Texhnolyze 1. Frostbite

_Note: __Bolt__ has finally returned to production but it has gone through some rather dramatic changes. The first and most obvious of these changes is the title and the environment. I won't go into everything since that would also include spoilers, but I will explain in this note why I halted the original story from production and how I almost deleted it entirely. Before I begin, keep in mind that this story is technically a sequel to another work of mine called Cobalt, but you really do not need to go back and read that just to understand what's going on here. The two are so different that I'm working on them at the same time, but if you are already reading Cobalt then do not go any further with this story unless you want to be spoiled to everything that happens in Cobalt because Icebound Planet still takes place 500 years after that story ends._

_I was growing very frustrated with how Bolt was turning out ever since Doc, Ichise, and Ran began their journey to Norway in the original work. It simply wasn't turning out properly and I didn't want to make the same mistakes with Frostbite (However, I did give a nod to it as you can see by the title of this chapter). However, I found a better way to tell this tale and now we have Icebound Planet. The core plot is relatively the same but how it unfolds changes dramatically so I would not recommend waiting until I release the tenth chapter as a starting point for those of you who have followed Bolt all this time._

_The primary change to this story is its presentation. There is a lot of dialogue in the first chapter just because I couldn't figure out a better way of at least establishing where everyone is and what the world they're trapped in is like. That, and for the most part in these next few chapters, no one is going to be doing much of anything but standing around and talking to one another. You might also notice that a lot of the OCs are very out of place for a Texhnolyze story and that is completely intentional. The original world was in the process of dying during the series and Cyan is still full of life in this story. So, the OCs who are firmly attached to this place will be far more 'energetic' than the former residents of Lux._

_I'll go ahead and say it now since this really is not a spoiler due to it being hinted at in this chapter and revealed in the very next one. This story is technically a post series thing. However, I'm not going to go into how or why that is the case._

_I've had this chapter written for awhile but I decided to wait and release it on Halloween, which is by far the best holiday. This isn't a horror story, but I do love this holiday so it was my own personal celebration. I'm also releasing another story, but it isn't for Texhnolyze. I also released an Interval describing the horrors which ensue when the people of Lux gain the idea of celebrating the day of fear. I have plans to release at least one more Interval before the year is up and you can expect Quiet Town to be wrapped up._

_Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new addition to this forsaken fandom. I look forward to any thoughts or criticisms and I'll see you all in the next chapter. Until then, I present to you all... once again, Bolt... uh, I mean Icebound Planet. It's probably gonna be hard to get use to that name change._

* * *

"_Pain has a sent. A smell that only the mind can detect, and there is nothing more alluring than catching a whiff of someone else's misery for the first time." ~Kallev the Wraith_

_**Node: 01**_

_**Frostbite**_

Dr. Eriko Kaneda walked through the snow filled streets of Athena. The gray clouds blanketed the sky just as they always did. The sound of snow and ice being crushed under her boots was all she could hear apart from the ambient noises conjured by this forsaken city. Her long white coat was probably the only reason she could tolerate walking around outside.

A bitter winter breeze whistled past her ears as she went. Eriko casually turned a corner which only took her to yet another solid white street. She flinched as yet another gust of wind smashed against her. She immediately responded to this by throwing the hood of her coat over her head. Eriko quickly recovered from that rather sharp gust of southeastern wind when she noticed a pair of soldiers standing on the opposite side of the street in front of some nameless building. They wore all white outfits to help them blend in with their snowy environment.

The camouflage on their protective uniforms were colored with a series of white, grays, and small splotches of black just to help break the pattern. The outfits were appropriately built to fend off against the relentless weather. They also wore thick black tactical gloves, hiking boots and a matching vest over their white and gray outfits for proper defense in combat. One of the most important and easily recognized details about their uniforms would be their helmets which were solid white and very standard and protected the entirety of their heads, but the visors over their faces were much more unique. These metal respirators covered the bottom half of their faces and prevented the icy air from causing any blights or other inconveniences as they preformed their duties to the 'Republic of Cyan.' Eriko could not even see their eyes do to the protective eye-wear built into their respirators.

She quickly scanned the snow covered street before running straight across and waved her right arm in the air to gain their attention as she hurried to the other side. "Excuse me," she called out just before coming to a stop directly in front of them. Eriko put on a pleasant smile before proceeding to elaborate on why she was pestering them.

"Pardon me, but I'm looking for someone. He's a soldier here in Athena," Eriko insisted. "His name is Ichise and I don't believe he has a last name. Have either of you heard of him? He has black hair and a weird shade of blue eyes."

The two soldiers silently glanced to each other, even though Eriko could not see their faces, she could easily tell they were greatly confused by her description. She frowned in disappointment, assuming that they would not know who she was referring to, but luckily, the soldier on the left abruptly perked up as he remembered something.

"Ah! We do know Ichise," he admitted. His voice was slightly filtered by the metallic object covering his mouth, but Eriko had no trouble understanding him.

"We do," asked his partner who was even more puzzled by this than anything Eriko had said.

The first soldier nodded his head to confirm that this was indeed the case. "Yeah. She's talking about that creepy kid who doesn't talk to anyone." Eriko let out a relieved sigh after being so worried that she might have traveled all the way to the city of Athena on false information.

The soldier then promptly returned his attention to the civilian in front of him. "I'm pretty sure he was sent out of the city on a scouting mission just recently," he casually informed. "There's apparently something weird going on just past the city limits and our field officer took a handful of guys to go and check it out. They should be back by midnight."

"Ugh," the other troop muttered. "I do not envy those guys having to run around the woods at night when the temperature drops to about negative fifty degrees."

The first soldier nodded his head, but quickly redrew attention back to Eriko. "I'm pretty sure I saw him leave with our other comrades this morning, but if you want to make sure then don't be afraid to drop by the forward base in the Central Plaza. Someone there will be able to point you in the right direction. Troop deployment is public record, but the location and objective of their missions is classified. So, they can tell you if he's deployed in the city or not. I'm sure you can also have a message left for him there. Just be sure to enter the base through proper means. Otherwise they'll just arrest you if you randomly walk in."

Eriko gave them a thankful nod of her head. "Thank you so much for your time. I will be sure to drop by the Plaza." She then turned away from them and walked away, leaving the soldiers to return to their peaceful patrol.

* * *

Shinji sat at one of the few empty tables in the bar both he and Hal ran. He watched the empty street just beyond the large window to his left. It was still far too early for the bar to be open, and as a result, only a few people other than him could be seen loitering inside.

He silently waited for something interesting to happen in this desolate city. He just recently saw a convoy of foreign troops riding through the street but they left just as quickly as they came, only using this street as a means of passing through the town to their primary objective. Shinji glanced down to the empty glass in front of him and let out a bored sigh.

Shinji only slightly perked up when he heard the front door open and listened closely while someone entered the bar.

"Yo, Shinji," Hal's familiar voice called out while he removed his jacket and hung it up on a rack near the entrance before heading off toward the table Shinji sat at. "Where's Yoko," he questioned as he stepped up to the table and glanced around to see that there was no sign of the young woman he spoke of.

Shinji merely shrugged his shoulders at the question. "No clue. I think she went back to her apartment for something."

"Oh," Hal remarked and promptly claimed his seat on the other side of the table. "I heard some of the soldiers were heading out tonight to check out some weird disturbance. There's already a rumor going around that they found another old camp sight that might have been used by the Lost Ones."

"So," asked Shinji, this dismissive attitude slightly surprised Hal. "They haven't been heard from since Trotsky was defeated. Knowing how they operate, they probably just killed each other off during that war."

"That isn't true," Hal retorted. "There have been multiple camp sights found lately which had all sorts of new and recently used artifacts which apparently match the aesthetic of the Lost Ones. I think that's why there have been so many foreign troops on the move. Mr. Aben and all of those guys in Cyan City must have gotten spooked at all of these sightings."

