AN: Here's chapter 24. A change to the release schedule will be made from here onward. The next chapter will be out 02/27/24, but is already available on the pat.

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XXX

The State of You ~ A World that Never Was

Seraphiel ripped his arms apart with a yell, angelic blood spattering to the streets below. With a quick wind up, he flung his head back and cracked Asuka in the jaw. She burned his scalp, but she stumbled backward and released him nonetheless. Free, Seraphiel lunged forward and tackled Leliel to the ground. His fist fell upon her face like a hammer upon a hot blade. He did his best to mold her face into exactly the shape he wanted: flat and mushy.

"What. Sort. Of. Pitiful. Attack. Was. That? I. Stand. Before. Thee. Unblemished!" Seraphiel bellowed, each of his words punctuated by an earth shaking, crater making punch that drilled into Leliel's face and left his knuckles stained with blood. A ways away, Rei lined up another shot and fired. Feeling the disrupted air and the shaking of Rei's Eva in the distance, Seraphiel scowled and rose to his full height before turning about and waving a hand. The moment his vibrations touched the shell, it exploded, scattering bits of shrapnel outward that tore holes through Seraphiel's body.

Seraphiel growled angrily and vanished, appearing above Rei in an instant with something transparent and writhing in his hands. He flung it down at her and Rei rolled away just in time. If not for Misato warning her, she would be dead, Rei was sure of it. The vibrating weapon slammed into her gun instead, nicking the rounds inside and cursing an explosion that turned her role into an uncontrolled tumble across the ground.

Seraphiel stepped out of the smoke, unhurt. Leisurely, he strolled over to a still recovering Rei and made to kick her in the ribs. A huge fireball came barreling toward him and he turned to wave it out of existence, only for it to change directions abruptly and fly above him. The fireball spun down toward his head, transformed to reveal Asuka in all her burning glory with her foot bearing down upon Seraphiel. At the same moment fire exploded out of her back, wings of flame extended from her shoulder blades and spread wide, before they too transformed into far reaching branches.

Fruits of fire bloomed upon the branches before they exploded off them and plummeted down to Seraphiel and the earth around him. Rei was sucked into a portal as multiple earthquakes shook the city and toppled buildings. Each time one of the flaming fruits hit the ground, the earth quaked once more with its explosion. A portal opened up and spat Rei and Leliel out of it once the shaking subsided.

Asuka's form came spinning out of the blaze a moment later. She crashed into Unit–00 and they both fell to the ground. And then they heard a low chuckle coming from the flames. The chuckle grew louder and louder as a silhouette formed in the fire until full blown laughter reached their ears. Seraphiel stepped out of the fire, his skin blackened but healing. Steam rose off his body as he came to a stop.

"I know what you did," Seraphiel said, "An interesting plan, I'll give you that. But it matters little. All I have to do is kill you before you can be of significance!"

Seraphiel lunged.

Asuka opened her eyes with a gasp and sat up quickly. She looked around, confused at what she saw. The mirrors, the bed, the desk… she recognized all of these things. She was in her room.

"What…?" she asked no one, her voice a whisper. Skeptically, Asuka slid her legs from under her covers and tentatively placed them on the ground. She didn't suddenly fall through the floor. Or float. It was solid ground beneath her. She couldn't help but be further confused.

When Leliel had explained what this whole process would be like to her, she'd mentioned either an expanse of white nothingness with no end in sight, a realm of ever shifting colors, or a black void where the sensation of falling is all one would be able to experience. This was entirely out of the realm of what she'd expected. It didn't even seem like she'd been fighting just moments ago. Asuka looked down at her fingers.

"Was I fighting…?" Asuka wondered. She flicked her hand to try and conjure up a fireball, but nothing happened. She had no powers. But the question going through her mind was how? After two more failed attempts at conjuring fire, Asuka called for her sister. "Leliel?" Nothing.

"Asuka, get ready! You'll be late if you're not careful.," said Kyoko from the other side of the door.

"Was it a dream…?" Asuka asked herself. She quickly got dressed after that, going through the motions as her thoughts went here and there as she considered possible solutions. Once she was dressed and already on her way to school, Asuka had a sudden realization and she checked her phone. The date stared back at her. Asuka took a deep breath.

