"And... that makes about fifty-eight of you. Phew. What a haul, huh?"

The guards I'd rounded all stood against the far wall of a lab with their hands tied. Some of them had broken noses or black eyes. One or two of them even had a limp. Most of them were glaring at me, their expressions full of irritation.

It'd taken me all of fifteen minutes, give or take, to secure both the kidnapped scientists and the guards.

The remainder had surrendered pretty much immediately after I'd taken down their captain, so it'd taken less time than expected.

But the big one, Arakelyan, hadn't been a pushover. It'd been fun to fight someone with actual skill and all kinds of enhancements.

"Forty-three, forty-four, forty-five... Well. Looks like that's it, I think," I mused.

I looked over my shoulder and sighed as one of them tried to resist the bonds, and I tugged him closer to me with a frown. He yelped as the energy coiled around his wrist tugged at him, and he stumbled forward.

"Settle down, buddy," I said. "We've had enough of that. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

The researchers all stood off to the side with the other group of freed researchers we'd found, some looking a bit worse for the wear, but overall not too bad all things considered. The thugs from another nearby lab had tried to reinforce the group with Narek Arakelyan, but they'd stood no chance.

Even with the illegally modified firearms that could penetrate the auras of some magical girls, I was simply too quick, too nimble, and too slippery for them.

A couple of these guards and their leader had some really interesting hardware. I'd never seen anything like it, and it really worried me. It was advanced. Far beyond what was legal.

It wasn't quite up to the par with bleeding edge military tech, but it was still impressive and scary to think of the damage this could do in the hands of the wrong people. And considering what they were using it for, I could safely assume that these were the wrong people. The members of the Corinthian Accords wouldn't pull out weapons to use against magical girls unless they absolutely needed to.

The thought made my blood boil. I was going to make sure these people paid dearly for their crimes, one way or another. I took a deep breath, calming myself, and turned back towards my bound prisoners.

"So. Let's try this again. Narek, was it?" I asked, turning to the large, bald guard. He stood up, and I walked over to him. The man towered over me, standing almost seven feet tall, and he was built like a brick house.

"Who do you report to? And what was the nature of your work here? I know that Evergreen isn't just a biotech company. You were kidnapping these scientists and forcing them to work for you, making them perform unethical experimentation." I gestured at the other men, most of whom were glaring daggers at me.

Narek grunted. "I cannot answer that," he said.

"Well, that's a problem, because I really want to know. And you're going to tell me," I said sweetly.

"I will not."

I narrowed my eyes at the man, and he stared at me, unmoving.

Despite the injuries he'd sustained, the man was still imposing. But his silence only served to make me angrier.

I'd already had an absolutely shit week, and I'd been fighting all night, and this place had me on edge. And if he thought I was just going to let that go? Oh boy. He had another thing coming to him.

"You realize there are a bunch of men downstairs, trying to blow the building up right now, right? You know what that means for everyone else here, right?" I asked, tilting my head.

He didn't answer.

"You do know, don't you? You're not stupid. You know that we can't stay here. So you're either a coward or you're loyal to the people you work for, which makes you even more stupid."

"I am no coward," the big man said, his voice gravelly. He spat out blood and glared at me. "And I am loyal to our employer and its goals. There are greater things at stake here than you realize."

"Oh? Please. Enlighten me," I said, crossing my arms. "What's so great about exploiting people? What's so great about kidnapping, blackmail, torture? What's so great that it's worth sacrificing these innocent lives?"

His gaze hardened. "You would not understand."

"Try me."

"You're too naive," he spat. "Too idealistic. Too simple-minded. Too foolish to grasp the truth."

I felt my eye twitch. "Oh really?" I said with a sweet, mocking voice, but an undertone of anger.

He didn't respond, and that only made my blood boil. My anger and frustration were getting to me. It'd been building and building since I got here and I couldn't let it go on.

"Fine then," I said coldly. I grabbed him by the front of his uniform and lifted him off his feet, his toes barely scraping against the ground. "The hard way it is," I said with a growl.

