“Seina!” Himari cried in alarm. Every breath was pure agony, but Seina held her friend back.

“I’ll be fine,” Seina said through bloody teeth. With leaden limbs, she pulled herself back to her feet.

“You’re tougher than you look, little insect.” Reiko smiled, but it contained no warmth. It made Seina’s legs quiver from fear. “Some weaklings might have died from that. I’m going to have fun playing with you.” With a hand, she gestured towards the secretary. The other magical girl smiled and nodded, understanding the unspoken command.

“She’s all yours.” Half of the room just vanished, leaving only an empty void in its place. A book collapsed off a shelf, cut in half by the separation of space. It fell into the void which used to hold a floor.

“Wait.” Seina’s pained breath quickened when she realized who’d disappeared, along with half of Mei’s study. “Himari! Charity! Nier!”

“No.” Seina’s voice barely rose above a whisper, the full weight of her situation smashing against like a ton of bricks. The only people remaining in this pocket dimension were Seina and Reiko, the dreaded Poison Ivy.

“She’s such a dear. Now we can have some quality time together.” Reiko said, voice full of mock cheer. “We’ll have such fun! Right, little one?”

I’m going to die. Here, in nowhere. Colten, Takako, Mr. Kiyojiro. Tears stung her eyes as regret threatened to consume her. Worse, her enemy only smiled. She drank in Seina’s pain like a vampire sucking blood, taking sick pleasure in her victim’s suffering.

No! Despite the sense of hopelessness, Seina clenched her bloody teeth, ready to fight. She wasn’t a victim. She wouldn’t be any monster’s toy. Never again.

“Spirit? Nice! It’ll be fun when I tear it from your soul and leave only despair!” Reiko bellowed her empty laugh, a mockery of a true one.

With every ounce of power Seina could muster, she sprung at her foe. While Seina's speed surprised the Devil Princess, she slipped away with casual ease. Reiko smirked like Seina had told a joke. Undeterred, Seina unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches. She used every bit of martial training Mr. Kiyojiro had taught her, but it proved laughable against this foe. None of her strikes came close, and Reiko yawned as a punch missed her by centimeters.

“Not bad. For a maggot.” Pain howled through Seina’s body as a punch shattered her ribs and spine. Despite her honed warrior instinct, she hadn’t even seen it coming. Seina staggered back, almost losing her footing. But Seina remained firm, refusing to fall.

“Stubborn. Do you realize I could kill you a billion different ways before you blink?” Reiko said. “Nah, that’s underselling it. Quadrillions upon quadrillions of times!”

“I will beat you,” Seina said, fighting through the pain.

“You are an idiot. I wish… hmm…” Reiko tapped her chin, thinking. She brightened, and a terrible, frightful idea popped into her head. Seina charged, hoping to disrupt the horror awaiting her. Again, it proved futile. The Devil Princess was too slippery. “I wish for all of Seina’s remaining limbs to explode!”

“No!” Liquid pain dazzled Seina’s senses as her limbs just burst apart with no warning. She’d hoped it’d only been some clever trick, but she’d been fooling herself. Reality just conformed to Reiko’s twisted whims. Blood pooled beneath her as she sank helplessly onto the rich wooden floor. Pain lanced through Seina as a foot stomped her spine, stopping her from rising her head.

“That’s what you get for tangling with a god!” Reiko giggled to herself. Agony coursed through Seina’s back as the Devil Princess crushed it beneath her high heel shoes. But Seina fought back her pain, refusing to be debased by this monster. She endured whatever fresh pain Reiko inflicted upon her.

“Still some fight, huh?” Seina hissed as a hand gripped her neck from behind, almost breaking it. She turned, finding herself face-to-face with her tormentor. “Shame you chose the stupidity path. With this gusto, you might have become a Devil Princess one day. Never fear. I have no intention of trying to tempt you to my side. I’m just going to kill you!”

With a flick of her hand, Seina landed roughly on the floor. At least she wasn’t face down anymore.

“I find it really annoying you haven’t begged for your life yet,” Reiko said with a huff.

“You know her type.” Reiko’s fairy partner said, appearing from nowhere. Apparently, she didn’t want to miss the show. “Noble and full of useless pride. I don’t think you’ve broken her spirit enough. You seem to think victory is still possible. The idiot.”

“What do you suggest?” Reiko asked, keenly interested.

“You could torture her like that Azumi girl, but that won’t be enough. You should really teach her a lesson of the futility of fighting against us!”

“Wait, Azumi who?” Reiko asked, cocking her head in confusion.

“The prison guard you tortured until her powers failed.”

