Puella Magi Rei ♥ Magica: The After Story

Chapter 13: "Afterglow"

"Eaaah!-"

Ring slashed her ring blade through the soul gem of a magical girl, dropping her to the ground in an instant. She took a deep breath, adjusting her headpiece. "Tsuki! Was that the last of them?"

"To my knowledge." Tsuki winced, sliding the corpse of a magical girl off of her warhammer. "Any sign of Rei?"

"Not from this angle." Ring added, before taking a deep breath. She looked at her soul gem, it was darkened. ".. I don't think I'll have enough magical power to reach the end of the Culling if I keep going on like this."

"Then let me fight for you!" Tsuki exclaimed.

"And have you exhaust all of your magic and leave me here alone? No way. That's not going to happen. We still have Rei to find, too." Ring frowned. 

"I know where Rei is."

Tsuki and Ring quickly turned to view upon Michiko, a door standing behind her.

"Rei Asano is behind this door, safe in my pocket dimension. I am rallying all of her friends and allies together so we can take the fight to the demon behind this." Michiko said, a serious glare in her gaze. "If you want to help us.. Step through this door. I'm risking a lot even showing myself here right now, do not waste my time."

Without hesitance, Ring began to step toward the door.

"Ring!" Tsuki gripped Ring's arm. "We don't know this person." She whispered.

"If she has Rei, I'm going." Ring stated. "And besides. If she's pulling one over on us, we outnumber her." She whispered. "Just come on."

Michiko sat there, her arms crossed as Ring and Tsuki slowly step toward the door. Michiko would open it, letting them inside, before closing the door, it sinking back into the ground.

Twirling her orbs, she would disappear from sight again.

"Rei?!" Ring gasped, to find Rei sitting on the couch.

"Ring! Tsuki!" Rei giggled, standing up and running over to her friends, hugging them tightly. "I was so worried! I didn't know what that demon had done-.. I was so worried, so so worried!" Rei squished her friends in her arms.

"R-Rei, come on now!" Tsuki grunted, gently pushing Rei off of her. "We can save the celebration for later. Right now we have bigger things to worry about.."

Walking up to one of the walls of the pocket dimension, she sharply planted her fist against it, grunting as it bounced back. ".. We can't get out of here. How are we going to help that girl if we are stuck here?"

"I don't think she wants our help." Ring slowly approached Tsuki. ".. Though.. She seemed to have everything under control.. At least.. It seemed that way.."

"I have faith in her." Rei approached her friends, smiling at them. ".. We're all gonna get out of this alive! We have to.. Right?" She looked back at the orb that sat on the coffee table, before slowly starting to approach it.

Gently lifting it into her arms again, she embraced it. It felt so comforting to hold.. So sweet, a reminder of a much simpler time. She couldn't help but lose herself in it's serenity. ".. I don't know where you came from.. But thank you for being here.." She whispered.