Chapter 36

"It is all that's left unsaid that is a tragedy." Darth Treia

The Scarecrow

Area 11, Britanian settlement, Bonaventure hotel. 2017 A.T.B T-Minus 88 Days

In a small room a thin Asian man with white hair sat with his own thoughts and countless others.

It was frustrating. He had known she had feelings for the THIEF but still his artfully constructed images of him weren't enough to prod her in the direction he needed.

-Hey will that guy ever pay the electric bill?-

Still he knew how to push her. It had to be subtle but after a week of looking into this girls inane mind and her sexual fantasies he could do it. The key was to let it appear as if by accident. And the Thief and his lackey had already given him all he needed for that.

- Oh god please yes yes-

At first he had been afraid while the lackey was near. The lackey's mind was so interesting but the other mind. That thing his geass had become.

-Yes sir and maybe later I'll beat your precious dog to death with a shovel-

Maos's teeth caught in a grimace as he remembered brushing the cold, the hunger and the endless screaming. And it had known him it had sensed him even as the lackey was oblivious.

-Yeah jack go on holiday. Sarah will be so happy since I'm taking care of her for you.-

It didn't matter the lackey was gone out of the picture. And now the THIEVING WRETCH would be broken.

Oh yes that would work, it would work brilliantly. He'd been inside the THIEF's mind, so many secrets, too many. The very thing that made the wretch so easy to read meant that there was a overwhelming torrent of information to use against him. That revealing of his servants hiding places had been a good start. A good start to the game.

-Half an hour and I'm back on shift. Damn I need better coffee-

He could finish it now he knew this. But Mao was going to take his time. It was such a fascinating mind so filled with plots and counter thoughts and desires. SUCH SIN. He was going to enjoy this. Even if it wasn't for the fact that Lelouch had STOLEN HER from him, he would have taken his time. The pleasure from breaking the wretched boy would be delicious.

- I hate you I hate you I hate you -.

He turned up the volume on his headphones and leaned towards his computer typing furiously as digital code reflected off his glass visor.

The Devil and the Lady

The Black knight's civilian transport was parked on a side street. Kaguya had arranged to be dropped off here. Zero sat in the upper office of the vehicle while Kaguya donned her disguise in a small bathroom annex.

Zero tapped at his triple encrypted communicator as he managed the security breach. "Initiate lockdown in upper tier facilities Shift to secondary encryption for communiques and order a sweep for taps in all communications. I need a list of all individuals who had access to that data. No no I'll deal with that myself. Yes I will speak with the conclave. Yes use non electronic communication for the cells in those areas. Handwritten notes then use the grey couriers."

He deactivated his communication while he turned to the faint silhouette through the nearly opaque plastic door.

"Will you be alright?"

"Of course. I need to go put out some fires. Someone just posting that information pokes a large hole in your veneer of ultimate secrecy. The houses will not be happy about this. So I'd better assure them that our alliance with you can't be found on any database."

Kaguya opened the door and Lelouch nearly felt his eyes pop out. She looked like she had just escaped from a techno dance club. She was wearing a very form fitting jumpsuit. Her real hair was buried under a bright red wig. Bright blue contacts covered eyes highlighted by a black half mask.

"That is not an inconspicuous disguise. "

"Yes and all the eye catching parts of it are mainly false." She turned around. "Zip me up?"

Maintaining a very calm expression Lelouch walked up behind her pale back and pulled the zipper all the way up to her neck.

"Not all of this disguise is false."

"That's not the point. It's about manipulating perception. Someone as stunning as me leaves a wealthy persons transport to get into a black car what is the first assumption anyone who might be observing make about that?"

"I don't think I will answer that. You can tell the conclave that the only evidence of our arrangement is safely inside my head. Good luck Kaguya."

She reached behind and gently squeezed his forearm.
"Oh Lelouch you're so tense you really should go blow off some steam with your green haired mistress." Then she left before Lelouch could reply.

Lelouch donned his helmet again and looked at the data feed on Luthurs condition. For just a moment he felt a bone deep weariness. Then he shook his head and picked up a small sat phone. He checked that the program for bouncing the signal was running and made a call.