Wait. No. Seina had assumed the girl only to get punished, not that she’d… Tears threatened again, miserable by her failure to save the girl. It didn’t matter she’d been a cruel bully. Monster! Monster!

Thankfully, the Devil Princess hadn’t noticed Seina’s inner torment. It took several moments, but Reiko finally remembered what her partner was talking about. “Oh right, her! You know me, Gugu. I’m terrible with names! Anyway, I like your thinking, and you’ve just given me a fantastic idea!”

“I wish… hmm…” Reiko tapped her chin, thinking. “Got it! I wish for Seina’s limbs to be restored!”

With her jerk, the pain in her stumps vanish. She flexed her restored left hand, looking at it in amazement. With shaky legs, she returned to her feet.

“Now you’re better than before! Two arms and all! Ain’t I a sweetie!” Reiko said, all false friendliness.

It didn’t much to realize the Devil Princess’s intent. It was just another sick game. Seina was a toy to her, a doll Reiko had stitched together so she could tear her apart again.

“But you didn’t restore her health, nice,” Gugu smirked. “Look at her. She can barely stand!”

With a gesture, Seina summoned her wand. It brought stifled laughter from her opponent, but Seina ignored it.

I can’t afford to be stupid. I need to use every trick I can muster. Seina had fallen back on her usual tactic of fighting with her fist when she should have used her magic instead. Only her feeble wits could save Seina now, but it was a chance.

“But first, how about we add another fun twist!” Reiko said, beaming.

“Twist? I love twists!” Gugu said, flittering around in a circle. Tension tightened her muscles as she wondered what sick game her opponent would play next.

“I wish… hmm…” Reiko tapped her chin, thinking. “Ah! I wish for Seina’s left arm to strangle her to death!"

“Wha?” Like a vicious viper, her left hand dove towards her neck. She tried darting away, but how do you dodge your own limb? It clasped tight around her throat, impossible to dislodge. Every breath was agony as she tried frantically to pull her rebellious limb from her neck. Magical girls didn’t need air to live, but that was little comfort. Her vision went black as Reiko used Seina’s own incredible strength against her. At this rate, she might pop her own head off!

“Don’t worry, Seina. I won’t make this quick. I’ll bring you back again and again. You’ll only die when you beg for death!” Reiko’s cruel laughter echoed through the half-room, promising everything she’d said and more.

----

“She’s all yours.” The secretary said, gesturing with a hand. Himari gasped as Seina just vanished, replaced by a fathomless void.

“Seina!” Himari peered around, praying this was only an illusion. But the secretary’s smug expression dashed Himari’s hopes, she was cordoned off in another pocket universe. It left Seina to face a Devil Princess alone.

“No!” Himari put her hands into her face, realizing how badly they’d already lost. Why had she even considered betraying Starlight Dream? Now she faced a fate worse than death!

“I see your circumstances have finally sunk in.” The secretary said, playing with her hair with a finger. “Really? What did you expect to happen?”

“I, um.”

“You underestimate us.” Charity said. “Charity thinks you’re trapped in here with us, not the other way around. Himari will wreck you!”

“What?!” Himari said in protest. “You do realize how screwed we are, right?!”

“Yeah, this Himari’s a real animal!” Nier said, beaming.

“Really, that’s a laugh.” With a flick of the secretary’s hand, she summoned her own weapon, a butcher knife. Its edge looked a wicked shape, hungry for flesh. Himari’s imagination played with horrifying images of what the blade would do to her.

“You got this.” Himari yelped in surprise as Nier pushed her forward, giving an encouraging smile.

“Right!” Liam forced a smile, trying to rally his partner’s courage.

“I’ve never fought anyone before!” Himari whispered.

“And yet, you must win.” Charity said. “Seina will need you.”

“You have real potential! You just haven’t realized it yet!” Nier said, although it was uncertain if he actually believed those words.

“Okay.” While not thrilled, her friends had a point. If Himari perished, it’d be fighting against evil. She’d turned a blind eye long enough to Starlight Dream’s villainy. After handing over the old queen’s staff to Charity, Himari summoned her own weapon and prepared for battle. She ignored the secretary’s stifled laughter when Himari revealed her slingshot.

“My name is Himari Uyou.” She said, giving a slight curtsy. “Let me be your opponent today.”

“Like I care.” The secretary replied. “I don’t give my name is scum. You’re going to die here, forgotten.”

Himari yelped in surprise as her opponent was suddenly upon her, swinging her butcher knife towards her throat. Blood trickled down her chest from a shallow cut as she barely avoided getting her throat sliced open. She lifted her knee to counterattack, but the secretary had already vanished. Blade cut flesh as Himari’s opponent appeared from nowhere and slashed her from behind. In retaliation, Himari threw a fist back into what she presumed was the secretary’s face. But only met empty air, and turned to find her opponent gone. A quick glance revealed the secretary standing several meters away, arms crossed and wearing a satisfied expression.

