Chapter Text
The streets of the bustling city of Lijiang moved at breakneck speed throughout the day, cars gliding through seemingly endless traffic. Roads lined with street food stalls and countless shops were now being cleared by a robot whizzing overhead on its propulsion system. It was a brightly colored, pink robot that seemed to brighten the clear sky that day.
"Go, go! "a girl's loud voice was still stuck in the middle of that traffic.
Brigitte Lindholm was there, ready for action that day. “Heart of Strength,” that was her alias, wearing that yellow dress with her enormous pigtails on top of her head. Her gaze was fixed on the steering wheel of her own black minivan, which stood out from the rest of her friends who were dressed just like her.
"Heart of courage, can you reach her?" the Swedish girl asked into her earpiece, trying to get out of that insane traffic.
High atop one of the buildings in that futuristic city stood another girl in similar attire. Freja Skov extended her crossbow, aiming its sight at her target. She then leaped, propelled by her cape, nearly flying 20 meters above the ground.
"Don't underestimate me, strength. You know I always find my target” the girl stated with complete confidence, preparing a loaded bola shot on her wrist with a pink energy.
The pilot, a member of the Hollow Hearts, sensed the attack, nearly bending her mecha's controls to perform a mid-air somersault. The thrusters worked at full power, deflecting the direct hit. They propelled themselves upward with even greater force, ascending a twenty-story building with ease.
"Damn it! Heart of Grace, do you have her in your sights?" frustrated, she descended from the air, hiding among the vast streets of Lijiang before anyone could look upon her.
"Oui, This time she won't escape my net.” The woman's refined and elegant voice came through the headphones.
Amélie Lacroix was there as plan B, waiting for the right moment to fire from her position. Five hundred meters away, no more, no less, waiting for the opportunity to pull the trigger with her rifle fully open and stop the ex-heroe of heart.
Her shot ignited and split the sky in two, nearly engulfing the entire city in that subtle yet powerful blast that reached its target. From the rooftop, thanks to her infrared vision goggles, she could tell if the pilot was injured or not. But instead, the legendary mecha player had been shot in her robot's arm, rendering it completely useless from the force of the blast.
"She's hurt, this is our chance! "Brigitte roared, turning the truck's steering wheel all the way around to go to the top of the tower where her best friend's mecha had fallen.
"Waaah! Aren't we going the wrong way? "Juno's frightened voice finally decided to speak, holding on to the seats as best she could.
"Hahaha, I love it when that happens. "Kiriko filled the car with laughter that contrasted with the panicked screams of the new member, taking the time to visualize the top of the tower where they thought the mecha would be.
The engine roared once more, revving its engine as it raced up the spiral bridge to the upper floors. The three magical girls were dressed and ready for battle, though only two of them had the necessary experience. Juno Teo Minh had only been a hero of the heart for a week and still couldn't quite believe it.
She had left behind the normal days when all she did was study for her exams while helping her parents in the large Lijiang Tower. Now she had to be a heroine, hide her identity from everyone, and now she had to "save the world."
But she didn't feel ready for that.
She had absolutely no knowledge of how to fight or be brave. Of course, there was today's incident: she had barely enlisted when she received news from the girls about a robbery at a museum near Lijiang Tower. An unusual heist for Nocturna, in broad daylight, and even more so because of what had been stolen.
A simple new painting from the historical exhibit.
She didn't know the exact details; only knew that all the girls had deployed around the city, ready to detain the mecha pilot. Transformed in their ostentatious dresses and wielding their magical weapons, which they called "magitech."
"Girls, get ready, we're only two floors from the top, "Brigitte warned, flooring the accelerator.
Kiriko simply nodded, her expression now more serious, as she readied her kunai from beneath her skirt. Both were aware that they were the only ones who could stop the dark hearts from spreading sorrow among the people. They vowed to protect their loved ones, fighting with all their might.
"I see it now!
