Mental Realm

'Where… Where am I?'

Lindow's thoughts echoed endlessly in the darkened haze. His questions received no answers, only repeating back to him in faded whispers. His hands felt helplessly through the fog, feeling somehow nothing and everything all at once. It was as though he were trapped in a body not his own. He was weightless… he was floating… he was lost. He lost track of how much time had passed. The only thing he remembered was his young teammate's distressed voice. But that shouldn't have even been possible. As far as he knew, Reaper couldn't speak… could she? He didn't know. He couldn't remember.

How long he had wandered was a mystery to him. The former Captain was close to giving in; closing his eyes and letting the darkness overtake him. It wasn't until he heard a youthful voice calling to him that he reawakened, mind going alert at the new stimuli. "Hello?" he called, listening carefully through the sound of his own reverberated voice. A faint response was his reward, echoing through the darkness.

"Come on." It spoke to him in hushed whispers, like a child doing something they weren't supposed to do.

Moving forward, Lindow followed the sound, swimming his arms slowly through the fog in front of him. He could hear nothing for a few moments, not even his own footsteps as he wandered aimlessly through the darkness. Then, finally, the world around him began to change. Small footsteps materialized, tapping quietly along a linoleum floor. The grey wisps around him began to harden and form, shifting into dimly walls that closed around him. The walls began to stretch outward, forming a long corridor in front of him, leading to the unknown. At the of the hallway was...

"A... child?"

"This way."

The figure turned and looked back at him, his faceless body waving him forward as he made his way further into the dark. Puzzled, Lindow wandered after him down the blackened corridor. What compelled him to follow was a mystery to him. He had no reason to go after the specter, he knew, but it was the closest thing to a lead he had at the moment. The first sign of life in an endless silence.

The world fell apart, walls vanishing into nothingness as he moved through the hall. Still, he kept forward, ears focused on the pitter patter of quiet footfalls. It wasn't until they stopped that he did as well, looking forward at a large rectangular object materializing before him. It was a metal door, large and heavy with big, thick hinges. The sound of the child's voice called to him from the other side, beckoning him onward. Slowly, Lindow placed his hand on the knob and turned.

When the door opened, he found himself standing in the center of a treasure trove. Shelves stretched high toward the ceiling, layered with jars, containers, baskets, and bowls of all shapes and sizes. Bottles and cans filled the remainder, and bags of unidentifiable substances littered the floor. It was a pantry... a very large one. And sitting at the center of it was a little boy, munching happily on a rice ball. Baffled, Lindow stepped forward, tilting his head in utter confusion at the sight.

The little boy only smiled, handing him one of the round fluffy treats before biting into his own once again. Lindow took it and nipped a small piece of his own, eyes widening at the sudden rush of flavor. They were delicious! He had never tasted rations like this in all his time in the Far East Branch. Just what was this place? Who was this child? And why did his young face look so familiar?

As the specter solidified, he took careful note of his appearance, trying to pinpoint where he had seen such facial features before. Pale skin and deep chocolate eyes, jet-black hair and a warm smile, a thin frame with long legs. So foreign and yet so recognizable... as though they had met before in another life. Lindow looked downward to further examine his surroundings, nearly jumping at the sight of his empty hand. His rice ball was gone, vanished into thin air, and leaving behind only sticky remnants on his fingertips. When had he eaten it? How had he not noticed?

He looked back at the boy, astonished, only to find him handing another ball towards him with that gentle smile. Lindow blinked, now growing alarmed at the unusual events. What was going on? He took a nervous step back from him, narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the child. His legs didn't carry him far, quickly coming to a stop as his foot bumped into a container behind him. He jumped, whipping around to find the culprit, and leaping back when he saw it. His body moved on instinct, diving out of the way as a tower wobbled off balance. An unseeable object tumbled to the floor, shattering upon impact as it hit the ground and sending scattered shards in every direction.

The silence that followed was deafening. He looked to his side to the boy, hoping to get even just a little insight on their current situation. But all he saw on his face was fear. It seemed whatever they were doing, they certainly weren't supposed to be. The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps and raised voices confirmed his theory as the boy rose to his feet and looked toward the door. Someone was coming. Lindow found his eyes following the boy's drifting toward the door uncertainly before snapping back to his young accomplice.

When he looked back at him, however, the child's eyes had softened. His earlier concern had melted away and his straight mouth had curled into a silent smile. Seemingly over his previous fear, he slowly lifted a small pale finger to his lips, indicating silence. Then, he stepped forward and pushed Lindow backward, forcing him into the shadows against the wall. Glass crunched beneath his boots as he moved, settling into silence as his body went still.

