《STIGMA: The Sins of our Father》 Prologue: Part I Regina Claris Graduation Exam Prologue Part I Regina Claris Graduation Exam ¡°Levi, hey! Levi!¡± The voice burst behind her ears. ¡°Dammit, girl! Stop daydreaming! This is the last exam!¡± The voice was that of a rugged man. Oh how she wanted to strangle him. She held her head in distraught. ¡°Ugh¡­relaxant induced sleep is the worst.¡± She patted around the cockpit until she found a Ammat grass stalk she was keeping and bit it. The grass released a bittersweet taste as its sap was mixed with her saliva. Right, keep my head together. ¡°Air pressure 6.5. Fuel level green. Condition green.¡± She tilted the stick she¡¯s holding in an absentminded way. All clea- wait¡­what the- CC-21 Homing Device! And booster engine! ¡°Shag! You dick! You¡¯ve been tampering with my STIGMA again!¡± she burst out as she pressed a button on her handrest. There was a brief sound like a broken TV, and then another voice. ¡°It¡¯s your fault for not caring your other body good enough!¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± ¡°Stop bickering, lads. Target¡¯s in sight. Prepare for drop off,¡± an elderly voice boomed and cracked from a speaker. The girl caressed the weapon stuck on her arm. An artifact that her deceased parents had left her. It was a strange machinated glove, a machination with three gear turbines and a slot for cartridges. Tough and relentless, just like her. ¡°Bomb¡¯s away, bitches!!¡± She felt an influx of air and a sudden G-force pulling her down. ¡°WAHOOOOO!!!!¡± STIGMAs are anthropoid machines resembling life forms made by humans for enhancing the capability of its rider. They were the new steps to the future¡­or so it was said in the commercials. There are many types to it and the recent ones were indeed, pricy. But military trainees were only allowed a single old type STIGMA for each. As it were, only the high rankers got the new types. The higher you go, the better your STIGMA. Levi grasped a handle and opened the viewing monitor. She saw the clouds whizzing past her. She took a deep breath and pressed a button with the legend, ¡®Propulsion jet¡¯. A feeling of enlightened body, and then, a clumsy landing. Another STIGMA held hers and said. ¡°Landing¡¯s a bit off, Red. Better get it fixed up next time.¡± ¡°Thanks, Marge.¡± She could see the mark of the Holy Cross on her friend¡¯s STIGMA. Situated on her left arm. Every trainee was divided into groups to ascertain their ability for teamwork, battle, strategy, and leadership. And was balanced by the instructor. Her group consists of Margaret Rottenheim, a noble from somewhere she never seems to talk about a.k.a Princess. Doug Rudderman, a science whiz from America, a.k.a The Shag. Michael Dalton, the brain of the team, a.k.a The Man. And last, and certainly least, Okita Mitsurugi , A braindead pretty boy a.k.a The Bishounen. ¡°Gyehahaha!! Better get that scrap to the dump, Red! You¡¯ll never get anywhere with that junk,¡± a STIGMA zoomed past her while giving her the middle finger. She clenched her teeth in disgust. Levi had sworn that one day she¡¯ll beat that bigheaded Klaus into oblivion. ¡°Sorry for that,¡± another one past her. Followed by a bunch of other groups. A STIGMA with a large gun on its back cocked the machine loudly. ¡°The mission is to defeat the Unborn terrorizing this village and secure the item in the shrine. Walk north approximately 20 kilometers and we¡¯ll reach it, along with those other 5 groups. And thanks to our bonehead here, we are losing the race.¡± ¡°Sorry, Michael.¡± ¡°Getting up the mountain is always exhausting, don¡¯t you think so, Margaret?¡± asked another STIGMA, it was holding a broadsword. ¡°I hope the night wind doesn¡¯t ruin my beautiful complexion,¡± The STIGMA behind her was clicking its two knives. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The night sky felt iffy. The moonlight barely made it through the high branches of the pin trees. Therefore, the group turned on their lamplight. ¡°Hey, Marge. Does it feel¡­wrong, here?¡± Levi asked. Margaret answered through the radio. ¡°Yeah¡­I felt it too. This place is too quiet.¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t you bein¡¯ too sensitive dudes? We¡¯ll never catch up to those guys if you bein¡¯ too careful,¡± Doug said, ¡°Aanyway. What¡¯cha gonna take?¡± ¡°Take what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. You know? It¡¯s been a custom for the trainee on their last exam to take something to commemorate their finding their road kinda thing. My old man¡¯s got a piece of a Herodites jaw.¡± ¡°I seem to remember my brother showing me a beautiful pair of glassy eyes,¡± Okita said smiling in his mind. ¡°I myself am going to find something more elegant. A shell maybe? I hope there are some there.¡± The radio buzzed in all of their STIGMAs. ¡°We¡¯re here. Ready your weapons!¡± The group moved warily through the village¡¯s gate. Here and there signs of destructions could be seen. Sometimes with bare patches of dried blood. ¡°Nasty.¡± Michael stopped, then said. ¡°Protective circle, coordinate 2X-551. Doug, I want you to contact the other groups.