Chapter 11: Heart of Snow
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Dear Micah,

I’m sorry, I know it’s been a while since we last wrote to you. Things have been getting busier here for us with the festival preparations and all, but things are progressing smoothly with everyone’s help. It really is like a miracle, seeing the church filled with so many people now. I never would have imagined something like this happening back when you first came to us.

...I wish you were here. I would’ve loved for you to see this too. The Winter Festival won’t be the same without you this year.

But that’s enough moping from me. How have you been? Are you eating well? Have you kept up with your studies? Are you having fun? I know Regalia is probably a lot different than what you were used to growing up, but I hope you haven’t been overwhelmed by it all.

Everyone here is doing well. Henrietta’s the same as always—really kind and hardworking. She tells me that the tavern has been getting more popular lately, and that all of her coworkers and regulars still miss you dearly. Josefine’s also doing a great job as the new librarian, and she even told us the other day that she’s been working with some of the parents to convince the mayor to open an official school here in Halloway. She really hasn’t changed either, has she? Always moving forward and doing her best to make people smile.

Madam Brunhilde has been getting more and more tired lately, but her condition is still surprisingly good for her age, and she’s very healthy. Though we’re always telling her to rest and not to push herself, she insists on helping out even with small chores like sweeping, and she’s been teaching the children how to make banisters for the festival. She says that when you finally decide to come home, she wants you to see her living strongly, as a way of assuaging any guilt you might have.

Gloria’s gotten better too. She used to cry so much after you left, but now she’s following your example and doing her best everyday, so that she only has happy things to say when you two meet again. Her songs during the morning prayers always fill me with hope.

As for me… well, I’m doing the best I can. It’s hard without you here, babe. Really hard. Whenever I go to bed, that empty spot next to me just feels so cold. I’d gotten so used to you being there, telling me ‘good night’ with that beautiful smile of yours… I realize now, after you’re gone, that I was taking it all for granted.

But it’s too late for regrets. I just hope that, no matter where you are in the world, you’ll keep smiling like that. Show that wonderful smile to the people around you, and make them just as happy as you made us. That’s all I ask.

How is Ms. Richter doing? Your last letter mentioned that she took you shopping for lots of winter clothes, which is wonderful, but also makes me a little sad to hear that we couldn’t give you that memory ourselves. I hope you enjoyed yourself, and didn’t cause too much trouble for her. You’re a good girl though, so I know you wouldn’t do that.

Oh, I shouldn’t ramble on so long. I have to go to bed now so I can wake up in time to help with the preparations. There’s just… so much I want to talk about with you. But I’ll save it for next time.

...I love you, Micah. I always have, and I always will, no matter what. Please take care of yourself this winter.

Sincerely,
Bernadetta

-----

As her eyes found the final words on the page, Micah’s hand unclenched itself, releasing the corner she’d been unconsciously gripping too strongly. A small breath escaped her lips, and a translucent puff of mist rose before her eyes to obscure the letter’s contents for a brief moment.

It was enough of a reprieve that the icy chill of the winter atmosphere was able to set in once again, numbing her stiffened body and cooling her face heated with emotion. Micah shut her eyes, losing herself in the sensation for a moment as the sounds of people enjoying their day at the park filled her ears from all around her position sat on the edge of a fountain.

Though she’d had a moment to calm down, it wasn’t long before her thoughts returned to the letter and her mood once again fell into confliction.

On one hand, she was happy to have received such a heartfelt letter from her loved ones, but on the other she was riddled with guilt due to the fact that most of it was based on lies she’d been feeding them for the entire time she’d known them. Regardless of her reasons, she tricked and deceived Bernadetta and the others for her own ends.

And yet, at the same time she also knew that it was for Yuu’s sake. It couldn’t be helped that she did those things—after all, it was a necessary step towards her quest to reunite with her brother. Even though her time with them had allowed them to become more than just fake book characters to her, they still did not hold precedence over Yuu. No one did.

With these two conflicting feelings constantly clashing in her head, a feeling like she didn't deserve this sort of kindness from them after everything she'd done welled up heavily within her. But despite that, she still couldn’t stop herself from reading and rereading the letter over and over again with trembling lips. This recent time had been the seventeenth.

“You’re smiling.” Just as she considered whether to go for an eighteenth, a familiar voice brought her from her thoughts, and the soft crunching of boots brought her attention to the man approaching from her flank.