Shinji still appeared unconvinced by Hal's argument. He promptly crossed his arms and shut his eyes in a relaxed manner before making his reply. "It's probably a bunch idiots playing a prank. Come on, Hal, you don't seriously expect me to believe that an entire race of people who haven't been seen for over five centuries are just going to randomly show up one day."

"But it hasn't been an abrupt occurrence," Hal pressed on. "Besides, how could it be a prank when people are finding these camp sights on both continents? Maybe we should go and take a look for ourselves. We obviously can't do it tonight but when those soldiers clear out, we might be able to find a way to sneak in and see what we can find."

Shinji smiled at the suggestion. "You can if you want. I'd personally rather not get myself shot, and even if there isn't anyone around when we go, I'm still not willing to go anywhere near a place that may or may not have been occupied by those crazy ass Proto-Aryans."

* * *

A young man with vivid amber eyes and shoulder length blue hair sat in the dark living room of his apartment which was located toward the top of the building he resided in. Kano appeared to be sleeping in his chair, the only strong indication that this was not the case would be the serene smile on his face. He listened to the emotionless silence which blanketed his room right up until he heard a knock at his front door.

"Come in," he called out in monotone. Kano was already well aware of who was attempting to visit him and without even opening his eyes, he could tell his assumption was correct just by the way this person entered his home. "How has your day been, Zashi," he asked quietly after hearing a series of footsteps approach him.

Zashi came to a stop just on the right hand side of Kano's chair. The hood stitched over his eyes and long brown and white robes gave him a look which was just as unique as Kano's. "It's been rather slow today, sir," he admitted with an obvious lack of emotion.

Kano glanced toward Zashi for a split second before he rested his chin in the palm of his right hand and stared blankly at a window on the far side of the room. "Slow indeed," Kano admitted. "I've been bored stiff. I listened to the radio for a good two hours and took a nap, but that was all I felt the need to accomplish today."

"Did you not do any writing," asked Zashi. "How is the book of ideals coming along? It will be needed in the near future, I'm sure."

"You are absolutely right," Kano confirmed with a nod of his head. He then pointed to a side table just behind Zashi where a few papers were stacked on top of each other. "I did spend one hour editing a previous chapter shortly after I woke up, and I tried to make a little more progress on the newest section, but I was only able to complete a few sentences before I took a permanent break for the day."

A small moment of silence befell the two individuals. While Kano felt no need to disrupt the peaceful instance, Zashi simply had to interrupt it. "Sir, I mainly came by today in order to share some news that I believe you might find interesting."

Kano smiled once again. He stood up out of his chair and let out a long sigh. "Very well, but I must request that you not tell me here. This will be the perfect opportunity to get out of here. Why don't we stop by and have lunch at this new restaurant I've been tempted to try. You can tell me there."

"As you wish, sir."

* * *

Eriko made her way back to the hotel room she was temporarily staying at while she spent her time searching through the hated city of Athena. She walked up to the closed door which marked the entrance to her room.

She of course had a key, but Eriko neglected to take it out. Instead, she knocked several times on the door and patiently waited for it to be opened for her. Almost instantly after she stepped away from the door did it swing open.

The first thing Eriko noticed just beyond the newly opened doorway was a gorgeous young woman with the same long blonde hair and blue eyes that Eriko had, but that was where their resemblance ended.

This woman's skin was flawless in every way which only complemented her perfect frame. She stood exactly six feet tall and wore an elaborate green dress. Her beauty even made Eriko's appearance pale in comparison.

The unnamed woman tilted her head and leaned to her right to see if there was anyone else around. "Hi Doc," she greeted cheerfully. She spoke in a strange accent which was even more unique than Eriko's. There was also a seemingly eternal smile on her face which appeared to only reflect a warm sense of innocence. "Where's your friend? Have you not found him yet?"

Eriko shook her head to confirm that this was the case. "Sorry, Celia, but we may be here for a few more days," she warned. 'Doc' promptly stepped inside and shut the door behind herself. "I know he's here," she insisted. "However, the problem will actually be finding him and I also just realized how difficult it will probably be to get him to cooperate with us."

"Well, I do hope we leave soon," Celia remarked. "I'm beginning to grow homesick. I miss Norway already."

Doc responded to her hopes with a silent nod of her head. She then walked straight past the Aryan girl and took a seat on the bed she had already chosen to sleep on for the duration of their time here in Athena. She removed her heavy coat and threw it onto a nearby chair before collapsing on the bed in exhaustion after spending several hours running around in this snow covered city.

* * *

Later that day, the sky had grown considerably darker even though it was only around five in the afternoon. The snow which regularly floated from the blueish-gray clouds above the city even began to pick up their pace. The temperature dropped considerably, but this always happened late in the day.

Keigo Onishi stood at one of the two windows in his office which was located in the city hall. These town halls could be found in every city and they were always located in the center plaza of each town. Athena was no different. He looked out to a large waving flag in the distance near the forward base on the other side of the plaza. The flag of the Republic of Cyan. This iconic flag did occasionally change over the thousands of years since it was first created but the design always remained relatively the same. The flag bared an illustration of an eagle holding the entire planet in its sharp talons with its wings spread apart in mid flight. The flag itself was of an appropriate shade of blue while this insignia was solid white.

While it proudly waved back and forth by the will of the brutal, yet standard winds of this icy realm, Onishi listened to his receptionist, Michiko, as she informed him of everything that was going on all the while keeping a very flat and emotionless composure.

"Professor Pravitas has entered the city just recently," she explained. "He's waiting for an audience with you."

Onishi pulled himself away from the frosted window and walked up to his desk where he pulled out the chair behind it and took a seat. He glanced to the closed door which acted as the only means in and out of his own office. It was currently closed but it was already cleared up who was behind that door.

"Why is someone like the Professor personally coming all the way out here," asked Onishi. "It must be important."

"Perhaps you should ask him that," she suggested flatly. "Can I send him in, now?"

Onishi nodded his head and Michiko immediate turned around and walked off towards the front door and proceeded to go and retrieve the famous Professor.

The outer reaches of Athena's city limits were nothing more than a barren field of ice with a separate layer of snow on top of that. Behind this specific area was both the Athenian skyline and a massive cliff wall far north which surrounded one entire side of this local region.

A large force of soldiers originally tasked with keeping watch over Athena, just as the garrisons of each city on this cold planet conveniently named Cyan did. They scattered throughout this open field in search of anything which might prove to be the source of whatever disturbance they discovered just yesterday.

One soldier in particular who wore the standard uniform, complete with the respirator, helmet, and all loomed over a shining black object which was halfway buried in the snow. His breath could be seen in the form of smoke as it silently passed through his tactical mask. With his right hand, he gripped the strap around his shoulder which was attached to his assault rifle to ensure it would not fall off of his person as he knelt down to retrieve this object and bring it up for inspection.

He slowly reached forward and grabbed the tip of this metallic object and pulled it out of the snow only to realize it was actually some form of short sword. The soldier titled his head in a puzzled manner as he turned the blade over and examined every little detail. It was crafted from an ominous black metal.

The sword was also shaped in an extremely odd way. The blade was molded into a sharp zigzagging shape as if it was specifically crafted to cause as much pain as possible when it was impaled into a person's body. It was also light in weight which was not to surprising given how thin it was. The soldier would have continued his investigation of this strange artifact were it not for a voice which abruptly called out to him from behind.

"_Hey Ichise! Did you find something?_"

The soldier apparently named Ichise glanced over his shoulder and held the sword out in the air for his comrade to see what he was looking at.

The man behind Ichise was probably even more astonished by the blade than he was. "What the hell is that thing!? Go and take it to the captain. He's back near the location where we parked all of the supply trucks. He'll wanna see that more than anyone."

