A/N: Hey, I've cracked the thousand views milestone!

I, uh... don't know how good that actually is, though. You know, this being my first fic and all...

Eh, just enjoy the fic, will you?


This... this is too much to take.

My mind should be an unrecognizable mess. I don't know how I can keep going on after this realization. I should be destroyed, utterly demoralized, yet here I stand, "victorious" over this... "Marine".

The first one of many.

This one man could do all of this. Set the entire building on fire, wreak havok and K.O. an experienced God Eater with a simple backhand.

And he was only the first. The tip of the vanguard. I wonder what horrors could possibly compose the thick of the enemy forces: I imagine a million different scenarios, each more brutal and more demoralizing than the previous one. In each, we face monsters somehow more bloodthirsty and violent than the one before it, abominations taken straight out of the darkest nightmares of the most twisted minds, all of them carving a bloody path of destruction, decimating our warriors left and right. And they leave a burning trace of insanity, one that sinks deep into the earth and embeds itself in it, tainting and twisting the very planet down to the core, shaping it into a crazed shadow, a crude mockery of its former self erected as a monument in direct opposition to everything we ever held dear.

And yet here I stand, surprised myself by how little it affects me to know how very screwed up things are about to get. Well, they've always said I'm not one to give up in the face of adversity... truth be told, though, I'm closer to collapsing than ever before.

In my defense, not many have lived to see all of their world collapsing so damn fast. Knowing this is only the beginning demoralizes me, yes, but it also gives me strength to fight against the coming darkness, because deep down I know that there is- that there has to be a chance to improve things, to fight in order to prevent the worst case scenario from ever happening.

A grunt to my right removrs me from my deep thoughts; it's my sister, who managed to stand up on her own.

-You... you killed it?

Geez, won't she ever stop being so bloody stupid and asking about the obvious?

-Take a wild guess.

-Cut me some slack, will you? I just got up after being slapped in the skull by a huge metallic tin can.

-I'll cut you some slack wh... you know what? It doesn't matter. Let's just head to wherever the rest of the group has evacuated and brace for what's to come.

-Brace for what?

-While you were being helpful lying on the floor, that man told me some really interesting things. Like the fact that he's just the first of many.

-That bodes ill for us all.

-No shit, miss detective. Next thing I know you're going to tell me Aragami are dangerous, or that armlets are red.

-Well, there IS a unit with black arm-

-Shut up, pick your Arc and follow me.

We return to the entrance, where people are still screaming and running and generally being useless and making asses of themselves... even though I recall having told someone to evacuate the place. Does anyone ever do anything right? I stop dead in my tracks and shout as loud as I can, so as to command everyone's attention.

-STOP!

Gradually, people stop running and turn their heads to me.

-We need to evacuate the area?

-But didn't you kill the one responsible for it? - The man I spoke to comments.

-Well, yeah, but do you see the unnatural fire receding?

-Flame's not dangerous. It ain't hot. Want me to prove it? - Great, not only does he lack short term memory, but he's also an idiot.

-I'd rather not have anyone touch something with an unknown origin. Who knows wha-

The imbecile disregards my advice, placing his hand over the flame.

Several things happen at that moment, simultaneously. An ominous noise can be heard, and the man begins to scream as a red layer of... something begins to take over his arm. The red layer quickly takes over his entire body, changing it. His fingers turn into pointed claws, his feet turn into hooves, and his head loses all hair and instead grows a pair of fiery horns.

When the transformation is finished, the creature extends its arm and a sword engulfed in fire appears in its hand.

-A daemon! - Someone shouts. In an instant, the place devolves into a chaotic mess (again) as everyone makes their way to the entrance, fleeing from the daemonic being.

I stay put, looking at the creature with a mix of hatred and... well, it's actually just hatred. I don't know if there's even a sliver of the man still there or not, but either way I will not hesitate to send the daemon back to wherever it came from.

The creature moves extremely fast and before I realize it's already making a movement towards my head with its sword. More out of reflex than anything, I raise my own blade and block the strike, the flaming edge stopping just a few centimeters away from my neck. I can feel the heat emanating from the daemonic weapon, and I begin to sweat profusely.

I am stuck in this awkward position, trying to push the enemy blade away just as the daemon pushes in order to reach my neck. I try to move to a more comfortable position, but my God Arc trembles with the movement, and I fear that changing my stance will break my hold over the daemon blade. Regardless, our forces are pretty even, and the blades tremble, but don't move from their position.

Through my peripheral vision, I see my sister closing in, brandishing her hammer. She attempts to strike the daemon, but the beast is too fast and blocks her strike with the blade; however, this leaves it wide open for an attack on my side, and I capitalize on the opening by sinking my blade all the way to the handle in the daemon's midsection, then pulling it outwards in a rising arc. The attack tears the creature open, causing it to drop to the ground, lifeless.

The fire begins to burn brighter, and slowly but surely it begins to overtake the building. With only a nod, my sister and I agree that we need to leave the place as fast as possible. However, before leaving, there's something I must do.

I run between the flames and enter the Southern dormitories section, looking for a very specifical room - my own. I find it unharmed, though the flames are threatening to engulf it at any moment. I enter the place and rummage through some of the stuff I have lying around, until I found just what I was looking for: my bracer. I put it in my left forearm before desperately beginning to look for another thing, a small portrait I had somewhere, with a picture of my family. The rest I can do without, but I won't let THAT be consumed by this fire.

The portrait takes me a bit longer than expected to find, and by the time I finally find it, the room is almost completely on fire. I put the picture inside one of my pockets before running out as fast as I can, dodging flames left and right. I abandon the building only a few seconds before it collapses.

Everyone's waiting for me near the building. I'm flattered. My sister approaches and suddenly hugs me, leaving me standing awkwardly with no idea of how I should react.

-Ev, what did you just do?

-I had to search for some of my stuff.

-Don't ever do that again, will you? I can understand if you risk your life trying to defend someone else, but running right inside the flaming building... that was suicidal.

-Fine, fine, I promise I won't ever risk my life like that again. - Only after those words she lets me go. - How's everyone?

-Apparently most people are safe and sound.

That's a relief. Definitely the first bit of good news I've heard in quite a while.

-Great. Anyone's come up with a plan?

-They were discussing going to another bunker from the days before the Aragami, but a) they don't know if it's not overrun, and b) the Anti-Aragami Wall there has a pretty old Bias which might not protect it against new incursions.

-Did you try telling them Aragami are the least of our concerns?

-No one bothers to pay me attention... not even after all that's happened.

-I'll manage this. Where are they deliberating? - She points to somewhere to my right. - Good.


Seven minutes and twenty nine seconds later, the entire group begins heading towards the bunker.

-That was pretty fast, Ev.

-I know my way around here, Mary.

As we walk towards the bunker, I begin to think of the recent events. Some things to think about, definitely.

For one, I have to admit that my sister's reaction when I left the base might make me reconsider my attitude towards her. Maybe I've been too harsh with her; maybe she really does regret the decisions she took that day, so long ago... Maybe. Maybe not, but maybe yes. Who knows.

However, something else troubles me more, and despite my best efforts to hide it, I can't ignore it, nor can I hide it from my sister. Not only will the path to the new base be long, longer than I'd like, but there's also the fact that most of the people here would be completely useless in case a fight sprung up. There are a few God Eaters, a dozen at most, but the amount of people we have to protect is insane: the group is composed by at least 300 people.

I just pray that we have a safe journey... God knows that we're not going to fare well if a fight ensues.