Unknown Region.
███████ ██, 1991.
████ hours.
The mission was simple.
A quick extraction mission, including some intel gathering in the enemy's convoy. Many suggested that the mission was not best suited as Solo operation.
They were right apperently.
"I swear to god this isn't payed the same as the real job!"
A younger version of Nemo Henderson can be seen running in the wilderness, carrying a metal briefcase. A word ingrave on the side says: "Schicksal's Property".
"Could've told me that the package was highly guarded!" Neo scream while running for his life.
"Get back here you little runt!" The reason of his current situation shouted from behind, chasing his ass down. "I'll make sure you'll get some nice pempering went we got our hands on you!"
A few metres behind him two girls, Cecilia and Theresa was chasing him. Both of their weapon, Oath Of Judah and Abyss Flower are at hand.
"If you captured me I would be tortured by Schicksal! I'm to young to die!" Jumping a tree log and avoiding many brenches of trees Neo felt an incoming danger from behind. He put his head sideway as a single golden spear went passed before it was inbeded on the ground. "Holy shit!"
"Theresa!" Cecilia shouted at her.
"What?!"
"Don't do that! We don't want him to get injured!"
"Then what are we supposed to do?! We can't let him get away with the briefcase!"
As much as Cecilia wanted to argue, Theresa was right. The Overseer had ordered the two to track this unknown individual who manages to steal a precious cargo from a maximum secured convoy.
It was later found that the culprit was just a teenage boy. Theresa almost choke on herself hearing that for the first time while Cecilia had an amuse hummed.
As both keep chasing him and slowly gaining distance the three stop right infront of a cliff. Neo look down and oh boy, that's some nasty drop.
A sweat running from his forehead before it drop down to the bottomless cliff. It's not even helping as the sun setting on the horizon. Neo sighed at his current situation.
"Stop right there!" Theresa shouted from behind, followed by Cecilia after. "You're in violation of stealing Schicksal's property. Drop the briefcase and hands up in the air!"
"What are you, a Cop?" Neo said jokingly, not giving the briefcase a let go. "Seriously, what so important of this metal container? Probably just some paperworks, right?"
"Believe me. Inside that briefcase are probably one of the most valuable thing on the planet." Cecilia came in. She had different approach went it comes to this kind of thing. "Please, hand over the briefcase."
Neo was reluctant, but his will stayed the same. After his arrival in this world, Via by traffic accident, as he remembered vividly, he was unable to find any place to live. Not even a single money for him to eat. Months passed he found a pretty decent job.
Smuggling, raiding, drug trafficking, even selling rare and illegal stuff in the black market. All the nasty and dirty jobs you can think of. It was rough. He wasn't proud of it but it all comes down to his stomach, to eat and survive.
A few days ago he heard that Schicksal will be transporting valueble product. It says that it worth millions, if not billions. This catches many interest but some are to scared to take it. This is Schicksal we're talking about so it was understandable.
But one man stood from those who afraid.
Neo, without hesitation took the job. If he is able to attain said product he will be ordered to sell it to a place that has been arranged.
And that is how he ended up now.
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Pardon me?"
"I said I cannot give you back the briefcase." His will stands tall. Theresa had enough of him as she stab her Divine Key to the ground before the giant cross opens up, reaviling multiple golden spear.
Cecilia on the other hand sighed in apology for what she's about to do to him. She really wanted to help him but unfortunately he had already made up his mind. She readying her Lance, the Abyss Flower.
Until the unexpected came.
The ground beneath their feet shocked violently. Cecilia and Theresa hold their ground by grabbing nearby tree. Not much to say about Neo as the boy slipped one of his leg down to the cliff.
"Fuck!" Everything went so fast he was sure he saw his life flashes before his eyes. Luckily for him a golden chain wrapped around his arm, preventing him from falling. Theresa pulled a clutch. "Thanks!"
"Don't thank me yet! We still need to-- WAAHH!!"
The earth crumbled and swallowed the three into the deep darkness below.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
It was unknown of how the earth quake suddenly appeared out of nowhere. An odd natural disaster that one can make out that it is not natural as it may seem.
The darkness surrounded him. His vision are limited. Much to say that there's nothing he can do right now.
"My.... Back...." Neo tried to stay conscious. Thinking fast he brought up his phone from his pocket that survive the fall. He turn on the flashlight mode and shine through the location he is in now. A dark cave. "A cave? How is it even here in the first place?"
He question the abnormality of it. He look above as the place where he had been was to high for him to climb back up. Not to mention the sun has already set, replace by the now stary sky and full moon.
"Great, just great. How am I supposed to do now?" Neo then procced to look for the briefcase and found it laying under the ruble. He dig it away and was lucky enough there's no damage on it. Quite impressive for Schicksal.
