The Hypernatural and Supernatural in Madlax -- Episode 24

Episode 24: Death flag and goddess of destiny

Devoted Heart ~hearts~: 献心 (Kenshin)

Avant starts with a recollection scene. Vanessa picks up Elenore on her way home from shopping. “Don’t you go out and have fun? With your friends.” Elenore answers, “My job is to take care of Miss Margaret.” Vanessa suggests, saying, “But it’s pretty tedious if that’s all you do, isn’t it? You need to let your hair down sometimes and…” Elenore replies to her, “It’s not tedious at all. Miss Margaret is… Miss Margaret is my…” Elinore’s line falters and the scene is taken over by the figure of Margaret standing in Friday Monday’s mansion.

Quanzitta’s voice is speaking. “Madlax is the one who possesses the page missing from Secondari. The girl with the same name as the man who stopped Friday Monday from gaining his wish when he opened the door twelve years ago. That was the beginning of the road to the end.” Madlax tells Elenore, “I’ll draw these enemies’ attention to me. …If I don’t come back within three hours, act alone.” Madlax adds her words, saying, “Look for Margaret Burton. I’ll leave her to you.” Elenore asks her, “Why are you going this far for her?” Madlax answers, “Because of a promise I made to a friend.” Madlax is seeking for the reason of her existence in the promise made with Vanessa, who is not living any more. Madlax appears in front of the enemy soldiers in the similar dress she had been wearing in episode 1.

A battle scene is developed in the jungle similar to the one witnessed in the episode 1. Shooting the soldiers without enmity, Madlax mutters, “So I’m sorry.” Both figures of Madlax dodging the bullets skillfully and her body pierced by the bullets are shown on the screen. The trajectories of the bullets are exhibited in various colors. The meaning of the strange scene Madlax displayed in the opening part is now disclosed. Though there is no direct mention of it, this seems to suggest the overlaying potential states advocated by quantum mechanics in its many worlds theory, supposing parallel worlds generated as forked universes as the result of observational effect caused by consciousness. Madlax annihilates the whole troop together with a tank. What she manipulates are only gun and some explosive, and no supernatural means is resorted. But these are always used most effectively and to the best result. Madlax has already sound conviction in her own psychic ability. “The woman who can’t die: that’s Madlax too.” She even faces the formation of helicopters undauntedly. “So come here, everybody. Good boys.” She utters those words as if she had transcended the human limits and reached to the status of a goddess, who is able to govern human lives. Maybe lack or separation of some element out of various qualities that constructs human being initiates the generation of a god.

In Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale “The Fisherman and His Soul”, a fisherman falls in love with a mermaid who is a pagan creature and has no soul, decides to sever his shadow off in order to be married with the mermaid, by the advice of a witch. The divided shadow was actually his own soul, and it tries to be united with the fisherman again following after him like an evil spirit, exercising various abilities and gathering knowledge that were not of the capacity of the fisherman, in order to fulfil its desire. When endowed with body, heart and soul he was just an ordinary human being, but after the soul, one of the three parts constructing his entity, has been separated from him, it becomes something like an evil spirit with supernatural power. This is one instance of the phase shift of psychic modality, in which a god is generated out of a man. As man and god had been separated in ancient mythology, a god can be constructed out of a man. This is an interesting metaphysical suggestion on the characteristics of psyche focused on the relationship between god and man pursued in the mode of fictionality. A fictional work is able to attempt to develop a speculation on the modality shifts between god and man, through its description of implicate possibilities the universe may contain.

One of the officers comes to Friday Monday and reports the situation of the battle. “Squad A and Squad C were completely wiped out.” “Oh, were they?” “By just one agent. And the wench was just a kid!” But Friday is not surprised at all. “Yeah, she can do that. For some one using the name ‘Madlax’, that’s child’s play.” Friday Monday shoots and kill the officer who will not accept the cold fact sticking to the prestige of a military man. Friday mutters satisfied, “I’ll become intoxicated with the sound of that girl’s singing and make my way toward that place. Along with the sound of Margaret Burton’s singing.”

Madlax notices an enemy following after her, and mutters, “Two hours and 35 minutes. I have to go. But I’m sorry. I’m going to be late, so go on ahead without me.” There, Limelda appears. Without words, Madlax and Limelda exchange their guns. Both of them seem to understand each other’s mind. Laetitia mutters, “By taking life, by throwing life away, they confirm one another’s existence. Humans are such tragic creatures. But I hold that quality beloved.”

