Redemption and Madness

by patrickthenobleman

A year has passed since Zero Requiem. While the world celebrates the death of a tyrant, a few mourn a friend, and one plots a terrible crime against humanity. Lelouch must rise again and accept a title greater than Zero in order to battle the evil Amadeus Bloodbeard. Love, friendship, horror, and glory will all be experienced as Lelouch makes his trancendence from demon to hero.

25. The Chariot of the Gods

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Chariot of the Gods

"We must be somewhere in the Pacific," said Tohdoh.
"Or the Atlantic," said Tamaki. "Or we could be on Mars for all we know."
"If we were on Mars we wouldn't be able to breath," said Nina. "You see…"
"Don't encourage him," said Ohgi.
The Black Knights had gathered in the courtyard of Camelot, enjoying the actual light of the Earth's sun, and questioning the literal question of where on Earth they were.
"I guess the only real way to know which side of the Earth we're on is to wait until nightfall and use the stars," said Xingke.
"Or we could wait until M.M shows up again," said Rakshata. "Probably when Tamaki is all flustered and frustrated."
"What the hell are you talking about woman?" yelled Tamaki.
"The dear lady was just raising a hypothesis and you have proved it my boy," said M.M appearing next to him.
Tamaki sighed and plopped himself down on the ground.
"I hate wizards," said Tamaki.
"Good morning all," said M.M, ignoring Tamaki. "How does it feel to be back on thy world of birth?"
"It would feel better if we knew where on Earth we were," said Guilford. "What the hell were you thinking? Sending us back while we slept and leaving us with no directions."
"Direction is a matter of self," said M.M.
"Here he goes again," moaned Tamaki.
"One must know thyself before one can choose his destination," said M.M.
"You should write fortune cookies," Viletta said with an eyebrow arched in annoyance.
M.M chuckled and gave a bow to a figure landing from above. Lelouch managed to set foot softly on the ground with Kallen in his arms, both dressed in appropriate attire for the coming battle.
"So my boy how does it feel now that you have taken Arthur's castle, sword, throne, and now his name?" asked M.M.
Lelouch chuckled a bit and looked at the castle. He was the lord of Camelot and now had taken the name of its former master, the world's former God-King, and his personal hero.
His face fell slightly with the burden clear to him.
"It feels…different," said Lelouch. "I doubt there's ever been a God-King who practically inherited everything from the previous one."
"Not true," said M.M. "Zeus passed everything to his successor Jupiter. Olympus passed from one ruler to another who honored the former lord greatly."
"Hold on wasn't Zeus a god?" asked Ohgi.
"Those who have held the power of Geass have been worshiped as gods in ancient times," said M.M. "Of course with the coming of Christ they were demoted to angels and then as things got crazy they were called demons, witches, and the like and were hunted down and persecuted without mercy or regret regardless of age or power."
Wide eyes from some and irritated eyes from others glared at the wizard whose face never faltered.
"Mankind's history is one written in blood as well as ink," said M.M. "Anyway you have little to worry about Lelouch. Arthur is not a fool nor is he a liar. He would not say he has faith in someone unless he had great certainty of that person's character. So go on and be proud Lelouch Lamperouge-Pendragon. This reminds me, he wrote this note for you to read when you arrived back on Earth."
M.M pulled a small note out of his robe and handed it to Lelouch.
It read:
Lelouch,

I am sorry that we couldn't have more time to train or talk together. But simply because we are literally worlds apart, know that I will always be near should you need me. If fate had been kinder, I would have had you as my son and I would have done all in my power to have been the father you deserved. But fate is not kind and family is not merely a matter of blood. Family is what you want it to be and what it can be, not what it should be and I am honored that you have taken up the name of my family and I hope that in your heart I am a part of yours. And on that note, given you devotion to family as evident by your intense love of your sisters and your future wife, remember what I said and know that for the God-King, for any ruler, the most important thing to remember is that everyone is family.

Sincerely,

Arthur Pendragon.
Lelouch smiled, folded the letter, and placed it in his suit pocket.
"Anything good?" asked Tamaki.
Chiba pulled the fools ear, thinking it best to leave Lelouch to his thoughts. Everyone was silent as the God-King stood still smiling.
"Lelouch?" asked Kallen with a concerned look on her face.
Lelouch gave her a kiss on the cheek and flew into the air.
"I'm going to scout around the area to try and get a lay of the land," he said. "We might be on Kamine Island or some other isle that had a doorway to C's World on it. If that's the case it shouldn't be too hard for me to spot some ruins. I'll be back in an hour and until then Suzaku is in charge."
Lelouch flew away without another word just as Suzaku arrived on the scene. He bore an unhappy expression on his face when he arrived but falsified a smile when his friend glanced at him from above. Suzaku had no doubt Lelouch could see beyond his facial mask and would latter talk to him alone about it and Suzaku believed that would be a welcome talk.
"So…do we have to cook our own breakfast or does the castle still do that by itself?" asked Tamaki.

Euphemia held the blankets Suzaku had covered her in but they brought only a small comfort to her in the dark room she was forced to be in for her own good. Even though she could feel she was free from Bloodbeard's mental control and free of the risk of being placed under his demonic possession, her body was still bound to the curse of all Infected. The sun would destroy her and Suzaku would be left alone. That latter thought alone made her accept the darkness. She did not want her beloved knight to be alone anymore. When last they were parted he became cold, unloving, and almost evil in her eyes. She still recalled the horror she felt when she was told of what Suzaku was doing while she was away from him. He betrayed Lelouch and became his enemy and when he jailed Kallen he tried to drug her. The redheaded girl, whom she had helped rescue Lelouch from Bloodbeard, was someone Euphie felt she could become good friends with. She could tell that Kallen had a hot and fiery demeanor and given what the princess had done to her people Euphie did not blame her if she had any resentment towards her.
Euphie bolted into an upright seated position when she heard someone knock on the door.
"Come in," she said.
She wondered if it was Suzaku as the door opened but was somewhat surprised when she found that it was Kallen who entered, with a tray of food in her arms.
"Good morning," said Euphie.
Kallen smiled although she was surprised by the princess's choice of words. The morning could not have been good for her seeing as she was not in a condition to enjoy it.
"Good morning," said Kallen.
Kallen set the tray down on the nearby table and split breakfast between both of them. Kallen wondered if she should leave before she had any sort of accident with her power. Euphemia had helped her rescue Lelouch and Kallen actually believed she could call the princess her friend. Kallen had once said she hated Britannians and she found it ironic that she had such good friends who were Britannian, that she would love a Britannian prince, and that she would in her way accept that part of her blood.
She wondered about her father and what Red-Cap and the UFD were doing to Britannia. He had never been there for Kallen and her mother when they needed him but he was still her father.
She also wondered about her poor mother. She must be worried sick about her daughter after being so hurriedly evacuated. She had already lost her son Naoto and Kallen dreaded to think of what her mother would do to herself if she was lost too. Her first child's death had left her a drug addict and a slave under Kallen's stepmother and under Kallen herself.
She felt a finger wipe away a tear she had unwittingly shed and saw Euphie's deep soulful eyes filled with genuine concern and care. Kallen smiled at the princess and she felt she wouldn't mind calling Euphemia her sister-in-law after Lelouch married her.
"I think we're going to be friends," said Euphie.
"I…I think so too," said Kallen.

Red-Cap looked over the satellite images his men had given him and saw a castle just as Bloodbeard had described in his recent communication with the UFD.
"How long ago was this taken?" asked Red-Cap.
"Only a few hours ago High General," said his lieutenant.
The castle appeared on an island in the mid-Pacific if the information from the satellite was true.
"They're stranded there unless they have some sort of magical means of transportation," said the lieutenant.
"That's exactly what they have," said Red-Cap. "Make sure all of our forces are on high alert. They may be at a distance but that doesn't mean they can't pose a threat."
"But High General," asked the lieutenant, "won't they be entirely focused on Bloodbeard?"
"Victory goes to the grey man in the middle," said Red-Cap. "Those in the middle are the most dangerous of people and these people in particular are not to be estimated. Now do as I ordered and have all the men on high alert and double the work on the camps."
The lieutenant saluted and yelled, "Hail Uber-Britannia."
"Hail Uber-Britannia," said Red-Cap.
"And Hail Bloodbeard," the lieutenant added.
"Hail Bloodbeard," said Red-Cap, although with less enthusiasm.

Bloodbeard inhaled deeply, his heartbeat beginning to slow down to a calmer pace, and looked at what he had done. He felt like his old self again, knowing that what he had done would bring untold suffering into Lelouch's life and household.
"Just what the doctor ordered," said Bloodbeard.
He looked down at his 'turkey' and laughed.
"I guess you'll need the doctor now won't you?" he laughed as his 'turkey' moaned in pain.

