What Dreams Are Made Of

A Witch From Mercury
Story

Chapter 3

Don't Forget

A Force Battle.

Elan had heard that phrase a few times since he started playing, but he never thought to ask about it. Whatever it was, it must have been pretty serious, as Lauda Neil glared at them like they'd been charged with murder.

"A Force Battle," Nika whispered, "Is a competitive mission between two Forces (Kind of like guilds). And there are unique rewards for winning."

"So that's it." Elan said, "How do we play then?"

"We don't."

There was an uncomfortable silence, as Lauda took a moment to process that. "What?"

"We can't fight you." Said Chuchu, "We don't have a Force yet. And even if we did, we've no reason to accept."

"We'd need at least a team of five," Suletta explained.

"I'm more of an observer," Miyuki added.

"Our newbie here is still Rank F." Said Chuchu.

"And even then, we're still one player short. So we don't even have enough people to form a team."

Lauda's temper died almost immediately, replaced with a terrible feeling of embarrassment.

"Well, that really blew up in your face, didn't it?" Secilia teased, "All that talk about 'avenging your reputation', just to get turned down flat! You might be a bigger fool than your brother!"

Lauda tugged on his hair, looking away from his teammates in shame. Elan had never known him to get so emotional, but he was quickly learning not to let anything surprise him in this world.

"Hey, don't be so hard on him!" Said Shadi, "I wish I could see that kind of passion from you, some time."

"Hmph!"The girl scoffed, "Passion just leads to people making fools of themselves. Case in point."

They'd only just met, and the Angels had spent most of their time picking on each other. These guys were supposed to be friends?

"Looks like that's off the table, for now," Said Rouji, as he fiddled with his Haro-hat, "But I'd still like to see them in action. They did beat Guel twice in a row."

"Hmmm..." Shadi mulled it over for a while. "Perhaps we could give you a little push in the right direction..." He brought up his virtual tablet, displaying a bird-like mech, its features hidden in shadow. It was a battle mission:

THE MARTIAN TERROR

"This event mission just dropped, a few days ago." Zenelli explained, "A Serial Battle, with some IBO suits. It's a bit above your level, but if you could beat Guel, I'm sure you can handle this. And, it should bag you enough Diver Points for a Rank Up."

Elan was more than a bit suspicious, and he wasn't the only one.

"You're just trying to get a free viewing, so you can get our battle data." Miyuki said.

"Yes." Said Rouji, shamelessly.

"But, you have a lot to gain from it." Shadi added, "And it'll boost your ranks. Some of you could even make Rank C."

The group thought on it for a moment. "I could use some more practice." Said Elan, who was still getting used to GBN's style of play.

"And making Rank C could be a huge boon for us." Nika chimed in. "We'll finally get our own special moves!"

Suletta thought it over.

"If that's not enough," Said Shadi, "I'll sweeten the deal. I'll join you for this mission, and your victory will be all but assured. I'll even forfeit my part of the reward."

Elan felt like he was being condescended to, a feeling he knew more than he'd like. Suletta, on the other hand, had made up her mind on the spot.

"We'll do it!" She said, burning with passion.

"Really? That was easier than expected." Said Shadi, "Alright then, let me get my Gunpla ready and..."

"No." Suletta told him, "We'll do this without you."

"Come again?"

Chuchu stepped up, fully behind the girl. "You offered to help, because you don't think we're up to it." She said, "Sorry, but we're not just going to let that slide."

Suletta shook her head. "That's not it." She said, "If we can't beat this mission without your help, then we don't deserve to win. Besides, if I didn't take this mission. it would be like running away. I don't want to run away; I want to move forward."

"If you move forward, you gain two. Right?"

"Eh?" Suletta looked at Elan like he'd started speaking Gaelic.

"Nothing." The boy said, embarassed, "Just forget I said anything."

Shadi, however, seemed positively thrilled. "Excellent!" He said, "That kind of spirit is what I love to see. Show me how you battle, when the odds are stacked against you!"

