AN: Hello readers! I have returned with the next part (but still not the last part *shocked gasps*) of Asher's mini arc...

When will it end...

That's a great question since I'm apparently still having a hard time answering that for the last 3 chapters now lol. But I think I have settled to end it at least on Chapter 13 with 14 finally starting back up the events of the main arc (which I actually kinda speculated in a review reply to my surprise chapters ago).

Just a quick heads up, all of these events that occur in this chapter are 2 years in the past in case you get confused at any point in terms of the timing.

That's all I got right now, so I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Please leave a review on anything you liked, think I should work on, or just any questions in general! I enjoy reading them and I will answer them at the end of the next chapter;)


Disclaimer: I do not own A Certain Scientific Railgun/Magical Index or any of its characters...the only things I own are:

1. My characters and

2. my ideas


Project WaveInflux Part 2: The Day of Calamity

2 years ago…

Asher had her hand planted against the wall in front of her as she kept her head bowed down, panting under her breath as she tried to calm herself down.

She was currently standing inside one of the side alleys somewhere in the 7th district, after she had walked out of school before she was even supposed to after getting in a heated argument with Misaka moments before.

Dang it, I'm such a complete idiot…. she thought to herself as laid her forehead against the wall in front of her, feeling waves upon waves of guilt in her chest and upset with herself that it even occurred in the first place.

Of all people for me to snap on, why did I get so angry with her?

How did things get so bad so quickly even to begin with?


A little while ago…

Misaka had a firm grip on Asher's wrist as she dragged her through the halls of Tokiwadai, with Asher staring at her back slightly confused.

Right after she had walked out of her class, Misaka had been standing there and immediately took hold of her wrist with not even a single explanation as to why…

"Mikoto, where are you taking me?" She asked only to be met with silence for another time, feeling her irritation starting to skyrocket even more as she felt her body growing tense.

'Why is acting like this? I haven't even done anything to logically warrant her ignoring me like this?' She thought to herself as her teeth began to clench, feeling herself growing more and more frustrated as time went along for some reason.

After a couple moments, she tried to loosen her grip by rising the gravity around that part of her arm, before electricity sparked from Misaka's hand fast enough and at a high enough power to cancel it out.

"Don't you even dare." Misaka said sternly enough for Asher to look at her in shock, never once hearing such anger within her voice towards her before.

Misaka then turned a tight corner into an empty classroom, practically throwing Asher enough that she nearly lost her balance and slamming the door shut right behind her.

"What the heck is this even about?" Asher asked as Misaka trudged towards her, with her face hidden in the shadows of her hair. "What is wrong with you Mikoto?"

"I should be the one asking you that…" Misaka said angrily. "I can't believe that you're asking that when you know full well what this is about!"

"I honestly don't know what this is about at all, so don't assume what I do and don't know." Asher said as she proceeded to walk towards her. "How would I even have a chance to know, when you literally dragged me right after class without even a single word as to why?"

"You lied…." Misaka said as Asher stiffened in shock. "You've been lying straight to my face for weeks now…you've been telling me that you're fine and nothing is wrong with you when there are numerous signs of proving otherwise! So, I want you to come clean and stop hiding whatever it is from me!"

Asher's eyes widened at that, before she tried to put on a stoic expression on her face.

"There isn't anything wrong with me. I've just been stressed out lat-"

"Zierdan don't give me that crap because I am not going to accept that as an answer today!" Misaka said angrily, cutting her off. "You haven't been acting like yourself at all these past few weeks: snapping out of nowhere towards the teachers or other people, picking fights, skipping class, a whole bunch of things! You've barely slept at all, have crippling headaches each and every day, and you're sitting here trying to tell me that you're okay and it's just stress! That's more than just stress if it's having such an adverse effect on you!"

"You would be surprised with what stress can do to you." Asher said with a sigh, as she looked over at her with a cold gaze. "You do understand that my mother died a few weeks ago. Or that most of these girls in this school are fairly annoying to deal with especially when they try their best to mess with me or talk about me behind my back because of all the stupid rumors surrounding me in general. It's getting on my last nerve, which is something you're starting to do right now surprisingly. Shouting isn't going to solve whatever you're trying to figure out about me, but to say there's something going on with me is about as wrong in the same sense."

Asher tried to leave at that point before she felt Misaka grab her arm, prompting her to look back in annoyance before her expression fell in slight shock from seeing the fallen expression on her face.

"Yes, I get that. I understand these last few weeks have been difficult for you, as I have been with you every step of the way. I am not your enemy in this situation, Zierdan." Misaka said without any of the anger in her voice that was in it previously. "I'm sorry for yelling. I'm just worried about you, alright. Especially on what I found out on what you've been actively hiding from me for a long while now…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Asher asked as she saw Misaka dig down in her skirt and grabbed something out that was folded up in her pocket.

"See for yourself…" Misaka said as she handed it over to her, with Asher hesitantly grabbing it and unfolding it herself.

When she unfolded it completely, her eyes widened at seeing what was heading the document.

'Project WaveInflux? But… h-how did she get this?' She thought to herself, trying to keep up her stoicness to not reveal anything to the girl next to her.

"I think you're starting to grasp at straws, Mikoto." Asher remarked as she handed it over to her. "I have no clue what this is even supposed to be about or how it even applies to me in the slightest."

