Hello and welcome back to a story I never truly forgot. Not going to lie, after forgetting to back up my files when I got a new phone, writing this chapter just felt like such a cheap imitation and a slog which is why I could never truly bring myself to update it.

Now it's a year later and boy have things changed for me. Between working, college, and trying to learn a number of different skills, can't even exaggerate, I won't exactly have a lot of time to write. However, this story is something I'm still personally proud of even if this chapter isn't my best work. This was quite literally written on and off over the course of a little over a year so if some parts feel off or rushed I can't blame you.

All I can hope is that there are people who will find enjoyment in this like myself.

Another A/N at the bottom for those interested.

Anyways on with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Vein.


The metal halls.

The endless twist and turns.

The dripping pipes.

The thin layer of blood covering the ground.

The dense fog.

Cruz shivered. There was something about this place that was just...wrong and yet at the same time familiar. If it was up to her she wouldn't have even bothered entering this place; however, it was here.

That source of that strange fog.

The dense substance that was continuously leaking out of Ren's mind was anything but normal. The way it had stopped her from revealing everything she knew to Ren. The way it seemed to hover just beyond her own section of this world. The way it contorted and reacted to her movements.

This fog was alive. Or at the very least there was some entity controlling it.

"I hope I'm wrong about this." The former queen of revenants muttered as she reached out to the fog. It was barely noticeable but it felt as though something within it physically recoiled, darting into a seemingly random direction. Cruz was quick to follow. Even if she hadn't realized it in this moment she had already decided she would find the source of this odd phenomenon, no matter the cost.

She couldn't risk Ren succumbing to the same power that had once overwhelmed her.

This world didn't need a repeat of Operation Queenslayer.


'We're close.' Mia felt herself growing antsy as she followed her white haired companions along a narrow pathway. It was hardly visible but even from this distance the blonde was able to spot the small opening that would lead into the chamber holding the dried up blood spring that she agreed to take them to. In a few short minutes she finally get her blood beads and finally be able to return home. Assuming that Ren was actually a man of his word of course. She was already preparing for the possibility that he might try to double cross her. Taking the two of them in a fight wasn't an option, especially not without her trusty bayonet but she still had a few gifts up her sleeve plus the difference in there speed would make it easy to flee. 'Just hold on a bit longer Nicola, I'll be home s-'

Mia's thought was cut short when she found herself bumping into the back of Io. The girl had suddenly stopped, her gaze aimed at Ren who had tensed up and seemed to be analyzing their immediate area.

"What's wrong?" Mia called out lowly. Ren had already proved his senses, particularly his sense of smell, trustworthy under these circumstances. A number of ambushes had been evaded due to his cautious nature.

"Do either of you smell that?" Ren questioned as his brown eyes darted around. Mia raised an eyebrow but humored the question none the less. Besides the ever present bitterness of the miasma the gas mask was doing a good job of blocking out any other scents. Whatever was setting Ren off was completely beyond her.

"No." Io voiced her agreement with Mia after a few sniffs on the air.

Ren frowned.

What was this bitter scent assaulting his senses? It was not dissimilar to the miasma, in fact it reminded him of the many Lost they had cut down already. Still there was something about it that set off all the warning bells in his head. Avoiding the source of the scent seemed like the best bet; however, it seemed to be emanating from just ahead, in the same chamber that supposedly housed the blood spring they were looking for.

"Stay on guard." Ren muttered as he moved forward. They'd have to face whatever it was head-on.

Was it some sort of mutated Lost? No, he had already encounter monstrous types before and they all released the same scent, albeit, a bit stronger.

Was it a human? That was doubtful even if he didn't know what they smelt like. There was simply no way a human would draw out such a reaction from him. Unless of course there was some concoction created to ward off revenants. Considering just how powerful revenants were it was only natural they'd come up with some sort of way to keep them at bay that wouldn't require direct confrontation. Still, even if any of his assumptions were true, what would a human be doing down here?

