*Evening, Tuesday, 12th of April 2011; Zarak’s Palace, Other Side.*

Kyouko’s second experience with the portal wasn’t any more pleasurable than the first one, or even more bearable. She still had to go through the same alien sensations the indescribable place mercilessly inflicted on unfortunate passersby like two Magical Girls. She wasn’t sure how this veil, this world-between-worlds should be even called, but looking into it was to experience insanity even if it lasted for a duration shorter than a breath, even if it was nothing but a blur captured by the corner of her eyes.

She shuddered as the portal closed behind them. Gone was Mitakihara city, gone was Japan and perhaps even Earth, they stood under the dark skies of Dragon’s hellish realm. Above their heads, an eternal storm raged amidst inky, leaden clouds, heavens torn asunder by the flashes of many forked lighting that illuminated the lands below in the sudden flares of white light. Air was heavy, with a stench of ozone and sulfur, which was making both girls sick.

Kyouko and Sayaka now stood in the middle of the enormous city square where the portal deposited them, a massive paved courtyard, with something they could describe as a magical circle engraved in gold in a black stone in the center. Farther away, surrounding this gloomy plaza, a twisted reflection of the city stood, a nightmarish maze of stone, of concrete and steel, with tall buildings that cast sinister shadows on the ground in the endless game of light and darkness.

And in the shadow of enormous structures, unbothered by the terrifying weather, small humanoid creatures hurried back and forth, moving crates with help of huge lizard-like beasts of burden, or running after unknown errands. And among them were various other creatures, from winged foxes they met before, to other strange monstrosities they never saw before.

Kyouko looked at her fellow Magical Girl. She had thought about what to say for almost an entire day and still didn’t know.

“Where are we?” Sayaka asked, confused expression on her face and in her voice, looking around in surprise or a shock, so caught in the moment she forgot about the argument she had just before she threw herself to the portal leading to this place.

“This is the place your new friends came from, obviously.”, Kyouko snapped out. Instead of following up with the argument, she readied her weapon, as natives seem to notice the unusual visitors in the form of two Magical Girls. It was the world of monsters, and they didn’t belong here.

A couple of vulpine monsters were at them almost immediately, in a long leap aided by their wings, the more humanoid-looking creatures that followed after them on their feet.

There were a lot of small, reptilian humanoids, most of them marginally shorter than girls were, most of them with dull rust-colored scales, with long rat-like tails and digitigrade feet with three fingers. Their heads had saurian-like snouts, small horns, and scaly, pointed animal ears unlike their other, more lizard-like features. Most dressed in a dark military-looking outfit, and what surprised them - all armed with rifles, which they aimed at them.

Unlike the more animalistic winged foxes, a lizard-like humanoid could speak, even though they did talk in the language neither of the Magical Girl can understand.

“What is the meaning of this?” Kyouko protested and used her spear to deflect the bayonet too close to comfort, which only motivated the surrounding mob to aim their guns at her, the tension rising.

Sayaka, despite looking fairly confused by this entire situation, put the arm on her fellow Magical Girl’s shoulder before she turned to the assembly of monstrosities.

“We are there about the contract.”, she said, in a strange tone in her voice that lingered between calmness and resignation. Sayaka raised her hands, in an attempted gesture of peace or surrender, one hand empty, but the other holding a strange ornamental dagger by its decorated sheathe.

Kyouko never saw that weapon, but she didn’t doubt where Sayaka got it.

It seemed that the crowd didn’t understand, judging from the cacophony of high-pitched voices, even though at the same time it would seem that it was Kyouko’s presence that made them nervous. One of the lizard-like soldiers threatening the redhead Magical Girl with his weapon stood too close to Sayaka, seemingly without considering that she could potentially attack him as well.

Kyouko didn’t like the kind of attention she was given and tried to fight back, adding heat to the moment.

Then suddenly, an air split in an unexpected display of eldritch energies. It was almost like the reality itself bled sickly darkness from a festering wound, and from that shadowy cloud, a new monstrosity formed. All creatures parted way immediately.

