I.

Madoka stirred. Someone, or something was tugging on her arm. She could get used to sleeping soundly without any odd dreams, but the pulling could stop.

"Madoka, Madoka, Madoka," a voice pried itself into her reluctant ears.

Speak to her.

Open your eyes.

Wake up.

Face the day.

Madoka sprang awake, feeling the bed creak beneath her palms. Her grip made the soft cloth wet from sweat. Something talked to her, but something else thumped on the ground with a grunt.

"Ugh, note to self, Audrey, don't stand above a moving truck."

She caught a hand grab the edge of her bedside, followed by a tuft of blonde hair. Madoka felt her own hair, feeling the mix of sweat and dread smear on her brow. What just spoke to me?

"Madoka?" Audrey's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Madoka."

"I'm awake!" Madoka shrieked. "Stop saying my— Hmph!"

Audrey's eyes were a beautiful sight to behold, but she gave Madoka too much sunlight during this time of the morning.

"Okay!"

"You're awfully cheerful this morning," Madoka scrutinized the Princess's look. Those wide pools of blue held ripples of ambition and playful schemes inside them, which could be— Madoka sighed. She would never get the answer out of Her Highness. "Why?"

"Why, I was thinking last night," Audrey guessed. Madoka recalled nothing of last night besides her conversation with Eraziror. "We're totally washed."

"Washed?" Madoka wondered. "Did you ever find a bath barrel in the portal?"

"Weak," Audrey eyed her. "We're totally weak! If a mere King Wolf could stop us in our tracks, then what's the point of adventuring?"

"I don't think many could stop that wolf," Madoka grumbled.

"Well giddy up, pard, we're heading out!"

Before Madoka could question her, a few of her traveler attire slapped into her face. All she could do as her servant was get ready, but she could also sigh while doing so. Audrey did not notice, cheering and inspecting herself in the mirror she brought. It was still early, most of the adventurers were asleep downstairs. She snuck outside with Audrey, who remained nimble. The morning wind brushed her skin leaving mist upon it, but she felt awake now. The cold would never bother her anyways— Her Highness's hands were warm enough. Eh? When did I grab her hand? Madoka wondered. She preferred it anyways.

"So, where are we headed?"

The bone jaws of the gates were getting closer. Madoka could tell they were headed out, but she recalled no sign of getting a commission. What was Audrey planning?

"Out!"

"D-Don't we need a commission?"

Madoka felt the Princess let go of her hand before she beheld her pretty face, silhouetted by the sunrise. Even then, she could see Audrey's mischievous smile. Instead of being engulfed in her beauty, dread filled her. Above her in the horizon, the floating debris from that mysterious Leyline hovered above her endlessly towards the sky. She knew the princess's propensity for causing trouble and that strange place seemed to be a great source of it.

"I ain't going to grind commissions all day, Madoka, where's the fun in that?" Audrey whined. "We're going explore! And power up! Yeah!"

"I don't know about you, but can't we stick with the easy commissions?" Madoka whined. Something wet splashed on her skin. Audrey shot a magic jet of water at her! "You—"

Another hit her square in the face. Audrey laughed, and Madoka attempted to dodge her third spell but failed. Did she get slower? Or did the Princess's magic get quicker? She was about to say a bad word, but Audrey was right: She was easing up. Another beam of water ricocheted off her arm gently, only fueling her annoyance. As the wind blew her short hair across her shoulders, a voice shut her up instantly.

Go with her.

Be free.

Open your heart to the sky.

Face the day.

"...Besides, we're rich!" Audrey was speaking the whole time as they walked along the path. Her fingers stuck back into her pocket and withdrew a scroll. Since when did she get that? "According to the map, Petal... uh... something has the Leyline! And that's where we're going to train! Madoka?"

"H-Hai," Madoka felt nothing hostile in this new visitor's voice in her head. She still hated it.

"What's shakin', bacon?" Audrey asked in English. Madoka gave her an odd look. What does that phrase mean again? "What's happening to you? You're blanking out."

"Something is talking to me, telling me to follow you," Madoka admitted after a short silence. Why did she not want to tell Audrey? The voice did nothing, but she backpedaled with a quick excuse to disarm the Princess's suspicions. "Thoughts of an animal or I'm just tired and thinking I'm hearing things."

I am here, Child.

Hidden.

Seen or unseen, I am here.

Go with her.

Stop. Madoka wanted to scream, but Audrey laughed and smiled.

"Whoever it is— it's right!" Audrey smirked. "Spooky ghost or not, it's another reason to train. Nobles and Royals used to not be pompous freaks hanging onto generations of wealth and power, you know. We used to get out there and do work! Ha! And that's what we're doing right now!"