Lelouch could not imagine ever being afraid of flight. It was man's oldest dream and for him it had come true. He could feel the rush of the cool air as it moved over his skin as refreshingly as water for a swimmer and if he flew through a raincloud Lelouch imagined it would be almost like swimming indeed.
He chuckled at his easy amusement and thought for a moment that he was the heir to the powers of Peter Pan and not Arthur Pendragon. If he still had his code he would very much be like Peter Pan, a boy who would never grow up and be able to fly the skies forever while the world below aged around him and became weighted down with all of their grown up worries while he was as free as a bird.
His mind regrettably came back to his task at hand and he saw how large the island was. It was large enough to be a small country, which it would be once all the dust was settled. However it would be a country with a very small population. He would of course be chief citizen he would only consider Kallen a citizen if she chose it. He had no doubt Suzaku would chose to live on this island paradise and Euphie would be following him, given that she was hated in Japan and regarded as a disgrace in Britannia, and there was no doubt that Jeremiah would move himself, Sayoko, and Anya. Lelouch could tell from what he had heard about his loyal soldier that he had become an orange farmer, ironically, and that to his surprise Sayoko had chosen to become a housewife and an adopted mother to Anya.
"Well I'll be," Lelouch chuckled.
He spotted a natural grove of orange trees below him. It was almost as if fate knew whom Lelouch would be bringing with him on his small exodus.
He continued onward and saw a flash of light on the far end of the island. It flickered constantly and Lelouch instantly recognized it as Morse code.

The discovery of the castle on the island was spread quickly throughout the UFD and many who held the seats of power were surprised at how Bloodbeard had ordered them to stay put, contradicting his earlier orders to hunt them down without hesitation or remorse. Bloodbeard's attitude seemed much less furious and much more like his previous demeanor. However neither mood set will with any of the members of the UFD. His smile, to them, was something far more terrifying than his scowl. In his rage he appeared like Satan but in his happiness he appeared to be even more unnerving, as if he were the devil's jester and knew the tortures and horrors of those he smiled upon and he knew that their fate would be inescapable.
"The man's a nightmare but God knows he's a terrific customer," sighed Madam Cyst as she lay back in the large pool that was her bath.
She looked at the images on the monitor and chuckled at the image of the castle as well as the tickle from her slaves washing her body. She also looked at an image of her target, Sayoko Shinozaki, although her name had since been changed to Sayoko Gottwald and had been married to Jeremiah Gottwald for quite some time.
"What a storybook romance girls," said Cyst. "The painted doll and the tin soldier. Although if you ask me that little beauty could do much better than that tool."
Cyst rolled over in laugher, crushing a girl who was washing her belly under her, and let loose gas in her fit.
"I do so love dolls," said Cyst. "I'll just wait until she's on the market, snatch her up, and dress her up. She's such a novelty, she'll probably put the rest of you to shame, and naturally you're all very jealous."
The women looked at their bloated mistress in disgust and sadness. They questioned their lives and the choices they had made and the choices that had been made for them by others and how they forced them into a life of horrid servitude under the fat slave mistress. There were many nights in which they prayed for a savior to come but every following morning their hopes were dashed with the rumbling of Cyst's stomach.

Schneizel walked around the Round Table while the others sat and saw the faded names on the seats. He stopped at one that held his particular interest. It was a seat none of the Black Knights had sat in and Schneizel could guess why.
"The Siege Perilous," he muttered in astonishment.
"What?" asked Tamaki.
"The seat Sir Galahad took at the Round Table," said Guilford. "Only the worthiest of knights could sit there if I remember the legend correctly."
"Indeed you do Sir Guilford," said Schneizel. "Here sat Galahad the pure, Lancelot's son, and the one who restored the Holy Grail and helped Arthur purify the world. He was also the only other person who could pull a sword from a stone just as Arthur himself could."
"Well that's all fine and wonderful," said Rakshata. "That makes two chairs we can't sit on am I right?"
"According to legend if anyone but its destined occupant sat there they would burn alive," said Milly.
"A chair that will burn you alive if you sit on it and a chair guarded by dragons that'll rip you to shreds if you try and sit there," said Tamaki. "One hell of a way to say, 'this seat is reserved' if you ask me."
"Nobody did," said Tohdoh. "And that's a throne not a chair."
"Lelouch's throne," said Nunnally.
"Speaking of Lelouch shouldn't he be back by now?" said Ohgi.
Suzaku looked out at the sun and thought about how much time had passed. Breakfast had been prepared and finished and still the God-King was nowhere to be seen. He looked over at Kallen and took note at her face. She had just returned from bringing breakfast to his beloved princess, a decision he was unsure of given Kallen's powers and Euphie's condition, but from the way Kallen looked it appeared she and Euphie had talked. What they talked about he could not know but he could tell she and Euphie had a conversation and they apparently got along. It showed in her face quite well as did some unease no doubt caused by Lelouch's absence. She had become deeply depressed when Lelouch had 'died', at his hand no less, and now he had only just returned to her damaged and broken by an actual demon who threatened to take her lover away whenever they met in battle. It was enough to make anyone uncomfortable, even one as strong as Kallen, one of the strongest people he had ever met.
He thought back to when he was about to interrogate her with Refrain. He saw the fear and sadness in her eyes, fear of him and sadness that she would betray her love, and whenever he thought of that horrible incident it made him want to vomit. He hated what he had planned to do and when he realized he was doing exactly what Lelouch was doing he refused to be as evil as him.
'No,' he thought.
Suzaku tried to banish all his old notions of Lelouch being evil. It was a difficult thing to do. There was a great and terrible darkness inside Lelouch's soul and Suzaku had seen it firsthand but now, after everything that had happened, he only wanted to see the good that was deep in his friend and try and forget the evil. Bloodbeard would no doubt try and torture him with this conflict and try and force him against Lelouch.
Bloodbeard, the evil that now poisoned the world and plagued Lelouch worse than anyone else before. Suzaku, when he fought Lelouch, did not want to see the man he once called friend suffer. He did not want to torture Lelouch for days on end, peeling his flesh, and breaking his mind by forcing him to watch loved ones raped and mutilated. That would only have sealed Suzaku's damnation, a path he had already placed himself on when he swore vengeance, and it would have completely destroyed the man Euphemia loved. Her disappointment in him after what he had done 'for her' was just as painful for him as when he ran his sword through Lelouch's body and realized in that horrible moment that he still loved Lelouch as his friend and perhaps always would.
'Lelouch, you gave me a second chance,' Suzaku thought. 'I'll give you one this time.'
"Maybe we should go look for him," said Kallen.
"We stay," said Suzaku. "Lelouch will come back and then we'll get to business."
"Saving Britannia," said Tamaki. "I never thought I'd hear myself say that."
"There is a sense of irony isn't there," said Chiba.
"Yes but logic," said Tohdoh. "This is a threat the entire world faces and the entire world must be united against it. All the old lines have been erased. This is a battle for our right to exist. Not a battle of flags and nations."
"I had a dream about the Britannian flag last night," said Cornelia.
Her morbid tone earned the attention of her peers and the concern of her knight and lover Guilford.
"It was burning," she said. "But while it was burning I heard a voice talking to me. Saying that the fall of Britannia is eminent…but…there is hope."
Hope, something the knights and surely the rest of the world was lacking. How could hope exist when such unnerving evil battered down upon their souls? Where could one possibly find hope when facing the end of the world?
"Lelouch is that hope," Suzaku muttered silently as if afraid that bit of hope would vanish with his whispered breath.

He pressed the flat of the knife against her skin. The cold of the metal and the warmth of her blood oozed into her flesh like a disease while her heart gave way to sorrow and pain.
"Are you wondering why you are suffering?" he asked, pressing his bloodstained lips to her ear. "Are you holding onto some image of past happiness? The image of someone you love to give you strength while you are forced upon your knees enduring my tortures?"
The woman held her chin up and Bloodbeard chuckled in amusement.
"Are you trying to honor that loved one with your last bit of strength?" he asked. "Or are you trying to make up for past weaknesses?"
The woman refused to acknowledge him but a tear escaped her eye. He wondered if it was a tear of fear, or sadness, or perhaps she acknowledged that she was doomed and her tear was one of apology to the loved one she thought of. An apology to that person, that she had died and would not be reunited with them ever again.
Bloodbeard reached into his pocket and held a vile of blue liquid to her eyes.
"This," he said, "will destroy the last of your strength. Does this promise make you want to talk? Make you want to say something to that loved one you're trying so hard to be strong for?"
She gulped and nodded and Bloodbeard held a recorder to her lips.
"I love you…my daughter," she said.
The message was recorded and the beast prepared the liquid.
"A mother's love…is something incredible," he said. "I wish I knew what that was like. To awaken as my mother kissed me awake at sunrise and tucked me in a sunset. But hey, what can you do when fate deals you a bad hand?"
He stuck her heart with the needle and forced the pump in.
"The sun sets on you, soon your daughter, and then on the God-King," he whispered.

The smoke of the fires that burnt away the corpses of the weak and powered the factories rose high into the sky, blocking away the sun, and bringing down the cold. The armies of the dreamed Uber-Britannia were being born and their screams of pain were becoming roars of savagery. The doctors and their formulas and their mind games had their way with the fit and the healthy. Their bodies became molded as their master, the High General Red-Cap envisioned.
"The numbers are impressive milord," said the lieutenant. "Combined with our own men we should have ten thousand strong within the next three days along all of our reach."
"When that number is met we will march on New Pendragon and take the city," said Red-Cap.
The lieutenant, a Britannian by birth, shuttered slightly.
"A problem?" asked Red-Cap.
"N…No sir," said the lieutenant.
"No, I understand your discomfort," said Red-Cap. "A nation's capital sacked by its own people? It is like a son slaying his mother and no less than what the foul Schneizel did with his FLEJA bombs. What we do now is neither less a violent nor less cruel. But the city and the nation will be rebuilt once more I promise you that my friend. From the ashes an even stronger Britannia will arise. The Uber-Britannia, mother of the man-gods who will rule this world for a thousand millennia. Our one flag will unite our one civilization and one race. Under the flag of Uber-Britannia, after all the wretches and infidels of the world are washed away, this world will finally have peace. Does that bring you comfort lieutenant."
The lieutenant came into attention and saluted with a raised arm.
"Hail Uber-Britannia," he yelled.
"Hail Uber-Britannia," yelled Red-Cap in salute.
The lieutenant went to comply with his commander's orders and inform that upon the completion of the first batch of supermen the armies loyal to Red-Cap would march for New Pendragon.