The redhead clicked confirm, and their avatars were pulled from the lobby, and onto the battlefield.

The team found themselves in an urban battleground, surrounded by dilapidated buildings and, beyond that, an endless desert. There were homes scattered about the place, but few of them rose higher than their mobile suits. Whatever kind of city this was, it was hardly a thriving metropolis. The arena did have a distinctly Martian flavour, as blood-red sand poked through cracks in the road, carried through town by the dry breeze. Just looking at the place made Elan feel thirsty. Chuchu got into position, ducking behind one of the buildings that hadn't yet turned to dust. If nothing else, this place seemed perfect for snipers. Elan followed suit, taking some cover for himself and peeking through the rifle scope.

He saw them, off in the distance, kicking up crimson dust as they sped toward the town. "Mobile suits incoming." Said Elan, as they closed in, and their yellow eyes gleamed in the sun. "About ten of them, by the looks of it. Forest green, with mono-eyes. Slim build and a sort of muzzle-shaped head. The one at the front has white armour."

"Sounds like Grazes." Said Chuchu. "This is an Iron Blooded Orphans mission, after all." The two snipers opened fire, taking out the ones on the side without trouble.

Elan smiled as an emerald beam hit two of the stragglers, turning their heads to vapor. His aim was as sharp as ever. But, those things moved fast, and his rate of fire was slow. Two Grazes still remained, speeding toward Aerial and peppering it with machinegun fire. Not that it would help them.

Their bullets were no match for the Aerial's shield, and its beam rifle dispatched them almost as quickly as Elan's arquebus. All that was left was the custom suit, but it barely had time to draw its axe, before a beam saber pierced its white head.

Just like that, it was done.

"Strange." Said Elan, "They made it sound a lot harder."

"That was just Phase One, dummy." Said Charlotte, "We've still got four to go!" Oh, so that's what they meant by Serial Battle. Every time he logged on, Elan felt like he'd studied trigonometry, only to be given a test in calculus.

Phase Two was a squad of Geirail Scharfrichters. They weren't much trouble either. The shields on their arms were surprisingly tough, but once Elan and Suletta got airborne, their domed heads melted as easily as a Graze. If anything, the biggest challenge was trying to say the name right. Then Phase Three: A trio of Helmwige Reincars. They looked like a set of armoured bulls, on two legs, and they moved like it too. Their massive greatswords made short work of Elan and Chuchu's cover, but Aerial's GUND Bits kept them busy, giving the three some much needed distance. With their targets distracted, the rest of the battle was easy.

"Three down!" Said Suletta, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Nice work, guys."

"Couldn't have done it without you." Said Elan. It was true. The first two battles he might have taken alone, but those Reincars were faster than they looked. Even Pharact's great speed would have had trouble keeping up with all of them.

"Time for an Intermission." Said Chuchu, "You need to do some repairs, now's the time to do it."

And he did. Elan's Gundam had taken a nasty blow to the leg. He'd underestimated the reach of those greatswords. The damage was nothing major, but it could cost him dear, if he ended up grounded. Elan sat alone, as he waited for Pharact to get patched up. He didn't want the girls to worry, but something was bothering him, and he needed some time to think.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He turned around, expecting to see Suletta, or Chuchu. But instead...

"Anastasha?" He said, recognising the dark-haired girl, instantly. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you could use some company."

"No," he said, "I mean how did you get here? How can you just jump into someone else's mission like this?"

"I have ways." Said Ana, dismissively, "Besides, I wanted to see how you piloted."

Elan was, in all honesty, kind of annoyed. "You've been following me a lot." He said, "I saw you waiting outside my house last night too. Do you have some sort of angle here?"

She laughed him off. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of me?" She teased, "You think I might be some kind of stalker."

"I think you're the most suspicious person I've ever met." He said, "And believe me, that's a very high bar."

"You hand out with shady people a lot?" She asked, "I'd say that makes you pretty fishy yourself."

"I'm serious." Said Elan, "You show up out of nowhere, you follow me online, and offline, you make me say things I never tell anyone else, and then you disappear the moment I look away."

