We were young and foolish. There is simply no way around it. A wisp of a memory gathered into a chaotic channel of magic.

We wanted to do something no one else had, and show the results to our peers and teacher and tell them, 'look at what we've accomplished!' Another memory, belonging to another source within the odd channel.

We would defeat the evil that had so long plagued our home, or so we thought. A third memory.

Fragmented images, sounds, and smells coursed through the channel, welling up until its banks burst, becoming a raging sphere of active magical energy. In total the memories belonged to seven, who were once separate but now lie partially tangled in darkness.

Over time the energy settled, forming fractals in seven directions, with the chaotic channel as its core.

Hina's eyes snapped open, and she found herself in the old classroom they had shared back home. She looked around the well furbished room, full of dark woods and light marbles. At the head of the class was an elderly woman, their teacher. She spoke energetically, and they hung on every word. She taught them of magical phenomena, items, and of magic itself. Out of reverence they dared not call her by any name other than 'teacher,' even though they knew she would allow them. Beside her was her closest friend, a slightly clingy girl named Ena. She too had her eyes fixed upon their Teacher absorbing every word.

Class ended at the sound of a chime, and the two made their way to the research wing of the school, where they would meet the other five who shared their research theme.

They entered into a darkened room where several magic circles gave off the only sources of light. They had been working on a project they had titled 'Beyond,' shortened from 'beyond the limits of the mind and body: stagnation conversion.'

They would be graduating soon, and from there they would join their beloved teacher in her seemingly endless struggle against their mortal foe: the Mazoku. A soft smile hovered on Hina's lips, the project was coming along slowly, but steadily. With the application of the transformation arts they already possessed, it seemed quite possible to push yet further the bounds with the aid of some kind of magical artifact. It was this that truly held them in place, as everything they could reasonably afford, or legally obtain, broke under the stress. However, once they had moved up in the world, and gained higher clearances they hoped to find what they needed.

Together, all seven girls graduated. However, the clearances they were given after joining the military were less than their goals desired. Still nothing held up under the stress of stagnation conversion. Hina was approaching her breaking point, until Senka, a quiet and frankly unusual girl, spoke up about a rumor that had reached her ears. The rumors led to a site containing documents still technically unfit for their eyes in the eyes of the law. However, they were desperate to prove their worth, and so they put together a plan to steal the documents.

With stealth and luck, they successfully infiltrated into the archive's innermost sanctum, Atsuko handling with force any guards who they failed to avoid, and Aria hiding the unconscious bodies while Mihana carefully hid their trail of mana. Juuki, Senka, Hina and Ena were to focus solely on finding material that seemed helpful.

They combed the archive thoroughly, and finally came across a lead. The documentation was vague, and seemed almost like an epic poem describing the artifact's role in a cautionary tale than a proper research paper, but Senka quickly pointed out an encryption. In some ways, the encryption was more cryptic and hard to spot than any spell, frankly Hina was impressed the usually spacey girl had been the one to find it. Decoding it would take time, but given how well hidden the poem had been to begin with, these extra layers of protection gave her the impression they were truly on to something. The poem in tow, they stole away from the scene and headed to an obscure meeting place they had decided upon before the heist.

After nearly half a day of careful work, they finally managed to decipher the truth. The document contained detailed information pertaining to an artifact referenced as 'The Onyx Pane,' a pitch black looking glass which was sealed away for reportedly housing an alternate dimension mirroring the one they lived in, but the things which dwelt on the other side of the mirror were twisted, and stronger than those on this side.

At first they were hopeful, an artifact that housed an entire dimension within it should certainly hold up to stagnation conversion, but as they continued reading they soon realized the original was sealed in secrecy. Intentionally undocumented to assure that future generations would not find themselves trapped within the mirrored world. Hina was not one to be defeated however, if they couldn't use the original they would just have to recreate it.

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It was to be a daunting task, and one they understood to be far beyond their level. However, thanks to the knowledge imparted to them by some of their pact partners, a workaround was discovered. They need not create a second Onyx Pane, they need only create a framework that would allow them to draw out and manipulate its power remotely. Doing so, however, would drastically increase the stress they themselves would have to bear from stagnation conversion.

