Fate/Geass: The Eden Vital War
Disclaimer: In this particular universe, I do not own or in any way shape or form hold a claim to Code Geass, Fate/Stay Night, the Nasuverse, or any other modern works that I may reference in this story.
Long ago, there was a war between Code-bearers and their Geass gifted armies over the power of Eden Vital, a war that destroyed the legendary continent of Atlantis and sent mankind back to the Stone Age. To prevent this, direct confrontations between Code-bearers are now forbidden, with disagreements to be resolved in a ritualized war of champions. But when V.V does the unthinkable and violates this tradition, he will soon learn that he is not the only one able to bend the rules for victory.
" " denotes speech
'italics'denotes thought
'bold' denotes location names
'bold italics' denotes skill use
Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy
Lelouch vi Britannia, in his guise as the simple Britannian student (and Vice-Present of the Student Council) Lelouch Lamperouge, was not having a good day. After the strange encounter in his dreams last night, he had found himself unable to go back to sleep, and so had spent the dwindling stock of hours till dawn lying awake on the floor, while the green-haired witch slept comfortably in his bed.
Given C.C.'s utter disregard for protocol and common courtesy, the exiled prince would ordinarily not have hesitated to kick her off the bed and claim it for himself, but with the illusory pain from his body being reduced painfully to rust-colored paste (in the witch had called a "Phantasm World") still lingering, compounded by an all too clear recollection of how she had stopped a rampaging Knightmare with a touch, he decided that discretion was the better part of valor.
Though it would probably have done no good even if he had made the attempt, given that C.C. was not only stronger than him physically (not that that meant much), but likely possessed an arsenal of skills that would make his own pale in comparison. He couldn't be certain of this, but what little information the champion had gleaned strongly suggested that it would be…unwise to underestimate her. Caution seemed prudent when dealing with an immortal who simply by existing for however long she had, had become a veritable master of Schrödinger Fu, which in layman's terms, simply meant the art of being unpredictable.
To make matters worse, while his sleep-deprived mind churned and raged, calmly analyzing the situation as best it could, dawn crept up on him with a vengeance, almost driving the poor lad to utter a curse or three against sunlight, mornings, and all else that involved getting up to face the day. Still, at least he had somehow summoned up the energy to clean and dress himself, even managing to seem lifelike enough to keep his sister Nunnally from worrying too much.
'And spending time with Nunnally is far more pleasant than this unsavory task…'
Ordinarily, the Vice President of Ashford Academy's Student Council would not have minded so much. Indeed, he usually thought of his fellow council members' antics as quaint, even amusing on occasion. Today was an exception, as their antics only exacerbated what was effectively a hangover, meaning that Lelouch Lamperouge, one of the only competent members of the council (or so he thought to himself) wanted nothing more than to catch up on much needed sleep.
As fate would have it, however, the universe was about to throw a crimp in his plans. This time, the disruption came in the rather attractive form of his superior and childhood friend, Student Council President Milly Ashford, who was quite literally beating him over the head with his unfinished work.
"Wake up Lelouch!" the curvaceous blonde's rather insistent voice demanded, piercing through the mental fog with ease. "I know you were sleeping. Your hands stopped moving!"
'A pity that she's always been so observant,' the raven-haired prince thought to himself, suppressing a frown in favor of the unflappable 'cool' image that had become almost second nature. 'As much as I admire her enthusiasm, sometimes—oh well, back to work then.'
"Well, you don't have to beat me up over it, do you?" Lelouch asked almost plaintively, a tad miffed that he had been caught in the act.
Rivalz, the friend of Lelouch who often served as his chauffeur to and from his high-stakes chess matches, was not so sympathetic, instead haranguing the prince over vanishing the day before in a futile attempt to curry favor with his unrequited love.
"That's right! What was up with you yesterday?" added a rather irate orangette, the usually cheery and upbeat girl refusing to meet his eyes. Apparently, she was still angry at him for hanging up on her the other day, nevermind that that untimely phone call could have cost Lelouch his life had C.C. not offered him a contract. As it was…
"Um, well..." the purple-eyed prince fumbled for a perfect answer, only to find to his dismay that there wasn't one. Shirley knew perfectly well (and disapproved the fact) that he had been out gambling on yet another chess match yesterday, and to explain further would be—
"That's enough, you guys!" the Student Council President broke in, her voice of reason thankfully drawing the attention of the others away from mentally frazzled Avenger, and back to the reason they were all gathered in this room. "Let's not get side-tracked here. If we don't come up with a fix for the club activities budget, we won't have money left for anything at all."
"Yeah, and if that happens, the Equestrian club will be pissed. You don't want them to come charging in here on horseback to shake us down for funds," Rivalz quipped, just as a horse and rider cantered past the great window of the clubroom, causing everyone to blink for a moment. "See?"
Smack!
This earned him a fish-eyed stare from Nina, absolutely no reaction from Lelouch, and a rolled up newspaper to the head from Milly.
"Rivalz, can't you be a more serious student council member?" the blonde complained, rather critical of her lazy subordinate. Yes, she knew perfectly well that Rivalz had a crush on her, and was trying to impress her, but was no excuse for his irreverence for work. If only Rivalz was more like Lelouch, then maybe—
Before that poisonous line of thought could burrow its way into the back of her mind, she shut it out, mentally stomping, staking, and burying it just to be sure.
"You know, if that was the case, you should have told us about this mess a day ago!" the blue-haired Rivalz protested, trying to push responsibility off of himself—one of the worst qualities for a woman to see in a man. "Or maybe a day later. Then we would have given up."
Defeatism was not an especially attractive quality either.
"Well then, let's get to work," Lelouch suggested, eyeing his own stack of papers with trepidation. "Or at this rate, even your 'GUTS' spell won't do any good."
Thwack!
This time, it was Lelouch who earned a firm smack to the head with Milly's infamous roll of paper.
'It's a good thing that her GUTS spell isn't really magic, or she would have likely reinforced that roll of paper to be as hard as steel by now,' he thought to himself wryly, involuntarily bringing a hand up to touch the place she had struck—the twin of where C.C. had shot Clovis. All at once, he found himself faced with a new bout of nausea, but as he had experienced worse in the last 24 hours, he was able to suppress it. 'Not that remembering my body being torn to pieces is any more pleasant…'
"Don't doubt in my power!" the Ashford heir chastised the exiled prince, a sassy smirk gracing her lips. "With 'GUTS', we can do anything!"
"I agree!" Shirley chimed in, raising her hand supportively, while giving one of her delightfully cheery smiles. "'GUTS' certainly always gets me going!"
It was probably too much to expect Milly (infamous tease that she was) to pass up an opportunity like this, especially coming from someone as innocent as Shirley.
"So nice and obedient," the Student Council President noted with approval, straightening up to flash a sultry smile at the younger girl, hands on her hips emphasizing her hourglass figure. "Supple and willing…just what I like."
Not surprisingly, Shirley missed the double meaning of the byplay completely.
