2094.
It had been nearly seventy years since the sudden presence of extraterrestrial beings was recorded on Earth. From the depths of space, visitors graced the blue planet, bringing along their technology, desires, and a special power—magic. As if ripped straight out of a work of fiction, it could make the impossible possible. Just as suddenly as it arrived, magic brought monumental changes to the world.
Rapid advancements in AI, increasing political tensions between major powers, and a worsening climate—add a touch of fantastical power to the mix, and chaos ensued. Nations underwent drastic transformations under the powerful aliens' influence. Prominent names were crossed off the map, while new entities arose in time to replace the old.
It was a time of significant disarray that reshaped the world’s map.
A decade after the initial chaos, when mana, the energy required to perform magic, settled on every corner of the continents, young girls who possessed special talents for magic were scoured to become their home city's guardians.
They were called [Magical Girls].
Close to the twenty-second century, magical girls had become a staple across cultures. Thanks to their good work and easily marketable image, most were treated as celebrities or equivalent.
Kisaragi Moeka, better known as Magical Osbeckia, was one of the few magical girls from City O, a small, satellite state to the country's capital. Current age: Twenty; a second year at the state-funded university of Orion.
Looking back at the history of magical girls, Magical Osbeckia certainly did not have a remarkable career, though it was not poor by any metric. If prompted, Moeka herself would describe it as 'decent.'
Magical girls often received their first transformation during their high school years and retired once they were about to graduate with a college degree, after which they would integrate into society as adults. Moeka was in her fifth year on the job and had built a solid foundation along with a reliable reputation.
Yet, as she approached the final stages of her career, Moeka naturally had many concerns about her future. Magical girls did enjoy various benefits and compensations from The Federation—the governing body of magical girls—and the government, but that alone would not secure her and her single mother's lives. If she wanted the two of them to move to the capital and purchase a house there for improved living conditions, she would have to worry about getting a well-paid job.
Moeka was often proud of realizing this prospect early. In the age of AI resurgence and rampant hyper-capitalistic mega-corps taking over the economy, therapy was what the people needed the most. Thus, the girl chose to study a psychology degree.
Diligent and stubborn by nature, Moeka excelled at both her work and study. All seemed to be going well... until that fateful day.
After receiving intel on the whereabouts of a wanted criminal, Magical Osbeckia arrived at the scene in the dead of the night. Her figure stood calmly atop a building—the target: an abandoned warehouse.
''Aloe Mochizuki... no affiliation?'' Osbeckia muttered as she glanced at the target's digital files, ''Criminals untouched by The Legion are rare nowadays.''
The girl's milky, long pink hair fluttered in the wind. A moment passed before she leaned forward, leaving herself to gravity. The screech of air soon became muffled as Magical Osbeckia cast her empowerment spells, turning her already superhuman body truly invincible.
The average villain, not to mention those who did not have The Legion's backing, stood no chance against such an armed entity, yet Osbeckia remained cautious. Veiling several additional concealment spells onto herself, she slipped into the building.
The interior matched one's imagination of an abandoned warehouse, though there were faint traces of recent activities. Sensing another space beneath, Osbeckia skillfully scanned for the entrance and extended her reach inside. Inexperienced magical girls might have already fumbled at this stage, either getting too bold or clumsily alerting the enemy, but Osbeckia handled it calmly.
'This is...'
What she found was startling—a spacious underground structure with multiple laboratories, complete with self-sustaining facilities and a living quarter to boot. For such a thing to go unnoticed required an expert level of concealment.
'How did Miko smell this one out...?'
Osbeckia descended into the space, fueled with admiration for her colleague. As if expecting unfavored visitors, countless obstacles were set along the stretching hallway, though they posed little trouble for the senior magical girl.
''Could this be a trap?'' A high-pitched, worried voice softly resonated, ''This is too easy...''
''...You're right, Cherry.'' Osbeckia nodded, ''I only feel Aloe's presence. It's hard to believe she built this place alone.''
Osbeckia stopped to chat with her mascot—a chibi-styled pink cat—before ultimately deciding to progress further into the road, not before notifying her higher-ups of the location. Bypassing the various securities, she soon reached the innermost bedroom, where the criminal was.
Close to the door, she could hear faint noises, the flickering of mouseclicks, and a malicious string of giggles. For a moment, Osbeckia thought she was raiding a witch's house. Shaking off those strange fantasies, she activated her magic, phasing through the entrance. As soon as the target's back was exposed, the magical girl raised her long leg and aimed at the head.
Clean and effective—or at least, it should have been.
''A-Achoo!''
''...!?''
A loud bang went off in the dimly lit room. The kick never connected to its intended target, all because of a lucky sneeze.
It took the criminal, Aloe, a full second to sober up. Glancing at her broken computer screen, a raging fury swelled, yet was immediately replaced by terror once she realized the situation she had found herself in.
''M-M-Magical girl...!?'' Aloe's eyes widened beneath her glasses, ''How did you get here?!''
A range of magical spells firmly coated the interior, blocking any potential exits. Their caster, Magical Osbeckia, calmly cornered the villain, ''Stop resisting. I'll make it quick and painless.''
''This is a misunderstanding!'' Aloe pleaded, backing further until her rear hit the wall, ''I've never done anything bad! I swear!''
''I received an order to arrest you. That's enough.''
''Oh, is that so...!? Then why did you sound like you were going to kill me... wait, no! Why am I arrested?!''
''Don't waste your breath. I know what you've done.''
''Hiik...! D-Don't come close to me!''
Aloe's mere reaction was enough for Osbeckia. With a cynical smile, the magical girl closed in, holding metal cuffs. On the other end, the criminal, who looked to be in her early twenties at best, fell into a panic. She stumbled in the pile of things she herself had littered, grabbing whatever she could to throw at the other person.
A pen, a book, the keyboard, a toy, a strange vial of pink liquid, and even her dearest gaming mouse—none of it could stop the powerful magical girl's momentum.
''I-If you lay a finger on me, I'll make the world suffer!'' Aloe screamed, resisting Osbeckia's hand, ''I'll turn everyone into sex-obsessed beasts! Animals in human skin! Perverts!''
''What are you even saying...''
Osbeckia decisively caught both of Aloe's scrawny hands, restricting her movements. At that very moment, a radiant blue light flashed in the criminal's dark eyes. Following that signal, though brief, Osbeckia felt her being washed over by a strange, ringing frequency.
''...?''
''Heheh... heheheheh...!''
Noticing no changes in her body, Osbeckia looked down at the villain in confusion. The woman was laughing like a maniac—a laugh of pure lunacy with an added touch of... fear. It was eerie enough for the magical girl, who usually kept a stoic expression, to frown.
'...Whatever.'
However strange it felt, the villain had given up resistance.
Osbeckia promptly cuffed the woman and dragged her out of the facility. The whole way to the criminal bureau, Aloe remained in an unstable state, constantly muttering incomprehensible gibberish.
Perhaps under that gloomy influence, the night city seemed a bit restless to Osbeckia as she flew across the sky. Shrugging it off as a spontaneous lapse, she dropped Aloe off at the bureau and returned to her home. After a quick shower, Osbeckia, now Kisaragi Moeka, threw her tired self onto the bed and closed her eyes—
—unaware that when she would eventually wake up the next day, the world would be in a state of total chaos.