The sky was a gloomy, oppressive canvas against which a blood-red moon hung with unnatural, unsettling prominence.
This was not the mortal world.
This was the Demon Realm, a separate dimension ruled by a single, absolute sovereign: the Dark Lord. And serving directly beneath her was her second-in-command.
She was her most trusted confidant, a figure who wielded immense authority, possessed staggering magical power, and bore a beauty that was as terrifying as it was captivating.
She was an object of fear and reverence for all.
Her name was Jahy.
The woman—with sun-kissed skin, flowing violet hair, and striking golden eyes with slitted pupils—sat upon her throne, an aura of authority radiating from her.
Her attire, however, was surprisingly frugal for one of her station: black knee-high boots, ultra-short shorts, and her torso wrapped in little more than two strategic strips of cloth.
The pair of sleek black purple cat ears atop her head added a disarming note of charm to her otherwise formidable, queenly presence.
A sudden tremor ran through the castle foundations. But as the mighty second-in-command of the Demon Realm, Jahy didn't so much as flinch at such a minor disturbance.
Instead, she turned a gaze of mild curiosity toward the entrance.
Her composure was met with chaos as her underlings scrambled into the throne room, their faces etched with panic.
"Jahy-sama! Save us!"
"S-She's here! She's broken through!"
Hard on their heels, a sphere of brilliant golden light shot into the chamber.
The light dissolved, coalescing into the form of a Magic Girl. She had golden hair tied in twin tails and a frigid, determined look in her eyes, her frilly pink dress a stark contrast to the grim surroundings.
Seeing the Magical Girl land that icy stare at her, Jahy rose from her throne with deliberate slowness, a curl of contempt on her lips.
"Is that all?" she sneered. "Just a little girl."
She strode forward, passing her cowering subordinates without a second glance.
"How pathetic," she chided, her voice dripping with disdain.
Spreading her magnificent demonic wings, she settled into a combat stance.
"The Demon Realm is no place for a child like you," Jahy declared, beginning the customary pre-battle exchange. "Leave now, before I—"
But this Magical Girl had no respect for tradition.
She broke protocol, launching a blindingly fast sneak attack while Jahy was still talking.
In a flash of golden light, the girl was already a blur, zipping over Jahy's head and heading straight for the throne. Behind it, a large object was concealed by a black drape.
The girl tore the cloth away, revealing a massive, pulsating crimson crystal.
This was the Mana Crystal—the very heart of the Demon Realm. It pumped limitless magical energy throughout the dimension, maintaining its stability.
Without a heartbeat of hesitation, the Magic Girl swung her wand, striking the crystal with all her might.
A deafening crack echoed through the hall as a web of fractures exploded across the crystal's surface, emitting a blinding, painful light.
It had all happened in an instant. By the time Jahy's mind caught up, it was far too late.
The consequence was immediate and catastrophic. The Demon Realm began to die. The world shook with violent convulsions, and Jahy felt the vast, ocean-like power within her draining away into nothing, like water down a sinkhole.
Dizziness overwhelmed her, and the marble floor beneath her feet shattered open.
With a final, furious cry at the unfairness of it all, Jahy plummeted into the consuming blackness of the abyss below.
"It's not fair, you cheated"
—
A dizzying moment later, her vision cleared. She was on her knees, cold water flowing around her. The air smelled of damp earth and greenery, not sulfur and magic.
She was in a shallow, clear-streamed creek.
But the powerful, mature body she knew was gone. Severed from the Demon Realm and stripped of her magic, her form had shrunk, regressing into that of a small, frail child.
A profound weakness saturated her very bones; the immense, thrumming power that was her birthright was now a faint, guttering ember, locked away and inaccessible without the Mana Crystal's power to act as a key.
Horrified, she stared at her own small, delicate hands and let out a wail of despair.
"What...what is this?!"
—
—
Meanwhile, Masao Tanaka was enjoying a pleasant walk. Having left Eriri's house in Tokyo, he had just returned to Chiba and decided to walk home from the station, thinking it would help with his recent diet.
He strolled along the roadside, taking in the peaceful, rural scenery.
He glanced down the slope, at the clean, clear stream babbling alongside the road.
'Looks pretty clean, especially compared to Tokyo. You could probably even drink it. I guess that's one perk of living in the countryside'
His casual observation was interrupted by a splash of color in the water. A child! His civic-minded instincts kicked in immediately.
"Hey! Little girl! Hang on, I'm coming!" he yelled, half-sliding, half-running down the grassy slope in a panic.
It was only when his shoes hit the water's edge that he realized the creek was pathetically shallow, barely deep enough to cover his ankles.
The little girl was simply kneeling in the middle of the stream, perfectly safe and seemingly in a daze.
Masao slowed to an awkward halt, embarrassment washing over him.
'Maybe I should just... pretend this never happened and leave?'
He decided against it. She still looked like she needed help, or was maybe looking for something she'd dropped.
"Hey there, are you oka—" he started, but his words died in his throat as a glint of red caught his eye from the pebbled shore.
He bent down and picked it up. It was a necklace, exquisitely crafted, with a captivating red gem that seemed to hold a faint inner light.
"Whoa," he whispered, his eyes widening. "This looks seriously expensive. Lucky me!"
All thoughts of the mysterious girl vanished, his attention wholly captured by the beautiful, undoubtedly valuable jewel.
Just then, a sharp, furious cry erupted from the center of the stream.
"What in the world is this?!"
The shout startled Masao so badly he fumbled the necklace, barely catching it.
The girl in the creek was now glaring at him, having finally noticed his presence. She looked like a child, but her gaze was sharp and imperious, completely at odds with her size.
But when her eyes locked onto the red-gemmed necklace in his hand, her expression shifted to one of fierce, possessive urgency.
That shard of the Mana Crystal was her last link to her power, her home, her very identity. It was a badge of honor, a gift from the Demon King herself for her loyal service.
Now, exiled and powerless, this "Mana Stone" was her only hope of ever restoring her magic.
"Hey, you! Human!" she commanded, her small voice ringing with an authority that didn't belong to a child. "Put down that Mana Stone at once! It belongs to me!"
Masao looked from the furious, strangely-dressed little girl to the priceless-looking necklace in his hand.
Now that he got a better look, her outfit was… unconventional for a kid. A skimpy, mature top and tiny shorts. She must be a serious cosplayer, he decided.
The anime scene here was different from his past life, so he didn't recognize the character. But with her talking about "Mana Stones" and using the archaic "me," it was obvious.
She was deep in the throes of a classic case of chuunibyou—"eighth-grade syndrome," where kids acted out elaborate fantasy scenarios.
An amused smile tugged at his lips. He couldn't resist teasing her just a little.
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[email protected]/Raven_scroll (30+ Advance Chapters)