#❛ ✧ ┊ arc ┊ a crown made for the immortal flowers in her bones.

[clarafell]

@heartbinders has made a contract.          —         ★

Something is... wrong.

Defeating the Nightmare from someone's soured dream felt normal last night. She may not have done the real fighting that night, but turning her shield to freeze time for the others felt... right. Working together to defeat Hitomi's Nightmare tonight and staying with the others to witness the beauty of dawn also felt rewarding and quite nice, but... The way the morning sun cleansed their soul gems after a long night, however, is what bothered her.

In the back of her mind, she felt like she should be looking for something as soon as they turned Hitomi's Nightmare into a sweet dream. She, however, could not find what she was searching for. It was almost as if she expected the Nightmare to... drop something. She wasn't sure what, but this sensation awakened everything inside her. Bells were ringing in her mind the more she dwelled on this weird topic, but she didn't understand what was wrong.

Homura kept on looking around at civilians. They walked and behaved as normally as ever, but... She noticed their faces looked weird. Have their faces always looked like that? Homura wandered the streets, slowly discovering that more and more people were beginning to look weird. No one she has seen yet had a normal face, she noticed. Did these people notice that they weren't looking like themselves? She thought about walking up to one of them, but crippling society anxiety kept her aimlessly walking in total silence. She didn't want to go home yet. It was going to be empty, anyway.

That's when she found one person with a normal face. He had the most brightest of eyes, she noticed from afar. Part of her wanted to get a closer look at them. He was looking over at the hanging menu from one of the many city's cafés, lost in thought. He was grinning, however. The look of hunger mingled with excitement in his eyes. His happiness, at least to her, felt like a warm flame. He was now talking to the person behind the counter as if it was the most normal thing ever...

It was almost as if he saw their face.

Why? Why was she the only one who was seeing things? Not only that, but why was she feeling such strange sensations? Why did something feel so wrong?

He looks happy... Homura distantly thinks to herself, remembering to keep her distance. Homura stands in her spot, quietly observing him. He looked familiar the longer she stared at him. Maybe something is wrong with... me?

[clarafell]

a  haunting  nightmare...    ❝    𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓!  𝐃𝐀!  𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓!  𝐃𝐀!    ❞     a  never-ending  chant...     ❝    𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓!  𝐃𝐀!  𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓!  𝐃𝐀!    ❞ they  dance  mirthfully  in  a  circle  of  fire,  a  handful  of  smiling  dolls  throwing  pomegranates  at  homura.     ❝   𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓  𝐈𝐒𝐓  𝐓𝐎𝐓!  𝐆𝐎𝐓𝐓  𝐈𝐒𝐓  𝐓𝐎𝐓!   ❞     they  hit  her  like  rocks.  the  streams  of  red  liquid  like  blood  pouring  down  her  bruised  skin,    ❝   𝐇𝐀  𝐇𝐀  𝐇𝐀  𝐇𝐀 !!! ❞    o’  little  witch,  pray  tell...   why  won’t  you  open  your  teary  eyes   &   see...  the  chaos  you’ve  made?

@s-talking (thank you!!)

The bullets successfully soared through her soul gem over and over in a fit of dread. The sound of her shattering soul gem confirmed that her aim is still as skilled as ever. She drops the gun in an instant after she hears the fall of her useless soul gem. How many times has she shot someone else's murky gem? But her own soul gem... The awful colors looked new and so strange.

Her soul gem should look as black as her hair, but all she saw were awful colors mixed in those blank handprints— It didn't look like what most soul gems looked when they were too corrupted. It wasn't meant to have strange handprints. How is it possible for her to live within this dreamy world for such a long time when she's actually the deceiving witch?

When did she become a witch? She thought her soul gem was... alright last time that she checked it. It might have been a little bit murky, but she has seen worser days. It didn't look like it was creeping towards the dangerous edge past the point of no return. It wasn't that bad as far as she could remember. But how was it possible for her to live happily and obliviously within her own labyrinth? It seems like she tried to deceive her scheming self by pushing the blame onto the Sweets Witch, but...

Her test proved to be a little too successful to the point that the world around her began to crumble apart. She recalls how she felt happy until she, like usual, began to suspect that something is wrong. How long would have this happiness last if she did not begin to investigate the strangeness? Was it possible to stay forever in this dream world as long as she continued to play the part of an oblivious girl with wool over her eyes? Maybe she could go back to pretending— Then the childlike chanting begun to grow louder, demanding to be heard by their Mistress Good-for-Nothing to acknowledge their arrival to her discovery.

Finally, Homura begin to feel the pomegranates hit her.