Was it a revenant? That could have been possible. Maybe this scent was the product of some unique gift. Ren was fairly confident that Mia hadn't been lying when she said she was alone so that must have meant someone else had made their way down here in hopes of finding blood beads.

It didn't take them long to reach the entrance way of the chamber. And once they did Ren got the answer to his questions.

Just below them was the wilted up white spring that they had been after. However, their path to it was blocked a completely still revenant. It was faint but even from this distance they could hear the faint growls leaving the man.

"I…I think they've frenzied." Mia whispered to them. "It won't be long now before they morph into a Lost."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Ideally one of us could sneak up behind him and destroy his heart before he gets a chance to fully turn." Mia explained with narrowed eyes, recalling all her experiences with frenzied revenants. "That's risky though. There's no telling how long he's been like this so attempting to attack him in anyway might just be the final catalyst to trigger his transformation into a Lost."

"Hmmm." Ren weighed her words as he examined the revenant below. This little plan of hers could work but only if she was the one that did it. He didn't exactly trust Io to sneak up behind someone nor did he really want to expose her to that possible danger. He could certainly move quietly if he needed to but there was no telling if that was quiet enough to keep him hidden from a revenant. He hadn't exactly run into enough to figure that out. Then of course there was Mia herself. She had managed to get the drop on them back then so there was no doubt that sneaking around was something she had experience with. Still, there was no denying this was likely an excuse to get her bayonet back. The sort of excuse that he couldn't very well ignore. "Frenzied revenants don't retain any intelligence do they?"

"Not from what I understand." Mia answered the question with a shake of her head.

"Here's the plan then." Ren removed the bayonet from his chest and held it out for Mia who was quick to take back her weapon. Afterwards he picked up a number of small pebbles in one hand. "You're obviously the best for person for this job so you'll do the sneaking. If he ends up turning in your direction I'll toss a few of these to gain his attention. If your whole plan fails I'll come down and help. Io will remain up here and provide support to the both of us."

'Perfect.' Mia thought while giving him a nod. Best case scenario she'd kill this revenant and Ren would give her the blood beads she was promised. Alternatively the revenant would morph into a Lost but she'd he able to put it down with her weapon and Ren's support. Worst case scenario it would morph into a giant Lost and she'd have to cut her losses and run. Making a grab for Ren's bag of blood beads would be much easier with her bayonet in hand. 'I'll get those blood beads no matter what Nicola.'

With practice ease she landed in the chamber without making so much as a single sound. Moving just as quietly, Mia made her way behind her target with the blade of her bayonet poised to pierce the poor revenant's heart. With all of her strength the girl thrusted her weapon forward and stabbed him. As she went to pull the trigger to insure his death a loud groan escaped the revenant and was followed closely by a burst of blackish-red energy shooting out of his body. The shockwave had been enough to completely force Mia back though luckily she managed to keep ahold of her weapon.

'Crap.' Ren thought, already leaping down into the chamber and taking off in a sprint towards Mia. The scent that had been bothering him had morphed into that of one of the most powerful Lost he had encountered so far.

Mia had barely regained her bearings when a number of sharpened tentacles shot out of the dense energy being released. She managed to cut through the first few but the next wave was able to pierce through her shoulder. Just as the third wave was inches away from turning her into a pin cushion, heart included, the girl found herself being pushed out if the way.

As it turns out Ren had cut through the tentacles impaled in her shoulder and tackled her, sending the duo tumbling across the ground. Without missing a beat the man tucked her under one of his arms by her waist and took off running towards the entrance of the chamber. Not one to sit idly by, Mia composed herself and began taking shots at the tentacles, slowing their advance. Ren also assisted by tossing a few of those balls of air to buy them time. With a grunt he tossed Mia up into the opening they had come through and leap up, grabbing a hold of Io's outstretched hand.

"I-"

"Run!" Ren immediately cut her off as several of the appendages they had been fleeing from rose up to the entrance of the cave. The three revenants were quick to backtrack with Ren bringing up the rear, cutting down any that got too close. It didn't take long for them to get out of the thing's range, a few of the them stopping just shy of piercing Ren's back. The appendages struggles to get at them for a moment or two before they simply retreated back to where they came.

