Prologue: Another world

The darkness crept like an invisible veil, it was heavy and dense, swallowing every fragment of my body.

"I'm... Screwed! I-is this my end?!"

________

It was nine o'clock at night, I was completely bored and... mentally tired, so I decided to go to a convenience store near my house.

Upon entering the establishment, I saw that it was practically empty, which was quite understandable, since it was late at night, and there I was, Natsuki Subaru, reading a manga that I ended up finding while rummaging through the depths of the stores.

There were two mangas that interested me, one was about a romance, a kind of ridiculous love triangle that for some reason caught my attention enough that I ended up reading it and being instigated to continue. And another... It was about giant robots, which I didn't really like. The protagonist was a wimp and that bothered me a lot... But for some reason, I rooted for him.

Maybe it's because...

_________

It was cold and pulsating, moving like those liquid shadows that run down the walls of my body, penetrating every space with an inescapable presence. It was an immeasurable pain.

"It hurts... A lot!"

_________

While I was reading the romance manga, I saw a couple in love through the window. I looked at them with envy, thinking, I would like to experience something like that, right after this disappointment, I put the manga back on its shelf.

"What the hell..."

________

That creature embraced my body like a viscous sea, sucking the air from my lungs, suffocating all my hope and crushing my resistance, piece by piece.

"W-why this to me?!"

_________

My gaze was empty, I simply didn't care about anything, I just wanted... To disappear, to disappear from here!.... To go somewhere else, I don't know. Anything was enough at that moment.

I was hesitant about getting the Tonkotsu Noodle and the Miso Natto. I sighed deeply and picked either one, since they were the same price. But then I thought: "This Miso Natto is spicy." - So I decided to get it.

I walked a little further around the store and picked up some chips, and went to the cashier to pay.

_________

It was a feeling of growing emptiness, where the memories themselves seemed to fade, as if the self was nothing more than a darkened reflection, slowly being erased.

"W-Wait!"

__________

"That's three hundred and sixty-six yen, please." - The cashier said.

When I went to get my wallet, I ended up finding a rare coin. - "Interesting..." - I said to myself.

After paying, I ended up leaving the establishment, and was greeted by the cold night wind. That cold night consumed me, but I was wearing my usual black, orange and white jacket.

I walked around carelessly, not caring about the moment that night was giving me.

"I-I'm going to..."

Maybe... Maybe I should have... Enjoyed it more...

"Save you!"

My freedom.

The darkness consumed her unhurriedly, without respite, transforming her into an eternal and sepulchral silence. The girl with short blue hair... I should save her.

________

I stopped walking when I started to feel an itch in my eye. - "Anyone would get like this after playing video games all day..." - My eyes wouldn't stop itching.

But before I could take another step, a sudden chill ran down my spine and the world seemed to sway. Everything went dark in the blink of an eye, as if an impenetrable shadow had enveloped me.

Suddenly, I stopped feeling the ground beneath my feet, the air stopped filling my lungs for a brief moment, and a heavy absence enveloped all my senses, leaving me disoriented. There was no sound, there was no smell, just a deep emptiness that stretched into infinity.

Until, as suddenly as the blackout came, a new light appeared. Slowly, like the glow of a dawn, it began to flood my eyes, restoring the colors and shapes around me.

When I opened my eyes completely, I realized that I was in a train station. The structure was simple but at the same time, somewhat modern, with metal beams supporting a high ceiling and lines of tracks stretching into the distance. But there was something deeply unsettling about the silence that surrounded me.

There was no characteristic sound of trains approaching, nor the murmur of people rushing about; the typical hubbub that accompanies any train station simply did not exist there. I looked around; the platforms were empty, without a single person in sight.

I looked back and saw the doors of a train that looked as ordinary as any other, but the carriage was as empty as the rest of the station. The silence was so profound that I could hear my own breathing clearly. I walked cautiously, feeling the cold metal of each step beneath my feet.

As I stepped onto the platform, I noticed that the air around me was heavy, almost stuffy, and the fluorescent lights above me were dim, with a pale greenish light. In the distance, a faint humming sound echoed, perhaps coming from the tracks, but it was faint, and it increased my sense of isolation. I continued walking, each step echoing through the empty space, without any response from the vastness around me.

The automatic doors, which usually opened with a subtle click, remained still, as if they were ignoring me. I felt a shiver run down my spine. It was as if I were in another reality. With each step, it was as if the station itself stretched out indefinitely, and I was trapped in a scenario between the familiar and the unfamiliar.

I took a deep breath, my voice trembling slightly, and called out. - "Hello! Is anyone there?" - My call echoed off the walls of the empty station, reverberating throughout the room. The dense silence was oppressive. I felt a knot of anxiety begin to form in my chest. I tried again, louder this time, and the echo seemed even more hollow, emphasizing how alone I was in this strange place.

I ran my hand through my hair, frowning in confusion. - "How did I get here…?" - I whispered to myself. The world, just a few seconds ago, was completely different. I still vividly remembered the quiet yellow lights of the convenience store, the light aroma of iced tea and the sound of the automatic door closing behind me.