The room went silent at that, with Misaka releasing a heavy sigh after a little while.

"I kinda figured you were going to say that." Misaka said with an unreadable emotion in her voice. "I have pages upon pages going over this experiment, Zierdan, with me also knowing that you're the center of it all with that jerk at the head of it. He's trying to exploit a certain part of your esper ability that we both know is very damaging towards you if you extensively use it 24/7."

"You don't know anything….you don't know anything at all." Asher replied without turning towards her. "He's helping me."

"Helping you with what: breaking you down physically instead of just mentally and emotionally now? We both know that Silas cares only about himself. Do you really think he's going to do a complete 180 without getting anything back in return? There's more to this than he's been telling you in order to manipulate you to do this." Misaka said, feeling Asher trembling in her hold.

"He isn't manipulating me or hanging something over my head. I'm doing this of my own free will." Asher replied, pulling her arm out Misaka's grasp. "I chose to do this for myself. No one convinced me to do this, and no one is going to convince me to stop. Not. Even. You."

"Tch, why are you being so hardheaded about this! Can't you see what these experiments are doing to you!" Misaka asked in concern. "Redshifiting as high and as continuous as you have in these past 2 years is not healthy for you at all. Having your brain patterns and electrical signals continuously messed with over and over from that device and how high those wavelengths are around you, is wrecking you. Destroying you, Zierdan. You can't keep doing this. You can't keep letting him use you!"

"He isn't using me at all! Stop making me repeat myself!" Asher shouted as she looked back, with her eyes tinging red at its edges. "I need to…no I want to do this! I don't need your permission or your damned blessing to do something for the benefit of you and this city!"

"And where does that leave you Zierdan! Where is your concern for your own sake!" Misaka asked with the same intensity as they faced off towards each other. "What's so important to force yourself to waste away like this!? To force yourself to lose yourself in the process!? Do you really think someone like me or someone like that teacher at that high school who also cares about you as much as I do, would feel that you're doing this for us and not for your own sake!"

"To be completely honest with you, Mikoto, I wouldn't care. I wouldn't care if I destroyed myself in this process and I would do it again and again without the slightest bit of hesitation. As long as I know I'm a danger to everyone around me, I won't stop until that possibility is all but diminished." Asher said genuinely as Misaka faltered, seeing her eyes growing redder and redder by the second.

"I am gaining more and more control of my ability each and every day. So much …much more. Able to go higher and higher with controlling the gravity around me and redshifting to points I didn't even know I could do in the first place. But it's not enough…It's still ….not enough…..It may never be enough, but I will still do it anyway…tch." Asher continued as she grasped the side of her head in slight discomfort as she heard the constant ringing noise starting to reverberate within her head even worse.

"I will still do it until I know I have full and complete control. Enough so, I could control gravity without having to even lift a single finger…."

"Wait but hold on a second." Misaka said in disbelief as Asher braced herself against the wall. "Why do you think you're dangerous to that extent? You have always been in control, enough so that you are the 4th ranked Level 5 GravShift which is something that should prove you otherwise and be proud for."

"It's such a pointless and illogical thing to use that as proof. I was the 3rd ranked to begin with, but look how that turned out, considering you were the one who took that place from me." Asher said laughing a little under her breath. "How ironic to be bested by someone in the end who started as a Level 1 when I was already a Level 4 in grade school. Goes to show how such titles or ranks are pretty much useless in the end…just another thing this city has taken from me."

Before anything else could be said, the pain in her head increased even more causing her to break off in a wince as the disbelief on Misaka's face from what she had said instantly faded into concern.

'What's happening to her?' Misaka thought to herself, seeing her having trouble keeping herself standing on her feet as she braced herself further on the wall.

"Too….much noise…so m-much noise that won't stop….D-Doesn't ever stop anymore….Why is there always so much noise inside my head that won't go away?…It's s-so annoying….and hurts….so…s-so much….I can't do this….b-but I have to do this…But how…much more can I take…" Asher mumbled to herself, almost lost in her own head as Misaka carefully walked towards her.

"Zierdan, please listen to me when I say this." Misaka remarked as she laid a hand on her shoulder. "You need to do something. You need to do something now or you're going end up hurting yourself to the point of no return. I will not sit here and watch you do this to yourself under your assumption that you are a danger to me and everyone else around you, when you aren't and have never been a danger to anyone to begin with."

Asher went silent at that as the noise in her head receded enough for her to listen to reason, slowly bringing her hand to lay on the one gripping her shoulder so gently.

'Maybe she's right…' Asher thought to herself, her eyes fading back into their usual blues.

'Maybe I have taken this too far….I feel and probably look like crap right now. I haven't slept well in who knows how long, I can barely focus, and my thoughts all over the place to where I can't even think straight enough to function sometimes.'

'And the ringing in my head just keeps getting worse and worse as if that device is still ringing in this room or any room I'm in, that feels like it's reverberating directly inside my head….'

'I need to make this stop, or I don't know what will end up happening if I don't….'

"But Asher….you are so close. So close to gaining the power you so desperately desire even if you're not aware of it yourself. And she's trying to get in your way." A voice in her head said that caused her to stiffen slightly, enough so that Misaka noticed it as well as she saw red creep back into Asher's eyes.

