"This is your new home! I'm sure that your uncle Hansel will be thrilled to have you here." Came a woman's voice that reverberated in the darkness. It was one of those dreams where she could only hear and feel, but not see.

There was silence for some time, she didn't know how long she waited but there was one thing that she could feel, fear. The fear of not waking up, the fear of nothing else to come.

Was she dead?

No. She wasn't.

"Ah, so you're Alice's kid? Last time I saw you, you barely had your eyes opened." She heard footsteps that loudly clicked against the metal floor. After 6 steps that were torturously slow, it came to a stop. "You look exactly like Luke. Hope that you aren't as stubborn as him too." The deep voice chuckled deeply.

She tried to recall the appearance of the two individuals. The dream that she had a couple of days ago had become hazy, the one thing she could remember was that Luke had black hair.

"Thank god I got to you before she did."

'She? Who was she?'

"Do you remember what your parents told you incase something like this happened?" There was silence once again. A silence so thick that the tension it brought could make a person uncomfortable.

But so delicate that a single word can shatter it.

"Yes."

"Brynn!" Almond brown eyes struggled to adjust to the darkness the moment that they flickered open. She could feel the heaviness of her eyelids and the crust that form by the side of her eyes. A hoarse groan escaped her throat allowing her to feel the dryness of her mouth.

"I'm thirsty..." She admitted, the first thing that came to her mind upon waking up. "I need coffee." She added, finally facing the black-haired girl who kneeled beside her.

Nana's rose quartz like eyes widened and Brynn could see the fear that it previously held. Replacing it with a gleeful expression as soft giggles escaped her.

"Oh, Brynn..." The blonde struggled to get up, her body wasn't cooperating however, not in the way that she wanted it to. She peered down to see that her stomach had a thick bandage wrapped around it.

Bloodstained of course.

"Maybe you shouldn't get up yet." Brynn scanned the place they were in. It was a wooden room, cracks and holes that allowed the cold to pass through. It was somewhere adjacent to the Tranquil Temple. She was familiar with this place.

She gasped, managing to push herself up as she shuffled through her coat's pocket, they were empty. Reaching for the pouch that she had strapped by her upper thigh, it didn't contain what she had been looking for.

"What are you looking for?" Nana innocently inquired as the crawled towards the frantic Vice Captain.

Brynn paused and stared at the black-haired girl. She was responded with an inquisitive look that held worry and concern.

"How long was I out, Nana?" She croaked, her hand finding its way to the bandage to examine the blood. It had been dry and cold. She assumed that she out for quite some time.

Nana's eyebrows furrowed in thought as Brynn waited with bated breath, "About 3 hours... I think?"

"Shit, no wonder it's so dark." She sighed and buried her face into her hand before running her fingers through her hair. "Are you okay? Have you tried contacting the branch?" The sooner that they would get out of here the better, they didn't want another incident.

Nana twiddled her thumbs together which caused Brynn to feel anxious, "Well, you see... Both our comms got wrecked when we got here. I think your eyepiece got lost in the snow earlier as well."

Brynn would have cursed loudly but she knew it would do them no good. They left for the mission at around 15:00, arrived an hour later and finished the mission within 30 minutes. It would be around 19:00 hours or past.

Even God Eaters weren't sent out on night missions. She had no idea if the branch would have sent a search party for them at this time.

For now, they had to stay alive.

The blonde looked at her companion and saw that the intimidating red aura that once surrounded her had no longer been there. 'That's one good thing, at least.' She thought to herself, not wanting to jinx herself.

"When I was out, have we been attacked by any Aragami or..." Her statement trailed off when Nana shook her head. A smile on her face as she answered.

"So far, so good."

A loud rumble had caused Brynn to sit up straight, completely forgetting about the injury in her stomach as she looked around cautiously.

"Umm..." The dead air coming from Nana had caused her to look at the other questioningly, "That was my stomach, sorry."

It was either she was extremely anxious and paranoid, or the hunger and her injuries were getting to her. But Brynn had been on high alert, they couldn't let their guard down. Not like a time like this.

"We should probably wait til morning," Brynn said. "It would be more dangerous to head out at night. We would be at a disadvantage." Nana nodded in agreement.