Kiriko's voice pointed directly at one of the tower's solar panels; indeed, the girl with waist-length black hair was out of her mecha. She was trying to figure out how to repair the damage to her robot's arm, its cannon completely disabled by Amélie's shot. Then she noticed her former friend's van, drew her small personal pistol, and fired while taking cover.
"Hana, this must stop now! You don't know what those hollow hearts want from you, you're just using yourself, "the older exclaimed, raising her flail and shield.
"I don't owe you anything. You'd better stay away if you know what's best for you.
Hana leaped from the back, landing inside her mech to stand once more. The right cannon was damaged and barely responding, but the pilot wasn't going to give up. Squeezing the triggers on the front controls, she fired several missiles in a straight line from the side compartments.
"To the deck! "Brigitte deployed her shield, taking the damage as the girls behind her advanced with her.
The pilot wasn't going to stand idly by, firing her thrusters once more to try and take flight. But a sharp kunai flew close to her thrusters, attempting to sever her exhaust. She barely had time to react before counterattacking with her only available cannon.
The fight began between magical girls and their former friend. Brigitte tried her best to reason with her best friend, while Kiriko took care of the others' wounds, occasionally throwing her kunai to stop the fire.
Except Juno wasn't entirely sure. She used her pulse pistols to fire continuous bursts, but the villain could neutralize them with her matrix, activating her reinforced shield systems and converting all incoming damage into healing for her robot. She moved the levers with the professionalism only she possessed when playing video games.
"Heart of Hope, deploy your hyperheart! "Brigitte gestured with her free arm, indicating to Juno to use her ability to advance.
"H-here I come. Hyperheart deployed!
Juno raised her arm, and from her sleeve, adorned with a golden bracelet, projected a hologram of a pink heart that struggled to stay aloft. But it failed after a few seconds, bending into a shape that bore no resemblance to the perfect heart it had once been.
"Hahaha, is that all you've got? BO-RING! "the villain huffed, activating her defensive matrix once again due to the incoming shots.
"I-I'm sorry! I promise to do better next time, "Juno apologized as best she could, aiming her pistol, which almost slipped from her hands. She thought of how to help quickly, until she deployed the two floating sharks from her back, which were already targeting allies and Nocturna.
The girl in the mecha smiled at this invitation, analyzing the channeling stance of the girl who was the heart of hope before charging at her with all her thrusters. Juno screamed in surprise and terror, still trying to aim with Phobos and Deimos before the nearly 2-meter-tall robot tried to ram her.
"Watch out! "Kiriko made a gesture with her fingers, disappearing from Brigitte's side and reappearing in turquoise smoke next to the girl before launching a protective Suzu.
The attack was completely neutralized, and Juno was left suspended in mid-air before falling due to the shock and instability of her magic boots. Kiriko caught her and brought her to safety while she went to help Brigitte, who was doing what she could.
Juno's hands trembled before she touched the ground, they trembled uncontrollably; she was close to being harmed and had not been able to counterattack or be of any use.
“I-I can’t.”
Her mind raced with all the possible consequences of being hurt or shot; her parents would obviously notice. The people around her would too; she wouldn't be able to study or work in the same tower as them anymore. The thought of being separated from them felt her heart sink. Suddenly, still frightened, she turned behind her as she saw something dim: the bright pink ribbon that served as decoration faded until it shrank and disappeared completely.
Her surprise barely had time to process; she could hear the screams and sounds of the fight just a few meters away when Nocturna let out a wild laugh. In her wake, she left behind an empty pink shell that began to glow a brighter pink before flickering intermittently. This signaled that she was about to detonate her mech in mid-air so she could escape once again.
"Heal this! "the villain laughed one last time before being picked up by a giant petal that fell from the sky and moved swiftly to avoid the explosion.
"Juno, use the hopeful heart beam! "Kiriko shouted, using her teleportation once again, bringing Brigitte to her side.
"I-I... I-I can't. I don't know what's happening, "confessed the girl, still trembling. She couldn't summon her ray of light that would save them from the explosion.
Everything felt silent, waiting to be able to take cover in time or for a miracle to happen.