* * *

Kano and Zashi had finished their meal some time after arriving to this new restaurant and were now in the process of relaxing before it was time to leave. Zashi sat perfectly still, facing Kano like a soldier at attention while the blue haired individual in question kept his golden eyes glued to the window which granted him a view of a surprisingly busy street. Night was beginning to take hold over the skyline and streetlamps were already beginning to switch on as a direct result.

Zashi eventually decided to break the silence with yet another question in regards to the primary topic they had been discussing for most of the evening. "Sir, you still have not said anything on what we should do about this. It is a very important thing to at least take note on if nothing else."

"I have no current opinion on the matter," Kano calmly replied in that serene tone of his. "Why don't you give me some help, Zashi? What would you do if you were me?"

"Well," Zashi stated. He paused briefly to fully wrap his brain around the subject before giving his final answer. "My recommendation would be to at least wait it out. The Lost Ones have been known for being extremely dangerous. It was always the speed in which they held their attacks which was most devastating. I believe this is the reason they have not only survived both previous wars, but it would also explain how we lost sight of their entire race for all these years."

"I'm not to clear on that aspect of history," Kano interrupted. "Especially not the first war of Cyan. All I know is that war ended up resulting in Aben's rise to power, so I'll take your word on whatever points you're trying to make."

Zashi nodded his head at the remark. "I was only drawing an example, sir. My recommendation is that we keep ourselves hidden until the last possible moment. If the Lost Ones really have returned then it will be quite a fight and knowing how the soldiers are designed, their slow movements will only result in us being dominated rather quickly. We should wait until we know for sure if the Lost Ones are still around or not."

Kano closed his eyes and smiled in a subtle fashion. "You definitely have a point. However, we are involved whether we want to be or not. There is no there is no other way around it. We will have to fight both sides at one point or another. Our ideology will terrify them. I already know that my mere presence will be considered and act of aggression to most. We simply have to fight them, Zashi. If the Lost Ones stand in our way then they will have to be dismantled. They're nothing more than a sadist cult anyway, so what does it matter? At the end of the day, it is me who is going to lead our race straight into Aryan status. The rest of the world will see this in due time but only after a long interval of war."

Zashi had no direct response to this. He merely returned to his previous action which mostly consisted of silently staring in Kano's direction and occasionally taking a sip of the wine in front of him. Kano would have done relatively the same sort of thing had he not have noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

He turned toward the window once again, only to see the familiar face of a young blonde woman with blue eyes. She stood perfectly still on the sidewalk just in front of the restaurant, staring back at Kano with a fearful look in her eyes.

In a confident display, Kano lifted his right hand and waved at the terrified woman. She did not return the gesture. Instead, she ran off down the path she was originally heading down. Due to Zashi's blindness, he had no way of seeing this, but Kano followed her with his eyes until seeing her was no longer possible. He then promptly stood up out of his seat and shifted his attention toward Zashi. "That was interesting," he commented.

This remark caught Zashi off guard. "What is interesting, sir?"

"She remembered us," Kano insisted, only confusing Zashi even more. "It appears that we are not alone in this mysterious winter wonderland after all. Come along, we should probably leave now."

* * *

After sometime of asking the same question over and over again, Onishi was beginning to grow tired with this meeting with _Professor Pravitas_. The famous Professor sat in a chair on the opposite side of Onishi's desk. He wore a suit very similar to Onishi's. The only difference was that Pravitas's suit was black rather than gray. Pravitas had black hair and brown eyes. He always carried a large book or tome which was now rested in his lap. It had a red cover with Cyan's insignia printed on it.

Onishi rested his hand on the backs of both of his hands in an exhausted fashion. "Professor," he abruptly muttered in a low pitched voice. "I can't help you if you don't give me the name of this soldier you're looking for. If you could tell me his name I would be able to find him in a matter of minutes."

"Fine," Pravitas submitted with a long draw out sigh. He spoke in a certain accent that strongly hinted to anyone unaware of who he was that he came from the northern hemisphere of the planet. "His name is Ichise. The only reason I didn't admit to this sooner was because he has no last name, or at least none that would have been documented."

Keigo seemed to freeze up when he heard this name. His visage quickly shifted from a look of frustration to one of astonishment. Pravitas tilted his head curiously after he noticed the paleness in Onishi's face.

"Something wrong," asked the Professor. "Are you familiar with him?"

"No," Onishi replied with a hint of dishonesty in his voice. "Never mind that. I'll just go see if I can figure out where he is right now and I'll have him meet with you."

"Do it tomorrow," Pravitas dismissed. "We've been sitting around for quite awhile and I'd like to have at least a few hours of rest after coming all the way out here."

* * *

Doc eventually stopped her senseless running when she had cleared a good amount of distance between her and that restaurant. She had sense turned down several random streets just to get away from it. She lost all sense of direction.

Eriko scanned her surroundings for any signs of which way the forward base might be but there was nothing to suggest this. She could easily feel the thick icy air around her even with her coat on. She audibly groaned in frustration when she realized that she had no idea where she was. There were several narrow paths in this empty alley way which led in between random buildings. Naturally, she had no real sense of direction at this point.

The more obvious mistake on her part was venturing out at this time when the temperature dropped dramatically due to the oncoming night. She quickly turned around to make sure she was not being followed. As much as Doc would rather not go down the same road she saw that familiar blue haired man, there was no other way for her to find her way back to the hotel where she would wait until tomorrow until she revamped her journey to the Central Plaza.

* * *

A young girl on the outskirts of the city was in a very similar situation to Doc, being caught out in the bitter nighttime weather, but unlike Doc, she had nowhere to seek shelter. This girl was probably no older than 14 years of age. She wore a maroon coat, and a pair of protective boots but none of this helped to shield her exposed legs from the temperature which was beginning feel as if it had reached down to zero.

This girl's name was Ran. She stood on top of the enormous cliffs which loomed over Athena and acted as a harsh reminder to a war which left the city in ruin even to this day. There was even and old artillery battery just a few yards behind Ran.

The lonely girl observed the light flaring up from the city on the horizon. It was a city just as lonely and cold as she currently. This mere fact attracted Ran to Athena like a bug to a light bulb. Before moving on to try and find a means of safely entering this city without falling down the enormous cliff side, she picked up a strange looking fox mask which she had wrapped around her neck.

Ran then brought the mask up to her face and pressed on with her little journey to Athena.

* * *

Tatsuya Sakimura stood in front of a closed apartment door. That eternally gloomy look on his face was still ever present even as he stood here alone in this hallway. He glanced back and forth down each side of the hall only to see not a soul in sight apart from himself.

Sakimura closed his eyes and lowered his head as he reached forward with his right hand and knocked several times on the door before him. Even though his knocking was a little on the quiet side, it took virtually no time at all before Sakimura heard the door unlock, but it did not open up. In a puzzled fashion, Sakimura knocked on the door once again.

"Uh, Yoshii," he stuttered. "It's me. Can I come in for a moment?"

"The door is unlocked," Yoshii's voice called out from behind the wall which acted as the only obstacle keeping Sakimura away from this hidden individual. He responded to this by opening the door as instructed.

The first thing Sakimura noticed when he stepped inside Yoshii's apartment was the owner himself. Yoshii sat at his dining table which was located toward the back of the main area of his home where his kitchen and living room were both connected. The artificial light gave the apartment a bright amber hue which simultaneously prevented anyone one from being granted a proper view of the nighttime world outside due to the light bouncing off the dark windows.

