VI.

Audrey was stunned as if she was the one smacked by the frying pan, but she quickly recovered. Madoka helped her up, wondering why she was in such a beautiful dress. The princess was already adorable, her hair growing even longer, and her eyes seemed like they were in a daze. Before the maid could question why, the sunset abruptly changed back to broad daylight. Madoka caught it this time and saw that it was almost like the artificial sun was pulled back up by a string. Perhaps it was, but she could now simply watch it since it was still too bright to look at directly.

"So, what do we do now, Audrey?"

"Eep," the princess squeaked.

Even mentioning her name had sent her blushing. Madoka's lips curved upward. She wanted to kiss Her Shyness's sudden bashfulness away, but more importantly, she wanted Audrey to kiss her on her own now. How strange, in a time like this, she felt completely at ease now with this desire tugging at her heart. It had always been there, but as Elise said, she had kept herself waiting long enough. The girl stood up, snapped her fingers and the barrier popped with a distorted ringing sound as the Knotting magic resolved.

Madoka's hair swept into her face from the rushing wind. Freedom reigned everywhere, like this was a place no longer oppressed by the roots. Several of the floating islands were covered by crumbling corruption in the distance, but seemed to be burning away under the switching sunlight.

"You heard it too, right?" Audrey spoke. Her voice sounded like she was nostalgic over something. "She's calling for us from that big… Tree, I guess. The real Gechick."

"The real Her," Madoka mused. "The Forest Goddess."

Audrey stepped forward as the wind picked up. Despite the red earth and withered grass underneath her bare feet, she looked serene. The two were standing under a blue sky, presumably created by the Uracksheegal's magic. It was hard to believe that they were in the belly of a giant beast high above the world. The princess looked delicate in that dress when she turned around, but before she could say anything Madoka hurled a set of new traveler garbs at her face.

Shortly after, they landed on another island. Swords stuck out of the soil like grass stalks and crushed bones littered the ground mixed in with splotches of sand. Madoka sighed when Audrey kicked a dented shoulder plate off the side. None of the weapons seemed like they had been used in centuries. Even the metal they were made out of had not reacted to any of her magic. She knew what took place from her dreams, but even those were blurry to her.

"When I was trapped in the roots, I had the weirdest dream," Audrey spoke softly. It was quite jarring to Madoka to hear the princess speak of such a dangerous situation she was trapped in, but she stood silent. She had also noticed that the surge of magic that made her skin glow white was gone, but she still felt it inside her being. "I was speaking to Father. King Fiara. Not the other guy."

She scoffed.

"His Majesty…" Madoka had not heard the princess speak of the King in ages now. She even had forgotten how the father and daughter were to each other. Did he love her? Or was he like the Prince, pretending until it was time to strike?

"He told me he was proud of who I am today," Audrey sighed.

"He had always doted on me. Could never figure out why. How's someone like me who let her country fall to ruin be something to have pride in? He had the servants put me in that white dress, but when I looked out the window— the world outside was burning and covered in roots. Everything looked like this place,—" She swept a hand across the broken up floating islands and shattered forest below. "—Heh. That's been an old nightmare that I used to have for a while after we escaped Fiara. I searched through all the servants' faces and could not find yours. It felt so surreal, running around the Palace freely and frantically in the dress. No one was even bothering to stop me from acting out. When I tried to escape out the gate to search for you then, I felt your presence. I'm not really sure how, but I felt you were watching me. I rushed out on the stairs and looked up and there you were. Fighting for your life for me."

The sunset draped its light over the girl, making her feel lonely for a moment. Then the daylight instantly returned. Madoka really was not worried about such a trivial thing like that dress, but it was indeed still inside her storage now. She used to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of miscellaneous objects floating within its subspace, but since she came out of the battle with the Witch she had managed to organize every single thing into categories suitable for the taking. She imagined a mental shelf there for coins and shinies, a warehouse for those ugly monsters, and closets for clothes. Perhaps her imagination did not work as well because the princess gave her a confused look when she attempted to explain it, but it worked for Madoka. She must keep everything tidy for Her Highness, even magic.

"That star," Audrey mused. The bright source of light hung out of reach, beyond the massive tree trunk that the Witch's body built. "I can't help but feel like all this stuff is familiar. You know? Like I've been here, but I can't place why. I know it's because of the dreams, but I feel like even before those showed up we were here already."

"We?" Madoka asked, scrolling through her memories for any clue on how she could have possibly been anywhere near the Uracksheegal.