“And you’re late,” she retorted, her smile long faded and replaced with a neutral stare. The dark-skinned man—Zaheer, or Zahy as his boss affectionately called him—cut an imposing figure even amidst the jovial atmosphere of the park goers.

“You have my apologies for that. I thought the errand for Lady Circe would be brief as it was on the way, but it ran on longer than expected. Still, I warned you that I might be late, and that you should amuse yourself in the town instead of waiting here for me, did I not?”

“Yeah, well… I’m fine waiting.” She cast her gaze to the side, eyeing a group of children rolling up balls of snow with wide smiles. The radiant innocence in their expressions may have touched Micah’s heart at one point, but now only served as a stark reminder of just how long it had been since she’d lost hers. “That world… I don’t belong in it. Not anymore.”

Zaheer offered no comment on her melancholic words, and a few moments of silence passed between them, broken only by the noise of the children squealing as they fought for control of who would get to hold the carrot for their snowman.

Eventually, he stretched his large hand out to her. “Come. Let us conclude our business swiftly so that we may return to Regalia.”

“...Mhm,” Micah replied quietly as she slipped the letter inside of her thick winter vest, then stood from the fountain on her own while ignoring his offered help. “It’s a couple of streets over, right?”

“That’s right.” Zaheer retracted his hand without a slight hint of offense, and started for the entrance of the park. “Follow me. We’ll be there shortly.”

Micah trailed him in silence as he led the way to their destination—a defunct warehouse acting as the base of operations for a group claiming to be representatives of the Disciples of Circe. From what Micah understood, the group had been collecting tithe payments in Circe’s name for several weeks before the local monastery took notice and sent word to Regalia, along with a warning that some had used magic to intimidate those that refused to pay.

Once it came to Circe’s attention that someone was using her to extort the populace, and that there were mages among them, she saw fit to send her two lieutenants to personally deal with the situation as both a message, and to prevent unnecessary casualties.

That was what led to her and Zaheer traveling to this town in Eastra called Anderest, where the report originated from. Even though she made it clear she didn’t want to go traveling during the winter season, Circe had made it clear she didn’t have a choice. Still, Micah couldn’t help but admit that the woman had sweetened the deal considerably with the letter from Bernadetta that arrived moments before the two of them set out.

As her boots filled the much larger prints made by her companion, she shut her eyes as a freezing gust fluttered the hood of her acolyte robes and carried her scarf ends slightly.

“You’re still depressed.” Zaheer’s words nearly went unnoticed as they blended with the wind.

“Huh?”

“You’re still depressed,” he repeated, bringing Micah’s attention up to see that he was half-turned back to her as he walked. “I would have thought reading those letters would improve your mood, but they never seem to have any lasting effects.”

Her first immediate instinct was to tell him to mind his own business, but she quickly bit the words down with the understanding that he was only trying to help her out of genuine concern. Like an antithesis to his boss, Zaheer was nice, and always respectful of others. That is, when he wasn’t crushing in skulls on her behalf. “...I know. And it does help to read them. I just...”

She trailed off as another gust passed. Her face hardened not from the chill, but the stark reminder of just how desolate her world had become. Her first winter away from her family had turned the falling snow into an oppressive weight on the world. The reality of all she’d had to abandon to get this far hadn’t truly set in even during the months she worked for Circe before now. Only once the winter months began did she realize all the color she took for granted living her second life as a child with the nuns had drained away.

And it was all her fault. She’d chosen this path herself, and sacrificed the lives of three people along the way. She’d also cast aside the feelings of the nuns, and all of the other people in Halloway who loved and cared for her, all for the sake of power. All for the sake of Yuu.

But she didn’t regret it. She couldn’t regret it. Not now, after all that had happened.

Yuu is still out there somewhere. He still needs me. I already swore that I’d do everything I could to gain the strength I need to find him, so I’ll push forward on this path I’ve forged with no regrets.

Yet, no matter how much she declared it within her heart, the feeling of emptiness within her did not disappear. It was all too familiar to the feelings she experienced during the year between losing her older brother Kou and the birth of her younger brother Yuu. Was it really because the nuns had rooted themselves into her heart, just like Yuu had?

As she once again got lost in her thoughts, she failed to remember her conversation with Zaheer, who’d taken notice of how she’d trailed off and said nothing more as he returned his attention forwards.

After a short walk, the two arrived at the warehouse. From just its appearance alone, one wasn’t likely to think it housed a group like the one they were currently after, but the report from the Disciple members stationed in Anderest detailed this building in particular.