It's far from the first fruit to hit her crumbled body. The rush of shock, confusion, and horror kept her numb to the pain of the other thrown pomegranates. The chanting is what stirred her back to reality— No, this labyrinth is no longer looking like reality. Any attempts at trying to play the role of a naïve victim is utterly impossible. She could try, but she would only begin to look like some kind of madwoman since this false city is unraveling more and more.

The chanting is too loud for her to ignore. The gleefully thrown pomegranates were too rough upon her body to ignore. The culprits knew how to aim with inhumane strength, almost as if they were on the same field as someone strong with a bright soul gem. Their supply of fruit is endless. Her hand had come to touch her head, almost as if the attempt could help her to try remember everything that happened. But nothing worked.

She touches her head again, acknowledging the painful ache in her head. She lowers her trembling hand to look at it more closely. Dull amethyst eyes struggle to tell if the red liquid is blood or juices from the fruit. Smoke made it hard for her to breathe, but she did not care to worry. She brought her hand closer to her pale face to smell the liquid. But all she could catch on her nose is the smell of smoke.

Flames were everywhere now, near and far, but she found herself sitting in field of red spider lilies. They were sprouting from the ground, swiftly blooming and spreading. The flames must be nurturing them and their quick growth in some kind of twisted way. When did these flowers begin the bloom? Why was there a fire? She looks upon the flowers, wracking her brain to think of what these familiar flowers meant.

She knew that, according some of her books on flowers, no one should give a bouquet of red spider lilies to another people because the flowers were associated with... death. That can't be right, can it? She curls her arms around her body, desperate for something good about the flowers. Anything in a labyrinth, even something subtle, is meant to link back to its witch in some sort of manner. But she couldn't get it out of her head— Death, death, death...

She is dead.

She has shot her soul. She spared shooting Mami Tomoe's head, where her flower-shaped soul gem rests amidst her golden locks. But when it came to her own soul? She shot at it so many times. Her bullets, to her knowledge, shattered the physical resting place of her awful soul. Her soul, however, is beyond saving.

❝  Please— Stop! Stop it!   ❞

Homura finally breaks her silence with a strangled cry. She does not even realizing that she did not tell all these feminine voices to stop flinging hard fruit at her defenseless body. She is in agreement that she should be hit until nothing but ugly bruises cover every pale inch of her body. All that she wanted was their loud chanting to stop. She struggled to understand what they were trying to say right now. It sounded like German, but her spiraling mind struggled to think.

Homura looked up, ready to force more words out of her lips. But her voice died in her throat as soon as she caught sight of their figures. She stares at the fourteen children in pain and shock. They looked like children from a distance until they got closer. Their clothes, even their hairstyles, matched the same style of her old dolls. They used to be her friends.

She thought she rid herself of the dolls long, long ago. But here they stood before her in a nearly convincing human form. They walked and talked, pretending to be like real children, but their gazes were lifeless. Smiles were plastered on their faces. She looks at them, but their chanting does not stop. They only got louder and louder, almost as if they were feeding on her reaction.

She wants to understand what they wanted to say, but her spiraling mind is struggling to hold itself together. I can't fix anything that that everything is going up in total chaos. What about all the people I have seen thus far? How did they get inside my... my labyrinth? Did I bring everyone here? Her thoughts made her useless heart plummet to her stomach.

What about the people that cannot defend themselves? No, no, no— The world must feel like it is coming to an end to them. What about Envy? How... How can I help everyone to get safely out of my own labyrinth? She feels sick and utterly lost, but her dolls did not comfort her.

❝  I'm a witch n-now...   ❞

All her dolls chose to do is gleefully punish her over and over with fruit, but she noticed their throws got more rougher when they heard her finally confess what she has become. Her body curls up, almost as if she is subconsciously shielding herself. Their chanting have gotten worse as she closed her eyes to rid herself of the field of flowers. Tears have formed in her eyes as she begun to realize that all of this is her fault. No one else should be blamed for this chaos except for her, right? Homura only realized what she had to do once the last pomegranate smashed against her head...

❝  I must get rid of myself to end this n-nightmare for everyone else...   ❞

Yes, that's it. She finally brings herself to her feet, a little shakily with her movement. She brushes the tears from her face, but does not bother with the red liquid that stains her clothes and body. She feared she would have gotten sick right there and then once she stood up. She is thankful that her stomach is empty. She isn't feeling well at all, but her mind is eerily clear now.

❝  But I first need to find that Incubator to get some answers.   ❞

She will fix everything for everyone. All of the people with normal faces got dragged into her mess. She isn't sure what was going on, but this is why she needed to find Kyubey. The white rat has stayed eerily silent throughout their entire time in this fake world. She suspected that he is hiding something since he pretended that he could not talk to any of them. She plans to have one last talk to him before she continues anything else...