"You've trained me well, Madame President," the orangette boasted, pumping her arm for emphasis, only to blink in confusion as Milly chuckled at her naïveté. "What?"
"That's not what I meant," Milly corrected sly, her gaze dropping to where the curves of Shirley's breasts bulged from beneath her school blazer. "I checked you out in the girl's bathroom yesterday. You've been filling out in all the right places, huh?"
Combined with an outright leer, and a lecherous chuckle from Rivalz, this wrung out a startled gasp from Shirley, who covered herself up with a look of surprise.
"Wh- wh-what are you talking about, you perv?" the orangette demanded, flushing violently. "Geez, our president's just a dirty old man, isn't she, sullying the meeting with her filthy mind?"
Everyone had a good laugh at that, even Milly herself, and afterwards, the work seemed lighter. In a matter of hours, it was done. The budget was balanced, the crisis resolved, and there would be no more than an even chance of the equestrian club charging into the clubroom in outrage.
One by one, Rivalz, Nina, and Shirley filed out, and just as Lelouch was about to follow…
"Sorry, Lulu, but could you stay a moment?" Milly asked of him, eyes shining with anticipation. When she looked like that, even the Black Prince did not have the heart to refuse her, since she had done so much for him in the past. And if he did, Lelouch had the feeling that his refusal would come back to bite him in the ass later—perhaps at one of the cross-dressing balls she was so fond of organizing.
"Sure, Milly, what can I do for you?" the exile replied, making sure his social mask was still in place. Hopefully, it wouldn't be something too humiliating, though at the moment, he would welcome a distraction from the mass of information he was wrangling with.
"There's a student in your class by the name of Kallen Stadtfeld, do you know her?"
"Only the name," Lelouch admitted, rifling through the class roster in his mind, furrowing his brow as he recalled an empty desk. "She hasn't been here at school since this whole term started."
"Keeping tabs on her now, are we Lulu?" the blonde teased, eyes glinting wickedly.
Having known her for quite a few years, Lelouch knew better than to answer, as dignifying her accusation with a reply would simply be giving her more ammunition. An admission would be suicidal, and a denial—well, she'd take that as a tsundere's confession, so the best course was to wait it out.
"Ah, you're no fun, Lelouch," Milly pouted, seeing that her subordinate wasn't about to rise to the bait. "Well, with her poor health, she'd have a hard time with regular club activities, so my grandfather wants us to induct her into the student council."
"The principal does?" he questioned, receiving a nod as reply. But there had to be something more, a reason she had asked for him to stay specifically. "So why are you telling me this?"
"Well, I thought it best if you went and invited her to the clubhouse," Milly replied in cloyingly honey-sweet tones, sitting on the table across from the prince and turning the full force of a teasing 'come-hither' look on him. "After all, you are the school heartthrob."
'I should have known it would be something like this,' Lelouch thought to himself, feeling the inexplicable urge to bring his palm to his forehead welling up from within. But then a thought occurred to him, one that brought a devilish smirk to his face as well, surprising his childhood friend. 'I wonder if my Geass works non-verbally, on emotional humiliation…'
"But Milly," the prince replied slowly, activating the power of Absolute Retribution. In his mind, he specified all the incidents that had involved Milly teasing Shirley he could remember, willing her to feel the same. "What would Shirley think?"
At those words, Milly's eyes flew open in surprise. She'd thought the dark-haired vice president to be rather…dense…in that regard, but now…
"Oh, is someone interested at last?" she answered with a question of her own, only half joking. "Don't tell me it was my comment about check…uuhnnnn…"
A soft, involuntary moan forced its way past her lips, as Milly's mouth fell open a fraction, eyes glazing over….
"Lulu…ahhhnnn…uuhhnnn…punish me Lulu…"
Her arms desperately tried to cover herself—or was it touch herself?—wrapping around her voluptuous frame as her features distorted in a haze of pleasure, breathing growing ragged as whimpers, moans, and yelps escaped her unwilling lips, her body shivering.
Milly threw back her head as an icy fire raced up her spine, flooded her nerves; her vision burnt out and she was seeing with her skin, mind flooding with a deluge of mingled pain and pleasure under Lelouch's magic gaze. A live wire conducting a feeling so intense, it was impossible to describe, spine arching backwards as she flailed to an unseen rhythm.
"AH, AH, AH, AH, AH!"
Faster the moans came, faster, sweat racing down her back and brow as the world was swept away, growing white hot—
"Ahnnn…oh no…I…I…oh…oh…oh…LULU!"
A last scream, as the orchestra of sensation reached its climax and Milly collapsed, body numb as she slumped to the table, skin quivering...eyes coming to focus on a beet-red prince with an flushed expression full of bliss, perhaps, with affection, gratitude, and maybe even some…lust?
Her soft blue eyes as they regarded him were tired, but gentle, for a moment devoid of that driving energy that had always denoted "Milly" in Lelouch's mind, and the prince found that he could not meet her gaze, aristocratic bravado breaking down entirely.
This had been his fault entirely, but—
Warmth.
The raven-haired prince looked down again to see a soft hand cupping his cheek, as the older of the two took the initiative, forcing him to look at her, at all of her, even as she was now. Blue met violet as a forced glance became a lingering one, only the sound of their breathing breaking silence in the musky clubroom.
"Uh…I…" Lelouch tried to find words to explain himself—tried and ultimately failed, since he didn't know what to say. He couldn't admit to having Geass, nor to what he had just done so…
"So tell me Lulu…is that how your father won over his 108 wives?" the voice of the busty blonde interrupted, raising one of her golden eyebrows inquisitively. "And why the girls are so excited when you look at them?"
Her voice was gentle, but would brook no falsehood, not after what had just transpired.
"I…uh…well…"
"Don't be coy, I'm talking about your magic eye, silly," she drawled out, causing the prince to do a double take. She chuckled at this, knowing that Lelouch liked to think of himself as hard to read. "Oh, don't look so surprised…I saw that bird-like symbol in your eye right before this happened. I notice things you know…especially when they're about you."
'…how did this happen?' he thought to himself, mentally screaming that this was not in his pre-planned scenario, either for school life or for taking down Britannia. Somewhere in the universe, Lelouch was sure, the gods were laughing at him for his run of horrible, horrible luck.
"It…runs in the family," he managed weakly, giving the blonde a feeble attempt at a smile. Little did he know that this was technically true, since both his mother and father had also been Geass users. Still, he had to make sure that... "Look, I'd appreciate it if you'd…"
"So this is another one of your dark secrets, eh, Lulu?" Milly broke in, anticipating what he was about to say, rather sardonically. "Mystic Eyes of Little Death Perception, eh? My my, when they said most guys rape people with their eyes, I didn't know you could do that literally."
A beat later, she chuckled weakly, something that the prince could not share, as the remark held quite a bit of truth, a little too much truth to be entirely comfortable, in fact. Chagrined, embarrassed, and more than a little bit flustered, a grunt of "Heh" was all that he managed before he looked away, out the window at the courtyard of the Academy.
