Chapter 0

'...Um... Why am I...?'

Looking around, the man had no recollection as to how or when he found himself sitting on a moving train headed for who knows where. However, that wasn't the only mystery he had to deal with right now though.

No, the more present, and arguably more important one, happened to literally be sitting across from him with a smile on her beautiful face framed by long, sky blue hair with bangs covering one of her crimson eyes. Her most striking feature though, was the ornate, halo like object floating behind and just above her head in the same same color as her hair.

'...Do I know her? I mean, I don't think I do but then... I can't say that I don't though...' wondered the very much confused man as he examined the girl in front of him.

"Is something the matter?" asked the mystery girl in a clear, bell like voice tinged with a hint of concern.

"...That's, actually a good question..." he answered honestly, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Hmm?"

"See, I... um, seem to be having some memory issues, or something like that..."

"Like amnesia or something?"

The man shook his head and sighted while looking down at the ground, rubbing his brow a bit. "Maybe? I mean, I can recall stuff like my name, or things that I apparently know how to do, like cooking and stuff like that. But yeah, I can't remember anything else. Not my age, where I'm from, family, friends, what I was doing before now... All of it is just, completely gone..." He then looked back up at the mysterious beauty wearing a long white coat accented with blue trimming bearing an unknown insignia with 3 stars underneath it on her coat's upper left sleeve over a matching white high collared formal style dress with a dark blue tie, black stockings, and a pair of white dress boots. '...That's one fancy getup, huh. She looks to be around her mid to late teens, so maybe a student then? Though who knows. She might just be way older... Actually, I guess it doesn't matter either way, just forget that for now...'

"Not that I mind the attention, but you're staring at me awfully hard there. What, is there something on my face?" asked the girl with a slightly playful tone, quickly bringing the man out of his thoughts and back to reality.

"...Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just wondering what the uniform was about and stuff like that. You a student or something?"

The mystery girl closed her eyes and put a finger to her chin in an obvious 'thinking pose'. "... might be a little hard to explain... Well, I guess you could say that I was the Student Council President back home, but now? I'm, not sure..." The man didn't fail to notice the sad, melancholic smile as she spoke.

'Crap! Gotta change the subject quick!' "...So, where's this train headed? And, um, why is there nobody else here?" Honestly, the man meant to say something else but his curiosity at this strange situation was just too much for him 'not' to ask about. Fortunately for him, the girl also needed a distraction from whatever it was she was thinking about. Besides, they wouldn't have much longer before they would have to part ways...

The girl nodded. "Yes, you and I are most definitely the only ones on this train. Oh, but we aren't headed for the same place though."

That last bit piqued his interest. "...So does that mean we know each other then? Or maybe that we met somewhere before?"

The girl slowly shook her head, offering the man a slight smile. "No. This is the first time we've met."

"Oh, well damn. But wait, how do you know the next stop's mine then? Did I tell you or-" But, before the man could hear the girl's answer-

[Next stop: Kivotos-LOST! I repeat, next stop: Kivotos-LOST! For all those disembarking, please remember to take all your belongings and exit through the doors on on the train's left. I repeat, for all those disembarking, please reme...-]

"Looks it's time for us to part," said the mystery girl, giggling a bit at the slightly surprised look on the man's face.

"A shame really, but that's all the time we have, unfortunately."

"Man, and I still have no clue what's going on either...," the man sighed, shaking his head as he, somewhat reluctantly, got up to leave. "...Y'know, I get the distinct feeling that I don't really have a choice here, huh? Either I follow directions and get off on my own, or I'll get thrown off or something... At least, that's what my gut says, anyway."

"You've got some sharp instincts," the girl said, genuinely impressed. "Anyway, I know that you've got a lot of questions and I know that this is more than a little unreasonable coming from someone you don't even know, but there's a really, really important favor I'd like to ask of you..."

The man blinked, wondering why it was that this mystery girl was being so weird and serious at the last second like this before gesturing for her to continue. 'Still have no clue what the hell's going on, but I can least hear her out I guess.'

