Chapter Text
Lain tapped into the Wired’s archives again, eyes sweeping over the data tied to Plasma. The world reappeared—scarred but not entirely dead. The three warriors were there,they moved through the ruins of a long-abandoned lab.They looked older now… much older.
Lain tilted her head.
“Had time moved faster there… or have I just been looking at archived logs?”
A shrug.
“Doesn’t matter.”
She watched as one of the warriors uncovered a hidden vault—a sealed chamber below the main structure. Even from her distant observation point in the Wired, Lain could tell: it was a backup. A second device, similar in design to the original Nexus Gate prototype.
Hope flickered, faint and uncertain.
“Maybe they’ll find a way to stop those things.”
But she knew better than to rely on what might happen.
Her gaze shifted again—to the multiverse map. The red dots were getting closer to their targets, inching into the atmosphere of unfamiliar skies.
Lain let out a soft sigh, her hand tightening into a fist.
"Seems like i don't have a choice."
She is a god.
And for once…
She will interfere.
Time to kick the Voids out.
><
Michiru sipped from her can of iced coffee, the cool sweetness lingering on her tongue as she strolled through the bustling streets of Anima City. The late afternoon sun filtered through the gaps between high-rising buildings and neon signs, casting warm glows across beastman faces going about their day.
Vendors were shouting out deals from colorful stalls, kids chased each other with tail-swinging energy, and music pulsed from a nearby café. It was noisy, vibrant—alive. Just the way she liked it.
She gave a small stretch and smiled to herself.
"Maybe I'll text Nazuna later," she thought.
"See if she wants to hang out. Catch a show, or just chill."
Peace felt... normal now. Something she didn’t take for granted anymore.
At least—until the ground trembled for just a fraction of a second.
Michiru paused.
She glanced down the street.
Something didn’t feel right.
She walked a few more steps, her shoes tapping lightly against the pavement. But that uneasy sensation didn’t fade—it thickened, like static clinging to her skin. The air felt heavier now, charged with something… wrong.
She slowed to a stop near a crosswalk, the sounds of the city dimming in her ears.
“What is this feeling…?”
Instinct kicked in. Her hand slipped into her pocket, pulling out her phone. The screen lit up, and she quickly tapped through to Shiro’s contact.
Her thumb hovered over the call button.
Just as Michiru was about to press call, a cold, clawed hand clamped down on her shoulder.
“Wha—?!”
Before she could react, the world twisted around her—the street, the people, the buildings all warped into streaks of light. Her body felt weightless, like it was being yanked through a tunnel made of static.
And then—
Silence.
A humid breeze brushed her face. Salt in the air.
She staggered back a step, blinking rapidly.
She was standing in a rural harbor now—cracked pavement under her feet, rusted boats swaying on still water nearby.
But what made her blood run cold were the things in front of her.
Creatures.
Dozens of them. Towering, hunched. Animal-like shapes, scaled limbs, slick fur—but wrong.
Michiru took a shaky step back, clutching her phone.
“W-Wait, are you guys… Beastmen too? What’s going on here?”
They answered only with guttural, echoing roars that shook her bones.
One of the creatures lunged with shocking speed, claws outstretched and jaws wide open.
“Gah—!”
Michiru threw herself to the side, rolling across the cracked harbor ground as the creature’s claws scraped concrete. Her body reacted on instinct—her right arm morphed mid-motion, bulging into the heavy, muscular shape of a gorilla’s limb.
She planted her feet and swung.
CRACK!
The blow landed square in the creature’s chest, sending it flying backward into a pile of rusted crates.
Michiru panted, eyes darting between the others as they growled, stalking forward.
“I said—who are you?!” she shouted.
“What do you want from me?!”
The response was the same—another chorus of horrific, garbled roars.
These things… they’re not Beastmen.
“Just what are you…?”
Another creature sprang forward, its speed faster this time.
Michiru clenched her fist and swung—but missed.
The creature ducked low, then delivered a vicious kick right into her midsection.
“Aghh—!”
The impact knocked the breath out of her, and her transformed arm snapped back into its normal shape as she tumbled across the pavement, landing hard on her side.
Groaning, she looked up—
The creatures were closing in, circling, twitching, snarling like a pack of starving wolves.
But before they could reach her, something snapped through the air.
Long, thin pink ribbons shot in from above, wrapping tightly around the creatures’ necks, arms, and legs like serpents. They were yanked upward, limbs flailing, before being slammed down into the ground with crushing force.
Michiru’s eyes widened as she followed the trail of ribbons to their source.
A figure stood at the far end of the harbor—small, composed, and unmistakably human.