"Rally our hearts! "Brigitte broke the silence once more, raising her shield and summoning the cat that emerged from her armor, which began to glow with a sacred gold.
The shield expanded until it was a barrier large enough for the three of them, completely mitigating the damage before shattering into a thousand pieces. The Swedish girl sighed wearily before transforming back into her civilian clothes, collapsing to her knees from exhaustion.
"She escaped... she escaped again, "the girl murmured, hurt, tears of anger already falling. Hana had escaped again. Feeling empty once more.
"There will be other opportunities, Bri. Now we need to find out what she wanted that painting of hollow hearts for, "the Japanese girl said, trying to encourage her by placing a hand on her back.
Juno watched the scene with a mixture of guilt and frustration. Her hyperheart had failed, her sharks hadn't made a difference, and if it weren't for Brigitte... she preferred not to finish the thought. She looked at her hands, still trembling, and clenched her fists with a melancholy that wasn't like her.
"J-Juno, what happened? "A frightened Brigitte pointed to her magic dress; it had lost most of its sparkle, and Phobos and Deimos were no longer present.
"W-what? I… I don't know what happened, I was trying to help and…
"You're losing magic power... you should transform back now, "Kiriko stated, finishing healing the Swedish woman's wound with her ofudas.
The blonde girl didn't understand what was happening; it was the first time she'd seen anything like that. Besides, her first mission as a heroine of the heart had gone terribly wrong. She turned off the light on her weapon and reverted to her civilian form: an old white shirt and black dress pants.
The sound of a hook on the ledge put them all on alert, and they sighed with relief when they saw it was just Amélie, or rather, the heart of grace. She finished climbing and changed back into her casual clothes: a dark jacket with a red scarf adorning the simple black-striped shirt she was wearing.
"No luck, wasn't it? "the woman sighed deeply upon seeing the negative faces of the others.
She rubbed her temple, her head throbbing. As the oldest and most experienced member of the group, she felt she should be shouldering all the responsibility. It was true that Brigitte was the mechanic and maintained the weapons, but she needed to organize them better. She exhaled sharply, frustrated at having to work with younger people.
"If I hadn't been so permissive with Hana... maybe she wouldn't have abandoned the team like that."
Juno shifted from her seat, her legs trembling. It was almost as if she had heard Amélie's thoughts from the expression on her face, further extinguishing what little spirit she had left. She blamed herself for the mission's failure, feeling a million "what ifs" flooding her mind.
All the girls got into the Swedish woman's car, who settled into the passenger seat this time. Even though Amélie drove the whole way, the atmosphere was still tense because of what had happened. Not even Kiriko's witty and sarcastic comments could break the tension.
No one except Juno. Who, surprisingly, was the first to speak.
"I... I still have so many questions about 'magitech.' And I want to learn… "she murmured, still subdued but with that curiosity only she possessed" .That way I could be of use this time!
"Hahaha, you seem so lively, Juno, "Kiriko burst into laughter at the sight, ready to answer" What do you have questions about?"
"Umm, well… How is it supposed to work? Where does the energy we use to transform come from? Is there a meter to tell us how much time we have left? If we lose our weapons, that means someone else could…
"Wow, Juno, calm down or you'll have a panic attack, "Brigitte said, turning around, looking a little more cheerful than before" It's actually much simpler than you think.
"That's right. Look, we don't produce our own energy. We can't summon our own weapons, much less heal mortal wounds in our civilian form. But that's what we have these for" Kiriko snapped her fingers, summoning a small orange fox with white wings at her side"
These are our magical creatures.
Brigitte continued, now also showing off the small white cat with an orange belly and a gentle smile. Amélie followed suit, smiling slightly at the unorthodox presentation. She pulled a small, phosphorescent blue spider from her jacket sleeve. The three magical creatures floated down to where Juno was, fluttering around her.
"Think of them as our connection to Magitech. The weapons are a representation of how they manifest here with us" Brigitte extended her finger, causing the small creature to sit on it, purring in comfort." .They give us some of their energy in exchange for us feeding them."
"And how should it be fed?
