“Trans-dimensional…aliens…?”

“Did I stutter? Is your head screwed on straight? You know what, scratch that; you didn’t spend half an hour writhing on the floor for the bots not to fix whatever’s wrong with you.”

A part of me registered her words, vaguely categorizing them as being annoyed, but I was far, far too caught up with absorbing the literal world of information around me. I listened to her explanation in awe as I looked at the giant mecha the girl just described as a “Slayer,” still standing impossibly before the open hangar door. No no, of course it wouldn’t make sense for it to just disappear while just standing, but it shouldn't even exist in the first place.

This place shouldn't exist, this world— even the outside wind that found its way inside the hangar, or wherever I was, to caress my skin, felt different. It was…sharper? The beach I could see outside was unlike any I’d ever seen before, on the internet or otherwise; it looked less like sand and more like iron-tinted ash.

The sky was no exception.

It looked to be dusk outside, but the clouds reflected that same iron-ash tint as the sand on the beach, it looked almost like the clouds that roll in before a storm…so how did I know that wasn’t a possibility? Maybe it was because of the lack of humidity. The silence emanating from the sky was a big hint too; there was no thunder, no harsh wind— the only comparison that came to mind, in the few seconds I spent looking at it, was if a fresh spring evening suddenly had its colors drained bleak.

Either way, judging from how dark those bleak colors looked, it looks to be nighttime now. Dusk in the dimension where I’ll fight, and allegedly die, protecting humans across every reality.

Even given my calm temperament, dying should still alarm me; the only explanation I could think of was that the situation hadn’t hit me yet. I didn’t think other realities even existed.

“Right, no I heard you. I was just taking a second to take it all in.”

Resonators. Techno-magic. Slayers. Outsiders. Earth Self-Defense Force.

The dizziness from my arrival had long since passed, yet I could feel it creep back into my skull by way of information overload.

“And aah, sorry, you’re..?”

“Name’s Hanna.” she said, as if it were just another piece of information. “I’m a Resonator for one of those big Slayer mechas. May have said that already. Actually, that one’s mine, Hell’s Belle, the kinda pink one over there.” I looked over to where she motioned and, sure enough, a mecha towering leagues above any building was docked in a station. Hard to believe I completely overlooked it, given how much it stood out against the dreary surrounding atmosphere. “My friend here is Lia.”

Right on cue, Lia speaks up. “I’m a Resonator too…as you are, or you wouldn’t be here.” She smiled sweetly, as if to accompany the dry humor; I didn’t say it, but I appreciated her kindness and effort.

It helped the situation sink in all the more.

“I’d like to say it’s not all bad, but the best I can really offer is that it’s all necessary. Hanna and I are two of the three dimensional-native Resonators operating out of this redoubt— which is pretty impressive when you think about it, all the others have one, if that.”

Dimensional native…right. There must be normal people here too.

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…normal?

“I’m a three-year veteran, so if you have any questions—”

Hanna cuts in. “You can ask me. I’ve been piloting a Slayer for six years, so when it comes to the job, I’m her Senior and would appreciate if SOMEone remembered it.”

Three and six years? For operating something like a metallic titan that—

My thoughts came to an abrupt halt. My thoughts drifted towards the semi-conscious state I was in on arrival, how this girl, Hanna’s, voice was the only thing I could comprehend. Without thinking much of it, I’d categorized it as young but…

I took another glance at her appearance. There was no denying she’s gorgeous; with light chestnut brown hair that swept around her shoulders, bangs leaning to the right which somehow brought out the fact her eyes were an ever-so lighter shade of coffee brown. Actually, looking at her now, she appeared strikingly oriental— Korean maybe? Were Koreans even native to this world?

Either way, the sharpness of her cheeks and nose, alongside the ivory of her skin and pink of her lips, emphasized just how easily, simply, effortlessly, she could have been a model.

Her face looked so delicate…had it not been for her expression.

That was it.

It was her expression that didn’t match her face. Her expression spoke volumes with how guarded it was.

It’s something I’ve never seen, never thought I could see, on a girl who couldn’t have been older than her late teens.

I quickly glanced at the girl next to her. Beautiful, of course, but in a different way— softer maybe? She didn’t look like any girl I’d ever seen; probably because back home, there didn’t exist any person with glowing magenta eyes. They looked bigger, eyes much larger than mine or Hanna’s, but more caring as well. It wasn’t often I met someone who automatically radiatated a sense of warmth, having just happened a handful of times in the past, but hers was beyond anything I’ve felt before.

Was it because she’s a Resonator? No. Maybe it was just because of the simple fact that she’s kinder.

So why do I get the inkling that her gaze hides more than Hanna’s? She looked older than Hanna, but that wasn’t saying much. What kind of life gives a young girl so much to hide? I was about to ask when—

“I’m eighteen years old,” she said, as if reading my mind. No; it was my own expression. I don’t know when I let my guard down, but I could feel myself manually returning my expression to neutral. “Hanna is sixteen, so yes, she was scouted by the ESDF at ten. That seems to shock a lot of other-worlders but the sooner you put it out of mind, the better.”

I was going to respond in kind, it’s only polite to give my own age after having heard theirs after all, but the words never managed to escape. They didn’t tell me for the sake of starting a friendly conversation; it’s purpose was to be an illustration. This is how it was here.

An illustration of life in the End of the World.

“What happens now?”

“Now?” spoke Hanna, her posture clearly emphasizing her eagerness to get going. “We get you out of that dam arrival pad where you’ve been writhing for the last thirty minutes, show you a mirror because you’re probably going to want it, take you to engineering so they can get started on your Slayer, spend some time working on your powers, and then introduce you to the rest of the Resonators here at the Skull Beach Redoubt. After that…”

My attention momentarily drifted as her mention of other Resonators made me realize a crucial detail: I still hadn’t introduced myself. Though I wasn’t completely paying attention, I still understood the general plan Hanna had laid out towards the end.

A Duty Roster? It makes sense that I would need to take part in something like that, but I pushed the thought out of my mind as I began to speak.

“Right, that actually reminds me I—”

“Aah, I’m really sorry,” her saddened tone interrupted before I could say further, “I don’t mean to be rude but I actually have somewhere I really need to be. Still, like Hanna mentioned she’s a veteran of the Redoubt, so you’re in the best of hands.”

I looked to the girl in question; her face was difficult to read, but still gave a small nod of confirmation towards Lia. With her friend’s permission now granted, Lia began making her way towards a small set of rooms to the right of the giant docks holding the Slayers.

“Good luck,” she said, turning around to wave with a small smile, “and we’ll catch up later!”

Though it was a bit of an abrupt leave, the speed to her step made it clear she truly did have somewhere else to go.

Hanna spoke before Lia could truly disappear from sight. “Come on fresh meat.” she gestured towards the austere hallways behind us, walking in the direction opposite her friend.

“My name’s— nevermind you’re gone already.”

Maybe it was just the way things worked in this place. It might’ve been that I got too accustomed to things so mundane they were considered common sense.

Maybe common sense doesn't apply here.

I let out a sigh as I began catching up with my guide clad in purple and pink, letting the embarrassment exit my body with each step I took. The feeling faded at the cost of being replaced with a heavy foreboding.

An understanding that I inched closer towards a world I was beginning to understand I knew absolutely nothing about.