"Get down now!"

The two infiltrators scurry under a nearby table. They were on a speeding train headed directly into the heart of the burning city. The apocalypse began here. 

The side of the train bursts open as if a giant magnet came too close. In seconds, the entire carriage of the train rocked back and forth, knocking the two people off their feet. 

The train settles but just when they think they're in the clear, a figure bursts onto the train.

The two people gasp at the same time. If they hadn't seen her a few days ago, they wouldn't have recognized her. The figure that bursts on the train is an old friend - but now, she's a monster. She has become Medusa. 

Her once beautiful golden hair looks like it has been singed with fire, and it crawls with slimy tentacles. Her skin is cracked and covered in burning blisters, and she's wielding a wicked scythe. It's a Mythical Weapon. 

Her eyes are a bloodshot red and she doesn't even look conscious. It would also appear that someone has filed her teeth into sharp, jagged spikes.

The female human rushes to the monster. 'Lain's hurt. If I don't kill Medusa quickly, he's going to die!'

"Violetta, no!" Lain calls back to his companion. They had just narrowly escaped an ambush of undead. Hundreds of eldritch abominations attacked them, spawned by the dark lord. Lain took a few hits from a Master Vampire. 

A Master Vampire's claws have special powers. Anyone who is scratched by them will not be able to stop bleeding. He needed a high-level Healer, and fast.

Violetta uses a burst of stamina to swing a heavy staff at Medusa's head. She raises her menacing scythe to block the attack. But this is exactly what Violetta wanted to happen. 

As Medusa deflects the attack, Violetta uses a Secret Art to bind her in place. 

With her target bound, Violetta readies another swing of her staff. She lands the attack quickly, smashing Medusa's head and knocking her out cold. 

But something unexpected happens. Medusa's body starts to shift, becoming snakelike to escape her magic binds. Her torso and all her limbs morph into one long and limber slither. She smacks Violetta out of the way, knocking the woman down. 

Medusa sets her sights on her true target - Lain. 

Lain raises up his sword to deflect Medusa, who's holding her scythe in her mouth and swings it like an executioner's axe. The impact of the blow sends him stumbling backward. Blood drips down from his arm. He was starting to feel dizzy from the blood loss. 

"I'm going to use it!" Lain shouts.

Violetta climbs back to her feet. "No!" she commands. "You'll die!"

Violetta jumps back into the action, blocking another scythe attack with her staff. She parries and ends up behind Medusa, and she strikes with her staff once again.

She makes a solid hit, and the sound of crushing bone comes from Medusa. She is quick to get up and her bones begin wriggling from within her body. They reform around where she was hit, and now she's even more hideously deformed. Her center of gravity is much lower now. It will be harder to knock her down.

She hops away from Medusa, onto one of the tables in a booth, and shoots out a Secret Art - ancient magic of her clan. Violetta releases a burst of blinding lightning, aiming directly into Medusa's eyes.

After being hit, Medusa's body adapts yet again. A horn protrudes from her head and directs the electrical current into the ground before it even hits her. 

'This is bad. She's unlocked Ultimate Evolution', Lain thinks to himself. "Violetta! Get out of here! We have no choice but my Secret Art! If we don't kill her in one hit, she'll just keep evolving!"

Lain raises his sword high, but it's not quick enough. Medusa bounds over a table and gets ready to land a kill shot on Violetta. Violetta tries to block but Medusa swings again, much faster, driving the blade down for the kill.

Mere inches away from her head, the blade suddenly stops, and Violetta looks into the creature's eyes in disbelief. There's a flicker of blue light in the bloody, mutated eyes. Tears are actively streaming down her face. 

"Mina, are you still in there…?" Violetta's eyes flicker. 

Medusa turns her head toward Lain and roars. His Secret Art is ready. 

"I'm sorry, Violetta. Live. For both of us."

Just then, Lain swings his arm in defiance. His sword begins to burst with irradiant flame, and the visage of a firebird manifests behind him.

"Rebirth Flame!"

The train car ignites in volcanic light, and the force of the explosion is enough to knock the train off its tracks. The train fully derails and begins to spiral out of control through the burning city. 

In mere moments, the train is shattered. Part of the burning city, now. 

Violetta was all alone. Lain and Mina, consumed by the Rebirth Flame, were now on their way to be born anew…

…

'Well, it's my first time doing this. What now?'