Then Envy will return back to the real world.

All of the dreamers will wake up.

[clarafell]

@sunsdrop has made a contract.          —         ★

Tonight, on a particularly quiet night, is when a new light takes the the stage across the sky. There are no softly glowing lantern nights filling the bleak night sky tonight. Only a single streak of purple light soars across the night sky, mesmerizing everyone who witnesses the shooting star with a mix of unfathomable love and bittersweet longing. It moves slow, pulsing with shades of purple. The citizens of Corona Kingdom, for one splitting moment, think the purple light of the shooting star must be a symbolic scene of the future... Is it a sign that maybe, just maybe, their lost princess will finally appear?

The more hopeful folk that witness the strange star are filled with inspiration as the star's magic fills them. They begin working on their lanterns for their lost princess, hit with inspiration to really make the lanterns as captivating as the star. They bring their loved ones closer, sharing in the beauty of the purple star. They cannot explain why the star is such an unthinkable color, but they are positive that nothing is wrong. To them, the world is full of brand new surprises at every corner.

Not everyone who sees the blaze of the star are filled with love, however. Others, the ones with shards of negativity in their hearts, are filled with a deep despair. They clutch at their hearts, stabbed by the heartache. Longing glazes over their eyes as they drift to sleep. Something is wrong, so very wrong. But they cannot pinpoint the reason why. All they can do is blame the sight of the wicked shooting star.

Then, without warning, the star lands deep within the forest...

Time moves forward, uncaring and unfeeling.

Homura finally awakens within a semi-small crater in the middle of a dark clearing, though she initially mistakes it for a freshly dug grave. She hears the sound of rushing water and the chirping of crickets. She cannot see so well, she notices. It's the middle of the night. Staying true as her companion, the moonlight from above gives her enough light to distantly make out a looming structure. Though she couldn't make out the details, it looked like a tower—

Is that the Isolation Field? Panic grips at her chest at the same, heavy as the blade of a guillotine. It's anxiety, she registers. An image, a memory perhaps, of a flower-shaped tower begins to surface in her mind the longer she stares at the looming building. It is dark as night, shaped like a rose. The very top of the Isolation Field is a pitch-dark rose, blossoming. Confusion mingles with the dread in the pit of her stomach, but she still stares up at the tower.

What is... But what is the Isolation Field? A jolt of pain pierces her head, instantly causing a sharp cry to leave her lips. It is both her prison and her grave, something in the back of her hazy mind answers back to her. Run, it urges her. But run from what?

Homura forces her body to move, though every muscle in her body is screaming in pain. She keeps moving until she rises back to her feet. She takes a step, but she soon stumbles back onto her knees. She is weak, she notices. Unable to ignore the pounding urge of anxiety, she forces herself to keep moving. She begins to crawl until she reaches out of the crater, noticing the damage of the clearing.

The rest of the forest is unarmed. The tower looms above her, imposing as a really tall figure. She sees a light in the distance, almost like the blaze of a torch. It looked like an hovering red eye as it moves in the darkness, threatening to come closer— They are always watching you. So many eyes are watching you, ready to begin their next wave of torture on your soul with no remorse. The thought invades her mind as she stares, cloaked by darkness.

Even if she is cloaked by the comfort of darkness, she cannot shake the spark of uneasiness from her weary mind. The sensation of being watched by a thousand floating eyes, red and emotionless, blooms within her mind. Get away, get away, get away— Yes, that's what she needs to do—

She pulls herself back to her feet, feeling as shaky as a fawn.

She takes hasty steps back and back until she slips away, fleeing from the damage of the crater. She keeps walking blindly in the forest, not caring if she made noise. Her long hair is caught by the forest as scratches bruise her exposed arms, nipping at her face. It's cold tonight, but she keeps moving. She looks back every now and then, hoping to evade the light. To avoid that cold, warmthless tower.

Shaped like a diamond, this purple gemstone on the ground catches her attention. It glows, but the more confusing part is how she feels something coming from it— She stares at it, transfixed enough to come to a total stop. The pulse of energy calls out to her. It's the most familiar feeling she has known. She doesn't know where she is, but the beautiful glow of the light still calls out to her. She doesn't feel familiar, she can barely remember who she is, but the glowing light feels like... hers.

Except it wasn't hers.

The diamond gemstone is attached to the tail of a black lizard, small and lithe. It stares at her with unblinking eyes. The eyes, she noticed with a mix of surprise, are actually gemstones. They match the color of gemstone hanging from its tail, smooth and lacking any sign of normal life. Its mouth, however, is frozen in a wide grin. A coiling tongue hangs out, black as the rest of its body.