Sakimura adopted a slightly nervous visage when he spotted a tactical sniper rifle lying on the table. Yoshii practically had it in pieces while he worked at cleaning the weapon from the inside out. Sakimura glanced towards the television on the left hand wall which was currently switched on and acted as the only source of noise in the otherwise ghostly apartment. A black and white movie played out on the screen which depicted a more comical approach to the 'Bolshevik War.' Sakimura easily ignored what was on the television screen and shifted his eyes back in his friend's direction.

"I haven't heard from you in a few days so I wanted to make sure you were alright," Sakimura began. "What are you doing with that weapon? I know you're not in the military."

"I'm cleaning it," Yoshii replied smartly. "I just got it a couple days ago. That's why you haven't seen me around. I just haven't had much time to get out lately. So, how are you?"

"You tell me," Sakimura flatly retorted. "I'm obviously not going to tell anyone, but you should know that having a weapon like that is going to get you in a lot of trouble. Why do you even need it?"

Yoshii picked up the scope of the rifle and placed it to his eye. He aimed it directly toward the window in front of him to make sure he could at least see out of it. He then placed it back on the table and turned around to properly confront Sakimura. "I don't know," he informed. "I guess I'm just feeling a little paranoid lately... _But only just a little bit._"


	2. Ichise

_**Node: 02**_

_**Ichise**_

As the hour grew late, the air matched the shift in time by dropping further and further down in temperature. An extremely harsh wind whistled through the city streets. While Doc sat on her bed and mindlessly observed everything which was currently being portrayed on the black and white screen of the small television positioned against the wall on the opposite side of the hotel room.

Celia, on the other hand, kept her eyes glued to a window just to the left of the television. She must have been sitting there watching a layer of frost take form on the glass for well over an hour, waiting patiently for Doc to switch off the television. She had already changed into the elaborate nightgown she always wore to bed. Likewise, Doc was in her standard white tank top and navy blue boxers which she utilized as common nightwear, but for some reason, she was fighting the urge to sleep.

Celia glanced up to the clock on the wall to her left where the restroom was also situated. The large hand was closing in on the infamous twelve. The Aryan slowly turned herself away from the television and stood up off of her bed. She glanced over her shoulder at Doc once again who was not so much as stirring from her spot in her own bed. Celia then promptly headed off toward the restroom.

She entered the separate room and switched on the light above before closing the door behind herself. Celia immediately reached for the band which held her hair up and pulled it from its position among her blonde locks. She always wore her hair up. Doc had even commented when they first met that she sleeps with it tied into a ponytail and there was one incredibly obvious reason for her doing so.

As soon as her hair fell down past her shoulders, her ears could finally be seen. Celia had the ears of an elf. She exhaled in relief as soon as she felt the painful tension of having her ears literally tied up along with her hair subsiding once they were unbound. Celia stood there, staring at herself in the mirror until she could no longer feel the throbbing pain in her knife-shaped ears after having them uncomfortably bound and hidden for an entire day. When the pain did subside, Celia promptly concealed this compromising detail by tying her hair into that same pony tail she always wore. She made sure to properly tie the sharp ends of her elven ears along with her hair and double checked her appearance in the mirror before leaving the bathroom once again.

* * *

On the dark outskirts of Athena, a massive unidentifiable vehicle mounted on a set of iron treads sat stationary in the ice covered fields. This vehicle was armed with a wide variety of heavy weapons from mounted machine guns, to grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and oddly enough, a harpoon for whatever reason.

It looked to have been built to properly sustain extremely fast speeds and was equipped with light armor. A lone soldier in a streamline uniform which mostly consisted of a thick black long coat and armored vest with several complex symbols along his sleeves stood on the deck of this ominous vehicle. He had clear blue eyes, long blond hair, and the same pair of elven ears that could be seen on Celia's head when she was not concealing them.

Kallev, as he was named, leaned over the railing surrounding the small iron platform and down to a man in a similar uniform who stood on the ground just a few yards away from what could only be described as a 'siege tank.'

The soldier on the ground, Maeza, glared up to his comrade who scolded him with a look of annoyance. Neither of the two said a word. Eventually, Maeza rolled his eyes mockingly and took off in the direction of the city, leaving Kallev in the metaphorical dust.

* * *

A chilling dawn would arise several hours later. Ichise tiredly strolled straight up to the Athenian City Hall. After a long night of hunting these so-called 'Lost Ones' and coming up with nothing, Ichise was just barely able to hang on to his sanity today. He had just enough time to throw on his uniform and begin a daily patrol of the city before he was called out to visit the city hall.

He made his way up the long line of stairs until he reached the top only to be greeted by a team of armed guards protecting the entrance. Ichise was eventually able to get past them and enter the building without much of a hassle.

Once inside, he scanned the main lobby for any means of direction. The lobby was lined with several rows of chairs and separate sets of marble pillars between each row of seats. There was a large front desk positioned off in the distance where men in suits were checking in and out from. Ichise continued searching the vicinity before resting his gaze on a young woman in a blue suit standing at the far end of the lobby, waving him down.

Ichise headed off in her direction and came to a stop not but a few feet in front of her. The woman smiled ever so slightly in his presence. "Are you Ichise?" The soldier behind the metal mask and helm nodded his head quietly. "Then you may proceed to Mr. Onishi's office. You can take the elevator at the end of the hall behind me. Just press the button for the top floor and that will take you directly to him."

Ichise wasted no time with a response. He merely nodded his head once again and walked off. He stepped through the quiet hall, leaving that strange woman behind. Ichise pressed the call button on the elevator which caused the doors to instantaneously open up for him. He was just about to step foot inside the elevator when another young man abruptly passed him by and entered the same elevator. He had murky green eyes and dark brown hair. He wore a maroon jacket, jeans, gray button up shirt, and a black undershirt as well.

Ichise followed him into the elevator. The iron doors slid closed behind him. He then looked to the panel, on the verge of selecting the top button, but was surprised to see that this stranger at his side had already selected the same floor. Ichise leaned back against the wall and waited for the elevator to bring him to his destination. He eventually began looking at the walls surrounding him when he heard the faintest yet strangest sound. Ichise listened to the normal noise produced from an elevator climbing the shaft of a building, but just in the background, he could almost make out the echo of a tormented scream which rose up the building along with him.

The young soldier glanced covertly to the other man in the elevator who appeared to be as relaxed as can be with his arms crossed and his eyes closed as if he were about to fall asleep. Ichise said nothing in regards to the ghostly sounds of some unfortunate soul crying out in agony.

"The screams," the stranger abruptly asked in a dry and slightly strained tone. "You can hear them too, can't you?"

Ichise made no attempt to respond to the man next to him. After realizing this, the man in the maroon jacket continued to elaborate on what he said previously.

"A lot of people think this building is haunted and I would tend to agree," he confidently muttered with a growing smile which fit right in with the dark sensation he was creating all by uttering these words. "When Trotsky's armies were driven all the way back to this very building, the place of their origin some five hundred years ago, a good amount of people held up in this very structure did not give up as easily as the rest. When Apollyon the Destroyer and General Pecorrta's troops liberated these halls from the Bolsheviks, the good General was not too kind to the same people who had given him so much trouble towards the end of the war. While it cannot be proven, there were whispers about some of the ways he had them killed over the course of a few days before the entire city could finally be completely liberated. The most infamous of these rumors claims he had six of them bound to the underbelly of an elevator. Whether it was this specific one, I highly doubt, but there is no real way to tell. Anyway, Pecorrta apparently had the elevator called up and down the building until he finally grew bored of toying with his victims and sent it to the bottom level where they would be crushed."

After a brief pause, the stranger smiled once again after realizing he still had no idea who this person was even though he was having such an ominous conversation with him as if they were acquaintances. "My name is Toyama. Yours?"

"Ichise," the soldier replied in a murmur.

The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors immediately opened. "Well, Ichise," Toyama muttered. "It was nice to meet you," he concluded and promptly walked out of the elevator. Ichise waited for him to leave his sight before he too left the now empty and haunting elevator where he stepped out into a silently hallway.