"Just, try your best to look out for them. Those girls you'll be seeing soon I mean... Make sure they feel safe and loved."

"...I, don't have a clue what you're talking about, but sure," the man replied with a nod before turning to head towards the now open door, the train's earlier message still playing in the background. "Well, I'll do my best, anyway."

The girl nodded as she all but whispered her reply, grateful for the man at least humoring her to listen to her rather sudden and out of the blue request. "...Thank you."

With a final nod, the man let out one last resigned sigh before making his way off the train, slowly vanishing like a desert mirage without him even noticing, leaving the mysterious, sky blue haired girl in white behind as the train slowly resumed its journey to wherever her next stop was.

The girl closed her eyes and let out a sigh, her thoughts tinged with a hint of sadness and other subtle, complex emotions. '...I suppose it didn't matter what his answer was in the end since he'd forget everything again anyway. Still, I'm glad he said yes.' The girl couldn't help but feel her lips curve upwards ever so slightly. '...Really. Even if you aren't the same 'Sensei' I knew, you're still you, huh,' the girl mused before finally relaxing now that her final task was finished and succumbing to the heavy weariness she'd been holding in. "...I just know, that I can leave the rest in your hands, Sensei... You'll, definitely be able... to protect, and... sho..."

Satisfied that everything would turn out for the best in the end and having finally managed to fall asleep, both the train and its lone passenger were slowly engulfed in a profoundly deep yet comforting darkness.

- Elsewhere, in a completely different time, place and world -

"...Dammit...!" grumbled a girl with long, voluminous silver hair tied up in 2 long twintails with bangs covering her her left eye. Her name was Shiromi Iori, Gehenna student and member of its Prefect Team-well, she was one of its few remaining survivors anyway. 'Just who the hell was that black suited bastard anyway, and why was he after Sensei? Then there were those metal golem freaks with him too...' She shook her head. 'Forget it. It doesn't matter who they were or what their reasons were-for now, I just have to focus on trying to find Hina and the others!' With that thought pushing her forward, Iori picked up the pace as she ran through the empty streets of Kivotos' now burning and smoke filled Gehenna District.

- A little while later -

Cutting through a few alleys, slowly making her way northwest towards the border with the Millennium District, Iori could hear the desperate but determined shouts and deafening gunfire of her fellow Prefect Team members and other Gehenna students as they did everything they could to fight back against the invading golems, who were doing everything they could to destroy them and their home.

'...Tch! I know complaining would be pointless right now, but damn does this su-Huh!?' In a moment of adrenaline fueled heightened awareness, Iori stopped dead in her tracks before near immediately jumping back as a barely noticeable flash of silver came aiming for her neck only to crash into the ground right where she stood only seconds earlier. 'Too close! Way too freaking close!'

Pulling its steel claw from the cracked concrete it struck, the armored golem monstrosity slowly stood back up while turning its empty, featureless helmet for a head towards Iori as she quickly took a few more steps back, rifle at the ready and aimed squarely at its exposed chest plate.

"-...!"

Half a second later, and before the golem could make another move, Iori quickly pulled the trigger and blew a hole into its barely exposed chest, dropping it where it stood.

Letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and after making damn sure there were no other enemies around, Iori lowered her rifle and wiped her sweat covered brow. 'Honestly. These things might be tough but I'm glad they have a clear and easy enough target for us to aim at. Still, there's way too many of them and not enough of us... And then there's Sensei being left alone with that black suited bastard too...! Dammit Hina, where the hell are you!?'

- At a restaurant currently being used as a makeshift shelter -

"...And There! You're all patched up...!" reassuringly declared Hinomiya Chinatsu as she finished bandaging up a little boy and his sister. It was at times like this when her true gentle and caring nature really showed through the aloof and cool image many mistook her for having. And though she had mixed feelings about it, Chinatsu couldn't deny how grateful she was-especially during times like these-for her extensive field experience as a veteran Prefect Team combat medic.

