[Level up! You have gained additional skills and abilities]
[Congratulations! You have brought renewed hope to the survivors of Ladder 37, and have shown a willingness to protect and assist those in need in humanity’s darkest hour. Your aura has strengthened, reflecting your growing courage and determination]
[Your level has increased to 24]
[Fueled by the desperate prayers of the innocent, you have gained an Inspiration buff. Your MP pool has temporarily increased to 935, and your regeneration rate has increased to 48 points per hour]
[Main Quest Added: Save Magical Knight Twilight Aster]
[You have earned a total of 33 new skill points]
I blinked, the white text against blue boxes floating in my vision momentarily blinding me to the dimly lit fire station. A surge of warmth filled me, but it quickly evaporated as I took in the words.
Level twenty-four... More MP, skill points, a basket full of skill points at that...
And I had done it by helping others, by protecting them, and by bringing them hope.
I glanced down at my hands, a slow realization washing over me. The thought of leveling up was more than just a boost in power or abilities. It was about growing as a Magical Girl, embodying the ideals and responsibilities that came with it..
I turned to look at the survivors gathered in the fire station. Their faces were filled with a mix of relief and fear. They were counting on me, and I couldn't let them down.
With the Magical Knight secured and the barricade reinforced, we turned our attention to the girl’s wounds. She was badly beaten, her costume torn, and her body covered in an alarming amount of blood. We had no magical healers among us, no easy cure-all for her injuries. But what we lacked in magic, we made up for in determination and basic first aid knowledge.
Jacob was still nursing his injured leg, a grimace etched on his face as the woman from earlier, a nurse who’d introduced herself as Jennifer, dressed his wound. He watched our frantic efforts with a mix of fear and admiration. The woman who had argued for opening the door, Theresa, stepped forward to help, her hands trembling slightly as she carefully placed the girl’s bloody staff into a makeshift armory.
Despite her current condition, her presence had invigorated everyone in the fire station, like a beacon of hope. Still, Black Star wasn’t easily convinced.
“What’s your name?” Theresa asked the girl, her voice just barely audible over the din.
“Twilight... Aster,” she said. Her voice was weak, but there was a fiery glint in her eyes that sent a shiver down my spine.
With that, her eyes fluttered shut, and she lapsed into unconsciousness. Twilight Aster glowed with an ethereal light, before shifting before our eyes. We watched in silent fascination and fear as the glow intensified, enveloping her in an incandescent cocoon. The transformation was stark and immediate, the girl's ravaged costume morphing into torn casual wear—a white, short-sleeved hoodie over a bright purple shirt, a pair of denim shorts, and knee-high white socks with converse sneakers.
As the light faded, her violet hair transformed too. It shrunk from its impressive length to a much shorter cut, framing her face past the shoulders. The color too changed from the unusual vivid purple to a more natural deep, rich black, streaked with occasional hints of indigo highlights under the right light.
The shift in her appearance was shocking. She looked like an ordinary teenage girl now, no signs of the magical knight she had been minutes ago. Her ethnicity was harder to place, her bronze complexion with an undertone that suggested a mix of South-East Asian heritage.
We were all silent for a long moment, taking in the drastic change. This was a glimpse into the life behind the magic, the girl underneath the hero. She was just a kid, hardly older than me. But she'd been out there, fighting those monsters, risking her life.
The reality of our situation struck me then, harder than ever before. We were in a war zone, not with other humans, but with creatures of unimaginable horror
Theresa, Jenna, and a few others began to clean and bandage her wounds as best they could with our limited supplies.
I glanced over at Black Star, his face unreadable. He'd been quiet throughout Twilight Aster's transformation, his eyes never leaving her. There was a hardness there, a quiet determination that I was learning to know all too well. He was assessing, planning, and strategizing. This was a side of him I hadn't seen before, compared to the flippant asshole, but it made sense. He knew that our situation had changed, and he was already adjusting to this new reality.
