Code Vein Fanfic

Not even a day of training was done before recently awakened revenants were thrown to the hordes of Lost as cannon fodder just to buy time for the real team of jaded and hardened warriors to attempt putting down the Queen. A cycle that was repeated many times, that much was obvious due to the collective loss of memories between 1st and 2nd generations of revenants.

There are plenty of examples of wandering in the ruined city, a lot not knowing themselves as the victims. Many try to 'live' under the guise of surviving as they have forgotten most of what made them human.

Ironically enough, searching for meaning in living is one of the most human things to do. And there are a few that find it in a world of ruin and tragedy.

An example is a normal teen who was cruelly kicked out of his already early grave to fight a battle belonging to someone else.

Kevin can't recall much from his human life, be it because of his recent awakening or the many deaths that followed it, before being thrown at the wolves while being told that his sacrifice of blood and sweat would be for a better future.

With no actual knowledge about swinging a blade or shooting, he managed to avoid a death that he couldn't come back from by protecting his heart.

However, was it worth the endeavor just for him to find himself surrounded by other revenants who had just turned to ashes his little squad?

He possessed very few memories that could explain why he was kicked out of the government shelter once resources began to run dry. The moment he and his squad were 'excused' they got ambushed.

Seems like the blood beads they thought to be a smile from lady luck turned out to be a trap.

"Huh, you are in luck, we will keep you alive as long as you get your job done." An old man calmly stated, his visage was blurry to the battered Kevin.

"He is still breathing?" A big man who had just punched Kevin through two buildings cleaned his gloves covered in ashes. "It would be a waste to just kill the lad." He nodded, getting a look at the barely conscious kid.

He picked Kevin by the head with his enormous hands as if he was a toy, "he has a mean glare though."

Kevin was not in a good state. He was sure plenty of his bones were broken even before the punch that immobilized him. Fractured ribs made it difficult to even breathe and collar bones pierced his own throat, but none of those crippling injuries could take away any of his fury away once he saw the face of the man.

He had no idea who he was, he wasn't someone he knew or heard of. And that is what made him so angry. The smile the man was wearing at the beginning of the massacre was actually bigger now.

"You-YoU are enjoying this!?" The kid spat blood on his face despite the possibility of having his head crushed like a grape.

"Hahahaha! Let's see how long you can keep that attitude!"

*whack*

To steal from one another is an act that must be followed by anyone who wants to survive in the Gaol of the Mist.

Kevin's days on the outside had taught him that much, no matter the amount of deaths he suffered, he wouldn't forget such a fact.

A constant routine of stealing from other kids just like him, taking away from another unfortunate soul. He wanted to close his heart and just do what he wanted to survive, but there was a disgust he couldn't get rid of when the idea came to mind.

"Those men are the ones making you collect the blood beads, aren't they? Well, you can keep them now." Louis' voice startled Kevin. He had been frozen as he saw how he made quick work of his captors.

"Wha… why are you helping me???" The kid wasn't ungrateful, but waking up in a world where no one showed any kindness to even kids like himself, Louis' behavior was puzzling.

Just when he thought the norm in which everyone operated was that of only caring about oneself was when Louis appeared out of nowhere and shattered said standard.

"Far too many people keep others as thralls to exploit them. Stay safe, watch yourself out there." His savior didn't answer, perhaps Louis didn't even know why the sharp pain of guilt in his heart was at the moment. Just that he wanted to alleviate somehow.

"Um, I- my name is Kevin, I could give you a hand with whatever…" Hoping to stay close to the one person who has retained some morality in a mad world, Kevin showed the little courtesy he has a recollection of.

Louis nodded, "I'll see you."

Unexpectedly, the kid didn't have to wait much for Louis to appear again.

"Thanks so much… but…" Kevin looked at the blood beads he was given by Louis, "But at least let me repay you!" Louis has made many stops at Kevin's little shack to share his rations.

"Trust me, I've picked up a few useful skills in my expeditions!" Kevin flexed his biceps.