The forest seemed clear of all thoughts, but eventually it thinned to an opening in the path they walked. There, Madoka realized that they were traveling on a massive ridge, stretching and surrounding a valley far below the path beneath them. The cliffs surrounded this section's forests as far as the eye could see. In its center, the Leyline pierced the sky, much further away than she thought.

"I feel faint," Madoka groaned. "You expect to go to that place? To train?"

"Hell yeah!" Audrey chirped, as if she didn't see the long ways they had ahead of them. "Now, for realsies, we're headed into the dark forest. We should probably pay attention."

"You're one to talk," Madoka stretched her mind as far as she could, but the forest line and the pathway down into its depths did not speak. She decided it was also best to keep to herself in here and protect Audrey.

"So," she broke the silence. They've trekked down into this Petal area, but still no thoughts. "Any more ghost thoughts? Animals?"

Madoka shook her head.

"Odd," Audrey remarked. "Whatever a wyvern is, it certainly has been scaring all the critters away."

"Then why are we here?" Madoka blurted, then quickly covered her mouth. She should not be complaining to her Princess!

"I've been asking that for awhile," Audrey sighed. "Dunno! But I've been meaning to tell you something okay? Please don't get mad at me!"

A whirlwind of dreadful ideas swirled in Madoka's head, but Audrey waved her off.

"M-Magic," Audrey explained quickly. "I have a few ideas for my magic and you know, we're trying to not draw too much attention to ourselves. Besides, that Drezgor guy said we could go here!"

"He said," Madoka tried to lower her voice and match his growl. "'You can even try exploring it, if you feel like cutting your adventures early.' That doesn't sound like permission, Audrey!"

"Wow, that was a pretty good impression!" Audrey laughed, but her expression changed. "You told me to be honest with you, so I won't hide anymore! A God, or a Goddess, is calling me somewhere within those floating rocks. Really couldn't tell. Plus, I wanna test out a concept I've been thinking about!"

"A-A Goddess," Madoka choked. She could see the spiral of floating rocks through the tree tops. "Concept?!"

"Well, it's a bit of Wind magic I've been thinking of," Audrey held her palm up. A tiny orb of green energy swirled to life above it, though it seemed harmless. Madoka inspected it, but her eyes traced the Knotting strands stray away from Her Highness as they normally do. "You totally wouldn't survive it if I tested it on you so what a better way than straight up explorin'?"

"I won't what?" Madoka flinched as the orb vanished into nothingness. She felt Audrey's eyes resting on her and suddenly felt bashful.

"You ever get annoyed at all the distractions?" She asked. "Seeing magic rushing all over the place, hearing stuff?"

"Have you found a solution to that?" Madoka quite liked that idea. She would give up a lot of things to go back to her ignorant, magic-less ways, when she was a—

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Yeah," Audrey shrugged, but jumped on top of a boulder. "Well, it's meditating, specifically targeting the strands and nullifying them with your own— You know what, let's sit here and I'll show you."

"Weren't we going to the Leyline?" Madoka muttered, but she sat next to her princess anyways. Sweat was beading down her forehead, and she realized Audrey wanted to take a break anyways. She crossed her legs as she sat, resting her open palms on her knees.

"You do this and let the mind wander a bit, escaping discursive thought process, the daily mundanity, what have you," she closed her eyes. "Just sit like this and be quiet."

Madoka was suddenly feeling a bit doubtful about whatever Audrey was planning, but since she heard no thoughts from any animals around her she figured it was safe to do so. She hefted her legs uncomfortably, eventually fitting into the same position Audrey sat in. Perhaps the uncomfortable posture was what made her not be able to see the magic around her.

"Now picture the strands in your mind and cast them aside," Audrey whispered. "Nothing but you and the trees... Nothing but you and the trees. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao, and all that."

Despite all the strange sayings her silly princess said, Madoka contemplated it for awhile. She could not really picture things well in her head. Instead, she decided to recall her memories of her days back in the Palace. The days and nights spent in the snowy mountains, those suffering moments were all without any of these Strands. Cleaning the many rooms alone of the Estate and practicing sword fighting with that Leopride fellow. Those were the days, she breathed in the nostalgia, yet if she tried to recall what he looked like she could not any longer. She opened her eyes and she noticed the sun was up, but the Knotting strands were missing. Was recalling fond memories of better days the key to having a clearer vision for the moments she was in now?

Slowly, the sights of Knotting Strands returned to the corners of her vision, streaking in the sky and snaking along the ground. She closed her eyes again. Happy, and ignorant feelings were not going to bring the past back. What should she do to get rid of these Strands from her sight? Was she stuck with the ability to see them forever?

"Enter the magic world as a force, but leave as a peaceful ghost," Audrey's voice was a lot calmer. Madoka realized that she was leaning against her back, presumably in the same sitting position. "There is an emptiness, welling inside of you. An understanding that all the messes you clean are transient... Ah, open your eyes. I'll show you a little presentation of what I mean."

