So, this chapter will be a little longer, due to me having to explain a bunch of stuff. Enjoy!

7/21/12 UPDATE: Rewrote this chapter to make everything seem less convenient and herky-jerky. For those who have been turned-off by the previous version of this chapter, I beg of you to reconsider. I have rewritten some of the dialogue in order to streamline everything with the canon

Lap 2: Geass

"I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens." ~Woody Allen

2018 A.D., Generic office building, Tokyo, Japan, 30 minutes after the Assassination of Lelouch vi Britannia

There was dead silence at the man's question, and Lelouch utilized it to survey his options. He wanted to know who this man was, how he knew he was alive, and how he had come here. With a movement, he beckoned the man inside and gestured at the cushion he had lain on. As the man sat down, he sighed in gratitude, as a travel-weary wanderer would when offered a sandwich and a place to sleep, laying both scythe and sake on he floor.

"Now tell us..." Jeremiah began, "Who are you?"

The man's eyes closed, a contented smile on his face, "Such a question may have many interpretations..."

"Then let's start with your name," Lelouch said.

The man looked to him, "My name is Alterith ver Degralis, and as for who I am...I am a pilgrim of sorts. A crusader, much like yourself." The tone of his voice was pleasant, but held a subtle undertone of wariness.

"I see," Lelouch began, "and what would you mean by that?"

Alterith smirked, "That would depend... How much do you wish to know?"

Lelouch sat down beside him, holding up the man's scythe, a crescent of iridescent black metal, with a sharp silver edge on either side, "You carry an unusual weapon, archaic, and unorthodox for its own time." He traced the flat of the blade with his finger, "Traditionally, only the inner edge would be sharp, but the back edge..." He trailed off, then suddenly drew his left palm swiftly across the blade's outer curve, opening a streak of bright red as blood seeped from the new cut, "It wouldn't normally be sharpened." He watched, unsurprised as the slash in his had closed, healing faster than it should have, "This is a weapon made for battle, and not for the simple task of harvesting."

He lay the scythe next to its owner, who then picked it up himself, "Yes, you are right. This weapon was made not only for war, but also as a conduit for power."

"I think, then," Lelouch replied, "the question is not who you are, but rather what you are."

Alterith nodded, "Then you have guessed, my true form is not human?"

Jeremiah frowned, "Then what are you? And how did you know of his Majesty's survival?"

Alterith gripped Lelouch's right arm, bringing his hand up to display the palm, "Look, Jeremiah Gottwald, and I think you'll recognize the symbol."

A dark red mark spanned Lelouch's hand, taking a form resembling a bird in flight. The Mark of a Code-Bearer. Lelouch gazed at it dispassionately, understanding both how he had obtained it, and what it now meant. His father, Charles zi Britannia, had given his final curse on his prodigal son as he had dissolved into the World of C: to wander the Earth forever, unable to die, until another came to take his place.

'No,' He decided, 'I will not force that living Hell on another. To live forever, unable to seek release lest you corrupt and empower another to take it from you. To do so would be to violate my own principles, that only those who are willing to die should kill, and to kill to take the power of eternal life... how ironic, that I myself have broken that very rule, taking the lives of others, even intending to do so myself, yet now forced to live on.'

He thought of something, raising his hand to his eyes, removing the lenses that inhibited his power, and looking Alterith directly in the eyes, "You will tell me the truth."

The man shuddered as the power took hold, rewriting his intentions to follow those of the order he was given, relaxing as it finished his work, and awaiting questioning, "Yes, of course."

"What do you know about Geass?"

"It is the Power of the Kings, giving men the ability to obtain that which is their heart's deepest desire. If such a power has elevated to a certain level, one is able to take the power of immortality from those who possess it, the Code-Bearers. There are also other clauses that govern those, unbeknownst to most of them."

"And what are those?"

"If one takes the immortality from the one who first granted them the power, they will lose it, but if taken from another..."

"…One will possess both," Lelouch finished for him. "I ascertained that from my own experience. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to Geass you. Now, onto more pressing matters, what are you and how do you know all this?"

"By definition, I am not human. I was manifested by a version of C's World and bound to the flow of Time."

"Manifested?" Lelouch quirked a brow, "That explains how you know of Geass and Code and their intrigues, if indeed you were brought forth by C's World. But my father said that C's World is the will of mankind."

