*
" ... I see, this was what she meant when she said you were the key to solving all of this. It was so upfront, I should have known..." (Arin)
What did she see? Where did she see it? The same scene plays out over and over, like a broken record. It wasn't a particularly unsettling nightmare or anything, but it did strike at her psyche. Like a pair of cold claws digging into her skin and never letting go, each time it sinks slightly deeper into her flesh by a miniscule amount. She can't feel the change but she knows it's getting worse.
A pair of beautiful black eyes meet the familiar ceiling, an ashy grey that spreads to all corners of her bedroom. At the side of it was an air conditioner that had accompanied her throughout the years. Familiar old things bring her comfort, the years anchor her soul in this reality. The sense of age, of belonging tell her that not everything isn't a dream. After what had happened yesterday, life returned to normal. The explosion was explained in the news as a terrorist attack. No one is questioning it or even bringing it up.
When she noticed her surroundings, she was already in her seat ready for homeroom. The voices buzz by like a sea of incongruous noise, her head felt a little fuzzy and floaty. Her morning sickness orbitted her like a cloud, dampening her ability to interact with the world, in a half conscious state she had finished her entire commute. The entire world was continuing on as if absolutely nothing had happened yesterday. The explosion was treated like an inevitability instead of an accident, it was entirely strange.
Eterna casted a world wide cognition blocker to prevent anyone from thinking about the incident. Incidentally, that morning sickness must have been the result of her body resisting the cognition blocker, causing immense mental fatigue as she went about her daily life. She could get rid of it by transforming, but she didn't see any point. Traces wouldn't appear for a while, there wasn't a threat at the moment that needed magical girls. She didn't want to rely too much on this power.
At least for now, she wouldn't resort to magic to get rid of a migraine. The rest of the day went by in a blur, and before she knew it it was over. She could hear the halls fill up with students as the others rush to head home or hang out outside. The celebratory chatter after a day of school was timeless, ubiquitous in any era. Standing up from her seat, she walked over to where Faramicia was, he had average height and a head of long dirty blond hair. His face was smooth and slightly effeminate, but unless he transformed no one would mistake him for a girl.
She could hear his characteristic laughter as he chattered with his friends, slowing to a halt as they notice her approach.
"Faramicia, I need to talk to you. You got a sec?" (Sariel)
"Whoa! Ough-!" (Heng Ji)
Edward hit him in the side, stifling his friend's voice. Edward and Heng Ji were common faces around Faramicia, his closest friends. Especially after what happened with The Invader unleashing an army of Traces last time.
" Alright, roof top?" (Faramicia)
If he were to be asked, he wouldn't deny that he had some expectations. Sariel was beautiful, slightly above average in the looks department, and even a powerful magical girl. But he wasn't a fool, he knew perfectly well that they would be talking about business instead, about the other side. On the way there, he asked.
"Is this about those girls who are no longer here?" (Faramicia)
It wasn't just him, somewhere in their hearts everyone must have been curious about her. She never interacted much with the class up until the latter half of the year, she became such close friends with Lastia and Arin, and they... They vanished one day. No one knows about their circumstances, no one questioned it either. They didn't dare ask Sariel, seeing as she seemed to be so depressed. It's like watching the life get sucked out of her one day, and she never recovered.
She would still smile and talk to you if you interacted with her, but otherwise she would hole herself up in her own world. Her face rested on a perpetual frown. No excitement for the days ahead, no life goals or the little cherished things that she looked forward to, as if stuck in motion of a never ending routine. The only thing that moved her was battle. Aura couldn't notice, not when most of her time spent with Sariel was during Trace encounters.
"Perhaps." (Sariel)
A gentle silence envelopes them as they hike up the stairs. The elevators are at full capacity, taking those who were going home. There were many other students taking the stairs too, even on these numerous flights there wasn't a place that was safe for discussion. 'Rebel', a voice tells her. 'Rebel and trigger an event, then there would be no safer place.', it whispers with a sickeningly sweet cadence. With a Fragment of The Calamity's power, it might be possible for her to 'rebel'. It would have to do with abstract methods like assuming the title of 'The Calamity' and inheriting the throne of a heavenly king while the real deal isn't present.
However, it was just another foolish temptation like any other. A sudden spike of irritation doesn't justify such drastic actions, its insignificance will be dissolved in the sea of daily life like every other trivial detail of her day.
"We're here. Faramicia, would you join me? The government is throwing a little tantrum and rebelling against humanity." (Sariel)
The government is under Eterna, it wouldn't tell Faramicia the whole story but it's sufficient. For all he knew, Eterna was a character not unlike a fairy tale. A mythical being awashed in obscurity. There is no god ruling over this earth, not when there is an abundance of every resource and no strife exists. No large scale conflict, no pressures threatening lifelihoods, no observable damocle's sword hanging above the heads of the common people like nuclear weapons. Without danger to one's life, no one would rely on an abstract being like a God.
After all, everything on earth was built with humanity's own hands.
"That sounds crazy- but I'm in. " (Faramicia)
The romance of grandeur lulls another. In other words, Faramicia was like any other guy out there, if he heard something this stupidly cool, he wouldn't hesitate to join hands.