"So uncomfortable…this is so like you, always the tease," the blonde chided, her breath returning to normal, though her cheeks were still flushed.
Lelouch only raised an eyebrow in response.
"Oh, you know it's true, that cool, distant look of yours…don't forget I know you, Lulu," she reprimanded him yet again, her hand having found its way to his where—she was apparently threatening him with her nails.
Daring to glance at her again, the exiled prince saw that Milly was glaring at him, lips pursed considering.
"You didn't do this to Shirley, right?" she asked, voice low and dangerous. "That's not why she's after you is it?"
This at last, he could answer with complete honesty.
"Of course I didn't," he denied, voice perhaps a little more vehemence than necessary. "You're the only one I—"
He stopped, puzzled by the stunned look on Milly's face, for upon hearing this, the Student Council President's expression had lit up, like the cat that swallowed the canary. At long last, she had learned something else about her long-unrequited love, feeling a sense of satisfaction now that she knew something else about the man.
"Good, then…it will be our little sec—ret", she said, voice once again turned coy and teasing, with traces of a sultry smirk upon her lips as fingers reached out and pulled his face down to hers so that they were less than an inch apart. "Just like everything else about you that I already know."
Before he could ask what she meant, the blonde's face moved forward ever so slightly to close the gap between their lips, shocking her prince to no end as her tongue darted out, tracing the contours of his mouth and where his surprisingly soft lips came together as she looked into his eyes.
And then it was over, that stolen moment of passion ended.
"Oh, and don't bother apologizing, Lelouch vi Britannia," the heir of Ashford whispered, daring to speak her love's true name in ages as her hot breath tickled his ear. "I'll. Just. Have. You. Take. Responsibility. For. This."
Her eyes glistened with the maddeningly meaningful certainty of hers that she was going to remember this and probably find some way to tease him about it when other people were around in a way that no one would understand but them. Or perhaps…
Brushing past the still stunned prince, Milly slid off the table and got to her feet. Pausing for a moment to study the profile of the one she knew well, she let out a small thoughtful "hm", then with a last sashay of her hips, left the room, the sound of her steps seeming…lighter, somehow as they tap, tap, tapped away down the corridor.
But lest he forget his duties…
"Oh Lulu, don't forget to talk to Kallen," her voice drifted to the man left behind her, as if the president were confident that her subordinate would hear and obey. "The induction party for her is tomorrow in the clubroom."
'I suppose I will accept that geass…'
The moment Milly was out of sight and sound, Lelouch collapsed to floor for the second time that day, hand against his forehead in the classic "facepalm" maneuver. While it really didn't have any medicinal value besides as a placebo effect, at least it would let him rest in darkness for a while as well as help ward off another headache he just knew was coming.
'Milly…she…'
Now she knew about his 'magic eye', as it were, and…
Almost unconsciously, his other hand had found itself to his lips, where slender fingers came to rest, tracing where his friend has just kissed…
'Arrghh…My God, what have I done?'
In his mind, he could already hear the laughter of the green-haired witch, as would no doubt be result the result if she ever found out about this situation. In fact, he could even imagine what she might say, in that pleasantly caustic tone of hers.
'You really should have known better than to use your Geass against a closet masochist secretly in love with you, you dense little boy. Now, be a good servant and order me a pizza.'
Britannian Military Hospital, Tokyo Settlement
At the hospital where the victims of the Shinjuku Incident were being treated, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald found himself lost in thought as he sat by Viletta Nu's bedside, waiting for his subordinate to awaken from her catatonic stupor. She had been like that when the search and rescue team had found her, curled into a ball and rocking back and forth, next to the twisted corpses of a squad of elite royal guards, her Sutherland nowhere to be seen...and so she had remained, despite the best efforts of the staff physicians.
The Margrave knew full well that his subordinate was no rookie to battle, having experienced combat many times, so he doubted the official diagnosis of a catatonic stated induced by Combat Stress Reaction. Though he was willing to concede that that might be the correct identification of whatever ailed Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi, the Honorary Britannian who had piloted the Z-01 Lancelot into battle, tearing through resistance forces with impunity—until for some reason, he had been reduced to a gibbering wreck, screaming about how he "had had no other choice" and that something he did was "for the sake of Japan."
As one motivated by guilt and failure himself, the Margrave knew that these feelings—if repressed—had a way of finding their way to the fore at the worst times, where they ate away at confidence, at sanity, at one's ability to function until one simply snapped. Even to this day, Jeremiah Gottwald remembered how he had failed Empress Marianne vi Britannia…how in his absence, the woman he had so respected had been violently gunned down in an incident that had left her dead and her daughter Nunnally crippled.
The Knight of Honor remembered how brave young Lelouch had demanded an investigation into his mother's death—and how the young prince had been cast aside, sent into exile along with his sister as a political hostage. And he remembered how those two siblings had been reported dead in the Britannian takeover of Japan, a move that was strategically sound, but had been so politically ruthless, as if the lives of human beings were merely chess pieces to be sacrificed and traded for victory.
But what could the young Honorary Britannian be guilty of that so stained his soul and demanded atonement? Searching for an answer to that question had left Jeremiah Gottwald at a loss, and he had watched impassively as screams had become pleas, then whimpers and snivels, ending in a rictus of horror on Warrant Officer Kururugi's face as he fell silent at last.
'A rictus of terror…'
That was exactly the expression that had been found on the corpses of the royal guard and Prince Clovis' entire command staff – including the incompetent General Bartley Asprius, former civil servant that he was, and his staffers. But what could possibly terrified them to such an extent that they would have just died, with no trace of poison gas and no obvious wounds?
If he were the superstitious sort, Gottwald would have said that a demon had awakened in Shinjuku, but seeing as he was a rational man not prone to these sorts of delusions, it instead seemed obvious that the rebels had some powerful new weapon capable of killing en masse without a trace—and a method to break through the heaviest security the Empire could manage to impose.
'But if so…why haven't they used it more fully?' was the unspoken question in his mind. 'And why did they go after the poison gas? Was it their attempt to lure us into a trap?'
If that were indeed the case, then it had been successful, with a handful of resistance members and a Glasgow managing to capture or destroy dozens of Sutherlands. Jeremiah himself, an elite Knightmare pilot considered by many to be the equal of one of the Knight of Rounds, had been easily outmaneuvered early in the battle, with the rebels somehow capturing a train of Sutherlands and launching a perfectly coordinated ambush that would made Generals in the Empire green with envy, destroying overwhelming numbers with a fraction of the force.
Only the White Knightmare had slowed them down, the advanced prototype apparently an unpredicted variable in the rebel leader's calculations, but the rebels had soon rallied by using their mysterious new weapon, whatever it was, disabling the Knightmare by traumatizing its pilot.
They had retreated after that, but the damage had been done. The entire military command staff of Area 11 was dead (with only Earl Lloyd Asplund, who was outside of the normal chain of command, surviving), and Prince Clovis was missing, seeming to have vanished into thin air, with the only trace of him being a splatter of blood on the mobile command center's throne.
