User blog:Seieireppa/God Eater:Universitas, chapter 3: Memories

Darkness.

And before that, a struggle, a deadly, decisive battle.

''She had engaged... him in battle, she remembered, and after a long and tiring exchange of blows…''

What?

What happened after that?

She had no idea; everything was a blank.

But now, amidst the darkness, a piercing light illuminated her surroundings as a voice called out to her…

“…pen y… es…”

“Open yo… yes…”

“Open your eyes!”

Awaking on an unfamiliar bed, the first thing the girl saw was a similarly unfamiliar ceiling.

The next, the faces of people staring down at her. No one she knew, to be sure.

She eased herself upright and looked around. From what she could gather, she was in… an infirmary? And the people around her were…

No matter how hard she tried, she could not remember a thing.

Instinctively, she reached for her side, but what she sought — her blade, which she always kept nearby — was not there. Instantly, the girl assumed a defensive position, until one of the people nearby spoke up.

“If you’re looking for your God Arc, it’s over here.”  The man, his skin tanned and his hair silver, motioned behind him, where the girl’s blade lay against a wall. “We carried it in with you when we found you outside. My name’s Soma Schicksal, by the way. And you are…?”

The girl stared at her nearby God Arc for a brief moment before blinking and turning to face Soma, a single phrase escaping her lips.

“My… my name? What… is my name…?”

Another figure in the room, a young man with reddish-brown hair and a white uniform similar to the man who had spoken previously.

“Yeah, your name,” came the voice of this second individual, who identified himself as Kota Fujiki. “Do you… not remember your name?”

The girl merely looked at Kota blankly. “My… name…”

Soma interjected. “At any rate, you do have a God Arc… I’d like to conduct an test to determine your capabilities as a God Eater. Perhaps we might be able to figure out what Branch you came from. Here,” he exclaimed, picking up the girl’s God Arc and handing it to her. “Take this.”

However, the moment the girl’s hand closed around the God Arc’s hilt, she winced as though in pain and collapsed to the bed, rolling off onto the ground as Soma and Kota rushed to intercept her fall.

“Are you alright, miss?!” shouted a young woman who identified herself as Erina der Vogelweid. “Is anything hurt?”

But the girl merely stood up and dusted herself off.

“My name…” she began. “My name… is Idenn.”

“Idenn, huh? That’s a pretty name. Is it German?” came a reply from Erina. “I’m German myself, so…”

“I do not know,” came Idenn’s calm reply. “But I must ask — is Isaac Feldman still here?”

Kota looked at her, puzzled. “The former Director? Sorry, but… he left three years ago for some reason, and nobody’s heard from him since. Supposedly, Director Sakaki keeps in touch, but who knows how true that is?”

“At any rate,” interjected Soma, “I would like you to get down to the testing facility for that aptitude test I mentioned. Everyone, you are dismissed. I will follow you down with Idenn here shortly.”

Kota, Erina, and the others nodded before filing out of the infirmary. Idenn made a move to follow… but found herself blocked by Soma’s God Arc, a massive silver blade with a serrated edge much like a saw.

“Now just you hold on,” Soma interrupted, a stern tone permeating his voice. “Too many things don’t add up. You managed to bypass every single one of our defenses to get here, you have a God Arc despite apparently not being able to recall what Branch you’re from… honestly, this whole amnesia thing seems awfully convenient. And what’s more, you somehow knew former Director Feldman despite no records of you existing anywhere at this Branch.”

Idenn could feel the tension in the air, a palpable sensation that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight up. She readied her God Arc in preparation for a battle.

“Idenn,” Soma stated, “who are you?”