"I'm going to… call my parents…" - I picked up the phone, but it had no signal. The air outside had that characteristic smell of wet asphalt mixed with the freshness of the early morning. But now… now everything was strange.

I looked around, observing the details around me, trying to find something that would indicate where I was. The walls of the station looked normal, they were very clean, which meant that this place probably hadn't been abandoned for long.

The train timetable signs were still working, but there was no sound of trains approaching or departing; an absolute, heavy silence hung over the place.

The lamps above me hummed softly, emitting a dim, greenish light, but other than that, everything was still. It was as if time had frozen here, and I was the only living thing.

Until the deafening silence was broken by a voice: "Today at 12:30 p.m., a special state of emergency has been declared in the Kanto and Chubu regions around the Tokai district. All residents must go to designated shelters immediately."

That's what I thought, the place really hadn't been abandoned for long, but there were so many questions. - "State of emergency?... Is there an earthquake happening? I must have been so tired that I fell asleep and stopped here... But where exactly am I? I can't recognize this place."

If there was no one here anymore, it meant I would also have to go to one of those shelters and better understand what was happening. - "This has to be a dream... it has to be." - I whispered to myself, despite the vivid sensation of every detail around me.

I closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly, trying to wake up. When I opened them again, the vision did not change. I was still here, in the same empty station, with the same silent and unsettling emptiness surrounding me.

Some time later...

I continued wandering through the city, the sound of my footsteps echoing through the huge and deserted city. The buildings around me seemed familiar in shape and structure, but something was irremediably wrong. The windows of the buildings were dark, the doors closed, as if the city was held in an unsettling suspension.

Suddenly, as I turned a corner, I stopped abruptly. There, in the middle of nowhere, a girl remained motionless. - "A-a girl alone here?!" - She seemed fragile and lonely, a delicate figure wrapped in silence. Her blue hair fell in soft strands over her shoulders, her face was pale and enigmatic.

Her eyes were red, deep and piercing. But what caught my attention even more were the bandages covering her arm and right eye. She was injured, but seemed strangely indifferent to the pain.

I felt my heart race. I could barely look away. I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart, and took a few steps towards her.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, my voice choked with nervousness. I tried my best to sound calm, but I felt a restless anxiety, as if I was afraid of scaring her with my presence.

The girl looked at me slowly, and I felt the weight of that red gaze. She was silent for a few seconds, analyzing me without rushing, and then nodded slightly, without responding with words. Her expression was neutral, almost impassive.

"She's really hurt..." - I thought. The atmosphere around us was tense, I took a deep breath, deciding to try one more time, hoping my voice would sound soft enough not to break the silent balance between us.

#01

"My name is Natsuki Subaru!" - I said as I tried to strike a funny pose. - "Are you... hurt? Do you need help?" - I asked with a mix of kindness and amusement, trying to convey a calmness that I didn't even feel at that moment.

The girl remained silent, but something in her posture changed subtly. Even though the words were few and the expressions contained, I felt an inexplicable connection, a bond that went beyond the circumstances. I didn't know who she was or what she was doing there, but something about her, that unique combination of mystery and vulnerability enveloped me like a spell.

"Don't stay here. Go to the nearest shelter."

Those words, so direct and without any emotion... It was almost like a robot. I didn't understand exactly what was going on, so I tried to lighten the moment with a joke, hoping to break the ice.

"Oh, and does the shelter have a name? Maybe 'Fortress of the Unsuspecting Survivors' or something like that?" - I smiled, expecting some reaction, maybe a smile or a laugh, anything that would show that she was feeling a little more comfortable. Any emotion, it doesn't matter... But the girl remained impassive, her gaze remained blank, as if she hadn't even processed the attempt at humor I tried to make.

Seeing that my joke wasn't working, I sighed and decided to try another, more direct approach. - "Look, I really don't know where I am or how I got here. I was leaving the convenience store and... out of nowhere, I'm in this place. Can you tell me what's going on? This town is strangely empty. Where is everyone?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, and I saw a small shadow of doubt pass over her face, as if she was pondering how much she should or could explain. Then, finally, she began to speak, her voice maintaining a neutral and calm tone, almost robotic: "This city is under quarantine. An incident has occurred, something that threatens the safety of everyone who is not in the shelters. All civilians have been evacuated to safe facilities closer to here."

"Quarantine?" - I repeated, increasingly confused and worried. - "What kind of threat are we talking about? Is it some kind of natural disaster or…?" - I was interrupted by her.

"It's not something natural." - she replied, looking at the distant horizon, where the line between the city and the sky seemed blurred by a light layer of gray smoke. - "It's a hostile entity."

I felt a chill run down my spine. The coldness with which she spoke, mixed with the sinister content of her words, made it even more disturbing. I was about to ask more, trying to find explanations for that surreal scenario, when a distant sound cut through the air, a boom that made the earth tremble slightly beneath our feet.

Turning towards the noise, I saw

an explosion appear on the horizon. A wave of fire and debris rose into the air, spreading thick black smoke that mixed with the gray fog around it. The glow of the explosion reflected in the windows of the empty buildings around it, briefly illuminating the deserted streets. But one detail I noticed was the sea... It was red.