"I don't make you say anything." She insisted, "You just feel like you can share your thoughts with me." She wasn't wrong. Even now, Elan couldn't help but feel strangely comfortable around the girl. They'd know each other a whole three days, yet he felt as if he could tell her anything, and she'd understand. It was the kind of feeling he couldn't fully explain. It kind of scared him, but he also kind of enjoyed it. "So, anything you wanna share with me?"

The let out a deep sigh. "This place bothers me." He said, "Seeing this place, torn and broken, somewhere people used to live. It's depressing." He stared wistfully at a crumbled house, where a ragged doll laid half-buried in the sand. "I think I used to live somewhere like this..."

"You think?"

"I don't remember much of my childhood." He explained, "There are bits and pieces, but it's hard to pin anything down. It wasn't a very happy life; I know that much."

"Does it really matter what your life was like before?" Ana asked him, "You've got something good now, don't you?"

"I know." Said Elan, "I just got so used to living with, well, nothing. No friends, no goals, no future, not even a past. Until I few days ago, I was so desperate to have something - anything - that even a bad memory might have satisfied me."

"But you have more than that now, don't you?"

"Yeah..." He said, "Sorry, I probably sound really childish."

"A little bit," said Ana, "But, we all get like that."

"Thanks." Elan pulled himself from his melancholy. "Well, I've told you about me." He said, "What about you? Who are you, Ana, and why are you following me?"

She took a long hard look at him, almost staring into his soul. Had her eyes always been red?

"It doesn't matter who I am." She said, smiling, "What matters is I'm here for you."

"What?" A look of recognition fell upon his face. He'd heard that before. "Ana..." He said, "Where did you hear that? Who..."

"Who are you talking to?"

He turned around, and there the girls were. They looked very concerned. Made sense. He must have looked terrified.

"Oh..." He said, catching his breath. "I was..." He looked again and, just as before, Ana had disappeared.

"Elan, is everything alright?"

"You didn't see anyone?" He asked, gesturing to the bench where Ana had sat mere moments ago, "There- there was a girl. She was dressed in black, with dark skin, and..."

"What are you talking about?" Said Miyuki, raising an eyebrow, "No one else can get in here, except us." Elan shook his head in disbelief. Was he going crazy? "You've been acting very strange, lately."

"I don't know." He told them, "Maybe I just need some more sleep."

The boy felt a hand on his back. It was Suletta's. "Do you need to stop?" She asked, "We can always take this again."

"No, I'm fine." He lied, "I just need a second to pull myself together." He manufactured a smile. "Besides, we're almost there. No point in backing out now, right?"

After that came Phase Four: the sub-boss. And it was, in all fairness, a pretty decent challenge. The mobile suit they face was called a Reginlaze: a fancier Graze-type mobile suit in black and yellow. In theory, this was supposed to be a support unit. But in this mission it proved surprisingly dangerous. It's loadout was nothing special - just a railgun and a short sword - but that was all it needed. Not only did the railgun pack a serious punch, cutting through multiple targets in one shot, but its range outclassed even Elan's. Not only that, traps had been set around the battlefield. Those small buildings, which had been so useful as cover, were now filled with high power explosives. Every time they got close to one, they risked getting blasted, and leaving themselves in the open.

"Elan!" Yelled Suletta, "I need your help with something!"

"What is it?"

"I need you to play decoy for a while!" She said, "Keep that thing busy and try to bring it closer to us!" Bring it closer. That would be difficult, with that long range weapon on it. But, they were running low on options, and any plan was better than nothing.

Elan took to the sky, accelerating to max speed as fast as he could. He soared through the air, as projectiles ripped past him, barely missing his Gundam. The speed of those railgun blasts was truly something else, but thankfully his Gunpla was just that little bit faster. He slipped right past the Reginlaze, changing course on the spot and descending on his target, beam sword at the ready. But then, the boss' steel sword came into play, blocking Elan's strike with the power of videogame logic.

