Volume 1

Chapter 2

Immersion

Part 2

Despite waking up in a strange situation, and in a whole new universe (or maybe just several hundreds to thousands of years into a post-apocalyptic future), time seemed to pass relatively quickly in the company of my three new friends. Sure, I was upset that I would likely never see any of my family or old friends again, but my mother had always taught me to look on the bright side. In this case, the bright side being that at least I wasn't dead. Sure, I had amnesia, which included my own name and the string of events that led me to these people, but I could still remember everything that had happened to me in my previous life... And I knew after a little bit of reflection that, somehow, the mere act of coming to Remnant had changed me... And I don't just mean spiritually or emotionally; that's another can of worms altogether. No, I mean that it literally changed me. As in physically. How, or why, I can not even begin to fathom, but there were several obvious changes. For starters, my eyes. I was born with hazel eyes, yet for some reason they had changed to true green with blue spots... Cerulean, as Emerald put it that first day. And my hair, once wiry and curly, had somehow become soft and straight, though still just as thick. But most obvious was my age; I didn't notice it at first, intent as I was upon taking in my surroundings, but I had somehow been de-aged back to my teenage years, but still retained all the height and muscle mass that I most certainly did not have back then. To put it simply, I was a twenty-two year old man in a seventeen year old's body... And I think it must have been obvious to Cinder, because she seemed to take an interest in me a little beyond that of a crime lord scoping out a potential new enforcer...


"So let me get this straight. You're saying that I staggered out of the alleyway, covered in my own blood, got rushed by one of the goons that was trying to mug you, then proceeded to take one of her weaons weapons and hack her arm off with it.. Again, all while I was already covered in my own blood."

The masterpiece of a woman sitting across from Caerulean shifted her expression from its' previous poker face to a slight amused smirk. "I brought them with me, by the way, in case you'd like to keep them as souvenirs."

Despite the situation, Caerulean couldn't help but let out a hastily suppressed snort of laughter even as his eyes widened. Then they narrowed in thought. "Did I kill her?"

The ravenette's smirk became more pronounced as some of the gold accents came to life, and with a casual shrug flames appeared above her upturned hand. "No, but you did distract her long enough for me to finish the job."

"Oh." Caerulean was equal parts impressed and fascinated. "You know, that's a pretty ironic power to possess considering your name, Cinder..." Indeed, I was talking to the one and only boss lady, referred to thus far only as Cinder. Which I assumed was actually her name and not just an alias, based on her orange-amber eyes, which were so bright they nearly glowed. I could easily see her having been given a name related to fire... And given how casually she could summon it, I had no problem believing that she'd had no problem with the other goon. In short, this was somebody not to be trifled with. "Sorry. That was rude of me. Could you please tell me what happened next, after you reduced the goon to a cinder?"

A masculine chuckle and a feminine groan, as well as a feminine snorting sound that seemed to come from Caerulean's own mind (but he knew better!) alerted him to what his audience thought of that pun. Which of course meant it had been well timed. The pale-skinned beauty seemed to appreciate it too, for while she did not laugh, her eyes did crinkle very slightly in amusement.

"You fainted."

Cue the soul crushing regret, as all three of the other occupants of the room let their mirth be known. Caerulean, of course, did not pout at Neo for what he viewed as a betrayal, instead choosing to simply ask Cinder (most certainly without whining) "...Seriously?"

"Yes. Though to your credit, it was not until after I unlocked your aura. While it's not exactly a common occurrence, it certainly is not unheard of, especially when one is already both wounded and exhausted."

Caerulean nodded in satisfaction at that (without turning to poke his tongue out at Neo), his sense of masculinity restored. And, more importantly, it was a believable course of events. Emerald had explained earlier about some of the more... supernatural things that occurred on the world of Remnant, including aura, so Caerulean could see how something like that would knock him out. Of course, he was still confused as to how he could even have an aura considering that he was originally from Earth... But if the moon was any indication, then Remnant was Earth... Or rather, is Earth, just an alternate version of it... Be it the future of his own dimension or a brand new one all together. So it could be possible that humans did indeed have it all along back in his home... time? Dimension? Whichever, and it simply wasn't ever discovered because nobody ever unlocked it... Or they did and nobody believed them? He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that there were at least a few legends of mystics and master level martial arts practitioners with powers that sounded similar to what could be achieved with aura...

"A lien for your thoughts, Cerulean?"

Cerulean jumped a little as his thought process was interrupted. "Oh! It's nothing, I was just wondering how I could be injured so badly, yet somehow be capable of taking down a seasoned criminal-"

"Whose aura was unlocked," the fire-eyed woman interjected, "while yours was not."

"Right. Which, based on what these three have been telling me, should be extremely difficult even under favorable circumstances, and next to impossible otherwise. I know I'm suffering from some limited amnesia, but... I'm pretty sure I don't have any form of combat training whatsoever. Sure, I watch a lot of martial arts and action flicks, but I've never actually trained."

