Tranquil Temple

"Mn… ugh…"

A chilling wind howled through the snowy landscape. The walls shuddered against the powerful gusts, vibrating the sleeping God Eater leaning against it. His body shook against the wooden surface, but his shivering wasn't from the cold. Soma groaned, shifting uncomfortably as the familiar voices rang in his head. His head lolled against his arm as his fingers clenched.

"Hold onto that charm for me, all right? Tomorrow. Keep it safe for both of us. You will… bring joy to this world. M-My darling boy. My precious little boy. You will shield them from the Aragami. You will save them…"

"A purpose, Soma. You have a purpose. You shall purge this world of those beasts… You will see them all burn and fall!"

Why…

"His basal cell metabolism is extraordinary. It's like nothing I've ever seen before!"

"That's impossible! I put eight stitches in his wound yesterday. It can't be healed already. He… He can't be human!"

I'm…

"Careful! You know he can hear halfway across the base. You don't want the Director catching wind of this."

"Soma the Executioner, heh… I don't think anyone from his squad has survived."

"Yeah, no chance they're getting me in that Unit."

I didn't… I didn't mean to…

"In only a few days both Lindow and Eric died in the field? That's terrifying, man…"

"Hey, did you hear? I heard Hamasaki's missing too… I swear, that Unit is cursed."

"No kidding… the Death God strikes again. Looks like nobody's safe."

"Hey, the doctor said your mommy died. He said if you hadn't been born, she could have made it."

"Nooo!"

Soma's head shot up from its position as he awoke violently from his restless sleep. His fingers trembled and his chest heaved with uneven breaths. In front of him a trio of God Eaters stood startled by his sudden outburst.

"Ah! You nearly gave us a heart attack, Soma."

Alisa gasped, her own body trembling from the sudden shock. Her eyes watched him carefully, nervous to approach him. Beside her, Kota tilted his head, a look of concern growing on his face.

"You were shaking and mumbling. You all right?"

"Fine… I'm fine…"

Soma grumbled in response, trying to ward him off with his usual scorn. But his voice betrayed him. He couldn't hide the wavering undertone as he tried to shake the disturbing thoughts from his mind. Kota frowned slightly, noticing his unusual demeanor. He was used to their veteran member and his attitude problem. In fact, he had never seen any expression on his face other than irritation until that moment. But the look on his face was certainly one that he hadn't thought possible: fear. He looked really shaken up. What could possibly be bad enough to terrify him?

"That's weird. Where's your trademark Soma disdain?"

At his snide remark, the nervousness faded almost immediately from Soma's voice, suddenly replaced with annoyance.

"What? Just shut the hell up, Fujiki."

"And there it is. Well, he's fine. Let's move out."

Kota smirked as Soma's attitude returned. He had him really worried for a moment. Shrugging, he turned and hopped down from their starting point and into the snow below. Alisa made to follow, certain that he would get himself into trouble if left to his own devices. Turning her head slightly, she paused, eyeing their veteran. She knew a bad dream when she saw one. She wanted to ask him if he was truly alright, but she knew better than to voice her concern. Prodding him would only serve to agitate him further.

Alisa followed Kota, running off into the frozen city after his retreating form. Behind them, Neo and Soma were left alone. Still sitting against the wall, he tried to compose himself, his eyes staring absentmindedly at the wooden floor beneath his feet.

Neo watched him carefully, observing his every motion. She was no stranger to nightmares. Having been plagued with them for most of her life, she could easily recognize the aftermath. Despite Kota's assertion, the New Type could tell easily that her friend was far from 'fine.' Everything from his trembling hands to his downcast eyes said otherwise. With the others gone, his body language showed more prominently, no longer restrained.

"What do you want?"

Slowly, she stepped forward, approaching him. Her gaze softened slightly as she reached him, looking down at his tense body. She was unbothered by the bite in his words. She was hardened to them long ago. Soma had always been an irritable child and had grown into an even more irritable adult. But much as she had when they were children, she remained silent, allowing him a safe space to vent his frustrations.

Soma lifted his head slightly as he noticed her movement. Neo was looking down at him, her hand outstretched offering to help him stand. He scoffed and turned away, avoiding her gaze, and rejecting her offer. He didn't need her help. He didn't need anyone's. At least, that was what he told himself. But he could not hide. Not from her.

