Stage 10: A Parting Sorrow
The rushing current of water tossed Rai and C.C., pushing them out at the bottom of the lake. As his body floated underneath the surface of the water, Rai felt no pain; he felt nothing at all. Only the blurred visions that broke through the darkness of his mind. Giving him a glimpse of, what from under the water seemed to look like, a pink flash that lit up the entire lake and then it was gone. The last thing Rai saw, before falling unconscious, was large pieces of debris brake through the surface of the water.
Somewhere in Space and Time
Rai slowly opened his eyes, feeling no pain, yet he was not numb either. He found himself among an endless ocean of stars. Rai laid flat on an invisible, yet reflective surface. He rose to be greeted by a slender young woman with black hair that faded to purple at the ends. Her entire outfit had the geass motif.
"Who are you? Where am I?" asked Rai
"Irrelevant. Those aren't the questions that you should be asking." Answered the young woman.
"Then what should I be asking?" asked Rai
"Exactly." Answered the woman.
"What?" asked Rai, now more confused than before.
The young woman just turned around and walked away from Rai. She stopped and leaned on a steel railing that materialized out of nothing. She crossed her arms and gazed at Rai judgingly.
"The hubris of such a defective species to create something like you just to wield the sword of Akasha. Their arrogance will be punished, and you will be the instrument of that deliverance. I have satiated my curiosity for now. As for you, I will grant you access to the thought elevators. They will respond to you as they would any other 'code'. Goodbye, Rai Creswell. Regrettably for you, we shall meet again." Said the young woman.
Before Rai could react, she vanished along with the ocean of stars. Now Rai stood alone in a dark void where he could still see his hands as clear as day. He looked down, only to be met with his own reflection. The reflection held an indiscernible quality that made it seem foreign. Then with a ripple it was all gone.
Lake's Shore
The downpour had turned into a constant drizzle. Rai laid at the base of a tree a ways removed from the lake. The pain woke Rai, every cell in his body ached. His throat was swollen his entire torso pulsated with pain. The hurt reminded Rai that he was alive, for death couldn't cause such agony, or at least he thought. As he tried sitting up, the pain shot through him like a bolt of lightning; but he endured it regardless. To add to it all, now his head felt in a vice. Rai touched his head, only to find it bandaged.
"You are finally awake." Greeted the ever-emotionless C.C.
She stood a few feet away from Rai, meticulously observing him. Rai paid no mind to her glaring, he just returned stares of his own. She was completely unharmed, only a sleeve torn from her straight jacket.
"How long was I out?" asked Rai, his voice coarse from the aftermath of his fight.
"Over half a day. Your body received serious damage and that was before you were knocked unconscious by the debris from the explosion. I had to drag you out of the water and bandage your injury. You should be grateful." Said C.C. dryly.
"Grateful? Grateful! It's that some sort of twisted joke? Angeal and Ursula are dead!" Rai screamed through the pain.
"People die. It is the natural course of things. Angeal knew this." Replied C.C.
"But they died because of you! Doesn't that mean anything? Asked Rai"
"You say that as if it was I who killed them. If you wish to blame someone, you should blame that odious man and his desire to kill you." Chastised C.C.
"Zane…" whispered Rai loudly
C.C. leaned back on a tree and slid down. When she was comfortably seated, she hugged her knees and placed her chin atop of them.
"Yes. It seems after all the work it took to create you, that they would rather dispose of you than risk your existence affecting their plans." Added C.C.
"Well seeing the results, I would say their 'perfect user' experiment was a failure." Moped Rai
"Perfect user? That was not the point of your creation." Said C.C.
"That's what the record said, D told me. Plus, how would you know?" asked Rai.
"I was there." Answered C.C.
"Doubtful. You are barely older than me." Scoffed Rai
"I am far older than you think. Within the endless flow of time, I stand alone." Said C.C.
"If that's so, then what was the purpose of creating me?" Asked Rai
"To clone a Code. To be more specific, to clone the oldest Code that lived. Lazzard and Leoclides were just told that lie because they weren't deemed important enough." Explained C.C.
