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For many years, Lord Malic brought chaos and destruction wherever he went. The world cowered at just the mention of his name. He vowed to the universe itself that he would destroy humanity, and he was doing just that, one city at a time. No one, be it the government or superheroes, not even the esteemed Magical Girls could end his reign of terror.
Malic’s next target? The unextraordinary yet strange town of Hamster.
Most of Hamster’s residents lived an ordinary life, and due to the small population, very few heroes and villains ended up in the quiet town, and those who did quickly moved on to pursue greater ventures. The general consensus was that Hamster’s paranormal activity was plenty enough action for the town, and people with special powers using their town like a wrestling ring was simply unnecessary.
And it was the disinterest in heroes and villains and the morally gray that came in between that allowed Prisha Chandhok to live a normal, peaceful life. She was a magical girl, the only one she knew of in her hometown. When her powers awakened at only eight years old, she quickly learned it was best to keep her gift to herself. Only a few other kids in her foster home knew anything of her true nature.
However, the people of Hamster couldn’t drive Malic out, no matter how hard they tried. That left twelve year old Prisha as the sole hope to save her city and the people she loved.
It was the middle of a soon-to-be disastrous night when Prisha was jostled awake by one of her foster siblings. “Prisha, wake up!” the younger girl whispered as she frantically tried to get the older girl out of bed.
Prisha rubbed her eyes and yawned. “Huh? What’s–”
“The bad guy’s here! Come on!” The girl successfully yanked Prisha out of bed, who fell to the ground with a thump and a groan of irritation.
“Amy…” she whined, but reluctantly pulled herself to her feet and allowed herself to be dragged downstairs. Had it been anyone else, she would have told them off and went back to bed. “Did you have a nightmare?” She didn’t get an answer from Amy, but she didn’t need one. They, along with everyone else in their household, was ushered onto the front lawn. The sky bled, and a dark figure could be seen in the distance, hovering far above the town. Prisha knew what she had to do. She couldn’t let her beloved town fall.
It was easy enough to pass clingy Amy off to another kid and slip away from the growing crowd of people in the area. She took a deep breath, then another, then decided she would never calm down and initiated her transformation.
“Illusion of darkness, yield to my starlight!” she whispered, as her clothes quickly melded into a bright blue and yellow dress, mimicking a starry night. Once her mask had also formed, she rushed into the streets and towards the source of the town’s distress. Everyone who saw her was shocked; “there’s never been a magical girl here before!” “is she from that big city up north?” “who is that girl?” the crowd would muttered to each other, just loud enough for Prisha to hear. A few even yelled at her, but she paid them no mind. Her one and only goal was Malic.
She scaled the nearest tall building, the fire station, which wasn’t that tall by any means. Without a chance to hone her powers properly, she didn’t risk using them until it was time to fight.
Malic noticed Prisha immediately and flew over to the rooftop. His cape gave off a red glow, and the rest of his outfit was drenched in the deepest shade of black she had ever seen. She almost laughed at how cliche he looked.
“Oh, another Magical Girl.” Even his voice, dripping with malice, was cliche. “And just who might you be? I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Prisha pointed her wand at Malic’s chest, face scrunched up with determination. “I’m…I’m Firefly, and I’m here to defeat you!”
She expected Malic to retort, to fight, or even just laugh at her nerves. But he didn’t do any of that. He didn’t react at all for a moment, only staring at Prisha with the same expression her caretakers gave her whenever she came back from “errands” all battered and bruised, only this time it seemed…genuine? It made her expression involuntarily soften.
“You’re a child.”
Prisha’s hands were shaking, and her grip on the wand tightened as it began to glow. “I am Firefly, and I’m here to defeat you!” she cried out. It didn’t make sense. Why was she so shaken up? Why wasn’t she angry at the villain in front of her?
Malic took a step towards her, but upon seeing Prisha flinch back, froze. Slowly, he got down to one knee and held his hand out. “Why are you fighting me, child?” His voice had taken on a certain gentleness Prisha hadn’t heard elsewhere.
She lowered her wand. “I’m the only one who can…”
Malic nodded, seemingly to himself. “I see, I see. Tell me, why is it your responsibility to fight me?”
“Because I’m a Magical Girl! It’s what I’m supposed to do!” Prisha bit her lip to suppress herself from speaking further.
“And what does your family think of that?”
Family.
Parents.
Prisha gasped and stumbled back. Her leg got caught on the ledge, and she fell.
A hand grabbed her wand, then another reached for her arm. Malic’s hands were warm, almost too hot to bear. He yanked her back onto the roof before gently setting her on the ground. “Be careful,” he spoke sternly now. “You may not have a family to care for you, but no one wants to see a child fall to her death.”
“But I’m a Magical Girl, I wouldn’t–”
“You don’t know how to fly, do you?” He smiled smugly, but the concern in his eyes didn’t go away.
Prisha gritted her teeth. “I…”
With a pat on the head and a brush of his shoulder, Malic stood back up and began pacing around the rooftop. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, really. I don’t doubt you’re more than…ten, eleven years old?”
“I’m twelve,” Prisha barely managed to say. Her mouth was dry, unable to form any more words.
Malic laughed. “Twelve, yes, certainly an important distinction. Now, seeing as you’re only twelve, I will say again that there is no shame in not knowing how to fly. Someone living in such a small town, many miles away from the nearest training academy, couldn’t possibly learn how to be a Magical Girl properly. Really, those places wouldn’t teach you much, anyways…”
He continued on and on about Magical Girls and learning to fly, which eventually derailed into Malic explaining his own abilities and how he learned them. Prisha was stunned into silence, unable to even process what Malic was saying.
