During the coldest winters…
When no flower dared bloom,
When other flowers die and wither,
When trees explode from sheer ice—
Only one flower dared to bloom.
Only one flower beautifully emerged.
It does not wait for spring.
No.
It forces its way in the deepest and coldest of winters.
The Christmas Rose—The black Hellebore.
. . .
. .
.
[Shizuka POV]
As I found myself staring at Miu with a warm smile, I clutched my chest.
It felt tight—my chest felt tight. But it doesn't seem bad. Unlike before…
Somehow, I could see clearly now.
Even if I became hated by the world,
the people close to me don't…
They understand me.
It's cruel, how they love me so much.
It hurts, how they look at me with love.
But I cannot change that.
I can only change myself.
My smile widened as I looked at Miu—not practiced, just a normal smile.
"Thank you, Miu."
I repeated again, tears ruining my face. But it's okay.
"Shizuka, this is why you have to reach out to me… you worry me too much."
Miu pouted at me, giving me a tight hug, leaving me shocked with widened eyes.
"Mhm."
I could not utter a simple yes—I could only make a sound as my hands reached and hugged Miu back.
"Also, Shizuka—"
Miu pulled back, releasing me from her warm hug.
"What is it?"
I tilted my head. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her reluctance.
"I don't know if I should say this… butttt…"
Seeing Miu hesitating, I couldn't help but furrow my eyebrows.
"Tell me, I won't bite!"
I pouted.
"Your eyes… are your pupils really… like that?"
I tilted my head even more.
What does she mean exactly?
"Huh?"
"Your pupils are… diamond-shaped… and white."
My eyes widened at the words.
"What?!"
I immediately grabbed my cracked phone and scrambled on the screen, pressing the camera and going into selfie mode. My black eyes went wild.
"What the hell…"
I muttered.
"Huehhhh?! WHAAAT?! This shouldn't be happening!"
Both my hands squeezed my face, my irises shrinking in fear.
"Miu, Miu… I'm not dreaming. You can see my pupils, right?!"
I looked at Miu in a panic, which perhaps made her afraid too.
"Eh?? Ehh? Ehhh? Is that a bad thing?!"
Miu's voice became high-pitched, the same fear as mine.
"No! It's not, but… how do I even explain this?! Plus I'm not ready to face a magical girl yet!"
My cheeks burned pink as I stomped the ground, leaving a small crater—
which made my mouth almost shrink and disappear into existence itself.
"What the fuck."
Both Miu and I somehow said in sync.
"Okay, okay, clearly… something's wrong."
I laughed lightly.
"You think?"
Miu pointed at the crater I made on the ground, looking at me with eyes that could burn a hole through me.
"It's fine. I'm sureee everything will be fine if I just—"
I stared at Miu, remembering she was right there.
"Even though you saw me already… I would still remind you to keep what happens next a secret."
I smiled and winked at Miu, who still looked confused by all of this.
"Don't worry, what happens next will be very cool."
I assured Miu, and she looked at me with those blue eyes, a mix of concern and trust.
"Mhm… okay."
Seeing Miu nod at me, I couldn't help but smile even more. She still trusts me, even if I hurt her.
『Don't worry Miu, I'll show you something cool!』
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, then opened them.
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Little by little, everything around us began to turn cold. The sky darkened with clouds. I looked at Miu and saw her looking at all of this in awe—I smiled.
This was the usual setup.
Usually my clothes would change.
But it wasn't over.
A huge black pillar of light erupted into the sky.
"What is this?? Shizukaaa? Is this normal?!"
Miu's eyes widened. In front of her, a black pillar of light erupted from Shizuka and pierced the sky.
The sound that emanated was a loud, deafening bang.
Not long after, the area erupted into chaos. Y.E.I.D stationed alarms blared in accompaniment.
After a few more seconds, the pillar disappeared and I softly landed on the ground.
"Wow.."
I looked at Miu—her blue eyes sparkled.
『Hm? Yes, it's quite amazing. If I say so myself.』
I flipped my hair and puffed my chest confidently.
"You look so pretty Shizuka! Your hair! Oh my gosh it has white streaks! And this dresss kyahhhh!"
Despite the chaos happening around us, Miu instantly forgot her earlier panic and was circling around me, inspecting every change.
"But, what's cooler is this cool aura surrounding you!"
At her words, an eyebrow raised.
『Like those sigma, chad aura thing?』
I crossed my arms.
"No! No! I meant there's this cool energy surrounding you."
What does she mean?
I looked at my hand and noticed that there was indeed something different. Surrounding my hands—no, my whole body—I was wrapped in this black-sparkly energy that fluctuated.
What the hell is this?!
"You girls—SHIZUKA what the fuck are you doing?!"
Two heads immediately turned towards the entrance of the alley. Rio came panting.
"Undo your form immediately you stupid bitch!"
Rio's words stung me.
『Master! What happened!』
Immediately, the black cat IXX formed in my shadow, and when she spotted Rio, her fur stood up.
And similarly, Rio saw the black cat and her fist tightened, but she sighed.
"We'll talk later."
Rio's eyes looked at the black cat before looking at me.
"Come with me to the dojo, you too..stupid black cat."
Rio began walking, her eyes lingered on the black cat before she turned her head.
"You should come as well..Miu."