"The dragon we beat," Audrey continued. "The Wind King. He brought us into that strange portal. Maybe it was just another dream."

Realization dawned on her in a flash of inspiration in Madoka's mind, but it quickly vanished. She did remember how it was dark like the Great Void, but it did not have the same feeling that the Shadow Forest did. Her Highness usually had her reasons for believing such a thing, so she did not question it. So she spoke about her visions instead.

"Do you know why this place is a battlefield?" She lifted her wings and took off to a particular island in the distance covered in roots. She had to test her new self out a little more. Audrey followed her. They sailed through the air like small birds surrounded by cliffsides of individual islands. A massive waterfall flowed out of one particular rocky wall from one, creating a misty rainbow as it dripped down below. Nature shall eventually return if the Goddess got some rest, would it not? Approaching the roots, she focused herself inward. Sure enough, the roots slowly turned white and began to crumble into powder when she landed on a small narrow section of the corrupted island. Light footsteps landed next to her, so she continued.

"Once upon a time, there was a Princess who was loved by her Prince very much, to the point of madness," Madoka watched as the roots dissolved. Small white flowers began to sprout in the places where they grew from. "Their Queen, their Mother, desired the Princess's power all for Her own and cast her out to a far away tower as an evil being, intending to snatch it from the Prince who would surely rescue her. If either reached them, the power would certainly corrupt them. So, the Princess held on for dear life, eventually cutting a Red String inside of her to stop Her Brother from reaching Her."

"So you mean…"

"This is that very battlefield," Madoka knelt by the glowing flower, but did not disturb it. So this will grow into a magnolia tree someday? Best leave it alone. She glanced at the massive tree trunk towering in the distance.

"That's the tower she's in, isn't it? Gechick was that Princess all along," Audrey seemed distracted. She was no longer looking at the tree-tower, but at Madoka instead. "So you're her…"

"What?" She asked. The girl quickly averted her gaze when Madoka looked at her, confused.

"Nothing!"

"Audrey!" Why are her ears turning red? Too late!

The girl had taken off faster this time, but Madoka followed at a leisurely pace. She was confident in Her Highness's ability to navigate through all these floating islands and debris, but she herself did not care to dodge anything following her. She found the girl standing on another island further ahead, looking at the rubble of an ancient wall while lost in thought. Barging through a pile of debris that got in her way caused her to jump. Madoka shrugged at Her Incredulousness's shocked gaze. The two had quite a distance to cover before they arrived at the tower, so they broke out into another flight together. There was no telling if the sun would dim out eventually.

"I destroyed the Guardian with magic. Gases don't really work the way here in Pnaumen. Well, it's different than what the rules do in Earth. Heh, go figure. So when I tried to simulate particle charges in order to bypass it or at least overload its defenses it just kind of went boom. Then she slipped out like a snake and flew away," Audrey carried on. "Well, its shield. You did the smashing part effortlessly. So, I guess we can add that to our list of stuff we beat. A bear, then a dragon, then a slime, then a bunch of goblins, a goblin king, then a wyvern, and then a giant robot. Anything else?"

"A bunch of humans, a Crystal Lizard, and," Madoka's stomach growled. "Lots of Cel'Row."

"Oh yeah, those fuzzy balls," Audrey was flying backwards on her back as she scribbled down notes in her journal, as if she was reclining on a sofa. She was oblivious to the uprooted trees and rocks that crashed into her barrier. Madoka wanted to protest, but she knew in this instance that the princess would not pass up the chance to be lazy. "Oh, by the way, I still can detach my hand. You wanna see?"

"No!" Madoka refused outright. There was not a chance, even in the Abyss, that she ever wanted to see that happen again.

"Aw," Audrey snapped her journal shut, then flipped over and focused on her flight. "You… You changed again somehow. Your wings are white now."

"Oh, these?" Madoka glanced at the tips of her wings smugly. They did indeed look more dazzling than ever. "There's something I haven't spoken to you about. Don't look at me like that, I just never had the chance to tell you."

Audrey shook her head and wiped her mouth. Was she… staring at her? Unease somehow settled on her after Madoka noticed that look in her eyes, but she realized that it was replaced by a dare. If the princess wanted to try something in the air… maybe even kiss her… she would let her do so, would she not?

"Madoka? You in there?"

"R-Right," Madoka snapped out of her fantasies. The princess's lips were dangerous. Dangerously addicting. They caused her to lose her focus way too easily. "There were a lot of statues down in the Shadow Forest, each calling me a Holy One of some sort."

