Well, here it is. A month later than promised, but better late than never, right?

Anyway, this is yet another heavy exposition chapter, mainly because this AU is goddamn complex and so many things need explaining... So many things. But starting from next chapter, I'm hoping to expand the story's scope a little bit with more character appearances, and hopefully we'll even get a portion told from Akise's point of view. Hopefully.

Anyway, enjoy the fourth chapter! Others shall hopefully be coming soon, and I'll try to get Chapter Five in before December... just remember that it's not a guarantee. Although I'm working on some other stuff behind the scenes that still has yet to be published, this story still ranks high in my list of fanfiction priorities. I even have a vague idea for an ending for this one, which is more than can be said for most of my other fanfictions.

In any case, watch this space. Feel free to comment about anything in regards to this chapter or the story as a whole. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated!


Chapter Four: Off The Records

"What… is…?"

Yukiteru hadn't had any particular preconceived expectations for what might possibly reveal itself as the arcane digits reassembled before him. But whatever his mind could have fabricated, whatever seemingly prescient notion he may have had, it would not have, could not have been anything near as outlandish as… this.

A seemingly infinite, semi-translucent walkway stretched outward in the directions of eight cardinal points, forming an asterisk-like shape. An explosive crossroads.

Opaque, abstract blocks with a vaguely metallic sheen, variant in terms of shape and size, constantly orbited the walkways in a series of endlessly spiralling tiers. Occasionally one would emit a harsh neon pulse along with a helical string of esoteric symbol-code; the flash was too brief to allow time for the observer to look away, but bright enough to leave a burning afterimage on the back of Yukiteru's retinas.

The blocks formed tunnel-like structures, hemming closely together to obliterate the background light, if there even was such a thing. However, at the vanishing points of each walkway as they extended into the distance, a tiny glow - the impression of daylight - could be seen. But, reflecting on all the ridiculous things he had seen, heard and experienced since that first ominous message had appeared on his phone, Yukiteru now sincerely doubted that that speck of light was in any way an indicator of the outside world.

An outside world… Is there even such a thing? Akise had left him with too many questions, and now showed him this… this place which had, essentially, detonated all cognition within his mind.

"This is the Akashic Records." Akise's gentle voice did not waver, even as he busied himself manually manipulating incoherent characters. Crimson eyes tilted over his shoulder at the noirette as he spoke. "It's the memory store of the world, Yukiteru-kun. Essentially a computer hard drive… only made infinite. In fact, it's more akin to the memory store of a human brain." He sighed lightly, his encryption now complete, the glowing symbols disappearing back into the nothing from which they had come from. "The active system for data manipulation here is so complex, it's practically a conscious being in of itself."

Yukiteru gazed at the revolving shapes above and below, and in every direction. He shuffled his feet uncomfortably on the glasslike walkway. "Can… can it sense us?" he muttered, fearful of the answer.

Akise shook his head and smiled reassuringly. "I mean 'conscious' in the loosest sense possible. Although its capacity and function is at such a level it can no longer be described as a machine, that doesn't mean that it is conscious in the same way as you or I. True human consciousness… is still something the Akashic Records lacks. Deus Ex Machina only modelled the Regulators after the human mind. I'm sorry, Yukiteru-kun, for being so vague…"

"I-It's okay." There was that name again. Deus Ex Machina. Both this time and the time before Akise had pronounced the name very carefully, as though in anticipation, and with the residual ghost of respectful reverence for whom he named. However, Yukiteru could still, just about, detect a cautiously suppressed tone of frustration and bitterness, underscored by sadness or confusion. And that stew of emotion was bubbling and leaking to the surface, so very slightly.

"Akise-kun… um… who is Deus Ex Machina?" Yukiteru spoke, somewhat hesitantly.