As a Margrave and the leader of the Purist Faction, this left Jeremiah Gottwald as the ranking officer in Area 11, meaning that he would have to take the role of Acting-Viceroy in this dire situation.
'And as everyone that could be blamed for or questioned about this is either dead or catatonic…I will not get answers anytime soon.'
Many of the Knightmare pilots that had been stationed in Tokyo were dead, with more injured, and yet more demoralized by rumors of what had happened to those who fought the rebels. Worse, the White Knightmare, the only thing that had shown success at holding back the rebels' assaults, was heavily damaged and would take at least two weeks to repair—and its pilot too, was one of those who had been afflicted by the strange malady.
'So, in preliminary analysis, we are dealing with a strategic genius, who organized the rebels to decisively defeat our attacking forces, disabled a prototype Knightmare superior to any on the field, deployed a literal weapon of terror, and snuck past the best security arrangements we could arrange to murder the command staff and do God knows what with the Prince.'
He almost hated to think it, but if the Prince had been conclusively killed, things would almost have been easier. As it was, the system was paralyzed, and bureaucracy would no doubt slow his appointment to acting-viceroy.
All in all, it was not a good day to be Jeremiah Gottwald.
Ashford Academy
After Lelouch recovered from his mild case of post-kiss catatonia-a debilitating affliction that tended to favor males that had just had their first kiss, the prince realized to his dismay that classes were about to begin. Ordinarily, he would have just skipped, but given that his habit of cutting classes (usually PE, which explained his physical weakness and lack of stamina) was fast building up absences and that he had a mission from Milly to complete, the raven-haired prince decided that it would be best to just grit his teeth and bear it.
'If she finds out what happened today, that witch is never going to let me hear the end of it…'
Dismissing that, the champion instead chose to mull over something more puzzling—namely, how he would act around Milly next time he saw her. Or Rivalz, knowing that his friend had a crush on Milly. Or Shirley, knowing that she was Milly's best friend.
'Why do human relationships have to be so complicated?'
His thoughts occupied by these things, Avenger almost missed a strange presence as he entered the classroom.
'That aura…I've felt it before…from the Glasgow in Shinjuku!' he realized, his eyes darting over towards the source of the phenomena to find—
"Kallen! It's been ages!" one of the less well known students broke in, identifying the one he was looking at.
Granted, the girl's red hair was worn loose and straight today, as opposed to her shorter, spikier-do with a headband that she had been wearing the day before, but Lelouch knew that face well, if only because as an ill girl, she was an abnormality.
"—Kallen Stadtfeld?" Lelouch mumbled to himself, recognizing the person as the terrorist from the truck in Shinjuku…as well as the Glasgow pilot. "Of course. That's why she seemed so familiar."
He tried to remain discreet, as he sat down, it seemed that his momentary flicker of attention had apparently been noticed by his friend Rivalz.
"What's up, buddy? See something you like?" the fellow Student Council Member veritably chirped, leaning over the prince's shoulder, his eyes widening for a moment at the sight of Kallen's rather buxom form. "Oh-ho...you've got a thing for her, don't ya?"
For all that Rivalz could be an amusing character, Lelouch did wish that his overly-energetic friend would learn how to be a tad bit circumspect, considering that Shirley was less than 3 meters away and could likely hear everything, adding to the library of misunderstandings that had cropped up recently.
"Just thinking this is a rare event," the exile answered smoothly, giving part of the truth. The best lies were not lies at all, but simply the truth, partially told. "She hasn't been here at school since this whole term started."
"Kallen Stadtfeld," Rivalz murmured, as if looking up the name in his mental database of attractive women. "They say she's sick or somethin', and she barely showed up at school last year either. Still, her grades are at the top of the class, and she's a member of the Stadtfeld family, which means she's well-bred and rolling in money. Man, you sure know how to pick 'em."
Now why was it that Rivalz thought that the champion finally noticing a girl meant that he was interested in her romantically? Though he supposed it was his reputation as the school's idol, who girls flocked to be around, especially when he was made the center of strange holiday events by a certain Milly Ashford.
"It's not like that," Lelouch denied easily, remembering one of the other reasons he had noticed her. "Milly asked me to invite her to join the Student Council."
"Aah, Prez is playing matchmaker again," Rivalz rejoined, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "You don't have to hide it…though she's a touch too sheltered though, if you ask me."
'Sheltered?' the prince scoffed in his mind, making sure to show no trace of this on his face. 'Only if a Knightmare piloting terrorist could be considered sheltered.'
Then classes started, the instructor droning on and on ad nauseum, and Lelouch went back to pondering the specifics of his Geass, among other abilities.
'C.C. mentioned that champions could fight within a Phantasm World. Interesting…I wonder if I have any new abilities there, as my gunblades would seem to indicate. Hopefully, my opponent will be disoriented by the sudden shift in location, giving me the upper hand.'
As he kept thinking, lunchtime rolled around, and at last came an opportunity to catch his target unawares. In a rare stroke of fortune, a bee buzzed into Kallen's lunch circle, scattering the girls therein to the four corners of the school, as they were apparently terrified of the insect. Kallen however, did not flee, the red-head's attention completely fixed on dealing with the bee as she swatted the bee out of the air and started to curse having to act like an invalid when—
Crump!
She turned, cursing under her breath at a muffled footstep from behind her, blue meeting purple as she caught sight of Avenger standing in a location just out of her line of sight, observing her with interest. Someone had seen her break her masquerade of frailness.
'There's no question, it's her,' he confirmed, noting that not only her aura, but her looks and her attitude matched the girl from Shinjuku.
Instantly, the girl put on a façade of weakness, but it was already too late.
"Can I help you or something?" she asked pleasantly enough, though her eyes seemed like those of a trapped animal, backed into a corner and desperate for a way to escape. 'This is bad…what if he spreads it around that I'm not really an invalid?'
"Miss Stadtfeld," Avenger greeted the red-headed girl politely. This role he knew how to play quite well. "My name is Lelouch Lamperouge, the Vice President of Ashford Academy's Student Council, and I'm here to invite you to join us."
"W-what?" Kallen stammered in shock, wondering just what on earth this 'Lelouch' was playing at as he smiled at her. She knew full well that he was the object of affection for more than half the girls at Ashford, but if he was turning his attentions onto her…
'I already have to reject enough slobbering idiots as it is,' she grimaced inwardly, taking care not to let the distaste show on her face. It wouldn't be in character for her to react violently to anyone, after all.
"Well, it was the principal's idea, really," the raven-haired boy clarified, smiling in that disturbingly serene manner of his. "He'd heard that your condition makes it difficult for you to participate in any extra-curricular activities, so he suggested that we invite you to join us."
'I really don't have time for this…' Kallen thought to herself, wondering just how in the world she would manage to get out of this one. Her persona as a Britannian student was supposedly weak-willed and just wanted to participate as best she could, so she had no valid reason to decline. And yet... 'This will be tricky.'
