history

[festumborn]

Soukyuu no Fafner

Dead Aggressor	Heaven & Earth	Exodus
(s1; year 2146)	(film; year 2148)	(s2; year 2151)

Pre-Series age 4-9

- At age four, Soushi is taken into Alvis by his father to meet the Core of the island who also happens to be his younger sister, Tsubaki. It is his duty to look after and protect her - a job he takes very seriously. He continues to visit her frequently even though Tsubaki never wakes up, though she does recall every visit anyway.

Around the age of nine, the children find an old busted radio that they fix up and amongst the static, they hear a voice calling out to them. "Are you there?" They respond to the voice, not knowing that it put them into contact with the violent alien race known as the Festum. Having done this, it alerts the Festum to their location and Soushi begins to show signs of assimilation. He asks Kazuki if the other boy would like to return to being one (as the Festum are a hivemind race) but his friend attacks him instead. This results in Soushi's left eye being injured to the point where he loses sight in it. Soushi doesn't tell anyone the truth of what happened and instead claimed that he fell but his relationship with Kazuki is strained. They hardly talk for the following five years.

Right of Left age 13

- The previous class graduates in front of everyone on the beach, many students leave the island behind, Soushi hangs out with Ryou and Yumi while Kazuki has his regular fights with Kenji, things seem peaceful but there is a Festum nearby and the adults are worried that the Core won't be able to withstand an attack, one of the residents has a dangerous plan, Yumi returns home after a day at the beach to find her father on the verge of death and he tells her to go to Alvis, she asks Soushi at the funeral if he knows what it is, she finds her father's keycard and makes her way to the Fafner hangar where she meets Soushi and Ryou who congratulates her on graduating, as it turns out teenagers graduate once they learn about Alvis and many leave the island, Yumi and Ryou join the Fafner pilots in order to inact Plan L, Ryou is against Yumi becoming a pilot and attempts to convince her to leave, Soushi helps prepare the pilots for battle and Yumi is paired up with Ryou for the mission

The pilots leave the island on a detached piece and begin to fight the enemy away from the island (giving the island that sense of peace it tries to hold on to), Soushi and Karin attempt to pilot their own special brand of Fafners but Soushi's injury to his left eye causes difficulty, back on the front lines the pilots begin to suffer from the assimilation consequences that come with using Fafner, due to the risk his eyesight proves Soushi's father pulls him from the pilot list and places him with the duty of operating the Siegfried System instead, he questions whether his father intends to sacrifice all the pilots (and him) out on the mission, his father replies that he believes the others will come back, Soushi goes to visit his sister in the Coagula and he asks her if he'll be able to survive in the harshest environment

Back on the frontlines the pilots continue to struggle - many of them dying via assimilation as the days count down to their end goal, even Fafners start to break down and they begin to lose hope, Soushi and Karin discuss how they're keeping a secret from the others and about not disturbing the peace that the pilots are working so hard for, Soushi agreed to place himself in charge of running the Siegfried System, the pilots are down to two remaining Fafners, three pilots and eight adults when they finally reach their designated time, a hatch opens to reveal their escape sub just as another attack comes, Ryou and Yumi fight off the Festum as everyone else gets into the sub just at the larger ship activates Fenrir to blow up all the enemies, Soushi (in Siegfried) and Karin (in Fafner) launch to go towards them but are ordered to stop when the sub signal is lost, Ryou and Yumi move away from the island to prevent Festum from following them, Soushi is forced to lock movement on Karin's Fafner to prevent her from going after them

However, he pleads with his father to go as retrieving the two remaining survivors (and their Fafners) is the best way to gather intelligence on their enemies, Soushi is given permission and allows Karin to go but not to leave the defensive area of the island, the two pilots wait for Fenrir to destruct and confess their feelings to each other, Yumi assimilates first and Fenrir goes off just after Ryou is confronted by a Festum, yet the explosion tells the people on the island that Festum can now survive in the sea, Soushi orders Karin to retreat as there's no one there to save anymore

Four months later the information collected by the group is retrieved by Alvis - Soushi and Karin are there to witness it, Ryou's dog informs them of who the pilot was to bring them this data, Soushi watches as Karin releases her feelings on the loss of their friends but doesn't approach, Karin returns to the island first with the data while Soushi stays behind a while longer, they know they have approximately six months left of peace but decide together that they will appreciate each day for those who gave it to them

Dead Aggressor age 14

Episode 1: Paradise ~ The Beginning

- Soushi returns home after visiting the mainland (Tokyo), visits school, Festum attacks, original Fafner pilot - Karin - is killed on her way to the hangar, Soushi attempts to pilot but is instead tasked with Siegfried System, Soushi collects Kazuki to pilot Fafner

Episode 2: Confession ~ Life

- Together they defeat the Festum but with some losses, Soushi's father dies in the battle, after the battle Soushi reveals the truth about the world. how Japan and the rest of it was destroyed 30 years ago, Tatsumiya Island disappeared before that. he asks Kazuki to fight together with him against the Festum. they begin Kazuki's Fafner training

Episode 3: Labyrinth ~ Truth

- Other kids are selected to become Fafner pilots as well and begin their training, the group takes a photo together, a Festum closes in on the island along with a Neo U.N. search plane, Soushi comes up with a plan that will use the search plane as a decoy while the island prepares to move

Episode 4: Escape ~ Departure

- Kazuki can't stand by while the Festum attacks the search plane and reveals themselves, meanwhile the island begins its move, Kazuki is saved by the core of the island and manages to defeat the Festum, damage is done to the island and camouflage is dropped to prevent more, the island is discovered by the Neo U.N.