"Our emotions, "Kiriko replied firmly" .They're looking for a large, limitless source of energy. And apparently, there's no better source than the girls' emotions.
Brigitte resumed her explanation, pointing proudly at herself.
"I am strength. My emotion is determination, the desire to protect, the courage to face anything."
"I am grace"Amélie continued, using her French accent with that care when speaking". My emotion is patience, precision, elegance in each of my movements.
"And I am passion" said Kiriko, winking. "My emotions are conviction, enthusiasm, the desire to fight for what I believe in and want.
"Our willpower allows them to materialize the weapons and power they give us "Brigitte concluded, stroking her cat's head" ,The stronger our hearts, the brighter our magic will shine and the stronger it will be.
Juno nodded slowly, but her frown betrayed that her head was about to explode. So many things were making her dizzy; now, watching the girls with their magical creatures in her seat, she felt… alone.
"It sounds... complicated."
"Think of this as a three-layer cake,"Kiriko explained, using her hands to illustrate the concept" .The sponges are your weapon, your magical creature, and your will. Now imagine that what holds it all together is a unique frosting that represents your emotions. Ugh, great, now I'm hungry.
Kiriko slumped down in her seat, clutching her stomach in an expression of pure annoyance and hunger. She scanned the rearview mirror for the oldest member of the group.
"Can we go get some dessert nearby? I heard there's a donut shop that...
"No. "Amélie replied with a coldness that cut off the emotion at the root.
"You're so mean! "Kiriko crossed her arms and pouted" .You could be a little more lenient, you know?
The French woman didn't answer, but her fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel. Juno felt the words she'd heard earlier resurface in her mind. That voice in her head, that thought that wasn't her own. "If only I hadn't been so permissive with Hana..." Curiosity gripped her, pricking her throat with that annoying urge to know, and the words escaped before she could stop them.
"So... Hana was also good in those three areas, right? "asked, trying not to sound too specific or draw attention to himself" .We could figure out where she was weak and...
She had barely finished her sentence when the car screeched to a halt. The screech of tires ripped through the silence of the avenue, and the three girls were thrown forward by the impact. Juno barely had time to grab the front seat to avoid being thrown against Amélie's back. The silence that followed was more deafening than the screech of brakes.
Brigitte had gone pale, her hands gripping the dashboard as if it were the only thing keeping her anchored to reality. Kiriko's eyes were wide, her usual smile completely gone. And Amélie... She didn't move. Her hands remained on the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on some point beyond the windshield, but there was something about her firm, serene posture that seemed out of place.
"Did I... say something wrong? "Juno whispered, shrinking back in her seat as if that could somehow send the question back.
"N-no, not at all, "Brigitte was the first to react, though her voice sounded strained and broken" .It's just that... you took us by surprise. How did you know that?
How did she know that?
The question hit Juno like an earthquake. She couldn't tell them that she was now hearing voices. She couldn't tell them that she had heard Amélie thinking aloud as she watched Nocturna escape. She couldn't tell them that she didn't know if it was part of her powers or if she was going mad.
"I... I figured, "she stammered, looking down" .Brigitte always talks to her very closely, and... she also seems to receive powers like us.
The car sank into a silence heavier than Lijiang's traffic. Juno shrank in her seat, wishing she could disappear or at least take the question back to her lips before she'd blurted it out. Her fingers fiddled with the hem of her white shirt, still stained with soot from the explosion.
Brigitte's gaze was lost in the cityscape passing by the window, but she didn't really see it. She saw something else. She saw a garage lit by a single spotlight, she could still smell the oil and metal of the robots undergoing maintenance, and she could hear Hana's laughter echoing among the beams as they both tightened the last screws on a robotic arm.
"She used to stay late with me, "Brigitte murmured, almost without realizing she was speaking aloud" .After patrols, we’d hang out in the workshop. She said it was the only way to switch off after a whole day of feeling for and helping people.
Kiriko stopped squirming in her seat. Even Amélie, who was driving with her eyes fixed straight ahead, eased off the accelerator slightly.
