The Maid and Her Princess

V. The Heretic and Her… Hammer?

Morning came in with a soft patter, making her stir. Madoka did not bother to move. She felt unusually drowsy the night before. Before…? Still the grogginess still kept her weighed down on her back. Then louder, more insistent pounding thundered above her head, as if whatever was causing the racket was trying to punch a hole in the earth. A rain storm?

Then why is she not wet?

That made her frown. She cracked an eye open, finally letting the blurry haze of the world clear before her. The thick canvas of a familiar tent hung above her, loudly resisting the heavy drops smacking down on its roof. Something else weighed on her. It shifted slightly onto her shoulder. Madoka's nose wrinkled. The scent was rain, wet earth, and Audrey.

A small hand wrapped itself around her other shoulder as the storm got louder, finally waking her up. The last thing Madoka remembered was talking in circles. Their worries melted into fatigue, then she yawned, and now she was here. Audrey must have taken care of her, but no unease or guilt struck her like usual at the thought of the princess doing work. She did not have any strange dreams, though the last couple days felt like a blurry one that veered dangerously into a nightmare.

The cold hand shifted close to her chest, sliding down her neck. Her skin tingled in anticipation, but then Madoka realized the Audrey was doing it on purpose. She feigned a yawn, forcefully shoving Her Highness off of her on purpose. The light body rolled into the wet leather of the tent with a muffled groan.

"Nae waah," Audrey forced herself up, leaning above Madoka. A pale and pink shade tinted her neck, spreading down into the slight curve of her breasts. She stared unabashedly, making the princess shudder. "You're awake."

"And so are you," Madoka sat up, looking around. "This tent…"

"Yeah," Audrey tried to get up, but Madoka grabbed her.

"Your hair is a mess," she muttered.

The girl struggled a bit, but gave up. She had already pulled the Crystal out of her chest transformed as a brush and began to meticulously tidy up Her Highness. The storage talisman and her gleaming silver Adventurer tag dangled on the stake next to her. It felt like they were on the Hall of the Frost Queen, but the air was more warm even though it was still morning. Her internal clock was more skewed now since they stepped out of the Uracksheegal's portal, but she still knew it was earlier than everyone else. The princess's mismatched eyes were staring at her in a daze. The fact that they were open at this time was strange to Madoka.

"Why are you awake?" she asked.

"Huh?" Audrey suddenly broke out of her dreamy state. "I woke up suddenly."

"Was it a dream?"

"N-No," Audrey obviously lied, but acquiesced after seeing whatever frown Madoka had on her face. She channeled Knotting magic into her own eye just to check and sure enough, she was frowning. Audrey groaned. "D-Don't use me as a mirror. I was dreaming, but—"

"But what?" Madoka pressed. "Dreams were signs of the Witch's presence, right?"

"Eheh, not those kind of dreams," Audrey sounded helpless. "I was dreaming about you in a school uniform. You were so hot, I woke up in an instant just thinking about you."

School uniform…? Madoka furrowed her eyebrows in thought. She was in the body of the original Princess Elise's friend, but how could Audrey have known that? That academic place they were speaking in, she hesitated. It was a school from her world. Was Audrey receiving some residual vision from her own memories? Was it because of their switched eyes?

Could she… like her that way a little more openly if she wore things like that…?

Her hand had finally brushed the final tuft of Audrey's unruly hair. The proximity of her face — and her lips— was tempting Madoka, but she merely pushed the girl up after patting her shoulder.

"Up you go," Madoka grumbled.

The princess squeaked when she was pushed up by her bum and out of the tent. She ambled out afterwards into the rain, not even bothering to shield herself from its merciless pelting. Audrey stood there, her back facing her. She was looking out at the clear divide created by the battle and the untouched plains they were standing on.

Madoka could guess what she was thinking about. She looked distant this way when they fled Fiara's Capital. She recalled those thin discs of strange magic that hovered over CZA-6's head when they first met. It shielded her from the rain. So she decided to emulate the effect with her Crystal's magic, which was glowing white now. Her mind could control its movements, or perhaps her eyes could direct it. Either way, a thin, reflective barrier materialized over her head and shielded Audrey from the rain when she silently stood beside Her Highness.

"Air's warm now," Audrey said. She had her hand out, but stared down at the water pooling in her palms. "That means Spring is officially…"

"Over," Madoka stated calmly. Their shoes were getting wet from the mud, but at least their heads were not getting pelted by the rain.

