*
"If you kill one more of us, they're dead! Stand near the edge and face the back!" (?)
One of the figures said, wrapped in a black suit and mask. Their mission was to take out Faramicia, as long as they get her, her parents will live. She walks out of her bedroom on the second floor and leans over the railing, observing the massive living room below. The sofa was sat front and centre facing the television, she remembered many days where she hung out with her close friends there. Heng Ji had come over lots of times by now. Edward and Arugawa a couple times too.
It held a warmth that was no longer present, its presence outshone by the armed men standing around it. There were 4 of them, 2 pointed at her parents with their weapon. The other two faced her diligently.
"I SAID FACE THE OTHER SIDE-!" (?)
In the first place her matchlock was just a tool provided by her dress, a supplement that helped distinguish between a shot bullet and a bullet left unshot. When the mental image is there, the magic might even be strengthened. Even so, she casts {Nova lotus} as the man screamed. When it all ended, the 4 dropped to the ground simultaneously.
She didn't need the gun to shoot {Nova lotus}, she could fire as long as she could see the targets. It was also a good time to try shooting 4 targets at once without the matchlock. The consecutive thuds ring out like beautiful chimes, different builds, different landing times. They signal the end of everything, though... To go against her so openly, why was the government done being so subtle? What good did it do to rush things? Especially with ordinary agents like this?
Those magically outiftted guns could accelerate and reinforce a bullet enough to hit a C grade magical girl. However you had to erase your presence and catch her by surprise to do that, it was practically impossible if she knows about the gun. Could it be? In a hurried manner, she attempted to fish out her phone from her dress, before putting it close to her face.
"Hey Sariel! Have you secured Aura?! If they stopped hiding their intentions, they must be targeting all the active magical girls at once!" (Faramicia)
"... It's alright. Alice and I prepared for this. Aura's problem was taken care of awhile ago, I'm actively hunting down those in the other A zones. " (Sariel)
"A-alright. Glad you guys are safe, careful out there, not for you, but for those around you. They have guns they can hit C grades." (Faramicia)
"Oh yeah, those. Be careful not to get hit too. Those contain a smidgen of divine power, they might eliminate the magic gene from the whole body. Best scenario, I amputate them then heal them." (Sariel)
"Alright, bye." (Faramicia)
"Bye." (Sariel)
"... Haa~" (Faramicia)
She couldn't help but let out a groan. Was this really what's best? Being so prepared also meant Sariel was working to the bone, after all she's picking a fight with the dominant political force of this planet. Before long, Faramicia undid the ropes binding her parents.
"Are you hurt?" (Mother)
"No, not a single injury. Don't worry, I'm strong. I'll protect you." (Faramicia)
"Our micia has grown up huh? Becoming ever reliable.
But you fail to see. No matter how strong you get, you're still our little Micia. No parent would want to put their own child in danger." (Father)
A average family living in an average home. Despite the supernatural changes to their son, they refuse to yield before fate. Rather, it's because of these unusual circumstances that they treasure their normalcy even more so than others.
"Thank you dad. Don't worry, I will treasure myself. But at the same time, someone has to fight. As someone who has the ability to do so, I have a duty to see it through." (Faramicia)
"I'm not quite sure what's going on, but for starters is it okay to keep on living here?" (Father)
"... Yeah. My friend said so. It will be dangerous but it won't take more than a month. If someone can draw fire, they'll stop paying attention to the families of magical girls. " (Faramicia)
The government's primary focus is the elimination of magical girls. Eterna's tantrum, it's a little fitting. No one could really picture how a deity like Eterna looked like, and a little word from her could move the world military and all the regional agents. There isn't a point in eliminating the parents, the magic gene is present in large swathes of the population, making them only useful as hostages.
" I see... Be off then. Come back when you win." (Father)
" Mmhm! "(Faramicia)
With that as her cue, she headed towards the address Sariel sent to her. Not long before she began talking to her parents, a notification showed up on her messenger app, it was a singular address. She was grateful to her past self, she could react to these messages so promptly because she didn't transform with her phone on her.
"Our son has gotten too beautiful... It's gonna be a hard time when he's wed off." (Mother)
"Oh stop it. We have to honor his growth by being resilient as well." (Father)
"Don't speak for yourself if you can't stop gnashing your teeth... " (Mother)
***
This... This was where it all began. It was only less than a week ago, but it felt like weeks after what she went through. Her fingers felt numb, her body was still but her mind wasn't. She was too preoccupied with other matters before, she hadn't had time to process what she just did. Was it really righteous? For a magical girl to kill people? Those weren't Traces, if anything their bodies were still there. That's the best proof that she could no longer turn back.
As a magical girl otaku, Faramicia yearned to be the paragon of justice. Fight for the weak, challenge the strong, bring fairness to the world. It all sounded superficial now that her fingers were drenched this deep into sin. What did the others think? What will her friends think? Her parents had their life threatened, there was nothing else she could do, right?
There, on the roof top, a bunch of magical girls popped into existence. The building was massive, housing classrooms for multiple batches of students. They host anywhere from 600k to 1.2m students, the roof top here was in fact a vast garden that many students flock to during lunch break. It was only quiet after school, but not desolate. Though now it's a different story since it was evening. Combat dresses as far as the eye could see, a sea of beautiful faces, cute faces, confident smug faces. A land filled with the vigour of youth and fantasy.
That's right. I love magical girls. It's never changed, not even if my favourite(me) has killed a person. Because beyond one magical girl, there are many others. They represent the beauty of humanity, an endless ocean virtue that can dissolve any sin.