II.

  Madoka felt her feet being dragged along, from dirt to a strange hard and smooth surface. She did not resist, only observing the strange creatures. If they spoke in English, then that must mean that they are like Audrey. Her eyes glanced at the strange weaponry strapped onto some of their backs and she noted that she was quite taller than these creatures. Eena was being dragged along with her, but it looked like she was truly unconscious while she only pretended. There were other creatures carrying strange chambers containing the remains of the bodies that the Noble was guarding.

  Others carried Madoka’s weapons with considerable effort. Her swords were flimsy pieces of metal scavenged from the Esmeralda army Audrey and her escaped from, but it appeared that to these soldiers they were like boulders. Furthermore, as they traveled deeper into the strange building a warmth began to get absorbed within her core. The soldiers carrying the weapons did not seem to notice the Knotting magic strands running all along the strange place and into her, just like Audrey. The Knotting strands also did not appear to be attracted to Eena and directly ran in currents around the Sovos. The two fools who were responsible for carrying her were about three or so heads shorter than her.

  Barely lifting her eyelids to avoid detection, she noticed that this base CZA-6 brought her and Eena to was a stark opposite than the wild tangles outside. Cold and white hallways flickered to life ahead of her. The slamming of a heavy door behind her nearly startled her, but she managed to suppress it as one of the soldiers carrying her called out to his friend to switch places with him.

  “This thing is heavy!”

  Again, that language he spoke in seemingly sounded to her like complete and utter heresy. A weakling should not be able to speak the same language as Audrey, Her Highness! Madoka also did not know why this resentment was brewing within her. As the man’s knees threatened to buckle, the other human slapped the weakling’s helmet and scolded him as they swapped places. She debated on revealing that she was awake and could comply, but that idea was swiftly curtailed after she noticed a sharp glare from Ella herself aimed at the bickering men.

  “Stop screwing around,” she commanded coldly. The laser rifle in her arms pointed at them as she held it lazily, but that was a facade. The weapon was revealed to Madoka by Ceghinort and she knew how heavy it was, yet CZA-6 held it effortlessly. “Take these creatures to the containment chambers quickly. They’re still alive and extremely dangerous, so treat them as such. Take the dead ones to the lab.”

  Over the salutes from the men, Madoka noticed a lingering look from Ella, though the strange woman retracted it quickly. She knew that woman was aware that Madoka was watching her, though she did not know what the consequences would be. This place was huge enough to make her wonder if they were still inside the Uracksheegal or had gone through another portal inadvertently. After a few turns, Ella was called to go in a separate direction by another strangely dressed human wearing a white robe of some sort. He also wore glasses similar to Arudite’s, making Madoka instantly dislike him.

  “We have some disturbing emergencies, Commander Ella,” he started. “The M-Particles suddenly destabilized fourteen minutes ago. The Superstructure and its system may crash land at this rate.”

  “What?”

  The supposed Commander Ella nearly let out an angry explosion of words as her boots turned to him mechanically. The white coat man shrank, but repeated himself bravely in the scowling face of the human warrior woman. Her steps fell like thunder rolling in the distance as she immediately followed him. Madoka was turned to the opposite side, so she could not hear their conversation. Now that she was alone with these little creatures, she contemplated if she could kill them and escape. Would she want to kill them? They were real people, even if they looked vastly different than her. Though she truly did not know what she would feel if she did, those weapons and tricks up their sleeves did not seem to be a challenge she could overcome easily. Hopelessness sank her willfulness when one started speaking to another anxiously about whether the “Superstructure” or whatever that object was could be fixed. The word itself suggested that this place was massive. Even if she could escape from here, where exactly would she end up at?

  She only could remember entering through a Portal created by an outstretched black and twisted limb piercing the heavens to scoop her up into the Sky. The memory of the view below from when she stood at the transparent pool of light before the statue made her feel nauseous. That boundless and dark land, with trees puncturing through the black waves of dirt seemingly merging with the clouds above. They were truly above the sky and her magic was not ready. Additionally, she still needed to recover Audrey if she was still in this place or else she would not forgive herself.

