IV.

The voice beckoned her to ascend, but for a moment she hesitated. She breathed in, admiring several free Knotting Strands accompanying the currents of air. The gray sky was a thin layer where she stood, as thick as a blanket between the heavenly ceiling and the world below. It seemed odd, since the top of the clouds here were dark as night. Madoka knelt beneath the blanket to inspect the clouds once more and noticed the very same clouds closest to her were gray on the bottom. Light and dark, like opposite sides of those coins inside Audrey's storage portal.

This illusion could be caused by the strangeness of the Leyline, or a "Grotto Situation" as the princess named this phenomenon. Ceghinort called this a Secret Garden, however, they did not enter a door to get here. The rock she stood on made no noise as it drifted around the pillar of black smoky clouds, but it was ascending slowly. She felt like she was departing her world, so she stared down at the vastness of the lands beneath her one last time. How large and loathsome the universe's emptiness must be? It was so dark above this thin line, she shook her head. Why would she want to leave the world she has been living in?

What is a universe? Audrey knew, but Madoka's mind could not grasp how fearsomely huge it was. It did not help that she said no one could visualize the scope of the universe's true size.

Madoka drew in more Knotting strands as she gasped at the beauty beneath her. She could barely make out Livertorjan's walls and flower filled plains far away in the distance, the tall ridges and crags they used to travel to Gladeban. Many more were jutting out in a circular pattern surrounding those strange statues. Rustaze's jutting spires and crags truly looked like a blooming flower from above, which was why they call the sections of land between each ridge Petals, she guessed.

She saw the desert sands and temples large enough to see more clearly beyond the furthest Petal, which meant that it was south from wherever she was according to Audrey. Next, the ocean was west and she wondered if the gargantuan cargo ship she saw could sail on its black waves. Looking beneath her made her feel queasy, so she noted that the landscape was mostly trees and crags. She swept her eyes northwest and noticed a massive fortress standing forlorn in the middle of a gathering of dots, presumably a large city.

Enough wasting time, she decided. The magic from the crystal in her core tightened around her back, indicating she was running out of time. She had a princess to attend to up there! The wings flapped once more, lifting her higher and higher for one last flight. The strands of magic avoided that rock and her insides squirmed as she approached the platform that voice told her to go up to. Madoka could see what she dreaded as she hovered above the land before setting her feet on it. Of course, she groaned. Those blasphemous ruins were awaiting her, in their perfectly clean and symmetrical glory.

The golden cords' light vanished and Madoka felt the particles of shattered crystal seeping back within her heart. No magic was left in her. Things were looking grim, since only the stars above her illuminated her surroundings. A sudden thunderous boom accelerated itself into her ears, directing her attention to the ruin's center altar. Kind gods, Madoka recognized that billowing smoke! Audrey was attempting her cultivation again within that tiny whirling typhoon! She ran towards the cloud, but her foot bumped into something wooden. What? She thought furiously, looking at the distraction. It was a box.

The very box she sat in while waiting for her to complete her cultivation on the summit of the Wind Serpent God's Hall. Was this Audrey's way of asking her to wait? Madoka sighed, feeling useless as ever, but decided to sit inside the box and obey the princess anyways.

Cultivating, Madoka thought as the swirling storm continued its chaos. What an odd word. The princess knew what she was doing, hopefully, and explained the process as stuffing Mana inside of... somewhere? Once she had nearly too much inside her, she cultivated the energy, by purifying it. What does that even mean? Was it like the Knotting Strands going inside of her crystal? Madoka sighed and shifted in the box a little. Was Audrey's rambling getting to her again? She hated thinking about these things, since it made her head hurt. Still, she was sworn into dutifully following her princess no matter how high they went. The stars and the moons seemed a little too much, in her opinion, but nevertheless!

Something boomed in the storm Audrey created, followed by crackling sounds. Madoka shivered and her hairs rose. This was not good, she peered out the box. She realized she forgot something crucial about that glowing core within it, but she could not recall what. It was too late!