"No need for payment, I'm just doing what I want." He stated once Kevin offered a way to help.

"Then I can help with what I want!" Kevin.

"Didn't I say to keep yourself alive and well?" Louis.

"And you didn't have to help!" Kevin.

The need for scavenging became almost inexistent, the risk of something worse than death that came with it became so distant for a period of time.

There was peace. For the first time, Kevin felt respite. Louis kept bringing blood beads which spared him the trouble of keeping the thirst away.

No fear of turning to ash or becoming lost.

And once the burden in his mind was eased, he found time to think, an action which he didn't have the luxury to accommodate himself with since he had woken up.

'It's lonely.' Kevin thought about it. It was because of someone's kindness that he could, in a sense, find a way to live.

He set his mind to becoming strong. To be like Louis. To have the courage to care. After all, just sitting on his ass while someone does the work was exactly what the people he has held the most hatred for in his entire life have done… and those people seem to be everywhere.

"I do want to survive, but I don't want to do it alone." He gave a blood bead to a young battered woman.

She didn't have a way to even thank him. No way to actually understand what would lead someone to help her.

To survive or to live. Kevin found the way he wanted to live, and he wouldn't deviate even if it led to his own doom.

Unwavering, he faced the revenants who held less than good intentions. A man's kindness in a selfish world would not always lead to a good ending. But if so what?

Was he going to give up? Just because the end didn't seem satisfying to him?

A blade to the stomach, a blazing ball of flames to the face, a kick to the temple, an elbow to the neck, the handle of his blade smacking a man on the jaw.

Kevin had honed his techniques accordingly. No matter how much he trained and even received advice in his similar blood code, which happens to share similarities with his savior, Louis just wouldn't let him follow him.

*crash!*

A building began to collapse. Humble shacks, sleeping bags, and camps turned to dust or had caught fire.

The moment he thought he could show Louis his achievements and even help him gather people, he was attacked just as the base was set… once the stash of blood beads was moved. Once there were ample people that would panic, the moment taking a hostage was easier to do.

The fire around him wasn't one he could control as Louis could. But at least he had resistance to it.

'Such a shame, this could have been the base a good base…' Kevin knew that even if Louis was strong, a powerhouse without a territory would become an enemy of everyone with a name who had one. Alas, it seemed this base wasn't going to be the one for the Crimson Blade.

"FUCK! All you had to do was to hand 'em damn FUCKING blood beads!" A bandit snarled at Kevin who had his back resting on a wall while holding his side.

The leader stood in the middle of the fire with his partners crippled or turned to ash.

"If the world worked as one liked it to, nobody would be in this situation" Kevin tittered, blood oozing from the mask's filters.

A spear-like tail pierced the bloodied wall where Kevin was a moment ago before rolling away.

The sharp tail cut through the wall as it followed Kevin, slashing apart his tattered blood veil chest down before it retracted to the man's blood veil and he met a blade downing on him with his own in an awkward position.

Rolling back and kicking the bandit off him, Kevin regained his footing while his opponent barely stopped himself from rolling.

"Tch, you aren't as injured as you look!" A spike of metallic luster shot from the man's hand to the kid as soon as he regained his balance.

Kevin swung his sword one-handed with a dark red flame around it which then exploded to parry the projectile while closing the distance.

The bandit quickly took a step back while taking out a cartridge from his bag.

"Because I'm not." Kevin removed his hand from his side and revealed a small ball of flame.

The bandit crushed the vial in his hand and quickly made a shield of metal in front of his chest to tank whatever Kevin was about to do.

There is one thing Kevin is different from Louis. That is, his flames don't like being compressed and will always try to burst out.

*Boom!*

"Shi-" He wasn't completely hurt, but he was blinded by the explosion which left him vulnerable, and felt a blade go through his own chest.

He growled with rage, "you-" and transformed his tattered shield into a blade that entered Kevin's exposed stomach- "won't make it out of this!" His bloodshot eyes peered at Kevin's when his metal blade transformed inside his body and impaled the kid's heart.