Alterith shook his head, "C's World predates existence as we know it. It's the will of God, of the universe. When Time and Space were created, C's World manifested me and my brother to regulate them. However, no less than eleven hundred years ago, I was…exiled."

"Why?"

"I lost my humanity and as such, I was stripped of all of my power and cast down to this world, until I regain it and understand…" The man's expression seemed pleading, as if hoping that Lelouch would not delve further.

"Very well, you said 'by definition.' Does that mean that there are other names for you?"

"Yes," He answered, "I have been seen as a God in many world's, but such a name is not fitting for me; God brought forth the C's World, and me; in essence, I am a child of God."

"And what are you the God of?" Lelouch asked, hoping for him to expound.

"Time," He replied simply, "I control the flow of Time, destroying universes when they threaten to unravel the delicate balance between my brother and I."

"Brother?"

He nodded, "Arisseos, the Lord and Master of Space. We each have our own spheres of power."

"Yours being?" Lelouch queried.

"Time, Death, Knowledge, Truth, Love, anything that can transcend the boundaries set by lifespans and distance. My brother's are limited to those things that eventually come to an end, besides Space. Life, Lies, Emotions. Anything volatile or unstable."

"I see, and why are you here?"

Alterith looked up, his eyes devoid of emotion, "Redemption. I need to regain my humanity and understand what it is, what drives men."

Lelouch nodded, taking this in. Then a thought struck him, "How is it you have a human form and how long have you had it?"

"I was cast down to this world in this form." He replied.

Lelouch nodded, then tilted his head, "How did you come to be here?"

"Pardon?"

Lelouch waved a hand impatiently, "How did you know I would be here, on this day, at this time?"

Alterith blinked, eyes still radiating red under the effect of Geass, "I was told by you."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "I told you?"

He shook his head, "No. I was told by you, but you have yet to tell me."

"How does that work?"

"The big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff."

Lelouch's eyebrow rose even higher.

"Doctor Who reference," As the eyebrow climbed even higher, Alterith sighed, "Time travel. By my count, I briefly met you just before I was cast down to earth, after this meeting. You told me to be here at this time, on this date. When I very rudely told you to 'fuck off'—and I apologize in advance for the rude way in which I spoke to you—you just smirked and told me you'd see me soon. It was a rather new experience. Usually I'm the one using time travel to screw with peoples' heads…"

Lelouch understood, "Very well. Will you help me, then?"

"Help... you?" Alterith seemed wary, as if unsure as to whether this were a trick.

"Yes," Lelouch clarified, "To protect the world I brought peace to. I have no power left to me but my Geass and Jeremiah's sword. One can be used only sparingly, and the use of the other would be unwise as the world tries to settle into peace. Will you help me? I need more men."

'And,' Lelouch thought, 'Another Geass on my side wouldn't hurt. I am no longer the sole pos

Alterith gazed at him, eyes piercing, trying to discern his intentions. Then he assented and knelt, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Lelouch took a step forward, extending his hand. It stalled for a moment in hesitation, then he resolved himself and placed it on the kneeling God's shoulder. In an instant they were catapulted from the bland office room into a vast and mysterious dimension. Alterith stood, coat billowing in an unseen, unfelt gale as Lelouch spoke.

"You want to accomplish your goal, don't you? You have a reason to live." His voice echoed, as if spoken in an empty tunnel.

"A Geass Contract?" Alterith drew a sharp breath.

Lelouch's smirk was audible, "Yes. If I gave you the power to grasp what you seek, would you help me? Would you grant my greatest wish? Will you accept this contract?"

There was no hesitation in the reply, "Yes! I hereby accept the terms of your Contract, Lelouch vi Britannia!"

With a flash, they were restored to their previous surroundings. Alterith shuddered, right eye transmuting from blue to crimson, the glittering bird-shaped sigil taking hold in the iris. He raised a hand, covering his right eye. With a whirling motion, he rose to his feet, gripping his weapon and the bottle of sake.

"Yes, Lelouch." He hissed, emotion filling his voice, "I think... I am excited!"

Kind of a lame cliffhanger there, but, oh well! There's always next chapter, which has a good bit with some action in it.