¡± Doug put on a headphone and spoke to a mic as the group circled around him. ¡°Team Dingo here, respond Team Bravo, over.¡± Something moved behind a burned house. ¡°Team Bravo, are you there? Over.¡± No one answered. ¡°Team Dingo here, reply Team Alpha.¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°What¡¯s taking so long?¡± Michael asked. ¡°They aren¡¯t answering. Could be the bad connection here. Should we get the headquarter to check?¡± Something jumped out of the forest. Michael shot two rounds on it. It exploded on contact. Leaving barbecued meat and splatters of blue blood. ¡°No, we¡¯ll continue. But we¡¯ll split up.¡± ¡°Shag, you go with Red and the Princess. Okita, you come with me. Search for the others, that¡¯s a priority. Deal with the mission later.¡± ¡°Roger!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just one thing after the other, eh?¡± ¡°Hunh¡­I¡¯d have thought that there¡¯ll be others stronger than the last one. But they¡¯re just simply not good.¡± Doug stabbed his broadsword at an incoming Unborn shaped like a panther and hurled it away like rag. ¡°How many have we killed?¡± Doug said, his snappy remarks gone as well. Maybe this isn¡¯t such a good idea. Levi thought. ¡°56, that isn¡¯t including that one,¡± Then something bashed Levi by the ear. It rocked her STIGMA a bit. ¡°What the hell was that!?¡± ¡°A Unborn!! The biggest I¡¯ve ever seen!!¡± An apparition with four legs and a huge spear appeared in front of them. Its eyes bloodshot and its long teeth dribbling with fresh blood. ¡°So the last one is the main course, is it? Fine by me!¡± Levi yelled. She advanced with her mechanical fist outthrust. The creature took the impact straight on. The sound of her fist and the spear meeting was like thunder. A bewildered owl awoke from its state of nothing-to-do-at-all into save-your-sorry-behind mode. ¡°Red. Get back into formation!¡± Doug yelled into his communication chamber. Dashing with his steel broadsword upraised and arced until it met the Unborn¡¯s arm. It felt like hitting a log. The sword dug but wouldn¡¯t come off. ¡°HUMAN¡­STAYAWAY¡­EAT¡­¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Levi spun in mid air, assisted by a brief shot of jet and did a shovel kick on the broadsword. ¡°RARRGGHHH!!¡± The blade was forced down by sheer power and chopped the Unborn¡¯s hand like sheet of paper. Blue blood gushed out. ¡°Blast that bleedin¡¯ bastard!!¡± Levi yelled. Margaret took a handful of hand grenades and threw them at it. When the recurring blasts died out and the smoke subsided, Doug swore. ¡°Oh, yeah!! Who¡¯s your daddy!?¡± But Levi knew that the three of them were shaking like hell in the legs. But it was the shaking of excitement and pure ecstasy. A great grunt and then suddenly Margaret¡¯s STIGMA was slammed to the ground. ¡°Princess!¡± Doug drove the broadsword right through the Unborn¡¯s shoulder. It squealed and then kicked Doug¡¯s STIGMA with its hooves. The impact threw him to a nearby house where it crumbled. ¡°Marge! Shag!¡± The two of them groaned through the radio ¡°My STIGMA can¡¯t move anymore. That last hit busted the IC.¡± ¡°Dammit! Mine too. I should have installed a stronger tank. My fuel¡¯s wasting away.¡± Levi looked at the distance, where the Unborn ran to. It was further up the mountain. Through a series of stone steps. ¡°Now or never.¡± She swiveled the stalk to the other corner of her lips and pressed the jet button. ¡°You DOPE!!! Get back here! That thing¡¯s too strong for you to handle alone!!¡± ¡°¡­I know. That¡¯s why I need to go.¡± That thing must be the last one. There isn¡¯t any reading up here. The last step. ¡°Come on!! You bastard! Face me!¡± she yelled. But what she saw was something incomprehensible. A group of STIGMAs were scrapped here and there in the vicinity of a traditional Japanese shrine. Two other STIGMAs were standing cautiously with their back on her. One of them noticed her. The radio buzzed. ¡°Get back! This thing¡¯s not human!¡± ¡°Of course! That¡¯s what Unborns are!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s-¡° The left STIGMA was suddenly thrown back to a tree just past Levi. There, it fell apart one by one starting from the arm. Shortly after that, a scream of terror, then it exploded. A Unborn somersaulted from the explosion, landing beside the other STIGMA. The STIGMA flailed its arm. But then a flash of steel, and then it became scrap metal in an instant. ¡°What is this!? Some kind of a joke!?¡± The cloud in the sky parted its curtain to reveal the moon. Its light illuminated the Unborn. If it was possible to make cloth to be the Unborn of black in color with the total absentness of white. Then this was it. The figure was dressed- no - draped in the epitome of blackness. It was wearing a Japanese traveling monk hat. Under it, instead of two eyes, three yellow spheres. One on its forehead. It held a curved sword brimming with darkness. ¡°My blade thirsts for blood. You worms are not satisfying enough!!¡± Behind it, the Unborn that fought with her was kneeling. ¡°KILL¡­EAT¡­HUMAN.¡± The figure barely moved and the Unborn was suddenly sliced in half. ¡°Weaklings deserve nothing.