Ignoring his bravado, she reached forward and grabbed his hand in her own, hoisting him upward to his feet. Soma blinked as he felt himself standing against his wishes as she pulled him upward. As he straightened to his full height, he glared down at the woman before him. Their difference in size truly highlighted her unnatural strength. She leveled her own gaze at him, disregarding his irritation as she stepped forward. What was she doing?

"Hn?"

His eyes widened and his entire body tensed as her small frame pressed gently against his own. She wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace, leaning her head against his chest. She squeezed slightly, being careful not to hug him too tightly, as she had become accustomed. It had always been so when she awakened from her tormented sleep. Ichiro had always been there to ease her worries. He was gone right now, but his lessons had remained with her.

Soma blinked, staring down at the brazen woman attached to him. He watched her, eyeing her carefully as she turned her head slightly, looking at him from the corner of her eye. And in her gaze, he saw her. A glimpse of his old friend emerged, revealing herself in the absence of their teammates. In that moment, his own expression began to soften as he looked down at her. Even now, after so many years, she was still trying to be there for him.

"What are you doing? Get off me…"

Neo stepped back as he gently pushed her, shaking her off of him like a small pest. She frowned slightly, only mildly irritated by his rejection. But her frowned slowly turned into a grin as she saw him look away, a light pink dusting his cheeks just as he had so many times during their youth. Even now, as an adult, Soma was still Soma. And that fact brought a smile to her face.

"Come on. The others are probablywaiting."

She shook her head as he leapt from their perched and stomped off into the snow.

. . .

Soma's assumption had been correct. The other two God Eaters had certainly been waiting for them, keeping a slow pace as they searched for their target. And with their enhanced speed, it didn't take long for them to reach the other pair.

"What up, guys? We were starting to worry you weren't coming."

"Shut it, Fujiki."

Kota rolled his eyes and continued forward. While he was relieved to see that Soma was alright, he wasn't overjoyed at the return of his attitude problem. Beside him, Neo walked silently. Her expression had hardened, regarding the two of them with relative indifference. Particularly, she made a point to avoid Alisa's gaze, instead keeping her eyes straight ahead as they walked. It had been that way ever since their comatose New Type had awakened from her slumber. He wasn't sure what exactly had happened between the two of them, but it had changed the way they interacted with each other… assuming they even interacted at all.

The squad walked in silence, their eyes sweeping carefully across the landscape. They were facing a new adversary that day and as with any new enemy, it paid to be cautious. It would also be the first mission they had undertaken with this team composition, and none of them were entirely certain how well they would mesh with one another in actual combat.

The group would quickly receive an answer to that question.

Both Neo and Soma paused, bringing the other two to a stop as well. Sensing an Aragami presence, both of their heads turned in the same direction towards a towering stone wall. From the other side, two pairs of armored legs could be heard clanking along the ground. Their target had finally arrived. Alisa quickly took cover behind a nearby structure to avoid its line of sight. Kota followed suit, vanishing behind a pile of rubble. Soma lifted his God Arc in preparation.

The odd one out was Neo. Standing casually in the open, her violet hair stood in striking contrast to her pale surroundings. Kota eyed her nervously, watching as she walked fearlessly towards the approaching footsteps. What on earth was she planning?

Soma raised an eyebrow at her display as well. He hadn't the slightest clue what she was thinking, leaving him to simply work around her for the moment and follow her lead. Around Neo, one could never be too careful. The heavy footsteps grew louder as the massive creature drew closer and closer until it finally appeared.

From around the corner, a large silver creature came into view. It had four insectile legs that pierced into the ground under its tremendous weight. It's arms and claws were two halves of a massive shield which extended a huge armored body. Its head was reminiscent of a knight's helm and down its back trailed a thick mane of hair. And swaying behind it was a long, curved tail armed with an enormous needle.

All fell silent as the First Unit attentively watched its movements. The Borg Camlann was a formidable foe and could easily prove deadly if approached incorrectly. Every member was still, regarding it with extreme caution.

That was of course with the exception of Neo.