Episode 5: Promise ~ Pledge

- Soushi visits a place Kazuki frequents in order to understand his feelings and saves Maya's life (who was rock-climbing), the Neo U.N. demands that Alvis hands over its Mark Sechs, a Festum attacks the Neo U.N. ships and Kazuki is deployed to fight it, a second Festum attacks Tatsumiya Island from above, Soushi attempts to get Kazuki back to the island (and ignore saving the Neo U.N.) but is ignored

Episode 6: Soaring Sky ~ Sacrifice

- With no one able to stop the Festum attacking the island, Shouko pilots Mark Sechs and attempts to fight it off while Kazuki deals with the other Festum, Soushi allows it and connects to her via Crossing, Shouko barely manages to keep it at bay, she clings to the Festum and wraps it in cords along with her Fafner then flies it into the sky, the Festum won't let her go and she starts up Fenrir (self-destruct) to destroy them both, Soushi feels her death

Episode 7: Family ~ Parents and Children

- Everyone is affected by Shouko's death and react in different ways, Soushi and Kazuki go to visit her grave only to find it vandalized, Kouyou blames Kazuki for her death and attempts to start a fight which Soushi intervenes in, Kouyou and Sakura begin real life Fafner training against Kazuki, Kazuki, Soushi and Maya clean Shouko's grave, meanwhile they discover another island just like Tatsumiya and prepare to go check it out, Kazuki and Kouyou go along in their Fafners while Sakura stays behind to protect their home, Maya goes along as part of the medical staff (they were short-handed)

Episode 8: Strife ~ Kouyou

- The mission on the other island was going well until the Core was disturbed, the Core had been assimilated by the Festum and drew enemies out of the island itself, Maya was underground still having gone to help injured people, she and another were given the task to start the island Fenrir system hoping to self-destruct the island and all the Festum, Kouyou was instructed to dive into the water to rescue the pair while Kazuki distracted the enemies

Episode 9: Assimilation ~ Parting

- Kouyou manages to successfully rescue Maya but is attacked by a Festum, after handing off the pod to Kazuki who's escaping the island he's partially assimilated and falls into a coma, his body is rescued by Sakura, the kids learn later of Kouyou's fate and Soushi seems more worried about having lost a Fafner instead of Kouyou's situation, Kouyou's parents are exiled from the island for slipping secrets to the Neo U.N. and attempting to kill Kouyou, Kazuki asks Soushi which is more important: Fafner or the pilots - he replies that Fafner is

Episode 10: Disintegration ~ Crossing Paths

- Soushi tells Kazuki that he wants someone who can act as his left eye (the side he's blind in), Kazuki spends a lot of time considering how he can understand Soushi, contemplates what Soushi saw in the world outside their island, Kariya takes advantage of this and aids him in leaving with his Fafner in tow, Soushi says he wants nothing to do with someone who leaves the island

Episode 11: Old & New ~ The Neo U.N. Force

- Kazuki is captured by the Neo U.N. along with his Fafner - betrayed by Kariya, Soushi asks Maya what Kazuki said to her and admitted that he thought Kazuki already knew his thoughts and feelings

Episode 12: Absence ~ Desperation

- With Kazuki gone they promote Kenji and Mamoru to pilot status alongside Sakura, all three are tested when a Festum attacks, they undergo personality changes and Soushi is ordered to allow them to follow through with the plan Mamoru comes up with, the trio are successful in defeating the Festum without loss of pilot or Fafner and with hardly any damage done to the island, Kazuki meets an old friend who left the island long ago along with another teenage pilot named Canon, the submarine reaches the Neo U.N.'s base

Episode 13: Erosion ~ Festum

- The people of Alvis (and the world) are shown footage of Kazuki's previous fights with the Festum and they consider that Kazuki may actually be cooperating with them, Maya yells at them all to understand Kazuki, the Neo U.N.'s base is invaded by Festum and the world is shown it being overrun as a Festum intelligence act, Soushi recognizes Kazuki piloting one of the mechas on the screen, Maya and Mizoguchi leave on an unsanctioned mission to bring Kazuki back, though first Maya tells Soushi to talk properly to Kazuki later

Episode 14: Awakening ~ Occupation

- The Neo U.N. invades the island and the commander allows it, ordering most residents and staff to safe zones, the Core escapes containment and therefore is nowhere to be found by the invaders, Maya and Mizoguchi reach the base while Kazuki fights off the Festum, he sees how other pilots have little regard for throwing away other's lives in battle, just before he's killed Kazuki is saved by a massive white Fafner piloted by his mother who has been assimilated by the Festum

Episode 15: Memory ~ Scream

- The Neo U.N. continues to occupy the island and searches for the missing Core, Kazuki begins to pilot Mark Sein and watches what remained of his mother be reassimilated by another Festum, he loses control and battles it until they sink into a lava pit, Kazuki talks with the Core who shows him the truth of what happened the day Soushi's eye was injured, he decides to live and not disappear having confronted his internal fear about that day, instead of being assimilated Kazuki reverses the process, a large group of Festum moves to attack the island and the Neo U.N. intends to use their people to pilot the Fafners

Episode 16: Friends ~ Welcome Home

- As the Neo U.N. fails to stop the Festum attack using Alvis the Core starts to take over, she leads everyone to where they're supposed to be and gives them the choice to move forward, Soushi is taken to Urd's Well where the Siegfried System has been moved and he climbs inside, the Fafners are piloted by the children of the island and the adults are given control of the CDC, the Core - Tsubaki Minashiro (Soushi's sister) - goes to the lighthouse and draws out the head of the Festum swarm, the Fafner pilots manage to delay it a bit but are all struck down, Kazuki appears in Mark Sein to stand in its way and when Soushi reaches out to help the pilot discover the invisible head he's surprised at who it is, Kazuki requests to be connected via Crossing but Soushi asks him why, they partially have that talk as Kazuki says he understands Soushi's suffering now - how he suffered alone with the knowledge and with Shouko and Kouyou's fates, Soushi does connect them which allows Kazuki to access the information and fight the Festum, everyone learns that Kazuki's new Fafner can assimilate not only Festum but with other items (weapons) and enhance the ability, Kazuki makes short work of the Festum

Episode 17: Survival ~ Device

- Kazuki is placed under arrest until his fate can be decided while the Neo U.N. makes ready to leave the island behind, Soushi introduces Tsubaki as his sister (though doesn't reveal her as the Core) and Maya insists that he talk to Kazuki, so he brings Kazuki to his room within Alvis which has very little (a single picture, medication for dealing with pain flashbacks received from pilots during battle) and shows him that his room is about eleven steps from a convenient vending machine, Kazuki realizes that Soushi is socially awkward and is returned to his cell, one of the Neo U.N.'s subs leaves while the other is set to destroy the island with Fenrir and Canon as its protector, Kazuki is called to deal with Canon and manages to talk her out of it - thus saving the island