It raised its fist to punch him, and Elan pulled back on instinct. This, sadly, left him wide open. The Reginlaze raised its gun, wielding it in one hand, and fired. And there went his right arm. From this point on, Elan would have to give up on shooting, or try and aim his gun with one hand. The mecha fired again, Elan was ready this time. He pulled up, flying over the boss' head and firing twin beams from his feet. The first blast shot wide, but the second one struck the Reginlaze in the knee, crippling its movement on land. It shot at Pharact again, but its moment had passed. Elan would never let that thing hit him again. He weaved around the robot, as violet light filled the air, missing every shot. The damn thing still barely moved from its spot, but that didn't matter, as a pair of shields slammed against its side, sending it flying.

Elan's stunt had given the others just enough time to close the distance.

Aerial charged the boss again, swinging its sabre wide. The Reginlaze took to the air, barely dodging her blade, but Elan was ready with his own. He sliced down the targets back, damaging its boosters and leaving it sputtering in the air. The robot was left a sitting duck, as the blue and white shield split apart, its Bits circling around the target before blasting it into scrap metal.

"Thanks for the save..." Said Elan, as his sword went out like a light.

Aerial's pilot gave him a thumbs up. "No problem!" She said, "But, your arm..."

Elan stared at the mess of twisted metal and frayed wires, where an arm had once been. "It'll be fine." He told her, "I've still got my beam sabre, and my GUND Bits. I'll make do."

Chuchu, however, was less worried and more critical. "The hell happened back there?" She said, "You could have taken that punch just fine! Instead, you left yourself open."

Elan tried to play it cool. "Reflexes, I guess."

Charlotte was not impressed. "Those reflexes lost you a damn arm!" She yelled, "If you get hit like that again..."

Her rant was interrupted, by a great rumbling in the earth, the dunes began to part, rising up until the mound dwarfed even their Gunpla. The final boss revealed itself, bursting from the sand with a dreadful, inorganic screech. What they faced could only be described as a vicious, metal raptor, its body nothing but points and sharp edges. A pair of talons dug into the earth, making the arena tremble as it spread its pale wings. A long wire slid from the back of its head, cutting the air with its serrated blade, and its orange visor glowed with malevolent energy.

"Oh crap!" Said Charlotte, "It's Hashmal!"

"It's what?"

"The mobile armor, from season two..." Said Suletta, "It's a terrible weapon from a forgotten time. Mikazuki lost a leg to that thing."

"It's even bigger than the show!" Yelled Charlotte.

They wouldn't have much time to talk strategy, as the Hashmal's visor opened, revealing a long, thin gun barrel. The weapon crackled with energy, growing stronger and stronger until an energy beam burst from its head, and split the ground in two. The screech it made was almost deafening. Elan and the others barely got out of the way in time. Shadi wasn't joking when he said this mission was above their rank.

"How are we even supposed to fight this!?" Said Chuchu, as they ducked behind a cluster of buildings, "We're gonna get destroyed at this rate!"

"Ok, hang on a second." Said Elan, "I think I have an idea."

"Well, let's hear it."

"I can use my GUND Bits to stun parts of the mobile armour." He explained, "It might be too big to immobilize it fully, but we can give ourselves an opening, at least. Then we can shoot it from a distance, while the bits keep it occupied."

"That's a good start." Said Suletta, "But how are you going to shoot with just one arm?"

He turned to Charlotte. "I need to borrow your shield."

The mouse girl was not the type to share her gear, but they didn't have many options. "Fine." She grumbled, handing him the shield, "But you owe me for this, and it's not gonna be cheap."

The little drones flew into action, surrounding Hashmal and piercing it with its wire thin beams. He took special care to aim at the boss' head, wings and tail. Pharact's GUND Bits worked a little differently than they did in Ad Stella. Not only did they stun their target, they also dealt consistent damage. A small amount, granted, but a pleasant surprise all the same. The metal armour groaned loudly as it turned its head, ever so slowly. It wasn't quite stunned (that would be too easy), but it was slowed considerably. That giant laser would be less of a problem now.