"...hah." Kevin simply smiled under his mask before giving him a headbutt.

Glass, springs, and filters flew everywhere as both of their damaged masks finally shattered upon impact.

Blood gushed down his face. "Like if it ever was about that." He grinned and delivered another headbutt that put the bandit out cold.

Like certain death would be enough to stop him. If he just wanted to survive, he would've run away with the rest instead of staying back to erase any trace of them. He wouldn't be helping others. He wouldn't be fighting.

If it ever was about one's own survival, then Louis wouldn't be out there fighting just like Kevin is right now.

Others were safe because he fought… She managed to run away, they managed to escape. They will attain peace, people will live because of him.

'I kept fighting. Just like you did, hahaha.' No matter how many times he told Louis that risking his life to bring him blood beads wasn't something he would take without paying back. Louis was just as stubborn about no-return policies as Kevin was.

'I'm sure you would just scold me for this, but this is the way I felt alive…I didn't fail you… Louis…and you didn't fail either…' Kavin stood motionless as he felt the void in his chest spread through his body. Ironically, such pain was nothing but physical as the emptiness he has felt for a long time was now clear.

….

…

..

.

"I shouldn't have forgotten about you, Kevin…" Louis blankly stared at the city in ruins. His passive and calm gaze which seemed to remain unfazed by most events now finally showed some of his feelings.

Guilt.

An abhorrent feeling that has accompanied him since he woke up, that at least he is sure of. He had it even before he began his research in the blood beads. A feeling that kept building up when he saw others suffering, one that became gut-wrenching when he had to resort to violence once unable to come to an understanding and his blade became stained by ashes.

As for the reason which had left such a scar in his heart? He had most probably forgotten it too…

A self-deprecating chuckle escaped the young researcher.

"You know, not much grieving can be done for someone who died without regrets." Commented Adam with Io behind him, walking out to the balcony beside Louis.

"It's not about dying without regrets, it's about being responsible for the death occurring in the first place." Louis shook his head.

"But you know that the only thing that the living can do for the dead is to keep moving forward." Yakumo came to the rescue after being filled in Louis' mood by Adam. "That is the first thing we learn as revenants, even if it hurts."

It was a bit troublesome to Adam how Louis took the memories he got to somewhat recover. A certain… void or emptiness in the man's eyes. A feeling coming far deeper than just sadness at the fate of someone he knew being forgotten without him knowing.

At that moment, he wondered if he did the right thing. But if Kevin's echoes taught him something, it is that he couldn't back away from his choice.

"You inspired a kid to be more than a starving revenant, you showed him to have the courage to care in a world like this," Adam added. "He saw you as the man who he had to become and he went and did it his way."

There were a few attempts at making Louis see a better light. Just as a lost Kevin had seen in Louis. But Adam's attempts seemed futile.

"I… But I didn't save him… I just…" Louis shook his head.

What could Adam do? It's not like he had a close relationship with Louis as Yakumo did. But he was sure that he could clear his head with the right words. The problem? those words weren't exactly cheerful or gentle.

"Louis, if you still consider this failure on your part, you better stop trying to find the blame and look for the lesson." Adam splashed some cold water on the man, he just couldn't let Louis drawn in his own sorrow.

"...my dedication…" Louis gritted his teeth. "That was my error."

Yakumo gave Adam a glare before sighing, "Loui'" he turned to his friend, "do you want to forget this-"

"No." Louis didn't even let him finish. "I don't want something like this to escape my grasp ever again!"

Yakumo didn't seem surprised at his little outburst, "Good," he smiled, "that is a good first step."

"I'm also afraid that I could have forgotten about one of my friends, and even if it hurts to remember, I still want to carry that memory with me." the ex-mercenary gave a glance to Adam who nodded back.

"Uh… guess the reinforcements came a little late, huh?" Rin just arrived at the balcony with Oliver and Yami in tow.

"Meh, we could use more." Adam encouraged her.