Lelouch threw open the gates of the grand hall and stood before the Black Knights, gathered around the Round Table, and saw surprise from many and a genuine shock for few.
"I don't believe it," said Lloyd looking at who was with Lelouch.
"Miss Croomy?" he gasped.
"Hello," said the blue haired woman.
"Well Cecile it's nice to know you've managed to survive this little apocalypse," said Lloyd dryly. "I was beginning to wonder if you were dead and I'd be forced to suffer this intolerable woman for the rest of eternity."
Rakshata bonked Lloyd upside the head and Cecile sighed at her boss's actions.
"Miss Croomy, if you don't mind my asking what are you doing here?" asked Cornelia.
"And how have you managed to survive the UFD's occupation?" asked Guilford.
"And where are we?" asked Tamaki.
"One at a time," Cecile said with her hands up. "I'll explain everything as best as I can. While everyone was celebrating Lelouch's…"
She glanced nervously at the demigod next to her as if saying more would earn his wrath. However Lelouch simply smiled and nodded for her to continue.
"While you were at the celebration I was visiting family in the homeland when Bloodbeard attacked," she continued. "I was about to head to Japan to see if you needed any help I could offer when those monsters began attacking military bases all over the country. I kept trying to get out of the country but things only got worse and worse and I had to help the remaining forces we had in fighting off the Infected. Then the UFD showed up and many of our own soldiers defected on sight."
"Defected?" gasped Nunnally.
"I'm afraid so your highness," said Cecile with a small bow and a frown. "I refused and was captured. I was being sent to…to…"
"Be a prisoner of war?" asked Kallen.
"Breeding stock for Red-Cap's forces," said Cecile.
"Breeding stock?" yelled Cornelia.
Cecile nodded in confirmation, only adding to the horror and disgust being felt all around, and stood to continue.
"They put me through a full medical examination and did a background check on my family and sent me along with a few other dozen men and women," said Cecile. "I was about to be unloaded when a blinding light landed me in a forest on this island next to an entrance to an underground hanger."
"An underground hanger you say?" said Lloyd with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Rakshata's eyebrow was similarly raised and she hummed into her pipe.
"Hold that through for one moment," said Guilford. "What did you mean by breeding stock earlier?"
"That's how one of the soldiers described it as but one of the doctors who looked me over called it 'selective breeding,' and said it was for eugenic purposes," said Cecile.
"M.M did say Red-Cap was doing something similar to eugenics," said Xingke.
"M.M?" asked Cecile.
"Don't ask," moaned Tamaki.
"Okay," said the confused woman in response. "Anyway that's all there is to tell on my part. What about you? What is this place? How…"
"All questions in due time my girl," said M.M.
Cecile gasped at the wizard's sudden appearance next to her but everyone else had become well-adjusted to the wizard's tricks.
"I brought Miss Croomy here to assist in the mechanical working of a certain vehicle that I have had under construction for some odd number of years," said M.M. "It's fast, powerful, and in the wrong hands could be the deadliest weapon in the world."
"And you're giving it to us?" asked Rakshata.
"Do tell me more wizard," said Lloyd.
"Let's just say you could consider it a chariot of the gods being lent to man," said M.M.
The phrase, 'chariot of the gods' made a few of the Black Knights uneasy, although it brought nothing but joy to Lloyd and Rakshata, understandable seeing as how they were now given the chance to tinker with such a toy.
"Is he…always this vague?" asked Cecile.
"Always," groaned Tamaki as he pressed his face into the table.
Cecile giggled at Tamaki's antics and although she could not see his face the vulgar Japanese man actually smiled.
'She may be a Brit,' he thought. 'But she's not a bad looker.'
"Anyway," said M.M. "Perhaps there are those of you who would like to see my little surprise?"
Lloyd and Rakshata practically jumped with hands raised like children volunteering to be given the first toy at Christmas.
"Very well then," said the wizard.

"Oh my god" said Lloyd."
"It's…beautiful," moaned Rakshata.
The Black Knights, minus the few who remained in Camelot with Nunnally and Euphemia, after going through miles of fields and forests, found their way to the underground hanger where they saw a grand airship waiting for them in the dark. Painted black and silver with the symbol of the Geass on the sides the ship appeared twice as big as the Ikaruga and thrice as powerful.
"What…what is that thing?" asked Ohgi.
"I call it the Valhalla," said M.M.
"Valhalla?" said Lelouch. "After the paradise of slain heroes?"
"Indeed, of course the ship was just a small boat but I figured it would work just the same for this ship," said M.M.
"There's no way you expect us to work that thing," said Tamaki. "It would have to require over a thousand people to run that behemoth."
"Actually the ship has been especially built so that it can be operated by a minimum crew. One person could actually control everything if necessary," said M.M.
"That's impossible," said Nina. "That kind of technology doesn't exist."
"You'd be surprised by how much of what isn't supposed to exist actually does," said M.M.
"How ever did you build this marvel?" asked Rakshata.
"I didn't," said M.M. "Or at least I didn't have a part in the actual, physical construction, but I did supervise and design it myself."
"Then who did?" asked Chiba. "Who helped you build it I mean?"
"Some secrets are best kept secret," said M.M.
"Alright, here's another question," said Kallen. "Are there at least weapons aboard?"
"It is not a dreadnought nor is it a destroyer," said M.M. "It has weapons sufficient to your needs but it is not a true military vehicle."
"If it's not a military ship than what is it?" asked Guilford.
"This was built as a ship of peace not war. It was built to sail like the great ships of old," said M.M. "To travel to the blank spots of the map and make them known."
"It's an exploratory ship?" said Lelouch.
"In a way yes," said M.M.
"What was it supposed to explore?" asked Chiba.
"And just what makes it a chariot of the gods?" asked Tohdoh.
"It's made completely from C's Metal," said M.M.
If a pin dropped in the hanger everyone in the room would have heard it as clearly as an orchestra in a cramped room.
"You mean this son of a bitch is one hundred percent indestructible?" yelled Tamaki.
"To all earthly harm yes," said M.M. "However all the bullets and bombs you'll find aboard are made from the earth we now stand on."
"You were right to say it could be the deadliest weapon in the world," said Cornelia. "An indestructible warship would be just as terrible as the Damocles."
"I already said Cornelia li Britannia, that the Valhalla is not a warship," said M.M. "It is a representation of all that Arthur represented and dreamed of for the world. I built this ship so that it could sail this world…and others if it need to…and make discoveries for the betterment of mankind and to meet the evils that threaten man with all the force it could possibly need."
"Wait, did you say something about…other worlds?" asked Tamaki.
"C's World is the glue that holds together an infinite multiverse of possibility," said Lelouch. "I saw it with my own eyes when I went to get cleansed of Bloodbeard's evil."
"But if that's true then the multiverse theory is correct," said Nina in astonishment.
"Infinite world and infinite possibilities," said Schneizel.
"And all of them will be put into just as much danger as our world will be if Bloodbeard succeeds and corrupts the Collective Unconscious," said Tohdoh.
"Oh great," moaned Tamaki. "Not only do we have to save one world but a billion of them. I'm sorry but that's…that's too much."
Tamaki threw up his hands and began to walk away.
"Where do you think you're going?" asked Ohgi.
"Away from here," said Tamaki.
"And go where?" said Viletta. "The only way off this island appears to be the Valhalla."
Tamaki ignored her and continued out through the main entrance without a single word.
"He's not entirely wrong you know," said Guilford. "This whole mess has been almost too much. I've seen plenty of strange things in my service but I never before tangled with magic or gods or other dimensions. I have to repeat to myself that this is all real and that I haven't gone mad. What with giant monsters and supernatural powers and all. Powers I am in the possession of and still it makes it no easier. And now you tell me that there are infinite earths with infinite versions of Britannia, of myself, of Princess Cornelia, of everything and everyone that has ever existed and you tell me that what we do now could either mean salvation or destruction for an infinite amount of souls…it's too much."
Everyone agreed with Guilford's words. The pressure of having to save one world from destruction was horrible enough. But to know that on their shoulders were the fates of infinite worlds, the sheer knowledge of that fact was enough to make even Atlas's spine snap in two. Everyone began to question and doubt everything they ever believed in. For if possibility was truly infinite and entire worlds were born on their choices, worlds where they had made the choices they previously didn't, what did it matter if they continued on?
They each thought for a moment about infinity. Tohdoh wondered if on some other distant Earth, Japan had not been conquered and if in a bizarre twist Japan had enslaved Britannia. Cornelia wondered if there as a reality where her family had not been so plagued by tragedy. Suzaku wondered if there was a world in which he had never betrayed Lelouch and that Euphie had never been killed in the first place. Kallen wondered if there was a world where her brother Naoto was still alive.
Everyone continued to think about the road less traveled. Everyone save their leader, the God-King, and he sought to bring his soldiers back to the current earth.
"It doesn't matter," said Lelouch. "Bloodbeard's on this planet and that's what we should be concerned about. Thinking about what other worlds exist because of the choices we did or didn't make is pointless. This is the world we are on and that is that. Lloyd, Nina, Rakshata, and Cecile, I want you to look over the Valhalla and make sure it's ready for launch as soon as we're ready. Try and get our current coordinates and begin prepping a flight plan. Everyone else let's let them work and get back to Camelot."
Lelouch took Kallen's hand and led the way through the exit as the others followed and left the four mechanical workers behind.
Lloyd looked once more at the magnificent ship before him and grinned.
"Magnificent," he said. "I've never played with the toys of the gods before."

