Part 1

He flickered in and out of consciousness. His head felt like it was being split open. It seems he received a concussion as he was knocked around when his unit was grazed by enemy weapons fire.

Although his body was a lot tougher than your average soldier, the accumulated fatigue from continuous battle was finally showing some signs of getting to him. He shook his head vigorously to get rid of the drowsiness that currently assailed him. The T-Arms he was piloting completely mimicked his movements.

He got hit after losing his cool and charging recklessly towards enemy lines. That was certainly unusual for him. He rarely got agitated. His training at the institute coupled with the genetic enhancements ensured he almost never did.

He was almost certain of the reason. Today was the anniversary of her death. It was also the day he received his name.

And the day when his nightmare began.

Part 2

-Roughly a year before the decisive battle-

"Sora..." Karen murmured from the other side of the comm display.

"Hoshikawa Sora... It really fits you. I told you my naming sense was spot on." she continued; her face paling from apparent blood loss.

His face paled as well. His body leaned forward involuntarily towards Karen's image displayed inside his cockpit. He'd pay any price if it would let him instantly be together with her right at that moment.

But that was impossible. Even if he, by some form of miracle, manages to bypass the strong compunction imprinted within his very genes and ignores his orders, abandons his current mission and immediately rushes to her side, he would still be too late.

Far too late.

***

The squad he was assigned to at the time was sent to aid in the defense of the UEDF moon base which was then under threat of a probable Arc attack. But it was nothing more than a diversion. The true aim was destroying the EX-Seed development and training facilities on Earth.

The enemy managed to sneak a few units past the UEDF defense blockade. They immediately made their descent and commenced a swift attack on the several hidden EX-Seed facilities that were located planet side.

Although attackers were wiped out in the end, the damage had already been done. The facilities were all but annihilated.

***

Even as the surroundings collapsed around her and began to get engulfed in a sea of fire, Karen's expression never wavered. Her bloodied lips displayed a familiar smile.

That smile felt so very dear to him. Just how many times had that smile saved him? Just how many times had it brought him out from the brink?

Five years had passed since he graduated from the institute and got deployed to the front lines. From then on, the true harshness of reality and the fate he and his fellow EX-Seed were forced to shoulder gradually took their toll on him. But that smile had always been there to provide no small amount of comfort and warmth.

But now, he was on the brink of losing her. His chest tightened and bile involuntarily rose up his throat. He forced it down and stared feverishly at the comm display.

"Don't make that kind of face idiot." Karen spoke gently in an almost inaudible whisper.

"It's not like we both didn't see this coming. This is war after all. But who would've thought a non combatant like me would be the first to kick the bucket... Fate sure has a funny way of playing out, don't you think?"

"Stop messing around Karen! Like hell you'd die! Like I'd let you! Dammit! Where's a re-entry unit when you need one?!" he screamed in frustration.

"Sora..." Karen interrupted.

"We both know it's too late for me. I even have a hole drilled through my gut. Honestly, it really hurts. So listen to big sis before she passes out from pain and heavy blood loss kay. We gotta play the tropes right and proper for this kind of stuff."

Karen's eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief despite the circumstances.

"I told you... to stop messing around... idiot..." he feebly retorted. His vision was already clouded with tears.

Karen's smile deepened. It radiated warmth. She moved her hand toward the display as if to stroke his cheek.

"There it is. You were always quite the crybaby weren't you? Its quite surprising really. Considering the way your brothers and sisters are. Though, I don't really have the right to say anything concerning that. I was part of the team that made them that way after all."

Her smile turned to one of self-mocking for an instant.

"Sora... I may not be able to be there for you physically anymore. But don't you dare give up! You're a sweet, gentle soul despite the circumstances of your birth. You'll be able to forge even more bonds in the future as long as you keep moving forward.

People all die eventually. It just so happens that my time came early. And, it may not sound scientific in the least, but I'll always watch over you. I know that for a fact. I'm quite the doting person you know. I might even turn into a ghost and haunt you."

