God Eater 3: The Twin Devils

by E2Moto

God Eater 3 AU story. Instead of one main protagonist, what will happen if there are two protagonists who are brother and sister instead? How will this twist affect the original story of God Eater 3? Rated 'M' for violence, and possible slight profanity.

16. Chapter 16: The Ashborn Crisis

Disclaimer: I do not own God Eater, and any contents already in the game.

---

Chapter 16: The Ashborn Crisis

"Sorry, guys." Jerad murmured. "I think I have to sit this one out."

"Hugo chuckled, "It's OK. You pushed yourself a bit too far, so rest up."

"Daddy, OK?" Phym asked.

"Yeah, I'm just fine," Jerad replied. "I just need a shut eye until we eat."

"Shut aye?" Phym murmured.

"Daddy is just saying that he needs to rest, Phym," Claire explained. "Don't worry. He'll wake up once we eat."

"Okay," Phym nodded. "Daddy fight hard today."

Jerad chuckled while he kept his eyes closed, "Yep. I need rest so I won't be too tired once we eat, OK?" Then he patted her head.

"Okay," Phym smiled.

"So, who wants to be the dealer this time?" Zeke flashed his stack of cards.

"I'll do it this time," Lulu responded, and then Zeke handed her the cards.

After 20 minutes.

"Yay," Phym cheered. "Phym win!"

"Another royal flush," Hugo murmured before smiling.

"Care for another round?" Zeke grinned.

"Let's do it," Hugo nodded.

Then another 30 minutes later.

"Yay, I win again!" Phym cheered.

"Man, is there any way to beat this girl?" Zeke rubbed his head. "Even worse, she learned how to bluff."

Hugo laughed, "She's way ahead of the game now."

"I think I'm gonna need a break," Misha laid back. "You guys can keep playing if you want."

"No more play?" Phym frowned.

"Games like this can be exhausting, Phym," Claire explained. "People will have to rest after a few games."

"Let's play something different, but simple," Hugo suggested. "How about we play tic-tac-toe? You kids like them, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Marr beamed. "Let's play that."

"Alright then," Zeke grinned before he pulled a piece of paper under their table, and drew a 3x3 grid on it."

"Mommy, what is thick-tack-tow?" Phym asked.

"It's a simple game where you connect circles and X's in a grid," Claire explained. "Before you start, you decide with your opponent if you are going to be an X or a circle, and once you both agree, then you have to try connecting 3 X's or 3 circles against each other. Whoever connects their respective shape wins."

"This is a single elimination game, which means the loser is out each match until only one is left. So, who's up?" Hugo asked. "Marr, and Lil, you wanna play?"

"I'm down," Marr energetically flexed.

"I won't lose," Lil determinedly said.

I'll play..," Sho timidly volunteered.

"Here's Lil," Hugo grinned. "She's serious business when she's serious, heh."

"I'm rooting for you, Lil," Misha cheered.

"Alright, you two are up," Zeke laid the paper on the table. "Get started. You're X, and your circle, OK?"

"Mm," Both kids nodded.

Then after half a minute.

"Aww, man," Marr whined. "I want a rematch."

"Just get over it, Marr," Lil refuted. "You didn't even bother to think before you wrote your mark."

"I'll win next time, I swear," Marr fumed.

"Alright, Marr is out," Zeke said. "So, who is up next? Sho, you're up!"

"Okay..," Sho timidly responded as Zeke roughly drew another grid. "Round two, start."

"This is quite interesting..," Hugo whispered.

"Hm?" Misha turned to him.

"Because Sho may be frail, but he's also a smart kid. And then Lil is a different kind of smart," Hugo explained. "Let's see how this will play out."

"Right," Misha whispered as they kept watching the game, and the game took longer than expected. Sho and Lil took their time trying to decide against each other until Sho managed to connect all 3 X's, and won.

"Oh, man," Zeke grinned. "Sho unexpectedly won."

"H-how did you?" Lil exclaimed. "There's no way I could have won. You could have put X's on either side no matter where I write mine."

"Um..all I did was just..write an X in a corner, and then think where you would write your circle, so I put X's on them," Sho explained.

"No fair," Lil pouted.

"It's OK, Lil," Hugo chuckled. "You did good, but Sho got you set up."

"Hmph," Lil pouted harder.

"Looks..fun," Phym smiled.

"Haha, look. A challenger approaches," Zeke smiled. "You up, Phym?"

"I wanna try," Phym said.

"Heh, now this gets really interesting," Hugo smiled. "A battle of wits."

Still awake, Jerad slightly opened his eyes, pretending to be still asleep, 'With Phym already being a poker master, I'd like to see how that will turn out. Heh.'

"Ready, guys?" Zeke grinned. "Begin."

Then after several minutes, their matches ended in several draws.

"Hoo hoo, nothing but draws?" Zeke laughed. "This is going to be intense, guys! It's gonna be great!"

Then he drew a new grid before Phym and Sho started again.

Jerad quietly sat up, making sure no one would notice him, and to avoid distracting the two competitors.

Trying something new, Sho wrote an X in the top right corner, and in response, Phym wrote a circle in the middle right. Then Sho wrote an X in the bottom left corner, and Phym took the middle with a circle. Wanting to prevent Phym from connecting 3 vertical circles in the middle column, Sho wrote an X in the top middle, but gasped when he realized that Phym set him into a trap. She can now connect all 3 of her circles both horizontally and vertically regardless of where he would write his X. So giggling, Phym doomed Sho to a loss by writing a circle in the middle left, connecting all 3 circles in the middle vertical row.

"Whoa," Zeke grinned. "Phym really got you, Sho."

Then everyone laughed.

"Yay, I win," Phym cheered before she hugged Claire.

"Aww," Sho frowned from his loss.

"Hey, don't worry, Sho," Hugo patted his shoulder. "You did pretty good, and also played smart, but Phym outdid you on this."

Phym suddenly felt a hand on her head, and she turned to see Jerad proudly smiling at her, "That was very smart, Phym."

"Daddy!" Phym hugged him. "I did good, right? Do I get can-dee?"

"Haha, yeah," Jerad grinned before he gave her one. "I've been watching you this whole time."

"Hey, Sho," Jerad ruffled his head. "Don't let it get you down, OK? You played pretty smart, too. Cheer up."

"Okay," Sho finally smiled.

'He is definitely optimistic for others,' Claire mused. 'But I wish he does this more on himself.'

"So, how long have you been awake?"

"I never fell asleep," Jerad replied. "I just wanted to close my eyes, which is good enough, and I've been listening to everyone this whole time."

"Looks like dinner is coming soon," Misha glanced at the clock. "Should we cook soon?"

"Yes," Claire said. "And I told Phym that I'll cook her a nice meal."

"Yay," Phym cheered. "Mommy and...on-tee cooking for me."

"Auntie..Pfft!" Jerad glanced at Misha before he turned away, and repressed a laugh.

In turn, she glared at him, "What's..so funny, brother..?

Jerad finally let out a small laugh, "Sorry, sis. I just can't get used to that yet. I just never imagined you would be called that."

"What?" Misha gritted her teeth.

"By the way, it's read as 'awn-tee,' Phym. Say it again after me, 'auntie,'" Jerad glanced another grin at Misha.

"Auntie," Phym finally said it right. "Auntie!"

"There you go, hehe," Jerad grinned. "You can also call her 'Aunt Misha,' if you want. Haha!"

Misha fumed, 'You cheeky little…I'll get you for this later on, brother.'

Claire sighed, 'Goodness, those two…'

"Let's go, Claire!" Misha stood up, and started leaving for the kitchen.

"Alright," Claire and Phym also stood up, and started leaving the lobby.

Zeke laughed, "Misha really hates that, does she?"

"Yeah, don't be like that to your sister, OK?" Hugo chuckled.

Then Jerad shrugged, "Hey, it's really fun to do this once in a while, hehe."

"Daddy, let's..go," Phym called him.

"Coming," Jerad replied before the rest stood up, and left the lobby.

---

One hour later in the Galley.

Everyone is almost finished setting the table up, and Jerad sat down with Phym.

"You excited for mommy and auntie's cooking?" Jerad smiled.

"Yeah, can't wait to...try their food," Phym smiled.

'I'll see about that,' Jerad thought. 'The real thing. Plus, Phym is still struggling a bit to talk, so I'll have to do something about that. Claire's got her share already, so I'll have to do my part.'

"I'm sure you'll like it."

"Yeah, mommy make good food," Phym said. "But..I want to try yours too, daddy."

Jerad chuckled before patting her head, "Well..I'm not good at cooking yet, but I'll learn more later on, and once I do, I'll make you a good one."

"Hmhm," Phym smiled. "Excited."

"So, have you been playing with these kids?" Jerad asked, ruffling Marr's hair much to the boy's irritation.

"Hey," Marr grunted.

"Just...one," Phym replied.

"Oh," Jerad paused. "You should play more with them, and they're all good kids just like you. You need friends."

"Frenz?" Phym murmured.

"Yeah," Jerad nodded. "Friends. They are people you trust, and get along with. You have these special kinds of bond with them."

"Yep," Hugo sat besides Jerad, and patted his shoulder. "Your daddy here, and your auntie are my friends, for an example. We've known, and trusted each other since we're kids."

"Me, too," Zeke also sat besides Jerad, and put his arm over his shoulder, grinning. "Your daddy and I have been buddies for a long time."

"Bodies..?" Phym raised her eyes.

"Buddies," Jerad laughed. "It's just another word for friends."

"Are daddy and mommy friends?" Phym curiously asked.

"Uh..ye-," Jerad said but Zeke cut him off.

"Your mommy and daddy have this special kind of bond for each other," Zeke grinned.

"Zeke, shut up," Jerad grudgingly whispered.

"Hey, back off. I'm just..telling the truth, man." Zeke snickered.

"Tch!" Jerad embarrassingly looked away.

Then Hugo chuckled.

"Special kind of bond?" Phym tilted her head.

"You'll..get it later on," Hugo smiled. "Once you get a little older, but for now, make as many friends as you can, OK?"

"Okay," Phym nodded with a smile. "Friends, family...Good."

"Yep," Hugo nodded. "We're all a family."

"Guys, we're almost done cooking," Misha peeked in. "Get everything set up."

"We just finished," Hugo replied.

Then Keith, Ricardo, Amy, and Hilda arrived.

"Heyyy, here's another hero of the day," Zeke grinned. "Good job, bro."

"Yeah, thanks," Keith scratched his head. "Oh, hey Jerad. You're finally awake."

"Heh, good to see you again," Jerad smiled. "Heard you did great getting this ship running again."

"Keith..did a great..job," Phym smiled.

"Heh, she said it," Jerad smiled at Phym.

"Good work, Keith," Hugo said. "Hope you get a well deserved break for the rest of the night."

"I'll take a break this time," Keith sighed. "It was tough, but it did feel very accomplishing."

"I bet," Hugo nodded.

"Tomorrow, I'll get back to studying decryption," Keith said before turning to Phym. "Hello, Phym."

"Hello, Keith," Phym smiled.

"Heh, already took the role of being her daddy, huh?" Keith grinned.

"Heh, yeah," Jerad murmured with embarrassment.

"Daddy, fight hard," Phym hugged him. "He fight hard..for family."

Jerad and Keith laughed, "You silly girl. But yeah, I fought for family."

"Thank you for saving everyone," Hilda said. "I know it was hard with your current condition."

"It's OK," Jerad nodded. "As long as everyone is still alive, I don't mind."

"Finally finished," Misha peeked again.

"Alright, let's get to dining," Ricardo said.

"Yep," Amy nodded with a smile.

"Help yourselves," Hilda said.

Then Misha, Claire, and Lulu brought food to the table, and everyone started serving. Claire sat beside Phym, and served her meal before she scooped a spoonful for her. Jerad started observing her, and as he somewhat thought, Phym looked away again after a few sniffs.

"What's wrong, Phym?" Jerad smiled.

"Mm," Phym slowly shook her head.