Nunnally looked out her window yet again, wondering if she'd catch a glimpse of the archer she was destined to love, as if he had followed her through dimensions out of a magical want or need to be with her. She would have found it romantic if it weren't for the risk that she would be forced to choose between her lover and her brother as the wizard had foretold.
Sayoko looked out at the girl in the wheelchair as she, her adopted daughter Anya, Kaguya, and Tianzi had a little luncheon together. Sayoko had grown fond of Nunnally and Lelouch when she served as their maid and bodyguard. They were more than an occupation to her. They were like her children and she cared for them as deeply as she did for Anya, the poor girl who had arrived at a castle for cotillion lessons and wound up being possessed by the spirit of a dead empress and was forced to suffer memory loss. Jeremiah had taken her in after the Zero Requiem and because Nunnally no longer seemed to need her Sayoko had been invited to come with him. She thought about the orange knight and how they first met with crossed blades on the grounds of Ashford Academy. He had put her in a hospital bed and she was pretty sure he took a leisurely glimpse at her undergarments while she fought him in her skirt. Somehow they instantly, one would almost say magically, fell in love when they reunited on the orange farm. The china doll and the tin soldier who made love under the orange trees. Because of his cyborg nature Sayoko wondered if her household would ever be blessed with a baby. A child born from the love between her and Jeremiah and a little sibling for Anya. She chuckled at the idea as she recalled how Jeremiah was once a member of the Purebloods and how he had now fallen in love with a Japanese woman and if the gods were kind they would allow him to fill her with a child of mixed blood.
The thought of babies reminded her about Chiba and Viletta's respective babies that were close by in their cradles. She looked over at the two sleeping children and smiled at how beautiful they were while they slept peacefully.
Although she was a ninja Sayoko found that she liked being a nursemaid even better and no doubt when her master Lelouch married Kallen and moved into the castle with her the ninja maid and her family would no doubt follow and she would become the nurse to the babies the God-King and the Sun Goddess would produce and that did not bother her in the slightest.

"Are you sure it's a good idea going out so soon?" asked Ohgi.
"That's something we're going to have to discuss with Lelouch," said Tohdoh. "When he lands that is."
The Black Knights made their way back to Camelot by foot while Lelouch carried Kallen through the air.
"If Lelouch says we're going out on our first opportunity than we're going out," said Suzaku.
"Do you always follow orders so blindly?" asked Chiba.
"A soldier follows the orders of his commander and Lelouch is my commander," said Suzaku. "So if he issues me an order I follow it."
"You're worse than Jeremiah if you do that," said Tamaki, who returned to the group after having lost his way back to Camelot.
"I mean when Lelouch says, 'Jump,' Jeremiah asks, 'How high your majesty?' but for you it's different isn't it?" he continued. "He says, 'Jump' and you jump."
"And if he uses his Geass you'd be jumping forever," said Chiba.
"That's enough," said Tohdoh. "Both of you, we're not discussing Lelouch at the moment."
"He may be in the air but he's not entirely out of earshot remember," said Ohgi.
"You sound like he'll throw a thunderbolt onto you if he catches you speaking out of turn," said Cornelia.
"He actually might," said Ohgi. "His powers are greater than they were before. If he had them on the Ikaruga when we tried to cross him he would have had the absolute advantage."
"What do you mean?" asked Viletta.
"Think about it," said Ohgi. "Cornering a thunder god on a ship made of metal in the sky where he's most comfortable at. It's like trying to fight a great white shark in the ocean with blunted dentures. Face it, Lelouch is dangerous and it's best not to forget that."
"Lelouch may be dangerous but Bloodbeard's even worse so stow it," said Suzaku.
"You can't admit the criticisms are wrong Suzaku," said Ohgi. "You may want to see Lelouch as your best friend now and try and forget everything that happened between the two of you. But you must realize that Lelouch is the most dangerous man on the face of the world and even if he kills Bloodbeard and restores the world to order he may…he may just have to be watched."
Suzaku stopped and the knights stopped as well. The Champion turned and gazed at Ohgi with eyes as sharp as the sword on his hip.
"What are you suggesting?" asked Suzaku.
"I'm only saying that even if the world forgot about the Demon Emperor they would be in a state of fear and panic knowing that such a man with almost godlike powers existed," said Ohgi. "Especially with his…personality. If someone, god forbid this should ever come true, tried to kill Kallen, the girl Lelouch loves, he will no doubt hunt the criminal down in broad daylight, destroying anything that got in his way, until he found the man and executed him with the entire world watching. There would be no due process, no trial, and no jury because we all know how Lelouch does not conform to the system. He would deal out 'justice' with his sword and on his own terms. If the world saw him like that, like a mad vigilante with enough power to wipe out a small army, they would react just as badly as they are reacting to Bloodbeard. Don't get me wrong on this. Ever since we started this crazy quest I've gotten to know more about Lelouch than I did before and I can see that beyond his darkest qualities there is some good in him. Enough that Kallen chose to love and trust him and that is good enough for me now. But Lelouch will need to be watched and if necessary…"
"Killed?" said Suzaku.
"Or contained," said Ohgi.
Suzaku's fists became clutched tightly as he stared down Lelouch's former second in command and met his gaze in a deadly lock.
"And don't think," Ohgi continued, "that Lelouch hasn't been thinking the same about us. With our powers and skills we could be the deadliest men and women on the planet. If he wants to bring the world to peace he will look at us as potential threats and no doubt have plans to neutralize us if we pose a threat. Because if we win this world he knows the world would not be able to handle another Bloodbeard. Admit it Suzaku, you know him better than us, admit you've been thinking about all I have just now said."
Suzaku stood silent like a statue for an uncomfortable amount of time before he turned his gaze upward. The Black Knights followed his gaze and saw to their mixed responses, the God-King hovering above them with a neutral mask upon his face while the Sun Goddess who would be his bride looked down on her 'friends' and comrades with a face of pure anger.
"Should I answer them?" Suzaku asked Lelouch.
Suzaku and Lelouch's eyes were fixated upon each other as all the party waited for the God-King's response.
"Yes," he said.
"Lelouch would never allow super powered individuals with skills like ours to roam unchecked," said Suzaku. "He'd make sure they had tight leashes and cadges to hold them in if they ever got out of control. If he kills them, it's only because he had no other choice. Isn't that right Lelouch?"
"Yes," said Lelouch.
Cornelia, Kallen, and those few others were shocked by Lelouch's sudden answer. While others like Ohgi, Tohdoh, Xingke, Viletta, and Chiba were unaffected.
A terrible silence surrounded and even nature seemed to hush as not one bird, beast, or bug dared make a sound. The silence seemed to go on forever until finally the Sun Goddess spoke into the ear of the God-King.
"Lelouch," she said. "Take me home. Now."
"As you wish," said Lelouch. "Hurry them along Suzaku we are wasting time.
"Take as long as you want," hissed Kallen.
"No more time than needed," Lelouch ordered before hastily flying off with Kallen.

"I can't believe the nerve of Ohgi," Kallen yelled as Lelouch landed in their bedroom. "After all you've done for him he'd insult you like that. And for Suzaku, he's just as terrible as ever, and he calls you his 'friend' but…"
"Kallen," Lelouch said.
"…I will never go back to service if those are the people I'm working with," she continued, not hearing Lelouch. "I will never forgive them for insulting and plotting against the man I love. Never."
"Kallen," Lelouch yelled.
"What?" she yelled back.
"They're not wrong," said Lelouch.
Kallen gasped and her blue eyes went wide.
"I will need to be placed under observation and plans to control, contain, or…"
"I don't want to hear this," Kallen yelled with tears welling in her eyes.
She flung herself to the bed with her back turned to Lelouch.
"I lost you once," she said, weeping. "I saw you die before my eyes. I was screaming when 'Zero' put his sword into you and I was destroyed ever since. I can't go through it again Lelouch. If you left me again…I would have no choice but to follow you."
"You can't say that," Lelouch yelled, pulling her into facing him. "I wouldn't even be able to go to hell if I knew you lost your life because of me. You have to live."
"Only if you're living with me," Kallen yelled. "If ever I'd continue on it would only be if you gave me a child before you died but even then…"
Lelouch slapped her; in a fit of frustration he had struck the woman he loved, not hard enough to seriously hurt her. When he realized what he had done Lelouch's eyes widened with fear and panic that he had hurt Kallen. He moved in to comfort her only to be met by Kallen's hand as she struck him back.
The stinging from both of their hands leaving them the God-King and Sun Goddess stared at each other intensely.
The eve of a terrible battle was coming as they both know and these rising tensions within their ranks were to be expected but could not be helped.
"I fell…so cold," Kallen cried, the stress of all things piling up on her.
Lelouch wrapped his arms around her tightly and whispered into her ear.
"Let me warm you," he whispered.