"Well, you kind of are," Audrey scoffed, not even bothering to hide her jealousy. "I wanna be cool for once! You're telling me, you went on a side quest to get powerful while I was busy locked up in the Witch's evil roots? Why do I gotta be the weak one? You don't even have to rest or collect magic power anymore, by the looks of it!"

"Yeah," Madoka sighed. "They said something about a Link being restored."

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"A Link, huh?" Audrey stared up at the tree-tower. They just reached the border of its shadow, but more islands floated under it ahead. "Perhaps those dreams we had, they're taking us to other places. And yours just happens to make you stronger than me! Hmph! You can even use magic lasers now and have S ranked Strength to boot! Hmph! Who else can do that? Totally not me."

"Audrey…" Madoka groaned. How could she compare to the magic she has? What even was S ranked Strength? Silver?

"I wonder if the Red String getting cut had something to do with how Gechick became a goddess in the first place," Audrey mused. Her Core flicked on. It was pitch black, stalwart against the daylight, appearing when the princess summoned it and disappearing quietly as it entered. "I have no clue if the princesses of today have them anymore. The more we get close to that Lore guy's prophecy, the more questions I have."

"Like you being Godtouched," Madoka mused. "Lady Fate from the Guild was Godtouched by Gechick, but she only had a strange coin in her palm instead of a whole hand like yours."

"Oh, I already know about which God, er, touched me," Audrey said sheepishly. "That was solved awhile ago."

"Eh?" Madoka turned to look at Audrey's arm to question her, but she was looking away. The massive serpentine body had truly grown into a tree as the princess said, filling the entire horizon in front of her now that they were close enough to it. "Look over there!"

She pointed to a particular island. Audrey swooped down beside her, gasping in awe. On the blasted ground stood several statues of tall figures. There was no question that they were the next stop, so Madoka descended to inspect them closer. Unlike the calcified statues or roots from before, these were made out of pure soft stone and chiseled to appear as monuments. At the base of their feet, engravings were carved into it. Letters. Madoka sighed, so she turned to Audrey to read. To her surprise, the princess appeared to be unable to read the words under them as well.

"Names or titles," she mused. "I can read the letters, but they're not words I have heard before. Lastria? Atruliel? Erol? Yeah, those are straight out of some fantasy name generator for sure."

"Buthos," Madoka stated. These people were tall, elegant, pointed ears that stood out through their straight hair. Even their statues were beautiful to behold.

"Eh? How did you know that?"

Actually, Madoka realized she did not remember how she knew them. She shrugged instead. The statues looked victoriously off into the distance, while the girls stood there looking at them in a silent mixture of awe and curiosity. The islands ahead were packed together, like broken up ice sheets flowing down a narrow part of a stream colliding into each other. There was no longer any need to fly, so the pair walked. The tree, despite looking desolate, still stood before them like a mountain. Clouds gathered around it in separate sections at different heights as it pierced the heavens.

A hand suddenly slipped into Madoka's, tentatively, as if it was testing the waters. When she sensed it was about to withdraw, she took it and held it tightly. Soon, both of them were walking side by side, ducking under piles of siege wreckage and passing by patches of ground studded by arrows and weapons. Madoka glanced at the quiet girl beside her, who was looking anywhere other than at her face, and smiled. Who knew that she would end up like this?

The ground slowly turned to ancient cobblestone an hour later, then to stairs. At the top of this stairway stood an enormous gate. It appeared that this part of the valley remained intact. Or perhaps, Time and Space were warped. This was probably the kind goddess herself allowing them to approach her domain. Black roots wrapped themselves around the massive gate, blocking the way, but sure enough, Madoka's presence began to make them turn to dust. More flowers grew in their place and the way was clear.

She carried herself up the stairs and extended a hand to help Audrey up with an expectant look, only to see the girl standing there, gawking at her.

"Well? Now what?" Audrey stared at the giant ornately carved stone gate. "Don't suppose knocking would make Her open this place up, right? Any bright ideas, Madoka?"

Madoka rolled her eyes and rolled up her sleeves. Then she gave the stone a hard shove.

"Madoka!" Audrey screamed, but the gate was crashing down in an avalanche of stone. The princess was quick witted, of course, able to pull up a barrier at just the right time to not get crushed under the weight of all of the rocks. After a brief calamitous noise, the gate was now open for them to step through. There was no intent in this place, even though she imagined there would be some lingering resentment in the air since this tower used to be the Witch's body. There was nothing, but the smell of stone powder and a distinct mustiness that came with ancient ruins.