"Mommy cooked that for you, you know?" Jerad's expression slowly became more serious. "She won't be happy, if you don't try it."

"But..," Phym frowned.

"Remember what I taught you with candy?" Jerad plainly smiled. "You can't judge every food by smelling each of them. You have to try them, just like how you can't smell two candies, and yet, they taste different and you liked both of them."

Then Phym remained quiet.

"OK, then," Jerad smiled. "How about this? I'll give you two sweet candies after this, but only if you try mommy's food. Sound good?"

"R-really..?" Phym looked up.

"Daddy doesn't lie about these kinds of things," Jerad grinned. "Try it."

While eating, everyone watched quietly as Jerad bargained with her, and then Claire picked up her spoonful again.

"Here, Phym," Claire handed her a spoonful, smiling. "Just try it, like your daddy said."

"Mm," Phym stared at the spoon for a few seconds before she slowly opened her mouth, and then Claire put her spoon in it. Phym slowly bit down, and as Claire pulled her spoon away, she chewed slowly, and paused before she chewed faster and swallowed.

Then she hummed, "Food, good! Daddy!"

Everyone chuckled while Jerad laughed and patted her head, "Silly girl. See what I told you?"

"Hee hee," Phym smiled. "Want..more, mommy."

'I'm glad I won't have to deal with dropping bias factor on her food again, and I'll thank him later.'

Claire giggled before handing her another spoonful, "Here you go."

Phym bit the spoon Claire gave her before she took it, and started eating her meal non-stop. Watching this, Jerad snickered.

"Hey, don't eat too fast that you'll choke yourself, OK?"

Phym swallowed her food, "Yes, daddy."

Then she continued eating.

"You finally did it," Hugo nudged him. "Good job..dad."

"Hm," Jerad murmured.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Hugo tilted his head.

"Nothing. I'm still trying to get used to being someone's dad," Jerad replied.

"You're doing good so far, though," Hugo patted his shoulder.

"That was quite an awesome move, brother," Misha commented. "A bit pushy, but a good kind of push."

"Yeah," Jerad nodded. "It's for her own good, but look at her now."

"Sec-ends," Phym finished her plate. "Want..sec-ends."

Jerad laughed, "Hey, slow down, OK?" Here." Then he served her another meal while Claire poured another glass of water for her.

"Make sure you also drink water, too." Claire told her.

"But, stop for a second," He took a small napkin from the table, and wiped a few bits from her face. "Make sure you mind your manners while you eat, OK?"

"Okay," Phym nodded with a smile.

"Good girl," Jerad smiled.

Misha giggled, "Just look at those three…"

"Yeah, I can't believe I'm seeing this. Your brother acting like a real dad," Hugo whispered back with a chuckle. "I'm even more glad that I did this."

"Me too, on my part," Misha mischievously giggled after she took a quick glance at Claire.

After a few more minutes, Phym finished her food.

"Still want another serving?" Jerad smiled.

"I'm..full," Phym replied. "Good..food."

Jerad, Claire, Misha, and Lulu chuckled.

"Glad you loved it," Lulu smiled. 'Ahh, watching her eat all this time…'

"Let's start cleaning up," Hugo said. "So, we can have more chill time in the lobby."

"Alright," Jerad nodded before everyone stood up, and started cleaning the kitchen. Once they finished.

"Daddy, will you read a story for me?" Phym tugged him.

"Oh, yeah," Jerad said. "Sure."

"Feel free to pick one in my office tonight," Hilda said. "You can put it back tomorrow, if you want."

"Thanks," Jerad nodded. "Oh, wait…"

Then he grabbed two candies out of his pocket. "Here you go. It's for trying mommy's food."

"Ah," Phym beamed before she gently took them. "Thanks, daddy."

Jerad patted her head, "I told you. Daddy doesn't lie about those things. Come on, let's grab a book from the owner's office."

"Yay," Phym cheered while Jerad and Claire smiled.

---

In the Residential Block.

"Hm," Jerad paused in front of Hilda's office.

"What's wrong?" Claire asked.

"It's just that..," Jerad scratched his head. "I'm not good at things like this..especially formality, and in a sense, she's our boss, too. I barely even get into conversations with her..just short casual ones. So, I have to watch how I behave around there."

Claire giggled, "I can see what you're saying. Just knock on the door, and if the owner says so, you can just walk in. I'll do it for now."

Then Claire knocked on her door.

"Come in," Hilda said inside.

"See?" Claire smiled.

"...Thanks," Jerad shyly smiled before they entered.

"We're borrowing a book for Phym," Claire said.

"Sure," Hilda nodded from her desk. "Pick any."

"O-OK," Jerad stifly nodded while Phym pulled his hand. They walked to her bookshelf, and started searching the books.

"How about this, daddy?" Phym pulled one from the shelf.

Then Claire giggled at her choice for a book before Jerad blushed at the book title.

'A story about dads...Heh.'

"Sure, we'll go ahead and read that," Jerad smiled.

"Yes, I'm sure it could be a good book to read," Claire said before turning to Hilda. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome," Hilda smiled. "Enjoy yourselves."

The three waved at her before they left her office. Though, Jerad felt guilty about leaving without saying a word, and once they are back in the Residential Block.

"Whew," Jerad sighed.

"Hm?" Claire raised her eyes.

"It's just..inside there," Jerad said.

"I think..you were being too uptight," Claire giggled. "You need to relax a bit more around her. She's not that bad."

"Hilda..is not bad," Phym added.

"I know," Jerad groaned. "It's just that..nevermind. I'll try next time."

Then Claire smiled before they walked into the elevator.

---

Once they are in the Lobby.

"OK, let's get to reading," Jerad said before Phym and Claire sat with him.

Hugo chuckled, "Finally reading a story for Phym, huh?"

"Yeah," Jerad scratched his head. "Honestly, I haven't done this kind of thing before."

"Won't be too bad," Hugo nodded. "Plus Claire has been teaching her how to read, and she learned pretty fast."

Then he turned to everyone playing Poker with them, "Let's keep it down while we play, OK?"

Then everyone nodded with a smile.

"Alright," Then Jerad turned to Phym. "Same kind of thing with mommy. I'll read a sentence or two before you read, OK?"

"Okay," Phym smiled before the three started reading together.

After 20 minutes.

"Wow, you already know how to read well," Jerad complimented her. "How many books have you already read with mommy?"

Then Phym looked up, and counted two with her fingers, "Two..books."

"Just two books?" Jerad widened his eyes. "You got good with just two books? Even though you still have a bit of trouble reading some words, you're still learning fast."

"Hmhm," Phym smiled. "I want..to keep learning."

Jerad chuckled, "Yep. Never stop learning."

"Watch this," Claire whispered to him. "So, Phym. What did the story tried to tell you?"

"That daddies will always..care and protect his..chill-dren," Phym replied before smiling. "And daddy already protected us..from lots of bad Aragami."

Then Jerad and Claire chuckled.

"You can even understand the whole story just by reading it once," Jerad smiled. "But yeah, dads will always protect their kids..no matter what."

"Mm," Then Phym hugged him. "You'll..always protect us..right daddy?"

Jerad chuckled, and patted her head, "Yeah."

"By the way, do you know how to write?"

"Right?" Phym mused.

"Here, I'll show you," Jerad grabbed a piece of paper, and pen under the table, but paused before he turned to Claire. "Hmm, Phym. How would you spell her name?" Then he chuckled.

"Hm?" Phym raised her eyes.

Jerad and Claire laughed, "No, I'm just asking your mommy how to spell your name."

"Ah..," Phym sat back.

Claire giggled, "I've never thought of it yet, but let me see."

Then Jerad passed her a paper and pen, and Claire mused for a few seconds before she wrote 'Phym' on the paper. Then she passed it back to them.

"I see," Jerad smiled. "That's a cute way to spell her name, heh."

"Spell?" Phym asked.

"Ho ho, I win again," Zeke suddenly cheered with a clap while the three glanced at him. Though, he also tried not to be too loud.

"It's how you write your name letter by letter," Jerad explained. "You can't always talk directly to people, so sometimes you have to write to 'talk' to them, and whenever you write, you have to write and spell every word. It's also very important to learn to write."

"I wanna..learn how to write," Phym beamed. "Please..teach me, daddy."

Jerad chuckled, "Good answer. Mommy and I will teach you how to write from now on, OK? Writing can even be fun for some people, and some even write stories, like the person who wrote this book. You can also do many other things with writing. So, let's start."

Then he handed her a paper and pen, "Try this one. Write your name like your mommy did."

"Okay," Phym excitedly nodded before she took them. With careful writing, she wrote her name below where Claire wrote it.

Jerad chuckled, "Not bad at all. A bit sloppy, but you'll pick up fast."

"OK, now try this one."

He wrote his name on paper as 'Jerad Alexander.' "Now, copy this one, and write it."

"Okay," Phym nodded with more enthusiasm before she wrote his name on paper.

Jerad laughed, "Now that looks much better."

"Hee hee," Phym smiled.

"Your surname is Alexander?" Claire asked.

"Yeah..," Jerad murmured.

"Quite a majestic name," Claire smiled. "Reminds me of a great historical figure I've read in a history book."

"I heard my parents weren't originally from this place," Jerad said. "They said that they came from another country..farther west across the sea."

"I see," Claire nodded. "If anything, you don't seem anything foreign."

Jerad laughed, "I'm not too worried about it. Anyway, let's go back to lesson."

"OK, and let's take it up a notch, then." Claire smiled before she took the paper, and wrote her whole name on it.

'Claire Victorious.'

"Quite a name, too." Jerad smiled. 'But did she have to write her name beside mine..?'

"Thanks," Claire smiled.

"Alright, try writing mommy's name then," Jerad smiled.

"Okay," Phym nodded before she wrote Claire's name.

Jerad and Claire chuckled.

"That was really good, Phym. You're getting the hang of it," Jerad grinned.

"Yay, writing..is fun," Phym cheered.

"Here's another one for you," Claire smiled. "Can you write whatever is in your mind? It can be anything."

"Ooh," Jerad snickered. "That's quite a challenge."

"Hmm," Phym thought before she suddenly smiled. "Okay."

Then with some hesitation, she wrote her short sentence while the two watched, and at the end, Phym wrote, 'I love mommy and daddy.'

Then the two laughed, though slightly blushing with each other.

"That's..good writing, Phym," Jerad said between his laughs, wiping a small sweat from his embarrassment.

"T-that was..unexpected," Claire stuttered, and she could feel the flush around her face. Hopefully, others will not notice.

"Hee hee," Phym smiled before she hugged them both together. "I..love you both."

"You..," Jerad looked away but nevertheless hugged her back. "...Me, too."

"O-of course," Claire stuttered again before Phym released her hug, and felt relieved from being released from awkwardness.

Then after Phym released her hug, she yawned.

"Sleepy?" Jerad smiled.

"Nn," Phym nodded.

"I guess we'll have to hit the sack, then," Jerad began stretching himself.

"How are you feeling right now?" Claire asked.

"Been feeling better, and I should be perfectly good tomorrow," Jerad replied.

"Um, mind if I check..your vitals again?" Claire reluctantly asked. "Just wanted to be really safe, plus you went outside today.

'Uh, oh…' Jerad grimly thought. "Sure."

"We're done here, too," Hugo turned to him. "Let's hit the sack."

Then everyone stood up, and left for the Residential Block.

---

Once in the Residential Block.

"Phym, could you stay with Lulu and your aunt?" Claire asked.

"Hm?" Phym turned to her.

"I'll give daddy a quick check up, and after that, we'll have a bath together, OK?" Claire smiled.

"Okay," Phym nodded.

"Good girl," Jerad smiled.

"Come, Lulu and I can play with you for a bit," Misha smiled. "Plus, we haven't been spending much time together."

"Yeah," Phym ran over to them, and took her to the female cabin. Jerad and Claire watched the three until they entered inside.

"You guys go ahead, and shower," Jerad told Hugo and Zeke. "I'll catch up."

