Volume One | Chapter - Thank You Part Three

Sachika jumped off the ledge upon the stone floor in front of Aiko taking off her headphones which were still playing music, looking at her intently, "Who are you?" she asked quizzically.

Upon hearing those very words Aiko sort of feeling deflated, she takes in a quick breathe before responding, "I'm that girl you helped out a few days ago"

Aiko laughs nervously, sweat started to run down her forehead. Sachika noticed, walking up to her she kneels down in front of Aiko prodding her on the nose with her finger with a small smile on her face.

Aiko turned away not knowing how to respond.

"Well anyway, it's kind of you to come say such things to me," Sachika said softly with a small smile, Aiko only just realised that this entire time she had a stoic expression on her face never making any form of emotion, so seeing the smile pleasantly surprised her. "What's your name?" Sachika asked.

For a moment Aiko gulped, "A-Aiko" she muttered.

Once again that sweet smile appeared on Sachika's face, "That's a pretty name, I like it..." she stood up "...I presume I don't need to introduce myself if you found me all the way up here?" Aiko nodded curtly in response, as Sachika's trademark stoic expression returned.

Once she got her breath back Aiko tried to stand up not realizing that her legs were so weak from all that walking she started to fall back towards the stone stairs, she closed her eyes unable to do anything.

To her surprise Sachika grabbed her arm pulling her forcible upwards, their heads collided with one another as the two of them fell into a heap on the floor.

Rubbing her head, Aiko opened her eyes only to realize she was only inches away from Sachika's face.

She's so beautiful, she thought to herself, embarrassed she shook her head while she moved her body to sit up only then realizing that she was straddling Sachika's waist.

It was then that Aiko's own Composed Fibril, slightly different in structure to the Familiar's started to glow, her body felt tingly and a hint of pleasurable feeling spread throughout her.

Her eyes squinted shut as she tried to calm herself down.

It was too late for Aiko to get out of this conundrum she was currently in, as Sachika opened her eyes wearily only to see the girl before her straddling her waist.

Aiko instantly stood up brushing her short skirt as did Sachika, the two of them with bright red cheeks.

Aiko was the first to speak, "I-I'm so sorry...that wasn't my intention" she hastily spoke, turning around to see Sachika clearly embarrassed herself and trying ever so hard to refrain herself from looking at the younger girl

.

"It's fine..." Sachika scoffed for a moment "...next time just watch what you're doing" she concludes as if scolding a child.

Aiko dreaded asking but she had to know, "Y-You don't, hate me do you?" she sheepishly asked.

"If you think I hate you over a simple misunderstanding, then you are clearly deluded" Sachika bluntly replied.

Realizing the time, Sachika knew it was time for curfew.

"Well, anyway we better get going it's almost curfew" she announced in front of Aiko, whom also realized how late it was.

As the two of them exited the Tower of Es, they both paused for a moment.

Aiko looked at Sachika, "I-I'm glad that we were able to talk even though it was for a little bit" Aiko said with a cheery smile.

Sachika tried to keep her trademark stoic expression in place, but couldn't help but feel slightly giddy at the thought of being around this girl.

"Yeah, likewise" Sachika simply responded.

Aiko felt a slight unease in the current moment she tried her best to relieve the situation, "If it's fine with you to c-could we...meet up again and chat?".

Sachika's stern eyes locked onto something in the distance, she knew what the sensation she had felt earlier meant, however, she couldn't put herself through that ordeal again.

She furrowed her mind for a way out only to come up with, "Sorry, I'm busy these next few weeks" Sachika said trying to play it cool.

Aiko had a feeling something was off, but she didn't dare to dig any deeper so she refrained herself, "Oh...no that's fine I understand" Aiko bowed then turned away jogging casual back to her dorm block, her heart feeling empty and cold.

As for Sachika, she turned to head the opposite direction, as she rounded the corner of the tower she slammed her back against the brick wall sliding down until she was in a seated position on the floor.

She was breathing heavily, her Composed Fibril still reacting to Aiko, Why! Why did this have to happen to me!, Sachika buried her head in her heads as light tears fell from her cheeks onto her slender legs.

***

The sound of shells shrieking through the air could be heard for miles, the 38th Parallel Line on the Korean Peninsula had turned into a bloodbath as the North and South Korean armies battled one another.