I threw an uppercut straight at his stomach. It was a clean hit and this time I barely held back.

I felt two of his ribs crack give as I drove my fist into his gut. His eyes went wide for a brief moment before he was sent crashing into the wall. The metal buckled from his impact, and he slid to the ground, gasping in pain as blood began to leak from his mouth.

The other men were visibly startled by this sudden outburst, but they kept their composure.

"I've been very, very patient with you and your men. I've played nice, even when you've all done horrible things to innocent people. You've kidnapped these scientists, and you've tortured and murdered their colleagues in front of them. And now, I'm asking nicely, politely, for some information that you're refusing to provide me. And I just don't have the time or the patience for it anymore."

Narek groaned as I knelt down, my fist tightening as I grabbed his throat.

"I have good word that there is a third party here to blow the building sky high," I explained, squeezing tighter as I spoke.

He let out a gasp of pain, his face growing redder and redder with each passing second. "And while I am confident in my ability to protect these scientists and my fellow magical girls, you and the others won't be so lucky."

"Go to hell, bitch," Narek managed to wheeze out through gritted teeth. He grinned at me mockingly.

My eye twitched.

I'm going to wipe that smug grin off his face, I thought to myself.

My fist clenched even tighter, my nails digging into his skin. His eyes widened in shock, then in fear as he felt the pressure on his throat increase. He struggled desperately, his feet kicking at the air as he tried to pry himself free from my grasp.

I leaned in close and whispered, so that only he could hear. "Look... you've seen the kinds of powers I have. I could just force the answer out of your head and leave you a drooling husk, and I'm starting to consider that the more appealing option."

The man's eyes widened as I stepped back, but his expression changed from one of defiance to one of pure terror.

It was a bluff. But he didn't know that.

And that was the important part, wasn't it?

I didn't want to torture him. It would've made me sick to my stomach, even more than I already was.

But he didn't know that.

"I know that you're loyal to your employer. And that's commendable. Really. It's an admirable quality," I said. "I can respect that. But if you keep pushing me like this? If you don't start cooperating? I will make your worst nightmares come true, do you understand me?" My voice was cold and hard, and he shivered. His breath came out in ragged pants.

"Even so. I...I can't tell you," he stammered. "They'll do worse than kill me. You don't know them. You don't know what they're capable of!"

My grip tightened ever so slightly, my knuckles turning white. Even now, I was holding back. I didn't want to hurt him anymore, but I couldn't let up yet either.

I sighed and let go, and he fell to the floor gasping for breath.

"You really don't care if your own people live or die, do you?" I said.

"It's a price that I am willing to pay," he rasped out, his face pale and drawn. "And any who are here understood the risks."

"What is it that keeps you from spilling, then. A wife? Children? Siblings? Sick parents?" I questioned.

He stared at me in defiance.

Then, he stuck out his tongue, revealing a tattoo in the shape of an infinity sign. I saw it for only a second before he covered it again.

"A seal, huh? And you're afraid of the person who holds it."

He gave me a blank expression, doing his best to keep a poker face. I'd seen this kind of magic before, and no matter how complex, my ability to dispel enchantments would be able to handle it.

"I do this for my husband and daughter, as well. Even now, our employers are listening, and both the hostages and security staff will suffer for it if I speak more than I am permitted," he explained. "You cannot reach everyone they have a hold over in time."

My lips pursed and I took a deep breath.

I knew I couldn't help them all.

He was right about that. Not in the way that was needed. There were too many people to protect, and I couldn't reach all of them in time.

And if they were willing to do something so vile as to kill their own security staff and the people that had been working for them for so long, they weren't going to listen to reason. The fact that they had taken the family members of their own men as hostages to secure loyalty spoke volumes.

I closed my eyes and thought. "What would it take?"

His brow furrowed in confusion, and he looked up at me. "What do you mean?"