A girl in a techno-like dress.
Lain.
The ribbons around the Voids began to thrash, violently hurling them through the air like rag dolls, smashing them into the concrete again and again—until they lay still.
Then, with a flick, the ribbons tossed their broken bodies away from Michiru, like trash.
Michiru slowly pushed herself up, stunned.
“Who…?”
Another creature crept silently behind Michiru, its claws raised—ready to strike.
Before it could even touch her, a sudden force shoved it backwards, sending it tumbling across the harbor.
Lain stood a few steps behind her, one hand raised.
“Stay alert.”
Michiru gritted her teeth, breathing hard.
Another beast emerged from the shadows, snarling.
This time, Michiru didn’t wait.
Her legs shifted—elongating and reshaping into a powerful, kangaroo-like form.
She kicked off the ground, soaring up before slamming both feet into the creature’s chest, sending it flying.
She landed hard but steady.
Just then, Lain teleported beside her in a flicker of static.
Michiru turned toward her quickly.
“Who are you?”
Lain didn’t glance at her.
“Let’s deal with these things first.” she said simply, her voice even.
“We’ll talk later.”
The Voids began creeping in from all directions, snarling and twitching with erratic movements. Their grotesque forms cast long, warped shadows under the dim harbor lights.
Lain stood still, unfazed.
"You can shapeshift into different animals, right?”
Michiru gave a tense nod.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Turn into a cheetah. Draw their attention—run them into a circle. I’ll trap them all at once.”
Understanding immediately, Michiru stepped back, her legs morphing again—sleek and powerful now, coated with spotted fur. Her form became a blur as she shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
The Voids growled in confusion, turning and stumbling after her. Michiru darted around them, weaving in and out with practiced speed, stirring the pack into a chaotic spiral. The more she ran, the tighter the circle became, the Voids unwittingly drawing closer to one another.
Just outside the formation, Lain reappeared in a flicker of static.
“Get out of there.”
Michiru leapt away in a flash.
Lain raised one hand.
The ribbons from her techno-dress surged forth like living tendrils, snapping around the group in a blur of motion—coiling, binding, slamming the Voids into one another with thunderous force.
Lain raised her hand, fingers slowly curling into a fist.
The bound Voids began to twitch violently, the crushing force intensifying with each second. A low, resonating hum filled the air as the space around them seemed to distort. Then—BOOM—a massive explosion erupted, shaking the entire harbor.
Smoke and debris clouded the sky.
From within the haze, glowing orbs—each one a concentrated fragment of the Voids’ essence—floated upward. Without hesitation, Lain raise her hand. A pulse of digital static surged from her fingers, and the orbs halted midair.
One by one, they shimmered, digitizing into streams of light before vanishing entirely.
Back in the Wired, the data packets received their destination.
Lain lowered her hand. The harbor fell silent.
“Hey! Who are you?!”
Michiru called out, her voice still shaky from the fight.
She stepped cautiously toward the girl in the tech-cloth dress, studying her face, her blank expression, the way she didn’t seem to breathe like normal people.
“You’re not a Beastman but you’re not human either…”
Lain remained silent, her eyes gazing somewhere far beyond the physical world.
Michiru scowled, frustrated.
“Seriously? Say something!”
She reached out, hand nearly brushing Lain’s shoulder—
But Lain vanished.
Michiru blinked, stunned.
“Wha—?!”
She spun in place, looking around the quiet, empty harbor.
Then, a sudden sharp pain pulsed behind her eyes.
She winced, clutching her forehead.
And then the pain faded. She stood alone in the harbor, confusion clouding her mind.
“…Wait. How… did I even get here?”
She looked around, as if expecting something—or someone—to answer.
><
Midoriya dashed through the city, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with practiced ease, wind rushing past his ears. His phone had just buzzed with a priority alert—something strange was happening near the downtown district.
“I’ll get there first.” Midoriya muttered, adjusting his trajectory mid-air with a burst of One For All's power. His boots slammed against a building’s edge before he vaulted forward again.
But just as he was about to land on the next rooftop—
A tear in the sky opened.
A monstrous figure lunged out of the rift, black and goo-like, vaguely humanoid but twisted and snarling. Its clawed foot slammed into Midoriya’s chest before he could react, sending him crashing down onto the road below.
“Ghh—!”
Midoriya groaned, rolling to a stop as dust and rubble kicked up around him. He forced himself to his feet, eyes narrowing on the creature stepping out of the rift above.
“What… is that? A Nomu?”
The Void didn't respond—only let out a feral roar before charging at him again.
Lain materialized silently on the rooftop of a tall building,her eyes glowed faintly as she looked down, observing the clash unfolding below.
