IV.

The Eye hummed a horrible tone before her. Its metal scales shifted like waves along a hidden wall it seemed to be attached to. Perhaps it was the wall itself, Madoka watched it nervously and readied herself for a magic attack. There was no such way to survive an attack from this thing, she thought. Her ears began to hurt as it uttered more of the same unknown language in dark tones before she began to pick and understand words out of it.

「Angels have been identified. Identified. Identified.」

"Angels?" Madoka asked it but she was unsure if it could hear her over the noise it made. She gripped her sword's hilt though she doubt she could pierce its tough metal scales. "Are you Ceghinort?"

"It kind of looks like the labyrinth entrance from the forest," Audrey moved to look at the strange being. She froze as a roaring whir emanated from its rapidly shuddering scales. Audrey squeaked and retreated back behind Madoka.

"It looks like trouble," Madoka growled. It spoke again in Noble.

「Greetings, Angelic Entity. I am the AI Servitor Hesonoo. You are advised to leave this sacred place.」

"How?" Audrey asked it. Golden mana strands gathered within reach at the corners of Madoka's eyes. She was not sure what she would do with those. "We've been trying to get outta here for awhile, Mr. Robot."

AI Servitor Hesonoo's eye focused on Audrey and then it emitted an ominous roar. Madoka covered her ears but advanced ahead of Audrey. Her world went white. No, she blinked. They were standing in a pure expanse of white. The only thing that was not white in that room was the machine itself and them.

「Hostile Entity: Code Abaddon detected. System will begin Exorcism and Purification. Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent.」

The word "repent" echoed throughout this white void. The AI Servitor Hesonoo's sapphire eye turned bloody red, as seven of its large scales opened up and revealed strange tubes with red lights at their tips. Each one of them steadily aimed themselves at Audrey.

"What did you do to it?" Madoka groaned. How could she upset something clearly much more powerful than the both of them?

「Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent.」

"Why do you expect me to know what's going on?!" Audrey stood still as a statue as the red beams of light illuminated her skin. "B-But we gotta think of something quick! I think it's gonna shoot me!"

"What do I do?" Madoka nearly choked from the rising desperation. She was nervous about those strange lights. This strange being clearly intended to wipe her princess out. She would not allow it! The maid stood in front of the lights so they painted her skin instead.

"Stop!" Madoka screamed defiantly at it. The lights intensified and warmed her skin up.

「Angelic Entity, please remove yourself from Exorcism and Purification's trajectory. Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent.」

"Madoka, you don't have to fight it!" Audrey screamed over it. "I don't know what it's telling you but—"

"Shut it!" Madoka growled. Think, Madoka, think! She looked around her frantically. The projections were getting worse.

「Dear Angelic Entity: Use of Light Magic protection measures are advised. Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent. System will begin purging in 10. 9. 8...」

A glint of celestial strands appeared before Madoka. Just how was she supposed to dance now with those dangerous devices aimed at the both of them? She will be obliterated if she even thinks of doing the first Fiara dance step!

Seven seconds remaining.

Madoka recalled the motions the Brown Hair guild lady made to fix the maid and her princesss' guild tags. If she grabbed the strands and copied Brown Hair's movements would that stop a magical spell? Let alone, all seven of those tube's attacks?

Five seconds remaining.

Madoka grit her teeth and made her decision. She quickly moved her balled fists, one reached skyward into the white abyss above them and the other pointed to her feet. The maid prepared for a shock as she moved her arms in a clockwise rotation, grabbing each of the Knotting strands and completing the circle.

She had no choice but to try and copy Brown Hair's movements when she cast that spell although she hoped for a shield of some kind. Audrey did not interrupt her this time. Yes! The light illuminating her skin was blocked by the forming magic. Her magic. The beams did not penetrate the strands! Madoka watched as the golden chains became woven within the world itself and formed a large enough barrier to take cover from Hesonoo's attack. She prayed to the kind gods this tower would be enough.

「May your profane ashes spread across the stars and force you to reflect upon your regret eternally.」

The wall of white before them instantly turned to an ominous red. Hesonoo's scales emitted a low demonic sound and all at once the beams of light blasted into lasers similar to what Audrey cast from the wand. Pure white hot beams of heat instantly struck Madoka's shield. She was rooted in place from her own magic but at least the barrier was holding up long enough for her to catch glimpses of more strands nearby.

"What should we do, Madoka?" Audrey screamed over the chaotic noise from the lasers and Hesonoo's repeated chanting.