The clouds still were grey, reluctant to come out despite Summer's apparent arrival. The wind picked up, but something underneath her moved. Madoka barely registered it at first, but realized it was not a shudder. The earth was trembling. She felt Audrey bump onto her side and heard her gasp in a small surprise.

"Whoa," Audrey leaned on her, but her hands were slipping dangerously close to an opening in her tunic. Madoka swatted it away. Something glinted from the sky, illuminating the grass beneath her. Knotting magic? The hand slipped away and a barely perceptible barrier flashed around them. Audrey's. "Something's coming from above, huh. We should have never had learned how to fly, Madoka. I swear, aerial combat wasn't something I thought would happen in this world. Since it's fantasy and all that."

"Why are you so… calm?" Madoka whirled around, standing in front of Audrey like a tower.

"Because you're here with me," Audrey murmured from behind her.

The presence loomed above them. When Madoka's eyes adjusted to the lurid light, she could guess who it was. The Guild Master, but which one?

"You two, come," Lady Fate's authoritative voice commanded her. Madoka let out a low growl, but a hand stopped her. The Gladeban Guild Master's mood and stance reeked of a desperation etched from loss. There was no longer any arrogance laced within the woman. She pointed in a certain direction. "Something dangerous is ahead, blocking the Capital Petal's path. Something we've never seen before."

The hand on her back tensed, but the barrier faded.

"Lady Fate," Madoka hissed as she watched the Guild Master fly away at a seemingly leisurely speed. Why did Mother choose you? She turned to Audrey, who was already levitating off the wet earth. The rain had mostly ceased its assault from the sky. At least she would not have to dry the princess off afterwards. "Shall we see what this Guild has for us now?"

"Yeah," Audrey's eyes lit up with barely contained jealousy and awe when Madoka summoned the Crystal as wings. They flared to life proudly, like swords gleaming in the sunlight pointing out in white rays. "L-Let's."

Together, they easily caught up to Lady Fate. She was flipping that strange coin in her hand with her thumb as they approached.

Madoka recalled that the princess had never mentioned they would be literally flying anywhere. This new dimension was nerve wracking. She not only had to worry for her princess on foot, but in the sky as well. This was a horrible and unexpected new level of mess to clean up. The Petal's natural rocky wall jutted towards the sky like the others, though there were noticeable signs of fortifications placed. But Lady Fate was hovering over a certain peculiar spot, not looking at the spires.

Madoka glanced down, where a large group of Adventurers and soldiers were gathered at the border of a massive crater. Something was half-buried at the bottom, giving off a dull grey glint amidst the mist and rain stricken dirt. She glanced at Audrey, who gave a brief defensive look before returning back to a bored expression, as if the spectacle below them had nothing to do with her. That made Madoka immediately suspicious.

"So, what do you think, House Dalion?" came a shrill voice from beside them.

Lady Fate had closed the distance between them at some point. Her wings were gold like Luxgor's, perhaps a Knotting Way, while Madoka's wings were bright as the sky. She looked surprised after shifting from Audrey's bored countenance to Madoka's glare, but her face returned to its stern authoritative expression as she waited for them to speak. She realized that shocked look was probably because of their changed eyes. Or she was indignant over the fact that neither member of House Dalion had any intention of responding.

Madoka wordlessly swooped down with the silent Audrey following behind her. She could hear Fate scoffing behind her, but she did not care. The crater was much larger than she imagined and something stopped her from fully landing. A familiar shiver struck her and made her skin crawl. The oppressive feeling was both alien and suffocating, but she felt it before. She shook her head, sensing a presence stop beside her.

"You feel that too, right?" Madoka asked. The ominous feeling was coming from the thing embedded in the ground, but it was not like the altar or other ruins Audrey used to cultivate her manas in. It was not just a structure, it had several disk-shaped pieces sticking out of the ground like plates bobbing unevenly in a bubbling wash barrel.

"Yeah," Audrey studied the strange structure. "It seems like there's a barrier around the crater, too. Look, those guys below can't cross it."

"Is it like the Guardian's?" Madoka asked tentatively.

The thought of Her Highness using magic to destroy the Guardian's shield made her shudder. With those people around, she surely would not, right? She looked at Her Highness, who was deep in thought. Right?

"Not the same material as the Nexus Gates. I suspect it might be bones or perhaps an exposed piece of the Labyrinth."

"Labyrinth," Madoka repeated. "I don't remember if we've ever entered that one back in Fiara."

