"Are you sure this is a good idea? You're a main part of our cohort."
"It'll be fine, don't tell anyone else about this, only you should know. Meet me there sometime if you get chance. For now, just keep an eye on him"
Milo felt himself waking up from a daze... who were these voices? He could barely recognize them, they sounded all blurry and distant.
Milo heard a sigh. "I'll take care of it."
Footsteps faded into the distance. Milo tried his best to stay awake but it seemed something was keeping him asleep. He fell back into a peaceful rest...
'No, I've fought worse then this.'
Milo clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm. A feeling to keep himself awake.
***
Sunny stared at the unconscious boy in front of him... what kind of duty had Eva just imparted onto him? Why did it have to be him of all people, he couldn't even lie! All it took was this kid asking a couple of innocent questions for him to discover the truth, and then they might all be screwed.
"She said that Memory should keep him asleep for a couple more hours... should I go get Cassie to explain this situation?"
Yeah, that was definitely the best option here. Sunny stepped outside of the hut and kept his shadow inside just in case.
It was just then that the boy, who Eva said was named Milo, sat up and took in his surroundings.
'Yep, should definitely go get Cassie now.'
Sunny sped off before Milo could ask him any prodding questions.
***
Milo tried to piece together what he could. So, he had arrived at the Slums, been offered to be healed and passed out then. Someone was doing something that seemed questionable, likely leaving for somewhere. The boy who just left was the same boy who was behind that radiant girl... they went to go get someone named Cassie to explain the situation, and they wanted to keep him asleep for longer. Whoever was leaving also wanted the boy to keep an eye on him meaning...
"It's Eva... probably."
Milo couldn't be sure, after all it could've been anyone. He only saw the boy, however he recognized the boy. He was the same boy that was with Eva all the way when he saw her in the Bright Castle for the first time, considering Milo hadn't seen her since, she was likely staying in the Slums. Now she was leaving again, and he didn't know where.
So, putting all of this together. Eva was apart of the group that was running or helping the Slums, she left not even a day after Milo arrived and didn't want anyone else to know besides the boy who was just here. The same boy who was flagged as a dangerous foe by the [Proof of Cooperation Lite] which came from Carmen himself.
Which made Milo question all of this... despite being flagged as a dangerous foe to fight, Eva had made friends with him, or at least was a part of his cohort. She was surrounding herself with powerful allies. One that she likely knew the [Proof of Cooperation Lite] would advise against fighting.
'She's trying to keep me in check.'
If Milo hadn't left the Bright Castle. the next time the two of them would've meet would likely be the warning instead. Having your sworn enemy in front of you with two people supposedly so formidable and dangerous that your own head is literally screaming at you to not fight them...
"The audacity... should I just go look for her?"
Chances are she wasn't going to the Bright Castle. There was nothing for her there, especially considering that she was out here in the Slums to begin with. Meaning she likely went into the Dark City to hide.
'Where though... everywhere in that place is uninhabitable.'
Milo had looked through the [Proof of Cooperation Lite] database extensively. He tried his best to engrave each and every nook and cranny into his skull... and yet there was no mention of an inhabitable place in it.
However, he did only have the Lite version, meaning it was limited. Eva was the one with the true version, meaning she could've collaborated with Carmen extensively to make sure that this version didn't give him and advantage...
'Too much, she knows too much...'
Milo questioned the validity of her ever planning to be friends with him. Was it all just an alluring honey trap, she needed him alive, and yet she could go to such lengths to make sure he never had an advantage over her.
Milo let out a sigh.
'Getting caught up in my thoughts won't do me any favors.'
Milo took in a deep breath and stood up. He dismissed the actual armor of the [Mobile Suit] leaving him in the comfortable under suit.
He allowed his prosthetic to return into its original form. Just as he reached for the door of the small hut he was being kept in, it opened.
In stepped the boy from earlier and another girl.
'I remember her.'
She was the one that with Eva in the Bright Castle. Milo stepped back, and the boy spoke up.
"Hey, Milo. My name is Sunny, this is Cassie." Sunny pointed towards Cassie. "We're here to explain the situation, and I feel like she can do a better job, so go at it Cassie."
Cassie stepped forward and stated. "To be blunt, we heard from Olivia that both you and her are forgers. More specifically, that you can create Memories and unique ones at that, based off technology, correct?"
Milo knew she was lying, Eva told her that, she knew the most about his Aspect.
"Correct."
Cassie paused, then continued. "Perfect, do you mind helping us out? The people of the Slums can use an upgrade in their arsenal, especially with how common monster invasions are."
Milo looked up at the ceiling. Was he going crazy... or?