Without a moment's hesitation, she fired a bullet towards its leg and startled it. Suddenly aware of her presence, the Aragami opened is chest and roared to signal its challenge. She immediately followed with a second bullet directly towards its open mouth as she had to so many foes before it… but her attack was intercepted.

The creature leaned forward and placed its claws together forming a full-sized shield that blocked her incoming bullet. Neo frowned slightly at her opponent. As with any target, the New Type had spent considerable time studying the Aragami's weak points and elemental weaknesses. What the NORN hadn't mentioned was the monster's swift reflexes. It seemed that this one wasn't going to fall as easily as the others had. Its rapidly deploying shield would make it difficult to land a critical strike… but it's armored body and massive tail could possibly make close-combat even worse.

Alerted and agitated, the Camlann charged towards them with claws raised. Neo's eyes widened slightly as its four legs moved in rapid succession, driving it forward at an alarming pace. It's speed belied its gigantic size. She hadn't expected something so large to move so quickly. Leaping forward, Neo shifted her weapon and darted to the side. She swiped at its legs with her scythe before rushing backward. Soma narrowed his eyes as he observed her movements and discerned her strategy.

She was drawing its attention away from them.

Looping around, Neo lured the monster in the opposite direction and turned its back her allies. With the creature focused on their New Type the remaining three sprang into action. Kota and Alisa turned their barrels toward the ground and fired blasting shots towards its legs, aiming to knock it off balance. Soma took to the air, leaping over their bullet storm and towards the monsters tail. His strike hit its mark but did little damage as its armored shell deflected his blade.

The bullets hit their mark, colliding with the monster's legs. But the target didn't topple. While this heavily-armored Aragami possessed massive weight, its four legs allowed even distribution. With every impact against one of its legs, another would stabilize it.

Soma scowled as he landed on the ground. He raised his God Arc again, prepared for another strike, but the Camlann predicted his movements. Its four legs shuffled as the monster turned to face him with its arm raised in the air. The veteran had only moments to launch himself backward as the pointed shield slammed into the ground.

Behind it, Neo swung her scythe and hammered against its back legs to try and get its attention. She succeeded and quickly backed away as it scuttled again, turning its huge body towards her again. She was trying to creating a pattern.

Alisa and Kota emerged from their cover and fanned out to the sides, forming a loose circle around their rotating opponent. In the center, Soma and Neo needled the creature from opposite sides, leaving it in a state of confusion as it tried to decide which one of them was the bigger nuisance.

"Target the back legs!'

Neo jumped into the air, swatting the base of its tail with her scythe, and drawing its attention to her once more. Following her instructions, the gunners took their aim and fired. They weren't certain what was going through her mind, but it was the first time that she had ever given orders herself rather than obeying them. She was up to something.

"Soma!"

Shifting his gaze, he eyed Neo carefully. What on earth was she planning?

The bullets soared as the creature turned towards her, hitting its back legs and earning a frustrated snarl. Then, as it began to rotate again, her intentions became clear. His strikes were powerful, but much slower than hers. With every aggravating strike, it would turn towards him, but he couldn't lift his blade fast enough for a second powerful swing. The bullets had been intended to turn it towards him again. But this time, he would be ready.

Lifting his weapon into the air, he focused. His God Arc hummed with energy as he charged for a crushing blow. As the Borg faced his direction, Soma roared and brought down his blade. The monster reacted instinctually, placing its hands together to raise its shield… and that was exactly what Neo had wanted. It fell into her trap. His buster came down in a heavy charge crush, colliding with the shield and ripping apart the cells.

The monster screeched and reared back as its claws came unbound, exposing its front. Without the use of its shield, it was now vulnerable. They just needed an opening. And Neo was more than happy to provide it. Recalling the Aragami's profile, her scarf began to spark. She channeled her current through the handle of her scythe and into the blade, turning the non-elemental God Arc into an electrified weapon. Then, she began to move.

Soma and Kota had grown accustomed to watching Neo battle as Reaper alongside of her protective companion. But as they watched her repeatedly prod the agitated scorpion, it became evident that she was an effective agitator as well. She held the monster's attention, bouncing in and out of range of its swipes and strikes. Her lithe body twisted and turned and spun, parrying and dancing around its needle with her scythe in a rapid battle of the blades. From the sides, Kota fired piercing bullets towards its chest and Alisa rushed forward in blade form devouring essence from its legs.