"The air feels like that time in the Estate forest. But man, that feels like it was from a lifetime ago, right?" Audrey sounded nostalgic for some strange reason. "You got any bright ideas?"

"I— I should be asking you that," Madoka sighed. "We should ask the Guild Master down there about it. Shouldn't we?"

Before Audrey could respond, something flashed beneath them. A tiny reflection glinting directly into her eye. The annoying light was attached to a small figure standing there, looking up at them and waving with their free hand. With a single look exchanged between her and Audrey, Madoka descended first.

Blue armor and green scales greeted Madoka as she landed. Eraziror, huh, she mused. When her feet touched the ground, he dared to flash the piece of glass in his hand into her eyes. She frowned and swatted it out of his hand. He chuckled sheepishly.

"Yo," he said with a sigh. "You two have a knack for making an entrance, eh?"

Madoka ignored him and instead directed her attention to the crowd of strangely robed people behind him. Audrey's soft steps landed down next to her, instantly making her maid-like instincts go into overdrive. She flew into a fuss over Her Highness, whose resistance did not stand a chance. She patted the dust and rain off of her messy hair. How does a princess get this dirty all the time?

"Aaaaa, I'm fine, I'm clean, I'm pure," Audrey struggled under Madoka's grip. "Aaaaa—"

"What's the situation?" Madoka asked Eraziror without looking. She had pulled out a cloth from the portal at some point and was now wiping at some nonexistent smudges on Audrey's forehead.

"That's the thing," Eraziror seemed used to Madoka's antics now. "You're the situation."

"Hmm?" Both girls stopped what they were doing. Madoka's cloth froze mid-wipe, and Audrey's arms froze mid-flail.

"The Acting Guild Master is waiting for you," he pointed. Madoka could make out a sliver of white scales between the crowd of cloaked men. She had seen those mages before, right? Eraziror shrugged. "Said he's been waiting for you to show up. Better hurry."

"That isn't for you to—" Madoka was about to be rude when Audrey's hand interrupted her with a small pat on the back. So, the princess has decided. Eraziror stepped back and she got a good view at the gathered mages.

Madoka approached them quietly, observing the strange ritualistic movements they were performing. She remembered now. She saw this kind of magic back in Tritorjan when they were sealing Death in the ravaged city hall and later with the Artisan Guild where Blue Hair warned her about seeking Gechick. It was Mansion magic from these Night Operators. Originally, the names and terms would make Madoka's head spin like suds swished around in a bucket, but she was used to the feeling. Or they stuck to her now.

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The mages noticed the pair and parted ways, giving way to the ritual. Drezgor clasped his hands close to his core, guiding wild Knotting Strands in his palms. Then, he made the shape of a bowl with his arms. The Knotting strands chased his movements, then with a loud thrum, they transformed into a solid metal cauldron. The Acting Guild Master stepped out of the way with practiced ease as the bowl sank into the wet soil.

Audrey was fascinated by the magic, transfixed by the bubbling water that seemed to materialize in the bowl. Madoka noticed its strange properties as well, seeing that the remaining wild Knotting strands were turning into water. She did not realize that she could potentially use the strands that way, but figured Audrey was more adept in summoning massive waterspouts.

A Night Operator carefully scooped up a strange black powder from the ground and made his way to the cauldron, then poured it into the water. Each member of the ritual seemed to be placed in a certain place on purpose, causing the water to bubble violently, adding to the already loud thrumming noise. A faint fog appeared in intersecting lines, connecting each member. Madoka remembered that this strange arrangement was also back in Gladeban. They were forming a pentagram around the cauldron. When the Cyan strands of Mansion magic began to manifest, the bubbling water ceased and a skeletal hand shot out of it, making Madoka jump from the noise.

A gasp suddenly erupted throughout the crowd and the mages knelt. Even Drezgor got down on his knees in a reverent manner. A chorus of thuds echoed through the place as the rain poured. She knew exactly who was about to get out of that pot of water. Audrey was about to get down, but Madoka stopped her with a frown and a look of disbelief. She would fight anyone who dared to force Her Highness to bow or kneel! Well, it was not like they were not strangers with the skeleton in the cauldron, right?

"Ceghinort?" she muttered.

A horned skull splashed out of the bubbling water, and it did not need eyes to make Madoka aware that he was looking at her. A strange purple tint surrounded her briefly, before vanishing. The Princess used a spell, did she not? The skeleton had fully formed, stepping out from the cauldron like it was a wash barrel. Then Madoka heard it speak, but to her surprise, it was using a female's voice.

