Author's Note: Greetings to all readers. I like to mention a couple of things before you jump right into the story.

This story is based on the concept of God Eater 3. Its theme will be darker and edgier than what the previous games have shown. The contents will involve: strong violence, mild language, partial nudity and suggestive themes. As for updates, I'll write whenever I can in my spare time and only post the new chapter when I feel it is ready.

In the meantime, please enjoy the story. Reviews will be most welcome and appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own the God Eater series. Everything except my original characters and elements is rightfully the property of Bandai Namco Entertainment. There is no financial gain to be made from this, nor will any be sought. This is purely for entertainment purpose only.

Chapter 1

The young woman groaned as she stirred awake from her slumber. The stinging sensation from the back of her head had her clenching her teeth. She reached a hand over in order to rub and soothe the ache. However, the pair of large red metallic bangles that bind her wrists together has made it awkward and difficult for her. She gave up, lowering her arms back down. Her eyes felt heavy when she opened them at last.

The first thing she noticed before anything else, were the dozens of dead bodies littered across the deck. Most of the victims were killed brutally, as though a pack of wild animals had ripped them apart. The luckier ones were simply crushed under the debris, which was thankfully all over in an instant and the least painful way to go. The worst ones were the bodies burned beyond all recognition with their sickly sweet aroma of charred flesh still hanging in the air; the putrid odor had the bile in her stomach rising, and she averted her eyes elsewhere. It wasn't the kind of sight she'd like to wake up to.

As far as she could tell, she was the only survivor left on the deck.

Her plan of searching for possible survivors around the airship was abandoned as quickly as it had arrived when she felt the shake. She screamed as she tumbled down the deck, hitting into crates and dead bodies along the way. Instinctively, her hands reached out and grabbed onto the railings, which stopped her from slipping any further.

She shot a quick glance over her shoulder, and her mouth agape. The mere sight of the bottomless chasm beyond the deck was all she needed to realize the grave danger she was in. A question was being raised in her mind, as she wondered how the airship ended up dangling itself on the edge of a cliff.

As the momentum of the drag resumed, she started climbing back up like a woman possessed, focusing her sight at the other end of the deck where the cloudy sky lies ahead. By the skin of her teeth, she jumped out in time before the abyss could take her along with the ship and everything in it. The faint crashing sound was heard shortly after she landed on the dirt ground.

For a few more moments, she continued lying flat on her back, taking in several quick short breaths. She got back on her feet after she rested enough. Then, she walked off with nary a second glance at the chasm that has become the grave of the countless poor souls aboard the airship.

Unfortunately for the young woman, her luck didn't appear to fare much better wandering in the barren wasteland for a while.

No other signs of life had existed apart from hers. Occasionally, she would come across pieces of wreckage that seemingly belong to the airship, as well as dead passengers who probably fallen off in mid-air. None of her rummaging through their belongings has turned up with anything worth looting in her mind.

Sweats trickled down from her forehead, which reached down and soaked into her vest. Gasping-like breaths escaped from her lips. Her constant wobbling almost caused her to lose her footing. Her eyes struggled to stay open under heavy lids.

Before she knew it, her strength had betrayed her. First, her legs have given in, forcing her down on both knees. Then, she slumped forward, planting her cheek against the dirt ground with a soft landing.

'Guess this is it...' she thought, as she seems resigned to accept her fate.

With no other survivors to be found within her sight, and the prospect of rescue team looking unlikely to be coming anytime soon. It appears she had run out of luck.

Or so she thought...

"Just hang on." A disoriented voice said to her.

She could sense her body lifted back on her feet before she was dragged along. When her crimson eyes opened, at last, she saw the individual crouching right in front of her. He took the form of a young man sporting unruly chestnut brown hair and olive green eyes. The sleeve of his maroon leather jacket bears the symbol of a shield with human face, Aegis League – humanity's resistance force. Judging from his tactical clothing and the pistol resting inside his thigh holster, he appeared to be a soldier.

The soldier removed one of his gloves and reached out his hand. Having felt the heat from her forehead and figured out what her problem was, he wasted no time unscrewing the cap of his canteen and tilting the bottle over her head, dousing cool water into her sky blue hair. Gently, he grabbed her by the chin, raising her head slightly to feed her the drink.

She found her strength returning when she felt the refreshing taste of water down her throat. Rejuvenated, her hands reached up to grab the canteen, and her head leaned back even further as she swallowed mouthfuls of water. After one more swig to hit the spot, the bottle was withdrawn back to its rightful owner.

"Thanks," she said, finding her voice again, "I owe you one."

"It's nothing." The soldier humbly replied, waving away his hand.

He was alarmed when the faint sounds of growling were heard in the distance, "We should probably get a move on. This isn't exactly a safe place to hunker down."