A blast of invisible energy lifted her and the box into the air. The hard ground of the ruin's island hurt as she tumbled. Madoka struggled to grab onto something, but she was nearing the edge! No, help me crystal! She begged, gripping onto a tiny indent in the ground. The energy's blast was relentless! Even worse, only silence met her calls, despite the pressure intensifying. A thud and shattering raked her ears, as the box exploded to pieces. Before she could feel bad about losing it, a splintered board smacked her in the head and freed her grip completely.

No! Madoka tried to claw herself back to the floor, but before she knew it she was flying through the air. She punched her chest, but the crystal did nothing. This cannot be the end, right? She screamed and flailed as she was sent flying away from the island. Did the voice lie to her?

"Where are you?" Madoka cried out. Her world was twisting as her body flipped until the black storm was all she could see. She shielded herself, bracing for the worst as both her and the wreckage of the box dropped back into the gray sky. Silence enveloped her, then mist, and eventually everything seemed peaceful. Her flailing descent ceased and a comforting coldness wrapped around her skin.

You shall rest here, unharmed.

Child of the Stars.

In my arms.

You're finally here.

Open your eyes.

Madoka resisted the urge tugging at her eyelids. Any entity asking her for her Eyes was not a good thing, right? Still, an all-encompassing softness persisted across her entire body, like an assurance that everything would keep her safe.

"It is okay, Child. Here in Tomorrow, you may rest here as long as you wish," the voice spoke, this time outside her head. Is this real? "Your Todays shall not harm you, neither the Black Storm of your Leyline, nor Her constant scheming. Here in Tomorrow, you are no longer a pawn in her games."

"Audrey," Madoka sprang up from the softness. Her eyes were greeted purple and bluish light glowered everywhere from an enormous translucent form. Ultraviolet light, her mind was already informed. By what? She clutched her head and groaned. "My head..."

Purple needles swirled around her, before settling into an oval pattern beneath her. Immediately, her vision and body felt better. That translucent form was too large to make out, so she focused on her closest surroundings. Madoka felt the bed that she was lying on. Feathers? As her fingers dug deeper, she felt an odd bumpy fleshy surface. Where has she felt this familiar sensation before?

"Audrey?" She called out. The glowing form shifted above her, making her feel like she was being watched by it. Horror overtook her defiance as more of its face became visible. "W-What are you?"

「Behold! I am the God of Tomorrows. Open your ears. Child of the Stars, we have much to discuss.」

The feathery bed she was resting on suddenly shifted, moving further away. As it did, Madoka could see the swirling storm amidst the ultraviolet glow. She definitely fell inside it, where that cargo ship disappeared, but despite that the "bed" still moved further away from the translucent form. She knew this feeling of abject horror. This God of Tomorrows was there when they ran into the corrupted Fiara Soldier in that goblin city. Its massive face seemed reminiscent of that goose animal that Artisan Guild Master Koj held, though its body was a swirling mass of feather clad tentacles. She gulped from the revelation that she was on one of them, extending further away to get the whole scope of Its magnificence.

"So?" She sighed. What else could she do? She was in the arms of a most terrifying Kind God above a great void. "Where are we?"

"Tomorrow," The God responded blankly, as if she should have already known. Its voice was thunderous, chaotic and screaming at the same time, but Madoka could strangely withstand it.

"You saved us from that Fiara soldier," she gave up trying to understand what or where exactly Tomorrow was.

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

"As you have wished for; it has been recorded in the Stars," the giant goose spoke to her. Made in His image, Madoka mused idly to herself. She did not expect that little bird meant it literally. "Hear me, Madoka. Hear me. She who owns you shall not reach you here. The Enemy's Slave shall be hidden in Tomorrow's embrace."

"What did you do to her?" Madoka growled, reaching for her axe, but only grasped at her cloak empty handed. That impudent girl made her lose her weapons!

"She can try all she wants, but she cannot harm me," the God declared.

Madoka growled in response.

"Don't be that way, Child of the Stars," it soothed her. "All monsters who challenge Me shall be punished if they fail."

"What did you do to her?" Madoka repeated herself, keeping her voice as dark as the void below her. Still, her resistance faded when the Goose God's many eyes glared down upon her. "What do you want from me?"

"Hear me, O Slave of the Enemy. Seven gods strive within you, with many more to come," the God of Tomorrows declared. That tone! She heard it when she nearly lost herself while choking Audrey! "Like that dead god who has lay claim to your shoulder, she seeks to end their Todays. Yet your flesh and blood belong to me. Through me, you have many blessings."