"W-what was that?! Why is the sea red?!" - I asked the girl, waiting for an answer. I looked at her, expecting to see some expression of alarm or concern, but she remained impassive, her eyes still fixed in the direction of the explosion, as if she was used to scenes like that.

"Go to the shelter, now." - she repeated, her voice now slightly firmer, as if she was insisting on her warning. - "It's not safe here."

But I couldn't just accept that. I shook my head, feeling the need to understand more about what was happening before following any instructions.

"And you? Are you going to stay here, standing still, with all this happening? You need to go to the shelter with me!" - I asked worriedly. The idea of leaving someone injured and alone in the midst of such a threatening scenario simply bothered me deeply.

The girl looked away, finally looking directly at me. The glow in her red eyes seemed more intense, and I felt as if I was being analyzed, examined by that empty and penetrating gaze.

"I have something very important that I need to do," she replied, without changing her tone, as if it were something natural for her. "My job is to protect you." She spoke as if she were not human.

Before I could answer, another explosion echoed, this time closer, and I felt the ground shudder under my feet more strongly. I looked around, and saw some helicopters, but they were quite different. I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew that this girl, although mysterious and injured, seemed to have enough information.

The girl started running through the deserted streets, and I went after her with the sound of the increasingly close explosions. - "W-wait!" - I was trying to follow the rhythm of that girl with blue hair, but the lack of familiarity with the place and the tension of the situation made everything even harder. I felt my heart rapidly, not only by physical effort, but because I was quite bewildered.

As we ran, I couldn't resist curiosity and asked, between a panting breath and another, I said. - "I still don't know your name."

The girl looked at me for a short moment but did not decide to answer.

"..." - almost getting lost in simple and direct sound. But before I could ask more, I realized her wounds again, and unable to contain the concern, I asked. - "Okay, and how did you get hurt that way? It happened?"

The girl did not answer immediately

- "Doesn't she want me to touch the subject?" - I thought. However, her gaze remained unshakable, fixed on the way ahead. I didn't know how to react, her silence was like a puzzle impossible to decipher.

Finally, we became a corner and decided to try to better understand what was going on. - "Where are we going?" - I asked still trying to keep the pace.

"To NERV." she answered, her voice loaded with unusual calm, considering the chaos around.

"NERV?" - I frowned. - "What is this? Some kind of… military shelter?" But before he could get an answer, a deafening crash cut the air.

A colossal explosion echoed behind us, throwing a wave of heat and wreckage that hit me hard. As soon as I had time to process the sound before feeling my body being pushed forward. I lost my balance, feeling the impact of something heavy and sharp on my shoulder, and the world around it began to rotate. The heat, the smoke and the sudden pain enveloped me, taking my breath away and erasing my strength.

My view of becoming cloudy, the surrounding figures dissolving in shadows and muffled sounds. I tried to keep my eyes open, but the exhaustion and the pain were stronger, and everything around me broke into a deep pitch. The last thing I heard was the girl's voice, calling my name in a distant, almost ethereal tone, before losing consciousness.

"That girl ... I need to know your name ..."

....

.....

I opened my eyes slowly, the eyes were heavy and turbid. I blinked a few times, getting used to the clarity that hovered over me. When his vision finally lightened, a strange ceiling, a worn and rough construction, full of cracks. - "I ... I don't know this ceiling ..." I muttered to myself, trying to understand where I was.

With a slight impulse, I tried to get up and looked around, realizing that I was in a large and disordered place, a kind of shelter. On my return, there were people of all ages, many lying on mattresses or blankets scattered on the floor, some in small groups, some alone, with expressions of tiredness and despair. - "My body ... It's still a little painful ..."

Children cried in whispers, while adults tried to comfort them, their gaze reflecting tiredness and resignation. The surrounding sound was a low and constant murmur, muffled voices that blended in a heavy murmur.

"Damn ... that girl was so beautiful ..." - When saying those silly words, I felt a wave of disorientation and a tightness in the chest. I tried to pull through my memory, seeking some memory that explained why it was there, but my mind looked vague, a blur of disconnected images. - "Wait ... What happened?" - I muttered to myself. So an image crossed in my mind like lightning: the girl with red eyes and blue hair

This one brought me a sudden memory, almost like a painful snap. I could see her face in my mind, but now ... where was she?

I looked around once again, my eyes walking the shelter, as if I expected to see that familiar face among the people there. Every person who passed me made me see that she wasn't there.

"Maybe that girl put me here ... Damn, and I don't even know her name ..." - With a heavy breath, I decided to get up, feeling the weight on my muscles while still recovering from that restless sleep and the confusion in which woke up.

"I... need to find her, hurt like that, she's not going anywhere..." - I thought worriedly as I took a few steps forward towards the exit, with a firm gaze, I decided to find out what was really happening and, more importantly, to find the girl with the blood-red eyes.

But, before I could reach the door of the shelter, a hand reached out, stopping me suddenly. I looked to the side in surprise, and saw a boy, about my age, with a serious and worried look. He had dark, messy hair, and intense eyes that seemed to carry a mixture of apprehension and tiredness. - "It's better not to go outside..." - the boy said firmly, his voice low, almost a whisper. - "As I said, it's dangerous to go outside now."