"You two alright?" Ren immediately questioned once he regained his breath.

"I am unharmed."

"I should be fine." Mia muttered while rubbing the shoulder that had been stabbed clean through. Even now the flesh and fabric of her Blood Vein was already knitting itself back together at the expense of her ichor. Fortunately that Lost didn't seem to utilize poison at all. With how many different types of wounds she had suffered through since she became a revenant this was nothing. The worst part about it all was how much work it was going to take the clean up the blood once she returned home. "I didn't expect you to stick your neck out for me like that. Why exactly did you save me?"

"I still have plenty of questions for you once we reach that spring." Ren answered with a shrug. "Then there's also that Lost. I only got a brief look at it but if I'm right you might just be the only person able to kill it."

"Me?" Mia repeated with a raised eyebrow. Besides those long tentacle like appendages she herself didn't get a clear view of what that frenzied revenant had transformed into. Either way, Ren was a capable fighter especially with Io supporting him, so for him to flat out say something like that…well it couldn't be good to say the least. Maybe she could use that to bargain for a few more blood beads.

Ren nodded and gestured for the two to follow him. The group moved silently towards the chamber they had fled from, careful to avoid any loose rocks or anything that might give away their position. It took a bit longer to reach the opening to the chamber but once they were there, Ren couldn't help the grimace that ran across his face.

'Disgusting.' Down below, just in front of the spring, was what could only described as a giant mass of flesh. The thing's body seem to morph and twitch with every move as it aimlessly trudged around the chamber, seemingly having forgotten about them already. Disgustingly enough a putrid scent was continuously being released from its body. The smell was worse than any other Lost he had encountered so far, so much so that it felt like his nose was beginning to burn through the mask.

Mia had reacted just as badly as him, more than a little revolted by the sight below. Even the ever apathetic Io had twitched slightly in response to the horrid smell, clenching her rifle just a bit tighter.

"Look at its tentacles." Ren pointed out. The other did as instructed and it took them a few moments to realize why exactly he had pointed them out. "It hasn't even been a few minutes and this thing has already regenerated all the ones I managed to cut off. Getting past them and attacking the main body might be impossible with how fast they are."

"What's worse is it's main body could very well possess the same rate of regeneration. Even if we somehow got past it's defenses there's no way our weapons are cutting through all that flesh to get to it's center." Mia added with a frown. She really didn't see how the three of them were suppose to handle this on their own. "Is whatever you two want with that spring really worth risking your lives against that thing?"

"Reviving the spring will not be possible until that Lost is dispersed." Io stated plainly

"Reviving the spring?" Mia looked at Io as though she had grown a second head. "Something like that isn't possible, even for the government."

"Don't worry about what she's talking about. I have a plan for dealing with this thing." Ren revealed while leading the group away from the opening just in case they got too loud. "Its tentacles are fast and it's regeneration is a close second so the objective is simple. All we need to do is take both out of the equation."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Mia questioned.

"Like I said, that all hinges on you. In our fight you used ice to combat my projectile. Your Blood Code might just be the perfect weapon against that thing "

"I see." Mia muttered. She had a good idea of where he was going with this but there was still one problem. "I get that I could use it to slow down it's tentacles so we can get close to the main body but what will we do then? We still wouldn't be able to cut through all that."

"You're not just going to slow the thing down, I need you to freeze it's main body solid so we can finish it in one clean hit." Ren revealed. "We can't afford an endurance match with this thing and that's the only I see us bypassing it's ability to heal. Do you think you can pull it off?"

"I.." Mia paused to weigh his words. In theory it was certainly a good plan but still, freezing that massive thing solid? She had managed to pull off similar feats against much smaller Lost but that typically ended with her using up a vast majority of her ichor and in desperate need of blood beads. "Maybe I can manage small parts of it's body but I just don't think it's possible for me to freeze the entire thing."

