Innocence Seekers: April Light/Chapter 4/Episode 50

This is the second episode, "Cruel Destiny" (残酷な運命), of the fourth chapter of Innocence Seekers: April Light.

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Episode text
When the light died down, yellow and blue ribbons had already wrapped around Yayoi and restrained her.

–Yayoi: Ugh... Uzuki, what is the meaning of this?

–Uzuki: Yayoi-nee, do you really want to be blinded by revenge? Alcea may have had her reasons for taking our mother's life.

–Yayoi: Even so, that doesn't justify murder. Let me go!

–Uzuki: Yayoi-nee, please calm down. And even if I let you go, you wouldn't have been able to move anyway; I must've inadvertently activated a trap or something.

–Alcea: Indeed you did, Uzuki. But what brings you here?

–Uzuki: Alcea... first of all, I'm sorry if I said some bad things about you earlier.

–Alcea: You mean when you were possessed? Well, I have earned the ire of the gods, so it's natural that the divine spirits are after my blood.

–Uzuki: Also, I'd like to ask you a question regarding my mother's death.

–Alcea: Uzuki... I don't know if you and Yayoi are ready to know the truth.

–Uzuki: The truth?

Uzuki glanced at Mira, who looked away.

–Uzuki: Mira, you must know something.

–Mira: Sorry, Uzuki. I don't feel comfortable retelling it.

–Yayoi: Alcea, at the very least tell us why you killed our mother!

Alcea remained silent.

–Uzuki: Then, please explain why we are as strong as we are now.

–Yayoi: Uzuki? You know something?

–Alcea: Uzuki, who told you?

–Uzuki: Mutsuki-nee. She said that Yayoi's power, as well as her own, increased dramatically after our mother's death.

–Alcea: I see. Well, it's no use hiding it further.

Alcea approached Uzuki and placed her hands on Uzuki's shoulders.

–Uzuki: Eh?

–Alcea: Uzuki... your mother was cursed.

Everyone except Lyra and Mira jumped in shock.

–Yayoi: Cursed? What do you mean?

–Alcea: A long time ago, years before Akane first confronted Gakran, Tsukika was the first human in nearly a millennium to actually meet Gakran. As you must already know, Haralni was in the middle of a global ice age.

–Lyra: I remember that time. Even after the end of the Eternal Winter three years ago, the planet still hasn't fully recovered despite extensive terraforming efforts.

–Alcea: She came of her own volition to investigate the planet's climate, and found out that a single demon was responsible. Indeed, the two fought, but unfortunately, Tsukika lost that battle.

–Aoi: And the curse?

–Alcea: It was a lasting effect. Gakran placed the curse on Tsukika, and its effect was that her offspring would be weakened, the younger ones even more so than the others.

–Uzuki: So... to break the curse...

–Mira: Your mother had to die.

–Uzuki: Mira, was there any other way?

–Mira: Not as far as I can tell. In fact, your mother was fated to die.

–Yayoi: Eh? You mean...

–Lyra: Akane knew all along.

–Uzuki: She did? Then... why didn't she tell us? Or anyone else?

–Alcea: It would've been too hard for everyone. In fact, I don't know how Akane found out in the first place. She would've saved Tsukika if she hadn't.

–Mira: Alcea... I've been meaning to ask you something.

–Alcea: What is it, Mira?

–Mira: If you knew that Tsukika was fated to die, why did you do the deed yourself?

–Uzuki: Maybe... maybe it has something to do with what Mutsuki-nee told me.

–Alcea: Ah, that's right. Yayoi, listen carefully.

–Yayoi: Huh?

–Alcea: I killed your mother... to lift the curse. Specifically, so you could grow strong enough to help Akari fight Gakran.

–Yayoi: But still, that doesn't justify what you did!

–Alcea: Yayoi, I don't know if you'll accept what I just said, and I doubt that you'll ever forgive me. But I did what I believed was necessary for the galaxy.

–Yayoi: Forgive you? Why would I?! You took my mother away!

–Alcea: Yayoi... have you realised just how weak you were while your mother was still alive?

–Yayoi: ...

–Alcea: While Mutsuki retained a significant amount of magical power, despite the curse, and Kisaragi still had some level of magical talent, you, on the other hand were only as strong as those latent Innocents you could find in just about any city.

–Tamaki: Ah, and about Uzuki, when I first met her, I didn't even realise that she was a magical girl in the first place. Not even I could detect any magic power emanating from her.

–Alcea: Again, a consequence of the curse.

–Uzuki: On the day I returned to school after my mother's death, Sumippe invited me to the club. I was surprised at the time, as I was never able to use any form of magic before. Even now, I still feel a bit insecure about my ability to use this power, since I've only really had it for three years.

