Chapter 25 detailed summary
This is wordy and long! Apologies in advance XD; Under the cut both for length and obvious spoilers. LQ Cam raws found here and here at MH.
We see Lag's memories after he shot the Heart Bullet at Big Sis, beginning with his first meeting with Niche, and him saying he had intended to save her, but he ended up being the one who was saved (cue my heart melting). Big Sis realises the Heart Bullet contained Lag's Heart and that she's seeing his feelings towards Niche. Lag takes the opportunity to rush over to Niche, who is pretty beaten up by now. Sis struggles to grasp the concept of a human and Maka being joined forever by a bond, and concludes that it's impossible and mere human insolence to think it possible. Meanwhile, the villagers make their escape, carrying off some of the "legendary" water... but who cares about them ;P Sis continues berating humans, and then Niche too for being stupid enough to be taken in by them. As her anger grows, her speech gets even weirder than before and sounds almost beastial, it's pretty scary.
Anyway she forms this huge wrecking ball type thing with her hair and attempts to kill both Lag and Niche. Steak drags Niche underwater to get her out of harm's way, while Lag continues firing at Sis. He asks if there are ANY living creatures who aren't "foolish" as Sis calls them - humans have tried to form bonds with Maka; she's attacking her own sister.. and he ends with saying he'll never forgive her if she harms Niche, in a rare moment of badassery. Sis notices his Spirit Amber eye, thinking this is the only reason he didn't smell human, but then apparently noticing something else we don't hear about, because she then continues her attack. More badassery from Lag (seriously, I'm shocked and impressed), ending with him shooting her at point-blank range.
Again Sis sees Lag's memories of Niche, and like Gauche, ends up having Lag's feelings and memories overlap with her own, this time of losing her sister. She remembers them both as babies, how they were always together from the moment they were born. The old mayor shows up and decides to get rid of them since nothing good is coming of keeping them in the village. After he throws them off the cliff, Niche is apparently still asleep and drifts off, with Sis unable to reach her. Sis sinks into the water, crying and screaming out when she realises she is truly alone and has lost her sister. We see her transform from a child to the 'older' form she has now, with her saying it was after the outpouring of feeling quieted down that her growth started. She decides it is her duty to return to Maka and... do something I'm not quite sure about. 命の理に従うように. Possibly follow Maka's way of life.
Lag asks why she didn't go back to look for Niche; she figured that once Niche grew up she too would come back to seek Maka - and that if Niche didn't survive, then she wasn't worthy of taking up the role of Maka. Lag says she is the most foolish of all for abandoning her sister, that no human would ever be that stupid. She seems to agree with him in some sense, though she doesn't know whether it's because she herself is stupid, or because her mother was a 'stupid' human. Steak throws Niche out of the lake, and Maka (!) takes her away for healing at a lake within the cave. Outside, the Mayor's being a bastard and trying to get the fake "legendary" water for himself, but falls into the ice water instead.
Back inside, Lag asks what "Maka's role" is that Sis mentioned. She tells him how the creatures in the ice pillars, having lost all of their Heart, had begun to transform. To prevent the world's order being disrupted, Maka froze them before they could fully transform. Sis says that they are お前が眼に宿すものと同じ．．． 「精霊虫」の成れの果てなのだ - I THINK this means they are the end result of Spirit Insects, the same as the one in Lag's eye. And that's it! (Consider me terrified that a giant disgusting Gaichuu is gonna pop out of Lag's skull 50 chapters from now. Or Lag starting to turn into a Gaichuu. I'd have nightmares for life.)
Well that took forever... but at least it'll speed up translation ._. /hides
We see Lag's memories after he shot the Heart Bullet at Big Sis, beginning with his first meeting with Niche, and him saying he had intended to save her, but he ended up being the one who was saved (cue my heart melting). Big Sis realises the Heart Bullet contained Lag's Heart and that she's seeing his feelings towards Niche. Lag takes the opportunity to rush over to Niche, who is pretty beaten up by now. Sis struggles to grasp the concept of a human and Maka being joined forever by a bond, and concludes that it's impossible and mere human insolence to think it possible. Meanwhile, the villagers make their escape, carrying off some of the "legendary" water... but who cares about them ;P Sis continues berating humans, and then Niche too for being stupid enough to be taken in by them. As her anger grows, her speech gets even weirder than before and sounds almost beastial, it's pretty scary.
Anyway she forms this huge wrecking ball type thing with her hair and attempts to kill both Lag and Niche. Steak drags Niche underwater to get her out of harm's way, while Lag continues firing at Sis. He asks if there are ANY living creatures who aren't "foolish" as Sis calls them - humans have tried to form bonds with Maka; she's attacking her own sister.. and he ends with saying he'll never forgive her if she harms Niche, in a rare moment of badassery. Sis notices his Spirit Amber eye, thinking this is the only reason he didn't smell human, but then apparently noticing something else we don't hear about, because she then continues her attack. More badassery from Lag (seriously, I'm shocked and impressed), ending with him shooting her at point-blank range.
Again Sis sees Lag's memories of Niche, and like Gauche, ends up having Lag's feelings and memories overlap with her own, this time of losing her sister. She remembers them both as babies, how they were always together from the moment they were born. The old mayor shows up and decides to get rid of them since nothing good is coming of keeping them in the village. After he throws them off the cliff, Niche is apparently still asleep and drifts off, with Sis unable to reach her. Sis sinks into the water, crying and screaming out when she realises she is truly alone and has lost her sister. We see her transform from a child to the 'older' form she has now, with her saying it was after the outpouring of feeling quieted down that her growth started. She decides it is her duty to return to Maka and... do something I'm not quite sure about. 命の理に従うように. Possibly follow Maka's way of life.
Lag asks why she didn't go back to look for Niche; she figured that once Niche grew up she too would come back to seek Maka - and that if Niche didn't survive, then she wasn't worthy of taking up the role of Maka. Lag says she is the most foolish of all for abandoning her sister, that no human would ever be that stupid. She seems to agree with him in some sense, though she doesn't know whether it's because she herself is stupid, or because her mother was a 'stupid' human. Steak throws Niche out of the lake, and Maka (!) takes her away for healing at a lake within the cave. Outside, the Mayor's being a bastard and trying to get the fake "legendary" water for himself, but falls into the ice water instead.
Back inside, Lag asks what "Maka's role" is that Sis mentioned. She tells him how the creatures in the ice pillars, having lost all of their Heart, had begun to transform. To prevent the world's order being disrupted, Maka froze them before they could fully transform. Sis says that they are お前が眼に宿すものと同じ．．． 「精霊虫」の成れの果てなのだ - I THINK this means they are the end result of Spirit Insects, the same as the one in Lag's eye. And that's it! (Consider me terrified that a giant disgusting Gaichuu is gonna pop out of Lag's skull 50 chapters from now. Or Lag starting to turn into a Gaichuu. I'd have nightmares for life.)
Well that took forever... but at least it'll speed up translation ._. /hides