"Cecilia, you okay?"
"I'm fine, Theresa. Just a sprain ankle, nothing to worry about."
He turn his attention to the familiar voices. He walk to the direction of it and found Tmthe two girls that had been chasing him this entire time. One of them, name Cecilia was leaning against a rock and the other, name Theresa is sitting next to her.
"Ah! It's you!" Theresa emmidietly prepared herself for an attack but Neo simply raise his hand, signalling her to stop of whatever she's about to do.
"Hey, hey! I'm not here to fight, okay?!" Neo assured the Nun. Cecilia put her hand on Theresa's shoulder, telling to put her weapon down.
"Theresa it's fine. He had no attention of harming us."
"How can you sure about that?"
"His eyes tells everything. It was easy enough when you meet a lot of people during your travel on mission. Isn't that right?" She look at him with a warm smile. Neo heart skips a beat when he saw that angelic and beautiful smile of her.
"Y-yeah-- I mean sure, of course!" Nemo or Neo stumbled upon words. Cecilia giggled seeing the boy acted like that. "By the way we should keep moving. We don't know what may lies beyond the cave."
"As much as I agreed Cecilia's condition are not fit for that." Theresa said while gazing her eyes at her friend's sprained ankle.
"Then there's only one options left." Quite bold of him as he grab Cecilia before giving her a ride on his back. She was surprise of what happened that she can't procces her mind. That includes Theresa as well as the Nun gap he mouth open.
Not much to say about Cecilia as her cheeks went red by the sudden gesture. She didn't mind though and that's a good sign for Neo.
"Sorry about that. Could've give you a heads up." Said Neo.
"It is fine." Cecilia wrapped around her arm around his neck. "Actually I kinda like it. By the way, what's your name? I haven't really ask about it."
"Henderson, Nemo Henderson. And you?"
"Cecilia Schariac, it is a pleasure meeting you, Nemo." She introduce herself wholeheartedly. It gave him another heart beat that was enough to make him reddish red.
"And you are...?" Neo gaze at the Nun outfit girl. She cross her arm while puffing her cheeck. It was kinda cute actually.
"Theresa Apocalypse. There, you happy?"
"Apocalypse? Are you--"
"Yes. I'm related to Overseer of Schicksal. He is my grandfather."
That was quiet a revelation she just revealed. Neo was in shock hearing that he almost drop Cecilia from his back.
"Welp, no wonder you're so eager to retrieve this thing." Neo point the Briefcase in his hand. "Guess I owe you an apology."
"You think?" She snarled back. It was obvious for her to take back the precious item her grandfather's belonging. After a few shouting at eachother the three continue their way inside the mysterious cave.
Theresa tried to contact Schicksal but to no avail. Her comm device was broken during her fall down to the pit. Funny enough Cecilia also had the same situation as Theresa, with her comm device crush under rocks and dirt.
Even though Neo's phone are fine the signal in their location are very poor. Lady luck was nowhere to be found it would seem.
"Where's this cave even going? We've been walking for nearly 2 hours and there no sign of the cave's end." Theresa questions. Frustrated she is the longer they traveled the less energy they had.
"You okay back there?" Neo asked Cecilia. "We can rest for a bit if you wanted too."
"I guess a few minutes of rest would be sufficient."
The three stopped and comforting themselves. Cecilia still in pain with her ankle. Luckily for her Neo brought some bandages with him as he wrapped around her sprain ankle.
"Thank you, Nemo. I really appreciate it." Again, with that smile she gave him made the boy blush a bit as he averted his eyes.
"Don't mention it, And call me Neo. Really hate it when people called me Nemo."
"Why, because it sounds like a clown's name?" Theresa added with a smirk.
"Haha, funny." Neo sit on the ground between the two, leaning against the wall. As they rest and take a breather Neo look at the briefcase again.
"What's inside this thing anyway?"
"Classified." Theresa answered.
"Really?" Neo asked back.
"Yes, and please no further questions, regarding of what it's contained."
"Come on~ at least give me a hint of what I'm about to sell in the market." The Nun gave him a poisonous glare that made him raise his hand in defeat. "Fine, whatever. I don't care anyway as long I got my paycheck."
"Who says you can get away with it? Last time I checked we were stuck in here with no reinforcement, or any means to call for help."
"...."
"That's what I thought." Said Theresa.
Cecilia watch the two ranting. If this continues both of them will end hated eachother to the point of no teamwork effort to get themself out in this situation.