"I can break the seals but I won't do it if it'll just put your families in danger. What will it take to bring them to justice?"

"They would not hesitate to murder my family if they found out I betrayed them, especially if the surveillance seal is broken," Narek explained, looking down. His voice cracked a little bit at the thought. "The only way would be to secure all of our loved ones, and that is impossible. It's too late."

He seemed to be at war with himself.

He'd given in a bit. But I couldn't justify leaving his family to die. There had to be some way...

"To be blunt, we have life insurance," the redheaded security staff I'd been talking to earlier mumbled. "And the risk to reward ratio is worth it for pretty much everyone here."

"What?"

"We're not just going to get slaughtered here," he said with a shrug. "There's an insurance policy for our families in case we don't return from our shift. They'll just know if we're gone, and set them up for life with enough to get away if need be. That's how the company secures loyalty. They need us to keep the scientists from rebelling or dying, so it's part of our benefits. If we all don't come home tonight, our families are set."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"That's insane."

"It's a guarantee," the guard explained. "And they're not gonna fuck with our families. The groups that fed us here... they have reputations in the underworld and can't risk being labeled untrustworthy or unreliable. They'd have a real tough time hiring new talent if word spread they didn't hold up their end of the bargain."

I frowned. I'd been hoping for some kind of solution, but that?

That wasn't it. They would have to die for me to save them, in a way.

I didn't want to leave them all behind to die. I didn't want that on my conscience. They might not have been the greatest of people, and they'd worked here knowing exactly what they'd gotten themselves into, but...

But it wasn't a good option. I hated it, I really did.

But what could I do?

"I can't just leave you here to die," I muttered, biting my lip.

"Little girl, this isn't about you. I'd rather die knowing my wife and kid will be okay than betray the company and have them both be tortured to death for it. Trust me, nobody winds up in a project like this unless they have a reason, and we all know what we're in for if things go south. It's part of our job," a rugged guard with green hair and purple eyes sighed. "You've seen what we're working with. They'll kill them and make me watch, or kill me and make them watch. That's the price we pay. It's worth it to know they'll be safe if I'm not here anymore."

The other guards, those who still could, nodded in affirmation.

They were willing to die to protect their loved ones, even in the face of death.

The only solutions I had in mind would require more time and more planning than I could afford right now. And even if I did have time to come up with a better plan, it was a stretch. I couldn't afford to wait around here. Not with a bomb that could go off at any moment. It was a miracle that nothing had gone wrong yet. The longer we were in the building, the more dangerous things became.

I clenched my fists. This was the last thing I wanted.

I wanted to save these people. To make them understand how horrible the things they had done were.

I was tired. So tired. Tired of fighting. Of violence. Of having to hurt and threaten others. Of the pain and death that seemed to follow me everywhere.

"So what do we do? I'm dead set on getting all of you out of here. I hope that much is clear."

I gestured at the researchers, who all nodded in affirmation, looking at me hopefully.

"Let us talk amongst ourselves," Narek grunted, sitting up and wiping some of the blood off his chin.

I sighed, but I let him and the others go to talk privately. I would be able to hear them anyway.

I walked over to Amelia, who stood with the rest of the scientists.

"You really mean to save them too?" She asked with an unreadable expression on her face.

"Yeah," I said. "Of course I do. I'm not leaving anyone here. Not to get killed. Not to get blown up."

Amelia smiled at me, but her eyes had a distant, faraway look in them. I could tell that she was torn, her feelings for the people that had kidnapped and blackmailed her conflicted.

"Even after everything they've done?" She asked quietly.

"Yes," I replied without hesitation.

Her gaze dropped and she hugged herself.

"It feels... wrong, somehow. Forgive me. I know it's a horrible thought. But... I wouldn't be able to find it in my heart to forgive them for this."

She looked up at me, and I could see tears in her eyes. Her lips quivered, and her shoulders trembled slightly. I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. I understood where she was coming from, but that wasn't me.