The new arrival was one of those twisted half-girl half-monster abominations, albeit one Kyouko didn’t recognize, and it didn’t make her better than her already familiar fellows. This one, with the large lower body of the furry spider, colored in a disgusting mix of purple and black, with eight legs from which two front ones formed sharp bony scythes. Her upper body was one of the human, a girl of lanky body build, dressed in a leather jerkin with a pistol in a holster strapped on. In addition to other monstrous features, almost as if someone felt she wasn’t an insult to the laws of nature already, her human torso had four human arms, with clawed fingers each. Her human face also bore the similar taint of a monster, with eyes of a solid purple color lacking the iris, and curved horns poking from the dark hair.

The monster girl strode through the crowd of lesser monstrosities barking orders left and right in a foreign language, forcing everyone to disperse and go back to their duties. Then, without further ado, she approached the two confused Magical Girls.

“Come, our lord awaits. You arrived at the wrong place. I will remedy this.” said the half-spider and grabbed the two surprised girls by their humanoid hands, her voice cold and stoic.

Kyouko didn’t like the touch of the monster’s hand, but before she had a chance to protest, they were consumed by the shadows and dragged through the terrifying nothingness to the light that didn’t feel any less disturbing than the darkness that surrounded them.

When they emerged back, after a step that felt like an eternity, they were standing in the well lit, cavernous hall, arched ceiling reaching higher than the most majestic of temples, with walls and ceiling decked in marble and gold reflecting power and wealth or decorated with rich frescos picturing the entire menagerie of horrific monsters. But even all that wealth couldn’t remove the soul-crushing feeling of this hellish realm, that constant oppressive sensation oozing from every step, from every corner that felt like they were crushing and cutting you despite being dozens of meters away, and the air heavy and hostile, to the paintings that looked like they might come alive and devour you.

And in the middle of it, Zarak the Dragon sat, tall and mighty, a horror personified, scales seeping the dark miasma of eldritch powers.

Here, in the hall that could be his throne room, he inspired even more terror than the first time Kyouko had seen him. She glimpsed Sayaka as she let her Magical Girl form vanish, and Kyouko wasn’t sure if Sayaka was looking at the dragon with fear or awe.

On Zarak's side, a more familiar figure floated in the air, much smaller, but still undeniably monstrous. Sarka, one of Dragon’s higher ranking minions, in her green dress, with tentacles squirming nervously as they watched something at the corner of the room.

Magical Girl tracked their gaze to the large object on her right, a large mirror that could as well be a television screen. She caught a brief image of Homura in a swirl of movement, a magical girl that tried to recruit Kyouko with suspicious information about the incoming Witch. Dragon waved the image away, and the scrying mirror turned black.

Zarak said something in that language others spoke before, his voice showing the signs of minor irritation, clear even if neither Kyouko nor Sayaka could understand the meanings behind the words. A half-spider girl that led them here made a short quip in the same alien tongue, followed by the brief answer from Zarak, and then with a final word of confirmation, she vanished in her tear of bleeding shadows to carry out whatever demand her master had.

“If I recall correctly, I ordered that the Magical Girl should be brought to me directly once she agrees to join us. I empathize, directly. Why wasn't it so?” Zarak said, switching to the Japanese both Magical Girls can understand. While her colleague was probably just bewildered by the current situation, Kyouko silently wondered why - it hadn't occurred to her before, but they spoke fluent Japanese despite everything indicating it wasn’t how they normally communicated.

“I am sorry, My Lord, it won’t happen again.”, Sarka said, lowering her head in apology as she floated into Dragon's view.

“No, it won’t happen again.”, the Dragon conceded after giving his floating aide a meaningful, deep stare, a look that might mean anything as a gaze of four glowing eyes was impossible to read. The monster girl answered with something of a curtsy, an extremely awkward gesture considering she levitated and the lower portion of her body was just tentacles. Then she moved out of the way.

“My name is Azhdaja Zarak.” The Dragon introduced herself, obviously for a newcomer's sake, his voice deep and proud, giving off the strong impression of authority, while a sinister growling undertone attached to his words made Kyouko unsettled now she had to face him once more. It was a stroke of dubious luck that he focused the frightening gaze on Sayaka instead.

Zarak stretched his long neck towards the two Magical Girls, grinning his teeth in a draconic variation to the smile, and added, “I assume you came to take my offer? And I see you brought my old friend Kyouko back to me as well.”

