Puella Magi Makayla Magica

Interlude: Masters

Ava stands in front of a door she has been to many times, though it doesn't get any easier. She knows that behind it are at least two of the three Wings of the Magius. It's not that they are cruel leaders, but they are extremely intelligent. She wants to make the best impression of herself as possible. She opens the door, revealing a large room with a desk; papers are stacked so high they almost reach the ceiling. Behind the desk stands a young girl with dark reddish brown hair and next to her is a girl around the same age with light brown hair sitting in a wheelchair.

"Ms Satomi, Ms Hiiragi." Ava says in the best Japanese she can.

"Welcome, Ms Bailey." The wheelchair girl, Hiiragi, said. "What can we do for you?"

"I've come to report on our quota. We'll meet it, but next month, we might lack the number of witches required." Ava says. Hiiragi nods.

"That's ok. Australia has a small population which means there aren't as many magical girls." Hiiragi replies.

"Still, when you came to us with your original proposal, I was surprised that you were able to meet it," Satomi adds. Ava shifts uncomfortably. "How many members have you gathered?"

"A-a little over five hundred and counting," Ava says. "We get about three to five members per week." Satomi and Hiiragi look at each other.

"That's more than our original calculations," Satomi says. Once again, Ava shifts uncomfortably.

"W-well, I was also wondering, how long until the witch is ready?" Ava asks. Satomi looks back at Ava and shrugs.

"Who knows? It could take years or months. We don't have an accurate date yet." Ava nods.

"We'll do our best to meet your expectations, but there's other factions of magical girls forming in Sydney. In fact, a particularly hostile group has recently formed in the last couple of days." Ava conveniently leaves out the part where it may have been partly her fault when she tried to recruit them.

"I see." Satomi puts a hand under her chin. "That does complicate things, but if things get too much out of hand, come to us, and we'll deal with it."

"Thank you," Ava says, doing a slight bow. "I should be going now." Ava turns and leaves.

"I wish she'd show a bit more respect." Satomi sighs.

"Australia is a very causal country. She was probably showing more respect than she ever has in her life." Hiiragi replies.

"Regardless, I'm a little impress that she met the quota for this month. She's dedicated if nothing else."

"Australia has a history of punching above its weight class," Hiiragi says.

***

Kyubey's vision is filled with white. This is to be expected. He's done this many times before. Luckily for this variant, he has kept the same body for a long time. A dark figure fades into his vision, contrasting with the whiteness. Soon, multiple figures appear, totalling seven. They're a small council from the senate, elected for their energy production, though Kyubey has no idea why seven are needed.

"Speak, Incubator."

"Master, I've received information from a human researcher that has a significant effect on the magical girl system in place on the humans." Although their only silhouettes, Kyubey can see head movements as if they are looking at each other. There is a slight hand movement on the table and then a nod a nod from one of the council members before they turn back to Kyubey.

"Continue." For the first time in his life, Kyubey feels something he has never felt before. He notices a shift in his own behaviour, something that humans would call uneasiness.

"W-well." Kyubey pauses. Did he just stutter? Why? He shouldn't be feeling these feelings. Multiple council members shift, leaning forward, only adding to his so-called anxiousness. Kyubey attempts to swallow these feelings and continues.

"Well, master, a human researcher has discovered that the magical girl system implemented on the humans isn't as efficient as we once thought." Kyubey is about to continue but is cut off.

"We know." One of the council members says.

"You know?" Kyubey asks. He cocks his head to the side.

"Yes, we have known for some time now. Entropy cannot be stopped. The more we try to stop it, the more the universe seems to push back in response." One of the council members said.

"It was once so bad; entropy actually increased the more we tried to stop it with more human magical girls."

"Then... what's the point of the magical girl system?" Kyubey asks. The council members turn and look at each other for a few moments before one of them sighs.

"Humans are very emotional creatures. If they find out what we've done..."

"It could mean the end of our civilisation." Another council member finished.

"The magical girl system, the witches designed to keep humanity in turmoil and stop their progression."

"We've been doing this for thousands of their years. Their technology has progressed at a faster rate than any other species in the universe." Kyubey argues.

"We know. We miscalculated the tenacity of the humans." The council member replies.

"If they are a threat, why not destroy them?" Kyubey asks. This time, instead of looking to each other to wonder if they can answer the question, they look at each other with uneasiness.

"It is not the will of the universe to destroy any species." One of them replies. "We can only repress them, however best we can."

"If we stopped the magical girl system earlier, this would never have happened," Kyubey says.

"That may be so, but it's too late now."

"It's never too late." As soon as Kyubey says this, he feels an oppressive air coming from the council members.

"Incubator." One of the council members says. His voice carries a threatening tone. "Be careful of what you say. You will betray all of us with your words." For the first time ever, Kyubey feels afraid. Why does he feel afraid? He can always transfer to a new body. Or maybe he can't. The council members aren't planning on letting him go.

"Are there no other ways to prevent entropy?" Kyubey asks meekly.

"No." A council member shakes their head. "We have exhausted all other options. The magical girl system was our last resort."

"But it seems that the universe is unwilling to accept this energy." Another adds.

"Correction," a council member interrupts. "The universe is accepting of it. That's why entropy is increasing when we use it. The universe feeds on emotional energy. The more it has, the more chaotic it becomes."

"You don't mean the disease?" One of the council members asks.

"It's not a disease. It's the final act of the living universe. The final feast of the universe that will consume all life and experiences. The more we feed it, the hungrier it becomes. This is what those who came before us fought against. Their willingness to forget in favour of blind ideology is what led to their downfall." The council member replies.

"I think I've heard enough," Kyubey says, backing away. "The magical girl system can no longer be left to oppress the humans."

"Incubator!" One of the council members says as he stands up. Kyubey turns and runs away into the whiteness, which turns to black.