Cinder raised an eyebrow. "While I am inclined to believe in a certain amount of luck playing a part in that particular encounter, after watching you disarm that ex-Huntswoman and then kill her with her own weapon, I am also inclined to believe that there was some skill involved too. Perhaps you were trained at some point, but do not remember it?"

Caerulean shook his head emphatically. "Absolutely not. I don't remember my own name, or anything that happened between my vehicle accident and waking up here, but everything else seems to be intact; there are no other gaps in my memory."

"Curious..." She practically purred whilst cupping her chin in her hand. Suddenly, Caerulean felt like he was beneath a microscope.

"Ma'am, Caerulean does seem to possess a unique talent to read body language at a glance, and then compile it with information he's already gathered to come to rapid conclusions. While he's been wrong on a couple of instances so far-"

Caerulean scoffed, and Neo just smirked at Emerald, both knowing exactly which instance she was referring to.

"He has been mostly accurate otherwise."

"Oh?" The older woman drawled. "Do tell."

"Well, he was able to deduce rather quickly that I'm a thief."

"Instantly, Cinder. We walked into the room, he took one look at her, she said something rude, and then after laying a quick verbal beat down on her, concluded that she's a thief. All in a matter of seconds!"

Caerulean flashed Mercury a grateful grin, which grew wider as he noticed Emerald's rather embarrased expression, before turning back to Cinder, grin still on his face. "I can also tell that whatever you're thinking, it involves me and it's got you rather excited."

"You are not wrong."

Expressions amongst the audience ranged from intrigue (Neo), to incredulity (Mercury), to incensed (Emerald) at the byplay going on between their leader and their houseguest; while Cinder did usually come off as a rather sultry individual, and was no stranger to wordplay, the trio had never, Caerulean would later learn, witnessed her quote-unquote "flirting", without there being some hint of a threat hidden beneath her tone. Instead of the usual smirk, Cinder was currently wearing a grin that mirrored Cerulean's, and her subordinates were clearly taken aback by it.

Cerulean's grin only widened at this. "Voyeurs, the lot of you. Not like that, perverts! Chupping teenagers, can't keep their minds out of the gutter..." Cinder laughed openly at this, while all three of her charges look properly embarrased... While conveniently forgetting that Caerulean himself was physically a teenager, only a bit older than them, and that Cinder probably wasn't too much older than he was. Still...

Payback, bitches!

"Ahem. Anyway. As I was saying, Cinder, you look like you can't wait to offer me a job... Though, to be fair, that one was rather easy to tell. Before I consider it though, just what exactly do you guys do? And where would I fit into that?"

Cinder's smile finally seemed to settle back into a smirk as the conversation returned to business. Caerulean was fine with that, though; she had already indulged him his fun once, and judging by how relatively quickly he was being extended an invitation to join this group, he felt confident in concluding that she already liked him. In a totally platonic way, just to clarify; it was clear that neither was the type for love at first meeting or any of that cliche bull-shtak. No, they were just two kindred souls who could easily become great friends... Assuming Caerulean decided to take Cinder up on her offer, anyway.

"For now, we're independent contractors-"

"She means mercenaries."

"...Yes, which Cerulean is smart enough to figure without your help. Do be quiet whilst I am speaking, Mercury."

"Fine..."

"Ahem. As I was saying, we are independent contractors for hire, specializing in covert operations ranging from asset acquisition and appropriation to intelligence gathering and VIP neutralization. Should you choose to join us, you will spend a period of time training your combat skills and taking on lower-risk missions to reach a level where you can consistently at least keep up with the rest of us in combat situations, at which point you will join us for the... higher risk operations."

"That was an impressive amount of euphemisms in one paragraph." Despite the levity of the remark, Caerulean was fixing Cinder with a very sober expression. "But I can live with that... And, you know, what you were actually euphemizing. For the most part. Can I choose to opt out of the... neutralization missions, or at least be relegated to support for those types of operations?"

For her part, Cinder seemed to finally take a moment to consider her answer, apparently unprepared for such a question; if Caerulean had to guess, he'd venture that she hadn't been expecting someone who'd already killed a man up close and personal to be squeamish about potentially having to do so yet again... Even if he didn't remember having done so the first time.

"I... make no guarantees, but in most cases I do not foresee requiring you for a direct neutralization when any of the rest of us are more or equally capable of accomplishing such tasks. So unless something drastic occurs, or you should later have a change of heart, I will not ask you to be the one to accomplish the primary objective on those types of operations... But if it does turn out that you should end up on the roster for one of these missions, I will expect you to perform your job."

Caerulean put a hand to his chin in thought. "So basically, you'll take my feelings about having to directly neutralize a target into account when planning a mission, but if circumstances arise where I am the only one who can do so, or need to do so in order to complete the mission or keep myself or any of the rest of you safe from harm, I'll be expected to do it anyway."

"That is correct."

"Hmm..." Caerulean leaned back in his chair, pretending to think. "Fair enough. I'm in."

