“Just wake up! Please! I don’t know what to do anymore!” yelled the blond girl in desperation as tears streamed down her face.

Of course, it didn’t help. Trish just wouldn’t wake up. Whatever that accursed fifth weapon had done to her, she had no idea how to reverse it. Worse still, she couldn’t even try to analyze the offending object in the first place since it was back in the demon realm. All she could do was try to puzzle out anything she could from Trish herself.

Such irony. Trish had been the expert when it came to magical research. Sally was sure that she would have been the only person capable of figuring it out… Well, her and Baugh. That stupid asshole who was the reason for this entire situation. The catalyst for everything.

Yeah.

Him.

He was at fault for everything.

That’s what she had always told herself. Lately, though, it had become harder and harder to deny the truth. The longer it had been since she had seen Baugh, the more it ate at her.

Because he wasn’t the only one at fault. Sally herself had played a major role in everything. Maybe if she hadn’t been so hot-headed and hadn’t tried to get back at him back then…

…

Regardless, no matter how much Sally tried, she couldn’t figure out how to reverse whatever had happened to Trish. Worse still, she had lost her attunement just like Trish, and the other two had talked her into giving up her bow to a new wielder.

She didn’t want to lose hope, but slowly, as the years passed, all the effort she put into waking her up felt more and more like wasted time. But she kept going regardless. She told herself that she didn’t want all her effort to go to waste, heedless of the sunk cost fallacy clouding her judgment.

Before she realized it, it had been months since she’d last interacted with Annette or Michelle. Once some of her closest friends, now utter strangers. And worst of all, she could only blame herself.

For everything.

At that point, she didn’t even have it in her to hate Baugh for being the catalyst or for attacking Earth in revenge. After all, she wasn’t even fighting him anymore. It was some random new girls now. She was worthless. And she hated herself.

Naturally, that was when a strange demonic creature paid her a visit.

It was late at night when Sally returned from her worthless job as a cashier at the local supermarket. She meant to make something for dinner but froze when she noticed the foreign entity shrouded in shadows standing in her kitchen.

It was shaped like a shadowy wolf with eyes glowing like twin moons in the night.

She froze like a deer in the headlights. Was the glamor magic not working because she handed the bow to someone else? Had Baugh sent an assassin after her? Was this finally the end of her suffering?

But no, as soon the menacing and bloodthirsty-looking demonic spirit spoke, she was convinced of the contrary.

“Join us,” it said.

And so she did. It wasn’t even a question.

She abandoned her former identity… former life, for the sliver of a chance to save Trish and make everything right. At this point, even if she had to beg Baugh to help her, she would do it.

She was supposed to start out as a minion under the new general Hecate, but she immediately went to the demon lord’s office and forced her way in.

“Baugh,” she addressed him.

He froze, stopping mid-standing up to push her out of his office.

“She… she still won’t wake up.” Her voice was desperate, pleading.

Baugh was stunned for a second before what she was saying sunk in.

And that was the start of their very strange relationship. Not exactly friends, but not enemies either anymore.

She brought Trish into the castle, allowing Baugh to continue his research, and also for Hecate to meet her mom. Because, apparently, Hecate was their daughter.

Sally seethed that night when she found out, but for once, she pushed aside those feelings, and worked with Baugh as best as she could. She didn’t want to cause another catastrophe, after all. Not again. Not when Trish’s life was at stake.

She transitioned into being a demon full-time from then on. Not like she had much left in her human life anyway. All she cared about now was Trish.

As she fulfilled the role of a minion, she met up with Baugh in secret to inquire about his progress on finding a cure.

The more they talked and the more he explained to her, the more out of depth she felt. He even told her about his past and his reasons for doing everything he had done. The situation turned out to be way more complicated than she had initially thought.

Of course, she still disliked him. That would never go away. But it wasn’t blind rage anymore. Not after hearing him out completely.

Apparently, Baugh used to be a royal researcher but had been exiled for illegal experiments in cross-dimensional travel.

