A flicker of something dark and proprietary shone in Aoi's indigo eyes. When I gave her the command, her cold smile widened into a grin of pure, predatory delight. This was the reward she'd been craving her entire life.
"Bring Akane to you?" she asked, her voice a low, malicious purr. "Oh, Master… you know exactly what I want, don't you? She'll be so worried about me being late. So eager to help. She'll come running the second I call. She always does."
With a graceful movement, a swirl of dark energy enveloped her, and the black leather costume melted away, replaced by her neat school uniform. The chilling magical girl was gone, and the prim, reliable Aoi Tanaka stood before me once more, but the cruel confidence in her eyes remained.
She pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen. She showed it to me before sending.
Sorry, I'm late. Something incredible happened. I'm at Karaoke Heaven near the park, Room 7. You have to come meet this producer. He thinks I have potential! Maybe for you too! Hurry!
"She worships me," Aoi whispered as she hit send. "She'll see the words 'potential' and 'you too' and think it's a chance for us. She won't be able to resist."
A moment later, her phone buzzed.
OMG Aoi-nee!!! A producer?! That's amazing! Don't start without me! I'm running! 🏃♀️
Aoi let out a soft, cruel laugh and pocketed her phone. She turned back to me, her expression a perfect mix of a loyal servant and a hungry wolf. "She's on her way, Master. Shall I prepare the stage for her… audition?"
"Go ahead," I said with a wink. "Set the mood."
Aoi's smile turned sultry. "Yes, Master." She walked to the door, took a deep breath to compose herself into a mask of placid calm, and waited.
A few minutes later, a frantic knocking echoed from the door. Akane's voice, bright and full of energy, called out, "Aoi-nee? Are you in there? It's me!"
Aoi gave me a knowing wink. "Showtime, Master."
She slid the lock open. The moment Akane stepped into the room, a ball of vibrant energy with her red-orange hair and excited eyes, I slammed the door and threw the lock shut. The heavy thud made her jump.
"Aoi-nee! What was..."
Her question died in her throat. She saw me, a strange man, standing in the shadows. She saw the predatory glint in her sister's eyes. The trap clicked shut around her. Her excited face crumpled into confusion, then dawning horror.
"Aoi-nee… what is this? Who is this man?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Before she could even process it, Aoi acted. A single, thin tendril of pure shadow snaked out from her hand and clamped over Akane's mouth, stifling her scream.
At the same time, two of my own thick, black tentacles erupted from my back, instantly binding her arms and legs and hoisting her off the ground.
Akane's eyes were wide with sheer terror, frantically darting between me and the sister she trusted with her life. The betrayal was absolute. Her protector, her idol, had delivered her to a monster.
"Hush, little sister," Aoi said, her voice dripping with a saccharine cruelty. "You wanted to meet a producer, didn't you? Well, this is the Master. He's going to make us stars. But first, you need to be… reborn. Just like me."
I stepped forward. Akane's body convulsed with muffled, choking sobs. This was her worst nightmare realized: she was powerless, and her hero, her idol, had abandoned her. Her will, so utterly dependent on her sister's strength, offered no resistance. It shattered like glass.
I reached out and tore the front of her uniform. Her magical core glowed with a vibrant, ruby-red light, pulsing erratically with her terror. With her spirit already broken, the corruption would be instant.
I pressed the Black Gem against her core.
A violent, dark red aura erupted from her body as she screamed, the sound swallowed by Aoi's shadow. Her school uniform twisted and reformed into a spiky, aggressive version of her magical girl outfit, decorated with sharp, thorny patterns and black leather straps. The ruby on her chest darkened to the color of dried blood.
When the tentacles released her, she landed on her feet with a predator's grace. The terror was gone from her eyes, replaced by a wild, manic glee.
Dark Ruby looked at her hands, then at her sister, not with fear, but with a newfound, savage rivalry. "Whoa. Aoi-nee, this power is amazing! I feel so strong! Stronger than you, even!"
Aoi just smirked, a cool, calculating look in her indigo eyes. "We'll see about that, little sister."
"No fighting, you two," I said, my voice cutting through their posturing. "At least not now." I rested back in the chair. "So, Akane. Tell me about your new power. And your new desire."
At my command, the tension vanished. They both turned their attention to me, their expressions shifting to pure, unwavering devotion.
Akane, now Dark Ruby, practically bounced on the balls of her feet. "Of course, Master! My power is awesome! Before, I made boring ruby shields. So defensive! But now…" A small, swirling ball of chaotic, dark red energy appeared in her palm.
"I can make things go boom! I can make people so angry that they just attack everything! No more hiding behind Aoi-nee!"
Her former desire for protection had twisted into a lust for destruction. "I never want to be scared again. I want to be the one who makes others scared! I'm going to prove I'm the strongest magical girl in this city!"
Aoi let out a soft, condescending chuckle. "Brute force is so unsophisticated, little sister."
"Hey! My brute force can blow a hole through a building!" Akane shot back.
They both looked at me, awaiting my judgment. Two powerful, beautiful, and utterly corrupted magical girls, fighting for my approval like pets.
"I think I can find some uses for that," I mused. I held out my phone. "Give me your contact info first."
Dark Ruby snatched the phone from my hand with gleeful energy, tapping away rapidly. She saved her contact as "Dark Ruby 💥" and handed it back with a wide, feral grin.
Aoi waited patiently. She took the phone with a graceful, steady hand. She calmly entered her details, saving the contact simply as "Aoi Tanaka." It was a statement: she is her own person now, not half of a duo. She handed the phone back and met my gaze.
At a silent nod from me, they both de-transformed, their dark magical girl forms melting away. They looked like two ordinary sisters again, but the air between them was now a shared, dark secret and a simmering rivalry, all held in check by their loyalty to me.
"We will go home now, Master," Aoi said. "Awaiting your call."
"Call me when you find someone fun to fight!" Akane added.
They gave me a deep, synchronous bow before leaving the grimy karaoke room.
"A productive day," the Gem's voice stated in my mind. "Their jealousy and codependence have been reforged into ambition and rivalry, weapons you can now aim at will. This city's heroes will fall, one by one."
"Go home. Recharge your power. I will find you a new target soon."