*
"You want me to take everyone there with {Swap}? If I borrow yggdrasil's simulation's peripheral terminal, coordinate calculation should be fine... But...
What about innate magic resistance?" (Sariel)
"Couldn't we simply stay untransformed? That way there's no resistance as normal humans. " (Lastia)
"... That's... Only partially true. The laws of magic are almost selective, but it'd be easier to understand if you picture us as tanks of fuel, and the transformation as the igniter and combustion piston. " (Arin)
" She's right. You'll instinctively transform, your magic will literally explode in reaction to my magic and cause destruction to this classroom. " (Sariel)
The conversation ground to a halt, an almost uncomfortable silence takes hold for a few seconds. Lastia was deep in thought, looking for a way to bypass these rules. If she didn't at least try, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. She might never be an expert in matters regarding the arcane, but she hated not doing anything either. That's when some hope shone at the end of the tunnel.
"How about this? We transform first and get ready to consciously suppress our resistance? It beats our magic exploding spontaneously if we ease ourselves into it." (Arin)
"That... That could work. I'll have to do my part to overcome that last bit of resistance, just like I did with that gas-like Trace." (Sariel)
"... I see. Let's get on with it." (Lastia)
"Mhmm." (Sariel)
2 bright lights erupted in the classroom, revealing the fluttering of a dark coloured dress and a long black coat. Sariel closed her eyes, her metallic black armour plates stop shifting as she eased her movements into a standstill. Dark scarlet light weaves into the air around her, like an external coating to her own magic. The light grows darker, like a scarf wrapping around her wrists and waist. Her fingers twitch lightly, carefully caressing the air.
"{Swap}." (Sariel)
Her eyes abruptly opened as she spoke, a light of indistinct hue swallow everyone before spitting them out, space itself shifted around as it laid them into the exact same position and poses they had.
"... Perfect landing, there was no fall or shift in the air." (Arin)
"We have Lastia's tool to thank. It basically did more than half the work." (Sariel)
"... Huh? I would have assumed it did all the work." (Arin)
"Unfortunately, yggdrasil's simulation is quite fickle. Even a 30-70 work allocation is pushing it, it will accrue errors and collapse on its own.
Lastia's main terminal should be more stable, this is likely a control method by the virtual tree itself, such that a peripheral terminal could never grant more access and hog resources than the main terminal. " (Sariel)
They arrived near the border of the residential zone, 2A. The zones are bordered by numerous rows of train tracks, such that it becomes hard to observe the other zone on foot. This not only draws convenient borders on the map, it also let's the same train station gives access to multiple zones at once. Of course, since the zones are a few kilometres apart due to the number of tracks lining the border, there was a cable car service that brings one to the neighbouring zone.
There she was, The Remnant. After evolving, its bulky inhumane physique had transformed into a rather petite and feminine figure, quite like a magical girl. Naturally this was referring to monster standards, it still stood decently tall compared to the average teenage girl, slightly taller than the average adult. No one could deny that she practically looked chiseled like a perfect statue that embodied modest and mature beauty. She wore a greyish pink short skirt and a dress top with frills, it was more grey than pink, as if the colours had been sapped out of it.
Under the airy skirt was spats and leggings, leading to a set of shoes that seemed elegant on top, but likely had the markings similar to track shoes on its sole. Her top had short sleeves that clung to her skin, like a ballet leotard. It also had a silky texture that seemed comfortable against the skin. She had long black hair that covered her face, and intelligent composed eyes hiding under the hair. Her fringe reached her mouth, revealing her chin, while the back of her hair reached down to her hips.
The 3 felt chills crawl down their back as they watched it take the first step. A rank... Maybe higher. Has it gotten stronger? That's absurd...
***
"Trace... Remnant's... Who decided their names? How long have they been around?
I believe the root of all understanding regarding these matters still lay in comprehending their build up." (Taneda)
She would be one of the most knowledgable magical girls of this era. Owing to her age and patience, she has gathered an abnormal volume of wisdom that one wouldn't expect from her youthful experience. She believed that if she dissected how a Traces' biology functioned, she would be able to track its origin or a theory of it, with a method akin to carbon dating.
"Remnants... Often come in the form of young girls... The soul is the same, it's that exact monster. But they gain a higher degree of intelligence, capable of language and socialising. And they use it, to crush their prey, magical girls." (Taneda)
Think about it this way. Traces are completely composed of magical energy, they are akin to ghost, and in some cases they areghost. Remnants... Look a little like magical girls, and they possess some material and biological composition to their bodies. If a being completely formed from magic energy is a spirit, then Remnants are partially spirits and partially living. This doesn't weaken them, in fact it strangthens them.
Possessing both spiritual and material factors allow for more complex magic circuits and magic storage to form. Nevermind about that, there was some suspicion behind why Remnants are similar to magical girls. The naming itself betrays some details.
A Trace is a clue or a hint. Putting it into terms regarding a living being, a Trace is something's shadow. Complete magic composition that carries information, a shadow that contains an idea of sorts and embodies that idea or concept. That's why they take heavy inspiration from folklore and widespread and well known stories. A goblin, an ogre, a little runner. Not only fantasy creatures, but also urban legends like ghosts and other types of apparitions. Taneda has seen them all.
A Remnant is far more than a Trace will ever be, it is an insignificant piece, but still a physical piece of that something that creates the shadow that is the Trace. Combining these two theories of naming sense and the Remnant's similarities to magical girls, one could conclude that they were named by someone who understood what Traces and Remnants were, and that a magical girl was that 'something' that casted the shadow or broke into pieces and left behind Remnants.
With this, one can only predict what is at the next level after The remnant. A Fragment, and A Whole.