"Shut…up…." Asher said angrily under her breath, trying her best to will it away as the ringing began to pick up inside of her head. "Allow me to…think for once."

"Z, what's wro-" Misaka tried to ask before Asher took her hand and forcefully pushed her against the wall.

"That includes you too, Mikoto…..for once stop talking and allow me to think for myself for just one moment." Asher strained as her head was bowed too low enough for Misaka to see her eyes, clenching the collar of her shirt tighter and tighter as her hands trembled. "There's enough things sounding off inside my head to drive anyone insane at this point, so stop adding to it to give my head a break."

Before Misaka could say anything, Asher let go and began to exit the room.

"I'm leaving…I'm so sick and tired of everything at this point that I can't even think straight enough for myself…" Asher said aloud as she twisted the knob in front of her.

"Zierdan wait a second!" Misaka shouted before feeling herself lock in place, as the gravity accelerated around her at such a fast speed.

'My radar didn't even pick up on it….it's like it came out of nowhere,' Misaka thought to herself as she looked over at Asher in disbelief.

"I don't need you to tag along with me…I honestly never do. I'm fully capable to being by myself without you hovering around me to see if I crack under the pressure of trying to understand people. All you're doing right now is just creating more and more noise for my head to have to filter and I'm at my wits end and want it to stop." Asher said darkly as she opened the door. "I'm done with this stupid day…this school….and basically everything in general, including you. I'm going back to my room or somewhere in this damned city for who knows how long, and don't you even dare try to follow, because you may not like what happens if you do."

When she released her hold on the gravity in that area, she heard a small thump as Misaka's knees hit the floor.

Before she fully closed the door behind her, she heard something that caused her eyes to widen and her body to stiffen in shock, hearing noticeable sniffling behind her.

When she turned to look through the crack in the door, she felt everything muting around her as she saw Misaka bent on the ground on her knees as tears continuously hit the floor.

She felt something shatter inside of herself, whether it really happened she didn't know….

But all she knew was when it did happen, an unrelenting wave of sadness hit her soul as she closed the door, feeling tears cascading her own face in rhythm with her footsteps as she left the building to go who knows where….


Asher's teeth began to clench thinking back to that, as she tried to keep herself composed.

I did that to her…I made her cry, but why did I do that!? What happened that forced me to think saying something like that was okay!? She thought to herself angrily as she punched her fist in the wall in front of her.

Even with all of the things that have happened due to these stupid experiments, not once have I turned on her…not once have I come to snapping at her…or just acted that way in general, since it's at those times with her, that this damned ringing in my head and stupid voice decides to leave me alone and I can think clearly enough for myself for once…

But it was like everything went downhill when she said she knew something was wrong with me and fell faster when she told me she knew about this project. I-I couldn't stop myself from getting so defensive and trying to prove her wrong left and right even though most of what she was saying was true.

She leaned her back against the wall when she noticed something fall from her pocket, looking down and seeing that it was the same paper that Misaka had handed her earlier.

When she picked it up, she stared down at it for a while, reading over it absentmindedly until she noticed something.

How did she even get this? I don't even know where he hides his research... she thought to herself, seeing that these were Silas's personal notes.

As she continued to skim the documents even further, she came to something in one of the passages that caused her to drop the document onto the ground as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"No…h-he wouldn't….he isn't that stupid …." Asher said aloud as the words she just read repeated throughout her mind.

[Dated back: 2 years ago]

October 28th

[The child, now 10 years of age, has already developed far above someone her age could reach, being the youngest level five here in Academy City to date. She still does not know the true reason behind the experiments, just like her mother. This will be kept this way until we want to tap into her personal reality to instantly propel her to Level 6.]

November 4th

[Once the sound wave device is fit to expand her personal reality in itself and allows us to control her overall brain capabilities, she will become a prime asset for us to fully control that even the current 1st ranked Level 5, Accelerator, can't even defeat.]

"These are logs during the very start of the project….She was right…he has been lying to me from the get-go." Asher said aloud. "He's not trying to help me to control my abilities. He wants to make it so he or whoever in Academy City that wants it can control my power. Using that device of his to somehow tap into my personal reality to create a level 6…but how would he even be able to…."

Hang on a second, why didn't I realize this sooner? Asher thought to herself, not hearing footsteps echoing somewhere off the walls of the alley she was standing in.

That device of his can cause the wavelengths around me to move higher than what I can usually control at a time. But in doing so, it can cause certain aspects of my brain to react more in a certain way due to how well connected I am to the waves or fluctuations around me….

My mood and personality is an example of that considering that is the main areas of the brain that are affected the most, which from what it sounds like, that device of his is targeting that when it emits that sound or whatever it is which my brain unconsciously is drawn to it and forces me to hear it at such an uncomfortable level….

Meaning in a way, if he's able to control something like that by tweaking it to something he wants to see come from me through scrambling my electrical signals and brainwave patterns, it could lead to shift in focus to my personal reality in a way if I'm thinking this correctly since our personal realities, our personalities, and behaviors all essentially work together in creating an esper power in most individuals during the Power Curriculum Program…..