Once the initial shock of Twilight Aster's transformation had faded, we set about making her comfortable. Despite her transformation, she was still unconscious, and we didn't know when she'd wake up. We couldn't afford to wait around. We had a fort to maintain, wounds to tend to, and a night full of danger to prepare for.
The night wore on, and the fire station fell into an uneasy quiet. We took turns keeping watch, scanning the horizon through slits in the boarded windows for any sign of danger. Twilight Aster remained unconscious, her breathing shallow but steady. Jenna and Theresa kept a constant vigil by her side, their faces lined with worry.
In the midst of it all, I found myself deep in thought. I stared at my hands, imagining them wreathed in that amber light once more. I'd barely managed to tap into my powers so far. There was so much I didn't know, so much I had yet to learn. But I needed to get stronger, and gain control over my abilities.
I took a deep breath and finally opened my status, quest, and leveling projections, now that I had a moment’s reprieve.
Name: Sienna Russo
Occupation: Magical Knight Cadet, High School Student
Status effects: Inspiration
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Level: 24
HP: 91 / 393 (??)
MP: 8 / 730 (935)
SP: 18 / 381 (??)
Attributes
Strength: 4
Constitution: 6
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 17
Charisma: 11
Magic: 21
Skills
Luminary Conversion (Rank 2)
Luminary Bolt
Luminary Beam
Luminary Mirage
Luminary Shield
Aura Sight
Transformation
??
Active Quests:
(World Quest) Investigate the origins of the Outbreak
(Main Quest) Save Albert
(Main Quest) Save Twilight Aster
Level-up Options for Sienna Russo
1. Increase attribute points (2 points) - Cost: 1 skill point [Cost will increase upon taking this option]
2. Increase MP pool and regeneration (20 points) - Cost: 2 skill points
3. Upgrade existing skill: Luminary Conversion (Rank 3) - Cost: 9 skill points
4. Upgrade existing skill: Luminary Bolt (Rank 2) - Cost: 6 skill points
5. Upgrade existing skill: Luminary Beam (Rank 2) - Cost: 6 skill points
6. Upgrade existing skill: Aura Sight (Rank 2) - Cost: 6 skill points
7. Upgrade existing skill: Luminary Mirage (Rank 2) - Cost: 12 skill points
8. Learn new skill: Luminary Nova - Cost: 6 skill points
9. Learn new skill: Presence Amplification - Cost: 9 skill points
10. Learn new skill: Resilience - Cost: 9 skill points
11. Learn new skill: Luminary Flash - Cost: 12 skill points
12. Learn new skill: Intuition - Cost: 15 skill points
13. Emergency aura and luminary energy restoration - Cost: 2 skill points
Choices, choices... all these options and the consequences of each one weighed heavy on me. I glanced at Twilight Aster, the unconscious Magical Girl across the room. I wondered what kind of abilities she had, how she'd managed to survive in the outside world. I wondered what she would pick if she were in my place.
I needed to choose wisely, especially given our current predicament. A part of me wanted to focus on upgrading and taking new skills again. However, the high cost and uncertainty surrounding it gave me pause.
Increasing my attributes could help with overall physical performance and resilience. Considering the numerous threats we were facing, being quicker, stronger, and tougher wouldn't hurt. But would it be enough? From what I knew, an ‘average’ median attribute corresponded with a value of 10, and I knew I was pretty underdeveloped in more than one aspect. How much would going from frail to average really help me? It was well-known that I couldn't directly upgrade my magic attribute, at that.
The option to learn new skills was intriguing, but I needed more clarity about their effects. What did Luminary Nova do? What about Presence Amplification or Magical Resilience? Could Luminary Speed help me move faster, or was it about firing my abilities quicker?
One skill drew my attention — Intuition. The word itself was vague, but there was a gut feeling that it could be useful. However, it was the most expensive one among the choices. Was it worth it?
