A world without common sense.

“Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me, Senpai.”

That was the only way I could explain the foreboding, the sensation of my heart becoming bigger. No, becoming denser?

“YOU ARE FUCKING KIDDING ME!”

It was a feeling of unease after Lia said goodbye that I instinctually realized didn’t belong to me. It belonged to her.

“Fuck!” Hanna shouted, standing at the entrance from the Commons to the Engineering Bay, “Either help me save her or get out of my way! Which is it going to be?!”

What an inconvenience. A new life, no more than a few hours to adjust to my new apparent purpose, and now I was being thrown to the wolves. The life of a cog in the machine.

Or maybe it was more appropriate to say I’d been given a death sentence?

How inconvenient.

I grabbed Hanna’s arm and began sprinting towards the area I’d been in a few hours prior. “How are we going to get there?” I asked, my voice trembling more than I meant it to— I chalked it up to the adrenaline fuelling my unnaturally quickened sprint; but that didn’t take away from the fact I hated how uneasy it made me sound.

Hanna didn’t answer me, instead gripping my arm and hurling me forward at a pace I couldn’t keep up with; even with nano-machines, how was it possible a girl six inches shorter than me could be so fast?! My feet slipped at one point, causing Hanna to literally drag me behind her before I could pick myself up again to keep up. If she noticed though, she didn’t care enough to say a thing.

“ANNIKA!”

The engineer nearly broke her neck from turning to face the direction the howl came from; at a distance, I could see her face turn from shock, to worry, to understanding before finally stretching into a determined frown. The silent conversation between them told Annika everything she needed to know in an instant— we were deploying.

“Remember that each Slayer can get to an Encounter area via Flight,” she said, pushing me towards my Slayer some hundred feet away from hers. “Annika, where’d Lia deploy to?”

“Inputting her coordinates to your Slayers now…done. You’re heading North-East, some seventy miles away from the Woven Mountains Domed City; ready?”

I looked at the metal platform that, should I step on it, would take me directly into the heart of the giant metal monstrosity before me; the unnamed Slayer was dark, with emerald green lining running along the joints and a single, silver hollow diamond design on its chest.

Now was my last chance to turn back from this. But even I found it strange how I didn’t even consider the possibility of doing so as I felt my body launch upwards into the entrance of my Slayer. Cool air flourished around my skin, sounds of oxygen pressurization screeched around me as darkness swallowed me whole.

It wasn’t a moment later before two circular control pads lit up a brilliant white before me. Maybe Hanna, Lia and the others were right. Maybe the workings of being a Resonator came instinctually, because the feeling of control expanding beyond my body as I pressed my hands on both controls didn’t feel frightening, it felt like I was me. Like controlling myself in a dream, but I was lucid. Like looking at myself in a mirror, mimicking my own actions.

This machine is an extension of me. A part of me.

The wall behind me slowly began separating from the Redoubt itself, inching backwards into an open world of ashen sands and darkened clouds that filled my vision. Annika’s voice flooded the intercom outside, audible even from inside my Slayer. “ESDF’s been notified so we’re launching in three— two—”

“Hold on Lia…” whispered the radio in my ear.

“—now!”

Noise erupted from every direction as light flashed into the pupils I recognized as being the Slayer’s. I looked to my left— fire was exploding beneath Hanna’s Slayer pushing her towards a dusk, starless sky; under normal circumstances I wouldn’t have been able to see through the smoke, but given my Slayer’s height, it was more than enough to watch her until she disappeared North-East, towards our destination. Towards Lia.

No—NO!

Adrenaline flooded my veins anew as panic set in. I know I should be capable of flight, but as a human I had no concept at all of how to fly! How could I achieve something now that was never physically possible before!?

“Annika—!”

“No worries~!” she said, already aware of my plight. “Even with training, this happens to most new Slay—er, Resonators— so I’ve taken the liberty of building your Slayer onto our newbie launching pad!”

“Launching..”

A sudden dread came over me.

“Wait, even then how would—”

“Good luck!”

G-forced slammed into me as the pad beneath my feet roared, flaring with so much light and force I couldn't tell at what point the giant metal floor beneath me had stopped accelerating.

I only realized it when weightlessness began to surround me.

The smoke cleared, and the sight reminded me of the first time I’d ever boarded an airplane. I could see jagged mountains, the dark sea, amber colored light filtering through cracks in the clouds and faraway lights surrounded in enormous crystalline domes.

Cities. Sparse and tiny from this distance, but all dotting the horizon.

It was a world I wasn’t familiar with; somewhere far away. I used to pray something like this would happen to me.

Was that prayer an inconvenience now? Maybe.

Weightlessness turned into a gut-churning freefall as the feeling of a plane taking off immediately filled my thoughts— at this rate I would crash for sure.

Instincts overwhelmed me.

