Chapter 36: The Cruel Fate

Hibiki glanced around in the darkness, noticing Tsubasa and Chris beside her. The other Symphogear girls were also present, looking equally confused. Their bewilderment lasted only a second before someone appeared, a girl they recognized instantly.

"Morgan?!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Welcome, everyone. I never thought our reunion would be like this, but fate is a fickle thing indeed. Still, welcome to my and Mamoru's world."

"What do you mean by that, Morgan?" Maria asked.

"Ah, Maria, always so quick to ask. I'm sure you all want to know as well. This is essentially a mental world created by the Holy Grail when I gave it to Mamoru. Instead of explaining it, just think of it as a special world where anything I or Mamoru desire can happen."

The girls grew even more confused, but then Morgan clapped her hands together before snapping her fingers with a Beshkan way as the world suddenly glowed brightly, and they noticed a profound change. This transformation sent a chill down the spines of Tsubasa, Kanade, and finally Hibiki, as the scene before them was an exact replica of the fateful day Kanade died.

What surprised them was that the song continued normally, but they saw Mamoru backstage speaking with a group Tsubasa and Kanade recognized. It was Section Two's Special Disaster Team, though their outfits were different, which was unexpected.

Then they saw Fine and an unknown man speaking with Genjuro and Ryoko. Even more surprising, Mamoru walked over to Fine, who hugged him and rubbed her cheek against his. The blue-haired man, Genjuro, and Ryoko all smiled at the sight.

"In this world, Mamoru is the son of Fine and Enki, the blue-haired man you saw. The reason this differs from what you know is because this is a 'what if' timeline where Enki managed to defeat Shem-Ha. However, because of that, our world has no experience facing Noise, especially Karma Noise. Furthermore, this show is the reason Karma Noise appeared."

Just as the group was about to ask Morgan for more details, the scenery changed. Mamoru, now in a staff uniform, was guiding people from the audience seats. The sky began to tear open, and a Noise emerged. However, the girls noticed this Noise was different from any they had encountered before.

"Karma Noise, the origin of all Noise, is far more powerful than regular Noise. However, it comes with a significant restriction: it can only manifest when the ambient Phonic Gain exceeds a critical threshold."

This surprised the team as the Karma Noise began rampaging, destroying and killing everything in its path. Then, suddenly, they saw Hibiki appear, which surprised Hibiki herself. They noticed something different about this Hibiki: she had a colder expression compared to their own.

"This world doesn't have Miku. From what I've heard, she died protecting Hibiki in an accident when they were still in elementary school. The accident claimed both Miku's and Hibiki's families, leaving Hibiki as the sole survivor. Since then, she's been using the Symphogear, which was created by Fine and Ryoko in anticipation of this very event."

"Wait, in this world, I died?"

"Miku died?"

Hibiki couldn't imagine what would happen to her if Miku were suddenly gone, especially in a world where she was all alone because her family had also died. The rest of the girls could only offer sympathy as they watched Hibiki slowly transform. They noticed something as Hibiki took out the relic crystal.

"Custodire Nescell Aegis tron"

Hibiki and the others watched in silence as Mamoru ran to save a child who was late to evacuate. Hibiki, wearing Aegis, was focused on protecting the people when a Karma Noise struck her shield, shattering it into shrapnel. Mamoru, catching a glimpse of this, shoved the boy out of the way, taking the shrapnel in his back.

"Wait, then the scar on Mamoru's back..."

"Yes, it was from this moment."

"That explains a lot, but why are you showing us this, Morgan?"

"You will know."

The world around them blurred. The next scene showed Mamoru lying in a hospital bed, hooked up to numerous machines. What shocked them most was Fine standing there, watching it all with an angry expression.

"This changed everything. As you now know, Mamoru became a case like Hibiki, but Fine was angry because the system she created didn't have an option for males to transform."

The scenery changed as Morgan spoke. They noticed Mamoru now stood beside Hibiki, both transforming simultaneously. However, what surprised them was that instead of the blonde hair they were used to seeing, Mamoru—or Mei—now had black hair.

"I thought Mei had blonde hair?"

"You're curious about that, Hibiki? I thought Mamoru had already told you, or perhaps he forgot. The blonde hair you see is the result of Mamoru using my body."

"Wait, your body?"

"Indeed, Kanade, this is my body, but explaining now would be difficult, so let's just watch."

Suddenly, Tsubasa gazed toward Hibiki, who was still wearing the Aegis, before she stared at Morgan.

"Morgan, didn't Mamoru say Hibiki died?"

"Yes, but not at this point in time. Though, perhaps it would have been better if Hibiki truly died then."

