Conclusion

[voidtreckermods]

Thank you.

For those inside the system the voices of the Great-Seasons ring out around them once the red mass has vanished and the blue plinth it was smothering is freed once more. They don't have all that much time to reflect on that before they find themselves waking up once more in their bodies around the tree trunks.

Or at least, around the tube that is the Great-Season they entered through. All illusions have vanished now, all that is left are pipes and metal.

The Great-Seasons allow them passage out from the centre, no sentries or pipes attack them this time. Everything seems to have been put to rights, the walls in the Autumn sector have stopped moving, there is no strange weather effects in the Summer Sector, no engineering problems in Winter and all the camaloid creatures in Spring are calm. Any Helpmates they come across are doing their jobs and no longer malfunctioning.

After a small amount of time, enough to check that all is well, their SCA's light up. All Passengers are to return to the Voidtrecker Express.

Considering the vast distances involved it is probably best that they use the evacuation function to return to the Luggage carriage.

Once all Voidtreckers have returned the train returns to the Void once more.

Comments

[magicurls]

Mami is slow to react---noticeably slower than usual, like she's pulling herself out of a trance. But she smooths her pant leg with one hand and closes the hand holding her gem, changing it back into ring form.

"...it's not much," she tries. "I've just learned that I'm not really...what I thought I was. But I should've asked about the fine print, so I can't really complain."

A tired smile appears. "I can still heal, and that's the important thing."

[fivemilesdeep]

I've just learned that I'm not really what I thought I was sounds like a life-altering event, and Ryo pauses for a few seconds, processing that. "That doesn't sound like 'not much,'" he finally says. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here. I can't promise I'll understand everything, but I can listen."

[magicurls]

"...well, all right. Maybe you can help me work out how to explain it to the others. I think I'll have to, at some point."

She's a little visibly worried, still, but folds her hands in front of her.

"Are you familiar with the concept of the undead?"

[fivemilesdeep]

"Okay." He takes a seat next to Mami, brow furrowing a bit at the question. "Like a revenant?"

[magicurls]

It takes her a moment to remember what that means. It's not the first word that comes to mind for the concept for her, but she nods.

"Yes. I believed I was a magical girl, and I suppose that's still true in a literal sense...but in the shows of my childhood, the heroine would be given a magical crystal from her animal friend that gave her new powers, right?"

She sighs. "My animal friend told me I could have any wish granted, I'd just be given powers and have a duty to fight in exchange. But this isn't a crystal...he ripped my soul out of my body and cast it as this."

That's what she is. A warmed husk.

[fivemilesdeep]

A lot of what she says doesn't make any sense to Ryo, and he knows he's missing a lot of context, but...well, it's hard to mistake that last sentence for anything else. He takes a few moments to try to process it, because something still isn't quite clicking for him.

"And you think that makes you a revenant? Or-" What was the word she'd used? "Undead?"

[magicurls]

"...well, yes. If it's not my heart keeping me alive, and my brain functions are all in here instead of my head...that's it, right?"

She really doesn't want to demonstrate.

"I suppose I can still help the healer team, if being treated by me doesn't scare people."

[fivemilesdeep]

"No? No, that's- that's not it." The denial is slow - he's still working his way through this - but firm. As to how to explain it- "You feel alive to me, and I can't sense dead things." Not that he's really explained his Sense to anyone, but he knows it can't lie about something like this. "You might work differently now, but that doesn't make you a different person. And if anyone is scared to be treated by you, the problem is with them." It had taken him a long time to gain some self-confidence once he'd left Eloe, but part of it had been Endon and Orion making certain he knew that he had not been the problem.

[magicurls]

Mami listens patiently. She's not sure what sense is or how it works.

"It just tells you if someone is alive or not? That would be useful for a field medic..."

But she's getting a bit distracted. She nods, trying to push back the sadness. "But I'll keep working alongside you all. I know there's too much to be handled alone."