"I remember this day… Shinji and I had just started dating. Sahaquiel hadn't attacked yet. I hadn't ruined everything." In some ways, this is what Asuka had dreamed of for some time now. A way to go back and fix her mistakes. A single, pathetic little huffing laugh escaped her throat. Exactly like Shinji, she thought.

The rest of her walk to school passed her by in a blur and soon she found herself in the halls of the school. Her eyes darted about and when they locked onto Shinji, that's when things took a turn she was unprepared for. Her legs moved, and for her, it was almost like she was moving on strings. No matter how hard she tried to stop, she couldn't. She was speed walking toward Shinji. Her mouth opened against her will and she called his name.

"Shinji!"

Shinji turned at her voice, a smile lighting up his face. He looked exceedingly handsome, and when Asuka's body slowed to a walk and threw her arms around him, Asuka didn't try to fight it this time. He hugged her back. If Asuka could be honest with herself, this is a feeling she'd dreamed of for a while now. Since before Seraphiel was sent to another dimension, even. She just couldn't let go of her anger to admit it until now.

His strong arms around her brought her a comfort she'd not known had been missing. His scent set her mind at ease, allowing her eyes to slide shut as she took it all in. She wouldn't mind staying like this forever. Her eyes snapped open a second later.

"Asuka?" Her gaze fell upon the floating form of Leliel behind Shinji. I can see you, Asuka thought. Leliel nodded.

"He cannot hear me. I have been with him since we arrived here and have received no response… yee were much the same when i first saw thee. But I see you have recovered from whatever this place has done to thee," said Leliel. Asuka's body moved, the rest of this early morning interaction playing out as she remembered it. Even with her inability to control her body they way she wished, she at least had her thoughts.

I can't seem to say anything that isn't a replay of this exact day. And for a moment I was just going to let this whole thing take me. I thought staying like this forever would be fine. But the minute forever passed through my thoughts I latched onto it and wouldn't let go. Forever felt wrong. This all feels wrong. Like something is slithering at the edge of my awareness. Or lulling me into sleep.

"I think Seraphiel must be conjuring this place then, in order to trap Shinji within his mind and keep him from interfering," Leliel responded. Asuka didn't agree with her. No, in her mind this didn't seem to be Seraphiel's style.

I don't think that's it…

"Oh?"

Seraphiel… he seems much more of the torture kind of guy. Unless this all takes a turn for the worse later, this is too pleasant of a day to be repeated. I think this is Shinji's own doing… he's running away again.

In Central Dogma, Misato watched the ongoing battle with gritted teeth and a pounding heart. Seraphiel was almost effortlessly taking on Rei, Asuka, and Leliel. His distinction as an Angel was just too adept at dealing with anything and everything they threw at him. Only the most unpredictable of attacks worked. And frustratingly, they never worked again after that. Seraphiel's battle acumen was too high. He did not let himself get caught off guard more than once.

"Status on our other pilots?" Misato asked. Kyoko was the first to respond.

"Kensuke is unconscious. I'd like to retrieve him, but I don't think we'll be able to manage it right now. Toji is hurting, but awake. If we give him some time I think he can get back into this. Mari is unconscious too, but if she wakes up she can still fight."

"That will have to do… what about the sword?" Misato asked.

"Still not sure if it will work. We didn't do enough testing for my tastes," Ritsuko replied.

"I don't care. Send it up to Rei as soon as you can," Misato replied. Ritsuko just nodded, finding no point in trying to disagree. What choice did she really have, after all? If this failed then at least they tried.

"You heard her!" called Ritsuko.

Up on the surface, Rei dodged another invisible mass from Seraphiel. It crashed into a building behind her and she didn't have to see it to know the structure unraveled like yarn and became just more molecules in the air. She lunged forward, not to attack but to dodge. The molecules behind her were rubbed together in a rapid vibration that forced them to explode.

The soundwave of the explosion rushed forward, and crushed everything between it and Rei. She was only saved by her A.T. field, and even that was broken through. Thankfully, Leliel had used a portal to get her out of the way. The moment her feet touched the ground upon exit she had to duck a swing from Seraphiel. Her leg came out in an attempt to leg sweep him, but he vanished.