"I-I don't ask you to do this often," Madoka's legs were becoming numb. The strands were giving way and taking over her body! If Audrey could buy time with her magic she could weave more of those strands together and patch the golden shield up like one of her torn uniforms. "But please explode that thing! I can't hold this thing up forever!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Audrey's core flared to life. Despite her legs quaking from the crackling energy gathering around her, Madoka felt faint from asking Audrey to cast her magic. "I only have one charge, though. There's hardly any magic in here."

"One is better than nothing," Madoka grumbled but the energy was too loud for her to hear her own voice.

"Take this!" Audrey launched a small blue orb over the commotion. Madoka was unimpressed but quickly realized that it was the same spell she used on the dragon. Her core flickered away but a magic explosion followed soon after.

Soon four of the tubes seemed to stop working. Hesonoo did not relent and instead four metal limbs with massive claws extended out of the smoke and were headed straight to her. Madoka roared and released her hold on the shield in order to escape the attacks with her princess.

There was enough of a clearing from the deactivated lasers for Madoka to dive to. She swallowed her desperation and prepared her Knotting motions again. Work, dammit, Madoka grabbed the floating cords. The cords did not budge! Horror struck her as she tried to pull the strands the same way as the others. Did she run out of magic? Madoka wondered.

"It's preparing to take another swing at us," Audrey yelled. Madoka caught a glimpse of its eye through the smoke and explosions. The red lights started to target the two girls again.

"Can you cast magic again?" Madoka pushed smoke out of her face. "We need to destroy that eye."

"Hmm," Audrey's beautiful eyes narrowed. They reflected the chaos soon to come. "I have an idea!"

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Madoka was not prepared for whatever miracle or catastrophe the princess was about to cause so she focused on her movements instead. If the strands did not work by sheer movement alone were feelings also apart of the magic? How could she divine true feelings through the chaos and panic welling inside of her? It was too late.

The red lasers dotted her skin.

"Containment magic: Wrecking Ball!" Audrey's yell traversed over the humming. Her skin was dotted with red lasers as well. Madoka lept out of the way and sent her prayers to anything. Above her glowed a familiar hexagonal portal. A great spherical shadow began to tumble out of it. The slime's core! Madoka gasped as it collapsed in front of her.

「Repent.」

Madoka decided to forget about her problems with the strands. She leaned against the slime's hardened core when she sensed the deadly magic attack launch her way. Please, be safe Audrey! Her thoughts begged and her growl muted beneath the laser's roar.

"Shove it! Push it! Bop it!" Audrey commanded. The sphere was heavy but Madoka could sense the strands were still taunting her. "Now go, go, go, go!

"Work, you stupid magical chains!" Madoka screamed as she grabbed at one mana strand and grasped another. She formed a lasso and wrapped the sphere. The currents of chain lightning electrified her but it was now or never. She pictured in her mind throwing Audrey off of her and did the same motion with the slime's core. The ball lifted and sailed through the air as the magic zapped her hands.

"What the—" Audrey's voice carried behind her but the girl recovered quickly from the ridiculous sight and blasted the core with a wind spell.

Madoka's world jerked as her lightning chains released her. The slime core was launched into a direct path towards Hesonoo's red eye. It crashed through its defenses and metallic limbs. She lept and pulled the captain's great sword from the princess's portal and followed the ball.

Bits and pieces of the AI Servitor's body began to explode into flames as they fell from its main frame but Madoka was agile enough to push through the smoke. Audrey's concerned voice echoed behind her but she wanted to silence the noise as fast as possible. The heavy slime core tumbled straight into the machine's eye and its scales flapped rapidly. Madoka peeled her vision off of the shuttering movements to keep from getting disoriented. The Eye was amidst the wreckage caused by the core.

Now! Madoka closed the gap between her and the eye. She drove the greatsword into its side and light thrummed through its shattered cracks. Her arms felt numb from the vibrations so she had to let go of it. Strands of Knotting magic rushed within the Eye and something within it caught her attention. A crystal? Madoka ignored the wails and hums of the malfunctioning AI Servitor Hesonoo and ripped the crystal out of it.

For a moment, she beheld its shining beauty. The golden crystal gleamed back at her and hovered in her palm gracefully. Time seemed to slow as the crystal suddenly tilted on its side. Madoka watched in horror as its sharpened point directed itself at her chest. It was threatening to stab her! She grabbed it and desperately tried to keep it away from her but the force was unlike any she has faced so far.

No, no, no! Madoka's strength waned as the crystal wrested free from her grasp. She panicked and expected pain when she watched it stabbed straight into her. Instead, her heart began to glow through her robes. There was not enough time to process it, she frantically looked around. Or so she thought. She was in a translucent auric barrier. Nothing seemed to be able to penetrate through it.

