These were the boy’s final memories from his previous life.
Inside the glass window that blocked out the night and rain, a single-person Hospital Room was lit brightly.
On the other side of the door opposite the window, indistinct voices slipped through the crack, sounding like people expressing sympathy for the boy’s situation.
“That child is truly pitiful…”
“Yeah, so young and already…”
But for the boy, the beeping from the Heart Monitor at his bedside was already noisy enough—their actions merely added a different type of noise.
After all…the climax of this episode was just about to begin.
At this moment, the only thing he still cared about was the show playing on the television hanging on the wall.
Even though he was so weak that just keeping his eyelids open was a struggle, he forced himself to muster every bit of spirit, waiting eagerly for what came next.
Just as he’d hoped, a girl with crimson hair and gorgeous clothes appeared on the screen.
She cradled a gravely wounded blonde girl, sobbing uncontrollably in a pool of blood.
Above the two, a Doll with the appearance of a young girl radiated a silent, oppressive aura.
Steel tendrils stretched from behind the Doll, supporting her in midair like a spider’s legs as she approached, then one of the tendrils—stained with the blonde girl’s blood—reached toward the other side of the screen.
This was one of the scenes the boy liked most from Episode 3 of The World of Magical Girl Wei Lu. From this point on, the story shed its fantastical outer layer and began its tragic descent.
Even after countless rewatches, the boy was still shaken by this scene.
Because the blonde girl killed by the Doll in this scene was called Magical Girl Amber. She had always lived alone because of family circumstances. The only reason she became a Magical Girl was so her older sister—also a Magical Girl—wouldn’t be alone in battle.
Yet, just as things seemed to be turning for the better, what awaited her was this very ending—her wish was completely shattered by her death.
All the other Magical Girls in the story were like her, each with something about them that tugged at the heartstrings. That was the appeal of the series.
But every time he saw these scenes, the boy couldn’t help but feel regret.
If only they could be saved…especially Amber. If she could be saved, maybe tragedy could be avoided from the very start?
Maybe he thought this way because he too had once wished for rescue.
Unfortunately, neither in stories nor in real life had wishing ever brought about miracles.
Not just the girls on the screen—the boy’s own story was about to reach its end today.
His eyelids grew heavier and his mind fuzzier. In that half-conscious state, he sensed the fate awaiting him.
If he had any regrets, it was that he hadn’t lived to see the unreleased The Stage Version.
The official announcement had said it would be the grand finale of the whole series… But even so, to be able to sleep forever accompanied by his favorite work—he felt that was happiness enough.
That should have been the boy’s last thought.
Yet, even in his final moments, there was one thing he couldn’t let go.
The noise from the Heart Monitor was simply unbearable.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
Come to think of it, this sound really is annoying. Now that it’s the end, can’t you at least let me enjoy the Voice Actors’ lines in peace?
Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeep—
Why is this stretched-out sound even louder than before? Hey, I’m already dead—how about someone come turn this thing off already?
Beeeeeeeeep—
Ahhhhh… it’s driving me crazy!
Just as he was about to leap out of his coffin from frustration, the sound finally stopped abruptly. In its place came a crisp “click” that sounded like the teeth of a clock meshing together, sweeping away the irritation in his heart.
After that, “she” who had once existed as the boy, began to operate again.
The moment her eyes opened, she saw a gaping hole in the ceiling above. Confused, the boy thought: Wasn’t I in the Hospital Room? Why is there a hole up there?
Looking around, he finally made out from the dim surroundings that this was inside The Abandoned Factory. Only the space around him was illuminated by a beam of light shining through the hole, as if he stood under a stage spotlight.
As his awareness cleared, the boy gradually realized…
“It hurts…”
The reason he’d seen the ceiling upon opening his eyes was because he was lying on a collapsed Wooden Stage Cabinet. The pain all over made him suspect he’d fallen down from that giant hole.
Intending to check his injuries, the boy first swung his arm forward, pulling his hand out from where it was wedged in the cabinet.
But then he noticed—something wasn’t right about the hand in his field of view.
Is this my hand?