Assaulted from all sides, its strategy changed. Then, the tables turned. Enraged, the Borg lifted its tail to stab forward again. Neo hopped into the air to meet its blade with her own, prepared to deflect blow. But as Soma saw the needle turn, he shouted his warning. It was a feign.

"Get down!"

The scorpion dropped its tail and spun full-circle, its massive tail tearing through the buildings and structures around them. The three dropped to the ground, crouching as the tail passed over them. But Neo was already airborne. She attempted to lift her shield, but she mistimed. A tremendous force knocked the wind from her lungs as the tail swatted her away into a nearby wall like a bug. Stars clouded her vision as she coughed and rose shakily to her feet.

But the Camlann wasn't finished with her. Turning, it stomped toward her with its tail raised for a deadly strike. Panicked, Kota loaded recovery bullets into his gun and fired. All three shots passed beneath the creature's legs and hit their mark. Beside him, Alisa shifted into gun form and fired blast bullets at its legs, trying to get its attention. It ignored them.

The needle thrusted downward with lethal force. Reinvigorated by his shots, Neo dodged and narrowly avoided being skewered… through her body.

"Aaagghh!"

Her anguished scream filled the air as the needle pierced through her scarf, pinning her to the wall. Then, dragging it along the surface, it began to lift. Neo began to spin as her scarf unraveled under her weight. Alarmed, the New Type dropped her God Arc and grabbed a hold of it, stopped her rotation. But she couldn't shake loose. She was stuck. Kota reached into his bag searching for a stun grenade but couldn't find one. He had forgotten to restock before they left for their mission. Instead, he loaded blast bullets as quickly he could, watching in horror as Neo was lifted from the ground and dangled above the monster's gaping maw.

"No!"

Soma rushed forward with a burst of superhuman speed towards his flailing companion. He was not going to watch another comrade die. Not this time.

Alisa followed after him, rushing toward the stone wall in front of the ravenous Aragami. They had only seconds before Neo was devoured whole. And as a team, they came together. In a shocking display of synchronization, the three of them coordinated their strikes around the New Type. Kota fired his bullets towards the scorpion's needle that was now held still over its open mouth. The force startled it, successfully pausing its action but it wasn't enough to dislodge her from its needle. Soma leapt into the air, taking full advantage of the time his comrade had bought for him.

Sorry, Neo…

He lifted his weapon and swung with all of his strength. The blade passed through his target, the crushing strike doubling up on Kota's blast to shatter the needle… and tear through Neo's scarf. She screeched as she tumbled to the ground, carried by Soma's momentum as he landed beside her.

Alisa followed up with the finishing blow. As Soma soared through the air and freed her, she leapt off of the damaged wall their comrade had previously been cornered against. The monster roared as its cells came unbound, further stretching its mouth and exposing its weak point. In a very Neo-like fashion, she twisted through the air and aimed downward. Rows of serrated teeth were the only image she saw before unleashing hell upon the Aragami, emptying her entire magazine down the monster's throat.

The bullets exploded, destroying the creature from the inside. Within moments, the battle was over. Its four legs collapsed beneath its weight and to the ground with a heavy thump, tossing snow and debris into the air. Kota ran towards them. His heart hammered in his chest at the terrifying image of nearly watching his comrade be eaten alive. Alisa landed on the ground and switched to blade form, making quick work of the core to ensure that the target was finished.

On the ground Neo trembled and shuddered, gripping her bloody shoulder. Soma knelt beside her, awkwardly placing a hand against her back, and trying to calm her down.

"Holy crap! You okay?!"

Kota reached them and knelt on her other side, looking her over. Crimson drenched her body, running from her shoulders and dripping into snow below. There was so much blood…

"I'm gonna call for exfil!"

Grabbing his phone, the gunner quickly dialed the number, watching nervously as a small shimmering pool began to form beneath her feet. They needed to get her back to base. A short distance away, Alisa watched them. Her eyes observed Neo carefully, eyeing her damaged accessory and the blood drenching her arms. She frowned, her expression shifting to one of sympathy as she watched the woman tremble on the ground.

Only she could understand her pain.