"AAAHHH!!!" I screamed, my voice carrying over the plains below as Celestial Sonata carried me through the air.

I could feel the wind whipping around us, and I gripped onto her for dear life as we soared through the sky.

I knew I was technically in no physical danger — my consciousness was still in the drone. However, the sensation of flying like this was unnerving, to say the least.

"Having fun?" she asked, her voice carrying over the wind.

I opened my eyes, feeling my stomach drop as I stared down at the ground below.

"Man... I think I'm going to be sick," I groaned.

She laughed, and with a flash of pink light, we began to descend rapidly. We landed gently on a hill overlooking a distant town, and I stumbled forward, my knees wobbling as I tried to catch my breath.

"What the heck?!" I gasped, my hands trembling. "That was insane!"

She smiled, placing a hand on her hip as she stretched out her obliques. "Ahh.... Well, that's one way to get the blood pumping."

I stared at her incredulously, feeling my mind reeling as I tried to process what had just happened.

"Look, I'm sorry for giving you a scare like that. I just thought it would be fun," she said, her expression softening slightly. "I didn't mean to overwhelm you."

I sighed, feeling my heart rate slowly return to normal.

"It's fine. Completely, and totally fine. I know you didn't mean anything by it," I replied, wiping the condensation on my visor. "But seriously, warn me next time."

She giggled, shaking her head in amusement. "Fair enough. But hey, we're here."

The sound of distant gunshots and explosions echoed through the air, and I could see flashes of light and energy erupting from the town below.

"That doesn't look good..." I muttered.

Celestial Sonata narrowed her eyes, her expression serious.

"Ikki," Rai-chan chimed in my head. "There are two large mana signatures coming from the cliff overlooking the other side of town."

I turned towards Celestial Sonata, who had closed her eyes in concentration. She opened them, her expression grim.

"I'm sensing some seriously unusual energy fluctuations from the north," she murmured. "I think we have a bigger problem than whatever's going on down there."

"My scans are showing something similar. It's almost like there's another anomaly over on the other side of town," Rai-chan chimed in. "But it's definitely not like the chaos beast we fought earlier. It's more like...a human signature."

"We should check it out," she said, nodding her head towards the distant hills. She extended her hand with a smirk. "Shall we?"

I shook my head, sighing in exasperation. "You know, you're going to give me a heart attack at this rate."

She smiled, her expression unreadable. "I'll take that as a yes."

And with a flash of pink light, she tucked me under her arm by the waist and took off into the sky.

"Oh, boy. Here we go again," I groaned sarcastically, feeling my stomach drop as we soared through the air.

"Aww, you're like a kid on a roller coaster," she said, giggling.

"Shut up," I muttered.

Rai-chan giggled in my head. "At this rate, I may have to make a comment about you and your new friend's domestic life."

"Not helping, Rai-chan."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Ikki. You can't deny it's a little exciting," Rai-chan chided.

I sighed, gritting my teeth as we flew above the town. We were approaching a cliff overlooking the other side of town, and I could see a strange orange energy pulsing and shimmering in the distance beyond the cliff.

"What is even going on out there?" Celestial Sonata said, her voice low and concerned.

She landed us gently on the edge of the cliff, and I could see a strange, humanoid figure glowing and pulsing with an orange light in the depths of the forest beyond. It was moving rapidly, its movements blurring as it clashed with something in the distance.

"Any idea what that is?" I reached out to Rai-chan mentally.

"It's like the anomaly from earlier... but not. It's fighting a magical girl or something on a similar wavelength. But the signature is still different from a typical chaos beast," Rai-chan said, her voice echoing in my mind. "I'm not sure what it is."

"You sense anything else?"

"No. If I had to guess, it was launched here from the town below based on residual mana."

I looked over at Celestial Sonata, who was staring at the strange figure with a frown.

"What do you think?"

"I'm not sure. But we need to keep our guard up," she said, her eyes narrowing. "Let's stay out of sight until we get a better handle on what's going on."

With that, she pulled me back, and we hid behind a large rock, staying low as we approached.

"You don't strike me as the stealthy type," I whispered.

