Emi blinked multiple times before staring down at herself in disbelief.
"...I look like a cake." She whispered.
Two dark pink ribbons fluttered around her hair as the frills of her dress settled, and the last traces of light faded from the room.
The wand—or rather, the key—rested in her hands. It looked pretty with a metallic surface as she lifted it slowly, turning it from side to side.
"It feels so light!" She said in awe.
"That's because it's responding to your heart to best suit your needs!" Lumi said proudly, floating circles around her head. "A Magical Tool always matches its owner's will! And that one's special, like super special, Emi!"
Emi looked back up at him.
"You called it the... Silver Key?"
Lumi widened his eyes for half a second—then laughed a little too loudly.
"H-Haha! Did I say that out loud? Don't worry about it! Just a cool name, right?" He waved it off quickly. "Anyway, more importantly..."
Before he could finish, there was a loud thud coming from outside as the floor beneath Emi's feet vibrated.
Her wondrous look instantly vanished, contorting to one of fear.
"...W-What was that?" She asked, shrinking back in fear.
The curtains billowed inward as something dark slid across the glass; it was a distorted silhouette pressed against the outside of her room, stretched like wet ink dragged across paper.
It was trying to break into her room as if the shadow had followed the light.
"Eeek! I-it's here already?!" Emi squeaked, clutching the key to her chest.
"Darn, it's trying to come into here! Fighting in crowded spaces like your room is a bad idea!" Lumi stood beside Emi, worry plastered on his starry face. "It felt your Reload activation and locked onto you! Shadows hate Magical Girls, especially ones that shine too bright!"
Downstairs, Emi could hear her dad call out to her.
"...Emi?" He shouted, stopping what he was doing. "What was that noise? Are you alright?
Her heart jumped straight into her throat.
"D-Dad?!" She yelled back instinctively, then slapped a hand over her mouth.
The Shadow outside suddenly stopped its attempt to break the window and turned its attention to the other voice. Emi's Dad.
"...Oh no, it noticed him!" Said Lumi in panic.
The creature's form began to peel away from the window, dripping down the side of the house like liquid darkness.
"It's going after your father!" Lumi said urgently. "Emi, you have to stop it. Now!"
Emi's legs started to tremble as she stood there in shock.
"I-I've never fought anything before!" She said as anxiety started to rise again. "I don't even know how to use this thing!"
The key in her hands was letting off a shining bright light, far more potent than sun rays.
"You can do this Emi! Just believe in yourself! Your Father's life is in your hands now! This is what it means to be a Magical Girl!"
She could feel magical powers spreading up her arms—all the way to her shoulders.
And so she tightened her fists around the magical tool, furrowing her brows.
"...O-Okay!" She said, trying her best to steel her resolve. "I won't let it hurt them! I'll do whatever it takes!"
She took a deep breath and straightened her posture, just like she did when standing up to bullies.
"Lumi, tell me what to do!" She said with a shaking but firm voice.
The Star Spirit grinned too widely, proud of her resolve.
"With pleasure!" He darted to her side. "Alright. Right now you're holding a magical tool! All Magical Girls get one from the Necronomicon, since it's the only book known to fight back against evil, otherworldly entities!"
Emi focused on her magical tool, nodding her head at his words.
"Also, each Magical Girl receives a random magical tool from the Necronomicon, yours just happens to be really special! With your Magical tool, you can unlock realities beyond normal human perception! And from those realities, you can harness the emotions of hope, joy, and love, turning them into magical fuel for you to use!"
"...T-That's a lot to remember!" She said, confused, but determined in her expression.
"When you find the Formless Spawn, point it at them and shout what you desire!" Lumi said quickly. "Your magic responds to intent, and intent with strong emotions makes your magic more powerful!"
All of a sudden, a loud crash came from outside and below.
Emi widened her eyes and ran to look out the window, watching the Shadow attempt to break down the door.
"It's on a move!" Shouted the Star Spirit.
"No!" Emi opened her window and took a step outside, though the massive drop made her hesitate. "W-What do I do, Lumi?" She asked, turning around.
"You have to fly!" Said the Spirit immediately.
"I-I can do that?" She asked, widening her eyes.
"Remember, Emi, your magical weapon responds to intent! If it's your intention to fly, then it should happen!"