"We meet again so soon, House Dalion," the skeleton greeted them familiarly. "I had just informed the Acting Guild Master of your arrival."

This one did not sound like Ceghinort, but it was moving and speaking like the kind god.

"Is that you, Ceghinort?" Madoka asked informally. The skeleton saluted, confirming that it was.

"Do not be so wary, Madoka," Ceghinort's new avatar spoke softly. "I am the God of Adventurers— dead and alive. And they are me. This body has been lost to the Abyss."

"The Abyss?" Audrey murmured behind her. The Abyss was depicted as a place beneath them and generally not a happy or comfortable land to be, Madoka recalled. At least, no one really wanted to go and clean its messy name.

Rain dampened her hair as the skeleton stood before them. Madoka squared her shoulders and towered over it. Ceghinort seemed to be aware of Audrey's magic and stood right before the barrier she conjured.

"The realm below us, the Labyrinth, where all Adventurers are drawn to," Ceghinort explained as if he, or she, was speaking plainly on the weather. "While you two were in the Sky, the Abyss has stirred."

The skeleton gestured towards the maw of the crater. The strange ruins glistened in the misty rainfall. Its magical barrier was seemingly unbothered by the weather, allowing the droplets to pass through it.

"A barrier this size," Audrey muttered. "Has to be an awful inconvenience for city to city logistics, no? Is it because your people don't usually stick around in one place?"

Madoka shot her a glare for being distracted and disrespectful, but realized she was also not bowing to the King of another country. Ceghinort laughed. Instead of the odd guffaw she was used to, the skeleton the kind god occupied had a melodious voice.

"You are correct, Audrey Dalion," the skeleton laughed. "In Life, the Adventurers seek out the Abyss and the Sky, but do not stay in the Land for too long. In Death, they become me, seeking the River and you know the rest."

"What will you have us do?" Madoka asked cautiously, though she had a sinking feeling that she already knew the answer.

"Everyone, bear witness to House Dalion's Gold Adventurer rank test and stand aside," Ceghinort commanded, clapping his or her bony hands together. With that, the crowd dispersed like frightened rodents. They were Adventurers and so was the kind god, yet they obeyed without hesitation. Even Drezgor got up and joined the distant crowd, though the smirk on his face made her uncomfortable. "I await you in the Capitol."

With that, both the cauldron and the skeleton withered to dust. Madoka turned to the Adventurers, who were quite a distance away from them now. She had no clue what the kind god was thinking, and judging by Audrey's face— she had no idea what Her Highness was thinking either.

"You remember how we opened the Labyrinth entrance in Fiara, right?"

"No," Madoka frowned after scrolling through her memories over last year. "It's been a year, but it feels like a world away from now."

"Yeah," Audrey looked out at the crater's maw. A flash of lightning stretched out across the sky like a crack in a window; thunder boomed after the white scar vanished. "Apparently, Gold Ranked Adventurers want to explore the Abyss. So does that mean Ceghinort wants us to go down there, too?"

"Maybe the Abyss is a dead Dragon like the Uracksheegal," Madoka mused, then she realized what she said. It was not like her to think of such deep things. Audrey nodded, surprisingly taking her absentminded approach seriously.

"Dragons, all the way down," she muttered. "Why can't I become a dragon?"

Madoka started to walk back to the barrier. Audrey's hurried footsteps trailed behind her. The maid knew that the princess was transforming into one, deep down in her heart. She remembered tracing scales forming on the girl's skin. Yet, she was afraid of what that meant. Did all Royals have a connection to dragons? That dragon they defeated back during their Winter journey mentioned it was her Kin. How did Audrey not suspect she was becoming a dragon already? It was a mystery to her to uncover in her travels with the princess, like all things they had run into. Even her own past was a mystery.

"Perhaps," Madoka muttered as she felt the alien magic of the Abyss's barrier react to her palm. It was cold like the rain, or like pressing against an undulating yet solid surface; ice bobbing deep into the water when pressed, but forcefully pushing back against the palm when it gets too deep. "You're already a dragon."

"Huh?" Audrey felt the barrier, but recoiled and shook her hand. "Ugh, it zaps you."

"N-Nothing," Madoka shook her head and withdrew her hand from the barrier. It was understandable that the princess's soft palms would not be able stand such a harsh feeling. Having been shocked before, she was numb to it. "What do you have in mind to pass this so-called test?"