Uzuki walked to Yayoi.

–Uzuki: Yayoi-nee... please just let it go for now.

–Yayoi: But...

–Uzuki: Neither of us are powerful to defeat Alcea for now. Are you really sure you want to start a battle you cannot win?

–Yayoi: I guess you have a point.

–Uzuki: Okay, then.

The yellow ribbons disappeared. Alcea noticed this, and cut off her own spell, freeing Yayoi.

–Yayoi: Wait, when you said 'neither of us', you mean...

Uzuki turned towards Alcea.

–Uzuki: It is my destiny to defeat her...

Uzuki changed into her mage outfit and materialised her weapon.

–Uzuki: And I would like to test myself right now.

–Alcea: Are you sure? I won't hold back, you know.

–Uzuki: That's fine, Alcea.

Uzuki turned her head towards the others.

–Uzuki: Yayoi, please keep your distance. And no one interfere with our battle.

Yayoi headed to where the others were standing. Tamaki began to cast a spell, and a pink magic circle appeared beneath her feet. A massive pink barrier appeared, separating Uzuki and Alcea from the others.

–Uzuki: Right, here I come!

Uzuki charged straight at Alcea, who only responded by putting up her hand to block the attack. Uzuki's sword only struck the invisible shield in front of Alcea's hand. A blue orb appeared where the shield was, and Uzuki only barely managed to get out of the way before it fired a massive magic beam. A yellow magic circle appeared beneath Uzuki's feet. Lightning bolts emerged and struck the ground around Alcea.

–Uzuki: Take this!

More bolts emerged from the ground, this time striking Alcea. However, the attack did very little damage.

–Alcea: Is that all?

Suddenly, Alcea fired a single magic bullet towards Uzuki. Uzuki tried to protect herself by putting up a shield, but the bullet was powerful enough to shatter the shield. It struck Uzuki, knocking her to the ground.

–Uzuki: Ah...

–Wakaba: Uzuki!

Wakaba attempted to begin to run towards Uzuki, but Tamaki and Mira held out their hands to signal her to stop.

–Tamaki: Uzuki said not to interfere. So I won't pull down this barrier until one of them decides to end the battle.

–Wakaba: Ah...

Alcea fired another magic bullet, this time towards the pink magic circle floating close to the barrier. Upon impact, the magic circle disappeared, and the barrier faded.

–Alcea: I guess we should end it, for now.

–Uzuki: I suppose.

Uzuki got back up and changed out of her mage outfit.

–Uzuki: I still have a long way to go. But I'm certain, the day will come.

–Yayoi: Uzuki...

–Alcea: I'm sure it will. Until then, I'll be waiting for you...

Alcea turned towards Yayoi.

–Alcea: As your sister demonstrated, there is still a wide gap between us. With that level of power, you cannot hope to defeat me.

–Yayoi: Alcea... one day... I will take revenge...

–Alcea: I already know I'm going to die soon.

–Yayoi: What do you mean?

–Alcea: I will be killed, and I've chosen to accept this fate.

–Mira: And she will die by your own hands, Yayoi.

–Yayoi: Wait, me? Not Uzuki?

–Mira: That's right. I don't know what the situation will be, but when the time comes, you will be the one who must kill Alcea.

–Yayoi: Heh... so you're saying my final victory is preordained?

–Mira: The future isn't set in stone, but it takes a lot of effort to alter the wheel of fate. Alcea has simply chosen not to put in that effort.

–Uzuki: But why? Alcea, why are you simply accepting your fate?

–Alcea: Uzuki... it should be obvious to you. Even if you have forgiven me for killing your mother, the fact remains that I have commited a grave sin in doing so.

–Uzuki: Please reconsider! It would be a huge loss for us if you die before we fight Gallurum.

–Alcea: As much as I want to see it all the way through...

Aoi ran towards Alcea

–Aoi: Alcea... does Victoria know? That you're just going to walk into the night?

–Alcea: I... have yet to tell her. But I'm sure she'll move on after I die. Aoi, you've learned your Ultimate Skill, right?

–Aoi: Ah, you already know?

–Alcea: I heard from some of the demons. Aoi, let me warn you. Do not use any of your Ultimate Skills unless and until it is absolutely necessary.

–Aoi: I did end up giving some of my friends mana starvation as a result of that...

–Alcea: I don't just mean that. While Ultimate Skills are powerful, they attract flagos in order to keep the balance.

–Aoi: Flagos?

–Uzuki: Ah, it's kind of like the refined form of demonic energy.

–Aoi: Wait, what? You mean...

