Mithra Tercera 

Unable to live on the ravaged earth, mankind moved to the electronic paradise.

With the passage of time, humanity chose to return to the earth’s surface—and so the System began to select people who would return to the earth.

By all means, the earth should have been restored to its former glory—brimming with greenery.

But it was a cruel reality that awaited the returning humans—the Returnees.

Lena Ishmael and Mene Tercera, the first of the Returnees, were forced to leave the Machine stronghold, Perses Colony, after an increasingly fierce onslaught from the Paragon.

The conflict was excessively harsh, and no matter where they ran, the war followed.

With repeated invasions, the cities shut down one after another.

New Paragon were stolen from the artificial wombs, and the battlefront continued to expand.

As her comrades fell one by one, Lena was seriously injured and left the battlefield.

Mene, left behind, along with Nahum and a Machine general, continued to fight against Bathsheba’s army—up until the very moment Bathsheba died.

The Saint’s death threw the chain of command into complete disarray, and the Paragon withdrew from the frontlines. But the war wasn’t over, and the embers of conflict continued to smolder until this very day.

Mene, having survived, took up residence in a city far away from the battlefield in preparation for war that could have started up at any moment. There, she begins to train the next generation of Returnees—so that together they may finally bring the conflict to an end.

——It’s already been fifteen years since the Returnees appeared.

The war remained exhausting, and those smoldering embers were about to birth flames.

I’m Mithra. Mithra Tercera!

After being raised in the Garden, I was finally able to come to the surface world like I had always longed for!

But the beautiful world the System had taught me about wasn’t here. 

Everyone looked uncomfortable and sad. Everyone looked filled with anxiety.

So, I had a thought!

If we can fill this world with smiles, then the world will be at peace!

If the Saint had been alive by the time I was reborn, I definitely would have gone to see her first.

That was the best way to end the war, right?

…But if I told Mama, she would get really mad. Haha.

Oh, yeah! Mama used to tell me stories all the time—stories about her time being with Paragons!

Mama always looked like she was having fun and filled with happiness when she told me those stories.

When I saw her like that, I can’t help but think that it didn't matter if you were a Returnee or a Paragon after all.

A world where everyone could smile would definitely be better, wouldn't it?

After all, everyone wants to be happy, right?

Mama taught us—the second generation Returnees—a lot of things. How to use the phoneme weapon the System gave me. How to fight. The path to peace with the Paragon.

There’s a word where everyone can smile.

Even if it doesn’t exist, we can just make it, can’t we?

With everyone here together, I know this wish will come true!

But then, one day…

A bombing incident targeting Mama caused an explosion in our town. Mama was okay, but a lot of Paragon and Machines wound up getting killed in the crossfire.

I was glad that Mama was okay, but I was still really sad.

Afterwards, Nia and I went to the treatment room where Mama had been taken.

Now that I think about it, maybe I wasn't worried about Mama, I just wanted to be comforted. But when I saw Mama sleeping peacefully in the medical pod, I felt so relieved.

“–I-It's impossible.”

“Nia?”

I remember that Nia looked like she was about to burst into tears.

“I knew it was impossible to understand the Paragons.”

“You don’t know that. There’s no point in assuming before you’ve even given it a shot.”

“How can you still say such nonsense after seeing something like this!?”

“Of course I’m upset, but I’m sure that Mama would say the same thing. Before you assume something’s impossible, you have to try.”

“Don’t mistake ideals for reality! You can stay here and dream about that fairytale for as long as you want!”

A fairytale? I don’t understand.

“Aren’t you coming back?”

"Yeah, I’ll keep my promise. I’ll make a world where everyone can smile, just like you."

"But we can't stay together, right?"

“Yeah, I don’t plan on saving everyone. The simplest and most reliable plan is to exterminate all of the Paragons.”

"Mama won't be happy about that."

“Not everyone can live like you do. No matter how harmonious a world may be, someone will always trample it. I won’t allow it.”

Nia wordlessly pointed her weapon at me

“Nia…”

"I'm going, and if you get in my way, I'll shoot you."