She smirked, shaking her head. "You'd be surprised. I've had to sneak around from time to time, you know?"

As we got closer, I could see the battle intensifying below.

An orange silhouette of a woman was moving swiftly, its form blurring and shifting as it danced around a golden figure that seemed to be firing a series of rapid-fire shots.

"Well, there's definitely a girl down there. Looks like she's in trouble," Sonata muttered.

My eyes widened as I caught sight of Hana of the Dawn.

Dior was my friend, and I knew she was tough, but she looked like she was on the back foot. Anger and worry surged through me as I watched the battle below.

"We need to help her," I said, stepping forward.

"Wait. What intel can you pick up on the orange thing?" Sonata asked, placing a hand on my shoulder and stopping me.

I squinted, zooming in on the glowing woman's torso. She was definitely regenerating from the damage Hana was inflicting, and I could see a faint blue light shimmering around her form.

"Looks like she's healing somehow," I said, frowning. "But I'm not sure how."

"Hm..." Sonata mused, her expression thoughtful.

Suddenly, a burst of energy erupted from the orange figure, and it lunged at Hana with its naginata raised. Hana sidestepped the blow and retaliated with a series of kicks, her movements fluid and graceful as she dodged and blocked the monster's attacks.

"That's odd..." Sonata muttered.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Look at its fighting style," Sonata said, pointing. "It's like a Magical Girl's. But there's something different about it. It's almost like..."

"Almost like what?" I asked.

Sonata shook her head, her eyes narrowing.

"Ikki, the Imperatore of Civilization was the most recent Emperor to descend, so not all off its intel is public information yet," Rai-chan chimed in. "But based on what I'm picking up, the glowing woman's mana signature is both human and chaos beast at the same time — and the latter matches the signature of the one that got away earlier."

"Sonata," I echoed. "You think it's the chaos beast earlier?"

Sonata nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving the figure below.

"I think we may have found it."

"I sent in a scan. It seems like it's pinging back with a human and chaos beast signature simultaneously. We think it may have the Authority of Civilization," I confirmed.

"That would explain why it's mimicking a Magical Girl's style," Sonata said. "The Imperatore of Civilization was known to be capable of learning the man-made techniques and spells of its opponents. Amongst other things."

"So, what do we do now?" I asked, feeling my anxiety rising.

Sonata straightened up, her expression hardening.

"You stay hidden. I'm going to go in and—"

"Ame-no-Nobuko!"

We could barely register what had happened before a burst of blue light slashed through the air.

And suddenly, the world seemed to stop. Space folded before our very eyes as the naginata split the air, its blade glinting in the moonlight as Hana desperately exploded to the side in a flash of gold.

"Hana!" I cried out, my voice echoing through the air.

Sonata dove forward, her eyes flashing with a brilliant pink light as she threw out her hand.

But there was nothing she could do.

The streaks of light struck home, flashing through the air like a storm of flashing blades. Hana of the Dawn was caught at the edge of the attack, eyes open in shock.

Hana — Dior gurgled as she landed, sinking to her knees as she dropped two intricate-looking guns to the ground. She coughed and sputtered, blood gushing from her abdomen and mouth alike.

My mind reeled, my thoughts spinning as I watched the scene below.

"No... no, no, no!" I whispered, clawing through the bushes.

Sonata was already gone, diving towards the battle below. Her movements were a blur as she flew forward, her pink and golden light flashing and pulsing around her.

I scrambled to gain my balance, exhaustion and adrenaline surging through me as I stumbled forward.

"Ikki, wait!!" Rai-chan cried. "The Authority of Civilization is really bad news for magitech users!"

"I don't care!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the air.

I jumped over the cliffside, feeling my stomach drop as I fell through the air. I landed in a crouch, my legs buckling as I struggled to regain my balance.

Sonata was already on top of the chaos beast, her hands glowing with a brilliant pink light as she clashed with it, their attacks colliding in a shower of sparks. Sonata had summoned a blade of pure golden light, and she slashed and parried with a practiced ease that surprised me.

But the chaos beast was relentless, its form shimmering and shifting as it lashed out with a series of lightning-fast blows. I ignored them as I rushed toward Dior's collapsed form, my heart hammering in my chest.