–Alcea: Ultimate Skills use lukira, which is to Innocence as flagos is to demonic energy. However, excess buildup of either will not only render it almost impossible to use magic, but will also harm magic beings, including us mages. Aoi, that mana-draining effect your Ultimate Skill had on the others was a consequence of the buildup of lukira. And if that lukira cannot be cancelled out by an equivalent amount of flagos, then its effects on life can be devastating.

–Wakaba: Umm... has such a thing ever happened?

–Mira: Not in recent history, not that I can recall anyway. But theoretically, entire planets could be so polluted with lukira that they could be rendered uninhabitable.

–Wakaba: Uninhabitable? You mean... barren?

–Mira: Indeed. Stripped of all life. Now, the same can occur with flagos, but in that case we Donsilans can allow life to flourish again simply by converting the affected planet into a Netherworld.

–Benio: And one can assume that a Netherworld is filled with flagos, right?

–Mira: That's right. That's why overuse of Ultimate Skills won't matter much on a Netherworld. But on a normal planet...

Miho popped up out of nowhere.

–Uzuki: Ah, Miporin, don't scare me like that!

–Miho: Sorry, U-chan. Anyway, Kotone told me that something like that did happen once in human history.

–Alcea: Wait, when? This is the first time I've heard of it.

–Miho: If you head to the Furusaka Shrine, there are many Portal Monoliths inside. One of them, however, has been permanently sealed off.

–Uzuki: Really? I never noticed that...

–Miho: The world to which that Portal Monolith is connected, was lost millennia ago, although the seal itself is only a thousand years old. Records are very hard to come by, but some of the things mentioned included a massive worldwide battle, a great flood, and the entire planet being covered in flames before freezing over.

–Mira: I... believe I've heard of that planet before.

Mira held out the Rainbow Jewel and began to focus. Clusters of orbs appeared in front of her.

–Uzuki: Ah, are you looking through destiny again?

–Alcea: Uzuki, you've seen this from Mira before?

–Uzuki: Yes, but it was more about my own destiny.

–Mira: Anyway, I came across this planet when I was trying to find Lyra. From a distance, it looked like it was fully covered by clouds.

–Benio: You mean like Venus? Or Titan?

–Mira: Exactly. Just out of curiosity, I tried to scan the planet, but found a massive anti-magic field permeating it. Optical observations were useless, and radio observations showed no signs of life.

Mira touched one of the orbs in front of her.

–Mira: It was only when I consulted the Rainbow Jewel that I found out exactly what happened. Yayoi, come over here.

–Yayoi: Ah, okay.

Yayoi walked to the orbs and positioned herself next to Uzuki.

–Mira: Yayoi, Uzuki, please touch the red orb in front of you.

–Uzuki: Ah, okay.

Yayoi and Uzuki touched the red orb in front of them. Suddenly, both collapsed to their knees.

–Wakaba: Uzuki!

–Uzuki: I'm fine, Wakaba. It's not the first time.

Uzuki got back up, and helped her sister up.

–Yayoi: Uzuki... what was that? It felt like so many things just went into my head.

–Uzuki: By touching that orb, we receive visions associated with it. But... this vision...

–Yayoi: Uzuki?

Uzuki paused for a moment. She then reached out to the small yellow orb next to the red orb. Upon touching it, Uzuki yanked her hand away.

–Mira: Uzuki, what are you doing? It's not good just to touch random orbs at will.

–Uzuki: I don't know what happened... but destiny can be cruel.

–Mira: A cruel destiny...

–Yayoi: This planet... was destined to die.

Everyone remained silent for a moment.

–Lyra: Umm... what happened?

–Mira: According to what little information I've gathered, that planet may have something to do with Gallurum.

–Tamaki: Eh?!

–Miho: No way! You mean-

–Alcea: It is indeed possible that it was once the home to a civilisation that thought they could handle something they could not handle. I don't know how humanity managed to colonise it, but what matters now is that the planet is dead.

–Mira: So far, no planet touched by Gallurum has been successfully repopulated for longer than a century. And not for lack of trying. However, a massive buildup of lukira on such a world is unusual. This suggests that humanity may have found a way to fight Gallurum, even if they didn't know it at the time.

–Tamaki: I personally don't think that's the case. It may be a sign that the humans on that planet became desperate.

–Uzuki: Umm... Mira...

–Mira: What is it, Uzuki?

–Uzuki: Do you know where this planet may be? If the Portal Monolith is sealed, then our only way to get there may be via ship.

–Miho: U-chan, what are you saying?! What reason do you have for wanting to explore a dead world?

