The gleaming towers of Pandemonium rose sharply in the horizon as Mai approached, heedless of the air resistance and the gnawing feeling that had begun in the pit of her stomach and had now spread through her innards, desperately trying to attract her attention. She steered clear of all residents of Makai: everyone who chose to remain in Shinki's service was an utter fool, but that didn't mean one of them might not have a stroke a genius and realise what Sara hadn't, namely that she was there for far more than to bask in the supposed glory of Shinki's creations.
She made it to the palace unobserved and dived at the first sight of trees, well aware that if she dawdled in the air so close to the heart of Pandemonium, she'd be sure to attract the attention of either Yumeko or Shinki herself.
She landed on the top of the highest tree of all and buried herself in the branches, the spear-like leaves tickling her bare knees. Soon, she had a secure hiding place with an excellent view: the garden was built up on a high plateau at the foot of a large spire and overlooked the entire city and most of the surrounding planes.
Gazing at her former home, she was overcome with a sense of nostalgia: the cityscape had changed, yes, but it still held the essence of what once had been back when life was simple. Even after the lustre of Pandemonium had faded, as long as she had held onto the mask of contentment there had been times when she'd been able to fool herself into thinking the world was an uncomplicated place, accepting her subsevient position to get away from the pain and anger that came from knowing that while Shinki was a god, she was far from infallible, and that Makai was as much a prison as it was paradise. Now it had returned, as radiant as ever.
And so, as she sat still in the tree like an overgrown dove trying to go unnoticed by predators, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made a mistake. Weren't there far worse things in the world than being attached to a sappy, easily excitable fool and pretending she believed in Shinki's omnipotence?
She turned towards the spires. If she sought out Shinki and prostrated herself before her, might she still take her back?
No. She sunk deeper into the leaves till even the top of her head was entirely obscured. The look on Shinki's face when they had been cast out of Makai was answer enough. Besides, even if there was a sliver of hope, could she truly make herself bend the knee under those baleful eyes and pretend she was as meek and obedient as Shinki had hoped she would be? Her soul and freedom were worth more than that.
The only option left was to make the dream she had proclaimed to her fellow rebels a reality. She has powers aplenty. She could manage.
And even if she couldn't win the war, she could certainly hurt Shinki enough to turn her victory into ashes in her mouth.
With that thought, she focused on the only person in the garden. Alice had settled down under a large trees with vast, transparent leaves, listlessly chewing on a pink fruit. She looked just as Mai remembered her, sans her fairy dolls which had been destroyed in the tumult, and carried an ancient-looking tome in the crook of her arm.
Mai settled down to wait. Now that she was her own master, she had all the time in the world, and the soft gentle scent of the tree she was hiding in was soothing. Even the feel of the leaves on her skin had gone from uncomfortable to feeling like fleeting caresses. She watched Alice, finish her snack, wipe her hands in her apron, clutch the book against her chest and frown as if she was trying to solve a difficult puzzle, and finally, finally, close her eyes.
Mai waited for a good while longer till she was sure she was asleep, then alighted onto the grass.
She wasn't surprised Alice had remained on Shinki's side. She was the most exalted of her creations, loved beyond what any of the rest could dream of. All the same, observing her peaceful slumber made her scowl.
Her fingers itched, and she tentatively summoned a short, sharp icicle. She could pierce Alice's heart right there and then and escape before anyone detected her, but who was to say Shinki couldn't breathe life back into what she had already once created?
No. There was a much better way to have her revenge.
She crouched down next to Alice and reached out to push an errant lock of hair behind her ear before she had time to stop and think about it. She withdrew her hand slowly, her eyes narrowing on the book. She didn't need to touch it to feel the hum of powerful magics contained within. It had to be a grimoire, and an incredibly potent one at that.
Why Alice should have one, she had no idea, but it gave her food for thought.
For the time being, however, she settled for leaning in closer till her mouth was next to Alice's ear and breathing in a spell.
It was a simple charm, and an innocuous one, used to inspire sweet dreams. It could be modified to induce nightmares, but instead, she transmitted images to fuel her victim's strong sense of justice: she knew she had to be just as angry as she was that the invaders had escaped virtually unpunished, even if it wasn't for the same reasons. Yuki had usually wanted dreams of adventures and daring deeds, easy enough to modify into a fantasy of justified revenge with Alice as the hero.
The expression on Alice's face changed. Her pouting mouth curled into a self-satisfied smile.
Mai mirrored the expression and was just about the reinforce the spell when someone materialised right behind her. She forced herself to turn slowly, knowing that if it were Yumeko she was practically doomed anyway, only to instead come face-to-face with the ever-serene Louise.
She made her shoulders relax. "It's been a while."
"Mm-hm." Louise cracked an eye open. Mai was relatively sure she could see without her eyes as easily as she could shift through the material plane, and didn't much care for the theatrics. "Sara told me I might find you here. Care to explain what you were whispering just now?"
Mai stood up, well aware she only came up to Louise's shoulder in her current form. "I came to say goodbye."
"I didn't think you were close."
"Closer than you two ever were." She wasn't lying, either: as far as she knew, Louise and Alice had never exchanged more than a few pleasantries.
"Hmm." Louise opened both her eyes, a rarity. "I assume you're done now?"
Mai considered her options. As a full-fledged magician, Louise would have been a bit of a joke, but for a civilian she was surpisingly fearsome, with precision and control over her abilities which made up for her relative lack of power, the exact opposite of an angered Yuki. Mai could take her on, no question about it, but as with Sara, the battle would last minutes rather than seconds, and would absolutely attract unwanted attention considering where they were.
Then again, if Louise was on her tail, she already had that attention. Better make her exit and fast.
She curtsied. "I'll go, assuming I'm allowed to leave unharmed."
"I'll send guards to go with you to guarantee that will be the case." Louise clapped her hands. Two small demons in matching blue dresses and wielding spears emerged over the garden wall.
Since when did Louise have this kind of authority? Shinki must have been desperate if she was promoting old hands instead of creating new ones. Mai didn't allow this thought to show on her face, however. She curtsied again and rose to the air as primly as she could, fixing a beatific gaze on Louise. "I suppose this is farewell for us, too."
Louise didn't even deign to nod in response. She had always been a fool.
Mai followed the junior demons out of Pandemonium. She recognised neither of them, and knew weaklings when she saw them: emergency demons created to fill the gap that Mai's demons had left behind, most likely. Shinki's powers may have been great, but here was more proof that for all her claims, they weren't infinite: why else not make these two as powerful as Yumeko or Mai herself?
They abandoned her halfway to the gate and flew away without word. Mai watched them go with a secret smile.