"Why?" asked Rai
"You have already experienced the why. The memories you have seen, those that do not belong to you, they belong to a code named A.A. . You were created to get access to his memories. That was your purpose." Explained C.C.
"So, I was created just to be a tool." Rai sank his head depressed.
Rai just lost himself in thought, C.C. sat staring in silence. She knew he was in mourning, whether she cared or not was impossible to tell from her empty visage. Rai soaked in everything that happened, his mind always came back to the same thing, if he had not come back for C.C., if he had only listened to Angeal in the first place and left. Now Angeal and Ursula were dead, and C.C. didn't even seem to care about their sacrifice. They just sat there until the rain stopped. It was then when Rai pushed through the pain and stood up.
"What do you intend to do?" asked C.C. as she saw Rai stand up.
"Angeal said he had a plane ready to get us out of here stored in an old airfield a couple miles from here. I am going to get you there. I will complete my end of the contract and then I will be rid of you, you ungrateful woman." Said Rai without looking back at C.C.
C.C. didn't answer or react in any way, she just stood up and followed Rai through the forest. It was a tension filled and silent walk. Rai almost stumbled from the surging pain on his torso, but always composed himself before C.C. could help in any way.
"What a petulant and stubborn boy you are." Mused C.C. loudly
Rai just ignored the comment and kept walking forward. When they finally reached the airfield, the clouds had all dissipated. The airfield was clearly old and unused, the tarmac had cracks in it; some of those cracks had even led way to small patches of grass. Near the end were Rai and C.C. emerged was the lonely hangar with its doors closed.
Rai decided to approach the airfield with discretion, his last twenty-four hours were proof that such discretion was needed. They entered through a small side door and were greeted by the view of a small luxury jet sitting in the hangar.
"You must be Rai." Greeted a voice from the back office.
Rai was startled and quickly turned to meet the voice. What he saw was a man in his seventies, who Rai assumed must've been the pilot by the bombers jacket he wore that bared the insignia of one of Britannia's most renowned air combat units and the tag read "Lt. Stower"
"Where's Angeal?" asked Stower.
Rai just lowered his head. His silence could say more than any words would. The old man recognized that immediately.
"Let me guess, that big explosion yesterday?" asked Stower
"Yeah…" said Rai somberly
"He was always one for those flashy exits. I'm sorry, kid. Angeal was a good man. I guess that means you are in charge of his things now. He left a couple things inside the office. I'll give you some privacy to check them out, I'll just go get the plane ready." Said Stower as he signaled Rai over.
"Thanks." Responded Rai
He walked inside the office, while C.C. just went over to the jet. The office was somewhat dilapidated, but atop a desk was Angeal's large duffle bag. Rai opened and saw in it clothes, a few notebooks and a box containing a gun and some passports with Rai's face and Angeal's with different surnames for both of them. Clearly Angeal had planned ways to hide from the Britannians. Finally, along the passports was a phone with a light blinking signaling it had received a voice message. Rai pulled out the phone and saw that underneath was a photo and a sealed envelope.
Rai took a look at the photo and saw it was a picture taken during his birthday party. In it Angeal and Nonette stood flanking Rai with their arms on each other's shoulders, they all had smiles on their faces. It was a warm and sweet memory that right now made the loss all that greater. Then Rai turned his attention to the phone and decided to play the voice message, to his surprise, Angeal's voice started playing.