"U-um…that's nice of you and all…" the redhead began, doing her best to look demure. "But I really don't think that—"
"Nonsense," Lelouch cut in, once again unnerving her with his eerie smile as he dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand. "In spite of your absences, you manage to have the best grades in class, so we know you work quite hard. Wouldn't you like a chance to make some more friends at school?"
Then, calculating what would best entice her to join them, he set the trap.
"Besides, the Student Council has a finger on the pulse of Ashford Academy," the Vice President added warmly, letting a twinkle of amusement reach his eyes for a finishing touch. "Events, festivals, the school itself…except for the staff, we pretty much run the place."
This last bit he spun almost ruefully, as if he was embarrassed to admit that they had so much power.
"Really?" Kallen wondered, her mind picking up on the implications of membership in the Student Council. 'An organization where sickness wouldn't be questioned, with access to most of the school—or off the school, when needed… I can really use this to my advantage…' "I'll give it a shot, I guess."
"Wonderful," Lelouch answered, grateful for her acceptance. This would make getting a chance to talk to her much easier, so that he could further evaluate if she was a threat. Thus far, she had not seemed to recognize him, but given her proficiency in acting anyway…
"Hey, Lulu! Kallen!" a voice called out from the school building. "You know, it's time to head over to the chem lab! You better get a move on!"
At that, Lelouch's face contorted into its famous 'Oh Crap' expression—one intimately familiar to anyone who had seen him when strategies went awry, or Murphy's Law decided to play its hand.
"Oh crap, it's my turn to set up for class!" he said, half-panicked, playing his role to perfection. "Come to the clubhouse tomorrow after school, and we'll have your welcome party then."
With that, the boy dashed off with what little speed he could manage, leaving Kallen curious about why it was this person who had chosen to contact her, and not one of the other Student Council members. It faintly aroused her suspicions, especially since he gave off a dark aura…one that…
'Could he be the voice?'
Lamperouge Residence, Ashford Academy
While waiting for the return of Lelouch vi Britannia from the travails of his daily routine, three figures sat around a small wooden table, folding paper cranes and speaking of many topics in the world. The three were about as different as could be in age, occupation, and land of origin, but on this night, a ninja maid, an exiled princess, and an immortal witch treated each other like old friends.
"What shall we do?" asked Sayoko Shinozaki, the maid assigned to the Lamperouges by the Ashford family. "He may be late again this evening."
'As he had on the night before, after the Shinjuku Incident, bringing the enigmatic C.C. with him,' she tactfully did not say.
"I'll wait," Nunnally replied gently, trusting in her big brother's words. After all, he'd never lie to her—right? "He said that we'd have dinner together tonight."
"There now, this one's finished," Sayoko spoke then, putting the completed folding into Nunnally's outstretched hands.
"Ah, a bird?" the little princess asked, her fingers roaming over the figure to deduce its identity.
"Yes, it's a crane," Sayoko confirmed, voice warm with praise.
"It is said in Japanese folklore that if you fold a thousand cranes, your deepest wish will come true," C.C. added, holding out another crane, much to Sayoko and Nunally's surprise, with the maid looking at the green-haired witch appraisingly.
"You certainly know a lot, Miss C.C.," Nunnally burst out, surprised.
"I've wished for many things in my time," C.C. replied, lips curling up ever so slightly into one of her unreadable half-smiles. "So is there's anything you wish for?"
"I wish the world was a gentler place," the young princess said straightforwardly, causing C.C. to blink once. A gentle world was not something she had known in her many years of life, but…
"Maybe when you see again, your wish will come true," Sayoko replied to her,
"Really?" Nunnally asked again, as even she found the notion hard to believe.
Just then, the door opened, and the errant prince stepped through it.
"I promise it will," Avenger spoke, stopping in his tracks as his eyes fell upon C.C. at the table. He suppressed the urge to wince, instinctively knowing that no good would come of this, but he had to let things play out naturally, right? "I'm sorry I'm so late."
"Welcome home, Lelouch," the witch greeted him, looking up from an origami hydrangea she was in the process of making.
"Hi, Lelouch! Welcome home," came the cheerful voice of his sister, who had sorely missed him during his absence. "I wanted to tell you that Miss C.C. has been waiting as well."
"Welcome home, my lord," Sayoko said, acknowledging the boy with a nod. Unlike most masters, he did not require her to stand and show much subservience, something that the maid appreciated, especially after the fall of Japan.
"No place like it, Sayoko," Lelouch answered her, warmth in his voice. And it was true, he did enjoy being here, rather than being outside in the den of vipers known as fangirl territory (the courtyard). "Right, Nunnally?"
"Right," Nunnally affirmed, smiling in her brother's direction. "Miss Sayoko and C.C. were just teaching me about the art of origami. If you fold a piece of paper the right way, you can make birds, boats...almost anything!"
The young princess in exile was clearly delighted by this, and Lelouch was glad of it, as his sister had experienced so much tragedy in her life, with little happiness to balance it out.
'Wait…C.C. knows origami?'
"C.C.?" he repeated, eyes boring into the side of the green-haired witch's head, silently demanding answers he knew she probably wouldn't give.
"Yes, your friend goes by such an unusual name, only her initials," Nunnally said, putting the crane on the table and touching one of C.C.'s hands. "She's very wise for her age..."
'Again, you have no idea…'
"Yeah, that she does," Lelouch answered, giving the witch a meaningful glance, one that could be translated a mix of 'what-exactly-are-you-teaching-my-sister', 'don't tell me you plan on going out in public where you could get caught', and 'I suppose I should be grateful you didn't take my credit card and splurge on pizza.'
The look he received in return was not exactly reassuring, given that it meant 'Don't count on it, boy.'
Of course, his subtle stratagems and deceptions came to a crashing halt as a simple question penetrated his defenses.
"I was just wondering, is C.C. your girlfriend?"
Time froze, as Lelouch's mind had a very temporary blue screen of death. While rebooting itself from to recover from the error, all he could manage was: "Huh?"
In his isolated moment of weakness, the witch answered for him.
"He made a promise about our future together," the woman said smoothly, getting up and taking his hand. "Isn't that right, Lelouch?"
Another critical error. Apparently, for all of Lelouch's brilliance at mental gymnastics, multi-threading and all, it could be crashed by anything having to do with his relationships, or lack thereof, usually through the means of physical contact.
"Huh?"
In that moment, the brilliant strategist prince who had won a victory in Shinjuku would have been hard pressed to win a game of checkers against Rivalz, so much had he been stunned.
"A future together?" Nunally perked up, form almost radiant with curiosity. "You mean marriage?"
Then came the denials, of course, as his mind belatedly caught up to the conversation and tried to run damage control-too little, too late.
"No! No, that isn't what she was talking about," Lelouch said, quite flustered. Thanks to certain other events today, his mind had actually been travelling along a parallel course of thought, but—'How do I explain this?' "It's like a...she's kidding around."
"No, I'm not," C.C. broke in, undermining Lelouch's attempts to clarify the situation. Clearly, she was amused by this exchange and had no intention of letting Lelouch off the hook so easily. "In fact, in private, he calls me Mistress, and I call him my servant."
