Chapter 1: Point of Arrival

*Oh, my head is just killing me. I knew I should've just stayed home instead of going out with those clowns.* Nissa groaned as she rubbed her temple with a hand and then winced at the pain behind it.

*I wonder where I've wound up this time. Definitely doesn't feel like I'm indoors. I guess I should be thankful for that at the very least. Although it wouldn't have been too bad if ___ took me back home with her. Hmm? That's odd, What was her name again? I can't seem to think straight today. Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure where I was drinking. This must be one hell of a hangover.*

"Well well," a woman spoke from somewhere behind Nissa. "It looks like this one is still in one piece. It would be a shame if we let those damned reapers claim yet another wanderer."

*What the hell? Reapers? Are they doing some kind of role-play out there? I'm typically not one to eavesdrop but there's no harm in taking a quick peek. I have to see in order to get back home anyways.*

Rubbing her eyes, Nissa opens them slightly to find a young girl staring back at her, dressed all in white with an unusual pair of jet black wings folded against her back. She had long flowing silver hair that stretched down past her knees and was tied into several different braids on both sides. Her skin was pale but otherwise flawless and she seemed to glow with an inner light that made Nissa feel more relaxed than she'd felt since waking up. 

The strange girl smiled at Nissa, revealing perfectly white teeth that sparkled under the dim light of the moon. Then without any further warning, the woman grabbed hold of Nissa by the chin and tilted her head towards her own.

*Oh my, Oh my. What is this girl doing? And why am I feeling like this? I swear I'm not into young girls.* Nissa thought in disbelief as her heart began to race.

Backing away swiftly, Nissa covers her mouth in surprise at the young girl's action. The moment she does so, the girl lets out a light chuckle.

"I definitely want to keep this one. You boys can head back for now. I'll personally escort our newest member myself." The young girl waves her hand dismissively as the two men standing beside her sprout a similar set of wings from their backs and take off into the night sky. "Come along little wanderer, you won't regret it."

"No, thank you! I really don't want to go to prison. I'm sure that you can find someone closer to your age. Plus, I'm not that cute. Just look at me- pwaahh"

Nissa's words were cut short as she began to spit out the collection of sand that had somehow accumulated in her mouth. Looking down at her hands she could see that they were covered in dark brown powder.

*Ugh that is so gross. And embarrassing. Where did all this sand even come from?*

Nissa swiped her hands together in an attempt to swipe away the bits of sand when she realized something that she had been ashamed to admit that she missed.

Not only were her hands covered in sand, but the entire world around her as well.

*Whoa, whoa, whoa! Where am I?! I knew I may have drank a bit too much, but isn't this a bit too crazy?*

Nissa looked around through squinted eyes, only to find nothing but a sandy landscape. Although even if there was something else nearby, she would be lucky to be able to identify what it is.

*This would be the perfect time to have my glasses on hand. But of course, I would lose it, right before finding myself lost in the Sahara with a cosplaying schoolgirl.

"You know. You just make the cutest faces over there. But I'm going to have to ask you to hurry up. You will have plenty of time to carry out your meltdown. For now, I think that it would be best if you come with me."

With that said, Nissa felt the sensation of the girl's arms wrapping around her waist in a tight embrace as she rose to stand. Nissa was surprised to find that the girl's grip wasn't unpleasant despite the immense strength that she must have been using to lift an adult woman. But this feeling only lasted for a brief moment as Nissa could no longer feel the sandy terrain beneath her feet, and it was instead replaced with the wind whistling past her ears. She found herself being carried off into the sky by the young girl.

Nissa could hardly think as she was suddenly whisked away into the night sky by what she could only assume was some kind of demon girl.

"P-please put me down! I don't know what you want from me, but I can assure you that my soul isn't tasty. Not even if you boil it!"

The young girl didn't bother responding to her request. Instead, she simply kept a firm grip on her waist, causing Nissa to let out a high-pitched squeal.

*I swear to god, this girl better not be some kind of pervert! I mean, she's pretty and everything but seriously! She's just a child!*

But although Nissa tried to deny her impure notions, her cheeks burned bright red at the thought. And as if reading Nissa's mind the young girl continued to fly with a smirk plastered on her face. Soon the air changed from the heat of the desert to that of the sea breezes from beyond the horizon. And Nissa felt herself lifted higher into the sky until they were both cruising above the clouds.

