Emi stiffened at those words, widening her eyes.
"A-Attack... people?" She said, completely baffled by all of this.
Lumi nodded repeatedly, trying to get his point across.
"Mm-hm. They're drawn to fear and instability. Quiet towns like this? Perfect feeding grounds! If no one stops it, it'll keep lingering... until someone gets hurt."
Emi's hands clenched into small fists at her sides.
Kenji's scared face flashed in her mind, as did her dad downstairs, humming as he cooked dinner. She remembered hr mom coming home late, tired and still smiling, and how good her life has been up until now.
"...That's not okay." She muttered, gazing upon the ground.
Lumi brightened instantly at her words
"That's the spirit!"
"But..." Emi suddenly pointed at the star, visibly panicked by all of this. "You said Reload, Soul Root, Dreamlands, this is way too much for me to understand! A-And what if Dad sees?! Or hears you?! Or..."
She paced back and forth, tugging at her hair.
"I've never even been in a real fight before! I don't even like scary movies! I just scream and cry super loud to scare away mean people like bullies!"
Lumi floated in front of her face, stopping her ranting.
"Emi."
She froze, staring him in the eyes.
"You don't have to be fearless. Magical Girls never are! In fact, I met many others who cried in fear from just seeing me, even though I'm adorable." He said with a big grin. "You're braver than most!"
Emi blinked multiple times at his words, trying to process them all at once.
"O-Okay, I'll do it!" She said with a determined look in her eyes. "If it means helping other people, I'll gladly fight that shadow monster!"
Lumi started to float around, cheering.
"Wooohooo! Mission accomplished! This is great! Finally, a reliable Magical Girl who doesn't run away screaming!" He sounded relieved, swarming through the air.
"Shhhhh!" Emi placed her finger on her lips. "My dad will hear you if you're too loud!"
Slowly coming to a stop, the Star Spirit widened his eyes.
"M-My bad!" He seemed full of adrenaline, staring at her with sparkly eyes. "Alright, it's time to start the Reload process!"
Emi straightened herself at his words, evidently confused.
"I-I still don't know what that means. What's a Reload process?" She asked, tilting her head.
"It's a transformation you undergo to become a Magical Girl!" He replied with haste. "I'll use a fragment of the Necronomicon to awaken your magical powers, and that way, you'll be able to defeat the Formless Spawn!"
Emi didn't understand what any of this meant, but she shook her head either way, stern in her expression.
"Alright! Let's do it!"
Lumi nodded frantically before weaving together a magic circle in front of him.
Taking a step back, Emi dropped her jaw, until a book manifested before her very eyes. It was floating with various runes surrounding its exterior.
"Now, take hold of the book with both hands and chant the words: 'In the space between dreams and waking, I answer the call of the stars. Let my heart become a light that even the abyss cannot swallow.' This will seal the deal, and then you'll finally become what you were destined to be!"
Emi stared at the floating book, feeling her heart pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.
The runes circling the book were glowing with each symbol shifting and writhing like it was alive.
"...That's a really intense sentence." She muttered.
Lumi hovered beside the book, nodding enthusiastically.
"I know, right? Queen Stellara wrote it herself! Very poetic and dramatic!"
Emi gulped and glanced at her bedroom door one last time. Downstairs, she could still hear the clattering of dishes... sounds that reminded her of her ordinary life.
She took a deep breath and glared at the Necronomicon.
"...Okay!"
Stepping forward, Emi reached out with both hands and gently grasped the book. The moment her fingers touched its cover, a massive light shone from its exterior.
FWOOOM!!
As light burst from the pages, it flooded the room in a blinding glow, causing her to cover her eyes.
"W-Woah?!" Emi yelped as the book snapped open on its own, pages flipping rapidly as if caught in an invisible wind.
Symbols lifted off the parchment and spiraled around her body, glowing gold and white.
"Don't let go!" Lumi shouted. "And chant it! You got this, Emi!"
Emi squeezed her eyes shut, feeling her heart racing.
"I-In the space between dreams and waking..." Her voice trembled, but she forced herself to continue. "I answer the call of the stars!"
The glow intensified as her hair started lifting as if gravity itself had loosened its grip.
"Let my heart become a light..." She said louder now, feeling a sudden warmth spiral in her chest, "...That even the abyss cannot swallow!"
All of a sudden, the book slammed shut, and then, everything went silent.
BOOM!!
A massive wave of radiant energy exploded outward, rattling the windows and sending her curtains fluttering wildly.
Emi cried out as she was lifted off the floor, her school uniform slowly being replaced by something else.
"L-Lumi! Something's happening?!"
"I know! That means it's working!" Lumi spun excitedly. "Your Soul Root is awakening, so the Reload process was a success!"
Light wrapped around Emi like ribbons, weaving and reshaping.
It wasn't a painful feeling to be exact—but it was overwhelming—like her heart was being gently pulled open.
Images flashed through her mind all at once.
Memories of her life, and those she cherishes greatly.
"I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Emi shouted, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
A sleeveless, pink dress with frills wrapped around her body with pink and white gloves, white and pink thigh-highs, and Mary Jane shoes.
Manifesting in her hands was a beautiful wand, shaped identically to a key. It was enough to make Lumi widen his eyes—completely dumbfounded.
"Could that really be... the Silver Key?"
He whispered to himself as he stared at her magical tool—now shaking his head—bringing himself back to reality.
The Star Spirit smiled gently, showing his excitement.
"Alright! Looks like the transformation worked. Now, let's kick some Shadow butt!"