Zaheer spared a glance her way, and she returned it with a slight nod before he pushed his way through the front doors with her on his heels.

A large factory of sorts greeted them, but whatever the purpose of the many machines and contraptions that lay inside were had been lost to history, as the place looked more than a little run down.

Despite that, quite a number of people were inside. Using the various machinery and conveyor belts as places to sit or lean against was an assortment of rough-looking individuals. Men and women alike were among them, and Micah noticed that some were wearing uniforms that looked like they belonged to the factory.

As the door slammed shut, two dozen heads turned to look at both her and Zaheer, and the somewhat cheerful mood that had pervaded the spacious room had ground to a silent halt.

“...Heh? Who’re you?” One young man finally had the sense to speak up. He was immediately silenced by a larger man to his side, who took a menacing step forward.

“Do you have business with the Disciples of Circe? You’re interfering with our sermon,” he said in a low, threatening tone. Micah glanced around the room, and spotted nothing that gave the impression that a sermon was currently taking place. Rather, the assortment of cards, dice, and what looked like alcohol that littered the various groups gave off a completely different vibe altogether.

Zaheer took a step forward to come face to face with the man, and as he angled his head down to look him in the eyes, it quickly became clear who of the two was more intimidating. “I see no sermon underway, deceiver. Only the frivolous horseplay of thieves and scoundrels.” Then, in an instant, his hand lashed out and gripped the man’s throat to effortlessly hoist him into the air. “And I suggest you hold your tongue next you consider besmirching our Lady’s name amidst this stench of booze and depravity.”

“Khhgck…! Y-You…!” The man squeezed out his protest through clenched teeth while glaring daggers at Zaheer, yet was unable to free himself from her partner’s iron grip.

Meanwhile, the other people in the warehouse had nervous faces as they watched the scene, having registered the meaning of Zaheer’s words. Lines like, ‘Our Lady? What is he talking about?’ and, ‘W-Wait, are they…?’ were floating around the room, and a general air of easiness began to permeate the atmosphere.

Micah glanced at Zaheer, who shared her look and responded with a brief nod. She took that as her cue to address the others and stepped forward. “It seems like the rest of you understand the situation. On the divine command of our Lady Circe, we’ve come here to let you know that your operation is hereby discontinued. All of the assets you’ve acquired using Her name will be retrieved by us, and you will submit yourselves to the local authorities for your due judgement. If you refuse, we will be forced to take more extreme measures to see Her justice served.”

She finished her perfectly-practiced speech with a cold neutrality that made it seem like she was just stating facts as opposed to threatening them.

Well, it’s not like she wanted to say it exactly like that, since it indirectly implied she was loyal to Circe through more than just the deal they’d made. But Circe wouldn’t have any of her protests and strongly insisted she at least pretend to be an acolyte while carrying out her missions, for the sake of appearances. After all, it wouldn’t do if people started to suspect that the figure behind the Disciples of Circe was not a goddess, but instead a normal human.

Micah couldn’t find a way to argue with that logic, since Circe’s situation was of benefit to her as well. So she reluctantly agreed to quietly do as she was asked. Still, it left a bad taste in her mouth as she said it.

Thankfully, it had the intended effect on the impersonators, as their faces paled and many of them seemed more than ready to surrender.

But the two of them weren’t quite done. There was one more potential problem that needed to be dealt with before they could fully-believe that the group would submit to them. In order to do so, Zaheer addressed Micah once again. “Locate the mages.”

“Got it.” With urging from her partner, Micah shut her eyes and activated [God’s Blessing].

Then, as she opened them again, her eyes shone with a blue brilliance as her perception changed.

Actually, Micah had come quite a distance in [God’s Blessing] since she joined up with Circe one year ago. Right now, her stats looked like this:

[Ability - God’s Blessing Lv. 36]
[An Ability imbued into the scarf by [God]. The scarf grows through experience and the more it is used. After a set amount of experience is gained, this ability will level up.]
[Leveling up will increase its potential and capabilities.]
[Every ten levels, the wearer can select a new Ability.]

{Default Abilities}
[The wearer’s physical capabilities, reflexes, and senses are enhanced. These traits will increase further as [God’s Blessing] levels up.]
[The scarf acts as a translator, allowing the wearer to understand foreign languages, both verbally and visually.]