"Sounds good," Hugo nodded. "We don't mind waiting for you until we all sleep, so just do what you gotta do."

"Thanks," Jerad waved before him and Claire went to the elevator.

---

In the Laboratory Block

"So, are you feeling any nausea?" Claire asked while they walked towards the Medical Ward.

"Still feeling a bit of a headache," Jerad replied.

"Oh," Claire paused. "I can give you a couple of painkillers, if you want."

"Heh, painkillers?" Jerad chuckled. "Has a funny sound of that, but I'll take some."

"OK," Claire nodded before she opened the Medical Ward door, and then they entered.

Getting used to the process, Jerad wrapped the band around his wrist shortly after Claire gave it to him, and she turned the screen on. Claire could really hope that this will be the last time she will check him for this particular reason, but after staring at the screen for a few seconds, she smiled.

"Yep, your vitals are still normal, even after being exposed to the ash earlier while you're still recovering," Claire said. "I really think you're good to go now."

"Heh, good to hear," Jerad smiled.

"Here, I'll get you two pain killers," Claire took a small container from a shelf, and gave him two pills. "I'll go ahead and get you a glass of wa-. Hey."

"Hm?" Jerad already swallowed the two pills she gave him.

Claire giggled, "OK, but next time, please use water to swallow them. It's safer to do that way…"

"Oh, OK," Jerad plainly replied before he frowned a bit. "So..are you mad at me at all?"

"Hm?" Claire raised her eyes. "W-why would I be mad at you?"

"Well..," Jerad looked to his side, scratching his head. "You told me this morning that I shouldn't be fighting yet, but I still went out there and did. It's just that..after seeing what was going on out there from the resonance radar, I felt that I had to do something, especially after Phym got worried about you, and for some reason, she knew you got hurt before I heard Amy told someone to help you from her radio. I couldn't sit by and watch anymore."

"That may be true," Claire murmured. "But at least you still considered your condition when you did by supporting us from behind the frontlines, and as a matter of fact…I was very thankful that you helped. I don't think all of us would have made it back alive, if it wasn't for you, and…"

Then she shyly looked away, "...Earlier, Phym told me that...you were brave. I could never be mad about that..."

Then silence filled both of them before he decided to break the ice, "Thanks…"

Claire turned back to him, and smiled. "At least, we're all alive now, right?"

Jerad chuckled, "Yeah."

"And thanks for helping me teach Phym how to finally eat," Claire smiled.

"...I had to do my part," Jerad sat back. "She can't be eating like that forever."

Then they left the Medical Ward, and went back to the elevator.

Once they arrived in the Residential Block, Phym ran out of the cabin.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Phym latched onto Claire. "Auntie told me we should have a bath together. Can we all go?"

'OK, I don't need to hear that..,' Jerad awkwardly thought.

"Of course," Claire smiled.

"Yay," Phym cheered. "Mommy, daddy, auntie, and Lulu bath together."

"Wait, what?" Jerad stepped back. "Ehh, sorry Phym. I..can't do that."

"Huh? W-why..?" Phym murmured.

"Well..," Jerad scratched his head. "Daddy is..different from you, so we can't bath together."

"Hmm," Phym frowned.

"Phym..," Claire embarrassingly kneeled down to her. "I'll..explain it to you later on, OK? Daddy is right that he can't bath with us…"

"Okay..," Phym murmured again.

"Anyway, enjoy yourself, OK?" Jerad patted her head while awkwardly smiling. "And tomorrow, we'll teach you more how to write."

"Okay," Phym smiled again.

"I'll see you all tomorrow," Jerad waved at them.

"Goodnight," Claire and Lulu said.

"Goodnight, brother," Misha said before Jerad waved at them, and headed for the male cabin.

---

Next day.

Jerad woke up, and sees that it is currently 5 AM. Hugo and Zeke are still fast asleep.

'Whoa, that's really early,' He thought before he sat up to check if he was still feeling dazed. ' That was a great sleep, and I feel perfectly normal now. I kinda missed it, heh. Might as well as hit the gym to put myself back in shape.'

Then he stood up, dressed himself, and quietly left the cabin.

Once he arrived in the training room, Jerad stretched his arms and legs for a warm up before he started checking on different dumbbells.

'This room really had everything,' He smiled before he picked up a pair of light dumbbells. 'I guess I'll try these 100 pound ones for a start.'

After a few reps, he stopped, 'Too light. How about the 150s.'

Then he did another set, 'Still a bit too light. 200s?'

And after another set, he slightly frowned, '200s isn't even making me break a sweat. How about I bump these up to 500s?'

Then he mounted more weights to each one-handed dumbbell until they added up to 500 pounds each, and then performed a set of each of them, grunting each time.

'Now, that feels much better for a warm up,' Jerad grinned before he did 15 on both hands this time. 'Now, I'm feeling the heat.'

Then after he finished, he looked at a rack that was carrying a large, chrome pole with a flat pad in the middle.

'Hm, what is this?' Jerad pondered. 'It looks like these smaller ones, but longer. I'll give this a try.'

Then he picked up a pair of weights, and mounted them on each side, also adding both sides at 500 pounds. He also figured the pad is where he would lay while he lifts that weighted pole.

'Ok, then. Time to try this one.'

Then he laid on the pad, and lifted the weighted bar up.

'Hm, not too bad considering I'm using two hands,' He thought before resting it on the rack. 'I think I should add 200 pounds more into these.'

Then he went back to the weight rack, and mounted two 100 pound weights on each end.

'Now, how about this,' He laid down, and lifted the pole again. 'Heh, that's more like it.'

Then he tried to do 10 reps, grunting a bit louder this time, but once he reached his 7th…

"Daddy?" Phym suddenly called him while rubbing her eyes. "What..you doing?"

After lowering the dumbbell above his chest, Jerad suddenly gasped, "Huh?"

Losing his breath, he struggled to lift the long dumbell up, and set it back on the rack, almost slamming it. Then he started panting.

"Phym," Jerad called her, still trying to recover his breath. "What brought you here..?"

"I..want to see what you..doing," Phym replied.

"What about mommy?" Jerad raised his eyes. "Is she..awake..?"

"Still..asleep," Phym murmured.

"Oh," Jerad paused. 'Great. Claire is probably going to be upset with her again, but I'll cover her in this one.'

"Ok, Phym. Come here," Jerad called her before she ran to him, and he carried her to his lap. "You know you'll make mommy worry about you once she wakes up, and sees that you're gone, right?"

"Yeah, she told me..last night not to..leave her again before we sleep," Phym murmured.

"Hm," Jerad raised his eyes. "And yet you still did. Are you being a good girl right now?"

Then Phym paused for a few seconds before she remorsefully replied, "No…"

"OK, then," Jerad grinned. "Do you know what daddy's punishment is, if you're a bad girl and disobey mommy?"

"Ahh..," Phym shuddered while watching Jerad curving his fingers in front of her and snickering.

"Mhm," Jerad snickered more menacingly with a nod.

"TICKLES! Ha!"

Then he quickly held Phym in his grip, and grasped her belly.

"AH HA..AH HAHAHAHA! Daddy..stop!" Phym cried between her laughs.

"Haha! Daddy hasn't had enough punishing you yet!" Jerad kept laughing as he now started rubbing her sides, switching side to side as Phym kept flailing.

"D-daddy, I..c-can't breathe..anymore!" Phym kept laughing and flailing. "P-p-please, s-stop!"

Jerad kept snickering, and tickling her for a few seconds before he finally stopped.

"There," Jerad chuckled while he watched Phym try catching her breath. "Seriously, next time you sneak away from mommy again, no candy for you for the whole day. Got it?"

"Mm..," Phym nodded, still feeling very remorseful.

"Oh, don't worry too much," Jerad patted her head. "Daddy is not too mad at you, OK? Anyway..I'm just exercising."

"Ex-er-cise?" Phym raised her eyes.

"Yeah, daddy needs to be strong again," Jerad explained. "So he can fight better."

"Can I try..?" Phym shyly asked.

"Uh..sure?" Jerad reluctantly agreed. "These things are heavy, you know?"

Then Phym laid on the pad Jerad was exercising on.

"Wait, you do know that's..!" Jerad paused. "1,400 pounds?"

Then his eyes widened, "What..the-?!"

He watched Phym lift the long dumbbell above her off the rack, lowered it to her chest, and then raised it back up to the rack...without struggle other than her arms being too short to push it high enough on and off the rack.

"Like this, daddy?" Phym smiled.

"Uh, yeah..," Jerad still watched with disbelief.

'Just what the hell are you?!'

"You did it right, but I think..you need to do something else…"

"Something..else..?" Phym looked puzzled.

"Yeah, your arms are a bit too short, and you might hurt yourself," Jerad held his head.

'Claire won't believe me once I tell her. Even more so, EVERYONE!'

"You should start with these little ones," Jerad walked to the dumbbell rack, put 250 pounds on them, and gave them to her.

"Try these," Jerad said. "Lift each of them with one hand, and try to do 5 on each."

"Okay," Then Phym lifted both of them with each of her hands, and once again, she showed no signs of struggle.

"Am I strong, daddy?" Phym smiled.

"Definitely..," Jerad slowly nodded.

"But I want to try this one," Phym pointed at the bench press.

"Like I said, your arms are a bit too short," Jerad replied.

"Phym!" Claire walked in the room with Hugo, Zeke, Misha, and Lulu. "What did I tell you last ni-? Oh, good morning, Jerad."

"Good morning," Jerad nodded with a smile.

"What are you doing here so early?" Claire asked.

"Uh, exercising so I could get back in shape?" Jerad blankly replied. "I could barely even handle my gun yesterday, so I need to get back up to speed."

"Understand," Claire sighed.

"You should have woken us up," Hugo said. "We would have gladly worked out with you, and I think this is the first time I've seen you do that."

"Thanks for the invite," Zeke rested his hands on his waist.

"Sorry, guys," Jerad murmured. "Just thought you needed more sleep because of yesterday, but I'll wake you up next time."

"Phym..," Misha frowned. "Always do what your mommy tells you, OK?"

"Oh, that." Claire glared at Phym. "Now back to business. What. Did. I tell you last night?"

"Hn," Phym hid behind Jerad, shuddering.

"Phym," Jerad sternly murmured. "Eye contact with mommy whenever she talks to you, OK?"

"Okay..," Then Phym walked to her. "I'm so sorry…"

Jerad smiled, "It's OK, Claire. I already gave her one."

"Huh," Claire raised her eyes.

"D-daddy punished me with..," Phym murmured. "Tickles."

Then everyone froze before they broke out into laughter, and Jerad shrugged.

"Tickles?!" Zeke held his stomach. "What kind of a punishment is that?"

"Yeah, that's one hell of a way to punish your kid," Hugo said between his laughs. "Nice one, dad."

"Oh, brother," Misha said while still struggling to recover her breath. "Really…"

'Tickling as punishment?' Claire grimaced. 'Is this what you have been thinking yesterday? Ugh!' Then she sighed before smiling, nevertheless.

"If you guys thought that was weird," Jerad smiled. "You should see how much she can lift."

"Huh?" Claire widened her eyes. "You let her lift those things?!"

"She insisted," Jerad shrugged. "But the problem is, her arms are too short for it, so I wouldn't let her do it again, but I'm not lying."

"You know you can adjust the height of that pad, right?" Hugo smiled. "Zeke had to adjust it everytime, heh."

"Hey!" Zeke fumed at him. "I'm not that short!"

"Just telling the truth, no offense," Hugo refuted. "Here, I'll show you." Then he showed Jerad how to adjust the height by pulling a ball lever, and lifting the pad higher before releasing and locking it into place.

"There," Hugo said. "Phym shouldn't have any more problems with her reach."

"Can I..show them, daddy?" Phym smiled.

"Heh, sure," Jerad grinned.

"Phym, please be careful not to hurt yourself," Claire warned her.

"I got her. I'll hold the pole in case she drops it," Jerad said before he moved behind as her spotter.