Episode 18: Father ~ Memory

- Canon moves in with Shouko's mother and all of the other Neo U.N. soldiers are integrated into the island's lifestyle, the pilots all go to the beach together and Soushi challenges Kazuki to a swim race - if Kazuki wins then Soushi will forgive him for leaving, turns out Soushi couldn't keep up, it's revealed that Maya's sister alter her pilot data to keep her from getting into a Fafner, Maya's father uses this in an attempt to have his family exiled from the island but Tsubaki reveals this to Soushi, Soushi then gathers up the other pilots to make themselves "suspects" as well while his sister confirms all of their stories as true, Maya's father calls the pilots "batteries" to be used up and is turned away by his youngest daughter, he leaves the island empty-handed but did provide information that a large-scale attack would occur at the North Pole Mir

Episode 19: Maya ~ Sight

- Maya begins her training as a pilot and proves that she's extremely skilled as a sniper, Tsubaki asks Soushi if he's scared to have her in the Crossing and whether he'd choose to save Kazuki or Maya - to which he replies that he'll save all the pilots, Kazuki and his father have dinner with the Toumi family, Kouyou shows signs of waking up, as the island prepares for the Bon Festival it's attacked by special Festum that assimilate with everything, all Fafners (along with Maya and Michio) are stationed around the island to deal with the multiple intrudes, when Sakura is nearly assimilated Maya takes a shot which draws the remaining Festum to her but she manages to snipe the one closest to her, it's only afterward that she's scared and Soushi went to help (having felt her emotions) but Kazuki is already there so he turns away - leaving with Tsubaki

Episode 20: Lantern ~ Light

- While the group enjoys the Bon Festival Tsubaki frees Kouyou, the following day the other pilots find him and protect him from the adults who are ready to take him out, Kouyou shows some signs of life to his friends by thanking them, Soushi calls Kazuki out to dual with wooden swords while also trying to relay that Kouyou is not like other Festum, when Kouyou is faced with Canon he asks her the Question: Are you there? and she replies that she was once but is no longer, with Canon dressed as Shouko Kouyou comes back and cries tears of pain before he falls asleep, he is determined as a Slave type and therefore not a current threat to the island

Episode 21: Sakura ~ Future

- The pilots continue to work together to fend off Festum with increasing success rates and no major losses, often relaxing in a bathhouse after a battle, Mamoru's special helmet is passed around (Soushi doesn't like it), after he asks Soushi what he's like in battle considering he doesn't remember the events, they hold a training camp where they go over information on Festum and do basic chores, Sakura and Kenji have a close moment but no admittance of feelings yet, sadly Sakura starts to display signs of assimilation and she collapses alone while Kenji is off challenging Kazuki in a battle

Episode 22: Protection ~ Power

- While the pilots deal with Sakura's situation, Canon decides that she too wants to be able to properly pilot a Fafner and injects herself with a dangerous chemical to be able to do that, Soushi prepares for Alvis going to the North Pole by considering putting Siegfried System into a Fafner - this would result in his assimilation in 18 hours but he's prepared for that, Tsubaki attempts to teach Festum about life, death, pain, and sorrow, a new Festum attack reveals that it does understand pain and it attempts to assimilate Soushi inside the Siegfried System, Maya's Festum was completely crush/twisted but she made it out alive when her attack is bounced back, Kazuki begins to feel the effects of long-term piloting and loses sight in his right eye, Mamoru manages to successfully kill the Festum by impaling it on Kazuki's weapon (as he couldn't move much at the time) but unfortunately not even ejecting the pilot pod was enough to save Mamoru from the destructive blast that followed, Mamoru was crush inside his pod

Episode 23: Pillage ~ Decoy

- Kariya is being tested as a pilot for a new Fafner and is injected with sublethal doses of the Festum Factor in order to accomplish this, a Festum has infiltrated the base and assimilates with her taking control of the powerful Fafner, the base and Maya's father are both destroyed, Soushi is trapped inside the Siegfried System due to Festum tentacles while the pilots try to pull themselves together, Kazuki and Michio both inject themselves with the same drug in order to keep fighting which gives Kazuki back his sight temporarily, he begins a rescue mission of Soushi and crosses with Tsubaki in order to try to accomplish that, it goes fairly well until the Festum-controlled Fafner appears on the island, Maya, Canon, and Michio attempt to deal with it but it overwhelms them in a short period of time, it also regains control of the Festum tentacles and crosses with Soushi in the system, Soushi learns that the call sign is Mark Nicht, Michio attempts to stop Mark Nicht by using Fenrir but is caught ejecting and dies in the blast, the tentacles invade all of Alvis causing many to die, Soushi is taken by the Festum and he begins to be assimilated

Episode 24: Conversation ~ Mir

- Kazuki is enraged and battles Mark Nicht demanding Soushi back but it has little effect before the other Fafner disappears, the Festum known as Akane comes to the island and requests that the pilot's save her Mir - also to take back Soushi who is being kept alive as the Festum cannot use Siegfried, both Akane and Kouyou say they will protect the island in the meantime - as the Festum are now split while some have their own consciousness instead of a shared one, she gives Alvis tons of information which allows them to Cross without Siegfried though it means they will feel each other's pain, Canon can now successfully pilot a Fafner, Kenji returns to the group and they have information to help with the assimilation process the pilots face, they begin preparations to head to the North Pole

Episode 25: The Final Battle ~ Symbiosis

- The four pilots make their way to the North Pole where they join the Human Force, they're told that every unit will move independently and not communicate since Festum can read minds, the group is dropped off at their first point and move easily to the second as they work as a team, Soushi is forced/controlled to help the Festum plan coordinated attacks while slowly being assimilated, he gives the advice to separate the four Fafners after they penetrated the enemy's stronghold which works, they attempt to fight off Mark Nicht and the Festum controlling it

Episode 26: Azure ~ The Sky

- The group reunites and manages to fight off Mark Nicht until it retreats, Soushi teaches the Festum about resilience in the face of pain and about existence, the group is successful in retrieving Akane's Mir which downloads heaps of information to Alvis including how the two species can co-exist, Tsubaki returns to the Coagula in order to teach the Mir about the complete cycle of life and becomes one with the Mir on the island, the group manages to rescue Soushi when Kazuki assimilates the will of the Festum but it leaves him near-blind, when the Festum's Mir attempts to escape Kazuki lends his power to Maya's weapon in order to snipe it from afar, the group attempts to retreat but Mark Nicht pulls Kazuki and Soushi off the leaving transport, it attempts to assimilate them but Kouyou rescues them, Kazuki uses Mark Sein to get himself a way home (assimilates a plane so it can fly), unfortunately Soushi's body is already gone and he says he will go to the Festum's side, but he will remake his body and return home someday, this causes them to be in a permanent Crossing even though Soushi is gone, Kazuki returns to Tatsumiya Island and promises that he will stay and wait for Soushi forever

