.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Immoral Cascade

Disclaimer: In this universe in the quantum foam, I do not own or in any way shape or form hold a claim to the .hack series or Neon Genesis Evangelion (or of course, any other GAINAX series I might reference here).

" " denotes speech

'italics' denotes thought

'bold' denotes location names

'bold italics' denotes skill use

Asuka's Apartment

'They're against me…they're all against me…they all want HIM,' the Second Child seethed quietly, a maelstrom of despair tearing at her heart and soul as she considered the events of the past few days. 'He…he steals my friends, my kills, my first kiss, my reputation…and now my title of best?! Does he want my sanity and my body too, like last time when he molested me?! Verdammen baka hentai Shinji Ikari!'

Alone in the darkness, the strangely appropriate words of Aranami-sensei's words echoed in her head, their message of no escape, and how hope was the best spice to bring out despair very fitting for the here and now. For Asuka Langley Soryu had felt an ecstatic, irrational hope at knowing the Third Child was going to die helpless and alone, without any of the things he had hoarded for himself as the favored son of the Commander.

'It would have been deliciously ironic if this Angel had killed him, not by force, but by slowly suffocating him, letting him choke on his last breaths. It would have been just, even, for him to be hoisted by his own petard. The Slayer of Angels, felled at last by a shadow after toppling countless foes…that would be something to see. Or if they had dropped the 992 N2 mines anyway, making sure the threat to humanity was gone…after all, no human could have possibly escaped from the innards of that creature, right? And the only thing that is as powerful as an Angel, besides an EVA…is another Angel…'

"That's it…" she whispered, eyes wide in realization. "That was the key all along…synchronizing with EVA-01 on his first try, killing an Angel on his first sortie, charming so many people…he's like a puppetmaster treating everyone like his dolls, an Angel in human form biding his time, waiting for the day he can stab us in the back—just as he has already done to Ayanami, and very soon to me. He even admits it with his title in The World…Dark Evangel…the Angel of Darkness."

She shuddered at the thought of the homicidal Third and what he would do next, when suddenly a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist, a mop of grey hair registering in the edge of her vision. Were it anyone else who had dared to touch her so intimately, she would have likely punched his (or her) lights out, but Kaworu Nagisa seemed to be an exception to that rule, being able to help her relax with his mere presence.

"An Angel in human form?" the Fourth Child asked softly. "My my, how dangerous it must be to work besides such a being, desperately finding a way to counter his stratagems before he can destroy humanity even as he is revered as its savior. And you continue to struggle against the Third knowing his true identity? How brave of you…"

"That's funny…I don't feel especially brave right now. What should I do, Kaworu?" she sighed softly, leaning back to rest herself against her lover's chest. "I thought for certain that he would die this time, and that at last I would be free of him taking all of my precious things away from me. But instead I've finally figured out why the Third can do what he does so callously…that he's an inhuman monster turning us all against one another one at a time. And those words he said when he just tore his way free…he's coming for me. He's going to kill me, Kaworu…"

She felt, rather than saw, the grey-haired boy shake his head as he leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Asuka Langley Soryu, do not be afraid…" he murmured with a sigh. "For even if he is strong and deadly in this world, there is always the other, where he is but a hacker, and you the strongest of all. For do you not hold the divine power of Al Fadel, as well an immortal AIDA guardian."

'Al Fa—how does he know about that?!'

The Second Child jerked away from the Fourth Child with a start, her head snapping around to look upon him with no small measure of shock and surprise.

"How do you know about that?" she breathed shakily, demanding an answer to her question with the sharpness of her eyes. "That you have heard rumors of my strength, I accept, but the only one who knows of the immortal servant is—"

"The Macabre Dancer Siarl," Kaworu filled in with an enigmatic smile, gesturing at himself as he did so. "Yes, we are the same, he and I…beings who watch and learn from the worlds we live in, entrusting power and faith to those we care for, as I imparted to you the power of Al Fadel, dear Bringer of Strife."

"But you said you were…"

"An angel, but not the type you fight," the grey haired boy responded softly, face devoid of guile, his form open, innocent. "If anything, I am more of a guardian angel of The World, and of you, especially, as your strength and beauty surpass that of all others."

"You…you…you're flattering me again, aren't you?" she asked with a huff, turning away from the Fourth. "And if you're Siarl, why didn't you tell me that in the first place?"