"I'm ready, Phym. Are you?" Jerad said behind her.

"Mm," Phym nodded.

"OK, do it like last time," Jerad instructed.

"Okay," Phym nodded before she lifted the dumbbell off the rack, lowered it to her chest, and raised it up again before she set back to the rack with ease.

"Whoa!" Zeke widened his eyes while Claire and Misha gasped.

"A-amazing," Lulu covered her mouth.

"Jeez..," Hugo watched in awe. "She's not only super smart, but super strong, too."

"Yay, I smart..and..strong," Phym cheered before sitting up.

Jerad chuckled with pride, "And by the way, this thing is at 1,400 pounds."

"1,400 pounds?!" Zeke said. "All of us could barely even lift that much! My man-pride is hurt."

Then Jerad and Hugo laughed.

"Don't worry, we'll step our game up," Hugo smiled.

"Just..don't strain yourselves," Misha murmured. "We still have to fight, you know?"

"Nah, we'll be fine," Hugo nodded.

Then Lulu looked at the time displayed on the wall.

"Er, guys," Lulu called. "Breakfast is coming soon, so we better get to cooking."

"You're right," Hugo replied. "And sorry for taking much of your gym time."

"Nah," Jerad waved. "I think I had a good warm up, anyway."

"We eat, mommy," Phym held Claire's hand.

"Yes," Claire smiled. "We'll cook another good breakfast."

"Yay," Phym snuggled her while Jerad smiled, impressed that she is not afraid of Claire anymore, and was also glad that he got his point across her.

"Remember, Phym. No smelling food before bite, OK?" Jerad reminded her. "And I'll give you candy if you do."

---

In the Galley.

"Here we are," Misha said. "Let's eat. We got pancakes today."

"Pan-cakes?" Phym asked.

"It's good," Claire said. "Tastes better if you mix it with butter, and syrup."

"I wanna try it," Phym smiled.

"Hm," Jerad also smiled.

Then everyone served themselves breakfast, and Claire put butter, and maple syrup on Phym's.

"Here you go," Claire smiled. "Try it."

"Okay," Phym carved a piece with her fork while Jerad quietly watched. She stared at it for a few seconds before quickly biting it. Then she chewed, and smiled.

"Mmm," Phym smiled while chewing. "Good."

"Tastes fluffy, huh?" Misha smiled.

Phym swallowed, "Fluffy?"

"Another way of saying 'soft'," Misha replied.

"Nice..fluffy..food," Phym commented.

Everyone giggled before Jerad patted her head, "Good job. I'll give you candy after this, and this is also Lulu, and your aunt and uncle's cooking."

'I guess she's pretty much good for this.'

"Yay, daddy," Phym hugged him.

"OK, OK, just finish your food," Jerad chuckled. "And no leftovers."

Then once they finished.

"So, what's the plan after this?" Hugo asked as they started cleaning the kitchen. "Amy told me that there isn't anything going on this morning, so I guess we're good until afternoon."

"Hmm," Jerad sat back. "I think I'll go back to training, but since we just ate, I'll just get to shooting. Plus, I wanna try the range this time."

"Sounds like a plan," Hugo nodded.

"Mind if I practice with you?" Claire asked.

"Sure, plus I said I'll be teaching you, right?" Jerad smiled.

'He remembered,' Claire thought. 'Y-yes…"

"Shoe thing?" Phym tapped her lower lip. "What's 'shoe thing,' mommy?"

Jerad laughed while Claire mused, "It's when you launch projectiles with your weapon, like a gun."

"Pro jack tiles?" Phym tilted her head.

Jerad laughed again, "We'll explain once we're in the training room, OK?"

"Jerad, Phym is just a child," Claire berated him. "Please don't laugh. She's still learning."

"I know," Jerad smiled. "It's not a bad thing, but..I can't help it."

"Now we're done here," Hugo said. "I guess shooting time in the training room?"

"Yeah," Jerad replied.

---

In the Training Room

After notifying Hilda, and being given permission, everyone brought their God Arcs in.

"Time to see what this range can do," Jerad started looking at the controls with Phym peeking behind him.

"So, this is for generating a target..and this is for where to place them. Hmm, let's start with this."

He pressed a button, and a large, plated target appeared.

"Heh, there it is. Now let's try this stick."

Then he tilted the stick, and the target moved.

"Now, that's how it is, and you can even adjust your target's distance with his tilt button here. Looks easy."

"Looks..fun," Phym commented.

"Heh," Jerad smiled at her. "Wanna try it first, Claire?"

"Sure," Claire stepped up, and aimed her gun. She fired several rounds at it with only a few misses.

"Whoa, you shot a lot better than the last time I've seen you," Jerad commented. "Have you been practicing?"

Flushed by his compliment, Claire shyly replied, "No…"

"Hm," Jerad nodded. "Must be just by experience, then, but that was a bit fast."

"T-thanks," Claire stuttered.

Then they heard gunshots in another area. Apparently, others already started shooting.

Jerad made a small grin, "Try it again, Claire."

"OK..," Claire slowly nodded, feeling a bit of suspicion but nevertheless aimed her gun, and after firing a few rounds and hitting it, the target suddenly moved.

"What?" Claire raised her eyes, and turned to Jerad, only to see him grinning and holding the stick. "Hey!"

Jerad chuckled, "Can you hit moving targets?"

"Hmph," Claire snorted. "I'll show you."

Phym giggled behind them.

"Alright, then," Jerad chuckled again. "Let's see. You ready?"

"Just start," Claire stiffened her hold.

Jerad started moving the target, and Claire shot at them. Some hit, and some were missed.

"Claire sighed, "I guess I'll need more work in my aiming."

"I think you did good, actually," Jerad smiled. "You can mow a lot of Zygotes in no time at this point."

"I think..mommy..did..good," Phym added.

"But I think you need a bit of work in how you handle your gun," Jerad pointed out. "I think your hold is too stiff."

"Really..?" Claire raised her eyes.

"Here, I'll show you how," Jerad walked up to her, and Claire almost gasped as he held her two hands, and then her arms to shift her hold in a certain way.

"There," Jerad stepped back. "And make sure you relax your shoulders a bit."

"O-OK," Claire stuttered.

"Ready?" Jerad asked, holding the stick again, and then Claire suddenly nodded. "Alright, let's start."

Jerad started moving the target again, and Claire shot at it. This time, most of her shots hit.

"Hm," Claire raised her eyebrows. "You are right."

Jerad laughed, "And your shots improved a lot, too. I guess it's my turn to start practicing, and I'll show you more. Take the stick, and..feel free to move my target if you want, hehe."

"You ready to see how good daddy is, Phym?"

"Yeah," Phym cheered.

Jerad chuckled, "Alright, and you'll become a good shooter when you grow up."

"Show off," Claire murmured.

'But at least he can have some pride in what he has.'

"OK, I'm ready to start," Jerad said.

"Right," Claire replied, and she started moving the target in all sorts of directions before Jerad started firing.

All of his shots hit, and Claire could only ponder how Jerad could compensate for his aim on moving targets so well, but maybe with practice and experience, she will eventually do better. That, she can confidently tell herself.

When Jerad was about to shoot the target again, it suddenly stopped moving, and then he grinned and glanced at Claire, who was smirking at him.

Jerad suddenly laughed, "Think I'll fall for that?"

Claire giggled, "Just trying to see, if you are."

"Heh," Jerad kept grinning. "Let's try that, then. Move the target anywhere, and you can even adjust the distance, if you want to do that."

"Very well," Claire kept smirking. "Ready?"

"Anytime," Jerad turned back downrange before Claire started moving the target, and he started shooting again. At one point, Jerad fired at the moving target, and it suddenly stopped, causing his shot to overshoot past it.

Jerad chuckled, "You got me with that one."

Claire giggled.

"But I can still keep going," Jerad replied.

"As you wish," Claire teasingly agreed.

Phym giggled, "Mommy..daddy having fun together."

"Y-yeah," Claire murmured.

Then she started moving the target again, but more erratically, and his shots were inconsistent this time. Sometimes, he would wait until the target's movements slowed down and become more predictable before he fired at it, all landed a hit.

"That's kinda unfair," Claire murmured while tilting her stick. "Waiting until the target slows down before hitting it."

"Heh, there are some real life things where waiting for a chance is the only way to hit the target," Jerad replied. "You don't have to rush yourself into hitting Aragami most of the time."

"Good point," Claire also replied.

Then after a few more shots, Jerad's sniper gun clicked, "Aww, mine is out now. This gun really sucks a lot of Oracles."

"It certainly has a lot of firepower, though." Claire replied.

"Yeah," Jerad scratched his head. "We should buy more O-ampules from that merchant girl, and stock up next time."

"T-thanks for teaching me," Claire smiled. "I think I've learned a lot."

"No problem," Jerad nodded. "But seriously, you did get better pretty fast, and I thought you've been practicing while I was knocked out."

"And..," Jerad paused for a few seconds. "While I was watching you..somehow, I felt like you're shooting like me."

"S-shooting like you?" Claire blushed.

"Yeah, have you been watching me?" Jerad further asked.

"N-no, not that much," Claire stuttered. "I-I can't observe you..closely when we're fighting out there."

"OK," Jerad nodded. "Anyway, there's another thing I want to teach you about. Your God Arc still has at least a few more, right?"

Then Claire glanced at her gauge, "Yes."

"OK, this one is important," Jerad continued. "First, I want you to take a slow deep breath. Steadily take air in, and then slowly let it out."

"Okay..," Then Claire slowly inhaled, and then slowly exhaled. Jerad also saw Phym trying it, and he smiled. "Like that?"

"That's good," Jerad smiled. "Now try this with your gun. I will set the target as far away as possible, but will also make sure it's still within your assault gun's range. On my mark, you'll do the same thing before you shoot."

"Understood," Claire nodded. "But what is this for?"

"It's meant for more precise shots," Jerad explained. "It's mostly a sniper thing, but it can help you, too."

"I see," Claire nodded again.

"I'll show you more later, so go ahead and aim your gun downrange, but don't shoot yet," Jerad instructed.

"OK," Claire nodded before she walked back downrange, and aimed her gun.

"Let's practice first," Jerad said. "Watch your muzzle right now. You notice it twitching a bit?"

"Yes," Claire replied.

"OK, now do what you did earlier while still holding your gun," Jerad instructed. "And watch your muzzle while you're at it."

Then Claire slowly inhaled, and slowly exhaled.

"So, while you're exhaling, did you notice your muzzle stopped twitching for a few seconds before it moved again?" Jerad asked.

"Absolutely," Claire raised her eyes.

"That will be the point to fire," Jerad smiled. "That's when your shot will be the most accurate. Now let's try the real one. I'll go ahead and move the target as far as possible, and on my mark, do the steps I just told you."

"OK," Claire nodded. "I'm ready when you are."

Then Jerad moved the target farther down the range, and stopped right at the edge of Claire's gun range.

"There it is. That should do it." Jerad said.

"OK," Claire said.

"You ready? On my mark, go," Jerad said.

Claire took a slow deep breath, and as soon as she saw her muzzle twitch to an almost standstill, she fired. It missed the target.

"Ooh, that was very close," Jerad raised his eyes. "But, you were nervous, right? It was still shaking a bit."

"Ah..yeah," Claire frowned. "The target was so far, so I couldn't help it."

"Try not to be," Jerad assured her. "We can try again."

"OK," Claire aimed her gun again, and took a slow deep breath. As soon as her muzzle stilled itself, she fired her gun, and the target was hit.

"Wow," Claire stared in awe. "It did hit."

"Very good," Jerad smiled. "The reason I taught you this is you might save someone's life with that, someday."

Then he frowned, "Because I saved Misha with that once."

"Misha?" Claire raised her eyes.

"Yeah," Jerad nodded. "A Zygote tried to swallow her alive while she was far from me, and I shot it with that technique. I could have lost her if I didn't know about that."

"So, who taught you that technique?" Claire asked.

