One Who was Forgotten. One Who Wanders Through Blood and Pain. The Two Paths Collides.
This is a realm where nothing exists.
An void planet where not a single speck of oxygen nor water exist to sustain life of any kind.
A barren wasteland where not a single lifeforms could live.
An empty world.
And yet for some reason, in this desolate place, a single boy continue to exist.
He had the profane look of a Japanese youngster around the age of 16 to 17.
He was wearing the high school uniform of a certain high school, coupled with a simple white leather duster to protect him from the occasional dust.
The youngster doesn't seem to be troubled despite the lack of atmosphere. And he doesn't seem to be suffering from hunger or dehydration despite not having anything to eat or drink for several days.
He was merely staring solemnly into the ruins of the former civilization.
High-rise buildings, statues, banks, government buildings, iron bridges, and many more.
Some of the buildings has parts of it sank deep into the ground. The roads and cars were also likely to be buried under the ground considering how much sand and dust have been piled up, increasing the land mass significantly.
"Hm.. how very post-apocalyptic. This is reminding me of that video game I used to play back in the heyday, what was it called again? 'Fall-' something? Damn, I couldn't remember the last part." said the youngster in a cheerful manner.
He was the only living being in that world, but another voice responded to his antique.
"Don't try to pretend to be cheerful like that. I know you well enough that a catastrophe this big is still going to affect your mind."
It was an older and wiser voice. A much sterner and dignified one. The youngster chuckled when he heard his partner's voice.
"...As expected. After all this time, I still can't fool you. I guess it's one of the consequences of being connected in souls."
"Hmph, if you learn to close the holes in your soul you could gain some privacy. But I see that will take some time."
"...Sorry for being such an amateur."
After saying that half-jokingly, the youngster changed his solemn face into a serious one.
"...Is this another one of her plan?"
A hint of disgust was carried into his voice when the youngster mentioned about "her".
"No, doubtful. She hasn't manifested yet. Not enough power to. This is something different."
"Do you think this was a natural cause? Maybe the people themselves caused their own destruction?"
"This kind of destruction in just several years is not possible even if they had dozens of nuclear weapons. It would take at least a hundred year for the planet to reach this level of destruction."
"So it's an anomaly?"
"It's uncommon, but possible."
"Where is it?"
"It's not here. Probably it has moved on to another world."
The youngster clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. Then he halfheartedly complains in a dull voice.
"So this is going to be a pain in the ass job... Can we skip this one?"
"You know that we can't."
"Why not? She's not involved in this, isn't she? Which means her lackeys isn't the cause either, so we can skip this one as a natural disaster."
"Not possible, our job is not to fight her but to protect the stability of the worlds. That Matriarch might be the cause most of the time, but there are times when the natural order become distorted on its own because of an anomaly. Which makes it our job to investigate the anomaly and fix whatever was causing it."
"Fine, fine... damn workaholic. Can you trace its location?"
"I'll show you... But, you sure you're not going to contact them?"
The youngster calm expression immediately changed into the face of a child afraid of being scolded by his mother.
"No, don't! She's still angry because I ran off and left her in the middle of a volcano in the last world! Even though it was an accident, she's definitely going to turn me into mincemeat and scatter my remains all across the galaxy! That's not a speculation or an expression of words! It's a fact and it will happen for real if I contacted her!"
The voice didn't respond immediately, but several seconds afterwards.
"...Sorry..."
"Huh? Why are you apologi- Don't tell me...!"
For the first time he arrived in that world, this was the first time the youngster panicked like a proper human being. From his comical reaction, it was likely the youngster was referring to another person than the first one he mentioned.
"YOU TOLD THEM! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU TOLD THEM! AREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO BE PARTNERS?-! AT THIS RATE, I REALLY WILL BE A SCATTERED MINCEMEAT IN THE GALAXY!"
The voice sighed, exclaiming his partner's stupidity.
"STOP SIGHING AS IF YOU JUST RAN OUT OF TISSUE IN A BATHROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EMERGENCY! HOW DO YOU PLAN TO FIX THIS!"
"That's an overly specific analogy. Did it happen in some world when you turned into a normal human?"
"Guh! A-aside from my abnormal transformation, I'd like to think I'm still a normal human being..."