Elan slid his gun barrel through the hole in Chuchu's shield. His scope would be useless now, but it kept the arquebus stable. He let of a few shots, aiming right at the head. Green energy pelted the bird's skull, leaving a few smouldering dents. Its massive size made it an easy target, but Elan was going for something smaller: The Hashmal's laser cannon.

Charlotte took aim with her rifle, firing at the tail as it swung its blade. She dealt no damage, sadly, but it did keep the things melee weapon at bay, letting Suletta move in. Her own GUND Bits flew over the monster, keeping it distracted as she took shots with her own beam gun. The blade slashed at her again, cutting Aerial in the side. A good hit, but it left the mobile armour wide open. The Bits turned on the swinging blade, concentrating fire on the weapon. It was not an easy shot, but when she had ten different drones firing on a single target, she'd have to hit something eventually. The sword cut through the air, taking out a couple Bits for its trouble, but eventually they hit their mark, severing the wire. "Yes!" The redhead cried, as the blade fell from the sky and buried itself in the ground. One weapon was down, and the other severely hampered. Perhaps this battle wasn't the nightmare they expected.

But they underestimated their opponent.

The mobile armour scraped its talons against the earth, turning on the spot and kicking a huge cloud of dust into the air. The sand messed with his GUND Bits, blocking the thin beams that had slowed the beast down. With that, Hashmal was unleashed, and they were about to learn just how dangerous it really was. Its beam cannon finally finished charging and, in moments, Pharact's bits were blown to pieces, leaving only a couple behind. With its body now unbound, the mobile armour leapt into the air, and descended upon Elan like a metal meteor. The boy held his gun at the ready, but the boss' claws spread open. Just as he squeezed the trigger, six long, spear-like projectiles slammed against his shield, knocking it, and the arquebus, out of his hands. There went his main offense. He drew his sword. Not that he could do much at this point, but he couldn't just sit there and do nothing.

Hashmal's claws pierced the ground, tearing up pieces of the earth as it tried to impale the Pharact. This was the worst position to be in. Elan's Gunpla was not built for ground combat, or close quarters. Worse, each stomp left deep craters in the land, making it even harder to maneuver on land. If he fell in one of those pits, he was shish kebab.

Luckily, he still had one ace in the hole.

Those two remaining GUND Bits soared through the air, their beam piercing Hashmal's leg and giving Elan just enough time to dive out from under its foot. Seizing the moment, Elan took a slash at the thing, leaving a molten gash in its leg. It tried to give chase, but those last two Bits hampered its movements, allowing him to make a speedy getaway.

"Are you alright?" Suletta asked, as Elan took cover behind the rubble of a dozen broken homes.

"Sort of." He said, "But I'm down to emergency weapons only." He stared back at their target. This battle was like a mountain, slick with rain and damn near unclimbable. But for all their struggles, they had managed to chip a small foothold in this mountain. While the boss was busy dealing with Pharact's GUND Bits, the free have them had struck it with a barrage of gunfire. And their effort had paid off, if only a little. A few chips in the armour, exposing steel-plated bones and frayed wires. This Hashmal was far larger than its TV counterpart, but that size was paid for with weaker armour.

"If we can get a shot at those holes," Said Charlotte "We might have a chance."

"That's a very big if." Elan replied, "We'd need to get in closer, and that thing moves fast."

"You move faster." Suletta pointed out, "If you keep it busy, we can get in there and blow it away."

The boy thought about it. "Maybe." He said, "But that beam cannon has a huge range. If it hits me, I'm done. Maybe if I stun its head first..." Elan looked back, just in time to see Hashmal's claws rip his last GUND Bits apart. "Nevermind..." He said, "Death or glory it is."

Aerial gave him a thumbs up. "Go get 'em, tiger!" Said its pilot, as Gundam Pharact took to the sky, one more time. He whooshed past the mobile armour at the speed of sound. The moment he was behind the thing, he fired off his foot cannons once more. A glancing blow, but it was enough to get the monstrosity's attention. It wheeled around, swinging its leg like a scythe and missing him by mere inches. He expected it to give chase, but no. There was no need. Not when it still had that laser at its disposal. But, that gave the teen an idea. The lens would be left open for a short time after the blast. If he moved fast enough...