¡± Levi felt the pressure emitted by the figure. She knew, her STIGMA¡¯s no match for it. But hand to hand. Yeah, it¡¯s a possibility. She opened the cockpit of her STIGMA and jumped down. Her sky blue raincoat touched the earth lightly as she landed on with a crouch. ¡°Are you a Unborn?¡± she asked. The figure was intrigued. This one felt different. ¡°My path is the path where the strongest live.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You who smelled like me, are you strong?¡± ¡°Hey, I asked first!¡± The Unborn advanced with a single kick to the ground. The edge of the sword stroke sparks as it landed on Levi¡¯s weapon. ¡°Hoo¡­interesting.¡± She threw her arm back and took a stance. What speed¡­if it was a STIGMA I won¡¯t even have a chance to defend myself. Levi said out loud. ¡°Loading catridge!!¡± The turbines started to spin in opposite directions. Blue sparks of electricity crackled with a loud Whommm sound. Then the part behind it pulled away. She tried to punch the man. But he eluded the hit with a jump and her fist hit the ground where he stood. The compressed air was released with a single pump. The fist left a gaping hole on the ground. The battle went for almost half an hour. She stabbed another one of the vial of green liquid into her neck. ¡°That¡¯s the last of them.¡± The Unborn hit and was countered with increasing speed. Slash, cut, and stab. The combination was endless. It was like the blade was merely a flicker in the air. She fell back and raised herself up with a swift spinning kick, earning the man a bruise in the chest. Then she continued with an electrically charged fist. But it met the sword halfway through. The electricity crawled to the sword, shocking the unknown figure. Both fighters were engaged in a deadlock. The light from the spark revealed both faces. One with surprise, and one with, for a given choice of word, was filled with indescribable glee and fiery desperation. ¡°GAHHHHH!!!¡± ¡°ARRHHHH!!!!¡± Then it exploded. It threw both of them far away. Levi regained his stance for a while, but at last, fell on her knees near the Unborn¡¯s corpse. New cuts leaked blood all over her body. Drips of blood stained her clothes. Giving the red clothes a bitter red. She spat out the blood that had pooled inside her mouth and cursed. ¡°You are strong. But not strong enough,¡± The man suddenly was there, holding the sword threateningly on her neck. She could feel the cold metal brushing against the weakest part of her body. She panted and laughed at the same time. It came out like a choking sound. ¡°Ahaha¡­am I? Yeah, I¡­guess¡­ugh.¡± Her eyes went blurry and tinted with black, then¡­nothing. Am I, she thought, going to die here? Just as well¡­I have nothing left anyway. REALLY? YOU GIVE UP? JUST LIKE THAT? What am I supposed to do? My body¡¯s already spent. YOU WANT TO FORGET ABOUT YOUR DREAM? LEAVING THEM UNFULFILLED? Dreams¡­have I ever¡­had a dream? I¡¯ve only been ambling along my life. TO BE STRONGER, TO BE GREATER, TO BE¡­ACKNOWLEDGED. TO SEARCH FOR YOUR DREAM ALONE IS A DREAM. ¡­yeah. That¡¯s right. I still want to live and find my dream. WHAT IS YOUR DESIRE? Just¡­ WHAT IS ¡­YOUR¡­DESIRE!? Let me¡­ SAY IT OUT LOUD!! YOUR ANSWER!! Kick¡­his¡­ASS!!! The Gauntlet whirred into life and shot a continuous round of elastic bullets at him. She spit the grass stalk out and took out a grenade, throwing it up into the air and said. ¡°I¡¯ll take you down, you bastard¡­!¡± She punched it with full power, it went several feet then exploded. Up on the top of the shrine, a masked man scratched his chin. ¡°The Kagemusha¡­¡¯tis be interesting.¡± Then he jumped into a rip in time and space. When she came to. The first thing she saw was white. The white of the hospital ceiling. The white of the doctor¡¯s shirt. The white sterile sheet that she was sleeping on. ¡°Ughh¡­¡± she tried to get up. But her body refused to cooperate. ¡°Ahh¡­shit!¡± ¡°Yo, Red. I see you¡¯re awake, eh?¡± ¡°Shag? Why am I here?¡± ¡°You lost your mind? You got beat. Bad. We barely made it there on time! Thanks to my homing device, of course!¡± ¡°Ah,¡± she paused, ¡°I see¡­¡± Memories tried to get itselves registered. I lost¡­to that man¡­why didn¡¯t he kill me?...that man! ¡°Did you see a man in black when you got there?¡± ¡°What?¡± She yelled. ¡°Did you!?¡± A collection of patients looked at them in annoyance. Doug grinned apologetically at them and glared at her. ¡°This is a hospital! Lower your voice!!¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± He scratched his bald head and said. ¡°And what you asked earlier, no. We only find you and a small boy around 12. You seem to have protected him with your body from that Unborn.¡± A boy? I don¡¯t think there was a boy at that time. ¡°How¡¯s the mission?¡± He frowned and then scratched his chin in an embarrassed gesture. ¡°Out of the seven teams, only three got spared. Those Unborns really hit us hard, ya know? But not for long¡­not for long,¡± for a moment, his face turned into a contorted pain, but then he remembered himself. ¡°But we made it. And we passed the exam¡­Ah, right. Everyone says congratulations. Not perfect, but hey, better than repeating one year. I came to deliva¡¯ this to ya, Here.