How is she this fast? You’d think I’d at least feel her move?

“This is my realm, fool.” The secretary said, reading her baffled expression. “Space is mine to command!” To demonstrate, she lifted a hand, and reality distorted around her. It was hard for Himari to keep her lunch down with how space twisted and whirled around her.

“What?!” Himari’s said, fighting back panic.

“She sure is confident if she’s willing to explain her ability,” Nier said, nonplus. “Shame Himari’s power is even better!”

“Are you kidding me?” Himari cried, almost hysterical. How could she fight against this?

“Have courage!” Charity said. “We believe in you.”

Okay. Calm. Charity has weird prophetic powers. If she says you can win, it’s probably true! I hope…

Then the blade was upon her again, aiming towards her heart. But Himari phased her body out of sync with the universe and it passed right through her body harmlessly, slipping out the other side.

“What?” The secretary said, momentarily baffled, and Himari took her chance.

She pulled back her slingshot's string, readying a shot. Himari channeled every frustration and humiliation she’d suffered since becoming a magical girl. Her mind returned to the day she’d departed from her parents to protect them from retaliation from another magical girl. Their hugs had been desperate, like they feared she’d fall apart if they released her. Their expression of sadness haunted her dreams, and yet there was also a spark of hope. They knew their daughter had a greater destiny.

This is for you, mom and dad! She forgot her anger, channeling her parents’ hopes instead. She refused to let them down!

The resulting explosion blew the secretary clear across the void, flying several light-years per second. Himari’s opponent tried to pull free of the stone holding her in place, but it was in vain. Himari dropped her weapon’s string, wide-eyed in amazement.

“I did that?” Himari said, hardly believing her eyes. This had to be a joke.

“Himari, that was amazing!” Liam slapped her on the back, beaming with pride.

“See, Charity doesn’t lie. Your love and passion make you powerful, Himari!”

“Hate to break the festivities, but she’s coming back,” Nier said.

“You piece of ****!” The secretary said, appearing from nowhere. A painful-looking bruise colored her chest when Himari’s thrown stone struck her. “You’re dead!”

Space twisted around Himari, distorting her senses. Up and down became meaningless as Himari struggled to reorient herself. She tried phasing herself from reality again, but it proved impossible. The secretary had learned Himari’s tricks and made gaining a grasp on reality impossible. Pain erupted in Himari’s chest as a cleaver stabbed deep into her. Blood played around in beautiful patterns as it floated from her chest.

Someone called out for her, but it was indistinct and impossible to understand. Despite this, its urgency pierced through the haze. If Himari didn’t do something, she’d die! Himari clasped her eyes shut, trying to center herself. Air whipped against her throat as the cleaver slashed towards it, but Himari was ready.

“What?” The secretary said, surprised as her weapon slipped past. Despite the dizzying distortion she was summoning, the secretary herself was clear and visible. Himari was ready.

Her enemy howled in pain as Himari bombarded her with stones, moving quicker than Himari had believed was possible. Then the stones flew around her like they were afraid to touch her, space twisting around her. Himari sighed in relief as her senses returned to normal. Despite her great power to distort space, Himari’s opponent didn’t have perfect control of her artificial realities.

Himari’s breath caught as the secretary appeared from nowhere and stabbed deep into her chest. Pain made her wince as she placed a finger against her wound. While not serious, but still bothersome and refused to heal. A twinge of irrational fear stabbed at her heart. Her opponent had a blade, and she only had her ridiculous slingshot. How could she win with basically a toy? Despite her small successes, the odds against her seemed insurmountable.

Falling back into her usual habits, Himari phased away from sight. Lucky thing, as the secretary’s hatchet slashed through her a moment later. Frustrated, the girl slashed uselessly around in the air. In Himari’s current state, nothing could touch her.

Keep fighting, Himari! You can win! Steeling her resolve, Himari pulled her string back, ready to give her opponent hell.

With quick steps, Himari maneuvered herself behind her opponent. She channeled her power into another devastating shot toward the secretary’s back. Much to Himari’s shock, the stone slipped around her opponent. The girl hadn’t even needed to twitch.

“From behind, how predictable?” The secretary said. “And now I know where you are.”

Himari staggered back, reality twisting around her with a dizzying confusion. Blood splattered her chest as the butcher knife slashed across her waist. Only luck saved her from a worse blow. Impossible! Somehow, her opponent figured out how to phase her back into normal reality.