Cornelia entered her sister's chamber and found Euphemia resting peacefully. The older princess sighed at the sight of her sister's mere breathing just as Euphie began to awaken.
"Sister?" asked Euphie.
Cornelia walked up and hugged Euphemia tightly as she sat down on the bed with her.
"Is something wrong?" asked Euphie.
"We're…we're going to be going into battle soon," said Cornelia.
Cornelia remembered the sad look in Euphemia's eyes whenever she mentioned she would be going off to fight. She saw that look the younger princess's eyes only she believed it wasn't just worry for her sister. She deduced that Euphie was worried about Suzaku Kururugi, her lover and knight and Lelouch's champion.
"I'll make sure he comes back to you," said Cornelia.
"Oh, thank you sister," Euphie said with tears welling in her eyes. "I don't know if I could ever stand losing Suzaku. I'd be dead inside."
"I understand that feeling," said Cornelia.
She showed her ring finger to Euphemia, remembering she did not show it to her earlier, and the younger girl's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"Sister?" she said. "Are you…?"
"I am a bride to be," said Cornelia. "Guilford proposed to me. We'll be married and I will no doubt become a mother one day. I guess that means you'll be an auntie."
Euphie happily wrapped her arms around Cornelia once again and the battle queen responded in kind.
They felt each other's warmth and Cornelia cried hard on Euphemia's shoulder. Sensing her sister's troubles Euphie positioned their bodies so they could talk face to face.
"Sister what's wrong?" asked Euphie. "You…you aren't pregnant now are you?"
"No," gasped Cornelia. "No, god no, it's just…I'm broken."
"What?" asked Euphie.
"I'm broken sister," said Cornelia. "The will that made me the Goddess of Victory is gone. I've swallowed too much in recent days. People I love returned to me, a demon that destroys everything I've tried to defend, other dimensions, and a madman who embodies the worst of Britannia the worst of what I represented and I fear I'm no less a monster than he is. That I am a genocidal, oppressive, and heartless witch."
Euphie held her sister tightly, not knowing what words to say to her heartbroken sister, and merely began to rock with Cornelia in her arms as if she were a babe. Cornelia enjoyed the warmth her sister gave out and began to regain her composure. She straightened herself and talked about how her and Guilford truly began to love each other, trying to change the subject to a more happy conversation, but deep down Cornelia's woes were still troubling her and she knew there was only one person who could possibly know how her troubled soul felt. But she doubted after the conversations earlier today he would talk to her.

The morning came and with it Lloyd's report which Lelouch read upon his throne. The Valhalla was sail worthy and could be taken out at a moment's notice. He would mobilize the Black Knights when they arrived. He wondered if it would be wise to leave Nunnally, Euphie, Milly, and the still lost Rivalz alone in Camelot while he took out the majority of his fighting force with him to confront Red-Cap.
"I will watch over the castle," said M.M.
"Are you sure you won't just vanish like you always do?" Lelouch asked, annoyed.
"When a wizard gives his word he means it," said M.M. "Besides Mordred would not have the stomach to walk the grounds of Camelot again and his Infected, being extensions of himself would not be able to step foot on the soil of Camelot."
"I've been thinking about that little problem," said Lelouch. "It reminds me of the Bible."
"Oh," said M.M. "How so?"
"From the book of Mark I believe, 'I am Legion, for we are many,'. Legion, the man who was possessed by a thousand demons," said Lelouch. "When he tried to force me to join his damned I saw a crimson sea of the damned souls who made the unholy deal. The only difference between him and Legion is that he has complete control of the souls within him. And tell me this wizard, if I destroy Bloodbeard's body, won't his mind just jump to another Infected and act as his host?"
"Death is a very traumatic experience," said M.M.
"It's always half answers with you isn't it?" sighed Lelouch.
"If you want answers Lelouch, it is best that you find them for yourself," said M.M. "I can only do so little as your teacher. It is up to you to decide where the lesson leads."
"I've always been smarter than those who have tried to educate me," said Lelouch.
"Smarter perhaps," said M.M. "But not wiser."
The wizard vanished as Lelouch blinked and his eyes beheld a different person. The man who once betrayed him, Ohgi, and could not help but feel M.M had set him up for this.
"I think I was rude to you yesterday and wanted to apologize," he said.
Lelouch's expression softened.
"No, you were right," said Lelouch. "You merely stated the facts about me. If Kallen were ever harmed I would forsake all ideals of law and order and ruthlessly destroy the criminal, and in doing so would mutilate the image of the Black Knights. We are supposed to stand for justice and if the world is supposed to come to peace it will need a man of the law instead of a lawless vigilante leading the charge. Suzaku would fit the bill if he had the power of the God-King. He actually might be able to defeat me if I ever went rogue."
"I shouldn't have said that," said Ohgi.
"If you didn't someone would have and you were right also in that I would never allow superhuman beings to roam the world unchecked without some sort of plan to either kill or contain them," said Lelouch.
"And are you going to make such plans against us?" asked Ohgi.
"You said it yourself," said Lelouch. "The world would never be able to deal with another one like Bloodbeard and I would silence them before they had a chance to scar the world as Bloodbeard has. The Black Knights stand, or at least stood, as the most powerful defense force in the world and if any of you went rogue with your power you would be just as devastating as Bloodbeard. I'd perhaps try to contain you but if you left me no choice I would kill you and that guilt would weigh heavily on my soul. I am not callow Ohgi. I've made myself feel every death, every innocent soul, and every horrible action I took while trying to make a peaceful world."
"Yes I saw that when you came back," said Ohgi. "Bloodbeard broke your spirit and all that guilt held you down. But you look like you've gotten over it."
"No," said Lelouch. "I can never be the man I once was."
Lelouch's face contorted in misery and shame.
"I never want to be the Demon again," said Lelouch. "I don't…I don't want to be like…him."
"Bloodbeard?" Ohgi guessed.
"In my nightmares my face is torn away and his face is there laughing," said Lelouch. "I fear that within me is the same evil, the same savagery, and the same sickness that rules him."
"We all struggle with our inner evil Lelouch," said Ohgi. "The trick is to beat it with the good that lies within us."
"And do you believe there's good in me Ohgi?" asked Lelouch.
Ohgi couldn't tell if Lelouch was being serious or sarcastic. He was probably being both.
"You have heard of the phoenix haven't you?" he asked.
"The firebird that is reborn from its ashes," said Lelouch. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Oh come on you should know of all people Lelouch. Destruction comes before creation and the cycle continues like so," said Ohgi. "You've burnt and now you're coming out of the ashes. The past is burnt away for you Lelouch. Move on."
"That does not answer my question," said Lelouch irritated.
"It isn't about what I believe Lelouch," said Ohgi. "It's about what you believe. You can have me, Nunnally, Kallen, Euphemia, Cornelia, Milly, Rivalz, Suzaku, M.M, even King Arthur himself tell you that they believe in you but all that accounts for nothing if you cannot believe in yourself. If you want people to see good within you then you have to see the good within yourself otherwise what's the point of asking anyone. Now, with your leave, I'd like to get the others ready."
Lelouch gave a nod to Ohgi and the politician began to walk away from the God-King's audience when Lelouch spoke up again.
"Ohgi," called Lelouch.
Ohgi stopped but he didn't turn.
"If…if it helps," he said. "You were never a pawn. None of the Black Knights were. You, and my friends from the school, were the closest thing to family I really had. And…I am sorry that I treated you with less…with none of the respect you deserved."
Ohgi smiled and turned to face Lelouch.
"You…are a great man Lelouch," he said. "And it looks like you're becoming a good one."
Lelouch smiled and chuckled a bit.
"Thank you my steward," said Lelouch.
"The caretaker of the king's throne while he is away," said Ohgi, remembering his days as a teacher. "I thought Suzaku had that honor."
"He is my champion and defends my realm," said Lelouch. "I'm sorry if I passed you over for him earlier last morning."
"You and he have a close bond, it's understandable that you'd want him to be the caretaker of that which you love, but if you really want to make up for it you'll get to thinking about how we're going to handle Red-Cap," said Ohgi. "We are going after him first aren't we?"
"Yes," said Lelouch. "Britannia is still one of the world's superpowers and if we can save it we may be able to turn the tide of this war."
"You really think this is a war?" asked Ohgi. "Other people would call it Armageddon."
"I call it a problem that needs solving," said Lelouch.
Lelouch smirked like he once did and Ohgi went about on his way. Lelouch sighed and reclined back on his throne.
"Come out Suzaku, I know you're there," said Lelouch.
Suzaku stepped out of his hiding spot and revealed himself to Lelouch with a smirk on his own face.
"When you have a ninja for a maid you tend to know when you're being spied upon," said Lelouch.
"Who said I was spying?" said Suzaku.
"What would you call it?" asked Lelouch.
"Carefully observing without you seeing me," said Suzaku.
Lelouch chuckled along with Suzaku.
"So, I take it you and my sister had an enjoyable night?" he asked.
Suzaku's face suddenly became as serious as it was when they were fighting.
"If it's all the same to you Lelouch I would rather not go into detail about how I spend my nights with the woman I love," said Suzaku. "I doubt you'd want all of your stories of yourself and Kallen in the bed being spread around like gossip."
Lelouch shot Suzaku and glair and Suzaku returned it. Lelouch flew off the throne and faced Suzaku square in the eye. With speed greater than anyone could calculate the two crossed swords.
"You wouldn't be upset about what I said yesterday would you?" asked Suzaku.
"No," said Lelouch. "This is just me defending Kallen's honor."
"What did I do to…oh…yeah," said Suzaku, remembering how he told Lelouch about the incident with the Refrain.
"Does Euphie know?" asked Lelouch.
"Yes," said Suzaku. "Believe me I wish she didn't. Ironically she and Kallen seem to be becoming friends."
"The fiery headed pilot and the pacifist princess," said Lelouch. "One I killed and the other you tried to torture."
"Can we please forget those little incidents and move on," said Suzaku. "And can we put down our swords before we get stuck like this? I think you made your point you big ham."
"A ham am I?" said Lelouch with a raised eyebrow.
"Lelouch believe this or not but your theatrics can get tiresome," said Suzaku.
"Alright now you're just being jealous," said Lelouch.
"Jealous?" asked Suzaku.
"I was a much better Zero and you know it," said Lelouch.
"Duh you were Zero, and by the way how the hell did you breathe in that mask I nearly suffocated for the first week before I had that thing fixed," said Suzaku.
Lelouch drew back his sword and intended for Suzaku to fall but the Champion disappointed the God-King with his balance.
"It would one day give me no small amount of joy to humiliate you with my own two hands," said Lelouch.
"We'll settle that later," said Suzaku. "And it would give me no small amount of joy to humiliate you as well."
"You ran a sword through my heart, threw me down a ramp, and let me bleed out for…how long was I on the float before you finally moved me?" asked Lelouch.
"Oh I don't know about as long as it would take me to get over the emotional and psychological trauma of having the kill my best friend," Suzaku said sarcastically. "And about as long as it will take me to be comfortable sleeping with my formerly dead love of my life. Did I mention she used to be dead? I still get shivers when I touch her scar from…"
"What?" gasped Lelouch, grabbing Suzaku's shoulders.
"What?" yelped Suzaku.
"Say that again," said Lelouch.
"I still get shivers when I touch her scar," said Suzaku. "Why does that mean something?"
"That proves that it really is Euphie," said Lelouch. "Do you know what this means?"
Suzaku, with half the mental speed of Lelouch's mind, came to the same conclusion Lelouch had come to.
"She…she…"
"Suzaku," said Lelouch. "Euphie might not even have died that night. She could have been alive for these last two years and we didn't even know."
Suzaku was at a loss for words. While he was out trying to kill Lelouch for killing Euphie, she might have been alive the entire time and he never knew. When he realized Lelouch never meant to hurt Euphie, Suzaku nearly lost his mind with grief at his rage. But now he was at an even more terrible emotional shock.