Why was he acting like…this?
She didn’t know how to describe it.
She couldn’t describe the stirring feeling in her heart, either.
“Um, excuse me?”
Malic paused his ramblings and looked down at her with a hint of surprise. “Oh, yes, we’re supposed to be…fighting,” his voice was filled with disdain as he uttered the last word. “Alright then, Firefly. Try to attack me.”
Prisha blinked. “...huh?”
“Don’t worry, kid! I’m pretty indestructible, you couldn’t do much to me.”
“Yeah but–”
“And my outfit isn’t just for style, it’s a means of protection.”
“Okay but–”
“And even if I wasn’t this powerful, you’re still at the beginner stages of–”
“Malic!” Finally, she got him to stop talking again. “Why are you acting like this? You’re being…nice, almost.”
The silence that followed was heavy on Prisha’s shoulders. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had said something wrong, but why? Why did she feel this way, and why was Malic acting so strange? Every ‘why’ question bounced in her mind, tormenting her with unwanted thoughts and feelings.
Her gaze drifted to below the roof, where swarms of people watched what was meant to be their battle. People who never gave Prisha Chandhok a second thought, yet relied on Firefly to save them. They did nothing for her, yet she would risk her life to protect them with no regrets.
And there was Malic, the evil villain of their story. She heard the stories of his reign of terror across the world. He ruined millions of lives, but here he was, acting like…like a father to Prisha. Or what she imagined a father to be like, anyways. Perhaps she was reading into it too much. Maybe the hope of ever having a family had chased her into a dark corner where someone here to destroy everything somehow comforted her.
A gloved finger brushed against her cheek, wiping her tears away. “There, there, kid. It’s alright. You’re too young for this. Let’s get you home.” He took Prisha’s hand, gently grasping it in his own.
Prisha sniffed and wiped her face with her sleeve. “I don’t have a home…”
Malic sighed. “Right. No family. Well…” After a moment’s deliberation, he scooped Prisha up in his arms. She panicked, flailing about until her body calmed down in Malic’s comfortable embrace. “My home it is, then.”
They were flying through the air. Prisha was too afraid to look, and instead buried her face in Malic’s chest. Her hands clenched onto whatever part of Malic they could reach, which ended up being his neck and shoulder. She couldn’t hear her own thoughts with all the wind in her ears, and when they finally landed, those panicked and nervous thoughts she had before were gone completely.
The house they landed in front of looked like any other on the block, but it wasn’t in an area Prisha recognized. Here, the houses looked almost like fancy mansions, with large driveways and gates and double doors and more windows than she could count. Malic brought her inside, and she was surprised to find the place eerily quiet and empty. Furniture and decor were scarce, and entire rooms they passed were empty.
She was placed on a bed large enough to swallow her in its soft, plush mattress and equally soft blankets and sheets. The room had a gothic vibe to it, like what she always imagined a vampire’s bedroom to look like. Black and red consumed everything in it, save for the little girl who now looked sorely out of place in her cutesy outfit.
“Is this your room?” she asked, a bit wary of the situation as she gathered her bearings and processed what had just happened.
Malic smiled. There was no trace of evil in his expression, in fact, it was the kindest face Prisha had ever seen. “Yes, child. You’re quite observant.”
“It looks like an edgy teen boy’s room.”
This caught Malic off-guard. He stumbled over his words, trying to formulate a response. Prisha cracked a smile, which caught Malic’s attention. “You have such a wonderful smile, child.” He leaned down to cup Prisha’s face, and she let him. His hands were burning, but his expression was so caring…
“Oh no, honey, don’t cry.” Prisha sniveled and sobbed, unable to control herself. Malic pulled her into a hug, slowly rocking as he petted her hair and whispered comforting words until she finally calmed down. Her brain was telling her to panic, to fight, to run, to do anything, but her heart let her stay.
After a minute, Malic let go. Prisha moved to the middle of the bed and curled up in a tight ball, staring at the velvet red sheets underneath her shoes. “Why am I here…?” she choked out.
Malic took a seat at the edge of the bed, slowly, as if Prisha was a delicate piece of glass that would break from any sudden movement. “Someone has to take care of you, and help you learn to manage your powers. I…understand what it’s like. You’re scared. You don’t know how to use your abilities and now everyone depends on you to save them.”
Prisha shook her head. “You don’t get it! You’re a villain!”
“I wasn’t always.”
Prisha’s eyes widened.
“Yeah, shocker, I know. I’m not really cut out to be a good guy, but I tried. I was a kid, just like you. Something inside of me awakened one day, and before I knew it, I was being thrown into battles with demons and gods and villains. I’m not a Magical Girl like you are, I’m what they call an…Anti-Magical Girl. I know, I know, not original, but I didn’t make it up. My powers come from darkness, not light. Some of us still get to be heroes, though.”
“But you’re not a girl…”
Malic shook his head. “No, but sometimes boys become Magical Girls, and Magical Girls become the villains in someone else’s story.”
“Oh…”
The conversation dropped off, and neither of them knew what else to say. After a few minutes of silence, Malic reached over, coaxing Prisha under the pristine red and black covers. Exhaustion muddied her rational thinking, and she allowed herself to drift off to sleep in the comfort of Malic’s bed, lulled by the soothing voice of a man who actually cared for her.
Prisha’s dreams were filled with blue skies, radiant sunlight, and a caring man dressed in darkness.