"Hey," I whispered, rubbing her back. "It's okay to feel that way."

It still wasn't clear to me how many of the soldiers were forced into this and how many did it voluntarily, but I'd leave that for them to sort out once this was over. The important thing was to get everyone out alive and bring whoever was responsible for all this to justice.

"Thank you," Amelia mumbled into my chest. She pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I know that it's probably not right of me to say this, but..."

"I get it. Don't worry. You don't need to thank me for anything," I said with a smile.

"Actually," she said. "I think I do. You're really something special."

My smile widened and I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.

Amelia laughed and hugged me again. It was nice, and I appreciated the sentiment, but it felt strange to receive such praise in this situation.

It also wasn't lost on me that I was a girl a decade her junior, and I was the one comforting her. This situation was bizarre on so many levels.

I turned my attention back to Narek, watching the men converse in hushed voices. I tuned in with my hearing, picking out the conversation with ease. It wasn't exactly difficult since I could hear their voices as though they were standing next to me.

"...should we do?"

"If we go along with the magical girl's plan, there's no guarantee that we will get what we want," one of them pointed out. "We knew the contracts we signed. We knew that our families could be targeted if anything went wrong. It's too risky."

"True," Narek said. He paused. "There are too many of us for her to feasibly help, regardless of her word."

The other men nodded in agreement. A few of them glanced at the bound group of men nearby.

"Not all of us have family to worry about," another pointed out. "Or at least... no family to lose."

Narek nodded slowly.

"Then what are our options?"

"Well, there are three, as I see it," Narek began, counting off on his fingers. "One: We cooperate with her, which puts our families at risk if she fails to keep her word or the people we work for decide we're expendable. Two: We take the fall for this, our families live, and we all die. Three: We sacrifice the few who don't have anyone else to worry about to help her out, and the rest of us die to protect our families. If she fails to help them, there's a greater chance that we won't be labeled as traitors. If she succeeds, we'll have at least saved those few that she can manage. That would be a small price to pay in comparison."

The men looked amongst each other and nodded.

"Three sounds like the best option. Celestial Sonata's a big name. Definitely trustworthy," the red-haired guard said with a shrug. "At least it would be a better alternative than doing nothing and dying in a blaze for no reason. Maybe some of us can even be saved, if things go well."

The other guards murmured in agreement, and Narek sighed. I wasn't quite sure if I should intervene or not, and I decided against it.

This was their decision to make.

"But for those of us that are fathers, sons, and brothers... can we really leave them behind like this? Can we really abandon the ones who would mourn us?" Narek asked. "Those of you with no resolve, I won't blame you if you want to try to get out. I can't ask that of you. But for the rest of us, I can't ask you to betray everything you swore to uphold."

Narek stood up, wincing as his legs buckled beneath him, and he fell back down with a pained groan.

"I doubt decision three, actually," the redhead said, looking at the others with a steady expression. "I've got nothing to lose. Nothing. Not anymore, and this isn't the first shit-show I've gotten caught up in. I'm in enough gambling debt that it's either this, or they cut me up into little bits. And it ain't like my family cares, they're too far away, and I'm a disgrace to most of them anyway. At least my mom will be taken care of. But for someone like Narek? He has everything to lose. So why doesn't he go? At least one of us should get a happy ending, and if anyone's gonna go up in flames, why the people with everything to live for?"

The others all looked at each other again, nodding solemnly in agreement.

"I have an elderly mother who relies on my paycheck," one said.

"Me, I have three kids," another said.

"I've got two kids, a wife, and a sick father."

Narek shook his head. "Are there none here that a windfall wouldn't save?"

"I think we all know what's at stake, sir," the red-haired man said with a chuckle. "And most of us would choose to take a bullet for our families over saving ourselves, right? We all wound up on this ship for one reason or another."

A chorus of 'yeah's' rang out.

"I think that's enough," I interrupted, practically shouting across the room.

The men turned to me.

"You were listening?" the red-haired man asked, looking up at me.