The Knight and the Band

Area 11, primary settlement, Ashford academy.

It was the morning at Ashford and Nunnally, milly, Nina, Rivalz and Suzaku were all in the clubhouse sitting on sofas.

Suzaku's surprised voice echoed through the room. "You want to meet princess Euphemia?"

"To thank her. Just to thank her." Nina's voice was quite but there was a slight blush to her cheeks.

"She risked her life to save Nina during the hotel jacking. She just stood right up there and said to everyone I'm Euphemia."

Rivalz leapt up. "I want to meet her too."

"You?"

"Yeah she's a princess. I can marry into royalty."

"You wish." Milly snorted in derision.

Nunnaly was a picture of serenity. "I am sure you will never meet her with such impure motives."

"Impure." Rivalz slumped forward in exaggerated despondency. "That's a little harsh."

"Nunnally you can be so direct."

"You're on my side right madam president."
Milly replyed with a newspaper to the face. "Just because Lelouch isn't hanging out with you doesn't mean you can turn your twisted affections on me. Nunnally saw right through you and so can I."

"Actually I'm puzzled where Luthur is he's been teaching me some new techniques and I wanted to practice."
"Well there's the answer Lelouch must be in hiding to avoid more of Luthurs training."

"Pity I was looking forward to another round of you two taking of your shirts and slugging it out."

"Madam President that's scandalous."

"Oh don't worry Suzaku."

"Anyway I would like to meet Euphemia myself if I could." Suzaku started at that. Doesn't she realise that Lelouch intends for them never to rejoin the royal family?

"Well she's a member of the royal family so."

Then Suzaku felt a vibration and realised that Lelouch was trying to call him.
"Hey Suzaku is everything okay there."

Suzaku leant back in his chaos and softly spoke. "Yes and we're wondering where you are."

"Yeah I might be late Suzaku can you promise to keep a secret for me. No one else can know alright."

"Okay."
"Luthur has been in an accident. He's stable he should recover soon but I don't want anyone at Ashford panicking. I'll have Sayoko tell Nunnally this afternoon but for now I need you to just keep an eye on things for me. Can you do that?"

"Of course what are friends for?"

Milly yawned and leaned back. "Let me guess Lelouch being late again."

Rivalz narrowed his eyes. "For that matter where is Shirley?"

The sound of falling water droplets was all that broke the silence as Shirley stalked through Ashfords lower levels.

Shirley was angry. Those images had been a bad joke an awful joke. Someone had a sick, sick sense of humour but still. That last image of the reservoir below the school. And of Lelouch kissing a woman there. Was it Kallen or someone else. It was impossible. It couldn't be true. But there were those times that Lelouch had just vanished and no one knew how he'd left the building and Luthur was always so so. Something or other.

She didn't even notice the grinning figure hiding in the darkness.

Of course the photos she had received were false. Just like the little mark placed on the wall she was approaching. It was all theatre to lead her into the one place the grinning shadow needed her to be.

Now one brief command to the signal system to withdraw the false section of wall.

From his little alcove Mao listened to the girl's furious surprise then he typed in a second command and the door slid open. Shirley stepped into the elevator and it descended. –Couldn't hurt to look could it?-

Messing with Lelouch's Black knights was one thing but with her he was going to hit the thieving scum right where he lived. Would have preferred that lady Kami whoever she was but he had never made it into range of her. For now.

The lights came on as Shirley walked into a vaulted chamber. There shouldn't be anything here. Nothing at all.

Weapons, so many weapons. Shirley walked through the chamber as if in a daze refusing to contemplate what she was seeing. She walked to a shrine at the far end and looked at a photo. In one there was a picture of a young Luthur besides a giant of a woman with Luthur's black hair. Then a second of that same giantess and a man. The man looked familiar. He looked like ... No. the next photo was of Lelouch and Nunnaly and and . She couldn't keep looking at it as the meaning of it all crashed into her mind.

"No it can't." she turned and ran across the room till she came to a cabinet and saw its contents. The expressionless helm of zero stared back at her. She grabbed a pistol from a table and fired at the empty suit as if that would blast the truth away.