The hero—Midoriya—was holding his ground, but the Voids were relentless, clawing and charging at him in a frenzy.
With a blink,she vanished.
A moment later, she reappeared right beside the battle.
Lain raised her hand,an invisible wave of force erupted outward—soundless, seamless. The Voids were launched backward, slamming into buildings and pavement.
The hero turned to her, startled, green eyes wide with surprise.
“Who are you—?!”
“Use your Quirk to corner them.” she said quickly, her tone urgent but flat.
“Now.”
Midoriya hesitated for half a second—her presence, her voice, it felt... off. But the intensity in her eyes snapped him back to focus. He nodded.
“R-right!”
Without wasting another moment, Midoriya dashed forward. His legs sparked with energy as he activated Full Cowling. The Voids snarled and leapt at him, their twisted forms flailing through the air. He ducked beneath one, pivoted, and drove his elbow into another’s side, sending it crashing into its own companion.
They began to cluster, lunging all at once.
Exactly what he needed.
Midoriya gritted his teeth and pressed harder, driving them into a narrow alley—tight, cramped, nowhere to run. Just as Lain had wanted.
Lain extended her hand. The pink ribbons on her clothes slithered to life.
They snaked down, precise and wrapped around the Voids just as they clustered in the alleyway. The moment they were bound, the ribbons constricted—tightening in a split second.
A muffled boom echoed through the alley as the Voids burst apart into smoke and fragments. Glowing orbs floated out from the dissipating remains, drifting upward like sparks from a dying fire.
Lain calmly raised her hand again. The orbs paused, then zipped toward her, merging into a single stream. With a subtle flick of her fingers, the stream compressed into glowing data, vanishing as it transmitted back into the Wired.
She then felt something...strange.
She glanced down at her hand.
It was faint—almost transparent now. The edges of her fingers flickered, dissolving like smoke in the wind. Every worlds she stepped into that's not hers had pushed back against her very existence.
Her time here is short.
Midoriya looked at her, catching his breath.
“You’re… really good at handling those things,” he said, voice full of awe.
“Are you a Pro Hero or—?”
Before he could finish, Lain faded—vanishing like a ghost swallowed by the light.
Midoriya spun around, searching.
“H-Hey! Wait—!”
Silence.
Then, a dull throb pulsed in his head. He staggered slightly, hand on his temple.
Seconds later, he blinked, confused.
“What… was I doing again?”
><
Lain's consciousness returned to the Wired in a flicker of static and light, her feet gently touching the glowing floor of her digital realm. The moment her consciousness stabilized, a sharp throb pulsed through her temple. She winced slightly, raising a hand to her head.
Five worlds.
Five unstable jumps.
Lain exhaled slowly, steadying herself. Just one more. One more world before this phase is over.
She closed her eyes, tuning into the frequencies beyond.
><
"Panty, did you fucking eat my cakes again!?"
Stocking's voice thundered through the apartment, sharp and furious.
Panty glanced lazily from the couch, a smug grin tugging at her chocolate-smeared lips.
"No, maybe Chuck did it."
Stocking's eyes narrowed as she caught the shine of frosting still glistening on Panty's mouth. With a loud scoff, she spun around and stormed out of the living room, shouting.
"You liar! You totally ate it!"
Panty shot up from the couch, pointing back.
"Oh please, your cakes taste like ass anyways!"
"You bitch!" Stocking screamed.
Lain materialized in the center of the Anarchy sisters’ chaotic living room, her expression blank and unreadable as her ribbons gently settled.
Panty blinked, then pointed.
“Who the hell is this discount porcelain doll!?”
Stocking tilted her head, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Ooh… I like her outfit.She'd got the drip.”
Lain gave them both a deadpan stare, scanning the space. No Void presence......Wrong world. She scoffed softly, more to herself than them.
“Never mind.”
Before either sister could say another word, Lain vanished into thin air, leaving a trail of digital static.
“…Okay, what the fuck was that?” Panty muttered.
“Maybe a fashion ghost,”
Stocking said, already pulling out her phone to search for the look.
><
Shinji was hunched over his desk, quietly highlighting lines in his textbook while soft music played from his old stereo.
Then—bzzt.
A strange distortion flickered in the corner of his room. He turned slightly—and froze.
Lain stood there.
They locked eyes for a long, awkward second. Shinji’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
Lain blinked once.
“...Sorry.”
And just like that, she vanished in a quiet burst of static, leaving Shinji alone in stunned silence, the music still playing like nothing happened.
"Who was that!?"
