Magia Record Story Rebel of a Dawnless Land

Prologue

A shadowy figure hidden behind her bed curtains describes how she envisioned a future where Tart was dead. She decided to invade Tart’s dreams in order to take her out, but visitors from the future disrupted her plans. To prevent this from happening, she will change the future so they won’t exist and venture to the past in the first place.

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Act 1

Chapter 1 - The Dream Continues

1429: France – Eastern Border

Elisa Celjska has finally made it to French territory along with a battalion of soldiers. The group barely has time to catch their breath when they’re assaulted by soldier-like familiars. Elisa defeats them with ease, prompting one of the soldiers to wonder if she isn’t the saint mentioned in the prophecy, but Elisa laughs it off. Their victory is short-lived as they’re surrounded by Corbeau, Lapin, and Minou. Minou welcomes them to the land of perpetual night. Elisa accuses them of turning all of France into a Witch’s wonderland which doesn’t faze Minou in the slightest. She points out that Elisa has crossed the border between France and the Holy Roman Empire with a legion of heavily armed forces. Corbea leaps into an attack on the soldiers but Elisa is able to fend her off. Corbeau smiles maliciously and summons more of the familiars to her aid. The soldiers fight off the familiars as Elisa takes on Corbeau herself.

The Roman army is able to take the familiars down thanks to Elisa’s directions all the while fighting Corbeau. Corbeau can’t get enough of this bloodshed as she cackles in joy at being in another battle to the death. Lapin jumps in and swipes at Elisa, injuring her slightly and irritating Corbeau. Lapin whines that she’s bored and it’s her turn to play now. Elisa gathers herself and redirects the troops to continue fighting the familiars as she turns to face the sisters once more. Corbeau asks if she really thinks she can take on all three of them. Minou only smiles and says she hadn’t planned on fighting herself but is willing to do so if Corbeau really wants to. Lapin giggles in glee at the thought of breaking in her new toys. The Roman soldiers offer to help fight the girls but Elisa warns them off. She reminds them their duty was only to make sure she made it into French territory, where she would split off from the group and head out on her own in order to infiltrate the enemy base. She just needs them to stop the Familiars that are blocking her path and then she’ll cut her way forward after that. They bid each other good luck and separate. Corbeau and her sisters politely wait until Elisa is done and then commence their fight.

Ui Tamaki tosses in bed, talking in her sleep. She wakes up in the hospital, wondering if everything she saw Elisa doing was really just a dream. She looks at her cellphone, the screen glowing brightly. Ui thinks it’s too bright, almost magically so. Nemu Hiiragi looks at her concerned as Touka Satomi asks Ui if she’s ok. Ui says she had a scary dream and describes everything she saw. Nemu is fascinated by the story and feels inspired to make a dream. She explains to her friends that The Holy Roman Empire really did exist in history, around the same time that Jeanne d’Arc was most active in France. Ui is amazed at this, while Nemu is surprised Ui wasn’t already aware of the fact since she dreamed about it. Nemu says the Witches that overran France didn’t really happen, instead saying it was the war against England that was devastating France at the time. Ui didn’t know any of this either, which prompts Nemu to wonder how Ui dreamed a dream that was so accurate without her knowing any of it beforehand. Ui thinks maybe her phone has something to do with it and shows them the brightly lit screen.

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Nemu asks to see it and Ui hesitates. She’s not sure why, but she has the strong feeling she shouldn’t show it to others, even her two closest friends. Something is wrong, and she can’t quite place what it is until she realizes she’s in the hospital. She remembers now that Iroha wished for her to get better and that all three of them became Magical Girls. She looks at her friends and notes they’re wearing the same pajamas they would always wear in the hospital. Not only that, neither of them have their Soul Gems and neither did Ui. Ui asks if she’s still dreaming since they should have left the hospital since they became Magical Girls.

Touka laughs and says the jig is up, turning herself back into Lapin while “Nemu” turns into Minou. Ui tries to run, footsteps echoing behind her. She heads outside only to find herself in a weird dark void.

• 

Corbeau and her sisters catch up to Ui, revealing the hospital was only an illusion all along. They surround Ui, who knows she has to fight but has no way of transforming without her Soul Gem. She looks at her cellphone, still shining brightly in her hand and is able to transform into a Magical Girl. Minou smirks and the three sisters attack Ui relentlessly. Soon Lapin asks if they can just kill her already, but Minou says it’s too soon for that. Suddenly Ui is gone and the sisters look around to find that Elisa has rescued Ui. She introduces herself to Ui but Ui already knows who she is thanks to her dream earlier. Ui introduces herself quickly. Elisa, not eager to fight all three sisters again, asks if Ui can run and suggests they retreat for now.