Seraphiel appeared above her five transparent, swirling masses at his back. They were launched down at her but fireballs from Asuka intercepted them. That gave Rei all the time she needed to heft her pallet rifle and fire, the bullets vanishing mere inches from Seraphiel's skin. He thrust his hand forward. It vanished into one of Leliel's portals and closed around his arm.. Blood sprayed from the stump, but Seraphiel did not scream. The arm grew back and they could only watch as he aimed an open palm at them. An A.T. field writhed between his fingers before expanding outward. Both Leliel and Asuka jumped in front of Rei, raising their own fields in defense. The clash was brief, their two fields overpowering Seraphiel's. But then his eyes flashed and the ever horrifying cross shaped explosion of energy climbed into the sky.

Smoke obscured their vision. Rei warily glanced around her, hoping to catch sight of one of her comrades. A hand emerged from the smoke, long and gray. She knew it did not belong to any of her own and so she dodged it. The string on the side of the arm was strummed and she was sent spiraling out of the smoke with a yell.

Rei tumbled across the ground until she got a foot beneath her. It dug into the asphalt and slowed her momentum, but not enough. She dug her fingers into the ground next and though she still slid back a bit further, she eventually felt herself slow until she stopped. Once she got to her feet she saw Asuka above the smoke, a large fireball forming between her arms overhead. She flung it into the blackness, and watched the smoke become an orange blaze.

"Rei! Get to the nearest resupply on your left! We're sending up a weapon for you," called Misato. Not having to be told twice, Rei ignored the battle as Seraphiel stepped out of the blaze with but a single burn, and made a beeline for the resupply station.

"Enough of this," said Seraphiel. The arms below his ribcage uncrossed themselves. One of them strummed the strings where his stomach was meant to be. The ground beneath Seraphiel vanished. He strummed the strings again. Everything between herself and Seraphiel began to rapidly unravel. On her next step, Rei jumped and dove behind a building. She rose her A.T. field again. The building unraveled. Her A.T. field unraveled. And she would have unraveled too if not for Leliel sucking her into a portal beneath her feet.

At that same moment, Seraphiel's three free hands palmed the air, as if cradling a ball between his hands. The molecules vibrated heavily before he aimed at Asuka. A translucent path was created between the two of them. Asuke expelled a stream of fire from her hands. The two attacks met in the middle, but instead of her flames vanishing, Seraphiel willed the vibration to end.

It was so sudden, Asuka didn't know what she could have done about it. Seraphiel's attack reached absolute zero temperatures, and the sudden end of vibrations extended past just Serapgiel's own attack and froze her flames as well. The Ice slammed into her, her own body freezing briefly. It didn't take her long to thaw, but that was all the time someone like Seraphiel needed. He appeared in front of her and lifted her up by the neck.

"I've finally got ahold of you," Seraphiel said. Asuka did not say anything. In fact, her face was blank. "Not very talkative. Then again, you are preoccupied, aren't you? Searching for Shinji. A wasted effort. After all, I didn't even have to try to shackle his mind. He did that himself."

Asuka felt like she was having an out of body experience as she chatted with her friends and Shinji. It was after school now. The group of them had stopped at a family restaurant on the way home from school. She was snuggled up next to Shinji in one of the booths, listening to the stooges as they ranted about nothing and everything. Their voices were little more than background noise and she clearly didn't need to be paying any attention. She would say whatever Shinji's mind thought she should say.

This didn't happen before. He's deviating from the actual events of the day, Asuka thought.

"But why? If it was a good day, why change it?" asked Leliel as she floated around them, trying every so often to get Shinji's attention. She never succeeded.

I think he must have been replaying this day a countless number of times at this point… we've not been here all that long, at least i don't think… and yet this is already the third time this day has looped. Not once has it been the exact same as how I remember this day truly going.

"So to some degree, Shinji is aware of what he's doing. And something about this day going exactly as it should now bothers him?" Leliel wondered, moreso thinking to herself than asking a question.

I can't wrap my head around it though. If he knows what's going on, why not try to break free? Has he really given up…? Asuka wondered.

"I'm sure there's another reason for this," said Leliel.

Maybe… Asuka let the thought die there. She was moving. She hadn't been paying attention very much, but the rain plopping onto her face broke her from her conversation.

"Did you bring an umbrella?" Asuka asked. Shinji nodded and opened it up, blocking the rain from hitting them. "Thanks," Asuka added as she leaned into him.