I blinked a little confused by the interruption. I stared at the boy, trying to understand the reason for that warning. There was something in his tone that didn't seem to be just superficial concern.

"Why is it dangerous? What's happening out there?" - I asked, raising an eyebrow but keeping my tone firm. He had no intention of backing down, but I needed to understand the situation I was in.

The boy hesitated, looking away for a moment before answering, as if the words were difficult to say. - "Look… we still don't know the reason… but it must be something related to the Second Impact…" His voice became even lower, almost as if he was sharing a secret.

I frowned. - "Second Impact?" - I watched the boy's words and still tried to understand. Still, that warning only made me feel more of a need to leave.

If there was danger out there, then maybe that girl was in danger too. I couldn't let fear paralyze me now.

"What's your name?" - I asked, trying to at least understand who I was talking to.

The boy looked at me, hesitating again before answering. - "Toji… Suzuhara Toji."

"Natsuki Subaru... Well, Toji…" I sighed as I spoke. "I appreciate the warning, but I need to leave. I don't know what's going on out there, but there might be someone who needs me. I can't just stand here." The mention of someone who "needed him" seemed to affect Toji in an unexpected way. For a moment, he shivered, his eyes growing distant, as if remembering something painful. He looked away.

"Someone who… needs you…" - Toji repeated in a low voice, almost to himself. I noticed the change in his posture, the stiffness in his shoulders that seemed to come from a difficult memory. It was clear that those words had touched a sensitive spot in him, a wound that perhaps had not yet completely healed.

For a moment, Toji remained silent, his expression filled with a mixture of regret and sadness. It seemed that he was reliving something, something that had left him with deep scars.

"Look, my little sister… She's out there, and I don't know what to do…" - Toji said, his voice quite shaky, but still firm. - "I-I saw that many who left here didn't come back… and those who did…" He hesitated, his eyes filled with bitterness. "They came back really hurt. I just… wanted to get out of here and find my sister.... But I can't even do that!..."

I stared at Toji for a few moments, absorbing the sincerity and pain in his voice. I understood and appreciated his concern. But at the same time, I knew I couldn't back down.

"I understand that you're trying to protect me, Toji..." - I said, taking a deep breath and choosing my words carefully. - "If it makes you feel better, if I find your sister, the first thing I'll do is hand her over to you here. But there's a girl I need to find, I need to do the same for her." - I said as I smiled at him.

Mine seemed to touch Toji once again, and he closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to push away the memories that were surfacing. When he opened his eyes again, there was an expression of understanding and resignation on his face. - "I understand," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "Please... If you can, give her back to me."

Toji seemed to have a lot to say, but he remained silent, his gaze speaking for him. Finally, he stepped aside, allowing me to pass. "Be careful..." - he said, with one last warning. - "And, if you need help... I'll be here, not that I'll be of any help, but anyway."

I nodded, feeling the sincerity in Toji's words. I took one last look at the shelter, and at that strange but respectable boy.

Get out of the shelter with firm steps, with fear feeding each movement. As soon as I crossed the deserted streets, the desolate and unsettling landscape of the city unfolded before my eyes. The buildings around me, many in ruins and worn out, seemed a testimony of difficult times and a lost peace. The windows were broken, and the oppressive silence involved everything like a heavy and relentless blanket.

As I advanced, I noticed the lack of life. There were no birds, there was no cars, there was no one walking the streets. It was as if the place had been suddenly abandoned, as if everyone had disappeared without traces. Only the wind seemed to go through the streets, whispering between the empty buildings, taking with it a feeling of overwhelming loneliness. - "No one knows what is happening ..."

I kept walking to a familiar place, a coastal path I vaguely remembered. When it turned a turn, I stopped. What I saw made me hold my breath. The sea, which was once blue and calm, was now a deep, almost bloody red, as if the ocean had been stained by something sinister and dark.

"It seems the end of the world ..." - The waves moved slowly, creating an almost surreal contrast with the gray sky above. That sea seemed to have no life, just a chilling stillness that disturbed even the bones.

Later, along the coast, I spotted something that made me even more restless. What I could see at a distance, the form of military tanks aligned along the horizon. They looked real estate, standing like silent sentries, staring at the Red Sea as if they were there to protect something or someone.

The vision of those tanks, real estate and impassive made a chilling my spine. It was a silent reminder that something much bigger was happening, something that completely escaped his understanding.

"It's happening .... a war?!" - The tanks were covered by a layer of dust, evidence that they had been there for some time. I tried to imagine what would have brought those machines to that place. Was it a threat that came from the sea? Or maybe something that the ocean itself hid in the depths? He had no answers, but the military presence reinforced the sense of imminent danger.

As he watched the desolate scenario along the coast, a strange and distant sound caught his attention, interrupting my thoughts. It was a deep and reverberating sound, something I had never heard before, like the metal ranger against metal mixed to the lament of a distant thunder. The noise echoed through the empty city, and I felt a chill through the spine.