"Hmmm." Ren frowned slightly. That certainly made his plan a lot more unreliable. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Io staring at him with her usual expression. Still something about it almost seemed expectant, like she knew he had someway to handle this situation. With a sigh he refocused on Mia. "What if you had someone else capable of using gifts similar to your own? Would it be possible for the two of you to pull it off working together?"

"Maybe but I don't see why that matters. It'd be way too convenient if someone with just the gifts we needed appeared to help us." Mia entertained his idea for only a moment before completely banishing the thought from her mind.

"Well there is a different way." Ren stated evenly. "All I need is to drink some of your blood."

"…" Mia raised an eyebrow at him after a moment of silence. "You are joking right?"

"If I consume the blood of another revenant I'm capable of using their Blood Code."

"And you expect me to believe that?" Mia retorted, clearly unconvinced. "Revenants have nearly died doing what your saying. I've even heard of some frenzying on the spot."

"Then it all works out for you." Ren words caught the blonde off guard. "Either I copy your Blood Code and we take that thing out or I die and you can take that chance to make off with the rest of our blood beads. No matter what happens it's an absolute win for you."

"You're crazy." Mia shook her head. "Lets say I believe you for a moment and we actually take that thing out. How do I know you won't kill me? You'll have the spring you were looking for and apparently my Blood Code as well. There wouldn't be much reason to keep me around afterwards."

"I still have questions for you so you don't have to worry about that." Ren assured her. "Besides we came this far, we don't really have much of a choice but to trust each other."

"And just what do you mean by that?" Mia's eyes narrowed.

"If you don't agree I'll have no choice but to take your Blood Code forcefully. We both know this tunnel is too small for you to make it past the both of us and you certainly don't want to risk tangling with the Lost behind you." Mia gritted her teeth, her grip tightening around her bayonet. "Not only that but if you do somehow escape with no beads that brother of yours will end up frenzying and you likely won't be far behind. The blood beads I've offered you are the closest thing to a guarantee you have and we probably can't take that thing without you. We're stuck with each other."

Green clashed again brown as the two revenants stared each other down. One with a mix of frustration and anger while the other awaited with anticipation. Ren might have looked relaxed but Mia could already see that he was prepared to defend himself if she actually struck him. Then of course there was the ever passive Io with her bayonet raised slightly in Mia's direction. She really did have her hands tied.

"Fine." Mia relented and lowered her weapon completely. Both Io and Ren relaxed somewhat bit they were still prepare to subdue her should this be an act. "How do we do this crap?"

"That's up to you, it is your blood after all." Ren shrugged and reached for his mask. Within moments he had all the hinges unclipped and was prepared to remove it once she was ready. Meanwhile Mia had removed her left glove as well as the sleeve of her Blood Veil revealing the fair and relatively unblemished skin that laid beneath. With great reluctance she raised the arm towards him.

The white haired revenant wasted no time and bit into her wrist as soon as his mask was removed.

Drinking the blood directly from another person was…different to say the least but not as bad as Ren expected. In fact the warm blood flowing into him was far sweeter than the blood beads they had been sustaining themselves on. He was almost tempted to keep downing the substance.

Mia on her part had managed to contain the wince that threatened to break out across her face once his fangs pierced her skin. After the initial pain passed the process was oddly numbing? It sort of felt like getting a shot. Not only that but she couldn't but stare at the back of Ren's head. For the first since they crossed paths his guard was completely down. It'd be so easy to swipe the blood beads attached to his waist and make her exit. The thought made her other hand twitch forward but for some reason she stopped herself. Why? She couldn't say for sure.

Was she afraid of this white haired duo? They had certainly proved their combat prowess and that look on Ren's face whenever he made a threat told her he wasn't blowing hot air. That couldn't be it though, at least not completely.

Some part of her wanted to believe that nonsense Io sprouted about reviving the spring. If that was really possible, she could solve her problem in one fell swoop if she played her cards right.