He couldn’t be sure at first. The hand was small and moved with Spherical Joints exposed at the wrist.
He hurriedly raised his other hand in front of his face, opening and closing both hands. Only then did he confirm these palms were indeed part of his body.
“Huh?”
The boy let out a dazed sound.
Hadn’t he just seen a character with this appearance on TV?
To confirm his uneasy suspicion, he started groping his face, hoping to get a sense of his looks, but of course, it was useless.
Seeing that wouldn’t work, he started mumbling, “Mirror! Where’s a mirror!?”
Scrambling up, he searched The Abandoned Factory for anything that could serve as a mirror, and finally found a pane of Glass Pane stacked vertically beneath The Curtain. The glass was nearly as tall as he was, and its surface was smooth as a mirror.
He brought his face close, finally able to glimpse his current appearance.
Reflected in it was a Doll almost indistinguishable from a real girl.
Short silver hair like a corner of moonlight, vivid red eyes like a rabbit’s, a delicate face anyone would describe as “doll-like,” soft and lifelike pink skin, and those exposed Spherical Joints lending a peculiar mechanical beauty—marred only slightly by dust.
She wore a dusty hospital gown to cover the vital spots, with the only ornament being a White Ribbon tied behind her head.
Other than that, whether she tried to smile, frown, or make funny faces, the only thing that really moved was her eyebrows; her expression seemed unwaveringly calm.
“How—how can this be! How did this happen!”
No matter how she wailed, only a soft, emotionless voice came from her throat, just at a different speed. She should have noticed it sooner.
“Isn’t this that ‘Number Zero’? The villain who killed Amber—Composite Doll Number Zero! Why did I have to become her of all people?!”
Unable to accept it for the moment, Number Zero collapsed limply to the ground as if she’d quietly died.
But…Number Zero, huh? If I really became her, at least let me give myself a better name…
As she thought this, she let out a sigh.
While she was still wrestling with picking a new name, a figure floated down through the hole in the ceiling and landed silently behind her.
“Hey, Badma. Have you given up running away?”
Following that emotionless voice, Number Zero looked back and saw a girl, radiant and elegant, dressed in ornate attire.
Her long hair was tied with a Lace Headband, her bangs styled in Drill Curls. Her hair, eyes, and the accents on her clothes all shimmered in dazzling gold, clashing sharply with the dusty, ruined factory.
She wore a White Gown with armor-like plates on the chest and boots, and wielded a beautifully decorated Long-handled Warhammer.
The overall impression was that of both princess and warrior.
Especially those cold, commanding eyes—they left Number Zero certain: This was definitely Magical Girl Kouga!
She was the famously powerful and strict Magical Girl from the anime The World of Magical Girl Wei Lu.
But seeing her here, Number Zero only felt despair.
Because the “Badma” she’d mentioned was short for Defective Badma, a monster born from holes in people’s hearts—the Magical Girls’ enemies in the original work.
And Number Zero, as a villain, clearly counted as a Badma.
Wait… Magical Girl, Badma, the hole in the ceiling, me falling on the stage cabinet?
Number Zero suddenly understood.
So, I was actually blasted down here by this girl! That means when I woke up, I was right in the middle of being hunted? Isn’t this timing a bit too awful?!
With that thought, she grasped at her last hope and pleaded to Kouga, “Calm down, I’m not a Badma. Can’t we talk this out?”
Hearing this, Kouga’s face only darkened further. “You say that now? Weren’t you the one who ambushed me first?”
That was, in fact, how the original Number Zero fought. As she said this, Number Zero could already picture the scene in her mind.
“Forget it—just die.”
As Kouga declared, golden energy began to gather on her warhammer—a fierce battle with a Magical Girl was now inevitable.
At this point, the girl who had once been a boy understood it all. She had to accept reality—this was the world of The World of Magical Girl Wei Lu, and she had been reincarnated as the early-stage villain who killed a Magical Girl. She was no longer “he.”
What should I do from now on… And, will someone please save meee!
Number Zero screamed in her heart, but her expressionless face remained calm as ever. To anyone else, it looked as though she still had everything under control.