In all honesty, Homura could easily mistaken it as some kind of toy... But, without warning, it lifts its head to look up her. Purple eyes stare back at her, glowing more faintly compared to the radiant gemstone.

It cocks its head to the side, though it doesn't make a single noise. She can barely see the details of the lizard's body in all the darkness. Homura takes a step forward, wise enough to be cautious... It doesn't move, standing its ground. No, it wasn't just brave. It looks a lot more relaxed, almost as if it recognized her.

She takes another step, raising her hand to grab it.

As soon as it notices her arm's movement is when the lizard mischievously begins to scamper away. It doesn't completely dart into the bushes, however. It shows off, racing up a tall tree until it looms above her on a tree branch. The tail sways coyly, almost as if taunting her to try to grab the gemstone now. For a moment, Homura only stares in shock. It doesn't take long until her shock begins to sour into frustration, perhaps a mix of humiliation.

They were alone, yes, but she did not appreciate being toyed with by some... some weird-looking lizard. Homura opens her mouth to finally speak, though she had no idea what what she would even say to the lizard.

A loud snap of a branch from her right side instantly brings her back to her surroundings. The lizard jumps down from its branch, landing effortlessly on her shoulder. She tries to grab it, but it has more quicker reflexes. It avoids her grasp, naturally. What she didn't expect is how it reaches up to curl against her ear. It feels slightly warm, but she doesn't think it actually has blood and organs.

At first, she thought it was going to harm her ear somehow— But all it does is hug around her ear, arranging itself neatly until it resembles an earring. To be more specific, an ear cuff. Suddenly, the lizard loses life as it begins to fit more snugly on her ear. The warmth is gone, replaced by the cold touch of a piece of jewelry. Homura reaches her hand to touch the lizard, but she is shocked to just feel the cold touch of a lizard-shaped jewelry. Her wandering hand feels strange engravings on its back, almost like the runes is some kind of name.

Move ahead, move ahead! A voice whispers into her ear, childlike. She swears she is losing it from the fall, perhaps maybe even damaged her head. Her body is already hurting, so she wouldn't be surprised if she is hallucinating.

A soul is near! So bright, so bright! Follow her, follow her!

How can she even find someone when the eager whisper in her ear refuses to give her any form direction? But... She does feel a pull in the general direction, something like a tug in her body. It coursed through her body, almost as if she could sense the presence of someone else.

She stands there, still relieved the snap of a branch turned out to be only part of the wildlife. She wasn't sure what it was, but it encouraged her to move forward until she found herself stumbling onto a worn path. It was a road, she noticed. She kept falling down the road, trying to chase away the growing fatigue. She doesn't know how long she walks, but she comes to the edge of the forest.

A figure stood at the edge of the forest, carrying a lantern. She couldn't make out the details, but what she did notice is the very long length of her hair. It's dazzling under the moonlight, but Homura finds herself too worn out to examine the details. She slumps against a tree, using it for support. She wished she dressed more warmly to combat the night's chill.

❝ Who... Who are you? ❞ Homura mumbles out the question to the hazy silhouette, but she already knows the question is not for the stranger.

It's for herself.

[clarafell]

                        @trauam​​ entered the witch’s labyrinth.          —         ★

 Homura finds herself resting on the bright green grass, exhausted from a long night of fighting Nightmares. She sits amongst children that looked like they were going to a funeral. She noticed that all fourteen children have bright blue eyes. She found this similarity to be quite strange if she was going to be honest, but she tries to not dwell on something so irreverent. Their clothes and same eye color might have been some fashion trend or something. Perhaps Mami would know about the recent fashion trends. Their big and round eyes are glued to the show in front of their bodies. But Homura could have sworn that they were actually stealing glances at her, almost as if they knew something she didn’t know. There is a show going on with colorful balloons at this outdoor café. A man, who dresses like a walking freakshow, has brought an antique-looking theatre box that told a strange story when you turn the lever round and round. The theatre box looked like a window with a strange black lizard sitting on top. It compelled her to reach out and touch it even though she has never been fond of reptiles like lizards. Homura is trying her best to pay attention to the story even though she does not understand the strange-looking language. The pictures were quite interesting. Some of the female silhouettes looked a little familiar, but she assumes that must be her exhaustion talking.