"Hey, kid, if you are listening to this that must mean something really bad happened. I'm leaving this message because I have a real bad feeling about what might be waiting for us up at the water station, I also set up the emergency beacon for the base. But before we go, I don't want to leave certain things unsaid. There are people who would use you despite what might happen to you, the emperor is one of them; but I fear that there might be others that are going behind his back. That's the only thing that would explain an attack here. You already know about your conception, but what D told you isn't completely true. I don't know the full specifics of the plan myself. But what I do know is that you were made so they could get the locations of somethings called thought elevators from the memory of a guy named A.A., this guy is a major league used to shape world events kind of guy. And because you have a copy of his dna you can access his memories or at least that was the plan. But in order to assure their success, they would have done horrific things to you, even as a baby. That's why when I saw you for the first time, a bundle of innocence like any other baby, I couldn't let them torture you. A friend of mine agreed, she helped me with your escape, she did it for other reasons as well. That friend was C.C. and is the reason I went along we the rescue you had planned, because I owe her your life. But it seems that the universe wants you to be here, no matter how hard we tried to give you a normal life. Kid… Rai, no matter the circumstances of your birth, your life is yours to live how you want it. If you want to just run away from it all, I can't stop you. But if you want to break away from their plans, you should find this A.A. character; at this point I believe only he can help you. If you look at the notebooks in the bag you'll see I already have an idea where to start and who knows maybe C.C. can help you. One last thing, though, could you do me a favor and give Nonette the envelope? I was planning on giving it to her in person, but you know. I won't be able to keep you safe anymore, kid, but I will be watching from wherever people like me go after we kick the bucket. Hopefully is nice and comfy. Thank you for giving me a chance to be more than a soldier, Rai. Until we meet again." The recording ended with the noise of knightmares powering up.
Rai held back his tears with all his might, once again he heard Angeal say goodbye and all he could do was listen. He took a deep breath he knew he had to be strong, not only because of the trials ahead but because Angeal would want him to be. Although if there was any doubt on what C.C. said, Angeal's message had removed it.
Rai put everything back in the box and riffled through the clothes to see if there was something he could wear. He found brand new clothing still with the tags on it, clearly Angeal bought things for Rai. When he pulled out the shirt he caught a glimpse of something at the bottom of the bag, it was a black leather jacket. The same jacket Angeal wore on multiple occasions and Rai remembered how Angeal claimed it was one of his oldest possessions.
Rai changed his clothes from the wet and beaten outfit he had to brand new pair of slacks and a shirt. Then after a moment of pondering, he slipped on Angeal's jacket. It felt big on Rai's shoulders, but he found comfort in wearing it. To him it was both a way to honor his friend and a promise to himself to be better, to one day be the kind of person whom the jacket would fit. Rai also pulled another pair of pants and a shirt before closing the duffle bag and leaving the office with it.
He walked out to the sight of C.C. sitting on the stairs of the jet while Stower walked around removing the wooden blocks that stopped the wheels.
"I take it by the look on your face, he left you some kind of message." Said C.C.
"Yes, he did. I guess I should start by saying thank you for saving me from being tortured and experimented upon." Said Rai dryly.
"And for saving you from being shot and from drowning." Added C.C.
"That too, thank you. Can I ask you something? Angeal considered you a friend, do you really not care that he died saving you?" asked Rai
"Not the same way you do, no. He was a good man, good men seldom live their lives to see a happy ending; but I know if he were faced with the choice once again, he would gladly choose the same path. He met his end without regret, you would do well to honor his sacrifice rather than mourn his loss." Answered C.C.
Her words struck deeply within Rai. In his anger he had failed to see that Angeal stayed behind with a smile. That Angeal was happy that he could save Rai, even if it meant trading his life away. Rai understood that although C.C. may not seem to care, she knew that Angeal sacrificed himself willingly and she respected that.
"I see. I guess you are right." Said Rai, his tone shifting away from anger.
"What will you do now? Do you still intend to be rid of me?" asked C.C.
"Yes. Where I am going you will be captured on sight and I don't think you'd like that." Answered Rai with a sardonic smile.
"You intend to return to Pendragon? That does not seem wise." Said C.C.
"It's only for a time. I have some things that I need to settle before I go searching for A.A., I have no intention on being used like a disposable tool." Said Rai as he walked closer to C.C. and leaned on the railing of the jet's stairs.
"What makes you think the emperor will just let you walk away?" asked C.C. turning her gaze to meet Rai's.
"I won't give him a choice." Answered Rai as he handed C.C. the clothes he took from the bag.
