Chapter 4: Chapter 4: *Midday, Tuesday, 12th of April 2011; Mitakihara Middle School; Mitakihara, Japan.*

*Midday, Tuesday, 12th of April 2011; Mitakihara Middle School; Mitakihara, Japan.*

Sayaka couldn’t help herself but stare blankly at Hitomi when told her she had feelings for Kyousuke as well. She might look emotionless at the moment, she might look without the care, dumb even, but she was everything but. Deep inside, under the facade of her confused expression, her emotions were in turmoil, her Magical Girl experience in the last few days turned her life into a living nightmare.

“I am going to tell Kyousuke how I feel after school tomorrow, that gives you one day to decide, will you confess your feelings for him or won’t you.” Hitomi continued her monologue, one Sayaka couldn’t manage to form any appropriate answer for, “Think about what you want so you won’t have any regrets later.”

Sayaka wanted to tell about the situation she was in, about being a Magical Girl, about being a zombie she thought she wanted to tell her how difficult that is.

But what she managed to say instead was: “I… just … I…”

And after that. No more words came out, Hitomi just stood up, gave her a small bow, all proper and polite, and left. Magical Girl was left there, sitting in the school's cafeteria with untouched lunch, alone, staring into the window. There was something very unsettling about the monotonous steel skies that came after yesterday’s sudden storm, something other than a merely dulled sunlight, something that Sayaka couldn’t quite place. However, this time, it wasn’t an endless grey void in the heavens that caught her attention. A noise. Outside, a raven cried out in a series of loud caws, almost like it was launching at Sayaka’s misfortune.

Sinking deep into melancholia, she would have ignored the fact that ravens didn’t even live in Japan, and those subspecies that migrate there usually didn’t appear this time of the year, but then, she took a glimpse of it, peeking at the edge of the cafeteria window. A featherless long neck of the lizard, spikes running down the spine, toothed beak, red glowing eyes. It wasn’t a raven.

Not-raven made a series of clicking sounds, still looking at her, and Sayaka jumped on her feet. Witch’s familiar, she thought. Then, almost like it was spooked by identification, the twisted parody of the bird took off, showing off leathery wings and a long snake-like tail tipped with scorpion stinger. Two more similar creatures followed it.

Sayaka leaped into action, and ran out of the cafeteria, through the hallway, outside. A few students gave her confused stares, but she paid attention to anything else than her goal at this moment, her mind focused on catching the Witch’s Familiar before it had a chance to harm someone. She didn’t even notice that she bumped into Hitomi during her mad dash through the hallways and that her classmate followed her, startled by her strange behavior.

Not-ravens awaited her outside, one perched on the lamp, other on the rooftops, clearly visible. They welcomed her with cawing cries, brandishing sharp talons and menacingly spreading their half leathery, half feathered wings, then took off once more, inviting her to follow. In between the school buildings, through the yard, and outside the school premises to the city, completely ignoring the passers in the streets or honking cards confused about the schoolgirl’s mad dash through the street. They didn’t even notice the creatures flying above, always seemingly waiting for Sayaka to catch up.

Until she reached some dark alleyway Sayaka couldn’t even identify, far away from the noise of the street. Not-raven was waiting for her, but with them was someone, or something, that the Magical Girl didn't expect.

A hooded figure, standing there, visibly anticipating her arrival. Not-ravens flocked around him, perching on his shoulders or an outstretched hand, croaking menacingly. A few more joined them peeking from the rooftops, air ducts, and cables.

“Stay away from them!” Sayaka shouted, to warn the stranger from the threat Familiar posed.

Then she realized, not-ravens didn’t act like a threat to the stranger, they acted like his pets. Her pets - Sayaka corrected herself - as a hooded figure made a few steps towards the still confused magical girl, revealing a soft outline of a girl's lower face under the wide white hood. She gave a pleasant smile, but the Magical Girl found it more unsettling than comforting.

“They won’t hurt you.” a stranger spoke, in a soft voice of the little girl, calm and eerie, unfitting for the situation, “They won’t hurt anyone else either, they are just there to make sure we won’t be interrupted.”

The girl kneeled down, drawing a glowing symbol on the ground which disappeared in the burst of light, sweeping the entire alleyway. And then, as if they received the command, not-ravens took off again, positioning themselves around them as guards of sorts.

Sayaka was startled, by the flash of light, by the sudden movement, and by strange creatures that she never saw before, but her shock soon changed to confusion as this entire situation didn’t fall into the limited worldview she had about the entire Magical Girl business. And limited worldview it was, she still cursed herself for taking the contract that turned her into a zombie, she still hasn't found a better description for and she cursed it even now when talking to an eerie hooded figure in the dark alleyway, surrounded by sinister-looking creatures.

“Who … who are you?” Sayaka stuttered as her confusion turned to sadness over her fate.

A mysterious girl in white came closer, spreading arms in a gesture of peace, with just one remaining creature curling itself against the stranger's neck in a weird display of what seemed affection.