Mia's contemplation was put on hold when Ren pulled away and clipped his mask back in place. She didn't miss his eyes glowing the same ominous red hue they took on whenever he engaged in battle.

"Well you don't look like your in pain." Mia commented as she fixed her clothes. The wound he left behind had healed without much trouble. "I guess you weren't talking crazy then."

"Hmmm." Ren simply hummed in response, his gaze focused solely on his left hand. Utilizing this Blood Code was going to be difficult without Cruz's guidance. Fortunately he had a rough idea of the ability he was trying to call forth. The problem was differentiating that feeling from his air balls.

Both were projectiles so had the same fundamental ideas but the air balls had more or less become instinctual to him. There wasn't much of a need to think before casting said gift.

'In that case all I have to do is take it slow.' Ren took a deep breath and drew upon his ichor reserves, his mind focused on nothing but the ball of ice that Mia had used in their battle. At first it seemed as though nothing was happening but then Mia noticed a small detail.

Ren's breath had become visible. In the next moment a ball of ice burst to life above the palm of his hand. It was nowhere near as big as the one that Mia had made but the frost leaking off it was far more plentiful than what she could manage to create in such a short amount of time. Unfortunately that seemed to come with it's own caveat.

"Fuck." Ren swore lowly while grabbing ahold of his wrist and banishing the ball of ice. Despite only having held the thing for a few seconds his fingers had turned a bright red and were shaking, a common sight associated with frostbite. Without a word Io activated her blood code and sped up his regenerative factor. It didn't take long for his hand to return to normal though there was still a slight shake present within his fingers. "T-Thanks Io……I didn't expect something like that; has this ever happened to you?"

"N-No." Mia answered with a shake of her head. This whole day was becoming crazier by the second. "Ever since I became a Revenant the cold hasn't affected me as much."

"I see." Ren muttered while examining his hand. Perhaps it took longer for his body to assimilate abilities that fundamentally changed the body? At this point he had no way of knowing but one thing was for sure, painful or not this was their one ticket at taking down that pile of flesh guarding the spring. "…I think I have….maybe…three or two uses before it completely destroys my hand without taking into account blood beads at least."

"I should be of assistance." Io raised her hand and a faint blue spark shot out from her and towards Ren's arms. "My ability is incapable of granting full immunity but it has made your body more resistant to the elements for a short time.

"Huh, that's convenient." Ren muttered. After a short examination he reached into the sack and tossed Mia three small blood beads as well as another set for himself.

"You're still going to give me the other beads right?" Mia questioned as she caught the objects. With this empowering her she could be far more liberal with her gifts.

"Of course." Ren nodded as he handed off the bag to Io. "If we end up not needing them you can just consider them a bonus."

Mia had a feeling there wouldn't be anything left over once they were done.


'This should do for now.' Louis thought as he examined the items before him. It had taken a good bit of patience but once night had fallen and the heavy rain started it had been child's play to slip past the Cerberus guards stationed throughout their little camp. Either they were overconfident or extremely lazy as their security had been rather lax. He was willing to bet on the former; after all, there weren't many people crazy enough to make an enemy out of the provisional government's elite.

Louis had managed to get ahold of a blood bead and a small piece of the tree's bark. He wasn't sure if either of these things would contain the answer he was looking for but it was better than nothing. He could only hope that the rain hadn't washed away anything that had played a part in reviving the spring.

With his goal accomplished Louis disappeared into the night, intent on returning to base as soon as possible.


Ren found himself smirking as he barely avoided being turned into a pincushion.

The ichor flowing through his veins, the loud thumps of his heart hammering against his chest, the rush of exhilaration whenever he narrowly dodged a gruesome death. Even without his memories Ren was well aware the enjoyment he was getting out of this fight was anything but normal.

Then again, what about him was even normal at this point?

With a grunt Ren rocketed a ball of ice past the advancing tentacles, slowing down but not quite freezing the lost's movements. At the same time he dissipated into a mass of whitish-red particles, easily slipping away from the sharp appendages intent on impaling him.

