposes, the same legal rights as their own sovereign nation. It was decided by Earth nations that trying to legally restrict people with almost unlimited capabilities for destruction was a bad idea, especially when they were chosen as protectors by a vastly superior alien race. Instead, the current stance of most nations could be best described as appeasement: Don’t interfere with Magical Guardians and give them whatever they ask for within reason. Guardians also tend to suffer from MCS due to the unique blend of personality traits that qualify them to be Guardians in the first place, and placating them generally saves everyone a lot of problems.]
I wasn’t entirely sure what “MCS” was, but the rest sort of made sense. Aggravating not only people who were trying to protect humanity but also were capable of using magic to cause all sorts of damage seemed like a poor idea. It made me wonder what would happen if a Guardian tried to abuse the sort of power and legal immunity they were granted, but that was probably why the Zenith investigated the Magical Girl candidates so thoroughly beforehand in the first place.
“So,” I gave myself a mental shake. “It’s okay for me to have a gun?”
[Yes, though like we discussed earlier, the optics behind your choice of weapons is sure to garner an emotional reaction,] Selene gave a tail shrug. [I would recommend warning them first.]
“Okay,” I said aloud, clearing my throat. “I’m pulling out a weapon, so… please don’t be surprised.”
Both of the officers had curious looks on their faces, and I very slowly and very carefully pulled out my gun. Keeping careful track of where the muzzle was pointed at all times, I gently set it down on the table in front of me.
Seeing the gun, both of them froze for a moment, but made no other visible move other than to stare. There was no magazine in it, and the slide was clearly locked open, hopefully making them feel a little more at ease. I felt myself letting out an internal sigh of relief when neither made any comments or moved towards it.
[As you can see,] Selene interrupted the stunned silence. [Mai utilizes a firearm. This is how she was able to defeat all the other Anathema even without the majority of her abilities. In long, narrow corridors, Mai will have a distinct advantage of her opponents being unable to dodge.]
“But…” Ji-woo shook herself from staring at the gun. “That would hold true for any of us.”
[Yes, but Mai has an “Umbra” which utilizes 9mm silverbane ammunition. The stopping power against an Anathema is several magnitudes greater. Against the lower level Anathema we are expecting to face, this will prove a crucial difference.]
“In that case it would make more sense if Mai let us borrow her gun and ammunition,” Ji-woo pointed out. “We have firearm training and experience that Mai probably doesn’t.”
I found myself clenching my teeth. Ji-woo arguing made me both frustrated that she wasn’t listening to Selene but also… weird, that she was fighting so hard to keep me safe. It was an uncomfortable, fluttery feeling that gave a weird core to my building frustration. Not to mention, even though I’d been fine with Selene taking the lead, having everyone talk like I wasn’t even in the room felt… well, not out of place, but dishearteningly familiar.
I wasn’t sure if Selene sensed some of my emotions, because she looked at me for a moment, then back to the two officers.
[While Mai does not have access to her full abilities, one that she does have gives her a distinct advantage to the handling and accuracy of firearms. I will not divulge any more information on that matter and am exercising my authority to place this information under a “Direct Permission Only” lock. Any sharing or reporting of this is strictly forbidden regardless of the situation without first getting Mai’s permission. To enforce this, I will be contacting Guardian Command as soon as appropriate to prepare a Geas sealing all information that may be shared or learned of Mai’s capabilities during this situation, releasable only with her direct consent.]
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That got a reaction, and both of them stiffened in surprise. There was a sudden tension in the air, and I swallowed.
“What’s a Geas?” I thought to Selene.
[A magical contract. They will be bound to it and unable to break its terms whether they wish to or not. Not even torture or other magical means will be able to get them to break the terms.]
“Selene!” I gasped aloud, causing both officers to react to flinch at my sudden outburst. “That seems…”
[This has to do with your unique circumstances,] she turned to face me, still only speaking in my head. [I understand it may seem extreme without context, but I would also like to point out this will protect them. Nobody will be able to force them to divulge this information. You are still very, very new to your role as a Magical Girl, Mai, and I intend to do all I can to protect you. Information on the specifics of your combat abilities, especially your unique Augment, needs to stay as secret as possible.]
