[Back in the Dojo—while the scene outside was in deep chaos from Shizuka's transformation]
Miu laughed seeing Shizuka all flustered. This was the first time she had seen Shizuka—usually so composed and demure—so flustered.
But the banter quickly halted.
『So, as I was saying...』
The black cat coughed, grabbing everyone's attention.
『Because this is an unprecedented situation, naturally I have no idea what happened to Master. But if I were to recall... Master's friend... saw that Master had something different?』
The black cat stared at Miu, and as if catching the cue, she bolted up.
"A-ah, right! I could see that Shizuka had this weird energy flowing on her body."
Everyone went silent for a minute before Rio's mouth opened.
"Ain't that just astral magic or something?"
She crossed her arms.
"What's the big deal? I could conjure something similar."
Rio rolled her eyes.
However, IXX didn't seem satisfied with the answer.
『Astral magic? Hm... yes, but that doesn't seem to be the case for Master.』
IXX began walking, her eyes wandering to the ceiling, trying to remember something.
『Perhaps it's that...』
IXX looked at Shizuka, her eyes narrowing.
『Master, by any chance... was the pillar of light earlier uncontrolled? Completely unexpected?』
The cat tilted her head, and Shizuka nodded.
"Mhm, that would be correct... I truly didn't expect such a grand display were to occur."
『Then my intuition might be correct. Rio was right that it's connected to Astral—however, there's a difference between what you humans call astral and the primordial essence.』
"Primordial essence?" x3
The three women couldn't help but ask in unison. Astral was more familiar to humans, often used in magical girl genres.
Then what the hell is primordial essence?
『The primordial essence is... simply put... willpower. When your will is so great, when your philosophy—your way of being and living—is so strong, the universe can tell. And it begins to bend around you. Astral is simply what humans have imagined the primordial stuff to be. Basically, a thing of fiction.』
"So... like manifestation?"
Shizuka asked, crossing her arms.
『That's a simplification, but yes. Now, while what Rio does is simply tapping into it... what Master does is soak in the essence. Not even us youmas do that.』
Shizuka's eyes widened at the revelation. To soak in something she doesn't even know... what are the consequences? The benefits?
"Is that a bad thing?"
Shizuka asked curiously, leaning closer.
『No... not entirely. By bathing oneself in the primordial essence, one becomes stronger. What Miu might've seen... that might've been an incomplete form of what Master would look like at her most purest.』
"So... an astral form?"
『It's not an astral form! I just told you!』
IXX floated and pressed her forehead against Rio.
"HAH?! WANNA HAVE A GO THEN?!"
Rio pressed her forehead back.
"W-wait, uhm—"
The black cat and Rio looked at Miu.
"Huh?!" x2
They both replied in sync.
"If Shizuka tapped into that... primordial essence stuff... why can an ordinary human like me see it?"
At the girl's question, the two broke the debacle and IXX floated down to the ground.
『Because to use the primordial essence means tapping into reality itself. Any being could see the pillar—could see Master with cool energy wrapping around them. Because as I said, to tap into this essence is to have the universe bend around you. Not like a god thing, but simply put... your presence is so great, the world kneels in your presence. So it's natural anyone can see that incomplete form.』
At IXX's reply, the three women grew silent again.
Then Shizuka remembered something...
『So be it.
Power shall be bestowed upon thee—
yet not the power thy heart hath imagined.
For it shall rival the gods of the earth,
yet fall short of Mine own majesty.
Thou shalt exceed the Morning Star in his glory,
and become a savior whom the world shall fear.』
God's own words.
If what happened earlier wasn't even the peak of her power... how much stronger could she actually get?
Wouldn't purging the world be much faster?
Such thoughts made Shizuka smile.
"But what even is this primordial essence?"
Then Miu asked another question.
『To that... I don't really know. But my hypothesis points to darkness.』
"Right, I remember. I may have talked about this, but before light there was only darkness. Could primordial essence come from it?"
Shizuka interjected, sharing her own thoughts.
『Yes, Master. That seems to be the case. The reason youmas can tap into it easily is due to the fact we are beings from darkness.』
Then the cat looked at Rio.
『Magical girls are the same, but... they only take what they need. Unlike Master, who haggles it all.』
"Hey! You make it sound like I'm a bad person!"
Shizuka gritted her teeth.
"But wait... if any person can tap into the essence... how can Lya make magical girls?"
Shizuka became more suspicious, her eyebrows furrowed.
『Pfft... make magical girls? That's how that parasite claims it? Nah. She just determines an entity, guides them to awaken, and boom. Credibility all hers.』
The cat smiled smugly.
"Eh? That's how it works? What happened when you got accepted as a magical girl, Rio?"
"Hm? Me? Simply shook that rabbit's hand. Then she told me I just need to do this and that."
Rio shrugged, not even taking effort to explain.
"That doesn't make sense... a simple handshake?"
『Uh-huh. Similar to how I transferred my power to Master, and how she got killed by youma power beams. What happened to Rio was similar... and not at the same time.』
The cat jumped onto a table and lay down.
『What Lya does is simply handshake someone, take some of their power—the body detects the foreign energy and prematurely awakens its connection to the primordial essence. That's how she "makes" magical girls. A parasite that advertises itself as a cure.』
"That... so that happened."
Rio could only stare at the cat and laugh.
"So you mean... humanity could technically tap—even soak—in this primordial essence without Lya's help? She simply advertised herself as the one who unlocks it, but all she does is fucking send danger signals to our bodies and prematurely awakens humans?"
『Correct. Though soaking is a bit much. You get the idea—humanity could've survived without the rabbit.』
"That's fucking insane..."
Rio stared at the ground, her hands turning into fists. Perhaps a part of her wondered about the what-could've-beens, the what-ifs. But this is Rio we're talking about.
"#%#%# $^##^$^$ $^$^#"
"GODDAMMIT! So I was fucking tricked then! ARGHHH!"
She began pulling her own hair. She stomped the ground as if hitting it would change something—it didn't.
Then, as if remembering something, Rio narrowed her eyes and looked at a new target... IXX.
"But..."
"You got some fucking nerve showing up 'round here."
Rio gritted her teeth. The air pressure shifted, turning cold. She was about to flick her fingers and transform right then and there.
And IXX's fur raised, her claws showing up, ready to retaliate.
Then—
A knock came through, followed by the door slamming open.
"Hello! This is the Y.E.I.D. Please evacuate immediately—ah."
The male enforcer had completely frozen when he saw three women at an abandoned dojo, and a cat. One of the women seemingly wanting to square up with a black cat.
"..."
The 4 people and 1 cat stared at each other.
"Please evacuate."
"Y-Yes." x3
The three women responded, heads looking anywhere but the ground.
---
Meanwhile, in Kōtō Shinchi—an old business district in Shin Tokyo, far from the sudden pillar of light that emerged—
A certain woman with green hair walked toward a kitten.
"Is this the kitten that has something hurting it?"
"Yes, Doctor. She hasn't eaten for so long."
The doctor smiled warmly. Though her eyes couldn't meet the patient's family in the eye, she could instead look at the black kitten's blue eyes.
"I-I'm the best when it comes to healing pets! You can count on me!"
Still shy. Still the same her.
If you asked her if she regretted saving, she would shyly and happily say no.
"H-huh?"
The green-haired woman turned behind her.
"Doc?"
"O-oh! Uhh... i-it's probably nothing, haha! I'm going to save this poor kitty!"
Just like always. Like always.