“Then let it be so! If we can strike a decisive blow against the Mazoku no price is too high! Better we die in blazing brilliance of a moment than fade away, withered by time!”

At these words from Hina, their doubts were erased, and their work began in earnest.

Eventually, news of the missing documents spread. Feeling time was short, the girls poured more and more time into their research, skipping lessons and practically cutting ties with friends outside of their circle of seven. The only one they made time for was Okoto Kaena, who began to suspect something was afoot. However, before she could warn her reckless students, they vanished into the night, their long labor finally over. Stagnation Conversion had been proven practical, at least in their eyes.

The last words they gave to their teacher were “Wish us luck! After today the Mazoku won't be a problem anymore!”

The seven dashed along the World Snakes, the bores that linked their home to the home of the Mazoku. Usually the process of crossing over was difficult, but as the gray-green energy of Stagnation Conversion crackled over their battle attire, they crossed with ease. Awaiting them on the other side was an army of forty Mazoku, all in various states of flying, hovering, or standing upon magical platforms. At their back and center was a radiant being with twelve wings, a crown of horns, and long tail ending in a fan of blades. The Overlord, King of Makai, and their ultimate target.

They had been on a few missions to Makai before and after their heist, as the development process of the perfected Stagnation Conversion had been long. The Mazoku were formidable warriors, but now with their own life forces being converted into magical power for use in the moment, they cut through them like scissors through paper, heading towards the Overlord!

Now close enough to see his face, they saw not a tyrant but a shocked man who had just witnessed a number of his people slain in an instant. However, now was no time for restraint. In their eyes even if he would grieve, he was their enemy.

A wave of magical force erupted from the radiant form accompanied by a pained howl, Hina gasped as a large portion of energy was stripped away by the outburst. Just as she recovered and prepared to launch a counter attack, a spear of magical energy was bearing down on her. She rolled in the air, narrowly avoiding the titanic weapon. Her eyes flitted back to the Overlord, whose eyes burned white, no signs of will seemed to remain. He had become a wild force, gone berserk seeking vengeance for his fallen.

The battle was grueling, neither giving quarter. The seven were reaching wits end, even with Stagnation Conversion and nearly perfect teamwork, they were barely a match for the Overlord.

Hina called for another onslaught when it happened. Obediently, Mihana began to fly into position when she let out a terrified squeal that was quickly cut off, as her physical form deteriorated into what could only be described as magical threads, which were quickly absorbed by a pitch black, void-like portal.

“What did you do!?” Hina called, a chill running down her spine as she realized a bitter truth she wished she hadn't. The Overlord, still berserk, of course made no reply, but he didn't need to, as this was not his doing at all.

Ena was next, as they waited in terror for Hina's orders, Hina hesitated just a bit too long. Ena nearly failed to notice until Atsuko, voice trembling said, “E-Ena, y-your hand!”

She looked down, and found not a human hand of flesh but a glowing bundle of thread curled in the loose shape of where her hand once was. The phenomenon climbed up her arm, and unable even to cry she and her companions watched in horror as she too was reduced to her magical essence stretched out into a thin thread, and stolen away to the mirror world.

They had pushed too far. They had no more life to use, it would seem. The Overlord had pushed them back, in this timed trial, he outlasted their entire lifetimes of combined strength. Hina fell to her knees in the air, she felt it, the unbinding of her flesh. It was a horrifying sensation, like fainting, but far slower, and without the mercy of the loss of consciousness at its end, but instead a kind of stretching sensation, as if her mind were being pulled across a vast distance and each thought was like the conversation between two people standing on opposite mountain peaks.

“Ah...this what Teacher was trying to warn us about...” were her last words before she was taken to the reflected world, and her mind stretched out across one of the seven fractals connected to a chaotic channel, as a thread-like magical signature.

Just before her vision was swallowed by darkness, she saw the Overlord stop and clutch his head, as though seized by a terrible headache. Still covering one eye and wincing, he glared in their direction, and the wince turned from one of pain to one of horror as their own ill-begotten spell devoured them.