Chapter 3

It was a tad inconvenient, but nothing I couldn't rectify… Or at least, I thought so. Sparing Todd a glance, he turned his head at just the same time to meet my gaze, his brow furrowing upon seeing me. "Could you do me a solid?" I asked, a cold nervousness tugging at my cheeks. He didn't seem too perturbed by the initial request, his hand motioning for me to continue.

"Nothing too bad, I hope." The dog faunus jokingly replied, removing the mask that covered his snout. "It's getting pretty close to supper though, so I might not be able to do it."

Pulling him close, I leaned into his ear. "That's the thing, I need you to take care of dinner." Todd's head curtly nodded, a mix of understanding and confusion written across his face. "Some stuff came up earlier that likely can't be easily ignored. I need to take care of it before it becomes an issue. Because of it, I am certain I will run late. Sorry, it seemed to have flown over my mind after the long day of work."

In response, he simply chuckled, a hand placing itself on my shoulder. "If it's work that needs to be urgently done, then I don't see why not. It wouldn't be too much of a bother on my part either way. Do what you must, and return with great haste, I fear that there won't be any food left for you if it were to simply sit at the table."

Reassuring in his words, he bid me off while funneling large shards of dust into a funnel type-system, where it carefully entered the top and exited out the bottom, awaiting inspection. Retracing my steps, I swiftly found myself in front of a device embedded into the wall. It was about the size of a packet of chocolate cookies, and blared a brilliant blue light, shining bright into my eyes as I shielded them from further damage.

Too used to the mine's darkness, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the sudden exposure to the light. A wetness stained the tips of my lashes, as they trailed down my cheek, the debris and dryness leaving my sight with the barest hints leaving a trace of their existence. Returning my gaze towards the screen of the device, I tapped at the buttons just below it as its simple interface guided me through the process, leaving shortly thereafter.

Briskly passing through the mine's lengthy entrance, the sun's orange ray licked at my skin, an odd sense of warmth and nostalgia forcing its way into the forefront of my mind. Unknown were the emotions sprouting in my head, utterly blind to the happenings around me. A lump formed in my throat, unable to escape, nor go inside. It was tough, a hard pill to swallow. I had taken the life of someone inconsequential to me, and yet, I was feeling something from this, a foreign familiarity, so close, but also so far.

Uneasy thoughts drifted in my head, while each forward step felt harder and harder to take. 'Were they of me? Of this body? A combination of both?' I had neither the answer, nor a clue. My fists balled up, my breath hastening to an absurd degree. Why was I so desperate to understand?

"Don't look too well, are you doing good?" A voice to my right asked, calm as a cucumber. "No need to beat yourself too much, yeah? Because in the end, you've got me by your side." A hand slung around my shoulders, the sudden weight rocking my feet. "Not like you'll need any more than that, right Tim?"

Teary-eyed, it was hard to see anything at all, a thin film of water blocking my vision with an array of color. Squinting, I veered my sight downward, catching a glimpse of the person who dragged me into this mess. "Erza?" I croaked, thickly swallowing down the wad of saliva that had built in my throat. "What brings you here? I thought we weren't supposed to meet for another thirty minutes."

"And what makes you think we can't meet up early?" Blowing raspberries, she shook her head, arms crossing as her bangs covered her eye. "Though, I suppose that I was lucky enough to catch up to you. And seeing as you 'lost' your memories" She air quoted, my eyes rolling in response. "It would be rude of me to expect you actually knew where we usually hang. Then again, that would also prove whether or not you were lying."

From deep within me, a hard grunt bellowed out, clearing me of my earlier stint. Though, it would seem as if she took it as a sign of acknowledgment, if anything. "Well, how about we get some water, a bite and call it a date, okay?" A cheeky grin spread across her face, as my own burst into flame. "Aww, look at that. Just like a budding virgin. Honestly, could've fooled me… if I was blind!"

An invisible blow stuck my gut, the air in my lungs suddenly disappearing without a trace. "You make it sound like I haven't fucked before." A set of fingers cupped her chin, tilting her head up. "I'll have you know, I've done the… sex a whole bunch of times." That sounded a lot better in my head.

"Oh really now? Come on, you have to come up with a more convincing lie than that!" Her elbow rocketed towards my gut, striking it several more times as a blue panel repeatedly flashed right before my eyes. "Children can tell taller tales more convincingly than you. Hell, I bet even a baby could one up you."

My eye twitched, and yet, I didn't move a single muscle. It wasn't that I didn't feel anything, I could still feel the emotions stirring up in my chest, but… "Follow me." Erza said simply, her hand removing itself from my shoulder, and latching onto my own. "This place is far too open for a conversation like this." Lost, drifting in the wind, she pulled me along with the current, dragging me with her for the inevitable ride.

Tucked behind the lodges; further obstructed by a large amount of unremoved foliage, the scarlet-haired girl sat on a wooden stump embedded into the ground, with her body lurched forward, and both elbows on her knees. Her eyes were keenly trained on me, trailing along with my every movement. It was as if my presence was that of a stranger's in her eyes: akin to an owl watching its prey.