How do I fly?! How do I move forward through the air— should I think of an airplane? No no that wouldn’t work, this feeling is too different from boarding a plane! The only thing that’s similar is the g-force from takeo—

Takeoff.

That’s right, I had a dream about it once; it was the only dream I’ve ever had where I flew, where I had the capability to do so. This new world was the answer to a long-forgotten desire; one that arose, coincidentally, after failing university.

Grabbing hold of the dream in front of me— I tried to recall that feeling of escape, that prayer. Vertigo made it difficult, and I could tell I was reaching terminal velocity. My eyelids were starting to flutter, and my breathing sounded like a drunk man before he vomits.

I gripped the control pads, feeling my metal fists clench inward at the same time.

What an odd sensation, to control four hands at once.

It should have been impossible, but right now, I have the capability. If only because this world doesn't make sense. That’s exactly why I can do it.

「Forgive me for trying to make someone’s first memories of a new life a little happier.」

“………!”

That’s why I need to do it.

“COOOOOOME OOOOOONNNAAAAGHHH!!!”

Sheer weight burst from my back as what I recognized as thousands of tons of force shoved me against the sky, grinding my fall to a halt before throwing me in a vague direction I realized as being where Hanna flew. I couldn't steer properly, but I had no time to think about the luxury of control since—

“WHAT THE HELL!?”

—the radio blasted my ear. Was there no volume control? Regardless I knew exactly what she was talking about, I didn’t expect to catch up to her so soon either. In the distance, a small, pink humanoid shape slowly became bigger and bigger until I managed to pull in front of it, leaving it some hundred feet behind me as I continued gaining distance.

“Flight huh? Been a while since I’ve seen anyone have that in their Slayer, but even then…”

“Hanna I’m really sorry to interrupt but I can’t steer let alone talk! How far are we from Lia?!”

“ETA three minutes— two minutes! Pull ahead! Do you see her?”

From our short conversation alone I’d already managed to get a good distance ahead of Hanna, leaving her as an ever-shrinking flare in the sky, it made sense that I’d spot her first. I was about to ask what to look for exactly before—

“-zhtarmor-zz-ming apart! Wh-bzht- TA?”

“Li—!”

“Hanna? Hanna!” I was about to try and contact her again before a giant purple-white mecha with a monstrosity tearing into it came into view.

“Hanna hey, I see her!”

“…kzzzhtt---”

“Can you hear me?! How do I land!?”

“Kzzht—o-bzzht-urry!”

“Hanna!”

The radio cut off, the only noise now around me coming from the thrusters still spewing fire from my back. From how fast I was going, I figure I had roughly a minute before I hit the ground.

It felt odd, in the heat of what was probably my death, to take a moment to sigh. I wasn’t able to stop; four or five hours ago I was in my room, browsing though nothing important on internet forums, and now my thrusters were pushing me along at break-neck speeds with no way for me to stop or slow down.

“AGHHH FINE!” I said to myself. “I’m absolutely going to die, but fine!”

Maybe this was an inconvenience I needed. What little I was able to accomplish in the old world came from the inconveniences in my life, those thrust upon me, and those I chose to undertake.

There were about thirty seconds left.

“Old world huh?”

I was already thinking of it in such a way. I was surprised to hear myself laugh given the situation, and maybe it was my imagination, but I felt the metal around me, my Slayer, vibrate— like it was laughing too.

“This is the worst wish fulfillment I could think of,” I continued, “but it reminds me…”

「Better to die a hero in your Slayer some day. At least then you’ll have done some good, right?」

“…I always wanted to be a space hero as a kid!”

I hit the throttle, accelerating as much as I possibly could.

Ten seconds.

It was a simple, arguably idiotic plan. Even after training for hours in base, I had only been able to uncover a single, simple ability; Lia said others may show up in time, but I was never talented enough for greatness to happen to me, not like in the stories. It happened often in my old life. It’s happening with this situation that’s the answer to a desire I didn’t even have anymore. It might even happen with me being a Resonator.

Even so, that was alright; cause no matter how weak, even a retard like me can save someone by flying seven hundred miles an hour into the monster tearing into her!

Dust scattered into the wind as dove forward, skimming mere meters above the barren dirt; holding my hand out, I yelled at the top of my lungs as gentle blue sparks solidified before me—

“—AEGIS!!!”

“!———!—!!”

I know for a fact I slammed into the creature mauling into Lia because the sheer force of inertia felt like it ripped the limbs off my body and dislocated my neck; I could only pray that wasn’t the case since filthy yellow-brown leather filled my vision as a vague feeling I recognized as flesh filled my palm. I gripped onto it for dear life as our bodies crashed and tumbled over each other like clothes inside a washing machine.