"No. No. No." The ricochets bounced around the chamber and suddenly there was a faint whining sound and the padding of feet. Shirley began backing away from the suit towards the elevator. Then she saw. Coming around behind a tarp.

A monster. It looked like a giant dog but cables and wiring plunged in and out of its body it had six camera eyes over its head and its tail was divided into three lashing metal whips. The red camera eyes whirred and locked onto her. She bolted for the elevator and started slamming the up switch as it charged across the floor towards her. The metal door sealed just before she heard a dull thump that dented the metal. Followed by scratching sounds that echoed up the elevator shaft after her. Shirley panted in fear as she sat down clinging to the gun.

Lelouch was travelling in a taxi towards Ashford a pair of glasses over his eyes. Then he received an alert message as text scrolled across his vision. Then a video clip followed. His eyes widened Shirley?

The devil and the witch

Shirleys roommate stood outside her room standing guard and to any who asked she just said "They're fumigating my room."

Inside Lelouch was rifling through Shirleys room. He grabbed a series of photos and stuffed them into his shirt. Then his left hand tapped at his comm bead. "Sayoko any sign."

"She's not on the school grounds. My Lord I must beg forgiveness for."

"Apologies later. No one could have anticipated this." That is not a nicety. That all of a sudden someone would just walk past a dozen concealments deceptions and two dozen more security measures with out any apparent idea of what she was doing. Ludicrous. He continued searching through the drawers even as he ran security videos of Shirley stepping into the elevator onto his glasses. Then rewound and caught the shadowy outline of a figure reflected in the metal of the elevator door.

"You rat." You knew where the cameras were. Of course I made sure that there were no blind spots but you found the one angle that would conceal your face. A close up image showed whoever it was, had managed to piggyback into the Hides systems by using a portable laptop. Except only Luthur and I know that it's even possible and only from one place in the building which is where he is standing.

C.C kept searching even as Lelouch pulled up a pair of frilly blue panties. "So you're one of those guys who like fishing through ladies underwear drawers. Although Shirley wouldn't seem to mind."

"The sarcasm is not appreciated right now."

Then he opened a listing of train times and saw one circled in red. Narita. Why Narita?

The Crush and the Scarecrow

Area 11 Narita Memorial

Shirley looked at the simple stone memorial placed for all of the Narita dead. Her mind a storm of grief, shock and shame.
"Lelouch how could you do this?"

"Yes how could he?"

Shirley turned around to see a scarecrow thin man. He was young but his hair was shock white dropping over his reflective glass visor. He also had a pair of purple headphones on.

"A very fine memorial isn't that right Shirley Fenette?"

The Devil the Talon and the Witch

A monorail headed towards Narita. In a compartment sat a green haired girl with a tiny red top hat. A young woman in dull brown clothes with hoodie was next to her. Lelouch wore black under a thick red jacket.

Sayoko's face was barely visible under the hood as she spoke. "My lord sent me searching while he looked through a woman's underpants drawer. Shameful."

"Let us focus on the matter at hand please."

C.C responded "So do you love her this girl called Shirley?"

"I don't know."

"You hate her."

"I don't know."

"Huh well it seems Kami really did call you on it you do like having more than one woman."

"My masters womanising tendencies are undeniable."

Lelouch began to scowl at the pair of them.
C.C leaned back in the chair. "Don't be like that she doesn't seem to mind in fact she'd probably ask you to bring Shirley along for…"

"Shut up."

"Then why are we going to Narita don't you have an entire special squad of assassins for this kind of clean up operation?"

"She walked right into our base past every security measure and method of concealment. She didn't access any codes she even touch the panel. It opened for her. You have to pass through multiple concealed entrances. She couldn't have done that."

"I accessed the logs the video recorded her entry but didn't trip the alarm. Someone was in the system someone who hacked it using our own codes and a comprehensive knowledge of the system.
The only person other than me who should know how to circumnavigate all that security is currently in a medical coma."

"So this is obviously a trap."