She was lying on her side, her eyes half-closed and unfocused. Blood pooled around her, and I could see the deep gashes in her abdomen and arms. It looked like her right arm was barely hanging on by the elbow.

"No!" I cried, dropping to my knees beside her. "Oh my god, no..."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

She blinked slowly, her lips twitching as she struggled to speak.

"B-borrowed time..."

Her form flickered briefly, and she briefly faded back to her civilian self before returning to the golden, regal Hana of the Dawn.

"Please don't die," I whispered, reaching out to touch her cheek. "We've still gotta get lunch again. Remember?"

She smiled weakly, her eyes closing.

"This one is sorry... for everything," she murmured deliriously, her voice barely audible. "It has been a short time, but you had given this one hope. She wishes we could have been closer friends."

"No, no, no," I whispered, shaking my head. "Don't you dare die on me!"

I fumbled in my pocket for my medkit, my hands trembling as I pulled it out. There was so much blood, and I didn't know what to do. I had no medical training, but her wounds looked terrible.

Explosions rang out behind me, and I heard Sonata shouting and panting as she fought with the chaos beast. But I couldn't think about that right now.

"Rai-chan, what do I do?"

Rai-chan was silent for a moment before responding. "I'm sorry, Ikki. Her wounds are too severe. Without a medical team and transfusion on the spot, she won't make it. Even then..."

"No, that can't be true," I said, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. "There has to be something I can do. I can't just watch her die here."

"Ikki..."

"Don't worry, Hana. You're going to be okay," I whispered, my voice cracking as I grabbed the gel spray and desperately sprayed it on her wounds. "Just hold on, alright?"

Her form flickered again, and I saw her as Dior for a brief second. She coughed, blood splattering from her lips as her eyes fluttered shut.

I sank to my knees, my hands trembling as I held the gel spray uselessly.

She was dying.

I felt numb, the world spinning around me as I stared at her pale, lifeless form.

She was the first friend I'd made in St. Antonia's. She was the only person in my peer group who had helped me when I was struggling with everything. She had supported me and encouraged me, in her eccentric little ways.

And now, she was dying in front of me. There was nothing I could do.

Suddenly, a burst of energy erupted from the chaos beast, and a wave of heat and light washed over us. Sonata flew through the air, her hair billowing in the air as she fired blast after blast of pink energy directly at the Beast of Civilization.

It was then that I saw the Beast of Civilization's form clearly for the first time. It was a strange, humanoid form that glowed and shimmered with a fiery orange light. Its face was shrouded in shadows, and its body was formed of pure orange energy in the shape of a human woman.

But I recognized the silhouette it'd taken up immediately.

When I attempted to deploy to this battlefield, I had been briefly caught in some bizarre space in the Sea of Imagination, or whatever Rai-chan had called it.

In that space, I had encountered a strange, masked woman that had saved me from being hunted down by the monster I'd encountered in that realm.

That silhouette of that same woman was now squaring off against Celestial Sonata in the middle of a clearing. Their initial clash had leveled everything in a fifty-foot radius, and I could hear the sound of sirens and gunfire ringing out from the town below.

The woman had a naginata, and she was moving with the same grace and fluidity. Even the same gait as the woman who had saved me.

"Rai-chan..." I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "That... that form it's in. When I was trapped in that demesne..."

Rai-chan seemed to understand what I was thinking. "The woman who rescued you that? THAT was the woman who rescued you?!"

Something about Rai-chan's tone tickled my suspicions.

"Who is she?" I probed gently, but she didn't respond.

Sonata landed on the ground, her eyes flashing as she summoned her bow. She raised it, her aim steady as she pulled back an arrow of pure pink light.

"Tch. Taking up that form is a bit of tasteless irony, wouldn't you say?" Sonata snapped, her voice echoing through the air. "But I'm going to put an end to this right now."

The woman tilted her head, her body shimmering as she stepped forward. She raised her naginata, her movements smooth and practiced as she prepared to attack.

I looked back down at Dior's unconscious form, feeling a wave of despair washing over me.