Kallen walked along the halls of Camelot and came up to Milly and Rivalz's room. She hadn't had a chance to really talk to her friend after Rivalz's heroic sacrifice at Schneizel's manor. The two of them had always been the life of the numerous parties that Milly planned as Ashford Academy. Milly scheming like a mad genius and Rivalz following her like a lovesick puppy hoping to one day gain her affections whenever he wasn't following Lelouch on one of his gambling trips.
Kallen smiled, remembering all the fun times they had, and all the mad attempts at trying to make a giant pizza. She was amazed how Lelouch hadn't had a stroke from all the stress C.C put him through with her obsession and with how crazily events played out. She remembered how Rivalz and Shirley fought over the champagne bottle and how it wound up spilling on her, thus resulting in Lelouch seeing her naked for the first time, and how she whispered, 'I hate Britannians,' when she was alone. Ironic that those same Britannian students would become her best friends.
She knocked on the door and waited until Milly opened the door, clutching her blue robe around her naked body.
"Oh, Kallen, hello," she said.
Kallen was shocked to see how Milly's hair seemed to have lost some of its shine and how her eyes seemed to have dimmed. It appeared that Milly was losing some of her spark of life without Rivalz.
"Good morning," said Kallen. "How…how are you doing?"
"Oh, I'm…I'm alright," said Milly.
"Has…has there been any change for Rivalz?" asked Kallen.
"He seemed to whisper a little bit for Lelouch," Milly said with a hopeful smile.
Kallen smiled in and held Milly's hand tightly in friendship. Milly let loose a tear and immediately wrapped Kallen in a tight hug which the red headed girl returned in kind. She knew Milly's sadness all too well. To be separated from a loved one was terrible but it had to be worse for Milly. Rivalz was still alive but he might as well have been dead. She saw as he laid there almost like a corpse save for his steady breathing.
'Where there is life, there is hope,' Kallen thought.
She took a small sniff of Milly and noticed a small other room inside the room where the blonde girl slept next to the catatonic squire. She deduced it was a washroom of some kind and came up with an idea to try and cheer Milly up.
"Why don't we take a bath?" she asked. "He could wake up any day now and you don't want to stink in front of him do you?"
Milly laughed a bit and led Kallen into the washroom and the two began to draw the bath. As the two women worked with the water and the soap Rivalz's hand fell off its place in the bed and his numb fingers caressed something they automatically became familiar with. The handle of his short sword, hidden from the view under the bed, seemed to vibrate with a life of its own and gave the still fingers a bit of strength as they began to clutch around it.

"It's magnificent," said Schneizel, gazing up at the Valhalla with Nina by his side.
"It's unlike anything I've ever seen before," said Nina. "Even the power seems to be different."
"For all we know it could be syphoning energy directly from C's World itself," said Schneizel. "Just imagine it, being able to extract clean energy from another dimension, why even the existence of another dimension is mind blowing."
"It is incredible isn't it?" said Nina, resting her head on Schneizel's shoulder.
Schneizel looked at the massive and incredible ship. A gift to his brother Lelouch, who always looked at him with an eye of content, and would perhaps never allow him to set foot upon his ship.
"It's a pity I probably won't be allowed on the maiden voyage," said Schneizel.
"What do you mean?" asked Nina.
"Lelouch doesn't trust me," said Schneizel. "Even though he can still control me with his Geass command, if he merely addressed himself as Zero, he does not look at me like he looks at Cornelia, or Euphemia, or even Suzaku Kururugi who killed him and whom he sees as more of a brother to him than he ever will me. I can't truly blame him either. I have not been the ideal brother to him. I did nothing when his mother was killed and did nothing still when he was banished. I fought against him, turned his army against him, and even betrayed my country when he attempted to change it. I believe he might even suspect me of being a member of the UFD. Perhaps outrageous even for him but he knows that…I have a dictator's ruthlessness and callowness."
Nina held Schneizel tightly and lovingly and the prince returned it. She had developed the FLEJA weapon he latter would use in his ship the Damocles to try and pacify the world by creating a common enemy. That common enemy was the usage of weapons of mass destruction but Lelouch went further. He became a person of mass destruction.
"A weapon is only a weapon in the hands of a person," said Schneizel. "Until then it is as lifeless as a stone. But then again a stone killed Able didn't it?"
"What?" asked Nina.
"Oh, nothing," he said. "I was just thinking aloud. Do you know the story of Cain and Able?"
"Not entirely," said Nina sheepishly.
"They were the sons of Adam and Eve," said Schneizel. "Cain was a farmer and Able as a shepherd. They both laid the fruits of their labor before God and God favored Able above Cain. In a fit of rage and jealousy Cain slew able and was cast out to travel to the land of Nod wearing a mark that placed him under the protection of God so that no harm would come to him. I remember how Lelouch said Bloodbeard compared the two of them to Lucifer, the fallen angel and I can't help but wonder if Lelouch is in some way Cain. Not only did he slay mine and his own brother Clovis, but he also killed other members of his family, and like Cain he was cast with a mark from God that protected him from all harm. But hopefully my little brother can earn his redemption for his crimes. As perhaps I should hope to one day."
Nina placed her hands on both sides of Schneizel's face and drew his attention to her. He in return removed her glasses, seeing her eyes without anything blocking them, and waited for her to speak.
"Maybe that's why we're all here right now," she said.
The two leaned in for a gentle kiss when the voice of Lloyd Asphult interrupted the mood.
"Alright kiddies, hope I'm not interrupting anything but let me just say that the Valhalla is ready whenever his divineness is ready," said Lloyd.
Schneizel and Nina both cut Lloyd an annoyed glare.
"Don't think it'll have an effect," he said. "I'm a sociopath after all. I have trouble feeling human emotions and what not."
"If that's true about your sociopathic behavior than what would stop you from working on a project for the enemy?" Schneizel asked.
"You guys having something better," said Lloyd. "For all we know Bloodbeard just might have a nice death ray I could fondle."