¡± He threw a small badge at her. ¡°Now sleep tight, ya hear?¡± Then he was gone. Then, he appeared again. ¡°Your STIGMA is busted, so you¡¯ll be rideless for three or four days.¡± Levi inspected the small white thing in her hand. It was a tablet, and when she touched it, a hologram of a paper appeared. A brief smile adorned her face. Tears trickles and dripped on her hands. ¡°To think¡­to think I¡¯d feel like this¡­even after being close to death.¡± Then her body shut down. Sleep, that¡¯s what I need. Right now, sleep. Prologue: Part II The End of an Era Prologue Part II The End of an Era Two days later Year 20XX D.M. (Diabolus Mortus) Day 16, Monday The Graduation Ceremony. A man with a long and scabbed face stood on the podium with his hands outstretched. In front of him, a bit more than a thousand new officers stood with their badges attached. Among them were Levi and her friends. ¡°Let me remind you, proud graduates of Regina Claris. You have passed your exam successfully, therefore, this will be your job, your life, the very meaning of your existence!! Offer your life for the country and protect the innocents from harm. From Unborns, martians and humans alike,¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°Thousands have entered, but only a few have succeeded. You are the chosen¡­¡± ¡°Oy, ya think he¡¯s gonna finish anytime soon?¡± Doug whispered. ¡°Nah, he¡¯ll be like this for at least one more hour,¡± Michael said. ¡°Ya know, it¡¯s times like this that I regret not accepting that sneaky Rob¡¯s drugs.¡± ¡°The one that causes you to be able to sleep while standing?¡± Levi asked. ¡°Yeah, that one.¡± ¡°That reminds me. Fred from Team Bravo took it yesterday and now he couldn¡¯t sleep at all.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Old Afalgan found him sleeping when he¡¯s covering the basics. He forced Fred to take his coffee.¡± ¡°Ouch.¡± ¡°You back there! Stop mumbling or I¡¯ll make you scrub the toilet with your face!¡± All of them went instantly into being very attentive. When the ceremony¡¯s finished. There were no cry of happiness, no tossing of hats, and no last dunk in the toilet for the nerds. Everyone knows, since the first Riders graduated, that what comes next is the most crucial thing. This was time, the time where their whole training matters, where pure animal instincts will take over, and only the one with the most cunning strategy will win. This was the time of¡­The Blackboard. With the stressed capital ¡®B¡¯. It is called a blackboard because it is, frankly, a black board. No joke intended. To graduate means that you are no longer the soft foot who came to the Academy while crying for mommy. And that means¡­new assignments. New gadgets. Everyone wanted to enter Tabernae Alliance Force or 2nd Babylon. And everything was first come first serve. And the sight when The Blackboard opened was frankly hellish. All of them charged and tried to plug their I.D. cards in the army of their choice. Margaret, who was a noble, merely walked into the counter and got herself signed into the most elite fleet. The S class Golden Valkyrie of the famed Tabernae Alliance Force. Doug have, simply, hacked into the system and write his name in the A class Silver Forger of the same army. Okita and Michael. Two men like opposite magnets, wrote their names on the 2nd Babylon Vanguard without much difficulty. As for the poor Levi¡­ ¡°Ugh, get the bleedin¡¯ hell outta my way!!¡± The man in front of her fainted. And she charged forward. Then someone fainted again, she continues onward. And so on. It was a good thing to have an electric personality about her person. ¡°Almost there¡­¡± Someone pushed her back and before she knew it, she was dragged by the crowd into the back. The last thing that was seen was her hand helplessly drowned by the wave of the crowd. Then, it was done. Everyone got their places and will go to their designated position next morning. After that, as per new graduate rules states¡­ ¡°It¡¯s time to party your butts off!¡± yelled by everyone in the school. It shook the school to its foundation. It ricocheted off the wall and made the school sounded like a great big speaker. That Night, 2100 hours Great Hall. The party went very well, in fact, it went better than the last one when their seniors graduated. The new Riders drank, cursed, occasionally trying to pick up chicks, or trying to be picked up by cocks. They stop at nothing to get back at those years they spent grueling over their papers and being yelled at in the ears. But, one girl didn¡¯t get distracted by all the merriments and the happily drunk people. She stood alone in the balcony, calmly drinking a glass of indistinct alcohol. All the sounds from the party seemed far away, as she gazed at the moon in a deep thought. After tasting the party, there were times when being wild became¡­tiring. It was a particularly beautiful night, the stars shone like ambers and the crescent moon graced the world with its gentle light. ¡°A fine wine isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s a bit young, but not harsh. A 2017 Sauvignon Blanc,¡± said a voice behind her.