Claret irises flickered in the pulsating incandescence. Akise did not seem surprised at the question; in fact, quite the opposite. "We'll talk as we walk," he responded. His calm tone was incongruent with the restless behaviour of his eyeballs. "Although we're relatively safe here, especially with the security algorithm I used to override the area's access code… Well, there are still loopholes. Shortcuts. Regulators know about these things… So it'll only be a matter of time before Gasai-san comes for us again."

With that, Akise walked briskly in a seemingly randomised direction, but with a purposeful gait that suggested he was heading to a particular destination. Full of intrigue, Yukiteru followed only just behind. The steady clunk of the soles of the two boys' shoes hitting the walkway reverberated through the infinite space.

Akise bounced back to the previous subject almost immediately. "Deus Ex Machina… well, it's really in his name. In Latin, it translates to 'God from the Machine'. He is, in all senses of the word, the god of this world that we currently reside in. He was its original creator, and continues to maintain it to this day. He's always watching us. Although he used to rely on the Regulators to do that job for him… well, a few complications meant that he now intervenes himself more often than ever before." The albino glanced directly at Yukiteru. "Right now, I gather that he's not quite sure who to trust anymore. It's not just the fact that Uryuu-san and I have defected. Gasai Yuno is just about the only person he still puts any sort of faith in… but she's a maverick in her own way. Even Deus's closest advisor is a bit dubious, truth be told."

So he's the one Akise was trying to tell me about all this time. He's the guy in the visions… "Is… is he a real god, then?" Yukiteru asked uncertainly.

Yet another sigh flew from Akise's lips. "Well, yes, insofar as this world is concerned. But remember, as convincing as it seems, this world isn't real. Therefore, that makes Deus just as legitimate as the world he has created." The crimson-eyed boy paused, his eyes resting for a moment on the alternations of purple and blue light dancing above. "Deus Ex Machina is not his real name, either. I'm fairly certain of it. In the outside world, he's known by something else. Of course, he never told me this - I'm working on theories and assumptions – but he definitely implied it. My guess is that 'Deus Ex Machina' is his admin name, the name he uses to govern this world as its Supreme Administrator. I know this is a lot to take in, Yukiteru-kun, but…" Akise's eyes closed for a brief second. "In reality, Deus Ex Machina is just another human like you. Albeit a very brilliant one…"

"I… I see," said noirette pronounced slowly.

The albino met his eyes and smiled genuinely. "He isn't immortal. There's got to be some way of taking him down." He abruptly halted, causing Yukiteru to almost bump into him. "And this is where we start."

Akise's so-called starting point wasn't really much to look at; a generic point in the walkway, just like any other on its infinite continuum. That was, until he lightly stroked the air (or whatever it was) just before his face. Once again, glowing pixels and sigils disassembled and reassembled, forming into a staircase leading up from the walkway into a glowing alcove within the rotating blocks; a doorless arch leading into a fairly spacious, light room walled by bookshelves. Yukiteru heard himself exhale as he followed the Regulator up the stairs.

Cobalt eyes blinked as he entered. The room was a lot smaller than it had appeared on the outside, though it was still big enough to accommodate the pair without hemming them against each other. Yukiteru perched on the small oaken table in the centre; the room's only visible piece of furniture. His irises panned the shelves, resting on each individual spine. The titles were inscribed in that same arcane code-language.

He peered over at Akise. The albino stared at the bookshelf opposite, humming thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, my Authorisation as a Regulator can only go so far. But if we play our cards right…" His fingers travelled along the bookcase, vaguely brushing the light dust that had collected on each volume. His hand abruptly stopped over a blue-bound tome. "We might just be able to secure an advantage over Deus Ex Machina."

"What… what is this place, exactly?" Yukiteru murmured.