Madoka felt oddly nervous this time at the girl's request, but Audrey's hands lifted off her shoulders. She didn't even notice that they were grabbing her. The princess jumped off the boulder; her landing hardly made a noise in the forest. She was too graceful, but that devious smile on her face said otherwise. Before Madoka got distracted while admiring the view, she raised her hands and her bright core startled her into paying attention. Audrey isn't going to cast a Water spell on her, right?

"Ha!"

Heat emanated from her core, but suddenly thousands of green sparks of Mana whirled by her as they poured out of her chest. Madoka was suddenly surrounded by a tornado storm of them! Audrey's eyes were glowing green as she moved her hands, almost like she was manipulating the Knotting Strands. Despite this, those golden strings of magic were nowhere to be seen amidst the swirls of scattered light.

"Is this what you see all the time?" Madoka asked, shying away from one of the floating sparks bobbing midair towards her. The green spark splashed on her skin, but bounced off and began to float away like a peaceful leaf. It was warm to the touch, giving her a soothing sensation.

Audrey collapsed her arms in a prayer-like stance and closed her eyes. Beneath her eyelids, her eyes fluttered as she concentrated. The green Manas began to slowly orbit around Audrey, with the closest ones filing inside of her core. Eventually, the maid and her princess were alone in the forest again. She bent her knees and wiggled her butt as she winded up a leap. Madoka groaned and shifted out of the way as she hopped on the boulder.

"Does that help?" Audrey asked. Madoka felt a bump slump against her back, but she didn't budge. "Draw it all inside of you, and you won't see 'em. Well, all of the time anyways."

"It doesn't work that way," Madoka guessed aloud. "I try to absorb them, or however you put it. They come from the sky, the rocks, and everywhere."

She trailed off as Audrey's short hair scratched against her neck. The last time Madoka felt this calm was when she heard the princess confess to her in that cavern.

"Perhaps it's because the Knotting Strands react to somatic stimuli," Audrey scooted forward. "Like, you pulling that crystal thingy out your chest like an alien parasite, or those buff guys doing those crazy dance moves before smacking the crap out of those metal slabs in the forge. You gotta physically pull 'em in you. Probably like closin' your fist... Madoka?"

She was right, Madoka stood up. She was usually right. The Strands swam around her freely, unaware that they were bothering her and ruining the mood!

"Don't know what soma... somagically means, but I'll," Madoka swished her arms like the Princess did. Immediately, the once free flowing Strands began to swim in the same arc her hands did before gathering at the flat of her palms. More channeled through, but not all of them. Madoka continued moving her arms until all the magic was floating in a violent swirling disk above her head.

This was enough, Madoka closed her eyes and braced herself. Then she closed her fist in the center before anymore hesitation struck her, feeling the jolting pain wrap in between her ferocious grasp and tightened fingers. It felt like the Knotting Strands were trying to escape, but Madoka pulled her arms down and only relaxed her fists when the electrifying feeling vanished. When she opened her eyes, the Strands were gone!

"They're all gone now," Madoka turned to Audrey. The princess's jaw clicked back shut, before she rubbed her cheeks. "It's rude to gawk."

"S-Sorry," she muttered, leaning over to look at her at different angles. "That was a lot of magic going inside of you... somewhere. Do you feel weird?"

"Only when I'm around you," Madoka retorted.

"Nae waah," Audrey suddenly had a dirty look flash by on her face, but she snapped out of it. "Well, it's good that you have the basics down. Focus on doing that with less movement, and eventually you'll have the energy inside of you much quicker."

"Do you have to do that?" Madoka sat down, but the rock itself made her feel jumpy. She truly was energized, but based on Audrey's glance she probably wasn't supposed to feel this way.

"Yeah," Audrey stretched and sprawled out on the boulder. "Less arm flapping like a bird, though."

"I see," Madoka supposed it must look weird with her doing the meditation with her hands above her head. Or did it?

"Well, hiding our magic is important. Saw it in a tv show once, so I'm right!" Audrey sat up. "We got enough people lookin' at us. Break time's over! Let's get..."

"Audrey?" Madoka turned around and saw what froze the girl up.

A massive bug towered above them, halfway up a tree. It perfectly blended in, but its thoughts were still primitive. Harmless. Mostly, although its multiple chittering and grating jaws said otherwise in a threatening manner. When she pulled the princess back, its giant bulbous eyes on its head shuttered open like a wave of plates cluttering through the wash. They didn't move like a Narm's or Sovo's eye, but she could tell it was watching her.

She drew her axe, but suddenly the bug's fur and shell plates burst into an effulgent and exotic pattern of circular oranges and triangular blues.

"So this is an adult fuzzy bug," Madoka muttered. A hand tugged her sleeve, but the horror on Audrey's face stopped her instead.