  Soon, she was released, landing on a hard and cold floor. In the haze, she could make out a row of bars separated her from the rest of the room. Madoka noted that the Noblewoman Eena was also released in another cell. After the soldiers left the room, heavy doors shut them in, finally letting Madoka be alone with her thoughts. She rubbed her eyes as she tried to observe her surroundings. This incomprehensible place must be connected to Her Highness’s world somehow. Yet, the more she tried to think about how any of it works, the more her head hurt. Even the source of the bright yet soulless lights that stung her sight were not made by magic nor lit by any flames, yet they still filled the room lifelessly, giving the room an unexplainable emptiness. The cage that she was in was the only thing that gave her any sense of familiarity. It reminded her of the wagon’s slave cage bars she was placed in when she was brought to the Palace.

  Madoka simply sat back, bitterly regretting that she was not living in those innocent days. Even if she suffered and did menial work, the meager brightness in her dim head could at least handle it. This alien world and this situation brought on by the kind gods, was suffocating. The material of the cage was made of metal, which the Knotting Strands seemed to dance along the rungs happily. The Crystal still could not be summoned, it seemed, and destroying this place would certainly attract those men with the scary weapons. A sharp breath was suddenly released, but it was not her own. Next to her, Eena’s hands pressed against the floor as she sat up in a daze.

  “W-Where am I?” She barely mustered a sound, but the second she spoke Madoka sensed an intent. Something was watching them, she shifted her gaze to the walls behind Eena then the killing intent suddenly drew her attention to the ceiling. A small black sphere embedded in the ceiling appeared to be carrying some intent. What is that creature? “Mad… Madoka…?”

  “Forgive me, Milady,” Madoka bowed. Even though Eena was in another cage, she could not disrespect her as a Noble. Despite this, Eena waved her off.

  “Please, do not be so uptight with one like me,” she nearly begged. The scars on her body mirrored Madoka’s, except they were deeper and had the shade of charcoal. “Don’t pity me like that. You’re a woman of strength.”

  “It seems like you’re mistaken. Those creatures captured the both of us,” Madoka relaxed but still spoke in Reverent Noble, eyeing the strange black sphere as she spoke deliberately. Eena gave her a wry smile. It did not do anything, but the intent somehow softened. It was listening to them. “They’re watching us right now.”

  Eena traced where Madoka’s eyes were looking. That black sphere, mirroring the black night, was a security camera…? It was not a creature, but it was an eye. Her head began to fill with information again, but that only meant that the God of Tomorrows still had a hand here— her and the Crystal giving her the strange words in her head. She also still noticed the hostile intent’s source, a warning of the impending danger that could happen should they find out she knows their language.

  “Last thing I remember…” Eena clutched her head. “Those voices led me here. The Sky… I supposed it called for you, too…”

  “The voices aren’t those creatures that captured us,” Madoka mused. She felt the bars, but instantly regretted it. The cage zapped her hand harshly, like a whip. She nearly swore in front of a Noble as she withdrew it in a flash. Her hand smoked, but that pain was too great to force her whole body through.

  “Are you alright?” Eena looked at her with concern.

  “I should have not touched that,” Madoka clicked her tongue, shaking her hand. “As expected, the cages that we’re stuck in have some kind of magic spell put on them.”

  “Are you…” Eena was examining Madoka’s chest. Feeling self-conscious, the maid shifted and averted her gaze. She also realized that her traveler’s cloak that Lady Saze crafted for her was shredded from all the running and that laser rifle. “I-I mean no harm… Those Strands are different than the Kind God’s Knotting. Are you God-touched?”

  Madoka realized that the shame of a Noble looking at her still has not gone anywhere. Even a meek soul like Eena still troubled her to the very core. So she nodded subtly and quietly. The Sovos’ eyes shifted away, full of pain and gentleness. Was that recognition of her trauma? With those scars, the Noble must have gone through enough terrible things on her own. Therefore, Madoka faced Eena again and let her look. The Strands were indeed jolting her, traveling straight up her legs from the ground and into her. A reassuring nod and a hand reached out to her, but withdrew before it touched the dangerous metal bars between them.

  “A-Apologies,” Madoka muttered. “For not answering your question right away.”