"Rai-chan, we need to do something."

"I don't know what you're asking for, Ikki," Rai-chan said, sounding frustrated. "There's nothing we can do without immediate medical attention. She needs a blood transfusion and surgery right away. Without that, she—"

"I know, I know," I snapped, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. "But we can't just sit here and do nothing!"

I punched the ground, leaving a slight crack out of desperation and frustration.

And then, just as I hit a point of pure despair a brilliant flash of light erupted from behind me.

I turned, shielding my eyes as a barrage of red energy surged through the air, rippling and shimmering as it bombarded the chaos beast.

"Oh!? Of course you're here, Sonata. Looks like we might make it out of this after all," an unfamiliar voice called out from behind me.

I looked up, seeing a young woman in a pink, red, and maroon Korean style hanbok with flowing platinum-blonde hair standing behind me. Her eyes glowed with a brilliant red light, and she raised her hand towards the chaos beast, her form shimmering with a golden energy.

She was.... beautiful. In an ethereal, almost otherworldly way.

Her lips were painted red, and her cheeks were flushed with a rosy glow. She was smiling faintly, but I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Sorry for being late," she said, her voice low and sultry. "But I'll take things from here."

"Ingenue?! What are you doing here?" Sonata called out, her voice strained as she continued to fire arrows of pink light at the chaos beast.

"You know her?" I asked, feeling a sense of relief washing over me.

"Let's just say we go a ways back!" Celestial Sonata shouted, eyes widening as she briefly disappeared from sight.

I winced as several of those blue slashes I saw earlier appeared where she stood a fraction of a second earlier.

"Ingenue, stay out of the fight! This thing's a terrible matchup for you!"

"Relax, Sonata!" Ingenue shouted back as Celestial Sonata raced around the clearing. "I've already had my cute little butt handed to me by that thing once. I'll stay out of your hair unless I see an opening."

Ingenue quickly jogged over to Hana, kneeling down beside her. She placed a hand on her forehead, her expression thoughtful as she stared down at the Magical Girl's pale and bloodied form.

"Stupid, brave fool," Ingenue muttered, shaking her head. "You know... I really thought you were the devil incarnate for years. But look at you now."

She raised her other hand, clasping it over Hana's on her chest. Then, she clasped her other hand over their hands as well, and a brilliant red light burst from her palm. It washed over Hana's form, enveloping her in a halo of pulsing energy.

"But this is the second time you've put yourself in harm's way for me. I guess I owe you one, huh?" Ingenue spoke with a sad smile.

The red glow expanded to cover both of them, and I watched in amazement as Hana's wounds began to fade.

Her skin knit back together, and her body shifted and rippled as her form returned to normal. It was almost like her body was rewinding, her form flickering and shifting as she was restored to perfect health.

"Rai-chan, what the heck is she doing?"

"It looks like she's using her Signature Motif. Every Magical Girl has an ability that defines their life and origin at the point of awakening. Ingenue has a rather public one — Checkpoint," Rai-chan responded. "She has a rather unique ability to save and store her lumina for multiple months in a sort of reserve. She can also restore her physical state to what it was at any point in time within the last few hours."

"That sounds useful. Unbelievably so," I replied as I stared astonished.

"It's a useful ability for a Magical Girl that constantly puts herself in harm's way," Rai-chan agreed. "It activates after a few minutes whenever she takes lethal damage. However, it's extremely taxing on her lumina, and her last recorded limit was an additional 'respawn' per month for a total of three maximum restorations in reserve."

"So, she's using her ability to restore Dior's physical state?"

"It looks like it," Rai-chan confirmed. "It definitely wasn't a known element that she could use it on someone else, but it's working."

As the red light faded, I saw Hana's form return to normal, her eyes fluttering open as she coughed and sputtered. She looked around, her expression confused and disoriented.

"What... what happened?" she asked, looking down at her body in shock.

I smiled, feeling relief washing over me as I rushed forward and hugged Hana tightly. She jerked in surprise, but I ignored her protests as I pulled her close.

"Don't scare me like that again," I said, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. "You had me so worried."

"Who? Wah?"