{Added Abilities}
[The scarf can be manipulated according to the wearer’s will. Its potential length, as well as its offensive and defensive power, will increase as [God’s Blessing] levels up.]
[The wearer can draw from a mana pool contained within the scarf. The size of the pool will increase as [God’s Blessing] levels up.]
[The wearer can detect mana using sight by concentrating on an area or individual not obscured by a solid object. The more potent the mana, the easier it is to see.]
[Free Slot]
[Unlocked at Lv. 40]
[Unlocked at Lv. 50]

Really, though she completely loathed the woman, Circe deserved no small amount of credit for Micah having gained another twelve levels. By almost constantly sending her out on missions and jobs, Micah had gotten to see and do quite a lot in a short amount of time, and the gained experience obviously led to many increases in levels.

She still wasn’t sure what Circe intentions really were, but she’d more than kept up her end of the deal and provided Micah with the kind of power she’d been seeking since she first arrived in Magi. It was annoying being worked like a slave by her, but the results spoke for themselves.

As for the [Free Slot] she’d unlocked at both Lv. 20 and Lv. 30… well, one was still unused for the time being. As for the other, Micah eventually decided on an appropriate Ability to create not long after joining. She was inspired by Mariel’s Ability that let her sense mana with her five senses, and wondered if [God’s Blessing] was at a high enough level to copy it for herself.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, it was rejected. It seemed that being able to sense mana with all five senses was a bit too much even for a mid-20s level. After trying for four, three, and two, she finally settled on just one specific sense, sight, deeming that it would still give her a significant advantage even with just that.

Luckily, it was accepted, and Micah quickly found that its usefulness surpassed even her own expectations. Being able to identify the presence of others through their mana pools meant that Micah could not only sense others from greater distances than her eyes could make out, but also through smoke, water, and just about anything that wasn’t a solid object. The pools also glowed a bright blue, making them extremely clear and easy to see and distinguish even among crowds.

Thanks to that Ability, Micah had undertaken a number of covert assignments from Circe, and used her new heightened reconnaissance powers to complete these missions successfully. But that wasn’t all, since she could also see the moment someone’s mana built up just like Mariel did with her, granting her a vital boost to her reaction speed against enemy attacks.

Even with just sight, Micah felt like she could now take on even tougher opponents than before, and readied herself to do just that as she scanned the interior of the warehouse, glancing from person to person.

What she was looking for was a mana pool bigger than the rest. Through her numerous studies of magic theory, Micah had learned that—though it was by no means a fact of life—generally speaking the mana pool of mages tended to be bigger than that of non-mages, as the pool size of an individual tended to grow through things like experience and training.

In other words, the larger the pool, the more likely it is that a person is a mage.

Of course, that didn’t apply to Micah, who’d been born with a ridiculously small mana pool that refused to grow no matter how much training she did. Her main source of mana now came from her scarf, whose pool size had now reached a point where she could fire off many elementary rank spells, and more than a few intermediate rank spells without worry of going into Mana Depletion.

While thinking that she could probably take on any threat these mages could pose, she quickly scanned the room for any sign of them. And yet, as the confused stares of the people in the warehouse met Micah’s gaze one by one, she came upon a suspicious realization.

“They’re… not here,” she said, brows furrowing as she did one more scan to be sure.

“Are you certain?” Zaheer looked her way, urging her to check again. But even after that the conclusion was still the same.

“I don’t see anyone that stands out.”

Since the report had specified that mages were among the group, the two of them had come in prepared for some resistance. But neither had expected that the mages wouldn’t show themselves in the end.

Still, they couldn’t say the matter was resolved until the mages were identified and accounted for, so finding them was now a priority.

Zaheer turned his attention on the man still being held in his vice grip. With a calm, yet forceful expression, he questioned him. “Tell me, deceiver. Where do your mages hide?”

“I have… no idea… what you’re talking about…!”

“I’ve no patience for further lies. Answer now, afore I separate your head from your-”

“Watch out!”

By the time Micah spotted it, it was too late. A torrent of flames had come lashing out from behind a large stack of boxes, aimed directly at Zaheer and the man in his grasp. Before she could even get her scarf ends up, both men were engulfed.

“Zahe-!”

At almost the exact same time, a strong force encased Micah’s body from behind. Craning her neck around in shock, her eyes widened at the sight of a man that hadn’t been a part of the group she’d scanned holding her in a tight bear hug, his arms melded into solid rock with earth magic to hold her in place. With her arms pinned to her sides and the weight of the rock holding her down, she’d become trapped within a human coffin in an instant.

They attacked from our blind spots…! These guys are better than I thought!

