My first story of 2015, and one that's been in the works for a while now. I want to say a quick thank you to Erednay for helping me organize it. Comments and criticisms are welcome, and updates are planned to come around every other week.

Disclaimer: I don't own Warhammer 40k or Puella Magi Madoka Magica

This couldn't be happening.

Those words burned in Madoka Kaname's mind as she raced up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her.

This couldn't be happening.

Her desperate panting was drowned out by the furious storm outside. Wind raged against the building she was ascending, clawing at the brick and mortar in an attempt to tear it apart and scatter it to the ends of the crumbling city.

This couldn't be happening.

Somewhere out there, in the hellish windstorm, her friend was fighting for her life. Somewhere out there, Homura was standing alone against the single most powerful Witch of all time.

And she was losing.

Madoka had only caught brief glimpses of the fight as she raced through the abandoned streets. She'd seen Homura lash out at the monstrous creature with all manner of weaponry, each proving to be useless. The Witch never slowed nor hesitated. It withstood every hit as though they were nothing and unleashed wave after wave of Familiars to ravage the structures below.

Above her, Madoka heard the sound of glass cracking as the wicked winds shattered a window higher up the stairwell into a million tiny shards. She hugged the wall as tightly as she could, watching the fragments as they fell like lead snow, striking the sides of the steps and careening into the abyss. She was nearly blown after them as the wind tore through the new opening and screamed around her body.

Hunching over to protect herself from the unrelenting elements, Madoka began to climb again. She didn't dare pause for even a moment. The last she'd seen of Homura was her form disappearing as she was smashed into the roof by a chunk of another building that had been torn free. She might already be too late.

Madoka shut her eyes, gritting her teeth against the helpless feeling that rose in her chest.

No! She wouldn't be too late! She'd already lost too many friends to let that happen! No matter what, she wouldn't let anyone else die to this… this…

She stumbled, nearly collapsing as the weight of everything that had happened. She couldn't give up. She couldn't let it all be for nothing.

Rising back up, Madoka pushed herself forwards, taking the stairs two at a time even as the gale threatened to hurl her over the railing. One foot in front of the other. Each one bringing her just a little bit closer to her goal.

After a harrowing age spent in the winding wind tunnel, she found herself standing on the new roof of the building. The old one had long since vanished into the stormy skies, leaving behind piles of rubble and destroyed masonry. Out of the corner of her eye, Madoka caught a glimpse of the one responsible for all this devastation.

Walpurgisnacht.

Colossal. Indomitable. Untouchable.

The enormous Witch's never-ending laughter echoed across the landscape, dancing on the razor wind as she fed on the despair of those cowering in their shelters. Those innocent people who didn't realize the true nature of the hurricane raging beyond the walls they took refuge in. It was no mere act of nature, and would not subside until everything they knew was reduced to dust and ashes.

Madoka tore her gaze from the terrible sight. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted, not even by such a creature. There was someone who needed her.

"Homura!" Her cry was immediately snatched away by the torrents of air biting at her form. She called again and again, clawing her way over a pile of rubble to get a better vantage point. After a short search, her actions were rewarded with a glimpse of her goal.

"Homura!" The raven-haired Magical Girl lay pinned beneath broken slabs of concrete. She was battered and broken, a trail of blood flowing down her forehead and across her face. She was hurt, but more importantly, she was alive.

"Homura!" She called a third time as she ran towards her fallen friend. This one managed to get a reaction.

"Madoka…?" She groaned, turning in disbelief to see the pink haired girl running up to her through the haze of the storm. Surprise quickly turned to horror as she realized the danger. "Madoka! What are you doing here!?"

The girl ground to a halt mere feet away from her, the single question burning in her mind like a lance of sunlight. What was she doing here? She couldn't hope to fight Walpurgisnacht. She was no help to Homura like this. Worse, she was a hindrance. Even so, she knew that staying behind in the shelter while her friend fought alone wasn't an option.

"I wanted to come for you." She said, her reasoning sounding hollow to her own ears. "I wanted to help… To do something."

A flash of pain shot through Homura's features as she forced herself up on her elbows. It wasn't enough to get her into a sitting position, but it was close.

"Madoka…" She said, her voice shaking. "Get out of here. Now! You can't be here! If you die… again… then all of this was for nothing! How many times are you going to do this? Don't you understand!? You can't help me here!"

Her words cut deep, but it was her expression that turned Madoka's blood to ice. Her face, normally so devoid of emotion, wore such blatant fear and anger that she could feel it like a physical force radiating off of Homura's body. If this kept up…

"But she can help."