She watched in horror as they reached a height that allowed Nissa to catch a larger glimpse of the lands below. And she couldn't believe what she saw. The world was clearly not the same one that she had been in just a few hours ago, or at the very least, she wasn't in the same country. Even though it was hard to see clearly without her glasses, she could still make out some details of the landscape below. 

From far off in the distance, she could barely make out a small mountain range in the middle of the desert. And then from the very center of the mountains rose the massive fortress-like structure that she had never seen before. In front of this fortress, Nissa could even make out an enormous city that was built atop a cliffside. It was hard to tell in the distance but it seemed to be lit up and bustling with activity. But even more than anything else, it was absolutely beautiful.

"We're almost there, my little wanderer. Just wait a bit longer."

At these words, Nissa felt like she would die of embarrassment from hearing the pet name coming out of the young girl's lips.

"Y-you can just call me Nissa! No need to give me any weird nicknames please." Nissa pleaded.

"Oh please, that would be so dull. Don't worry, I won't forget your name, but I can't promise that I will use your name." The young girl teased with a wink.

Nissa was about to retort when she caught sight of something else below them. She gasped in awe at the sight below them, which caused the girl carrying her to turn around in turn.

"Oi, what's wrong? What do you see?" The young girl asked in curiosity.

Nissa didn't say a word as she watched on at the sight taking place below, followed by the young girl doing the same.

"Those damn reapers! How dare they come here. They should just learn to leave us alone!" The young girl spat angrily as they increased their speed towards the city.

Beneath Nissa and the girl was an all-out battle accompanied by a cacophony of gunshots and the banging of swords against one another.

*What the hell is going on down there?! And why is this crazy girl flying closer?!*

Nissa was in a panic as the young girl flew into the city, dropping her onto the ground in a fit of anger.

"Damn those bloody reapers! Always messing things up and causing trouble for everyone! You stay put. I'll be right back." The girl snarled before blasting off with her wings once again, causing the air around Nissa to explode in a deafening roar.

Nissa looked around and took stock of where they landed at first. She could already see the edge of a large building towering overhead but she couldn't help but notice that it had a peculiar shape. It was built in a manner that she had never seen before. It was a miracle that it was able to maintain its structure with how fragile its base looked.

But Nissa soon found that this building wasn't the only odd thing about the city. Everything around her had a sort of futuristic look to it. It wasn't like any city she had ever seen in her life. There weren't many vehicles driving about and most buildings had their entrances high above the ground.

*How does anyone get where they need to be with architecture like this? What kind of crazy person designed this place?*

Despite the confusion she felt, Nissa couldn't ignore the loud fighting taking place directly outside the city. She knew that she was told to stay put but, what kind of person could do so at this particular moment? With that thought, Nissa hurriedly got to her feet and rushed out towards the source of the noise.

She had far too many questions and wasn't particularly fond of being patient. But as soon as she reached the entrance of the city, she was stunned by what awaited her beyond.

"Bloody hell, what am I even watching right now? This has to be some kind of joke." Nissa muttered in amazement as she approached closer to the fighting and chaos that filled the outskirts of the city.

Ahead of her were two armies, both with wings sprouting as they soared through the air at insane speeds. Although, despite being in a supposed war, neither side wore any form of protective gear. Both armies were composed of a mismatch of men, women, and even children. And they all shared one common trait, the odd wings strapped onto their backs. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

As the fighting carried on, Nissa's instincts were screaming for her to hide. She had remembered the young girl referring to the invaders as Reapers, and as far as she knew. That name didn't really spark a sense of peace.

Taking shelter behind a large rock nearby, Nissa crouched low to watch the scene unfolding before her eyes. The fight seemed to last forever with neither side backing down. At times the two sides seemed to stop and pause while exchanging words. But it didn't seem like this stopped them from throwing punches at one another either. In fact, it was the other way around as one side would retaliate to any slight that was thrown their way, no matter how minor.

Despite the massive amount of soldiers falling in battle, the space remained clear of any fallen bodies. In fact, it was like they were being swept aside by each wave of attackers. As each soldier fell in battle, it seemed like their bodies were being faded out of existence by a force that Nissa could only describe as heavenly.

In this strange land with these bizarre forces at work, Nissa could not shake off the feeling that she was somehow trapped within some twisted dream.

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But the time for these thoughts was not now as the battle was pushed closer and closer to the city, and subsequently, her hiding space.

Suddenly she caught a glimpse of movement near the edge of one of the buildings ahead of them. And just like that, they began charging forward in what could only be described as a stampede.

*Oh no! They're coming straight for me! What am I going to do?!* Nissa panicked as the enemy soldiers closed in on her position.

