It began as any other summer day normally would have. The sun rose and tickled the western coast of Japan as the early hours of the morning ticked by on various clocks across the land. As noon approached, the morning cloud cover broke. The now unblemished sky channeled an almost unnaturally bright light emanating from the sun to cover every square inch of land and water. The immense radiance did much to accentuate the colors of the earth. It turned the sea a striking shade of deep, royal blue, and brilliantly reflected the golds, browns, and greens of the coastline. The water was mirror flat; disturbances created by small animals lasted for several minutes, giving further credence to the strong natural presence. Similarly, even the most quiet of sounds could be heard across the water from the coast: from stirring branches to honking automobiles. Indeed, it seemed that the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Zero Requiem would be yet another beautifully insignificant, uneventful summer day.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a missile lanced across the sky, found its target, and detonated in an angry ball of fire. The trail of exhaust created gave the impression that the sky had been slashed open, and what happened next only reinforced the notion. In an instant, the sky was filled with pink and green blurs, and with them arrived an immense cloud of incessant explosions. In mere seconds, the beautiful silence of nature gave way to explosive, metallic cacophony. The juxtaposition of the two sounds was nothing short of terrifying. The sky darkened once more, but this time due to a sinister cloud of gunpowder, shrapnel, smoke, and debris. At the same time, the seemingly endless explosions taking place beneath this cover cast an eerie, shadowy glow upon the earth. Massive warships collided in the air as well as in the sea, and great plumes of water erupted as shells and victimized ships crashed into the water. The previously blue sea turned black with oil, blood, and debris. As the battle raged, the violence only intensified, and everything was on fire. It seemed as though the very atmosphere were ablaze. The thirty-five years of unending world peace which had begun with the assassination of Lelouch Vi Britannia, the Demon, was well and truly over.

…

Temporary Field Hospital

The room was utter chaos, almost as much so as the battle raging outside. Doctors and nurses ran frantically about, treating as many of the wounded as they possibly could, but the numbers were simply too overwhelming. Since one doctor unfortunately couldn't treat 16 patients at a time, the battle was about to see many more deaths. Amidst the already chaotic medical situation, people were also frantically trying to make sense of the political one.

"Move those boxes out of the way! We need another bed!"

"Why the hell are we being attacked now? And by who?!"

"It's the UFN, that's what these pilots are saying."

"Insane! Why would the UFN attack us now of all times?"

"I've heard rumors that the entire Supreme Council was violently overtaken by an extremist group. They've gained control of the whole Federation!" As the debate continued, a far more urgent matter somehow broke through the cacophony, which was also comparable to that of the battle outside.

"OUT OF THE WAY! GENERAL KURURUGI'S BEEN WOUNDED!!"

The occupants of the room swiftly parted as four men sprinted down the hall, wheeling a gurney dyed red with blood. On it laid the gory and barely conscious body of Suzaku Kururugi. The events of the last thirty-five years flashed before his eyes: his blade sinking into his best friend's chest; his marriage to the only woman in the world he loved as much as Euphie, his princess; the simultaneous birth of his son and death of his wife; his promotion to general. As he lost more and more blood, it all began to blur…

"Damnit! Why the hell did he insist on joining the fight? And in that antiquated old Lancelot unit of all things! What the hell was he thinking?!"

"Doesn't matter, the point is it happened."

"Hurry, let's get him into surgery, there's still a chance to–"a hand reached up and weakly clasped the speaking man's forearm, interrupting his statement.

"You will do no such thing, soldier," said Suzaku. The man was dumbstruck. "But…sir!"

"The only thing you will do is take me to see my son. Consider it an order."

…

Genbu sprinted forward as he saw the team of soldiers wheeling his father towards him.

"Father!"

It was a devastating sight. His father had long been considered the most formidable man in the military; a man impossible to kill. Yet now, here he was lying on a gurney, minutes from death. It had only been a few weeks ago that Genbu celebrated his sixteenth birthday with his father; a day that had been a strong candidate for being the best of his life. Now, his only role model, the man he idolized, lay in front of him dying. And the blood…it was too much to bear. There was so much blood, an inhuman amount. That the man was still alive let alone speaking to him was nothing short of a miracle. He knew that whatever his father needed to tell him was of no small importance.

"Genbu…listen carefully…" He sounded faint, and far different than normal. Genbu was forced to lean in closer to hear his father. "I know this seems bad…but there is another person, far more skilled than me. He can tell you how to end this." With a groan and some shuffling, he pulled out a crumpled, ripped slip of paper from his pocket and shakily handed it to Genbu. He was on the verge of breaking down, and with an equally shaky hand, took the mysterious slip of paper from his father as the tears welled in his eyes. "You've got to find him Genbu, and convince him to help us. Tell him I sent you. Don't fail me…" and with that, the great Suzaku Kururugi groaned in agony once more, then finally succumbed to death's cold embrace. The red rings of light that had rimmed his eyes throughout the day's ordeal finally flickered and disappeared as his eyes slowly fluttered closed.

"Father! NO!"

…

Genbu was devastated. He had never known such emotional pain could exist. And on top of that, he now felt an overwhelming sense of stress and responsibility as a result of the mysterious mission his father had left him. He didn't know who he was looking for or even where to begin. Suddenly he was angry. Why had his father given him the mission when he had hundreds of thousands of soldiers at his beck and call? Was this something that reached beyond the realm of military power? As he collapsed on his bed, something fell out of his pocket. It was the strange slip of paper his father had given him. In his immense grief, Genbu had totally forgotten about the tiny, seemingly insignificant thing. Now he turned to it, praying it would give him some sort of clue as to what was going on.

He held it in his hands and examined it. It was clearly very old, as the paper had been yellowed and wrinkled with age. His father sweat and blood dotted it. Judging from the way it was ripped, he presumed it came from a larger note. Perhaps that would contain some clues as well, if he could find it. Gently smoothing out the paper on his palm, he could see that something was written on it. The graphite on the paper had faded with time, and the numerous bloodstains made what remained of the writing difficult to read. Despite this, Genbu was able to make out what it said through sheer determination for answers.

Latitude 36N. Longitude 138E.

It wasn't much, but it was the most information he had gotten all day. Stuffing the coordinates back into his pocket, Genbu arose from the bed. He had made his decision. With his father dead, he now had nothing more to live for other than the final mission he had been given. Therefore, he would find this man whom his father so fervently believed in and force him to help, regardless of his own feelings. And once he did and this whole situation was reconciled, he would then find the men responsible for his father's death and make them pay dearly.

In short, the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Zero Requiem was anything but normal. In fact, it started a chain reaction of events that would end with the destruction of the world yet again. It began with a cataclysmic battle, which caused the death of a general, and which consequently created a new demon for the world to fear.

Much more to come everybody. Stay tuned!