A further walk down the road led them into a ruined town, whose name had long been forgotten ever since the calamity happened decades ago. Only the sounds of their footsteps and the dusty wind echoed the street. There were no traces of human inhabitants still living, which hardly surprised either of the two as many other places in this world were in the same sorry state.

"What's your name?"

The sudden question that broke the silence had the young woman shooting a glance over her shoulder.

"Eva," she replied.

"Eva huh? That's a nice name," he complimented, "So Eva, did anybody else made it out?"

For the Aegis personnel, it was common knowledge from the get-go she was aboard the same airship that had claimed the lives of other passengers and spared hers. She shook her head, knowing she was about to reveal the grim truth, "They were all dead by the time I woke up."

The soldier shook his head in disbelief when he learned the fate that befell the rest of the airship passengers, "Dammit..."

"Sorry, didn't mean to be the bearer of bad news." she offered her condolences, thinking there was a good chance the man knew some of these people.

"Unless you're actually responsible for their deaths, don't be sorry. If anyone is to be blamed for all this, it's those damn monsters." His voice dripped with a hint of anger when he referred to the Aragami - the malevolent beasts that became the bane of humanity's existence for almost half a century.

Eva was thankful for a break inside the rundown bar, as the scorching heat outside became almost unbearable for her to tolerate; she reckoned she must have sweated a bucket. The two of them seated themselves over at one of the center tables, where they took the moment to catch their breaths. As they did, her stomach growled.

Knowing the prisoner was hungry; the soldier reached a gloved hand inside his coat's pocket and took out a square shaped package covered in tin foil. Opening up the package, the content was revealed to be a plain white sandwich stuffed with ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. If he had to be honest, it wasn't much of a meal but he reckoned it was better than having nothing.

"Here, you can have this," he said, sliding the sandwich over to her.

Blinking her eyes a few times, Eva seemed surprised by the soldier's gesture. It wasn't every day she met an Aegis soldier demonstrating such generosity to the likes of her. The young woman didn't need to think twice to pick up and wolf down on the sandwich; she highly doubted he would have gone through the trouble to poison her when he could have very easily fed her a blazing lead.

"So, what now?" she asked, after chewing her bite, "I assume wandering around the wasteland wasn't the plan…"

The soldier took out a pack of cigarettes, where he put one in his mouth before he answered, "There's an old Fenrir satellite base. It's roughly three clicks to the southeast. My unit and any other survivors were to rendezvous there for extraction. That's where we'll be going."

"I see."

With his cigarette lit up, he took a drag, blowing grey smoke into the air, "Personally, I don't really have anything against you God Eaters."

"Is that so?" she asked, before taking another bite.

"I mean, my parents were God Eaters," he replied, flicking ash into the tray, "They were pretty well respected back in their home branch. I remembered kids used to admire God Eaters back then, and they wanna be just like them when they grow older..."

A quick look at the man's face and she could see his lips curled into a small smile for only a brief moment as he reminisced about his parents.

"Anyways," he continued, "My point being is, I don't think you're all bad."

"Funny, the other soldiers I've met don't appear to share the same sentiment as you do," she said, "Apparently, we're nothing more than freaks in their eyes..."

"Well, it can't be help. After all, you and the remaining God Eaters that are left in this world... are different from the previous generations. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

The silence response from Eva confirmed her answer.

"I tell you what. God Eater or not. You and me... won't have any problems, so long as you're fighting the true enemy out there. Do we have a deal?"

Whether or not the soldier had truly meant what he said throughout their conversation, she wasn't certain. But nonetheless, she was willing to give him the benefit of doubt for now. Finishing up the sandwich, she nodded a few times.

"Good, by the way, my name is-"

Before the soldier could properly introduce himself, the sudden footsteps into the bar had alarmed him. His green eyes narrowed when he turned his head and faced the newest presences standing over by the entrance: four men, all dressed in raggedy clothes. Normally, he would have welcomed the rare sight of seeing more survivors, if it weren't for the grin on their faces that rubbed him wrong.

"Well, well, look what we have here, lads." said the man in the center, presumably the leader of the group.

The soldier stood up from his seat, and likewise, Eva followed suit. Cautiously, he kept his gun within hand's reach in case any of the men tried to make a sudden move.

"Is there something I can do for you guys?" he asked, while his eyes darted left and right, as he tried keeping all four strangers within his periphery.

"Sure, kid," The leader replied, rubbing his chin for a moment before he bared his yellowish teeth, "Just give us all your stuff, and that cutie pie over there," His finger pointed briefly at Eva, "And we'll let you go. Promise."

Her crimson eyes glared at the pair of men in the corner, who had looked at her as though they were undressing her with their eyes. If a couple of red flags weren't enough, another one was raised in her mind when a quick study on all of the four raiders made her noticed the shakes on their hands. She concluded their leader was lying in regards to sparing the soldier's life if he was gullible enough to accept his deal.