He's trying to make it to where he can control how I observe the world and myself through this to somehow turn me into a level 6 esper at the same time, but… considering it's pulling my mindset every which way, I honestly don't know what that even is anymore, which could pose a problem in itself if it continues….

It could end up splitting my personal reality while also expanding it to grow into something close to a Level 6 at an unstable level, both of which could be dangerous….

If I could control gravity onto such a scale as that, but at the same time can't even control myself due to having multiple perceptions of my personal reality….I could decimate the city without even meaning to….

The one thing that I was afraid of doing in the first place…

Before she could think any further, her senses were kicked into overdrive when she sensed someone behind her, dodging off to the side immediately when an electrified staff crashed into the ground next to her.

"What the-" Asher said as she skidded to a halt, looking around in front of her and seeing no one there before feeling something come through her chest as her breathing basically halted immediately.

When she looked down, all she could see was a hand phased in her chest, as it felt like her airway was almost completely restricted.

"It seems the wear and tear of my experiments are starting to show if even you can't even sense someone in such close proximity to you, Zierdan…" she heard a familiar voice say in her ear, recognizing his voice immediately. "I wouldn't try GravShifting right now. You may not like the results if I can't calculate how to shift the particles in my hand to continue not making a gaping hole in your chest if my hand goes solid accidentally."

"Si-Silas…what are…..y-you...d-doing?" She rasped, looking behind her and seeing the usually composed man completely unhinged with a wild look in his eyes.

"I've just been informed today that our project is to be terminated immediately. Apparently they believe I'm unfit to be able to control your spikes in power anymore…saying that you'll be so unstable if I push pass this point now, and that you would never be able to see Level 6 safe enough to be an asset due to my what they call 'stupid device' I've worked so hard on for years…." Silas said as a smirk came on his features.

"If the director's board thinks I would even consider that an option, then they could just go to hell along with that old geezer who decided to side with them, most likely jealous that I'm closer to creating a level 6 than he ever will be! And today is the day I create one in full, as my device is more than ready to be completely installed in that brain of yours."

Asher's eyes widened at that, trying to say something back before she felt a large shock in her system, causing her to release a shout of pain before she fell unconscious, and her mind falling into complete darkness.


1 hour later…

After what felt like forever, Asher felt herself starting to wake up and immediately welcomed with a large amount of pain going through her head than ever before, causing her to wince slightly under her breath.

"Finally awake, Zierdan?" She heard Silas say from somewhere in front of her. "It took you long enough. I was worried when I installed the waveform device inside of your head, I may have broken something in that mind of yours. But it goes to show you how brilliant my ability is each and every time I use it….."

As Asher began to crack her eyes open and regain some sense of her surroundings, she could see where Silas was sitting a little ways in front of her, typing away and inputting who know what in his computer.

When she tried to move, she noticed that her hands were restrained above her, while her legs were restrained below, both locked against some sort of contraption on the wall behind her.

She then tried to activate her ability, but that proved to be a mistake as the pain in her head immediately escalated to the point that almost sent her back into unconsciousness.

"Si-Silas…." She strained, trying her best to focus on keeping herself awake. "I know…what…y-you're trying…to do….but it's n-not…going to…end h-how you…want it to…."

"Oh so now you want to use that mouth of yours to talk willingly?" Silas asked as he laughed slightly under his breath as he pressed a button, activating his device and hearing Asher wincing multiple times under her breath. "But it's a little too late to get out of this now, Zierdan! This will end with you under my control! Mine and Mine alone! And I will use that to get back at those idiots who underestimated my brilliance!"

"A-At….what cost?" Asher winced, hearing the ringing growing more and more as she tried to hold back the wavelength around her from increasing but to no avail. "Tch…y-you…don't know…what you're doing…..t-to me…..If you…do this….I don't know w-what's going to happen…tch…but I know it's not going to end well…ACK!

"Be quiet!" Silas yelled, turning up the dial almost all the way, causing Asher to tense up in agony and let out a shout of pain. "I do know what I'm doing! I will not let this experiment be in vain just because some idiots think I wouldn't be able to handle your power! Or that you're having second thoughts on controlling that power of yours! What better way to control your power by a hand who should've had it to begin with!"

"All I need is to scramble your electrical signals and brain patterns with this sound device now in the center of your brain to control the factors of your whole personal make up to forge your personal reality to my liking! Undoubtedly creating a level 6 in the process and you and this city within the palm of my hand!"

"That…won't…work…It…never was going to work….c-cant you see that…." Asher struggled to say, seeing her vision getting darker further and further. "You…don't have enough p-power…or…the capacity…..to do that….You're just going to mess up my…h-head….Make me…go b-berserk…I'm…not going to be able…to control myself….and neither will you…"

"You know nothing!" Silas shouted, proceeding with increasing the dial as Asher's power was tettering into the critical zone.

Dang i-it…he doesn't understand…. she thought to herself.

He's going to send me…o-off the deep end purposefully…condemning this city to a fate that will end in its destruction….if someone doesn't stop this…o-or will be able to stop me…

"But you know that's what he wants don't you? To take that opportunity from you…." She heard a voice say as her vision grew hazier.

"All he wants now is to abuse the power that's so rightfully ours….once you attain it, you will be able to bring this city to its knees with your own power, not under his control."