Or at least, that had been what the old king told the populace. In reality, the old king had been the one to assign Baugh to research this in order to expand his kingdom and conquer other worlds. But due to disagreements and Baugh’s insistence on a peaceful approach with the other worlds, the king had kicked him out.

That was why he’d lived in some hut in the middle of nowhere. That was why Sally and the others had never met any other demons when visiting him. And that was also why he had continued the research and experiments on his own. Out of spite for the old king, but also because he wanted to leave his world, since there wasn’t much for him to care about in the demon realm anymore.

Something about that… painfully reminded Sally of herself not too long ago.

After the exile, Baugh had figured out how to access a link to Earth via magical objects and opted to make a simple sword to serve as the link. However, that still wouldn’t help actually crossing to another world. That was where the attunement system came in.

He had somehow managed to link it to an unknown otherworldly energy of Earth which in turn linked the two worlds. With that connection, he had wanted to open a passageway between the two worlds… but instead, he managed to summon a girl from Earth over to his own world, Trish.

The two had worked together to find a way back to Earth and the rest was history.

“And the fifth weapon…?” Sally asked as Baugh finished his tale.

He shook his head.

“When I finally managed to break out of the seal Frost put me in, the prototype had shattered and I was surging with energy.” He sighed. “I still don’t know what the fifth weapon is supposed to represent.”

There were only four seasons, after all. At least, traditionally…

“But I’ll figure it out,” Baugh said with determination. “I’ll figure it out. For Trish.”

The two locked eyes through the minion mask and demon lord helmet… and nodded to each other.

It only took about two months of playing minion until Baugh sent her to the demon general trial.

She passed, obviously, and subsequently fully merged with her overseer’s main body, like every other general had done.

Truth be told, she never really liked him much. Rather than partners, they were more like co-workers who tolerated each other. It didn’t help how arrogant the ass was.

From then on, she grasped the role of a demon general and lasted longer than any other general with the sole exception of Hecate. As far as she understood, not only was she talented in everything magic, as the previous holder of a magical girl weapon, but the spirit she had merged with was a fairly powerful spirit as well. Apparently, he used to be one of the four great royal knights of the old king. And while the three others had survived the apocalypse as spirits, they had gone missing since.

Either way, with everything said and done, Salem was strong enough to wipe out the magical girls in moments if she really wanted to.

She didn’t, obviously.

Or at least, not until recently, where that little shit known as Tepes turned out to be a traitor set on kidnapping Trish… Or so she had thought at first.

“Hey… you alright?” the target of her ire spoke to her, knocking her out of reminiscing.

She shot the former general a glare. “Since when do you care about my well-being?”

“Since our plans hinged on you,” Tepes replied, her eyes narrowing in return.

“I am fine. Just running simulations in my head.”

“Riiight…” Her eyes narrowed even further before she shrugged and turned away. “Let’s get going then. We probably don’t have that much time.”

Sally grunted as she followed the odd party of a former demon general, a random minion, and all four magical girls. One of which, apparently, was also Jessica’s minion. Coincidentally, it was the same one her demonic spirit had recommended to her division all the way back then. Of course, the brat would have grabbed one of the most talented minions to make into a magical girl.

She huffed as she eyed Jessica’s back.

“Why did you do that? Weren’t you all friends? Teammates? Why did you leave them in the dust and join the demon lord – your enemy?” the brat’s words echoed in Sally’s mind once again.

Sally shook her head.

She didn’t want to get lost in the memories of the past again because of what the brat had said. She had already spent enough time regretting the past. Now it was time for the future.

She was going to save Trish.

Even if it killed her.

BottledChaos

Heya, everyone! Since this story is nearing its end, I put up a poll on my patreon available even to non-patrons to see which story people want me to work on the most as I had mentioned some time ago. (Although, this doesn't necessarily mean the winner will be the one I will work on next. You can't force creativity, after all.)