"My mom," Jerad replied. "I hardly remembered now, but I used to hear rumors she was a good sniper, and my parents owned a few antique guns. We used to go to the range every now and then."

"So, is your mom a God Eater?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, just like my dad," Jerad murmured before glancing at Misha, who is currently talking with Lulu, Marr, Lil, Sho, and Hugo while they watched Zeke shooting and grinning.

"You know, Misha used a scythe like my dad while I became a sniper like my mom," Jerad chuckled. "Funny how that works."

Claire giggled, "Must run in the family."

"Heh, maybe," Jerad shrugged.

"I still can't believe this works, though." Claire pondered. "How?"

"I honestly don't know myself," Jerad scratched my head. "I just know it does…"

"It's because your lungs are at their most relaxing point," Lulu suddenly spoke beside them. "And that's when your body has the least tension hence you can keep your gun still that way."

"Lulu?" Claire turned around with surprise.

"Someone taught me the same thing, and explained it to me a long time ago," Lulu continued. "...It was my master. He told me to do that whenever I need to calm myself down before I strike, and then I tried that with my gun later on, and learned that it also works."

"Your master, huh?" Claire murmured.

"Hm..," Lulu nodded, almost to a whisper.

'Must be one hell of a guy,' Jerad mused. "So, you guys finished, too?"

"Yeah," Hugo smiled. "We also ran out of Oracle in our God Arcs, so maybe next time we should stock up on ampules."

Jerad and Claire laughed, "Claire and I thought the same thing. We wanted to keep practicing, but we also ran out."

"I guess we'll call it a day in this for now," Hugo said. "Let's put our God Arcs back, and hang out in the lobby. We still have a couple of hours before lunch."

"Sounds great," Jerad nodded, and turned to Phym. "And while we're at it, we'll teach you more how to write."

"Yay," Phym smiled. "I wanna learn to write...words, and can you teach me how to..shoot next time?"

Jerad and Claire chuckled.

"Yeah, we'll teach you someday," Jerad smiled.

---

In the Laboratory Block.

Right outside the God Arc Storage Vault.

"Hn..," Phym clutched Claire's leg.

"Phym?" Claire raised her with surprise. "What's wrong?"

"Think about it," Jerad murmured. "She didn't come with us in that room, this morning."

"G-ghost..," Phym murmured. "Ghost...scary."

"Huh?" Jerad narrowed his eyes.

"I told her," Ricardo whispered. "She tried to barge in there while they were fending Aragami off when you were in a coma, and I figured that would keep her out of there. By the time I caught her, the other three kids were already trying to stop her."

"Hm," Jerad whispered back. "I don't believe in ghosts, but…"

"Yeah, but let's keep it that way," Ricardo whispered.

"Alright..," Jerad scratched his head.

'What was she trying to do? Take one of our God Arcs?'

"OK, Phym," Jerad knelt to her. "Stay here, and mommy and I will be back, OK?"

"O-okay," Phym nodded before the two walked in, and she stayed with Ricardo.

Once they are in the storage room, they start storing their God Arcs.

"Ricardo told Phym about ghosts, jeez..," Jerad murmured.

"Ghosts? Why?" Claire asked.

"While I was knocked out, and you guys were fighting off Aragami, Phym tried to run here while the kids were trying to hold her back," Jerad explained. "But Ricardo told her there is a ghost in here, and that instantly scared her off."

Claire giggled, "Ghosts, huh? Do you believe in ghosts?"

"No," Jerad plainly smiled. "But, we both thought it's best to keep it that way."

"Just what was she trying to do?" Claire murmured.

"Beats me," Jerad replied. "Trying to take one of our God Arcs? How would she know we used them to kill Aragami is beyond me."

"So, Phym tried to steal a God Arc?" Misha suddenly spoke behind Claire.

"It seemed so," Jerad replied. "But don't worry about it. Ricardo scared her off with a ghost story."

Misha laughed, "Who believes in ghosts these days?"

"Right?" Jerad chuckled.

'I..still do,' Claire thought. 'Kind of.'

"Anyway, let's get out of here," Jerad smiled. "We don't have much time until lunch."

---

In the Lobby.

"OK, Phym," Jerad smiled while also sitting on a couch together with Claire. "I will write all the letters in this paper, and with each letter, I will tell you what each of these letters are, and you'll repeat it a few times before we move to the next letter."

"Okay," Phym nodded before Jerad started writing 'A, B, C, and so on in block letters while Phym curiously watched. Once he finished.

"Done," Jerad smiled. "So, what is this first letter?

"Hmm," Phym mused.

"It's 'A'." Claire said.

"'A,'" Phym repeated.

"Yep," Jerad nodded. "Say it again. 'A.'

"A," Phym said it more confidently.

"OK, so what's this next letter?" Jerad pointed.

"Um," Phym stared at it.

"It's 'B'," Jerad said. "'B' as in Bee. A little bug thing that…"

Then he raised his index finger, "sting you." Then he tickled her a bit while Claire giggled.

As tedious as this lesson is, Jerad and Claire pushed through it, nevertheless.

"So, Phym," Jerad smiled. "What is this letter?"

"It's 'S'," Phym answered.

"Right," Jerad nodded.

"How about this one?" Claire pointed at another letter.

"That's 'F'," Phym answered again.

"Very good," Claire smiled.

Jerad sat back, and stretched himself, "I think we're done for now, and next time, we'll have you start spelling out words, and then you'll write them down, OK?"

"We done..now?" Phym frowned.

Jerad chuckled while patting her head, "Sorry, but daddy is tired for now, and needs a break. You did very good, though."

"Don't worry, Phym," Claire smiled, and put her arm around her. "Reading and studying can be tiring for some people."

"Heh," Jerad mumbled.

"But it's OK to rest then and there," Claire finished. "You'll always learn better if you're well rested."

"Okay," Phym nodded.

"You learn pretty fast, Phym," Hugo turned and smiled. "In no time, you'll learn to read big books."

"Big..books?" Phym raised her eyes.

"Books without pictures," Hugo replied.

"But don't worry about that for now," Claire assured her. "You can read and understand them later on as you learn to read more, but for now, let's stick with this."

"Okay..," Phym nodded.

Misha giggled quietly, "Claire is such a sweet mommy." She whispered.

"Heh," Hugo murmured before he looked at the clock. "Hm, it's almost lunch. Time went pretty fast."

Then Jerad opened his eyes, and also glanced at the clock, "Whoa, yeah, you're right."

"Time for us to hit the kitchen, then," Zeke stood up, and stretched his arms before Lulu and Misha did.

"Yep," Hugo nodded.

"As a nice reward, I'll cook you a great meal," Lulu told Phym.

"Really..?" Phym beamed.

"Absolutely," Lulu nodded with a smile.

"Thank you, Lulu," Phym hugged her.

---

In the Galley.

"We're finished cooking," Lulu said. "And thanks for helping us out, Phym."

"Mm," Phym smiled. "Cooking was fun."

"It is," Lulu also smiled. 'Haah, when is the next time she'll help me cook again? It was so cute watching her chop every vegetable to small bits, and especially with her enthusiasm...I can't resist! I'll teach you to be a good cook!'

"We just finished setting up the tables," Hugo peeked into the kitchen. "Let's start serving them."

"Alright," Lulu nodded. "Ready to have one of the best tasting meals of your life?"

"Yes," Phym cheered.

Then Hilda, Ricardo, and Amy entered the kitchen.

"Oh, my," Hilda gasped a bit. It sure smells good in here.

Ricardo laughed, "Haha, I think I know who our cook is for this meal."

"The master chef's cooking," Zeke proudly grinned while Jerad quietly glanced at him.

"I figured," Ricardo rubbed his chin.

"It's so nice to have a great meal after eating MREs once in a while," Amy smiled.

"I agree," Hilda also smiled. "I promise I'll find a way to make this kind of meal more regular. For now, let's dine in."

After they finished preparing lunch, everyone sat down, and ate together. Jerad smiled after seeing Phym eat her meal without trouble anymore, and even remembered to mind her table manners as he told her earlier, wiping her mouth after a few bites each time. She even finished her food, leaving not even a crumb after her...3rd serving. Jerad noted that Phym can be quite voracious.

Once they finished their lunch.

"So, to give you all the good news," Hilda said. "We are almost out of Baran territory, and will be passing the Chrysanthemum border soon."

"That sounds great," Hugo smiled before frowning. Though, trying to hide it, Jerad caught him before he turned back to continue listening.

"I can only hope it keeps going smooth until then," Hilda murmured. "Because for some reason, there's not many strong Aragami lurking around my area unlike Baran, so for now, keep your guard up until we're out of this region."

"Understood," Hugo nodded.

"And Amy, keep a close watch on the resonance radar while we're at it," Hilda ordered. "I don't think we're off the hook from any major trouble yet."

"Understood, ma'am," Amy nodded.

"Should I charge the radar?" Misha suggested.

"Absolutely," Hilda nodded. "Good call."

Then everyone started cleaning the kitchen, and Amy and Misha left to do their duties. Jerad and Claire volunteered to wash the dishes for Lulu, so she continued on with helping Hugo and Zeke wipe the tables. After they finished.

"Thanks for helping out," Jerad smiled.

"It's OK," Phym smiled. "As long as..I'm helping mommy and daddy."

Jerad and Claire blushed before they laughed.

"Can I..wash dishes next time?" Phym asked.

"Well, I would but..," Jerad hovered his hand above Phym's head. "You're not tall enough to properly use the sink yet."

"Aww..," Phym frowned.

"Don't worry, I'll find you a stepping stool to leverage yourself," Claire said.

"Yeah, I guess that should do it," Jerad smiled. "Then we'll teach you how to wash them, OK?"

"Okay," Phym smiled.

Then Hugo peeked into the kitchen, "Guys, we're finished now. How about you?"

"We just did," Jerad replied.

"OK, let's head to the lobby for now," Hugo said. "We'll be on standby for anything that happens until we're in Chrysanthemum territory, and Amy told me we should be there by this evening."

"OK," Jerad nodded before he smirked. "I'm ready for it, heh."

---

Once in the Lobby.

"So, who's going to be the dealer this time," Zeke waved his stack of cards with a grin.

"I'll do it," Hugo smiled, and took the stack before they started playing poker with Misha, Lulu, and even Keith, who decided to take a break from his morning study.

"Finally here playin' with us, bro," Zeke smiled. "What've you been doing?"

"Studying," Keith took his cards, and held them. "But I just finished reading about decryption, and all I have left is to try it, so if you find any data disc while you're on a mission, please take them so I can try it on them."

"Haha, that sounds nice, Keith," Zeke patted his back.

"Will do," Hugo said. "We could find some useful information in them, just like Ricardo said."

"Alright, I'm counting on you guys," Keith nodded. "I can't wait to try my hand on decryption."

"Yeah, we'll salvage as much discs as possible for you, Keith," Zeke grinned.

"So Phym, can you read this?" Jerad asked.

"It's..a-pole," Phym answered.

"Just apple," Jerad smiled. "Read it a bit faster."

"Apple," Phym finally read it.

"There you go," Jerad nodded.

"How about this one?" Claire wrote 'strawberry' on paper. "Can you read that?"

Jerad chuckled, "That's a bit of a big leap."

"Let's see how far she can read," Claire smiled.

"Strau-beh-ree," Phym slowly read it.

"Hey, you read it, right," Jerad smiled. "Now read it, faster."

"Strawberry," Phym smiled.

Claire giggled.

"You got it," Jerad chuckled, and stroked her head. "That's very good."

"Haha!" Zeke stood up. "I win again, how's that?"

"Jeez," Hugo laid his cards on the table. "You win most of the time."

"Because I'm good," Zeke sneered.

Then they felt their vessel rumble a bit, and their engines humming down to a stop.

"Hugo, can you hear me?" Amy called.

Then Hugo gestured everyone to be quiet, and tapped his radio, "I hear you. What is it?"

"I'm detecting large herds of small Aragami in our course," Amy replied. "Can you dispose of them?"