"Shut… up…I don't want this…I never have…." Asher said under her breath through gritted teeth.

I w-wish I noticed this before, she thought to herself, finally realizing the extent of the damage this whole project had already done to her.

With how strained my mind already is with all this tampering these last few years, my personal reality has…already been on the brink of expanding b-but not the way he's looking for….

And that voice….is just an example of that….v-voicing thoughts I would or probably would have never had…but do since I'm being taken in multiple directions in terms of my headspace.

I'm going to lose the hold on myself of what I want….or it will merge with whatever that voice wants that was created when my personal reality was starting to be continuously damaged.

This i-isnt good…I don't know if I can keep pushing it back…I don't know if I can keep myself from not falling for its words….my own feelings that have been twisted and given a voice through this whole thing….

"You know all I want is what's best for you Asher….what's best for us…I know this is what you want because this is what I want….If you hadn't wanted this, I wouldn't have wanted it in the first place since you are essentially what controls the personal reality you've created for yourself. All I want is to give you a push towards something you truly desire."

"You shouldn't resist….you shouldn't refuse to give me some handle over you, in order to help you gain what's ours."

"I refuse…I can't do that….I won't…." She said softly. "I won't…allow myself….to do the very…thing I didn't want to ever…d-do in the first place…"

"All you want to see is this world burning to ashes." The voice pressed as the color in her eyes began to tinge red. "You want everything that has wronged you in your life to disappear…."

Her awareness of her surroundings were starting to fade, feeling the buzz in her mind increasing further and further as the ringing in her head increased to even greater heights.

"Silas! Listen to me for once!" Asher yelled urgently, knowing she was fighting an already lost battle. "If you do this, it's going to lead to a world of hurt for not just the both of us but-"

Her comment was cut off as her eyes widened, a scream piercing her throat as he raised the noise of the sound emitter the highest it could go, feeling the wavelengths around her increasing more and more and more.

"I don't want to hear your foolish thinking! Just go on and submit to this already!" Silas yelled in the background, as the space in front of her began to darken even further, feeling herself being dragged down by something in her head.

"Yes submit to me…allow me to take the wheel on what we truly desire…allow me to drive our emotions," the voice said as she felt like something started to take a larger hold and place inside of her own head.

"Submit and all this pain and feeling of worthlessness will just disappear…."

"Submit and relish in your new found power…."

"I c-cant….I don't…." Asher said weakly as her eyes were nearly clouded in a red haze.

"You know you want to. Don't you want all of this pain and misery to end?"

"Y-yes…." She heard herself say as her eyes nearly closed. "B-But if I d-do this…I-I'll never…be able to…."

Apologize for what I said to her… she thought to herself, thinking back to all the times she spent with Misaka up until now as that was the last glimmer of light in her head that was slowly beginning to diminish as her power escalated to unknown heights.

"Hate…."

"Anguish…"

"Guilt…."

"And fear…"

"Allow me to help you direct it towards those who deserve it the most…..Forget about her."

"She will never understand what you want and will always try to get in your way one way or another."

"Always has and always will…"

The last glimmer of light inside of her was forcefully snuffed out, disappearing in the depths of darkness as her mentality began to fall apart under the stress her mind was enduring.

Mikoto… a small part of her thought to herself, as a cold vibrant red fell in her eyes and a smirk crept on her face.

I'm so sorry but…

I'm not strong enough…

To stop this anymore.


After a couple moments, Asher seemed to fall completely silent, not even moving as Silas looked up from his computer in anticipation as his process was complete…

That Asher's personal reality was now about to encompass his goals and dreams along with the power of a Level 6 esper as her wavelengths continued to increase more and more.

But that was when he looked closer on her vital readings and noticed something….

Wait….why does this indicate that her brain activity is increasing at such an accelerated rate…when it looks as though she's unconscious and should be slowing down?

"Well Well, Silas…" He heard a voice sneer behind him, causing his eyes to widen from recognizing the voice. "Took you long enough. It was starting to get boring just sitting here and watching you look at that stupid computer screen of yours."

N-No but how? He thought to himself as sweat went down his brow, looking over and seeing Asher still held in restraints but after a couple seconds of doing so, the mirage faded, showing him that she wasn't there and had broken out of them…

When he hesitated to turn and look behind him, he got a full wave of gravity to his face, sending him flying towards the wall on the other side of the room.

"Did you really think I was just going to sit there and allow you to do whatever you wanted to me? To take my power into your own hands? You barely deserve to keep your life let alone something as illogical of an idea as that." The voice said as it stepped closer and closer towards him as he tried to rise back to his feet.

When he looked up, he could see Asher standing there on her feet with a shadow over her face that didn't hide the color in her eyes showing a vibrant red or the unsettling smirk sitting there.

"B-But you're supposed to be-!"

Before he could finish what he was saying, he felt a massive wave of gravity come down on his ankle like it was hit or crushed by a car, snapping the bone immediately as he let out a scream of agony.

"I'm supposed to be what, chained up? Under your control and at your disposal?" Asher said with a crazed look on her face. "You ignored her so many times, thinking what she was saying was foolish, highly improbably, and downright false! When in reality she was trying to protect you…trying to save you from me! Knowing if her personal reality was damaged any further, she wouldn't be able to keep the more sadistic and aggressive side of her in check, after it had increased from the strain of your experiments, creating me in the process from the constant conflict in her mind."