Images flickered in her mind. She suddenly recalled memories of the cacophony of rushing thoughts from animals fleeing the ruins, Ciara and her gentle trusting thoughts, and the damn goose she was secretly fond of. A clang rang in her head, the same sound she remembered striking her ears when she summoned that giant metal ball to train with Eraziror with and those pillars of metal she's conjured while fighting Audrey. The purple mist that did not seem to harm her, even though those needles pressed into her skin.

"So, you're the reason I have these 'gifts,'" Madoka did not know whether or not she should curse her luck or the God Itself. "I'm just a slave! What does this have to do with Audrey?"

"The Gods of Today have their own desires for you and she does as well. My desire is only that you revel in Tomorrow. Always has been," The God of Tomorrow's beak opened wide, revealing just how massive it was compared to anything Madoka has ever seen.

A harsh groaning noise boomed, making her grip onto a tree-sized feather. That noise! It was the massive cargo ship, emerging out of its maw. More strange things were attached to it precariously and haphazardly, floating in space as their names identified themselves in her head. Railroad tracks? Cars? What is happening to her mind?

"The Stars have granted you a gift of their own, to watch over your Todays."

Before she could question what this all meant, a warmth surged inside her chest. The crystal burst out of her on its own, floating before her vision. So it was alive! It was reassuring her that it was there to help her. The information coming to her mind must be due to the crystal's influence. Madoka reached out to it, but she noticed a glowing purple orb floating at the top of the tilted cargo ship beyond it. That sphere contained Audrey, she was sure of it!

"This 'Audrey,' you are so in love with, prevents the Gods from finding you and naming you their Hero — forever severing you from her and from... Me. She does this by killing them. What shall you do to preserve your Todays? Your destiny is before you, Child, and only you are able to choose. No other soul in this world is free from Fate's Red Strings other than you, because no one is close to her," the God spoke to her, despite the chaos happening within its maw. For some reason, it seemed sorrowful at the prospect of losing her. "Shall you side with the God Killer? The Kin Slayer? Or succumb to the Great Void beneath you? She cannot harm me — for I shall always exist as long as there is a Tomorrow."

"Killing kind gods?" Madoka wondered. She shook her head; there was no use in trying to get a straight answer out of anything for she was just a slave that attends to her princess. She decided this giant goose can save its pity! "You lie!"

"Then pass my trial, Child, and rescue her," the God of Tomorrows encouraged her. "She shall show you her true nature soon enough. With her powers, you can slay my former servants: The Witch and her Guardian, the Uracksheegul."

"Your charge is not up for me to decide," Madoka growled. The mention of that dark creature nearly made her shudder, though she was already scanning for a floating object to climb all the way to rescue Audrey. A row of cars on a crumbling section of a bridge floated nearest to the tentacle she was on. Got it! She braced herself and then she jumped off the feathery branch.

"You will do well to encourage her in aiding you, Child of the Stars," the God spoke before its ghostly form faded, leaving nothing but the debris and the massive cargo ship behind. The storm's wind stung Madoka's cheeks and exposed skin as she fell, but she caught the edge of the closest car before falling deep into the void. "Do not delay or the Witch shall take more and more eyes, ending many more souls' Todays."

Madoka gripped the roof of the car, feeling the metal give a satisfying crunch within her fist. She shall pass that God's test and rescue Audrey! The metal sheet tore completely off in her hands like a layer of a Commoner plant as she pulled herself up. Her foot found an oddly soft interior to land on, as she watched the roof of the car fling off into the raging clouds surrounding this entire void. Any terrible mistake would definitely spell her end, Madoka gritted her teeth. The crystal within her hummed, so she decided to listen to it for once. Instead of forming wings, it highlighted another large truck that she could climb onto. Okay, she determined and readied herself for the jump. I'll trust you to take me to my princess!

I am with you, but forgive me.

I do not have enough energy to be your wings.

"Just do your glowing thing, okay?" Madoka assured it as she climbed up the row of cars. Unlike the floating rocks outside in the Leyline, everything in this void seemed more unstable. Her weight shifted the bridge and she felt the momentum of the whole structure begin to tilt with it.

