Chapter 2 – A Brand New Life

     Sluggishly Iryna awakens with an uneasy, disorienting stupor. Her memory is foggy and she’s not entirely sure how long it’s been since she fell asleep. What she is sure of is that she is no longer by the river side. As she focuses she quickly realises that she is laying back in her bed at home, a familiar ceiling above her head, the tattered curtains hanging by the window rustling like leaves in the breeze. The child sighs in disappointment and rolls over onto her side, pulling the sheets up snug to her face. As she expected her mystical encounter at the ruins was indeed nothing but a dream. How could anything so fantastical happen to her?

     As she lies still however she begins to notice something strange - silence. Her home is completely silent. No shouting, no arguing of any kind. Sitting up she sees that she is alone in the normally cramped bedroom. Her siblings are probably at school, her father out working the fields like most men in the town. Still she can’t help but find it bizarre. Concentrating further she can hear the clattering of pots and the bubbling of boiling water elsewhere in the house.

     Stumbling out of bed, Iryna makes her way to explore this unexpectedly calm environment. In the tiny kitchen at the rear of the building she finds her mother diligently at work preparing the family's afternoon meal. Iryna is suddenly hit by an overpowering aroma of sweet, hot soup. She knew her mother enjoyed cooking but she hasn’t seen her prepare food this lovingly in a very long time. As she lifts a clay pot of green vegetables Irynas mother notices her daughter standing quietly at the door.

     “Oh Iryna? You’re awake dear. I got back home before the others, come, sit.” She says softly with a large, warming smile. Whenever Diana was left alone, away from the angry bitterness of her partner, she would often seclude herself in a deep, lonely depression. Even now there are obvious signs that the woman has been crying not so long ago, deep dark rings surrounding her brown shining eyes. Despite this; the wonderful smile stretching across her face feels perfectly sincere. It’s been years since Iryna last saw her mother truly smile.

     Then, with a clatter, Irynas grandmother shuffles through the back door carrying a large basket full of bright flowers. With shaking hands she places the bouquet into the middle of the dining table before likewise throwing a pleasant grin at her bewildered granddaughter - the kind of smile that only the elderly can give.

     “Shouldn’t you be at morning service Iryna?” the wobbling old woman asks softly, her voice croaking like a wise toad.

    “I-I ummm didn’t feel like going today.” Iryna finally says after taking a short moment to compose herself. Such a straightforward answer would normally bring about a disapproving scoff, but for some reason her grandmother only smiles at this petulant answer.

     “Oh don’t harp on her too much mother.” Diana chimes in happily, placing several large bowls around the circular table. “If she doesn’t want to go then she can do as she likes.” She says beaming with motherly affection. Before Iryna can ask any questions however the peaceful quiet is broken by the loud arrival of the rest of the family returning from the synagogue. Her father seems to walk with a surprising level of pride with one hand stroking his huge bushy beard and the other coddling around his youngest daughter; Nina.

     They all laugh and smile as they come one by one into the house, joking and chatting lovingly, sharing gossip, and playing about. The sound is something Iryna has never quite heard before. She’s normally very adverse to such loudness, yet this chorus of joyous commotion feels almost like music to her perked up ears. From Irynas perspective it’s almost as if the whole room, no- the whole world has just become lighter, as if a dark cloud has been blown away from the disk of the sun. It’s confusing and incredibly strange but also wondrous and a joy to behold.

     “Why are you standing around like a startled cat Iryna?” her father says in a booming, gleeful tone. Yosyp is a tall man, as wide as a bear and when he would shout he would be just as ferocious, but right now he seems more like a big cuddly dog, all smiling and happy. “We’ve all had a long day no doubt. C’mon you lot, let’s eat!” he says as he sits down at the round table.

     “Shabbat shalom deer, welcome home. You must be exhausted”. Diana coos, placing a cup of steaming tea in front of her once despised husband. With such a large family the kitchen table had to be expanded several years ago. One of Yosyps work friends, a carpenter had extended it on the cheap. Thinking back on it now; that was the last time Iryna can remember her father doing anything explicitly for the families benefit.