Morgan's words confused the rest of the girls, but they continued watching Hibiki and Mei support each other as they fought the Karma Noise. Then, Morgan appeared, surprising everyone. What's more, Morgan was standing with the Karma Noise.

"Seeing this really makes me think it was fate that we met at that time."

Maria began to sense something, but Morgan simply looked at her and put a finger to her lips as a signal to keep quiet. When she did that, the Morgan on the screen began to attack both Hibiki and Mei.

"Isn't this...?"

"Yes, I was their enemy and, embarrassingly, one of the leading forces of the Karma Noise."

"Can you explain why, Morgan?"

"I don't remember now because that was the price I paid, but I was searching for a home, I guess."

As the scenery continued, Hibiki began to doubt she was watching a superhero show, because her friends, who liked those shows, had shown her one once, and the plot was really the same.

But what surprised them was the sudden sight of Mei and Hibiki on the verge of defeat. Suddenly, Mei began to stand, golden particles gathering around her. At the same time, golden particles also emanated from Hibiki. For the first time, they heard Mei sing a song entirely different from any they knew.

"Supernova by Tetra-fang—at least, that's what Mamoru said was the original song name and its singer. As for why she chose this song, it was because it suddenly appeared in her head at that moment."

Mei's form slowly shifted into her X-drive, pushing their enemies back. She even fought on equal footing with Morgan, who was now spamming all kinds of relics, before finally defeating her with a punch to the face.

The team had mixed feelings as they looked at Morgan, who was watching the scene with a smile. Then, they noticed a song begin to play in the background as Morgan started to sing.

Hajimete no ruuburu wa
Nante koto wa nakatta wa

Watashi dake no Monariza
Mou tokkuni deattetakara

Hajimete anata wo mita
Ano hi ugokidashita haguruma
Tomerarenai soushitsu no yokan

The team noticed the world changing, but Maria and Serena were the ones who suddenly fell silent. It was like watching an old movie; the world had already gone dark, with only a large screen lighting up, showing Morgan and Mamoru, from their training to their daily lives together with Hibiki.

Mou ippai arukedo
Mou hitotsu fuyashimashou

Can you give me one last kiss?
Wasuretakunai koto

The scene then shows Morgan and Hibiki's frequent bickering in their daily lives, even during training. Watching them, Chris is reminded of a time long ago when it was just the four of them: Tsubasa, Hibiki, Mamoru, and herself.

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-woah, oh-oh-oh, oh-woah
Oh-oh-oh-oh, wasuretakunai koto

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-woah, oh-oh-oh (Oh-oh)
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I love you more than you'll ever know, oh

But then the scene changed to Morgan beginning idol training, which surprised the group. Mamoru, already transformed into Mei, was helping her train, while Hibiki became their manager, surprising them even more. Suddenly, something clicked in Tsubasa's head, and she finally understood why Mamoru, during her initial idol training, hadn't seemed like a newcomer but rather a retiring idol attempting a comeback.

Shashin wa nigate nan da
Demo sonna mono wa iranai wa

Anata ga yakitsuita mama
Watashi no kokoro no purojekutaa

Sabishikunai furi shiteta
Maa, sonna no otagaisama ka

Dareka wo motomeru koto wa
Sunawachi kizutsuku koto datta

Everything was going fine, even though they sometimes had a hard time. That was until one day, in a grand stadium, Morgan, Mamoru, and Hibiki met Tsubasa, Chris, and Shinji. What surprised them most was Chris, who was wearing an idol outfit, which meant she was in a duo with Tsubasa in this world.

Oh, can you give me one last kiss?
Moeru you na kisu wo shiyou (Ooh)

Wasuretakutemo (Oh)
Wasurerarenai hodo

Then everything escalated as Karma Noise began to appear in the middle of the stadium. Tsubasa, Chris, Morgan, Hibiki, and Mei transformed and started to fight. Morgan, however, found herself facing someone she knew, making her unable to attack seriously. Meanwhile, the girl watching was surprised by how different Chris was, noting her elegant temperament and fighting style compared to their own Chris.

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-woah, oh-oh-oh, oh-woah
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I love you more than you'll ever know

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-woah, oh-oh-oh (Oh-oh)
Oh-oh-oh-oh, I love you more than you'll ever know, oh

I lovе you more than you'll ever know

The fight raged on, and Morgan was finally in a pinch. With no other option, Mei unleashed her full power and killed her friend. But on her dying breath, Morgan whispered something to Mei as the fight finally ended. The team noticed some crystals on Mei's cheek, but they fell before anyone inside the scene even noticed them.