"Children, come closer," a voice called out to them from deeper in the tower.

The girls looked at each other, confirming that they both heard it. The words were soft and gentle, spoken in Noble. For some reason, hearing them made Madoka feel slightly guilty for the property damage she caused, or whatever the princess was whining about. The two stepped over a fallen pile of rubble and their feet landed on soft carpet, covered in layers of dust.. Daylight filtered in from windows high above, revealing that the tower itself seemed like a throne room.Besides the wreckage at the gate, the room itself was also quite dirty. Piles of shattered torches and wooden furniture were scattered everywhere, along with bones and weapons of a struggle long gone. Sure enough, at the end rested a throne where the speaker Herself was presumably. The throne itself seemed like it stretched endlessly into the rafters, but those were obscured by shadows.

"Gechick," Audrey whispered.

Madoka nodded, squeezing the hand she did not even notice she was holding at first tightly. They approached the throne cautiously. Everything in this place seemed so reminiscent to her for some reason. Was this because it reminded her of Fiara's throne room? Or had she been here somehow before? The throne was empty when they moved closer. To Madoka's surprise, the goddess was not sitting on it, but instead resting on the dais beneath it. A smug satisfaction curved her lips. Her head looked softer now, easier to give it another needed cleaving if things went down that route. A soft laugh came from the Forest Goddess.

"We do not have much time left. Child of the Stars, come, come," she patted on the steps next to her. "Do you not recognize who I am?"

"You're—," Madoka found herself instinctively obeying the kind goddess, but as she sat down she still did not have the answer Gechick was obviously looking for. Audrey stood still as a statue, watching her, also of no help.

"Daughter," Gechick's soft voice came to her.

"W-What?" Madoka stammered. The revelation fell upon her like a rainstorm, starting its downpour at her eyes and making her lips quiver. "You're… my Mother? Then that means…"

"Yes, Child," the kind goddess soothed Madoka, patting her shoulder as she cried into her arms. Her eyes were violet, just like hers, and if her skin did not have the texture of grainy wood; perhaps, he would resemble Madoka. Or she would resemble her Mother. "It means you're a Star yourself."

"H-How is this possible…?" Madoka's mind reeled. How could someone so unworthy like her be a kind goddess? A Star? "What does this mean for us?"

It was then she noticed that Gechick was quite damaged. Despite her elegant beauty, chunks of her body were missing, presumably from their battle before. Her heart began to ache at the sight, but what else could she have done? Madoka hurt her own mother, how was this…? Before the guilt could overwhelm the maid's already frazzled mind, the goddess let out a melodious laugh.

"You set me free, my daughter," she said, resting a bony hand on Madoka's shaking shoulder. "Don't feel so guilty."

"B-But—"

"No buts!" Gechick's sternness silenced Madoka, so she hiccupped instead. "Now, tell Me all about her."

The Goddess pointed a finger directly at Audrey, who looked like she was about to pop. Was she trying not to laugh? What was so funny?

"S-She's my Highness, Audrey," Madoka murmured. For some reason, the way Gechick looked at her made her feel like she got caught doing something naughty. She corrected herself. "Her Highness, the Princess of Fiara."

"Do you have anything to say?" Gechick inquired, narrowing her eyes at Audrey. The princess squeaked. "About my daughter?"

"I— I am in her care," she lowered her eyes to the dust-caked floor. What was this awkwardness? As the Goddess's eyes intensified, Audrey quickly added. "Mother, I promise I will protect her with all my hearts. Before, now, and tomorrow."

Hearts? The promise seemed to ease her Mother's previously frosty gaze, but Madoka did not have a second to feel relieved before she felt the Goddess return a stare back onto her.

"And do you swear you love her?"

Madoka looked at her Mother straight in the eye, then back at Audrey, whose face was turning beet red again. Then she nodded.

"I love her," she solemnly swore. What was happening? What about the other stuff? What other stuff?

The kind goddess closed her eyes, as if relieved from the pair's declaration towards each other.

"Listen well, my Child," she finally spoke again. Her voice was wilting, in rhythms of gasps and steadiness, but it was clear her time was running out. "You have not yet reached your full godhood. They told me to let you go, but I could not. I sacrificed myself for you. Everything so that you live life to the fullest. Now, where you stand is outside of Time itself. You felt it yourself, the change happening within your body when you touch the Links. But if you don't reach the Links in time, your body will soon wither like mine. When you reach the finality of your Link, Time will stop and you will no longer be able to live in Pnaumen. You will become a Star."