"Calling you normal is an insult to other normal lifeforms in the worlds. Besides, no normal human being can travel between worlds like you just did."
"...Please spare me..."
The youngster gets teary eyed and the voice sounded as if it was tired of making fun of the youngster.
"We're wasting time here."
"Ugh... Fine, fine, I'll get serious. Can you figure out anything about the anomaly?"
"I already found out about its location when you were wallowing in despair..."
The youngster's eyebrows twitched a little, but he managed to calm down his panic attack.
"Show me what you found out."
His back began to glow in a strange light.
No, it would be more accurate to say that the thing carried on his back was glowing in a strange light.
"The anomaly is a human being, and he is- ...Oh boy." The voice let out a strange noise as if it was surprised by something.
"What? What?"
The thing behind his back glowed once more, this time the light was stronger than before.
"Yes, I just verified it... It seems this one is going to be trouble."
The youngster made a "Hmm..." sound as if he was deep in thought. "...Is he really that powerful?"
"No, the problem is not about his power."
"?" In response, the youngster frowned out of confusion.
"It's his origin, it seems like he came from your old original world."
In an instant the youngster's face has changed. It was not a calm gaze anymore.
Nor was it a serious expression.
It was the blood lusted face of a warrior hungry for battle.
"Hey partner."
The youngster grabbed the thing on his back and brandishes it towards sky.
It was a sword.
A sword brandished with golden hilt engraved with strange symbols and pure silver scabbard.
A voice came from inside the sword as if it was alive. "What is it master?"
The youngster smiled hearing his old partner's voice. "Point the way."
A ray of light shone across the wastelands. Thunders and lightnings that hasn't appeared for hundreds of years has now filled the empty skies.
"As you wish."
A ray of light brighter than the sun engulfed the boy and his sword.
When the light receded, the world is empty once more.
"Man, this is one messed up world."
Through unknown means, the youngster arrived into a pile of ruins.
But this time it was a different pile of ruins than before.
In front of the youngster was an old broken down house with plenty of dusts and dirts accompanied with occasional broken bricks and concretes. And right next to that house was a broken down mech like the ones in a sci-fi movie. When he saw the mech, the youngster subtly whistled.
"Wow... is that a real gundam? I guess this is one of those science-oriented world, isn't it?"
A person would have frowned if they were to see him talking to himself like that, however the youngster was not talking to himself as a voice responded from his sword.
"Yes, the flow of mana here is so thin, it barely even exist. We should take precautions."
"Hai hai, for a sword you are too capricious you know that?"
"Hmph, and you are much too careless to be my wielder."
The youngster managed to stifle a laugh, then he moved his gaze into the old house right next to the broken mech.
"What happened to this world? Did some kind of a war broke out?"
"That's quite possible. If that is true, then we are right in the middle of a war zone. Be careful, if we are found by any soldier, they might mistaken us as a spy."
"Yeah... If they uses conventional science weaponry like guns and rifles we might be able to fight a whole army. But since a machine as advanced as a gundam mech existed. A fight might be very difficult... but that's a also interesting in it's own way."
"...I've never seen you this battle-crazed before, did something trigger this outburst?"
"Hey, it's a mech. A gundam-like mech. How can you possibly not interested in one of those?"
"Haa.. why do I even bother." The sound from the sword carries a tone of resignation, which means it has probably gotten used to his weird antiques.
"Anyway..." The youngster pointed his fingers into the broken down old house. "Is this also an anomaly?"
The sword the youngster carried on his back glowed for a few seconds, then it answered with a concerned tone.
"No, this is only a part of it. The anomaly originates from this location. But he has moved on into another place."
"I see... That is quite troublesome." The youngster frowned, but he immediately gave a playful grin. "Well, no point in staying around then."
"...I know this is rather contradictory, but can you at least be nervous about this a little? An anomaly that could traverse the boundary of the world is dangerous enough that it could destroy every other world like a stacking domino."
"So? What's your point? Just the two us standing between the stability of the world and disaster. Isn't that what happen every time? And besides, how could I be nervous when there's something really exciting in this world!"
"Let me guess..." the sword sighed exasperatedly, "It's this machine, isn't it?"
