Prologue

The scene opens up on one of the beaches of Japan not far from Orimura's house. As Ichika looks out to the ocean he sees the sun begin to rise up over the horizon and thinks back to the incident that happened not more than a couple months ago. "*sigh* Has it really been two months?" Ichika thinks back to that fateful day as he stares off into the sky. The day a unmanned IS unit went rouge over the Pacifc ocean.

The academy did its best to track down the rouge unit and have it terminated. However the confidentiality of the incident only held for so long. Merely a couple days after the confirmed destruction of the target video footage was released onto the internet from a ship that witnessed one of the skirmishes involving the Silvario Gospel. It wasn't long until the world discovered that the United States was responsible for the IS unit that went on a westward rampage and soon other nations began to grow ever more suspicious of whether or not they could to trust the integrity of each other. However, unknown to the rest of the world Ichika held a secret. A secret that continues to rip at his concious.

What the IS academy failed to inform its students before they sent them into battle is that the Silvario Gospel wasn't actually unmanned. As it turned out the United States had been experimenting on its IS pilots with beta technology. A new program that completely integrated the pilot's subconcious into the machine. The effects massively improved their combat results, however they would all but lose their humanity. It was as if the pilots themselves became machines. No signs of pain, joy, regret, fear and no means of verbal communication. They had to completely rely on a cerebral communication network.

When Ichika delt the finishing blow he didn't realise it at first, it wasn't till Houki pointed it out that he even understood the consequences of his action. "*sigh* We finally did it". Ichika releases his Yukihira and wipes the sweat from his forehead after piercing through the armor of the Silvario Gospel. As he begins to calm down Houki flies down towards him and then gently lands at his side. "Ichika, are you alright?" Houki asks him with a look or cornern. "Yeah, I'm fine". Relieved by his respose Houki began to smile however she, immediately began to worry when she looked at his chest. "I...Ichika you're bleeding!" Ichika follows Houki's gaze to his chest and spots the blood. He then runs his and over his chest and reassures himself that he isn't injured. "This isn't my blood." He immediatley looks over the rest of his body to look for any other wounds and it's then that he finally noticed.

Behind him layed the Silvario Gospel and he finally realised. The IS wasn't unmanned, the IS has a pilot. A pilot who know laid at the ground dead with a hole through her chest where Ichika's Yukihira Nigata pierced through her. He had just claimed someone's life. He stared in shock at what he had done. He then fell to his knees and collapsed. Houki turned back to look at the others who have yet to notice, she then picks Ichika up and carries him over to where they are floating congradulating each other over a successful mission. As she approaches Cecilia noticed Ichika unconsious in Houki's arms.

"I...Ichika!" Cecilia suddenly yells in panic, this causes the other girls to turn their heads and they rush over towards Houki. Charlotte was the first to speak when reached the two of them. "What happened, is he okay?" "Yeah...he merely passed out from over exerting himself during the mission." The girls inadvertantley accept Houki's story and bein to feel at ease. Laura then suggests that they return and report the results of the mission to Orimura-sensei. As they fly back towards the hotel Houki looks back at the island where the Silvario Gospel lies knowing that she and Ichika would forever bear this dreadfull secret.