Tanya Degurechaff, the once-proud tip of the Empire's long spear, was now almost a broken mess. The visions, the sensations, and the mere grotesque condition of Naofumi Iwatani made her stomach churn, and if time weren't paused right now, she would be crumpling to the floor while vomiting.
Being X, remained quiet, taking in the sight of Tanya's frozen figure and terrified mind. For them, it was a rewarding sight. However, the child soldier remained true to her beliefs about her idea of a god. She was rattled nut broken.
Being X didn't want to leave Tanya's faith in the hands of the blasphemous skeleton sorcerer. That path was not part of their plan. Although it might have advanced their goal of forcing the child soldier to pray and worship, the prospect of an undead creature extracting that kind of devotion from her was unacceptable.
"I have transported you once; I can do it again. A mere reprieve for a shattered soul is indeed in order. Pray that you're this fortunate to have me and that this whole place sickens me."
Tanya's heart skipped. She was grateful yet balked at the idea of divine intervention, but this whole place was clearly unnatural and alien; even Being X didn't want this reality, probably abandoned by some other higher being.
"We shall meet again, this time, be grateful for your new friends. They have the potential to be believers and worshippers."
Being X said as their voice receded, their presence slowly eroding, the time slowly resuming.
Then, blank.
...
...
...
The sound distant artillery woke Tanya up from her sleep. Her eyes flashed open, wide and awake. She rose quickly, her heart still beating fast. She grabbed her chest, feeling the loud thump of her heart, sweat beading and dripping from her face.
"A horrible dream? No, that wasn't it."
Tanya murmured, looked down, still wearing her aerial combat armor uniform, her rifle still slung from her back. She was back in the military barracks, and the sound of marching soldiers could be heard in the distance. She was now in the Empire.
She spotted a large embedded mirror and approached it. She glanced at this mirror several hundred times, checking her uniform to see if it still fit, since she was a rapidly growing girl.
Tanya sighed.
It was still her. The dirt and grime on her face told their own story, as did her tears and the damage to her aerial combat uniform. She sighed again; she couldn't even bother to put up a brave face anymore. The whole experience from the backrooms shattered and changed her.
She dropped her head, golden-blonde hair falling over, and after a few moments, she straightened up. She was still a soldier of the Empire, and her training, accompanied by her military discipline, managed to suppress the deeper parts of her unsavory experience.
The backrooms are littered with the undead and other strong and powerful beings. The experience left her shattered and changed, yes. But she spotted an opportunity, and that was the fact that nothing can beat the mixture of both science and magic.
She needed time and progress. The enemies were powerful but not insurmountable, she thought with a heavy grin. She was caught unprepared, forced to band with other lost survivors, but with patience.
The whole place can be yanked away from that undead sorcerer.
Tanya was terrified, like all soldiers, but she was vindictive. She now paced all over the room, thinking and looking for a way to explain the whole place to the high command — a new world full of opportunity and resources.
"Being X..."
She muttered the name, she was saved by that being and because of that, they'll regret it. She was grateful, and she would probably concede some of her life aspects as an appreciation to the wannabe divine god. But not submit herself.
A loud slam of the door yanked her away from her thoughts, and the door's handle loudly slammed against the concrete wall.
"YO, TANYA-TAN!"
Tanya shuddered; the mere utter of that unwanted and repulsive moniker caused her spine to chill with divine disbelief.
"No, I am hearing things." Tanya mumbled, claiming she was hearing things; surely that man couldn't be here. Being X, horrible as he was, was surely not that petty. Tanya's face then scrunched. Being X was THAT petty.
"Serebryakov, no need to be worried, I am here," Tanya said, focusing on the mirror's reflection of her, not glancing at the door's reflection. She wanted to be right, not wrong.
"Who is Serebryakov? Ah! Never mind that! Father-in-law is in trouble! He needs help."
"Huh?" Tanya gasped as she turned around.
"Tanya-tan! I am so glad to see you're okay. I will tend to you, but I must take care of Father-in-law first. If you need something, tell me now." The man said while wielding a spear. The man was clearly Motoyasu Kitamura.
"A fake? An illusion? No! It's the real deal."
Tanya stared at Motoyasu, who was now standing infront of him with a jolly expression, while the mysterious young man in a black trench coat peered out through a small hole in the wall.
"I was pulled away from my preparations and ended up here. Whatever power caused this must have a greater purpose for me. It seems you, Tanya Degurechaff, are at the heart of it all. You've surprised me with your openings, Degurechaff." The mysterious young man said then turned to Tanya.
A naked man with a shield, clearly Naofumi, was visibly flopping like a dead fish in another room or spasming like an electrocuted victim. Motoyasu spun around and gasped. "Ah! Father-in-law!"
Motoyasu then ran towards the flopping Naofumi, and administered whatever help he could provide. Tanya just stared, scanning the three strangers who were now with her. Questions racked her mind, ranging from why they were here to what she should do with them.
"What is this world of yours? A loud voice spoke to me, then put me in here."
The young man, whom Tanya now remembered as Cid, asked. The young man was secretive about his identity, only naming himself Cid.
Tanya recovered some semblance of control and then opened her mouth.
"What did the voice tell you?"
"That my veil and cover of identities and paths shall be tested in this world. It gave me a higher purpose, yet I feel conflicted. However, another sudden stage is not an obstacle but merely a new ground to play with and- "
Tanya stopped listening. The man was autistic. Powerful yet autistic, and so she ignored Cid. Tanya suddenly went limp, losing control and slumping backward until she shattered the hanging embedded mirror, slowly sliding down as the broken glass failed to pierce her uniform.
(The next chapter is Nazarick.)