"Uh... yeah. I apologize, but it's kinda hard not to when I can hear conversations from the other end of a sports stadium."

"Oh well, you can do that, huh?" the redhaired man said.

I shrugged in response.

"I believe I have my answer, but I must ask once more," Narek stated, his brow furrowing. "What is your plan, Celestial Sonata?"

His face had a resigned look on it, as if he'd accepted whatever fate had in store for him. He looked exhausted and worn out.

I frowned and shook my head, placing a hand on my chest.

"The best I can offer is the cooperation of my fellow magical girls. If the security teams can work with us to rescue their loved ones and keep them safe, we can offer amnesty to all of you."

Narek's expression hardened.

"You understand you would likely have little to no time to accomplish this do you not?" he pointed out. "And even if you did, it might be impossible to save them all. Even with all of the magical girls here."

I couldn't deny that, but I could at least try. It was the only solution I could come up with in the heat of the moment.

"And if that isn't enough for you?" I asked gently. "What do you want?"

Narek stared into space, and I waited patiently for him to reply. His gaze was unfocused, as if he was staring right through me.

"...Revenge," he finally answered, meeting my gaze once more.

"Against the company?"

He shook his head. "It goes far beyond them. You see? Most of us here, on some level, support the project, or we did at first. To save our own families, to keep the people we love alive. We would do anything. And yet, we would never see our families again. I know not all of us were here for such noble purposes. But the vast majority of us? We are here because we have no choice. We are trapped. And now we will die for it, without seeing the people we love again."

"You're not making sense. You support the project, but you're being kept here against your will? What is the project about?" I questioned.

He let out a bitter laugh. "They tell us that it is to create a new and powerful theoretical magitech that will save humanity, that will help create a future where we can be free of the Aberrations. They tell us that this research will lead us to a new age of prosperity and peace, where we can all be together once more. But it is all lies, isn't it?"

I stared at him, trying to wrap my head around it.

He looked around at the rest of his group before returning his gaze to me.

"Even should we cooperate, the ends of the project will justify the means to some. Me included. If not for the other men's families, then for the safety and security of my own."

He looked down, clenching his fists tightly, and took a deep breath. "I would like to help, for those of us without families, and to give them the chance to survive, but there are others here who do not feel the same way."

The others murmured their agreement.

"That doesn't matter," I said sternly. "Kidnapping... slavery, exploiting people who are impoverished and struggling. Literally draining the hope out of them. Frankly, you also need to be held to account for what has transpired here."

"I was like you once. Foolish, young, and naive. Full of ideals. Do not misunderstand, girl," Narek spat. "I was once in the same position as you are now. An idealist who believed that the world was just and that there were always solutions. That people would eventually see reason and stop being selfish. But they won't. That's why we do this."

He paused and shook his head, his shoulders slumping. His eyes met mine. "If I had the choice between protecting the innocent, or the guilty, I'd choose the innocent. I'd protect my family every time. Wouldn't you?"

I gritted my teeth, clenching my fist.

"Your reasoning is messed up," I said, shaking my head.

"Exactly," Narek grumbled. "But even so... You've already done so much. Your deeds are known to us. We know of your accomplishments and the good you do for this world. You've done so much, saved so many lives. Yet, you still wish to do more. To save people like us, the ones who have done so much evil. I do not understand you."

My lips pursed, and I let out a breath.

"I can only do what I can, when I can."

"Then you must understand, we will do what we must, as well. You have already shown ample grace and courtesy tonight."

"I guess," I mumbled. "Just.... I try my best. Every time. And believe it or not I've worked miracles. I made a promise once that I would never stop trying until my dying breath."

"Then it will have to be enough," Narek said, bowing his head in respect.

His expression softened a bit.

"You have the heart of a hero, Celestial Sonata. I'm not the only one that sees that," he said with a faint smile that almost looked out of place. "Do not give in to cynicism as I have."

His expression darkened again.