The young girl stared at him in awe before furrowing her brows and nodding her head.
Emi gulped pretty hard before stepping fully onto the window ledge, feeling the cold air engulf her body.
Far below, the Shadow slammed itself against the front door again.
BANG!
"D-Dad...!" She whispered to herself as her grip tightened around the key.
"Fly. I need to fly! I need to get there, now!"
She squeezed her eyes shut, imbalanced on the ledge.
"I want to fly!" She said quietly at first, but nothing happened.
She could feel her heart stutter in her chest.
"I need to fly!" She cried out, even louder. "And save my dad!"
The Silver Key finally responded, and thus, magical energy coursed through her body as a bright, pink glow started emanating from her backside.
"W-WOAH?!"
Her feet suddenly lifted cleanly off the ledge as Emi yelped, windmilling her arms once she floated forward.
"I'm floating—Lumi I'm floating!"
It took her a moment to realize that there were four wings behind her back, keeping her afloat.
They appeared to be made out of pink and white magical energy; structured like butterfly wings.
"I told you!" Lumi laughed, zipping alongside her. "Now think up, don't panic!"
"I am panicking!" She squeaked.
Still—somehow—she steadied her body as pink light streamed from behind her back, forming glowing trails like falling stardust.
Hovering in the sky, she could see everything around her in clear view.
It was all too beautiful.
"Oh... oh wow!" Emi gasped, widening her eyes. "This is actually... kinda amazing!"
Another crash at the door snapped her focus back to reality as the Shadow had finally forced the front door open, stretching its gooey form inside like smoke pouring through a crack.
She could feel her heart rate skyrocket.
"No!" She said, louder this time. "You don't get to hurt him!"
Emi lifted her magical wand, pointing it at the shadow as a glowing light brightened the dark night.
Baring her teeth, she intended to get rid of the shadow—and the only thing she knew in order to do that, was with light.
A bright—shining light—that would eliminate all darkness.
"Let there be light!" Emi closed her eyes, putting all her hope and trust into her magical wand.
And thus, the Silver Key answered her call the moment those words left her mouth, causing the magical tool to blaze like a newborn star.
A column of radiant white light erupted from its tip, illuminating everything like a divine spotlight.
The creature screamed in pain, though it wasn't a sound meant for human ears, but nonetheless, Emi felt it vibrating through her bones as the Shadow writhed.
Its gooey body boiled under the light, evaporating and dissolving into smoky tendrils as it tried desperately to flee.
Emi cried, pushing harder as her small arms trembled.
"Go away! Leave my family alone!"
The wings behind her flared even brighter as the Silver Key further borrowed the emotions of hope from various other worlds, feeding her magical power.
"Kreeeeeeeeehhhhh!" The light intensified, and with one final shriek, the Shadow collapsed inward, crumpling like burned paper as it was erased from existence entirely.
The silence that soon followed was deafening as Emi hovered there, panting; feeling her chest rising and falling rapidly as the glow around her slowly dimmed.
The wings behind her slowly started to vanish into light as she slowly levitated to the ground.
"D-Did it work?" She whispered with a shaky voice, feeling adrenaline pump through her.
Lumi floated beside her with bright, sparkling eyes.
"You did it!" He cheered, spinning in place. "You learned how to use your Magical Girl powers so quickly! Your intention was to erase a shadow with light, therefore, you produced light!"
Her knees nearly buckled as she held her magical wand tightly against her chest, staring.
"I-I did?" She looked down at the Silver Key that was still warm in her hands. "I really... did it?"
In front of her, the front door swung open even wider as her Father stepped out, carrying a baseball bat.
"Hey, who the hell is out here? I'm calling the police!" Her father's voice called out, confused as ever, though justified in his reaction. "Come around here again and it won't be pretty!"
Her heart leapt at his words.
"Dad!" Emi yelped instinctively, immediately covering her mouth. "Crap, he's gonna see me..." She said to herself.
Lumi zipped in front of her face.
"Okay, here comes the important part!" He whispered urgently. "Normal humans can't see Magical Girls in combat form if they have no magic powers! So for him, he sees absolutely nothing! You're safe!"
"...R-Really?" Emi whispered back, wide-eyed.
"Promise!" He said, nodding. "And the same goes for me!"