A/N: Hello, everyone. I was rather surprised by the amount of views that chapter one garnered in just a week. A little shy in the review department, but that's okay. Perhaps the reason for my return to writing is having a consistent work schedule again and - accordingly - getting a handle on my anxiety and depression. Just so you're all aware, I'm taking a different approach and spacing a few events out from each other - while it's not going to happen in this chapter, Ange's baptism will not be happening the day immediately confronting Serra - there will be a bit more time for things to play out.

Moving on to the two reviews:

Zero - As the ORCA Path ending would indicate, yes: Arthur will be anti-establishment in this story, but there will be a twist in this that diverges from the Cross Ange canon, taking a few cues from one of the other Cross Ange fic.

Guest - Thanks. Chapter One was not going to be a high point, though. I ripped much of it from Armored Geass For Answer and then added alterations of my own that I felt were most appropriate to my character and what I wanted them to be able to express. Basically, it was all about the setup.

The splitting headache that had previously dogged Arthur subsided as he awoke once more to the world of the living. The tight feeling of his harness digging into his body told him that, whatever had happened, his NEXT had landed front-first into the ground. Luckily, his NEXT was still functional. Leveling it out, he took note of the clearing his NEXT had made…in a forest.

This was nowhere near the Anti-Satellite Cannons. In fact, his NEXT's computer didn't even have any information on this area. And the greenery made no sense with all the Kojima contamination on Earth. Arthur keyed his radio.

"Teach?"

No answer. The frequency was completely dead. In fact, none of his frequencies seemed to pick up anything. Was it some type of geomagnetic interference?

Popping the hatch, Arthur waved out a device, similar in function to a Geiger counter, but meant specifically to detect Kojima radiation. Obviously, it clicked a little around his NEXT due to the residual particles left over from his Primal Armor, but as he moved further away, the clicks stopped. No contamination to speak of.

Was this a dream? The clean air that hit his lungs after he took off his helmet said otherwise.

Okay. Think, Arthur. You were fighting Answerer, there was a bright light, you got knocked out, and you woke up here. The million-credit question is: where is here?

Wandering through the forest, his hand on a concealed sidearm, Arthur tried to take stock of where he was. Finally, he emerged from the woods onto the side of a highway. He could hear the cars as they traversed, but he was taken aback by what he saw next. The vehicles lacked any forms of wheels or treads and seemed to float off the ground as if by magic. Glowing lines ran across their surfaces, which seemed to control speed and direction.

"What the Hell?" Arthur muttered. That was tech he had never seen before – plus, it wasn't the only surprise. At a fork in the road were signs that directed traffic flow to a several destinations. The problem is that Arthur did not know what any of the destinations were.

Enderant Union? Kingdom of Rosenblum? Misurugi Empire? No such nations existed prior to the National Dismantlement War. The closest possible analogs to those three would have been former Japan or former United Kingdom.

Arthur did not want to jump to conclusions, but the illogical explanation was looking awfully logical at this point. Nations that didn't exist in the texts? An environment that wasn't suffering from Kojima pollution? This wasn't Earth…or at least, it wasn't the Earth he was from. Wherever he was dragged when that light engulfed him, it hadn't suffered the same fate as his world.

And yet, the technology was vastly different. In some ways, it may have been even more advanced. By how much, he wasn't sure, but he intended to find out.

He had nothing to blend in with, but he had to hide his NEXT, nonetheless. Hiding a ten-meter-tall combat machine was not an easy task, but luckily, the collapsed trees made for decent natural camouflage as he hid White Glint under a large outcropping deeper in the forest. The machine itself was still in serviceable condition; AP was still well over ten percent of its maximum. He had to reroute a few systems to get it to work right, but it was still combat-capable. Still, if he wanted it to fight at peak efficiency, it was going to need thorough repairs – it was only a matter of time before something broke that Arthur couldn't fix with duct tape and good intentions.

The nearest town appeared to be in the Misurugi Empire. He continued on foot into town. Because he was on foot, it took him nearly an hour to reach the nearest town.

Or rather…the bustling city. What were the odds he'd end up in what may have been the Misurugi Empire's capital? City streets were filled with hovering cars while holographic signs (which did not appear to project from anything) made public service announcements of upcoming events. Apparently, in the upcoming months, the sixteenth birthday and "baptism" of the nation's heir apparent – an "Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi" – was going to be held. The boards showed her to be a beautiful long-haired blonde with pink eyes, in royal regalia – the scaling on the holographic sign made it hard to tell, but Arthur would guess she was about average height for her age.

Beautiful, elegant, popular…and most likely, she had an over-inflated ego and sheltered attitude to match. Arthur's experiences with the League had completely soured him on high society types – to him, they were basically all the same.

There were several other things that caught his attention. First, what looked like a man in a business suit was waiting for a taxi. When said taxi arrived, he did something unexpected: he waved his hand slightly, and it glowed in a green aura; an identical aura engulfed his briefcase and it levitated into the trunk. It was literally like magic.