Having run a fair distance, the two stop to recoup. Ui looks around at their odd surroundings and wonders if this is still a dream since she is able to move around without her Soul Gem. Ui asks Elisa to pinch her cheek, which Elisa does vigorously. Ui cries out in pain and wonders how a dream can hurt so much. Elisa says she’s mistaken since they are definitely in reality. They both transform out of their Magical Girl state as Elisa explains how all of France has been plunged into an ocean of nothingness where darkness is perpetual and Witches roam the lands freely. Elisa explains Ui had been imprisoned because she posses “the record of the blank prophecy”. Ui asks if she is referring to her smartphone and shows it to Elisa. Elisa, being from the 15th century, has no idea what a phone is much less a smartphone. All she does know is it is her job to rescue and protect the person carrying it. Ui is perplexed, since she was able to transform as if her cellphone were her Soul Gem. It’s as if her cellphone were magical. Cube and Pernelle contact Ui through telepathy. The two are in hiding outside of France, but thanks to a magical stone Pernelle gave to Elisa, they are able to communicate over vast distances. Cube asks Ui to tell them about herself. After listening to her, Cube concludes she is from the Far East and has traveled back in time from the future. He explains to Ui that she is in the 15th century although he still doesn’t know how it is she traveled back in time in the first place. But that’s the least of their concerns since France is about to be swallowed up by a Time Paradox and the only thing that can stop it is the Blank Prophecy that Ui is carrying with her.

About three months ago a massive distortion in space and time was observed centered on Orléans, France when Jeanne d’Arc was fighting there against the English. Someone or something caused the Time Paradox to occur which caused everything to become unstable. Immediately after France was plunged into nothingness and darkness and Witches ruled the land. For now, a small number of safe lands dot the darkness like islands. Ui can’t quite wrap her around around what a time paradox is. Cube explains it to her, stating that there are several contradictory things happening at the same time right now which is causing everything to become unstable. History that has already been dictated is being forced to change and now both the past and the future hang in the balance. Cube has been observing the situation and has traced several instances of history being changed. A history where France wins and a history where France loses are two different timelines that have now collided, rendering France apart in the process. Elisa, having learned all of this from Pernelle before, explains to Ui how all of France is covered in a Witch’s labyrinth where all the time distortions are happening. As the Allied English Forces continue to dominate Europe, so too does the Witch’s barrier extend. Ui asks what the deal is with her phone, saying Cube had mentioned that it could save them all from this impending doom.

Ui asks Cube how it is she’s able to transform by using her cellphone without her Soul Gem. Cube isn’t entirely sure about that, but according to his monitoring Ui’s Soul Gem is in a completely different dimension, possibly the future. Her cellphone is channeling the magic of Ui’s Soul Gem to her so for now it is functionally her Soul Gem. Pernelle is certain they’ll have to research more to get to the bottom of things, but one thing they do know is that the Blank Prophecy has a significant amount of power. It has the power to erase the Paradox and return history back to normal but only Ui can use this power since it belongs to her. They were able to learn all of this thanks to Elisa successfully infiltrating the English base. Ui is amazed to learn that Elisa had been fighting all by herself up to this point. Elisa proudly points out she’s not the kind of person to put in their two cents from a safe distance from the danger. Cube feels they’re more useful by monitoring the situation from the outside while Pernelle acknowledges they’ve put the fate of the world in Elisa’s hands by doing so. And now they know that the future depends on Ui and her prophecy.

Ui looks through her phone and gets a worried look on her face when she sees the photo she took of her and her sister. She explains to Elisa that a photo is something like a portrait and shows it to her, only Ui isn’t in the photo anymore.

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Even the background has been changed to that of the dark void they now find themselves in. Cube believes the photo is showing them the state of the future and how it may be disappearing. This is proof that the paradox is extending through time as well and how the two futures and pasts are now colliding everywhere. The darkness that is engulfing France may soon engulf the world and eradicate the entire future. Elisa tells the two to lighten up since the Holy Roman Empire is still fighting and they were able to successfully rescue the bearer of the Blank Prophecy. If they’re able to save the past, then Ui will be sent back to the future she came from. Ui is more worried about not wanting her sister to ever look that sad than she is about disappearing, so she joins forces with Elisa to restore the past and secure the future.

Chapter 2 – La Pucelle

Orléans Outskirts – Fort St. Augustine

Gilles rallies his troops as they fight the swarms of Familiars, asking them to hold fast until their saint can arrive. Riz Hawkwood is impressed they’ve made it so far, but she expected no less from the French Army that Tart had led. However a second wave of Familiars has appeared and there are twice as many as before. Riz hopes Tart can make it in time just as she hears Tart call out to everyone to duck as she unleashes her La Lumiére attack. The magic attack clears the field of all the Familiars in one go as Tart apologizes for being late. Gilles and the troops are glad she’s there and are honored by her presence. Tart doesn’t feel she deserves so much aplomb but Riz informs her that everyone sees her as the last hope for France. No matter what happens they must defense Orléans to the death.

