Somewhere else in Autumn City, a young man was walking down the street. He was wearing a basic red hoodie with jeans, and he had a pair of fancy black headphones on his head. But, other than his basic appearance, he had no notable features that stood out. He was the perfect background character who no one would ever notice.

Which was why no one bothered to look at the man when he was suddenly bitten by a strange bug.

At first glance, it looked as if a bee just stung him. It was just a partially normal thing that never happened often. So people would pay no heed when the man started to groan in agony. It was normal for a bee sting to hurt. But when the man suddenly started to scream, all eyes were on him.

The people around him gawked at him. Various expressions of concern and/or annoyance were etched across their faces.

‘What was wrong with this guy?’ Was everyones’ same thought. The pained expression from the man was not normal, and it made everyone uncomfortable.

When the man started to lie down on the sidewalk in agony, a couple of people began to walk away, disturbed by the man’s sudden actions. A few people decided to stand around and watch the man like he was some sideshow gig. There were even a few people who decided to pull out their phones, taking pictures and videos of the man’s pain. But no one in the vicinity went and called the police.

That was the first mistake.

The second mistake was when someone approached the man and knelt beside him.

“Uh… Are you ok? You don’t look so hot.” The concerned man reached for his shoulder but, the moment he made contact, the man's arm was grabbed. He tried to pry himself free, but the bones in his arm began to crack under the abnormal grip of the man before him. He was ready to scream at this point, but it turned to silence when he heard the inhuman growling from the man on the ground who was in pain just a moment ago.

The once ordinary man raised his head, revealing that his eyes were now compound like a bug. Hair began to grow in places that it shouldn’t, and antennae began to form on his head. His entire head began to shake like he was suffering a seizure.

And then it happened.

The once concerned man, who wanted to help, was stabbed in the chest by a long needle that came out of the other man’s mouth. The poor soul screamed in agony as the strange bug man started to suck the life out of him. His body crumpled like paper as his blood, organs, and entire skeleton slurped into the monster. When it was over, he was nothing but an empty bag of skin and tissue lying on the floor.

At this point, everyone who stuck around was already trying to book it out of there. The situation was already hectic before. But once the bug man killed someone, all hell broke loose. People were scrambling away from the scene, doing their best to be as far away as possible. Screams echoed across the block, further increasing the panic until it was mass hysteria.

And at the center of it all was the once ordinary man letting out a cry as wings began to form beneath his back. He couldn’t understand what was happening to him, but he didn’t seem to care. All that mattered was to satisfy this horrific hunger that consumed his entire being.

And to do that, he needed to feed.

...

“So, we’re going to be superheroes or something?” Gabe casually asked.

“It feels more like a magical girl scenario,” Uzi noted. “Animal companion, Magical Elements, three gorgeous ladies… This is a magical girl scenario.”

“Is there a difference?” Gabe turned to the Gamer. “Aren’t magical girls just another form of superheroes? They have weird outfits and secret identities, so that makes them superheroes.”

“It’s an entirely different thing.” Uzi retorted. “Magical Girls are not superheroes because-”

“You guys are way too calm right now!” Sam interrupted their conversation.

The three girls were currently taking the news that they were going to fight the forces of evil quite calmly. Except, for Sam who was trying to process the data as best as she could.

“This is a serious matter if the fate of the world is at stake!” The edgelord pointed out. “Have you forgotten what we are?”

“The Best Band Ever?”

“The Chaotic Trio?”

“Normal People!” Sam was just about ready to pull her hair. “We are just a bunch of punks with no combat training whatsoever! Do you really think we can save the world?”

“They do it all the time in anime…” Uzi mentioned.

“This is the real world.” Sam retorted. “None of that can happen in real life.”

“Then how do you explain me?” The girls turned to the source of the voice, Strix. They got caught in their argument that they forgot he was still here. “As I said, I do not care if you believe me or not, but Fate has already spoken. So you can bitch about it all you want, but there is nothing you can do to change it.”