The third voice, sounding so utterly harmless, drew their attentions immediately. Madoka found that she wasn't the least bit surprised when she saw Kyubey perched on a pile of debris, his pristine white fur standing out against the backdrop of the roiling storm clouds.

"Can't you?" He asked with a knowing tilt of his head.

"Get away from her!" Homura warned, screaming to be heard over the wind. She struggled to rise, but was unable to get herself more than a few inches off the ground. "Don't you dare touch her! Madoka! It isn't too late! Get back now!"

Kyubey said nothing, his bushy tail idly swinging back and forth as though the near panic in her voice was nothing worth concerning himself over.

Get back. Run. Hide. Stay where it was safe while the others put their lives on the line. Madoka felt the hollow weight of everything that had happened settle in her stomach. She'd stayed behind while everyone else did the fighting for her. She'd stayed safe while they'd died.

She couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't let Homura die as well. Even if she knew signing a contract with Kyubey meant dooming herself, she had to take the chance.

"I'm sorry." She said, tears stinging her eyes. She didn't know who she was apologizing to, her fallen friends, Homura, her family, or herself. "Kyubey…"

"Don't!" Homura commanded, reaching forwards in a vain attempt to hold her back. Even had they not been separated by such a distance, she lacked the strength to even stand, much less restrain another person. "Don't do it Madoka! Don't throw it all away! Don't make me watch you die again!"

Her friend's anguish cut into her heart like a thousand barbed thorns, but the pain didn't dissuade her. She knew that there was only one way this could end.

If she didn't know better she might have thought Kyubey was radiating amused satisfaction as she drew closer. That was impossible of course. He didn't feel emotions at all.

"What is your wish Madoka Kaname?"

She breathed in, the stinging dust filled air scratching her throat as she did so. She had one chance. One possible out. If this failed, there would be no turning back.

"I can wish for anything right?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Behind her, Homura was once again shouting but her voice was lost to the winds. Madoka knew she had to hurry. If her friend's hand started edging towards the disc at her wrist, the whole timeline would be erased just as it had been so many before it had.

"Of course." Kyubey answered immediately, no trace of doubt coloring his voice. She wondered briefly if he even knew what doubt felt like. "Someone with your potential could wish for anything in the world. There's no limit to what you could do."

The images of her friends flashed through her mind. Mami, having gone through the torture of isolation only to have her life cut short the moment hope began to shine. Sayaka, falling into despair when she truly began to understand the weight of her loss. Kyoko, sacrificing herself in a desperate gamble to save her friend.

She could wish them back to life, but what would that do? Walpurgisnacht was still here. Even if they defeated the Witch, Madoka knew what would come next. In every timeline where they won, she herself became consumed by the same power which gave birth to the creature, turning into a foe even worse than she was.

"I wish…" One chance. That was all she had. Just one chance to get it right.

A sudden movement drew her attention back to Homura. The girl's hand flew to the device on her arm. She was going to reset it all again. Panic surged through Madoka's system as she frantically turned to Kyubey. With no time to think, she screamed the first thing that came to mind.

"I wish I could save them!"

Kyubey leaned forwards, his body gleaming with energy as he initiated the transformation. Homura gripped the time manipulation device, turning it with every ounce of conviction she had left. Madoka closed her eyes, bracing herself for the sensation of being changed or erased. Clenching her teeth, she turned her head to the side as a blinding flash of light burned her eyelids. She waited.

And waited.

She didn't feel anything changing. Was she too late? Did Homura go through with it? Tentatively opening one eye just a crack, she ventured a peak at her surroundings.

Nothing had changed. Kyubey still remained perched on the pile of rubble, his head angled forwards as he leaned towards her. Homura lay where she'd fallen, her hand gripping the edge of the tool on her arm in preparation to activate it. Everything was exactly the same except for one minor detail.

Nothing moved.

The wind had stopped, the lack of its howling shrieks leaving behind a heavy silence in their absence. Chunks of masonry and debris hung motionless in the sky as though suspended by some alien force. Homura was still as a statue, her eyes fixed in the same pained expression without even a rise and fall of her breath to tell the world that she was still alive.

Even Walpurgisnacht floated motionless before the backdrop of devastation. The Witch's turning gears and twisted laughter both froze in the same moment of nothingness that took hold of the world.

Madoka opened her mouth but there was no sound she could call upon. A million questions whirled around her head, each desperately clambering for clarification which she couldn't provide.