  Before Eena could speak, her eyes instantly shifted towards the door. Madoka could sense the killing intent drawing closer. The two drew away from each other and immediately sat silently. The crystal inside of her was slowly gaining more energy and it was difficult to keep steady even with the pain in her hand. She knew if worse came to worse, she would have to cause trouble for Eena with it. The Knotting strands were also drawn to the Sovos. They both gave each other a knowing look, but then returned instantly to their own respective meditations. Heavy boots were approaching them. The gate hissed as it opened, announcing the snake encroaching Madoka’s thoughts. Despite the snake being shorter than her, he was far taller than the ones next to him. CZA-6 was not in the crowd. That woman seemed to pose a greater threat than this man, but Madoka remained unmoved and held her eyes shut while soaking up the Strands tangling around her heart.

  “Of course, these savages are probably scared after they got zapped by the bars. Surprised it didn’t hurt this one too badly. A shame,” the snake sneered, but instantly assumed an arrogant tone. The more she heard others speak in Her Highness’s language, the less pleased she became. “Report.”

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

  A disembodied voice came from somewhere above.

  “Scans reveal that the entities possess sentience and a high degree of intelligence,” it said. Was it speaking about her? To her uneasiness, the man ignored Eena’s glowing body and stopped right in front of her, looking up at her as if she was a piece of meat. “These entities appear to be two of the dominant species on the surface and possess M-Particle signatures that are compatible with the Superstructure’s technology.”

  “So what’s up with this one?” He ignored the warnings flashing as he approached Madoka’s cage. A tiny man, she decided to open her eyes and look at him directly. He merely smirked, eyeing her as if he was planning on how to cut her up. The killing intent exuding from this man was obvious, but Madoka’s chest finally felt full. She was ready to destroy this place. She only needed a distraction so those guards would not shoot her or Eena.

  “Odd transdimensional signatures detected in the entity. Upon further analysis, this entity is entirely unique to all three of the bodies collected: Species A, B, and C. This creature possesses strange properties that cannot be analyzed through standard and advanced equipment, though the results of its irregular signature emissions resemble a tachyon-like structure. This strange element makes it unique even though it shares the same biological makeup as Species A. Alert: Based on its heightened stress levels and biometrics the entity has been observing you this whole time, Kane,” the heavenly voice spoke. “Since it understood the command to get down, it is highly advisable to stay outside of the caution zone. Recommend tighter containment security measures.”

  ”Bloody hell,” He breathed at the revelation, but still remained in the hot zone despite the sensors beeping at him. He composed himself and leaned over, looking up Madoka’s torn robes. She ignored his stare and merely stayed silent through all the strange information slowly trickling inside her mind. Even though she was sitting on her knees, he still barely reached her shoulders in height. Audrey never mentioned how small humans are. “So, you understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”

  Madoka stared at him blankly. It was clear that the both of them had no idea what that strange being told him, but they seemed to know that they both posed a threat to each other. Or does that make him more excited now that he thinks he has found a worthy opponent? It was then Madoka noticed that the familiar trail of red and purple crystalline shards somehow formed a trail directly at a wall. To her surprise, there was also a trace of blue and white shards littering the floor like flower petals. Something or someone was trying to help her.

  “So if I kill its friend nothing will happen, right?” Kane had a sinister smile as he pulled out a device. “That one’s useless.”

  Madoka’s face unconsciously darkened, but his smile grew wider and pointed at her.

  “So you do understand me!” He laughed, but instantly his face grew vicious. “I thought that bitch of a Commander was making shit up about how traces of Yoona are here, but you really do get us humans! Well, that makes things simple, then.”

  He held the device up and rose his other hand up to the squad of soldiers surrounding Eena’s cage. Madoka tried to remain calm after hearing that name and instead she glanced at the Noble. They did not seem to notice that she was ready to unleash that transformative Knotting magic of her the second the bars retracted. There were already lightning chains slowly forming behind her. That is what Noble magic control looked like, Madoka supposed. Eena remained steady as Kane rambled on.

  “We’ll be taking her eyes to processing for the Nexus, then,” he grinned. “And soon, we’ll be taking yours AND that commander’s…”

  Eyes? Madoka should have known. These humans must be some kind of minions sent from the Witch! An alarm sounded throughout the facility right as he pressed the release button, however, instead of the heavenly disembodied voice a familiar one spoke.