The two basked in the silence of the empty temples. Only the ragged breathing and the blowing of the wind could be heard through the hollow tavern. Brynn managed to find a comfortable position by leaning against the wall, propping her arm on one of the rocks that wound up inside. Nana sat against the same wall as well, only a few feet away from the Vice Captain. Her knees pulled up against her chest as she hugged them.

"Brynn?" The silence shattered like glass. Brynn tilted her head to the side in acknowledgement. She was too tired to speak.

"Hmm?" She hummed instead. It took a few seconds for the other to carry on with what she was saying.

"I'm sorry," Nana said. Rocking her body back and forth. Brynn diverted her full attention to her. "If only I had been stronger. You wouldn't have needed to carry me and... and-"

Despite the discomfort she was feeling, Brynn managed to scoot herself nearer to her companion who had buried her into her legs. The blonde draped an arm over her as she felt the other begin to sob again.

"Nana, you aren't weak." She gently stroked the short black locks.

"You're just saying that," Nana managed to say through her sobs.

"I'm not just saying it. Do you think you would have made it this far if you weren't strong? Do you think that you would have become a God Eater if you aren't strong? I'm sure that your mommy is proud of you," Brynn paused as her lips curved into a smile, seeing that the sobs have died down a bit. "When have I ever lied?"

Nana looked up and searched the Vice Captain's eyes. As if trying to determine whether she was sincere. A small smile of her own began to form as well.

"When you tell Gil and Romeo that you'll pay them but you never-"

"Okay, okay, that's going too far."

The two girls laughed and Brynn felt the place somewhat lighten up a bit. If they could keep talking like this, maybe she could keep the girl distracted and maybe time would pass faster.

"Ah, by the way," Brynn began after a couple moments, "When was the last time that you had your Bias Factor refilled?" Nana's eyes widened in surprise upon remembering.

"I think I was supposed to have mine refilled when we get home!" She panicked, to which Brynn clicked her tongue at.

The last thing they needed was Nana passing out in case they had to fight or while they were travelling. Her hand reached for the pouch that she strapped against her left leg. Inside it, she pulled out a syringe with a needle that was about as wide as a pencil.

"Luckily I brought some." Brynn winked as she reached for the girl's right arm, where her armlet had been located.

The blonde was a hoarder, and she was proud of it. She felt like it would have been better to lug around heavy stuff rather to regret not bringing enough and end up in some kind of crisis.

"Brynn, why do you bring so much?" Gil asked as he saw the girl stuff multiple pills, balls, bullets, and traps into the various pockets and pouches that she had.

"What are you saying?" She opened the pouch by her right thigh and placed her recovery pills as well as other health related items there. "I'm just bringing the maximum of each item."

Gil only stared with disbelief as the girl finished restocking, he wondered how the pockets didn't bulge with all the things that she carried with her. Instead, he followed her out the room towards the departure area.

'Damn, if only Gil were here.'

"Wait!" She was halfway through putting the needle into the armlet's socket part when Nana calling her had drawn her attention. "Don't you need it for yourself?" Brynn shook her head and gave a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about me." She inserted the needle and began to push the other end. The fluid quickly entered the armlet and she made sure to empty it until the last drop.

"Better?" She asked Nana who had a wide smile on her face as she rapidly nodded.

"A hundred and two times better!" No wonder why she was feeling so drained, "Thank you, Brynn!" The black-haired girl would have hugged the older one but remembered the wounds that she had.

Brynn felt relieved, almost. Their happiness had been cut short when Nana groaned loudly and clutched her head.

"Nana!" Brynn leaned towards the girl, before she did, a bright red aura emitted from the boost hammer user.

"Brynn, I can't... control it!" It grew bigger until it consumed the both of them. Brynn felt the same weird energy surge through her once again. She rubbed the girl's back through her clothes waiting for the red aura to die down.

It took about 3 minutes before the aura had died down. Brynn's heart had been pounding rapidly, she knew that something was wrong.

She glanced around the room to look for her God Arc, it had been stood against the wall on the other side. The blonde looked over at her companion who had managed to tire herself out and was deeply breathing. Eyes shut close as she leaned against the wall. With the strength she had left, she stood up. Legs were wobbly and greatly felt like jelly as she trudged over to the shining katana.