“I am but a Handmaiden to a greater power.” a strange girl replied. She was smaller than Sayaka and seemed younger too, and while she didn’t look threatening from her size or posture, something about her was wrong, unsettling, even if one ignored the creatures that flocked around her. Her white robe with a golden pattern wasn’t exactly normal attire, especially with a huge hood covering the upper face.

“I don’t understand.” Sayaka replied, “Are you a Magical Girl? Are those Witch’s Familiars? How come you can control them? What do you want for me? Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

The last question seemed particularly unfitting, and the so-called Handmaiden only laughed at it, revealing unnaturally sharp teeth. “I am too old for your school.”

Not-ravens all around cawed in unison almost like they found the comment amusing too, but the girl in white waved them off and after a short pause she said. “It seems that your patron doesn’t follow you here, which is good. Hopefully, the enchantment will hold as well, for now.”

Sayaka wanted to say something, but the other girl cut her off, “Yes, yes, you have questions, answer to which is quite simple - we are here to help.”

Magical Girl however had enough, clutching her fists in anger and spat: “Help how? What are you talking about?”

“We can provide assistance and allies to back you in the fight, so you aren’t alone. We can help in many other things.” a stranger explained and after a short pause she pointed at the Soul Gem Sayaka was clutching in her hands unsure how to handle this situation, “We can help you to get rid of that, your contract. There is no reason to have your soul stuck in a phylactery, especially one with such impractical parameters.”

Sayaka wanted to ask about a way to get rid of that damned jewel, she wanted to ask many other things, however just as before, what she did ask was: “What is in for you? Why now?”

She almost yelled again. Her confusion gave to sadness, and sadness gave to anger. She still remembered a cynical, selfish attitude of Kyouko and her idea to fatten the Familiar, turn it into another Witch, then harvest it for its Grief Seed, she recalled all that blatant disregard for the life of the innocent, and it made her furious.

“Couldn’t I just want to help?” A little one shrugged, a yellow snake-like eyes flashing from under her hood, and almost like she could read the Magical Girl’s mind, she added, calmly yet in a much sharper voice: “I am not a Magical Girl with a Gem that needs to be purified, but you are. I am not under threat that I will turn into what you call Witch if I don’t purify it, but once again, you are.”

A flash of unnatural yellow eyes from below the hood, and it was it, Sayaka lifted the hand with her soul gem and energy of her Magical Girl transformation swept over her, and she swung her newly materialized sword towards the strange girl.

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“I am not here to fight.”, the girl in the cape said calmly. She did not have the smug face Kyouko had when she faced Sayaka, this uncanny girl had an almost tranquil aura. Yet at the same time, it felt alien and terrifying. However, Magical Girl acted before she thought and swung her sword, driven by a sudden outburst of anger, and the stranger made a graceful step back.

And then one of the monstrous not-ravens flew in the path of the blade, deflecting it back at cost of its life. The outburst of warm blood splashed over the Magical Girl. It shocked her, she could have expected a connecting hit, she could have expected her attack to be parried by her opponent, but she did not expect a strange creature given its life to protect the figure in white.

“Wha…”, Sayaka yelped and stopped swinging her weapon around, unsure what stance she should take in this situation. More not-ravens on a stranger's shoulder and head, ready to leap in the path of another attack.

“Our Oculi are not going to harm you.”, said the unusual opponent, “And no, they aren’t going to attack anyone else, I already told you that before you attacked me.”

“Where did you get those?”, Sayaka stuttered, “Witches supposedly have Familiars, but …”

“There are many things your patron didn’t tell you about. About your Soul Gem, about being doomed to transform into a Witch.”, the weird girl in white answered, making a stop closer just to kneel and inspect the fallen monster split in half by the attack. Unconcerned that Sayaka may attack her as well, she continued: “My master provided me with assistance, like my companions here. And he will assist you as well if you allow it, and in more ways than Oculi. Many more. Providing allies to protect you. Protecting those you care about. Even removing your particular predicament...”

Then she muttered something in the language Sayaka couldn’t comprehend, made a gesture over the monster’s remnants, and then, all of the sudden, in a sickly cerulean glow some unseen force pulled the body parts together, mending flesh and bone - the creature was whole again. It spread its wings, making an odd clicking sound, and then jumped into the white girl’s arms.

“Nothing dies until my master says it should.”, the girl in white commented on her act of monster resurrection. She offered the creature to Sayaka to hold it. It was a weird moment, young Magical Girl didn’t know how to handle a situation like this, and was scared at the very least of the little monstrosity with a sharp beak and scorpion tail.

Sayaka let her sword go. Then, against all reason, took the creature. It hopped into Magical Girl’s arms, then up her upper limb, to her shoulder where it nested itself like a twisted parody for a parrot. It just cawed, like a raven. It made her nervous a little bit more as she considered the stinger not-raven had, but no attack came.