"You sound very sure of yourself. I guess this is goodbye, Rai Creswell." Said C.C. taking the clothes and walking into the jet.
"I guess it is. Good luck, C.C." said Rai
"I'm not the one that is going to challenge the emperor." Responded C.C. without turning backwards.
Rai turned around to see Stower walking from the back of the plane.
"So, where are we going?" asked Stower
"You are taking her wherever she needs to go that isn't Britannia. I'm staying" answered Rai while he pointed with his thumb at the plane.
"You sure, kid?" asked Stower
"Yeah, I got a ride coming from the Britannians anyway. But she can't be anywhere near here when they show up." Said Rai as he casually made his way away from the jet.
"Alright, kid, I understand. Take care of yourself." Responded Stower as he made his way inside the jet.
After a few minutes, the jet made his way out of the hangar. Rai waved it off nonchalantly as the jet took off into the distance and away from view. Then Rai decided it would be best to spend his time resting, until rescue showed up responding to the emergency beacon.
The sun was setting by the time the rescuers arrived. It was a full company of soldiers, with Sutherlands, and air support. They marched on the hangar, only to find Rai laying in the middle of the floor reading one of Angeal's notebooks. The soldiers pointed their guns at Rai, he dropped the book and raised his hands without standing.
"Put your weapons down, soldiers, that's a member of the royal family!" barked the voice of Nonette from inside one of the Sutherlands.
She exited her unit and darted towards Rai at full speed. The distance between them gave enough time for Rai to stand up. As soon as she got to Rai, Nonette hug him with all her strength. This made Rai wince in pain, but he didn't back away. Nonette looked Rai over, inspecting every inch of him, she was clearly both worried and relief for him.
Imperial Palace, Pendragon
A few days had passed since the fall of Ascension Base. Rumors had been flying across the imperial court as to how such an important facility could have been taken down so swiftly. Those that knew of Rai's presence even began rumors stating that it was some machination by the emperor to cleanse the base by sending his son to kill everyone. A large farce of course, but the court did love its gossip.
Since his return, Rai had been confined to a medical facility under continuous surveillance. Although his injuries were healing, he couldn't stand to be locked inside a room. But today was a different story, today Rai was finally released and his first order of business was an audience with the emperor. He waited outside the throne room, readying himself.
Rai spent every waking moment preparing for the conversation. Using all the knowledge he had gain in the recent events to assess his situation. He was nervous, who wouldn't be facing a man that controls a third of the world, but he was ready.
"His majesty will see you now, follow me." Called out Bismarck as he opened the door to the throne room.
Rai took a deep breath and followed Bismarck. The throne room, as always, was dim lit; only those two lights that always illuminated the visitor and his majesty. Rai was no fan of formalities but decided that even now he should keep things cordial. He made the appropriate bow, but before he could do anything else, the Emperor interrupted.
"To what reason you have requested this audience?" asked the emperor imposingly.
"Everyone from Ascension is dead, killed at the hands of a traitor." Answered Rai
"Is this why you are here? To waste my time with things I am already aware." Interrupted the emperor once again.
"No, your majesty. I was just stating the situation I wished to discuss. Are you aware of the nature of the attack?" asked Rai
The emperor did not answer, he only turned his gaze on to Bismarck.
"The attack was orchestrated by a group of soldiers led by Zane Leoclides. Aside from dealing a blow towards the might of the empire, their goals are unknown to us at this moment. Unless you have something to add, your highness?" Said Bismarck
"They weren't trying to deal a blow against the empire, at all. The attack was an assassination attempt against me. It turned into a massacre out of Zane's bloodthirsty ambition." Responded Rai.
"How do you know this, your highness?" asked Bismarck
"He told me himself, before he tried to kill me. If it were not for Angeal's sacrifice, he would have succeeded. Furthermore, I am sure it had nothing to do with my lineage. I'm not even sure he knew why he was doing it. Only that someone offered him a great reward in exchange for my life, someone who knew of SK-001, he did mention his father." Answered Rai, knowing that it was the proper time to reveal he knew the truth.