     “Hello. Wake up Iryna.” Angelina says playfully, waving her hand in front of her sisters still shocked face as she remains the only one standing in the packed kitchen. Snapping out of her entrapment, Iryna quickly takes the one last empty chair to join her smiling family.

     “You must have been lying out in the sun for too long.” Angelina jokes while Iryna simply looks at her with nervous confusion. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t tell them where you run off to.” She continues with a giggle.

     “What’s this? Iryna has a hiding spot somewhere? How exciting!” Diana laughs.

     “Sounds pretty healthy to me. I think we all need somewhere to escape to every now and then. You just be careful out there Iryna. The world is crumbling, it’s a dangerous place, but I promise you; I will protect you all.” Yosyp says proudly, placing his huge hands lovingly on his wife’s to his left and his eldest sons; Mykola, to his right.

     At this very moment Iryna is overcome with a feeling of joy and happiness she has honestly never experienced before. It’s so very different to the peace and calm she finds while being alone at her riverbank. It feels warm and cosy, in a way she’s always imagined it to be. Taken over by these new, fantastic emotions Iryna can’t help but join the family with a wide, satisfied smile.

     “S-Shall we say grace?” she stutters, saying words she never would have imagined saying only yesterday. Together everyone at the table, Iryna included, put their palms together and recite a prayer over their waiting food. “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who creates varieties of nourishment. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, through Whose word everything comes into being.”

     With prayers complete the strangely relaxed girl goes to dig into her expertly crafted bowl of steaming vegetable soup. However as she does so she notices something gleaming on her hand that she hadn’t noticed before. Taking a closer look she sees a small silver ring, emblazoned with a tiny blue gemstone in its face, shining in the dimming afternoon light. Slowly she begins to put two and two together. Could it be that her encounter with the mysterious cat-creature Kyubey was in fact real? Had her wish been granted? It would explain her family's sudden, completely out of nowhere heel turn over the space of only one night. Her wish had come true, it wasn’t a dream.

     Unlike the countless nights before, the Solomiya household sits in perfect silence. All of Irynas siblings lay fast asleep, her grandmother snoring away in her chair as she always does. As Iryna rests on her back she looks up in awe of the beautiful ring on her finger. To her the world appears harmonious for the first time and she is content.

     “Are you satisfied Iryna Solomiya?” the high pitched voice of Kyubey says suddenly, startling Iryna who jumps up in surprise. To her astonishment the white cat has indeed appeared once again, now sitting silhouetted in the open window. Gracefully it leaps down and walks towards the girl, hopping over the sleeping bodies in its way.

     “You- You really are real!” Iryna says out loud, stirring motion from one of her brothers.

     “You don’t need to talk Iryna. You can communicate with me just by thinking. Telepathy is a very useful ability.” The cat speaks.

        “Tele-what?” Iryna thinks. “No- wait, hold on this is strange.” She continues silently in her head, unable to quite narrow her thoughts down.

     “You’ll get used to it.” Kyubey says as he jumps up to sit on the arm rest of the grandmother’s seat.

     “Hold on, you'll wake up granny!” Iryna panics mentally.

     “You are the only one who can see me. You have no need to worry.” Kyubey reassures the confused teen.

     “You made my wish come true didn’t you? You stopped by family from arguing all the time.” Iryna asks politely.

     “I simply granted that which you asked for.” The feline says. Iryna bows her head to this in quiet, thankful grace. She doesn’t really know how to show her appreciation but surely the strange cat already knows how much this means to her.

     “I see you’ve noticed your soul gem; the ring. It’s a very powerful one I must say. Now are you ready to uphold your end of our contract?” Kyubey squeaks. Steadily Iryna looks at the silver jewellery on her skinny, young finger.

     “It’s beautiful but…what do I do with it? How do I fulfil the contract?” Iryna asks softly. Kyubey proceeds to leap back across the room silently with only three bounds, landing back up in the window, its ruby pink eyes glowing in the bright moonlight.

     “I shall have to show you the ropes Iryna Solomiya. Follow me.” The animal says.

     “Where are we going?” Iryna ponders in confusion.