"It's been a while since we've really stayed here, huh?" She asked, staring at the air itself. "How long has it been? Weeks? Months? Years? The mine's been messing with my perception of time, that it's hard to even put a number on it without using a calendar…." Her stance shifted, posture straightening as a hand drifted over her thigh. "But to you, it practically seems like this is your first; completely disregarding the many days' worth of time we've spent fooling around here."

"As I have already said, I knew naught a single thing before today. No family relations, what I am, or even who I was before this for that matter. Friends that I once knew might as well have not existed because I don't even know a single detail about them. Anything I said pertaining to those people was nothing more than a white lie, a surface level observation spun to such a degree that it spewed out bullshit."

The tone of my voice never once rose higher than from where I started, level all throughout. Of course, I also knew that everything I had just said didn't need to be voiced out, nor was it supposed to be. Each word that left my lips, another came to replace it just as quick. Dismayed, Erza shook her head, her practically steaming in pressure as she stared at me with her lone visible eye.

"And yet, you were able to function an entire day in the mines, getting only so much as a scolding from the foremen. I wonder how so? Yes, the evidence has been laid out for me to solve, but it just doesn't make any sense unless you either know more than you let on, or you simply omitted because you thought it wasn't needed." Hearing her words was like walking on a path of eggshells. Each footstep felt as though it was against me as for every crack beneath my feet, I couldn't help but mentally cringe.

For a miner, the girl was smarter than she would let on, having apparently hidden all of it under a veil of ignorance. Here I thought the encounter would lead to a confession or perhaps the beginning of a confusing relationship, not an interrogation! Sweat trailed down my back, as I calmed down my breathing, a shaky sigh leaving my lungs as I stared at the woman with laser-point focus, her figure melting into three's.

"Observations in the environment can go a long way, you know? When people are starved for information, their first instinct will be to understand what is around them." I was on the backfoot, that much was obvious. Her gaze didn't once falter in the face of my words, even her brows stayed in place the whole time. "Watching from the sidelines alone, I've been able to reintegrate myself back into the system. An especially simple job only made simpler with the general populace that live here."

"How so?" Curiosity brimmed in her inquiry, eliciting a much-needed reaction from her blank face. "You say it as though most are nothing but buffoons or laymen and women who are barely smarter than a rock. To say such with a supposed outsider's perspective, is interesting, isn't it? Especially one such as yourself, I'm sure the irony is not lost on you, and yet, you fail to mention it."

The temperature of my cheeks rose, as I stumbled with my words, sputtering for a moment, I was unable to gather my thoughts. Gritting my teeth, a smirk spread on her lips like butter, a bone-chilling cold passing throughout my body. My right hand shook with unrestrained irritation, a vein appearing on my forehead. To have had an outward reaction to her question was akin to an admission of defeat, to make her words gain at least partial truth. I needed to take back control of the situation, even though it was only my pride on the line.

Recomposing my posture, I sucked in a breath of air, and responded to what she had to say. "Yes, unfortunately, that may be the case. What should have been something so simple was lost to me, and I take the fault for it. However, I have to ask you this. What do you stand to gain from telling me… any of this? Frankly, when I accepted your request to speak with me, I didn't expect for any of this to happen. But what I can say for some certainty is that you didn't bring me out here to interrogate me, correct?"

Her brows tilted to one side, eyes rolling as her feet kicked up. "Not particularly." She answered, taking several brisk steps towards me, each one making her figure appear as though it were a butterfly. "Initially, I merely wanted to talk with the real you, snap this delusion of yours into pieces. That was until I finally observed what you became, Tim."

The light of her voice dimmed, and long with it, a pressure came bearing down on my shoulders, a light taint spreading across the atmosphere. "Then I realized, this was a much more concerning issue than I thought."

"And what makes you say that? What could be so worrying to have received your ire?"

"What else, if not the grimm?" As though it had been an everyday occurrence, she simply stated, as Erza's sweat ladened body stood before my own. "Though, I barely have any proof of such, it would be highly plausible. Everyone's mental state hasn't been the best since the cave-in, and hasn't improved since, thereby attracting grimm of all shapes and sizes to come for us like a pack of starving wolves."

My jaw parted, a brow rising whilst the other lowered. "If you don't mind me asking, what are the grimm?"

Briefly, her face shifted to one of shock, a finger scratching at her chin as she stared at me with a fervent intensity, looking at me like I was an alien. "Selective information deletion? What else do you not know?" She whispered under her breath, clearing her throat. "Creatures of destruction? Chaos and sin given manifest? The four great calamities that will destroy the earth?" She recited to me, speaking as though the words would ring a bell. "That jog your memory?"

