*
"Uuuh~ uuuggg!! ueeehhh!!!" (Celia)
She didn't hesitate to blow snot and tears into Lastia's combat dress. Though it contained plenty of cloth and frills, that was concentrated near the bottom, hanging daintily above her hips. The top half was actually so fitting it almost outlined her skin, and that was where it was most wet now...
Carefully, she pat Celia's back. She wouldn't hold anything against Celia. Living in fear must be awful after that artillery bombardment. Not a small amount of people lost their lives, it could have been anyone, it could have been her. Not knowing if she'll see the next day... That was normal. The people in this era are used to absolute safety, even vehicular deaths had reduced in the past millenia to a mere three digits per year.
It wouldn't be strange if anyone got trauma from the previous incident. Having the classroom blown to bits, or to have the wall explode for no reason... It was beyond comprehension and it must have been nerve wrecking. To those who can't perceive magic, they wouldn't be able to know if any other walls were to explode next. Her fingers caressed Celia's back like a doting mother, calming the shivers that came about in waves.
"I... I'm so sorry... I said... So many mean things...
You must hate me... But you saved me..." (Celia)
She croaked through the sobs, her tears were dried and all that was left was a vestige of her uncomposed state. The lingering shivers, her squeezing wailing heart.
" What are you talking about? You said mean things to me? Never heard of it." (Yggdrasil)
Hearing those words, she suppressed her voice and her eyelids lifted once more. Her lashes fluttered as her focus layed onto Lastia's face.
" Are you worried? It's fine. I don't care about that sort of thing. I couldn't care less, as long as you're safe." (Yggdrasil)
One person's opinion was insignificant to her. Was it indifference, she didn't understand much of it herself either. She can feel emotions even when she doesn't know what they are, she can understand them when other people exhibit them. What's hardest is understanding what she herself was feeling, and if it's too faint she won't even notice it exists. So was it simply too faint for her to feel vindictive? If she has to answer now, she would say her priorities lay in saving her classmates no matter who they were. Does it matter whether she's liked or not?
" All these while, magical girls have been fighting monsters in the dark, veiled by the goddess away from the common eye.
The current enemy, an invasive force from the outside... This time they're not only intelligent, but they have plenty of sophisticated tools. That involves piercing the protective veil of the goddess. That's why... We have to protect others in the open now. " (Yggdrasil)
" Why... Even though there are so many horrible people out there, why do you still try to protect humanity? You're still in danger aren't you? There are stronger monsters out there, aren't there? " (Celia)
Her looks weren't bad. As opposed to Akira who was determined to enter the industry as a designer, Celia was determined to be a model. So she must have some confidence in her looks, she does indeed groom herself well with cosmetics and some secret diets. A pity, all of it was smudged by her tears and her ugly personality.
Laid bare, she asks, convinced she might hear something she didn't like. Was she seeking atonement? Did she want to be berated? Yggdrasil failed to see why she was so inquisitive or previously derisive, with her personality Yggdrasil would assume Celia was indifferent to such worldly matters. Head in the clouds, aloof in dreamland.
What drives her this far? Wondering any further wouldn't yield anything, nor was it any of her business. Yggdrasil believes she might live more comfortably without understanding Celia.
"Protect... Humanity...? If you were a magical girl, wouldn't you want to protect your home? It's where you live, and your love ones are still around aren't they?" (Yggdrasil)
She said it matter-of-factly. The reason it took this long to show up, was that she had to traverse through multiple pseudo worlds, and this should be the final subjugation. Sariel has been working hard, without her this whole rescue operation would have been a bust. {Swap} was truly the most valuable. It must be reaching the evening of the same day by now.
Like glass cracking, creases of weakness spread throughout the classroom. The pseudo world was collapsing on itself, it could no longer be held up. Arin must have defeated the boss. They would soon return to the classroom. This time, the entire floor's worth of students was attacked. It hadn't been long, so they could still intercept all of them as long as the students hid. Sariel had to monitor which case was the most urgent, ironically Celia received help the last because she was good at hiding.
Seeing Yggdrasil look away from Celia, immersed deeply in thought, a faint sense of curiosity brewed in Celia.
"If I may ask... What happened?" (Celia)
It had been a few days since the last incident with the invisible Trace. It was Friday, and it was as sudden as any other. Without warning, a massive magical presence descended from the sky, like a fallen angel. It gave rise to a subconscious feeling of rejection, a primal urge to run or an instinctive repulsion. Something nasty was coming, and it pierced through the air at an astonishing speed.
When it reached the altitude of their classroom, having descended outside the building, a massive flash of light exploded and blinded everyone. The shift in spacial coordinates triggered the security mechanism of their trinkets, and the three were left behind. They swiftly responded, and here was where they left off. They slaughtered Trace after Trace, which seemed to reenact horror films with a school setting.
" There was such a big magical reaction that it was like a bomb went off, my friends and I investigated the area and set off to rescue everyone." (Yggdrasil)
She'll keep quiet about the fact that Celia was the last in her list. She might start bawling on the spot again. Communications come in from thin air, Sariel was sending voices over barely 10cm away from her ears. It came from Arin.
"We're all set here, Sariel beat the last guy. It might be time to go." (Arin)
"... Alright, good work guys. Especially you, Sariel." (Yggdrasil)
Receiving no reply, Yggdrasil rubbed the back of her head before turning towards Celia. Her blond hair was particularly conspicuous in front of the evening sky and classroom darkness. Reflecting the moon light, her eyes seeming a little moist, gazed straight at Yggdrasil in an unwavering manner.
"Looks like this incident is solved. Goodbye." (Yggdrasil)
Blocks of the building turned blinding white, like sections of a canvas being cleared into blank space. The whiteness swallows even one's own vision, leaving nothing but radiance that blocked out everything. When the light faded, everyone was back in their classroom, as if nothing had happened.