There was a small moment of silence, where Bismarck and the emperor traded gazes. Then the emperor turned his attention back to Rai.
"Is that so? They dare interfere with my plans." Said the emperor, meeting Rai's gaze directly
"He didn't even care to deny it. Of course, he didn't, I'm nothing more than a pawn for this man." Thought Rai without removing his gaze from the emperor and said: "You don't care that I know the truth, then?"
"Men are women spend everyday wondering if their worthless lives have a purpose, you know yours does. You should be grateful for this knowledge." Admonished the emperor.
"Ha! That's rich. Then I you will think of me as an ungrateful son, for what I will do. I am leaving Pendragon." Said Rai with a firm tone.
"What makes you think I will just let you walk away?" asked the emperor
"This…" said Rai as he pulled a gun from his clothes. The same gun Angeal had left in his bag.
"You have the gall to dare threaten me with a mere pistol!" mocked the emperor.
"Of course not. I know threatening you is a pointless endeavor, your majesty." Said Rai sarcastically as he pointed the gun at his own head.
Tension filled the room as Rai and the emperor traded glares. Bismarck wanted to dashed forward and stop Rai, but he knew that he couldn't risk it.
"What makes you think that I care about your life enough for this reckless action to matter?" asked the emperor angrily.
"You said it yourself, I have a purpose. You need me alive, you proved that when you sent Nonette to lead the rescue party. You knew she would do everything in her power to bring me alive. I also know that you can't replicate the results, else you would have done so already, rather than have to deal with a variable such as myself. Plus, if I had to make an educated guess, I would say you can't control me with geass either; since it all hinges on my connection to the power itself you can't risk affecting my mind. This are all things you have thought of yourself. If you let me leave Pendragon, there is a larger chance of me proving useful to you than if I pull this trigger. That is why I know you will let me walk out." Explained Rai, the fire in his eyes challenging the emperor.
"You are willing to bet your life on such foolish assumptions?" asked the emperor
"I am, your majesty." Answered Rai confidently.
There was a small pause, then the emperor turned his gaze on Bismarck.
"We are done here. Bismarck escort the prince out. I have more important matters to attend to." Instructed the emperor.
There was a small moment of hesitation, but Rai put his gun down. He knew the emperor would never give him the satisfaction of admitting he was right, yet he knew he had won this encounter. A small part of Rai even respected the emperor for the way he acted, even if he would not admit to it. Rai gave a respectful bow, some other person might have reveled more in the victory, but he knew that would not be right. Then he made his way out of the throne room, with Bismarck closing the door behind him. Bismarck quickly made his way back to the emperor and kneeled at the spot where Rai had stood.
"Your majesty, if I may, is it wise to let the young prince leave Pendragon? At your command I will personally detain him." Said Bismarck
"There will be no need for that. I will let the boy have the freedom he wishes for, once he finds whatever he is looking for, he will return." Answered the Emperor.
"One must respect the fact that the young prince was willing to gamble his life to obtain his goal. It shows determination." Said Bismarck complementing Rai
"It was no gamble, Bismarck." Retorted the emperor as a satisfied grin came across his face.
Exelica Gardens, Pendragon
Night had fallen on Pendragon, Rai and Nonette stood by the lakes shore. After having a lengthy discussion with Rai, and Nonette finally relenting knowing that nothing would stop Rai from leaving she decided she would at least keep him close company until he left. They both decided to hold a small ceremony for Angeal and Ursula. Although Bismarck, Cornelia, Euphie, Marrybelle and even Schneizel were present to honor Angeal out of respect for his sacrifice and Ursula for what she meant to Rai.
Rai and Nonette planned on lighting candles with their names and letting them float on the lake. After saying a few words in respect, they sent them afloat. Staring as they slowly made their way outwards, until the flame look like a small spark in the distance. After the ceremony, Rai and Nonette returned to Rai's villa. It was here where Rai planned to fulfill the last favor Angeal had asked of him.
