glitchdoka episode 7

Sora walked back to his room, silently. He turned on the light, and turned to Mila.

"You lied to us."

"You asked me to make you a magical boy! You didn't ask about the details."

Sora stalked over to her, taking her by the shoulders. "Why didn't you tell us?!"

"You didn't aaask! It's way easier if you don't know these things. Cody never even found out, meow." Sora's grip tightened at her words. She didn't even flinch.

"Look, you humans have your souls in your bodies. If your bodies are destroyed, so are your souls! All I did was take out your souls and give them a safer form. It's safer to fight Witchs this way! Wouldn't it be lame of me if I made you fight them in your normal bodies?" She slipped out of Sora's grip, darting over to the table where he'd left his Soul Gem.

"How dare you?! You can't just mess with our souls like that!"

She shook her head. "Fighting like that is naive. Remember when you got a knife in your gut? How much do you think that sort of thing would hurt?" She casually picked up Sora's Soul Gem, and it burned with a bright light. Sora screamed as he doubled over, falling to his knees as he held his midsection.

"Stop...!"

"This is what pain feels like, Sora! You wouldn't be able to move if you were hit like this."

Sora writhed on the floor in agony.

"You could fight Gabe as long as you did because you were protected! And you're protected because your body and your soul are separate things now. That's the only reason you've survived!"

She put his Soul Gem down, still smiling. The burning light faded.

"You should thank me, Sora Royale."

Sora pushed himself up into a sitting position, the memory of the pain still burning in his mind. He looked at Mila.

"If you push yourself further, you won't feel pain at all! But that would slow you down. Pain is useful sometimes!"

"Why, Mila? Why..?"

"Because you signed a contract, meow! Now you have to fight. And anyway, didn't I hold up my end of the bargain?"

Sora stared up at her, tears in his eyes.


Dani went to the roof with Kris that school day.

"Did you know about this...?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't you say something?"

Kris snorted. "Believe me, I fucking tried. No one believed me."

"Why would Mila be so cruel...?"

"She doesn't think of it that way. She's not human, Dani, even though she looks like it. Human ethics mean fuck-all to her. This is payment for her miracle, that's all. ... or at least, that's how she'd reply."

"So he turned Sora into that, just to repay his miracle?! He only wanted to help his friend!"

"The impossible came true. Not even a lifetime's work could make that sort of shit happen. Even a whole life can't buy a miracle, not normally. And miracles are just what she's selling."

"You mean Sora will never live as a normal human again...?"

"I told you to give up on Sora Royale."

"No! Sora is my friend, and I... he saved my life! If he hadn't become a Puella Magi, I would've been killed!"

"Gratitude ain't responsibility, babe. You absolutely can't save him. You don't owe him anything. So just leave it alone already!"

"How can you be so cold?!"

"... I'm not even human. Don't hold me to your human standards."


Sora didn't go to school. He just laid in bed, staring at his Soul Gem.

"How can I face Dani like this..?"

Suddenly, he heard a voice. "Hey, stop being a giant tool and get out here!"

He went to the window, pulled open the curtains, and saw Gabe sitting on the street corner.

"Come on out," he thought, telepathically. "We've gotta talk."


Sora and Gabe walked together in silence. Gabe eventually broke the spell.

"So, do you regret it?"

Sora was silent.

"Me, I'm okay with it. It's a big deal, but I need power to do what I gotta do. Nothing to regret, right?"

"Are we just paying for what we've got..?"

"Yeah, I'm paying fair and square. Live for yourself, not for others. No hard feelings and no regrets."

Gabe led them to a wood cabin, breaking down the door.

Sora frowned, suspicious. "Why did you bring me here?"

"'Cause this used to be my brother's place, see? Thought it'd be a good place to tell a story."

"I'm listening."

"I used to be paraplegic. Couldn't walk. Was real ashamed of it, too." Gabe cracked his neck. "So one day this girl comes up to me and offers me a wish. What do you think I did? I wished for my body back, anyone would've."

He shrugged, leaning against a wall. "My bro couldn't understand why I was suddenly healthy. We got into an argument. It was real stupid, really. I ended up saying what I'd done, and running off on my own. Mila came with me, and we ended up becoming pretty good friends. At least I thought we did."

"But it turns out," he frowned, "that Mila was playing us all. Even me. So look," he said, looking over at Sora, "you don't get to get all mopey about being like you are. Some of us were betrayed even worse than that."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you've gotta learn, Sora. When you're a Puella Magi, you're on your own. Even if you think you've found someone... you really haven't. So you've just gotta do what you want."