The boy nodded in reassurance to him before turning and making his way towards the large door. The Corporal held his breath, body readying for combat as the sound of a lock clicked through the silent room. He could feel his heart pounding louder and louder with every footstep as they approached, drawing closer to the door. Then, when it finally swung open, they stopped.

But his brave young companion was undeterred. He stood tall as his young stature would allow him, gazing calmly toward the open doorway, half-eaten rice ball in hand. The blank look on his face betrayed nothing as he looked up at the intruders. Their badges swung at their hips, slowing from their frantic motion as their owners came to a stop. He recognized those emblems. They were employees of Fenrir. So, the two of them were in headquarters.

The men looked down at the boy, mouths rested in varying degrees of frowns. At the sight of him however, their startled looks shifted immediately into ones of irritation. It seemed that he wasn't who they had been expecting. A tired sigh escaped from the tallest of them, followed by a cross of his arms and a shake of his head. "It's Hamasaki's kid."

'Hamasaki...?' Lindow wondered, holding stock still, watching the events unfold.

"What are you doing down here, Ichiro? You know this area is off limits," the brunette beside the tallest asked.

The boy lowered his eyes, giving his most sheepish expression. "I was hungry…" he mumbled. Foot kicking nervously against the floor, he looked the picture-perfect image of a scolded child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Lindow was almost impressed by his sudden shift, eyes widening as he completed his performance. It was hard to believe that that same child had been smiling around pilfered goods not even thirty seconds prior. The employees seemed to fall for it, their shoulders drooping in defeat.

They shook their heads and sighed, the tallest of them slowly leading him from the room.
"Come on, Ichiro. Hiroyuki is looking for you. He's not going to be happy when he finds out you were down here."

Ichiro slowly nodded and lowered his head, following the adults through the doorway and out of the room. His head shifted slightly as he stepped through the door, looking directly at him. For a moment, Lindow paused, wondering what he was going to do next. But Ichiro didn't say a word. Instead, he offered a small wink and a smirk before disappearing behind the door.

After Ichiro's diversion, Lindow waited for a while to ensure the coast was clear. He wasn't sure what would happen if he made his presence known too soon and was even less sure of what would happen if caught in general. He still wasn't sure where he was and was even more puzzled by the sudden turn of events. From what he had gathered, he was in Fenrir's headquarters, but he wasn't sure where. He had never seen a storage room like that one before nor had he met any of those employees. And the child he was with, Ichiro Hamasaki. He felt as though he should know that name, but he wasn't sure why. He couldn't remember him. He couldn't remember anything.

Slowly, moving forward, Lindow snapped out of his trance. He wasn't going to get answers by hiding in the storage room. The men and Ichiro had left some time ago, so there should be no reason to remain hidden. He would escape and figure out more information about his whereabouts. That had been his plan. But as the door pressed open, he found himself standing face to face with yet another unfamiliar face. It wasn't one he recognized, but it did bear a striking resemblance to the boy he had just seen not too long ago.

Standing outside of the door with his arms crossed was a much taller, older version of Ichiro with glasses and a long white lab coat. However, unlike the other employees he encountered before, he didn't look stern or annoyed in any way. In fact, he actually looked relieved. His shoulders relaxed with a quiet sigh. "There you are. I had a feeling I'd find you here."

Lindow said nothing, eyes staring forward as the older man approached him. Yet strangely, he didn't feel threatened by this man, not like the others. He felt only peace looking at him.

"I didn't think Ichiro would raid the food storage by himself. What am I going to do with you, child?" Again, Lindow said nothing, only staring back at the man with a blank stare. But he didn't seem to mind. Instead, he smiled once more and guided him from the doorway. "Come. Let us return to the dorm."

. . .

"Gyah!" A loud squeak sounded through the howling wind. Soaring through the air, Neo hit the ground and skidded through the mud with a loud thud. She had hoped that being trapped in a dream world would work to their advantage, but it seemed she was mistaken. If anything, the Ouroboros seemed to hit even harder in Lindow's mind realm.

Fantastic.

Groaning, Neo climbed to her feet and gripped her God Arc, fixing the massive creature with a furious glare. Beside her, Ren took aim at her with a recovery bullet, easing away any discomfort from the impact. At least she didn't have to deal with this nonsense by herself.

"The Director borders on cruel, doesn't he? What sort of lunatic would send us in here alone?"