Suzaku shook Euphie as gently as he could but firmly enough so that she would awaken. He soft violet eyes opened slowly and she gave her beloved knight a sweet smile. A smile befitting sleeping beauty from Grimm's tales. Suzaku gave a weak smile back at her but she could tell that it was a false and unhappy smile which made hers fade.
"You're leaving aren't you?" she asked.
"Eventually," said Suzaku. "Lelouch hasn't issued the order to leave just yet. Euphie…what do you remember?"
Euphie mad a face of confusion which didn't sit well with Suzaku. He hated the idea that he was basically interrogating her. The idea of probing her memories for gain was a low he refused to stoop to once before but trying to do so with the woman he loved, it made him feel even worse.
"Your scars," he said. "That's definite proof you are the same Euphemia li Britannia who I fell in love with, who played with Lelouch and Nunnally when they were children, and who…who died at the hands of Zero."
"Suzaku what are you doing?" she asked, with a small squeak of fear in her voice.
"Euphie please," said Suzaku. "Do you remember that day? The day you…died."
The look Euphemia gave to Suzaku made him sick to his stomach. It was the look of a person frightened and in pain and it only hurt worse for him, knowing that he was the source of her fear and pain.
"Euphie," he said, calmly. "Please, if we know what happened to you then we…I can…"
"Earn my forgiveness?" Euphie snapped.
Suzaku was taken aback by her anger and froze.
"I don't remember anything of what happened to me after I closed my eyes, wanting to kill you for being Japanese, was hearing about everything you had become and what you did…because of me," cried Euphie.
"No, Euphie my sins are my responsibility," said Suzaku. "You didn't make me do anything I didn't already want to do."
"Did you want to hunt down Lelouch like an animal and slaughter him?" she yelled. "Did you want to keep Nunnally from her brother? Did you want to be a part of a corrupt system, a system I was against? Did you want to drug and torture Kallen just to appease your petty vengeance? I was told those things over and over again…for two years…in the dark…waiting for you to come for me. But you were…you had become a monster."
Suzaku felt his heart stop. The woman he loved had called him a monster, that his fight against Lelouch was 'petty vengeance' when he had convinced himself that it was 'justice' for her, and what hurt the most was how he could not even bring himself to argue. Because she was right, just as Nunnally was right before.
(Flashback)
"I was under orders," said Suzaku.
He and Nunnally were alone and in the solitude of her suite Suzaku had removed the mask of Zero. It was the first time in a long while since they had talked. It had been over a week since he had slain Lelouch and Nunnally was only now beginning to talk to him.
"You felt his memories," said Suzaku. "You know that I…"
"I only know that you wanted to kill him," said Nunnally. "Did you enjoy it Suzaku? Did you enjoy killing my brother?"
"No," said Suzaku. "No, I didn't…I…I…I'm sorry."
"Is that what you said to Kallen?" said Nunnally.
"What?" asked Suzaku.
"I've talked to her," said Nunnally. "I know what you did, or what you tried to do to her, while she was imprisoned and under my protection. You tried to drug her with Refrain. How could you even do such a thing Suzaku?"
"I…I wanted…justice," Suzaku chocked, not believing his own words.
"Justice? You call harming Kallen and threatening to drug her and killing my brother justice?" yelled Nunnally. "Justice is enforced by knights but your actions towards Kallen prove you never deserved the title of a knight. Was this 'justice' you sought through Kallen's torture for the sake of Euphemia? Did you think she would approve of your actions of late?"
Suzaku tensed at Euphie's name, especially when spoken in such an angry fashion.
"Didn't you love her Suzaku?" yelled Nunnally. "What would your perfect world enforced by your brand of justice mean to her? She would be afraid and disgusted of your actions."
Suzaku felt his guilt boil, along with his anger.
"Stop," he growled.
"The Knight does not give orders to the Empress," yelled Nunnally. "But then again you are no knight Suzaku Kururugi. You are a murderous, torturous, fiend whom my sister Euphemia would never have loved."
"Shut up," Suzaku yelled as he struck Nunnally across the face.
He had struck her harder than he ever meant to and she was flung out of her chair and onto the floor. Suzaku froze in shock and went to help Nunnally but she cut a glance so terrible it froze Suzaku in his tracks.
(Current time)
"I…I need to be alone Suzaku," Euphie cried. "Please."
"Do…do you want me to come back later?" he asked.
"Go," Euphemia sobbed curling into her bed.
Suzaku, not wishing to see Euphemia in any more suffering on his part and left the room. He closed the door behind him and looked at Lelouch who stood with a face of misery of his own. He didn't feel comfortable talking to Euphemia and Suzaku understood. He also understood that he would stand there and take any anger the Champion wished to release upon him but Suzaku realized that his actions were his responsibility alone and that he had done enough to Lelouch and to Euphemia with his rage.
"What was the point of that again?" growled Suzaku.
"It gave us an idea of what happened to her," said Lelouch. "While we don't know how she survived we know she has been alive for two years and kept informed about what happened to you. Don't you find that odd?"
"I find this whole thing sick and twisted," said Suzaku.
"No, I mean why would she be given constant information about you specifically," said Lelouch. "She didn't say anything about me, Nunnally, or even Cornelia. It's possible her brain might have been slightly damaged and you were perhaps one of the few things she remembered. Having data on you probably helped her remember everything else. They would have had to keep her under constant psychological manipulation…"
"Stop," said Suzaku. "Just stop."
Lelouch understood Suzaku's discomfort and said no more on the grim subject.
"She's still the Euphemia we loved," said Lelouch. "She's stronger than we know."
Suzaku smiled a bit and wrapped his friend in a hug. Lelouch returned in kind and the two began to walk away from Euphie's room.
"Feel better?" asked Lelouch.
"I'd feel better if I could prove to her I'm not a monster," said Suzaku.
"That you're the man she wants you to be," said Lelouch. "The fearless hero who would do anything to bring evil doers to justice and protect the lives of the innocent."
"Are we still talking about me?" asked Suzaku.
"Kallen and I had a bit of a fight last night," said Lelouch. "She didn't like what Ohgi was saying yesterday and she liked it even less when I agreed with him."
"Does this story end up with you on the couch or in her bed?" asked Suzaku.
"There was a reason I was Ashford Academy's most wanted boy Suzaku," said Lelouch.
"Hey I had a few fan-girls too," said Suzaku. "Just…not as many to notice."
The two exchanged small laughs as they continued onward.
"I want to be the man that Kallen saw whenever she looked up to Zero," said Lelouch. "I want to be her hero again and not…not a Demon. I don't want to be a demon again, for her sake if not for my own."
"And I don't want to be anything that would disappoint Euphie again," said Suzaku. "I want to be worthy of her love again Lelouch. Just as you want to be worthy of Kallen's love."
"Then why don't we do something about it instead of talking about it," said Lelouch. "The Valhalla is prepped and ready. Within three hours and we can fly out and bring some evil doers to justice. What do you say?"
Lelouch extended his hand out to Suzaku. Suzaku was still for a moment and then immediately grasped Lelouch's hand.
"I say let's go slay some dragons," said Suzaku.

The Black Knights sat at the Round Table waiting for the now absent Lelouch to appear. In the meantime a breakfast had been prepared by the wizard.
"He was here when I left," said Ohgi. "Something must have come up."
"You don't think the UFD knows we're here do you?" asked Tianzi.
"If they did we'd be up to our necks in soldiers and Infected," said Tamaki. "That or Bloodbeard would have just come himself and gone Kaiju on all of us."
"Not all of us," said Cornelia. "He needs Nunnally for that goddamn tower of his."
"I still can't get that image out of my mind," said Guilford. "It was as if it Vlad the Impaler designed the Tower of Babel."
"In a way it is the Tower of Babel," said Viletta. "A tower meant to reach heaven."
"That was a symbol of arrogance," said Ohgi. "This tower is more like a poison needle ready to stab heaven. And if that happens our world won't be the only one affected."
"You don't really buy that do you?" moaned Tamaki. "It's just more of M.M's bull."
"You were in C's World just as we were," said Chiba. "How can it not be possible that there are other worlds it connects to? Just like the oceans connect all continents on Earth and if they were destroyed we would all suffer."
"But that's just the point," said Tamaki. "This isn't a war anymore if that's what's going to happen. It's the goddamn end of the world, Armageddon, Judgment Day, whatever you want to call it and there's nothing we can do about it. I mean seriously, what have we done so far? We've screwed up on everything so far and have been running and hiding like scared rabbits. Let's face it we're…"
"Leaving in three hours," said Lelouch.
He stood at the entrance of the great hall with a stern look upon his face, beside him stood Suzaku the Champion and M.M the Wizard.
"What?" said Kaguya.
"The Valhalla is ready and we should make ourselves so," said Lelouch. "M.M will stay here at Camelot along with those of us who cannot fight and those I am assigning to safeguard the castle. Jeremiah, Sayoko, Anya, you three will remain here and keep vigil over Camelot until we return."
"Do we even know where we're going?" asked Chiba.
"Red-Cap is marching with his newly minted supermen towards New Pendragon as we speak," said M.M. "He aims to burn the city to the ground and from there he will continue the birthing of 'Uber-Britannia' motherland to the world's finest master race."
"Master race?" said Guilford. "What is he going to do racially cleanse the entire world until only those Britannians he deems worthy enough to be used as breeding stock for this insane Uber-Britannia are left?"
"Pretty much," said M.M. "He's very genocidal and a firm believer in Social Darwinism. One could almost say Red-Cap is a creature born from the darkest aspects of Britannia."
"Greed, arrogance, megalomania, psychopathy, yup he's a Britannian," said Tamaki.
"Watch how you speak," said Guilford. "Britannia may have its faults but what Red-Cap is doing is not the Britannian way."
"It's the Britannian way to its fullest," yelled Tamaki. "You guys might as well have goose stepped everywhere you went before and…"
"Tamaki shut up," Lelouch ordered, using the power of the God-King.
Tamaki was about to spit something but his will became overridden and he held his hands over his mouth.
"The last time you had infighting a dear friend of mine had to make an important sacrifice," said Lelouch. "I won't let that sacrifice be insulted by further infighting."
Lelouch stepped towards Tamaki and looked him square in the eye with a look of deadly nature.
"You will keep all bigotry to yourself from now own or the next time it occurs and I hear it I will not be lenient," said Lelouch. "Nod your head if you understand."
Tamaki nodded fearfully and Lelouch walked away from him.
"Three hours," said Lelouch. "No less. Get whatever supplies you need and report to the Valhalla. I'll collect Kallen while Suzaku, you make sure everything is in order with the ship. That is all."
Lelouch and Suzaku left without another word, leaving the Black Knights to disassemble on their own, and left Tamaki moaning to speak again.
"I think you can survive for a while like that," said Ohgi. "Anyway you heard the man."
"How could you not hear him? He sounded like he was ready to kill Tamaki," said Chiba.
"Like you've never done that," said Viletta.
"Yes but not so…menacingly," said Chiba.
Tamaki made annoyed noises but no one paid him any attention.
"For someone who people say isn't a demon he knows how to act like one," said Chiba. "It's frightening, I know it's necessary, but that doesn't make it any easier."
"Just because he's on the side of the angels doesn't mean Lelouch has to be one," said Cornelia.
"But he's right," said Xingke. "We have no right to insult what Rivalz sacrificed for us by continuing on this bickering."
"Can you really blame us for bickering?" said Guilford. "We've been talking about a war that's right up there with the Apocalypse, plans to kill each other if we win, and threats against each other even as we're going on. We're a lost cause, we just don't know it yet."
"That's not what Rivalz believed when he went out to die for us," said Tohdoh. "This isn't a normal situation, stop treating it like it, and move on."
"Easy for you to say," said Guilford. "Monsters, magic, and divine weapons, this is nothing any of us were ever trained for. The entire world is falling apart."
"Well now it's up to us to put it back together," said Ohgi. "Come on, we have our orders."
"Are we really sure it's a good idea following him?" asked Viletta.
"He's all we've got," said Ohgi. "Sure he's got blood on his hands but so do we. Let's face it people, we're all a merry band of demons, fallen angels who are leaping at a chance to get back into heaven. If we want to get in we need to put everything behind us. Sure we've perhaps got a lot of issues. But…"
Ohgi activated his Geass and became solid iron and formed his hand into a large mace.
"…why don't we vent them on some really deserving assholes?"
A few smiles arose from the ranks of the Black Knights and many felt their own powers coursing through them.
"Three hours," said Ohgi.
As the Black Knights disbanded Tamaki moaned for attention.
"I'll be sure to fix you before you leave," said Jeremiah. "But you may want to remind me."