Heaven & Earth age 14-16

- Two years after the battle of the North Pole some human factions attempt to wipe Festum from the Earth completely, a devastating attack to a Festum base restarted the war, life is peaceful on Tatsumiya Island - Kazuki now works at Rakuen as a chef despite his blindness, Sakura has mostly recovered and is happily with Kenji, while alone at Rakuen Soushi uses their Crossing to talk to Kazuki about taking a gamble and to use Door Eleven when the time is right, later at the Bon Festival a Human Force ship comes through the barrier and crashes on the shore, Kazuki is the first onboard and finds a Coagula but it doesn't contain Soushi, on instinct he takes Door Eleven which leads him to Mark Sein as a Festum attacks the island, he goes out alone to fight and watches it transform into a more powerful form in front of his eyes, thankfully the other pilots appear and help him destroy it

They begin proper Fafner training for a round of new pilots who don't know how to work together, it's confirmed that Kazuki is in a constant state of Crossing and that piloting Mark Sein will be too dangerous for him, Sakura also steps back into a Fafner and Kenji takes main control over the training, they discover the ship contains a ton of information about new sorts of Festum but they don't know who sent it, Festum start to attack the island in large waves and the new pilots fight alongside the previous set, Kazuki sits by and watches it until he hears Soushi's voice telling him the He's awake - meaning the human-Festum on the ship, he goes to see Misao at the lighthouse who tells the rest of the Festum to leave until he can talk to the humans, he informs them that Soushi sent the information and that he picked his name himself based on what Soushi informed him humans were like

Misao informs them that he would like pain and fighting to stop - that he wants to assimilate the island's Core so they can fight humans and other groups of Festum to end pain, people begin to show traces of old sicknesses that were taken care of by the Mir of the island as the Core goes through growing pains and is attacked by Festum, Kazuki talks with Misao more about what he wants and Soushi - learning that Misao saved the body Soushi was creating, the Festum return to attack now that Misao has talked and the pilots continue to fight them off as they kill the island's Mir, Seri is linked to the Core in order to help alleviate the strain, Misao is introduced to the first human born on the island since Mir learned about life and death

Having seen Miwa, Soushi takes over Misao's body to speak informing others that Miwa is the hope they need, asking to let her speak to the Mir in their language as only she can, he also warns Kazuki that the Festum are attempting to retake Mark Nicht back from the way it was assimilated by Mark Sein at the risk of his own existence, Misao is forced away by the Mir to pilot Mark Nicht, the pilots continue to struggle against the Festum swarm as Kazuki pilots Mark Sein against Mark Nicht to save the Core, Kouyou appears in his Fafner to help turn the tide to save them though it's discovered he became the core and is operating it without an actual pilot, Kazuki and Misao fight but Kazuki and Mark Sein are absorbed by Mark Nicht before Misao returns to his ship

Alvis prepares to take the fight to the enemy and have Miwa converse with them in order to end this peacefully, half of the pilots (minus Kazuki) are to go while the other half stay behind to defend the island, the pilots all struggle to stay alive and Kouyou manages to deal a blow to Mark Nicht, Akane's Festum is released from the enemy Festum and she returns to the island to save the dying Core, Kazuki is reborn from Mark Nicht stronger and faster than before - stopping the Mir from consuming the island, elsewhere Miwa begins communication with the enemy Mir, both Miwa and Kazuki manage to get through to Misao and the Mir only to have the Human Force show up to make it angry again

Miwa is nearly assimilated by the Mir while Kazuki and Misao rush to stop the attack, the Festum sacrifice themselves and the Mir releases Miwa, Tsubaki officially is gone leaving the new Core stronger than it previously was, it shields the island from the blast and Mark Nicht protects Mark Sein, the reborn Mir leaves, Kazuki wakes up in his pod and Misao informs him that he returned Kazuki's eyesight, then Misao is gone leaving Soushi behind who thanks Kazuki for protecting the place he could return to, he says that perhaps one day they will meet a reborn Misao, as time is not a concept Festum have a great handle on Soushi looks the same as he did when assimilated (making him physically 14)

Exodus age 19-20

Episode 1: Visitors

- On June 25, 2150 a Human Force base is attacked and they send out machines in order to protect it, yet the Neo U.N. decides to not only bomb the Festum but the base as well - destroying most of it, a few handful of survivors load up into a plane and head out to sea, Tatsumiya Island is peaceful - many of the previous pilots now have jobs outside of Alvis (Kazuki: cook, Soushi: researcher, Maya: fighter pilot, Canon: Fafner development, Sakura: educator, Kenji: nurse), many of them go to eat meals as Kazuki's place and Soushi is no exception, he declares that he will find a way to save Kazuki (and reverse the assimilation - all pilots have marks around their fingers from connecting to Fafners) in the predicted three years he has left, he then goes to visit the Core with Seri and while there it glows bright yellow, a Human Force airplane gets close to their barrier and there are signs of a Festum about to emerge near them (a huge cyclone), Miwa is disturbed and her family asks that the plane be allowed to land on her request, Maya intends to guide them down while in her own plane, Narain (the commander of the plane) requests that they allow Tatsumiya's hope the chance to meet his

Episode 2: The Name of Hope

- Akira, Rina, Seri, and Hiroto all face down the Festum while Soushi once again takes command in Siegfried System, Akira and Soushi both experience the shared pain when a Festum attack inhibits the pain blockers, most of the previous pilots can only stand by to watch except for Maya who gains permission to join them after ensuring the plane's landing and saving Mizoguchi, both Sein and Nicht attempt to enter the Crossing despite being sealed away but Soushi denies them, three Fafners from the Human Force join in helping end the battle with no loss of life, all pilots (and Soushi) are sent to medical to be looked after as this was their first fight in several years, Miwa meets a girl named Emery who can also communicate via Mir (the girls were in contact long-distance), Kazuki goes to see Mark Sein but is turned away from even touching it by Canon, she tells him that once they remove the core that they'll sink it to the depths of the ocean, Kazuki returns to the cafe and Maya joins him in being introduced to the three Human Force pilots - they begin mentioning the Makabe Factor which allows them to pilot Fafners, Soushi goes to see Mark Nicht in a separate base