“I…” shaking my head, I tried to parse what Selene was telling me. I understood my abilities were an important, personal aspect of who I was as a Magical Girl, but why all the secrecy? Who exactly was out there that Selene was trying to protect me from? Just general public scrutiny? Or…
“It’s fine,” Sergeant O’Malley sighed, and I turned to him in astonishment. “In a way, this is easier. The Geas will warn us if we even come close to accidentally giving away information, and if your Familiar thinks it’s that important, I’m not about to argue. Besides, it’s hardly the first Geas we’ve signed.”
Ji-woo let out a snort, and I turned to her. “All Arcadian police officers sign a Geas that prevents them from sharing the personal identities of a Magical Guardian unless they’ve labeled themselves as ‘public.’ It’s a general and far-reaching Geas so it isn’t as strong or effective, but it does help quite a bit. Besides, if your Familiar thinks it’s necessary, I have no problems with it.”
Ji-woo gave me a gentle smile, and again, a warm fluttery feeling went through me. I gave a numb nod in response. She turned back to looking at Selene, the smile slipping from her face.
“This doesn’t change the fact that I still don’t think Mai should be the one who goes out there,” Ji-woo told Selene. “Especially not alone.”
[With reconnaissance, silent communication, and superior weaponry, it only makes the most sense. Even if Mai were to get hurt, she has access to advanced first aid. The only reason she arrived hurt to this shelter was to help disguise her identity. In reality, she can heal most simple injuries in minutes. As for why Mai should do this alone, her access to ammunition and first aid is not unlimited. While Mai has enough resources to heal and arm herself, even one additional person would greatly strain her current reserves. This is also a stealth mission, meaning additional people greatly increases the chance of discovery. Finally, if Mai needs to fight, long narrow hallways will limit the effectiveness of multiple fighters and even potentially endanger her if she needs to run.]
Ji-woo was visibly clenching her teeth now, giving Selene a hard stare. I felt the frustration reach a critical mass in me. I was a little surprised how well Selene had managed to express all the reasons I myself thought this was the best idea, but I suppose I shouldn’t be. She had told me she was my Familiar, personally customized based on information gathered on me and my personality, so it made sense she would be arguing the same points I’d thought of. Besides, I really did think this was the best possible plan.
Which was part of why it was making me frustrated Ji-woo wasn’t listening, even if she was trying to keep me safe. I wasn’t sure why that mattered so much to her, even if it did make me feel fuzzy to hear her fighting so fervently, but my safety was not the priority here.
“Ji-woo,” I said, forcing myself to look at her. “I appreciate you trying to keep me safe, but… I am a Magical Girl. Even if I’m new, inexperienced, and don’t have access to my complete abilities, this kind of thing is what I’m supposed to be doing, and this is the best possible choice.”
“I agree,” Sergeant O’Malley added, and both Ji-woo and I turned to him in shock. “She stands the best shot at doing this without getting killed or even discovered at all. Besides, even if both of us disagreed, it’s not like we can do anything to stop her. Miss Selene was nice enough to discuss this with us, but in the end, Mai is the Magical Girl. We don’t have any authority over her, and technically, she outranks us.”
Ji-woo’s hands clenched, and she looked down at the table. Even though she clearly wasn’t happy, she had a thoughtful look on her face. I gave Selene a questioning glance.
[In the sanctuary cities and most nations, Magical Girls theoretically hold a special rank that is more or less equivalent to a captain in the army,] she sent me. [It helps them cut through red tape and requisition the supplies or forces they might need. We could have just ordered them to let us do this alone, but that seemed both rude and unnecessary.]
Ji-woo finally let out a sigh, and I turned to find her looking at me.
“Mai, if this is what you think is best,” she said hesitantly, “then alright. I just want to make sure this is what you really want to do.”
My brow furrowed in confusion. What did it matter if this is what I wanted? People were going to die if I didn’t. Lily was going to die. I had the best chance of success, and that was that. Besides, I trusted Selene and even thought she was right. I’d be able to avoid any real danger with her help, and… what did it matter if I did get hurt, so long as I was able to save those people?
Instead of vocalizing my thoughts, I just gave her a nod. She slumped a little, but still managed to give me a weak smile.
“Alright… in that case, we should probably contact Guardian Command. Maybe they have some update and all this won’t even be necessary.”
Sergeant O’Malley gave a snort at that, shaking his head.