Here, a recollection scene starts. Elenore is taking care of Margaret kindly. Elenore is saying to Margaret, “Because it’s my… my wish.” Elenore goes into the woods. Two soldiers call Elenore to halt. Though Elenore takes the gun away from one of the soldiers in a quick motion, she will not fire it. “Even if it means pulling this trigger, I want to see Miss Margaret. But… If I do things like this, Miss Margaret will… “Making some decision, Elenore starts running and comes to the edge of a cliff. From behind her, a gunshot sounds.

Madlax and Limelda are shooting each other in a close distance. Limelda inquires Madlax who will not hit her averring her aim, “Why? Kill me. Kill me!” Madlax answers her saying, “I have a request. Watch me to the end. I want you to remember the existence that is ‘me’. Don’t forget me. Please, Limelda Jorg. Let me be within you. Thank you.” Limelda calls her back, “Madlax?” “Goodbye.” Leaving Limelda, Madlax goes away. Limelda, left alone, mutters, “Sheesh, that girl… That was like a declaration of love.” The element of girls love that was insinuated between Vanessa and Madlax, is now to be confirmed between Madlax and Limelda. Madlax has chosen Limelda as an observer to confirm her existence, who had killed Vanessa by her own hand. It seems Madlax bears no enmity for the culprit who killed her friend, having killed countless people in order to survive.

Though severely injured, Elenore somehow reaches to the flower garden where Margaret is. Elenore calls to her, “Miss.” Margaret turns around hearing Elenore’s call. But something is amiss in her attitude. “Who are you?” It seems Margaret is not able to recognize Elenore. Elenore says, “I’m Elenore Baker. I’m Elenore, the maid who’s been serving you for a long time.” Margaret at last answers, “Elenore? …Oh, Elenore. But why are you here?” There is no information afforded about what is happening in Margaret’s mind. Elenore talks to her, “I came to get you, Miss.” Elenore continues, having decided something in her mind, “For a long time I’ve wanted to get your memories back. But it’s all right if your memories don’t come back. The most important thing is that you’re yourself.” Margaret asks back with unexpected words. What good do things like that do? That’s just being alive. It’s the same as being dead. I don’t want that.” Exceedingly cruel words are spoken by the girl who has been both Elenore’s mistress and friend. There, Friday Monday appears. Elenore asks him, “Who are you? What do you mean to do with Miss Margaret?” Friday answers, saying, “I’m going to give her what she desires. That’s my wish.” Elenore says, “Please give Miss Margaret back. Please give her back.” Friday seems to have full grasp about what is happening to Margaret. “That’s something her essence will decide.” Elenore points on Friday with her gun. Friday, without hesitating, tells Margaret, “Margaret, give her a present as a tribute to the conviction that brought her all the way here.” “The words of awakening?” “Yes. The words of awakening.” “Elda taluta.” “The words of the Essence.” “Sarks sark.” “The words of truth.” “Ark arks.” Friday speaks. “So, what’s the urge that sleeps within her? Liberation from her constrained life? Or hatred towards you?” It seems Friday discerns the essence hidden deepest in people’s mind. Elenore gets affected by the words and points the gun to Margaret. Friday says, “Well, well. It looks like she’s hated you. This isn’t rational. It’s an impulsive act.” The implication of this line was just what Elenore suggested in her own conjecture about the inexplicable motive of the murder case of Piederica Morrey, committed by his own daughter, answering the question raised by Vanessa, when they were watching the TV news in the episode 4. Margaret speaks to Elenore. “Do you want to kill me? Is that what you desire? It’s okay, you can shoot. …Tears…” But Elenore succeeds in gathering herself. Elenore points her gun on Friday again. “Let Miss Margaret go. Get your filthy hand off Miss Margaret.” Astonished, Friday mutters, “Her essence demonstrates love?” Margaret also talks to Elenore as if she recollected something. “Elenore…” Elenore responds, “Miss.” Margaret also cries, “Elenore!” “Margaret. You’re… my… my… family.” But Elenore falls down on the ground.

Past scenes are displayed. Margaret is talking to Elenore. “Elenore, will you stay with me forever?” Elenore answers, “Of course. Because that’s… my wish.” Laetitia talks to Elenore, “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be.” Elenore holds her in her arms and draws her to her chest. It seems Elenore has come to the “ordinary place” where Laetitia exists. Margaret sits down beside Elenore lying in the flower garden. There, Madlax appears. Madlax mutters, “Why did she go that far?” Margaret says, mournfully, “She died. Elenore died.”

As Madlax spared the life of Limelda in her battle with her, she had Vanessa killed by Limelda. And this time, as she was engaged with the useless battle with Limelda, she has left Elenore killed by the soldiers. How is she going to treat Limelda who murdered Vanessa she made friends for the first time, and who caused the death of Elenore, most intimate friend of Margaret. It is expected that some core factor that determines the fictional perspective of this show will be indicated there.