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Her tone turned playful once again. He already lacked the composure to retort back and continued to sob incessantly.

"Thank you Sora. It's because of you that I was able to feel that my life was meaningful. You've become such a splendid young man, and a true person. Someone capable of forming bonds. Someone who can share his life with another. And I could never be more proud..."

Karen's voice gradually lowered. Her eyes slowly became unfocused. Strength left her arms and they fell limply to the side.

One last whisper escaped her lips.

"Hey Sora... I would have liked a traditional church wedding after all..."

The comm display went black.

Part 3

A guttural cry escaped his throat. All the animosity, frustration and grief he felt at the time were condensed into that single bestial roar. It shook the entire battlefield.

He was an EX-Seed that was capable of empathy. His emotions were even deemed to be a bit stronger when compared to the average person. One needn't even mention his fellow EX-Seed. He was truly peculiar and quite unique.

At first, he was truly thankful. He genuinely enjoyed interacting with Karen and, in time, other people whom he gradually came to consider as friends and comrades. He finally came to know of family. Of ties. Bonds.

But he eventually came to know the pain of loss and his own powerlessness as well. No matter how many missions he completed. No matter how many enemies he killed. It wasn't nearly enough to turn the tide of the war.

He was just one piece on the board after all. He may have become a truly formidable soldier at the forefront of humanities war against the Arc. But he was only one individual. And the fetters that bound him ran deep and were incomparably cruel.

***

The EX-Seed fundamentally could not go against orders.

They also could not harm humans in any form.

Nor could they harbor any ill intent towards their masters.

They underwent thorough artificial conditioning in order to ensure this. Their genetic code has also been tampered with in order to further cement those restrictions deep within their very beings.

U-006 Zeta... Sora Hoshikawa also underwent the same procedures. Though he was certainly odd because of the fact regarding his emotions, even he was not exempt from these fetters.

EX-Seeds were loyal beasts bound by invisible chains. And those chains are not so easily broken. In fact, this was nearly impossible.

***

And so the wounded beast howled. He howled in sorrow and rage. But he could not direct his pain and animosity towards the ones who were partly to blame for Karens death.

That was impossible, even for him.

He could not go against the bastards who only cared about saving their own skin, and his superiors who, because of wanting to curry favor with them, ordered their forces to protect them from a near non-existent threat.

Those damned officials who took over the UEF and even managed to completely overthrow the Olympus Initiatives upper ranks by taking advantage of the controversy surrounding the development of the EX-Seed and the Titan Armaments.

They cited the fact that the technology the Initiative possessed was eerily similar to that of the Arc and called their loyalty to humanity into question.

It had been a long and grueling war. Tensions were already at their peak. All they needed was to fan the flames.

And fan it, they did. The take-over was swift and decisive. The overreaching influence of jealousy and greed was displayed to its fullest. So much so that even he felt somewhat disgusted in spite of himself.

It didn't help that the corruption had already spread to some of the Initiative's upper ranks as well. As they say, even just one rotten apple can spoil an entire basket.

***

They were the cause for the loss of many of his new-found comrades and those he held dear.

And he could not even as much as openly curse them!

So just who will be the target of his rage? Who?!

His head throbbed. His chest seethed. He clutched them in pain.

And he chose to stop thinking about these things altogether.

He moved his gaze towards the remaining Arc forces who served as diversions to pave the way for the attack on Earth.

And the onslaught began.

***

Year 77 of the True Space Era

An engagement between Arc and UEDF forces on the airspace above the Lunar Defense Outpost ended in a most unexpected manner.

A single T-Arms unit piloted by an EX-Seed assigned to the 54th Special Action Company of the UEDF Space Marines shot down more than a third of the enemy forces and forced them to retreat.

A surviving soldier from the same unit described the scene in one word:

Overwhelming.