Chapter 4: Infinite Shattered Sky

Ichika opened her eyes, and what met her was a rather bleak scene.

"This is Rei's world," Ichika spoke, looking at the snow covered forest of dead trees, black and bare of leaves or anything, and the sky was grey with a continuous light snowfall coming down, blanketing everything pale white.

All in all, it felt like the life of this world had been drained out, replaced that despair, sadness, and a crushing emptiness.

"This is awful," Ichika said, seeing the bleak realm that seemed to stretch out endlessly before her.

"This is me."

Ichika turned to see the form of Rei, sitting on the limb of a dead tree, wearing a tattered dark dress of some sort, with pale white skin, pale grey hair and dark blue eyes with an empty look to them.

"What you see around you, is me," Rei, or Core 000, stated to Ichika in a sad monotone voice, "no power, no ability, no drive, no future, all I am is a shell, a frame, just the outside, nothing within."

Ichika could only look at the girl with a solemn look in her rather empty eyes, not knowing what to say that could bring up her spirit, or what little there was le-!

SSSRRRMMMM

A pulse come from within Ichika, and when the pulse happened, a burst of energy and light flowed through her, along with a warmth that filled her whole being, making her remember what they were going to do.

"Then let's give you a future," Ichika's voice drew Rei's attention, "lets change this place, give you the life and energy you should have had, we can do it."

"Impossible"

"Eh," Ichika stated, confused.

"I had been created without a thought as to my power source, my core only has a simple pulse-system that is built into all IS cores, but nothing that I can use to power an IS, or even a simple appliance, there is nothing that can be done."

"NONSENSE"

That one word resounded throughout the entirety of Rei's realm, and then the dreary gray clouds were instantly blown away, a massive gust of wind blowing snow in every direction, causing Ichika and Rei to shield themselves with their arms and close their eyes until the wind died down.

It soon did, and both opened their eyes …

… and gasped as they saw a the entity that Ichika had merged with, now looking like a large vortex of light producing obsidian white crystals, glowing a radiant white, the crystals arranged into a series of rings, each ring with a bladed crystal, all going parallel to each other in each ring, three rings in total, the innermost with the smallest blade crystals and the outermost with the largest. The rings orbited a core that was practically clear, except with a pale grey light at its center, a pattern of sorts within, the light coming from a now glorious blue sky that now dominated Rei's realm.

"This one made a promise, and this one never fails a promise, unless it conflicts with this one's morals, which is not the case now," the entity stated, and continued, "artificial entity referred to as Rei, has stated that no current form of energy can be integrated with her system, and thus leaves Rei powerless."

"Yes, that is exactly what I said," Rei said to the Entity.

"What this one intends to do is what would be called integration, actually it would be called a unison," the Entity stated, Rei and Ichika silent as they contemplated what it said, "artificial entity Rei, in exchange for providing Rei with the power and capabilities that this one currently possesses, this one wishes for but one thing."

Rei, with a look of immense realization responds instantly, "yes, anything, what is it that you request in return."

"To find this one's purpose, that is what I desire,"Rei looked at the entity, confused at what it wanted, not knowing what purpose the entity wanted, then it spoke once again, "that is why Ichika is needed, for Ichika will be the one to find my purpose, and Rei is the key to start this quest, for this one has seen the very essence of both, both Rei and Ichika desire their own purpose, a desire greater than this one has witnessed in but a very few number of other life."

Ichika took only a second to realize what the entity meant and looked at Rei, and Rei at Ichika, both realizing what the entity was insinuating.

"S-so, you mean you want Rei to be my IS and me her pilot," Ichika said to the entity.

"No, I expect you to be vastly more than just another entity controlling an artificial like some common toy, no, I wish you to be more, this one wisher for both Ichika and Rei to be one in their quest for your purpose, to be by each other's side, aid each other when needed, as well as critique the other when necessary, until both have found what they truly seek, and this one will aid both in their venture, regardless of what comes, both will be together through this danger, and accepting of others who are willing this burden and aid in in this journey, wherever it may lead, as well as aid others in search of their one purpose, that is what this one wishes for,"the Entity stated this proudly.

Ichika and Rei were both taken aback by its bold statement, but both realized that the Entity was right, Ichika new that wanting to be like his sister was just his attempt at attention and what he truly, deeply wanted. Rei had wanted power to be like her sisters, to have their strength and abilities, but had no solid idea of what she wanted to use that power for.