Milo summoned the armor part of the [Mobile Suit]. Then he jumped with all the might he could muster, grabbing onto a small wooden support beam. He hoisted himself onto the beam and burst through the stone roof with a combined kick from both his feet.
Sure enough, someone was scurrying off towards the Bright Castle. Gunlaug was trying to keep tabs on him. Sure, Milo could go back now that he knew who Eva was allied with, but there was no way Gunlaug was letting him get away with killing two guards and a healer.
Milo dropped back down from the hole he had made, and Sunny seemed disappointed.
"I was keeping tabs on him, there was no need to put a hole in your new roof."
"My roof?"
"That was one of Gunlaug's men right? No reason for him to keep tabs on you unless you pissed him off. Considering you left the Bright Castle I'm assuming he wants you back right?"
"I doubt he'd even take me back, probably just kill me on the spot. Alright, I'll take your deal, now please take me to Olivia, I need to talk to her."
"Sure, lets go."
***
Milo stared at his hut, well, his and Olivia's hut. Milo was planning on creating a second floor in order to claim it as his own and give Olivia the first floor.
They could even make a basement for forging! This truly was the benefit of being able to modify your own living space.
'But there is a cost for everything.'
Essentially, Milo had no access to the materials needed to actually begin creating things, outside of the soul shards he owned of course. Besides that, his code weaving was essentially rendered useless without the access to the bounty that the Bright Castle had.
'Meaning I have to forage for my own materials.'
He would have to go on a hunt in the Dark City soon. For now though, he did have some things gathered in the [Frigid Cooler].
Namely, the materials he believe he needed to fix the problem of his Aspect... his creations not working around him. He had to fix this, if he didn't, then he would have to work alone.
'Not that the concept upsets me.'
He would've preferred it in fact. After Eva betrayed him, was there anyone he could truly trust? Sure, he could work together with others, but none of them would understand his motives. No one would reason with him on the fact that there was some girl from another world that forced him to bear a Divine Aspect against his will.
So ultimately, his goal would have to be done alone. Just as he had been after he got out of his First Nightmare, nothing was guaranteed except for yourself. That's all he had at the end of the day.
Milo sighed, then walked to go actually get the materials to build the second floor. It was uncomfortable sleeping in the same room as Olivia.
Milo tried his best to stay close to the home. He gathered stone after stone piling it near the hut.
Right now, Olivia was still asleep. She was a surprisingly heavy sleeper.
Milo had already cleared the roofing, its not like he would actually be using it anymore. There was now the basic floor there for the second floor. Milo waited until Olivia helped him on the laying of the stones itself. They used mud made out of sand, water, and clay. Which stuck the stones together nicely.
Olivia then left to go attend to something when noon came, and Milo had no idea what it was.
'Ah, I'm sure she'll be fine.'
Milo shrugged and continued his work.
***
Milo completed the wall by the time the sun was setting, he would finish the roof tomorrow. It also turns out Olivia had gone on a hunt with Sunny, a woman named Nephis who healed Milo, a legacy named Caster, and a tall hunter named Effie.
She had only gone for the sake of learning each of their combat styles, and did she learn a lot.
Her Aspect likely had to do with it. Simply put, she had keen eyesight.
Not in the sense that she could see very far, but rather she could see into things acutely. Like give her a room, and she could probably point out a speck of dust in the corner. Which was a major help for Milo when forging, because she could iron out the mistakes that were physical while Milo himself was focused on weaving the Memory and enchantments.
"So, what did you learn?" Milo asked as he bit into a piece of cooked monster meat... it was very chewy.
"Sunny doesn't fight, he seems more like a scout then anything. Nephis fights strangely... it's like she's willing to yield her flesh to claim her enemies bones. Caster fights fast and gracefully. Effie didn't really step in, but I'd imagine from her demeanor that she fights with a lot of brute strength." Olivia then dug into her own portion of the meat.
"Got it... you said Sunny seemed more like a scout then anything?" Milo remembered the prompt that appeared for both him and Nephis.
Olivia nodded, brushing aside her long bangs to take yet another bite of meat. "Yep, his shadow can act independent from him. It's like a scout, therefore he is a scout."
Milo nodded. "I see. Also, I finished the walls of the second floor, so I'll be sleeping there today."
Olivia smiled softly. "Was it a pain in the ass?"
Milo grinned. "More then you could imagine, I'm just lucky it didn't rain today. Then I would have to redo the whole thing."
"Sorry I wasn't there to help throughout the entire thing." Olivia finished her portion of the meat and pushed her plate away. Instead resting her head on the small wooden table the two were sharing.
"It's fine, I'm the one who wanted to separate the rooms either way." Milo was taking his time eating his portion of the meat. There was no need to rush after all.
"Is there a reason?" Olivia asked, staring directly at Milo.
"...Maybe? I just feel like its for the better."
