Hope born of solitus

*

"Something more dangerous than a t-Trace... ?" (Lastia)

My face felt cold under the rough roof top breeze, mumbling my words slowly. When my last words began to stutter, my chin rose and my eye met hers straight on.

"Right, to be fair, Traces are fodder. Only new magical girls would have trouble. They can usually be defeated by brute force instead of magic." (Sariel)

"F... Fodder..." (Lastia)

Right... I haven't encountered or seen any Traces, so the fear I'd feel would be unfamiliar to me right now... A battle of life and death. If there was one, it would have to be this match against Sariel that just ended. I don't think I could relate to her words, but I'll play along for now.

"... It's too early for you to care about that, you have to work your way up Traces first... Wait, no... You could run into it one day when I'm not around.

Even if I was around, would I be able to defeat it and protect you at the same time...? Right...

This is why I'm so impatient! An immense danger lurks out there, an entity that would require a veteran magical girl to fight, a Remnant. " (Sariel)

It felt like she was trying to convince herself of something, up until she stared straight into my eyes. Her words rang in my ears. Everyday, a person is dying of unnatural causes, these were under the guise of freak accidents. In truth, it was the work of Traces. That is not to say accidents do not occur at all, it meant that ostensibly small factors like jittery hands and spiking heart rates that lead to lethal accidents were likely caused by a Trace's magic.

" A Remnant...? I guess it follows the same naming sense. But what sets it apart from a Trace? " (Lastia)

She stares at the ground, mulling over her thoughts before replying. From what little I could gather, they're likely catastrophic causes of danger... Maybe something on the level of a natural disaster?

" They're instances of Traces... That defeated and consumed a magical girl, evolving them into something more fearsome. The danger comes from the fact that they are intelligent, they might be physically stronger and faster than myself too... As well as wielding a larger volume of magic. " (Sariel)

So a Remnant is simply roaming outside right now. I see the danger it poses and the source of her worries now, has she been anxious about it this whole time? A monster comparable to herself, how would she protect those she cared for...?

These rankings and terms were all too vague to grasp a picture of how dangerous all these creatures are. My only sense of comparison right now relied on Sariel's attack, Her ill conceived 'training' to speak of. A danger comparable or stronger than Sariel... In other words, I wouldn't be able to survive at all. I could tell...

"You weren't taking me lightly, but you weren't fully serious either... If that was the case, then I wouldn't be able to live safely..." (Lastia)

Traces are beings that sustain themselves through magic, humans seem like tasty snacks full of magical energy to them, similar to how people look at desert. This applies even more so for magical girls. A Remnant might naturally possess more potent tracking and detecting capabilities. We are essentially beacons of treasure to the Remnant. If that was the case...

"How long has the Remnant been active? How come it hasn't attacked?" (Lastia)

Throughout the course of the conversation, my bones have roughly recovered. They might still be brittle since they're brand new, but being able to move is significantly better than not.

"... Since Sunday. " (Sariel)

It was already Thursday, maybe she had been keeping patient. Or more likely... She discovered it when it was too late. The magical girl that was consumed, it must have been someone she knew. That, or she really tried her best to hold it in instead of worrying me about it, and it simply culminated into this mess.

"Believe in me." (Lastia)

"...? E-even though you're weak?" (Sariel)

"If I'm too weak to defeat the Remnant, then that's simply how it was meant to be." (Lastia)

"Y... You... HOW COULD YOU SAY THAT?!?? I... I did not become this strong!! Just to squander my strength and let those important to me die!!" (Sariel)

"You noticed it didn't you? You were too late to save another magical girl. Your fates weren't meant to be." (Lastia)

She must feel immense guilt right now. I'm sorry, for hurting you. But I need you to understand what I want to say, what I want you to know. The pain from losing someone, the pain from hurting someone, the pain from being helpless despite being the strongest magical girl around me.

"How dare you! How could you even begin to say such a cruel thing!!" (Sariel)

"From the start. I was like this from the very start, maybe you don't know me as much as you think you do." (Lastia)

I'll infuriate her. Maybe this was the easier way to get her to forget about me, to stop worrying about me. I do my best to smile, I don't have much time left anyway. After tomorrow, I'll forget all about this. That's fine, we can all forget about the pain and move forward. Something like regrets and envy are unnecessary for the future.

"I... Know you... I know you enough... That I understand you wouldn't... Say such awful things...

Condemning her death... For the sin of being weak... I can't accept such a thing. Why would you say that...?" (Sariel)

Through that manic episode of anger, she only arrived at tears. Did she feel defeated? Hopeless? How much would it take to break her? To make her so angry she would rather forget about me...? Just how much did the previous 'Lastia's grow in her heart? This isn't something... I know about...

"Stupid. If the strongest magical girl around couldn't beat The Remnant, then nobody can. Isn't it better to focus on yourself? To prioritise your own safety?" (Lastia)

Just as my predecessors had written in the diary. A simple message, yet many 'Lastia's felt the need to write it down again and again. I thought it would never apply to me, that I would be able to live a carefree life devoid of such trite concerns...

"Sa-chan, if you can't believe in me, I don't care. I still want you to live, to take care of yourself first. Could you do that for me?" (Lastia)