Infinite Horizon Book 1: Dawn

by Exdeathmore


Chapter 6: Confusion

Sector FN, Emiya Residence

"Don't let him escape!" said a soldier in a black body suit and helmet. He and several other soldiers dressed exactly like him chased after a young man with short orange hair across an empty courtyard.

"What the hell!?" he shouted at the soldiers as he ran. "What do you want from me!?"

"Fire! Fire!" The soldiers brandished their rifles and began shooting at the man. A flurry of shots flew past him, one of them grazing his right arm. The young man eventually came up to a small shed, running out of room to run.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" he said as he turned around, his back against the shed door. The soldiers slowly approached him, aiming their weapons at him. The lead soldier then took aim, and fired, piercing the boy right through his chest, and knocking him through the door into the shed. The soldier motioned to the others to stand by as he headed towards the shed to confirm his kill.


Inside the shed, the young man was struggling to get on his feet. Behind him, a small runed circle began to trace itself on the floor. Before the man could get up, he was met by one of the black-clad soldiers, staring down the barrel of his rifle.

"Now you die, human," the soldier said.

'Yeah, right,' he thought. 'I can't just die meaninglessly like this. No way!' Suddenly, a small mark appeared subtly on his hand, and the runed circle behind him began to glow brightly. The soldier and the man both looked at the circle as a figure emerged from it. It was a woman, with blonde hair and green eyes, clad in a dress reinforced with plated armor, like a knight. She suddenly charged at the soldier, appearing to be swinging an object, although there was nothing in her hands. A large shockwave appeared, knocking the soldier far out of the shed. The young man, still on the floor, looked up at the woman in utter amazement, as she turned and faced him.

"Servant Saber," the woman said to him. "Upon your summoning, I have come forth. I ask you, are you my Master?"

"M, Master...?"

"Servant Saber. Upon your summoning, I have come forth," the woman repeated. "Master, your orders. From now on, you will have my sword, and your destiny shall be mine. This completes our pact."

"W-what are you tal-" Before the man could finish speaking, the woman who identified herself as Saber looked behind her, and ran outside. "Hey, w-wait!" The man scrambled to his feet and chased after her.


"What happened?" one of the soldiers outside asked the soldier that had entered the shed.

"There's... another human... power... too..." Before the soldier could finish, his body went limp. They looked towards the shed to see Saber coming out.

"Damn that human...! Fire! Kill it! Kill it now!" The soldiers aimed their rifles at Saber and started shooting. Saber charged striaght at the soldiers, easily sidestepping their shots. She continued swinging her invisible weapon, knocking them down one by one. As she swung at the last soldier, he jumped back, avoiding a direct hit, However, her attack struck his rifle, slicing the front end of it off.

"Die, human!" the soldier said, throwing away his rifle, and pulling out a steel knuckle. A green blade shot out as he began exchanging blows with Saber. Saber said nothing as she quickly dashed behind the soldier, and slashed him across his back. He dropped his weapon as he fell to his knees. The young man emerged from the shed, running up to the soldier, and grabbing him by his suit.

"I want answers!" the man yelled at the soldier. "Why the hell were you trying to kill me!?"

"The Aether... calls for me..." the soldier said as his body faded away into a cloud of black dust. The other soldiers' bodies also faded away, leaving nothing behind.

"Those guys... they weren't human," the young man said. "They looked like they came straight out of a sci-fi movie..." He then looked at Saber, who had not moved an inch after dealing the last blow.

Far off in the distance, someone was watching the battle. A man in a blue body suit, holding a bloody red spear, grinned as he had watched.

"Heh," he chuckled. "Looks like those idiots saved me the trouble of showing myself... especially when it's Saber that's involved..."


Dimensional Sea, Asura, Raziel's Quarters

'It feels warm...' Raziel thought. 'I've never felt something like this before... I feel... at ease, somehow... wait. Why am I having trouble breathing?'

Raziel quickly opened his eyes to a pair of large breasts shoved in his face. He slowly moved his eyes upward to see Kurumi's face, sleeping quietly next to him.

"UWAHHHHHHHHH!" Raziel screamed, his voice resonating throughout the entire ship.


Dimensional Sea, Asura, Mess Hall

"Sheesh, couldn't you have screamed a little more quietly?" Rei asked Raziel as she sat down at a table next to Ami, carrying a tray full of food. "There are other people trying to sleep on this ship, you know."

