Episode 7 - A Third Mage!?
As Raising Heart and Bardiche smash into each other above the Jewel Seed, both devices crack. There is an explosion of energy from the Jewel Seed which shoots up into the sky, driving both girls back. Fate dismisses Bardiche, then, with a determined expression, charges in and grabs hold of the Jewel Seed with her hands. Despite Arf shouting that it's too dangerous, she holds the gem tightly and manages to seal it through sheer force of will. Then she collapses, her hands badly burned. Arf rushes to catch Fate, and — with a parting glare at Nanoha and Yuuno — spirits her master away.
That night, Yuuno and Nanoha contemplate the damaged Raising Heart. Yuuno assures Nanoha that its automatic regeneration system should restore it to normal in a day or so.
As Arf tends her injuries, Fate says she doesn't want to worry her mother, to whom she'll be reporting tomorrow. Arf is skeptical that "that person" would ever worry about her, but Fate insists that her mother cares about her deep down. Arf offers to deliver the report in her place, but Fate says she must go herself.
The next morning, Nanoha gets up early to watch her sister Miyuki practise her swordsmanship. Speaking telepathically with Yuuno, she says she wants to know why Fate looks so sad, and what her reasons are for hunting Jewel Seeds. Meanwhile, Fate and Arf use dimensional transference magic to journey to their home: the Garden of Time.
At the same time, a patrol warship of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, the Arthra, is cruising through inter-dimensional space. Its commander, Lindy Harlaown, requests a status report on the dimensional disturbance they detected. Noting that even small-scale incidents can be dangerous, she says they must be prepared to intervene. With her is government agent Chrono Harlaown, her son, who says he'll be ready.
In the Garden of Time, Fate is being viciously beaten by her mother, Precia Testarossa. Saying she's disappointed to have received only four Jewel Seeds, Precia warns Fate not to let her down again. Fate stumbles out of the room into the arms of a horrified Arf, who tearfully apologizes for being unable to help. Fate brushes off the abuse, saying that if only she can bring back all the Jewel Seeds, Precia will surely return to being the kind mother she remembers from long ago.
That afternoon, with Raising Heart and Bardiche recovered, both girls resume their searches. It isn't long before a Jewel Seed activates in a small park by the seaside. Fate and Nanoha quickly converge on the scene and try to seal it, but again their clashing magic causes the Jewel Seed to act erratically. Nanoha tells Fate she wants to talk, and asks if she'll share her story if Nanoha wins their fight. The two girls activate their devices' combat modes and charge at each other...
...and are brought up short when another mage, dressed in black, appears between them and grabs hold of both their weapons. He identifies himself as Chrono Harlaown, an agent of the Time-Space Administration Bureau, and demands that they explain themselves.
Tropes
- Barehanded Blade Block: The first thing Chrono does when he materializes is block both Bardiche and Raising Heart (in their weapon forms) with his hands.
- Cliffhanger: The second in a row.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Our first view of Precia has her brutally flogging Fate with a whip while the poor girl is suspended in mid-air by the arms.
- Dramatic High Perching: Once again Fate shows her fondness for this trope, variously appearing on skyscraper roofs, atop utility poles, and up in trees.
- Episode Title Card: While this episode does have one, unlike all the others to this point it's shown in white text on a plain black background, and isn't read out loud. This foreshadows its status as a Wham Episode.
- Genre Shift: This episode abruptly throws the formulaic magical girl show out the window, shifting both the story and the tone of the franchise in an entirely new direction.
- Plot Time: The subtitles at the start of the episode indicate that it's April 26th. Episode 5 was set during a Japanese holiday season implied to have been Golden Week — which starts on April 29th.note
- Scream Discretion Shot: Precia whipping Fate takes place offscreen, although it's no less horrifying for it. We join the scene just as Precia has paused in order to berate Fate for disappointing her. Then, when Precia is about to resume the beating, the shot cuts to a broken-looking Arf huddled in a near-fetal position outside the room, flinching at the sound of every lash and scream.
- Wham Episode: See note for Genre Shift above. The change in tone is made clear with the dark and horrifying scene of Fate being tortured; at the same time, the introduction of the Arthra and the Time-Space Administration Bureau marks a Genre Shift into interplanetary Magitek.