He later saw a couple of kids playing in a park with water pistols. One raised his hand, which was engulfed in a similar green aura. Right in front of the boy, a barrier – like Primal Armor – appeared out of thin air, blocking the stream of water. But Arthur's detector did not pick up a single trace of Kojima radiation in the area, ruling out the possibility of Primal Armor.

"Hey! Using the Light of Mana is cheating!"

Light of Mana? That was a new one, and it added to Arthur's hunch that…

Toto, we most definitely are not in Kansas, anymore...

Businesspeople summoned holographic displays out of thin air as he walked on. Once summoned, it operated much like a touchscreen PDA. So, like magic, but not, at the same time?

Still, this whole "Light of Mana" thing had him thinking that, yes: magic was involved, despite how absurd it sounded. Yet, Kojima Particles were once considered some type of miracle particle that someone could imagine in a dream, and yet NEXT development became a real industry. From all that, he became a LYNX.

Just sorting his thoughts on the matter was more intense than a NEXT battle.

"Excuse me, mister. Why are you wearing such a silly suit?" a young lady's voice asked, reminding Arthur that his was still in his flight suit (sans helmet, of course).

He turned to face the woman who was standing in front of what appeared to be a fashion store, if the clothed mannequins were any indication. She appeared to be in her early 20s, with shoulder-length brown hair. Her long-sleeved brown shirt was complemented with a beige skirt and purple stockings, with black heels to complete her uniform.

"Why don't you come inside? We have a great collection of summer casual wear for someone like you," she said.

"What-? That's great, but I don't have – hey!" Arthur was cut off as he was tugged inside.

Several minutes later, he was out in a set of jeans and a casual plaid shirt. He held a duffle bag which carried his flight suit. He at first complained that he didn't have any money to purchase with. The staff gave him a rather confused look, as if the very concept of currency was outlandish. For all Arthur knew, this world may very well not have any monetary system of economics.

It was like they just gave things as if the world lacked for nothing. No pollution, no monetary system, and – as far as he could tell – no conflict. Seemed too good to be true.

There was a centuries-old film Arthur had seen long ago – Tomorrow Never Dies – that made mention of a Law of Creative Anomaly: if it seems too perfect to be true, it is. Identity records, resumes and the like have gaps – the odds of a complete lack of such is astronomically small. Likewise, the odds of a perfect world are even smaller than astronomical.

There was a thread to tug on that unraveled the truth – Arthur felt it in his gut, and a good pilot trusted their instincts.

He was locked in thought that it took a collision with someone else to break him out of it. Well, that and a slightly angered reaction. As he refocused on what was in front of him, Arthur set his eyes on a young man close to his age and height. The man had blue eyes with blond hair that came close to shoulder-length. His facial features were surprisingly boyish for someone that otherwise looked in his twenties. He was sharply dressed up in regalia that wouldn't be out of place in the Napoleonic Wars.

"My apologies," Arthur said. "I was distracted."

"Clearly," the young man said, before looking at him with a raised brow. "This is a refreshing encounter."

"How so, sir?"

"Well, you don't seem to know who I am," the young man said. "I take it you're new to the Misurugi Empire?"

"You could say that. I grew up in the countryside far to the west," Arthur bluffed. "We don't have a lot of contact with others."

"Ah, then allow me to introduce myself: I am Julio Asuka Misurugi – prince of the nation," the young man said.

"Oh! My apologies for not recognizing you earlier, sir," Arthur said, with a slight bow of his head, silently cursing himself for the situation. Acting subservient was a real pain in the ass.

Giving one of his many aliases, Arthur introduced himself as a simple farmhand. As an experienced mercenary, Arthur was quite good at getting a good read on others. His gut told him that Julio was nowhere near as mature or well-adjusted as he presented himself as, royalty or not. Then, a thought occurred to him.

"If I may be so bold, sir: are you related directly to the young lady I've heard talk of – this Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi?"

"I'm her brother," Julio replied, with a tone to his voice that told Arthur that there was some type of tension on the subject. "In fact, her sixteenth birthday is coming up in a month, and with it, her Baptism Ritual. Tell me, Mister Milton: have you ever seen one?"

"I cannot claim I have – sorry," Arthur said.

"No need for apologies," Julio said, before responding to something being whispered to him, by who Arthur assumed was his secretary – a young lady with silver hair, amber eyes, and wearing a red-and-gold formal ensemble. "Yes, I'm coming."

"I'm afraid official business calls, Mister Milton," Julio said. "But, if you should find yourself in the city, I'd encourage you to attend the Baptism Ritual in person. Until we meet again."

"Likewise, sir," Arthur said before catching sight of a structure in the distance – like a spire.

An uneasy shiver ran down Arthur's spine where his implants were. All LYNX had surgical procedures performed on their spinal columns and nervous systems that allowed them to directly wire their nerves into their NEXTs, culminating in a series of ports that the AMS jacked into. The sites where the cybernetics met flesh, bone, and major tissues occasionally itched or stung due to chafing, but those were not the sensations Arthur was feeling. Instead, he was feeling an unusual feeling of coldness spread throughout his body from those connection points. He turned away from the pillar before the feeling could overwhelm him.