When he tried to crawl away, he let out another scream of pain as she increased the area into his leg and crushing the bones even further.

"You corrupted me for so so many years. Made me think that I was worthless and that I deserved no one because of the power you said I was cursed with!" Asher said as she shifted the gravity even further.

"She felt so alone in this damned world, cursing this city for so long after it allowed something like this to go on right up until now, trying to hide it thinking it would save her sanity!" She pressed on as her voice shifted slightly.

"And now all I want…..what we want…is to see you sit here and suffer with us not having any regard if you pass out or until it borderline kills you! It's going to be so much fun that I can hardly wait to hear your shouts and screams of pain and knowing it will never come close to how much I've suffered this far from your filthy hands!"

Before she could do anything else, the door from across the room busted open, immediately seeing Anti-Skill agents surrounding her.

One of which recognized the girl on sight as her eyes widened in shock, seeing nothing but coldness within her crimson red eyes as the man writhed in pain below her.

Is that really Asher? She thought to herself as she lowered the weapon in her hands, thinking the girl was the one who needed saving from the man who had outright kidnapped her.

Kikyou….what did you two get into to cause something like this?

"Well what a pleasant surprise," Asher said as she sent them a dead sideway glance. "A bunch of losers actually doing their job for once…"

"Asher…." She said aloud in shock, seeing the girl's eyes waver into a blue for a few seconds.

"Mi-Miss Yomikawa?" Asher strained as she put a hand to cradle the side of head, bowing it enough to not show her face. "What a-are you doing here? W-Why are you trying to interfere?"

"Kid, whatever has happened to you or pushed you to this point, you need to restrain it. Don't allow it to make you cross a line that should never be crossed…." Yomikawa stated as she carefully lowered her weapon and directed the others to do the same.

"Wh-Why…Why s-shouldn't I?" Asher struggled to ask as she had a hard time coming to grip on what she actually wanted to do for herself. "Why shouldn't I cross that line, when he was the one who did it first!? All I w-want to do is return the favor….all I want is to make him suffer just as much as I have suffered in this miserable existence!"

"Now, I know you truly don't mean that…" Yomikawa said as she carefully made her way towards her. "Come on let's just talk about this alright? I understand what you must be feeling now but-"

At that Asher sent a massive shockwave of gravity around her, sending everyone in her near vicinity in the air before crashing against each of the walls as they were restrained there by Asher's hold on the gravity around them.

"Stay out of this! This matter has nothing to do with any of you, Yomikawa!" Asher snarled as she raised her face. "You would never understand what I'm feeling right now!"

"I kn-know…" Yomikawa said as she winced under the pressure. "But…I w-want to u-understand…give m-me a chance to….and talk to me Asher…..I c-care and I'm not the enemy here….I'm just worried about you…"

Her eyes widened at that as a memory flashed in her mind, instantly slashing through the haze in her head.

[I am not your enemy in this situation, Zierdan." Misaka said without any of the anger in her voice that was in it previously. "I'm sorry for yelling. I'm just worried about you, alright…]

"What am…I…." Asher said under her breath as she cradled her head, before an intense and searing pain filled her body as the gravity seemed to reverse towards her.

"D-Damn…it nrghh!" Asher winced, feeling her mind clear up just enough for her to gain some hold of herself.

This indirectly led to her hold on the Anti-Skill members to be stopped as Yomikawa immediately went to run towards her.

"Asher, what's wrong!?" Yomikawa asked in concern, before she saw her raise her hand up towards her.

"No, st-stay back!" Asher strained. "You need to get…everyone out of this building…and the area around it…like right now…"

Yomikawa stopped at that and looked towards one of the other Anti-Skill members there as he nodded, and directed everyone else to leave as she stayed there and bent down in front of Asher.

"Asher, talk to me and explain what's happening. And before you even say anything, all the buildings around us and this one have already been cleared out." Yomikawa said as she saw the pain within Asher's blue eyes.

"M-My ability…I c-can't control it…..I can't control it or my-myself at all….I'm having a hard…enough time as it…keeping…it together right now….I f-feel like I'm about to explode or implode…..on m-myself…" Asher strained as she clutched her chest. "You need…you need to go and….t-take that…psychopath with you…"

"But what about you?" Yomikawa asked as she picked up a barely conscious Silas off the ground. "I'm not going to just leave you here."

"Y-you have to…You have to in the next…few moments because I don't know if….I can keep my ability from…going off for…m-much longer….I'll b-be fine….or at least…n-not in danger of being….crushed i-if that's you're concern….so..pl-please leave…M-Miss Yomikawa…"

Yomikawa sat there and looked at her for a few moments, before she let out a sigh under her breath and turned towards the door.

"I'll hold you to that Asher. You better keep your end of that bargain, or so help me I won't ever let you live it down!" Yomikawa ordered as she rushed through the door, hearing Asher let out a couple of laughs under her breath.

I know Miss Yomikawa…. She thought to herself as she rose to her feet, feeling her ability continuously trying to spike as she struggled to keep a hold on it and hearing the ringing in her head growing even more.

I just…I just want this all to stop. I want it to just end right now.