><
Lain appeared into the empty classroom—rows of dusty desks, chalk still faintly clinging to the board, and sunbeams slipping through half-open blinds. Silence.
She furrowed her brow.
“No Void presence again…”
With a tired sigh, she walked to one of the chairs and sat down, her legs finally relaxing after countless jumps between dimensions.
"Why am I misjumping now?" she muttered, voice edged with both frustration and fatigue.
She leaned back, staring up at the cracked ceiling tiles.
Maybe the strain was getting to her. Or maybe... something was interfering.
Just as Lain placed her hands on the desk to push herself up, a gentle, almost sleepy voice floated in from behind her.
“Are you the new transfer student?”
Lain froze. She turned her head slowly to see a girl standing there with a faint smile, her posture loose and relaxedm
Osaka tilted her head.
“You look hungry.”
Lain blinked.
“...Sort of.”
Without missing a beat, the girl reached into her school bag and pulled out a round, golden treat wrapped in a napkin.
“Sata Andagi!” she said, offering it to Lain with a small, satisfied grin, like she’d just solved a very simple but very important puzzle.
Lain slowly reached out and took the cake from Osaka’s hand. The moment her fingers made contact with it, the small treat glitched—shimmering with static—then dissolved into shimmering particles of data, disappearing into thin air.
Osaka blinked in confusion.
“It’s disappear?”
Before she could ask more, Lain’s body began to flicker and vanished into the air just like the cake—leaving no trace behind.
Osaka gasped and stepped back, eyes wide.
“Wha—!? She vanished too!?”
She looked around the empty classroom, completely baffled.
><
Lain materialized onto the sidewalk of a small towm. She exhaled slowly, her breath visible in the cold air, and closed her eyes.
There it is.
A chilling pulse—faint but unmistakable. The Void’s presence.
Her eyes opened sharply.
"This is the last one."
><
Chise tightened her cloak slightly, her red hair fluttering in the wind as she walked briskly down the sidewalk. She glanced up at the sky—ominous black clouds gathered overhead, heavy with the promise of rain.
“If I don’t hurry, I’ll be soaked...”
As she picked up her pace, something tugged at the edges of her senses—an unease in the air.
She slowed her steps, eyes narrowing slightly.
Something is here.
Something unfamiliar.
She turned around, her eyes searching.
“Ruth? Do you sense that too?”
But there was no response.
Her heart skipped a beat—Ruth was nowhere in sight. He had been right behind her just a moment ago. Her breath caught in her throat, panic beginning to rise.
“Ruth?!”
Before she could move, a loud, ripping sound tore through the air behind her. A glowing rift cracked open in the space above the street—violent, unnatural—and from it, Ruth came flying out, crashing hard into a brick wall with a pained growl.
“RUTH!” Chise screamed, rushing forward—
“Run!” Ruth snarled, struggling to lift his head.
From the rift, shapes began to emerge,the Voids notice her immediately.
Chise stood frozen, her eyes wide with horror as the grotesque creatures come out from the rift.
“What... what are those things?”
Ruth snarled, dragging himself upright despite the pain.
“Stay back, Chise!”
He lunged forward, trying to intercept them—but one of the larger Voids, shaped like a rhinoceros, charged with brutal force. Its massive foot collided with Ruth’s side, sending him skidding across the pavement with a sharp yelp of pain.
“No!”
Chise cried out, reaching toward him—but the Voids were closing in fast. Her fingers trembled. She didn’t know if she could cast a spell fast enough.
The Voids snarled as they rushed in, claws scraping against the ground. Chise stood still, the world around her blurring—until her vision dimmed and something ancient stirred within her.
A surge of power erupted from deep inside. Her right arm morphed grotesquely, scales blooming across her skin, muscle swelling—becoming a dragon’s limb.She lunged forward with inhuman strength, slashing through the Voids like paper.
But as suddenly as it came, the power vanished.
Her dragon arm dissolved back into her human flesh. Chise gasped and stumbled back.
The Voids—shredded moments ago—began to stitch themselves together, limbs reattaching, forms reforming.
They began to close in again.
Pink ribbons lunge in as they lashed around the regenerating Voids. With unnatural strength, they yanked the creatures skyward, slamming them into the pavement and nearby walls, scattering their snarling formation.
Chise shielded her eyes from the gust stirred by the impact. When she looked up, a girl stood beside her.
"Get your friend out of here,"
Lain said, her voice low but firm.
Chise blinked in shock.
“Who are you—?”
“I'll talk later." Lain interrupted, not looking at her.
Still bewildered, Chise didn’t argue. She rushed toward Ruth, who was groaning as he tried to stand.