Ichika and Rei both looked at one another and in that instant they both knew at the same time:

"… it is right …"

"Was there any real doubt that this one was correct, or any assurance that this one was incorrect,"the Entity then shifted its form, and the crystal/blade rings around its core merged completely together, instantly forming three shifting turbine-like rings around the core, all of which started to revolve at an increasing rate, until a pattern of light appears, and beneath it forms a circle of light with a form of lettering that neither Ichika or Rei could understand.

"There is only one last step left,"in an instant, two lines shot out from the main circle, and both Ichika and Rei were enveloped by light for brief moments, and when the light was gone, they were in the middle of the main circle, pulses of energy from the Entity caused gusts of wind to blow around them, and Ichika felt the warm energy filled gust flow over her skin, hair and wings, realizing she is wearing only an IS pilot suit, and Rei was dressed in a simple worn grey dress with a black cloak over it, though it was not at all discomforting, in fact it was a very pleasant and comforting.

Then in the center, between both Ichika and Rei, a diamond like construct, of a type of material similar to the core that was above them, the same light coming from it.

"Ichika Orimura, Rei, both have agreed to this endeavor, to both fight for the cause of discovering the paths you seek, will both Ichika Orimura and Rei stand together, fight together, and work with one another to find your reason for being, what you fight for, and would sacrifice anything to preserve," the Entity intoned.

Both Ichika and Rei looked at one another, and slowly a small smile came to be on their faces, both already knowing the answer.

"Yes"

"Then thee shall gain the right to now this one's identity, the ideal this one was given at birth,"after a pause …

"Aeo Novori Sonsei, 'One who seeks purpose and answer', and the name of my people …"

A ring of light appeared below Aeo's core, and above Rei and Ichika, and then it went to the ground, as a circle that now surrounded both, and started to glow with light and released an ambient aura, and …

"… Arcion, 'Advent eternity.'

In an instant, a blast of light and power soon spread in an instant, Ichika and Rei believing they would be blown away, held the only thing they could … each other.

Then they felt it together, the energy that was released soon permeated their bodies, and then in an instant, everything came …

…. Everything regarding the other, beliefs, feelings, emotions, even memories.

However, the flow was with no pressure or sudden problem, the flow was calm and gave a sort of warm, welcoming feeling as both held one another, the noise now growing silent even as the energy became more intense.

Then everything seemed to merge together in an instant, the memories each coming together finding a place to settle, until finally a feeling of single-ness, of one-ness, and then in a pulse of energy, everything settled down.

Ichika now stood in the circle which was now gone, but she had to look around only once, and she knew what had happened.

The snow was gone, along with the clouds, now replaced with a vibrant and rich landscape, the trees now full of life and vibrant green grass across the land, the water no longer frozen and having a mirror-like reflection, and Ichika looked at the lake …

… and immediately looked up at the sky.

The sky was now a clear azure color with few clouds, but now it also had countless crystal structures that took up most of the sky, many rings of white obsidian crystal and many structures and constructers, some pointed and angled, others more curved and blunt.

Ichika felt a pulse from above, and looked up to see the core of the entity above her.

"It is done, we have successfully merged and now share the same path of purpose and answer, which is the path we will now walk in the battles to come, together as well as with those who would join us in this path we now walk."

"Ichika,"it spoke to Ichika, who now felt as energy started to come in from everywhere and fill up Rei's world, all focused on Ichika now, "shall we begin."

Ichika only smiled slightly, and said, "Yes, let's go Aeo, Rei."

Soon everything went white once more, and in that instant, Ichika felt as the now incomplete form of the IS Rei was the core of soon formed around her, the armor, systems and functions were merged and bonded to the obsidian white crystal of the Ent- no, of Aeo, becoming a new IS, completely different and separate from any unit created.

An entirely new unit, a new existence unto itself, and now it fully formed itself around Ichika, until it finally formed entirely around Ichika, now feeling as its power and energy flowed through her.

A name slowly formed in her mind, and she immediately realized what the name was, it was the name for the new existence, for the IS.

That name was …

"Let's go, Arcia Exora."

With that, the new unit, Arcia Exora, fully activated, and Ichika felt Rei within herself, together with her, and she spoke within Ichika …

"Of course Ichika, we are with you."

The light surrounding Ichika soon faded and Ichika soon awoke from Rei's world and into reality.

Ichika's eyes shot open as she was assaulted by the smell of burning materials and the feel of intense heat, as well as the sound of an immense explosion.

Ichika immediately saw much of the city in even greater ruin, most of the buildings reduced to rubble and not a soul in sight, Ichika already knew that everyone either had to be gone or dead.