Ichise glanced up and down to see if he could find a means of locating this 'Onishi' person before his eyes locked on a closed door directly in front of him which had that exact same name engraved on a thin bronze label. Ichise stepped up and knocked on the door where he proceeded to wait for someone to open the door and invite him in.

Only a short interval of time passed him by before the door was opened by an oddly familiar man in a white suit greeted him. "Are you the soldier I asked to see," he questioned in a tone which almost suggested he was in a hurry for some reason or he was trying to gain some form of attention from Ichise. Regardless of the man's odd behavior, Ichise nodded and promptly removed the metal respirator from his face just for the sake of proving this.

The man in white almost gasped under his breath but stepped aside to allow Ichise a proper means of entering his office. "My name is Keigo Onishi," he greeted as Ichise walked straight past him. Ichise came to a stop as soon as he spotted someone else in the room. A man in a dark suit and red tie sat in one of the two chairs positioned on the other side of Onishi's presumed desk.

At the sight of Ichise's arrival, the stranger stood up and politely waved at him. "Greetings! My name is Professor Pravitas. I'm honored to say that I work for Mr. Aben as one of his head researchers. I study the concept of prolonging human life. I came all the way from Cyan City just to meet with you, Ichise."

Pravitas's personal introduction was met with a wave of stoic silence from the soldier he was addressing. The young Professor smiled at the familiar behavior. "I use to work with your father," he added. While it could not be seen due to the metal mask over Ichise's face, he was visibly taken aback by that last statement. "Ichise, I would like to offer you the chance to come work alongside me," Pravitas admitted rather abruptly.

Onishi widened his eyes in curiosity and glanced back to the soldier in question. Ichise completely forgot he was present in the room after hearing the term, 'father.'

"You knew my father," Ichise asked in monotone.

Pravitas closed his eyes and confidently nodded his head. "I believe there is much I need to discuss with you, so why don't we go ahead and get started?"

* * *

Eriko and Celia sat in a restaurant as they waited for their lunch to be brought to them. They sat at a booth near one of the many large windows which gave them what should theoretically be a pleasant view of the snow covered city were it not for a healthy layer of frost covering the other side of the glass.

Doc stared at the surface of the water in her glass which lightly swirled around due to her constantly moving a straw in a circular motion. Celia had her eyes locked on a single person standing well outside the restaurant. A strange young girl in a maroon jacket returned this silent stare.

The elf in disguise watched this girl from a safe distance. The stranger abruptly lifted her arm in the air and waved at her before she turned right around and skipped off into a dark alley where she completely left Celia's sight. Celia looked back to the woman sitting across her table who remained ignorant to what she was previously looking at.

"Doc," she asked softly. Eriko glanced up from her glass of water but said nothing. "Are we going to find your friend today?"

A slow nod of Doc's head confirmed that this was the case. Celia lifted her hand in the air as if she were a student trying to gain the attention of her teacher but she quickly lowered it and allowed Doc to continue thinking in peace.

* * *

After spending a considerable amount of time speaking with Pravitas, Ichise was finally released from the city hall. Onishi was kind enough to walk him out. They came to a stop right after the left the building through the large glass doors and looked down to the marble staircase which would safely lead them to the street just beyond the property.

Onishi glanced to Ichise with an ominous look on his face. He promptly turned away and looked out to the snow covered city and shoved his hands into the pockets of his white pants. "So, do you still have that sword with you," he asked out of blatant curiosity.

A few seconds passed before Onishi received an answer. Keigo looked back toward Ichise only to see him silently shake his head. Onishi stared at him as if waiting for the soldier to say something, but this did not happen. "You really aren't much of a talker, are you," he asked in monotone. As he expected, no audible answer came his way.

Keigo returned his attention to the icy skyline which was just about as muted as the soldier standing to his right. "From the way your superiors described it, the chances of it being crafted by the Lost Ones are pretty high. They were always known to shape their weapons from black metal," Onishi explained. "But why are they returning now of all times?"

Ichise kept his mouth shut and by the blank stare on his face, it was impossible for Onishi to determine whether or not he was wondering the same thing at the moment.

"Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer," Onishi abruptly informed. "I'm sure you're needed at the forward base. See you around."

* * *

Yoshii navigated his way through the narrowing streets of Athena. Sakimura managed to keep up with him, regardless of the unpleasant winds speeding through this concrete labyrinth they both resided in. Yoshii carried a large travel bag at his side along with his treasured backpack as they went.

Their trip was accompanied by nothing more than two straight hours of silent walking. Yoshii exited a cramped alley which rested between two abandoned buildings. He came to a stop on an old broken down sidewalk. Sakimura did the same after nearly bumping into him for not paying close enough attention.

Kazuo scanned the empty street beyond for any signs of life. It almost felt as if they had just stepped foot into a ghost town. As Sakimura examined the area by his own will, he realized that all of these old buildings were ancient factories. He let out a quiet gasp once his mind was able to process this major detail.

"Yoshii," he questioned. "Why did we come here? There's nothing out here. And why did you bring your rifle?"

The man in the orange suit glanced over his shoulder with a strange look in his brown eyes. "Just keep your voice down and watch," he ordered quietly. "There's probably a lot going on around here, we just can't see it. However, that isn't why I'm here... or at least, not yet."

"What are you talking about," Sakimura inquired further.

Yoshii took one last look around before he abruptly walked off. Sakimura quickly caught up with him, and they continued their walk to an unknown location. He kept frantically searching the background for anything at all which might be suspicious on account of Yoshii's rather eerie explanation.

"We're just passing through," Yoshii insisted. "There's something I want to see and this is the best route to take."

"Okay," Sakimura confusedly stated. "But why did you insist on bringing me along with you?" Yoshii then abruptly stopped in his tracks once again. He hesitated in providing his answer which made Sakimura slightly more nervous.

"I need someone to watch my back, especially in this area of town," he darkly replied. "Open up my bag. There's a pistol inside. Take it and conceal it. If you see anyone around here, don't shoot but be ready to do so."

None of this was exactly comforting to Sakimura, but he did as told. He reached for the primary zipper on Yoshii's backpack and pulled it open. Naturally, the first thing he noticed was a loaded handgun sitting inside along with a few extra clips of ammunition. Sakimura curiously pulled the weapon out of the bag and zipped it back up.

He cocked the pistol only to see a bullet already loaded inside the chamber. "Where did you get all of these weapons," he asked with a sigh.

Yoshii made no attempt to answer the question. He merely moved on and allowed Sakimura to willingly fall behind after he tucked the pistol away in his pants. The two kept moving through one of the oldest areas in Athena. A ghostly reminder of the past.

* * *

Maeza was not too terribly far away from them. With a freakish smile on his face, he ran across roof after roof. He found it relatively easy to jump from building to building since they were built so close together.

He could be easily spotted due to his black robes contrasting with the white landscape and bray skies, but at his current elevation, Maeza did not seem to worry about it. He ran across one particular roof and leaped forward onto another. He planted his feet firmly on the surface of the second roof with no balancing problems. He was just about to sprint off for the second one but stopped right before his body had the time to take on a mind of its own and start running for him.

The mysterious soldier's elven ears perked up after picking up on a barely audible disturbance in the background. He slowly turned eastward and walked over to the edge of the roof and knelt down when he spotted the source of this disturbance.

A pair of casually dressed civilians walked alone in the desolate streets below. Maeza's grin grew wider at the sight of them. He pulled a black short sword from his waist and stared at them for a few seconds. His keen ears could hear everything that was being said even from such a great distance.

After a few moments of listening, Maeza frowned when he noticed the two men taking their leave. He eventually stood up and went his separate way as well, leaving these people to live for another day.