Audrey shook her hand, then raised it to her chin deep in thought. The tents from the camp have been brought to the crowd, and most of the Adventurers' eyes have been turned away. Less pressure, Madoka observed. It seemed dangerous to bring the innocent ones closer to here, but she guessed that the Sovos camp had just arrived and the Adventurers had better things to do than watch.

"Last time, we used… Hell, that was a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"Mm," Madoka noted. She remembered now. "You used your… living scar to detect something. Could that be a lead?"

"Oh, right!" Audrey rose her index finger triumphantly and paced. "One problem: I don't have that anymore. Though, if it's related to the Labyrinth and the Abyss, then there's got to be some kind of mechanism powering this barrier. Whatever it is, it's clearly linked to the strange building in the crater. Tell you what—"

"What?"

"Gonna fly up and give you an aerial view," Audrey began her magic without even a moment of hesitation. "See if you can see something I can't."

A bad feeling instantly crawled up Madoka's skin. She immediately braced herself after she noticed Audrey closing her eyes. A surge of magic clashed against the alien pressure on her skin, rushing through her. For a moment, she felt like she was glass, rigid and fragile at the same time. Then her insides heated up and then; she became cool like someone splashed ice cold water all over her face. The girl's magic was relentless, but it was over before she could even buckle her knees in protest.

"Audrey!" She cried out, but when she opened her eyes she saw… boots? The princess was levitating above her and her feet were dangling at her eye level. Moreover, she could also see the top of her head and the slightly burnt grassy patch she stood on from above.

Madoka's eye did not hurt like it used to when they swapped visions, but the strange sensation of looking at the ground with two different perspectives was jarring. Audrey's eyes shifted down at her, so she instinctively met her eyes and lifted her gaze upward at the troublesome princess. She was already high up there without wings. The view of the vast sky in one of her eyes and the expanse of green fields in her other made her a dizzy, but she was quickly getting used to it.

Now that she was down here and the princess was up there, what was she supposed to do? She focused her vision from Audrey's eye, scanning the field from above. They were dividing duties, were they not? But since Her Highness was expecting her to help, Madoka could only quell both the unease of Audrey's work and the discomfort in her eye.

Audrey's view revealed the land was not simply flat everywhere in each direction. Madoka noticed that there were several peculiar indentations in the earth near the barrier. She decided to head to the closest dent. Audrey had seen what she was looking at and, soon, her shadow overhead grew larger as she descended.

"So, this little mound, huh?" Audrey shuddered. Madoka instinctively pulled her down into her arms to check. "Don't you feel how thick it gets around here?"

"What?"

"The atmosphere," Audrey pointed. Madoka sensed her skin was crawling with new awareness, but could not compare it to the previous experience. She only nodded in agreement instead. "This is probably the site of something interesting, right? Last time, last year, it was what… Plates to stand on? Ugh, let me see if I could uncover it."

"H-Hai," Madoka watched Audrey slowly ascend into the air again.

The word "uncover" finally registered in her mind, making her spring to action and dive out of the way. A faint beam of light distorted the air like a crumbling pillar, directly from Audrey's glowing palm. Seeing the magic concentrating around her hand from Her Highness's perspective was truly something else. The golden light made Madoka realize that the princess was wielding Knotting magic.

The magic beam solidified, carving a wide hole around the entire mound and causing an explosion of dirt. Thank the kind gods, Madoka thought. The metallic shards of Audrey's magic shattered against her Crystal's barrier, sending ripples against it as they dissolved or broke out in untangling Knotting strands bouncing off like dying snakes. She was used to her antics by now, so she instinctively took up a barrier to protect herself. Still, she swore she would scold Her Destructiveness for the trouble she caused the second she dared to land next to her.

After the cloud of smashed earth cleared, Madoka found herself standing at the edge of yet another freshly created crater. Audrey's vision in her eye was drawing closer to the ground, but Madoka's heart sank. Or it did a flip. She had mixed emotions over the aftermath of their battle on how such destruction magical attacks can inflict upon the land. A hint of pride and apprehension mixed together in an intoxicating, inexplicable sensation lured her eyes to the girl. Yet, both of them were capable of carving marks into the world as a means to an end. That end… she glanced at the debris bouncing off the stubborn Labyrinth barrier.

All of this new damage was all so they could pass through. She supposed in that case, such magic can allow for some balance in the world. It might ease the guilt of being secretly thrilled at the princess's power, yet it was accompanied by an aching smallness in her heart. She felt this tangle of emotions whenever she witnessed Her Highness's magic. Or maybe, it was now because she witnessed the princess through a whole new lens now. Thinking this, heat rushed to her cheeks.