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It woke her up from mid-dream. Then she turned to see a man, quite old, holding up a glass of wine while smiling. His tuxedo hinted of bygone times. ¡°I don¡¯t really care what it is, as long as it got me drunk.¡± ¡°Haha, but it¡¯s the taste that hooks you up.¡± ¡°Err¡­nope, don¡¯t think so,¡± she sipped a bit from her glass and put it on the table. ¡°I¡¯ve heard all about you, miss Levi. A very strange record. No finesse whatsoever. You passed the writing test by barely missing a tiny bit. The only thing you got going for you is your practical skills.¡± ¡°Insulting me? Oh, I¡¯ve got a lot of that here, nothing new. Who are you anyway? Talking like that first time you met someone,¡± she looked at the old man strangely. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ll find out soon enough. By the way, just out of curiosity, what army are you going to join?¡± he swirled the glass and slowly taking in the bouquet. ¡°¡­why should I tell you that?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just want to know,¡± he drank the rest of his glass up in one go, ¡°Ah, here comes company. I hope fate bring us together again,¡± she stopped. ¡°Oh, and miss Levi¡­you spilled your drink.¡± ¡°Oh shit! Why-¡° she glanced to the left and right. But found no trace of the old man. ¡°Um, excuse me,¡± said the newcomers. ¡°Did you see an old man pass by here?¡± she asked. ¡°No. but I-¡° ¡°¡­Who the heck was that?¡± The night passed by with minor incidents. There were less victims from swirly, for example. But the seafood buffet was a definite no-no. It got no less than 14 people queueing for the bathroom. And don¡¯t forget the heart breaks. Margaret got more than 20 confessions and totally busted their hopes. And she wasn¡¯t even wearing her bustiers. For some reason, the femininely challenged Levi got 3 confessions and without saying anything brushed them off with a kick. At the end of the party, the whole teams assembled in a circle, raising their glasses, they cheered goodbye. ¡°Ein! Zwei! Drei! Prost!¡± Team Dingo did a toast for the last time. They congratulated each other and joked around. ¡°It¡¯s been fun, my comrades,¡± Michael said. ¡°Same here,¡± Levi said. Doug smiled wanly and raised his glass hesitantly. ¡°Yeah¡­¡±¡¯ ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°He got rejected by Natasha Downer from Team Alpha. Figures, a beautiful woman like her with him? Not likely,¡± Okita said calmly. ¡°To think that we are going to different armies¡­Vanguard, TAF¡­I hope to God we never meet in the battlefield.¡± ¡°Amen to that, brother.¡± There were silent in contemplation after the quote. ¡°Don¡¯t frown, smile! This is our last day together! So let¡¯s have some fun!¡± Margaret, already drunk from all the sherry she drank, started to sing her hometown anthem, ¡°Everything for God¡± ¡°Red, you haven¡¯t told us where you¡¯re going.¡± ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up with that?¡± Levi shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m hiding it. It¡¯s just¡­well, I¡¯m in class D Black Pawn. I¡¯m planning to climb the stairs one by one¡± ¡°Ya sure ya ain¡¯t wanna have me got you somewhere higher?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll earn it myself.¡± ¡°If you say so¡­¡± There was a loud crash, a sign that someone had taken too much to drink and had fallen to the punch bowl. ¡°That¡¯s our cue, better get rested up for tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Levi woke up with a slight headache. She glanced at her clock. ¡°Damn, three in the morning!? Gah¡­¡± she buried her face into the pillow while grumbling. INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER AL-bzzz! The siren blared and the red lights turned on. All doors were open and all hell broke loose. ¡°Dammit! What the heck happened!?¡± she cursed and shouted. But she, out of behavior, wore her Gatling Knuckle by pressing on a button on her glove. Because she slept in her clothes, she only needed to find a way to get her I.D. card to stop sticking to her cheek. Some people were running in the hallway as they desperately tried to run in their pajamas. ¡°Somebody tell me what happened!¡± ¡°Security breach!? What kind of school are they running here!?¡± The red haired girl ran towards the Great Hall when suddenly, a man wearing a plain mask appeared and killed the girl that was running beside her with a single move. Blood gushed out like a geyser. Making some of the girls who saw it cried. The killer laughed eerily and advanced to the cowering girls. But to his surprise, he met Levi¡¯s fist which landed right before the killer¡¯s weapon reached them, which missed by an inch. He was thrown to the wall and stuck there. ¡°Get your sorry asses outta here!¡± she yelled. They screamed and ran. ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to put it.