Milly laughed as Kallen scrubbed the sponge in between her toes and felt how good it was to laugh.
"Will you stop squirming," said Kallen.
"I can't help if it tickles," said Milly.
"You could have helped a lot of things Milly," said Kallen. "Like feeling me up when you invited me to the academy baths."
"You mean…like this?" Milly asked as she yanked her foot out of Kallen's hands and pressed firmly on Kallen's left breast, gripping her nipple with her toes.
Kallen let out a cry of shock and slight ecstasy before a knocking was heard on the door.
"Kallen," said Lelouch from the other side of the door. "We're leaving in a few hours. I need you ready."
"I'll be right out," said Kallen.
Milly retracted her leg and Kallen got out of the tub and began to towel off. She quickly threw on her robe and gave one last glance at Milly who gave a smile as to assure Kallen that she would be alright.
The red headed firebrand then exited the room and saw Lelouch standing next to the door.
"How did you know I was here?" she asked.
"One of the great things about you Kallen is that you care deeply about your friends," said Lelouch with a genuine smile. "You'd never let them suffer."
Kallen blushed and turned away before Lelouch took her hand into his and began to lead her away from the door.
"I've given the order," said Lelouch. "We're taking the Valhalla to intercept Red-Cap before he invades New Pendragon. It's time to exchange that robe for your new suit."
"Right," said Kallen, putting on the attitude of a soldier.
Lelouch chuckled a bit and stopped for a moment.
"Lelouch?" asked Kallen.
Lelouch turned her so that they faced each other.
"I want you to be careful," he said. "I don't want to lose you again."
"Lelouch," she said, stroking his face. "I can't lose you again either. But…I can't make any promises."
"But I can promise you Kallen, I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe my dear Sun Goddess," said Lelouch.
"Sun Goddess?" asked Kallen.
"It fits you," said Lelouch. "The God-King and the Sun Goddess, and together perhaps one day when we have cast all evil from this world, we could start a new pantheon of our own."
Kallen blushed as brightly as the sun and Lelouch drew her into a powerful kiss.
'You might not be able to make any promises but I promise you I will make sure you are protected,' thought Lelouch. 'While you may not see me as a demon, my beloved Kallen, I am no less deadly than one and when a person makes a deal with one such as me.'

Gino Weinberg awoke on a cot in what he knew was a cell.
"Where the hell am I?" he sneered.
"Aboard a ship meant to sail into battle," said M.M on the other side of the glass door.
"Let me guess this is Lelouch's ship," said Gino.
"Yes and when he finds out that you are aboard he will ensure that you fulfill your end of the contract," said M.M. "He cares nothing of your betrayal. He cares only that you guard his beloved."
Gino's face twisted in disgust.
"If you truly cared about her you would put her wellbeing above your wants and jealousy," said M.M.
Gino said nothing and merely rolled to his side, refusing to face the wizard anymore.
"She will need you," said M.M. "She will need all the help she can possibly receive."

"Where we go now we may never return," said Lelouch, sitting upon the command chair in the control room of the Valhalla.
The others stood at their posts, waiting for him to continue, and waiting for the order to be given.
"We are outnumbered, outgunned, and the entire world is literally out to get us," said Lelouch. "But these are odds many of us have faced before. These are odds met by every small group of people who wish to make an important change in the world. We are going to do more than change this world. We are going to reverse Armageddon. We might not be going against the architect of this evil but if we succeed we will create discord in the ranks of our enemies and once our ranks are restored and the people are behind us we will be able to turn the world to the utopia we want our children to be raised in."
Ohgi and Tohdoh held their wives tightly thinking about their children.
"We are going to end the End of Days," said Lelouch. "And let me only say this: there is no other group of men and women I would rather fight beside. It is an honor to beside each and every one of you my soldiers, my friends, my….my family."
Lelouch smiled tenderly to his people before him and they in turn smiled back.
"Alright," said Lelouch. "Miss Einstein."
"Yes sir," said Nina.
"Are we ship shape?" asked Lelouch.
"Ready for the word Lelouch," said Nina.
"Alright then," said Lelouch. "In that case may our two best pilots take the helm?"
Suzaku and Kallen took to the controls, their operating systems almost seeming easier than a Knightmare Frame, and began the ignition sequence.
"Everyone take your positions," said Suzaku. "I have no idea how this baby kicks."
"Valhalla will launch in ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one," said Kallen.
The two hit the launch control and with the power of the engines running as max the mighty ship Valhalla…sputtered like a flooded car.
"Okay what was that?" asked Tamaki.
"I…I think I flooded it," said Suzaku.
"What do you mean you flooded it?" hissed Kallen.
"I mean I've never handled a machine like this before so please give me a break," Suzaku countered.
"Would you like a hand?" asked Cecile.
"Yes please," said Suzaku.
Cecile worked over the controls and the engines revved with power again.
"Alright, let's do this again," said Lelouch. "Valhalla…launch."
Suzaku and Kallen hit the control and the Valhalla shot off from its secret hanger with all the power of a cannonball being fired.

"Off you go, into the wild blue yonder," whispered Bloodbeard, watching the satellite feed of the Valhalla flying away.
He turned his attention back on his 'turkey' as she lay on the ground mumbling and moaning in pain as the memories of death and abuse came flooding back.
"And off you go into hell," he giggled.
He finished tying his small package and wrote down the address note.
"I hope she likes this little present," he said. "After all it is a gift from mommy."

The archer watched as the ship flew away like one of his arrows and then turned his attentions towards the castle. He knew the girl who had seen him was there. He didn't know when it would be appropriate to approach her or how he would do it. He knew nothing about her and she knew nothing about him. He only knew that he had seen her and she had seen him.
"Her name is Nunnally," said the wizard.
"Noon-e-lie?" asked the archer.
"Close enough," said M.M. "Who knows when you meet she might actually find it cute."
The archer looked out once more at the castle where the girl who saw him rested.
"Noon-e-lie," whispered the archer.

Author's Note: I know, I know, I promised 'Das Ubermensch' but I needed to get the guys off the island. I promise I'll get to Lelouch and the gang stopping Red-Caps attack on New Pendragon soon enough but I've gotten a job recently and will be updating slower than usual.
I hope you guys at least like this and am able to gather a few gems of interest. Such as whom Bloodbeard has in his clutches and that the archer followed Nunnally to Earth. I'll get to him later.
By the way I was originally going to call Lelouch's ship the Prynwynn after King Arthur's ship but I figured the name Valhalla would be even better. It would act as a stark contrast to Charles and Marianne's Ragnarok Connection. Whereas that was developed to destroy the Collective, the Valhalla is an instrument to ensure its protection. But you guys tell me which name you'd have liked better if you feel the need to.
Next turn: Das Ubermensch (for real I promise)