     “It is time for you to defeat your first witch. I’ll explain as we go.” Kyubey replies as he drops down from the ledge, soon followed by Iryna who, much more cautiously and slowly, joins him outside.

     Kyubey sits like a parrot on Irynas shoulder as she walks quietly past the train station and out of town. No one could ever know that the young girl is in fact engaged in mental conversation with some mysterious invisible being.

     “So how do I... be a Magical Girl exactly Kyubey?” Iryna questions in her thoughts.

     “Hold out your hand and focus on your soul gem. Command the gem to change and think of your new found responsibility.” Kyubey responds somewhat cryptically. Despite her confusion Iryna does as she is told and lifts out her right hand to gaze upon the ring on her finger. She focuses on the small gemstone and can’t help but be amazed at its purity and beauty. Then, with complete mental determination the girl demands the ring change shape. Into what she isn’t sure, but incredibly upon her command the ring does indeed transform in a brilliant flash of light.

     Once the light fades Iryna finds a strange, egg shaped ornate jewel resting in her open palm. It glows softly with a blue haze and its golden accents sparkle and shine with otherworldly majesty. It almost seems to hum as she holds it, as if it were alive, as if she can feel some presence from the stone giving off a familiar aura.

     “Wow! Incredible! That was magic, I actually did real magic!” Iryna beams with overwhelming excitement. “It’s so pretty!”

     “Your soul gem is the source of all your power as a Magical Girl. You can also use it to hunt down witches that may be close by. Now; focus on the gem and conceptualise what humans call ‘evil’. Kyubey says as he looks down at the soul gem in Irynas palm.  

     Iryna isn’t sure she’s comfortable imagining evil; she has a difficult time knowing exactly what she should be thinking about. She tries imagining the pain she felt when her parents would fight, ideas of the devil from the Bible and suppressed memories from years ago. Eventually, despite her apprehension the girl begins to feel a sensation running up her arm.

     “Wow. It feels strange, like it's tugging on me, pulling me somewhere.” Iryna says with intrigue. Together the strange duo continue on their journey wandering further out of town into the surrounding countryside.

     “Will I have to imagine all these things when I want to use my magic Kyubey?” Iryna asks as she marches along, her arm outstretched holding the glowing orb.

     “In my experience, Magical Girls learn very fast. Humans are such simple beings. Before long, using your powers should become second nature.” Kyubey replies bluntly.

     After several minutes of walking up the empty rural track, Iryna finds that her soul gem has begun glowing brighter and brighter, eventually blazing as they come upon a large cemetery nestled at the edge of dense woodland.

     “It's here, there’s evil here; in the Jewish cemetery.” The girl whispers, a sudden wave of nervousness and fear washing over her as she steps into the still, quiet resting grounds.

         “Witches are often drawn to places such as this. Abandoned buildings, hospitals, places where the dead reside and people express strong negative emotions. They can feed off the energy with little effort, it’s rather efficient.” Kyubey explains.

     A soft layer of mist floats across the wide open grave yard between row upon row of tombstones and burial markers. For Iryna, being here is a sorrowful experience. It is tradition that only Jews be buried with other Jews, thus everyone laid to rest here are people just like her. Iryna notices all kinds of head-stones, placed to keep demons and evil from reaching the deceased and to give comfort to the earth bound souls. Some of them date back hundreds of years, their faces mossy and cracked; their names long worn out and lost forever.

        For centuries, this was a relatively small cemetery however following the famine its residency expanded dramatically. Iryna doesn’t like to think of that time. Somewhere in this forest of the departed two of her own brothers are resting, as well as half a dozen young friends of her childhood. As she drifts through the stones all kinds of memories come rushing back to the girl, memories she would rather forget.

     She remembers yellowed skeletal corpses left lying by the roadside, un-buried, with thin transparent flesh even the crows wouldn’t consume. Her father would come home after his days in the field with little to show for his labour. What crops he had produced would never come to the Solomiyas table, nor go to the village shops. No; strange men would come and cart the produce up, leaving the village with nothing but scraps. She even remembers rumours that the Maryia family sold their newborn in exchange for a day's worth of food.