Episode 3: The Price of A Conversation

- The Human Force pilots struggle to get along with the Island ones and Maya meets her half-brother, Johnathan, down with Mark Nicht Soushi discusses how they don't have the technology to remove its core and destroy it yet but he silently vows he will do it, upon leaving the facility he meets with Kazuki who is delivering him a meal and the two eat together on the beach, they talk about the Makabe Factor and how these pilots won't live past their twenties, Narain informs Fumihiko about an approaching Mir from space that is hostile towards humans and seems directed at the island, he says he wishes for Miwa to talk to their Mir in India in hopes of reaching a peaceful solution with the incoming Mir, also that he would like Emery to speak to the island Core, the people of Alvis discuss what that would even take as they'd don't have the Fafner resources or experienced pilots to send some with Miwa while protecting the island, Soushi accompanies the group as they visit the Core and Emery asks for help - nearly being assimilated in the process, Narain accompanies her and says he would pay the price to protect their hope, the Core hears Emery's request and agrees to help, Soushi sees that Narain is also being kept alive by the Festum much as he is, Urd's Well produces enough cores that they can finish making their next Fafners, they also say that the cores of previous units are also upgraded, they theorize that its stronger and helps reduce assimiliation but don't know what other risk it will bring to the pilots, still they decide to bring in three new pilots for proper testing, Soushi is seen at the Core and using his Festum abilities gives his left eye its sight back

Episode 4: The Successors

- Soushi enters a pilot cockpit that's connected to Mark Nicht in hopes of using the mecha's own body to rip out its core, the pain senses were supposed to be shut off but Nicht changes that, in order to repair the damage it attempts to assimilate Soushi but he uses his Festum abilities to shatter them first, Nicht still manages to fix itself and refuses to return to nothingness, the three new pilots - Reo, Mimika, and Sui begin their training as pilots while Canon struggles to come up with better names for their Fafners, Johnathan meets the rest of his family and tells Miwa more about her father, Maya and Akira are both set on going on the expedition to take Miwa to see the Mir - despite Rina's protests, the parents of the new pilots struggle to accept what's to come, Kazuki envisions Tsubaki while attempting to make a clay pot as he is torn between wanting to help and not worrying the people who care about him, Soushi hopes that by getting rid of Nicht that will stop its resonance with Sein and give them back their strongest Fafner but Canon is against it

Episode 5: To A New World

- A massive new Festum launches an attack on the island and the new pilots are sent out to handle its force, Sui takes over giving orders while on the battlefield with great efficiency and the manage to fight off the swarm before massive damage is done, the massive Festum is temporarily pushed back while the first generation of pilots all seem to feel as if they can retire - Soushi included, the expedition team prepares to depart with three Fafner units and a small crew alongside the Human Force, they intend for their mission to take a month, Kazuki is told that he isn't allowed to go by Maya which is enforced by all his friends, the pilots all gather together for a party before the mission and Kazuki asks Johnathan to look after his friends, Soushi requests that Maya be the judge on if they (those left behind) can trust the Human Force individuals, the following day the expedition team leaves the island behind, as Kazuki attempts to write his wish for Tanabata there's a disturbance in the Force he gets a brief flash of pain, inside Alvis Soushi also experiences this, the Core has left the Coagula

Episode 6: Blessed Time

- Soushi and two other visit the Coagula to see that the Core has left and she calls refers to Tsubaki as her mother, she orders them to gather others and Soushi is instructed to call Kazuki which he does, after getting Seri to dress her the Core meets with many Alvis members including Soushi and Kazuki, she tells them they must get to Miwa before she is destroyed and protect everything she wishes to protect, Soushi says he will obey the will of the Core despite it meaning he will pilot Mark Nicht without the safeguards in place, Kazuki also agrees to go even though Mark Sein is in the same state as Nicht, the Core says that she grew because the people of the island have decided to fight for hope instead of peace, with Soushi and Kazuki preparing to depart it's now Kenji's job to man the Siegfried System for the pilots left behind, just before they leave Soushi tells Kazuki that he doesn't have to do this but it doesn't change his friend's mind, even Canon attempts to stop him but Kazuki's heart and mind are set to do it, the giant Festum readies to attack the island yet again

Elsewhere the expedition lands at their destination with no problem and Miwa goes to speak with the Mir, despite her attempts to connect with the approaching Mir she is too small and attempts to grow bigger in order to converse properly, Emery stops this before it can do any damage but later that night Miwa still proceeds to get bigger, as this is happening Festum break through the Human Force's defenses and attack the building they're staying in, also the Neo U.N. has declared that they will no longer support Narain and coexistence with the Mir

Episode 7: Battle in A New Dimension

- A Festum crushes the building where Miwa and Yumiko are in, Miwa is protected by a barrier but Yumiko is crushed under the rubble, hearing Miwa's cries the Mir remakes Yumiko the same way it has remade other people, Soushi attempts to deal with all the thoughts and feelings of those assimilated by Nicht in order to properly pilot it, Kazuki has his own problems with the assimilation toll that Mark Sein has already had on his body and continues to do so, while they're occupied the other pilots get decimated by the Festum who are using tactics and abilities to crush the ones the Fafner are given, the Core refuses Fumihiko's order to push Sein and Nicht out before they're ready even when it seems Seri may have been killed, the cores that were upgraded in the Fafner's react and put out more power which gives each pilot a special ability to help them combat the Festum, this is how they manage to defeat the forward attack group of enemies, what they are left with is the big boss that commands them but luckily Nicht and Sein are now ready to battle it

