Chapter 10 - Revelation

A few days have passed and all the students who stayed after the attack were in a briefing room within the school building. Halford was standing at the front of the room, his face covered in a deep scowl. However, his demeanor was not due to the students nor Eric, but due to the situation and information he was about to relay to the young soldiers. He let out a deep sigh before starting to speak.

“At attention, everyone. As you know, four days ago we were attacked on base by three enemy squads. One was a machine squad that Eric and Alice dealt with, the other two were infantry troops targeting our weapons lab. They were dealt with the remainder of Alice’s initial squad and myself.”

He motioned his hand toward the wall as a holographic display popped into view. On it showed three students, Iris, Alice and Eric.

“While we don’t want to put you at odds with each other, I have been told to tell you three that you are to be commended for your display in the attack. Good work, and good job.”

Halford motioned again and a fourth student popped onto the screen. It was a male student with a buzz cut, pleasant green eyes and minor stubble.

“As for Jack, you led a perfect evacuation even when comms were cut off from myself and other points of command. No additional casualties and evacuated personnel were in shelters quickly. Great job.”

The students sat around Jack gave him a pat on the back as they congratulated him.

“Now for the bad news. Listen up. This is no longer a training academy.” Halford paused as a low murmur echoed in the room. “We made a grave error in predicting our enemies and now must act accordingly. Training is hereby finished and you are expected to act in the field as real soldiers. You can still use this facility to train and hone your skills, but that is your own time.”

The entire class was talking amongst themselves to the news. Only Iris, Alice and Eric were quiet and unfazed as they were informed by Laura the moment the decision was made.

“Quiet down. Now, in two days we are sending a squad of five to the eastern isles, known previously as Japan before the second war. We are predicting another attack like this one on our weapons lab there. Your job will be to protect it and bring back or destroy all sensitive intel.”

Halford turned and looked at Eric, giving a nod.
“Goes without saying, but you are one of the five going, Valtor. Laura will not be accompanying you, and we have recently lost direct communication with that location, most likely due to NAK interference. You will be without remote support for the duration. Do you believe you are up to that challenge?”

“Yes, sir.” Eric stood up, his face unwavering and full of confidence. “I am confident I am able to complete the mission. However, I have a request. For the next two days, I need to use the Yatogami and put strain on myself in order to build stamina and avoid the drawback of piloting it. If you’ll allow it, sir.”

Halford chuckled. “Valtor, if you didn’t say anything I was going to assign that to you anyway. Every day you surprise me. Get to it, we’ll brief you with the rest in two days.”

Eric cocked his head, confused by what he meant. He glanced down at Iris and Alice sitting next to him and they both had a face clearly saying ‘You can’t be this dumb’ on them. He shot his gaze back to Halford and nodded.

“R-right, on it, sir. Thank you, sir.!”

Eric ran out of the room with haste. Iris and Alice looked at each other, let out deep sighs in sync, and started to laugh, also in sync.

***

A day later, Eric was out in a testing field piloting the Yatogami. He was maneuvering and swerving between established obstacles, making tight turns and pirouetting in precise movements around them. He never followed the same path, constantly changing his trajectory and dodging erratically around the obstacles. Over and over he ran through the course, adding more and more strain to himself by increasing speed and adding more power to his thrusters.

Eventually, he finally stopped and stood at the edge of the field, giving a disgruntled sigh. “Laura, how are my vitals looking now?”

“Perfectly normal, even your heartrate is barely elevated.” A monotone voice responded.

“I don’t understand, I’ve been straining and pushing this thing harder than I ever have and it’s been over an hour and not once did I feel like I was going to faint.”

“It is an odd anomaly, but also not one that is inherently negative. What if those first two times were just your body acclimating to the Yatogami?” Laura suggested. “Or perhaps vice versa.”

“Vice versa...?”

Eric’s eyes widened as he looked at his hands, clasping them tight. Eric had a sudden revelation and an idea on how to ‘inflict’ fainting.

“Laura, I need to ask you something unusual and probably against protocol.”

“Intriguing. Let’s hear it.”

“I need you to completely stop monitoring me and lose communications with me. And disable any and all surveillance you can on me, for at least five minutes.”

“Okay.”

“Please, I need to try- Oh, expected some resistance. Great, I appreciate that a lot, Laura. Let me know when you cut it off.”

A deafening silence echoed from the comms inside the Yaotgami.

“L-Laura?” After no response, Eric sighed. “I hope she didn’t take that the wrong way. Anyway, time to try it out.”

Eric took a deep breath in and steeled himself. Not because what he was about to do was dangerous or tough, but because he knew if anyone heard or saw him and it didn’t work, he’d be embarrassed.

“Hey... Yatogami, the spirit or whatever you are in this thing, I need to talk to you again, in person. Or, if not, at least make a promise not to pull me in to talk to you in the middle of combat again. I got lucky last ti-”

Eric’s small speech was cut short as he instantly lost consciousness. This time, instead of waking up slowly and drifting through a tranquil scene, he was face to face with the censored being he talked to before.

“Calling out to me, I’m impressed you figured that out on your own.”

Eric looked around and at his hands. To him, it felt like he was not a second ago piloting the Yatogami and now he was standing in the serene zone, as if being teleported.

“That is so disorienting, damn.” He shook is head, refocusing his gaze on the spirit before him. “Look, I need to talk to you. Or rather, I need to tell you something. I don’t know if you can tell what’s going on out there, if you can tell when I’m fighting or not, but you need to make it so you don’t pull me in here in the middle of combat.”

“Oh, is that so? Everything turned out fine last time.” The being said in a slightly sultry tone.

“It’s not a game. I only survived because Alice destroyed that thing before it could shoot me; shoot us.”

“Oh, that? Yes, yes. You know, I pulled you in here that time for a reason. I wasn’t done imprinting on you and you were pushing yourself so hard that if I didn’t intervene, you would have lost partial brain function. Or worse.”

“W-what? What do you mean?”

“You were pushing the machine so hard for just the second time piloting it. Your body was not done being imprinted on. In a sense, it was using your life force to power it.”

“Either way, there was no guarantee that Alice would have got there in time. I was going to debark after that anyway!”

“But I trusted her. Well, I did. That was before she started panic and I had to take over.”

Eric’s head twitched involuntarily from that phrasing.

“Take over?”

“I had to control her body for a short time. Well, more like influence her body. I can’t directly control those power suits, really. In fact, it’s quite the blessing that all of you are wearing those.”

“...You’re more than the ‘spirit’ of the Yatogami, aren’t you?” Eric said, his demeanor one of revelation.

“Yes. I am Elysium. I didn’t tell you before because we had no time. But, since you called to me, we have as long as we need.”

The being stepped back and the censorship-like haze surrounding it slowly started to dissipate, drifting over the figure like sparkling dust. What stood in front of Eric was what looked like a young woman with exceptionally long, bright blue hair. Her eyes were not that of a human’s and instead looked just like blue glowing orbs. Her skin was pale, almost pure white and has thin lines running along her face and arms like a circuit trace on electrical boards. Her attire was a simple long robe, hiding everything but her face and arms.

“You look so... human.” Eric muttered out in a whisper.

“It is odd, isn’t it. I wish I could say I made this form because it was one you are familiar with, but no, I simply woke up with this, all those years ago.”

“Trinity...”

“Yes. Now, we have much to discuss, don’t we?”

The spirit held out her delicate hand to Eric, offering him to grab it.