"I'm not so certain it is what would be the point? Kill me? It would be simplicity For M to have already done that. Expose me? Again M has everything needed for that. It could be more data."

"More?"

"Compartmentalisation I don't keep all my data in one place. Except of course inside my own head. There is nothing in the hide to reveal the location of the deep roads. But a great deal about the surface operations. Still that is kept on an isolated system physically separated. You'd have to walk in to retrieve it and she didn't."

"M has the power to destroy us. He has approached me. Blackmail possibly. If they wanted me dead or captured this would be easy. There is personal element to this. I believe that they want to meet me." Lelouch's eyes turned distant.

C.C wasn't prepared to let it go. "So back to your assassins will you have them kill her?"
"No and even if I was prepared to contemplate that I'd do it myself. Some things you do not delegate."

"If you care for someone keep them at a distance."

"Is that from experience?"

"No it's a way of life."

"Does that even constitute living?"

The Scarecrow and the Crush

"He's a cruel man isn't he. Lelouch."

Shirley raised her hand to her mouth as the white haired man walked towards her. "How do you know about Lulu?"
"He had you utterly fooled didn't he even though he is actually Zero. And Luthur of course well its clear who he is. Those two close friends of yours murdering every Brittanian in sight."

"Who are you what do you want?"

But Mao would not be diverted from his course. "The same mouth which ordered your father's death stole a kiss from your lips. But you dream of him stealing more don't you harlot."

"He's a very bad man and you like it. Punishment must be mete out. To him and to you."

"To me?"

"I know everything. Once you learned the truth you could have exposed your fathers killer and instead you fled here."

"After you used your father's death for your own gain you used sympathy to get him to kiss you."

Shirleys face blanched in horror. "No I just I just."

"Cunning little woman you knew he would feel sorry for you so you pretended to look miserable."

"You're wrong."

"Did his sympathy make you feel all tingly."
She fell to her knees in shock at the scarecrows cruelty as he pulled on all her deepest experiences and used them to hurt her.

"Playing the tragic heroine again?"
"No I'm' not" she screamed in denial

"A girl who loses a parent and then goes fishing for attention? Only evil witches do that. You knew there was another girl who liked Lelouch you could see the signs and you wanted to get him away from her."
Shirley started to weep.

"Now you must pay the price. Do you want to carry these feelings for the rest of your life. All alone. Unless you atone and completely free your heart you and Lelouch will both be lost in your sins forever." And he continued to clap as he felt her mind break.

Area 11, Base of Narita mountain

Lelouch was tapped into the data networks. He seemed to be aimlessly walking through Narita but Even as he walked through the ruins of the town information appeared on his glasses. His hands tapped at a phantom keyboard as he accessed camera feeds from the train station. They had split up deliberately so he could draw whoever this was out.

Then he noticed a message appearing on his phone. It's Shirley

"Shirley it's me where are you."
"Oh where indeed?"

Lelouch turned and gently ran his hand over the concealed weapon. A scarecrow with a visored band faced him. Flinging Shirley's compact phone at his feet

Lelouch allowed himself a sneer. This soon? "I'm disappointed after the trouble you went to I thought you'd string this charade out longer."
"Oh I know you thought that. Look at you, voice of steel, face cold as ice. When right now you're burning with the desire to gun me down. Oh yes but reason, logic stays your hand."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed at the strangers mocking tone. "Where is she?"
"Now that's closer to the face I wanted, the face of a man whose woman has been stolen away. Or one of them anyway. You and your precious Kaguya, does poor Shirley even realise how far outside her league she is?"

"What have you done with her?" even as this did with a slight haptic gesture he activated a com signal that would summon … wait a signal block?

"Oh don't worry we won't be interrupted I picked up this lovely little toy from one of your storehouses." Mao raised up his wrist to show a seemingly ordinary wristband device. "A shortrange jammer for individual comms. Keyed to your frequencies. If you want Shirley you'll have to accept my challenge." His smiled like a cat "You specialise in this don't you?" He pointed towards an open tram door and within Lelouch could see a chess board.

Near the base of the hill C.C was describing Shirley to a young lady on a bicycle.