"It is an artifact." Cecilia said. It made Theresa jumped in surprise that she just blurted out the the contents of the briefcase. She's about to stop her but Cecilia's already one step ahead by telling it was okay. The girl trusted him, even though they just meet him hours ago. "Schicksal found it around a month ago in the top of Mount Everest."
"Mount Everest?"
"Yes. There's has been many report and sighting involving mysterious writing on the sky. We surveyed the area and found the artifact there."
"A mysterious writing on the sky.... Interesting." Neo, thinking to himself.
"What artifact exactly?" He asked Cecilia who begin typing numbers on the briefcase. A hissing sound came from it as it opens. What inside was left him in shock.
The OrbCalibur.
"Mother of god. That's...."
Something was different about the device. It was a stone, like Theresa said, an artifact.
"Hmm? What is it?" Cecilia aske Neo who still in disbelief seeing such item existed. He was about to touch it before his hand got slapped by Theresa.
"No touching!"
"Ow, what the hell!?"
"I said no touching! Do you even realise how valuable this thing is?!"
"Do you even know WHAT this thing actually is?!" He snarled back at her.
"Well it's said that this artifact is a Divine Key. No normal person should ever made contact with it." She said as she tried to close the briefcase but was stop by him. "We don't know what it would effect to any normal per-- hey, what are you doing?!"
"Trying to prevent you from closing it for good!"
Once again the ground shake violently as the cave ceiling starts to crumbled. Neo emmidietly grab Cecilia with Theresa helping him and start to run away deeper to the cave.
"Come on! Come on!" Neo shouted in desperation. It seems their hope was not gone at all as they see a light at the end of the cave. "An exit! Come on, lets go!"
The light grows bigger and bigger until they finally exited and was greeted by a dense forest. The cave closed off as rubles of rocks sealing it away.
And the reason of the abnormal earthquake appeared itself.
On the ground beneath behind them a burst of explosion came from underneath. It was so big they were thrown away by the sheer shockwave. Both Theresa and Cecilia's Divine Key were gone, catch by the explosion blast.
The dust and smoke cleared. Behind it was a gigantic being standing more than 50 meters in height.
Maga-Grand King.
"What the hell is that?!" Between the thick dense forest Theresa shouted. "A Honkai Beast?!"
"No. From the looks of it probably one of Anti-Entropy's Mechas. But I don't see any resemblance." Calm yet precise Cecilia said as the Kaiju began its rampaging.
A pulsing light coming from behind the two as they turn their body and saw Neo holding the artifact. The ring was the one responsible for its light.
"I guess.... This is my calling, huh?" He said while looking at the transformation device, smiling with relief and satisfaction. The stone peeled off from the blade and slowly reaching its whole part, reaviling its true form.
"The artifact...." Theresa trailed off. It was the first time seeing it like that. It took weeks to figure out what this thing is and what purpose does it had. "Is that what it really looks like?"
A small laugh yet noticeable. Grand King fired his Laser beam and begin burning down the forest as blazing flame starts to errupted. Theresa in response tried to chained down the beast but realized her Divine Key was nowhere to be found. This goes the same to Cecilia as well.
"Damn it! What are we supposed to do now?!" She was defeated the moment the Kaiju emerge from the earth. Seeing that without Oath of Judah she was basically useless against it.
"Neo, is the signal's back on? We need to contact HQ ASAP before this.... Monster destroyed anything in its path." She asked the boy, and yet there's no answer from him. Cecilia looks back and he was gone from where he is standing.
The only indication of his disappearence was the empty Briefcase on the ground.
"Did he just...."
"He bailed on us!! I knew we can't trust him!" Cecilia still hesitate at Neo's disappearence. She was sure that he was a good person inside.
But she was wrong.
....
....
....
....
....
Or does she?
Neo came out from the dense forest with both Divine Keys in both of his hand. The two girls was flabbergasted seeing him popped out of the blue. Not to mention of how he casually brought them their weaponry.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"I thought you just ran off like a jerk you are!" Theresa point her finger at him
"Neo... I was having doubts that you would leave us without care." Cecilia sighed in relief.
"You're joking right? Of course not. By the way here, you needed this to fight, am i correct?" Neo toss the Divine Key to their respective owner.
After that Neo walk pass the two, in the direction where Grand King is. Cecilia stop him before any unwanted scenario would fall on him.
"Where are you going?" She said, worried of him. Neo smirk at her and place his hand on her shoulder.
"You wanted to know what this artifact could do, yes?" One of them, Theresa, was interested on hearing that. "Then I'll show you its true purpose!"
Neo spin the wheel of the sword. Then four elements symbols on the sword shines. Neo press the trigger and raise the OrbCalibur towards the air.
"ORB!!"
And what comes after will always be engraved in their mind for the rest of their life.
To Be Continued.