Akise glanced back at him. "The Akashic Records house all the data used to regulate this world. That includes the Regulators themselves of course. In various places scattered across the Records are the various pieces of the source codes of myself, Gasai-san and the other Regulators. The exception being Uryuu-san, as she started out just like you." Akise paused briefly as he turned his body fully around to face Yukiteru. "I don't know the details of what happened… they are bound under tight encryptions placed by Deus himself that even I can't break through. But it seemed she found out about the true nature of this place, much like you did. Either she had somehow managed to figure out what was going on by herself, or another Regulator had told her… Though I have a hunch Deus Ex Machina himself may have been involved. Either way, she managed to secure a deal with Deus granting her full Authorisation to use the Ability as a Regulator. But she changed her mind about it. I don't know what happened, but she's now running rogue." Akise gestured at the shelves surrounding him. "In any case, she was stripped of her status as a Regulator by Deus Ex Machina. But she managed to somehow break into here, this very room, to retrieve the codes she needed to use the Ability."

"The… Ability?" Yukiteru questioned.

Akise smiled. "You noticed earlier, didn't you? That I can manipulate the code governing this world at will. That is what is known as the Ability. All Regulators have it inbuilt into their source codes. It enables us to do things in this world that would be impossible in reality. Like defying gravity, regenerating wounds, et cetera… You've seen it used before, haven't you?"

Yukiteru nodded, immediately remembering Yuno's impossible upward bungee jump. The arm that had been grabbed then still twinged at the memory.

"Well, all the data governing the Ability can be accessed here, provided you have the correct Authorisation." Akise smoothed his fingers along the cobalt spine of the book before him. "Everything is here. Who is eligible to use the Ability, what it actually enables you to do, what aspects of the Ability can be used by certain individuals…" His pale hand reached up towards the books on the shelf above. "Only Deus Ex Machina has complete control over all the data here. However, most of it is still able to be accessed by any Regulator – ah!"

Akise's arm abruptly recoiled from a battered paperback on the top shelf, its rouged cover fading into rose. The albino's face tore in a wince. Yukiteru's eyes widened as he noticed that Akise's hand was glowing – his fingers and palm made translucent, exposing the esoteric cyber-mechanism within himself. Akise's inner circuitry and code was represented by a multitude of dynamic electric-blue pixel structures; flowing, conjoining, unravelling and rejoining. The movement was computerised, cybertechnical, but it was also indisputably, undeniably, alive.

Yukiteru only caught a brief glimpse of this phenomenon before Akise's hand phased back into its usual interface. The expression the albino directed towards the noirette was halfway between a grimace and a grin. "Seems the top shelf is out of bounds, now." He sighed. "Deus has been closing in on us. Fortunately he has too much on his hands to block absolutely everything from us. Putting the necessary encryptions in place would take time that he does not have." Akise exhaled deeply before using both hands to shift the blue tome from its place on the shelf to land with an echoing slam on the table. "So we'll use what we've got."

Yukiteru's brow furrowed. The situation was profoundly confusing, and he was having a difficult time keeping up. "W-wait, Akise-kun. You… you've already got the Ability, right? And… if it hasn't been blocked by anything, um, well… why exactly are we here?"

Akise met his eyes once again and smiled, almost proudly. "I predicted that would be your next question." His gaze transitioned back to the book. "The thing is, Yukiteru-kun… Having the Ability may seem like I can do absolutely anything within the bounds of this world. But it has its limits. Ultimately, it's controlled by Deus. So, our one trump card is to use something that even Deus himself can't control. Something he put in here, something that he knowingly pushed out of his reach. But why…" Akise stared down at the tome he held, his gaze seemingly lost in its marine cover. "Why would he ever do such a thing? Why would he even allow it to become possible?"

Silvery cascades of hair shifted as Akise shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, Yukiteru-kun. Now is not the time for doubts. This is our only chance to gain any kind of advantage over this situation…"

He took a visibly deep breath and opened the book.

Yukiteru watched silently as Akise leafed through the pages of the tome. His eyes moved too quickly to comprehend, scanning through full pages in nanoseconds. He had almost finished the volume by the time he held out his hand and stated simply, "Yukiteru-kun, please give me your phone."