“As if we’d be so lucky,” he said, standing up and walking over to the desk facing all the monitors. I got up and followed with Ji-woo behind me.
There was a keyboard on the desk along with a few touch screens displaying various menus. Sergeant O’Malley reached over and pressed a few buttons, prompting a message to display on the main display saying “Verification needed. Please submit credentials.”
“Okay,” the sergeant gestured to one of the screens on the desk where a handprint was now displayed. “Just put your hand here and we should be connected. We had an actual Magical Guardian respond last time, but there’s no telling if we’re going to get the same person.”
[Before we call, do you remember the name of the Guardian?] Selene asked, having jumped over to balance on the back of the unoccupied chair in front of the desk.
“I believe he said his name was… Error Machina?”
Selene froze in that eerie way she’d done before, going completely still as if somebody had pressed a magic pause button on her. Her tails stopped their constant, graceful wavering, freezing in place with unnatural stillness. I felt my heart skip a beat, but before I could ask her what was wrong, her tails resumed their movement. It might have been my imagination, but they seemed to be moving slightly faster than before.
Selene turned to look at me.
[Mai,] she said, and I could tell her voice was being sent only to me. [Getting in contact with Error Machina would be ideal. Nevertheless, I would request that I take the lead in talking to him. I apologize, but with the things I have not yet explained, there are subjects that we should avoid discussing.]
“Why?” I frowned at her.
[Magical Guardians are, by their nature, very private people. The best explanation I can give is that they act very much like “solo-players” in video games. They tend to only work well in specific groups, and are otherwise incredibly competitive. Sometimes, that competitive spirit can turn into something more hostile.]
I blinked, but then began to think about it and realized what Selene was talking about. Killing Anathema gave points and experience, and even though I’d barely touched online gaming, I was already all too aware of how selfish people could get when it came to getting the best possible rewards. In the real world, I could easily imagine how that would be amplified.
Still…
“That makes sense, but... aren’t we all trying to defend humanity from the Anathema?”
[Yes… but there are caveats. Gathering points and experience is always more efficient alone if not more risky. Usually, a Guardian working solo is also more efficient considering the vast amount of places and people that need to be protected. I mentioned this before, but Guardians also tend to have very unique personalities. As with anything, this causes friction, and Guardians are hardly monolithic in their beliefs or goodwill. For every kind and selfless Guardian, there is also one who is the direct opposite.]
“How did they even become a Guardian then?” I asked with a frown. “Isn’t that contradictory?”
[The qualifications are complicated, but the primary ideological requirement is that a person has shown they are willing to fight the Anathema and would use their powers to do so. There are, of course, other key traits, but fighting Anathema is always the main focus. So long as their personality and behaviors are not overly problematic or unsavory, there is much leeway. I suppose what I am trying to tell you is that just because a Guardian is your ally in fighting Anathema, they are not necessarily your friend, and they might not have your best interests in mind. And for you…]
She trailed off, then her head shook lightly.
[No. This is not the time, and because we should be talking to Error Machina, I suspect he will understand your situation and be accommodating. What I wanted to warn you about is giving away information about your Magical Girl capabilities. Until I have had time to fully apprise you of your situation, it would be best if I took the lead and you only share what I allow. I understand this seems… overly cautious, but all I can do is assure you once again that the secrets I am keeping are to keep you focused on your current predicament.]
“I…” I let out a tired sigh. “I trust you, but this secret keeping is getting frustrating, Selene. I get that right now the reason I can’t transform and everything else you’re keeping from me doesn’t matter, but it really doesn’t feel great, especially not when it’s starting to feel like the things you’ve been avoiding all have to do with something… bad.”
[No.]
Selene said the single word with such forcefulness that I actually jerked my head back. Her voice rang through my head and I felt my eyes widening as she continued in the same tone.
[It is NOT a bad thing. Your circumstances are complicated and are certainly going to bring up challenges, difficulties, and frustrations, but it is NOT a bad thing. If I was being unclear about that, I apologize. The sole reason I have not informed you is that none of these complications deserve to occupy your time or effort at the moment, not when there is nothing that can be done about them and they aren’t causing further issues.]
“O-okay…” I replied, still stunned at her ferocity. “I guess that makes sense…”
There was an awkward silence between us, and suddenly Ji-woo let out a cough.