"Thank you Chinatsu-oneechan!" chirped up the little boy she'd just treated, giving her a big and wide smile. The boy's little sister quickly followed suit with a bow and her own words of thanks before the pair ran off to rejoin their parents. Just then, a short and petite girl with long white hair came into the storage room they were currently using as a makeshift infirmary.

"...You really should take a break, Chinatsu. You've been working nonstop for almost 7 hours now," said Sorasaki Hina, leader of the Prefect Team, which served as Gehenna Academy's main 'disciplinary armed forces'. Hina herself wasn't just feared in her own District, but throughout all of Kivotos as a literal 'one-woman army'. She was also someone who has a tendency, due to her own overly diligent and responsible nature, to overwork herself despite all her complaints and the somewhat aloof and indifferent attitude she tends to portray to others.

Chinatsu quietly giggled. "That'd be the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? After all, you and the girls from Problem Solver 68 have been fighting off wave after wave of those golems for days now with next to no rest yourselves, right?"

"I'm the Head Prefect. It's my duty, as utterly troublesome as it is, to deal with Gehenna's enemies ...and protect whoever we can while we're at it."

"And it's my job to make sure you and all those you help stay in tip top shape," Chinatsu smoothly reminded before asking the Head Prefect what was really on her mind; a note of concern clearly present in her normally calm voice. "So, have you heard from either Iori or Ako yet? ...What about Sensei?"

Hina shook her head. "No, nothing yet. The enemy's jamming is just too thick so all our comm-lines are a still total mess. As for Sensei, well... he's likely still at the Sanctum Tower with the one who instigated this whole mess."

"You managed to run into some Justice Task Force Members earlier, right? Did they say anything about Trinity or any of the other Districts?" Chinatsu asked, hoping for any bit of good news in this midst of this chaotic mess. Sadly, Hina dashed whatever small hopes the combat medic had dared to hold on to.

"Trinity's District might be doing worse than we are, considering the whole mess that went down during the Eden Treaty signing..," Hina tiredly replied, rubbing her temple just thinking back to how everything just spiraled out of control after that whole mess. "...And just when I thought we'd finally achieved something like 'real peace' too... sigh. As for Millennium, what's left of Seminar are rallying the remnants of the other schools' students to try and get to Sensei, but since the enemy has basically split Kivotos in half... we're essentially all on our own."

"...Hey. Do you think we can still make it out of this mess in one piece then?" Chinatsu asked, eyes closed and not at all expecting anything even close to a positive answer.

Hina, who was now sitting next to her, gun at her side, took a long drink from her half empty water bottle before shaking her head. "...I really don't know."

Silence fell between the two after that little exchange, neither really knowing what to say next at this point. A freakishly long minute later, another member of the Prefect Team came running in, a look of utter panic and confusion on her face. "Head Prefect, Hinomiya-senpai! You both need to come outside and see this!"

Not liking where this was going, Hina quickly stood up, picking up her gun as she did so. "What happened?"

"..I, I don't really know Ma'am! I was just finishing up my patrol when I spotted a strange burst of light coming from the Sanctum Tower, and before I realized what I was seeing, the whole tower was completely swallowed up before that strange light quickly started swallowing everything up everything in its path!"

"...The Sanctum Tower!? But, but that's where Sensei is!" Hina all but shouted out in a rarely ever seen display of raw, unfiltered emotion as worry, fear, and a whole host of other unpleasant feelings quickly flooded her tiny frame, threatening to completely overwhelm her.

And then, infinitely faster than anyone could have guessed, that very same mysterious bright light came and swallowed them and everyone else present up as well, leaving nothing behind but an empty room devoid of anything even remotely resembling 'alive'.