"That's not going to happen," The soldier finally answered, as he refused to be intimidated, "I highly recommend you and your buddies here to back off. And let us be on our way. Or else there's going to be a severe consequence for all of you..."

The gang responded by laughing at what they perceived to be the soldier's foolish attempt to persuade their minds. Upon their leader's signal, they began circling around Eva and the soldier with the intention of cutting off their escape routes.

Agitated, the soldier reached down to grip the handle of his pistol, "This is your final warning. Back off!"

With a sigh escaping from her lips, Eva had already known there was never a chance for diplomacy to succeed in the first place, at least not with these men, "Forget it... They already made up their minds the minute they got here..."

The soldier knew she was right the moment he caught one of the raiders making a sly attempt to raise his crossbow, hoping to shoot him when he wasn't paying attention. He beat the man to the punch, as his gloved hand swiftly drew his handgun from the holster. Two blazing leads embedded their way into the man's chest, and the man lets out a blood-curdling scream as he fell on the floor.

As he pivoted around to choose his next target, he found himself lifted off his feet and the back of his spine rammed onto the edge of the bar counter. His gun fallen out of his hand during the struggle. Gritting his teeth, he opened his eyes, where he saw the raider boss's face mere inches away from his. He had no time to react when he felt the hands gripped around his neck, forcing the back of his head down on the wooden surface. In the meantime, the other two raiders went after Eva, as she led them in a cat and mouse chase around the bar.

At first, it seemed he was unable to break out of the man's grasp. Then, his eyes widened when he remembered something that could free him out of his current predicament. He fumbled around his pockets until he finally found what he was looking for: a folding knife. Soon enough, his assailant released him, not before yelling out in pain and rolling dramatically over the floor, while his hands covered the fresh wound to his stomach.

Panting, the soldier took a quick survey around the bar, wondering how Eva was doing with the other two men. His jaws dropped slightly when he saw the prisoner had already taken care of her problem; one of the assailants laid face down on the floor with a pool of crimson forming underneath him, while the other one was left on top of the table with a knife buried in his chest. He was about to smile until she turned around and raised his very own gun back at him.

The thought of Eva's seemingly betrayal had made him want to curse his stupidity for having trusted the wrong God Eater. However, when the shot actually came, the discharging round flew past his head rather than hitting him dead on. He heard the sound of a groan before the body fell heavily on the floor. When he turned around, he couldn't mistake the same marauder who had tried aiming his crossbow at him earlier on. As it turns out, the man wasn't yet dead, and the prisoner had finished the job for him.

Once she approached the soldier, Eva flipped the pistol over. The soldier nodded, as he accepted the return of his gun. Soon enough, the two of them realized they weren't out of the woods yet when they heard shouting coming from outside, figuring there were even more of these raiders presented in town.

"We need to get out of here." The soldier said as he led the way towards the rear exit.

Unfortunately, as he opened the back door and stepped outside, he was met with several of the raiders. Darkness took over his vision after one of the marauders struck the butt of his rifle against the back of his skull.

He could still feel his head ringing when he finally came to. Although the ache bothered him greatly, he was more concerned when he looked up at the presence that stood over him. To his dismay, the gang leader was still alive despite the stab wound he inflicted to his stomach; he didn't expect to see his ugly mutt face again, grinning at him with his sickening yellowish teeth that haven't been brushed for god knows how long.

However, the sight of Eva who had also been captured made his jaw tensed, where a burly marauder gripped his dirty hand on her chin, while the barrel of his revolver pressed against her temple. Out of the two of them, he'd hoped she could escape, knowing full well what these men had in store for her.

"Let go of her!" he demanded, forcing himself to stand up.

As punishment for his resistance, one of the raiders from behind swung a baseball bat to the back of his leg. The resulting strike left him falling on the ground in a crumbled heaps. Though the pain was agonizing, he managed to suppress his urge to cry out loud, refusing to give them the satisfaction of showing his weakness.

"Here's how this will go down, soldier boy," The raider leader began, as he crouched beside his intended prey, "First, we're gonna chop a piece out of you here and there. And you're gonna watch us eat them. Then... We're gonna have our fun with that cutie pie until me and my boys are completely satisfied. And finally, I will personally kill you myself. How does that sound?"

The soldier answered with only silence. As a result, he was punished once more when the baseball bat hit him yet again. Again and again, he felt the metal club connecting against his back and sides. Blood coughed out of his mouth, filling his mouth with a bitter metallic taste.

Then, the raider leader stepped back into his sight, "How about this? Since I'm feeling a bit generous today, I'll make this quick and painless for you if you start begging me," he offered, "All you've got to do is listen. What say you, soldier boy?"