“You sure Fate hasn’t made some mistake?” Sam questioned. “I know what I am, and I am not fit to be the hero in my story.”

“Fate can make mistakes, yes, but I know she’s not wrong about you three.” The bird responded. Though his face didn’t show it, his voice was confident in his own words. “You are the ones destined to fight the wielder of the Hive, and that is the undeniable truth.”

“What makes you say that?” This time it was Gabe who asked the important question. “Where does it say in that book that we are the Chosen Ones?”

Strix merely sighed before pulling out the Book of Fate once more. He coughed a few times to get his vocal cords warmed up before he spoke the words of prophecy.

“When the Tormentor strikes the Common Man

Terror will run the Streets.

As a monster wielding a Needle of Flesh

Will yearn for Something to Eat.

But that is only the beginning

For there will be more to come

Creatures shall roam the City of Wind

And the end of man will have begun.

All is not lost, however,

Because there is a solution

The Bird must find the destined Three

And start a revolution

Find three women who are in a band

A vocalist, guitarist, and Drummer Too

Once you sense what is within

You will know what to do…”

The girls took a moment to process this information. The parts about the end of the world were concerning. And they were certainly a band with all the requirements. But there was one thing that bugged the vocalist...

"Isn't that last part a little too on the nose?" Sam retorted. "What kind of prophecy is this!?"

"It's a modern one." Strix referred. "After a couple of centuries, being vague gets kinda ridiculous, so prophecies started being blunter."

"It's shitty writing. That's what that is..." The edgelord mumbled.

"Call it what you will, but the Book of Fate has spoken." The bird proudly declared. "You are the ones from prophecy."

"That still doesn't answer all of my questions, Turkey." Sam glared at Strix. "There are a ton of musicians here in Autumn City. What makes us special?"

"You really are persistent about questioning everything, aren't you?" The prophet rubbed his chin in annoyance. "How would you feel if I said: Because I felt like it?"

"I would say bullshit, and you're lying." She rebutted. "Call me a buzzkill, but I'm just cautious. You look like you are hiding more than you let on."

"True, I might be hiding some things. But I have no reason to share." Strix chuckled. "Still, you are indeed special. After all, I can see it."

"See what?..." Sam moved her head closer to stare down at the oversized bird.

"Your soul, of course." Strix bluntly stated. "It's a bonus for being a Reaper."

"And what do you see?"

"Hm… Let's see…"

The three girls waited in anticipation. Strix's answer would tell them how special their souls were when…

"Maybe Later."

Sam's face plopped straight into the table at the revelation or lack thereof.

"Stop wasting my time, you oversized Turkey!" The edgelord was just about ready to strangle the bird where he stood when he got off from the table.

"I have something to do at the moment, so can we continue this conversation later?" Strix began to take flight.

"Like hell, we will!" Sam flipped the bird off. "This was a complete waste of time!"

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

The strange bird flew away, leaving Sam infuriated at his sudden actions.

'What was with that guy…' she wondered.

At first, he sounded serious, but then he messes around so casually like nothing's wrong. His words and actions were so contradictory that it almost felt unreal. They wouldn't chat about the end of the world so naturally, and he almost felt happy that something so dangerous was out there. So as far as she was concerned, he was dangerous.

"Well, that was certainly interesting… does that mean we're superheroes?"

"I prefer the term magical girls, thank you.”

Sam turned to her compatriots, who were currently messing around on Uzi’s phone. After she began to argue with Strix, the others decided to stay out of it and let her do her thing. And as far as she was concerned, her friends didn’t seem to care for the little details.

“... Why am I the normal one?” She pondered aloud.

…

The three of them were now walking across town, planning to head home for the day. They were pretty much exhausted from all the running, playing, and revelations that happened in the past few hours. Sam was the most drained of the trio, slouching as she walked ahead of her more cheery friends.

“So Sam, do you wanna go and stop by Windy’s later? They got some new wings on the menu, and I want to try it.” Gabe suggested.