After a few minutes of consideration, I decided to sleep on it. The choice would be no easier in the morning, but perhaps a fresh perspective would help. It would be a good idea to get Twilight Aster’s input and experience before I made any calls. It was too much to decide in an instant, especially with the situation we were in. I couldn't risk making a hasty decision.
Closing the magic system interface, I wrapped my arms around my knees and tried to calm my racing thoughts. The room was silent except for the quiet hum of the emergency generator and the sporadic whispers among the group.
In the meantime I shifted our attention to Danny, who had removed his mask to reveal a weathered face. His eyes held a twinkle that seemed out of place in this grim scenario. He was a barrel-chested, middle-aged Asian-American man with a round face, and there was something about him that felt reassuringly stable, even in these dire circumstances.
"Did anyone bring food?" Black Star asked, standing and stretching his back with a groan. "I don't know about you guys, but I could eat a horse."
"Welll, we have MREs in storage," Danny suggested with a chuckle, pointing towards a side room of the fire station. “I’ll go get them out.”
The burly firefighter walked away from the group and I heard him rummage through the store room. Soon, he returned with the MREs, and we all gathered around and let them heat up in our laps, sharing stories and jokes to keep our spirits up.
I gratefully accepted the packaged meal, feeling the warmth seep into my cold hands. I was starving, and any food was welcome at this point. As I tore open the packet, I looked over at Danny and Theresa, who were now deep in conversation.
As the group started to eat their meals in silence, the atmosphere was a little less tense. I caught Danny's eye and gave him a small smile of gratitude. Despite the grim circumstances, there was something comforting about this moment, sitting together with a group of strangers, sharing a simple meal. It was a stark reminder of our humanity, a bond that connected us all despite our differences.
In the midst of the uncertain and dangerous world we found ourselves in, my thoughts couldn't help but drift to those I held dear. I wondered how Albert was faring in the underground shelter, and if my mother and Albert's family were safe. It had been hours since I last heard from them, and my thoughts strayed to worst case scenarios. Despite our strained relationship, my mother did try in her own way, and worry gnawed at my heart.
I was also more than a bit concerned that I still had ‘Save Albert’ and ‘Save Twilight Aster’ as active quests in my status screen.
I pulled out my phone, hoping for a moment of connection, but the service had gone down. No signal, no way to reach out and check on the people I cared about.
"Sienna," Black Star said, shuffling next to me, his voice low and serious. "You were right about her. But remember, we can't let our guard down. Not yet."
I nodded, glancing at the unconscious girl. She was a symbol of hope, yes, but she was also a stark reminder of the danger we were in.
"I know," I said softly, clenching my hands. "I know."
The night grew darker, the hours stretching out before us. Every creak, every groan of the old building sent a shiver of fear down our spines. We took shifts as groups, and huddled together for warmth and safety, keeping quiet to avoid attracting attention to our refuge.
Twilight Aster remained unconscious, her face pale and her breaths shallow. We took turns keeping an eye on her, the others hovering close by. Her presence was a comfort, despite her condition. She was a Magical Girl, just like me, and if she could survive, so could we.
Slowly, as the hours passed, a sense of cautious optimism began to permeate the room. We were still alive, still fighting. We had an experienced Magical Knight in our midst, and despite her current state, her presence lifted our spirits. There was hope for us yet, we told ourselves, clinging to the sliver of comfort her presence brought.
But the reality of our situation never quite left us. The thought of what lurked outside our makeshift sanctuary, of what had caused Twilight Aster's injuries, was never far from our minds. Our temporary reprieve was just that - temporary.
As the night wore on, I found myself standing by the window, gazing out at the pitch-black world outside. A sense of melancholy washed over me. I missed the days when the biggest worry I had was getting good grades in school, or what hand-me-downs to wear.
Now, I was a Magical Knight, responsible for not just my own life, but the lives of others. It was a daunting thought, and I wondered how I would ever be able to live up to the expectations that came with it.
I looked around at the haggard faces of the survivors as my shift ended and I headed toward the dorm rooms, and I knew our struggle was far from over.
This was just the beginning.