The blonde silently wished for her legs to not give up on her just let. Little by little, her wish had been granted and she felt her strength slowly return. Her leather boots buried into the snow piled up in the room with each step that she took. It wasn't long before she reached her blade.

She grabbed it, feeling the cold metal against her already cold skin. She flexed her fingers around it in attempts to get used to the coolness. Lifting it up and shouldering it as she made her way back towards Nana across the room.

Brynn took note of the other's God Arc which had been beside her the entire time. They should be ready enough. Or at least she hoped so.

The loud stomps had roused the black haired girl from her trance and the blonde from her reverie. Gripping the handle of the blade tighter, she ran towards the edge of the only gap that the room contained.

Her auburn eyes widened at what she saw a few meters away from where she stood. She spun around, inching closer to the wall as to flatten herself against it.

Fate had been playing a sick joke, just earlier, she had been impaled by a Cocoon Maiden, and lurking just outside was an Aragami that had a needle nearly the same length as its body.

She put a finger against her lip to signal her companion. Silently, she mouthed the name of the aragami. Knowinf that her companion understood it, she turned back and slightly peered.

Fortunately, it didn't see them yet. It's huge tail was swinging around the air as it searched. She knew exactly what it had been looking for.

The tips of its legs easily buried against the snow and she didn't want to know how easily it would pierce through flesh. Nana had quietly walked towards the other edge of the entrance, silently. Something Brynn had been thankful for.

"What do we do?" Nana mouthed, no words came out of her mouth but puffs of fog. Brynn managed to understand what the other said.

"We wait. But get ready for anything." She mouthed back, turning her attention back to the four-legged Aragami.

It brandished its pearly white shield that had the image of a skull. When she first encountered one, she remembered assuming that the shield had been its face. One could imagine how horrified she was the moment that it pulled away in two.

She breathed slowly, trying her best to mute it. Fortunately, the heavy snowfall had covered up for them. Brynn was lucky that she and Nana managed to stop the Bias Field earlier, any later the Borg Camlann would have known about their whereabouts.

Each second felt like centuries as they watched the scorpion like Aragami slowly approach their hiding place. Brynn glanced over at Nana, she could see how she slightly trembled from how far she was.

They couldn't fight in this condition. She searched her head for possible solutions to their dilemma.

There weren't a lot. Only three came into mind. The first would be that they stay where they are and try their best to avoid the aragami. If they could somehow sneak out and run, that would be better. The second plan that spurred was to run now if they could time the Aragami not looking.

The blonde thought of tossing something in a direction opposite from theirs to divert the attention. But the snow was falling heavier by the minute, she wasn't sure if she could be precise or if the Aragami would be able to hear it. An object landing on snow didn't make much noise.

The last thing that she thought of was the one that she believed would be best. Shuffling through her pouch, she pulled out a restore pill, and fortunately a spray that would prevent the aragami from detecting the individual that had been sprayed.

Peering through the gap, she saw that the Borg Camlann had turned in the opposite direction, eating from a pile of trash. She quickly dashed to where Nana was and grabbed her to the side.

"Brynn?" She whispered, noticing the objects that the girl held in her hand. "What are you-"

"Nana, we don't have enough time," Brynn said as lowly as she could. "I have a plan. But you have to cooperate for it to succeed. You'll do as I say, right?" She was pleased upon seeing that the girl had no hesitation, she held back her sigh saving it for later.

"I have an Aragami repelant," She held up the small bottle of blue liquid. "The moment that I spray it on you, you run. Okay? Try your best to make it back to the branch, or at least keep yourself safe." Nana's eyes widened and Brynn knew exactly what the girl was thinking. The plan wasn't the best. But she had to take the risk.

"Brynn, are you crazy?" She whispered/screamed as she grasped the other's coat roughly, "I can't just leave you here." Her lower lip trembled. "And what makes you so sure that I'll make it back to the branch?"