“I thought we were gonna Wave and Puffer?” Uzi looked up from her phone and stared at the Danger Magnet. “We went to Windy’s last week.”

“I’m not hungry right now…” Sam turned to her compatriots. “I got too much on my mind to think about lunch.”

“And why not?” Gabe tilted her head, curious about what she was thinking.

“Isn’t it obvious? The Audition? The Weird Prophecy? Doesn’t that ring a bell?” Sam pointed out. These were all reasonable explanations for why she was stressed. After all, not every day that these kinds of things happen.

“Oh, that?” Gabriel put her hands behind her head. “I guess it’s something to think about…”

“You guess?” Sam scowled at her. “You would think that this stuff would have you under a lot of pressure? Our lives could depend on what happens next…”

“The Audition, or the Prophecy?” Uzi questioned.

“Both!” Sam let out a deep sigh, aggravated by how casual her friends were about the matter. “This stuff is supposed to be serious! For one, I think we should care more about whether we get the job or not. Eso Records is the only studio in this town, and the closest one to that is the next city over.”

She was right about that. Eso Records held a monopoly over the entertainment industry here, in Windy City, so it was hard for smaller groups to pop up without facing serious competition. Thus if you want to be a part of the music industry, you needed approval from the brass at Eso.

“And the guy who told us that we were the chosen to save the world is extremely sketchy!” She continued to rant.

“He was weird, but I sort of found that endearing,” Uzi replied. “That Duck wasn’t lying, so I want to believe him.”

“Well, I’m not interested in that kind of crap,” Sam muttered. “Heroism doesn’t pay bills, and I see no value in helping him.”

“Not even if it could spell the end of the world?” Gabe pointed out. “He said that the fate of the world was in our hands, so we have to do something.”

“What can we do then?” Sam turned to Gabe and sighed. “... Look, it’s not that I don’t care about the world. It’s just that I’m a realist here. We don’t have combat training, no special powers, and we can barely make ends meet with our part-time jobs. How can we help the world when we can barely help ourselves?”

“Well, we are making ends meet, so what’s the problem?” Gabe patted Sam’s shoulder. “C’mon, maybe being heroes is fun!”

“Magical Girls.” Uzi declared.

“Not now, Uzi.” Gabe turned her head to the gamer before going back to the edge lord. “So let’s try it out! Do it for me, please?”

Sam let out an exasperated sigh, “Oh, it’s always about-”

Just then, before she could finish that statement. A loud noise rang across the streets as smoke began to pour into their location. The sound of panicked screams followed as people started running in all directions to getaway. The distant sirens of law enforcement could be heard for miles around. The girls stopped to look at each other, wondering what was going on.

Was it some sort of fire?

Was there a mass shootout?

Did a car accident happen?

Or was it… something else?

Deep in their minds, the girls wanted to believe that whatever was going on could be handled by the authorities. But what they witnessed just an hour ago, with Strix, made them doubt their logic. Nobody had to say anything, but they all silently agreed that this wasn’t an ordinary catastrophe. The girls continued to stare silently at each other for another minute before Gabe ran to the source of the chaos.

“Hey! Where are you going!?” Sam cried out to her friend. She knew exactly where this Danger Magnet was going she still called out to her instinctually. Worry and fear were seen across her face.

“Ain’t it obvious!?” Gabe stopped in her tracks to face Sam. “I’m going to check it out! See what we’re up against!”

“Are you crazy!” Sam yelled back at her. “Didn’t you listen to anything I said earlier!?”

“Yeah, So?”

“So!?” The edgelord was just about ready to tug at her hair. “So it obviously means that you’re running straight to your death!”

Sam started to walk up to Gabe and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. “It’s always like this with you! You run headfirst into things, thinking everything will work out somehow! You never once thought about the consequences of your actions or how I feel! I mean, just this morning, you prioritized something dumb like a band name over our audition. It’s almost like you only care for yourself!”

Gabe started to get angry at Sam’s sudden accusations and started to butt heads with her. “Well, excuse me, Princess! Keep in mind that the band thing was my idea, so I obviously care! I just like to have fun, unlike some people!”

