Winn opens their eyes. They saw Jasmine's body falling to the ground. Meanwhile, a labyrinth expands outward from the grief seed, swallowing up the surrounding scenery. Winn grabs hold of Jasmine's body. A witch appears before their eyes.
They then transformed and leapt back to a safe distance with the body.
The witch gives chase, reaching out towards Winn with her arm. Winn manages to defend the attack safely, but is unable to counterattack. "What the hell?! What are you! What did you do to Jasmine!" Winn shouts out, confused.
Dev, transformed, manages to break into the labyrinth from outside. "Get back..." He warns Winn. He instantly teleports, and simultaneously triggers a mysterious explosion in the witch's bosom. The witch falls back in agony. Dev takes the opportunity to grab Winn. "Take my hand."
"What are you going to do?" Winn questioned him.
"Just do it!" He commanded.
With Jasmine's body slung on their left shoulder, Winn reaches out to Dev with their right hand. Dev then blocks the hourglass on his shield and stops its flow. His time-stop magic activates. Everything around them suddenly stands still. Winn then gasps in amazement.
"It stopped..." Winn told him, amazed.
"Do not let go of my hand. You will be frozen in time if you do." He warned them. He begins to run, leading Winn by his hand.
"What the heck is going on?! Where did that witch come from?!" Winn questioned him.
"That witch used to be Jasmine Tran. You saw what happened. It happened right in front of you!" Dev answered them.
"Are we just going to run away?" Winn asked him.
"We can stop right now and kill her. Just drop that useless baggage and we'll go back." Dev informed them.
"Like hell I can!" Winn yelled at him.
"You can't fight and carry her. You will get us both killed." Dev told them in a strict voice.
The two then leave the labyrinth. Winn then lays Jasmine's body on a bench.
Meanwhile with Hazel, she was still searching for Jasmine. She definitely was going to get in trouble for being out at night, but she didn't care anymore. She tried calling Jasmine again, but no one answered.
She then saw Dev and Winn walking towards her. She then noticed Winn holding Jasmine.
"Jasmine? Are you okay?!" Hazel asked in concern. She rushed up to them. "Where is her soul gem? What happened to her?"
"Her soul gem turned into a grief seed, and she turned into a witch." Dev told her. Jasmine felt cold.
"No... you are lying... please tell me this is a sick joke..." Hazel cried.
"Unfortunately, it is the truth. This is the final secret of the soul gems." Dev told her. "When soul gems darken and cloud over, they turn into grief seeds and we are reborn as witches. That is the inescapable fate of all magical girls, boys, and warriors..."
"That's not true... it can't!" Hazel cried. She begs Winn to help, but they remain chagrined and silent. "Jasmine just wanted to save people from witches. She wanted to fight for what was right... That's the reason she became a magical girl..."
"She just ended up bearing a curse of equal magnitude to her wish. From now on, she will live to curse as many people she has saved." Dev informed Hazel.
Winn, after giving Hazel Jasmine's body, turns to Dev. "Who the hell do you think you are?! Why do you like to act like a know-it-all! How can you stay calm at a time like this? Jasmine was her best friend!" Winn yelled at the boy.
Dev turns away from Winn as they shout at him. He looks at Hazel. "I hope you now understand this is what you wanted to be..." Hazel whimpers, unable to answer. She kept holding Jasmine tightly.
"Also, now that you brought her corpse along, you will need to dispose of it carefully. If you just dump it somewhere, you will run into trouble later." Dev warned Winn.
"How can you even call yourself human?!" Winn protested.
"I don't. And you shouldn't call yourself human either." Dev told them. He then left them behind as he walked away.
Once Hazel finally got home, she went to her bed. She was unable to sleep after what happened. Irep's shadow appears outside the window. He calls out to her. "May I come in? I want to talk to you about something." He asked.
Hazel doesn't know what she can believe anymore. Seeing Irep being killed by Dev a few hours ago doesn't faze her anymore. "You're still alive..?" She mourned. The curtains sway softly as Irep enters her room. "Was Dev telling me the truth?"
"It's true enough that I can't deny it." Irep admitted.
Hazel has come to realize that Irep has been the cause of all this evil. "So you've been turning us into magical warriors just so we would become witches?"
"Please don't misunderstand. We don't do this out of ill will toward mankind. Everything we've done has been to extend the lifespan of the universe. Hazel, do you know what the term "entropy" means?" Irep told her, trying to explain himself. "To give a simple example, the amount of energy released by a bonfire is less than the amount it took to grow the wood it's made out of. In short, when energy changes form, some of it gets lost. As a result, the amount of usable energy in the universe is constantly decreasing." Irep continues to explain, not as a small adorable indigo creature, but as a cunning alien that is his true nature. "That's why we searched for a form of energy not bound by the laws of thermodynamics, and what we discovered was the energy generated by magical warriors."
"What are you... really?" She asked him.
"My civilization developed technology that could convert the emotions of sentient lifeforms into energy. But unfortunately, our species did not possess the capability to experience emotion. So we studied various species across the universe and eventually found mankind. Given your population and reproductive rate, it's clear that the amount of emotional energy generated by each individual is greater than the amount expended during its birth and growth. Your souls are energy sources capable of defying entropy. The most effective energy came from both girls and boys in their second stage of development, who experienced the greatest fluctuations between hope and despair. At the moment when your soul gems flare out and turn into grief seeds, a tremendous amount of energy is produced. As an incubator, it is my job to collect that energy." Irep explained to her.
"That's all we are to you? Disposable?" Hazel asked him, overcome by anger. She yells, letting out all the emotions she has been holding back. "Are you saying we should just die for your civilization?!"
"Do you have any idea how many civilizations coexist across the universe, and how much energy they consume in a single second? Eventually, even you humans will be able to leave this planet and join us. When that day comes, you wouldn't want to venture out into an empty, desolated universe, right? In the long run, this arrangement benefits mankind as well." Irep tried to convince her.
"You're telling me that ridiculous reason is why Peri had to die and Jasmine had to suffer so much? That isn't right. It's just too cruel!" She yells out.
"But we ask for and receive your consent for every contract we make. If anything, we've been very accommodating in that respect." Irep told her.
"But you do it by tricking us into it!" Hazel yells out.
"I don't understand the concept of "tricking you." Why is it when humans regret a decision they made based on a misunderstanding, they feel resentment towards the other party?" Irep misunderstood.
"I can't do this! You're just saying nonsense!" Hazel cried.
"We have a pretty hard time understanding your value system too. Your current population numbers over 8 billion, which increases by ten every four seconds, it is such a mystery why you would care about the loss of a tiny handful." Irep asked her.
"If that's what you really think about us, then Dev was right. You really are our enemy." Hazel regretted.
"I came here to try to explain ourselves to you. I was hoping you would understand how many humanity's sacrifices have made for the universe. I guess I wasn't successful." Irep sighed.
"Of course you weren't!" Hazel yelled at him.
"I still believe that one day, you will become the greatest of all magical warriors. And then, the worst of all witches. And when that happens, us incubators will have access to an unbelievable amount of energy. So, if you ever think about dying for the sake of the universe, call me. I'll be waiting." Irep leaves without waiting for a response. Left alone, Hazel holds her knees, drowning in tears. She wasn't going to be falling asleep anytime soon.