¡± She reached the Great Hall with some difficulties from the bodies that were piling, both from the graduates and the unknown enemies. Some guys had the right mind to barricade the Great Hall and were shooting at the enemies enthusiastically. ¡°Red, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe!¡± Michael barraged a nearby enemy with a machine gun, while Okita blew the head of another with a rifle. Levi ducked under the barricade and approached him. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Michael threw the machine gun and quickly loaded a laser rifle he picked up from the ground. ¡°Like hell I know. The only thing I¡¯m aware is that these guys are professional! They¡¯ve killed more than a half of our friends and they¡¯re just about forty in numbers!¡± ¡°Teachers! What about the teachers!?¡± ¡°Old Afalgan¡¯s got three, but he was surrounded by three of them. Haven¡¯t got a chance! The others I don¡¯t know but I expect they¡¯re having a blast with these guys.¡± Some enemies managed to get through the barricade and lunged forward like an eagle. Not stopping at all to savor their prey. ¡°Shit! They¡¯re going to the dorms! I¡¯ll take them down before anything happened!¡± she said. But there were no answers. Okita was shot in the arm and was now in incredible pain. Michael pulled him down and quickly administered a first aid. She ran like hell, but she could barely catch up to them. With a last desperate attempt, she picked up a chair and threw it at one of them. Miraculously, the attempt succeeded and one of them stopped short in his tracks. She ran to him and grabbed his neck. ¡°Who are you, and why are you killing everyone!?¡± she commanded. The mask hid his face, but she realized him sniggering and instantly realized that he was holding a bomb. But it was already too late. ¡°Goddammit!!¡± The red haired girl hid in the hangar. After the explosion, the road towards it was blocked by rubbles. She could hear sounds of people screaming for help that wouldn¡¯t come. It echoed through her head like death bells. ¡°I have to help them! Ugh¡­¡± It was then that she realized that her left arm was wounded, it was seeping blood. ¡°Who¡¯s that!?¡± Levi staggered up and said, ¡°None of your business! Come and get me if you want some!¡± ¡°Oh, that donkey¡¯s mouth and arrogance. Levi ain¡¯tcha?¡± From the dim redness of emergency lighting, the figure of an old man appeared. The one who¡¯ve been training her for the longest time. ¡°Old man? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­you could call it¡­defending the last lifeline.¡± She walked forward, and then hurried to the old instructor¡¯s side. ¡°Old¡­man, your¡­sides.¡± ¡°Ah, crivens. Would you look at that¡­my blood¡¯s soiled your gloves,¡± he then folded and lied flat on the cool floor. ¡°Old man! Get ahold of yourself¡± she shook him hard. ¡°Agh¡­get inside¡­your STIGMA. Save yourself. Quick¡­¡± ¡°Gods, why is this happening!?¡± she hit the floor hard with her Gatling Knuckle. It dented the hard metal. ¡°I can¡¯t see any¡­thing. Rachel¡­my dear¡­wife. I¡¯m coming¡­¡± ¡°Old man, old man! Wake up, wake up!!¡± The old body was silent still. He was tough, old and tough. But now he lied there, lifeless. This was too much. Too much. ¡°Those bloody MURDERERSS!! I¡¯ll make them pay. I¡¯LL MAKE THEM PAY!!¡± She grabbed her keys and ran towards her STIGMA. She got inside through the back hatch and quickly started up the engine. It was more or less a good repair, but it was missing an arm. The fuel was also half empty. ¡°Crap! This thing¡¯s useless.¡± Then she saw something covered in what could only be the oldest STIGMA in the Academy. It was said to be as old as the Academy itself. She uncovered the piece of rag covering it and gave it an experimental kick. Rust peeled off its exterior. Then she entered the cockpit. It was surprisingly well furnished and very up to standard despite its ugly, over-armored exterior. ¡°It¡¯ll have to do¡­¡± Right, key¡­maybe he has it. Levi searched for and found a string of key for the launching pad, it may come in handy. As she did so, she prayed for her instructor. May the booze up there got monkeys in it, amen. Before climbing the STIGMA, she ripped the handkerchief Margaret gave her into makeshift bandage and wrapped her arm with it. It wasn¡¯t perfect, but it was better than nothing. She started it with a hand placed on its panel. It lighted up and ran basics on its operational functions, then wobbled up like a decrepit zombie. If she had access to other robots, she wouldn¡¯t have even touched this thing. ¡°State your name.¡± ¡°It spoke!? What, like it matters¡­Levi, my name¡¯s Levi. Just hurry up.¡± The lights turned on. ¡°Rider voice code recorded and recognized, Levi. FGX-01 at your service.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one odd serial number. FG-er¡­heck, I¡¯ll call you Einzel, that¡¯s easier.¡± ¡°Affirmative, codename changed.¡± ¡°Great, get ready, Einzel! We are going to go wild!¡± Prologue: Part III La Tragedie de Regina Claris Prologue Part III La Tragedie de Regina Claris While Levi was struggling with the new STIGMA,. Some of the students that were still alive were dearly clinging to hope that they will get rescued. ¡°Michael, am I going to die?