'Oh my,' Sayoko flushed on hearing those words, thinking of a slightly different meaning to those words. 'Master Lelouch has…those kinds of interests…I see. I suppose he is at that age, but…'
"Well you're certainly doing this sooner than most," allowed Nunnally, justifying this development to herself. "But everyone's different, aren't they? So I suppose it isn't THAT strange. And if you feel like you're ready for..."
Then the comment about mistress and servant sunk in.
"Oh," was all Nunnally could manage after that, leaving Lelouch frantic for an excuse. His eyes found a teacup, and grabbing onto it, he picked it up, "accidentally" spilling it all over his green-haired companion's top.
"Oh, C.C. Look what you've done, you're soaking wet," he announced as if he were performing a piece of street theatre, with Sayoko only looking on wider at that, seeing Lelouch's actions as an excuse for him to be alone with his lover. "Come on, let's get you to the bathroom and into a dry change of clothes. Nunnally, stay here and I'll be back in a minute. And she was kidding before. Kidding. Just a dumb joke. At least about the mistress and servant bit. That's all."
As he forcibly escorted C.C. to his room to get a change of clothes, Nunnally asked a last question that caused him to flinch. Noticeably. Almost enough to trip over his feet and do an anime-style facefault.
"So then, you're really getting married?"she asked hopefully, no doubt imagining a dream wedding in a palace, with flowers, and gardens, and…
Thud!
Thankfully, Lelouch was able to push himself and C.C. into his room and close the door behind them, saving him from any further innocent but deadly questions.
"What were you doing, witch?" he asked, trying to remain calm, as he had seen what happened when she got angry.
"Enjoying myself," the Code-bearer said simply, then went on to add, "just as you seem to enjoy seeing me wet."
A beat, and nothing happened, Lelouch knowing better than to fall for that again.
"By the way, your school is quite a nice place," the Grey Witch mused aloud, this time getting a reaction from the boy.
"You went around my school? What if someone had seen you?" he hissed. Of course, she was likely safe enough, but what this would do to his reputation if Milly and others found out that a girl was living in his room didn't bear thinking about.
"You worry too much, Avenger," C.C. spoke, going to Lelouch's closet and picking out a blue and white formal gown that the prince sometimes had nightmares about, as it evoked memories of the crossdressing ball a year ago. "Hmm, I suppose this will do. And your sister thinks I have strange interests…Princess Lulu vi Britannia."
'C.C. is enjoying this situation far too much for my liking…' Avenger thought to himself, but what could he do, really?
"…that was for Student Council business," he said stiffly, projecting every ounce of aristocratic bravado that he could into his words.
"The Student Council," the witch murmured thoughtfully, cloth rustling as she began to change into the dress, prompting Lelouch to look away. "...in other words, your friend Milly put you up to this…"
Another violent flush, as the prince recalled the events of the morning.
"How do you know about Milly, witch?" he asked, trying to regain control of the situation. Alas, he was several thousand years too early to challenge her and win.
"Oh, your sister mentioned her as someone who you enjoyed spending time with," C.C. related with a smirk, her expression promising Lelouch no end of torment. "Why, are you attracted to her?"
A simple question, this, but one Lelouch did not want to answer. So he didn't, letting the witch draw what conclusions she would.
"By the way, there is another Champion nearby," Lelouch said instead, using the time-honored conversational gambit of changing the topic.
"The Glasgow pilot from Shinjuku, you mean?" C.C. inquired solicitously, tilting her head curiously. "So when will you be dealing with Rider?"
"You mean…you already knew she was here?" the champion voiced in calm, measured tones, tones that he was forcing himself to take. Still, a slight edge broke through, since if the immortal already had this information, why hadn't she shared it with him?
"I could tell she was nearby," the Code-bearer shrugged, though her attention wavered from him as she fastened the last ties on the dress, and walked over to take a look at her reflection in the mirror. "Hmm, it's a little tight around the chest, but it will do. Anyway, you're the servant. It's your job to deal with other champions, not mine."
"…fine," he bit off, frowning. "But tell me, how do I battle in a Phantasm World?"
The grey witch walked over to Avenger, turning him around to look at her. Strangely enough, she seemed…pleased.
"Hmm, so you're finally taking your role seriously, Avenger. Good," she said approvingly, her golden eyes more satisfied. "In any case, each champion has a Phantasm World of their own, a place in the World of C set aside for them. For you, all you need to do is come into contact with another champion and say or think 'Implacable Alastor.'"
"Does it matter if I or another invokes the world?" Lelouch questioned, wanting to be sure of the consequences. "And what happens to my body while I am there?"
"If you invoke, you fight in your Phantasm World. If not, you will fight in another's, which may not be as advantageous to you," the Grey Witch explained, finally being forthcoming with her information. "As for your body, it will remain in this world, motionless, along with that of your opponent."
"So then, if I were to have an accomplice, I could invoke a Phantasm World, and then my accomplice could kill my opponent's defenseless body?" he asked, looking for all possible angles and avenues to use in attaining victory.
"Yes, and vice versa, this is why the ability is normally used when you and your foe are alone."
"I see…thank you."
"And why are you thanking me?" the immortal asked curiously. It was rare in her many years of life that anyone would say something kind to her, much less thank her.
"This is the only weapon I have in the Eden Vital War," Lelouch said grimly, his features hardening with resolve as he looked towards the distant future. "I need to know how to use it, if I am to win."
"To win...then I assume you have a wish?"
"Of course: To destroy Britannia."
Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy
The next day, Kallen found herself on the roof of the school, making a phone call to Kaname Ohgi, the leader of her resistance cell, with the man asking her how her campus life was going and warning her to stay put, since the army was on high alert.
"I don't know," the young freedom fighter said hesitantly. "What about the voice on the radio? Someone had to have arranged that ceasfire…"
Her own suspicions that the voice was close by, she left unsaid, since she needed evidence that this was the case. Feelings alone weren't enough to prove anything.
"You can't go looking for a voice, Kallen," Ohgi chided, trying to play the role of the protective big brother in the wake of Naoto's passing. "Besides, Naoto would be happy to see you back in school. Forget about Shinjuku for now…I'll be in touch."
With that, he hung up, leaving Kallen to the torment of a stifling afternoon of history classes, where the redhead found herself paying particular attention to the Vice-President of the Student Council, the boy who had talked to her the other day.
'There's something odd about him that I can't place…something I recognize? I'm not sure, since I don't remember too clearly, but if he is the voice…'
R-r-ring!
Class was finally over, and she finally had the chance to approach—
"Hey Lulu, you coming along?"
But someone else acted first, the perky orangette Shirley that sat one seat over from the Vice-President. If Kallen recalled correctly, she was in the Student Council too.
"Yeah, just a minute," he said with a gentle smile, inviting her to join him with a bow and a welcoming hand. "It would be terrible to attend a party without the guest of honor, now wouldn't it?"