Fresh pain stabbed into Himari as her opponent slashed across her body, each blow too quick to follow. But she fought past her pain and fear. Wood clashed against metal as Himari’s slingshot blocked another hatchet slash. Fiery agony made Himari stagger back as a sudden punch to her chest wound drove her back.

Furious, Himari punched back. Her strike hit empty air as space extended before her, the distance between them growing by the moment. Impossible, the secretary didn’t even need to move to dodge her attacks?

This is useless. Trapped in the secretary’s dimension, Himari was stuck playing by rules that her opponent could change on a whim. With her current level of power, Himari was beyond powerless.

If only we were fighting in real space, then I’d show her a thing! Wait, was that the solution? Drag her opponent back into normal reality? But how?

In truth, Himari had never pushed the limits of her ability. There must be tricks she could perform she hadn’t yet considered. Flesh pain stabbed into the chest as her opponent stabbed her once again, but Himari only closed her eyes. The pain fought against her, but she closed out all senses. Instead, she focused only on the dimension keeping her imprisoned.

As she concentrated, a sudden wave of claustrophobia made her shudder. It was like reality itself had placed a chokehold over her throat, refusing to allow her to breathe. Himari needed release. She needed freedom! How could she allow simple 3D space to confine her?

What a peculiar thought. In the past, Himari used her power to avoid everyone and everything. She’d use them to avoid her magical girl duties. In a sudden flash of insight, Himari realized the true nature of her ability: absolute freedom. No space could confine or even define her. This simple farmer girl was greater than that. But how did that help her?

If my power is freedom, how can my opponent’s pocket reality trap me? Something had also held her back, fearful of the consequences of stretching her abilities too far. But to save her new friends, Himari would break every barrier.

“You can’t define me!” Himari said, eyes opening and glowing with defiance.

“What?” A spark of uncertainty crossed over the secretary’s feature, staying her hand from another blow.

“I’ll take this little universe you created and crush it between my fingers!”

Himari opened herself completely to reality itself, a vast, unknowable ocean that she doubted anyone could truly comprehend. She dove herself into the higher levels of reality, plunging deeper and deeper. Its colors, its depths, stung Himari’s eyes with tears. Its beauty was beyond definition, beyond mere words. She wanted to sink here, absorbing its majesty for the rest of eternity. Her troubles on Starlight Dream seemed so small, so insignificant. Why should she concern herself with the truffles of dust motes? Minutes, days, years, and eons passed as Himari floated there in contentment. Afterall, what was time to her?

A flicker of concern twitched within her. It passed. Instead, she watched in awe as other creatures appeared around her. She watched in fascination as they floated past her. She was like a deep-sea diver watching a coral reef and its myriad of life and activity. Countless beings flew around her, playing, going about their business, or just enjoying their day. Words failed to even describe their general shape. Her tongue didn’t have the capacity. But that mattered not, and she waved as they passed. They eyed her with interest, but otherwise went about their lives.

As much as Himari enjoyed herself, doubt crept into her deep. She was forgetting something. No, someone! Sudden loneliness threatened to shatter Himari, realizing she should be sharing this with her partner. They were one, after all. His happiness was her happiness.

Oh, no. He’s in danger! How had Himari allowed something so vital to slip her mind? Her partner needed her! She searched around in panic, terrified she might not find him. In existence’s deep vastness, it was like searching for a grain of sand in a desert. Try as she might, her partner was beyond her grasp.

I don’t want to be alone! After a moment of panic, Himari forced herself to stay calm. That fairy was her partner, their connection running deeper than anything reality could define. If she existed, so did he. They were one.

She reached out further, touching the strand of magic that bound their souls together. There, she caught a flicker of white. Himari closed her eyes, making herself smaller. Pain made Himari flinch back, but its source was hard to define. In many ways, she no longer existed in that miniscule 3D realm.

Found him! Himari almost sobbed in relief. He glowed like a lighthouse during a raging storm.

A tiny bubble surrounded him and other indefinable creatures. Its structure was difficult to understand. With some effort, Himari decreased herself even further. The details soon sharpened into focus.

Ah, I understand. With Himari's newfound insight, she saw the pocket realities her opponent had created. They stood apart from the true reality, mismatched and unnatural, like neon against a dark street.

“You!” The secretary said, catching Himari’s scent. She searched around, but couldn’t find her prey.

Agony stabbed at her as she continued to define herself back to her old existence. It was necessary. Otherwise, touching 3D space was impossible. It’d be like trying to grasp hold of water.

“Got it!” With a flick of a finger, Himari shattered the dimension keeping her imprisoned. And hey, why stop there? She extended her influence further, shattering the Hall of Agony, the source of Starlight Dream’s suffering.