Episode 8: Dreaming of Peace

- When Sein moves to attack the boss Festum the Core tells Kazuki to save his strength and the Festum retreats, the Core informs them that the real body is elsewhere and is studying their battles, all pilots and the Core go to the medical ward for their check-ups, Kenji tells Soushi that he doesn't know how he withstood all the pain and Soushi tells him to lighten the pain load - to which both Kenji and Kazuki call him out on not doing for himself, the Core is told that she'll live longer than Tsubaki and goes to sleep in Seri's bed, Soushi and Seri meet up in the Coagula and he attempts to not be socially awkward by asking her what she wants for her birthday - though her wish is for everyone to return safely, he also learns of the new Core's name from her, Kazuki attempts and fails to make pottery but his father says he'll teach him when he returns, Canon and others work all night in order to prepare vessels for Soushi and Kazuki to depart in the next morning, both of them and their Fafners are loaded into the vessels and shot into low orbit towards their comrades, Kazuki uses the trip in order to sleep and dream of the peace they once had, Soushi tells him that they will have that peace again - that they are fighting for their future peace

While the Human Force tries to keep the Festum away so that the Tatsumiya crew can leave they're simply waiting around, until Mir begins to fall like snow from above and Maya orders the pilots into their Fafners as a titan Festum breaks the Mir tree, they proceed to join the battle in protecting Miwa, at the base of the Mir tree - Emery and the others are in danger of being killed by the invading Festum

Episode 9: The Two Heroes

- The Human Forces continue to be bombarded by the enemy Festum, Fafners and pilots are assimilated and begin shooting their comrades, Maya attempts to save Aishwarya who came to the island even while the other female is begging to be killed, Narain unlocks the safety so that the remaining pilots can fire on their comrades and save themselves from ending up the same, Johnathan attempts to fight off a powerful Festum but is barely a match for it, then from the sky come Sein and Nicht - entering in the middle of the battlefield, Sein moves to help Maya and the others - saving Aishwarya, Kazuki tells Maya that he believes this is why he's still alive (to protect the hope the others came here for), Sein then goes to reverse the assimilation for the other pilots even though half of them are already gone, Nicht focuses on defeating the main force of the swarm and even takes over both human artillery and Festum to use to its advantage, with most of the swarm defeated Nicht and Sein rush to battle the main boss Festum and save the Mir

Episode 10: To the Land of Hope

- Nicht and Sein work together to defeat the Azazel Festum but it manages to do significant damage to the town, even though they pilot two of the most powerful Fafners the core managed to escape and was assimilated by another Festum, Miwa wishes for the two to protect all of the people which is thousands, after the battle Soushi is confronted by Maya about not stopping Kazuki from coming and he tells his friend that Kazuki should apologize to both of them - Maya for worrying and Soushi for being the one she cries on, they talk with Narain who says they plan to move their Mir core to another location where it can grow and hopefully communicate with Altair before it arrives, Maya receives a gun from her sister and the Tatsumiya group discuss what their next move will be, they decide to go with the group and Miwa hoping to be able to protect all 22,000 lives while a couple of them return to the island to deliver the decision, once they're ready the group proceeds to migrate

Episode 11: Transformation

- Back on the island the pilots continue to defend it from Festum attacks, they learn to utilize their new powers and at first there appear to be very little downsides, yet the pilots start to use their powers outside of the Fafners, Reo promises to always strike down Mimika's enemies so that she won't be scared, Orihime makes Seri take her to catch beetles before they gather together to have a training camp, during the camp the videos Hiroto was taking of the expedition are viewed and there are mixed feelings about the choice made by their friends, Alvis makes the decision to move Tatsumiya island in order to meet the expedition rather than send out a third force, after a relatively easy battle the pilots all go to relax in the baths (much like the first generation did) and the pilots all show negative signs of using their new powers - it's much different from normal assimilation phenomenon

Episode 12: Children of the Battlefield

- The expedition begins its long and arduous journey to their destination - breaking the group of 22,000 people into four camps, Maya joins the scouting team to ensure there are no Festum nearby while Kazuki and Soushi save their energy (and lives) for actual battles - much to Kazuki's displeasure, the team sent to contact the Neo U.N. manages to send a message that they defeated the Azazel Festum and not to attack but they are found by a new Festum, the Neo U.N. has initiated ROE Alpha and will annihilate the whole group regardless of the groups who wish to help, the second camp veers off-course and stumbles into Festum territory, Akira and Hiroto attempt to save people but aren't successful

Back on the island, the pilots are struggling to deal with the fear of the new assimilation phenomenon and it takes them an hour to defeat enemies they weren't having trouble with before, Orihime announces that the enemy has managed to learn about them first, the pilots' systems become worse after their battle, Canon and Sakura wish to do what they can - with one getting back into a Fafner and the other controlling unmanned units, they are given permission to deploy with the pilots in the next battle to help them gain courage and hope

Episode 13: A Future Within the Darkness

- The pilots on the island deal with the recent enemies with Sakura at their side who displays the ability to multiply the unmanned Fafners, Canon struggles to realize that hers is to see different moments in the future and is the last to join the battle, it's thanks to this power that she can send the others to where the enemy has hidden another attack just in time for them to stop it, thanks to their elders it restores the courage they need in order to fight to their fullest potential, the Azazel Festum is angry that it can't figure out the island's true power

As the expedition team continues on, Kazuki struggles to deal with the losses they face and his own inability to help due to his physical limitations, they discuss that there may be a traitor in their midst - someone who is relaying information to the Festum and giving away their location, Kazuki later approaches Maya and apologizes for putting so much on her shoulders, they're interrupted by a Gregory (ghost-like) Festum who wishes them all to just die, Canon experiences her first SPD (the power) outside of the Fafner and sees many of the Fafners destroyed upon Tatsumiya island in horrific ways

Episode 14: The March for Dawn

- The expedition struggles ever onwards as the Festum continue attacking isolated camps and even use the weather to their advantage, now they're certain that the Festum are using human tactics and possibly even have a "spy" in the midst, they also believe that the enemy is after Sein and Nicht so they set up traveling to keep equal distance with other forces, it will increase their travel time but is the safest solution, they find a bit of peace at Camp 13 where Soushi attempts to explain the Festum side to Kazuki and Maya who don't understand, when Maya reminds them that they have a home to return to Soushi calls her their horizon - meaning she gives them focus when they're feeling lost, at Camp 19 everyone agrees that this is where the Festum will launch their main attack so Sein and Nicht remain behind to fight away from their vulnerable people, the rest of the island pilots move on ahead and come in contact with some lesser Festum but it appears reinforcements have arrived, yet after shooting down the Festum the other human pilots turn their weapons on them and Hiroto is shot - the Crossing with him disappears