I looked at the horizon and, behind the buildings, saw something that made me paralyzed with fear. A colossal creature, with skeletal and sinister appearance, emerged slowly, advancing toward the city. The creature was monstrous, with a tall, thin body that resembled a bone structure covered by grotesque armor.

The arms were long and thin, ending in sharp claws that seemed able to destroy anything in their way. In the center of the chest, there was a red symbol.

I felt my heart beat faster, fear spreading. - "What's up is this?!" "I had never seen something like, and for a moment all he could do was watch silently, his eyes wide, unable to process horror before me." The creature was as tall as the buildings around, and every step she took made the floor shake slightly.

Fighting against panic, I tried to back down, but my feet looked glued to the floor. He could barely breathe as the monster was advancing, his shadow covering the floor around me, blocking the light and plunging the place into an oppressive darkness. I felt the overwhelming force of that presence, as if something invisible was squeezing my chest, making every breath difficult.

"What is this thing?" I muttered with a weak and shaky voice. I knew that somehow it was not human. It was something that transcended any common logic or understanding, something that seemed to have been torn from the depths of hell.

As the creature advanced, I noticed that some military tanks, which were parked on the coast, began to move, pointing their huge weapons towards the monster. Even the soldiers and machines, prepared for war, seemed small and defenseless in front of that entity. I felt a spark of hope to see that someone was trying to face the creature, but at the same time, I knew that those tanks could not be enough.

The monster stopped for a moment, as if analyzing what was in front of him. Then, with a slow and deliberate movement, he raised one arm and pointed the sharp claws to the tanks.

In a matter of seconds, a blinding flash appeared, and a wave of energy spread through the air, destroying everything in its path. I was forced to duck, shielding my face with my hands as I felt the heat and force of the explosion all around me. The ground shook, and the tanks were reduced to pieces of twisted metal in a matter of seconds.

I took a few steps back, trying to get away from the devastating scene in front of me. Every muscle in my body screamed to run, knowing that any rash movement could draw the monster's attention.

I heard a sound of impact, like the clanging of metal against concrete, and as I looked towards the horizon, I saw a giant mechanical robot emerge from the middle of the city buildings. This robot had an imposing and powerful presence, with a unique design of purple and green colors, and it moved with impressive agility and precision for its colossal size.

"A giant robot?! Just like I saw in the manga!" - He faced the creature with determination, as if he were an experienced warrior, specifically designed to deal with threats of that magnitude.

Before he could react, the robot advanced towards the creature. Each step he took caused tremors in the ground. The skeletal creature noticed the robot's presence and emitted a guttural roar, trying to react, but the robot was relentless. With an agile movement, he tried to grab the creature, but there was a kind of field preventing it.

In an impressive display, the creature returned to the edge of the sea. I watched in complete amazement, as the giant mechanical used all his strength to lift the creature over his head and throw it into the waters of the red ocean. The creature fell with a thunderous impact, quickly sinking into the depths of that frightening sea, which soon returned to its state of macabre stillness.

I felt immense relief when I saw that the monster had disappeared, but it did not have much time to recover from the surprise. The giant robot, after making sure that the threat had been neutralized, turned and looked directly at me. - "I-is this real?..." - I was speechless for a moment, feeling tiny and vulnerable under the imposing gaze of that colossal machine. It was as if the robot was studying me, trying to understand me, and I felt a mixture of fascination and fear.

Then, something unexpected happened. The robot, with careful movements, began to crouch, bringing itself closer to me. When the giant mechanical man finally stopped, he extended one of his enormous metallic hands to me, offering me help. The hand was immense and detailed, built with metal plates that seemed invulnerable, but the gesture was surprisingly gentle for something so imposing.

I stood still, trying to understand what that meant. The idea of climbing onto the hand of that machine was surreal, but at the same time, I felt a strange security in the presence of the robot. The extension of that hand seemed like a sincere invitation, an offer of help amidst the chaos that dominated the city.

After a few moments, I took a deep breath, gathering all the courage I had, and slowly approached the outstretched hand. When I touched the cold metal, I felt a wave of nervousness, but also of hope. I knew I had no other option.

So, I climbed onto the robot's hand, which lifted me with surprising delicacy, as if I were carrying something fragile. The sensation of being lifted into the air by a mechanical creature of that size was both terrifying and fascinating. I held on tight, observing the devastated city around me from a new perspective, feeling that my journey was just beginning.

I felt the wind on my face as the robot lifted me, carefully bringing me to the height of its neck. I carefully observed every detail of that gigantic machine, the metal plates, the contours of its components, the metallic shine that reflected the light of the environment.

It was an overwhelming sensation, being in the hands of such an imposing construction. When the robot finally stopped, I noticed a small opening forming on the back of its head. A capsule emerged, revealing a cramped space, but apparently designed to accommodate one person.

"Am I supposed to go in there?!" - I hesitated for a moment, observing the capsule and trying to understand the purpose of that structure. But the robot somehow told me that was where I should go. With my heart racing and a mix of anxiety and curiosity. - "Here I go..." - A step forward, placing one foot on the edge of the capsule, it opens.