"O-of course," Kallen replied, flushing ever so slightly. Apparently, the Vice-President's reputation for being a ladykiller wasn't all talk, and he could be surprisingly smooth when need be. "I was wondering if you'd forgotten."
The next few minutes were a pleasant blur, as Shirley and Lelouch walked her to the club house for the Student Council, a lavish building that served as a reminder of the Student Council's power and prominence on campus.
"I didn't even know this place existed," she said out loud, voicing her thoughts.
"It's the club house for the student council," the Vice-President informed her, as if he told people this every day (which he probably did). "They built it as a ballroom for various special occasions."
'And you all requisitioned it…interesting.'
Quite the reflection of how much power the Student Council had.
They opened the main door only to come face to face with Milly Ashford, President of the Student Council, honey-blond granddaughter Principal Ruben Ashford, and to be perfectly honest, the one who really held all the power at Ashford Academy.
"Hi, I'm Milly, the President of the Council," the fearless leader of the council fairly sang in greeting. Kallen could tell that she was quite used to being listened to, as there was a certain charisma to the blonde that made her smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. And hello to you, Lulu."
There was a wink attached to the last greeting, Kallen was sure, but what it meant…
"Oh, thank you, the pleasure's all mine," she replied, as was only polite to do.
Lelouch only chuckled nervously and showed the President one of his smiles, though this one seemed somehow more bittersweet than most.
Looking around, she could see that there were quite a few tables set out in the ballroom, with trays upon trays of delicious looking edibles upon them.
'All this for a simple welcome? Maybe this is the right decision after all…'
A second later, two other members of the council came bounding down the stairs, a boy with ruffled blue hair and a girl roughly her height with glasses and two braids of dark green.
"I'm Rivalz, the secretary," the boy spoke. She recognized him from class as someone who liked to gossip, but wrote him off as mostly harmless. "If there's anything you need to help with, I'm your man."
"Hi there, my name's Nina," added the green-haired glasses girl, in a rather frail and soft-spoken manner. If Kallen didn't know better, she would have thought the Council already had an ill girl.
"And I'm Shirley," her orangette guide said, turning to her, chipper as always. "I'm a member of the swim club. Welcome."
"It's nice to meet all of you," Kallen replied.
Whirr!
The sound of an electric motor drew Kallen's attention, and the half-Britannian looked over to see a young girl in a motorized wheelchair speeding across the room, a tray of cupcakes and two pizzas on her lap. The girl was small, with wavy locks of long brown hair framing her face…and it seemed her eyes were closed.
'Blind, perhaps?'
"Shirley, I'm sorry but, do you think you could set these on the table for me?" the little girl asked, in an adorable fashion that made even the hardened terrorist side of Kallen want to give her a hug.
"Oh, sure, thanks, Nunna," Shirley said with a friendly smile, taking the tray of food as if she were quite used to it.
Another council member then, since the people here seemed so familiar with—
"Nunnally, what're you doing here?" Lelouch asked at that moment, as if surprised.
'So…that means…'
"This is Lelouch's sister," Milly said, acting as a go-between to explain the situation.
"I'm still in the middle school group, so I can't be on the council yet," the little girl added, still smiling, and Kallen could tell that the girl was among trusted friends.
Whirr! again, as the motorized wheelchair turned to face the guest of honor.
"Hello there, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kallen," Nunnally said, acknowledging her with a gentle nod.
"Thank you," Kallen answered demurely, finding that her gentleness this time was not an act. "You as well."
Greetings exchanged, the group proceeded to begin the festivities, which unfortunately began with the suggestion of a toast, leading to a scuffle over a bottle of "champagne." Kallen would have been amused, except that the bottle was tossed around and around, until at last, when it landed in Lelouch's hand—and the cork popped off.
Body acting by reflex, the half-Britannian redhead managed to deflect the projectile, but not the stream of liquid that came after, soaking her down to her underwear.
After a bit more commotion, apologies and all, Kallen found herself in the bathroom, showering off the sticky residue of the champagne, irritated at Britannians as usual for their overbearing presumption.
"This is why I hate Britanians," she muttered under her breath, preoccupied with washing herself and wondering just when this day would be—
Knock! Knock!
Irritated by the interruption, Kallen nevertheless pulled back the curtain to hear who was at the door.
"It's Lelouch," came the all too familiar voice, the thickness of the door lowering the Vice-President's voice just enough so that—'It is him!' "I've brought you a change of clothes."
'Maybe this day wasn't wasted after all…'
"You can come in," the part-time terrorist called out, dropping the curtain back into place. "I've drawn the curtain already."
The conversation proceeded among fairly
"Sorry about all this," the Vice-President was saying, slightly abashed. "I know they can be a little over the top sometimes."
"That's okay," the Student Council's newest member found herself compelled to respond. "Nothing wrong with cutting loose every once in a while, you know?"
Her true feelings were to the contrary, but when among Britannians…
"These are some of my clothes," Lelouch continued, back to his serene calm. "I hope that's okay."
"It's cool, don't worry about it," Kallen answered, out of form as much as anything else. Then, something popped up in her mind. 'Lelouch didn't strike me as being a particularly fast runner…I may as well ask a leading question to find out.' "That was fast. You went all the way to the boy's dorm?"
"Actually, I live here," the raven-haired boy answered, eliciting a bit of surprise. "It'd be pretty hard for my sister to live off in the dorms. The principal of the school lets us stay here as a favor."
"I see."
'Well, that confirms it…this place is where the presence is most concentrated, and since traces of it are coming from Lelouch…'
"Anyway..." the Vice-President trailed off, looking to the door and taking one-two—
'He's going to leave…I can't allow that.'
"Hey, wait!" Kallen called out, reaching a hand out from behind the curtains. True to nature, the Vice-President stopped in his tracks. "Can you hand me that pouch over there?
'This is a trap, most assuredly, but there are times when one must be sprung—'
"Sure," Lelouch said smoothly, as if he didn't expect anything at all. He picked up the pouch from the sink and handed it to Kallen, and—
Crash!
With a firm strike, she knocked the pouch from his hand and grabbed tightly to his wrist, threatening to cut off the circulation.
'Exactly as I anticipated'
" ...You really are a live-wire, aren't you?" he said admiringly. This close, he could feel for a fact that she was the servant he had been searching for.
"Were you the one in Shinjuku?" she demanded, and with that Lelouch grinned.
'The initial conditions have been cleared.'
'Implacable Alastor.'
A mysterious bird like sigil blazed crimson in the air, and then everything went white.
Phantasm World of Avenger – "Implacable Alastor"
When Kallen next opened her eyes, she found herself in an alien world. She was naked no longer, but clad in what seemed to be a skintight red and black tubedress, with an addition of detachable sleeves that serve more like leather gauntlets, and a red headband stretched across her brow like the one she normally wore in combat. Not that she would need it to keep her hair out of her eyes, even if her red hair was much longer here, spiky still, but flowing in waves to her waist, seeming to shift here and there as with a life of its own—hungry for heat. And in her hands were a set of nail-like daggers, fastened to opposite ends of a single chain-rustic weapons, but ones she instinctively knew how to use.