"You're not really acting like you're on your own right now, helping me out like this."

Gabe shrugged. "It's because you're trying to rely on people just like I relied on Mila. You should try to get yourself back on track, man."

"What, like you?"

"Yeah, just like me. I learnt from my mistake, but you're still making it. Watching that sort of thing makes me sick."

"... you know," Sora breathed out, "I think I misunderstood you. "Sorry for that. But I don't regret making a wish to help my friend. If I regret that, what's that make me?"

"But you..."

"I didn't pay too much. In this form, I can fight. Even if I can't be with Dani, I can still protect her. I can do good like this."

Sora turned, and began to walk out of the cabin.

"You're a moron, you know that?!" Gabe yelled after him.

"I'm not a moron. I'm living my life the way I want to live it. I'll forge my own path. If it gets in the way of yours, feel free to try and kill me again. But I won't lose... no hard feelings."

He walked out.


The next day, as Sora walked to school, Dani ran up to meet him.

"Sora! Good morning! Say, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sora smiled to her. Something caught his eye - someone limping away on crutches. He glanced over, once to see Dane walking along.

"He never told me he was back in school..."

"At least he's feeling better!" Dani chirped.


Sora looked at him, later, as he talked to his other classmates.

"You should go wish him well," Dani said, and Sora nodded. He went to Dane.

"Hey, Dane. You're back in school?"

"Uh, yeah," Dane smiled uneasily. It was totally different to his attitude in the hospital.

"Hey, bro, you okay?"

Dane looked from side to side, at the other boys.

"... don't call me bro here, okay? I'm trying to make a new life now the circus's gone."

"But..." Sora's eyes widened.

"Sorry, I just don't want to be made fun of. Could you sort of... not talk to me while I'm in school?"

"... yeah. Okay. Whatever."

Sora turned and walked out. He didn't appear in class that day.


That night, when Sora went out to hunt Witches, Dani was outside again.

"Let me come with you, Sora! I don't want you to be alone."

Sora looked away, his shoulders shaking. "You know what I am, Dani. You should just stay home where it's safe."

"No, don't be like that!"

"To be honest, I started having regrets today. I just sorta thought... well, it doesn't fucking matter, does it?" Sora grinned, ruefully. "I'm a pretty poor excuse for a hero. No way I can face up to Cody, not now."

Dani ran to him and embraced him as he shook. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head against hers.

"My friends don't even want me, Dani... and why should they?! I'm not even human...! I'm already dead!"

"I still want you, Sora..."

"You shouldn't! I can't - I can't even -" Sora took in a shuddering breath and composed himself, pulling away. He put on one of his winning grins. "... sorry. I just kinda lost myself for a second there."

"It's okay. Let's go hunt a Witch, okay?!"

"Right!"


Gabe watched the barrier shimmer from a distance. Kris dropped in behind him.

"So you're just gonna watch, huh?"

Gabe shrugged. "Let him have his glory. He'll figure out the truth soon enough."

"So you're giving him your prey?"

"Nah. I didn't want this one anyway."

The barrier glistened, and Gabe looked down at it, hissing through his teeth.

"Though at this rate, he's gonna lose."


Sora and Dani walked through the field of stars. Kangaroos still dwelt there, though there were less of them than there were earlier in the maze. Sora conjured a giant fan for Dani to hide behind, a barrier for her, and approached the evershifting Witch. It was first one thing, then another, never stopping, always changing.

Sora charged. He slashed through the Witch's defenses, only to be thrown back. He surged forward again in a full-frontal attack, and this time, the Witch engulfed him in her amorphous form.

There came a slash, the sound of gunfire.

Kris and Gabe landed on either side of the Witch, and Sora spilt out of it, gasping for breath.

"Get back, newbie," Kris said. "I'll show you how it's done."

Sora stood, and Gabe reached out to stop him - "Hey!"

But Sora shied away from him, darkness in his eyes. "I can handle this. You just protect Dani."

And with that he hurtled forward, past the both of them, giggling in a most unsettling manner as he was thrown down again. He picked himself up, and just kept moving towards the Witch.

The Witch's tendrils shot out, and he cut each one down. He slowly got closer to its core, slicing at it with his metal fans. The tendrils wrapped around him, and he sliced without care for their tightness.

"No matter what it takes... I'm gonna... protect everyone!"

As the Witch tore at him, as he tore at the Witch, Dani whispered. "Sora, please... stop...!"

Kris put a hand on her shoulder and turned her away as Sora dealt the final blow.