"How do you expect me to when 'she' tried to assassinate me in my sleep?" Raziel retorted, pointing at Kurumi. "Besides, those were supposed to be my private quarters!"

"I think you're overreacting..."

"I'm sorry, Master..." Kurumi apologized. "Kurumi just got lonely, sleeping in a room all by herself, and I was worried about you sleeping all alone, too..."

"I can understand you like Raziel, Kurumi," said Ami, "but everyone needs at least some privacy. Besides..." Ami's face turned a little red.

"Besides... what?" Kurumi asked.

"Umm... I don't really think you two should sleep in the same bed, unless you're... you know..."

"I think what she's trying to say is, you shouldn't sleep in the same bed unless you two are very, very close," Rei finished for her. "Are you two in a serious relationship?"

"What are you ta-" Before Raziel could finish asking, Kurumi leaned over, wrapping her arms around him.

"Of course we are!" Kurumi said, snuggling with Raziel. "I love Master, and I'm sure he loves me!"

"Now wait just a minute!" Raziel said. As their conversation continued, Nanoha and Yuuno watched from another table.

"They have such different personalities," Yuuno said, "and yet they look like they make a good pair."

"You mean Raziel and Kurumi? I think so too," said Nanoha. "Although it looks like Raziel has trouble fully expressing himself..." Nanoha looked at her food, twiddling around with it with her fork.

"Is something wrong, Nanoha?"

"No," Nanoha shook her head, "it just feels a little awkward, with all these people from different worlds."

"I can understand that. There are people from four or five different dimensions on the ship, including us. Captain Lindy seems to be a very lenient person. Um, Nanoha..."

"What is it, Yuuno?"

"About the other day, when I revealed my true form... I wanted to apologize."

"Apologize? Why?"

"I really didn't mean for things to turn out this way, but it ended up looking like I was trying to keep it a secret from you..."

"Oh... not at all. I was just a little surprised, but that's all. Yuuno..."

"Hm?"

"Do you think... we'll run into Fate on any other worlds?"

"Well, we're both searching for the Jewel Seeds, so I would say that it would be inevitable. When that time comes, you might have to fight her again..."

"I see..."


Dimensional Sea, Asura, Bridge

Raziel abruptly entered the bridge, looking around.

"Ah, what is it, Raziel?" Amy asked him.

"I wish to speak to the Captain," Raziel said, "regarding our current destination."

"Captain Lindy isn't here, but I can tell you. The Asura is currently heading for Sector RZ. We've detected a reading from the world there, but we can't tell if it's another Lost Logia, or another interdimensional rift, like the one you were pulled through."

"I see... well then, excuse me," Raziel said, leaving as quickly as he came.


Dimensional Sea, Asura, Hallway

As Raziel headed away from the bridge, he came across Rei. As they passed eachother, their shoulders bumped into eachother. Raziel stopped and looked at Rei.

"Watch where you're going," he said at her, glaring. He then continued on his way.

"Gee, rude much?" Rei asked him, but he didn't respond. Suddenly, a chill ran down Rei's spine. 'There's that feeling again,' she thought. 'That guy, Raziel... there's something about him that isn't... normal.'


Dimensional Sea, Asura, Captain's Quarters

There was a knocking at the door.

"Captain Harlaown?" came Raziel's voice from the other side.

"Yes, come in!" Lindy said. The door slid open as Raziel stepped in.

"Forgive my interruption, Captain Harlaown."

"Please, you can call me Lindy. There's no need to be so uptight all the time."

"Forgive me, it is a force of habit. I am part of the military from my world, and we abide by a very strict protocol."

"I see. Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Indeed." Raziel sat down in front of her. "I wanted to ask you about several things."

"Things, like what?"

"There are a lot of words that I am unfamiliar with. I tried to ask Kurumi, but 'she' did not give me sufficient answers. So I came here seeking your wisdom. First of all, why do you refer to some as 'he' and 'him', and others as 'she' and 'her'?"

"I, is this supposed to be some sort of joke?" Lindy looked at Raziel strangely. "Are you serious?"

"I am always serious, Cap– I mean, Lindy." Raziel gave her the same, intense look he gives to everyone else who looks him in the eyes.