On the opposite side of the thing, Mia had just followed up with a barrage of her own balls of ice. While they didn't quite hit as hard as Ren's her control over them was far more precise and deliberate. Her focused fire had managed to freeze the thing solid in several places though at this rate she wasn't sure if they'd finish this fight before they ran out of blood beads. Even now the blonde was sporting various cuts from narrow misses with this thing.

As if in response to her concerns a rush of energy filled Mia as she sliced and shot through a hail of tentacles, closing all the wounds she had sustained.

While Io may not have done much in terms of damage with her rifle she was doing a hell of a job keeping them in fighting condition.

Under their continued assault the speed of the things attacks began to slow down significantly right alongside it's overwhelming regeneration. However, the headway they were making was also began to stall. Their strategy, while effective, was proving to be incapable of freezing it's main body solid.

"We're running low on blood beads!" Ren shouted as he leap over an attack. "If you were holding back a more powerful gift, now is the time to use it!"

"Hmph." Mia grimaced. "There is something that I might be able to use now that we've slowed it down. The good news is I'll only need a few moments to prepare it."

"And the bad news?" Ren questioned as he landed near her.

"I can't move much during that period." Mia revealed, a deep frown imbedded across her face. "So I'm taking a big gamble here and putting my life in your hands which is probably the stupidest decision I could make in this situation."

"Agreed." Ren moved in front of Mia and chopped down the mass of tentacles that had been approaching her. "I'll make sure you don't regret that choice."

Mia grunted in slight amusement before straightening her back and placing over her heart. The usual whitish-red glow that signal the use of a gift appeared. Hardly a second three clouds of frost appeared overhead and began forming into sharp pillars of ice.

Whether it was drawn to the sizable gathering of ichor or retained some spark intelligence Mia couldn't say, but the lost suddenly split off a number of it's appendages away from Ren who was making quick work of them and sent them on a beeline for the projectiles. They would succeeded in disrupting the skill had it not been for Io's cover fire decimating them and giving Mia just the time she needed.

With a yell Mia thrust her arm forward. The pillars shot forward with speed that should have been impossible for constructs of their size, closing in on the lost in seconds. The first pillar ran clean through the lost, lodging itself dead center in it's mass. The second slammed directly into the first, causing the two to shatter and freeze a majority of not only the things exterior but the interior as well. The third shattered against the frozen flesh creating a frosty mist that blocked their view of the mist.

"Did that do it?" Mia questioned while attempting to regain her breath.

"…" Ren narrowed his eyes. The overwhelming scent of the lost fading but he wouldn't let his guard down until it completely vanished. Eventually the mist cleared and Ren finally relaxed. The thing was slowly dispersing like any other lost, signaling it's defeat. "Looks like that gift of yours worked. Got any more abilities I should know about it?"

"More than you know." For the first time since they met Mia grin. It only slight and hardly noticeable but the little detail didn't escape Ren's notice. "Afraid I'll use them against you?"

"Not at all." Ren offered a smirk of his own. "I highly doubt you'll want to attack me after we're done here in fact the opposite will probably happen."

Mia raised an eyebrow clearly awaiting further elaboration. Ren simply walked off towards the dried up spring, gesturing for the two women to follow after him.

Mia opened her mouth to negotiate for some extra blood beads but found herself silenced by a blinding blue light. At first she was worried that they were planning to attack her in that instant of weakness but that proved to be unnecessary. Instead Mia was greeted by a sight she thought impossible.

"H-How?" Was the only intelligible word to escape her as the previously dead tree seemed to become revitalize, growing a number of matured blood beads in moments.

"My blood." Ren revealed as he took a seat at the base of the tree, a blood bead already in hand. Io was quick to join him with a bead of her own. "You're free to take as many as you can carry."

Mia blinked.

And blinked.

And blinked.

As soon as her brain managed to reboot itself Mia immediately grabbed ahold of a blood bead and bite into it. There was no mistaking the feeling of empowerment that filled her she downed the red substance.