"Oh, right," I muttered, feeling my face flush as I gave her room to breathe. "Uh, cold sandwiches?"

A light seemed to click on in her head as she tilted it in shock. "Oh."

"Yup, it's me," I said, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly. "Uh, how are you feeling?"

"This one is... alive," Hana said, looking down at herself. "Is this a dream?"

"Nope, it's all real," I replied, smiling. "You should thank Ingenue for that."

Ingenue stood up, brushing her hair back over her shoulder. "Don't count on me saving your life again, dumbass. Seriously. I'll give you credit for putting your neck on the line for us, but don't be an idiot and charge in alone like that again."

Hana looked up at her, frowning quietly.

"Forget it," Ingenue sighed, shaking her head. "Just take care of yourself, okay? You've got people waiting for you back home, right? So don't be so reckless."

Hana blinked, seeming to process her words slowly. "Home...? Someone waiting for Hana?"

"Well, you must have family or friends or something. You and Violet Tempest seem pretty close," Ingenue said, shrugging. "She and the other people at home must be worried sick about you. Goodness knows this guy clearly is."

She gestured to me, and I smiled, feeling a lump forming in my throat.

"Um, yeah," I said, nodding. "We haven't known each other for long, but she's been good to me. I'd hate to see her go like... she almost did. Before we really got to become friends, you know?"

Hana tilted her head, her expression thoughtful.

She stayed quiet as she slowly pulled herself to her feet, staring at the battle between Celestial Sonata and the Beast of Civilization.

Ingenue stepped back, watching as the two clashed violently in a shower of sparks. The monster's movements were blurring, its form flickering as it lashed out with a series of lightning-fast blows that Celestial Sonata dodged with fractions of a second to spare.

"Rai-chan, can you run an analysis on that thing? See if we can turn up any new information," I said, turning to the battle too.

"Yes, of course!" Rai-chan chimed. "Getting right on it."

A reticle on my HUD flashed and locked onto the orange silhouette of the Beast of Civilization. It was moving rapidly, its form shifting and rippling as it clashed with Celestial Sonata's golden light.

Numbers streamed across my HUD, and I could see the chaotic energy rippling around the beast's form. Calculations and equations raced across the stream, and for some reason, I saw flashes of abstract images racing across my vision.

Suddenly, the images disappeared, and my vision was filled with static. I winced, feeling a sharp pain in my head.

A pulsing sensation filled my mind, like a heartbeat echoing in my brain. It was like someone was reaching out to me, trying to communicate something I couldn't understand.

"What's going on?" I muttered, feeling my eyes water as the headache grew in intensity.

"Something's wrong," Rai-chan said, her voice low and strained. "I'm not sure what..."

"What is it?" I asked, feeling panic rising in my chest. "Can you fix it?"

"No, I can't. Something's interfering with my signal. It's like someone else is trying to override my scan. I'm trying to fight it, but — shit!"

"What are you talking about?!" I shouted at her mentally.

The images and data streams faded, and suddenly, the static was gone. But the headache remained, throbbing and pulsing as I stumbled forward.

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach as the headache grew in intensity.

"Rai-chan? Rai-chan!" I screamed, my vision blurring as I struggled to stay upright. "Rai-chan, answer me!"

But she was silent.

And as quickly as it came, the headache was gone.

The orange creature in front of us suddenly paused, stumbling in surprise as its form flickered and rippled. Its naginata slipped from its hands, and it staggered forward, its movements jerky and disoriented.

Celestial Sonata immediately took advantage of the moment, leaping into the air and summoning her bow.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Rai-chan said, sounding relieved. "I managed to fight it off."

"What the hell happened?" I gasped, feeling a wave of relief washing over me.

"I don't know. But that chaos beast was able to fight back against my analysis on an abstract level. It's almost like it recognized my scans and overrode them somehow," Rai-chan said, her voice echoing in my mind. "Then it came right after me."

"That sounds really bad," I replied, feeling a chill running down my spine.

"It's never happened before. But I'll keep an eye on it," Rai-chan said, sounding serious. "Be careful, Ikki. That thing is potentially even more dangerous than we thought."