Just as she was starting to work up the nerve to step forwards, she noticed something that stole her breath away.

It was subtle at first, slowly wearing down things at the edges of her vision, but the more she focused the more she realized that the color of the surrounding world was dissolving. Tiny fragments of gray, brown, black, white, and every other shade imaginable began to peel away and evaporate like the sooty remains of a campfire in a sudden breeze. In their place, there was nothingness.

"Homura!" She cried, dashing to her friend. The girl's body was already starting to disappear as the entropic force took its toll. "Wake up! Please! You have to wake up!"

Madoka reached forwards to attempt shaking her free from the holds whatever dark will held her in place, but her hands met with nothing but open air as Homura vanished entirely.

An anguished scream tore itself free from her throat as she dropped to her knees where her friend had been laying just a moment ago. Tears were streaming down her face but she no longer cared. Whipping around, she turned to face Kyubey once again.

"Stop it!" She shouted, her voice filled with panicked desperation. "This isn't what I wished for! You can't do this!"

The Incubator said nothing, sitting motionless until his outline began to crumble and dissolve as well. Madoka watched in horrified fascination as his tiny body was reduced to wisps of fading emptiness. Whatever forces were at work hadn't spared him either.

"This isn't…"

A bitter sob got caught halfway up her throat, causing her to choke on the words she'd been unconsciously starting to speak. Everything was fading faster now, entire buildings being wiped out of existence in a matter of seconds while she watched helplessly.

The sky blurred and washed away into nothing, leaving Madoka's head spinning as she struggled to hold onto some semblance of reality. She took a step back only to feel her foot land in open air. Unable to bring herself to even shout, she felt herself fall backwards into the void, watching as the last glimpse of the world faded away.

Little by little, she became aware of her own form starting to fade. Her digits began eroding, trailing thin pinkish comet tails as she fell.

"I'm going to die…"

Madoka wasn't sure if the words were spoken out loud or not, but that mattered little. There was nobody else to hear her. She was alone in the end, just as the others had been.

Before long, her arms and legs had vanished and the rest of her body began to break apart as well. There was no pain. There was no anything. Even as the final portions of her body were scattered into the empty vastness, she couldn't pick up even one discernable physical sensation. Though her eyes were gone, it wasn't as though the scenery had changed. There was still nothingness in every direction.

Am I dead?

The question formed almost apologetically in her consciousness, as though she feared reprisal for having the nerve to even ask. Of course, there was no one to answer.

Another slow change made itself known as her fall started to shift directions. Instead of dropping straight down, she now felt as though she were moving at some sort of angle. She was going faster, her momentum being picked up by whatever senses had somehow remained despite her lack of a form. Before long she was rocketing through the empty air faster than she would have thought possible.

Something was coming. Something was building up in the distance. Without warning, she felt herself slam into some sort of barrier, shattering it as she was propelled forwards.

Reality returned in a rush, blazing into existence in time for her to hit the floor and skid several feet. Her shoulder slammed into a hard and unforgiving surface, sending a wave of pain shooting through her body.

Her body…

Gasping sharply, she opened her eyes to find that her body was still here. She rapidly drew in air as though she'd just broken the surface of an ocean that was miles deep, staring in disbelief at her limbs and body parts which had all been restored.

Rolling onto her side, she groaned as her legs strained to right her. After several moments of struggling she managed to rise to her feet and became aware of her surroundings for the first time.

It wasn't the rooftop in the city, that was for certain. This place, wherever it was, had almost no light, only a dim green strip of some strange material offering even the slightest illumination. There was no sound either. She was alone in the dark. The air was cold and stale, tasting as though it had been stagnating in this place for years without any to breathe it in.

Despite how badly she wanted to, Madoka refused to panic. She clutched her hands to her chest, carefully keeping track of each breath she took. She had to stay focused. Something massive had just happened, and she had to figure out what.

As her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, she became aware of human-like figures inhabiting small alcoves that had been carved into the wall. They were exceedingly tall, and had strangely exaggerated proportions. The arms and legs were all far too long while the upper body looked to be hunched over.

She knew it was probably not the smartest thing to do, but curiosity got the better of her. Madoka stepped closer to the figures in an attempt to get a better look. When she did, it took every bit of willpower she had to keep from jumping back and screaming in fright.

It was a skeleton. Or rather, a large representation of one. The statue, it had to be a statue, was painfully thin and its face was the spitting image of an empty skull. A single large piece made up the ribcage, with small indentations marking where the individual bones would be. Flat emotionless features stared back at her, silently observing the diminutive visitor.