“Come on, Ruth!"
Lain's pink ribbons coiled tightly around the remaining Voids like serpents. She raised her hand slowly and curled it into a fist.
The creatures convulsed violently before erupting into black smoke. From the smoke, glowing orbs floated upward, pulsing faintly.
Lain's eyes flickered.
The orbs paused in the air for a breathless moment… then, like moths to flame, were pulled into Lain’s hand—converted instantly into streams of data, pixelating into fragments and vanishing into the Wired.
Silence fell.
It's over.
Lain let out a quiet sigh, her shoulders relaxing for the first time in hours. She turned slightly, preparing to phase out once more—but paused when she heard Chise’s voice behind her.
“Thank you for saving us.”
Lain turned her head slowly. Chise stepped closer, her eyes still wide from the encounter, but filled now with a soft, genuine warmth.
“Are you… a mage too?” she asked, eyeing Lain’s strange attire.
Lain blinked, glancing at her own hands.
“…Something like that."
Chise gave a small, relieved smile.
“I’m really grateful,” she said, bowing slightly.
“I don’t know what those things were, but… you saved us.”
Lain shifted her weight and looked away.
“I have to go now.”
Chise’s eyes widen in worried.
“Did I… say something wrong?”
Lain stopped mid-step. She stood still for a moment before glancing over her shoulder. Her lips curled faintly, more an expression of resignation than amusement.
“…No. Just… not used to being thanked,” she said with a shrug.
Maybe… she’d stay just a little longer this time.
><
The soft golden light of dawn spilled across the damp grass, painting the field in hues of warmth as the two girls walked side by side.
“So..What’s your name?” Chise finally asked, her tone light but sincere.
“…Lain,” the other girl replied after a moment.
“I’m Chise. Chise Hatori,” she said with a small smile.
Lain tilted her head slightly, studying Chise.
“You look… Japanese.”
Chise nodded.
“I am. I moved from Japan a while ago… this place is my home now.”
Lain’s eyes softened.
“I’m from Japan too. Setagaya Ward.”
Chise blinked in surprise.
“Really? I used to visit there sometimes, back when I lived in Tokyo.”
Chise continued.
“So… where do you live now that you’re here?”
Lain looked ahead, her expression unreadable. After a brief pause, she muttered,
“You only need to know…it’s... close to your house.”
Chise raised an eyebrow at the vague answer, clearly unconvinced.
“That’s… not really an answer.”
Lain kept walking.
“It’s enough.”
Chise sighed softly but didn’t push further.
Just then, Ruth, padding beside her in his large black dog form, spoke up.
“We should head home, Chise. It’s getting late.”
Lain’s eyes widened slightly.
“The dog can talk?”
Chise chuckled, the tension easing a bit.
“Yeah. He’s my familiar.”
Ruth nodded with a low grunt.
Lain tilted her head as she observed Ruth.
“You looked tense earlier when we were talking.”
Ruth glanced at her but didn’t respond right away. Chise stepped in with a light smile.
“He tends to be very protective of me. Don’t mind him.”
Lain looked down for a moment, her voice almost a whisper.
“I used to have a plush dog… called Bike-chan.”
Chise blinked.
“Bike-chan?”
Lain nodded.
“I used to hug it when I was feeling lonely.”
There was a short silence. The breeze rustled through the grass around them.
“…Did it help?” Chise asked quietly.
Lain looked up at the sky.
“Sometimes.”
She let out a soft sigh and turned her back to them.
“I’ll be leaving now.”
Chise gave a small wave, her voice warm.
“Be safe, Lain.”
Without another word, Lain vanished in a blink of light.
Chise stared at the spot where she had been, the quiet now almost too loud. A dull throb pressed against her temple, and she instinctively reached up to rub it.
“…What just happened?” she whispered to herself, her memories already starting to blur at the edges, as if a dream were slipping away.
Ruth glanced at her with concern.
“Are you alright, Chise?”
She hesitated, then nodded slowly.
“Im alright… just a little dizzy."
><
Lain returned to the Wired, her consciousness flickering slightly as exhaustion finally caught up to her. She opened the multiverse map—the red dots had thinned, but not vanished. Still more to go.
Rubbing her temples, she sighed and redirected her view toward Plasma.
There, through a shimmer of code, she observed the three warriors gathered around the rebuilt tracking device. They were adjusting components, stabilizing the readings, and calibrating the Void signatures.
Lain let herself lean back, faint relief washing over her.
"So they’re finally taking responsibility."
If Plasma could now track Voids across dimensions, perhaps they wouldn't need her intervention anymore. Maybe they could cleanse what remained. For good.