Was this the work of the strange crystal? Regardless, she enjoyed the blissful moment of silence that the aura gave her. The barrier itself was perfectly pristine but upon closer look she noticed the fiery ruins outside of it. She had no doubt that she was covered in pieces of the fallen machine itself. She suddenly came to her senses. Audrey was out there somewhere and she was buried underneath rubble!

Her heart did not stop shining with that object's peculiar celestial glow. Madoka inspected herself and even peeked beneath her robe. The view of her burnt and scarred chest gazed back at her. Her skin was illuminated by the magical crystal. More strands were above her head but all she could see was rubble.

She could not stand up so she sat until her nerves calmed down. Those strands usually led her hands to something. Her heart, her eyes widened as she traced the golden chains. The chains were leading her hand straight to her heart. Unlike Audrey's cold blue and yet ethereal core, Madoka's heart burst with a fiery glow from the crystal's Knotting magic. In a way, she felt restrained by the chains.

So that's what she must do, Madoka thought. The magic is not about her feelings — they were about setting herself free from them!

She reached out and plunged her hand straight into where her heart was. Madoka yelped at the jolting resistance and was not so sure about how she was digging inside her body but she would leave the magic theories to her annoying friend. Right now, that friend is in trouble!

Her hands grabbed the crystal that stabbed her and let the strands gather around in her fist. Then she pulled. Lightning pulsed in her fist instead of a heart or blood like she thought her hand would scoop out. She could hear the shattering of chains from her pounding heart and she cursed. Let them all be damned to hell — she was leaving this place alive with Audrey!

The crystal transformed into a golden axe as more arc strands appeared to flow in the translucent barrier. She had Hesonoo to thank for this strange magic. So she swung upward with all of her might, using her legs for extra power as she stood up. The sound of glass smashed in her ears when Madoka opened her eyes to see if she successfully destroyed the barrier.

"What is this?" She screamed. She was standing in mid air! Below her was a vast expanse of strange buildings that stretched to the horizon like a twisted row of spines. The city was devastated somehow, filled with huge craters eating away at its strange architecture like grave plots waiting for the bodies to be placed inside of them. What was she witnessing?

Her fists felt resistance a moment later and fresh air entered her nostrils. A pebble bounced on her glowing hand. She was free and alive! She paused for a moment. That was an awful vision but the axe in her hand transformed back into the crystal. Madoka gulped as the crystal pointed directly at her chest again but she knew it could not be helped.

Immediately, the jagged point aimed at her and the rock rushed back into her heart. Madoka gasped from the force but she felt no pain. She definitely would not get used to that alien feeling anytime soon. The illumination from her chest stopped and she found herself in darkness.

"Madoka?" Audrey's call came from somewhere. "Madoka, where are you?"

"H-Here," Madoka coughed out dust and she propped herself up. She groaned as a sharp pain ricocheted through her ankle. The rocks collapsed on top of her foot when she smashed the barrier. She heard hurried steps rush to her. "Help me, my foot is..."

"I got you," Audrey started her Substance magic. The more terms of magic Madoka learned the more her head hurt. She felt her wounded foot reseal itself and reform. The Substance helix filaments tangled around her leg and gave her strength to move again. "What was that cool light? You flashed like an angel! And you like, totally smashed that robot's eyeball. He was all, like, whirrrrr and beeeep baaaap and suddenly he shut down!"

"Calm down," Madoka pushed off more rubble and rose to face her princess. She still hated this place, even if the room was dark with an ominous purple glow filling it from behind her. Ever since the crystal entered her body the yellow mana strands still gathered around her heart. She inspected Audrey but it was evident that the blushing girl could not see them. "I can do this now."

"Wha—" Audrey screamed as Madoka let the strands guide her hands straight into the chains around her heart. The princess's eyes became full of excitement as Madoka ripped the crystal out of her chest. "Whoa! That's metal as hell!"

She did not know why but she thought of a mirror. Perhaps she did not want to face the mysterious void behind her but she nevertheless wanted to see it. The crystal pulsed with light and transformed into a hand mirror. For a moment, Madoka was a radiant angel in the reflection.

"That will come in handy," Audrey snickered. "Get it? Handy? Eh, nevermind."

Madoka groaned but stopped when she noticed the massive black hole glowing with an evil power in the mirror's reflection. She gasped and dropped the crystal. It merely floated in midair before stabbing back inside her chest. Audrey examined the maid as the golden light faded away to a lantern's brightness.

"We're matching!" Audrey ignited her own core. Two rings and multiple stars orbited along their luminescent cyan bands.

"Nevermind that," Madoka's chest stopped glowing. she turned to face the wreckage caused by the machine. "It's dead, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Audrey glanced around nervously. "When you stabbed the eye all the lights went out and we got moved to wherever we are now. Don't look at that directly for too long! I nearly pissed myself when I did!"