–Uzuki: I just want to see if there are any clues as to how Gallurum may be defeated. I know we have to search for the April Light, but...

–Mira: Uzuki, the search for the April Light takes priority. However, this dead planet is close to Ocypsa, so...

–Uzuki: I understand. After all, there are more important things to do here. Alcea, how is the World Orb?

–Alcea: It is safe, for now. By the way, did Mutsuki tell you about the location of the White Orb?

–Uzuki: Ah, she did. How did you know about that?

–Alcea: I peered into the minds of some of the captured soldiers.

–Aoi: Eh? You can read minds?

–Alcea: Yes, but we need to physically touch the person first.

–Lyra: Ah, Mira and I have the same ability.

–Mira: So do the other pendant holders.

–Tamaki: If I recall, Natasha has the exact same ability. She rarely uses it, though.

–Miho: Ah, that's right, doesn't she also have the ability to enter people's minds and determine their health from there?

–Tamaki: Ah, of course, I forgot.

–Aoi: I think we're getting a bit sidetracked here.

–Uzuki: Ah.

The orbs disappeared.

–Mira: Anyway... what should we do now?

–Uzuki: Ah, I wonder how are the others going. Gerudo did launch a multi-pronged attack.

–Tamaki: Ah, that's right. There's an army heading straight towards the capital. Should we meet up with Himawari and the others?

–Uzuki: That would be a good idea. However, what do we do with the World Orb here?

Everyone looked at each other.

–Wakaba: Well, we can't just leave it here.

Tamaki walked to the entrance of the temple.

–Alcea: I'll look after the World Orb in your stead. Uzuki, you go and do what you need to do.

–Uzuki: Ah, okay.

Uzuki turned towards Yayoi.

–Uzuki: Yayoi-nee, what will you do now?

–Yayoi: I'm not sure. I came here by myself, specifically to meet Alcea.

–Uzuki: Does Mutsuki-nee know?

–Yayoi: I haven't told her. I haven't told anyone, because I didn't want anyone to interfere. But then you had to appear...

–Uzuki: Yayoi-nee, you know you're still a long way from being able to challenge Alcea in battle. As you saw, I still am too. But lately... I've felt our mother's presence.

–Yayoi: Eh? What do you mean?

–Uzuki: It's almost as if... she's looking over me.

–Yayoi: Uzuki... it's true that your mother really adored you. I suppose, even now, she wants to support you in any way she can. I'm sure, one day... we will defeat her murderer.

–Uzuki: Of course. The day will come. We just need to get stronger.

Yayoi patted Uzuki's head.

–Yayoi: Well, I better go now.

–Uzuki: Where are you going?

–Yayoi: I'm not sure. Maybe I'll head to the capital.

Yayoi turned towards Alcea.

–Yayoi: Alcea, we will meet again. Don't think you've won this time.

Yayoi left.

–Uzuki: Anyway, let's head back to the Spica, everyone...

Uzuki looked around and noticed that someone was missing.

–Uzuki: Huh? I know Tama-chan walked to the temple entrance, but where's Eun-Yeong?

–Aoi: Come to think of it, it seems she just walked off the moment we came here.

–Tamaki: Ah, everyone, come here.

The girls walked to the entrance.

–Uzuki: What is it, Tama-chan?

–Tamaki: I sense a disturbance in the background mana field within the temple. I suspect a battle is occurring inside.

–Miho: Wait, didn't Alcea deal with all of the enemies before we got here?

–Tamaki: That may be true, but it's possible that some of them sneaked inside. Not only that, I also sense Eun-Yeong's mana signature inside.

–Wakaba: Wait, is she... fighting in there by herself?

–Tamaki: Possibly.

–Uzuki: Well, I can't just stand here while a friend is in danger! Everyone, let's head inside and search for her!

Uzuki ran inside.

–Miho: And there she goes. Eh, whatever. I'll see what's going on inside.

Miho followed Uzuki. The rest of the girls, except Lyra, entered the temple.

–Alcea: Lyra, you're not going to follow them?

–Lyra: I am, but...

Lyra walked towards Alcea and looked closely at her face.

–Alcea: Is there something on my face?

–Lyra: You look familiar. I did lose my memories, but I seem to recall someone who looks like you.

–Alcea: Well, Aria did say that your memories are slowly returning. I'm sure you'll remember in due time.

–Lyra: I guess you're right. Well, I'll be heading inside, then.

–Alcea: Take care, Lyra.

Lyra entered the temple.

–Alcea: Come to think of it, her face looks familiar to me as well.

Alcea walked to the entrance of the temple, and began to cast a spell. A blue magic circle appeared beneath her feet.

End of Episode 50

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