Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Guardian

Chapter 6

It was still dark, but flashes of light crossed the room's paper panels, followed by the sound of thunder.

Nevertheless, the determination of Gin was not shaken. She gathered her few personal belongings on a cloth, which she intended to form a pouch. That would be her last night in Arashimura.

She would also carry memories. The place, the people, were her home and family respectively. It was not far from considering that Nariko had been a grandmother while...

Izumi.

Gin stopped what she was doing and sighed. There was a reason to have lived all these years in the village, a goal. Time does not erase it, neither the words of her master. There was a world out there that she would not forget, a future.

She closed her eyes, seeking that the dark veil was filled by the dream.

"I'll bring to life the people I loved, no, that I love."

A new thunder, stronger than the previous ones, made the house vibrate. The noise gradually subsided, revealing that there was another sound.

A desperate and far cry.

Gin opened her eyes in surprise. The screaming continued and she was sure it came from the sanctuary. She got up and walked quickly through the halls. Her heart was already heavy with grief, even more when she realized she was alone in the house.

A scream, louder and inhuman, and then only the sound of the leaves swaying with the wind.

Not caring to being in a nightgown, Gin left the house. Even with her eyes already used to the darkness, it was hard to see far, except when the storm, capricious, illuminated everything with its bolts.

Fighting against the wind, she ran to the shrine. Upon arriving in the garden, she came across something unusual.

In front of the building was Izumi, fallen. Above her was floating her soul gem, completely black and giving off sparks.

Then it exploded.

The shock wave pushed Gin back, nearly knocking her. Even though she was shielding her eyes, she managed to notice that the world around her was changing.

The wind stopped and the sound of thunder was replaced by the water flow. The girl found herself surrounded by paper panels. She almost thought she was back in the house, but the floor made of wooden planks indicated clearly she was not.

As well as the ceiling, or the lack of it. In its place was a sky taken by a tangle of wooden aqueducts from which came the sound of water.

Gin then realized that corridor was bright, although there is no apparent source of light except what came through the panels.

Suddenly, shadows projected on the panels. Were several bouncy beings, it was possible to hear and feel the wood vibrate with their march.

At first, Gin had not been able to discern their shape, but it soon became clear.

They were human legs, disembodied legs.

Gin ran down the corridor, now aware of where she was. She came to a fork and quickly decided which way to go. However, she soon found another fork. This time she hesitated, but only for a moment, as more shadows appeared. She decided and continued her escape, but another fork was in her way.

Before she had time to consider whether it would be better to return. Gin felt a thud on the wooden planks she walked on, making her to fall.

Lifting her head, she saw that between the boards was pouring mud in a pulsating pattern. The paper panels, then, were stained by numerous mud balls which were thrown from the other side.