"Of course," Hugo nodded, and hearing his reply, everyone around the table put their cards down, and Claire and Jerad put their pen and paper aside while Phym looked around.

"Let's go, guys," Hugo stood up. "We got a mission to do. To the bridge."

"Right," Everyone nodded before they stood up, and Phym held Claire's hand while they moved to the bridge.

---

On the Bridge.

"So, furthermore on the situation?" Hugo asked.

"We are about 10 miles to Chrysanthemum borderline," Amy explained. "But there are multiple herds of Aragami gathered there."

"So, they just happen to be there," Hugo said.

"That's perfect," Lulu murmured after looking at the resonance radar. "I have a plan for them."

"I was hoping this won't happen before we pass, but please be careful out there," Hilda warned. "I want everyone back here in one piece before we enter a safer region."

"We will," Hugo replied. "Let's gear up, and get out there."

Before Jerad and Claire moved, Phym suddenly grasped his hand.

"Worried..," Phym murmured. "Want..to go out..with you."

"I'm sorry Phym, but you have to stay here with Amy," Jerad said.

"Why..?" Phym asked.

"Because it's dangerous out there, and you can't fight without a God Arc," Jerad explained.

"God...Arc?" Phym murmured.

"I'll explain later," Jerad nodded.

"We'll be fine, Phym," Claire smiled. "Just stay here until we come back, OK?"

"Okay," Phym smiled before Jerad and Claire left to catch up with the rest.

"They'll be fine like they said," Amy smiled. "Just stay here with me, OK?"

---

One hour later in the Valley.

"Amy, we're in the area," Hugo said on his radio. "Request update on target location?"

"Target is still in the same location, and has not moved much," Amy replied.

"Are they still on the other side of this small plateau?" Lulu asked.

"...Yes," Amy replied.

"What do you have in mind for this?" Zeke asked.

"You'll see," Lulu replied. "Everyone, hide in places close to Aragami but also keep a good distance, and wait for my signal. I will climb the top of this plateau."

"OK," Hugo nodded. "We'll trust you in this."

"I won't let you down," Lulu replied before they split up, and she started climbing the plateau while everyone ran through the ravine. Once they passed, they saw large herds of Aragami idling in the plains, and they hid behind a few boulders.

"Here they are," Hugo whispered. "Lulu, we are in position."

"Roger," Lulu replied. "I just got here. It won't be long, so wait for my signal."

"Roger," Hugo replied. "Standing by."

On top of a plateau, Lulu loaded rounds into her gun, and aimed. Then she fired several rounds at different Aragami, and her shots were spread around.

Hearing Lulu's gunshots, Hugo turned to the field, and saw several Aragami flinch at distant locations before they suddenly exploded in a wide area, also incinerating other nearby Aragami.

"Holy moly," Zeke murmured with awe.

"Go!" Lulu cried on the radio. "Finish the rest off. I'll be jumping down, and help out."

"Got it," Hugo replied. "Let's go, everyone. Wipe the rest off!"

Then during the confusion among Aragami, everyone ran out of their hiding, and shifted their God Arcs to gun mode. Claire and Misha started mowing Aragami down, and Hugo and Zeke blasted any Aragami that ran past Claire and Misha's sweeping shots as they walked forward. Jerad stayed behind them, and picked off Aragami that were farther.

Once Jerad ran out of energy.

"I'm moving in," Jerad shifted his God Arc to spear.

"We'll cover you," Misha replied.

Then Jerad moved in, and devoured an Axe Raider before turning him to Burst.

"Haha, time to see if I dulled a bit," Jerad grinned before his speartip opened. "Haaa!"

He skewered an Axe Raider with Brave Soul, and hearing two pairs of heavy footsteps approaching behind him, he backflipped before two Ogretails bit him, and he skewered both of them with Stardust Rain.

"We're out of energy, Misha," Hugo cried. "We're going in!"

"Got it," Misha replied before she continued shooting.

"My shooting practice this morning paid off," Claire murmured. "Your brother was right about fixing my shooting posture, and my shooting is more accurate. I hardly wasted my shots."

"I told you you'll learn a lot from him," Misha winked. "He taught me how to shoot, too."

"I think he told me before," Claire smiled. "I can see why you were good at shooting."

"Looks like I'm out," Misha glanced at her gauge.

"Me, too," Claire also looked at her gauge.

"Looks like I have to get in there, and I also can't let brother have all the fun," Misha grinned.

"Right, I'll follow you," Claire shifted her God Arc to spear.

"Let's g-!" Before Misha finished, they saw a figure sweep past them like a black wind. "There's Lulu."

"Right," Claire giggled.

Lulu rushed into the still confused herd, and sliced several Aragami she passed. Then she connected her pair of blades into glaive, and sliced more of them until she caught up to Hugo and Zeke.

"Custom bullets, right? Heh." Hugo smiled.

"Yeah, I just made them, too." Lulu replied. I figured I should start making them after seeing them for a while, and I'm glad they worked."

"A master chef, and now a bullet maker," Zeke grinned before he smashed an Ogretail's head.

"I'm not sure if I could take that as a compliment," Lulu said after slicing another Ogretail behind Zeke.

"He does kinda have a point," Hugo said after killing an Axe Raider. "We might as well as call them recipes since you mix things together to make them. It's not really a bad thing to compare them to food, so don't get..offended."

"Fair enough," Lulu replied before slicing another Axe Raider down.

"HAA!" Jerad struck two Ogretails with Spear Requiem, and watched both of them get torn apart by his multi-hits. "Hahaha! I kinda missed this heat of battle."

"Haah!"

"Hiiyah!"

Misha sliced an Ogretail and an Axe Raider in half with an Extended Bite before she and Claire stood beside him.

"You having too much fun, brother?" Misha teasingly asked.

"How are you feeling?" Claire asked.

"Never been better, thanks." Jerad grinned. "Felt like it's been so long."

"Just..don't overdo it, okay?" Claire told him.

"Sure," Jerad nodded before he rushed in again, and killed an Ogretail with Hit and Run, and connected it with Stardust Rain.

Claire and Misha continued fighting the few Aragami left, and Claire sliced an Ogretail with her spear, but it withstood her strike enough to retaliate against her with a bite. Claire was quick enough to jump to the side before she leapt on its back, and stabbed its head to the ground.

"Ooh, that was an impressive kill," Jerad commented with a grin. "You really did get better."

"U-um..thanks," Claire stuttered.

Misha suddenly laughed, "Don't be too modest, Claire."

"Oh, hush," Claire pouted.

"I guess this is all?" Hugo, and the other two approached. "Amy, are there any more?"

---

Back on the Bridge.

"All Aragami eliminated. Course is clear," Amy smiled. "Good job, everyone."

Then she turned to Phym, "See? I told you your mommy and daddy will be fine. There's no need to worry."

"Yay," Phym cheered.

Then Amy heard an ominous beep from the radar, and she looked back up. She gasped as she saw a large wandering dot with an 'ASHBORN' label on it, and then it teleported on a plateau.

Amy quickly tapped her radio.

---

In the Valley.

Everyone was still resting in the area littered with Aragami corpses before Hugo suddenly tapped his radio.

"We have an emergency!" Amy cried. "Ash Aragami detected from outside visual range!"

'Shit!' Jerad gasped, and started alertly looking around. There was no Aragami in sight.

Zeke, Lulu, and Claire suddenly stood up.

"What? Again?" Zeke grimaced. "We just ran into one a few days ago!"

"It's like they're being lured to us," Claire added.

'Lured to us..?' Hugo narrowed his eyes. "Hm."

After Amy observed the Ashborn's movement in the resonance radar, she suddenly gasped.

'No! It found them!' She watched in horror as the Ashborn dot teleported down from the plateau, and started moving towards their location.

"Hugo, it suddenly moved towards your location at high speed," Amy cried. "It's coming in too fast!"

"What?" Claire gasped, and tapped her radio. "Ma'am, what's the plan?"

Jerad turned to Claire for Hilda's answer, and his eyes widened, seeing a maelstrom of flame forming behind her.

"Return immediately!" Hilda yelled.

After seeing a fiery, floating Aragami emerge behind her from that maelstrom, Jerad gasped,

"CLAIRE! BEHIND YOU!"

Though too late, the Ashborn swiped Claire, Zeke, and Lulu, and sent them tumbling back. He watched them laid and whimpered in pain.

"Claire!" Jerad cried.

---

Meanwhile on the bridge.

"M-mommy..? Daddy..?" Phym murmured after she gasped, hearing their screams from Amy's radio.

"Dammit! What can we do?" Hugo cried on Amy's radio which Phym could hear.

Without Amy's notice, Phym ran off the bridge, and made her way into the Laboratory Block.

Amy suddenly looked down, "Phym? Phym, where are you?!"

Not having time to find her, and having to keep herself focused on supporting everyone who are in trouble, Amy turned back to her computer. She can only hope that Phym will not do anything rash.

---

In the Laboratory Block.

Phym suddenly stopped in front of the God Arc Storage Vault.

'Hnn, g-ghosts,' Phym shuddered. 'Scared of..ghosts…'

"Brave..?"

"Being brave is about facing your fears and dangers, even if everything is against you."

"Your daddy is not feeling well, and knows he can't fight, but he still decided to fight so he can save his family. Your daddy is strong, Phym."

"Brave..strong..family. Can I be..brave and strong?"

"I'm sure you can."

Then Phym shut her eyes, and whimpered before she dashed into the storage room.

'Ghosts..please no ghosts,' Phym thought as she ran past the God Arc storage racks, and saw a locked door with a sign that is written as ' Salvaged God Arcs. Keep out.' Phym ignored the sign, and raised her hand on the door's lock. Her hand emitted an aura before the door's lock clicked, and she quickly pulled it open and entered. She saw piles of God Arcs laid against the wall around the room.

"God..Arcs. Fight with God Arcs," Phym murmured before she grabbed a large one in the shape of a crescent moon, and to her surprise, the God Arc reacted to her, but she gripped the hilt for a few seconds until it settled.

"Hiiyahh!" Phym yanked the Heavy Moon off the pile, and ran out of the storage room.

Once in the hallway.

'P-Phym?! What are you-?" Marr asked with shock.

"It's too dangerous out there!" Lil protested.

"I have to help..mommy and daddy!" Phym replied as she dashed past them, and headed for one of the outboard doors. She unlocked it the same way as in the storage, and it slid open before she leapt out.

---

In the Valley.

Right before Jerad strikes, the Ashborn disappeared, and teleported behind them. It swung at them, and Jerad and Misha jumped away on time, but Hugo did not make it. He was swept aside into a tumble and laid on the ground, grunting and gripping his shoulder.

"Hugo!" Misha cried before she ran towards him.

"Sis! No!" Jerad tried to call her back before the Ashborn rushed at her, and swung.

"AHHHHH!" Misha was swept aside and laid beside Hugo, whimpering from her intense pain, and gripping her waist.

"MISHA!" Jerad cried before he glared at the floating Aragami. "You..you bastard! HAAAA!"

He rushed in, and when he thrusted, the Ashborn disappeared before he eagerly looked around.

"Where are you?!" Jerad eagerly looked around, sweat trickling along his cheeks, and then it appeared behind him.

Jerad gasped, knowing that he would not jump away on time as the Aragami swung at him.

"AAAARGHHHHHH!"

Jerad was sent flying close to Hugo and Misha, and he grunted in his familiar pain. He struggled to sit up, and watched the Ashborn burst itself with a familiar aura.

'So, this is how an Ash Aragami is,' Jerad grunted in pain. 'And this is it in Burst? Shit!'

Then the Ashborn rushed to finish him off, and Jerad gasped.

'Am I..done for..?' Jerad mused as the Aragami boosted toward him. He began to feel the freedom of finally ending his whole life of torment, but…

'Claire..Misha..and..Phym,' Jerad thought. 'No..! I won't…! I'll-!''

Then he struggled to stand up while raising his spear.