"But we didn't meet sooner. We're meeting now, when the world is on fire and there's nothing we can do about it. I can only tell you that the next Imperator will descend sooner than later. Our employers have anticipated it for some time."

"Wait... you've got intel about the next Chaos War?" I asked, my eyes wide with surprise.

Narek let out a dry laugh.

"They're trying to defeat the next Imperatore. That is the goal of this project, after all."

"What do you mean?!"

"All the emotional energy being harvested. All the secrecy. It is not without purpose," he replied cryptically. "The project will go on without us. We are just a few small cogs in a vast machine that is much bigger than any one person, or group, can stop. The Emperors will come. In increasing frequency. And we are merely trying to ensure that when the next one does arrive, that we are ready."

"You think they'll be able to beat the next Imperator?" I asked incredulously.

"If they're able to figure out the last pieces of the puzzle," Narek explained. "And that's why the experiments must go on."

I stared at him in disbelief.

The next Chaos War... happening in my lifetime? It'd been barely over a decade since the last Emperor was defeated on Earth. How could it happen so soon?

It couldn't be possible, but the way he was speaking about it made me uneasy. Like it was a given.

I moved closer, placing my hand on his shoulder. He flinched and tried to push my arm away, but I held firm.

"Look... I can't make promises about things I have no idea how to do yet. But, for the people here who don't have any family or anyone else relying on them, I will do whatever I can to save you guys. If you can cooperate, I can try to arrange something," I offered, hoping that maybe we could reach some sort of compromise. "There is very little that a team of A-Rank and S-Rank magical girls cannot accomplish."

"I..." he started. "I'm afraid that is not an option. Thank you... for the offer, at least."

Then, without warning, Narek pulled away and moved his other blood-stained hand to his mouth.

"Narek?" the red-haired guard asked, his voice tinged with fear.

He knew something bad was going on. They all did. All of them began to rise up and rush over in panic. "Narek, wait!"

I realized what he was about to do a second too late, my mind still reeling from his revelations.

Narek opened his mouth wide, biting down hard on his tongue.

There was a blinding flash of light that forced me to shield my eyes with my hands. A wave of energy washed over us like a tsunami crashing against the shore, sending everyone nearby tumbling backwards.

Narek dropped to his knees, clutching his chest as he struggled to catch his breath, blood dripping from the corners of his mouth.

"NO!" The redhead shouted, reaching for him, but it was no use.

"Dispel!" I shouted desperately, snapping my fingers.

A wave of golden energy rippled out from my body, but it was far too late.

They all touched their necks, and one by one they collapsed onto the ground as blood began to leak from their eyes and mouths.

The magical energy dissipated after a moment, leaving behind only a ringing silence.

The researchers stood frozen, watching in horror at what had just transpired before them. I knelt beside Narek, my heart pounding wildly against my chest. His eyes had lost the light in them, staring straight up, and foam formed at his lips.

I pressed my fingers to his neck, feeling desperately for a pulse.

"Dammit..." I hissed under my breath, tears welling in my eyes.

Narek had died right before our eyes.

The rest of his men were dead, too, the magic having stopped their hearts.

"That... that takes care of the last group of guards holed up here I guessed," I whispered numbly, my hands shaking as I stood up.

But it hadn't been worth it.

It felt like a hollow victory, one that I didn't want to savor. It was bitter in my mouth and tasted like ash.

There would be no triumphant celebrations today.

I closed Narek's eyelids with trembling hands, and turned my attention towards the group of terrified scientists standing by.

"Okay," I said with a heavy sigh, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Now, we're getting you all out of h—"

Before I had finished speaking, a loud rumble reverberated through the entire facility, and a series of distant explosions rocked the building.

The scientists let out terrified cries and clung together in fear, some of them falling down in shock as the world shook. I grit my teeth in frustration.

I'd run out of time.

"Sonata!" Amelia cried out in desperation.

I dashed forward faster than the eye could follow, trying to get to the captives.

And then, everything went white.

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