While honestly praising them in her mind, Micah watched as a second man emerged from behind the boxes, a cocky expression on his face as he sprayed more flames towards the spot where Zaheer and the man were.

“Hah, how does that feel, fucker? Circe my ass! You really thought you could just walk in here and threaten us with whatever bullshit story you wanted, huh?! We’ll send your corpses right on back to where you came from, you bastards!”

Cheers and laughs erupted from the others in the warehouse at the man’s jeering. The one holding Micah in the bear hug, however, looked on with concern.

“Was it alright to attack Garm as well?"

“Ah, he’ll be fine. These guys are obviously Heroes, so there’s no way that guy didn’t take the brunt of it for him.” He tossed one more plume in Zaheer’s direction before making his way over to where Micah and the other mage were. “Now with that one out of the way, let’s see about this one.”

“Haa…” Micah let out a small sigh. “Amateurs.”

“Hah?” Her muttering caused him to pause for a moment, before the cocky expression returned. “Yeah, you are a couple of amateurs. If only you realized it before walking in here, all of this could’ve been avoided. Heh, maybe we’ll even let you go after roughing you up a bit, so you can run away to whoever sent you here and let them know how your buddy got killed for being an idiot.”

“What? Are you stupid or something? I was obviously talking about you, you amateur,” she shot back immediately.

“Khh…! What was that, you brat?!” The smirk was wiped from his face immediately, but Micah didn’t let up.

“I can’t believe I actually thought you guys were smart enough to give up peacefully. Now I understand why Circe said what she did.”

That is to say, ‘People like that are, without exception, the type who will never learn their lesson regardless of if you use actions or words. They pretend to be harmless and compliant, and as soon as they receive even a sliver of power or freedom, they’ll betray you.

Therefore, this lesson won’t be for them, but for anyone else in Anderest who believes that kind of behavior will go unpunished. Kill every single one of those vermin, and burn that warehouse to the ground. Leave no survivors.’

At first, she thought the woman was being unnecessarily harsh, but after seeing them behave exactly as she described firsthand, she understood what it was she was getting at.

“You sure like to talk shit, huh brat?!” The man barked, obviously not pleased at her insults. “How about I shut your fucking mouth for you?!”

“Oh, and another thing,” she continued, ignoring him. “You said something about my ‘buddy’ being killed just then. If you mean to say that your little flame trick killed my partner, then you’re completely wrong.”

“Hey, don’t fucking ignore me!!!” He took a menacing step forward that wasn’t so menacing. “And what the hell are you on about now?!”

“...” That time she had nothing to say. Instead, she allowed her gaze to move past him—namely, over his shoulder to the large figure skulking up behind him.

The man acting as her captor must have also seen it, since the flame-user eventually caught on and craned his neck around just in time to receive a powerful backhand from Zaheer that sent him careening to one side of the warehouse.

“To think you would even sacrifice your own without a second thought,” her partner said with an angry snarl, throwing a quick glance back to the crispy remains of Garm. “And that the rest of you would cheer for such barbarity...”

With fists trembling in rage, Zaheer tensed as a dark, shadowy mist began to seep from his body. From what Micah understood about the man’s abilities, it seemed to be a visible representation of his magic. Dark magic, Circe called it.

Eyes which already lacked light to begin with now shone an even deeper darkness. “If there is no remorse to be found here, then neither shall there be mercy.”

The only reason Micah was able to react quickly to what happened next is because she knew it was coming. Even with [God’s Blessing] activated, she couldn’t follow Zaheer’s movements as he dashed up to her and smashed his fist into the face of the man holding her hostage, instantly undoing his spell and freeing her from her bonds.

Zaheer was truly a monster in more than just his size. One of the first things Micah had learned during her time with Circe was how terrifying her second was as a combatant. Not only did his speed and strength far outmatch anyone she’d ever encountered during her time in Magi by a wide margin, but as far as she knew the man really couldn’t die. She’d seen him suffer way worse injuries than simply being engulfed in flames and walk out completely unscathed.

The idea that he might actually be immortal brought Micah no end of relief towards the fact that she’d piqued Circe’s interest before the woman had seriously wanted her dead.

Having tensed her body to be freed, Micah broke into an immediate sprint as soon as she was able, and her scarf ends launched out like hungry beasts eager for blood. And blood they got.

Horrified shrieks and terror-filled cries filled the otherwise empty air of the warehouse as Micah’s scarf ends cut down every man and woman within reach one by one. Having advanced even further than before, the scarf was now able to be fully-weaponized; acting as both blades for stabbing and slashing as well as blunt weapons for pummeling and physical force.

