User blog:Seieireppa/God Eater:Universitas, chapter 32: A Future for Two, part 1

“I must admit, I certainly didn’t think it’d ever come down to this, sis.”

Baluar’s words rang out across a space of total darkness, with the only light coming from a brilliant blue line that stretched off infinitely in either direction behind him.

Across from him stood Nia, his twin sister and the person he’d shared his entire life with from the moment of their birth.

“True enough, brother,” came Nia’s reply. “This Horizon must have a pretty twisted sense of humor, hm?”

“That it does,” spoke Bal in response. His hand rested firmly on the hilt of his God Arc, his Aragami-altered senses primed for battle. Across the blackened space of the Horizon, Nia did the same, her God Arc ready for combat.

“It’s really a shame that we need to do this,” exclaimed Bal, “but it’s nothing either of us can help. For the sake of our dreams…”

Bal brandished his God Arc and charged at Nia, who in turn dashed towards Bal’s position, her own God Arc at the ready.

“…I need you gone!”

Now, let us rewind the clock just a bit…

The stars shone their brilliance down onto the helipad of the Liverpool Branch. Here, high above the residential areas, the light pollution was substantially less, and one could get a very clear sight of a starry night sky should they choose to look.

It was on this particular night that the God Eater known as Baluar lay on the helipad’s hard, cold surface, gazing up at the starlit night sky. He had always had a particular fixation with stars. Something about them just calmed him, made him feel like he was part of something bigger.

And in light of recent events, a bit of quiet calm was just what Bal needed.

Isaac Feldman, the former director of the Fenrir Far East Branch, had shown up as a heinous villain with his army of Boundary Aragami, threatening to bend the world under his will. Idenn had sent him off to who knows when, but at this point it was only a matter of time until he came back… and then there was this “Horizon,” some otherworldly force that granted reality-bending powers to those it deemed worthy…  It just seemed like a lot to take in.

And so, Bal had come here, to the helipad atop the Liverpool Branch, in order to clear his head. Beoblade and Ken had been chosen by the Horizon already, and Sigma, well, he was Sigma… but when would Bal’s turn come? That’s not to say he was jealous, no… but more than anything, he just wanted to be able to stand at the front lines with everyone else when the time came to crush Feldman once and for all.

Well, not ANYTHING, he supposed.

The sound of the elevator doors opening jostled Bal out of his thoughts and brought him to attention. From behind him, familiar footsteps approached Bal’s position where he lay. It was Nia, his twin sister… what could she want?

“Nia… what is it?” inquired Bal, rising to a seated position.

“Oh, nothing…” came Nia’s response, as she sat down beside him. “I was just thinking… do you think we’ll be able to live happy lives after this is all over? I mean… after Feldman is defeated and the world is at peace. Do you think we’ll have room for our own happiness in the world to follow?”

Bal stood up, dusting himself off. “That’s kind of a silly question, don’t you think, sis? There’s no point in worrying about stuff like that until Feldman’s ass is six feet under. Until then, all we can do is focus on the task at hand.”

“But what about your own future, Bal?” replied Nia. “Don’t you have any concern for your own future, your own happiness?”

Bal looked down, his face butted.

“Of COURSE I do, sis!” he exclaimed, balling up his fists. “Of course I do… but there isn’t JACK we can do about it until we take care of the matter at hand first. You know more than anyone that I want nothing more than to start a family, and get a job, and just live a quiet and happy life with the ones I care about… but ALL I can do now is fight. One HAS to come before the other… and there’s nothing we can do about it but to get stronger and take down Feldman.”

Nia stood up and placed her hand on Bal’s shoulder. “In that case, brother,” she began, “I’ll be here. I’ll stay by your side until you reach your dreams, and you know that.”

Bal placed his own hand on Nia’s. “Thank you, Nia. I’m glad I can always count on… wait, what the hell?”

Bal’s words were interrupted by a strange phenomenon in the sky above him—for, one by one, the stars began to go out, the tiny lights in the sky simply blinking out of existence until, gradually, there were none left.

“Bal,” Nia began, trembling, “what’s going on…?”

“I don’t know…” came Bal’s response. “This all seems so—wait, wait, what the HELL?!?!”

Bal’s surprise was well-warranted, for below them, the lights of the Liverpool Branch’s residential district began to suffer the same fate, blinking out one by one until Bal and Nia were shrouded in complete darkness.

And from the reports of Beo and Ken, Bal knew what would happen next.

Sure enough, off in the distance, a single point of blue light appeared, expanding outwards to form an infinite line stretching off into either direction.

It was them. They had been the Horizon’s next choices.


 * Do you want to achieve your futures?

And there was that damn voice.

“Alright,” called out Bal to the brilliant Horizon before them, “what the hell do you want?”


 * Do you want to reach your dreams?

“What is this? Were you listening in on us?”  Bal became more than a bit indignant.


 * If you want to achieve your dreams… then discard your worldly attachments.

“And what, exactly, is that supposed to mean?” came Nia’s impatient reply.


 * Throw away your shackles.  Abandon yourself.  Demonstrate to the Horizon that you have what it takes to pursue your dreams without consequence.

Bal and Nia looked towards the Horizon, then at each other… and then it hit them.

“The Horizon wants us to fight each other,” spoke Nia. “Brother… it wants one of us to kill the other.”

“Holy shit…” Bal muttered. “This is… too cruel.”

But the Horizon wasn’t about to give them a choice.

Either they go along with this… or they would likely never see the light of the outside world again.

Both Bal and Nia were at a loss… but nonetheless, both of them found their hands on their God Arcs, which had made their presence known in this realm of darkness.

“I must admit, I certainly didn’t think it’d ever come down to this, sis.”

Baluar’s words rang out across the Horizon, all other sound having vanished from the vicinity.

Across from him stood Nia, his twin sister and the person he’d shared his entire life with from the moment of their birth.

“True enough, brother,” came Nia’s reply. “This Horizon must have a pretty twisted sense of humor, hm?”

“That it does,” spoke Bal in response. His hand rested firmly on the hilt of his God Arc, his Aragami-altered senses primed for battle. Across the blackened space of the Horizon, Nia did the same, her God Arc ready for combat.

“It’s really a shame that we need to do this,” exclaimed Bal, “but it’s nothing either of us can help. For the sake of our dreams…”

Bal brandished his God Arc and charged at Nia, who in turn dashed towards Bal’s position, her own God Arc at the ready.

“…I need you gone!”

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