As I turned, my eyes found a figure that I recognized instantly. It was her, the girl with blue hair and red eyes. The enigmatic girl I had met hours ago, the one whose presence was mysterious. There she was, sitting at the helm of the capsule, her eyes fixed on the controls, but, upon sensing her presence, she glanced at me, with an impassive expression, but at the same time attentive.

I felt an avalanche of questions forming in my mind, but none of them seemed appropriate for the moment. The girl looked at me, as if she wanted to communicate something.

But she didn't say anything, the silence between us seemed full of confusion. With a slight nod, she indicated to me that I should sit down.

I obeyed silently, adjusting myself in the seat next to her and fastening my seat belt with trembling hands. The capsule seemed to be a control space, full of levers and monitors that I could barely understand. I watched as the girl adjusted some controls with careful precision, her eyes focused, never losing her calm. It was clear that she knew exactly what she was doing.

I finally found the courage to speak, with a hesitant voice: "Hey, mysterious girl... what's going on? Where are we? And... aren't you going after the creature that returned to the sea?"

She slowly turned to me, with an expression that was at the same time distant and empathetic. After a brief silence, she answered in a soft and direct voice: "This place... is not safe for an ordinary citizen to be. You need to stay here with me until the situation calms down."

Those simple words had a profound impact on me. I didn't fully understand the situation, but something about the girl's presence calmed me down.

The capsule began to close around us, blocking out outside sounds and creating an isolated environment. I felt a tightness in my chest as I realized I was about to delve even deeper into that mystery. The capsule, now sealed, vibrated gently, and I realized that the robot was moving, advancing through that deserted city, taking us somewhere that only the girl seemed to know.

I took a deep breath, trying to dissipate the tension I felt in my chest. I wanted answers, to understand what was happening, and I felt that perhaps talking to her could calm my mind.

"Hey, mysterious girl…" - I began, keeping my voice low, trying not to sound too anxious. - "Can you tell me what's going on? Where are we? And that monster... what was that?"

But she didn't look away from the controls. Her fingers moved precisely over the buttons and levers, adjusting settings and checking the capsule's readout panels. She was focused on a task that I didn't fully understand, but which seemed urgent. After a few seconds of silence, I realized that she hadn't even reacted to my question, as if she were immersed in an unwavering focus.

I sighed and tried again. - "So... I need to understand what's going on. This whole thing is so strange and scary... you're the only person here who seems to know what to do."

This time, she sighed slightly, but didn't look away from the controls. She mumbled, almost as if she were talking to herself. - "I need to reconnect the umbilical cable... we have a short time left before the system shuts down."

I realized that whatever she was doing was of the utmost importance, and that her survival probably depended on it. I looked at the monitors around me, trying to understand what was happening. On one of the panels, I saw a graph that showed the robot's energy was rapidly decreasing. It was as if this machine, despite its size and power, had a serious limitation, needing an external power cable to function fully, and time was running out.

She seemed to be directing the robot with all her might, trying to find the way back to this power source before everything shut down. The urgency in her movements was noticeable, her eyes, normally empty and calm, showed intense concentration.

I bit my lip, fighting the urge to keep asking questions. I realized that for now, the only thing I could do was trust her and hope that she could reconnect the robot in time. The silence inside the capsule became almost palpable, filled only by the soft sounds of the commands that the red-eyed girl executed and the slight hum of the machine's systems.

As I watched the girl fighting against time, the robot continued to advance through the desolate city, its heavy footsteps echoing through the empty streets. I looked through the small window of the capsule, seeing the collapsed buildings and the sky of an unsettling tone. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to calm her mind and prepare herself for whatever was to come.

Finally, I opened my eyes and, without another word, I decided that I would trust her. After we arrived at a kind of base, the robot connected to the umbilical cable, I felt a slight vibration running through the structure, as if the machine was revitalizing itself.

The constant buzzing now seemed more stable, and the girl allowed herself a brief sigh of relief, relaxing for a moment in the seat next to me. But the atmosphere was still charged with tension. - "We're waiting for the Angel to return..."

Feeling the weight of the situation, I decided to try to lighten the mood. I looked at her, who still had a calm and serious expression, and decided to risk a casual conversation.

"So... 'Angel', huh?" - I smiled slightly, trying to appear relaxed. - "I never imagined an angel would have that scary appearance... I imagined they were like... little bellied babies with angel wings and halos."

She looked away at me, surprised by my attempt at lightness, but without showing any clear reaction. She seemed to contemplate the idea for a moment, but didn't answer. I didn't give up.

"This place is kind of surreal" - I continued to observe the horizon. - "Before I appeared here, I was in a completely different place. It's like I was in another world." - I laughed, but there was a touch of nervousness and fear of a possible truth. - "And now, here I am, in a giant machine, next to a mysterious girl, waiting for an 'angel' to appear so we can destroy it or something."

She looked at me for a brief moment and answered, in her soft, almost monotonous voice: "These 'angels' are not like the angels you imagine. They are dangerous entities. They can appear without warning, and our goal is to prevent them from destroying the city and... humanity."

The simplicity with which she explained the situation intrigued me. - "Well, you speak as if this were common..." - She spoke of something so terrible with an almost supernatural calm. I tried to understand where that serenity came from. - "You seem so calm talking about this. Doesn't that scare you?"