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t shut up, we will,¡± he tried to joke, but his heart wasn¡¯t in it. The man beside him was an underclassman and he didn¡¯t deserve this. ¡°If only the hangar wasn¡¯t busted-oh¡­¡± The door was blown with a single explosion. The pieces of an oil can showered down on them. ¡°Michael, Doug, get your asses in your STIGMAs. We are going to show them a real hurting.¡± ¡°Is that you Levi? That¡¯s very showy.¡± ¡°Haha¡­no time. We gotta act fast. These men could be on our throat at any minute.¡± The few graduates scrambled into the hangar. ¡°What¡¯s with the junk?¡± Einzel responded with a stiff, manly computerized voice. ¡°I cannot accept that remark. I am a fully functional STIGMA.¡± ¡°With attitude too, my kind of girl!¡± Doug laughed. He was feeling cheerful already. ¡°I¡¯d like to look at it spec, does it have that new SVP cooler system? Or that Hummingdale stabilizer? Wait, don¡¯t tell me, CARPAS insulator?¡± ¡°Shut it, mine¡¯s still broken. It¡¯s the only thing not locked. So lay off him!¡± Michael gave orders to the underclassmen ¡°Split up, find the survivors and try to stay alive. These are professionals so don¡¯t you dare try anything heroic!¡± Just then, four of the enemies appeared out of nowhere. Instinctively, Levi thrust her arm and shot them with Einzel¡¯s machine gun.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The bullets went through them easily, killing them on the spot. ¡°Nice one, now let¡¯s get to Margaret. She¡¯s nearby.¡± ¡°Sir, we have found the Kagemusha. They¡¯re evacuating him now.¡± ¡°Excellent, we have no need for this place anymore, take care of it.¡± The man called the lieutenant was wearing a half mask covering his mouth. His three eyes were looking this way and that. ¡°That was a good fight, shame for all the talents.¡± ¡°Is that right, sir?¡± He smiled evilly. ¡°Yes, how else could I have this much fun trampling the buds of the future? Gehehahahahaha!!!¡± ¡°Speaking of bugs¡­¡± His hand shot somewhere around the ruins, it was a hand like a cyborg¡¯s, and picked up a woman with a handgun in her hand. ¡°KYAAA!!¡± ¡°Good evening, child. Have you ever met death before?¡± She tried to shoot him, but the gun was wrested and forcefully pointed its nozzle at her forehead. BANG! ¡°A gunshot!¡± ¡°We gotta get there quick!¡± As they turn around the corner they saw a body falling to the ground with blood gushing out from the head. The empty shell was still falling as it reached the floor. To them it was like seeing a slow motion reel. The sound was like the toll of a cathedral¡¯s bell. ¡°MARGARET!!!¡± ¡°You¡­you¡­son of a bitch!! I¡¯ll kill you damn Martian!¡± The man smirked. ¡°More bugs? But we don¡¯t have time to spare. Oh well.¡± As they took their stances, something exploded, followed with another explosion, and another one splitting the Academy into two, along with the floor. ¡°Shit, shit, shit!!!!¡± ¡°Evasive maneuver activated,¡± The red lamp inside Einzel began to spin wildly and its alarm was blaring, but it didn¡¯t stop Levi from screaming in regret and agony. Even so, everything just stopped for her, not the blaring alarm, not Einzel¡¯s warning, not the sound of the Academy crumbling into nothing, not even her own scream, she could no longer focus on anything. Everything seemed to focus only on the three silent eyes looking at her coldly like a hungry shark. Tears dropped from her like a fountain of grief. Morning fell on the survivors of the massacre as they saw the aftermath of the battle. The creeping Unborns of night began to disperse with the rising glory of the sun. No one said anything in that accursed morning. The rubble of what was the great Regina Claris began to show its now disgraced self. The survivors could be counted with fingers and they were silent in its hollowness. The bodies of dear friends, strangers, instructors and respected teachers now lie under metals, stones, and broken STIGMAs. Levi got out of Einzel and ran towards the rubbles. She cried with all her heart. This was the one place she belonged. And now¡­it¡¯s nothing. ¡°Martians¡­damned Martians. Kuh¡­ I¡­will¡­avenge you, Marge. I WILL HAVE¡­VENGEANCE!!¡± That incident was a huge blow to both the TAF and 2nd Babylon¡¯s Vanguard. Regina Claris was one of the three biggest military training facilities in the Alliance, and the oldest. This incident was later remembered by the Union as La Tragedie de Regina Claris. Five months after the request for further investigation, one of the Five Grand Dukes of the Alliance, Kratos Renenberg, decided to stop the investigation so as to stop the Union from breaking apart. The people had riots and the news never stopped from criticizing that decision, but later supported them. It was the turning point of what the future might hold both for the survivors¡­and the Alliance. Chapter 1: New York, New York Chapter 1 New York, New York 3 years later McGrady''s Old Ale House ¡°Master, another glass please.