“That’s fine. If that’s what makes you smile, Nia.

“Tch! You’re always like this… You always leave me behind…”

With a sad smile, Nia leaves the room.

“Goodbye, Mithra.”

She bid her goodbye from the other side of the door.

It made me feel so sad and alone that I cried.

But the tears quickly disappeared, and I decided to go on a journey. I was going to create a world where everyone can smile.

Since then, I've been traveling in my combat ship—visiting cities and ruins, and meeting all kinds of people.

If you talk to them earnestly, you find that there are a lot of people that don’t want to fight. If the circle of people connected like this continues to grow, the world will definitely change.

“Well, I guess my next destination is Karaj!”

—That was my plan, but seeing the same scenery over and over was starting to make me feel sleepy.

The weather is nice. I'll take a little nap… Hm?

For a moment, I thought I saw something flash in the distance.

Oh, it flashed again!

“Is that someone fighting?”

As I was thinking about it, there was another flash—and this time a pure white light stretched into the sky.

I had seen that light before.

The light of the phoneme weapon that Mama used—it looked just like it.

“...Alright, let’s go!”

The sound of explosions echoed intermittently across the desolate Caspian Rift Valley.

An unexpected intruder stopped the battle unfolding in an abandoned city. Each person reacts in different ways—from bewilderment to shock—as the intruder appears.

“That’s enough! I’ll take all of you out at once next time!”

The intruder’s identity was Mithra Tercera, a Returnee girl. She had all of her onboard weapons pointed at the troops—a showy threat on display.

Realizing he was at a disadvantage, the red-haired man leading the unit immediately gave the order to retreat. The soldiers leave with efficiency, and Mithra lowers her combat ship with a satisfied look on her face.

Mithra turns to look at the three remaining people. There was a beautiful young woman, a man in flashy clothes, and a boy with white hair.

Nodding in understanding, Mithra rushed towards them.

“Hey, are you alright!?”

“A woman…? Zephyr, is she a Machine too?”

“No, she’s probably…”

“You’re Paragons, right? That’s gotta be it!”

Excited by the unexpected encounter, Mithra hopped up and down happily on the spot.

The woman and the young boy looked at her like they had just encountered an alien. 

The man mutters quietly to himself, “Good grief. Never thought I’d see a Returnee is a place like this.”

“A Returnee!?”

The boy immediately puts up his guard, and Mithra smiles and waves with both hands to let them know she isn’t an enemy.

“I won’t attack you. I just wanna talk, okay?”

“...You think I can just believe that!? What could you have to say when you’re responsible for making the world this way!”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be nice if the world was filled with smiles?”

“Huh?” the three of them voice in unison at the girl's unexpected reply.

“I’m Mithra! Mithra Tercera!”

“Ha, even if you say that, the world is gonna end up trampled again anyway!”

Solo’s reply is dismissive. It was much like what Nia had said to Mithra.

A series of coincidences brought together three Paragon and a Returnee in the Caspian Rift Valley.

The aircraft Solo and his friends were aboard had been destroyed, and so their only way to continue forward was to use Mithra’s combat ship.

Despite Solo’s obvious displeasure, the group decided to work together.

“We’re pretty close to the Machine’s defensive line, so did you guys come to have a chat?”

“Absolutely not.”

“If that’s not it, why are you running away?”

Solo turned away from Mithra’s innocent question and stayed silent.

Zephyr answered instead, “We’re heading for a place without conflict.”

“Hey, Zephyr. The Returnee–”

“–Well, I guess I’m not worried about it. You’re not the kind of loser that would repay a favor with betrayal, right?”

“Hmph…” Solo remained silent at Mithra’s point.

Mithra took his silence as affirmation, and she nodded repeatedly with a wide smile.

“I wanna go there too!”

“Huh, you…huh!?”

“What? What are you saying!?”

“This young lady is amazing.”

Encouraged by the three different reactions, Mithra continued to speak, “My Mama raised me– Ah, her name is Mene, by the way. My Mama’s been trying to figure out how to live together with the Paragons for a long time.

