Episode 25: Holy Blood

**"Sacred Blood -saint-"** *Transcription:* "Seiketsu -saint-" (Japanese: 聖血 -saint-) is the twenty-fifth episode of *Madlax*. It debuted on September 20, 2004 in Japan.

## Synopsis

Madlax tries to kill Friday Monday, but Margaret shoots the gun out of her hands. The young Ojou-sama is not in her right mind now that both Vanessa and Eleanor are dead. Rather than let the mercenary girl kill her “father,” Margaret shoots Madlax five or six times until she falls to the ground, and the page of the Secondary flutters out of her dress in the wind. Now, Friday has all three holy books in their complete forms, plus Margaret, who has “The Talent” for opening the door and making wishes come true. Seeing Madlax fall as if dead, Limelda Jorg tries to go to her, but Naharu stops her, saying only those with The Talent can continue past this point.

All over the world, people look to the sky, because for some odd reason, there are two moons: a large crimson one and a slightly smaller blue one. Lord Kuanjitta conducts a ritual using some of her own blood to enter the other world, where she meets Leticia. The little girl is waiting to learn the fate of Margaret, Madlax, and thus herself. Friday and Margaret activate the holy books, and the dark, ominous door of truth appears before them. They open it, but before stepping through, Friday explains that he failed to fully open the door twelve years ago because Colonel “Madlax” Burton shot out his eye. Apparently a person needs both eyes to manifest their magical Talent. This time, the door will be opened properly, bringing enough change to move the world into a new era.

It’s Margaret’s turn to see the flashback of herself, her mother, and Poupee on the plane twelve years ago. Five-year-old Margaret calls her doll Leticia, meaning that the ghostly little red-haired girl got her name from Margaret’s doll. Just as we saw in episode 21, Poupee and Margaret tried to survive in the war-zone while the door to The Other World was part way open and the moon was crimson. They ran into Friday and Colonel Burton. The latter shot the former, taking out his right eye, and sending him running. Colonel Burton’s code-name was Madlax. Little Margaret ran toward her father, who instinctively got ready to shoot again, expecting an enemy. Poupee knocked Margaret out of the bullet’s path and took the shot himself. His blood spattered on the pages of Secondary, which Friday had dropped when shot.

Even though Poupee died, Margaret can’t help being happy to see her father. She runs to him and he lovingly picks her up. Unfortunately, Colonel Burton was still in hearing range of Friday Monday, who focused all his power on the Colonel and said, “Elda Taluta, Sarkus Sark, Ark Arukus.” That awakened an impulse deep in the man’s subconscious: the urge to kill his daughter. He throws her to the ground, points his gun at her, and prepares to shoot her. There’s another gun on the ground, and little Margaret picks it up. Her indecision leaves her frozen, though; she can’t bear to shoot her own father.

So Margaret’s soul split in two. One part stayed the same: the spacey, ditsy Margaret Burton who could never kill anyone. The other became Madlax, a girl who could kill without remorse. Thus Madlax was born, and to save Margaret, she shot and killed Colonel Burton. There are magical powers swirling around because the door to The Other World is partway open; that magic gave Madlax her own body. It also gave life to Margaret’s little doll, and the girl we know as Leticia was born. She exists only in the other world, unable to communicate with humans unless they draw near her world. For a while, she had the spiritual form of Poupee as a companion, but he ceased to exist when Carossur Don died. Since she was born the same instant Margaret and Madlax separated, Leticia believes her purpose is to explain the true bond that ties those two.

After finally seeing and understanding the truth, seventeen-year-old also Margaret realizes that Eleanor and Vanessa died because of her own foolishness; first, in sealing away her memories, and second, going on a wild goose chase in a foreign country to try to regain them. Friday monologues about how the desire to kill the truth/nature/instinct of humankind. He wants to reduce every human in the world back to their dark instincts and impulses. Essentially, it would be like casting “Elda Taluta, Sarkus Sark, Ark Arkus,” over the whole world. In Gazth-Sonika, it’s already starting to happen. Soldiers shoot on their own men and set explosives alight. Women are raped in the streets. People are killing each other. One of the victims, Charlie Winston, is shot to by an officer of the King's Army. (However, he survives and is briefly seen in episode 26.)

Margaret falls down on her knees and tears fall from her eyes. Friday keeps up his ridiculous and overdone maniacal laughter, until suddenly a bullet shatters his ceramic mask. Of course, it was Madlax who fired the shot. She finally appears, determined to kill Friday and reject his ideals in the same way as her father before her. Margaret describes Madlax as “another part of me.” Leticia describes her as “Pandora’s jewel,” and “a kind killer.” And Madlax calls herself “The sin of Margaret Burton, an existence born from sorrow and the pain of touching the Truth.” Then she fires her gun again.

## Preview

Episode 26

*"Within consciousness, there are words of love."* – Margaret Burton

*"Within the unconscious, there lie acts of sorrow."* – Madlax

*"I am the victim within consciousness."* – Margaret Burton

*"I am the perpetrator within the unconscious."* – Madlax