Symphogear World (After the events of GX, the battle against Carol)

On a crowded train heading home, Chris Yukine, the wielder of Ichival—the Symphogear known as Odin's Bow and a member of SONG—sat scrolling through her phone. She was checking for messages from her friends, Hibiki and Miku, about going together to Tsubasa and Maria's concert tomorrow.

Every now and then, she paused to glance at her wallpaper: a photo of her parents, Masanori and Sonnet. Genjuro, the "old man," had ensured the photo was transferred to every new phone she got, knowing her tendency to break them. Despite everything she now had, she still missed her parents deeply.

Lost in her thoughts, she paid little attention to the bustling crowd around her. Her stop was still two hours away, so she had no urgency. Just as she returned her focus to her phone, she noticed something fall from a man's pocket.

The man in question was an elderly gentleman dressed in an overly extravagant suit—so theatrical it seemed like he was cosplaying as a vampire or some eccentric character. Chris didn't think much of it; she'd encountered stranger individuals—Hibiki, Vert, and even the old man came to mind. Her gaze returned to the item he had dropped: a blue ticket with golden shimmering edges. It looked like a pass to some kind of event.

Remembering how she had also been planning to invite her friends to an event, with an extra ticket ready in case Hibiki lost hers, Chris felt a twinge of sympathy. Maybe this old man had similar bad luck or was simply forgetful. For all she knew, the ticket could be for someone important to him—a grandchild he was accompanying or an event he was looking forward to in his retirement.

Shaking off her speculation, she moved to return the ticket before the train reached the next station. As the crowd thinned near the doors, Chris picked it up and approached the old man. Interacting with strangers wasn't her forte, but after taking a deep breath, she called out to him.

"Excuse me, sir…" She hesitated, almost calling him "old man" before correcting herself. "You dropped this."

The man turned, his ruby-red eyes glinting as he focused on her. He was every bit as unusual as his attire suggested.

"T-This ticket," she added, holding it out while averting her gaze. She felt oddly uneasy.

The man inspected the ticket, then turned his attention to Chris, who was already stepping back toward her seat.

"Thank you, Chris Yukine," the man said, his voice calm yet laced with intrigue. "Though I suppose it was inevitable I'd lose one or two of these."

"W-What?" She froze at the sound of her name, turning back to him. Her confusion was evident as her eyes narrowed. "How do you…?"

The old man smiled—not sinisterly, but like a grandfather enjoying a child's puzzled reaction. He seemed entertained by her quick reflexes and surprise.

—Surprised? …Forgive me if my eyes make you uneasy. They can feel like a curse at times, especially when they discomfort others. Being an apostle tends to instill fear in those who don't understand what it means.

Chris had no idea what he was talking about, but her body tensed instinctively. The thought of this man attacking her on a crowded train, especially if he was merely toying with her, was horrifying. She wondered if he might be after something—her Gear, a leftover secret from Fine, or someone worse than Dr. Vert or Carol. However, instead of attacking, the man remained calm, his demeanor almost too relaxed as he continued speaking.

"I saw your intentions just now. You're quite kind, despite your aggressive tendencies, Chris. Even with your past and all you've lost in it—a tragic story, really, though it does end on a high note, at least for this world, doesn't it?"

"What—? Am I supposed to understand a word of what you're saying? If you're here to kill me, trust me, there won't be any 'high note' to speak of in your ending!" Chris hissed, her voice low but firm. She was ready to activate her Gear at a moment's notice, the crystal on her necklace glowing faintly with intensity.

"Oh, I see. You took that as a threat," the man said, raising his hands in a gesture of reassurance. "Don't worry. I'm not here for that. I'm simply… experimenting with something new. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a question, since you're the first person I've chosen to interact with in this world. And don't take it the wrong way—perhaps the last as well."

Chris narrowed her eyes, still poised for anything. "Get to the point already."

"If you had the chance, would you want to see your parents again?"

"W-What?!"

The question left Chris speechless, cutting off the first verse of the chant forming on her lips. She froze, staring at the man, her breath caught in her throat as her body broke out in a cold sweat.