- At the Sanctum Tower, a few moments earlier -

"You've certainly caused us no end of trouble haven't you, Mr. Lyner," said a man in the black suit. His tone was even, devoid of any real emotion other than a subtle yet unmistakably deep malice. "Not just with what happened in Abydos, but you even managed to successfully foil Beatrice's efforts to sabotage the Eden Treaty signing as well... Really, how so very troublesome..." The man in black said before letting out a bitter chuckle before shrugging his shoulders. "Well, it's a good thing I decided to lend Beatrice a helping hand this time around..." The man then stretched out his gloved right hand and summoned what looked a long, black dagger seemingly out of thin air. "Honestly, I should've taken a page from your book and been more proactive from the start. Then again, I suppose none of that matters much now that it's come to this..."

Lyner, who hadn't said or done a single thing yet, just let the sharply dressed mystery bastard run his mouth until the last possible second before looking up defiantly and playing his last hand. "You're right. None of it matters now since I'm gonna screw you and your well made plans over one more time-Arona! Do it!"

"...What are you-"

"-Yes, Lyner-sensei! Now activating Code: Exodus!"

At those words, the 'Shittim Chest' in Lyner's left jacket pocket began emitting a bright, blinding light that soon resonated with the Sanctum Tower itself, causing it to do glow as well before quickly expanding outwards in every direction and making everyone it touched completely vanish from this world.

"...What!?" Caught totally off guard by what Lyner-or rather, what Arona-had done, the man in black's brows furrowed in obvious confusion as he stopped to look at what was happening.

And then, just as quickly as it started, everything ended just as quickly. The light had finally faded away and left them untouched and unharmed, leaving the man in the black suit to ask just one question, "...What did you do, Mr. Lyner?"

Lyner just smiled, proud that he was at least able to fulfill his final duty as the girls' Sensei."I just did what I had to. Now there's just you, me, your tin can monsters and this here empty city."

It didn't take more than a second before what Lyner said to really sink in, causing the man in black to scowl deeply as he slowly marched up to his wounded, unmoving prisoner and roughly hoisted him up by the collar, his golden eyes now alight with barely restrained fury. "...What. Did. You. DO!?"

Unfazed by the murderous death glare and waves of unfiltered malice being thrown his way, Lyner just gave the man in the black suit the biggest, most triumphant grin of audacity he could manage, consequences be damned. "Me? I just used a nifty little trick I stumbled on a while back to get my girls to safety, that's all," he replied honestly, his already wide grin only growing wider seeing the scowl on the man in black grow that much deeper.

His anger and frustration having reached its limits, the man in black roughly tossed Schale's Sensei to the ground before sending a swift kick to his stomach with just enough force to only make him vomit out whatever

happened to be left in his stomach and not outright put a hole in him.

"...KGH!" 'Fuck, that hurt! Like, really, REALLY hurt...! ...Crap!'

"I must admit that I've wanted to do that for quite a long time now, though it wasn't quite as satisfying as I though it would be... Funny how that works. In any case, there's nothing left for me to do now but admit defeat, I suppose."

"...Ngh! cough! cough! ...You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would, all things considered..."

The man in the black suit just coldly smirked a bit at Lyner's remark, even chuckling a little. "I suppose I am." He then walked over and grabbed Lyner, pulling him to his feet once again. "...And now that it's come to this, there's just one last thing to take care of."

"..."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll be purged for this massive failure soon myself, so you can at least take comfort in that."

"..."

Lyner simply closed his eyes and let whatever happened, happen. He'd done all he could anyway. He couldn't, and wouldn't, ask for anything more...

"I know that this might sound strange, coming from me of all people, but at least know that I'll make this quick. I can't promise it'll be painless though."

Without another word, the man in the black suit reproduced the dame long thin and black dagger from earlier, intent to finish what he started, silently driving into Lyner's chest and finally ending the Sensei of Schale's life and meddling once and for all.

A moment later, and just as he'd expected, the man in the black suit found himself engulfed in black, silvery flames that incinerated him so thoroughly that not even ashes were left behind.

When all was finally said and done...

...all that remained was the now empty corpse of a once great and vibrant city filled to the brim with mindless, shambling armored golems without a master to direct their now pointless, overwhelming violence.