The girl looked away, staring at the control panel. - "Fear... is irrelevant. My duty is to protect... no, my duty is to kill these Angels." - She seemed distant, as if she was seeing something I couldn't.

I scratched my head, trying to find a way to bring the conversation to something lighter. - "You know... you should try to have some fun. I mean... since we're here, waiting, maybe we can talk about something more... normal? Like, what do you like to do when you're not piloting that giant purple robot?"

She pondered for a moment, as if this was a question that had never occurred to her. - "My purpose is to fight," she answered calmly. - "Everything I do is for that."

I sighed deeply, realizing that relaxing with her would be harder than I imagined. But even so, I persisted. - "But there must be something. Everyone needs a break every now and then. Maybe read a book? Listen to music? Or even go for a walk... isn't there anything?"

I noticed a small spark of curiosity in the girl's eyes, as if my words had resonated with her somehow. - "Read... yes. I read, sometimes." - she said, almost like a confession.

I smiled, feeling a little more confident. - "And what do you read? Fiction? Mystery? Maybe... romance novels?"

The girl blinked slightly surprised by the question. - "Something like philosophy and biology books..." - she answered, simply. - "They help me understand... certain things..."

I nodded, impressed. - "Okay, we already have a start... I like science fiction and romance."

The girl watched me for a moment, and her expression softened slightly. "I've never tried to read a romance novel... It's so confusing to me."

I smiled, feeling that I had finally managed to open a little of that barrier around her. - "That's why you're so robotic, you need to read more romance novels." - I said while laughing slightly.

"Maybe I should try to read more romance novels then..." - but her eyes reflected an unexpected softness, as if for a brief moment she also found some comfort in that conversation.

I stared at the girl, intrigued by the calm expression she maintained, even with her face and body covered in visible wounds and scars. I couldn't understand how someone so young, seemingly fragile, could bear such deep marks. I hesitated a little, but curiosity got the better of me.

"Hey..." - I began, trying to be as careful as possible. - "These wounds... I mean, how did you get so hurt?"

She remained silent for a moment, as if pondering how to respond. She looked ahead, fixing her gaze on a point on the horizon.

"These wounds... are consequences of my work." - she finally answered, with the same calm and almost robotic voice. - "Every mark I bear is the result of battles. Of failures. Of mistakes. They are scars that remind me of what I cannot stop."

I felt a chill as I heard her words. There was an almost mechanical coldness in the way she spoke of herself, as if she considered herself just a cog in a larger system. - "But... you're still human, girl! I mean, doesn't that affect you?"

She stared at me, her deep, empty red eyes reflecting a strange mix of sadness and acceptance. - "It hurts." - I admitted. - "But pain is something I've learned to ignore. The important thing is that I continue to be useful. That I continue to fight. My body is a tool. If it breaks, it can be fixed."

These words hit me unexpectedly. I felt a tightness in my chest at how indifferent she seemed to herself. "This... It's not right..."

She looked away, as if the idea was something distant and unreal to her. "This is all I've known," she replied, with a slight hesitation. - "For as long as I can remember, my purpose has been to fight, to protect... to sacrifice myself, if necessary."

I felt a mixture of empathy and indignation. I wanted to understand more about her, but I also wanted to show her that there was more to life than just battles and scars. - "I don't think anyone should carry a weight like that alone... Girl, you said that's all you know..." she murmured, more to myself than to her.

"Yes..." - She replied.

I looked straight into her eyes. - "You said you tried to read romance but didn't understand it, just like I tried to read Philosophy and couldn't... So, when all this is over, why don't we try to read the things we don't understand together?" - I said with a smile on my face.

The girl remained silent, but she seemed to have heard. There was something in her eyes, a small sparkle, as if her words had left a mark, even if it was minimal. I realized that, no matter how distant she tried to seem, maybe there was something inside, I managed to change.

Suddenly I noticed a change in the girl's posture. Her expression, previously distant and almost introspective, now showed a rigid and alert attention. She fixed her gaze on a point beyond the horizon, and so I followed her gaze. The creature, the "angel", as she had called it, was back. Its presence was overwhelming, and it seemed even more menacing now, walking over the city with an unsettling calm.

"He's back…" - the girl murmured in a serious and determined voice. Her hand tightened on the controls around her, and I noticed that she was preparing to take action again. However, this time, something seemed different.

Between us and the creature, a translucent and shiny barrier had appeared, enveloping the area around the "angel". The barrier emitted an opaque glow, a kind of protective dome that seemed to both prevent the robot's advance and protect the creature inside.

I felt my heart race when I saw the barrier. - "This… what is this?!" - I asked, unable to look away from the scene.

"It's the A.T. field." she replied with mechanical precision, as if it were information that had been memorized and repeated countless times. "It's a barrier that angels can generate. Only an Eva is capable of penetrating it. To break it, we need to use equivalent force."

"Eva is the name of the robot..." - I looked at the creature inside the barrier. - "And how are you going to..."

