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Moving back to Sayleport had been an easy decision, but a difficult thing to actually do. Serenity had done all the sensible things one is meant to do before moving; scoping out a decent place to live and saving money for it, making sure she had everything she needed, making sure there was a job market, putting money away to tide herself over while she looked for a job, put all her possessions in labelled boxes, got in touch with old friends who could help her find her footing. She hadn't lived in Sayleport since she was about fifteen but she had kept in touch with Layla and Chae-won over the years, and knowing they would be around had been a big part in why she'd decided to move back to her childhood hometown.
But for tonight, it was just her. They had planned a sort of 'welcome back home' get together for the weekend, so Serenity had a few days to settle in and unpack. She'd cleared the essentials; her bed was set up and the box of clothes had been located and set at the foot of it, so she could get up and dressed no problem the next day. The bathroom was fully stocked. She had some ready meals prepared in the freezer so she could throw something in the oven or microwave when she was hungry without having to worry about breaking out the pots and making a mess of the kitchen. She'd even managed to fish out her bedside lamp and her alarm clock, so she could avoid oversleeping and messing up her day by not getting things done.
Making sure all the boxes were pushed to the walls so she wouldn't crash into one if she woke up in the night, Serenity got herself ready for bed and slipped under the duvet with a yawn. She had to unpack tomorrow. Put out some job applications. Get some juice and milk and other things for lunch and breakfast. Call Layla and Chae-won to see when they were thinking of hanging out on the weekend. Outside her window, she could hear the gentle tap-tap-tap of light rainfall. She gradually focused on the sound of the rain. Maybe she could put a podcast on her phone, so she wasn't still thinking of everything she had to do when she woke up. After ten minutes of glancing at the clock, she sighed and took her phone off the bedside table, opening up the latest episode of Sayleport Magicians.
"Welcome to Sayleport Magicians listeners, where we talk magical news, strange mysteries and the latest happening in Sayleport's ley-lines. I am the Hermit and me and my co-star, the Noble, have quite a bit to talk about today, don't we?"
"Indeed. It seems that there are rumours that Lapin Lazuli, the newest Magical Girl to emerge in Sayleport, could be connected to Ferro Wolf, the second Magical Girl. I personally think it's extremely unlikely, but we have a duty to look into such theories."
"For the sake of our dear listeners, of course. Now the main theory I'm aware of is that there's some sort of 'switch' between the two girls who fuse to make Ferro Wolf - so the Weapon became the Wielder and vice versa."
"Right. But that's not possible. Interviews with Goldifox confirmed that those roles are pretty much set in stone."
"Well, that's what she says..."
~~
For a moment, Serenity thought she was awake. The room was dark, her phone in sleep mode after playing her to sleep with the podcast. There was only the slightly 'off' feeling, like she was underwater, to tip her off that this might not be reality. She stood and opened the window. The night sky was a blanket of stars that turned neon, sparkling purple, pink and blue. It enveloped her, leaving her hanging in darkness. Serenity floated up, so she could hang among the pulsing lights. Bright blue clouds drifted over, pulsing and glowing to the beat of the stars, enveloping her. As they washed over her, the landscape shifted. Black became white. Neon became pastel, the hot bright colours turning into soft oranges, pinks and yellows. The stars vanished, replaced with rolling clouds and mist - although Serenity was confident she could see stars swirling in them, galaxies twirling just beyond her fingertips when she reached towards them.
Serenity gasped. Her heart felt warm. She pressed a hand to her chest. It was so warm, like it was radiating heat. Around her the stars flared brilliantly, like shards of ice on a winter's morning. It was so bright. She wanted to close her eyes but couldn't. The warmth under her hand was rising but it didn't hurt or burn. It overflowed from her chest, spreading through her body. She felt like a star herself, being welcomed among the others. It was all swirling together around her; light and dark, neon and pastel, pinks and blues and oranges and galaxies and stars.
Serenity reached into the warmth of her chest, past her skin. There was something there. Her fingers curled around it and she pulled it free of her body, holding it up. It was a heart shaped gem, clear and cut. It's surface caught and reflected the light, shining with the many lights around her.
Her Heart. She knew this was her Heart. A part of her soul, the part of her that was magical. The part of her that held such power, such potential, such promise.
She was a Magical Girl, and this was her Heart.
~~
Serenity gasped when she woke up. It took a second before she realised something was in her hand and she sat upright quickly opening her hand. Even without her glasses, she could see it was heart shaped, gleaming in the morning sun.
She was a magical girl.
She needed her phone. She needed to call Layla and Chae-won right now! She turned, grabbing her glasses and flipping them open. She stuck them onto her nose one handed, refusing to put down her heart for a second. She grabbed her phone and opened her contacts, swiping down to the first number in the list. As it rang, she stared at the Heart. They came in different colours and people weren't entirely sure what each colour meant if anything, but it just always seemed to suit the person. She couldn't even try to remember what colour Hearts everyone had right then. Serenity's mind was just going into overdrive, picking up on every and any little detail about her Heart and the fact that she was a magical girl.
"Serenity?" Chae-won sounded sleepy. Serenity knew she should apologise for waking her up - she hadn't even checked the clock to see what time it was - but she just blurted out what was racing through her mind.
"I'm a magical girl."
"...wait, what?"
"I just woke up from this dream and I'm holding my Heart right now and I'm a magical girl!"
"Seriously?" Chae-won sounded a bit more alert at that.
"Yeah! But," Serenity actually looked at the clock and bit her lip. It was half six in the morning. Oops. "I'm sorry I woke you up! I didn't see the time, I was just really excited..."
"I'll forgive you. If we get my pick of takeout next time we meet up. Which is gonna be tomorrow. If Layla's got plans we're cancelling them."
"You sure? I mean, if she's busy then it's totally fine, we don't have to."
"Sure I'm sure! Look, she's gonna be so excited. She won't want to wait to quiz you about your dream and see your Heart. And she won't want me knowing everything before her."
Chae-won stifled a yawn. "So we'll meet up like, lunch time. My place since you've literally just moved in. Means we can get Layla in on the plan and I can catch a bit more sleep." Serenity relaxed a little, but it didn't ease the guilt at waking them up.
"Yeah, sounds good. Sorry."
"Nah it's. Well it is early, but I was up fiddling about with trying to get some new hardware I'd brought installed properly. Anyway," they were quick to inject some authority into their tone, before Serenity could apologise again, "Tomorrow! We're gonna grab Layla, grab some Mr. McBurg's burgers and you're gonna tell us everything and show us your Heart. Deal?"
"Okay. Thanks Chae-won."
"No problem. Night. Or morning, technically."
"Night."
They hung up together and Serenity sunk down under her covers again. She stroked over her Heart, tracing it's angles and turning it to see how it gently shined. Normally she would worry about forgetting her dreams but she had a feeling this one wouldn't be so easy to lose. Her mind still raced with questions and possibilities. Was she a Wielder or a Weapon? What would she transform into? Could she team up with Chae-won or Layla, and would they become something new when fused with her? So she fell into a sort of extremely mindful doze, mind buzzing with thoughts even as she curled up comfortably in bed, breathing deeply and transfixed on the warm gem in her hands.