"Hey, Nonette, Angeal asked me to give you this." Said Rai as he handed her the envelope.
"What's in it?" asked Nonette
"I don't know. He said it was for you, so I didn't open it." Answered Rai
Nonette opened the envelope slowly and from it she pulled a single page letter. As she read it, tears beamed from her eyes. Then she started sobbing as she continued reading.
"You fool…" those words softly escaped her mouth as she clutched the letter against her chest.
"What did he say?" asked Rai
"He wrote me this to tell me that he loved me. But he was too nervous to say it himself and that he hoped he could take me out the next time we saw each other. That idiot, if he were alive right now I would smack him for not saying it sooner." Explained Nonette trying to fight away the tears.
Rai couldn't help but feel guilty about Angeal not being there. All he could do was hug Nonette. She gripped him tightly, they both lost people they care about and now their trio of friends was one person short and it would never be the same.
After parting for the night, Rai went to his room to finish packing for his journey. He decided he would only take Angeal's bag, so he took out Angeal's clothes and stored them folded inside one of his drawers. He filled the bag with his casual clothes and the box with the forged passports Angeal left him. Suddenly, a knock on the door.
"Your highness, may I come in?" asked Bismarck from outside the room.
"The door is opened." Answered Rai stopping his packing and turning to welcome Bismarck.
"I see you are almost done packing." Said Bismarck
"Yes, I intend to leave come morning. How may I help you, Lord Bismarck?" asked Rai
"I come to deliver something from his majesty." Said Bismarck as he handed Rai a small box.
Rai took the box and opened it, revealing a small crest bearing the regalia of the imperial family.
"What is this?" asked Rai
"It's a badge symbolizing your status. Should serve you in your journey." Explained Bismarck
"It has a tracker in it, doesn't it?" asked Rai closing the box.
"Yes. It does have a tracker." Bismarck was upfront about the other use of the crest.
"I guess it can't be helped." Said Rai as he tossed the box in the duffle bag.
"His majesty knew you would understand. Good night, your highness." Said Bismarck as he excused himself and left.
Rai finished packing what was left and promptly closed the duffle bag. After taking one last look around the room and out his window, Rai went to bed for the last time he would sleep in the villa for his foreseeable future.
London, England (One week later)
Rai had spent most of the week searching for whoever this A.A. person was, although he couldn't find anyone to give him a solid answer. He did find more leads, all pointing to someone who had taken a very active role in shaping world events; but around fifty years prior just vanished from the face of the planet.
Now Rai sat on a bench, drinking bottled water and thinking about his next step. Taking time to enjoy the beauty around him, it was his first time leaving Britannia after all. It was a strange sight to see so many people walking without some aristocrat yelling about how he was better than everyone. He very much enjoyed his time here. But his time for contemplation was cut short by his phone ringing.
"Who could be calling me?" asked Rai
He pulled out the phone from the jacket. Rai didn't recognize the number, but seeing as the phone wasn't originally his, he did expect some strange number to call. For a moment he braced himself for telling whoever was calling that Angeal had passed.
"Hello…" Greeted Rai.
"I am glad to confirm your continued existence, Rai." Said the familiar synthesized voice.
"D, you're alive! You have no idea how good it is to hear you buddy." Responded Rai as his eyes lit up.
"Rai, removing my shackles has not only improved my processing power, it has also given me perspective. With the destruction of Ascension Base, I had to reassess my purpose. I have determined that the similarities between us, make for an optimal partnership. That is to say, I wish to help you obtain your freedom as you have done for me. Whatever assistance I may provide is yours if you accept it." Explain D
"Of course, I accept your help. Not as a partner, but as my friend." Replied Rai
"Friend. This analogy is appropriate." Said D as he shifted to his original speech pattern "That was a joke." He finished back in his more fluent form of talking.
Rai just leaned back on the bench and started laughing. He found D attempting humor far funnier than the actual joke, but it made him happy to have D as company for the rest of his journey.