Unknown to him, Julio's secretary – one Riza Randog – was running his face through multiple searches of citizenship databases of the six nations. The man had sandy brown hair and grey eyes, with a clean scar across the bridge of his nose. Exactly one thing was in common with all of the results: there was no data on him. Frowning, she was unsure of what to make of this – nor was she sure what to make of a Mana user willingly retaining a scar on his face. Regardless, she went to catch up to Julio and resume her duties.

Arthur continued walking around, taking in the sights, and generally trying to get his bearings. His implants had finally stopped acting up, but he still didn't have much of a lead on what to do. At least he remembered the way out of town to get back to his NEXT – he could plan his next move, then. He had just reached the outskirts of the city when he (literally) bumped into someone, and a bundle came flying out of the woman's arms.

For the woman, she didn't think – she just reacted. A small Mana barrier formed, only for the bundle to shatter it as it passed through. The stranger hadn't bothered with Mana, instead diving to catch with his arms. Safely, the bundle landed in his hands, accompanied by the cry of a young child – no older than three years old.

"I got you," he said.

The stranger turned to look at the woman. He was quite handsome, with sandy hair and a clean-shaven appearance. The light scar on the bridge of his nose had the woman curious, but she was more worried about the girl in has arms.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said. "I got distracted, and then…well, she's safe."

The man offered the child back to the woman, whose eyes darted around, seeing that no one else saw.

"Th-thank you," she said, accepting the crying child back into her arms.

"Again, I'm sorry," the man said. "Do you live near the city?"

The woman's answer was cautious. "Yes," she said.

"I got into an accident a few hours ago. I don't suppose you know where I could find lodging, do you?"

"Actually, for saving my daughter, I suppose I could treat you to supper," the woman said.

"Really? I…" the man was cut off as his stomach growled, and the woman giggled.

"I mean, I suppose I could use something," he said, curiously picking up his bag by hand rather than with the Light of Mana. "I'm Arthur."

"Sayla. And this is my daughter, Serra," the woman introduced.

"Pleasure to meet you both," Arthur said, looking like he was going to ask something, before shaking his head.

The house Sayla lived at wasn't far – a few kilometers outside the city limits. It was a small, unassuming lodge overlooking a lake – one that Arthur had previously passed before. His NEXT was only a few kilometers from here. As he settled in, Arthur couldn't help but notice the photo frame on an end table. Pictured was a younger version of Sayla along with who Arthur assumed was her husband. But there was no sign of the man when they got here. Was he out?

"Your husband?"

"Yes. You're not going to cause trouble; we've been separated for several months now," Sayla said.

"I see…I take tensions started between you two?"

"You could say that. We…couldn't agree on how to raise our daughter," Sayla said, sounding more distant than she intended to.

"Hmm. Never knew my parents, so I wouldn't know about marriage problems," Arthur said. "Not to downplay whatever you're feeling. I apologize."

"No, it's alright," Sayla said. "What happened to them?"

"Died when I was still a kid; my uncle raised me. Where I come from, well…it's not exactly on the map," Arthur said. "When I grew up, I just decided to walk east and see where I'd end up."

"You didn't drive?"

"No. My uncle stressed the values of walking on your own two feet and putting in a lot of effort through intense labor. I mostly just travel and do the occasional manual labor," Arthur said.

"I imagine you're productive when using the Light of Mana."

"Actually…I don't."

She raised an eyebrow as she finished up, setting supper down.

"Where I grew up, things of that nature were seen more as a crutch than a gift. So, I learned to farm, repair, and build with my own hands," Arthur explained. "We're pretty isolated, so we don't stay in communication with the rest of the world."

The dish was meatloaf and a salad side.

"Huh. Eat canned goods long enough, you almost forget what a home-cooked meal looks like…I've not seen meatloaf in years," Arthur commented, before very cautiously digging in and tasting.

A few chews later and he said, "I'd forgotten what it tasted like".

Dinner passed by with only the occasional sentence between them, and Arthur seemed to get along great with Serra. Still, Sayla was nervous.

"Seems the kid's ready to go to bed," Arthur said, gesturing to Serra, who was beginning to doze off. "Mind if I put her to bed?"

"Go ahead," Sayla said, moving over to the duffel bag that Arthur brought with him. Her eyes widened as she opened the zipper – he'd been walking around armed with a weapon. And he'd also witnessed what happened earlier.

Silently, Sayla took the gun out and pointed it at Arthur's back as he closed the door to Serra's room.

"Don't move!" Sayla said, shakily.

A/N: Taking a page from CasualFictionWriter23's book, I decided to use Serra as the child's name and - for the same reasons as he mentioned in his fic - used Sayla as the mother's name. Don't worry, this story will not be a beat-for-beat copy of that tale.

I encourage reviews. Follow, if the story interests you.