"I see... um, how should I put this...?" As she thought about an appropriate answer, she took a quick glance at Raziel. 'It's almost hard to believe that he would ask a such a simple question,' she thought. 'It's like trying to explain something to a child...'


Sector RZ, Tokyo Streets

A young girl with short blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a white headband adorned with a single blue jewel, quietly waited at a crosswalk.

'The first day of school is finally over,' she thought to herself. 'I hope I get to make lots of friends this year!' Just then, a green and yellow humanoid robot approached the girl, its white digital eyes flickering under a black visor.

"Excuse me, madam," the robot said, "do you require assistance crossing the road?"

"Umm, no... but thank you, anyway."

"Very well, then. Have a nice day." The signal then turned green as the girl crossed the street.

'That must have been a public service robot,' the girl thought. 'It's hard to believe that Papa played such a big role in the making of robots. Thanks to him, robots can be found just about anywhere, though I wonder why we don't have one of our own?' As the girl passed an electronics store, the televisions on display switched to a news broadcast.

"And now for the most recent news," said the reporter on the television. "More robot attacks have been reported at numerous factories across North America. Though the attacks have been quelled, authorities say the cause is the infamous W Virus, the most commonly occurring robot virus to date. Despite efforts to develop a vaccine program, the W Virus is constantly being upgraded, rendering all countermeasures out-of-date. Remember, if a robot attack happens in your area, do not panic, seek shelter, and contact the authorities immediately. In local news, several Tokyo citizens have reported seeing a large, hairy creature, claiming it to be the legendary sasquatch..."

"Sasquatch?" the girl giggled. "Yeah, right! There's no such thing as a sasquatch!" She continued on her way as the broadcast continued.

"Here is a photo one witness took of the supposed creature." A picture of a large, cloaked figure appeared, its back turned to the camera. "The authenticity of this photo, however is still questionable..."


Dimensional Sea, Asura, Captain's Quarters

"I understand there's a lot of things you want to know, Raziel," Lindy said, "but I can't answer every little question you have. Even I have my limits."

"Forgive me," Raziel said, bowing in apology. "I have just one more question, and I will not trouble you like this any more. "Kurumi has stated numerous times that she 'loves' me. Tell me, what is 'love'?"

"Love? Hmm, how can I put it...? I suppose, if I had to put it in a way that you would understand, love is when you would do anything for the sake of someone, without any regard for your own welfare."

"In other words, self-sacrifice for another's gain?" Raziel asked.

"N, not exactly... it isn't something that can be explained so easily, but if you genuinely love someone, you would know."

"I see... I guess there are things that are beyond words." Raziel stood up. "I thank you for your time and wisdom, Lindy. If you'll excuse me..." Raziel bowed and quietly left the room.

"He had so many questions," Lindy said to herself. "It seems Raziel never had a chance to live a normal life..."

"Captain," Amy's voice came from an intercom. "We've arrived at our destination."

"Ok, Amy. Tell Nanoha-san and the others to meet me in the briefing room."


Sector RZ, Hikari Residence

"Papa, I'm home!" the girl from before called out as she opened the front door to her house. She looked around the living room, but there was nobody there. "Papa?" She wandered into the kitchen, where there was a note posted on the refridgerator door. The girl pulled it off and read it:

Maria,

I've been called away on some emergency business. If I'm not home by dinner, there is a meal ready to be heated in the fridge, and I'm sorry.

Dad

"Home alone, again..." the girl sighed. "I guess it can't be helped. Although, it would be nice if Papa were home once in a while..."


Outside, the strange, monkey-like creature from Sector PZ slowly crept down the sidewalk, propping himself up with a large stick, his stomach rumbling from hunger.

"I'm so hungry, mojo..." he muttered as he passed the girl's house. "But there's nothing to eat around here..." He stopped in front of the house and looked at it. "What am I thinking? I'm a monster, mojo! If I want food, I'll just steal it! This house looks like it would have lots of food, mojo!"


There came a knocking at the door.

"Coming!" the girl called out. 'I hope it's Papa!' she thought as she opened the door. She looked up to see the cloaked monkey looming over her. "S, s, sa..."

"Mojo..." the monkey grinned.

"Sasquatch!" the girl screamed, pointing at him.

"I'm not a sasquatch, mojo! I'm Mojo! How dare you insult me!? Come here, you!" Mojo reached out, trying to grab the girl.