Madoka did not know anything about that, but she tried the best she could. The floor suddenly became transparent. Her stomach nearly leapt out of her throat, but she noticed the destroyed lands of the Petals and the ruins of Gladeban. What a mess she would have to clean up!

"Does that mean… I won't be able to see…" Madoka glanced at Audrey, who had an equal amount of worry and heartbreak in her eyes. If they would not be able to see each other, then what is the point of living fully?

"That's where she comes in, Daughter," Mother looked at Audrey with tenderness in her eyes.

"Mom…?" Audrey asked tentatively. Why was she calling her Mother as well? "Is there a way to be together with her without her disappearing from me?"

There was no command in the question, no Royal decree. There was just a childlike plea tossed out from a desperate child. One that Madoka happened to be fond of quite a bit. Gechick closed her own eyes, sighing in exasperation as if the two of them were complaining about something so insignificant.

"Mother?" Madoka pressed. "Must I be a Star?"

"There is a way, you two," she shook her head. "But this will only buy you so much Time. This world's healing shall come, with or without your help. Tomorrow will come. You two are not from Time itself, and do not belong in Pnaumen. You especially,—" She pointed at Audrey. It should have been obvious to Madoka that her own Mother knew of the princess's true nature. "— And you, daughter. You are meant to be amongst the Stars. Are you two certain you wish to remain down there together?"

"What does Time mean…?" Audrey pondered mostly to herself. She had her hand raised to her chin in deep thought. Gechick clapped her hands, instantly snatching the girl's wandering attention span back to her. She jumped, but stood rigid in rapt regard to the kind goddess. Madoka was briefly impressed, considering that move for the future when Audrey got out of line again, but then the hands clapped in front of her snapping her out of it.

"You two will hold onto your promises to each other, will you?" Mother looked sternly at Audrey, who quickly nodded. Then she turned to Madoka, who was already nodding furiously. A smile cracked her face, then she raised her hands. A hexagonal portal appeared above the goddess's palm and out popped two golden pieces of fruit. Then, she held them out expectantly. Wordlessly, the girls took them and hesitated. "Go on, eat them."

The grin on Gechick's normally gentle face did not ease their suspicion, but the girls obeyed, chewing the fruit with as much caution as one could. The moment Madoka swallowed, a searing pain tore at her right eye. She screamed in pain. It felt like everything on her face was melting, ripping flesh out with a sharp hook. Audrey's screams hollowed out her ears and soon the pair were writhing on the ground in agony.

"Rejoice in the Feast, Otherworlder and my Daughter. Seek the Links. Together," Gechick's soft voice echoed over their screams of pain. "Live well, in thy new lives. May you seek a way against Time's Fate in your devotion to each other."

As soon as Lady Gechick said that, the pain stopped. Madoka still clutched her eye even though the pain was gone.

"Mother!" She whined as childlike as she could. "You tricked us!"

A giggle escaped Audrey, who apparently recovered faster than Madoka. Then, the two noticed that Gechick herself was gone. An inexplicable sadness fell upon the maid, but then she heard Audrey laughing and got angry.

"Why did you say all that embarrassing stuff to my Mother about protecting me?" She snapped.

"Hey!" Audrey pouted. "You started it!"

Daylight filtered through a crack in the tower's wall, shining right onto Audrey's face. Madoka shook her head, thinking she was seeing things wrong because of the pain in her eye. Upon further inspection, she realized that she was not hallucinating. Audrey's right eye was magenta, like her own, like a purple pearl on a beautiful silky cloth. It was clear by the princess's silence that she noticed something on Madoka's face.

"Dude, what happened to your eye!?" Both girls pointed at each other's faces simultaneously.

"Could that be what the fruit did to us?" Madoka pondered aloud. They switched eyes, but was that all that happened to them? It could not be so simple. Then she turned to see that the spot her Mother was sitting on was vacant. "Mother…"

"Mom," Audrey looked at the throne. Madoka realized that it was now occupied by a glowing white flower. The two knelt down at the foot of the throne, but Gechick did not speak. A surge of magic rippled in the air behind them, brushing dirt and collapsed furniture everywhere. A portal appeared! "I'll get you back from Fate, too."

She stood up and turned back to the portal resting in the middle of the throne room.

"Shall we?"

Madoka smiled and nodded. She would not waste a second chance that was given to them, even if Gechick was lying to her. Being a goddess, or a Star, or whatever vague being that was promised to her could wait. She had plenty of messes to clean up beyond that portal. They breathed deeply and held hands, then took a step through.

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