'What…what is this? This…'
She stood in the midst of a broken battlefield, a desolate, reddish brown wasteland strewn with thousands of corpses, each impaled by a rusted sword. Twilight from beyond the horizon provides this place with a strange illumination, part opaqued by smoke and embers coming from the ground itself.
Blood ran, pooled and congealed, going squish-squish-squish with every step, soaking into the thirsty, barren ground underneath a smoke filled sky through which cloudless lightning bolts arced from plume to plume to ground, the sizzle-flash! Sizzle-flash! Sizzle-flash! of electric violence sending shivers through the spine.
Sizzle-Flash! Rumble…
The smell of blood was thick in the air, and the air itself was full of heat, burning the skin. The land quaked ominously, as if a giant's teeth were being gnashed together, grinding against one another in frustration as the world burned in this private hell.
In the distance, a figure approached her, its indistinct form obscured by smoke but growing clearer with each step.
It was a man seemingly clad all in blood, a shroud of black shadows shifting and moving with him, overwrought by lines of pulsing red. The exposed skin of his arms and face were tattooed with strange designs of liquid darkness and the brown of ancient ichor, seeming to draw in all light, and in each of his hands were gunblades, wicked cutting edges dripping with fresh blood.
Even more than this land, he reeked of blood and darkness, of soul-crushing despair that could swallow up the world…
And then he looked at her with those vivid purple eyes, and with a shock, she recognized him.
His expression was grim, almost sinister, and his stride confident, but—
"Le..louch?" she hissed incredulously, her reaction prompting an all too familiar laugh, that of the voice from Shinjuku.
A curling of lips and a showing of teeth. A technical smile, but a terrifying one, forcing Kallen an involuntary step backwards.
"Call me Avenger…Q-1."
A/N: Since I've confirmed the identity of yet another servant, I'd probably be remiss in not posting her stats. That information is below.
Information on Servant Rider
Personal Information:
True Name: Kallen Kozuki
Class: Rider
Independent Champion of Eden Vital
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Strength: B
Endurance: B
Agility: B
Luck: C
Mana (Phantasm World): A
Noble Phantasm: A+
Details:
"If only you had justice on your side!" – Kallen Kozuki
Kallen Kozuki, also known as Baroness Kallen Stadtfeld, is a girl of mixed Britannian-Eleven heritage, who identifies strongly as Japanese and prefers to be known by her birth name. After the conquest of Japan by Britannia (whereupon her parents divorced), she was summoned to her Britannian father's residence as his only heir, her mother following along and finding employment as a maid. However, she maintained a deep connection with her brother, Naoto Kozuki, who served as the leader of a Japanese resistance group before his death.
At the outbreak of the Eden Vital War, Kallen was chosen as one of the 5 independent champions of Eden Vital itself, meaning that she does not start under service to a Code-Bearer—and that her abilities as a servant were to be sealed until coming into contact with another. This occurred during the Shinjuku Incident, where a mysterious voice (later proving to be Avenger) made contact with her, offering her resistance a chance at victory, a chance dashed by the intervention of the White Knightmare piloted by Berserker. In the aftermath of that incident, her powers are awakening…
In Knightmare combat, Kallen is second to none, with a superior instinct and unyielding nature that allows her to oppose even superior opponents for a time (i.e. Glasgow halting Lancelot, even if only for a few moments). This lends itself well to combat within a Phantasm World, as the greatest of her Noble Phantasms, "Mark Nemo", is an existence similar to a Knightmare.
However, even on foot, she is quite a capable opponent, strong-willed and forceful, blessed with the skill of battle continuation, as well as a measure of fighting instinct and defense against ranged weapons. Her primary weapon in a Phantasm World is a pair of long iron nails fastened to opposite ends a single chain, which she effectively thrusts from distances.
Skills:
Riding: A+
Ability to ride / pilot things or creatures. Rider can use most vehicles, up to and including those which require nearly superhuman skills.
Battle Continuation: A
Does not give up easily / the ability to stay alive. It allows for battle even on the verge of death, and allows the user to stay alive until they recieve a clearly fatal blow.
Eye of the Mind (Fake): B
A sixth sense for avoiding danger.
Instinct: B
The power to "feel" the best course of action for oneself during battle.
Military Tactics: D
Tactical knowledge used not for one-on-one combat situations, but for battles where many are mobilized. Rider's experience in battle allows her to have a clear understanding of how to manage a squad
Protection from Arrows: B
Increased defense against ranged attacks by predicting the projectile trajectory through exceptional means such as hearing the sound of air being cut or sensing the killing intent of the enemy. As long as the shooter is within her line of sight, she can track down ranged weapons with her eyes and defend against them. Does not apply for attacks made from super-long-range or with a great area-of-effect.
For Someone Else's Honor: D
Conceals her location and identity to a very limited extent, an ability limited in use to those who have not encountered her original form. Those who have, will recognize her almost immediately.
Geass:
(sealed when fighting in a Phantasm World)
Geass of Absolute Refraction: This geass allows one to change the trajectory of moving objects within Rider's line of sight, operating at the speed of thought. Once an object's trajectory is changed, it will remain on that new trajectory unless outside influence is exerted on it (or it self-corrects by virtue of having self-propulsion/guidance systems, as in the case of an enemy Knightmare)
Noble Phantasms:
(sealed unless fighting in a Phantasm World)
Black Widow: D
Rider's weapon of choice is a pair of long iron nails fastened to opposite ends of a single chain, which she effectively thrusts from distances.
Origami (anti-unit): B
The Caging Hair is one of Rider's offensive abilities; it is a cursed field of plundering that is effective in the range of her field of vision, allowing her to "plunder" the heat (lifeforce) from a living creature she can see, but the maximum output relies on time (how long she keeps plundering heat). Rider can start up the plundering once she has confirmed her target, and other champions will see it as red strands wrapping around the target, charring it. It does not actually burn the target, as it doesn't affect the target's clothes and stops burning as soon as Rider stops plundering lifeforce from the target. At its maximum, the red strands cover the target as well as the entire area the target is in, making it impossible to escape - hence the name, caging hair.
Mark Nemo (anti-army): A+
The Knightmare Frame known as Mark Nemo or "Unknown Warrior" is Rider's greatest Noble Phantasm. It is not a weapon made by man, but an ultimate fantasy, created from the nightmares of the collective unconscious as a crystallization of the fear of an inhuman enemy. Unlike man-made Knightmare Frames, it does not possess Landspinners; as a result, it can move more acrobatically, allowing it to jump and run in high places. Its main weapons are six remote wired rocket anchors known as Blonde Knives, similar in function to Slash Harkens, except that they possesses sharp blades on the end that can penetrate any Knightmare Frame and can also drill rapidly on the ground. The Blonde Knives can also move remotely either in mid-air or underground, allowing them to target and destroy multiple Knightmare Frames. In addition, Mark Nemo is also armed with a katana capable of cutting through nearly any obstacle.