“Oh, it’s all fun and games until somebody gets hurt!” Sam retorted. “Well, if you really cared, then you would start to grow up. But you haven’t changed at all ever since we met! And now you’re planning to charge into something that’s way beyond what we’re capable enough.”

“Then what do you want us to do then!?” Gabe demanded. “There could be something out there that only we could stop, and you expect me to walk away!?”

“Yes!” Sam replied. “Because We. Can’t. Win!”

The two of them glared at each other, clearly at their throats. From an outsider’s perspective, this would just be friends getting into a serious fight. But for Uzi, this was Tuesday. Sam and Gabe were always arguing with one another. It was always a common occurrence that was routine for the duo.

When Uzi first joined them, she thought they were going to have their friendship fallout. But after a month, she just realized that they argue like a married couple daily. She wasn’t sure how they kept their friendship for so long, but she knew to step out of it when their arguments heated. Which was why she was trying to focus on her game until they stopped fighting. Of course, that did little to ease her worries about the fire, but she didn’t want to investigate without her friends.

Then, it happened.

Just around her peripheral vision, Uzi saw something rush out of the flames. She couldn’t make out what it was, but it was larger than any human could ever be, and a terrible buzzing noise came from its general direction. Whatever it was, it was coming for Sam and Gabe.

In just a millisecond, Uzi paused her game and rushed to her friends. Then, just as the creature was about to swipe at them, Uzi grabbed her best friends and forced them to the ground. The monster’s strike grazed the back of Uzi’s hair, cutting a small fraction of her locks. The gamer just barely escaped death by a thread.

“You dodged me?... Did you dodge me?” A gruff but grating voice spoke. An irritating buzzing sound rang across the area as whatever spoke stood over them. The three downed girls looked up to see what exactly they were facing when their eyes widened in horror.

The creature looked to be humanoid at first, but the rough hairy exoskeleton said otherwise. It was vastly taller than them, standing 8 feet tall with a lean exterior. The red hoodie it wore was torn in various places and did little to cover the large insectoid wings behind it. The creature’s head was similar to a bug with compound eyes and antennae on its head. But what was most disturbing was its elongated tongue protruded out of its mouth. The tongue had some sort of needle at the end that swung back and forth. They weren’t exactly sure what this thing was, but they knew what to call it:

Disgusting.

The three girls quickly rolled out of the way when the monster tried to stab them with its tongue. The needle cracked ground, leaving a small crater from where they stood before. If that had landed on them, they would’ve been dead for sure.

“Comment Allez-Vous?” A familiar voice suddenly spoke. The girls turned in the direction of the speaker and immediately saw Strix perched on a lamppost. “That’s french for: How are you doing? A pretty common phrase for beginners in french.”

“You!” Sam pointed her finger at him. “What is this thing!?”

The edgelord quickly ducked another strike that was aimed at her head.

“Straight to the point already? I thought you would at least play along for a bit…”

“We’re kinda fighting for our lives… So we would appreciate it if you could cut the chit chat…” Uzi mumbled as she narrowly got stabbed by the monster’s tongue.

“Fine… I guess I can move the story on…” Strix sighed before swooping down towards the ladies. The monster was about to pounce on them when the Reaper generated a white light, engulfing the three girls. Once the light dissipated, there was a forcefield that shielded them from harm. The bug crashed headfirst into this forcefield, banging its head into the mystical wall. Frustrated, the monster tried to punch the forcefield. Its strikes sent shockwaves with each blow.

“That right there is a victim of the Hive of Torment. Those bitten by the bugs that dwell in that hive are doomed to become flesh-eating bugs that love human flesh. This particular Bugman is a mosquito that drinks humans, leaving nothing but their skin behind.” Strix began to explain.

The girls were horrified by this sudden revelation. Sam, in particular, was just about ready to vomit.

“You explain this now?” The edgelord glared at the bird. “Why didn’t you do it earlier!?”