The head split open, and the cannon fired again. But this time, Elan was ready for it. He spun out of the way, turning over in the air, aiming himself at the lens. And then, he slammed he accelerator, bursting forward with his beam sabre at the ready, almost like a lance. He plunged the beam into Hashmal's mouth, but it just barely missed the mark. No matter. All he had to do was tear his blade through the lens and... Oh no. The gap was already starting to close, catching his remaining arm in a vice. Elan panicked, tugging at his arm until the armour split, wires strained and ripped apart, and his mobile suit was left armless, with little to defend himself. A violet light filled his vision, and he knew right then that it was over. Powerless, and facing death by incineration. He couldn't help but feel a sense of grim nostalgia.

Everything went white.

Elan had never died in Gundam Battle, until now. He didn't know what to expect, but returning to the main lobby seemed the most logical outcome.

But he wasn't in the main lobby, or even the arena. He was...

...Elsewhere.

Stars. A whole sea of them, surrounding Elan on all sides. Black mobile suits drifted through space, in pieces. Not just a few of them, but dozen! It was as if he'd woken up in a mecha graveyard. Was this what happened when you fell in battle? No. That would be an interesting artistic touch, but this didn't feel like a Game Over screen. Not only that, those mobile suits looked weirdly familiar. It was hard to make out details when he was staring at black on black, but he'd seen these things before.

He turned around in space, and what he saw next, he recognised immediately. A huge asteroid chunk floated through the void. And on it sat a facility Elan knew all too well. Four circular buildings surrounded a central plaza, out of which rose a pale spire. There was no mistaking it. This was Asticassia School of Technology. But how as that possible? How could he be back here when he was supposed to be dead? Was this a dream? Had the past three days been just a dream? What the hell was going on!?

Thankfully, he was snapped from his existential crisis, when a familiar voice echoed through the radio.

"Mr Elan?"

Mister?

He turned again, and there it was. The Aerial, floating toward him through space with open arms. "Mr Elan!" Said the girls voice, "It's ok! They're gone now!" They're gone? Who were "they" supposed to be? "Mr Elan?" She asked, as she reached out to him, "Are you alright?"

He couldn't tell her, as his vision filled with white light again, and the world around him, disappeared.

"Mr Elan!?"

"Elan?"

The boy opened his eyes, and a comforting sight welcomed him. That soft, tan face, the wild red hair, and those gentle blue eyes.

"Suletta... Mercury?"

"Mercury?" The girl asked, her tanuki ears wriggling in confusion, "Elan, what are you talking about?"

He looked around. They were back on Mars, still in the game.

"What happened?"

"You got wiped out, moron. What else?" That voice, it couldn't have been anyone but Chuchu. "Didn't think you would black out like that though. Not like you bought it for real."

"What about the boss?" He asked, "Did we lose?"

"Nope!" Suletta told him, cheerfully, "We got him!" Elan glanced behind her. The steel monstrosity laid on its side, its corpse smoking. "Your arm, kept Hashmal's cannon open, just a little bit. It gave us enough space to get a shot in. Once we broke the lens, it dropped on the spot."

"Guess your little screw up worked out after all." Said Charlotte, annoying as ever. "Least we got a Rank Up out of it." Elan brought up his virtual tablet. Just as she said, that big, red F had been replaced with a D.

Then there was the sound of clapping, as Shadi stepped onto the scene. "Nice work, you three!" He said, "You pulled through, just like I hoped." The young man pulled up his own tablet, and played back a recording of their battle. "And you all performed beautifully, I must say. Especially you, Miss Megumi." The footage showed the Aerial in action, its shield splitting into a set of GUND Bits. "Using your fin funnels to form a shield. Very creative." He turned to Elan, "As for you, I'm impressed by your Gunpla's speed, but I can't say I've ever seen someone fight like that."