The noirette's hesitation was so slight it was barely there at all. He obliged, yielding the silicon-and-plastic gadget that he viewed almost as his lifeline over to Akise. He felt no regret at the handover, though the experience felt rather odd to Yukiteru; it was as though Akise had extracted some inner part of him and was softly probing its abstract form, trying to understand it.

The pages of the book and the screen of Yukiteru's phone pulsated in unison. A synchronised beat of transferring code. The letters of an unconventional algorithm phased in and out of visibility as they travelled from phone to book, book to phone. The process was rapidly completed.

"Here, Yukiteru-kun." Said noirette accepted the phone back from Akise. The machine felt warm in his hands. It vibrated and glowed with digital energy.

"Read what's on the screen," Akise prompted.

Yukiteru did so. At first he saw nothing but incomprehensible gibberish. Columns of the same aberrant code, over and over. But the machine gradually decrypted each line, little by little, until the familiar display of Yukiteru's phone diary appeared. The log was empty.

Or at least, it was for about two seconds.

The blue-eyed boy almost dropped his phone in shock as the screen suddenly sparked, dissolving into static. When the display reappeared, a single entry had written itself:

XX:XX X.M. [Akashic Records] There's a strange sound approaching across the walkway outside. Akise's going to check on it.

"What… what is this?!" Yukiteru gasped.

"It's an… upgrade to your phone diary," Akise explained, though even he seemed a little unsure of his words. "Deus never explicitly told me that this algorithm actually existed, though he implied it once, back before I went rogue. It was almost… Almost as if he was testing me…"

"But what is it?" Yukiteru asked breathlessly. He did not avert his gaze from his phone's display.

Before Akise could answer, an odd noise, almost like the etching of nails against metal, a smooth scratching, could be heard from outside. The albino stiffened.

"I hope that's not who I think it is…" Akise moved towards the corridor.

"W-wait, Akise-kun!" Yukiteru blurted, stumbling towards said albino. "You haven't –"

He was cut off by yet another round of odd static noise. Cerulean eyes consulted the phone's screen.

Sure enough, a new diary entry had fabricated itself in place of the old. This one said:

XX:XX X.M. [Akashic Records] Gasai Yuno appears, blocking our exit. We're trapped in the alcove. What do we do?

Yukiteru felt the panic communicated in the last sentence as though the event had already happened. It clearly struck a chord within Akise too. His eyes were wider than physically possible.

"Let's go," he stated brusquely, grasping and pulling Yukiteru's wrist. The boy yelped in response but did not otherwise protest. "We've spent too long here! I'm sorry, Yukiteru-kun, but I might have to explain as we…"

The scratching escalated in volume and intensity. Akise bolted at a terrifying speed, tearing Yukiteru along with him. He moved through the incomprehensible matrix of the Akashic Records faster than Yukiteru could perceive, and yet his speech remained at the same tempo as usual.

"Even I'm not fully sure what it is. But it's a device that operates using similar parameters to the Akashic Records itself. It analyses and categorises incoming information fed from the Records, and uses this information to predict the most likely outcome according to changes in the code." Akise swerved a dizzying corner. "In simple terms, it predicts the future with an error margin of about zero-point-zero-zero-one per cent. What you hold in your hands, Yukiteru-kun, is the only object in this world capable of using Deus's creation: the Random Future Diary."

"…Random Future Diary?" Yukiteru felt like he might throw up.

"It's not perfect. But if oracles truly exist, it's the closest thing there is."

The scratching did not relent. Yukiteru's phone buzzed with static again, but he had no time to check the latest prophetic bulletin. Akise swerved again, but this time, Yukiteru did not swerve with him.

He saw nothing move, but suddenly felt as though he was being forcibly pulled from Akise's grasp. The invisible force yanked him first out of the albino's grip and then wholly out of his reach. Akise turned, too late, his red eyes filling with horror.

"Yukiteru-kun –"

Darkness enclosed around Yukiteru with a snap, leaving the noirette with nothing but the memory of Akise's distraught expression.