Madoka took another deep breath, rebuilding her nerve as she reached forwards. A morbid sense of wonder had taken hold and she felt the inescapable need to touch it. Her fingers trembled as they drew close, barely brushing the surface of the statue before she snatched them back with a surprised yelp.

It was metal, and painfully cold. Far colder than she'd have thought it should be. If the musty coating of dust and soot was anything to go by, it was probably very old as well.

She was about to try reaching forwards once again when a familiar tugging sensation gripped her body. For the second time, she was ripped away from the material world, though this instance was far more sudden. She felt as though her body was blasted apart as she rocketed into the emptiness and sailed forwards at breakneck speeds. There was barely enough time to even take in the feeling of being tossed around before she was slammed forcibly through another barrier.

Unlike previously, she didn't get the luxury of sliding to a slow stop. All her forwards momentum was immediately halted as she was thrown against a massive shelf of some sort. She hardly had time to brace herself before the oversized object toppled over, spilling all manner of metal parts in a raucous din that could have drowned out a jet engine.

All the air was violently blasted from her lungs, leaving her able to only make a pitiful whimper as she slowly regained her bearings. Forcing her eyes open, Madoka was greeted by the sight of something resembling an exceedingly cluttered mechanical workshop. Countless pieces of indistinguishable gadgets and parts covered every available surface making it impossible to even tell what had been displaced by her sudden entrance.

What's more, she wasn't alone.

Her eyes went wide with a mixture of shock and fear as she became aware of the other presence in the room. It was massive, standing easily eight feet tall with a frame that looked like it could have flattened a small car just by sitting on it. The creature was huge, green, and looked positively dumbfounded at the girl who'd just appeared in its workspace.

Two beady eyes blinked in unison while a mouth filled with oversized teeth hung slack with its uncomprehending expression. One of its bulky arms was busy holding down a smaller green creature which looked to be struggling against it. The other hand was frozen in midair, bringing forwards a welding tool which it looked to be using to seal its unfortunate victim inside of something resembling a rocket.

Before the impasse could be broken, Madoka felt the same reality-bending sensation she had previously and managed to brace herself for the inevitable. Once more, the whole of reality was catapulted out of existence along with her physical form.

She was moving in a slightly different direction this time, and seemed to be slowing down. Not enough to come to a pleasant stop, but enough that when she hit the next barrier it didn't feel like her entire body was being forced through a metal grate.

As gravity once again came into effect, she managed to orient herself and land on her hands and knees rather than collapsing in a heap on the floor. A small feeling of satisfaction ran through her heart at her successful entrance despite the nature of the situation.

The moment didn't last long however, as a chorus of startled voices drew her out of her thoughts. She hadn't landed on the floor after all. Rather, she'd managed to come down right in the middle of a large circular table. All around her were strangely tall people, dressed in strikingly ornate robes and garments which covered every inch of their bodies. Their heads and faces were hidden behind highly stylized masks and helmets. Each one was adorned with symbols whose meanings she couldn't even guess at, and gemstones which looked nothing short of priceless. The walls of the structure they were inside of was pale white in color, looking to be some sort of mixture between plastic and metal. It was unlike any substance she'd seen before.

The room was a blur of motion as many of the people began speaking at once, their gestures and actions all centered on her as they collectively drew away from the table. Silence fell around the congregation as they watched her warily.

"S-Sorry…" Madoka ventured, not knowing what else to say. From the looks of things she'd dropped in the middle of some kind of ceremony or perhaps a ritual gathering. She had no idea how to convey the circumstances that had thrown her here in a way they would understand.

"I didn't mean to interrupt. It was an accident. Y-You see, I-"

Her stammered apology was cut short as one of the figures took a decisive step forwards. He, she assumed it was a he given the lack of any visible defining features, jabbed an accusing hand forwards and began speaking in a rapid dialect that she couldn't hope to follow. Despite not knowing what was being said, she could very clearly pick up on the unbridled hostility in his voice.

"I'm sorry!" She quickly offered again, backing up to the far edge of the table under the verbal assault. Her movements caused the people at her back to part ways and move to either side, not willing to get close to her.

"E'seeais ruevis, mon-keigh!" The speaker demanded, nimbly stepping up onto the top of the table she was crouched on. A new flurry of words she couldn't make out followed the first, causing her to tremble under the weight of his anger.

Before she could enter another useless bout of failed communications, the world once again decided it was time for her to leave. It came as a relief when she felt the bonds of reality split apart.