"No problem. Ready to get home?" Shinji asked. Asuka assumed that this was the end of the day. He'd take her home, like normal, and then the day would repeat. But when her mouth moved again, spewing words not of her own accord, Asuka knew things would be more different than she could have imagined.

"Actually… I hear Misato won't be back tonight… could I stay with you?" She knew she was smiling at him sultrily. She knew her eyes were smoldering. She couldn't help but notice how she pressed her breasts into his arm and ran a finger down his chest. She watched as Shinji gulped, but nodded regardless. His cheeks were flush and she could see the desire in his eyes plainly.

"Yeah… that would be great," he replied. Their walk home was made a little faster after that.

"This is different," Leliel commented.

More than you know… Asuka responded.

"Did you just here something, Asuka?" Shinji asked.

"Hm? No. hear what?"

"It kinda sounded like Leliel…" said Shinji. Both Asuka and Leliel looked at him. For Asuka, it was the first movement she'd made since seeing him at school that was actually hers.

"He heard me. Brother Seraphiel! Ye must wake up! Without ye we cannot best thine angelic nature," Leliel pleaded. This time, however, Shinji did not react in the slightest.

He's back to how he was, Asuka sighed internally.

"I haven't heard her at all. I think you just need to release some stress… so let's hurry back and I'll help you do that," Asuka said, grinning saucily. The two of them didn't talk again the entire walk to Shinji's house, and once they were inside no words were needed there either. Asuka experienced the mind numbing, dizzying sensation of making out with Shinji firsthand.

He's good with his hands, Asuka thought as she tried and failed to suppress another moan. His digits worked her lower half. She couldn't remember when her panties had come off. Or when he'd unclasped her bra. All she could think about through the haze in her mind were his lips and his roaming hands.

And then his hands were around her throat.

Asuka wheezed as she punched at his chest. She saw Shinji's knuckles turning white. She saw Leliel, for the first time since she'd stepped into his house, trying to get him to release his grip. She was actually touching him. A first time occurrence since they'd been in his mind. Shinji did not budge in the slightest.

"Shi…nji… stop," Asuka choked out. His grip tightened. His teeth were bared and his face was twisted in a crazed anger. Asuka kept batting at him, but it was getting harder to draw breath. Her arms were getting weak, and darkness was creeping at the edges of her vision.

Leliel rammed a fist into his cheek. Shinji flew off of her, crashing through the wall of his room, and out into the hallway. He slammed into that wall. She heard him grunt painfully as he slumped over.

Asuka rubbed at her neck and coughed as she sat up on the bed. Leliel floated next to her, looking at her worriedly.

"Are you alright, sister Nuriel?"

"I'll… be fine…" Asuka wheezed. From the hallway they heard Shinji groan and they both tensed. They next heard shuffling and the movement of rubble before he stumbled his way into the room.

"Asuka…? Leliel…? What–no. This has to just be part of the dream," Shinji said. Leliel took that moment to pounce, refusing to let him slip back into delusion.

"No. We made a mental connection with Seraphiel in the real world and came here in hopes of finding your consciousness alive. We need you, dear brother. If you do not fight back, we all die."

"But I failed… I let him win… and then I conjured this world in my own pity…" Shinji said, laughing pitifully.

"So you ran away again, huh?" Asuka asked. Shinji didn't look at her.

"At first… I did. But I've been trying to get out of the loop, I swear Asuka. It just isn't working," he replied, growling in frustration.

"I… don't want to talk about this now. You and I have a lot we need to say to one another, Shinji… and we will clear the air. But right now we need you in the fight. So try again, with our help this time," Asuka replied.

Shinji took a deep breath, looked up at her, and nodded.

As Seraphiel prepared to vibrate Asuka out of existence, his arm froze up.

"What?" he questioned. Asuka's burning fist slammed into his face, expelling flames and melting his skin off. Seraphiel let her go and jumped away, holding his face as it healed.

"Impossible…" said Seraphiel.

"He's stronger than you think," Asuka replied, her voice still bland. But a smile was upon her face. Seraphiel bellowed and charged.

XXX

And that's the chapter! CH 25 is already on the pat. For those not interested, CH 25 will be out 02/27/24.

Also, a question. Has anyone here played Monster Hunter?

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