“Your old friend?” Sayaka asked, in a confused tone, still in shock from the gargantuan dragon oozing with a dark miasma, but then she gathered her wits to form a question she wanted to ask.

“Can you help me to get rid of it?”, she said, showing her Soul Gem in her palm to the lord of monsters

“I am unable to undo your previous decisions, I don’t rule over the flow of time … yet.”, Zarak explained, and with a short dramatic pause, he continued, “I can however release you from your current contract, to replace it with my own, promising you a new, healthy body, with a guaranteed long life, your powers expanded. What you are now will be behind you, forever. And in exchange, you will have to work for me for a duration not shorter than six years, possibly longer.”

Kyouko opted not to add anything to the conversation, tightly gripping her weapon. She traced the floating monster girl with her eyes - perhaps the lord of the monsters didn’t mind her circling around, but it unsettled the Magical Girl.

“But…” Magical Girl hesitated at that, stammering out: “But the school… and Kyousuke… I wished for Kyousuke...”

“And did you get what you actually wished for?” The Dragon answered with a rhetorical question, but the unspoken weighed both Magical Girls down. Uninterrupted, Zarak added, “I do not intend to separate you from the boy. I permit you to marry. And should it be required, I will pay a dowry. Not a traditional approach, I am certain, but it will help.”

“Mm-m-m-marry?” Sayaka shuttered even more as it was, without a doubt, a topic she couldn’t have possibly been prepared for. Kyouko wondered if Dragon did this on purpose, and she concluded he would.

“Of course, a place in my realm to protect both of you from danger,” Zarak said and after a short delay, he continued. “Making sure you have the power to heal him personally, from a current ailment or possibly future injury is a trifling matter as well.”

“But…”, Sayaka tried to say something, but it seemed like her voice failed her before she could even start the proper sentence, almost like the grief once again could take hold of her.

“I will not let you harm Hitomi. She is one of mine.”, Dragon pronounced, as it was a stark declaration, with emphasis on ‘mine’.

The Magical Girl wanted to say something, shocked to hear the name of her classmate, but she was interrupted once more.

“So what’s the catch?” Kyouko protested, feeling this is the time where she should join this mostly one-sided conversation. “We will turn into monsters?”

The Dragon turned his attention to the redhead that interrupted him, and asked, his voice provocative: “ Tell me, Magical Girl, what constitutes a monster?”

She took a breath, but Zarak didn’t let her finish and continued the pressure with a noticeable snarling undertone creeping in: “Who lied to you about the contract? Who twisted your wish and turned your father insane? Then did nothing? Isn’t your current patron more of a monster than any of us will ever be?”

“You have no idea how…” Kyouko raised her voice, agitated, perhaps furious. She gripped her spear in both hands, ready to attack the offending Dragon, but then, she froze. It wasn’t the magic that held her here, she realized that he was right - a little white critter with unfeeling eyes harmed her more…

“I have no idea what, exactly?” Zarak pushed her even more, speaking slowly, for emphasis “How much you suffered? Doesn’t your suffering prove I am right?”

“And why should I trust you?” Kyouko argued. She didn’t trust the Dragon. She didn’t trust Sarka, hovering in the air like a nightmarish predatory octopus. She didn’t trust any of those twisted mockeries of natural laws, but she didn’t have a choice.

“You shouldn’t have trusted your current patron back in the day, but you did.” He replied, speaking in a calm, monotone voice that made the impulsive redhead even more furious, and as she growled he added: “And you have to trust someone eventually. If not me, then someone else. Or die alone. All Magical Girls die alone.”

The Magical Girl didn’t have an answer to that. Neither of them did. Sayaka appeared to be even more worn out, exhausted, she looked like she was waiting for a release from some heavy burden.

“I admit there are side effects, the essence of the chimera takes precedent in anything I try to create, but they don’t even start to compare to what was already done to you...”, Zarak conceded, and after a short pause, he added, “But it is the only chance you have right now to get rid of your unique condition. There might be others, but they are not as readily available.”

Kyouko thought of the answer, still tense, but before she managed to try anything, or retort anything, her fellow Magical Girl spoke first.