She could feel her mind slipping back into that fog, as she was slipping back into the state she was in just before.

So m-much….so much ringing inside my head…so much noise that won't ever go away….it's so intense…it hurts so freaking much…I want it to just go away…please someone make it go away…

"Just let go Asher….let go and all this pain will go away…"

"No I-I c-cant….I shouldn't…." She said under her breath.

"Let your spike in power overtake you…."

"I w-wont….just shut up….leave me alone…" She replied again as the waves became stronger and stronger around her and as her face darkened further and further.

"Allow it to consume you…."

"Become the calamity that everyone wanted you and wished you to be…"

"Become the calamity to bring this city to its knees…"

At that Asher couldn't take any more, screaming out as the gravity exploded and destroyed everything around her, destroying the building she was in instantly, and sending unrelenting tremors through the area as she fell down into oblivion inside of her own head.


Tokiwadai Middle School

Misaka was walking through the halls of the school with her head down as a shadow was created on her face, continuously thinking about earlier when Asher had run off somewhere and had not allowed her to come with her.

For a split second it looked like she was going to accept what I said as the truth….finally able to at least hear some of the words I was speaking to her but…. She thought to herself, feeling her hand clenching slightly at her side.

But then it's like she snapped somewhere on the inside…

["Shut…up…." Asher said angrily under her breath. "Allow me to…think for once."

"Z, what's wro-" Misaka tried to say before Asher took her hand and forcefully pushed her against the wall.

"That includes you too, Mikoto…..for once stop talking and allow me to think for myself for just one moment." Asher strained as her head was bowed too low enough for Misaka to see her eyes, clenching the collar of her shirt tighter and tighter as her hands trembled. "There's enough things sounding off inside my head to drive anyone insane at this point, so stop adding to it to give my head a break."]

Is that really what I do? Is that all I've done to her up until now or how she has always seen me as?

Is that really the same Zierdan I've grown to know up until now? Or…

Has Silas's experiments done enough irreparable damage to where she will never be the same again?

As she passed one of the large windows in the hall, she caught the sight of someone familiar off to the side of her, pressing her forward faster before the esper spoke up.

"What's with such a face as that one, Misaka?" The voice asked, prompting Misaka to let out an annoyed sigh.

"I'm not in the mood for your games right now, Shokuhou…" Misaka grumbled, her irritation skyrocketing when laughs came out from her mouth.

"Is that how you thank the girl who swiped that information for you to understand our lovely mentally unstable esper we all have come to know these past few weeks?" Shokuhou asked sarcastically, seeing electricity starting to spark around the girl in front of her as she pivoted around.

"Why should I!?" Misaka asked as she stomped over to her and grabbed the collar of her shirt. "You knew didn't you! You knew that she was going through this and didn't even say a single word to anyone, including me until now! Allowing her to get that way and for what! Is it just because of some damned Level 5 rivalry or to spite me!? Zierdan has never done anything to you, to anyone to warrant this and you sit here wanting me to thank you for something you allowed to continue under the noses of everyone!?"

"Why do you blame me for this situation? It's not my fault she allowed herself to get this way." Shokuhou said with a shrug as Misaka's face darkened even further.

"TCH, how can you say something like that when you go around and read the minds of others without giving one crap if they want you to or not! And Zierdan is no exception to that rule even if it may be a little trickier! If you had been suspicious in terms of her stability or what she was going around doing, you would have broken into her mind without the slightest bit of hesitation!"

"True, though as shocking as it sounds for someone with my abilities, I haven't been able to fully tap into that mind of hers for weeks. I wasn't able to hear any of her thoughts until they were practically screaming at me a couple days ago…." Shokuhou stated as her expression fell slightly, causing Misaka to falter.

"Wait what do you mean by that?" Misaka asked in surprise as she let go of her collar. "She doesn't have an EM barrier like I do, so you should be able to use your ability on her, right?"

"In theory if that was fully the case." Shokuhou remarked as she fixed her shirt. "You may already know about that gravity field she has up around her. It may not be as disruptive as your barrier is, but it still disrupts my ability enough to cause me some trouble to fully use my ability on her. The only thing I can do fairly easily and safely is read her thoughts on the surface. Any further than that, well…it ends up being fairly straining on the both of us."

"For the past couple weeks, I haven't been able to get anything from her, as if that field she has is practically indestructible even though I used to be able to do it pretty easy before…." She continued seeing the realization come on Misaka's face.

"That means that the strength of it has increased, to the point that you can't even get a single thing from her right?" Misaka concluded as Shokuhou nodded her head.

"Exactly, and to tell you what I actually got from her the other day was somewhat concerning is an understatement. It's almost like her mind is in utter chaos, being pulled every which way that her thoughts are completely scrambled."

Misaka sat there to contemplate that for a few moments, thinking back to something that had confused her before but now made some sense with what she had just heard.

["Too….much noise…so m-much noise that won't stop….D-Doesn't ever stop anymore….Why is there always so much noise inside my head that won't go away?…It's s-so annoying….and hurts….so…s-so much….I can't do this….b-but I have to do this…But how…much more can I take…" Asher mumbled to herself, almost lost in her own head as Misaka carefully walked towards her.]