"Are you familiar with batuanese art? I have no photo but I can paint her in Batuan style."

"I'm meant to wait around while you do that. Why don't you call the cops or the military?"

"I would prefer to avoid that kind of dull crisis." As she spoke nether noticed the tram rising up the hill behind them.

"Then why don't you climb somewhere high and look from there."

"Hmm." C.C turned her head to look at the tram and saw Lelouch. Hmm what's Lelouch up to?" then she saw the other man in the tram and her heart turned to ice. No it can't be. Mao

Lelouch was just as unhappy as he waited for another move from his opponent.

This is an enormous farce. He hasn't even tried blackmail and this pointless drama. A game of chess it is clearly a distraction. But to have this equipment aided by a traitor is he in the service of one of the conclave. Plotting against me?

"Paranoia takes the fun out of everything you know. I have never actually played this game before." The sheer lack of any clear logic or pattern in the scarecrows actions was infuriating.

Why did he call me on the mobile? He didn't know my appearance. Admittedly I don't keep any images of myself in the system but … no that's more absurd. It almost seems as if he is winging it. Improvising on the fly have I given him too much credit? There must be

"An opening you can use? Shouldn't you be thinking more about the game? You could lose you know." Then he moved the rook.

"Liar you have played this game before."

C.C ran faster up the hill. Lelouch even you no because it's you, you can never defeat Mao. C.C frantically tried to call Sayoko.

Meanwhile Lelouch was receiving the second blow to his confidence in a week.

Impossible he has me trapped? The white haired man grinned sadistically as he moved his piece into check mate.

"So I can assume I have won? You're no fun you know. I just beat you at your own game and you're face is barely wavering. Facing defeat with zenlike calm hmm. That samurai stoicness your big brother tries to bring off. But I know that beneath that calm you're cursing wondering …

"How was this guy able to predict my every move?"

How was this guy able to predict my every move? Lelouch's calm cracked slightly as he drew in a breath.

"Didn't C.C tell you about me?"

Lelouch's mind ran at hyper speeds of cognition.

Mao clapped his hands softly.
"Good job in a moment you came up with 14 possible identities for me. And one of them is precisely correct." He lowered his visor for a fraction so that Lelouch could see the symbol of geass burning in both the thin mans eyes. Then he raised the visor again.

"Oh yes for your Geass to work you have to look directly into someone's eyes. Oh I know all the rules. Your adoptive brother would be more of a problem but let's face it he's not coming to the rescue right now is he?"

"You can read minds."

Mao sneered "Reading minds as if thought were a book to be opened. But yes for the pedestrian answer I'm a mind reader."

"What have you done with Shirley?"

"Oh stop pretending I'll grant that she is in your thoughts but right now you're also worried of how utterly I can destroy your plans with everything I've trawled out of you and your blood thirsty monster of an adopted sibling. Which is why you came here alone. For all that you feel for your dear lady Kami you can't stand the thought of showing weakness in front of an ally. And as for your 'brother'. Did he ever tell you what he experiences when he kills? Or what it's like for him when he uses that unholy arm of his on another person? He's a hedonistic cannibal. But wait another approaches."

Her eyes utterly calm Shirley walked down the stairs towards the carriages landing platform.

"Shirley?" Then he paused as she lifted up a very familiar looking weapon.

"So now let the vital punishment games begin."

"That gun is"

Shirley's voice was utterly devoid of inflection or emotion. "Yes the pistol of Zero your gun Lelouch."

"You can't fire that weapon without breaking your arm give it to me."

"Oh we both know she can hold it steady for one shot Lelouch. Why don't you use your Geass on her? I know you haven't done that yet. Although if you do I'll shoot you myself. And don't worry I'll aim for the back of your head since I know you're wearing light body armour under those clothes. So no point using that holdout pistol you have hidden away.

Can he only read surface thoughts? Are there conditions to this a time lag a time limit and what the hell is the point of all this. He could just kill me and be done with it. But instead he's created this absurd scenario reminiscent of a bad detective movie.

"Oh now that's a little harsh. Keep thinking about it though. That's your strength isn't it thoughts spinning around and around and around."