Episode 15: ROE Alpha

- Akira attempts to fight off the human enemy who wants to take Hiroto and his Fafner away, he's unsuccessful as one of his allies struggles against his brother who is on the other side, caught between Festum and human enemies the expedition struggles, Maya senses the Neo U.N. intends to bomb their base and goes to try to talk the humans out of it - with no success, she's forced the shoot the plane and kills all of the humans inside, Sein and Nicht continue to face off against the boss Festum until Miwa uses the Crossing to plead to them for help to stop the humans, Nicht manages to teleport to the battle and scares off the Neo U.N. forces, Sein faces the boss alone and senses that there is an enemy high in the sky that's communicating with it, unable to go forward or back - Narain plots a new course through a dangerous area to their new destination, a destination that will take them months to get to, the Tatsumiya crew send back people to information the island of their new plans, Emery and Miwa secretly divulge to Soushi about another ally they hope can help them - he sees a flash of Misao who had become the Core for his Mir two years ago, the Neo U.N. begins cutting apart Hiroto's Fafner and his remains fit inside of a small cooler

Episode 16: Where Life Is

- Upon getting close to the island the Festum attack and kill all of the crew attempting to return home, one manages to send the data necessary for the island to know about the change in the expedition's plans, Sui deals with seeing one of them dead right in front of him, his mother attempts to implement a second Plan L but is turned down, the pilots continue to deal with the new assimilation phenomenons they're experiencing, Canon finally realizes her power is not just to see the future but to fight it and uses her Fafner to attempt to change it, the island prepares for a festival but spirits are low

Episode 17: Flames of the Final Farewell

- The pilots on the island continue to suffer serious effects of the assimilation phenomenon, Canon increases her time in her Fafner in order to find the road that leads to the future that keeps on going despite the risk to her own life, she untangles the knots and finds the answer but reaches her end, the doctors seem to believe that they're on the right track for curing the pilots but it will take time, they also realize that for everyone one lost - human or Festum - their power grows stronger, Sui's mother seems to have realized exactly where the enemy is hiding which does provide some hope to the pilots, their family also reconciles the grief losing his sister had put on the family, Canon prepares many things including going to the Bon Festival with her adopted mother, she chooses to go to Rakuen alone where she says she was glad there was at least one future where she was with Kazuki, just before she vanishes - Canon admits (to an empty shop) of her love for Kazuki

Episode 18: Layering Sins Upon Sins

- Kazuki has a dream of Canon disappearing that is equivalent to what happened back on the island, people begin to search for her and find remnants of her at the cafe, Alvis discusses what she left behind in the new models of Fafner that will reduce the assimilation process, how they've discovered that the enemy Mir has become the ocean thus how the Festum knows their every move, the Festum attack and reveal a huge Leviathan Festum the size of the island and tiny ones that cover the shield and blackout the sky, back with the expedition the groups begin to cross the wall into Festum territory, they discover that the Mir is non-hostile and has grown into trees, Miwa and Emery ask the Mir for help and they're given fuel for their vehicles, Kazuki touches it to give thanks and Soushi has to stop him from giving his life in exchange

Then Miwa and Emery sense human hostility coming close and that they are after Kazuki and Soushi's lives, so they plan to catch the intruders alive by saying the two were injured, two enemies are captured at the medical tent but one commits suicide via poison and the other is killed by the civilians, Soushi and Kazuki lay low - away from the crowds of people, Kazuki attempts to cut his own hair and Soushi decides to show him how to do it, which means Soushi uses a ruler to be exactly precise, Akira rushes to warn them that people are in an uproar and accidentally leads a third human enemy to them, Johnathan attempts to capture him and Soushi throws himself in front of Kazuki when the gun is pointed at him, from a hidden location Maya is the one who shoots and kills the enemy

Episode 19: The Oath of the Living

- The expedition deals with the aftermath of being attacked by spies and theorize that the Neo U.N. is watching from a satellite in the sky, they talk about finding a way to put an end to that, Akira continues to suffer greatly with the human vs human violence, back on the island the initial plan to destroy the enemy Mir fails and they are forced to retreat, people begin to suffer from old illnesses as their Mir is invaded, Sakura's mother is one such person so the two decide to wed to give her peace of mind, they begin working on the new Fafner designs that Canon gave to them and celebrate the happy union, both Sakura and Kenji make the decision to keep fighting while not giving up on their future, with their new mechs the pilots once again attempt to capture and destroy the enemy Mir but Sui is taken by the boss after they manage to slightly damage it, as he's being assimilated by the Festum a new core springs to life in the Well of Urd, it appears to save Sui and the pilot of it is none other than Kouyou - his body given new form

Episode 20: The Soldiers Return Home

- Kouyou fights off the big boss while Seri deals with the massive Leviathan, the rest of the pilots regroup and proceed to eliminate the rest of the swarm, when the shield falls Mimika pushes her Fafner and her body to its limit, not even Kenji's power of healing is enough to stop her near-assimilation and she turns into a black ball of mass that contains her soul, Kouyou only manages to cause the Azazel type to retreat and the Mir core which finally ends the fight they've been struggling with for months, after the battle Kouyou returns to Rakeun and finds Canon's message left in her and Shouko's hat which is delivered to Orihime, the Neo U.N. forces attempt to find the expedition but all the camps are empty, one of the pilots finds an underground pathway where the expedition is now traveling on, except a trap was laid to send a message that even the Festum would hear, it summons the powerful Festum down upon them in hopes that they shouldn't be fighting each other but the hostile Festum instead

Episode 21: Time of Awakening

- The expedition struggles onward and a month after they went over the wall they ran out of blockers, pilots began to fall to the assimilation phenomenon and new recruits all died, large groups of people began to break off and would purposely draw attention to save the rest from a Festum attack, winter came - as did Shouko and Kazuki's birthday (their 20th), at fifty-six days they finally received a message from Tatsumiya Island that when the expedition reached their journey's end - they would be there, only 5,217 civilians made it out of the 22,000 they started with, just when the expedition was about to cross their final stretch towards the island they're attacked, Nicht and Sein stay behind to prevent the enemy from following but another Azazel type emerges from the water, not only them but the Neo U.N. as well is there to attempt to take the Island's Fafners, Maya is captured and dragged underwater and Akira attempts to save her, Soushi is ordered by Kazuki to deal with the second big Festum and he obeys, Maya is saved by one of their allies who activates Fenrir to take out some of the Neo U.N.'s forces