"I don't know, Ren. Maybe one bent on planetary destruction?" Neo snapped, sarcasm dripping from every word. Turning, she dove to the side, splitting from the other God Eater as an earth-shaking paw slammed into the ground. Landing, she turned and took pause. It occurred to her that perhaps she had been a little harsh. After all, Ren hadn't been around during Schicksal's rampage. He had no more knowledge of the Ark Project than any other employee at Fenrir. "Never mind... I just —" Neo froze. Something about Ren's wording had disturbed her. "Wait... us?"

"Look out!"

Neo snapped out of it, leaping backward to evade another strike. Her distraction had been nearly costly. She couldn't waste time pondering such things. But she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about it.

Ren didn't seem to notice her suspicion, instead muttering more so to himself than to her. "Perhaps he wanted to do away with Lindow..."

A frustrated grunt was his only response. As intriguing as the conversation as to her, Neo couldn't afford to keep paying attention to him. The Ouroboros, while slow, was a very large and powerful foe. To make matters worse, it seemed that the time spent in Lindow's mind was having a negative effect on her. Her movements were sluggish, and her strikes were weaker. She couldn't seem to call upon her power either.

It was as though she were living through Lindow's memories, seeing, and feeling the world as he did. Which was very, very problematic. But it wasn't the elemental handicap that had her concerned. Up until her reawakening, Neo hadn't been capable of channeling her power very well to begin with. And as the Ouroboros was resistant to electricity, it wouldn't have been much of a benefit in the first place. What frightened her was her physical state.

If she had no control over her power, what did that mean for her functionality? Was it now no more than a human's, just the same as Lindow's? She already felt slower than usual, and her enhanced strength seemed dulled. What if her regenerative capabilities suffered as well? If that were the case, withstanding a critical strike in this state could be lethal. And what would happen were she to die in this realm? What would happen to her body in the real world? Would it perish as well? And what of Lindow? Would he remain trapped in this spectral realm forever? Or would both of them simply cease to exist?

She couldn't think about that. Not right now. She needed to focus. That wasn't a risk any of them could afford to take.

"On your six!" Neo shouted, taking notice of the monster's shifting movement. Its tendril lifted in the air towards her, but the trajectory was angled downward. Her warning proved helpful. As it lowered, the Ouroboros turned and spun, swinging its long limb in the opposite direction, right toward Ren. The tentacle passed under him as he leapt over it, taking aim at its lowered eyes. The shot hit its mark, right in the center, sending the creature reeling back and screeching in agony. Now was her chance. Switching places with Ren, she got into position.

Taking aim, she loaded a divine sniper bullet and angled it forward. With her shot lined, she moved her finger to the trigger. But her shot never fired. At the sight of its glowing eyes, she panicked, moving her hand instead to the weapon's side. Her movement didn't come a moment too soon. Her gun shifted into scythe form and within seconds the shield deployed, activating just as the bright white beam fired forward, slamming against the protective barrier. The very force of it pushed her back, feet dragging through the dirt as it passed over. She took a brief moment to mentally thank Soma for his assistance in defensive maneuvers. Such a mistake could have easily been fatal.

"This isn't working!" she called from behind her shield, staying low and clinging on for dear life. She couldn't allow the divine rays to brush her skin.

"There must be a way! Neo, think!" Ren shouted, taking the moment of distraction for himself. The sound of the monster's roar indicated her safety.

Neo slowly lowered her weapon and sighed with relief for the moment of reprieve. Ren was right. There had to be a way to win this battle. Lindow had managed to do so by his lonesome, and he was only a man. For now, Neo was similarly human, but at least she wasn't alone. There had to be a way to bring down the behemoth. She just had to find it.

Shifting gears, she shifted back and took aim, firing a well-placed recovery bullet in Ren's direction. It struck him midair as the Ouroboros batted him away and towards a nearby rockface. Shifting back, she rushed forward as quickly as she could, placing herself in between Ren and the encroaching threat. "What a time to be powerless..."

"I am sorry, but I must agree. If you could use your Aragami power against it, then perhaps we could gain an advantage."

"Yeah. Well, I can't, so we'll have to make do with —"

'Wait...' The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning, watching as the creature reared its ugly head once more. Lifting her shield, she braced herself for the incoming beam. It struck full force, pressing her back with a startled yelp. The metal creaked and complained under the strain. It wasn't going to last much longer. But perhaps she didn't need it to.

Her mind drifted away, thinking back to a time before freedom. A time as Reaper. She could hear Ichiro's commands, summoning her to assist him against another towering foe; the Quadriga. She had been fighting alongside a team back then. While she had little access to her elemental capability, she had still been able to assist them utilizing what tools she had at her disposal. She fought alongside as they did; as humans did. She couldn't use her own Aragami blood as a weapon... but that didn't mean that she couldn't use theirs.