Lain spoke quietly to himself as he floated in empty space, in a void of complete blackness. This was the end of the world, he supposed. 

Suddenly, an image appeared before him, projecting straight out of his mind. Some kind of screen.

[Welcome to the Character Selection Process! We see you have previously made a character. Your gender is set to 'Male'. Would you like to be reborn as Male?]

Lain shrugs. "Sure."

[Due to high volume, the number of eligible hosts to be reborn into is: Zero. The following reasons are listed why: Reason 1 - World-ending Apocalypse]

"Wait, zero!?" Lain shouts, flailing his arms into the void. "What's the point of having rebirth power if I can't be reborn!? What if I pick female?"

Another message pops up. He hears the words in his head as he reads them. They are narrated by a tinny, feminine voice that sounds way too optimistic. 

[There is one eligible child who has not received a soul yet located in –-Dimartino—. This child is 'D' Rank. The following reasons are listed why: Reason 1 - Orphan. Reason 2 - Currently Adrift in the Ocean. Reason 3 - No natural mana.]

"Well, that sure sounds like a steal, huh?"

[You are welcome to wait for a new birth. Currently, no women are pregnant. Estimate for new birth: More than 1000 days. The following reasons are listed why: Reason 1 - World-ending Apocalypse]

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I'll take the orphan. How old is he?"

A new message. [Your eligible reincarnation target is now four years old. Since this child has already been born, your memories will be sealed until the child is sixteen years old.]

Lain tries to slam his fist in disbelief, but he's floating in a void. Nothing to slam on.

"What!?" Lain stammers. "Twelve years!? No way I can wait that long. If you haven't noticed, the world-ending apocalypse is RIGHT NOW!"

There's no immediate response. Is the system thinking?

[We understand, and we apologize for your inconvenience. As a gesture of goodwill, we will reset the child's location. The child will no longer be adrift in the ocean.]

"So I won't die immediately. You gotta do better than that. Come on! I'm a legendary hero!"

[To provide you with excellent customer service, a live-service representative will be with you soon. Please hold.]

Elevator music starts playing in the void. Lain buries his face in his hands. "You have got to be kidding me…"

After about three minutes of music, the sound suddenly cuts out.

Another message appears in front of Lain. This one is not voiced aloud. He squints his eyes to read it.

[Turn around.]

"Aah!" he yelps before even turning around. He peers over his shoulder, shimmering. Expecting to see something hideous. But what he sees instead is a beautiful young woman with long white hair - so long it is woven in a delicate braid around her body like a dress. It's covering all the important parts, but not leaving much to the imagination.

"You must be the 'legendary hero'. Welcome. I am Zelia. I am your assigned administrator."

Lain scratches his head. "So…"

Zelia tilts her head. "I have reviewed your request. You appear to be dissatisfied because you are being reborn as a guileless orphan and you will have your memories sealed for twelve years. Is that correct?"

Lain blinks slowly and gives Zelia a sour scowl.

"I have received authorization to grant your new body a magic power. This magical power is classified as 'B' Rank and can be evolved into an 'S' Rank skill. Do you accept?"

Zelia talks just like the System voice did, but there's a hint of dry, snarky wit in her words.

Lain thinks for a moment. His Rebirth Flame was a Secret Art of the 'S' Rank, and even if he's reborn into a new human, he'll never lose it. With this, he could have two S Rank abilities.

"Hell yeah," Lain says, punching his hands together. "See, that's what I'm talking about!"

Zelia claps her hands together. "Wonderful. If you ever need any help, here's my direct line. Call me anytime!"

Zelia zaps a card with a series of numbers on it into Lain's hand. Now he can talk to his administrator whenever he wants. If he can even figure out what the card is for in his new life.

"So, what's the skill?" Lain asks, excited.

Zelia is already walking away, her bare feet leaving sparkling footprints behind in the void. 

"Check your System Messages. All the info should be there!"

Zelia vanishes, and Lain turns around. Sure enough, another window has popped up.

"Congratulations, you now have B-Rank…Crab Affinity?"

Lain turns to the void, shouting at the top of his lungs. "What the hell kind of skill is this!?"

As he yells, everything around Lain grows black. When he next opens his eyes, he's four years old. Alone, scared, and clutching onto just one thing - a card with strange symbols on it.

And though his memories are sealed, the image of a woman with long white hair sears into his mind. 

He remembers her.