"What is it?" Madoka gazed at the swirling structure. It was both close and far away, dwarfing the maid as she stared upward at its horizon. It was like she was face to face with the heavens despite the distance between them. The massive dark hole in its center warped all the stars around it. It beckoned her to come closer to it but she resisted its call.Her stomach felt weakened so she faced Audrey.

"It's the abyss," Audrey peered at it. "When I cultivate mana this is the Greater Soul I see. Don't look at me like that! I haven't done anything with it. Quite frankly, I'm over all of this."

Madoka nodded in agreement but took a look back at the abyss. It was not evil. It was peaceful and even her glowing Knotting magic did not pollute the view. Swirls of the heavenly stars and planets sprinkled themselves all around its pitch black center. A soothing breeze pet her face from somewhere but she took a moment of rest before the massive black star.

She could feel wind wipe across her face and felt more clearheaded since she entered the grotto. It was like all of the kind gods' hands swept the cloudy smog out of the way and all that was left was the heavens and her. Plum night and a deepened sense of peace soothed her skin.

"You wanna get out of here?" Audrey's voice was soft beside her. Madoka did not realize she sat down. The lantern bright crystal inside of her faded. She pointed before Madoka could speak. The maid looked towards the princess's finger and saw a portal. Its purple appearance looked like a butterfly if Madoka squinted hard enough and its magical strands feathered around gently to the dark ground beneath it. The maid nodded and took Audrey's hand.

She has had enough of this place but she still gulped as they stepped in the portal.

Madoka's vision was blinded by the separating light. Once in darkness and now in a dimly lit cavern. Her boots splashed in water but otherwise stepped on solid ground. She was surprised since this was the first time they have gone through a portal without crashing to the ground.

"Home, sweet home," Audrey's eyes beheld the unseen manas in the air. Madoka liked to think that perhaps the princess had a new appreciation for the world they live in. "That was crazy, Madoka! Wouldn't you agree?"

"T-To think that monster had your wand magic," Madoka agreed. Audrey looked defensive.

"Hey! That was advanced technology," Audrey started. "Not magic! It was like a superheated laser! It primed a target by adding an intense ray of energy to the material! A superweapon!"

"Is there a difference between your laser and it?" Madoka was puzzled by the girl's odd comparison. The two waded onto the grotto's floor. "Both were red beams of lights."

"Totally different!"

"Uh huh," Madoka sighed. She failed to see how they were but she found herself moving towards the exit. Audrey was rambling about the key difference of their energy but Madoka interrupted her. "We never found Ceghinort in there, right?"

"— I merely imagined particles in a loop! Huh?" The princess stopped and hit her forehead. "Oh yeah. We didn't. God, why did I think going in here was a good idea? I confessed to you, I showed you my nasty past... Hey, could you forget all of that?"

"I... I don't think I want to," Madoka turned and faced her princess. The cave's entrance shielded them from the rain but Madoka remembered they were a lot further away from the entrance than what it appeared. "My faith in you has been with me for so long, but I... I just could not understand it. I had just been going through the motions and now I have a little more reasons to believe in you."

Audrey looked like she was going to cry but something felt wrong, her skin was crawling as goosebumps stampeded their way up her spine. An ambush?

"I d-don't mean to startle you," came an eerie voice behind her. She turned to face a skeleton standing before her. Madoka, of course, screamed and punched the skeleton squarely in the skull. The skeleton crumpled into a pile of bones as the head sailed off into the waters.

"What the hell is that!?" Madoka shrieked at the pile of animated bones.

"I dunno!" Audrey prepared her core magic. Madoka was to unnerved to move. "Wait. It's a zombie?"

The bone pile reanimated as the skeleton rebuilt itself. Both girls watched it in horror as the skull rolled back to the skeleton's body through the murky water. Madoka noticed its uniform looked familiar but was too stunned to speak.

The skeleton's bones clacked together as it picked its head up and stood before them.

"T-That was mighty uncharitable of you to knock my head off, Narm," the skeleton popped his head back and twisted it until its body seemed to be fixed.

"W-Who or what are you?" Madoka asked the living skeleton.

The skeleton placed its hands on its pelvis bone and let out a boisterous laugh. It stood in a tall and triumphant pose but looked odd as its features did not move along with its voice. The girls stood on guard as they watched it.

"Who am I?" the skeleton laughed but finally faced the maid and her princess. It flexed its arms but its muscles were nonexistent. "You Narm who stand before me!"

He stood tall before the girls' unenthusiastic silence and made a declaration.

"I am the mighty, all powerful God of Adventuring, Ceghinort!"