It doesn't take a genius to know that the sword was referring to the broken down machine right next to the old house.
"Of course it's the gundam mech! Do you know how much I used to dream to ride on one of those things when I watched it on TV? Fufufu, there really is a benefit on becoming a traveler of worlds, after all."
Again, the sword voiced another exasperated sigh. "Not to argue with your childhood dreams, but haven't we already found one of this machine several worlds before?"
"What? The one that only females can use? That was completely unfair and downright racism to men! How the hell can that world even create such a meaningless law like that?-! And besides, there was only one boy who could use the mech and he's completely surrounded by busty beauties and he's completely dense on how they fell head over heels for him! Don't you think it's unfair?-! He can ride mechs and popular with girls! Daaammnnn iiiittt!"
The sword sighed for the third time that day.
"...Why did I chose an idiot like this to be my wielder-...Nnnnh!-?"
The mysterious talking sword gave a rare meaningless grunt the youngster rarely heard.
It cut out his speech of pent up grudge and his body stiffened naturally into a combat ready stance.
"What is it? Is it the anomaly?-!"
"Perhaps... perhaps not... What is this? This is the first time I've ever sense something like this."
"Something you never sensed before...? Okay, that's definitely serious. Can you find where it is?"
The talking sword chuckled a little as if the youngster has just asked him the most ridiculous question there is.
"Of course I can, was there even any doubt?"
Through some mysterious power, the youngster miraculously appeared on top of a hill that overlook the entire city ruins with a flash of light.
The youngster gazed into the terrible view where the once supposedly flourished city has turned into nothing but wasteland.
"...I'll say it again, this is one messed up world."
"Glad you're enjoying the scenery, but those ruins are not the only one on the horizon."
"You mean that military base, right?"
The youngster turned around facing a huge building with big white satellite dish right on top of its tower.
The name of the building was clearly written on a board attached to the building.
"Yokohama Base, eh..."
With a single glance, the boy could tell from the number of armed personnel, weapons, and heavy machinery he could see in the yard, that this Yokohoma Base was most likely a very important military base. And a big one at that, since a large number of forces were gathered right inside of it. After several minutes of staring into the base, the youngster frowned as if he was troubled with something.
"Can you sense it?" a sound echoed from the sword as if he was asking confirmation of a suspicion.
"Yes, something is strange inside that base. Something big is alive underneath it. And I don't mean it like an experimental animal or bioweapon... This is something huge. Something on the level of Godzilla or Dracula or something..."
"...Dracula's not that big."
"Yeah, but he sure is dangerous. Assuming he even exist to begin with. Oh! I have an idea!"
The youngster smiled mischievously the way he always do when he had an idea for his next prank.
"Say, why don't we pay those guys a visit?"
"You mean walk right in into a highly guarded military base? Of course, what a splendid idea you have."
"Spare me the sarcasm. Do you find anything about... whatever it is you sensed before?"
"Yes, it's most likely that it is inside that base. Haa… no choice, We have to investigate it, it might have something to do with the anomaly."
"Ehehe... So it's clear what we have to do! I always wanted to infiltrate a military base."
"...Haven't you already done that before?"
"Yeah, but there's no mech in it! But this time, it's different! I wonder how it feels like to fight a mech head on... Ufufu, infiltrating a military base full of mechs like gundams... This is going to be exciting! I wonder if I could hijack one and take it for a ride..."
The sword gave off the fourth sigh of the day.
The youngster was walking on a large field. Several target practice and training dummies plus a running track that circles the entire field has proven that the area he was walking on is a training field for recruits and cadets.
"We're going in from the yard...? Are you insane or just plain stupid? No, no, I almost forgot. You're both."
"Ahaha, take it easy will ya. Besides, I put on a cloak, remember? No one will be able to notice us unless they get really close."
It is surprising that the youngster managed to keep himself hidden from those factors despite not staying out in the open view. Even though it seems empty, the entire yard was monitored with security cameras, satellite surveillance, occasional guard patrols looking from afar with their scopes and a young girl drinking from a bottle near the yard entrance.
...Huh? A young girl?