"Silence."

"This is a fitting death. Poetic justice for a thief like you."

"Lulu die." Her voice was empty "You must atone for your sins you have to I'll die with you."

Atone Shirley? Atonement implies repentance. Even I was repentant Death alone could not atone for all that I have done were you to kill me a dozen times."

"We must end this now." Her face seemed more troubled as if his frank admission only hurt her more.

Lelouch didn't need telepathy to sense the sadistic pleasure in Mao's voice. "Yes sinners must be punished."
"You put her up to this you manipulative little freak."

"Hypocrite, you're just stung because I'm so much better at this then you."

Of course he reads peoples minds. That makes it easy for him to confuse and control her.

"Shirley don't let him deceive you this is."

Mao spoke again. "Come now you're the one that deceived her even about any feelings you might have for her. Even with that kiss. Shall I describe the woman you kissed recently, it went on for a lot longer."

"Shirley I carry the weight of all I've killed with me. If murder is a sin you don't have to carry it. Don't put it on yourself for me."

"Well your rhetoric is admirable."

Shirley fired but her shot was wide and missed. Lelouch stumbled backwards and his hand brushed his coat gently releasing the photos of him and Shirley into the air.

Then photos floated down onto the ground. Shirley froze blinking back tears. They were images he had retrieved from her room. Images of all the time they had spent together. In the clubhouse. On the lawn.

"Why are you hesitating he killed your father. Don't you know he is a sinner kill him now."

Shirley began to cry tears running from her eyes.

"I don't I cant."

Mao's face became frustrated. "What is up with this girl her thoughts are all a jumble now." He raised his pistol. "I'll just have to."

"No" she fired the bullet missed but as it blasted a hole in the stair Mao cursed as micro shards of stone embedded themselves into his ankle.

"Stop it, just stop it"

Mao's expression shifted to that of a bored child. "Fine consider it stopped you two do whatever it is you want"

"What a pity it was so dramatic and juicy now I will." He immediately ducked as a sniper bullet struck where he would have been. Then he stepped forwards twice and back again. Three perfectly placed shots missing him. "Have to kill them the old" He picked up a heavy rifle and then knelt down to reload as two bullets whished over his head. "Boring way." He got up to make a mocking wave towards the utterly mystified Sayoko even as she struggled to reload her rifle. Then he stumbled as the tram started to move.

"Who did that? Why couldn't I sense them. It, it couldn't be." He ran up the tram to see a green haired girl holding a pistol at him

"C.C."

"C.C. I knew it we finally meet again. I love that new look I will come and see you soon."

"Mao I never thought you would come out among people." Then she called on her phone. "thanks for the distraction Sayoko."

"Distraction? I was trying to kill him."
"Yes that's the only reason it worked."

Sayoko turned her scope back to the tram only to see that somehow Mao was already gone.

Meanwhile Shirley dropped her weapon and knelt crying while Lelouch held her.

"Why, why did you do it why did you kill my father?"

"For very much the same reason that I saved your life. The greatest victory is to win without fighting. To win without having to kill anyone. But I'm not that good."

Lelouch face twisted as he allowed himself to succumb to grief for one moment. Grief over what he knew had to be done.

"Shirley I will not ask for forgiveness. I don't have the right to ask it of you. There is only one way I can protect you now." Then an eagle burned in his eyes.

"Lelouch what? No."

Area 11 Narita Memorial

Shirley fenette stood at a monument as a green haired girl approached behind her. Then she turned around.

"Hello you seem familiar. Funny I can't quite remember why I was here. Maybe it was something I had to let go of."

C.C looked at her with a faint trace of pity."It's good to do that. Hang onto regrets too long and they bury you."

"Did you come here to let go of something?"

"Yes I was thinking of an old friend someone who I cared for."

"Did you love them?"

C.C's voice was as distant as the stars above them. "Maybe I did but we'll never know now will we?"

In the darkness of the nearby treeline Lelouch watched from the shadows and lowered his head in sadness.