Ui asks Elisa how it is they’re ablet o communicate. Elisa senses magic flowing every time Ui speaks and deduces it must be thanks to her Prophecy. Ui looks at her phone and notices it flashes everytime she talks. Also, the batter icon has been changed as well. Elisa doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but suggests they hurry to Orléans where all the other survivors have gathered. They soon arrive at a sphere that looks like a window looking onto a town outside of the gates of Orléans. Elisa’s not sure how it works, but if they go through the sphere they’ll arrive in the town. After they arrive Elisa plans on meeting up with other Magical Girls from France in order to form an alliance with them against the English Magical Girls. Cube explains there are two other Magical Girls who are leading what’s left of the French Army in a resistance against the English. Pernelle explains that one of those girls is Jeanne d’arc, also known to them as La Pucelle. Ui has heard of her and says she’s the girl who saved all of France. Since France isn’t shrouded in darkness in the future, Pernelle is now certain of how history should be going. Elisa doesn’t like the thought of the “True Future” being predetermined and would rather strive towards the future she wants through her own free will. Pernelle would normally agree with Elisa on this point, but the “future” is being unraveled as they speak so they may have no choice but to return history to how it was before. Elisa is well aware of this fact as it is the only reason she’d be working alongside a shady alchemist like Pernelle and Cube, calling him a stuffy suspicious cheesecake and causing Ui to snort in laughter. Ui prepares to hop through the sphere but Elisa says there’s one more place they have to stop first.

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Elisa takes Ui through a different sphere and the two end up in a forest outside of a church. Cube explains that a strong temporal disruption was observed at the church nearby but Ui can restore it to its original state if she uses her Blank Prophecy. Elisa tells Ui she’d been to Orléans before, when the Holy Roman Empire had first heard of La Pucelle. Back then she was tasked with observing La Pucelle and verifying if her powers were real. If the rumors were true, she was to assist her in helping crown the king of France. It was when she was watching La Pucelle in battle that the anomaly had first occurred. Out of nowhere Elisa was suddenly in a strange place. Certain areas in France, such as the church they would be visiting, were affected more strongly than others by the Time Paradox. For now, Pernelle wants Ui to go to those various regions with Elisa and use her Blank Prophecy to repair the distortions. If they can repair all of the distortions than the Time Paradox will be undone. Ui can sense an eeriness to the atmosphere as they arrive at the church. Suddenly Elisa yells at her to get down and Ui is just able to dodge one of Minou’s whip attacks. But Minou isn’t alone, as she’s brought a few Magical Girls that are under her control with her. She leaves her slaves to fight in her stead as Elisa transforms, warning Ui to stay back. Elisa fires her musket at the girls, taking them out in the process. Having created an opening for the moment, Elisa and Ui make good their escape.

Safely away, Ui tells Elisa that she can fight too. Elisa takes a hard look at her and asks if she’ll be able to fight other humans without hesitation. Elisa suspects Ui is the kind of girl that would take her time trying to figure out how to not hurt her opponent. Ui admits this is true so Elisa tells her to just keep out of the way. She stops and sighs, thinking out loud that the future must be a truly peaceful era. She admits to Ui that she doesn’t want to hurt weaker opponents if she doesn’t have to, but against powerful enemies like Corbea they have no choice but to go all out. Elisa encourages Ui to instead fight to protect herself and the Blank Prophecy. They won’t be able to save the future if something happens to Ui so she asks Ui to leave the heavier fighting to her. Ui smiles, cheered up now, and the two head into the church before Minou and her cohorts can catch up to them.

Inside the church they find a large bubble. Cube confirms that the Time Paradox has formed around this mass. Elisa informs Cube she overheard the English Magical Girls talking about this, calling it a “Fragment of True History”.

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If the fragments are collected and written in the prophecy, then history will be restored. Ui says she’s not sure of how to record it using her phone, but does tell the others that her phone has a camera on it. Pernelle figures this must be futuristic technology and asks Ui to try it out. Ui takes a picture of the bubble and the world flashes around them. In Elisa’s mind, a place she’s seen before is coming back to her. Elisa is taken back to her memories:

(May 7, 1429: Outskirts of Orléans – Tourelles Fortress)
Gilles urges the soldiers to combat, for if they take back Tourelles they’ll be able to take back the city of Orléans. Riz and Melissa are battling Corbeau as Tart unleashes her La Lumiére attack. Back then Elisa had been travelling to Orléans. As she observes the battle between Corbeau and the French Magical Girls from afar, a Witch appears to attack them. She can’t understand why La Pucelle is taking so long to defeat the Witch and decides to step in before innocent lives can be hurt. She uses her firearm to blast the Witch away in a single hit.