     Suddenly in shock, Iryna snaps out of her memories when she notices a man hanging by the neck from a large tree at the far end of the cemetery. His legs kick and his body writhes in agony, the sound of sputtering barely audible over the distance. Immediately, Iryna burst’s into action and she begins running full haste towards the suffocating stranger. Her eyes grow sharp, determined to save this man welling up inside her as her soul gem erupts with a brilliant angelic light.

     In a flash, Irynas whole being is overcome with splendid energy, casting a vibrant glow across the once gloomy and dark tombstones. Her young body becomes wrapped in something new, articles of clothing forming from the electrical, magical light. Over the course of only a few steps her entire appearance changes from that of a girl in a thin nightgown to that of some kind of priest in flowing pure-white robes.

     “Ah! Wait! What is this? What happened to me!?” Iryna says as she stops in complete bewilderment and inspects her new outfit. From the shadows Kyubey leaps onto one of the headstones nearby.

    “I told you it would become second nature very fast. You transformed into your full Magical Girl form. Now, weren’t you going to save that man over there?” Kyubey reminds her. Suddenly realising she’s stopped running, Iryna sprints forward again, reaching the tree and its struggling captive in record time.

     “Don’t worry! I’ll save you I promise!” Iryna calls out as she tries to grab hold of the man’s swinging legs in order to lift him up and relieve the pressure on his neck. She finds little success in this however and there is every chance she may be making the whole situation worse. Realising this won’t work, Iryna instead tries to climb the trunk of the massive oak tree and untie the noose itself.

    Already adept at climbing vertical surfaces, Iryna has no trouble scrambling up the rough bark and clambering onto the thick branch. The rope holding the man in the air is scratchy and tied off tightly. Any progress the girl makes with the knot is immediately undone by the man’s panicked movements tightening it all over again. Despite desperate tears beginning to well in Irynas eyes and her obvious frantic efforts, Kyubey remains motionless, observing the sight from his position above the headstone.

    “No! Oh please help me God save this man!” Iryna calls out in childlike desperation, her hands shaking and her balance on the branch becoming precarious. Then; just as she is about to fall, a halo of shining golden light wraps around the creaking rope and with one swift motion it closes in on itself, severing the bind and sending the man crashing to the ground with a thud. Iryna drops down herself and rushes to check on his condition. Only now does Kyubey hop to join her side and inspect the body. The man is bruised, his neck red raw and after a few seconds, he passes out completely.

     “Is he dead?” Iryna whispers under her breath, shaking from fear and adrenaline.

     “No he’s still alive and should wake up eventually. That was quite the display, Iryna Solomiya.” Kyubey replies.

    “Oh thank you Lord. I saved him with magic, didn't I?” Iryna says, breathing a sigh of relief and sitting back against the tree.

     “Indeed it was but I must say that was rather unexpected. Most Magical Girls summon a weapon to aid them. Your magic seems to manifest from your words, how curious.” Kyubey contemplates; his tail swishing as he speaks.

     “My words? Of course; I called out to God and he heard me! My magic works though prayer! Iryna beams with amazed realisation. For as much as she was content to dismiss the religion of her people as boring and old-fashioned, suddenly seeing this miracle at work awakens a strong faith in the young girl.  

     “You humans are very strange.” The cat replies somewhat dismissively as he trots over the unconscious body. “I thought so, look here.” He says pointing a paw towards the man’s inflamed neck. Iryna leans over to see what her companion is motioning at and finds a bizarre marking, a black tattoo etched into his reddened flesh.

     “What is that?” Iryna questions with concern.

     “Some Magical Girls refer to it as a Witches kiss. It’s an indicator that this man was under the influence of a Witch somewhere nearby.” Kyubey explains.

     “He was possessed?”

     “If that’s how you’d like to refer to it, yes.”

     Before Iryna can ask any further questions, her senses begin picking up something strange, a sound steadily growing louder, getting closer through the darkening mist. As she focuses in; the entire world around her and Kyubey begins to warp and twist, shimmering as if viewed through a curtain of water.

     “What’s happening Kyubey!?” Iryna calls out in shock.