'These are the real thing!' Mia immediately began gathering up a ton of the beads, her mind already in overtime. 'I knew these two seemed a little odd but this isn't at all what I expected. This Ren can revive springs, something not even the government is capable of.'

"You said the two of you have woken up recently right?" Mia probed. This was a once in a life time chance. It was no exaggeration to say Ren wasn't just a golden egg. No, he was the goose that laid the eggs.

"More or less." Ren decided he didn't need to explain how Io lost most of her memories tracking him down. It's not like that mattered right now.

"So then…you have nowhere to go right?" Mia pushed further. She did a good job of hiding it but Ren managed to pick up on the anticipation in her voice.

"Gonna invite us back to your camp huh." Ren questioned rhetorically. "It would be a stupid move on your part to let a virtually infinite source of blood beads walk away."

Mia gave a nod. They were obviously on the same page.

"How many people make up your group?"

"Two. It's just me and my brother." Mia answered honestly. "We have more then enough space for the two of you to join us."

"Perfect, that works out well for me. It goes without saying that I don't exactly want people to know about my unique abilities so let's cut a deal." Ren eyes met Mia's. "I provide you and your brother with blood beads and in exchange you give the two of us shelter and keep this little secret between us. That work for you?"

"Of course!" Mia answered immediately.

"You Io?"

"Me?" Io tilted her head, a curious glow in her eyes. "I believe the arrangement is acceptable."

"Looks like we have ourselves a deal then." Ren gave Mia a small genuine smile. "I look forward to working with you Mia."

For the first time in what felt like forever Mia felt her heart swell with hope. It had been so long that she almost forgot what it felt like. Despite their rocky start it was starting to look like that running into these two was the luckiest thing to happen since she awoke as a revenant.


'Soon Nicola.' Mia pulled her knees closer to her chest as she stared at the heavy rainfall before her. The trio had made it to the surface but ultimately decided to wait out some rain within an abandoned store that they had secured for the night. Her now official white haired companions were close by, propped against the corner of the small building. Io had long since fallen asleep with her head on Ren's shoulder. Ren himself seemed to be much more relaxed now that they were on better terms though was still prepared to spring into action if any lost revealed themselves. 'Just one more night and you'll finally have the blood beads you need.'

"You okay?"

"Huh?" Mia glanced up to see Ren staring at her with a raised eyebrow. "I-I'm fine…just thinking."

"Hmmm, it's strange isn't it?" Ren's lips twitched upwards slightly. "A day ago we were ready to kill each other but here we are helping each other. Hell, you let me drink your blood. You must be some kind of weirdo to let a stranger do that to you."

"Weirdo?" Mia's widen eyes shifted a mix of embarrassment and indignation. "You're the real weirdo for asking in the first. What kind of person goes around drinking from peoples' wrists?"

"I can't argue with you there." Ren chuckled lightly. "No hard feelings about my little interrogation before right? I might have gone a little overboard there."

"A little?" Mia gave him a deadpan look.

"Just a little."

"Hmph, I did attack Io so I can't really hold it against you."

The two revenants shared amused looks as they fell into a more comfortable silence. Mia was grateful for a distraction from her more somber thoughts even if she didn't voice it.


Well that's a wrap for now.

Good news is that this is no longer being used as a writing challenge between me and my friends so it's more of personal thing which means I'll have motivation to do it. As I said earlier though, this year has brought me tons of responsibility. I wish I could say I'm just being lazy and playing games but that's not even an option most days lol. I can barely even update anything on my Wattpad account with how busy I am now.

Hope you guys, gals, and everything in between managed to deprive some enjoyment from this chapter despite it's rather disjointed nature. If not, please write your own Code Vein fic. I don't mean that in a mean or patronizing way. I just really wish there was more fanfiction of this game. I'll always consider myself more of a reader than a writer so if somewhere were to make a long running Code Vein fanfic, that would absolutely make my day.

Anyways, see you all next time which hopefully won't take a whole year again XD.

Peace out.