Chapter Four: Do You Believe in Angels, Shinji?

Shinji lay shivering on the ground, his knees clutched tightly to his chest. Even through tightly shut eyes the glow of cold, bright fire was all around him. Shinji whimpered as he felt something touch his leg. He thought he saw something rise from the shadows, from behind the cross of fire, and in childish hope shut his eyes even tighter, hoping it would vanish.

The chant continued.

Tenshi

Mal'ak

Tian shi

Maleaach

Aggelos

Ange

Engel

Angel


The chorus of raspy, whispering voices seemed to come out of nowhere. They did not exist, but they were.

They were getting closer.

They were not going to kill him, Shinji knew this.

He knew the creature, the creatures, the voices would impale him, would tear him apart, would splinter his bones, cut his flesh, rip his muscles and pull his veins from his flesh while he still lived. The voices didn't have to tell him. But he could hear it.

Convulsions racked Shinji's body.

He wasn't in control.

He couldn't move.

He couldn't call out.

He couldn't breathe.

He felt a touch, and froze.

Something began to caress the back of his neck, as he shivered.

Shinji knew he had to move, had to open his eyes, had to survive, but this was terror. He had not experienced terror like this... ever.

The hands, the claws, the things touching him, stroking him began to turn him over and uncurl his frozen but shivering body.

Shinji struggle to regain control of his own self. He wanted to open his eyes and stand and run. He began to struggle, ever so weakly.

There was a low rumble.

Liquid flooded over Shinji's body, sweeping away his attacker. Shinji knew this could be his only opportunity, and the hope led to some deep, untapped reserve of courage deep within him.

He opened his eyes and saw chaos. In the sky burned a Christian cross, a rotting corpse hanging from the center on a large fishhook. There was no sky; there was blackness, crisscrosses by a grid of crimson fire. Waves of water filled the air, the thick, chilling liquid floating and curling like disturbed candle smoke. Water covered the ground. Shinji struggled to stay afloat. Every few meters a waterfalls appeared, leading either up into eternity or down into nothingness. Rotting wooden crossed floated on the dark, dead ocean, and others stuck upright and stationary. In desperation, Shinji grabbed one of these and began to climb.

He was panting, gasping for air. His vision swam. Shinji managed to sit on an arm of the cross. He was still shaking all over. He vomited into the swirling water below. It took his last strength.

A shrill cry sounded in the distance. It was like an alarm, or tortured dying bird. The sound living stars made when they decayed and burst.

Shinji continued retching into the water, his stomach flipping even after there was nothing left to release. Fear was what gave him the ability to stay clinging to the cross. Fear of pain, of death.

The churning, roaring water grew still. the surface became smooth, unbreakable like glass. A clear mirror, reflecting the endless darkness and red fire of the sky.

A bubble rose to the surface, remaining a prefect pocket of air on the surface.

Shinji tensed up. He gripped the wood so tightly the skin on his hands turned white. He his eyes water up.

The little bubble grew slightly in size and began floating on the liquid glass.

The world was silent, save for Shinji's ragged breaths.

The bubble's motion stopped a few feet from Shinji's cross.

Now absolutely everything was still.

It popped.

The glass water shatters and spread as the creature burst from the water. Shinji's eyes widened, and he let loose a primal scream of the sort no human should ever have to use. The creature's torso alone was the size of a small house, scaled and twisted, its rotting ribs on the outside of its body. A pulsing red sphere was suspended on a column of water in a hole in its chest, protected by the ribs. At the waist the torso turned into velvet red curtain, held open by blackened skeletal hands to reveal a stage, decorated with only a while curtain. A shadow-play stage, Shinji would have realized, were he capable of thought. The shadows of inhuman figures appeared on the stage, their motions sweeping back and forth in a mad ritual dance.

The creature's head. Shinji couldn't bring himself to look at it. He couldn't.

The thing reached out with its "arms," thin black spikes with humanoid fingers on the end. As they grabbed him around the waist, Shinji felt himself go numb.

"Oh God..." he croaked, "Please... please... please, if there is a God..."

A mad cackle erupted from the beast as Shinji was lifted from his temporary safe haven. The chant returned.

Tenshi

Mal'ak

Tian shi

Maleaach

Aggelos

Ange

Engel

Angel

Shinji slumped in the grip of his captor. He gave up.

There was a loud crunch. Time began to move in slow motion.

Shinji looked down at the source of the sound. The red orb in the creature's chest cavity was beginning to unravel and disintegrate. In its center Shinji could just barely make out a barb of silver metal.

Slowly, the grip around his waist loosened. He fell down again, down into the water.

But this time there was no water.

Shinji felt himself land on something warm and soft.

A final dying shriek rose from the creature and its joints and supports liquefied, reducing the entire construct onto a squirming mass of bone and orange ooze. The whole body slowly began to turn to the same substance as the terrible beastly squeal continued to echo.

"Shinji... Ikari," said a girl's soft voice.

Shinji turned his head towards the soft ground, and found, instead of earth, the lips of Rei Ayanami. He was still shivvering. He wanted to get off her, but couldn't find any strength to move. He let himself collapse fully onto the pale girl.

A quiet sound of surprise escaped Rei's lips. She sat up, pushing Shinji off her. He wanted to thank her, but couldn't form the words. Rei leanded over by his side and held her cheek close to the lower part of his face, feeling for his breath on her skin.

"Shinji will recover," called a voice from the gloom. Kaworu walked into Shinji's view. A sword was swung over his shoulder, dripping the orange liquid from the fallen creature's carcass. "Sachiel was weaker than I expected. Shinji was not harmed."

The cross of light overhead faded into nothingness and was replaced by something akin to sunlight.

Kaworu smiled. "What did you think of the first Angel, Shinji?"


End Notes: This is a short chapter, yes, but I had it written and decided to go ahead and put it up. The next chapter will still be released Saturday, so no worries! Please review and favorite, if you like this so far!

Incidentally, some people may have guessed this, but Evangelion: The Rite of Spring draws heavily from the anime Mahou Shojo Madoka Magica. However, don't expect the twists and ideas from that show to affect this story in the same way. Thank you in advance for any reviews or feedback!