Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Sayaka Miki's Time-Reversal Epic - Red saber and the burning church

The game center at Mitakihara Mall. The clatter of coins. Electronic beeps. Someone's laughter. Sayaka walked alongside Madoka. The after-school crowd. Two girls in school uniforms, swallowed by the wave of people. " We haven't had time to shop together lately, huh." "Yeah. But I was looking forward to this." Madoka smiled. Her pink eyes still held a trace of hesitation. Ever since that day—since Sayaka tore Kyubey apart in the park—this distance had lingered between them. Sayaka pretended not to notice. They passed by the game center. Madoka's feet stopped. " ...Huh?" In front of the UFO catcher. Red hair. A high ponytail. Crimson eyes. A girl stood there. Taiyaki in one hand. The other hand worked the lever. The arm descended. Grabbed the plushie. Dropped it. "Ahh, so close!" She laughed, showing her fangs. Inserted another coin. Bit into her taiyaki. As if this place were her own home. Sayaka's heart leaped. *(Kyouko—!)* Memories from her past life surged in. The days they fought together. Gluttonous, shameless, but truly kinder than anyone. She had fought shoulder to shoulder with that girl. Sayaka broke into a run. " Kyouko!? You're Sakura Kyouko, right!" Kyouko's hand stopped. Taiyaki still in her mouth, she slowly turned around. Her crimson eyes narrowed. "...What do you want?" A low, cold voice. Sayaka closed the distance without hesitation. "It's me, Miki Sayaka! I wanted to see you—" In that instant. Light flashed at her wrist. Kyouko's Soul Gem glowed red. The air tore apart. Something cold touched Sayaka's neck. A spear. The tip pressed against her throat. A distance of mere millimeters from cutting skin. Madoka screamed. " Sayaka-chan!!" Kyouko swallowed her taiyaki. " You know my name." Her red eyes held the color of a beast eyeing its prey. "Why? Why does some stranger know my name?" Sayaka couldn't move. *(No. Kyouko, you don't know me, but I know you.)* She couldn't say it. There was no way she could. That she had turned back time. That she had fought alongside her in a past life. " I just—I just want you to hear me out." " Got nothing to say to someone I don't know." Kyouko turned her back. "Sayaka-chan! Are you okay!?" Madoka rushed over. A thin red line ran across Sayaka's neck. Sayaka bit her lip. *(No. I can't let her walk away.)* Kyouko was about to leave. At that moment— Blonde hair swayed. " Wait just a moment." Mami emerged from the crowd. Her amber eyes were cold and narrowed. "Over the past three days, you've hunted three witches in Mitakihara. You poached their Grief Seeds." Kyouko's feet stopped. She turned around. Red eyes clashed with amber. " Ohh, so you're here to get mad about territory violations. Should I call you senpai?" Kyouko sneered. " I'm asking you to leave." " The strong hunt. That's how it works. I've got no intention of leaving Mitakihara." Mami's ring glowed. "I see. Then—" "—shall we change locations?" --- An abandoned factory along the Takihara River. Cracks ran through the concrete floor. Exposed steel beams. Rusted machinery. In the high-ceilinged space, the light of dusk slanted in. Sayaka stood beside Mami. Madoka hid in the shadow of the entrance. Kyouko stood alone in the center of the abandoned factory. " You two planning to come at me together?" In Kyouko's hand, a spear materialized. Particles of red light gathered, forming a single long spear. A weapon that fit her hand perfectly. " No, I'll face you alone—" " Senpai, we're going together!" Sayaka shouted. Her blue Soul Gem shone. Sabers materialized in the air one after another. More than ten blades floated around Sayaka. Kyouko laughed. "Fine. Bring it." —Battle. Sayaka stepped in. The sabers flew at Kyouko all at once. Kyouko didn't move. She swung her spear. Once. Twice. Three times. Clang. Clang. Clang. Sparks. Every single one was deflected. Sayaka's sabers all stabbed into the floor or embedded themselves in the walls. "That all you got?" Kyouko took one step forward. Mami's ribbons crawled across the floor. Countless yellow bands tried to entangle Kyouko's legs. But. Kyouko's spear split apart. One became three. Three linked into a chain, spinning. It tore through the ribbons. " Ribbons alone won't—" Mami spread both arms. Muskets appeared one after another. More than ten fired at once. Kyouko leaped. She kicked off the wall and grabbed onto a ceiling beam. The bullets only shattered the floor. " Above us!" Sayaka generated new sabers and jumped. She swung