"It is best we make haste Ichika, I can sense the core of Kazekura, and it is fading," Rei said from within Ichika, alerting her to the task at hand.

"Aeo agrees with Rei, however, it is best that this merging of Rei, Aeo and Ichika is without fault, Ichika, Rei and Aeo shall begin final conforming of this new fo-…," all of a sudden, Aeo went silent, which Ichika and Rei guessed that it was because something bad was about t-!

FZZZZZZZ-SCCCHHHHHH

An immense noise followed by massive pulses of energy was sensed by Ichika, who felt like a heavy freight train had slammed into her, almost completely overloading her senses as it washed over the area.

Then …

Ichika felt as the energy started to pull at her being, slowly yet surely trying to drag her toward what was a tunnel of energy, now forming in the city, and the sphere of immense energy gathering in front of the massive entity that Ichika now knew was an Arcion, a Dark Arcion.

"Your defense is ready," at Aeo's words a barrier of clear ambient energy with a slight white tinge enveloped Ichika, and the strain soon decreased along with the pull from the Arcion's attack.

Then Ichika saw something that grabbed her attention …

… and that was her sister Chifuyu, her IS practically destroyed and she herself in front of the Arcions attack, no longer capable of truly moving, trapped at the center of the tunnel, a look of grim resignation and understanding on her face.

Ichika didn't notice, but soon energy began to come forth from Arcia's once unused and inoperable boosters, its non-existent PIC system now replaced with the Arcion capability of unrestricted flight, and then Ichika's hub appeared, and in that moment Ichika felt as a pulse went through him, all the way to her wings which became encapsulated in a back unit that attached to her back, and her four wings controlled four wing units, but it also felt to Ichika the she was looking a bit farther behind herself, like what happens in a third-person video or computer game, but she soon focuses on what is ahead of hi- sorry, herself.

"No time for that," she shouted to herself as the boosters hit maximum speed, shooting her right at the energy tunnel, just as the energy started to intensify.

Ichika broke through the energy –chamber/tunnel- and entered, and felt as she was dragged right to the very center of the energy vortex, which according to the energy sensors now present on her IS had just hit critical, and then activated her boosters to their full power …

… but she hardly moved at all.

"D-Da-Damn it, I c-can't move," Ichika managed to utter even as she tried to escape the gravity field, and doubled her effort at the immense mass of energy that was forming at the point of origin, which was the larger entity itself.

'Ichika, Aeo wants you to know that the time for the Agia, Mear Uraia Tevaei, to unleash its attack will be in the next minute,' Aeo stated to Ichika from within.

"An Agia, what does a-an A-a-agi-AGIA mean," Ichika stated to Aeo, wanting to know the meaning, though Aeo brought back the main problem.

'Perhaps after our existences are no longer under threat of ending, as well as the fact that while it is a very low possibility that we may come out of this alive, though mortally wounded, Aeo will explain all Aeo knows to Ichika and Rei," Aeo then went quiet afterward.

"I-I am n-n-not dy-ing here,"Ichika said, pouring more and more power into the Arcia, not realizing that a new system was becoming active as she started to move through the energy vortex straight toward the entrapped form of Chifuyu Orimura and what remained of her IS, but could not go very fast due to the increasing intensity of them beam.

'The attack is now 30 seconds from deployment … 28 … 27 … 26 … 25,' Aeo started counting down the time till the Agia would unleash its attack, and by the size of the attack, there would more than likely be nothing left, PERIOD!

However …

"I will not die"

15

"I won't lose"

14

"I can't lose"

13

"Not to that thing"

12

"And NOT like this"

11

As Ichika drew closer to Chifuyu, Aeo and Rei both began to construct a new system in the unit, and on Ichika's back, the wing units seemed to expand and then separated, and stretching from her back were four energy wing/panels of white/blue light, which then started to expand little by little as Ichika drew closer to Chifuyu.

"Almost there..." Ichika strained her body and IS as she drew closer to the remains Chifuyu's IS, already at arm's length from her, but she then heard as Aeo continued the final its countdown.

7

"She promised …"

6

"…that she would…"

5

"… always be there for me…"

4

"…and she always has!"

3

"Now"

2

"I will be there …"

1

"…FOR HER!"

FIRING NOW!

In a burst of power Ichika accelerated right toward Chifuyu, the energy wings expanded into several layers of overlapping energy, which fully formed just as Ichika reached Chifuyu, with Ichika releasing one last echoing scream just as the attack hit.

