The process of returning to Nexus was entirely different from the journey out. When the transport craft pierced through the atmosphere and landed once again on the gray base landing pad, Asuka looked out the window at the familiar desolation and let out a soft sigh. The sunlight and greenery of Corona-01 felt like a fleeting, beautiful dream, while the wasteland of metal and rock before her was reality.
"Welcome back." Osiris's (secondary avatar) voice pulled her back from her thoughts. He had already donned his Terminator power armor, regaining his usual commanding presence.
Inside the base's medical sector, a sense of suppressed anticipation permeated the air. Ikari Shinji was practically pressed against the reinforced glass of the isolation observation room, his hands clutching the cold surface so tightly that his knuckles were white. These days, he had hardly left this spot, and now he had finally reached the long-awaited moment.
As the familiar figure inside the room slowly sat up, Shinji's breathing grew visibly rapid. Rei Ayanami's face was still pale, but those unique red eyes were open, calmly gazing out the window. The most advanced Imperial gene-reshaping technology, combined with psychic healing, had not only repaired her damaged flesh but also reshaped her mental connection with the EVA unit. Faint golden traces of psychic residue—the afterglow of high-level healers' restorative arts—were still visible around her body.
Shinji stumbled inside, coming to a sudden halt a few steps away from the bed. He opened his mouth but found himself too emotional to make a sound.
"Rei..." Shinji's voice choked as tears fell uncontrollably, yet his face broke into a brilliantly radiant smile.
"Ikari-kun," Rei spoke in her characteristic, uninflected voice. Those two simple words caused Shinji's tears to break through again. He nodded vigorously, his shoulders trembling with emotion.
Asuka stood a short distance away, her arms crossed over her chest. Seeing Rei wake up, she let out a sharp "Hmph," though a flicker of rare relief flashed in her eyes.
During this month, Osiris (secondary avatar) frequently appeared in the recovery area. He would check Rei's various physiological data and communicate with the psykers responsible for the treatment.
"The recovery effects have exceeded expectations," he said to the servo-skull hovering beside him. "The soul trauma healing has reached ninety-five percent, and the synchronization between body and spirit is stable within the safety threshold."
The servo-skull transmitted the primary entity's calm response: "Very good. It just so happens that their new mounts are ready as well."
In the month following Rei's awakening, subtle changes began to appear in the base's residential sector. In the cafeteria, the three of them would occasionally dine at the same table. Shinji always took careful care of Rei, bringing her food and organizing her utensils. This simple interaction made Asuka turn her face away awkwardly, but in the subsequent training sessions, her movements became noticeably lighter.
Asuka would usually sit a bit further away, poking at the synthetic food on her plate while intentionally raising her voice. "Tch, how boring. Some idiot is as much of a worrywart as ever."
"You've recovered well enough, it seems," Asuka commented once while standing outside the window, her voice loud enough for the two inside to hear. Shinji turned in surprise, while Rei looked over calmly, nodding slightly in greeting.
Through the observation window, Asuka could see the blue-haired girl's movements gradually becoming more fluid under the effects of the psychic therapy. When she heard Osiris softly explain that "her soul trauma has basically healed," Asuka's brow twitched slightly before she resumed her nonchalant expression.
A month later, on a crisp morning, Osiris led the three through the base corridors to the newly built hangar. As the heavy alloy doors slowly slid open, the sight inside took everyone's breath away.
"I have performed final tuning on the units based on your performance and characteristics over the past month," Osiris's voice echoed in the cavernous hangar. "Shinji: the violet Unit-07, with enhanced defense systems and emergency evasion capabilities. Rei Ayanami: the blue Unit-08, with optimized energy conduction and psychic synchronization systems. Asuka: the scarlet Unit-09—per your request, the paint scheme has been replaced, while fully retaining its aggressive traits and equipped with new thrusters."
Shinji tightened his hands instinctively upon seeing the machine. The unit in the center was a deep violet, with thick, rounded armor and reinforced plating at the joints, exuding a steady sense of defensive power. He noticed the new protective armor on the arms, which gave him a subconscious sense of security.
The unit on the far left was a crystalline cerulean blue. The armor surface had been specially treated to shimmer with a faint iridescence under the lights, its lines smooth and elegant like a meticulously carved work of art. Rei's gaze lingered on this machine for a long time. She could feel the faint energy fluctuations flowing over the armor's surface—a psychic connection established during her treatment. Her fingertips trembled slightly as if in response to this sensation.
The unit on the far right adopted a brilliant scarlet paint scheme, with sharp, angular armor and piercing spikes decorating the shoulder plates. The entire machine radiated an aggressive aura—this was the exclusive color scheme Asuka had demanded.
"Now that's more like it!" Asuka surveyed the vibrant red with satisfaction, her arms crossed and a defiant smirk on her face. "This looks much better than that dull gray look from before."
As Osiris explained, the optical sensors on the heads of the three EVA-Titans lit up in succession: spectral green for Shinji's unit, icy blue for Rei's, and crimson for Asuka's. The three gazes, as if possessed of their own life, quietly looked down at their respective pilots.
Osiris's gaze swept across the three youths and their three machines. Scarlet, Violet, and Icy Blue—the three EVA-Titans stood like three unsheathed blades, and before them stood the teenagers, their eyes shimmering with their own complex emotions.
Beneath the faceplate of his Terminator armor, Osiris's expression was unreadable; only a nearly imperceptible sigh dissipated into the air of Nexus.
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Was it Nexus or Nexum
hell if i remember