Yes, that's a girl. And a cute one at that. She seemed to be 17 or 18, tall, pure white skin with long dark blue hair twirled up in a strange manner, her excellent figure could guarantee her any job in the modeling agency, which is a shame since she's in the military. She's also quite diligent since she was exercising by herself even though it was already nightfall, as proven from the amount of sweat trickled down through her skin.
"Hey, master. If that girl is still resting too close to the entrance to the base then we are in trouble. The cloak won't affect her if we were to close, she'll definitely see you and the whole base will go loud with gunshots."
Given that the youngster was an otherworldly creature, it would be easy for him to knock her out in an instant. But the youngster's instinct was telling himself not to underestimate her. Even though she was sweating hard from her exercise, she still exude a noble and righteous aura that only someone of royalty would have. Causing international problem would make things harder in this world.
"Ah, who am I kidding. As if infiltrating a highly guarded military base won't get me any trouble."
"So what are you planning to do? Nothing stupid I hope."
"...Let's knock her out for a while."
"You're hitting innocent bystanders now? Damn it, your heart have grown cold."
"Don't worry, I'll try to be as gentle as I can."
"Stop it, you're starting to sound like a protagonist from an eroge game."
"Who knows? Maybe I am, in another world."
"Sigh, whatever, are you going to knock her out or what?"
"Hm? I thought you were against hitting innocent bystander."
"That's because she's not innocent anymore, look, she's throwing a punch at you."
"Wha-" (WHAM!)
A slender leg with a boot on its foot hit the youngster straight in his face. As a result, he was thrown back several meters away on the courtyard.
"Ah, sorry, that was a kick."
"Ouch, ouch, ouch… That's a little too late for a warning, don't you think?-!"
Just as the youngster was groaning in pain, the girl who landed the kick earlier spoke up to him.
"Forgive me for doing such things without warning, but I do not recognize your face and your clothes are clearly not the uniform of this base. Which means, you are either a civilian wandering where he is not supposed to or a spy infiltrating the base for information. Since there are no notifications of a civilian visiting the base and no indication of security catching any curious civilians, I have deduced that you are the latter. Since you have not triggered the base alarm system, you are clearly skilled. Against such a foe, I concluded that a preemptive strike is necessary. Now please answer my question, who are you?""
'A sharp one, eh...? What's with that overly polite tone anyway?' The youngster thought as he struggles to make a suitable excuse.
"No, no, I'm neither... Um... I'm... uh... Okay, just a second... Erm..."
"A spy?"
"Y-yeah, a spy! ...Wait, I'm not! I'm... just... a wandering passerby! Yes, that one!"
The sword sighed deep within its mine, while the girl slowly rubbed her temple.
"...This is just too embarrassing."
"...Unbelievable."
Both his sword and the girl who kicked him simultaneously agreed about his incompetence. The girl curled up her lips in disappointment, while the sword complained telepathically.
"Gaahhh! Be quiet for a bit! The girl over there! Stop looking at me with such pitying eyes! And you damn sword! Stop mumbling in a low voice! I can hear your painful complains deep in my soul!"
"Hm? What are you talking about? Who are you talking to?"
"Oh, crap!" The youngster exclaimed idiotically.
His sword cannot speak normally, but it can deliver its thoughts telepathically to its wielder. So the only one that can have a normal conversation with the sword is the one who wields it. An outsider, like the girl in front of him, would definitely found him suspicious if he's talking to himself.
"Don't tell me..." The girl eyed him suspiciously. "You're wearing a communication device on your ears and there's someone on the other side! Which means right now, someone could be monitoring the base and the soldier's every movement! This might be bigger than I had suspected... Intruder, surrender now or I will have to use force."
True to her words, the girl drew her sidearm and pointed it to the youngster.
"Wait a minute! You're wrong! You're making a big mistake! Arrgggh, I just don't care anymore!"
"…! Cease your struggl—"
Before the blue haired girl finished that sentence, however, the youngster ran out of conscience.
With an abnormal speed, faster than human reflexes, the youngster hit her solar plexus pretty hard.
In the corridor of Yokohama Base, a youngster with peculiar outfit different from the soldiers of the base was walking silently with his sword on his back.
Unlike the rest of the military personnel, the youngster was wearing a high school uniform coupled with a white leather duster. If he met any soldier on patrol, he would definitely be considered as a spy and arrested immediately... Or shot on sight, depending on how the military works.