     “I thought this might be the case. It seems a Witch has claimed the whole graveyard as its territory.” Kyubey says as he jumps up onto Irynas shoulder. With dizzying confusion Iryna gets to her feet as the environment is taken over by shifting constructions and vivid hallucinogenic patterns.

     Iryna finds herself in a bizarre space, standing atop a hill of blue grass beneath a patchwork sky. Rows of irregular oddly shaped and disproportionate gravestones stretch to the horizon and every here and there stand what can only be described as trees and bushes whose leaves have been replaced with gnawing, chewing masses of moving barbed wire. Strange creatures, demons of a kind, dance about as if at a celebration, their form appearing as that of chunks of meat covered in eyes, prancing about on insectoid legs to a chorus of muffled whistles and chimes.

     “Dear God where are we?” Iryna asks, her voice shaking with fear.

     “We’ve been caught in the Witches labyrinth, its home. There is only one way out now; you must destroy the Witch who is keeping the barrier up”. Kyubey says as he shuffles down Irynas back to sit by her feet. “Use your soul gem again to find it.”

     It doesn’t take long for the pair to track their captor down, Irynas gem glowing and pulling her along through this nightmarish carnival, the small meat-creatures scattering like animals whenever they would approach. Eventually they stand before the opening to a large cave, descending down into the earth.

     Taking a gulp and a deep breath, Iryna begins to make her way into the ominous cavern, her soul gem illuminating the shining, moist walls with bright blue light. Iryna is certainly afraid and she has no idea what to expect when she finally locates this ‘Witch’, however despite her fear, she also feels an incredible sense of adventure. Soon she isn’t even being pulled along by her soul gem anymore, rather her own curiosity and desire for answers is driving her deeper and deeper down, onwards towards her villainous foe.

     By the time she stumbles into the Witches lair, almost all signs of fear have vanished from the young girl and she stands with a look of awe and sickened amazement at the horrific sight before her. In the centre of a colossal chamber stands the Witch itself, looking like a gigantic, jagged and bone-broken goat, its massive horns curling in pointed spirals, its four legs strangely that of a woman, long and slender. As soon as the monster notices the intrusion within its sanctum it roars, or rather, bleats with a thunderous cry, shaking the entire cave.

     “That’s so disgusting. That’s a Witch?” Iryna asks with wide eyed bewilderment.

     “Indeed it is. You should hurry up and destroy it now. I would quite like to get out of here.” Kyubey responds. Iryna steadies herself as she looks down at her companion and smiles with misplaced confidence.

     Suddenly, as Iryna is reassuring Kyubey; her arm is wrapped in a line of barbed wire which has burst from the body of the goat-Witch at frightening speed. The young girl is pulled off her feet and sent flying through the air, the flesh of her arm tearing from the metal teeth eating into it. When the wire lets go, she lands with a crash against the floor, her arm a bloody, mangled mess, her face no better and streaked with tears. Looming over her, casting an all encompassing shadow stands the Witch, its rectangular eyes blazing with red fury. Iryna becomes paralysed with fear, pain and the shock of being so brutally caught off guard.

     Atop the cliff where she had been stood not seconds ago; Kyubey perches on a boulder to observe the coming fight. As always he shows no signs of emotion and offers no indication that he will do anything to save Iryna from this incredible threat whose roaring screams shake Iryna to her very core. What was she thinking being so confident all of a sudden, where had that thought even come from? It’s obvious, if she survives this, she still has much to learn.

     Slowly Iryna tries to get on her feet, but as she does so yet more vines of barbed wire burst forth from below the ground and ensnare her legs to pull her back down. Eviscerating the skin of her slender teen legs, she is kept knelt on her knees as if giving prayer, the beast arching over her in all its colossal, evil splendour. With blurred, tear soaked eyes, Iryna contemplates her next moves as carefully as she can.

     Remembering what Kyubey had said about her magic being a product of her words, Iryna struggles to lift her ruined arm with all her might to clasp her palms together in front of her in prayer. As blood pools below her, staining her white dress a crimson hue, she closes her eyes as the Witch begins its final charge. Seconds before a killing blow can annihilate the child, she speaks up; uttering words that, despite her once overt lack of dedication to her faith, she still remembers by heart.