Unable to move her own feet under the stress, Nissa watched as the young girl from before zipped into action. Without a word, she brandished her blade and cut through the enemy's ranks with a series of swipes of her sword. As the soldiers vanished around her, their weapons fell to the ground, as well as a large rifle that landed in front of Nissa's lap. The weapon looked more like a miniature cannon but from what Nissa had seen, it was no doubt a rifle. And with that said, Nissa picked it up and examined the weapon further as the young girl let out a flurry of attacks toward the soldiers that pursued her.

Swiftly weaving past the barrage of gunfire aimed at her, the girl stabbed her blade into the nearest enemy, using him as her own personal shield while she made her assault on the rest of his squad.

Riddled with the bullet wounds of his team, the man vanished allowing the girl to hasten her movement to remove the rest of her obstacles. And it only took a few seconds for her to do so. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like this was going to be the end of her battle as another group of soldiers arrived shortly after.

Without a moment's rest, she was under assault once more as bullets flew over her head and the appearance of a large man wielding an equally large blade appeared before her. Unlike the rest of the rabble that she had dispatched, this one was more than enough to push her back. But the addition of the soldiers providing cover fire for him made things even direr.

"Don't you think this is a bit much for little old me?" The girl complained through gritted teeth as the man slammed his foot into her side.

Almost falling to the ground, the girl spun her body around using the momentum to stay airborne as she avoided the gunfire that followed.

Staying on the move to avoid the enemy gunners, the girl quickly moved in to initiate her own counterattack when the large man grabbed hold of her leg, swinging her towards the ground with such force that Nissa was certain he had broken her bones.

Nissa almost shrieked as she watched the girl crash to the ground with a loud thud. She could see that the girl was unable to get back up, and watched as the large man slowly lowered himself to the ground to meet his injured opponent.

Nissa wanted desperately to help the girl but she didn't know what to do. This battle was far too big for someone like herself. She didn't even know where she was. She definitely wouldn't know how to fight as the girl did before. But she also knew that without help, the only person she knew would meet the same fate as those that had vanished before. And that was simply unacceptable to her.

With a deep breath and determination to keep herself calm at hand, Nissa stepped out from behind her hiding spot holding the rifle in her hands.

She didn't know why, but she felt a sense of calmness while aiming down the rifle's sights, which gave her an almost nostalgic feeling. Something compelled her to take aim at the man and pull back on the trigger.

It was as if she had been born to wield this massive weapon. Her body was on fire as she took a deep breath and steadied her aim as her fingers instinctively wrapped around the trigger.

The world slowed as she pulled her finger back, allowing a bullet to escape the rifle's chambers and lodge itself into the large man’s skull without so much as a twinge of resistance. He fell instantly as blood spewed forth from the gaping hole in his head until he too vanished, causing the soldiers behind him to turn their gaze at Nissa's position with a fit of immense anger boiling beneath their eyes.

Looking just as surprised as the soldiers, The young girl's face curled into a smile as she stumbled to her feet, using her blade to support her weight as she regained her footing. "I knew you would be the perfect addition to my team." She whispered in a faint voice as she turned to face the rest of the enemy soldiers who had made the foolish mistake of taking their eyes off of her.

Without giving them a chance to regret their action the young girl used the last of her strength to pierce through the throats of those who dared to go against her. Blood and gore erupted across the sky, making it difficult for even Nissa's eyes to see what happened next. One by one, soldiers fell before her in a gruesome mess, leaving behind only their weapons as proof that they once existed in the world.

All the while, Nissa could feel her heart heating up. This was the first time she had seen such a terrifying sight like this before and yet. She was excited. She could hardly contain herself as her breath became short as exhilaration coursed through her body.

She watched as the young girl began to slowly descend until she eventually lost control and fell from the sky, causing Nissa’s body to rush out to catch her without the slightest thought. Laying the young girl's now unconscious body on the ground, Nissa looked on at the fight that was still raging on in the distance.

She knew that she should have just escaped with the girl in tow, but something inside her seemed disgusted by the idea. Looking at the gun in her possession, Nissa's face warped into a wide grin as she began walking along the empty plain toward the heart of the battle.

It didn't matter if the young girl woke up or not. Nissa knew exactly how she would repay her.

Raising her weapon up with glee, Nissa began unloading on the unsuspecting soldiers fighting in the distance. Without so much of a warning, a hail of bullets rained upon them. Some managed to barely dodge out of the way but others were struck by the hail of lead and fell almost instantly.