¡± Silently, the bartender slid a glass of beer to the waiting customer and extended a smile. His graying hair was ponytailed in a manner like a dashing young man, though obviously he¡¯s not. The place could only be called a joint. It was very quiet and had all the memories of old world plastered around its mahogany interior, very out of place in this kind of city. New York is the center of all business, like it has always been, therefore the technology here is only second to that of Vitalis. Vitalis was a city made on top of a man made island over the Pacific Ocean. It was the place where the strongest military power was situated, as per UN order. The whirling fan hanging on the ceiling swayed gently as another customer walked in, ringing the brass bell by the door. The new man shook his hat and signaled the bartender. ¡°Kahlua, please. With ice.¡± ¡°So, Red...how¡¯s the job?¡± Levi sipped the beer and put it down with a thunk. ¡°Lousy, I couldn¡¯t stand those amateurs.¡± ¡°But you got good money on them, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°You know, thank you¡­¡± he took the glass and drank its content in one gulp. ¡±¡­I¡¯m here for the new job, Chevnovsky said this is big. He needs my help too.¡± Levi looked at the rugged man, his close shaven beard and his utter ignorance of proper working suit was very disturbing. But they were both on the same job and kept their honor on the job. Not like the Greedy Condors. She didn¡¯t get along well with him. But maybe that¡¯s because both of them get along like house on fire. No one is safe. ¡°Hmh.,¡± she drank again and left some change on the table.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Master, I¡¯ll be going on ahead.¡± Javier nodded at the bartender. ¡°Still so unfriendly.¡± Levi looked back and threw a coin at Javier. ¡°You owe me a glass.¡± Levi grimaced as her head thumped. This is what I get for drinking so early in the afternoon. While she was walking slightly groggily, she bumped into someone. ¡°Whoops, sorry.¡± ¡°Heh? You think sorry is enough? That hurts you know? I want reimbursement!¡± ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s rich. Haven¡¯t heard anyone using that old excuse for extorting money since¡­ever.¡± ¡°Why you!¡± he stopped mid sentence and now was totally checking Levi out. ¡°Hey¡­you¡¯re kinda nice looking, wanna have some fun with me?¡± Ah, the headache is starting early. Levi was standing like a buccaneer, a drunken one. Her face showed amusement, or bewilderment. Around her, people were drifting away. Like sewer sludge down a poolside. Hmh¡­that¡¯s all these people ultimately amount to. The kind of people I hate, The ones who awkwardly tried to stay out of trouble while assuring themselves that it was happening to someone else. It¡¯s their trouble, not mine. ¡°Oh, you wanna be submissive are ya? Wanna play rough like?¡± She pushed him back and asked. ¡°You got balls, dude?¡± ¡°Got it? I¡¯ve got two, and a hard on in stash! Ready to sev, ya know?¡± ¡°Mind if I see how hard it is?¡± her eyes gleamed like flame. ¡°Ohh, playing kinky are ya. Fi-¡° She kicked him in the privates with her shoes so hard, even the brain felt the hurt in his essentials. The man crouched in an extremely agonizing pain. His face turned red and blue like Christmas light. ¡°Oh¡­not that hard now is it? Got a kick out of your libido?¡± ¡°Hugh¡­¡± She pulled his arm back and hit him on the jaw, sending him into dreamland and into a nearby trashcan. ¡°Keep that disgusting¡­wossnames¡­ to yourself, you son of a bitch.¡± She walked away as if nothing happened, her hands inserted into her pockets. Behind her people started to drift back like the sea after Moses closed it to swallow Pharaoh¡¯s army. ¡°Levi, you¡¯re back! How¡¯s the city?¡± She was greeted by a handsome boy, with dark hair and bright, Japanese face. On closer inspection, he was actually¡­a she. She threw herself at Levi, who answered her with a smile. ¡°Same old, same old¡­got you the candies you wanted, Karis. Here,¡± She threw a yellow colored bag at her. ¡°Oh, oh, oh! Got it!¡± she opened the wrapper and chewed on one of them. ¡°Hmm¡­Rockenberry¡¯s is the best!¡± ¡°Where are the others?¡± ¡°Captain and brother are still having lunch. Camus was getting himself a new CD, and Norma is still sleeping.¡± ¡°I see¡­I¡¯ll have a nap. So if they come back, wake me up.¡± She nodded cheerfully and flung herself into her private control panel below the Captain¡¯s command panel. The girl was Karis Landgust, a 14 years old genius directly from Harvard. She was the first mate of the Starship and the creator of Norma, the ship¡¯s artificial intelligence. Levi walked towards her room in the left end of the starship Norma Verde. Her room was simple and had her clothes scattered about like nobody¡¯s business. On her desk was her diary and a small TSP (Touch Sensitive Pad) used for holographic computer interface attached to it. She took off her jacket, her flight hat, and turned on her gramophone. An old relic of days gone past, it still had the golden relief of the maker¡¯s brand. A slow Jazz music began to play, one of her favorites, Satin Doll. She threw herself on her bed and looked out at the window. She kept still until tiredness from the last mission took her over.