  「To all Unregistered Bio-lifeforms onboard: Pnaumen Superstructure is destabilizing. 66.6667% M-Particles accepted. More are required. Please deactivate the infected Obelisk or risk total connection severence between Nexus Gates. Contamination Breach detected in South Sector Columns G3 through G5. Unknown and hostile biological-lifeforms codenamed “TOMORROWS” detected and are approaching Base perimeters.」

  “Shit! More of those wolf aliens outside?” Kane swore again, but before he could do anything Eena unleashed her attack. The loose Knotting strands in the air straightened when she made a pulling motion, becoming metal rods and slicing three of the small soldiers in half. “B-Backup! We need—“

  Eena swung the rod horizontally, smashing him straight into a wall. Madoka breathed in with shock and relief. Such strength and brutality made her feel something odd. Admiration and a little bit of fear? She wondered if that is how others view her. He was out while a new appreciation for Lady Eena stirred within Madoka’s chest, but luckily he dropped the device that opened the gate. It was intact and suddenly reminded Madoka of the ones she used to open the gate to the Mines, but now was not the time for reminiscence and emotions. The Noble inspected it for a moment, before pressing all the buttons on it. Sure enough, one of them allowed the magically infused rods imprisoning Madoka to retract back into the ground and set her free.

  “We have to go,” Madoka bowed and stated rhetorically. Eena gave her a nod, but soon her face turned to confusion. “That man called for reinforcements.”

  “You understand what they’re saying?”

  Before Madoka could answer, heavy boots were already coming from the hallway. She snatched the device from Eena and pointed it at the door, mashing every button on it. The door’s heavy mechanisms shut with a slam and yelling was heard from behind it, even over the blaring alarm. This strange and frustrating place was inserting memories into her head, like the realm belonging to the kind God of Tomorrows. There must be a Link here, she mused. Madoka knew that they could not relax, so the trail of the colored crystals on the ground would have to make due.

  Lady Eena followed her silently as she hurried after the pretty lights over the fresh bloody corpses sloshed over the ground and to the opposite wall. Instead of asking, the Sovos remained still with a puzzled expression as Madoka knelt to the ground and scooped one of the blue thought-crystals up. A flash from someone’s perspective showed in her mind. This wall was close to the outside, leading to an observation deck— whatever that is. For now, it appeared to be an exit to this facility. Madoka knew that the answer for their escape was quite simple now.

  “Here,” She stood up. “It’s quite noisy here, wouldn’t you agree, Lady Eena?”

  “P-Please, just call me Eena,” the Noble said sheepishly.

  “You sound like—“ Madoka suddenly felt a searing pain lance through her side. She howled from the wound, but there was suddenly no time to waste anymore. Heat lit her shoulder up. The rune activated! This was really bad, was it not?

  “Madoka!” Eena shrieked. A laser suddenly shot through the door. They were shooting holes in it to break through! Madoka let out a roar and ripped at a purple thought-shard embedded into the wall with her left arm, wreathed in both golden tendrils and a fiery crimson aura. The wall came apart like a bread loaf, screeching with a high-pitched protest as it gave way easily to Madoka’s demanding strength.

  “No… Time…!” Madoka scooped Eena up over her good side and pushed through.

  「To all Unregistered Bio-lifeforms onboard: Pnaumen Superstructure is destabilizing. 66.6667% M-Particles accepted. More are required. Please deactivate the infected Obelisk or risk total connection severence between Nexus Gates. Contamination Breach now detected in South Sector Columns B4 through G5. Unknown and hostile biological-lifeforms codenamed “TOMORROWS” detected and are approaching Base perimeters.

  Holy One, please make your way to the Observation Bay.」

  That message was for her, was it not? Madoka gritted her teeth and ran her way into the dark. Soon, the cold lights and walls were replaced with the black roots and fallen trees outside. Her vision was failing her, but she had to go on! A red beam hissed by her, melting the tree bark. They were definitely trying to kill her! Madoka screamed, but the trail of thought-shards was her only hope!