"HAAAAA!" Jerad held his spear with both hands, and was about to strike the rushing Aragami head on…

However, it suddenly paused in front of him, and then he fell back to his knees.

Jerad grunted, and stood up again, pushing himself through his pain. "F-fight me, you bastard, or I'll-!"

Then he saw the Ashborn slowly turn to his left, and he also turned to its direction. Jerad suddenly gasped.

"Phym..?" Jerad murmured. "What are you doing here?! RUN!"

"Phym..," Claire murmured while still enduring her ongoing pain, and raised her head. "Why..? Please get out of here..!"

"Ngh," Phym kept her glare at the Ashborn, and dropped her God Arc beside her. Then she raised her arms, and started glowing.

"What? That response," Amy said on her radio. "Is that..Phym? That can't be..with a God Arc?! I-I'm also starting to detect a powerful bias field covering the area."

Seemingly in haste, the Ashborn rushed towards her.

"Phym, NO!" Jerad cried as he struggled to stand up with his spear to save her. "RUUUN!"

Right before the Ashborn struck her, Phym emitted a very bright flash of yellow light, and the Ashborn suddenly flinched with a whimper. It teleported away a few times before disappearing out of sight.

As Jerad collapsed back to his knees, he started feeling the pain slowly fade away, a faint familiar feeling he felt when he saved Phym from another Ashborn a few days ago.

"I'm healing?" Jerad murmured while he watched a green aura around him, and then he touched his right waist. He does not feel pain anymore.

Zeke, Claire, and Lulu slowly got up to their knees.

"I-I'm healing?" Zeke murmured.

"Y-yeah," Lulu also murmured. "The pain is completely gone…"

"H-Hugo..are you OK?" Misha wearily asked while helping him sit up.

"Yeah..," Hugo nodded. "What is this power..?"

"I don't know?" Misha shook her head. "But Phym definitely did all this."

"Phym...What are you-?" Claire paused as she watched Phym walking closer to Jerad, still glowing and holding her heavy moon again. "Is that..a God Arc she's holding?"

"Daddy..?" Phym smiled as she reached her arm out.

"Phym..," Jerad faintly smiled before he slowly raised his hand, and held hers. Then another bright yellow light flashed, and everyone started glowing yellow.

"Wait..is this..Engage?" Hugo murmured as everyone finally stood up, and then the Ashborn reappeared. It made its menacing roar, but Jerad remained unfazed.

"It's time we settle this," Jerad grimaced as he and everyone went into Burst.

"No mistaking it," Amy said. "Engage with Phym confirmed. "Vitals stabilized! God Arc function of all members restored! This is incredible!"

"What the hell just happened?" Hilda asked.

"You ready, Phym?" Jerad looked at her with a smile.

"Yes..daddy," Phym smiled, and readied her God Arc. A heavy moon of all things this girl would pick, but nevertheless, Jerad could only look at her with pride, and after this, his face slowly turned serious, "Then I promise you, this Aragami will go down."

Jerad turned a diabolic glare at the waiting Ashborn, and his speartip opened. Once his spear is completely charged, he swiftly rushes.

"HAAAAAAAA!" Jerad and Phym rushed together, and the Ashborn tried to strike him with one of its orbs, but Jerad struck it first with Valkyrie Glide.

"Let's go, everyone!" Hugo cried as he readied his sword, and rushed in with everyone. "Hilda! We're taking this thing down!"

"What?!" Hilda gasped. "There's too much we don't know! That thing is an Ashborn."

"Then I'll make sure I'll bury this bastard!" Jerad yelled after jumping away from its retaliation, and then Phym struck its side with her heavy moon, causing it to whimper.

"Exactly! Sit down and watch!" Hugo added.

---

On the Bridge.

"Hugo! Hugo!" Hilda cried on her radio.

"I don't think there's any stopping them at this point, ma'am," Ricardo suggested. "Let's just wait and see what happens."

"I just hope they'll be fine," Hilda gritted her teeth as she continued watching the resonance radar.

---

Back in the Valley.

"Nghh!" Jerad blocked its barrage of projectiles while Hugo and Misha rushed and struck it, distracting its focus on Jerad before Claire barraged its chest with her gun in retaliation.

"Hiiiyah!" Misha swung down in a Vertical Fang, and caught the midair Ashborn with her scythe and dragged it down, and then sawed it with Nightmare Reaper.

Angered, it tried to swipe her with one of its molten orbs, but Jerad leapt on its shoulder in time, and stabbed it.

"Where the hell you looking at?!" Jerad cried as he tried to pry its wound with his spear. "Face this way, Ash Aragami! I'm the biggest bastard you should worry about right now!"

Then he yanked his spear back, and activated his acceleration trigger.

"HAAA!" Jerad stabbed its shoulder hard, and the Ashborn fell down.

"I got you, bastard!" Zeke cried while rushing in front of it. "Haaaaa!"

Jerad jumped off its shoulder as Zeke bashed its head with a downswing, and then swung an uppercut which knocked the Ashborn back. It quickly floated again, and roared loudly before it suddenly disappeared.

"It's gone," Jerad grimaced. "Show up!"

Then the Ashborn suddenly flashed behind them, and Jerad saw its orbs turn into a pair of jaws. Then it turned to Phym.

"Phym!" Jerad cried as he started running towards her. "It's after you! RUN!"

Phym nodded, and ran to keep her distance, but unexpected of Jerad himself, the Ashborn launched those two jawed orbs at her. Phym parried the first jaw off with her shield, and then quickly somersaulted over the second jaw. Jerad stopped, and could not believe Phym could still do acrobatic jumps..even with a heavy weapon. She landed back down, panting.

"Phym, are you OK?" Claire ran down, and put her arm around her.

"Yes..mommy," Phym wearily replied.

"That was close," Jerad said while panting. "Claire, take care of her for a bit while I try bagging this thing." Then he left.

Meanwhile, Lulu daringly leapt towards the Ashborn, and clung on its head.

"Don't you dare hurt her, Ashborn!" Lulu held her sword back. "Haa!"

Then she stabbed its face with her sword, and jumped off as the Aragami flinched and held its injured face.

"It's distracted, now it's our chance!" Hugo rushed in. "Haaaa!"

Hugo struck its orb underneath, and shattered bits of it off. He noticed that the Ashborn's flaming aura weakened, "We're doing damage! Let's bag this Ash Aragami!"

"Right..," Jerad murmured. "This Ashborn ain't getting out here alive."

Then Claire started shooting at it, "Phym, stay with me, OK?"

"Okay," Phym also shifted her God Arc to assault gun mode, and started firing alongside her.

Hugo, Jerad, Lulu, Misha, and Zeke rushed while Claire and Phym were giving them cover fire.

Misha started swinging her extended scythe,

"Haah!"

"Hah!"

"Hiiyah!"

She barraged the Ashborn with Inferno Rush to keep it busy while the other three were rushing, but the Aragami quickly slipped out of her attacks, and swept at Lulu.

She was sent tumbling on the ground.

"Lulu!" Zeke cried before he gritted his teeth, and turned at the Aragami. "You bastard!"

"I got her," Misha moved close to Lulu, and shot a few healing rounds at her.

"Are you OK, Lulu?"

"Hnn, yeah," Lulu slowly got up, "Thanks. Just a bit burned."

"Ugh!" Jerad slid back after blocking a swing from the Ashborn, but Hugo took advantage of the opening by jumping and striking its chest. The Ashborn cried, and fell down, and as Zeke approached for a devastating blow, it desperately tried to slam Zeke with its right hand, but he dodged it, and smashed it with a crack. The Ashborn screamed.

"Hah! How you like your hand smashed like that?" Zeke grinned. "But I'm not done hurting you yet! Eat this!" Then he swung sideways, and the Aragami fell to its side.

"Haaa!" Jerad leapt to its shoulder, and tried to finish it off with a stab to its face, but it desperately tried to stop his spear with its left hand. "You persistent-!"

He grunted as he continued trying to shove his spear until Lulu shot its hand off, and Jerad stabs its face again before jumping off. The Aragami held its face with its left hand, and floated again.

"Still alive?" Jerad grimaced. "Just when will you die?"

"I think it's almost dead," Hugo readied his sword. "Let's keep pushing."

"Phym, we're out of bullets," Claire told her. "We have to move in."

"Okay," Phym smiled before Claire smiled back.

"Alright," Jerad swung his spear to his side. "Let's finish this bastard then."

Desperate, the Ashborn merged two orbs together, and started charging it.

"What the?" Hugo stopped. "What's it doing?"

Hugo watched the Ashborn keep charging the flaming orb, and after he saw it grew.

"Large Oracle responses detected," Amy reported. "It's charging up its energy!"

He gasped. "Everyone brace yourselves! It's going to blow this place up."

Then everyone deployed their shields.

"Phym, stay behind me!" Claire cried.

"Mm," Phym nodded, and moved behind her.

Then the Ashborn caused a large explosion, and dust filled the area, obscuring its own view. Crippled and not having enough energy left to regenerate its pair of orbs, it silently waited to see if its attack wiped them out.

"Haaa!"

To the Ashborn's shock, Jerad suddenly leapt out of the dust, and stabbed its chest. He also suffered a few burns.

"Did you really think a no-brainer explosion like that will kill me?!" Jerad yelled as he stabbed it repeatedly until the Ashborn crashed on a boulder. It desperately tried to swat him off, but he quickly jumped away in time to avoid its hand.

"Haaaa!" Misha rushed in, but the Ashborn swung its arm at her, and she jumped over and countered with Dystopia. The Ashborn took hard slices from her, and was knocked back against a boulder before keeping itself up with both arms. Phym rushed in, and leapt while shifting her heavy moon into an axe which grew a spinning saw and then swung to its shoulder. It made screeching noises as she sawed it before the Ash Aragami shook her off, but it would not have a break any time soon, considering the number of its enemies it had been fighting against.

"You're mine!" Misha struck the same shoulder Phym was sawing earlier with a Vertical Fang, and then her scythe glowed yellow before she yanked it back. The Aragami impulsively screamed and flinched back with its shoulder already partially torn, but before it could completely stand up, Jerad was already in midair above it.

"I figured you'd still be alive after all that," Jerad grimaced as his speartip opened to start charging, and his acceleration trigger activated.

"But I will end you now! HAAAAAAH!"

With Fallen Tear, Jerad dove straight down like a meteor, and pierced the Ashborn through its chest. The impact was so strong that a small crater formed around them, and Jerad jumped off from its chest before he took a step back, panting. It cried its last roar before it slumped as everyone's Burst and Engage faded.

"Did we get it?" Hugo said, still trying to recover his breath.

Jerad stared at its corpse for a few more seconds before he replied, "Yeah..I think so." Then...

"No further Oracle response detected. Ashborn confirmed eliminated," Amy reported. "Incredible!"

"That's an Ashborn," Misha murmured, still panting. "An Ashborn! Could you believe we brought this thing down?!"

"Yeah," Hugo nodded before he stood up. "But it's also thanks to…" He paused after turning to Phym.

"D-daddy..I'm so..," Phym murmured before she dropped her God Arc, and collapsed.

"Phym!" Jerad knelt down, and caught her in his arms. "I got you..!"

"Phym!" Claire ran to them, and pressed her finger on her neck to check her pulse.

"She's just exhausted..," Claire sighed with relief. "Thank goodness."

"To Engage with all of us at the same time," Hugo said. "I can see why, but she saved all of us, and if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be still alive right now. We should all thank her a lot later."

"Heh, yeah," Jerad smiled, and stroke her head. "I'll buy her a huge bag of sweet candy for this, her favorite."

"And I'll cook her a nice meal after she wakes up," Claire smiled.

"Count me in," Lulu also smiled. "We'll make one together for her."

"Me three," Misha enthusiastically added.

"We all gotta have something to repay her with," Zeke rubbed his nose with a grin.

"Hugo! Hugo, do you read me?" Hilda called.

"I read you, Hilda," Hugo replied.