“No way… Do you have any idea how deep the rift is between them? There's no way it can be fixed."

“Why assume it’s impossible from the beginning?” Mithra asked the question as if it was obvious.

“Huh…?”

“There’s a future where everyone can smile! And if you're thinking that now, it means you've probably thought about it at least once. I want the world to be at peace.”

“That’s…”

Mithra’s gaze was straightforward and honest. In her clear, unclouded eyes, the shape of the future was unfolding in a way that only she could see.

“Haha, she’s like you. You’re just as reckless as Solo… No, you’re even more punk rock than that!”

"Hehe, thanks! Well, then from now on, we’re comrades!”

“Hey, hold on! I didn’t say I accepted the Returnee woman!?”

“I’m not just a Returnee! I have a name, it’s Mithra.”

Mithra approached Solo and smiled, leaning forward so they were at eye level.

“Well, what’s your name?”

“Uh… W-Who cares?”

The closeness made Solo flinch. Mithra’s smile had a mysterious power to it.

“Well?”

“...Argh, fine, I get it! I’m Solo.”

“Huh? That’s it?”

“Solo Monia! Happy now?”

“Hehe, good job!”

"D-Don't touch my head without permission! And stop treating me like a child!"

Zephyr smiles at the heartwarming exchange, “I can’t believe Solo is so embarrassed. It’s like you have an older sister, I’m so happy.”

“N-No it isn’t!”

Zephyr couldn’t help but wish this peaceful moment could last forever.

Mithra quickly became friends with Solo and the others.

Zephyr opened up to Mithra and her unique sense of closeness quickly, and the two became closer.

“—Hehe, you know a lot, Mithra.”

“Yeah, because Mama taught me.”

“I'm sure she's a wonderful person. I can tell that your mama is very important to you."

At Mithra’s bashfulness, Zephyr’s gaze naturally shifted to Solo.

“Compared to that… I wonder if I’m doing a good job as an educator.”

“I bet you do. You’re a lot like Mama.”

“I am?”

“Yeah. Like the kind part—how gentle she is. Stuff like that.”

“Is that right… Thank you, Mithra.”

“Don’t mention it!”

“Well now, sounds like the young ladies are done talking?” Joachim said as he approached.

Based on the information that Mithra had given them, they had planned a new route. They had decided to head for the northern continental shelf while hiding in the Caspian Rift Valley. With the current route, it was too risky to pass through the plains of Barthia.

"There are people living in the ruins of an old city deep in the Caspian Rift Valley... But I guess it's better than having to deal with the Machines."

“Yeah, if we came all the way here just to be found by Machines, it’s over.”

“Understood. That alright with you, Mithra?”

“Of course! Well then, let's get started right–”

“–Respond. I repeat, respond immediately.”

A fuzzy communication suddenly came in. Mithra checked the terminal, finding a marker indicating a response from a Machine.

“Oh! It’s a Machine ship!”

“Huh? You don’t mean…!?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I could just call them.”

As they spoke, the distance between them and the other ship closed. A large silver mobile weapon appeared before them—far larger than Mithra’s combat ship.

A large silver mobile weapon appeared before Mithra and the others. Its name—Viamaris.

The aircraft was equipped with multiple turrets as well as a radar—concealed beneath a radome—that sat on top of the fuselage. 

It looked like a moving fortress.

“Huh? What’s that doing here?”

“Mithra, do you know what it is?”

“Yeah, that's the big ship that the Machine commander uses.”

“Hey, you weren’t chasing after a signal from this ship, were you?”

“It’s not just that.”

“I knew it, this is your fault!”

Mithra smiled without a hint of shame.

A voice mixed with static reverberated throughout the ship.

“I repeat. Passengers, respond immediately! If you fail to respond–”

“Huh, that voice…!”

As if Mithra could sense something from the stern voice questioning them, she opened up the communication channel with the Viamaris.

“Nia! It’s me! Mithra Tercera!”

“–Huh? Mithra? Why…?”

