6.18 Volume 6 Epilogue
Father Winter’s Embrace, 6310
“Your loot, High Enchantress,” Fames spoke, opening the doors to one of the transported warehouses. Rows upon rows of stacked sacks greeted them, and as the High Enchantress stepped next to one, Fames assisted her, cutting it open to let the white grains inside fall out in a little stream.
“This is…?”
“Rice, High Enchantress. Boil it in water and it should make for a good source of nutrition for your ailing population.”
The High Enchantress nodded, letting her eyes wander, taking in the entirety of the warehouse.
“This is more than we ever stockpiled, back when our harvests were bountiful. And you’re telling me this is only one of many such reserves?”
“Quite so, High Enchantress,” Fames confirmed.
“Just how many people do they need to feed…?” the elven woman wondered, and Fames cleared her throat.
“Either way, the deal still stands, High Enchantress. You will keep the machine running. Turn it off, and all of this… it goes right back to where it came from. And we’ll need you to offer a dozen of these sacks as an offering to the machine,” she spoke softly, and the High Enchantress nodded.
“Whatever it takes,” the High Enchantress confirmed, then she looked towards the door.
“Taenya hasn’t come to give me her report yet,” she remarked, and Fames let out a long, fake sigh.
“I fear your cousin gave her life to fetch this food for you. My condolences.”
At first, it looked like there was no reaction at all. The High Enchantress simply stared ahead, with her eyes focusing a point that was somewhere in the distance.
“…how?” she simply asked, and Fames bowed her head to hide her grin.
“I believe she was slain by the girls who bastardized your gifts. The Celestial Sisters.”
“I see,” was the simple answer, and the High Enchantress looked away from her.
“I will now take stock of these supplies. Leave me, please,” she spoke and Fames bowed her head once more, walking out of the door and closing it behind her.
It wasn’t long before she could hear wailing screams, and the crashing sounds of someone toppling the shelves inside the warehouse in anger. Fames took in those sweet sounds of rage to savor them to their fullest.
December 2025
A stranger walked through the familiar yet alien streets of Tokyo, with his hood drawn deep over his face. Despite his disguise, he caught many curious glances due to his out of place physical stature. He was tall, much taller than the average Japanese man at the very least, and probably also taller than most people of other nations.
His eyes curiously glanced at a variety of TVs that were playing the current news in the window of an electronics store. Details of the recent attack were being discussed. There were national and international repercussions, with a big Empire saber rattling and demanding more access to other countries’ territories to conduct ‘anti-invader operations’. From what he could tell, the other nations of this world still held strong, for now, insisting on their own defensive capabilities and Magical Girls besides.
Her world is so shockingly primitive and barbaric.
There was a death toll of about a hundred thousand people reported worldwide, with another two thousand having gone missing from Tokyo, together with multiple buildings that vanished into thin air. Most of the deaths were military, with the invaders apparently attacking them specifically as they provided a ‘challenge’.
He moved on, checking a holographic map on his wrist computer.
It should be right around the corner, if her information was correct.
He stopped in front of one of the stores in the middle of this shopping street, looking at the sign that read ‘Kanno Tailoring’, and knew he was in the right place. Inside, he could see various suits and dresses displayed, and a woman with black hair who was at work, though she looked sideways, towards a TV playing the news, with a worried expression from time to time.
He entered the store, and a little bell rang, alerting the woman to his presence.
“Ah! Good day, sir. How may I help you? Are you looking to get a custom suit, maybe? We can accommodate any size,” the woman greeted him with well-trained cordiality despite her obvious nervousness due to her world’s situation.
Stevyn lifted the hood off his head with his bionic arm and looked the woman in the eyes.
“Is the Witch Queen here? Mana Kanno? There’s something urgent that I need to tell her.”
(Volume 6 End)