"Listen, I know you all wanted to rest out there for a bit, but please return immediately," Hilda urged. "It's already reaching sunset, and it can become more dangerous out there once night falls."

"Understood," Hugo nodded.

"And please go to the medical ward for treatment immediately," Hilda further instructed. "All of you have been bitten by an Ashborn, so I want to make sure you're all alright at least. Don't worry about preparing dinner, I already had Ricardo cover you on that."

"Thanks," Hugo smiled. "We better get back, guys."

Then Jerad turned to Claire, "Can you carry her?"

"Yes, of course," Claire nodded. "But what are you going to do?"

"Carry her God Arc back," Jerad plainly replied.

"Huh?!" Claire gasped. "But her God Arc will-!"

Claire shockingly paused as she watched Jerad pick up her God Arc with his right hand, and hung it over his shoulder while he held his spear with his left hand.

"Wait! How is that-?"

"AGEs can hold other God Eater's God Arcs without a lot of risk," Hugo explained. "Though, we're not all equally capable of doing that, and some will hurt more than others. These twins were known to have very high compatibility."

"A pair of Grade A's," Zeke added

"Heh, yeah," Jerad smiled. "I even held Misha's scythe before. It blew people's minds, but we kept it secret from those Pennywort bastards because who knows what they would have done, if they found out."

"You scared the heck out of me during that time, brother," Misha glared.

Jerad chuckled, "Was just teaching you how to swing your crop cutter better, haha!"

"Hey," Misha pouted. "My beloved God Arc is for killing Aragami, not cutting weeds!"

"...I see," Claire hesitantly nodded.

'Adaptive God Eater. That kind of makes sense.'

"Anyway, let's go home now," Hugo pointed with his thumb. "Hilda wouldn't want us out here much longer."

---

In the Medical Ward.

"I'll lay her here," Claire carefully laid an unconscious Phym on a bed, and tucked her with a blanket.

"Time for a mass medical check guys," Misha teased with a grin. "Line up, hee hee."

Then everyone lined up in the room.

"It's a good thing we have a lot of empty God Arc racks," Zeke said. "Or who knows where we could have stored it."

"Do you think Phym can still use that God Arc?" Claire asked. "After you held it for a long time?"

"Pretty sure she can," Jerad shrugged a bit. "My hand did feel a bit tingly while I was carrying it, but nothing too bad. I don't think I've accidentally changed its compatibility with her at all."

Then he chuckled, "But jeez, I have to say that's one hell of a heavy weapon she picked from that Salvage Room. I think I would look stupid trying to swing that thing around, and yet, she swung it around like it's a feather. She even twirled it a few times."

"Oh yeah," Hugo nodded. "I did see those. It did look natural for her."

"I'm all SAT," Zeke grinned after he finished with Claire. "All green for my Zeke body."

'Zeke body?!' Jerad grimaced. 'Gross.'

"You're next, Hugo," Misha grinned after she finished with Lulu. "Medical check time."

"Heh, you're up," Jerad said. "She's anxious, so don't keep her waiting."

"Brother!" Misha growled. "W-what does that mean?"

"Nothing. I really meant that literally," Jerad snickered.

Claire sighed, "Enough, all of you. Jerad, you're up next. You're the last one."

"OK," Jerad sat down close to Hugo, and did a medical check.

Then after a few minutes.

"Hmm, bias factor balance, and metabolism is stable," Claire murmured. "You guys are all good."

"Nice to hear," Hugo stood up from his seat. "Let's head to the Galley, and help them set up. Plus, we don't want to keep bothering Phym's sleep."

"Right," Claire nodded before she sat up, and checked on Phym.

"She'll be fine," Jerad assured her. "She's a strong girl, and should be awake by tomorrow."

"I know," Claire murmured before she stroked her hair, and then everyone left the room.

---

In the Galley.

"Dinner is up, guys," Ricardo waved his ladle. "Eat up. You kids must be hungry."

"Oh, yeah," Zeke rubbed his stomach. "I am seriously starving."

Then everyone, including Amy and Hilda sat down.

"So, was Phym using a heavy moon in that battle?" Amy asked.

"Yep," Jerad nodded before taking a bite. "Of all weapons she picked, it had to be something heavy, hehe."

Then Amy giggled before turning into a short laugh, "She's not going to be happy with that."

"What 'she'?" Jerad raised his eyebrows.

"One of our unit captains of our Port," Amy replied. "Trista."

Hugo laughed, "Now you mention it, that is her weapon of choice."

"It was supposed to be her spare God Arc after she found it," Amy added.

"That's alright. I'll have that covered," Hilda giggled. "Not that she ever used it, anyway. She could probably let that go."

"Haha, yeah," Ricardo also nodded.

"We finally crossed the Chrysanthemum borderline about 30 minutes ago," Hilda said. "You all can rest easy for now, and hopefully we won't have Ashborn encounters for a while. For some reason, Ashborn sightings are rare in my region."

"Yeah," Hugo sat back, and sighed, haunted by what Hilda told him about his contract with Pennywort still bound.

'I have to start thinking soon.'

"OK, let's wrap this up," Ricardo stood up. "Same reason. You guys need more off time before sleeping tonight."

Jerad was staring at the place where Phym normally sits between him and Claire. Though, seeing where he was looking, Claire pulled her skirt forward.

"Hm?" Jerad bewilderedly gestured

"Is..everything alright?" Claire embarrassingly asked. "You haven't even finished your food yet."

"Oh," Jerad murmured. "Nothing against what we're doing right now, but it just didn't feel right us eating here while Phym is resting. I want to at least give her something for a change."

Claire paused. "I think I can see what you're saying."

Then he mused, "Hmm, how about we leave a wrapped food beside her, so she can eat as soon as she wakes up?"

"Sounds like a good idea," Claire nodded.

"I'll go ahead and wrap leftovers for her," Jerad said before he took an empty bowl, and filled it with food. Lulu went to the kitchen, and handed him an aluminum foil.

"Here you go," Lulu said. "It can help keep the food fresh."

"Thanks," Jerad took the foil, and added a spoon and fork in it before wrapping it.

After they finished cleaning the kitchen.

"You guys go ahead, and start playing," Jerad said. "Claire and I will catch up."

"Sounds good," Hugo nodded. See you soon, then."

Then Jerad and Claire went to the Medical Ward to visit Phym, and once they entered, they found that she was still fast asleep.

"Still asleep, huh?" Jerad whispered before he set the bowl on a table beside her. "I can't believe she saved us. Let alone, see her able to fight. It's making me even want to know more about what she really is."

"I really have no idea," Claire murmured. "I've never seen anyone do something amazing as this. Just where did she come from?"

"We'll probably find out soon enough," Jerad said before they walked to the exit door, and he stared at her before he turned the lights off and closed the door.

Once they passed the hallway.

"May I have a word with you two?" Hilda suddenly spoke.

"Oh, yes ma'am," Claire replied.

"Uh, sure," Jerad also replied.

"I would like to thank you all for defeating that Ashborn," Hilda smiled. "To be honest, I'm still shocked that you could defeat such a powerful creature with a single squad at that. That certainly is a first."

"Just what are you, anyway..?"

Then Jerad paused while Claire glanced at him, frowning.

"Oh, I greatly apologize for that," Hilda held her forehead. "But I genuinely don't mean that as a bad thing,"

"...That's OK. Thanks, anyway," Jerad said. "But if it wasn't for Phym..we wouldn't be here…"

"I agree," Hilda nodded. "But your combined efforts also helped your survival. I'm glad you all made it back safe."

"Hmm," Jerad closed his eyes. "The more I learn about her, the more I get curious. Just what is she, anyway?"

"Considering all the miraculous abilities and traits she's been showing, I can only take an educated guess..," Hilda murmured.

"...What would that be, ma'am?" Claire anxiously asked.

"She's a humanoid Aragami," Hilda answered.

"What?!" Both Jerad and Claire gasped.

"Humanoid..Aragami?" Jerad said with shock.

"Yes," Hilda nodded. "An Aragami that has evolved to take on the form and characteristics of a human. There have been reports of such cases since the Calamity, but all of them have been discovered postmortem."

"Those poor things..," Claire frowned.

"Yes," Hilda nodded. "With that being said, it's hard to believe we have a living specimen right here, and it would seem that Gleipnir has some ulterior motive in disguising her as cargo. You really know nothing about this, Claire?"

"I genuinely don't," Claire shook her head. "I swear in my name."

"Promise me you will keep this a secret for now," Hilda said. "There is not enough information to confirm yet, and we don't want the crew to jump into erroneous conclusions. This was already discussed with Hugo and Ricardo, however."

"Oh," Jerad raised his eyes with surprise.

"I figured I should let you know in a 'right-to-know' manner, because you are her mommy and daddy, after all," Hilda smiled.

"U-uh, yeah," Jerad stuttered while Claire quietly held her arm with embarrassment.

Then Hilda giggled, "Anyway, Phym is Phym, and there's no reason to single her out for that. We have an agreement, yes?"

"Of course," Claire seriously nodded.

"Definitely," Jerad also nodded. "But a humanoid Aragami? I'm still having a hard time trying to stomach that. She behaves very much like a girl, and is extremely innocent! I don't even think she's pretending at all. I won't abandon her for that."

"Glad to hear that," Hilda tugged her monocle. "For now, please look after her. You two are whom she needs most."

"We will," Claire nodded.

"Good night," Hilda started walking to the elevator. "And make sure you get enough rest."

"OK," Jerad nodded, and then looked to his side.

'Those Gleipnir bastards,' He slightly gritted his teeth. 'Nothing good ever comes out of them. Just what are they planning to do with her?'

"Um, Jerad?" Claire called him. "Is everything alright?"

He sighed, "It's nothing. Let's just head over to the lobby, and relax there. My head just went through an overload."

Claire giggled, "I bet. But I'll look up information about humanoid Aragami later, and I'll let you know what I learn."

"Thanks," Jerad murmured, closing his eyes. "It was really hard for me to take, but she's a good girl. She's also smart and strong, and yet like Hilda said, she's depending on us to take care of her. I can't let her down."

Claire giggled, "You've really gotten to liking her, huh?"

"...Yeah," Jerad murmured before he opened his eyes. "Listen, it's just my hunch, but don't let her know that she's an Aragami, OK? I just don't want her to feel different, and might put a distance from us, if she finds out."

"I understand," Claire smiled.

Then they walked to the elevator together, and made their way to the lobby.

"You guys are finally back," Hugo said. "How is she?"

"Still fast asleep," Jerad replied before he sat on a couch.

"Wanna play?" Zeke asked.

"I think I'll pass for now," Jerad waved. "I need some shut eye."

"Me, too," Claire shook her head. "But I'll watch."

"Did something happen, Claire?" Misha asked with concern.

"...Nothing big," Claire shook her head, smiling.

---

One hour later in the office.

Hilda read an email, and gasped, "No..!"

"What's wrong, ma'am?" Ricardo asked while filling paperwork, and sitting on her office couch.

"Pennywort," Hilda replied. "I've been afraid this would happen, but the governor just sent me a request to have them returned once we return to our Port, and they already arranged with Gleipnir to mediate for the transfer."

"That..doesn't sound good," Ricardo facepalmed, and sighed.

"The nerve of these people," Hilda hissed, and facepalmed. "If only I could do the same as for those two…"

Silence filled the room before Hilda finally spoke, "Listen, there might be only one way to work this out."

"What would that be..?" Ricardo asked.

"Contract," Hilda murmured. "I might try negotiating a new contract with them."

Ricardo narrowed his eyes, "You mean, you're going to..,"

"Exactly," Hilda said. "I'll try to revise a new contract of ownership of them."

"That will cost a huge fortune," Ricardo commented.

"I know," Hilda sighed. "But that will also come at a price for them. I'd hate to do this, but I need to make sure."

"I guess it's for the best," Ricardo frowned.

"Keep this conversation between us," Hilda said. "In the meantime, I'll figure out a way."

---

Author's End Note: Finally done with Rank 2!