Cinder appeared to satisfied, perhaps even pleased, but of their audience of three, at least one of them was skeptical. "Just like that?"

He turned to face her. "Like I said earlier, Emerald, you three-" he paused, glanced at Cinder, then amended his statement, "four, now, are literally the only people on all of Remnant I know. You may not believe it, but that's the truth. And while I may not be quite morally comfortable with what you guys do, the fact remains that you all literally saved my life. On a logical basis, you could say that Cinder was merely returning the favor, thus leaving me no obligation, but the way I see it you're all my fa- friends now, and friends stick together."

Cerulean could feel himself flushing a little at just how sappy that sounded, as well as the Freudian slip, but it was the truth... And lying in this instance wouldn't exactly get him anywhere. And in any case, it seemed to do the trick, for while she was doing her best to feign disgust, he could see the small, genuine smile that broke through onto her visage before she swiftly turned away. Mercury, on the other hand, had no problem expressing satisfaction with this turn of events, nodding at him with a grin before turning to pester Emerald. And Neo...

"Oof!"

Neo had seen fit to tackle him out of his chair, eliciting chuckles from all present.

"We will put together a training regimen for you tomorrow, Caerulean," Cinder stated as she stood from her seat. "For now, it's getting rather late; I suggest getting some rest. Tomorrow will be a rather important day, so you had best be prepared... That goes for all of you."

"Yes ma'am." "Sure thing." "Aye, Captain."

And with that, Cinder strutted out of the room, drawing all eyes in the room with her before she disappeared into her bedroom. And Caerulean didn't need to see her face to know that she was very likely smirking; the strut in her hips most certainly did that for him. Three heads shook themselves to break free of the trance, while the fourth just shook her own in exasperated amusement. And Caerulean, consistent to form so far, noticed all of this.

"Oh, shush Neo. Just because you don't swing that way doesn't mean you haven't noticed that woman is just plain sexy. And she knows it, too! I'm betting straight men and lesbian women everywhere think of Cinder when they think about the perfect set of legs. Emerald, I'm looking at you."

Needless to say, Emerald did her best impersonation of a ruby at having been caught staring so blatantly... While Neo and the guys laughed at her reaction. Though Mercury seemed to be forcing it...

Interesting... It seems he's the one who wants her. I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

"Well, I suppose we'd better do as Cinder said and get to bed... That didn't rhyme in my head... Dammit." Cerulean chuckled, shaking his head at his own accidental word play, before focusing his attention on the most immediate obstacle he faced. "Anyway, on that note, Neo, would ya mind getting off me? I mean, I don't exactly mind letting you sleep on me, but I'd rather myself be lying on something soft first."

For whatever reason, the half-pint teen, Caerulean had finally noticed thanks to having her pressed up against him, had yet to get off of him after tackling him to the floor (not that he was complaining). And while she wasn't heavy, he figured it would be a little rude to just pick her up without warn-

Screw that, she started it.

Caerulean stood up before Neo could, forcing her to either hold on for dear life... Or allow herself to be dropped to the floor. She chose the former, and simply wrapped her legs around his stomach once he straightened out, and smirked at him.

"Unless you get off, I'm just going to assume that means I'm sharing with you. Only three beds, remember?"

Her smirk seemed to falter for a moment as a slight blush came over her cheeks... But that had to be a trick of his mind because in the next second she was back to the way she was befor-

Wait a second. Trick of the mind?

Cerulean's eyes narrowed as he focused... And just like that, the illusion vanished, and he was once again holding a nervous half-pint of Neopolitan... If the way she was biting her lip was any indication.

"You've got until I reach that door. Speak now or forever hold your peace, Neo."

A glare for the 'speak' comment as he started walking towards the shared bedroom, before her visage finally settled back into a smirk... Except, this time, it was challenging?

"I will do it."

Confidence... he finally passed through the door.

"Oh, I see, you want me to. Okay. I have no problem being a human teddy bear, so long as you don't try to kill me for any awkward situations that might arise in the morning. I am not a morning person, so none of that bullshit before I've even properly woken up."

A slight blush... Reality shift... Focus... Shift... Doubt... Snuggle.

"Shtako." Caerulean dropped onto the larger bed.

Giggle. Or, rather, "giggle."

"It was nice knowing you, Lee." "Better you than me."

Why do they look so... Mournful?


And that was how I learned that Neo is clingy... Very clingy. To the point of suffocation... Literally. Had it not been for Cinder unlocking my Aura, Neo very well could have ended up crushing my ribs. As it was, it was still uncomfortable enough that I was up for another few hours before I could finally fall asleep... But that's not important. What is important is that, by the end of Day One, I had already been accepted. I had four new friends, a potential best-friend, and a place and purpose in this world... It might not have been a path I would have followed back in my old world, but things like coming to a new world have a way of changing a man. I may not have been of Remnant, but by the end of the first day I was already taking steps towards making this world my own.