“I’m sorry if I’m missing something, but are you two alright? You’ve just been staring at each other for a while now, and I know you can talk to each other telepathically but…”
I felt myself begin to blush, and Sergeant O’Malley let out a laugh.
“Imagine if officers weren’t told Guardians could do that,” he chuckled, turning to Ji-woo. “You do get used to it after awhile, Guardians just staring into the middle distance or stopping mid sentence for long moments. My favorites are the ones who talk out loud to their Familiars, though. You get half the conversation, and it's fun to imagine what their Familiar is saying.”
“Sorry,” I quickly replied, my face tomato red. “I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“No, it’s fine,” Ji-woo hurriedly assured me. “Just wanted to make sure everything was all right.”
I nodded, flicking my eyes back to Selene.
“I’m fine with you leading, and I’ll make sure not to share anything without asking you about it first.”
[Thank you,] she bowed her head. [I just want to keep you as safe as reasonably possible.]
I nodded at her. After everything we’d already been through, I had no reason to disbelieve her. She’d already saved my life, but more than that she… always seemed to know what I needed. When I’d broken down outside of the shelter at seeing it being shielded, she’d helped me pick myself back up and keep fighting to survive. She’d done the same after my first time killing an Anathema with a gun, and then she’d even managed to help me work through defeating fourteen Anathema at once.
No, Selene was more than just my impartial advisor. She was… so much more, even if I couldn’t find the right word.
Besides, it’s not like Selene’s exactly human. She doesn’t exactly see me like everybody else does… Maybe that’s why I find myself talking to her so naturally. I certainly don’t speak this well to normal people…
I pulled myself from my reflection, with a shake of my head. Then I raised my hand, hovering it over the display for a moment.
“Oh,” I blinked. “I meant to ask this earlier, but you were talking about this Guardian, Error Machina like you knew him.”
[I have access to vast amounts of information including dossiers on every Magical Guardian who exists. It only contains information on their public activities and anything they have willingly made available, but it is more than enough in this case. I am not allowed to give you specifics or the files themselves, but I can make general recommendations or share things accessible by the public. In this case, I am certain he will be an ally.]
“And it won’t be a problem revealing myself to him without my transformation?”
[While you should generally avoid it when possible, it is warranted in this case. Also, revealing the personal identity of another Magical Guardian without their permission is one of the few universal taboos Guardians have agreed upon. While not an official rule, there are Guardians that would go out of their way to punish anyone who does such a thing out of malice. Still, it is best not to tempt fate, and I would recommend extreme caution showing yourself untransformed to Guardians when not necessary.]
I nodded, taking in one last deep breath to steady myself before I placed my hand on the screen.
The main display switched to a “Scanning…” screen, quickly followed by “Authentication Approved. Attempting to contact.” After a few moments, it flashed, changing once again to show a man sitting behind a desk. The area beyond him was out of focus of the camera, obscuring his surroundings, but that was just as well as my eyes were immediately drawn to his outfit.
He wore a skintight suit in deep green with darker pieces of gleaming glass-like armor over his chest, shoulders, and gauntleted hands. Glowing lines of emerald lit up his outfit in a pattern almost like circuits, thrumming with light. His hair was another shade of moss green, but his face was covered by a completely featureless and slightly angular black mask made of a shining metal. There were no bumps, protrusions, or even eye holes on it, giving it an intimidating visage.
The man’s head rocked back a little as the camera came online, his head whipping to Selene. Then he slowly turned to look down at me. Even through the monitor, I could feel a suddenly intense gaze as he took me in. He said nothing, and I shifted nervously as the tension built.
Suddenly, his mask split apart into four separate pieces, pulling itself apart and across his head to reveal his face. He was young looking, maybe in his early twenties, and had a light smattering of freckles across the pale skin of his nose and upper cheeks. What really drew my attention were his viridian eyes, the color somehow sharp without having the vividness of a manaborn’s. His pupils were shaped like square-looking zeroes, and combined with his outfit, it gave him a futuristic and almost robotic look.
He was also giving me a big smile with something like boyish glee on his face.
“Well, well, well,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Today is just full of surprises.”
[Greetings,] Selene dipped her head. [It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. We were hoping you might be able to provide some assistance to a fellow Guardian.]
“Of course!” he grinned, his eyes actually beginning to glow. “Things are a little hectic right now, but I always have time for an adorable new kōhai!”