"Kyaa!" she screamed, ducking out of the way. She scrambled to her feet and hurried down the hallway, into her father's room. She slammed the door shut, locked it, then propped the chair from her father's desk against it. She was immediately knocked back as Mojo tried to force the door open from the other side.

"Hey!" Mojo shouted from the other side of the door. "Open this door! I'll teach you for calling the future ruler of the world a sasquatch, mojo!"

"I'm trapped..." The girl backed away from the door, until she bumped into the back wall. She wrapped her arms around her legs, and buried her face in her knees. "Papa... someone... help me..." Suddenly, the wall behind her slid out of the way as she fell backwards. She turned around and stared down a long, metallic hallway leading downwards. "Wh, what is this?"


Dimensional Sea, Asura, Briefing Room

"Our mission here is simple," Lindy said to Nanoha and the others. "We've detected a dimensional anomaly somewhere in this sector, but we need to confirm whether or not it is being caused by the presence of a Lost Logia."

"So we don't know if a Jewel Seed is here or not?" asked Ami.

"Exactly, which is why I'm asking for Chrono and Nanoha-san to stay here on standby. Yuuno, Ami, and Rei will be sent down to investigate."

"I shall go as well," Raziel interrupted, standing up from his seat. "The mission would be completed much quicker if there are more people searching. Also, I seem to have the ability to sense the presence of a Lost Logia, if there is one."

"If Master's going, then so am I!" Kurumi added.

"Before you do," said Chrono, "you should each take these." He handed each of them a small earpiece. "These will let you contact the Asura quickly, and inform the others of your location if you happen to find anything."

"Do your best, everyone!" Lindy said cheerfully.


Sector RZ, Hikari Residence, Secret Lab

The young girl wandered into what appeared to be a small laboratory. There were several computers and high-end machinery lining the walls. On the far end of the room was a large glass display case, containing a suit of gray body armor. Next to the display case was a small desk with a laptop and a watch.

"What is this place?" the girl asked, looking around. "Did Papa make all this...?"

"Who's there?" came a voice from the laptop. "Is that you, Hik*kzzzzt* Damn, the signal is unstable..."

"Is someone there?" The girl approached the laptop.

"Wait a minute... you're not Dr. Hikari! Who is this?"

"Dr. Hikari? That's my father! I'm her daughter, Maria Hikari!"

"His daughter? What are you doing in there!? No one but Dr. Hikari was supposed to know about this lab!"

"It, it was an accident..." Just then, she heard the sound of something breaking behind her. "Please, you have to call for help! There's a monster chasing after me!"

"..." The voice was silent. "...I guess there's no other choice, is there? Okay, if you want to live, you're going to have to do exactly as I say. There should be a watch nearby in the room. Put it on."

"A watch?" Maria looked at the watch sitting next to the lap top. It looked like an ordinary watch, with a blue 'R' adorning the centerpiece. She grabbed it, and slipped it around her right wrist. "Okay, now what?"

"Now, hold up your arm and s*kzzzzzt*..."

"Hold it up and, what? Hello?"

"Found you, mojo!" Mojo said as he entered the lab. Maria was frozen in fear as the monstrous monkey slowly approached her.

"*kzzzt*...say the activation code, 'Rock Armor, Equip'!" the voice returned. Maria wasted no time in doing what the voice instructed. She raised her right arm into the air, and shut her eyes.

"Rock Armor, EQUIP!" she shouted as loud as she could. The 'R' on the watch began to glow, and a bright light began shining forth from it.

"W, what the!?" Mojo gasped, covering his eyes from the blinding light. The armor in the glass display case began to rattle, until suddenly, the case shattered. The pieces of the armor flew out, orbiting around Maria. One by one, the pieces of the armor began changing in shape as they attached themselves to her arms, legs, waist, and torso. The light faded, and Maria opened her eyes to see herself clad in the armor, a large blue gem adorning the chestplate, just below the collar of it.

"Wh, what is this?" Maria asked, looking at her new appearance. "My arms... my legs... my..." She looked at her chest, which seemed to be slightly sticking out, especially at her breasts. "My... chest!?" She examined herself more closely, patting on the chestplate with a loud clunk. "W-why is it so big!?" she asked.

"Perhaps Dr. Hikari wasn't expecting a female to use his 'form-fitting' body armor," the voice on the laptop said.