White one smirked approvingly, unnatural eyes gleaming from under the hood, and said, “Good. Take him with you. He will help you, he will call for help if you need one. And guide you to us if you decide to take our offer, be freed from the Soul Gem in exchange for your service to our master.”

Sayaka didn’t know what to say. Yes, she thought to herself, she wanted to get rid of that Gem, stop this nightmare, but this entire offer, the entire situation was too unreal, too other-worldly to accept anything.

“I don’t have to be a zombie anymore?” she asked, dumbly.

“No.”, the other answered immediately, with a grace of the person who finds this situation something common and ordinary, “I would say that zombie is not a proper term for an undead mage with a soul in a phylactery, but no, you don’t have to be zombie, or whatever you want to call your current form.”

Sayaka breathed in, and asked, once again, feeling she is repeating herself, or asking something that has been addressed already, “And what I have to do for it?”

“Work for my master. Follow his orders. Help other Magical Girls like yourself, protect innocent people, something you already want to do.”, the answer came immediately, no loitering about it. Her smile felt predatory, “Think about it. He will give you details before you agree to the pact.”

Magical Girl stayed silent, as she ran out of words to say, but the recruiter just used this as an opportunity to speak.

“Now, let me introduce you to one of your future assistants.”, white one clapped her hands and spoke the words in the language Sayaka couldn’t understand. Then something jumped down from the roof and into their abandoned alleyway. Magical Girl froze completely, as she was starting into a maw of another twisted monstrosity, larger and more menacing than the bird-like ones.

She would call it a fox - if foxes had wide leathery wings, grasping talons, spiked fur, glowing eyes and were as large as the horse - and since foxes usually didn’t look like this, she can call it an abomination, it was more fitting. Creature barked, its small kin on her shoulder clicked its beak in reply. Girl in white was unfazed as ever and merely patted the vulpine horror on its neck like a friendly dog, explaining calmly, “We call those Sikari. Hunters, if you like. They aren’t very sturdy, but can help you a lot in the fight, exactly as promised.”

Sayaka's eyes went glassy, she let loose of her Magical Girl form and fell on her knees. She recalled some of the very first words the girl in white referred to herself - “handmaiden to higher power” or so - and had to think what great power spawns creatures like this. But her thoughts went awry, and the only thing she did was murmur: “Zombies and monsters. Zombies and monsters.”

“Isn’t your patron a true monster for throwing you into this situation, tormenting you, ruining your life, locking your soul in the gem.” the so-called Handmaiden asked, but Sayaka didn’t need more convincing, she didn’t have the strength for polemics, or even for answering simple questions. She wanted out, she needed to leave, leave now, but even lifting herself up felt like an insurmountable struggle.

Surprisingly enough, the girl in white helped her back on her feet, her grip and strength of arm too strong for something of such a small frame. Anger once again found its way into Sayaka’s mind, but this time, she wasn’t angry at herself, or her situation, but at the little bastard that got her into this situation. And if everything that Handmaiden said was true, Sayaka wasn't the only one trapped in this torment. There were more, and she didn't know how many. Dark thoughts were like ravens flocking in her mind. He was a monster, and he deserved to be eaten by monsters.

“I need to talk … to ... people ... before I go.”, Sayaka let out a barely formulated sentence as she shambled away. Handmaiden stopped her, and pulled out a sheathed dagger from her sleeve, a weapon curved and wicked, handled in the shape of a snake, or perhaps a dragon. She pushed it into Sayaka’s hand. It radiated power, it radiated malevolence.

“Here. Stab the one who deserves it. He won’t die, but perhaps it will remind him a little of the pain he caused to you. If he has a soul to lose.”, she said. It was vague, but Sayaka knew, looking into the ground, “A revenge, or merely a small one satisfaction.”

She was about to walk away, but then she recalled something important, something that started this entire nightmare and turned her life upside down, forcing her into the downward spiral of the foolish contracts, matters of Magical Girls, and deals to undo deals. It was a moment of clarity. Sayaka lifted her eyes, and despite her suddenly clear mind, words still didn’t come to her easily. She said: “I want to be with Kyousuke. I did it all for him…”

“Oh, matters of love, I understand. I know the feeling.”, the strange girl answered in almost a dreamy tone, but her smile looked predatory, full of sharp teeth not meant for a human's mouth, and yellow eyes with slit pupils glowed under her hood. Strangely enough, this unique moment, a sight that should scare or at very least upset Sayaka, didn't bother her in this short moment. Her mind wandered to the boy, and her form of the Magical Girl waned away.

Sinister girl in white gazed somewhere in the distance, almost like she tried to catch the sight of the hidden horizon, here in the alley among the shadows of the tall buildings, and then, almost like she spotted something very particular she added with a shark’s grin: “I think I know a way how to help you with that.”

“Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka!”, a twisted vulpine monstrosity barked happily at that remark, and echo answered in the same manner.

And this, Sayaka slowly walked from the dark alley, dagger in her hand, twisted creature on her shoulder, her eyes glassy focusing on something only she can see. Kyubey will undo everything, or she will undo him.

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