"Why… why would you ask me that?" she stammered, her voice shaky. "Wait… did you say 'world'?"

"Hmm…" The man smiled, amused by her reaction. "Let's just say I'm rewarding the person who went out of their way to return something I value—my ticket for occasional entertainment. Do you think I'm mocking you?"

"Of course I do! Unless you're some devil or god offering me my soul or demanding I destroy the world, then I'm not buying any of this! And honestly… that makes me mad."

"Hmm… defiant even to demons and gods. I like that," he said with a nod. "Here, take this. It's yours." He handed her a ticket—this one red instead of blue.

"Eh?" Chris was too confused to stop her reflexes, and her hand reached out to take it without thinking.

"Go on, take it. There's no price attached. Consider it… a new experience for me. I may have pushed a bit too far with my question, but I have no doubt you'll turn this into something entertaining, Chris."

Chris eyed the man suspiciously before cautiously glancing down at the ticket. Her guard remained up, ready for any sudden move.

—"Ticket to another world? What does this mean? Hey, old man..." —Chris glanced up from the strange ticket in her hand, but the man had vanished. Even more unsettling, the train was now empty. Not a sound, not a single soul around her. Nervous and confused, Chris looked frantically in every direction.

—"Where... where is everyone?"

The train car was stark white, its brightness almost blinding. Outside, the sun still shone, but there was no scenery—just an endless, radiant void. The train's speed seemed to have slowed, and the once smooth hum of the bullet train had morphed into the rhythmic clatter of a steam locomotive.

Anxiety pressed down on her as she searched for something—anything—that could explain this bizarre situation. Then, nearby, her eyes fell on something peculiar: a small figure.

It was a plush creature shaped like a marshmallow, wearing a conductor's hat. It extended its hand toward her expectantly, as if waiting for something. Chris's mind immediately went to the object she held. She felt no attachment to it; after all, she had no idea where she was, and this ticket might be the reason she was trapped. Keeping it might mean staying here forever.

—"Here." —She handed it over.

The marshmallow creature leaped with joy, clutching the ticket as it scurried off toward the engine room. The train still felt eerily empty, but shadows began to take form around her. The whole place felt strange, unreal.

—"Next stop: DXD!" —announced a voice over a megaphone.

The train suddenly began to decelerate. Outside, an abstract expanse stretched endlessly, a shapeless void. Then, as if out of nowhere, an enormous red dragon came into view.

Chris stared, her mouth agape, as the massive creature flew alongside the train. "This can't be happening," she thought, watching in stunned disbelief. Next to the dragon, a figure appeared—someone Chris could make out clearly.

It was a young girl in a classic purple dress, the kind you'd see in an old-fashioned fairy tale. She turned her gaze toward the train, her eyes eventually locking onto Chris's frozen form. The girl seemed intrigued, watching Chris intently as the train continued its journey.

The surreal scene disappeared as the dragon and girl faded from sight, and the train came to an abrupt halt. Chris clung to the safety straps above her, bracing herself.

—"Now what?"

The marshmallow conductor returned, holding up a bright red sign for her to read. The shadowy figures around her didn't obstruct her view of the tiny creature, who was hopping with determination to grab her attention. Its earnest effort made her hesitate, sympathy flickering despite her confusion. "Do I even have a choice?"

Following the marshmallow's guidance, she arrived at the exit. Above the door, a glowing sign read the same as before: "DXD." Chris couldn't tell if this was an elaborate illusion or the strangest dream she'd ever had. Maybe she'd fallen asleep on the train—but no amount of pinching herself had snapped her out of it.

—"Nothing bad will happen if I step out, right? Hmm." —Her skeptical question was met with an emphatic shake of the marshmallow's head, urging her forward. With a sigh, she resigned herself to the unknown.

—"Fine, but if something happens to me, I swear I'll find you."

As she descended the steps, the ground beneath her suddenly gave way. Chris felt herself falling into an endless void.

—"You lying marshmallow!" —she cursed as darkness enveloped her, swallowing her whole.

And then...

She woke up in a bed.