"I'll drink to that."
Milo raised an eyebrow. "You got something to drink?"
Olivia nodded. "Sure do, I stored it in your storage Memory."
"When did you do that?" Milo summoned the [Frigid Cooler] scooting aside the components for the Memory he planned on working on once he actually turned this hut into a functioning house. Past the wires and different materials, there was a small wooden keg. Milo grabbed it.
"Alcohol, my favorite."
"You've drank before?" Milo asked, flabbergasted a quiet girl like her would ever do such a thing.
Olivia's eyes gleamed. "You haven't? You're missing out, this stuff is the best. It calms the nerves a lot." Her voice seemed to trail off at the end. "Either way, try some. Keep it light, I don't feel like carrying you upstairs."
Milo waterfalled some into his mouth, he swallowed quickly.
"Blegh! What the hell! This stuff is so... ugh! Sour? Bitter, that aftertaste is terrible."
Olivia let out a hearty laugh. "That's what makes it good. Pass it." Milo handed the keg over to Olivia, who opted to just put her lips on the lid. She could handle the taste well considering how much she was swallowing... she could handle it too well in fact.
"Did I accidentally become a roommate with an alcoholic?" Milo asked, taking a sip from the keg. He couldn't drink too much or else he felt like he would barf from the taste, so it was small sips for him.
Olivia's face was slightly red. "No, not an alcoholic. I just happened to drink it out of desperation one time." Olivia paused, looking at Milo and squinting. "Can I... trust you Milo?"
Milo was taken aback. "What do you mean?" Olivia seemed to be asking a rhetorical question because she continued without addressing him.
"When I first got here two years back, it was scary y'know, luckily, there was lots of others who came as well. So making our way to the Dark City was easy, but after arriving... you already know how evil this place can be, and how evil it can make people."
"I was just having a drink with a small collage of the Artisans. I couldn't handle my alcohol that good then... so one of the boys led me away and tried to take advantage of me being drunk... too bad that his downfall." Olivia took the keg off the table and took another swig. Letting out a satisfied sigh as she finished the keg entirely.
"Because I was drunk, I didn't hesitate to summon a weapon and kill him. Luckily, his Aspect wasn't particularly useful so the incident was just swept under the rug. It was strange, I killed a person, certainly not a good one, yet that was still a person. Was he always this bad? Did his parents care for him, only to hear he died? Did he have a sibling waiting for him at home? All of that hesitation, all of that confliction, just gone."
Milo looked at the empty keg... this sounded awfully similar to what his Innate Ability had done with his previous Aspect.
"Do you know the reason I left the Bright Castle?" Olivia stepped over to Milo.
"Didn't you say it was because you didn't have anything there to stay for?"
"Exactly, it has to do with my Flaw. Isolation has been in my nature since the beginning. I was never the one to seek out friendship, I was fine with living by myself, I didn't need anyone or anything... ironic I ended up with a Flaw like this. Isolation slowly erodes your spirit. That's the description of my Flaw."
Olivia backed up. "I feel like you're the only genuine person I've met, you never tried too hard, nor did you seem like a degenerate. Your creations are really beautiful too, my Aspect can hardly find any flaws on them when we work together. It's why I came with."
Milo stared at Olivia, he didn't know what to say... this felt so familiar.
A rather dreadful memory appeared, the same one in which Milo learned the truth about Eva. She opened up so easily because she knew he wouldn't judge... did Olivia believe in a similar way that Milo would understand...
Milo's fist clenched. 'What's worse is that I do.'
He understood that emptiness that came from his Innate Ability, Milo was more surprised that it wasn't his flaw. The more Milo thought about it, the more it had been a detriment, it had nearly got him killed by that strange tentacled monster that dragged him towards the depths of the Dark Sea. It was the very same thing that caused him to not be suspicious of Eva, it was the very same thing that made him unable to grieve his parents or his sister.
He hated it as much as he loved it, because with it he didn't have to worry about those things at all. He didn't have to worry about consequences or be scared to try things, he didn't have to be anxious about the way he was perceived by others. All of it just went away.
But... it made everything purposeless, without light, shadow is suffocating, and without shadow, light is blinding.
Which made his next decision all the more worth it. He knew he might be outed as insane or a weirdo by Olivia, but she could trust him this much right?
"Olivia, can we have a conversation in the evening tomorrow? I need to tell you something very important, and I don't want you to be drunk or hungover for it."
Olivia tilted her head, then nodded. "Okay, sure. I'll be going to bed now."
Milo waved her off and headed upstairs. He didn't even have a bed there yet, just the makings of one. It was comfortable enough.
Yet Milo didn't lay down, he instead pressed himself against the wall and slid down.
'What did I just do.'