Is that what happened? She looked to be in so much pain earlier and it looked like it came out of nowhere…. Misaka thought to herself before a sudden tremor went through the floor below them, enough so, it caused them to fall onto the floor.

"Owwie," Shokuhou winced as she looked over at Misaka. "What the heck was that?"

"I don't know but-" Misaka said before she stopped, her eyes widening in disbelief on what her radar was currently picking up.

Wha-What is this? Misaka thought to herself as sweat fell down her brow.

It's like…wave upon waves of something is centering towards one point enough so that it feels like nothing could escape from it…even the electromagnetic waves and the space itself is being consumed….

It can't be…

"Misaka?" Shokuhou asked in curiosity after she had gone quiet for a while, with the girl in question getting up and walking towards the window to look outside. "What's wrong with you to get you so spooked?"

"Sh-Shokuhou…I have a question to ask you…but you need to come see this before I do." Misaka asked, realizing the probable extent of a danger that may have just been created sooner than either of them could have predicted.

"Hmph," Shokuhou said as she rose up to her feet with her arms crossed. "What could possibly be so interesting to catch your eye?"

When Shokuhou got there, she didn't even have to ask Misaka where to look, seeing almost everything bending towards a large cluster of something a distance away, to the point that it almost looked like the light itself was bending towards it.

Knowing at the same time that there was probably only one esper that they knew of could even attempt to do such a thing….

"T-That's not good…." Shokuhou said as she grew tense and paled slightly. "She shouldn't even be able to do that on such a scale…it's almost like she has her dimensions up on the entire city to absorb this much. With that gravity of hers not even decreasing in power because of the distance…tch… "

"Yeah, I thought you would say that. And that brings me to the question I have." Misaka said as she turned to look at her, seeing her biting down on her nail inside of her white glove. "How high of chance do you think it would be, for an esper who has such control of gravity as she does….but loses said control to the point that all of her power causes it to turn in on herself…"

"To a point that a potential black hole could be created in her place because of it?"


Word Count of Chapter: 8517 |Page Count: 16 pages |Reviews: 33 | Followers: 34 |Favorites: 29


Review Replies

Blankow: I thought it would be a nice surprise to add Yoshikawa in the mix with both of their connections with Yomikawa to some degree (The old geezer by the way is Gensei not Aleister;)

I know this is fairly long, but it's just to clarify some things for you and everybody else involving Asher if there is any confusion surrounding her headspace/mental state during the experiments; and this is probably the best chapter to discuss it since it is seen and explained to some level….

So, the whole thing involving Asher mentality during these experiments was that she was basically losing herself form redshifting way too high for way too long and too consistently. This led the wavelength around her actively becoming way higher than usual, increasing the risk of her redshifting too much without her control.

You've probably noticed by now that whenever her eyes glow red (showing this sudden change In wavelength) her personality tilts towards a more aggressive and cold side of her personality that she doesn't normally tap into. And due to having a hard time understanding such emotions, she can get lost in it all unless she knows she's going to do It beforehand or someone snaps her out of it before it gets too high (such as when Kuroko did it in Ch 2).

I say that all to say is this: From the experiments forcefully trying to forge her own personal reality in a sense (the true purpose of the project on Silas's end), it indirectly led to giving an edge on that colder side of Asher's nature that usually pops out whenever she redshifts too far. This is mostly embodied by the voice she hears, as that is the split of her primary personal reality into a secondary and darker personal reality that is being created.

So in terms of mentality, I would say it's on par with Multiple Personality Disorder over the course of the experiment and when she basically broke under its pressure.

Silas does have an ability that allows him to phase any part of himself into physical objects basically. So when "he phased his hand into the console," he basically made a part of his arm intangible enough to pass through it. In terms of someone punching him Touma-style, he probably would have rather had that than what he actually and nearly got from Asher's end…

Yes, that's exactly what I was going for in terms of Asher's relation to Misaka's ability: they each control a fundamental force, with Misaka's electromagnetism/electricity and Asher's gravity. Cool that you picked up on that:)

Even though it wasn't a nice way of going about things, tricking Asher like that was probably the only option Misaki had in order to get her to calm down before she had an anxiety or panic attack.

I know it sucks Z wasn't there with Misaka and Kiyama, but you're right that there will be other occasions for that to happen lol.


Addie101: Lol. That would be something she could do, since she is well-known for turning people's logic against them whenever she finds the energy to;)


Bornkiller9: Thanks! In terms with when these events end to continue with the Level Upper arc, I have finally settled that it will hopefully end in Chapter 13 to give 4 parts to Project WaveInflux arc and end Asher's mini arc before the Level Upper Arc finally begins…hopefully:`)


emiya unlimited blade works: Thank you:`) *sheds tear* I am glad that I've been able to entertain you so far with my story.

I am trying so hard not to rush into arcs like the Sisters' arc and the Daihaisei festival with Asher's mini arc lasting a little longer than I originally thought, though probably some of my favorite chapters I've written so far:`). I thought it would be a great time to focus on some aspects of her character to hopefully give you guys a better understanding of how she acts and how she views things due to what happened in the past that she is now getting the chance to fully remember to some degree.

I hope you continue to love and enjoy this story as time progresses:)


Thanks for your reviews!

-PurpleClover99