Brynn simply smiled and used a freehand to grasp the other's hands. "I just know, okay? You have to trust me. This place, don't you recognize it?" Brynn pointed to the area that had been blanketed with snow. "I don't know how you brought us here, but this place is a 20 minute run to the walls. 4 miles into the vicinity of the branch, that's all that you need to make. There are cameras that will detect you and they'll immediately send someone out."

Brynn was glad that she spent time discussing things with Licca whenever she would have free time. Unknowingly to the other God Eaters, she was sent here by the Director to pick samples of the environment. Strangely enough, there weren't a lot of Aragami that flocked around. She hoped it would be the same case during the night.

Nana paused for awhile before finally nodding. Brynn grinned and snapped the cap off the bottle.

"Go left from here, and just keep running straight. Don't look back and don't let your guard down. Here are some recovery pills." Brynn stuffed the pills into her hand.

"Ready?" The younger one nodded once again. Brynn breathed deeply and swallowed a pill of her own. She had been saving those II level pills for worst case scenarios like this. The moment that she felt her health slowly seeping back into her, she sprayed the blue liquid all over her companion.

"Run." The both of them ran, albeit in different directions. Just as Brynn had predicted, the Borg Camlann had only been a few meters away from what could have been their death hole.

She winced when it screeched loudly upon seeing her and began to charge towards her. The blonde readied her blade, a grin on her face.

So they fought. Swordsman versus knight. Metal clanking against what seemed to be metal in a fury of strikes and swings.

Brynn tried her best to conserve energy, putting up her shield every once in awhile instead of dodging. She knew that Nana would come back with reinforcements.

But for now, she needed to stay alive.

The fear of being impaled, the fear of getting hurt, the fear of dying had kept her on her feet. Agile as a cat, but as deadly as a tiger. She tried her best to keep her moves effective, but with the long sword she was using, she was put at a disadvantage.

"This is probably the most stupid thing that I have done in my entire life." She jumped, doing a somersault as she tried her best to slice through the thick armor. It screeched once again the moment that she landed on the base of its tail, using the opportunity to stab the katana into the soft spot on its back.

She almost cheered the moment black blood spilled on the snow, but her celebration had been abruptly cut short. The Borg Camlann bucked causing her to land against a wall. The wooden planks shattering as she felt a few splinter her.

The Borg Camlann slowly spun around, she was too dizzy to process anything around her. But the shadowy figure kept getting nearer, and nearer. Until it fully consumed her vision.

'I guess I'd rather die because of a Borg Camlann rather than die because of a Cocoon Maiden." She smiled bitterly at the thought.

She braced herself, knowing the large stinger would soon impale her and kill her. What was the point if she struggled, it would end the same way.

'Please be safe, Nana.' She silently prayed that the other had manage to get to base safely. What was she thinking by sending her off like that.

"Die!" An unfamiliar voice had filled her ears and the sound of something crashing and breaking followed soon after. She struggled to open her eyes, the Aragami was no longer in front of her. The sound of metal clashing against metal could be heard again.

"Brynn, hang in there!" Came another voice, she knew that it was a certain Russian silvette. Brynn couldn't help but smile at the thought that Nana made it back. She assumed that was what had happened.

A couple of minutes later, a figure soon approached her. Despite the blurriness of her vision, she knew that the person was wearing a white coat, dark pants and a dark top. The individual's hair also appeared to be white, she wasn't sure if it was the snow that had been doing that, but she was sure that the person's skintone contrasted with his hair.

"That S.O.B got her really good." Brynn figured that the person had been a male. She noticed the other figure approach her as well.

"A-Alisa..." She managed to say, the two figures had lowered themselves to meet her face.

"Don't speak, Brynn. Just get some rest." She felt something being forced into her mouth and she knew that it was a recovery pill. She hoped that it would be the II version because the normal ones didn't affect her when she was this damaged. She felt something heavy and warm being draped over her.

"She was shivering." The deep and gruff voice said once again, she allowed herself to close her eyes. Soon after, she felt a pair of arms lift her off the ground. "When we get back to the car, make sure that the way she lies down won't strain her. She has already lost enough blood."

"You don't have to tell me that," Came Alisa's voice, surely she had been iffed. "Let's hurry." There was only silence the rest of the way back.

That moment she felt safe, and she felt that she could finally allow herself to drift into the arms of sleep.