    “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” Iryna says softly, with as much conviction and love as she can possibly muster through the agonising pain. As she does so; the monster's charge is suddenly blocked by a huge barrier of interlocking golden stars forming a fence-like lattice to which it slams into with a powerful impact.

     Enraged, the Witch screams as tentacles of razor wire scrape and claw at the magical ward trying with all its might to carve its way through. More wire erupts from the ground to attack the still praying Iryna, whose eyes burst open upon realising she is not yet dead.

     “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven so on earth!” she continues with a subtly sly smile. “Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors!” With these holy words the approaching wires are instantly sliced apart by halos of golden light, the vicious metal weapons collapsing to the floor.

     Feeling her own power growing inside her as she recites the Lord's prayer; Iryna pulls the defeated wire from her legs to stand up, wobbling and unsteady in step but solid in her determination to destroy the creature before her. All the while Kyubey sits observing from high above this arena, unblinking and silent. Then from the cave from which they had entered comes the sounds of thousands of scuttling insects as a horde of the Witches' horrible meaty-familiars descend upon their master’s attacker. As this wave of monsters approaches with unnatural, rigid movements Iryna shows no fear and she lifts a palm towards them.

    “Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil ones!” she cries out; suddenly causing a barrage of energetic projectiles to manifest and rocket towards the grotesque army, destroying them in numerous explosions. Obviously this was something of a shock to Iryna who looks surprised that ‘that’ would be the prayer's results.  “Oh, oh my!” she utters as she staggers back against the blast. “Ah right, yes, let's finish off you.” Iryna remakes, turning back to face the Witch still held behind her shield.

    “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever! Amen!” Iryna screams with all her might, each section of the prayer seemingly injuring the gigantic monster more and more, cracking its surface like pottery and causing it to writhe and buck in pain. As soon as Iryna cries our ‘Amen’ the Witch explodes, sending a powerful shockwave blasting through the cavern. Any remaining wire or late-coming familiars crumble into dust as the very make-up of the labyrinth itself begins to fade, vanishing in ripples and waves.

     Before Iryna can even comprehend what just happened, she finds herself deposited back in the Jewish graveyard by the large tree, the unconscious man still lying on the ground. Out of breath she falls onto the ground to rest, her Magical Girl outfit likewise disappearing in a flash, putting her back in her nightgown. Huffing and puffing, Iryna smiles at Kyubey who drops down from the branches high above.

        “Congratulations on your first victory Iryna Solomiya. I didn’t say at the time but that was something of a powerful Witch. I estimated you had a fifty-fifty chance of defeating it, so well done.”

     “That’s reassuring.” The girl laughs as she falls back into the grass. “Wait, what about my arm and legs? They were all cut up?” she realises, looking up at her arm which was somehow now in perfect condition.

     “You didn’t realise? You seem to possess an advanced rate of healing. All Magical Girls do but yours appears to relate to the incantation you used just now. You didn’t even notice your wounds closed up.” Kyubey explains.

     “Such incredible power. And I really defeated that demon? It won’t possess anyone else, they’ll be safe?” Iryna asks.

     “That Witch is indeed dead and won’t attack anyone else, no. Look over there and you’ll see.” Kyubey says, gesturing with his ears to somewhere close by. Sitting up Iryna spots something strange resting on a grave marker; a trinket with a similar design to her own soul gem however more round and pitch black.

     “What is that?”

     “That is a grief seed. Witches leave them behind when they are destroyed and Magical Girls like you can use their power to restore your magic and purify your soul gem. It’s important you don’t allow your gem to cloud over Iryna, to do so would be… inefficient.” Kyubey says as he jumps up to sit next to the strange black seed. Confused by his words Iryna looks at her own soul gem and notices that indeed its colour has dimmed slightly and a black mist is seeping into its corners. “I believe that should be enough tuition for now. I shall stay close by and observe your actions, Iryna Solomiya. For now partake in your new duties as a Magical Girl to the best of your abilities. I believe this warrants ‘good luck’.” Kyubey continues, resting his paw on the grief seed as if offering it like a valued prize.