  Her footsteps waned. Ears were muffled. She could hear someone next to her and guessed it was probably Lady Eena. Please, kind gods, do not let this woman get hurt. Madoka’s eyes went blurry. Must have lost a lot of blood from getting hit by that stray laser! Instead of cursing, she pressed on and luckily for her, the trail led her into an opening on a hill-like area, where a wide open view of the world below and the night sky suddenly greeted them. This place was peaceful, surrounding a bridge over an eternal void that was not apart of the world where Rustaze was and the Sky where she is. Her feet gave way to the grass stalk’s softness and the rune on her arm lost its spark. She collapsed, taking another body with her on the way down.

  “Madoka!” Eena’s heart wrenching scream of terror loomed over her. Her warm hands patted Madoka as the Noble frantically tried to help her.

  “No, get over there,” Madoka pointed weakly to the strange bridge further down the hill leading to another glowing pool of light.

  Thoughts of hunger were fast approaching and the shouts of the soldiers were already upon the. A beam of light struck Eena from behind, dropping her on top of Madoka instantly. Her face froze in pain as she fell. Madoka let out a scream as the boots approached with greedy laughter. She was barely alive, but the laser struck her harder than the one that grazed Madoka. Heavy breathing mixed in with prideful triumph wheezed as slower steps approached her. She instantly recognized who the attacker was, but flipped Eena underneath her protectively and glared at him.

  “Haha! Ain’t that cute!” Kane breathed, pointing his own rifle at Madoka. It was quite evident that the blow Eena gave him damaged a lot of his body, making him look like one of the dead soldiers on the battlefield. His skin where the rod struck him was bloody and swollen. Unfortunately, it was not enough to kill him. Still, Madoka growled, prepared to use all her strength to protect Eena. “Greater love has no one than this, huh: A dogged alien savage protecting its friend til the bitter end. Well, bitch, you look like one, it looks like I’ve won—“

  Kane paused as he noticed Madoka was not looking at him. Instead, she watched shadowy murky figures in the shape of wolves envelop the humans completely until they vanished. He turned to see that all the men that followed him had gone up in agonizing smoke. Only the rifles hung in the air as their bodies became consumed by the shadowy wolves, dropping to the ground with a thud.

  Still I hunger.

  Fear.

  Tastes gross.

  Before Kane could even scream, a massive tail swatted him off into the void behind her. The ground rumbled as a horrid growling completely overwhelmed her. This massive dark wolf was a silhouette, completely devoid of any light or color. It towered over her as the other smaller wolves leaped into its underside. Madoka groaned, releasing the Crystal back into her heart as she got onto her knees to prostrate before it.

  The beast remained still, watching her as if it remembered who she was. She could only hope that her meager gratitude could save them both from getting eaten like those humans. Sure enough, the King Wolf sunk into the shadows leaving her alone. Instead of Madoka’s desired silence before she bleeds out and dies, even more powerful footsteps approached her. Just let me die already! She could not even groan.

  “You’ve really made a mess out of things, haven’t you?” Ella’s voice rang over her. Her voice was softer, not like the powerful and cold unrecognizable tone of authority she used when speaking to her fellow humans. She sighed deeply, but resolutely rose her gun and pointed it at her. “Well, I’ll at least put you out of your misery. Your eyes… They’re quite…”

  Madoka felt a chill in the air. That familiar, unnatural chill, instantly giving the both of them a surge of goosebumps. To her, it was comforting and to the CZA-6 person, it must have been biting and frightening. She slowly stood up and gave Ella a smile. The human woman stood there utterly shocked, looking up at Madoka as she let herself grow to full height. Her blue eyes lost their composure, wavering in the Twin Moon’s light even if the maid could not tell where exactly the moons were in relation to her. The excitement made Madoka grin involuntarily.

  “So what’s that about my eyes, Witch?” Madoka spoke in English to Ella, who stood there speechless. A pair of sapphire eyes blazing with fury, more pure than this Witch’s servant, emerged from the black roots and thick forest trees.

  “Ello, poppet,” Audrey spoke in that strange accent again, but there was nothing but pure anger within her voice. Perhaps overconfidence got to her since she was finally, although briefly, reunited with Her Highness. What even is a pirate? Madoka’s last thoughts faded within her head as she suddenly fell unconscious.