'That's it!'

With newfound resolve, Neo rose to her feet, her shield disengaging as the light began to fade. It was out of charge. She would need to be careful from here on out until it could recuperate. But if her plan worked as she hoped, she wouldn't need it to. She would use the monster's own power against it.

"Ren, I need you to cover me."

"Hm? What do you need me to do?"

"Just keep it distracted."

The Ouroboros' bent legs told them they were out of time. Separating, they leapt in opposite directions as the monster launched over the muddy plain. Ignoring the loud crash behind her, she continued running. Sliding into a patch of tall grass, she slipped out of sight. With one of its opponents missing, the Aragami turned its entire focus on the visible target, chasing the fleeing God Eater across the battlefield.

Yes. She knew what she had to do. Lindow had fought this creature alone. And he done so without the use of any extra capability. Neo wasn't certain she could do the same. In this current matchup, especially with her own weaknesses, she was at a severe disadvantage. But even without her power, she had one thing that the corporal didn't. Neo was a New Type.

Her scythe twisted in her hands as she reangled her grip, keeping a watchful eye on the enemy's movements as Ren herded it across the stormy plains. It was nearly time. She waited for just the right moment. Then, she leapt into action. With its focus on Ren, Neo leapt from the brush and rushed toward them, focusing on the creature's tail. Raised on its hind legs, it was defenseless from a rear strike as the New Type activated her Devour. The weapon's jaws sank deep into its flesh, absorbing essence from the body itself. The Aragami sounded its displeasure, taking out its frustration on the moving target, tentacles missing Ren by a centimeter.

But Neo didn't stop there. Turning, she leapt over the incoming tentacles as they swept around, looping to its planted legs. There, she took another bite, absorbing more of its essence and building her weapon's charge. To the other side, Ren had caught on, taking his opportunity to Devour as well while the creature was distracted.

Now caught between two rotating targets, the Ouroboros roared and threw its body into the sky, intending to end both of them. But the God Eaters had what they needed. Getting one last bite, both soldiers scattered, diving for safety as the massive creature came down. It landed with such force that the entire ground shook, nearly knocking both off their feet as they fled. Beneath its body was a large indentation; a crater it had dug into the mud beneath its weight. And now, a self-made trap.

As the creature struggled to rise from its own makeshift hole, the two God Eaters took action. Angling their barrels upward, they mirrored each other, taking aim at the area just above the Aragami's head. Then, they unloaded.

A hail of Aragami bullets rained from the sky, glowing into bright pink spheres as they hovered above. The moment its horn made contact, they activated, bringing the heavens down upon its head in a storm of its own divine power. Starlight Call, the Ouroboros' absorbed power was now its downfall. Beams of light erupted from the sky, engulfing the creature in its own blinding light. Neo could hear the screeching over the rushing wind, a familiar sound of agony as it burned, frying beneath its own element.

Neo knew that terrifying feeling all too well. She didn't envy it.

When the light finally faded, the Ouroboros was still. Alive, but unmoving. Stalking forward, she loaded three divine blast bullets into her chamber. Ren watched as she stopped before it, her small body a tiny object between its gargantuan horns. Then, she placed the barrel against its head and fired each one right into its skull. The Ouroboros was no more.

"Great job, Neo! That was brilliant!"

"Hmph..." Without remorse, she tore out the core, taking careful note of it before absorbing it into her weapon. She wasn't sure what would happen if she tried to consume one in this world, especially of divine origin. No, that would be for another day. With a tired sigh, shifted her weapon, slinging the scythe over her shoulder. "Now. What should be do ne —"

Neo's question went unfinished. The ground beneath them began to shake sending them off balance for the second time as the world began to shift. The clouds moved, and the rain intensified, worsening from a heavy storm to a torrential downpour. For just the briefest moment, she could see the very air before her beginning to change, the buildings surrounding flashing to a familiar hue. One that Neo didn't want to see. In the brief glimpses behind the windows, she could see the heads of ethereal scientists rushing through the buildings in between lightning strikes. They were running out of time.

"The assimilation is accelerating. We have to find Lindow, and hurry!" Ren shouted. Neo didn't argue with him, instead turning to follow as they bolted across the landscape towards Headquarters. If their minds were beginning to merge, she could only imagine what horrors Lindow had witnessed.

Without looking back, the two God Eaters took off into the gathering storm.