The figure speaking seemed to notice the change as well and darted forwards with his hand outstretched. Whether his intentions were to harm her or simply to hold her in place, she couldn't tell. Regardless, he was a fraction of a moment to slow as everything fell apart into nothingness just before he managed to grab ahold of her arm.

She was drifting once again with neither form nor focus. The sense of movement had slowed considerably since the last time, giving her the impression that her unpleasant ride was nearing its end. Countless worries made themselves known to her at this realization.

Was she doomed to drift in this empty vastness forever? Even if it deposited her somewhere before stopping, how could she hope to get home? Most important of all, what had happened to her friends, the very ones this had all started for?

These questions plagued her the entire time she was floating through the vast non-existence. When she finally began to slow to a halt, she noticed immediately that something had changed.

This place was different from before. She still had no form to speak of, but the surrounding atmosphere had changed considerably. It felt… wrong. Dark. Sinister. Fleeting images of distant things flickered past her incorporeal senses, causing her to shudder as they brushed against her awareness.

Little by little, they started to focus on her. It began as one small creature turned, catching a glimpse of her with whatever strange perception it had available. More quickly joined, drawing closer and closer like a pack of circling wolves.

Madoka did everything she could to hide herself from their sight, but in this world she had no control. She could only watch with growing concern as more and more of the spectral apparitions were drawn to her presence.

All at once, they fled with startling speed. She was left alone. For several moments, she simply waited, fearing that any movement would draw them swarming back. That fear was replaced by an even greater one as she realized what had driven them away.

Like some cataclysmic celestial body eclipsing the light of the sun, a massive entity made itself known to her. The sheer overwhelming power being given off by it left her in terrified awe. Its mere presence was enough to overshadow Walpurgisnacht a thousand times over.

And its attention was firmly fixed on her.

An array of countless invisible eyes locked her into place, smothering her under the sheer weight of the being's gaze. She could feel its ancient power as well as its scrutinizing curiosity. To it, she was an oddity. Something it wasn't used to seeing.

Just when she feared she would drown under the watching presence, another joined it. There was no subtle intrigue to this one. It was rage. It was hatred. It was bloodlust. Unbound fury washed over every fiber of her being, shaking her with the violent intensity of an earthquake as it approached. The first entity wasn't happy at the intrusion, but it had little chance to protest before two more appeared as well.

One slithered in, bringing with it sensations of things Madoka couldn't fully grasp. Its presence sent shivers up and down her incorporeal spine, equally freezing and burning at the same time. There was too much sensory information for her to take in. The creature, whatever it was, seemed to pick up on her fear and displeasure. Its aura shook with what she could only assume was predatory mirth.

The other lumbered into the exchange, giving off a feeling so foul that she could hardly endure its mere approach. Had she possessed her body, she was sure she'd have become violently ill. In stark contrast to the others, the most repulsive of them lacked the same cruel edge to its being. It was perhaps the only of the four that had come out of nothing more than idle curiosity.

They were speaking. She could hear their voices roiling and raging, seeping into every crevice of her mind. What the words meant, she couldn't tell, but their owners were clear enough.

One was shrewd, moving through the conversation with subtle additions and inscrutable motives.

Another was boisterous, loud, and commanding. It boomed through the surrounding vastness, causing the realm to shake and shudder.

Still another was smooth and seductive. Crawling amidst them like a serpent whispering in the ears of its fellows.

The final was content to simply sit back and enjoy the show. Its echoing laughter made it clear that it found the discussion to be highly entertaining.

Their voices deafened her, smashing against her essence as the verbal debate continued onwards. Madoka could feel herself starting to break under the onslaught. Try as she might to hold on, the overwhelming substance that the creatures had to them was crushing her simply by their proximity.

Just when she felt as though she could take no more, she felt herself start to be pulled away from the bickering forces. An unfamiliar power wrapped itself around her, drawing her back at blistering speed. In the span of only a few moments, the crippling weight of the other beings was mercifully far away.

She let out a soundless sigh of relief, no longer caring where she was being dragged. So long as it was away from those four, she would be happy with it.

Her progress slowed much more smoothly than it had previously, causing her to come to a light stop. She was still not back to the physical world, but she wasn't exactly in the same sinister area she'd been in previously. It felt tamer here. As though the darkness was being held at bay.

She wasn't given much time to reflect.

A new presence made itself known to her, dawning over her consciousness with the bright light of a hundred blazing suns. It was just as powerful, if not even more so, than any of the previous four. Unlike them however, it kept its own might restrained, ensuring that she wasn't made to suffer in its presence.