Strix merely chuckled. “Simple, it would be a lot more fun to show you what is at stake.”

“You knew we would be attacked?” Uzi remarked. She was also starting to glare at the bird.

“The Book of Fate tells all, but it’s not perfect.” The reaper declared. “Depending on how far I see into the future, the vaguer the fortune will become. The book knew you would be attacked, but it never said when you would be, and who would be your attacker.”

“But that still meant you knew this would happen!” Sam declared. “I told you this Turkey was Shady!”

“You can be mad if you want, but I, for one, enjoy the journey instead of the destination.” Strix stroked his feathers. “I indeed let this happen, but what would it prove if I prevented it? After all, showing you this monster was the only way.”

“The only way to what?” Gabe tilted her head in confusion. Strix merely smirked beneath his mask.

“To strengthen your resolve.” He suddenly declared. “I am a Reaper, and as a reaper, my duties mainly deal with the dead. This bug man is mortal, so I am unable to intervene and stop it myself. But to deal with these monsters, a mere gun will just not do. To battle these bugs, you must fight fire with fire.”

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to turn us into bugs or something…” Sam scratched her head, exasperated at the sudden events.

“Not bugs…” Strix suddenly reached into what seemed to be a pouch on his stomach and pulled out three feathers: The one that radiated life, The one that was blacker than night, and the one that shined like silver. “Harpies.”

“Harpies?” Uzi wondered aloud. “You mean like those birds in myth or something?”

“Yes, the Hounds of Zeus himself, responsible for dragging sinners to the underworld. The moment I met you, your souls radiated the same wavelength as these feathers. Which means you are compatible vessels for the powers of the Harpies.” The Reaper continued to explain.

“That’s kinda cool…” Gabe muttered. “I mean, I always wanted to fly so…”

“You’re still on about that!?” Sam barked at Gabe. “I thought I already said that we’re not the right people!”

“I wouldn’t necessarily refuse this offer,” Strix warned. “After all, your lives are at stake at the moment…”

CRACK!!

A sudden cracking noise rang inside the forcefield they were all in. The three girls turned to the sound and noticed the large mosquito man was still there.

And that there was a visible crack on the forcefield.

“The monster will be able to break my shield in one minute.” Strix declared. “Once he breaks it, I can do nothing to help you anymore.”

Sam turned back to the bird and glared at him. “You bastard… This was your goal all along…”

“True, but it’s a lot easier to have people do what you want if your life is on the line. So much easier than trying to convince people with just words.” Strix chuckled.

Sam gritted her teeth. This bird was playing them from the beginning, acting as if they had a choice in the manner. And they played right into his hands.

“Did you have to go this far just to recruit us?” She inquired the bird. “Why did you do this?”

“Because. The world needs to be saved, and we can’t have you refuse.” He countered. “Everything happens for a reason, and to deny it is to run away from fate.”

Strix glared at the three girls. Though his face was covered by a mask, his resolve was clear to see. This man was willing to do anything to stop this monster, even if he had to force people to do it for him.

“So are you in, or out?” He asked them one more time.

The three girls looked at each other. Their reactions were mixed with fear, disgust, and strangely enough… excitement. But that was more clear across Gabe’s face.

The cracks were beginning to get larger, which meant the creature would be on them at any moment. Once this field is destroyed, Strix would leave them to die. So there was only one option to choose from.

“Alright, we’ll do it.” Sam turned to Strix. While she was frustrated that she was going to fight against her will, she didn’t want to die here. Not when she had much to live for. And she especially didn’t want to get killed by an overgrown mosquito.

“I was always down to do it! So let’s go!” Gabe pounded her knuckles, pumped up by the fact that she was going to get magical powers.

“Then I shall accept as well.” Uzi agreed. Shifting her glasses, she stared at the feathers in his hand. “So, how are you going to turn us into harpies?”

“I’m glad you asked…” Strix handed them all the feathers.

“You eat these.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“What?” They three girls said in unison.

The first day as heroes, and they were already starting to regret it.