"Fight like what?" Elan asked.

"Hmmm, how do I put this?" Said Shadi, "The way you react, you pilot your Gunpla as if you were in a real battle, instead of a videogame. Where did you learn to fight like this?"

Elan tried to deflect. "Just comes to me naturally, I guess."

"Interesting, interesting." The blonde boy said, "However, that style of piloting is going to cost you." He played back a pair of clips: one of Pharact pulling away from the Reginlaze, and taking a shot for its trouble, and another of him tearing his arm off in a panic. "If you keep treating this like a real-life battle, you're only going to limit yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll figure it out." Shadi said, "But for now, I have to get back to the others. We only have a short time left, after all." He walked away, his kimono flowing in the wind. "I'm looking forward to our first match, friends."

Chuchu scoffed at that. "Friends, he says. What a creep..." She stretched herself out in the warm, Martian sun. "Whadda' you think? We gonna take them up on that Force Battle?"

"Yeah." Said Suletta, "I think I am. I don't know if we can beat them, but I'd still like to give it a shot."

"We just need to find a fifth player, right?" Said Elan, "Do you have any thoughts?"

"I guess I could fill the spot, in theory." Miyuki said, "But I don't have much experience, or a custom Gunpla. Like I said, I prefer to watch."

"What about you, flyboy?" Asked Chuchu, "Anyone in your class who plays GBN?"

"A few." He said, "But most of them are in the A-SEC Angels."

"And the rest?"

"Guel."

They sighed in unison. "I guess we'll have to figure it out as we go along." Said the redhead. "At least we beat our goal for the day. See you here tomorrow?"

"You know it."

With that, they high-fived each other, and returned to the real world.

"Lost your appetite?"

Elan looked up from his dinner: curry ramen. He'd been chewing that one mouthful for the past two minutes. Ms Winston was, it turned out, a pretty good cook. But his mind wasn't on food right now. "Just got a lot on my mind." That was an understatement. Not only did he have to find a fifth member to join their Force but, more importantly, what on earth was going on with Ana? And that... vision. Was that a dream, a near-death experience? Had he somehow escaped his execution and dreamt this entire world? He'd been here half a week, and it felt like he knew less than when he'd arrived. "Sorry, I think I'm gonna take a break." He said, at last, "I'll come back and finish this later."

"Well, alright." Said Belmeria, as he made his way up, "Oh! Don't forget your cousin Aaron will be coming to stay with us next week! We'll need to make space for..." Elan barely heard her. He had enough to process already. It was just one of those days.

He collapsed on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He started to wonder: did it really matter if any of this was real? His friends, his family, the thrill of Gunpla Battle. There was a lot to enjoy here. But, was that just because he believed in it? If this world, and everything in it, was all a lie, were the happiness he felt also a lie? Or was that feeling all that really mattered? It hurt to think about, and not just on a mental level.

Elan rolled over on his bed. He would never get any sleep like this. He need something, anything to take his mind off all these questions. Then he saw it. The box: that birthday present Suletta gave him, the first gift he'd ever received. It hadn't left his box since he got it. And he did need something to take his mind off of things. Why not? He sat at his desk, opening a drawer and finding his tools on the first try. Then he got to work, cutting the pieces of their runners, sanding them down, applying stickers, and even doing the panel lining. It was the first build of his life (that he knew of), yet his hands moved quickly and precisely. Building a Gunpla came as naturally as breathing.

Elan wasn't even half done at the end of the night, but he went to bed feeling satisfied, like he'd accomplished something. Those questions still plaguing his mind? They were forgotten, at least for now.
Closing his eyes, the boy relaxed, and let himself drift off, embraced by the darkness once more.

To Be Continued...

I'm going to try setting myself a weekly schedule, releasing a new chapter every Friday at 16:00 EST. Depending on how this goes, I may make this permanent, or even set up a twice-a-week schedule. If you'd rather just see me update as soon as I can, please don't be afraid to let me know.