She was supposed to be meeting Mami and Bebe today. It was only going to be the three of them today at this café. Homura suggested coming here because she secretly wanted to give the blonde a well-deserved break from hosting tea parties. The rest of the girls were busy. Sayaka was most likely forcing Kyoko to sit down and actually study. Madoka must have been busy with her family today. She did not keep track of Kyubey’s whereabouts since he was most likely prowling the streets of Mitakihara City. She assumes that Bebe should be happy that the feline was not going to be anywhere near them. Seeing the gentle and sometimes playful Bebe actually snarl at innocent Kyubey was certainly a strange sight for her to witness. Perhaps Bebe was jealous that everyone shared their food with him instead of her? She did not know. The sudden pulse of her Soul Gem tells her that Mami is near her. Slowly, she rises back to her feet and brushes off any grass off her skirt. She looks down at her ring, staring at the glowing purple gemstone in the center of the ring. She could telepathically communicate with Mami, but she simply chooses to go look for her. She needed to relax today instead of worrying about anything that looked a little out of place.

Where are you, Mami? I could have sworn that I sensed your presence nearby. She ponders to herself as she walks away from Drosselmeyer, his theatre box, and the children that are actually dolls. They are waiting for the dream world to crumble away in order to make room for the funeral procession. They were going to have lots of fun before they had to practice their fake crying. Watching Miss Good-for-Nothing and her oblivious friends were only a pastime. One of the children leans over and whispers something in another girl’s ear. They are smiling because they knew lots of juicy secrets, but Homura does not suspect anything... yet.

❝ There you are, Mami. I thought Bebe made you run a little late with her usual antics again— But I h-hope you did not get lost trying to find this place. ❞    She speaks up after she quickens her pace when she caught the sight of the blonde. Bebe is being carried by Mami, but she is naturally beginning to squirm to be released from the loving arms that held her. She has barely gotten enough sleep after that last intense night. So many Nightmares were manifesting and causing some trouble... But seeing the beauty of dawn cleanse their Soul Gems was always worth the long nights. Fighting together with everyone felt so strange at times, almost as if this was not normal, but she really enjoyed their time together.      ❝ Are you r-ready to order something? ❞  She finally smiles in spite of her exhaustion and slight apprehension. She is happy that at least Mami looked like she got plenty of beauty sleep. Homura hopes to get some nice relaxation. It was new and startling to get some alone time with Mami. But she still welcomed the experience and hoped to have fun.

[clarafell]

                            @thiirdboy​​  →  liked for a starter. (x)

THE NIGHTMARES HAVE BEEN PUT TO REST—   Mitakihara City can sleep peacefully for another night. Each of the girls (and Bebe) have handled themselves with ease. Kyoko and Sayaka got into a little contest on how which one can do the most finishing blows. Of course, they got competitive yet it wasn’t taken seriously. Madoka had focused on taking care of the loose ends while Mami tried to lead the girls properly. It has been ages since Homura first arrived to Mitakihara City and met everyone. This also includes Shinji and everything was going smoothly. But Homura was absent for the whole night. By the time that dawn arrived, Homura was located across the other side of the city. After a few brushes with some Nightmares, she had managed to handle it on her own. Except that her glasses sort of broke during one of the fights. She did have a spare copy in her bedroom back at her home. But it was too far away. This was just great. Her luck was horrible right now. She has never thought about using magic to treat her poor vision yet.

She had been rushing against time itself in order to reach the rendezvous point that she asked Shinji to meet her at. He had wanted to meet up with her to talk about something. As the sky begins to lighten up, Homura opens up the door and peers around. She felt stiff and awkward without her glasses. She was blind as a bat right now and this made her quite embarrassed right now. Her reddening cheeks shows this. She took a few steps forward as she passes a table with two children dressed in black. They are both smiling silently and remain in the background as Homura stumbles slightly. The scent of coffee greets her.

“Shinji? Are... Are you there?”

[clarafell]

*   TAG DROP: Verses

❛   ✧  ┊ arc ┊ the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

(for no contract homura)

❛   ✧  ┊ arc ┊ bring hope; everything that you wish for is in your grasp.

(for contracted moemura.)

❛   ✧  ┊ arc ┊ do not look for her heart anymore for it has been eaten.

(for contracted regular homura as seen in series.)

❛   ✧  ┊ arc ┊ pulling bittersweet arrows out of her heart.

(for the wraith arc and overall madokami world)

❛   ✧  ┊ arc ┊ a crown made for the immortal flowers in her bones.

(for rebellion.)

❛   ✧  ┊ arc ┊ they call her a sinner for she has torn the heavens apart.

(post-rebellion with her own universe.)

❛   ✧  ┊ arc ┊ unlock the door and let all of our dreams awake.

(for magia record.)

❛   ✧  ┊ arc ┊ it was but a fleeting moment in time.

(for undetermined or crossover threads.)