Before I could finish the question, the girl gave a light command to the robot, and it began to move, slowly approaching the barrier. I noticed that her expression was now one of absolute concentration. She was planning, calculating the right moment to attack.

"Natsuki-san..." - she said, her voice calm but firm. - "Get ready. It could get dangerous."

I nodded, trying to control my own breathing. I was extremely nervous, but at the same time I admired her courage.

The angel moved with frightening precision, its relentless attacks aimed at the robot. I watched, transfixed, as the angel landed a direct blow to the robot's head.

The force of the impact sent the robot reeling backwards, its metal legs shaking from the weight of the blow. I could hear the sound of metal creaking, the structure threatening to give way. The capsule shook violently, nearly throwing us against the interior walls.

The girl struggled to maintain control, her fingers firmly on the controls as she tried to balance the robot. But the angel was merciless, and it soon became clear that he would stop at nothing to destroy the Eva completely. I could feel my heart beating wildly, panic rising within me as I realized how vulnerable we were. - "What should I do?!" - I thought.

Suddenly, the angel turned his attention directly to the capsule, realizing that there was a weak point there. The mysterious girl's eyes widened as she understood the enemy's intention. She knew that if the capsule was destroyed, I would have no chance of survival.

Without hesitation, she activated the ejection mechanism, trying to throw me out of the capsule before it was too late. I felt a lock, and the capsule began to open slowly, preparing to expel me away from the battlefield.

"What are you doing?" I clung inside, fighting the instinct to stay close to the girl but knew I had no choice.

"Natsuki-san" The girl's voice sounded through the communicator, calm, but urgently. - "You need to get out of here ... now!"

I wanted to protest. - "Wait! I need to know your nam-" - Everything was happening too fast. I looked at the girl, who was completely focused on battle, before being ejected away from the Eve.

The capsule threw me out, throwing me away from the danger zone as I watched the robot retreating, the distance between them growing rapidly.

However, before I lost sight of the scene, I saw the angel preparing another devastating blow. I realized that even with ejection, she was risking her own life to keep fighting. She had not given up, even if it meant facing the angel alone.

"I ... I need to do something." - I kept watching, powerless, the robot in the distance, trying to stand in the face of the attack.

I could barely keep myself standing, the body hurts each movement. The impact of ejection and brutal fall had left deep marks on the skin and my muscles, but I ignored this pain. Each step was uncertain, but its determination was unshakable. I knew I needed to find that girl, even if my own body was on the brink of death.

Walking through the rubble, he felt the weight of everything he had witnessed. The robot was pierced, a shadow of what had been moments before. Metal parts were scattered everywhere, and the floor was covered with concrete pieces and burnt wires. It was difficult to make a pile of wreckage, trying to maintain balance. The girl's image fighting with all her might was recorded in my mind, and the idea of leaving her there was unbearable.

Finally, after a desperate search, I found the capsule partially buried between the rubble. She was wrinkled, damaged, felt a thread of desperation to light up. I approached and hit the surface of the damaged capsule, trying to see some sign of movement, but there was no answer.

"Hey, girl! Are you there? Can you hear me?!" My voice was very hoarse, mixed with tiredness and anguish.

No answer.

Breathing deeply, I used the remaining forces to open the capsule, every second looking like an eternity. When I finally got it, I saw her. She was inside, unconscious, her calm face, but her body was covered with blood. Her skin was pale, her lips slightly ajar, and I noticed the severity of the situation.

I touched her lightly her shoulder, trying to wake her up. "Girl, please ... You need to wake up! ..." - I muttered between tears and with a choked voice. He knew she had sacrificed herself to protect me, that she had faced an enemy without hesitation. Now it was my turn to repay.

"Please .... wake up! I need to know your name!" - Carefully, I passed my arm around her, pulling her out of the capsule. Each movement hurt, but I ignored it all, focused just on taking it from that dangerous place. I knew I couldn't abandon her there, not after all she had done.

As walked with her in his arms, the rubble around them seemed to close on me, the weight of destruction and absolute silence falling on my shoulders.

Suddenly, I hear a sharp sound, when I turn to look at the last scene, I don't hear anything. It was like I'm inside a hurricane. The calm before the storm.

When I look at the sky, I see the creature looking at me back, it falls near me, as if I wanted to create a wave of rubble over me. Even before it could react, the force of the rubble hit me, throwing me the girl away.

The darkness crept like an invisible veil, it was heavy and dense, swallowing every fragment of my body.

"I'm... Screwed! I-is this my end?!"

It was cold and pulsating, moving like those liquid shadows that run down the walls of my body, penetrating every space with an inescapable presence. It was an immeasurable pain.

"It hurts... A lot!"

That creature embraced my body like a viscous sea, sucking the air from my lungs, suffocating all my hope and crushing my resistance, piece by piece.

"W-why this to me?!"

It was a feeling of growing emptiness, where the memories themselves seemed to fade, as if the self was nothing more than a darkened reflection, slowly being erased.

"W-Wait!"

"I-I'm going to..."

"Save you!"

Darkness consumed me without haste, without respite, turning her into an eternal and sepulchral silence. The girl with short, blue hair ... I should save her.

"I should have asked your name .."

End of the prologue