Kamishio Underwater base. Surgical ward 7

Commence interweaving of exo cortex. Implant cerebral chips 28 35. Nerve splice at base beginning. Ready to implant the shell. Readings nominal. Prepare jackpoint at upper point of spine insertion.

The world of D.

Death was tumbling down a mountain of bones surfing on a skull made of metal as he fought monsters.

His scythes trailed emerald fire as he spun and reconnected severing heads and limbs. Hewing monsters and dead men like trees. There was no end there was no end the voices of all the dead he'd made screaming out for vengeance upon him.

He danced through fire and he saw a tree reaching to the heavens, a hand of twisted black fibres with a yellow eye in the palm.

Near the base of the tree he could see stone gateways and knew without words that they were the way home. But a dozen demons stood between him and his goal. Creatures of red horns grotesquely muscled flesh and weapons that burned with blood red fire.

He spun and danced around his foes. Until his scythe blades were coated with gore and black blood adorned him like body paint.

A giant armoured figure seized him. Emerald fire coming from its eyes. Twisted growths of black and yellow crystal rose from its shoulders. Tears of ebony corruption poured from its eyes and every joint. Pitted white metal plating was revealed between the twisted substance. It lifted him up while its other hand held a sword covered in blood. Its face plate cracked open revealing a mouth of black flesh, stone teeth and a long leathery tongue.

"YOU DO NOT GET TO LEAVE, YET."

And he was flung through one of the portals.

World of D, The Forgelands, Tri Stone.

He lay on the grass and if felt Real. No hazy lack of detail as if in a dream. Individual blades pricked his skin and the caress of a breeze crossed his chest. Am I awake? He had concluded that the sheer surreality of what had happened must have been a hallucination. He felt something cold nudge his ribs and rolled away grabbing his scythes and saw..

What appeared to be the largest bearded man of all time. He was huge twice Luthers height and as wide across the shoulders as a car. His arms were longer in proportion to his body and ended in hands .

"Where am I old one?" If this is a dream It's unnaturally lucid. One of the ways to break out of a hallucination was to focus on the minutiae of sensory input. The creak of muscles the pressure of his feet on the ground. All things that often wavered in even the most realistic hallucination. None of them did.

"The Forgelands Horseman. Although what one such as you would wish here is beyond me."

"The forgelands?" then a rumbling sound distracted him. Suddenly dramatic rock music began coming from the surrounding air and he saw rising from the earth twisted constructs of stone that had yellow flame licking at their limbs. Writhing vines of black liquid flowed in between the ends of the broken marble fragments that made up their forms.

He reacted instinctively bringing a scythe around to cleave through the creatures arm joint. Sticky black filth clung to the blade as the strange construct stabbed with its other arm wielding a weapon made from a cracked pillar. The Old ones staff crushed it into dust and shards of stone struck Luthurs exposed flesh. It hurt. Luthur looked down at the tiny cuts across his pale skin. Trickles of blood seeping down his arm.

"Pain? You can't feel pain in a dream. He paused as his mind processed that thought to its logical conclusion. Then this is not a dream.

"Then what is it?"

Authors note

Derain: Yes finally the twisted mind screwing of the most mentally twisted screwball is unleashed upon our hero. I felt Mao didn't get enough chance to shine in the canon. Now you get to see him being extra devious. Especially since with circumstances being different he has to resort to slightly different hooks to manipulate people to his will.

Kallen: Viletta didn't do anything.

Derain: Who says she will? In case you hadn't realised she doesn't have as much motivation to go chasing a thin goose chase now. She'll probably inform Jeremiah or her superiors about this instead of keeping quite. Just as Mao has planned.

Lady Kami: Okay what is going on with Luthur anyway?

Derain: Yes, he is on the operating table and he is in the world of D which Luthur is noticing has a disturbing degree of reality for a hallucination or dream. D's world what is it? I'm ... not ... telling you ahhahahhah. Although for anyone who hasn't played the game it is very heavily influenced by Darksiders II.

Ominous rumbling.

Lelouch: What is that?

Derain: Foreshocks of revelation.

Lelouch: I don't understand.

Derain: No but you will oh lord help us you all will.