"Mojo..." Mojo grunted as he glared at Maria. "You've changed your appearance, but I still won't lose to you, mojo!" He lunged at her, arms extended.

"Don't just sit there," said the voice, "protect yourself! Fight back!"

"F, fight back!?" Maria asked. "B, but..." Before she could move, Mojo grabbed her by the arms.

"Got you, mojo..." he snickered.


Sector RZ, Tokyo Streets

Ami and Rei blended right into the crowd of people, along with Yuuno, who had reverted to his ferret form, resting on Ami's shoulder.

"This feels so awkward..." Rei said to Ami. "I recognize all these streets, and yet..." She points to a public service robot, offering directions to other pedestrians. "...I feel so out of place..."

"Don't try to think about it too much, Rei," said Ami. "By the way, Yuuno," she whispered to him, "how will we know if there's a Lost Logia nearby?"

"I should be able to sense its presence," Yuuno replied. "It's an innate ability that all mages have. I was a little surprised to hear Raziel say he could sense the presence of Lost Logia. He didn't appear to be a mage... I wonder who he really is?"

"Speaking of which, I wonder if he and Kurumi are having any luck..."


Sector RZ, Hikari Residence

"Kurumi," Raziel said to her, "I want to ask you something."

"What is it, Master?" Kurumi asked in her usual cheerful way.

"...Why do you keep calling me Master?"

"Because... Master is Kurumi's Master!"

"But why am I your Master?"

"Because... umm..." As Kurumi thought of an answer, the two passed in front of Maria's home. "Because... it was Master's love that woke me up!"

"Love... again...?" Raziel replayed all the events of the day he met Kurumi in his mind, up to the accidental kiss that awakened her. 'I still have no idea what love is supposed to be...' he thought, looking at Kurumi. 'She can't even explain it, yet she seems so sure of her answer...'

"Iyaaah!" came a scream from inside Maria's house.

"What was that?" Raziel turned towards the house.

"Mojoooo!" Mojo cried as he came flying out the front door, crashing into Raziel.

"Master!" Kurumi cried, rushing over to him. "Are you okay? Hm?" She took a quick glance at Mojo. "Ah! It's the monkey again!"

"Get it... off of me!" Raziel grunted, trying to push him away.

"Is someone there?" Maria asked as she ran outside the house, still wearing the gray armor. "Are you o... kay...?" She stopped when she realized she was still in the armor. "Ah!" she gasped.

"Raziel, what's going on?" came Chrono's voice on his communicator. "Report."

"Master can't talk right now," Kurumi said into her's. She looked at Maria, and noticed the blue gem on the chestplate of her armor. "Ah! I found one, I found one!"

"What are you talking about, Kurumi? Found what?"

"A gem! A blue gem!"

"You mean... a Jewel Seed!? Hold on, Nanoha and I will be there shortly!"

"E, excuse me..." Maria said. "W, what's going on? Who were you talking to?" Suddenly, Chrono and Nanoha appeared out of nowhere, armed with their devices and barrier jackets, startling Maria.

"Where is it?" Chrono asked Kurumi. "Where's the Jewel Seed?"

"Right there!" Kurumi said, pointing at Maria.

"Ah?" Chrono and Nanoha both looked at Maria.

"Um, Kurumi..." Nanoha said, "I, don't think that's a Jewel Seed..."

"Eh?" Maria was completely lost in their conversation. "W, wha... what in the world's going on here?!"


Sector RZ, FutureTech Offices

A middle-aged man with short brown hair, wearing glasses and a lab coat, was busily typing away at his computer.

"Ah, it's no good..." he sighed. "No matter what I try, there seems to be no way to upgrade the AI..." Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Debris and smoke rushed by the man's small cubicle. "What on earth!?" The man stood up, running towards the source of the explosion. His vision was obscured by the billowing cloud of smoke, but he could make out the figure of a person.

"I've finally found you, Dr. Hikari..." the figure said.

"Who are you?" Dr. Hikari asked. "What do you want?" The smoke cleared, revealing the figure to be a robot wearing a violet helmet and body armor, with a golden crescent-shaped crest across the front of the helmet. On each of his arms were what appeared to be a pair of small cannons.

"My name is Ballade," the robot said, "and my master wishes to see you, personally..."