I smiled gently as I held Miu's hand and dragged her along to the dojo.
...
..
.
[Inside The Dojo]
Inside the Dojo, four figures emerged. An ex-magical girl, a black cat, the new leader of the youma faction..then a human girl.
The black cat and the human girl stared as a certain black-haired girl knelt on the floor, her hands raised above her head..
"Just what the fuck was going on inside that head of yours? I thought you were intelligent but I guess you're as dumb as the common bitch in a red district!"
Rio dismantled Shizuka, not minding that there was an audience nearby..
Meanwhile, Miu looked at the black cat beside her. The cat licked its paws, looking at the two with something undiscernable.
Earlier, this cat somehow managed to speak in her head. It felt weird, tingly and just..weird.
Moreover the situation in itself is weird. Who is the one scolding Shizuka anyways?
"So? What do you hafta say for yourself? Hm? Did you know what you just did?!"
Rio kept poking Shizuka's forehead.
"Gyahhh! I dunno! I dunno! I said I was innocent! I was innocent!"
"INNOCENT MY FUCKING ASS! YOU WANTED TO SQUARE UP RIGHT AWAY! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED YOUR TRAININ'!"
"I SAIDDD I'M SORRYYY!"
"OH SO YER TRYNA MATCH MY LEVEL HUH?!!! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU AREEE!"
"GYAHHHH!"
The room was in total chaos—Rio interrogating Shizuka like crazy, and Shizuka who truly didn't know what she did wrong.
『I think...I got the answer.』
Suddenly the room went silent, and three heads turned towards the black cat, now staring with a composed aura.
"Pfft..you? You have the answer?"
Rio rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"Then give 'em, let's see how right and accurate that answer is."
『Shut up, brawny.』
The sound of something shattering echoed in the room.
"Who the fuck are you callin' brawny?! I'd have you know I was also a high scorer in class!"
『Nobody asked.』
The cat and Rio pressed their foreheads against each other, as if lightning was bursting out their eyes.
[A minute has passed]
『Ehem, anyways, as I was saying. Master had experienced something we youmas experienced. The Seals.』
At the black cat's words, everyone went silent. Even Rio, for a minute before she decided to open her mouth.
"Heard something like that, didn't care though."
She rubbed her ear as she averted her eyes.
"Is Rio-san a magical girl??"
Miu asked hesitantly, her eyes never seeming to rest from one face to another.
"Was."
Rio rolled her eyes.
"Ah right, I forgot to tell Miu. She's Nova Eclipse."
Shizuka smiled and explained to Miu.
"Oh."
"THE FUCK is that reaction?! Just "oh"? BITCH I WAS FAMOUS!"
Rio stomped her foot angrily, like a spoiled child.
"A-ah! I meant..mhm.."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN MHM!"
『Pfft.』
IXX clenched her stomach and began rolling.
『Can't believe she isn't popular pfft! That's what you get for fightin' all the time!』
"Like I fucking care about fame!"
Rio snarled.
"Wait we're getting sidetracked here!"
Shizuka's words cut through the chaos.
『Ehem..right right.』
IXX stood up properly again, and finally continued explaining.
『The seals are as follows:
「Void」
「Death」
「Truth」
「Rebirth」』
The room fell silent. Rio looked like she was contemplating, Miu was focused—she didn't seem to get anything but she listened still. And Shizuka, she finally got an idea as to what happened.
『To loosely explain what happened,
When a youma breaks their first seal, which is Void,』
IXX's tail swished and she began walking on the dojo.
『There is a saying we youmas say, "Only by losing one's identity, one's self would you truly call yourself darkness." And this remains true to this day.
Master has experienced this herself—when one doubts their identity. When one gets confused about their identity. This is when the seal starts to break.』
The cat looked back at the three figures, her yellow eyes glinting with something that cannot be named.
『When the seal breaks, there will come two paths.
Darkness and Void.
Most youmas go towards Darkness. They feel elated that they aren't tied down by identity. They are elated because in darkness, it just is. Like water, formless. That becomes their identity. Happiness in nothingness. Not necessarily nihilism.
However, when one cannot accept this fact, when one loses themself and begins to not care about anything—even themself—
Then that's Void.』
The room fell silent once again.
『However, it seemed Master went for a different route.』
Shizuka's eyes widened.
"What?"
Her black eyes shimmered.
"What do you mean exactly IXX?"
"Yeah, the fuck do you mean?"
"Too much lore."
Three figures interested. The cat closed one of her eyes.
『Despite her clause of not being able to show genuine kindness, Master still tries to do so. But the most obvious change is Master's iris.』
Rio and Miu both looked at Shizuka's pupils.
"Mhm! I pointed it out to Shizuka earlier!"
"Damn, now that you mentioned it.."
IXX nodded.
『It would appear that Master has fully accepted her role. Naturally she would've been swallowed by the first seal, however something changed. She not only accepted darkness, she took the void and formed it into something else.』
Shizuka's mouth opened and closed, unable to form an answer.
"Could it be because of love?"
Then Miu raised her own answer.
『Love?』
"It's because..I think I helped her...accept herself..to find herself..not just her identity...but just..herself. I took in everything, accepted everything."
Miu's cheeks became pink.
"Looks like Himeno got competition."
"Rio!"
Shizuka blurted out. Her face as red as the alarms blaring outside