Chapter 1: City on fire.
"Ayano? Ayano, wake up!"
Ayano slowly opened her eyes, finding herself lying on the ground. This surprised her greatly.
"Ayano, get up! Here we go!"
Looking up she saw a boy standing in front of her with short brown hair and eyes of the same color wielding a Heckler & Koch XM8 assault rifle.
"Ryo ..."
"Come on, pick up your weapon and let's go! We don't have all day. "
"Weapon?"
"The one near you!"
The girl looked around and saw, standing beside her, a Beretta AR 70 assault rifle.
"And where does this come from?"
"Come on, don't ask absurd questions and let's go! It is dangerous to spend too much time in the same place."
Although reluctantly Ayano obeyed and stood up, then looked around. They were near a big city, from which columns of smoke rose.
"I heard screams nearby. We need to find out what happens."
"Agree!"
The two guys set out with their weapons in hand until they reached a gas station. Here they saw, from afar, 6 European soldiers holding a Japanese boy with short brown hair and brown eyes. They stood behind a military truck and watched the scene.
"Thief! You wanted to steal the source of her power!" Said one of the soldiers, pointing the automatic rifle at his neck.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" The boy replied, clearly terrified.
"The empress was talking about a Japanese boy with short hair! You are Japanese, and you have short hair! "Another soldier told him, then hit him and knocked him to the ground.
"We have to help him!" Ryo affirmed, as he took the safety off his weapon.
"Are you sure?" Ayano asked.
"Of course ... At my three we open fire."
"Ok ..."
"One, two…"
Shit ... But how did I end up here? And what's going on?
She asked herself, swallowing.
"Three!"
The two japanese opened fire, killing all the soldiers except one who was wounded in the stomach. The boy, in pain, stood up. He looked over his shoulder, looking incredulously at the soldiers lying on the ground.
"Everything okay, Rikuo?" Ryo asked.
"Yes ..." He answered.
Ryo put his assault rifle on the ground, drew a dagger from his pocket and pointed it at the throat of the only surviving soldier.
"Why does Leila send her soldiers to raid the ghetto?" She asked, threateningly.
Leila?
Ayano thought, amazed.
"Look for someone ... A Japanese boy who wanted to rob her." The soldier replied.
"Well, she won't find me thanks to you!" That said Ryo cut his throat, killing him.
"What does Leila have to do with all this? You could never order such abuse!"
"You're wrong, Ayano ... You know that Leila was corrupted by power. I tried in vain to stop her, but I drew her anger on our people. "
"I don't understand ... This makes no sense! We are ... " She tried to explain Ayano but was interrupted by Rikuo.
"Empress Leila's soldiers are raiding Amsterdam and killing everyone. They are looking for you, Ryo!"
"Empress Leila?" Ayano was incredulous.
"Come on, Ayano!" Ryo spurred her on.
Thus the two guys resumed their journey.
"I didn't think she would act so brutally!" He said.
"Are you talking about Leila? Why did that boy call her empress?"
"Many innocent people are suffering because of me, and not just the Japanese. We must save as much as possible."
Amsterdam had been put to fire by the European army, which raked and killed every suspicious individual; the greatest victims were registered in the Japanese ghetto.
"Just tell us where she are and the ghetto will be spared. Otherwise it will be razed to the ground. It's very simple."A European officier stated, leading a handful of soldiers, addressing some Japanese civilians.
"But we don't know him!" A man in his thirties answered him.
"Very well…"
"There are women and children! You can't do it!"
"Eleven women and children ... Their life counts for nothing. They are just insignificant bugs."
"You are a monster!"
"I warned you."
That said, he unsheathed his gun and shot him in the head, killing him. After a few moments his subordinates followed suit, slaughtering 5 people (including a woman with a baby in her arms).
Bastards!
Ayano thought, having watched the scene from afar.
"We have to stop them!" Ryo said, his face dark.
"And how? We had at least Knightmare ... "She reply.
"We'll get them."
Thus they began to sift through the area in search of some unattended frames; chaos reigned around them; the air was torn by screams, gunshots and explosions, the smell of burning penetrated their nostrils. More than once they came across soldiers who tried to kill them, but ended up being slaughtered themselves.
"If only I had stolen the scepter ... Now I have to remedy it!"
"Scepter? Ryo, I'm not understanding anything!"
After a good half hour they came across two Alexander Type-02, whose pilots were urinating near a wall.
"This mopping up is definitely boring ... There is nothing exciting about slaughtering insignificant elevens who run away like rabbits at our appearance!" The first one said, a boy with short brown hair.
"Yeah ... I miss the thrill of battle. I still remember when we were fighting the British at the gates of Warsaw. The battles were adrenaline-fueled." His partner replied, a boy with short black hair.
Ayano and Ryo exchanged a sign of understanding, unsheathing their weapons and, silently, they approached the two victims: the first received a dagger stuck in his skull, the second was beheaded. They fell to the ground, both lifeless.
"Now the party starts!" Ryo exclaimed, amused.