Celestial Sonata unleashed her arrow, a burst of pink light exploding from the tip as she fired it directly at the creature's chest. The energy slammed into it, ripping through its torso and sending it flying backwards.

It landed with a crash, its form shimmering as it rolled to a crouching position. It wasn't dead. Far from it.

Sonata dove forward, her blade of golden light gleaming as she approached it. She raised her weapon, preparing for another strike, only to be met with a sudden burst of orange light.

The monster had vanished, its form disappearing in a flash of orange energy.

Sonata cursed, whipping around in surprise.

"Where did—"

It reappeared in a tornado of flames, its body blazing with a fiery orange light as it spun and whirled. It struck Celestial Sonata with a burst of red energy, sending her flying back with a cry.

"Sonata!" I shouted, reaching out towards her.

She landed with a crash, her form rippling with pink energy as she rolled to a stop. She sat up, shaking her head as she stared at the chaos beast.

"That was Desolation," Rai-chan said, sounding shocked. "I'm pretty sure that was the Authority of Liminality as well."

"Desolation?!" I replied in alarm.

"The Imperatore of Civilization was able to use weakened versions of the Authorities available to the previous three Imperatori. If that was Desolation, then I imagine the flames it's chucking around are a weakened form of Balefire," Rai-chan explained.

"What a pain," Sonata muttered, pulling herself to her feet. "So, you wanna play like that, huh?"

She raised her bow, her eyes glowing as the music around her swelled and intensified. She prepared for another attack, but the chaos beast seemed to have other ideas.

It lunged forward, its naginata flashing as it glowed with a blue energy. Sonata reacted instantly, taking a hand off the bow and snapping her fingers.

The blue energy dispersed, and the monster staggered back, its form rippling and shimmering as it shook its head in confusion.

Sonata raised her bow, preparing for another arrow of pink light. But before she could fire, the chaos beast vanished once again, its form disappearing in a burst of orange energy.

She lowered her bow, her eyes narrowing as she searched for any sign of it.

Suddenly, a flash of blue light exploded from behind us, and I turned to see Ingenue raising her hand. A segmented chain whip of blue light exploded from her palm, flying directly behind us. The Beast of Civilization burst forth from a portal of space, its naginata raised as it prepared to strike.

Ingenue's whip wrapped around the creature's arm, and with a flick of her wrist, the creature was pulled forward, slamming into the ground with a resounding thud. Hana sprang into action, flipping forward and summoning a pair off pistols.

She fired several shots, each one slamming into the creature's torso and creating a series of explosions even as Ingenue picked me up and jumped away from the action. But it wasn't enough.

The creature's wounds began to close instantly, and it quickly rolled to its feet, whirling around and lashing out with a flurry of slashes that sent Hana flying through the air. She landed hard, rolling to a stop as she clutched at her chest.

She pushed herself to her feet, her eyes blazing with a golden light as she summoned her pistols back into her hands.

But the Beast of Civilization ignored her, charging directly after us as Ingenue pulled me back.

"Ikki, it's going for us!" Rai-chan shouted.

"What?!"

"That strike was aimed at your drone!" she said. "It seems to be targeting you specifically!"

"What? Why me?!"

"I don't know!" Rai-chan said. "But it seems like it's trying to take us out of the equation!"

Suddenly, a burst of energy exploded from behind us, and a brilliant flash of pink light erupted from the sky.

Celestial Sonata swooped down from above, her hair billowing in the wind as she raised her bow and prepared to fire.

"Don't you dare!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the air.

The chaos beast ignored her, continuing to charge at me at a breakneck pace. Ingenue continued to jump and dodge, trying to put more distance between us as Sonata raised her bow and fired.

Another blast of pink light erupted from the sky and the arrow slammed through its body, but it didn't stop. It kept charging forward, its form flickering and shimmering as it closed the distance between us.

Before I could even blink, it was directly in front of me - naginata raised, its blade gleaming in the moonlight.

No, I had somehow moved to it. Away from Ingenue.

"Rai-chan!" I called out. "I need you to—"

And then It swung its weapon directly across my neck in a flash of blue.