*Now this is what I'm talking about. Come on, show me more.* Nissa urged on as she fired off shots after shots into any soldiers that dared to come close to her location.

Soon enough, she had taken control of the battlefield. Unable to discern friend from foe, she took aim against any and all who stood before her and shot down every last one of them with precision accuracy. The once glorious battlefield had been turned into her own personal killing field.

She felt as if she was being possessed as she ruthlessly tore through the armies.

As she continued her rampage, she noticed a single figure standing at the forefront of the battleground. The man had turned his back against his enemies and was now staring down at the young woman who seemed to have garnered everyone's ire. He was dressed in a dark brown cloak that covered his entire upper half, except for the bottom part that exposed his muscular legs. A pair of black leather gloves sat comfortably on his slender hands that were currently wrapped around the hilt of a sword. His black hair flowed down over his shoulders, and his skin was pale white, as if he were an angel descended onto Earth for his very own purpose.

But Nissa couldn't care less for his looks. It wasn't his outward appearance that held her attention, but instead, the aura that radiated around him that made his presence so intimidating. It was something akin to a force of nature that caused the hairs on her neck to stand on end and send shivers running down her spine. There was something about this man that left her with this strange sense of unease that caused her to tremble ever so slightly as if a storm would erupt any moment. And despite all this, Nissa's body was even more fired up than before.

Just feeling the man's glare gave her a feeling of euphoria that she had never felt before. She unconsciously took aim and immediately began to lay into the man with reckless abandon. Without so much as blinking an eye, she began firing off shots in his general direction.

As she rained fire upon him, He responded in kind as he began to rapidly approach her location while effortlessly cutting through the onslaught.

Nissa watched as he approached her, His wings flapping with enough force to cause thunderous booms each time his feathered limbs beat against the air.

It didn't take long before Nissa was face to face with the imposing figure before her. "Who are you?" He demanded in a calm yet commanding voice.

Nissa could barely speak a word as the sound of thunder echoed in her ears. But as she opened her mouth to answer, it was too late as he thrust his fist into her abdomen sending her flying backward with an intense jolt of pain lancing through her chest and belly.

Her eyes went wide in surprise as she landed on the hard ground, gasping for air as she struggled to regain her composure. The man watched silently as she recovered from his strike, watching his face contorted in agony as she tried to stand on her feet.

When she finally gathered her bearings enough, Nissa found herself within the man's grasp and pinned firmly to the ground.

So tell me. What side are you on? Are you with the Reapers or are you with us?

Still unable to make a sound beneath his immense aura, Nissa remained silent as she could feel that same burning sensation in her chest return. It felt as if there was going to be a volcano eruption inside of her stomach.

Unable to contain herself, Nissa suddenly flipped her body around, causing the man's grip to loosen enough for her to send a sharp kick into his abdomen. It was a lucky strike, as it allowed her to break free of his hold.

She quickly got back on her feet, only to find him standing above her with an annoyed look on his face. With a deep breath, Nissa drew upon her inner rage and launched herself toward him in an attempt to tackle him to the ground.

Unfortunately, that proved to have been a foolish move as she was swiftly struck in the face by the man's forearm sending her stumbling back. Without giving her a chance to recover, he grabbed her face, slamming her to the ground again and again without mercy.

She could feel her consciousness fading as the pain grew beyond belief. Her vision was becoming blurry and she knew that she wouldn't last much longer.

*Is this how it all ends? Am I going to die here? I can't just die. I haven't even finished my enlistment term.* She thought as the man slammed a knee into her stomach forcing her to cough up blood.

"Enough! That is enough Zane." A familiar voice shouted out, causing Nissa to snap back from her near-death state.

"She's with me. She just doesn't know anything yet. I found her while doing my rounds for the day. I can assure you that she will be on our side. Plus, didn't you see her out there? She's a natural. Wouldn't it be a shame to just get rid of her for killing a bunch of useless soldiers?"

The young girl seemed to have recovered enough to stand as she and the man conversed with one another for several moments. Eventually, they came to an agreement.

"Fine I'll keep her alive for now, but if she makes another mistake like this again. It will be your head that rolls after hers." The man said, causing Nissa to shudder at his threat. "For now, I'll simply knock her out until we finish up with the rest of those Reaper stragglers. Make sure to train this one properly, Ann."

After finishing their conversation, Nissa was suddenly slammed into the ground with enough force to leave a dent in its wake. Before she could recover from that blow, she was then struck in the face once again by the man's fist. This time knocking her unconscious without a trace of hesitation.

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