The crystal obeyed and Knotting Strands guided her vision to a row of railroad tracks just above the edge of the broken bridge. Madoka's stomach lurched as everything flipped vertically, but she caught the torn edge just in time before the cars flipped off the road and joined the void. There was no longer a flat surface to rest on; She would have to go up. Despite the wider gaps in between the train track's wooden planks, she could latch onto them and climb up like a ladder. The metal railing glowed yellow, indicating that was the next thing she should take. The golden aura surrounding those objects reminded her of when she inspects weapons, indicating how sturdy they were. She hurried, making sure she should dodge the rotting and rusted plain parts of metal.

Speed is of the essence!

You can do it!

I shall give you strength!

"You're not help—" Madoka was about to complain, but suddenly a jolt of energy coursed through her body. Fine, she blew a lock of her hair off her eye and jumped for it. The cold air whipped her face as she soared when finally rough wood scratched her grip. She caught it!

Good!

Onward to the ship!

Madoka let her instincts control her, so she climbed as if she was about to drown. One by one, she pulled herself up the train track's splintered planks. A long log greeted her at the top just before she made it to the ship's bow, which was aimed down into the darkness. A cable was linked all the way to one of its yellow cranes, though Madoka had no idea what any of those truly were. It was all because of the crystal, she was sure of it, since Audrey never explained to her the anatomy of a ship. Madoka stared up at the glowing purple sphere at the ship's huge boxy stern far above her.

"You just wait, Audrey," Madoka swore. The crystal pulled itself out of her chest, becoming a metal rod. Use me to slide all the way to the crane, it told her. "I shall be right there for you!"

She gulped, but did what the crystal told her. She fit the bar until it was snug on the cable and ripped on both ends as she zipped down to the yellow spire. Madoka found the concept exhilarating, despite the imminent threat of death. Her speed increased as her descent to the spire began to close, but she braced herself for impact.

I won't let you fall!

I won't let you break!

The bar in her began to resist the slide, slowing her down just enough to land on the crane's side. She could only groan as she tumbled and rolled along the hard surface. It was certainly not as thin as the cars metal rooftops she climbed on. Madoka recovered, but could only gasp at the horizon as she lay there for a moment. Rows of metal boxes filled the main deck, each painted in various colors. The stars and night sky greeted her through a funnel of clouds and lightning, illuminated by the violet light from Audrey's cage. Just a few more obstacles in my way to you, she pushed herself up. The crystal's stardust filtered inside of her chest, making her feel suddenly lonely.

Focus, Madoka slapped her forehead, though she secretly did not want to hear the crystal complain about her delay. A loud groaning noise shook the metal spire she was standing on. An attack? Madoka worried as she dove to the crane's cabin for cover. No, the horrible noise was coming from the deck. The metal boxes were sliding down the ship's deck as it began to move, threatening to crash down on top of her if she did not move soon!

Madoka's knees buckled as one of the containers crashed on the crane, ringing and vibrating in her ears as it scraped off. Now! She steadied herself and launched much higher than she thought she could. The crystal within her highlighted more torn up cars and shipping containers orbiting around the ship. She could avoid most of the falling parts and bash through thin sheets of metal. A shadow covered her vision as she ascended up rungs of the deck's exposed concrete. A falling container was about to crash into her!

I am with you!

An auric bubble shielded her just in time, though she still flinched from the heavy blow of metal deflecting off its magic. Despite its large size, its midsection melted as it came into contact with the Knotting Magic. The melted ends sizzled and drifted near her. The crystal highlighted them. She growled and planted her boot on them, feeling the heat and electricity dancing along the container's severed plates surge on her feet. Her chest felt energized, emboldening her to soar.

"I hate this fast paced training!" She roared. The crystal was charging from the melted metal! "When I get to you, Audrey— you and I are going to have a stern talk!"

Wings ready.

I am with you.

"Let's get to it, then," Madoka gritted her teeth as her being jolted uncontrollably. Her surroundings glowed and the beautiful golden wings spread out behind her. That prison sphere holding her Princess seemed much easier to grasp, she determined. "Audrey, I'm coming."

Madoka breathed in more Knotting Strands and then she launched herself into the air.