After recent failures to secure a permanent peace after the killing of the North Korean dictators' envoy who was heading to the South, hostilities between the two nations almost immediately resumed.

Familiars from the Essentia South Korean Academy were deployed to the frontline fighting against the North's own Familiars.

As the battle raged on with the blood-curdling screams and explosions around them, Minn Chi-Sun redeployed her Essence throwing daggers throwing them with such speed towards her opponent impaling multiple daggers into a North Korean Familiar's chest who was still barely breathing from the inflicted damage.

Minn Chi-Sun stood there haggard from the relentless fighting, cyan coloured hair covered in mud and blood as rain continuously dropped from the sky onto her.

The school uniform she wore was soaked through and the digitized armour she had formed across her arms, legs and torso had water trickling upon it then dripping off the edges.

Before her, another North Korean Familiar attacked her, this time she was barely in time to stop it. "Die you Southern dog!" her opponent wailed, with such quick speed Chi-Sun used Lightning Tachyon a huge surge or electrical currents emanating from her back, and with such incredible speed she ripped off her opponent's right arm and part of her torso with one of her daggers.

Lightning Tachyon uses the build-up of Essence particles in short bursts. Lightning Tachyon focused that energy into one powerful burst which in turn creates a highly dangerous electrical trail from the Familiars composed fibril.

Chi-Sun's opponent fell to the floor her breathing turned very shallow.

Her face contorted as the feeling of regret started to affect her, what is the point of all this needless bloodshed, she thought to herself as tears ran down her cheeks.

Back at the South Korean command post one of the operations communications officers started to pick something up on the radar.

***

"General!" he shouted out, without pause the General came to his side.

"What is it soldier?" he asked wasting no time.

"There's a huge energy spike over the 38th Parallel Line sir, it's gradually increasing by the second"

"That's impossible, we all know that it takes four to five years for another Nebula to stage another attack!" the General incredulously responded to the communications officer.

"The energy spike has surpassed all recorded results!" the communications officer responded in panic.

As Chi-Sun continued to cry she began to hear what sounded like fluctuations in the magnetic currents upon earth, Familiars being very sensitive to such changes, she looked up to see a gargantuan bright white and blue orb appear over the battlefield as flak rounds, artillery and gunfire continued to engulf the ground below it.

A few seconds went by then the orb dissipated with a loud crackling bang almost deafening Chi-Sun as she covered her ears.

Looking back up towards the sky, her heart began to beat uncontrollably with fear, above them floated a Nebula Titan Platform.

Along with multiple Nebula Cruiser Platforms, shaped like horizontal diamonds with a bulge atop the centre. It wasn't long before the Nebula Platforms started to fire a barrage of plasma beams and missiles towards the ground scorching the earth beneath them.

Nebula Cruiser Platforms was very much the equivalent of frigates in Nebula Invasions of planet Earth.

This can't be happening...right...it's a nightmare right!, Chi-Sun helplessly tried to convince herself.

She was brought out of her daze when one of her comrades grabbed her by the shoulders swinging her around. Chi-Sun spun around her eyes laid upon her comrade, Eun-hee, the girls aqua coloured hair was also covered in the spoils of war from dirt and blood, she had multiple stab wounds in the torso only barely able to stand.

"Chi-Sun we need to go!" Eun-Hee shouted out at the top of her voice, Chi-Sun nodded frantically as they started to run.

They paused however when they glanced up towards the overcast grey sky seeing thousands upon thousands of pods separating from the Nebula Platforms.

One landed before them transforming into a pixelated humanoid of a black matter it's body shifting like liquid matter, the blood red eyes and mouth pulsing in size ever so slightly, the blood red veiny etchings upon its body pulsed with light orbs as they moved rapidly around its circuity.

These Nebula Grunts were akin to a pack of mindless ravenous carnivorous monsters they always hunted in packs tearing, shredding and gnawing at anything living that wasn't them in the slightest. Which made them particularly difficult to deal with when you're outnumbered.

Both Chi-Sun and Eun-Hee readied themselves the best they could into fighting stances, as the Nebula Grunt was quickly joined by dozens of its comrades.

The one that landed in front of them let out a metal shrieking scream before it and the others charged the two Familiars like a pack of ravenous dogs.