Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. This work of fiction is purely for entertainment purposes only and not for profit.

Prologue

The scene is the aftermath of a climactic battle between two entities of unimaginable power. The first entity is a monstrous abomination that any sane human would say shouldn't exist, but yet it does, hovering triumphantly over a city in near ruins like a towering predator over its fallen prey.

The abomination takes the form of an enormous rotating cog surrounded by even more cogs in a concentric circle. A lady-like apparition in Victorian-era outfit sits underneath these cogs, hanging upside down like an unholy combination of woman and machine. It emits a constant and maniacal laugh that can easily unnerve an ordinary person. This thing is at least the size of a football stadium, perhaps even bigger. This is the Walpurgisnacht, the most formidable Witch that any Magical Girl has ever faced.

Lying on a pile of rubble below is a young girl not more than 14 years of age in appearance. She is dressed in a white sailor fuukuu, a traditional Japanese school uniform with purple collar, trims and dress. On her left forearm she wears a buckler with intricate, clockwork motifs. A purple gem in the shape of a diamond is attached to the back of her left hand. Her long and dark hair is ruffled while trails of blood flow down her brow after receiving a near-mortal blow from the Witch.

"Give it up, Akemi Homura" says a strange, white creature that stands atop a piece of rubble beside the girl. If not for its long, squirrel-like tail and a pair of elaborate bangs that adorn the sides of its head, one could easily mistake it for a cat. It gazes upon the girl with its lifeless and expressionless red eyes and begins to lecture her. "You cannot beat the Walpurgisnacht on your own. But if Kaname Madoka could make a Contract with me and become a Magical Girl herself, then perhaps..."

"No! Never!" Homura interrupts. She tries to get up, but can barely stand from her injuries. She is grimacing in pain, but there is also a very defiant and angry look about her face. Her right hand is reaching for her buckler, which is both a weapon and a time travelling device. She intends to go back in time to redo this all over again, like a gamer reloading from a previous save point after losing a battle. But this time, she hesitates...

"If you continue to redo the time loop, the accumulated Karma in Kaname Madoka will continue to increase," the creature responds. "You know this already, but you keep repeating your failures over and over again. I don't understand you humans at all."

Homura's hand begins to slump as she begins to fathom the weight of her predicament. Each time she travels back in time to save her friend, Kaname Madoka, and to stop her from becoming a Magical Girl, she inadvertently paints Madoka as a bigger target as the universe reacts to the attempts at changing Madoka's fate.

"No... why does it have to become like this?" Homura's defiant act has turned into one of desperation and despair. On her knees, she laments her continued failure and wonders if there shall be no victory in the future either. As she falls further into despair, her purple gem begins to tarnish and turn black...

"Don't give up just yet, Akemi-san!"

A young man who has also been fighting at the scene of battle struggles to get on his feet. He is neatly dressed, wearing a red t-shirt underneath a short, black overcoat and pants. A pink TLR camera hangs around his neck. Surprisingly his clothes and the camera are unscathed, though the same cannot be said for the rest of the man's body, which is covered in cuts and bruises from the fight with the Witch.

The man turns his attention to the white creature. "It is true that Akemi-san has encountered failure after failure. It could be that she may not even be able to obtain victory under the present circumstances. Humans fall all the time; they are not built to be physically indestructible after all."

"Then why do you keep at this farce, over and over again?"

"Because this is what humans do. We fall, we pick ourselves up, and we learn from our mistakes. We become stronger through our failure; it is our failures that support us and help us grow. And we are not alone. We have friends who will also help pick us up when we can no longer get up on our own. That is why humans are not the weak and pathetic race that you keep painting us as. Towards that end, we will not give up! We keep going and going until at last, victory is in our grasp!"

"But... all that accumulated Karma on Madoka-chan..." Homura begins.

"Who cares about all that Karma nonsense? If you break the cycle and the accumulated Karma is never used, then it is completely irrelevant!"

"I... I see." Homura begins to regain her confidence. "I nearly lost sight of my wish. The most important thing for me is to protect Madoka. That was my wish back then, and it is still my wish now. So I shall continue to pick myself up and fight until my wish has been fulfilled!"

The man seems to sense that something within him has changed, and pulls out a trio of cards from a card holder by his side. He notices the images on these cards, which portray a blurred and unidentifiable figure, have started to solidify and become recognizable.

"Damn you and your constant meddling, outsider!" The white creature, which has always been an expressionless entity thus far, shows a hint of disappointment and anger in its voice. "Just who the hell are you?"

"Just a passing-by Kamen Rider," the man quips as he brandishes another card in his hand. "Remember it!"

"Let's go, Akemi-san, and show that bastard Kyubey how it's done."

"Henshin!"

KAMEN RIDE- DECADE!