"At first it was incredible, "the Swedish continued, her voice more fragile than Juno had ever heard hers" .Her connection with her creature was… pure. The little rabbit that accompanied her glowed with energy every time Hana smiled. She could spread joy throughout the streets of Busan without even trying. But then…
Brigitte clenched her fist on her thigh, visibly disturbed by what she felt.
"Then she started demanding more of herself. She wanted to protect everyone, to be everywhere at once. Positive emotions weren't enough; she began feeding Tokki her own adrenaline, her need to be the best, her fear of failure. And Tokki... Tokki became addicted to it.
"The magical creature became corrupted, "Amélie interjected in a flat voice, trying not to let it affect her" .And when the connection broke, Hana was exposed to all the emptiness she had been suppressing. The Hollow Hearts found her before we did.
Juno felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at her own hands, remembering how her hyperheart had warped, how her sharks had vanished. Was she, too, beginning to fail? Was she doomed to follow the same path as Hana?
"It's not going to happen to you, just in case, "Kiriko said suddenly, as if she'd read her mind. The Japanese woman leaned forward with a smile that was meant to be reassuring, but didn't quite reach her eyes" .You're just starting out, Juno. You have time to learn how to do it properly. Hana... Hana wanted to run before she could walk.
"And we left her" Brigitte's whisper was so low it was almost lost in the noise of the streets.
"Non. She made her decisions. We made ours. What we do from now on is all that matters," the French woman concluded finally, with a firmness that chilled the air.
The traffic light where they were turned green. Amélie accelerated decisively, leaving the intersection behind and also, in a way, the memory of the former heroine of Heart who had found her way.
They drove for about 20 more minutes until they arrived at what appeared to be an airport, and Juno could tell by the loud roar of jet engines. Before she could ask why they were there, Amélie pulled the car into the parking lot.
"Pack your things, we have to go now, "the cold-eyed woman announced in a commanding voice.
"W-what?
"I feel like someone forgot to tell Juno the news, don't you think, Kiriko? "the Swedish asked her friend, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah, again I knew I was forgetting something. Well, if there's nothing left to do, I guess this is our goodbye.
Amélie hurried past, clutching her suitcase and belongings, followed by the others who were already entering through a direct entrance to the runway. They spotted a small, private jet where Freja, dressed in civilian clothes, was already waiting. Alongside her was a new magical girl, around 28 years old, wearing pilot's goggles that indicated she was the pilot of that jet.
"B-but then that means... they won't come back?
"Pfft! Of course not! We're a team, remember? We'll be there for you whenever you need us. "Kiriko joked with a laugh.
Amélie glanced at them before greeting the pilot. Despite her tough exterior, she found it very difficult to express her emotions, and even harder to put them into words.
"You must be Juno, "the short-haired girl said, extending her hand with a smile that contrasted sharply with Amélie's cold demeanor" Nice to meet ya, new heroine of heart!
Juno awkwardly accepted the greeting, still processing everything that was happening.
"Oh, let me introduce myself. I'm Lena Oxton, or rather 'Heart of Time'""the Englishwoman placed a hand on her chest proudly, then let out a light laugh" Pff, it sounds silly when I say it, doesn't it?
"A little, "Kiriko muttered under her breath, earning an elbow from Brigitte.
"The thing is, I've come to pick they, "Lena gestured broadly toward the private jet waiting on the tarmac"The base in France needs all available heroines for the report on Nocturna. The Magic Council wants to know why an ancient painting has sparked so much interest among the Hollow Hearts.
Amélie nodded gravely, adjusting the red scarf around her neck.
"That's why we need to leave now. The jet takes off in twenty minutes.”
The girls began to move toward the steps. Lena went ahead, exchanging a few words with the other girls, who seemed happy to see her again. Juno stayed a few steps behind, watching Freja climb up nonchalantly, Amélie check her luggage for the third time, and her two friends follow.
A lump began to form in her throat. Until she could hear that voice in her head again, now with a different tone. Much stronger and more determined.
"That's it? Is that all? I can't leave her alone."