* * *

Celia stood behind Doc with a bored visage. They stood in the main lobby of Athena's forward base. The only area of the compound in which civilians were allowed to enter so long as they had business doing so.

Doc glared at the woman sitting behind the main desk. She had grown extremely frustrated after failing to explain her situation for the third time. "Just let me speak with him," Eriko sighed. "I only want to take a moment of his time," she pleaded. The woman behind the desk tiredly placed her chin the palm of her hand.

"And I just told you that he has not reported back to us," she repeated once again. "You and your friend can wait here if you want but I already know we sent a soldier by that name to the city hall for classified reasons. I'm sure he'll be back any minute, though."

Eriko finally seemed content with the same answer she had already received several times. "Fine," she sighed before twisting herself around to face her little follower. She did not need to recite the information she was previously given. Celia immediately walked off toward an empty chair at a corner of the room and patiently sat down.

Doc quickly followed suit and sat down in a chair to the left of Celia. The two waited quietly for the person they were searching for to walk in and meet them.

* * *

In an ominous apartment building far from the forward base, Zashi rode the elevator up to a certain floor. He listened for the sound of the doors opening and the force of the elevator moving upward to halt completely.

He was eventually granted his wish. The doors opened up after arriving on the floor he ordered the elevator to ascend to. Zashi promptly stepped into the hallway and followed nothing more than his memory of these halls to a certain door. He came to a stop in front of a door with the number 512. He reached forward and knocked several times.

Zashi listened to the sound of the door opening and immediately bowed his head at the blue haired man who answered his knock. "Good day, sir," he greeted. "I'm sorry to drop by on such short notice, but I recently learned of a few events which are taking place that I thought you might find interesting."

"Very well," Kano replied in monotone. "Then come on in and you can tell me what you believe to be so important."

Zashi nodded and entered the apartment. Kano shut the door behind his assistant and the two made their way to the living room. The only other inhabitant of this apartment was a creepy two headed statue that was positioned in the far corner of the living room, but to anyone other than Zashi who had the ability to visibly take in their surroundings would noticed that Kano would often changed the position of this statue for no apparent reason.

Kano took his seat in the throne-like chair at the center of his living room. He look straight out a frost covered window in an attempt to see the city skyline but due to the outer layer of ice on the window, he was unsuccessful.

"Sir," Zashi explained. "Some of your followers have confirmed sightings of Professor Pravitas leaving the city hall. He came by for a visit but we are uncertain as to what his reasons for doing so are."

Kano opened his golden eyes in slight astonishment but the uncanny smile on his face never faded. "That is indeed strange, but I'm sure it does not concern us. Just make sure that he has left before we do anything else."

Zashi respectfully bowed once again. "As you wish, sir."

* * *

Meanwhile, Celia had fallen asleep in the time which passed since she first took a seat in the lobby. Doc was losing her patience and tempted to do the same. She kept her eyes open, staring down each and every soldier who dared enter the lobby.

Another painfully long fifteen minutes passed by before Doc spotted another soldier after he entered the room. He had a respirator over his face which prevented her from seeing his face. She studied his behavior as he walked up to the front desk. Doc felt a swell of relief when she saw the woman the desk point towards her and Celia.

The faceless soldier shifted his attention to them. He then headed over to the two spectators sitting at the far side of the room. Doc instantly nudged Celia awake. She stirred from her light nap and looked over to Doc in confusion.

"Wake up," Eriko whispered. "I think that's him," she announced in a murmur. Celia was barely able to understand her, but she quickly snapped out of her daze when she noticed the same person Doc was referring to.

He said nothing to them. He simply stopped a few feet away from the two and glared at them from behind his mask. Doc adopted a sly grin and stared at her own small reflection in the tinted glass that protected the soldiers eyes and simultaneously prevented anyone beyond the mask from gaining a vivid view of them.

"_Ichise_," she asked in disbelief. "Ichise, is that you?"

The mute young man nodded his head to confirm that this was the case. In a quiet tone, he muttered a question of his own in response. "Who are you?"

Doc's look of excitement soon turned to one of disappointment. She dropped her head hesitated in making her reply. "I had a feeling you would say that," she admitted. Doc abruptly stood up and held out a small piece of paper for him to take. "I know you're busy right now, but I could you meet me tonight at around eight? My name is Dr. Eriko Kaneda and this is Celia," she stated and pointed to the young lady who remained seated next to her.

Ichise slowly took the paper out of Doc's hand and read over the information. It gave the name of the restaurant in question and address. Ichise returned his gaze to the stranger in front of him. "Why?"

Doc did not provide an answer right away. She placed her hands on her hips and adopted an ominous smile. "Can I see your face," she asked out of the blue. "Remove your helmet, please."

Out of sheer curiosity as to what would happen, Ichise did as told and removed both the respirator and helmet off of his head. It was not like he had any use for them indoors at any rate. He lifted his helmet up to reveal his oddly shaded blue eyes and black hair. Doc's smile grew at the sight of them.

"Yes," she announced. "You must meet me tonight... I'll be waiting."


	3. Agony

_**Node: 03**_

_**Agony**_

It was becoming more and more apparent to Celia that Doc was beginning to regret her decision to meet up with Ichise at this time of night. She rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. Her lack of patience in this particular scenario was beginning to show.

"This place is about to close," Doc quietly announced. Celia ignored the comment and allowed her eyes to wander away from her companion and towards the frost-tinted window to her left.

She could only make out the vague outline of a few streetlights outside as the frost on the window concealed most of what the outside world had to offer. "Maybe he got lost," she suggested in a tired, monotone voice. "You said you knew him in the world you use to live in. Did he always have a problem with running late?"

"When I asked him to do something," Doc explained, her flat voice doing a fine job of illustrating her disappointment in this whole situation. "It was rare if he would ever actually do it. The only time he ever actually cooperated with me was when someone else told him to."

Celia glanced to Doc with a slight waver in her blissful expression. "I thought you said you were friends."

"Friendship is totally subjective, I find," Doc sighed.

* * *

Michiko carefully drove across the ice covered streets just south of the plaza. Onishi sat in the back of her car, as usual. He casually examined the nighttime world surrounding him. Were it not for the sound of Michiko's car sliding across the smooth terrain, the two would be trapped in a very creepy silence.

On the rare occurrence he would actually see an individual walking the streets, it was more often or not a guardsman patrolling the forsaken sidewalks. Regardless of Athena's size, it became clear to Onishi long ago that the population was too low to support the massive space of the city.

Just when Onishi noticed a narrow road leading off to the left of the main street, he perked up and tapped Michiko on the shoulder. "Turn here," he requested. "From there, go straight until you find an old parking lot in between a series of three apartment buildings."

"Yes sir," Michiko replied. This abrupt order was the only thing she needed to hear. Without question, she did as requested.

He sighed in boredom and crossed his arms before calmly sliding down in his seat. Onishi allowed his eyes to close until he had arrived at his chosen destination.

* * *

That time took only around 15 minutes before Onishi felt the vehicle come to a complete stop. He opened his eyes and instantly noticed the lack of light in the surrounding area. Michiko stepped out of the car and opened his door. He exited the vehicle and looked towards the building directly ahead.

In an eroded parking space, Onishi spotted a young man leaning against a stagnant motorcycle. "Toyama," he announced with relief, as if he were expecting someone else. "Sorry we're late but something happened."

"I assume that something is part of the reason why I'm here," Toyama flatly replied. "Of course, I also presume there are multiple things you want me to do?"

"If you don't mind," Onishi hesitantly responded and waited in anticipation for Toyama's answer.

A slow and calculative grin took shape over Toyama's face. "When have I ever," he inquired with confidence.

Onishi shrugged off the reply, knowing full well how true it was. "You probably already know this much, but I would like you to investigate the alleged camp sight of the Lost Ones just outside of town, but that's not all as you previously stated."