- Elsewhere, in yet another different time, place, and world: Kivotos-LOST -

After getting off the mysterious train he was riding, not that he remembered even riding it, the man found himself looking around, trying desperately to spot anything that might give him a clue as to where he found himself now, only to quickly realize, "Yeah, I have no clue where the hell this is. Freaking, awesome... sigh"

No matter where he looked, there were only cloudy grey clouds above and empty streets lined with nothing but damaged buildings in every direction-it was the very picture of a city in utter ruins.

'...Just, what the hell happened here? And where did everybody go? Did they all run away, or were they...' Those were the sort of thoughts running through the man's head as he slowly and cautiously made his way through the empty city square he found himself in.

Behind him stood a very, very large tower looming over him.

It looked a little damaged here and there but otherwise seemed in relatively better condition than the rest of the city that surrounded it. 'Welp, at least this makes for an undeniably hard to miss landmark if I ever find myself lost...' Looking around, the man wanted to see if there were any doors nearby, as well as whether they were unlocked or not.

After searching around a bit and seeing that the tower was indeed locked up good and tight, the man reluctantly decided to move on and look elsewhere. '...But, which way should I go though?'

After a bit of deliberating, and just plain random whimsy, the man eventually decided to take the path to his furthest right, where Kivotos-LOST's northern School Districts were located.

- A few blocks later, somewhere in the Shanhaijing Secondary Senior School District -

"Heh. I may not be able to remember shit about myself or how I got here, but at least I'm not a total blank slate," the man thought aloud as he took in the clearly 'Eastern' influenced buildings around him. While waling around, the man guessed that his gaps in memory resembled what little he understood of 'retrograde amnesia'. He couldn't recall certain facts about himself from before the onset of his apparent condition-details like his name, where he was from before arriving here in Kivotos-LOST, things like that. On the other hand, he still clearly retained all his skills and knowledge though. 'Funny how that works, huh...'

Just then-

CLINK, CLANK!

"...Huh?" Quickly turning around in the direction of where the sudden, metallic noise came from, the man soon found himself face to face with a little girl who looked to be around 8 or 9 years old staring up at him from behind one of the trash bins she must have knocked over just now.

The girl had long straight black hair wearing a black, short sleeved qipao type outfit with a matching large hat, white leggings, and a cute pair of mary-janes. Overall, the man thought she was a very cute and adorable girl, but he couldn't help but be struck speechless by the strange yet undeniably beautiful light blue halo like object floating behind and just a touch above her head. Quickly shaking his head to get himself back on track, the man decided to try and talk to her. After all, this was the first person he'd seen since he found himself in this mysterious, ruined city.

Naturally, he did his best try and not to scare/provoke the girl, speaking in as honest, simple, and friendly way as he could manage. '...Though I bet I still look awkward and shady as hell though... Seriously. Fuck my life.'

"...Um, hey there Little Miss. Sorry if this is a little sudden but can you te-"

"-...Sensei?"

A seemingly long moment of neither one saying anything later...

"...Huh...!?"

xxx xxx xxx

A/N:

And that wraps up the opening chapter of my newest story.

As you might have noticed, 'parallel worlds' are a very important motif here, but aside from explaining how the students from one Kivotos end up in another, along with very different interpretations of some of 'Blue Archive's antagonists. Hell, even the MC is just one among a whole multiverse.

The main point of divergence between earlier in the chapter and the source game occurs sometime around Volume 3: 'Eden Treaty' though it fully splits after the end of that world's Volume 3 line of events.

Kivotos-LOST represents a world where collapse of the city happened much earlier and thus was left in ruins.

Also, other cities do exist here and some of BA's goofier aspects are done away with here. No talking cats, dogs or robots. Now you'll get androids, proper demi-humans, and native crossover counterparts to characters from other works who call this world home.

And yes, there will 2 Shuns. The one who came from the world shown at the beginning, and the smol Shun native to this world. OCs will also be present aside from the MC, but they're mostly there to fill in the gaps of characters who are mentioned but not shown in any way, like Seminar's other officers.

Well, with that out of the way, I hope you'll enjoy this story!