The soldier took a moment to spit out his blood. Then, he lifted his head back up. If looks could kill, the gang leader would have already been dead, as the glare from his green eyes has shown nothing but contempt towards the marauder. He knew the man was a compulsive lying scumbag, who takes pleasure toying around with his victims with false promises. And he wasn't about to shred his dignity by giving him exactly what he wanted.

"My name isn't soldier boy... It's Corporal Ren Amamiya. 1st Platoon, Alpha Company. And you can go fuck yourself!"

No longer did the raider leader continued to grin at Ren. Instead, his lips were curved into a smile, and he nodded his head a few times to acknowledge the soldier. He couldn't help but respect the Corporal's acts of defiance when many of his past victims would have already begged for their lives. On his cue, another one of his fellow marauder, who wielded a machete, had stepped forward.

Despite her best efforts, Eva couldn't break herself free from the burly marauder who held her back. It's times like this she wishes her cursed shackles were taken off. Then for a moment, she stopped her struggling.

At first, the raider seemed pleased, thinking she had given up completely. However, after taking a deep breath, she lets out the loudest shout she could possibly draw from her lungs; her roar echoed throughout the town. She didn't stop until after she felt the palm of a hand across her lips and her back hitting the dirt ground. Her red eyes trailed back up to the gang leader responsible for the blood trickling down from her lips.

Just as the raider was about to bring his crude blade down on Ren's arm, an ear-piercing shriek stopped him in his tracks. His face paled when he looked up at the figure that shadowed over him from the roof. Likewise, the rest of the gang mirrored the same horrified expression.

Bearing razor sharp fangs and long armored tail with an end resembling a demon face, the bipedal creature stared down at the human with its golden eyes. To the Aegis personnel and those formerly affiliated to Fenrir, the beast was widely known as the Orgretail - the most populous and arguably the most infamous of the Aragami breeds that terrorized the human race for so long.

The Orgretail wasn't alone. At least six more of its fellow kind revealed their presences, as they had their preys surrounded on all sides. After singing a chorus of growls, the pack attacked all at once. Panic ensues, as reports of gunshots crackled the air, followed by the agonizing human screams.

"Come on. Let's go!" Eva shouted, as she grabbed and shoved Ren forward, seizing their golden opportunity to try escape from the carnage.

Each footstep became heavier and heavier. Her breathing became deafening inside her head to the point where it almost drowns out the other sounds around her. A quick glance over to her right, and she saw Ren down on his knees. It was no surprise when she saw the Corporal in worse shape than her, having considered the beatings the raider scums had given him earlier on.

Grabbing Ren by the arm, Eva managed to heave the soldier back on his feet.

"Just go on without me," Ren said, shaking his head, "I'll only slow you down…"

At the rate they were going, he had no doubt in his mind the relentless beasts would have eventually caught up with them. It was only logical for him to believe he should be the one to stay behind, while the prisoner still has her remaining strength to escape without having to worry about the extra baggage.

"I still owe you a debt, remember?" Despite the soldier's insistence, the prisoner refused to release her grip on his arm, "We can call it even once I get you back to your unit."

The Corporal chuckled, "You really are a stubborn one, aren't you?"

"Not sure if I should take that as an insult or compliment, but whatever. Let's go."

With everything they had, the two pressed on through the barren wasteland with the scorching sun bathing them. Soon enough, their determination has paid off when the appearance of tall walls came into their view: the satellite base. There was no mistaken the iconic golden wolf head symbol of Fenrir above the gate; the exact same emblem the God Eater had on the back of her black cape, although hers had a crack down the middle.

"Almost… there." Eva said, breathlessly as she took another step.

However, adrenaline can only push her so far before her knees buckled under her. Likewise, Ren had also collapsed beside her with his face lying on the ground. The faint growling sound from before had grown louder and louder with each passing moments. Although she tried, she found herself unable to lift the semi-conscious soldier with what little strength she had left in her.

The pack of Ogretails had eventually caught up and had the pair surrounded. Saliva trickled down from their mouths, as they were eager to consume their preys. As the beasts were about to descend upon them, a fiery explosion had suddenly caught a few of their fellow kinds.

When she shot a glance to her right, her eyes widened at the sight of four giant, mechanical beings armed with massive guns almost as big as their colossal bodies overlooking the nearby hill. They were God Arc Soldiers aka DEMAS – Deus Ex Artificial Soldier, a Fenrir creation besides the God Eaters still able to combat the Aragami threat and now widely used by the soldiers of Aegis League.

"Get down!" A robotic male voice shouted.

She hit the deck like she was told to do so. For the next minute, she heard the bombardment and felt both the tremor under her and the intense heat wave tingling her skin. When it finally stopped, she lifted her head back up and saw the charred bodies of several Ogretails. Upon hearing the thundering footsteps, her crimson eyes fixed on the encroaching God Arc Soldiers.