"CHIFUYU-NEE!"

Ichika grasped and held Chifuyu close as an immense blast of pure energy impacted, the shield having created ten layers that were a condensed layer of ten, equaling a hundred layers between Ichika and the blast …

… and it was only just enough.

Ichika held Chifuyu close as the energy compounded into a central point, which Arcia put more of its already strained energy into defending against the power of the attack, but then Ichika felt through the overwhelming pressure of the blast, that there was a way out.

And she finally found it, through a gap in the energy bursts of the Arcion's attack, and thus Ichika, for a moment focused most of shield forward, and hoping the shield behind her would hold for just enough.

Then an energy burst occurred, catching the shield and acting as a sort of sail for Ichika, and Ichika had to maneuver herself with the burst, while dodging countless incoming energy burst waves that would have both dragged her and Chifuyu back to the center of the explosion, which was reaching its zenith.

Luckily Aeo and Rei helped with both managing the shield and plotting a route through the detonation, which Aeo relayed to Ichika as the start of Arcius Graviton Detonation, and once it hit critical, the explosion would be as large as, but vastly more destructive than, a thermonuclear explosion.

Meaning that if they did not get out, there would literally be nothing left of them at all.

Ichika redoubled her efforts and rode the blast wave through the continuously shrinking gap in the multiple shockwaves, the gaps were now barely large enough and were still tearing away at the shield, but then Ichika saw the very edge of the Gravitation field, and saw that the gap was starting to close, and fast.

"Almost … almost," Ichika strained as the pressure of the blast ate away at her shields, and she could feel the shield behind her start to give away from the power of the coming explosion …

… and then the blast wave finally happened, and the explosion surge outward, the barrier catching the blast, and propelled Ichika and Chifuyu out of the Gravitation field, Ichika felling like she had smashed through a cement wall when they went through the field.

"GGGGGOOOOOOOOOO!"

Ichika screamed this word as the energy propulsion of her IS suddenly seemed to super-condense a vast amount of energy and then in a burst of energy, release itself outward, propelling Ichika out of the Gravitation field and as the blast occurred just behind her, propelling her out of the detonation and into the open sky at a speed of Mach 7.

Ichika managed to look around and saw that she had gotten out …

… just as a shockwave hit her, and she felt her whole body shudder from the impact of the Graviton Detonation, the blast knocking her to the street near the city outskirt as countless buildings began to fall all around her, the deafening sound making her grip her elder sister tighter as she literally felt the whole city come down around her.

Then …

… silence.

Ichika peered out of her right eye, only to close it when a large amount of dust got into her eye, and then opened them again …

Ichika felt her heart stop at what she saw.

'Gone, it's all gone," Ichika thought as she bore witness to the sheer destruction as she held her unconscious sister close, Chifuyu's IS having come with only the core remaining and being burnt and scarred by the blast, and Chifuyus IS suit in tatters just barely hiding her modesty and looking like a torn up version of a bikini, and Chifuyu sporting many burn marks and cuts.

The city of Tokyo … was gone. Not a single building was left standing, a crater now dominated what had once been the City center, and nothing but rubble and debris coated much of the cities outskirt, and also …

… not a soul was left alive, only the errant fluttering piece of bloody cloth being blown through the air and clouds of dust that seemed to clog the air, not even fires remained after the blast, with only ruble and debris showing that something had once stood in the large gaping crater that used to be Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

"Why, why did … this …!" Ichika then saw it as the smoke started to dissipate …

… and revealed the immense form of the entity, the Arcion in all of its immense, terrifying, yet intricate and artistic glory …

… and Ichika believed it was time to leave.

With the now re-invigorated thrusters working at full thrust, getting Chifuyu and herself away from the entity, and to the only place that she could think of …

… their home, the Orimura residence.

Though she knew that they were going to follow, regardless of where she went, and also …

… she felt that worse was going to happen.

Lunar Orbit, Near Luna (Moon)

The shadow of the moon, the area pf the moon that was unseen by the Earth, and it was here that a great and incredible power now stayed, preparing itself, Seven immense structures, each in close proximity with 35 smaller structures around the seven prepaired themselves as they became ready.

This preparation ended and each of the monoliths soon moved out from around the moon, five of the 35 smaller structures following one of the seven, and each was pointed at a different area of the blue world that was their destination.

Their presence would soon be picked up on the radars, sattelites and telescopes of the world, but by then it was too late to stop them.

They had arrived.

They were here!

Note-

It always takes a while, and this took a long while.