Midnight had already came upon the base, it is only natural that there are only few people that are still awake in the base.
But that is not the case today.
". . . . . "
". . . . ."
"Shut up!"
"I didn't say anything."
"Yeah, but you're thinking! It's annoying! So STOP IT!"
"I never thought I would ever hear someone complain about somebody else's thinking."
"It's annoying because I could sense what you're thinking. Does the word 'connected in soul' means anything to you?"
"Sigh... So what are you going to do about this mess?"
Most likely, the sword was referring to the situation of the military base.
Alarms screaming out, red emergency lights lit up all around the corner, steel doors sealed several areas of the base, soldiers and officers running around the base with their guns and rifles at the ready, the sound of mechanics preparing the war machines and the strange robots for battle, a pre-recorded announcement with the sound of a woman speaking about intruder alert emergency and the base's lockdown condition from the speakers.
It's obvious what the cause of this commotion is.
"Again, what are you going to do about this mess?"
". . . . . . . . . . . . . I dunno . . . . . . . . . . . . "
"...Somehow, I know you're going to say that..."
"I can't help it, okay! I never thought that her friends would saw the whole thing and then they ganged up on me! Ach, damn it! That red-haired twin-tailed girl has good aim. She got me pretty good." said the youngster as he winches when he slowly rubbed his chest. Strangely, there was no wound. Even though his clothes are made of normal fibers instead of a high-grade bulletproof material, somehow it seemed like he had survive a gunshot unscathed.
"...She was pretty similar to that little kid back in Phantasmagoria."
"I know, she took me by surprise, that's why she managed to shot me in the first place."
"On a side note, have you awoken a sadist? I swear you had a very strange smirk on your face when you knocked out all those girls."
"No, that's not it! They just gave a pretty good fight despite being just a normal human; the humans in this world sure are amazing..." the youngster fell silent for a while before he suddenly screamed in surprise. "Wait a minute! Did I just sound like a monster lord in an RPG meeting the hero's party for the first time and then let them go because they're too amusing to be dead only to be slain afterwards when the hero and his party leveled up through countless battles?"
"Amazing, such a perfect interpretation."
The youngster slumped his shoulders, feeling pretty down. He continue walking deeper into the base where the main bulk of the army soldiers has gathered.
However, despite all the commotion, the boy walked casually with no sign of hesitation about directions or fear of any patrols. In fact, a squad of MPs carrying assault rifles searching for intruders simply walked past him even though he was right in front of them.
It was as if some mysterious energy was guiding him on where to go and misdirect any sign of security so that none of them would detect the youngster. Considering how the sword on his back was talking, this was most likely an apt description.
"I guess this means I'm the villain now, huh."
"You think? Take a look outside."
Of course, it would be impossible for a human to see through walls without equipment like thermal visor or the like, but the youngster can do such things with ease. To put it in a more concrete, if he focused his mind enough, he can sense his surroundings to a certain radius.
And what came into vision when he does exactly that is...
"Total chaos."
"Yes."
"And it's because of little old me?"
"That's right."
"Then why hasn't they found me yet? Isn't this supposed to be a high-grade military base?"
"I erected a force field around you to keep anyone from this area. That sloppy cloak of yours won't be enough to get out of this."
"That's kind of rude, but thanks."
"No problem."
The youngster and his sword kept a calm and humorous atmosphere around them as if the chaos outside was just a carnival parade for kids and teenagers. But that soon came to an end when the youngster telepathically asked his sword a question.
"Another thing."
"What?"
"This force field will keep anyone from seeing me right?"
"Yes, it won't prevent anyone from entering. But no one will ever notice you even though you are right next to them. Not even the surveillance cameras could see you."
"Nice, it's way better than my cloak."
"It's a really poor made cloak. You didn't focus enough mana when you made it."
"Yes, yes, I'll fix it up later. Anyway, I got another question, how long is the radius of this force field exactly?"
"It covers this entire floor, why do you ask?"
"If that's the case, then why is that guy in front of me keep staring in this direction as if he could see me?"
Standing in front of the youngster was another foreign being that doesn't belong in this world.
Who is this person?
That was what I thought when I ran into a boy in the corridor.
The boy in front of me was very strange and suspicious. Even more so when he had a sword on his back, who the hell would use a sword in an era of TSFs?
Seeing someone suspicious wearing such a strange outfit with little similarity to the rest of the soldiers in the middle of a lockdown is already a signal for every soldier to draw his sidearm.
But I couldn't.
Even though my logic and military-self was yelling at me to quickly pull my gun and then point it at the suspicious boy, my hand was frozen solid.
It had nothing to do with a guilty conscience of pointing my gun to someone, no soldier would ever do something as stupid as that in the middle of an emergency, nor was it because I had met that boy somewhere before, this is the first time I ever met him.
But for some reason, I just can't do it.
I can't even move a single part of my body.
This is the first time I ever met that boy.
But this... this is not the first time I've ever seen his appearance.
The boy was not wearing a standard U.N. Military uniform or anything like that. The boy was wearing a high school uniform similar to the ones I saw within my dreams. No, I don't mean that it was the same with the uniform of Hakuryou school back in my world, the color and pattern was far too different. But the style... It gave off a strange homesick feeling I never felt before.
And then, the reason has finally came to me.
It was the same style the schools in the peaceful country of Japan would have if it weren't invaded by the foreign monsters.
"You... Are you..."
The boy in front of me blinked several times when he heard my stuttering.
"So he really can see me. Huh... interesting."
Hearing his words somehow snapped me back to reality, seconds later, I drew my sidearm and pointed it into the boy's head.
"Oi, oi, is that really necessary?"
The boy playfully put his hands up.
This doesn't make any sense. He's armed with only a sword on his back and at this range I have the obvious advantage. So why? Why do I feel like a kid pointing a toy gun on a giant monster? Why do I feel like I was fighting a Fort-class BETA without a TSF?
Not good. My hand started to tensed up and I held my pistol even tighter. The only time I ever felt this way was the time when I faced the BETA at the training grounds in the outbreak incident. I wiped the sweat of my face and started talking.
"I don't know who... or what you are, but put your hands up and throw that sword on your back down."
"And if I don't?" The boy made a small grin. "...I doubt you know who or what I am, but at least you could sense what I'm capable of, right? Mr. Anomaly?"
...! Wha..! How does he...? Don't tell me... He knew?-!
"That surprised expression is all the proof I need. You really are the anomaly of this world."
But... there's no way... unless... he... he was the one... the one that turned me to a causality conductor... the one who got me here!
"SO IT'S YOU!"
"Ha?
"So it's you... the reason I stuck here... the reason I lost my everyday life... and the reason I was thrown into this chaotic world... It's all... BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"...Ha..?"
If that's the case... Then this guy...
"Umm... I think you just misunderstood something serious and...-Okay, what's with that glare? You're emitting killing intent I could sense half a mile away. Oh crud, is it something I said?"
"If that's the case... Then you are..."
"Wh-what's the case with what?"
"Then you are... My ENEMY!"
"Wha-! I'm not your-...! Oh, why do I even bother..."
Filled with rage, I pulled the trigger of my sidearm.
Whoa! That was dangerous... I know bullets and gunshots aren't very effective on someone like me, but it still hurts a lot, and pain is not what I like to enjoy. Seems like my reflexes hasn't dropped much since I could dodge that bullet without this sword's help. Still, the fact that boy suddenly opened fire when I revealed his identity proved three things.
One, this guy was not transported here voluntarily.
Two, he thought I was the one who got him here.
And three, if he's not here on his own volition, then who sent him here?
Okay, the third one was more of a question than a proof. Regardless, I think I need to calm him down... somehow.
It's kind of hard to calm someone down when the person you were supposed to calm down was trying to kill you... Haaa, part of the job I guess.
By the way, this line of thought passed through my head only 0,5 second after I dodged his first shot. It's because of a very special ability that accelerates my nervous system in times of danger. I'd like to call it: Adrenaline Rush. How cliched.
"How did you...?"
That guy seemed too surprised by my Matrix-like dodging style. Well, I suppose that's understandable. Wasting words on him like this won't help. Let's knock him out a little.
"Here I go!"
I dashed forward right in front of him, hoping to launch an uppercut on his neck before he could even respond.
"...Tch...!"
But that boy was also fast, way too fast for ordinary humans. He reflexively pulled his head backward to avoid my super-speed uppercut and launched a punch on my chest. Contrary to his expectation, I merely grunted a bit, showing no signs of pain from the punch. He widened his eyes in shock when I grinned at him maliciously. Well, it's obvious. For me, that punch was like a kid shooting a rubber band on a metal. I hardly felt anything, not even a small prickle of pain.
"Damn it!"
He retreated backward and pulled the trigger of his pistol. It made three loud sounds of 'BANG!' and launched three killer metals into my direction. All aimed accurately on my vitals. All of which I spectacularly dodged. He must've been very angry because he thought I was the one who got him here. And to think I was here to help him back and stabilize this world. Man, talk about the irony.
Talking about irony, this scene kind of remind of me of the duel between Wesker and Redfield in RE5. Oh, the irony.
"You done? I'll admit that was some awesome reflex you got there. Now's my turn."
Not even waiting for his response, I grabbed the collar of his uniform and slammed his head to the wall. Normally, someone would have been knocked unconscious with that level of trauma on their heads, but apparently this guy is so thick-headed, he merely staggered and fell on the ground with a nosebleed, some bruises and a slight bleeding on his forehead. He's still glaring at me with a pretty ferocious eyes as he struggles to stand.
"Persistent one, aren't you?"
"...You...bastard..." said the soldier as he leaned on the wall.
I thought he was weakened, so I let my guard down... but that was a mistake. He suddenly launched a kick directly aimed on my face. I was thrown backward from the impact and a cut appeared on my handsome cheek. Damn it! His kick was powerful... way more powerful than the girl from before. It was so powerful he actually managed to cut me a little. I know it sounds a little exaggerated, but it would take the same amount of damage as a truck speeding on 150 mph to even get a scratch on me.
Speaking of which, this is the second time today someone kicked me in the face! Do I look like some sort of a kicking bag to you people?-!
"Really now.. That actually hurts a little."
I managed to stifle a laugh, which I think irritated him a little.
"TAKE THIS!" No, I think irritated might be an understatement.
He charged at me with another punch aimed at my face... But I won't allow my face to be a victim anymore... Time to end this little brawl.
"...!"
I caught his punch with my right hand... then I surprised him by tightening my grip on his fist. It must've hurt a lot, since he cringes in pain.
Then I staggered him with a fast jab, grabbed him in the neck, and threw him into the ground head first.
There... I know it's not nice, but with that he should be unconscious for a while. Now where should I carry him? Maybe that broken down old house in the city ruins would be goo-...?
. . . . . . . What. . . . the. . . . hell?
. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . .
"...You're one persistent bastard, you know that?"
...Unbelievable... even after all that trauma and concussion in his head... this guy is not out of the fight yet... he is still trying to fight... Even now he's still struggling to get himself up... I could see it in his eyes... it was the same like...
. . . . . . . . . . . . .eh, whatever. . . . .
I sighed a little. Not wanting to see such a pathetic sight, I lowered my battle stance and offered him a hand.
"...What is this?" He spoke in a rough and spiteful voice.
"It's a hand, if you don't know anything about it, then you need to seriously restart your education from kindergarten."
"That's not what I meant! You were-!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know what you meant. I'm not the one who sent you here."
"What?-! But...then...how did you-"
"-know about your Parallel-World Travelling Business? Of course, I do. Have you even considered the fact that I'm the same as you?"
"...!" As expected, I guess he didn't. A shoot-first-ask-questions-later kind of guy, eh? Well, at least I managed to calm him down.
"Judging from that expression, no, you didn't. You suddenly fired your gun and assaulted me, a civilian. That means it's not just going to end in corporal punishments, you know."
"...Yes, that would be the case... if that civilian didn't suddenly trespassed into one of the U.N. military base and assaulted one of its officer." Crap... almost forgot about that one. "So tell me." Huh? "Who are you? And... are you really the same just like me?"
"Ah... the obvious question anyone in my place would expect. The answer to that question is yes... and no."
"What?"
"I'll explain later. This place is not very good for a long lecture, those gunshots will attract some attentions, my sword couldn't hide that noise. For now, you should treat your wounds. You put up a pretty good fight, by the way."
I get the feeling that he doesn't fully understand what I was saying. But he nodded anyway. At least, reluctantly, I think.
"Right, with that done, do you have anyone that knows about your real identity?"
He kept silent for a while, as expected he's still wary about me. Hell, even I would. Thrown up into a totally different world without knowing what's going on or what was happening... is an experience I know well.
"...Yeah, there's one. She's one of the highest ranking officer in this base."
"Oh? Really?" Well, that changes the plan. Things will be simpler if someone with authority knows what's going on. Staying in the base for a while seems like a logical course of action. "Then, here's the thing, tell her to come visit me in the cell room, I'll be waiting there for a while."
"...What? The cell room?"
Without answering his questions, I whispered to my partner who's been silent for a while.
"Hey, dispel the barrier."
"...Alright..."
"H-hey, what did you mean by-"
"Don't move!"
As if on cue, a bunch of soldiers and MPs started appearing from the corridor. Cutting off that boy from his question and pointing their rifles at me. Well, not that it matters, we could have more opportunities to talk later. One of the MP suddenly yelled.
"Throw your weapon! Put your hands in the air and back away from the officer!"
Better comply to their orders for now, I took a few steps backward, threw my partner into the floor and put my hands up. And yet even after showing my complete resignation, one of them threw me down into the floor harshly and cuffed me just as hard. I wonder if I should just force my way out.
"Command, we found the intruder on Sector-29, proceeding to restrain and apprehend! We're moving him into the detention cell."
Haaa... a detention cell huh? Haven't been there in a while. I looked back into that boy I fought before and noticed a medic was already right next to him with a pack of bandages. I guess I did quite a number on him. Right... better do it now.
For a moment time was cut off, one second suddenly become as long as one minute. The boy seemed confused when he saw everything and everyone moved slower as if it was a movie in slow-motion.
"Yo, can you hear me?"
"...!"
The boy suddenly showed a shocked expression. And it was obvious for him to react that way, since I didn't use my mouth to speak. And he is probably starting to understand why everything started going slower.
"I'm talking to you directly in your mind. Don't ask how, it's a bit complicated. If you want to talk just speak inside your mind. Unlike a friend of mine, I could only maintain the Time Acceleration for a few seconds, so I'll make this fast. "
After I explained it that way, he quickly regained his composure and nodded. He's probably getting used to these unexplainable things.
"What's your name?"
He frowned a little as if he didn't expect that question. But he answered it nonetheless.
"Shirogane... My name is Shirogane Takeru. Second Lieutenant."
"Heh, name and rank? What a very militaristic way of introduction. The name's Takamine Yuuto. Yuuto the Sage if you want the official title. I'm a bit lacking in the 'Sage' part, so don't bother calling me that. Nice to meet you, Shirogane-san."
On a lovely Sunday night, I was relaxing on my desk with my computer up front finishing the Lesteena route of Eien no Aselia... again. What can I say? I was dead bored. And then suddenly, I noticed a new e-mail just popped up on my inbox. It's a notification from our beloved that the 62th chapter of Muv Luv: One Last Time into the Loop has been updated. It's only days and a new update just popped up. Nice work, Paul.
And then it struck me.
What would happen if I combine the war and tragedy of Muv Luv with the fantasy and tragedy of Eien no Aselia? What would happen if I combine the magic of Eternal with the science of the super soldier and TSFs? What would happen to that war-torn world when the two abnormalities are gathered together? And most importantly... what would happen to mankind's greatest enemy when another outsider joins the fray?
At first, this is just little bits of notes I wrote when I'm dead bored of the lecture at school (which happens quite often). Slowly but surely it forms quite a decent plot, one that even I didn't expect.
...This could either be a potentially awesome story or the worst there is... Let's hope I won't screw it up. And I'm gonna need reviews to make sure I won't. Your help would be most appreciated.
Anywho... usually a crossover requires the reader to understand both part of the story, but I'll just be blunt and say that this won't be necessary. I'm more of an avid Muv Luv fan than Eien, so expect a heavier dose of Muv Luv gory goodness in the story. It's another reason why I didn't put it on the crossover category.
...Now then, next is just another segment of the prologue...
The true chaos is yet to begin.