Those that ran for the doors to escape were promptly dragged back by their feet, clawing and fighting in a futile struggle to avoid the same fate. One woman who’d tried to throw herself through a window was snagged as well, and after being hoisted up into the air, was brutally torn apart like a wishbone. Her blood rained down upon the others, caking the white snow below a crimson red.

Micah stood in the center of it all, with nothing that could be called expression on her face. There was once a time when she loathed the idea of killing—and she would even still say that she preferred not to kill if she didn’t have to. But after all she’d been through in the last year, taking the lives of other people, innocent or otherwise, simply held no meaning to her anymore. It was all just a means to an end now—a necessary step in her goal towards reuniting with Yuu.

It was disgusting. But this was the path she’d chosen for herself. For Yuu.

Show kindness towards others… and receive kindness in turn. If that’s the case, then I wonder if the opposite is also true... Well, even if it is, as long as I can be together with Yuu, I’ll be okay. Nothing else matters but Yuu.

...I love you, Micah. I always have, and I always will, no matter what.

“Nothing… else…” Micah’s shoulders hitched as that intrusive thought flashed through her mind along with a face to match. Before she realized it, her view had become blurry and her face had grown hot with emotion. She clenched her fists at her sides and tightened her lips to stop their sudden trembling, but could do nothing to stop the hot tears forming in her eyes amidst the slaughter.

I really do love you Onee-chan. No matter how far apart we are, I’ll keep on loving you forever.

A ragged breath escaped her as her head began to throb painfully. Acting on instinct, she shut her eyes and rapidly shook her head to clear away the images and voices playing in her mind.

No, you’re wrong…! You can only say those things because you don’t know what kind of person I really am! No matter how you look at it, no one would love someone who does things like this. Not even Y…!

In an instant, Micah’s mind ground to a halt. As if a switch had been flipped in her head, she could no longer discern her own presence within the warehouse, the chill of the winter air, or even the passage of time. All at once, the images and voices vanished from her mind, replaced only by one single thought.

‘Not even Yuu.’

Yuu is… Would Yuu love… someone like me?

Ever since Micah had first arrived in Magi, she hadn’t had much issue with accepting the reality of her situation. She’d died after being struck by a car on Earth, was brought to a “nexus of interconnected dimensions” by a being not dissimilar to God, was told she would be reincarnated in a new world, and was then promptly brought here.

However, no matter how much she tried to believe it, her memories of Earth had created a huge discrepancy in her mind, and she found it incredibly difficult to think of Magi as anything other than a fake world—an alien world that existed outside of the reality that hers did. And as such, she herself was nothing more than a visitor, an outsider to this strange, alien world. Sure, some of it felt more real than others at times, plus she had no trouble interacting with the people of this world and taking in the marvelous sights this world had to offer, but she knew that deep down all of it was ultimately meaningless. After all, nothing she did here would affect Earth—affect the real world at all.

So even if she were to kill someone, other than the superficial repercussions it would have within Magi itself, as long as she found a way to return to Earth with Yuu, none of it would matter.

Even if the world itself were to be destroyed, none of it would matter. Everything that happened here was meaningless.

But over the course of her time in Magi, her feelings began to change ever so slightly. She’d grown closer to the nuns to the point where she considered them “family”. She no longer wanted to part with them. Instead, she found herself desiring a life here in Magi alongside them. It became a comforting thought that if Yuu was also in Magi, she could bring him to Halloway and live peacefully with her new family without worrying about anything else. Even now, a part of her still wanted to believe that if her mission was a success, she still had a home to return to in this world.

However, it never occurred to her to truly stop and think about what it was she was doing. If Yuu ever found out about the things she had done, regardless of the fact that it was for his sake, would he forgive her? What about the nuns, who continuously claimed that they would love her no matter what? Would they still welcome her with open arms, knowing full well how much blood is on her hands?

Was… she really doing the right thing?

A faint voice echoed as if in reply.

...ah…

What was it saying? Yes? No?

...i... ah…

Who did the voice belong to? Was it Yuu’s? Or someone else’s?

M… ca...h…

No… it was something more familiar. It sounded like-

“MICAH!!!”

“Eh…?” As her eyes widened in shock, Micah suddenly became aware of herself once again. The biting winter cold, the smell of fresh blood, and sounds of terror all filling the warehouse had come back all at once.

Sensation had returned to her body, just in time to be engulfed in blazing-hot agony.

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