“I’ll make the deal.”, Sayaka said, her voice shaking, but still apparent she made the choice, “I want a better chance than this.”

“No,” Kyouko shouted, “don’t!”

But Sayaka didn’t listen. She presented her Soul Gem on the open palm, to make it clear she is referring to it, or perhaps hoping it might be taken away. The Dragon turned away from the redhead that argued with him and rose, lifting his head and spreading his wings.

“Touch my claw with your phylactery and say you consent to become my Diva.”, his voice boomed, terrible, and filled with mystical power.

Sayaka stumbled forward, dropping the dagger she still clutched to this point, her hand outstretched forward. Finally, she reached Zarak’s terrible claw and pressed her Soul Gem to it, crying out her agreement.

Sinister, eldritch forces oozing from Dragon’s body rushed forward, dispersing the magical gem in the outburst of the crackling flashes of mystical energies, which then turned into the cloud of pure darkness that seized a girl. Sayaka veins blackened, almost as if they were filled with tar, muscles stretched and loosened again as something rearranged her body on a whim. A moment after, it was over.

Sayaka collapsed on the ground, Soul Gem gone, her body reconstructed anew. Her skin was light and fair once more, perfect, without a single blemish, her hair gained a shade closer to the sickly cerulean fire, the same color as the fiery breath of Zarak's fox monsters.

Kyouko rushed to help her, but when the former Magical Girl raised her head and looked at the redhead with a tired expression of the person waking up from the pleasant dream, she froze. Sayaka looked at her with eyes turned yellow, with slit pupils, one of the snakes.

“It’s finally over.” She breathed out, “I am not a zombie anymore.”

Kyouko stood there and couldn’t muster any meaningful reaction to the scene in front of her, overtaken by guilt.

Zarak raised her claw, almost like he wanted to crush the former Magical Girl under his weight - but he didn’t. Instead, he delicately picked up the dreamy-looking Sayaka, with gentleness unexpected from the huge sharp talons of the monster.

“Sarka, take my new Diva to the prepared room, let her rest.”, Dragon turned to his flying aide, letting the telekinetic power do the rest. Then he turned to Kyouko.

“So what do you choose, Magical Girl?”, he repeated the words from the first time Kyouko had met and refused him, not trusting the deal with the devil. She silently watched as her friend was carried away, changed. She didn’t want this to happen, but she was powerless to stop it.

“An agreement isn’t as meaningless as you may think.”, Dragon said, and added as a reminder, “You still need to truly agree with what I offer you.”

Magical Girl’s focus was however somewhere else.

“Idiot.”, Kyouko sighed, looking at Sayaka - the girl she barely knew, but strangely enough, deeply cared about. There was no good explanation for it - there wasn’t even a bad one, she felt, and she had time to contemplate about it the entire day before she jumped into the portal that led her here. She didn’t even know what to think, what to feel, the only thing she was certain about was that there was no turning back. Then the redhead dropped her spear, a magical weapon dissipating on the ground, let her Magical Girl consume wane away, and with the Gem in her hand, she approached the Dragon.

“Damn you, I will not leave her alone.”, Kyouko announced as she pressed her soul gem against Zarak’s outstretched claw.

“I agree. Turn me into a monster then.” She said, and in the last moment of defiance she added: “You bastard.”

She heard herself saying as the dark powers embraced her, pouring into her every pore, every vein. She hated it, she hated all of it, but still, she fully accepted it as it was the only thing she could do. Sayaka wouldn’t be alone, and perhaps then Kyouko won’t be alone either.

“Give me all of it.”, she whispered as her body was changed, twisted, and remade. Scales formed on her arms, growing claws tore her shoes, and wings sprouted from her back, her body reshaping inside out, to a whim a new contract - new bondage to replace the last.

The bondage that will certainly cost her of humanity - perhaps all of it, she thought, no matter the terms.

But then, Kyouko was too tired to think.

She slowly passed out, lulled into the strange sleep, tired from everything that had happened. She dreamed about the world under the dark-clouded skies where untold monsters ran free without little furry liars twisting wishes, without Witches, and without Magical Girls as well. A world where she had a family again, even though she couldn’t tell what family it would be.