Could Olivia be trusted? Would she believe him? Would she care? Would she be willing to risk her life like he was? Would she defect to Eva's side?
'It was a spur of the moment thing... oh gods, what am I going to do.'
***
Milo sat down at the table, he had finished the second story, and all that was left was to make a basement forgery. Olivia entered through the door, and Milo took in a deep breath.
"There's a lot I need to tell you, so I'll start off with the easiest. My flaw is that I cannot create anything without someone else's help. It's why I waited until you were up, I would've done it myself if I could. Someone only needs to help with a part of it, and I cannot finish the creation until that condition has been met. If I try to complete the creation before someone helps with it, then it'll just ruin whatever it was I was creating, no matter how perfect it was."
Olivia listened intently and nodded. Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait your flaw was the easiest part?"
Milo let out a faint smile. "I know right, you're probably going to think I'm crazy for all the other shit I'm about to tell you."
Olivia leaned back in her chair. "Try me."
Milo took in a deep breath. "Alright, this all begins in my First Nightmare, which resulted in me living through nearly a thousand loops of the same day. I was stuck in a cabin in the middle of a snowy forest, the cabin belonged to a forger. They were working on a prosthetic." Milo raised his own prosthetic, moving it back and forth. "It was much more primitive than this. Regardless, I tried to figure out how to complete it, failed, and failed. A creature came at night, a shade of some sorts that tore through me like butter. I died over and over and over. I forgot my own name, who my parents were, but I managed to get through by simply abandoning the cabin and running into the dark forest that awaited me."
"I got a Supreme Aspect called Fanatical Smith. It dulled my negative emotions to be completely absent, and amplified my positive ones. It also gave me a worse version of the prosthetic I have now. Long story short, my family was killed while I was in my First Nightmare. I couldn't grieve them, and I even smiled at their funeral... I arrived at the Awakened Academy, and there I met a girl named Eva."
Milo took in a deep breath, he needed to steady himself. "She was strange, and very striking. She seemed like a legacy at first glance, build complexion, unique crimson eyes, but it turned out she wasn't. There's no easy way to put this, she's from another world... or universe is the more appropriate word?"
Milo looked at Olivia and noticed her flabbergasted expression.
"Do you want me to pause?"
Olivia nodded her head vigorously. "Please do."
Milo waited, and waited. The silence was awkward, and Olivia seemed to be contemplating whether or not she should walk out of the hut right now.
Eventually, she regained some semblance of composure. "Go on."
Milo continued. "She's from a peaceful world, its Earth, the same continents and all. But no Nightmare Spell, no devasting war. Europe wasn't nuked, and North America wasn't taken over. She was studying to be an engineer. She mentioned something about a Daemon that dragged her here, whatever the hell that means. Long story short, she has a goal and apparently I was chosen for it. It's why she reached out to me in the Academy. I taught her how to fight, and thanks to my lack of negative emotion, she felt comfortable enough to share her secret with me. Unfortunately, she betrayed me..."
Milo looked down at his chest. "She had given me an armor that had a sort of locking mechanism. Meaning it couldn't be desummoned, and it weighed me down in place. From there, she forced a second Soul Core into my soul... resulting in me gaining a Divine Aspect. Which gave me all these tech abilities and stuff. She took everything I had though, in a way, so now I'm going to ruin her plans to go home, which requires me in a way. How? I don't know, but I'll figure it out."
Milo looked up and saw Olivia's disbelief. "If you want, you are free to leave right now, I wouldn't blame you. But... please stay."
"Proof." Olivia said.
"What?"
"Give me proof."
"How much?"
"The armor, show me the armor."
Milo hesitated, then nodded. He summoned the [Metal Shell] the armor weighed down on him more then expected... was it always this heavy? He felt like he was suffocating already.
"Say the words activate mode Reina." Milo instructed.
"Activate mode Reina."
The armor locked itself in place, and Milo fell to both his knees. Olivia quickly stepped over to him and tried to help him up... she couldn't even lift him.
Milo's breath was faint, he felt a panic rise in him. This was fine, he was okay, this wasn't Eva, this wasn't Eva!
"Say Activate mode, Eva." Milo voice was weak and trembly.
"Activate mode Eva." Olivia blurted out quickly.
The armor unlocked itself, and Milo hastily dismissed it, opting to resummon the [Mobile Suit].
"I-I believe you. I'll stay." Olivia proclaimed, and Milo felt relief wash over him. "I'll go on a walk, to process... all of this."
Olivia exited the hut, and Milo sat down on the floor. He patted himself down, reassuring himself that the armor was gone... nothing was going to happen, and he had made an ally. It would be alright. He would be alright.
Unbeknownst to him, a shadow slithered away from the hut and retreated back home to its owner.