Planes are shot down from the sky by Johnathan who appears to have been partially assimilated by the Gregory-type Festum, people start fleeing the planes on boats and are confronted by other mechs, a third huge Festum appears in the sky and heads towards them, except it's not another enemy and it transforms to reveal that it's a ship - with the ally Misao on board, Miwa and Emery's calls were answered

Episode 22: Memories of Hatred

- The battle rages on, the group is assisted by Misao's Festum and the remaining Fafners from the island come to help, Kenji attempts to save Maya but she's captured by the enemy, Akira faces near-assimilation but is saved just in time by his sister, Kouyou helps attack the boss Festum and saves Soushi from nearly being assimilated, Kazuki pushes himself to the limit - losing his right arm in the process, yet he manages to defeat the Festum that has been stalking them and falls unconscious

Everyone regroups on the island once the rest of the enemies retreat, the expedition pilots are taken care of and Kazuki is placed in a stasis pod, Narain attempts to give Kazuki new life via his Mir but Orihime refuses and says the island Mir will give it if he wishes, Soushi asks Orihime's permission to go and get Maya back - saying he won't give up Nicht but it opens the way to negotiation, Misao wishes to assimilate Miwa but she says that will only happen if he brings true peace and keep fighting, both sides learn of each other's losses in the time they've been apart (Soushi learns of Canon, plus Kenji and Sakura's marriage), at the Neo U.N. Maya is ordered to pilot their new Fafner made from the remains of Hiroto's (and of his fate), both Billy and Johnathan were also captured, Maya learns that Johnathan was a puppet and his mind is wiped now that he knows the truth, she also learns that they have a Festum satellite in the sky that gives information and can order other Festum, many learn about other Alvis islands - a third one called Atlantis, Johnathan meets the one in the sky who gifts him with the Festum's hatred, he escapes confinement

Episode 23: Power Without Reason

- Four Festum walk into a bar Kouyou, Orihime and Misao all hang out at Rakuen when Soushi walks in, he asks both Kouyou and Misao to protect the island while he's gone and tells Orihime that he'll be back, Soushi visits Kazuki who's still in stasis and tells him that their lives aren't over yet, he travels with Mizoguchi to Neo U.N.'s headquarters where they learn that the Human Army wants them to assassinate the leader of the Neo U.N., that she intends to wipe out all but a chosen 50,000 humans, they don't take part and when Mizoguchi sees a bomb during negotiations he tells them to flee, one of the people in the Human Army turns out to be a puppet and the Neo U.N.'s Mir turns on them, the leader of the Neo U.N. intends to flee while turning against the rest of the city, they attempt to take Nicht but the men are assimilated by a puppet who Soushi then turns to nothingness

Maya and Mizoguchi manage to escape in her Fafner and she turns against the human forces to make them stop attacking their own, Soushi attempts to fight off the boss Festum but it's Johnathan in the new mech that accomplishes it - the Azazel type is assimilated by the other hostile Festum in the sky, Maya straps herself to the Neo U.N.'s sub and activates Fenrir unless ROE Alpha is reversed, the leader agrees in the last second, the Island pilots are allowed to leave without fighting Johnathan in the new mech and he asks Maya to kill him next time they meet

Episode 24: The Third Alvis

- They're successful in finding the third island and the ally Mir is taken to it, the island Fafners are prepared to deal with the Azazel type should it show up again but aren't aware that it's been assimilated by the satellite already, enemies only appear once a small group has made it to the third island and the Fafners struggle to fend them off, the satellite Mir attempts to make contact with the island and assimilate the ally Mir - held off by Rina and Akira, Kazuki (in his "sleep") accepts the blessing the island Mir gives him and is now partially Festum - his arm restored, upon borrowing some unmanned Fafners he frees Sein from its earth shell and joins the battle, his power of recreation restores all the pilots who were taken over by Festum and reverts Mimika back into her human form, he puts a crack in the enemy Mir which allows Akira to break it completely, as he's disconnected his sister Akira bears the assimilation phenomenon alone and vanishes

Episode 25: Operation Azure

- All of the first generation pilots have their coming-of-age ceremony and everyone prepares to bring things to an end, they will pull down the satellite Festum and destroy it before the new Mir can come to Earth, their ally Mir takes root on the new island and the Human Army closes in, with Misaeo and Kouyou's help Nicht brings down another Azazel type while Zero Fafner succeeds in pulling the enemy down after the Neo U.N. shoots it, Maya stands ready to disarm the Human Army without taking lives while other Fafners take out the swarms of Festum attacking, Nicht and Sein rush to defeat the enemy Mir but Johnathan in the new Fafner stands in their way

Episode 26: Tatsumiyajima

- As the Fafners continue to fight, the CDC sends out a message to the Human Army to alert them that they are not assimilated or Festum - most of it responds with confusion and stops their attacks, not even four of the strongest Fafners are enough to take on the new one and the others are decimated when attempting to stop the satellite Festum from consuming the ally Mir, Nicht is downed by the new Fafner and Soushi nearly assimilates but is saved by Kenji - who informs him that he's the only one left that can move, so Nicht goes to stop the satellite Festum but it comes with a high price, Orihime informs everyone that they must evacuate the island as the new Mir will merge with the island to grow, she will stay behind with it but Seri attempts to attack it to not lose Orihime, together with the island, Seri and the new Mir all sink into the ocean to sleep until the new Mir is ready to be awoken, Emery and Miwa's mother return to the ally Mir from which they were born from

Kazuki manages to get through to Johnathan before the enemy is enraged and consumes them both, in the void Kazuki tries to go with Soushi but is saved by Kouyou and Misao, outside of her Fafner - Maya faces someone who wishes revenge for having killed his brother and she is saved when Mizoguchi kills him, shortly after she learns that her sister (Miwa's mother) is gone as are the others, apart from Soushi and Seri - all of the Fafner pilots continue to live on, upon opening the cockpit to Nicht they discover a baby where Soushi had been

Two years later on Watatsumi Island a young boy asks what's out beyond the sea and Kazuki replies that it's their homeland, the two are holding hands on a beach and Kazuki calls the boy "Soushi"