The projected image showed a woman in armor with her eyes wide in shock, and behind her, a Machine with its four arms dexterously crossed.

"I'm so happy to see you here! But why are you on that ship?"

In stark contrast to Mithra’s carefree smile, the woman called Nia was shouting—her long blue hair disheveled.

“Why are you with Paragon–”

“–You BASTARD!! Solo MonIIIAAAAAAA!!”

A loud voice interrupted the conversation between the two. The Machine, who had been silent until then, pushed Nia aside and barged in with terrifying force.

The Machine raised all four arms menacingly and unleashed a torrent of words.

“I followed the signal, but I never expected to come across the Paragon prince in a place like this!”

“W-What about me?”

“Huh? Solo’s a prince? I heard about that in a book Mene read to me!”

As Zephyr wondered how to respond to Mithra, who had raised her arms up with joy, the Machine approached the screen with such force it seemed like it would cling to him.

“Gahaha! You came along on your own! Mithra Tercera, hand him over immediately!

The Machine’s eyes had a sinister glow.

Solo bit his lip in anger at the Machine’s intense reactions. It was hard to imagine such intensity coming from within an inorganic mechanical body.

"That doesn't matter! I don't want to get involved in a stupid fight! Let the people who want to fight a war do it on their own!"

“Haha! You said it yourself! Strike harder, Solo!”

“Geez, what are the two of you trying to accomplish by provoking each other…!?”

“Foolish Paragon! You have plenty of value, even if you’re just a corpse!”

The Machine spread his four arms wide and made a loud declaration.

“Comply or not—it’s no concern of mine! I shall dispose of you all!”

“Wh… Lord Isaac! Mithra is a Returnee. So our objective should be—”

“It’s of no concern! I’m willing to make such a sacrifice in order to realize my ambition! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

“Lord Isaac–”

Communication with the Viamaris shuts off, and its turrets are slowly aimed at Mithra’s ship.

“—Hold on!” Zephyr shouts, and the aircraft rapidly ascends.

A laser streaks through the wasteland where the combat ship had just been parked.

“Hey, seriously!? You’re saying that comrades don’t matter!?”

“We didn’t even get the chance to explain…”

“What should we do? Fight them head on?"

Solo’s question was reasonable, but the Viamaris was equal to Mithra’s ship in terms of propulsion.

Even if they ran away, they would likely be shot down.

However, Mithra responded with a nonchalant expression, “”Yeah, we’ll take on the Viamaris right here. We need everyone’s help!

"...Are you insane? Your friend is on that ship, right!?”

“We can shoot. Nia will be fine.”

“You… Agh, well, then we have no choice!”

"We can't afford to run away now, right?”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

The three of them looked at each other and nodded in unison, then turned their attention to Viamaris through the monitor.

“We have to keep going! It can’t end here!”

If they were to fight directly, they didn’t even stand a one in a million chance of winning.

But Solo’s group resists, so that their place in the world won’t be taken away.

Two ships raced through the ruins that spread across the Caspian Rift Valley. Mithra’s combat ship took the lead, but the Viamaris was following close behind.

“You’re fools to oppose me!”

The turret’s fire rained down endlessly—but Zephyr was able to skillfully avoid the barrage by weaving through the ruins.

“Gahaha! You put up a good fight, but it’s useless in the end! Surrender and be exterminated!!”

The Viamaris didn’t concern itself with the ruins, plowing through everything in its path. Each time, the silver hull emits a momentary white light, causing a transparent sphere to appear around it.

"Hey, hey! They didn’t even flinch!? You really think you can do something about something that huge!?"

“It’s alright, trust me!”

“Where the hell does all that confidence come from!?”

The plan Mithra and the others came up with was to provoke the Viamaris into firing off the main cannon—using the brief gap to destroy the radome and the power unit connected from the sky.

With Joachim at the firing controls and Zephyr piloting, Solo and Mithra wait for their moment.

They had to focus everything they had into that one moment.

“–Lord Isaac, if we kill the Returnee—”

“Such nonsense! We’ll crush the Paragon prince here and now! I won’t allow this opportunity to slip through my fingers!!