A cacophony of wails split my ears with every collapsing roll through the dirt; I thought it was me at first until enough sensation returned, after some tens of seconds due to the vertigo and nausea, that I could understand my surroundings and realized I’d let go of it at some point.

Picking myself up from the dirt, I noticed a white and purple figure a few hundred meters to my left. I wanted to immediately check on her, to make sure she was okay, but instinct took over as I searched for the threat I could only describe as a fat, brown sack of wrinkled leather.

The adrenaline settled down, however, almost immediately after spotting it.

Walking over, I took a good look at the scar covered abomination of a bipedal lizard covered in dust and what was probably purple colored blood. It had a giant hole just beneath its right shoulder, but the odd thing was how small, reddish-purple tentacles grew out of it— they were thin, being about as wide as some normal, durable rope, but numerous.

Those wails must’ve been its last cry of life too, because on the desert floor, the creature’s face and tongue were motionless, its thin tendrils appearing not unlike a sprouted potato that had been left out in the open too long. Whatever damage its stubby feet and arms were capable of doing wouldn’t pose a threat to anyone anymore.

Even then, I unsheathed the giant silver blade that came with most Slayers, taking no time at all to walk over, and decapitate it on the spot.

“Sorry,” I said, sheathing the oddly still clean blade, “rule of thumb.”

“kZzhz-llo? Hanna? Are you guys there?”

“Lia!”

I turned around, managing to jog back at a broken pace to the Slayer laying on the floor. No sooner did I turn around, however, than Hanna expertly landed next to her, checking on her friend via a conversation now audible through radio.

“…goodness…” I heard through a soft, barely audible sob, “thank goodness you’re alive…”

“Ahah,” replied her friend as I finally approached the pair on the ground, “I’m sorry to worry you, I should’ve—”

“THE FUCK YOU SHOULD HAVE!” I physically recoiled from the noise resounding in my ear. “WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING GOING OUT BY YOURSELF?! DO YOU HAVE A DAMN DEATH WISH!?”

“No I—!” she started before quietly resigning. “You’re right, so—”

“SHUT UP! YOU’RE GIVING ME A DAMN BETTER EXPLANATION THAN ‘SORRY’!”

“Hanna,” I interjected as unobtrusively as I could, “how do I lower the—”

“AND YOU—!” she shouted, her rage now fully directed at me. I heard what sounded like a sigh of relief from Lia’s radio. “Are you retarded?! Were you born with brain damage or were you just dropped on your skull as a piss-all toddler!?”

I sighed. “I didn’t have any other options; I didn’t know how to land and—”

“Then you should’ve stayed at base to learn instead of charging headfirst towards a fucking Rogue like a braindead Behemoth!” I was going to retort, to defend myself, but the clear and sharp edge Hanna had used in her voice just moments ago, especially towards Lia, was disappearing with each word.

“If your Aegis hadn't absorbed the shock from the impact you would’ve twisted your neck and spine and ended up dead before your first mission was even over!”

“Hanna, I’m sure he did the best he could and I’m alright because of it.”

“Even by green-light standards he was reckless! There’s no point to saving someone if somebody else is just gonna die as a result!”

Those words clung thick to the air between our mechas. Lia was still on the ground and her flight systems were out of commission, sure, but she was alive. Even so, for someone so fueled with anger, she made a point that was difficult to argue against.

Maybe it was the fact the adrenaline was wearing off, or that her tone so easily conveyed the heart she wore on her sleeve, but I just didn’t have it in me to be angry at her. Instead—

“Can you teach me then?”

“…what?”

“When you have some time, could you teach me how to land? I’d rather not fly-tackle a monster every time it happens, and you said yourself you’re the third most senior Resonator at the redoubt.” My words seemed to take her by surprise a bit since I could hear her struggling for a response. “You mentioned it with Senpai, you’d come close to being the best senior to guide me into not dying.”

Lia gave a warm laugh as Hanna promptly told her to be quiet. “Hmph.” she said very matter-of-factly. “Since you obviously need the help, I MIGHT be able to spare some time to teach you a thing or three. But just…” she trailed off, “don’t try anything like that again.”

With her Slayer, she offered me her hand which I gladly took.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Good. Now then, Lia, we’re going tohhzz—zhhtwhtzz—!”

I felt it before anything else. The density flooding into my heart that immediately communicated with the rest of my body— it didn’t belong to me.

It was Hanna, who without words, filled my heart with a single word.

Behind.

Faster than I thought I was capable of turning, I raised my Aegis to block what would’ve been hundreds of needle sharp claws digging into the back of my neck. A handful of gunshots from behind me later, the creature jumped backwards. As Hanna rushed to my side, both of us in front of Lia, I got a good look at what I could only describe as a giant sack of wrinkled brown leather.

Only this time, instead of a head, there were tens upon tens of elastic, purple-red tendrils sprouting from its neck.

“Fucking Rogues…”