While the first half of these instructions were obvious to Toyama even before he met with Onishi out here, he furrowed his brows as Onishi explained his intentions more thoroughly.

"I've been informed recently, and this is the reason why I was so late, that some 3,000 soldiers are being sent here next week and nobody is telling me why," Onishi admitted. "All I know is that it's totally unrelated to the presence of Professor Pravitas. I think it's safe to assume he's here for a separate reason. Of course, that reason has only been partially explained to me but nothing about this wave of reinforcements coming in."

"Mr. Aben has always been paranoid about the Lost Ones making a return," Toyama insisted casually, not at all fazed by the information given to him. "Besides, why are you so worried, unless you've done something you don't want them finding out about."

"If you are positive that neither you nor your subordinates have done anything to upset them, then why worry what they find," asked Toyama. "Why even worry that they'll find anything? If they have no reason to search around the administration building, then why would they search in the first place?"

Onishi rolled his eyes at Toyama's attempts to reason with him. "Trust me, they don't have a reason, but I know for a fact that they'll look until they find one."

Toyama's misplaced smile took form over his face once again. He turned in the direction of his motorcycle and stared down to the key sitting on the empty leather seat. "I assume you want me to keep an eye on them as well? I'm sure I can manage that. Let me know if there is anything else you need me to do, Mr. Onishi."

The two then parted ways. Onishi was driven home while Toyama set off to carry out the tasks given to him.

* * *

Ichise crept through a narrow alley after making his way to one of the more desolate districts in Athena. A look of panic was plastered onto his face. He glanced over his shoulder every time the idea came to mind.

A small stain of blood could be seen along the right shoulder of his casual blue shirt. He panted heavily after running for almost half an hour. Even with Athena's low population and expansive territory, he was still amazed he had gone this long without running into a single city guard or even a standard civilian for that matter.

Every once and awhile, he could hear a faint series of footsteps which were obviously not his own. It was almost no trouble for Ichise to outrun them, but no matter where he went, he would hear them at some point or another. He was beginning to think it was impossible to escape this unnamed attacker.

* * *

On the contrary, Doc calmly walked away from the restaurant she had selected to wait in. After sending Celia back to the hotel, she alone decided to see if she could seek Ichise out for herself. She scolded anyone who walked past her with the most annoyed look she was able to procure.

Her stroll continued uninterrupted for the longest time. However, while walking straight down a crowded sidewalk with the smallest hope that she might actually run into Ichise, her eyes lit up at the sight of a lone soldier walking in her direction. Eriko waved him down, though the guard did not notice her at first.

She walked up in front of the guardsman, forcing him to stop in his tracks. "Problem," he asked, his voice was totally unrecognizable, yet this was no surprised to Doc given that every soldier sounded the same with those respirators on.

Eriko shook her head upon hearing that standard question. "No," she replied. "No problem at all." She hesitated slightly before addressing the real reason behind her disturbing this random individual. "Pardon me for asking, but are you Ichise? Don't you remember me?"

The soldier took a step back and stared the woman down through his mask. "What? No. Unless there's a problem then back off and go about your business, citizen," he sternly warned.

That same cloud of disappointment fell upon Eriko's persona once again. "Sorry," she sighed. Doc then stepped aside and the guard promptly walked off in the opposite direction. She too continued down that icy sidewalk even with her hopes having been completely crushed.

* * *

The snowy field south of Athena was even more lacking in life. A chilling wind whistled across the winter wasteland while two shivering souls marched through the defiant land. Sakimura followed Yoshii, remaining as close as he possibly could to his companion out of fear that he might end up falling too far behind in a place he really did not want to end up lost in.

Yoshii abruptly halted his stride without any form of warning prior to doing such a thing. Sakimura did the same. He fearfully looked around to make sure they were not discovered by guardsmen while wondering around in this restricted area.

"Do you hear that," asked Yoshii. His low and cautious tone provided no comfort for his friend who was already on edge.

Sakimura frantically scanned his surroundings but saw nothing of interest. "Hear what?"

"There are some strange sounds coming from over there," Yoshii informed. He then pointed to a steep hill well ahead of them. "It almost sounds like voices.

Even after being made aware of these 'strange noises,' Sakimura still had no idea what Yoshii was talking about. Sakimura listened for a few seconds, but he could hear nothing aside from the standard ambiance of being in a rural area. "What are you talking about? I don't hear anything."

Yoshii ignored his friend's pleas for answers. Instead, he silently handed Sakimura his rifle. Sakimura took the firearm out of Yoshii's hand with a look of confusion. With both arms now free, Yoshii placed his backpack on the ground and pulled out a handgun from one of the pockets.

"Wait here and watch my back," Yoshii ordered quietly. "If it's humans I'm hearing we'll turn back. Otherwise, we'll press on. Just be quiet. If you see the Lost Ones, I'd recommend you hide unless you have no doubts that they saw you."

Sakimura anxiously nodded his head. He had not the slightest clue how to operate such a weapon, but he did not want to waste time arguing with Yoshii. Instead of debating, he merely turned away and continued watching the horizon for any signs of movement or suspicious activity.

Yoshii kept low and sneaked his way up the hill. As soon as he reached the top, he hit the snow as quietly as humanly possible and crawled forward. The closer he grew to the source of this audible disturbance, the more nervous he became. Eventually, he crawled over to the other side of the hill. He looked down to the flat ground beyond him.

He had trouble noticing them at first, but he soon took notice into two figures sitting on the ground at the foot of the hill. They each wore a matching black uniform. The symbols printed on their right arms did not match the standard seals or emblems used by the actual military, or at least, not to Yoshii's admittedly limited knowledge on Cyan's official symbolism.

Yoshii could not make out some of their conversation but what little he could, he barely understood what they were even talking about, and he most certainly did not want stick around and wait for these strangers to see him. He slowly moved back until he was clearly out of their sight and beyond the reaches of their hearing.

Once he returned to Sakimura, he immediately turned to make sure he was not being followed. "Okay, we're turning back for now," he insisted in an extremely soft whisper. "There are two people just beyond that hill. They weren't' soldiers, and while I'd like to remain skeptical from the few things I heard them saying, they could be Lost Ones. Don't speak in anything other than a whisper until we're back in town. If it actually is the Lost Ones I saw back there, then that's all the more reason to stay quiet. With those big ears, they're probably able to hear me as I'm talking right now."

"So, we're just going to leave or what," Sakimura asked.

Yoshii silently nodded his head and walked off in the same direction they came. Sakimura had no qualms about following him back to safety. In his mind, it was far better than running the risk of being caught by these so-called 'Lost Ones.'

* * *

Ichise knew he must have been closing in on the same district of town he was initially suppose to meet that strange woman at. With any luck, he would be able to meet up with the guards patrolling around that area and make a clean escape from there.

No matter how many sharp turns he made around the different buildings, or what street he turned onto, he could hear his pursuer somewhere behind him. Fortunately for him, this only lasted for a short time after he entered a more well lit area of Athena. There was still no one in sight, but the lights from nearby buildings did serve to show that potential witnesses were probably in the local vivacity.

Surprisingly, Ichise soon caught on to the lack of footsteps behind him all of the sudden. He slowed his run down to a very slow and quiet walk as he took in the silence that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Ichise turned around and saw no one there, although, that was still not very comforting given that he has still yet to have seen this violent stalker. Despite the abrupt wave of silence, Ichise resumed his fleeing.

He rounded another corner and entered a rather expansive alleyway. The first thing Ichise spotted upon entering this new sliver of territory was a populated street. Ichise widened his eyes when he noticed a woman on the sidewalk in front of the entrance to the alley. She had her back turned to him, waiting for the moment when she would be able to cross the street safely. Ichise immediately took notice in the familiar head of blonde hair she had, but ignored the thought.