"Good, cuz we've already talked about this before. In the 'what if' scenario where we could get even our memories back, even the painful ones. We all said that we would!" The loli marched her way up to Louis, "You better not chicken your way out!" Rin winded her hand backward before delivering an unbelievably strong smack on his back.

"Moving on from a painful memory is different from forgetting it," Oliver said with Yami agreeing beside him, "can't get them mixed up."

As for Louis' response… well, he was having a coughing fit.

"We are all here, so stop looking all gloomy." Rin proudly looked at her smack taking effect on the researcher.

"I know what will cheer him up, some of his favorite fragrant sweet tea!" Yakumo made his way to the kitchen.

But Louis instantaneously stalked him, "Not your *cough* 'sweet' tea, aga-*cough*iN."

"Oh please, you react as if it was a crime to make fragrant tea sweet." Yakumo.

"Sweet tea and sweetened tea are two different things!" Louis

The duo berated their way to the kitchen.

….

'Why do you help? Why?...'

'Why?' Io repeated the question Luna had asked her once in the old government lab.

She just wanted to calm her down and so, she answered all of her questions truthfully to avoid any escalation. From why they were after her, even Luna didn't believe in their good intentions, and even doing her best to answer her demands… Because Adam told her so…

Giving away her rusty weapon and disarming herself.

Moving away a few feet apart to give Luna space.

And even thinking about how to answer her questions truthfully.

'Why?' Io didn't why she had to help Adam. She had lost a great part of her memories and just followed a vague sense of duty until she found a near-frenzying Adam.

But she didn't question it, she did it simply because it felt right.

However, aren't memories important? She doesn't necessarily need them at the moment, but should she go out of her way to search for them?

Even if they could be painful or undesirable, it is supposedly the right thing to do according to Adam and others.

To not forget humanity… 'Being human isn't a thing of the past.' A strange merchant who adored what many would consider useless said once, and Adam agreed.

Her successor was human once.

Just like Luna. So fragile but relentless.

She voiced her wish to help him find his memories and when he also asked if she wanted to recover hers, she was hesitant.

How could she burden him with her wants and needs? But if he wanted to, then she would.

He simply smiled before telling her to think of it later and give him an answer once he saw her struggle with her decision for a split second.

To care for the insignificant is significant. At least she memorized from Adam and the merchant's conversation. She hasn't understood it but might have an idea.

To keep in a good state an item as simple as a toy. Something so easily replaceable that is found everywhere. To hold an attachment and treat it with a care that could be said to be wasted in such a thing.

She remembers it from a small book that Adam gave her and she read it almost religiously.

A friend?

A person for whom one holds an affection that is shared by both. Might not even be from the same neighborhood or the same country, but a mutual relationship that could be formed by the same opinions being shared or even understanding each other's different points of view.

A family?

Descendants of a common ancestor. They share a bond that is passed from generation to generation and learn to live with each other, learn, play, and support. Parental figures are the ones leading the most important role in the family group as they lend their wisdom to the young generation and support them.

A pat?

A form of endearment that Adam seems to have a lot of for her.

She has a whole collection and definitions that, although she hasn't mostly understood, she has memorized every single one of them.

She has tried to use her newfound knowledge to progress in her goal much further.

After all, she has to alleviate the pain of her successor, but he isn't exactly suffering or in constant pain. He does tire and get stressed, and sometimes injured, but he isn't showing any kind of agony… so what to do?

The answer is…

Well… what she is doing right now.

"Are you alright?" She softly asked Adam who had his head buried between her peaks.

"...humphmu…mph." He just melted further once Io ran her fingers through his hair with absurd dexterity and gentleness.

She didn't understand a single thing, but not a part of Adam seemed to deny her the treatment she thought of returning from the last night that Adam gave her.

Not. A. Single. Part. Of. Him.

'Seems I'm succeeding.'

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Word Count: 3,458

Mah boy Kevin :,(

Anyway, is it better for the memory echoes to be narrated like this instead of imitating what happens in the game?