"I feel like a superhero, you know?" Audrey's silhouette was floating above her, back against the light, and shadowed by the rain. Only her eyes glowed golden, two suns of their own. Even if one of those eyes was hers. "Flying like this, destroying the planet with lasers. Nae waah."

"Super what? You could restrain your efforts a little bit," Madoka groaned. She could no longer stomach the idea of scolding her in her current state. "But what are we looking at?"

"Well," Audrey ignored her suggestion and suddenly leaped, skidding down the crater walls. "It seems like this is a part of the mechanism connected to the barrier."

Madoka heard her voice slowly echo out from below and followed down after her. The exposed bump she noticed was more massive than she thought. It seemed to be constructed of various metals and stone stuck together like strata, with the extremely thick layers sticking out wider than a tree trunk in the Circle of the Labyrinth. Others layers were divided in sections as wide as her arms spread out from her sides. She held her hips in thought. Her own arm span was still somehow smaller than this… Whatever it is.

Madoka frowned at it because its presence offended her, but noticed Audrey joined her with an equal perplexed look on her face.

"Seems like this is a part of the big thing inside the barrier, but I have no clue what it is. The curvature suggest it's some kind of architecture, but the materials obviously don't make any sense sandwiched together like this," Audrey leaned over and looked at it from a different angle. A smooth, white stony surface glinted at her in the grey daylight, making her squint. "And— It's brimming with manas."

Manas, Madoka grimaced. That mysterious energy that Audrey's magic revolved around. It was unseeable and always brought trouble. The fact that this strange statue was sending shivers down her spine was more than enough reason for her to feel like running away. A small part of her wondered if the manas were connected to the Abyss. But that was heresy, was it not? Accusing Her Highness as a heretic was vastly different than her simply admitting it herself, right? Yet— The Heretical Princess was hers and hers alone. Madoka gritted her teeth and prepared herself for whatever she was planning to do about those manas.

"Hang on,—" her hand glowed. "—There's a small gap underneath here in this section."

Audrey swiftly moved her hand up in an uppercut. Then, the small gap between the thin section widened as a gust of her Wind magic forced the dirt away. It was cavernous enough to step beneath, but Madoka did not trust it to not collapse.

"So it's not a plate, or anything to stand on," Audrey muttered. "Now what?"

They stood around it for a moment, but Madoka felt something else creeping up her skin: Impatience. She was already running her brain on full power and the amount of magic in her own chest rushing around made her restless.

If the test was not going to be understood by either them or Ceghinort— then let it fall.

If a door to the barrier is not yet erected, or a call from the Labyrinth never heard by maid nor princess— then let these ruins crumble!

"Madoka?"

She heard her own name question, but it felt like an echo far away. It registered in Madoka's ears, but probably in a different way than what Her Highness was intending. If Audrey is the Heretic, then what was Madoka? Knotting magic coiled around her arm, slithering out of her chest and from the ground. Well, she had no idea what she was in relation to a heretic. There was little matter. If the Labyrinth's mechanism was being stubborn and refusing a path ahead, she shall barge her way through!

"So what if you're an old statue or structure, get out of the way!"

The Knotting magic solidified in her grasp, and she imagined the tool needed for this purpose: A hammer.

The strands turned to an explosive golden burst, colliding against the exposed structure. Madoka swung with the intention of venting her frustration and perhaps breaking it. The metallic clang surged with a resounding boom and a violent hum roared over the remains of the Petal like the earth itself was screaming in pain. Madoka did not think she struck that hard— and the rumbling answered her sudden doubt, nearly shaking her off her balance.

"The structure— it's moving!" Audrey cried out. "Get out the way!"

Madoka swore, but she took flight. She could not even get to bask in the destruction she had cause before a massive shadow moved in the whirlwind of debris.

"That was a bad time to be a cat, Madoka!" Audrey whined overhead. A boulder suddenly slammed into her wing from the cloud, sending her into a tailspin.

"Meow!" Madoka let her defiance in that single word careen with her in the air as she flung across the sky.

She managed to recover, but gasped when she saw the true scope of the disaster she caused. Beneath her, the area around the invisible barrier seemingly came to life. Something was punching through the surface from underground! The structure was not a structure at all, she realized. Those asymmetrical and oddly stacked parts were now writhing, burrowing rapidly underground and coiling out of other patches of land like a sea serpent in an ocean. The thing creating the barrier was a monster of immense size, Madoka gawked.

And she just woke it up.