"D-D-D-Don't touch it," Audrey warned her. The two remained still as the fuzzy bug hissed as it sat on the tree, suspended in terror. This bug could attack them at any moment, which wasn't the issue to Madoka. It was just gross and made her feel queasy just looking at it. "So basically I saw this on some science videos at school that..."

The chittering grew more agitated as Audrey rambled on.

"... If it has brightly colored follicles it's extremely poisonous and its stings say F U."

"Great," Madoka groaned, but prepared her fighting stance as its jaws widened. A sharp barb with four prongs dipped in a dangerous substance stuck out of one of its jaws. It was preparing to sting them! "Teach me how to destroy it."

"Oh? That's easy!" Audrey chirped. Her core glowed a crimson blaze, and her hands became woven with fire magic. "With fire! Lots and lots of fire!"

Madoka hopped out of the way just barely before Audrey unleashed her magical assault on the bug. Those torrents of flame pouring from her hands would have caused her to complain, but she now understood why her princess hated bugs so much. It didn't die immediately, squirming and breaking at jagged, sporadically angles as it squealed and hissed in the flames. Still, the licks of flames twisted fear into her mind, reminding her that she was not over her time in the Palace.

"Yah! Yah! Yah!" Audrey chanted.

"Audrey," Madoka caught her wrist mid swing.

"Hadou— Oh," Audrey's core burnt out, and her terrifying eyes reverted back to blue lakes. "Sorry, Madoka, I uh... I got carried away."

Awhile later, Madoka found herself following Audrey silently. She dowsed the bug in fire, conjured water and put out the flames before setting the ashes of the bug on fire again. For good measure, she said. Madoka scoffed. She should have warned her before she was going to use fire. It wasn't like she could order the Princess around anyways, although sometimes Audrey listened to her. She was deceptively strong like she said. Adept at hiding her magic power, nimble, and most importantly, she was good at being invisible.

Madoka had a sinking feeling that she was scared of Audrey more than anything.

"Leyline's up ahead," Audrey pointed. There was a small hole in the thick tree branches that revealed the sky to them, and she saw a glimpse of a massive ice chunk floating in place of the sun. "Can you feel that... tingling feeling?"

"It's more than tingling," Madoka glanced at her arms. The tiny hairs on it stood up on their ends, sending a shiver down her spine. Something moved in the distance. It was a rock, floating gently in midair. She glanced above them beyond just the small hole and her eyes widened. "Look, Audrey!"

All around them were floating branches, trees and rocks. Audrey stood in silent thought for a moment. Then she suddenly jumped with the help of a small gust of her Wind magic beneath her. Madoka reached to catch her, but instead of falling back down the girl floated!

"Hey, I'm flying!" Audrey cheered. She spread her arms and legs out as if she was swimming, but instead of going anywhere she simply rotated in place.

"Get back down here," Madoka sighed, though she secretly thought about jumping higher into the floating trees. "It's dangerous."

"Nuh-uh," Audrey reclined back, but she was upside down.

"You're stuck up there, aren't you?" Madoka reached up and yanked the girl's foot before pulling her back down into her arms.

"You're no fun!" Audrey pouted, but didn't try to jump back up there when Madoka set her down. She pointed to a clearing, where more uprooted trees hovered. "There's where we wanna go."

"You," Madoka corrected her. "That's where you want to go."

"Come, come!" Audrey clapped her hands. More Wind magic pushed their waves out from them, making Madoka shudder as they passed harmlessly through her. Audrey noticed that and clapped again. This time, a jet of fire leaped out in a spark and then water splashed into an icy chunk onto the bark underfoot. "Huh, that's weird."

Something was off about this place, besides the obvious. Madoka felt the Knotting Strands in her body were also bursting erratically inside of her. It was electrifying and sending a deep urge to run around within her, but she followed her princess faithfully. Silence overwhelmed them as they took in the sights of the Leyline. It was glorious! A wide and undisturbed grassy plains stood before them, but just beyond it a swirling dark cloud covered its edge. Chaotic lightning blasted inside of it, while rocks, debris and frozen chunks the size of Gladeban's Adventurer Guild Hall towered above them in a spiral. It was like a stairway for giants, Madoka squinted upwards and saw a hole in the sky revealing the night.

It also just dawned on her that Audrey heard a God calling her somewhere within the black cloud. Or even higher than that big hole in the sky.

"Wow," was all Madoka could utter. Audrey stepped out in front of her silently. Small blades of grass and dirt floated upwards from her boots, but the girl stopped a small distance between them. "Audrey?"

Her killing intent suddenly rose and the core in her chest flared up again, pure and dangerous as ever.

"Now," she turned to face Madoka. When she opened her eyes, the maid's heart faltered. They were glowing with cyan and green halos coarsing inside her normally still blue irises. "Fight me."

Eh?!