Mou wakatеiru yo
Kono yo no owaride mo
Toshi wo tottemo

After that, the fight intensified as they began using the singing as bait to condense the Karma Noise in Japan. Because of this, crystals started appearing on Mei's body every time she fought. Even the songs themselves made them feel as if something terrible was about to happen. Then, suddenly, a general appeared.

Wasurerarenai hito
(Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-woah, oh-oh-oh, oh-woah)

Wasurerarenai hito wasurerarenai hito
Wasurerarenai hito

(Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-woah, oh-oh-oh; oh-oh)
Wasurerarenai hito

I love you more than you’ll ever know

Mei fought one of the generals, a man resembling Dr. Ver. The brutal fight forced Mei to sing her swan song, intensifying the crystal that began crawling over her body. She managed to defeat Dr. Ver just before the crystal completely consumed her. Witnessing this, the girls felt a heartache as Hibiki walked closer, placing her shield toward Mei. The shield absorbed all the crystal from Mei's body, transferring it to Hibiki.

They could see the despair on Mei's face as she tried in vain to push Hibiki away. Finally, Hibiki fully transformed into crystal and broke apart into dust, leaving behind only a relic crystal of her transformation and a necklace with a photo of her date with Mei.

Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-woah, oh-oh-oh, oh-woah
(Wasurerarenai wasurerarenai)

Oh-oh-oh-oh, wasurerarenai hito
Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-woah, oh-oh-oh (Oh-oh)
(Wasurerarenai hito)

Oh-oh-oh-oh, I love you more than you'll ever know

Mei kept fighting, with Morgan by her side, but Mei began to fight recklessly, seemingly searching for death. The girls watching were heartbroken, especially Chris, who clenched her fists so hard that blood began to drip, though no one noticed, their attention fixed on the scene.

Morgan always fought by Mei's side, and they barely did any idol activities until the last general appeared. Chris and Tsubasa, the main idols of this world, primarily offered support.

Wasurerarenai wasurerarenai
Wasurerarenai wasurerarenai hito

Wasurerarenai wasurerarenai
Wasurerarenai wasurerarenai hito

I love you more than you'll ever know

The fighting intensified, prompting everyone to enter their X-drive forms to maintain an even battle. However, the girls soon noticed that the crystal on Mei's body was growing again, and at a much faster rate than before. Just then, the general, in his dying moments, fired a giant beam, and Mei instinctively stepped in front of the group, shielding them.

Ooh, fuite itta kaze no ato wo
Oikaketa mabushii gogo

Smiling, Mei embraced her death. Morgan slowly held her cheek, and Mei smiled, but a bad feeling began to crawl up on her. Mei tried to shake her head, but they saw the same despairing expression Mei had when Hibiki sacrificed herself. Morgan slowly kissed her, and then a light shone brightly, making even the girls who were watching cover their eyes. After the light disappeared, the one standing there was the Mei the team remembered.

The song slowly died out as the darkness began to collapse. They saw that they were inside the scenery again instead of watching from a third-person perspective. They glanced at Morgan, but she slowly nodded.

"After that last fight, Karma Noise barely appeared anymore, but normal Noise started to appear instead."

As Morgan said that, the scenery changed to Mamoru standing in the rain in a black suit, watching two graves: Hibiki's and Morgan's. On Morgan's name, there was no family name, as she had never told him. Mamoru started to lose the feeling in his legs as he fell to all fours.

He began to pound the ground as he cried and shouted, which gave the girls watching a sense of sadness, especially Serena, Tsubasa, Maria, and finally Chris. Each of their reasons for crying now was different. Maria, Tsubasa, and Chris remembered the time of despair when they lost their loved ones, while Serena's empathy was high.

Then the scenery changed as they saw Mamoru never use his male form now, as she already used the Mei form they all knew and loved. But looking at the Mei in front of them, they had a melancholy feeling. In fact, they started to notice that Mamoru's technique of transferring the damage they received to him was probably because of this world's Hibiki.

Tsubasa, Chris, and Hibiki fell silent. Mamoru never let go of her transformation after that, slowly crafting a cloak and even a visor to cover her face—the very same cloak they had seen when they first met her. But with time, the color of her gear, including the cloak and visor, began to dull, much like her heart. For every time she fought alone, no matter the time or place, she always went alone now.

They even saw Tsubasa and Chris try their best to ask her to join them because they couldn't bear to watch her fight alone anymore. But she rejected them, always insisting on going alone. Not even her parents could persuade her. Finally, she managed to slip inside the Karma Noise portal before it closed, and then the world went black again.