three sabers in rapid succession. Kyouko caught them with the shaft of her spear. —Clang. Her arms went numb. Heavy. Was Kyouko's spear always this heavy? " Too slow." Kyouko's spear grazed Sayaka's stomach. Impact. Sayaka's body slammed into the wall. " Guh...!" Pain shot through her back. Her breath stopped. " Sayaka-chan!!" Madoka's voice came from far away. Kyouko landed on the floor. "You said it earlier. That you wanted to see me." Kyouko's voice wavered, just slightly. Sayaka stood up. Her knees trembled. " ...Yeah. I want to talk with you. Properly." "Why." "Because you—" Sayaka's lips quivered. Was it okay to say this? But if she didn't say it, it would never reach her. "—At that church in Kazamino, you made a wish for someone's sake, didn't you?" Kyouko's movements stopped. "For your family. And yet—" " Shut uuuuuuuup!!!" Kyouko screamed. For the first time, she was emotional. "Why—why does some stranger like you know that! Who told you! Where did you hear it!" Her voice cracked. Anger and fear mixed together. In that moment— The wall writhed. A black stain seeped out from the concrete wall. A shadow. Sayaka recognized it. The thing that had floated outside Madoka's window at the end of that day. " Senpai—!" Mami noticed it too. She readied her ribbons. But. The shadow ignored both Sayaka and Mami. It targeted Kyouko. --- The shadow spread. The floor, walls, ceiling of the abandoned factory. Everything was dyed black. Madoka stood frozen at the entrance. "What... what is this... what's happening...?" She was outside the barrier. Madoka couldn't see the full form of the shadow. She only felt the air grow heavy. Kyouko had fallen to her knees. The opening created by Sayaka's words—the shadow had stabbed into that gap. " Wha... what... is this..." Before Kyouko's eyes, the shadow changed shape. —A church. —A church engulfed in flames. Only Kyouko could see it. Flames flickered. Hot wind blew. Smoke filled her lungs. All of it, an illusion. But to Kyouko's eyes, it was real. " Stop... stop it..." Kyouko retreated. Her back hit the wall. There was no escape. From within the flames, a voice spoke. "Kyouko." Her father's voice. "Your prayer destroyed our family." "You killed everyone." Kyouko's spear fell to the floor. Clatter. A dry metallic sound. " No... that's not true... I just... I only..." Kyouko covered her ears with both hands. Tears spilled from her crimson eyes. In the flames, her little sister's face appeared. Her mother's face appeared. Burning. Engulfed in fire. " Dad, I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Kyouko collapsed onto the floor. Her ponytail came undone, her crimson hair spreading across the dust-covered floor. " Kyouko!!" Sayaka tried to run to her. But. The shadow formed a barrier, blocking her way. She swung her saber. Cut the shadow. But—it passed right through. Mami's ribbons were the same. They slipped through the shadow and stabbed into the factory wall. " Physical attacks don't work..." Mami's voice dropped low. Kyouko was crying and screaming. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." A voice like a child's. The thin, frail voice of a fourteen-year-old girl. Sayaka felt like her chest would burst. *(Kyouko. It's not your fault. None of it is your fault.)* But those words couldn't reach her. The shadow was trying to envelop Kyouko. Sayaka looked at her left hand. Her blue Soul Gem. From the battle, from the mental strain, corruption had accumulated. The taint was deep. If she didn't purify it with a Grief Seed, her limit was near. Even so— " Get away from her!!" Sayaka screamed, slamming her saber into the shadow again and again. It was useless. The blade only passed through. Only Kyouko's crying echoed through the abandoned factory. Mami bit her lip and fired her ribbons repeatedly, but none of them worked. Outside the barrier, Madoka just trembled. "Sayaka-chan... Mami-san... what's happening...?" Her voice reached no one. The shadow was trying to swallow Kyouko's body. The illusion of flames still continued. Kyouko remained collapsed in tears, unable to move. In the darkness, Sayaka's Soul Gem kept clouding over. The battle wasn't over. Couldn't be over. Couldn't let it end. Only the illusion of the burning church, the shadow surrounding Kyouko, quietly melted into the darkness of the abandoned factory. —The shadow was still there.

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 5

Name: Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Sayaka Miki's Time-Reversal Epic
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt