The attack had come before just dawn. Just as the town watchmen were approaching the end of their shift, and tired. Such an attack suggests intelligence, but Ikari Shinji had never heard of the Apostolos being anything but feral, mindless animals. The young man swore softly as he dug through his father's drawers. The aging man was away on "business." Shinji had known by age fourteen not to ask. The bruise on his finger was enflamed, and shot bolts of pain up his forearm each time it brushed against the papers in Ikari Gendo's drawer. Stupid, the boy thought, stupid to think you had a chance. You are no warrior, Ikari. You are a farmer. His right hand closed around brittle paper a half-second ahead of the scream from his sister's room.

"Rei!" Shinji was out of the room in a heartbeat.

He did not pause at his sister's door at the end of the hall, but merely braced his shoulder for the impact. The Apostolem, called after the Apostolo Sachiel, had carved three bloody lines into the youth's fourteen-year-old sister, hurling her across the room. Shinji heard her crunch against the far wall as he slammed into the Sachiem, teeth bared. The Apostolem staggered as the boy made contact, then wrapped its long claws around him. Shinji gagged as the thick, salty smell of the ocean filled his nostrils as he stared into the bone-white beak of the invader. He quickly picked at the ribbon to the scroll and pressed the curling parchment up to the Sachiem's chest. The youth winced as the steely fingers sliced through his thin garment and slid along his upper arms and chest before the monster was hurled through the window it had climbed through by a pillar of white light. Shinji was already in motion by the time the blackened parchment had faded to ash. He quickly crossed the debris-stricken room and scooped his sister into his arms.

"S..Shi-Shinji… it hurts…" Shinji swore as Rei feebly wrapped her arms around him.

He quickly made his way out of Rei's room and into the dining area and kitchen. He carefully set the girl down on the table in a rough sitting position and began rummaging through the cabinets for something to bind her wounds. A dull thud announced Rei's white-haired head smacking the rough wooden table. Shinji hissed out a combination prayer and condemnation of whichever gods might have been watching and began tearing strips off his shirt. Rei whimpered as he yanked her into a sitting position and cried out as he tightened the first makeshift bandage. Her small fingers dug into his biceps as he attempted to whisper something reassuring into her ear while he readied the next strip.

"Don't worry, little darling. You'll be fine. I'll be fine. Father will be fine. I just need to finish these bandages, then we ca-" Shinji found himself cut off by the Apostolem forcing itself through the wall.

The mysterious rainbow-hued force field that had deflected his earliest attacks with a hoe was back, pealing like a bell each time wood or stone fell upon it. The entire torso of the monster was smoking, and a red orb at the center of its chest glowed unhealthily. With remarkable speed, Shinji lifted his sister off of the table and began a strategic withdrawal down the hallway. Rei was crying openly by this point and had attempted to bury her head in Shinji's shoulder. The boy ran his left hand through her hair as he ducked into their father's room. Ikari Gendo hated leaving a messy room, and Shinji found the orderly appearance a welcome change from the morning's chaos. Then the Sachiem tore its way through the hallway-facing wall. Rei squealed as Shinji tossed her onto the bed and began searching for a weapon. The green monster had learned not leave the young man to his own devices, however, and, with startling speed, wrapped its left hand around his head. Shinji felt a curious warmth begin to tickle his right eye. The boy stiffened, then sank his fingers into the Apostolem's thin forearm, trying, in vain, to free himself from the monster's grasp. He felt a rush of air and heard Rei's scream, then knew no more.

Rei felt as though she had been screaming the whole morning. She still found herself unable to stop as one of her few remaining family members and the boy who had practically raised her fell over backwards, blood oozing from his right eye socket. The albino girl pulled herself back on their father's bed as the Sachiem turned to her. Taking a temporary leave of absence from its prior fluidity, the hulking monstrosity shuffled stiffly towards her, arm outstretched. Rei's scream was cut off by a low moan as the Apostolem began walking through the bed, force field flaring. The thin girl's hand made contact with the head of the wooden railing and she felt a moment of vertigo as it fell back. The floor under Shinji opened, and the boy's unconscious frame tumbled down the formerly hidden stairs. The disappearance of her brother was the last straw. Rei again began to scream, a toneless, animal cry. She screamed until the Sachiem wrapped its fingers around her skull and lifted her off the bed.

Shinji knew not where he had found himself, only that he could not see out of either eye. He felt a wet warmth when he put his hand up to his right eye, but nothing more. As the youth pulled himself to his feet, a wave of vertigo came over him, sending him careening into a dusty wall. The boy, lacking the facilities to come up with a better plan, placed his hands on the wall and slowly began to make his way down the hall. Hopefully down, at least.

The Sachiem had begun to worry about the state of its cargo, dimly, as it plowed through the wall of another small domicile. It still hadn't stopped screaming, and they had been walking for a long time. It idly checked the condition of its cargo's wounds. The one bandaged scratch had stopped bleeding, and the two open injuries were trickling. Physical ailments were not distressing the cargo. The Apostolem gave the equivalent of a shrug and plodded onward, stepping on the burned bodies of the dead. The Light of its Soul flickered as it stomped through a fire, moving steadily towards a great cart at the center of the former village.

A horn. Thick, metal teeth. Shinji ran his hands down what he assumed was a suit of armor, exquisitely crafted. The helmet had the feel of some demonic face, complete with eyes, though he could find no holes to permit vision. He slowly worked his calloused hands down one of the arms, finding no seam that connected the sleeve to the pauldron or gauntlet. The boy began to wonder if perhaps all he had found was a statue as he ran his hands along the chest. His fingers tightened as they felt a perfectly rounded orb. He gently applied pressure, finding it not unlike the bosom of many a village girl. He pushed harder, and the orb became stiff. Then, it pushed back. Shinji swore as the room was bathed in soft red light, having become quite well adjusted to the darkness. Then the young man swore again as the suit of armor was fully revealed. He was not ignorant of religion, finding solace in faith alongside many others in the endless war against the Apostolem. He knew the form of the Oni, the traditional demons. He had even seen carvings of demonic figures from the strange monotheistic religions from across the seas. The suit before him seemed to be these monsters incarnate. Slowly, Shinji mastered his fears and came closer to the masterfully crafted armor. Now, with the glow of the chest-piece, Shinji could see clearly the seams defining and separating the armor. An emblem on the forehead, just under the massive horn, caught and held his attention. It was richly engraved with gold and silver, the precious metals englarging and calling attention to a single letter. The letter S seemed almost to glow in the red young farmer slowly took a step forward.

It was called after the Apostolo Zeruel. It had stalked the village, searching for those who had fled. And now it observed the cart, hollow sockets seeing nothing, yet perceiving all. Calculations rolled through its mind, tabulating divisions of spoils, commendations, the healthiest captives, and other, incomprehensible matters. Its tabulations were halted when the Sachiem threw the albino girl onto the cart. As the being spoke, a rockslide started in the mountains hundreds of miles away.

Where is the boy?

The Sachiem turned to regard the Zeruem.

Boy not required by Progenitor. Girl all demanded. Boy fought back. Injured self. Destroyed.

The Zeruem floated over the cart, black tentacles flapping wildly. Rei twitched as the demonic skull-mask clicked shut over her head.

A pity. The two would have made quite a pair.

The Sachiem emitted a chirp. Stray stones around the village split in two.

Appreciate stay back. Found girl. Belongs to Sachiel. Ours.

The Zeruem shifted its sockets to the Sachiem. It began tabulating again, comparing the strengths of the Sachiem to its own weaknesses. The albino girl squeaked as the Sachiem slapped a hand down onto her, possessively.

Ours by covenant. Not fault excellent rearing condition.

At the mention of the covenant, the Zeruem deflated, sinking over to its side of the cart. It knew its standing was not high enough with its own Progenitor for the Apostolo of Might to intercede on its behalf. Were it, why would the Zeruem be attached as overseer to a group of mindless Apostolem raiding a small village? These thoughts, and many others, the likes of which a man cannot fathom, were cut off, suddenly, by the trembling of the earth across the village. The Sachiem caught Rei as the albino slid off the cart.

What that?

It had become clear to Shinji while donning the strange armor he had found that it had been designed for one much larger and stronger then a youth of seventeen years. He suspected that his size had no impact on how well he would perform, however, for the moment he donned the complete suit, it had felt as though it was carrying itself. He growled as his plate-reinforced hand shoved a length of wood into the face of an Apostolem, the type of which he could not fathom. The white light that seemed to compose its body slowly dimmed as he forced the blade deeper into what he assumed was the monster's head. Abruptly, with a mournful cry, the Apostolem dissipated. Shinji tumbled forward before his plate-mailed feet shifted, almost of their own accord, restoring his balance. The entire village exploded around him as Apostolem began a wild, disorganized retreat. They acted now like the beasts he had heard whispered tales of, and the young farmer hazarded a guess that the one he had just slain had been the group's leader. The flash of magenta light and the ground erupting at his feet quickly forced the boy to reevaluate his guess.

Before the death-moans of the Tabrem finished reverberating off the bones of the dead, the Sachiem was in motion. The Apostolem of Water was forcing its way through the retreating Apostolem as the Zeruem fought to regain control of the raiding party. A retreating Materem knocked over the cart with one spindly leg. The Zeruem expanded its Overmind and seized control of the spider-like Apostolem. The Apostolem of Might allowed itself to feel a moment of satisfaction before a third detonation and cry of rage signaled the demise of the Sachiem. The Matarem turned and ran, the flickering of its Absolute Terror field preventing the Zeruem from reestablishing control. The Zeruem twisted and fired a blast of energy, reforming its defensive shield into a weapon of destruction. By now, the armor that had once been undetectable was now as clearly outlined to the Zeruem as one of the Apostolem. And it kept on coming.

An idle fact, chewed and spat out during tabulation, now began to resurface, slowly pushing on the Zeruem's Overmind as it powered blast after blast into the thick purple armor of its attacker. Each Apostolem contains the memories of its Progenitor. These memories serve as the core of behavior for the non-sentient Apostolem and give sentient ones an edge. A latent memory, long buried in the past, slowly began to resurface. A memory of strange armors, pain, and death. Armors with the Light of a Soul. Armors that cut through Apostolem like fire burning through wheat. Evangelions. The Zeruem threw its Overmind back towards its Progenitor as the demonic armor charged.

Shinji slammed into both the floating Apostolem and the cart of bodies. A whip-blade slammed into his shoulder, chopping the straps that held the pauldron in place and almost cleaving the top of the boy's shoulder off. Shinji howled with pain and fury, slamming an outstretched hand into the Zeruem's face. He clenched his fist and began to yank. The Zeruem slammed a whip-arm into the armor's right knee, judging correctly that the Sachiem's attack had weakened the leather and chain joint. The young farmer hissed with pain as the full weight of the Evangelion collapsed onto his right leg. He kept a tight hold on the Zeruem, however, and used its weightlessness against it, slamming the skull-mask into the mud. The Apostolem almost instantly shoved its head back up. Shinji froze as he found himself staring into the deep sockets where eyes should have been. He had never been so close to an Apostolem before, and found himself oddly fascinated by its features. The hollow sockets were viewing him, of that he could be sure. The empty blankness seemed to plead with the boy, begging for… something. Something that he couldn't identify.

The Zeruem couldn't believe the hypnosis was actually working. But then, the Progenitor had answered its call. The Apostolem felt a heaviness settle into its mind and the dread, euphoric whisper of Zeruel itself.

You have done well, my servant. Rest now. I will assume control.

The Zeruem felt itself melt away from the burned village as all faded to darkness.

Shinji tried to yank off his helmet as the Apostolem rose, sedately. He needed to see the alien beauty with his own eye. He swore as the helmet refused to budge, almost melting into the platelets guarding his neck. The Apostolem clicked its teeth. Shinji shuddered at the thought of displeasing such an awe-inspiring creature. The Zeruem gently began to float towards him. Shinji slowly hobbled back, unable to face the exquisiteness of the Apostolem's face knowing that he had failed to perform even the simplest of its requests. As he shuffled back, his right foot touched something soft. It moaned, faintly.

"S-sh-inhi… Shi-inji?"

The veil lifted as the boy charged with a hoarse cry on his lips.

Zeruel roared as the Evangelion charged it. It tore at the purple armor with its terrible power and succeeded only in infuriating it further. The Zeruem the Apostolo commanded was not strong enough to overpower an Armor. How could it have been? Why should it have been?

Zeruel retreated with the Zeruem still within its mind as its tabulations showed the battle to be lost.

Shinji collapsed as the Zeruem finally stopped struggling. He had hurled pieces of the monster across the entire village, finally stomping the red heart of the demon into oblivion. Then the pieces stopped twitching. The youth shuddered as the tears that had failed to come at the loss of his natural eye finally began to flow. He was cold, tired, and almost entirely alone. Everyone was dead. Almost everyone. Shinji sucked in a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet. He began walking back to the cart and the pile of bodies. After locking onto a pale arm and white hair, Shinji began to shift the mountain of corpses until he could work his sister loose. The boy gently cradled the limp girl in his arms. Tears began to cut lines down his cheeks as he rocked his sister back and forth. The tiny girl had had a history of illness, and did even appear to be breathing as Shinji rocked her back and forth.

"Please. Don't…leave me…..alone, Rei." The boy felt a wave of nausea take him as he contemplated having to bury his sister.

"Please. Don't. Please."

As Shinji stood, rocking the little body in his arms, he felt warmth begin to spread up his legs. The boy hissed as it reached his chest and he spasmed in pain. His shoulder and eye both itched, faintly, before the warmth spread into Shinji's arms. Rei gasped as the warmth reached Shinji's fingers. The albino girl shook in his arms as the boy heard a soft sliding noise and felt the internal shifting of muscle and tissue. She sagged in his arms, trembling, as the warmth slowly drained away. Shinji's lips twitched upward as her color visibly improved. Then he frowned as a crackling breath escaped her mouth. He turned for the village gate.

"Thank you, little Rei, for insisting that I learn to read." Shinji was careful to whisper as he slowly walked out of the village.

He dimly recalled having read in one of his father's old books that the nearest actual town was around thirty miles north of the village entrance. He knew not how he would cover the ground before he or his sister died of infection, but he knew he would try. The pounding in his forehead that had began after he had destroyed the squid-like Apostolem increased in intensity as he stepped onto the road. Shinji's eye narrowed to a slit as he felt his bile rise and the armor grew heavy upon his back and limbs. Rei whimpered in his arms as the mighty plate suit collapsed forward into the mud. As the mud slashed his tunic, the armor the young man still wore flared, the trim glowing a soft green. The light bestowed him with strength enough to reclaim his balance. Barely conscious, the young farmer left what remained of his village and started on the road north.