With Isaac’s cry, lasers rained down across the entirety of the ruins. Even with the rubble and dust clouding their view, the combat ship continues to evade—eventually rising into the sky above the dust.

As if waiting for that moment, Isaac raises his voice, “Perish! Solo MonIIIIAAAAAA!!”

“...Mithra…”

The Viarmaris aims the sights of its main cannon directly at their ship–

–A violent tremor ran through the Caspian Rift Valley.

As soon as the attack lands, dust kicked up by the blast fills the sky.

There wasn’t a single thing left behind in the wake of the cannon’s blast.

Isaac’s body trembles with excitement, “GAHAHAHA!! He’s dead! I’ve killed him! Me, Isaac!!”

Nia, staring intensely at the screen beside him, was the only one holding her breath. Displayed there was the Viamaris–

–And another ship.

Nia looked up to the sky, her mouth twisting slightly.

“...Hmph.”

Before her was a battleship—and two shadows directly beneath the sun.

“WOOOOAAAGGH!!!”

“YEEEHAW!!!”

“Shit! You didn’t say anything about thiiIIIISS!!”

“Hey, look, Solo! We’re swimming in the sky!”

“We’re falling!! This is UUAAAHH!!!”

High above the Viamaris, Mithra and Solo glide through the air. With the sound of the wind cutting through the air, Solo shouted with everything he had.

“You! No matter what, don’t let go, okay!?”

“Yep! I won’t!”

“Ha!!”

As Solo prepares Barakiel, Mithra takes hold of him.

“BARAKIEEEEELLL!!”

Solo’s voice pushes Barakiel’s power to the limit, and then–

“FIREEEE!!!”

A dazzling light fires from the shining barrel.

The beam of light heads directly towards the Viamaris—striking its forcefield. The two flickered violently, as if they were trying to devour each other. The clash ends abruptly, a sound like a shattering mirror ringing throughout the air.

“That’s absurd!? The Viamaris’ shield!?”

“Solo, you did it!”

“Now isn’t the time for congratulations! It’s your turn!”

“Leave it to me!”

Solo twists himself to cling to her, and Mithra activates her mechanical bow “Mitron” while closing her eyes.

“Here we go, Mitron.”

A mechanical voice speaks out, “Activation request approved.”

Mithra’s eyepatch, linked to Mitron, instantly pulls up an assortment of data—wind speed, distance, time until impact—and presents her the conditions for a guaranteed hit on the target.

“Phew–”

Mithra opens her eyes wide as she pulls back the string, and the world instantly loses its color. It was as if time itself had stopped–

“See you later, Nia.”

A single arrow streaks across the heavens to earth.

The arrow, tinged with light, flew straight towards the Viamaris—striking the radome with precision and piercing the power unit.

“—!!!”

A crushing metallic sound vibrates across the air, as if the Viamaris was letting out a death cry.

“You really destroyed it…”

“Thanks for the help, Solo.”

Solo gives a vague reply, and then he suddenly realizes the situation they’re in.

“W-What the hell are we supposed to do now!?”

The ground was much closer than when they had jumped. If things didn’t change, they were going to be crushed without a trace.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! Look, see!”

“Huh?”

“—Solo! Mithra!”

Before he knew it, Joachim was in front of him—reaching for them from the hatch of the combat ship.

“Grab on!”

“Aaah!!”

Zephyr tilts the body of the ship to receive them, and Mithra pushes Solo, still clinging to her, towards Joachim.

Solo reaches his hand to Mithra.

“Come on! MithraaAA!!”

But Mithra completely ignores Solo’s hand—instead jumping right into his chest. The force rolls them across the floor, tangling them together until they come to a stop. Solo, pinned underneath her, cries out in agony.

“H-Hey… What are you do–”

Mithra, head still buried against Solo’s chest, raises her head with a bashful smile.

“That’s the first time you’ve called me by my name!”

“Ah–! Oh…” 

At the reply, Solo turns away. His cheeks flushed, and it looked like he was smiling.