The Federation and The Legion—a rivalry that defined the world's politics in the year 2094. On Earth, they represented two vastly opposite galactic forces, each with an extensive history of battling the other.
The Federation was founded and mainly operated by an alien race, which humans called 'mascots.' Harnessing the power of magic, they sought to expand their range of activities across the universe and achieve a higher level of civilization. On the other hand, The Legion was led by a species specialized in exploiting negative emotions for magical prowess, aptly named Dark Anima. Though they were similar to mascots in appearance, their ruthlessness and underhanded methods were well-known.
Similar to magical girls, who received the blessings of mascots to fight for peace, the commanders of The Legion often had animas attached to them. They were seen as despicable criminals by the public, though some parts inevitably idolized these individuals. Thus, understanding the nuances of magical girls' and their rivals' culture inevitably required deep research.
The Legion's activities in City O were modest at best, if not minimal. After all, hardly any noticeable targets could be found in this rural area. Even then, a few commanders regularly appeared to cause a ruckus, which inevitably required the attention of magical girls.
Nacht was a rather new face in the scene, whose first arrival dated back four years. Though she lacked the hardened look that other commanders possessed, the sheer savagery through which she terrorized the public left a strong impression. No one could have suspected a young, pretty girl like her to have such tendencies. Fortunately or unfortunately, Nacht's striking appearance—black hair, black clothing, like the deep night itself, yet fair skin and gleaming golden eyes—was ingrained in the people's consciousness, causing them to flee whenever she showed up.
''I-It's The Legion! Run!''
''Save me!''
''M-Miss Nacht! Please spare me...!''
Nacht took a languid look at her surroundings as she floated in the air. A section of the shopping mall had been reduced to rubble from her attack. Terror dampened the air, soaking the rising dust; people scrambling, begging for mercy below her. Like ants. Insignificant.
Nacht never bothered to fulfill The Legion's quotas for her. She never threatened civilians, never actively drew fear out of them like her colleagues. Unlike the lunatics who joined the organization to seek power or to feed their twisted desires, Nacht's obsession was clear and intense. Perhaps because of her single-mindedly zeroing on it, she had, in many ways, become even more twisted than others.
Magical Osbeckia.
The sole reason for Nacht's existence. Nacht's goal. Nacht's obsession.
Ever since her debut, Nacht had only had Osbeckia in mind. Even now, she could not stop looking at the pink-haired magical girl, at her dazzling magic and her lovable face. But what turned Nacht on the most... was Osbeckia's tormented expressions. After every encounter, she would agonize for days on end, not wanting to hurt Osbeckia, yet ending up giving in to her dark feelings.
'But...'
But she could not help it. No matter how much she tried to hold back, her heart fluttered every time she fought Osbeckia. She would secretly record the other person, then pleasure herself at night...
''Stop right there.''
Nacht snapped out of her trance. In a split second, the blank state she had been in vanished, replaced by a fanatical smile as she turned around.
''Long time no see, my Osbeckia.'' Nacht greeted, barely containing her ecstacy, ''How have you been?''
Osbeckia kept a straight face, ignoring the commander's words. She had rushed here from the lab, clearly not in a good mood. Though it would be a lie to say Osbeckia was not relieved seeing Nacht instead of other enemies. Most commanders avoided killing civilians—the very source of their magic. Still, when a bunch of criminals rioted, accidents were bound to happen. Furthermore, even without casualties, people could be seriously hurt, and properties could be destroyed.
In contrast, Nacht always appeared alone and never intentionally touched civilians. To magical girls, she was more of a nuisance than a threat. And for whatever reason, the commander was obsessed with Osbeckia in particular. Osbeckia herself was reminded of this the moment she met Nacht's infatuated gaze.
'I really want to slap her.'
Sighing, Osbeckia began firing magic at the commander, as if to vent her frustration. In response, Nacht's long, raven-black hair moved to deflect the attacks. Their form continuously morphed, sometimes hardening like steel, sometimes whipping like snakes.
Osbeckia began assessing the situation. The sun was almost below the horizon, signalling the night's descent. Power in the area was gone, so it would be harder to fight Nacht, the embodiment of darkness, without lighting. A brief scan made the magical girl relieved—there were no injured civilians at the scene.
'I can handle this, but...'
An Alpha's scent.
As expected, Nacht had also become an Alpha, just like countless other commanders. The conditions so far were somewhat routine, though this was a whole new variable.
'I have to end this quickly.'
Before any of her potential weaknesses could be found and exploited, Osbeckia decided to strike with everything she had. Pinkish gusts of magical power gathered at her fingertip, radiating outward to become dozens of arrows, each lunging at Nacht like zaps of lightning.
''...!''
Sharp screeches sounded in the air. Both Osbeckia, the attacker, and Nacht, who was slowly approaching the magical girl while deflecting the arrows, were taken aback.
''Woah... did you get stronger, my Osbeckia?'' Nacht giggled maniacally, inspecting her burnt hair, ''That was a surprise, huh?''
Nevertheless, the commander charged at Osbeckia as if nothing had happened. This brazen, fearless attitude was something that took Osbeckia a long time to adapt to.
The two collided directly in the air, exchanging blow after blow. Historically, Osbeckia had always come out on top by a small margin, and since her magic had apparently gotten stronger, it should have been an easy fight... but something felt wrong. The cause of this discrepancy was soon discovered by both parties: pheromones.
For one reason or another, magic users tended to release pheromones as they used their power. According to what Osbeckia had heard from reports, the two almost went hand in hand with one another. This had not been a problem since most users were Alphas, which meant they were immune to the enemy's scent. Betas had it a little rougher, with some being affected by Alphas' pheromones.
Yet, Osbeckia was a delicate Omega.
Omegas became submissive under an Alpha's pheromones. Though Osbeckia could use magic to resist this, the extra consumption was never ideal.
''Aha.''
And, as if sensing her crisis, an amused grin tugged at Nacht's face, ''So it was true that our Osbeckia became an Omega.'' She teased, ''I knew you always had it in you.''
Osbeckia narrowed her eyes. Her status as an Omega was never announced, yet this woman talked as if she knew the information beforehand. She would have to report this to Miss Casey later, the magical girl thought. For now... she needed to dispatch this lunatic before something bad could occur.
Wielding superior magic, Osbeckia fiercely countered Nacht's attacks, eventually piercing through her damaged defense with a heavy blow to the abdomen.
''Hoo... this is interesting...'' The commander smirked, clutching her stomach.
''...''
''Well done. We'll meet again, Osbeckia.''
Osbeckia knew she could not chase Nacht once her body was submerged in the darkness. It was, again, routine. But she could not prevent an ominous feeling from arising when she saw the girl's smile.