The being was different. It lacked the same vile feeling that had exuded off of the others, and it seemed to just be more… human. It bore no single massive affinity for any one emotion, but rather held the expected mixture of all of them.

But above all that, it felt tired.

Exhausted beyond the scope of what any one mortal could hope to comprehend. Yet, even through the fatigue and strain, there was an insurmountable strength behind it. That strength warmed her, chasing away the pain and anguish she'd suffered at the hands of her previous captors.

You have no idea what you've done, do you?

The voice startled Madoka back into alertness. Not only did it speak in a language she could understand, but it sounded from all around her. She tried to reply only to remember that she had no body and thus could not speak. The voice sensed this when she didn't answer.

She felt it… him, the voice sounded distinctly male, focus. After a brief pause, reality bent in on itself and the scattered pieces of her physical form rapidly rearranged into their proper places. She was left floating in the vastness, now fully intact.

"Who are you…?" She gasped, having long since given up on trying to understand what was going on. "How did you do that?"

He didn't answer. Instead she felt his gaze sweep down upon her like that of a stern parent.

You have brought a great tragedy with you. One that will take many lives.

Despite the nature of what he was saying, there was no condemnation of anger in his voice. It sounded firm but resigned, as though the talk of death was nothing more than he'd expected. She tried to open her mouth to ask what tragedy he spoke of, but he went on before she had the chance.

You came here with a purpose, didn't you?

Madoka's head jerked upwards sharply. In the chaos of the past… how long had it even been? She'd almost forgotten the reason behind the madness.

"Yes!" She answered, startling herself slightly at how loud her words sounded in the bleak expanse. "I wanted the chance to save my friends. Do you know about that? Can you help me?"

He had no body whose movements she could have observed, but she could have sworn that he shook his head sadly at her questions.

I cannot. The only one who can help you is yourself. You've set in motion events that can no longer be avoided. By their end, many will perish, and many will suffer. Whether you will be counted among their number or not is something only you can decide.

"Wait!" She cried, feeling the same energy as before start to wrap around her. "What does that mean!? Please! I just want my friends back!"

Go now, Madoka Kaname. Find the one who claims a place among the office of Daemon Hunters. Show her your hand, and begin the journey to fulfill your wish. Your fate, and that of your friends, will be decided in the coming days.

The sheer finality in his tone sent a surge of panic into her heart, causing her to struggle against the tendrils that encompassed her. She was about to protest once again when a blinding pain tore through her hand, strangling any attempt at voicing her concerns.

To her horror, she looked down to find that a pure white flame had taken light in her palm. She screamed, throwing all self-control to the winds as she fought and flailed in the being's grip. No matter how hard she tried, the fire refused to be extinguished. It blazed in her hand as though trying to scorch her right down to the bone.

Find them and finish what has been started. There is a terrible price that must be paid in the end, but only you can hope to defeat the coming storm.

Tears streaming down her face, she could hardly even bring herself to hear his words, much less respond. She began to move once again as the tethers bound to her started dragging their unwilling passenger towards destinations unknown.

Goodbye Madoka Kaname. And good luck.

With his final parting words spoken, she was hurled back into the non-space even faster than she'd been going before. All the while her hand was an inferno as she uselessly tried to alleviate the pain. Though the journey couldn't have been any longer than her previous ones, it felt like it lasted for an eternity.

The walls of reality broke over her like a rolling wave, throwing her into the dirt with as much care as a discarded tool. She hit the ground with a hard bump, rolling to a stop as the rough grass clung to her clothing. For a time, she simply lay there panting and whimpering in the aftereffects of her trials.

The flame in her hand was gone, leaving nothing behind except the memory of its agony. It was a slight breeze that prompted her to open her eyes at last. High above, a light blue sky hung over her head.

Madoka groaned, using the last dregs of her energy to roll onto her side. The world was spinning, or maybe that was just in her head. She wished it would stop. It was making her painfully dizzy.

Putting her hands beneath her body, she pushed with all her strength in an attempt to rise up. It proved to be a mistake as the movement sent a wave of vertigo through her head, threatening to make her sick. With a defeated cough, she slumped back into the grass.

That was when she got her first good look at her hand. The fire had left a mark after all, emblazoning a strange symbol into her flesh.

The last thing she was aware of before darkness fell over her mind was the image of a decorative letter "I" bisected by three perpendicular dashes and topped with a skull in the center.