"Not particularly, no." Curtly, I answered, the sky above us dimmed as glints of gray-ish blue light peered from the east. "Last I recall, I don't remember anything of the sort existing. Sure, there were some off-handed mentions, but I barely thought anything of it. Why should I start caring now? Should I be concerned?"

"Wouldn't be a very good idea." She sighed, a set of fingers placing themselves on her forehead. "For someone who sees themselves as smarter than those around you, that particular decision wasn't quite wise. Especially after a particularly recent traumatic event. Though, with your shift in personality, and lack of memories, I can't really blame you for barely caring.

"Simply put, they are a set of five different creatures beset upon us by some angry god for no good particular reason. Each is attracted to strong emotions, some more than others, with fear being the most potent." Her explanation left me stunned for what felt like ages. My body froze, whilst my mind processed what it had just learnt.

If I got it right, then these grimm were supposed to be the big bad evil guys who want nothing more than wanton destruction. Great, if getting transported into another world wasn't enough, they were also likely the ones I was going to be fighting for the foreseeable future. That, and or some other shadowy organization, but I had little evidence to actually back that up.

"Hello?" Erza's voice peered into my mind, booming in my ears, as she placed her chin on my shoulder. "Remnant to Tim? Remnant to Tim? I know you're smart and all, but you don't need an inner monologue when you learn something new. Take your time with it, there's no rush." A blush overcame my cheeks at her words, a sly smile etching itself on her lips as her body leaned on mine. "There's nothing wrong with it. In fact, it makes you all the more cute because I can get closer~."

My knuckles whitened, with much restraint just barely holding me back. My very fingers trembled, twitching as I held myself together. "And how does this relate to our original topic? I'm afraid we've been sidelined enough."

A cough left her mouth upon hearing my words, as the red-haired woman cleared her throat. "Yes, of course. If you could please follow me for a second, then I believe I can better demonstrate a theory of mine that could explain the reasoning for your memory loss, something I'm sure you're most excited to hear about, right?"

From the seams of my lips, a breath broke out, my body deflating as though it were a balloon. But that was the issue, right? I didn't want to know the person whom I replaced. A tight grip took hold of my heart, its beats slowing down to a crawl, booming in my ears. At the same time, what use was there in playing chicken? My teeth grit against one another, emotion filling me with each inhale, a crooked arch forming on my lips. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Faux, with the slightest hint of the truth, the unknown expression that etched itself onto my face felt like a heavy coat of makeup, caked in foundation and all. Suddenly, a hand took my own, dragging me through the path of foliage with immense speed, as though it could not wait a second longer. Branches, leaves, and all manner of items peppered my face, the dense plant life of the unbroken forest practically repelling me from entry.

Eventually, Erza and I were able to reach a clearing, a vast field populated by untrimmed grass. Though, it would appear that we weren't the only ones here. Over in the distance, lights shimmered with a faint brilliance, just bright enough to be seen. They were fireflies, but, if my companion's apprehensive look was anything to go by, then it was likely far from the case.

"Blue light, with hints of pink accompanying it." She whispered, her breathing hitching. "Stealth Seers, multiple of them. There aren't supposed to be so many …not unless a cult's nearby…" The scarlet haired woman's expression became pensive, a set of fingers cupping her chin.

My brow twitched, furrowing as I stared at her, questioningly. "I'm guessing that's a bad thing? They don't seem hostile, but at the same time, I could be wrong. But with the look on your face, they should be the grimm, correct?" She took several steps forward, halting just before the grass got up to her knees, a barrier of sorts manifesting an instant later.

"No, not particularly. And yes, these are Grimm, a special kind, but grimm nevertheless." She softly clarified, prodding at the barricade that separated us from the outside world with her index finger. "There are seven- no- nine of them, each acting as scouts for larger predators. All of this recent negativity seemed to have pinged us on their radar, though, it was only a matter of time."

She clicked her mouth, the tension in her body easing, shoulders, slumping. "Unless a miracle were to occur, I don't think this will fix itself at all. Even then, if people were to be positive, then it would attract Slaanesh's goons. It's a lose-lose situation whichever way you twist it."

Long, drawn out, she exhaled. Eyes shut as her head tilted skyward, her hands clenching with great intensity. "Nothing we can do about it, even the SDC won't care, as long as they can extract their equipment and dust out in time, it won't matter at all. Gods be damned, we're fucked."

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[A/N: This fic is fun to write. Slowly build the world, and watch it crumble right before your eyes. Fun, fun, fun. Copy and paste below.

Anyways, if you find anything wrong in the fic, let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and what I could have done in place of what is present.

I'm mainly active on 2 discord servers, you can find me on them when I have the time. Come and chat, I like interaction a lot. Channel name is #ball's pit for the server that aren't mine.

SGO: discord . gg /wd3tUYWVCd

Mine: discord . gg /eTb2kPab4z

I now have Kofi and at "kofi-/balls1124" and "pa-treon-/ balls1124" respectively. Sending money makes fingers go brrrrrr.

With that being said, I'm going to write some god damn becca smut.]