Vincha, Kingdom of Divinium, Eastern region of Rohana Federation, 2051 S.C., 179th day

  It was breakfast time when Richard found Heron eating his porridge.

  "I spoke with Lucia yesterday," Richard said, sliding onto the bench across from Heron. "She told me to tell you to meet her at noon at the abandoned stable house. It's just beyond the village gate. You need to walk straight for about twenty minutes."

  Heron’s appetite started to fade, so he set down his spoon. "Should I be worried?"

  Richard considered the question. "If you mean will she kill you? You'll be fine. You're still our client." He paused. "As for whether she intends to beat you? Honestly, I don't know. She said she wouldn't. But when emotions do the talking, anything can happen." He held up a hand before Heron could speak. "Almir will be nearby. Just in case."

  Heron let out a shaky breath. “And you’re okay with this? Don’t you think you should mediate? You’re the party leader, after all.”

  Richard studied him for a moment before he spoke. "You're correct. It does make sense. But if I intervened and forced Lucia to just play nice, we wouldn't achieve much." He folded his arms. "The two of you should have a heart-to-heart and overcome this tension. If Irene is okay with what happened, then I hope Lucia will come to the same conclusion." His voice softened slightly. "She just got a bit emotional. And she has a hard time coming to terms with that."

  Heron reached the abandoned stables nearly half an hour early, only to find Lucia already there.

  As he looked at her, he didn’t see a person who was the life of the party. That Lucia was replaced by a cold silhouette perched on a crumbled section of the stone wall.

  "You thought you'd get here before me?" She slid off the wall, brushing dust from the back of her trousers. "I've been here all morning."

  “Well?” she continued as she started to close the distance between them. “Care to say something?”

  Heron exhaled. “Listen. I tried talking to you already. Let’s not play around—just tell me what you want.”

  “I want you to leave the party.” Her eyes didn’t waver. “You’re a danger to all of us.”

  Heron stared at her in silence, then slowly, he nodded.

  "Understood." His voice was quiet. "And if I go… will you at least talk to me like a normal person again?”

  Lucia scoffed with a bitter sound. "Of course not. You killed my best friend. We were lucky we managed to revive her." Her voice cracked slightly before she steadied it. "My question is, who's next? And what happens when we’re somewhere the revival can’t be done in time?"

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  "I can't speak for the future." Heron's hands trembled at his sides. "And I don't know why you're acting as if I'd purposely kill any of you."

  “Because it scares me!” Lucia snapped. “I am afraid of you, Heron. I’m used to knowing who my enemy is. But the way things are now, I don’t know when you’re my comrade and when whatever possessed you will come out and try to kill me.”

  Tears began to slide down Heron's cheeks.

  “You think I want this?” His voice broke. “I have to live every day wondering if the next touch is going to drag me under again.”

  "I know you don't." Lucia's tone softened, just slightly. "That’s why I’m telling you to leave. Go back to the village. You'll be safe there. Forget about the quest. Forget all of this."

  Heron’s hands curled into fists. When he spoke again, it came through clenched teeth, the sound almost a hiss. “I can’t.”

  Lucia’s restraint snapped. “Why not?”

  “Because I need to hunt down the monster who did this to me.”

  “What monster?” she shouted, her frustration finally boiling over. “You don’t even know how you got this way!”

  “I do know!” Heron shouted back. "It was my father. I'd remember if I did this to myself. I was a villager for most of my life. Except for one period. From the time I was born until we escaped to Haugstad. Why did we run? Why all the secrecy?"

  He took a shuddering breath. "I'm starting to put the pieces together. My mission is to hunt that monster down and stop him before he harms anyone else."

  Lucia's voice softened, but the distance in her eyes remained. "Your father disappeared. He was probably captured by the Navians. If he's somehow still alive, if the military gets to him, he'll be confined. So stop worrying about him. You don't need this vendetta."

  Heron’s jaw tightened. “And what about my mother? She might still be out there, alive! Will you take that away from me too?”

  "You don't need our party for that." Lucia shook her head. "Take the coins you need and go by yourself. You have the information. We can even send you updates, but we don't need to be part of this anymore."

  "But I want you there." The words tumbled out before he could stop them. "I've grown fond of you. And I have this terrible guilt inside me. I already thought I was worthless, but now I'm also a danger to you. I know the risk I pose."

  "You're being selfish." Lucia's voice rose. “You’d put us in danger just because you feel lonely and know you’re not strong enough yet?”

  “Yes!” Heron yelled, fists clenched at his sides. “And since I’ve been with you, I’ve been getting stronger. Even if we end the trip here in Divinium, I truly believe I can grow useful—maybe not to you, but to the villagers who still need protecting.”

  "So you're determined to get stronger?" The voice came from behind Heron. He spun around, eyes wide.

  "Irene!" Lucia gasped. "What are you doing here? You should be resting."

  Irene stepped into the light of the stable opening, looking a bit pale but visibly better than before. “How do you expect me to rest when I know the burden you’re carrying?”

  “I was going to settle this today,” Lucia muttered, gesturing sharply at Heron. “I’ve been explaining why he should leave the party. We were getting somewhere.”

  "So you'd send our client away because you're currently scared of him. Even if he showed no malice?" Irene stopped beside Heron, placing herself between them. "Lucia, I appreciate that you're carrying this. But we've been through worse. Sure, it was actual monsters that put us in those binds, but we didn't back down."

  "But I can't fight monsters in the front while watching my back too."

  "And you don't have to." Irene's voice was gentle. "We're aware of the situation now. We need a different plan. But where we start is by getting over what happened."

  "I don't…" Lucia's voice wavered. "I don't think I can."

  "And I don't expect you to do it today, or tomorrow." Irene reached out and took Lucia's hand. "But open yourself up to the possibility."

  Lucia's eyes began to water. She looked away.

  Irene turned to Heron. "As for you. Are you determined to get stronger?"

  "Absolutely. More than anything." Heron pressed his fist against his chest.

  A small, tired smile touched Irene’s lips. “Then let’s start by figuring out what happened to you.”

  ? Overpowers: Magical Girl Crossover [Grimlight Psychological/Genre based Power System] ?

  by Moawar

  He, Life, had a simple job.

  His responsibility as an Overpower was to make sure that fiction stories and the characters in them follow their dictated path. He always did his job well enough, not more or less than was needed.

  His latest assignment, however, would, in retrospect, prove to be his most challenging one of all.

  He would find himself in a unfamiliar world. There he'll have to quickly adapt to guide Nozomi.

  The strongest magical girl with the potential to accidentally destroy those she seeks to protect in her fight against evil.

  What to Expect:

  -If you like the psychological aspects of Madoka Magica and the mixing of different genres a crossover story brings then this story is for you