The troubled young man took his first steps towards her, but something caused him to stop. He hesitated just before his right foot could be planted on the ground. Ichise felt a hand on his left shoulder. A hand that must have reached out from the alley he had only just left behind. He could feel a series of sharp nails lightly digging into his flesh.

"The blade," an angered voice whispered from behind. A warm gust of air stung the back of Ichise's neck, proving just how close the stranger was to him. "I know it was you who took it. I saw you. Even with your helmet off, I know it was you. That weapon doesn't belong to you people. Where is it? If you tell me, I might consider not ripping your spine straight out of your back."

* * *

Doc watched as a number of cars carefully drove across the street in front of her. She impatiently crossed her arms and waited for several minutes.

The sheer frustration of waiting for ours in a cold restaurant on someone who never showed up was practically the only thing she could focus on. Her mind only cleared itself for a split second when she realized that the coast was clear. No cars were coming her way. She could easily cross the road at this point.

After looking both ways to make absolutely sure she would not get run over on this unusually active street, Eriko took her first step onto the pavement. Just as she began to move forward, she heard a loud ruckus coming from a good distance behind her. She only glanced over her shoulder at first, merely on instinct. The commotion did not disturb her at all when it was first heard. She looked to the alley behind her but saw nothing. Only the loud echos of what were probably trashcans being tossed around or falling could be heard.

However, a sudden series of agony filled screams erupted from the darkness behind her. She jumped back and carefully looked down that alley with extreme apprehension. It was unclear what came over her at that point. Instead of fleeing or attempting to find and alert any nearby guardsmen, she carefully headed over to the entrance of the alleyway.

Eriko leaned against the wall of the building in front of her. She did not dare go running blindly towards who or whatever was producing such horrific cries of pain, and instead, waited to see if she could figure out what was going on from a 'somewhat' safe distance.

The screams died down after a few moments and a small object abruptly flew from around the corner and onto the ground several meters away from Doc's current position. She narrowed her eyes and focused on the unknown object. She gasped in horrified astonishment after noticing that object was a hacked off human arm.

Almost instantly after the arm landed on the ground, a tall man leaped from that same dark corner and into Doc's sight. The stranger did not seem to notice her and it was far too dark for her to make out any details about this individual other than it was obviously a male.

Doc hid herself behind the wall while keeping her left eye on the shady individual to keep track of his every movement. Fortunately for her, he did not make any movements in her direction. Instead, he did something far more shocking.

The figure jumped towards the wall in front of him and grabbed onto a nearby drain pipe. With intense agility, the individual scaled the side of the building and crawled up to the roof like some sort of spider or reptile.

Eriko let out yet another quiet gasp when she was finally able to notice something about the individual in question. As soon as he hoisted himself up onto the ledge of the roof, she could see a very clear outline of his head where she spotted a pair of long, knife shaped ears. That was the only thing she was able to easily see and those infamous ears burned themselves into her mind immediately after she spotted them.

Long before she had an opportunity to see anything else about what was obviously not human in her eyes, the strange slithered out of her sight. Doc quickly darted forward to see what sort of destruction this alleged monster left in his wake.

She carefully rounded the same corner the perpetrator was most certainly attempting to escape from; still cautious in case that person may not be alone. Not to her surprise, he was not alone, but there were at least no friends of the violent stranger from what she could tell after peering down that second alleyway.

Doc lowered her gaze to the ground. Her eyes rested upon a broken young man lying on the ground in what could easily be considered a lake of his own blood as labeling it a puddle would do it no justice at all.

A wave of both good and bad memories bombarded Doc's mind once she was able to catch a glimpse of the victim's face. When that haunting pair of oddly shaded blue eyes lifted up only to find out who had come with the intent to lend a hand, or more likely, to inflict even more pain upon him than he was already experiencing.

Her horrified expression slowly transformed into a serene smile that totally contradicted the violent scene around her. She examined him to find the wounds inflicted by whomever she had spotted as they tried to make a clean escape.

His right arm was missing. That much became clear to her almost instantaneously. Other than a small amount of flesh underneath his shoulder, there was nothing left. The rest of his arm was lying on the filthy pavement behind her. Even from this distance and under almost no light, Doc could tell the wound inflicted upon what was left of his arm was extremely nasty.

It was not sliced off in an orderly fashion, but it did not appeared to be hacked away on. Especially when considering how fast this happened. The wound was far worse than what it technically needed to be. It appeared as if a blade intentionally crafted in an awkwardly shaped, jagged, or even twisted way was responsible for the removal his arm.

The third wound Doc spotted after noticing the gash in his shoulder was no different from the other two. His left leg was completely gone. What remained of his limb was lying a few feet away from him.

Doc knelt down while Ichise stared at her with a look that provided a perfect mixture of rage and agony. At this point, he looked pretty content with killing just about anything he could get his hands on.

Now, if only he could stand upright in order to properly do as he desired.

* * *

The sun arrived to shine its light upon the mad city of Athena as it did everyday. Of course, it never bothered to provide a significant amount of heat for this desolate planet of ice, yet its rays peaking through the omnipresent gray clouds above was always a welcomed sight.

Onishi found himself locked away in his office, frantically searching through several papers all stamped with official seals from organizations that never failed to intimidate him.

He was not alone that morning. On the contrary, his personal work area was quite crowded as it normally was at this early hour. Michiko stood silently towards the closed door on the other side of the room, patiently waiting for Onishi finish with whatever it was that he was doing at the moment. Haruhiko Toyama was also present. He sat in a chair on the other side of Onishi's desk with a visage that signified that he had not a care in the world.

"Just wait until Mr. Aben hears that woman's story about what happened last night," Toyama suddenly spoke out. Onishi scolded him almost as soon as these words were spoken. Toyama's 'unique' attempts to lighten the mood completely failed.

"That's why I'm going to the hospital to day," Onishi reminded him. "Already, people are beginning to wonder if this attack on one of our off duty troops was an act of terrorism committed by the Lost Ones. Surely there's a more logical explanation to what happened. Somebody needs to put a stop to all this paranoia. If this goes on for too long, Mr. Aben might place the whole continent under lock down."

Toyama nodded his head, admitting silently that he did indeed agree with Onishi on some level. "He's already placed our city under 'lock down,' or at least, that's what it looks like."

Onishi planted his hands on the desk and glared at one document in particular that rested on the wooden surface. "Exactly," he insisted in a frustrated sigh. "You just wait until those soldiers get here. We'll all end up feeling like wrongly accused prisoners. Soldiers from far off regions have always either passed through or patrolled around Athena after the Bolshevik rebellion was thwarted so many years ago, but never to this extent."

"Mr. Onishi. I hope you don't mind," Toyama interrupted. His tone was always hard to read, but Onishi looked up to the young man as if he were about to hear some crucial feedback. "But can I ask you a question that might carry some rather cynical intentions that may or may not be aimed at our worldly government?"

Onishi's expected response was just a simple nod. Toyama gave him his signature creepy smile before addressing the issue on his mind.

Toyama communicated his question with a small hint of sarcasm in his voice that Onishi quickly managed to pick up as soon as he began speaking.

"Do you think it might be possible that our great and immortal leader, Victor Aben, may not be worried about these rumors of the Lost Ones returning, but instead; cracking down on the city because he disapproves of your leadership?"

Onishi had no immediate response to Toyama's inquiry. He thought about it for several moments, allowing an awkward silence to fill the gaps of this conversation. "No," he finally replied. "If that were the case, I'm pretty sure I'd be dead by now."

Toyama nodded his head in approval. Onishi did have a good retort in some sense. Well, for now he had a good point. Only time would tell who's train of thought is more on point with reality.


End file.