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The memory soon ends. Ui asks if what she saw really happened as Elisa realizes that Ui saw her memories at the same time she recovered them. For Elisa it was like she was experiencing it all over again. Pernelle figures that true history was sealed away in those fragments. When Ui recorded the fragment on her Blank Prophecy, it confirmed it as true so Elisa ended up recovering her memories of her experience in that true history. Now that she’s recovered those memories, Elisa now holds memories of two different timelines. Ui asks if the girl she saw “Tart” was really Jeanne d’Arc. Cube confirms it is, as Tart is the nickname he gave her. Pernelle notes that everyone’s memories up until three months ago are still intact. When history was changed, the future was split into two timelines and what they saw was a fragment of the real history that was lost. Tart should have freed Orléans with the help of Elisa from the shadows. Now even Elisa believes Cube’s theories about the future being split in half since she could tell the difference when she relived her memories. Cube advises them to visit other places in France where the distortions are strongest so they can collect the Fragments of True History and undo the paradox. As Ui cheerfully holds up her phone in triumph, she notices the photo of her sister from before. In it, Iroha is still sad, but the background has returned to normal. This confirms they’re on the right track to bringing back the future.

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They’re not stop is to meet up with La Pucelle at Orléans like they originally planned. Pernelle directs them to the army camp where Tart and Riz currently are. The two soon arrive and greet the girls in question. Riz is surprised to find that Ui knows who they are and notes she’s a Magical Girl too. Before Ui can introduce herself, Elisa interrupts and begins to introduce herself first. Halfway through her speech, Ui interrupts with her own name. Tart mixes them up and thinks she’s Ui Tamaki of the Order of the Dragon. Elisa tries to correct her but this only confuses Tart and Riz further. Tart has a strange feeling like she’s heard Ui’s name before but she can’t place it. Eventually Elisa manages to clarify their names, including that she’s not the proper princess of the Holy Roman Empire. Cube asks if she wouldn’t rather have him explain everything. Tart is surprised and delighted to hear back from her old friend Monsieur Angel. Tart likens him to her guardian angel, much to Elisa’s disdain. Finally, Pernelle explains everything to Tart and Riz.

Ui shows Tart her magic smartphone. Tart has no idea what it is either but Elisa promises that it’s a tool to help them out. She knows it’s a lot to take in and difficult to believe, what with tales of girls from the future. But Riz believes them wholeheartedly since she knows there’s no other explanation for this realm of darkness they find themselves in. As it is it’s the only solution they have for now as no one even knows if Prince Charles VII is safe. Pernelle explains to Ui that Tart’s goal is to help the rightful heir become the king of France. But nobody knows if the prince is even alive. At this point they need a miracle, and restoring history to its original state may be just the miracle they need. Tart doesn’t need any reason other than the fact that Cube asked her to help them, but Elisa wonders if the French army will agree to help as well. Gilles pipes up, ready to help his Holy Maiden on any quest she may be on and is glad to accept the help of the Order of the Dragon. Elisa is surprised with how quickly the army came onboard with their plan and marvels at how much they must revere La Pucelle. She recalls how slow Tart was to act back in Orléans and how she had to step in herself. She wonders if Tart is really as great as others make her out to be and vows to continue to observe her for herself. Outwardly she accepts Gilles’ offers of help with a smile, though she declares that she doesn’t believe Tart’s powers are as great as the rumors say. She asks for a demonstration of Tart’s powers and challenges Tart to a friendly dual. Tart looks askance until Riz steps up and offers to dual in her place. Riz and Elisa transform as Elisa accepts the dual. The two move to an open area for their battle.

The two quickly get into a skirmish as Elisa shoots at Riz. Riz melts into the shadows as she evades the attack but Elisa knows she’ll have to show herself in order to attack. She expects Riz to attack with her daggers and prepares to attack in the shortrange only to be surprised when Riz attacks her with a whip in a devastating attack called “Frusta Whip”. It wraps itself around Elisa’s arm, preventing her from using her firearm as Riz conjures a machete and attacks once more. Elisa counters by kicking Riz away. She gets ahold of her firearm once more and prepares to swing it like an axe. Riz is able to counter with her “Falce Scythe” and the two cross blades, pushing at each other with all their force. Suddenly, Riz drops her weapon and stops the match. She figures this is a good point at which to end the fight now that they’ve both seen what each other’s capable of. Riz knows she was only trying to provoke Tart into a dual to see what she’s capable of. If someone as capable as Riz believes in Tart’s abilities, then Elisa accepts that she is worth of assistance from the Order of the Dragon.