Episode 4 : Mors Mirabilis Sed Crudelis (Part 6)

Magical girl…

What did he mean by that?

"I… I don't understand. How can I be a magical girl…?" Rin's voice trailed off before she quickly changed her question. "Wait, wait, wait—are you telling me that magical girls are real?!"

Ezakiel slowly nodded.

Her mind spun. How was this even possible? Weren't magical girls nothing more than characters from fiction? But then again… if monsters were real, then wasn't there also a chance that magical girls existed too?

Rin's mind was still reeling. If monsters were real, then maybe magical girls being real wasn't so far-fetched after all.

"I know it's hard to believe," Ezakiel continued, his voice calm and steady, "but it's the truth. There are certain girls and women in this world blessed with the power to wield magic—to protect humanity from extinction."

"So… there are many magical girls?" Rin asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Too many to count," he confirmed.

Her sister clenched her fists. "Wait—if they're supposed to protect humanity, then why didn't they come to save me and Rin from Yayoi?" Her voice was filled with frustration, her hands tightening around Rin's.

Ezakiel let out a small sigh. "While magical girls do exist to protect humanity, as individuals, they don't necessarily care what happens to people like you. And besides…" His voice darkened. "They're not exactly right in the head."

"Not right in the head?" Rin's sister repeated, her expression filled with confusion and concern.

It was the same thing Rin was wondering about.

"Most magical girls are broken in some way," Ezakiel explained, his tone cold and serious. "And when they gain access to their powers, it only makes things worse. Their broken nature twists even further. If I were to tell you the full extent of their insanity—the things they do—you'd probably vomit right here."

A shiver ran down Rin's spine. "Will I… turn into one of them?" she asked hesitantly, fear creeping into her voice.

Ezakiel stared at her for a moment before answering. "No. You won't. But if I hadn't interfered—if I hadn't saved you from Yayoi—then yes. The things she could have done to you… they would have broken you, just like the rest."

Rin was about to respond when her sister cut in. "Were you aware she was a magical girl before you met her?"

Ezakiel paused. A moment of silence stretched between them before he finally answered, "Yes."

"Then why didn't you tell her before?" her sister demanded.

His gaze darkened. "Because I've seen what happens when someone becomes a magical girl. I've watched as their very nature turns them into something monstrous—something more twisted and perverted than even an actual monster. I had a friend… she was a magical girl. And I saw with my own eyes what happened to her."

The word friend triggered something in Rin's mind—a memory.

That day at Unus Café… when she first met him. He had mentioned a friend before.

"Is this the same friend you told me about back then?" Rin asked, her voice quiet but firm.

"Yes," Ezakiel admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "Because of my own fear and hesitation, thinking about what might have happened if the magical girls found me, I refused to help her in her time of need."

He lowered his gaze, his expression shadowed with guilt.

Hearing that, Rin felt a wave of guilt wash over her. Because of me… he's in danger. Because of me… he had to risk his life. Because of me… he—

Before she could spiral further into her thoughts, Ezakiel lifted his head and looked directly at her.

"I know what you're thinking," he said. "Don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault. I always knew that something like this would happen eventually."

A heavy silence settled between them before he sighed and continued, "Anyway, we don't have time to dwell on this. You must awaken your powers. I don't have the strength to deal with Yayoi, not as I am now. I can get stronger, but not alone. You can, Rin. You're a magical girl—perhaps one with the potential to be the strongest of them all."

"Can I really become that strong?" she asked, uncertainty laced in her voice.

"Yes. And that is the only way you can protect yourself… and your sister."

For a moment, Rin remained silent. Then, almost instinctively, she asked, "What about you?"

Ezakiel smiled weakly. "I have no one," he admitted. "And sooner or later, the magical girls will find me." His voice softened, turning almost melancholic. "I just hope that when you meet them… you won't tell them about me. I only want to experience whatever time I have left in peace."

Why?

Why does someone like him have to suffer like this?

The person in front of her—this so-called "monster"—was already more kind and heroic than the magical girls in her and her sister's eyes.

She looked at her sister, who nodded in reassurance. Then, turning back to him, she declared, "If there is no one to protect you, then I will."

"You will protect me? Why? Do you have the slightest idea what might happen to you if they find out you're protecting a monster?"

Rin smiled, unwavering. "I don't care, nor will I allow that to happen. I'll simply become stronger—stronger and more powerful than anyone else."

Ezakiel was silent for a moment before nodding. "I see... I'm grateful. And I hope you will."

For the first time in her life, Rin felt a deep sense of happiness and pride.

She was going to protect her sister and Ezakiel—from Yayoi, from other magical girls, from monsters, and from anything else that might try to take them away from her.

They were hers.

And she would not let anyone take them.

No matter what she had to do.

Then Ezakiel's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "There's one more thing I have to tell you..."

Rin met his gaze. "What is it?"

"It's about the magical girls currently in Summer Fall High."

....

"He... he... he... hehehehe... Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!!!"

The sound of twisted, echoing laughter filled the room.

The one responsible for this unsettling noise was none other than Ezakiel.

His crimson eyes gleamed with a sinister light as his fingers curled into fists.

It's done… It's finally done. The first phase of my plan is complete. Now, all I have to do is wait… and let things play out.