"The Dark Evangel has spies hidden throughout The World, so it was not safe to reveal who I was there," the Fourth Child answered, eyes flashing in the dimness. "Indeed, one of his allies is the notorious Helba, Queen of the Dark, the rumored hacker of extraordinary skill who watches the networks like a god from on high. It was an associate of hers who caused the Second Network Crisis years ago…that is a power even I would find difficult to withstand. As for why I did not tell you in this world, if I had said so earlier, you would not have trusted me."

'Heh…the baka has a point, I suppose. I probably wouldn't have understood that Siarl was only trying to help me in his own way, knowing I don't take pity,' the redheaded girl mused, emotions pulling at one another in the depths of her inner self. 'And he did grant me great powers that allowed me to withstand the traitor Lycoris' onslaught of searing light, so that I still stand here today instead of in a coma…'

"I do trust you, Fourth," she said somewhat reluctantly, "probably more than I trust any of the bakas around here. Well, I trust them to stab me in the back when I'm not looking, but that's a different matter. So what should I do about the Third? The World Network Council doesn't seem to be paying any attention to what I've said so far…the Commander reprimanded me for saying such things. And…"

"You face him in the Arena tonight, do you not?" the enigmatic boy asked, a strange expression on his face. "Use your power to its fullest extent and you can defeat him, putting him into a coma as surely as he will try to do to you. As well, you have an ally, and I will deliver to you another before the outbreak of battle, one that will surely cripple his offensive power."

"You would do that for me?" Asuka countered, crossing her arms as she looked at him. "And why would you go through that much trouble to help someone other than yourself?"

"Because I believe in you, Asuka," replied the one of free will who was not free. "Because I think that it is good that Ikari escaped death by an Angel, so that he might learn what it means to be destroyed by one of those he betrayed, that you might tear his world of deception apart with your own two hands. Don't you agree, Second Child?"

A delightfully dark laugh issued from the German girl's lips as she contemplated the death of the one she so despised.

"Quite."


NERV Medical

"When I first met you a long time ago, I didn't know anything about you, Ayanami…and yet, I piloted EVA-01, not because Father wanted me to, but because I wanted to protect you," murmured a brown haired boy by the bedside of someone dear to him. "And for a long time, I thought you were cold, rather like ice…and somehow, I thought it fitting that you would choose the name of Skadi for your character in The World, for is she not the greatest of ice maidens?"

He allowed himself a weak smile as he fussed about the room, placing a vase with blue roses and honeysuckle on the nightstand near her.

'You deserve something living in your room, after all, something nice to wake up to tonight. It has been a very long time now since I found you in a coma and discovered many inconvenient truths about The World…and about myself, when I faced my dark side for the first time. Here though, standing beside you, I begin to feel that this journey has been worth it…a journey that has taken me far from where I used to be…'

Ever so gently, the Third Child reached out and took one of Rei Ayanami's pale hands in his, lifted it to his lips and kissed it.

"For luck…for the both of us," Shinji sighed, looking down at her peacefully sleeping face, and how very fragile she was now, how different from the girl who had always told him not to worry, that she would protect him. "Because…tonight I face the Bringer of Strife in the Arena, and only one of us will walk away victorious. Whichever one of us loses…will probably end up as a Lost One because of the powers we wield. It's strange, really, to think that to save everyone, I have to end up destroying someone, ripping out an infestation of the soul that has grown deep down into her. These hands of mine, stained with the ichors of Angels…will they now be stained with human blood?"

He thought back again to the first time he had met the blue-haired girl, holding her as she fell from her stretcher, only to feel the raw warmth of blood on his hands. That was when he made up to stand firm and not run away, suppressing the part of him that wished to avoid pain.

'Because you were suffering so much worse than I, and yet you were willing to die from the very first. I wanted to show you that there was more to life than dying—that it was sad to just say goodbye each time we parted, as if it might be the last. And under the moon, though you act so chillingly sometimes, you were warm, breaking through my self-deceptions so easily just by being who you were.'

"You would probably be interested to know that I've found my path, and that I've chosen to walk upon it to the end, without regret, without remorse," the Third Child said with a rueful smile. "I…how narrow was my world once, forgive me for that. Well, maybe it's alright if you don't forgive me right away, since forgiveness is something I have to earn after you've already done so much for me…I just want you to know, should you be listening, and should anything happen to me…that I love you."

His blush this time was not as radiant as before as something crystallized within his heart, a fragment of resolve fitting itself into the puzzle of his life. And for a very brief moment he thought he could see her lips twitch ever so slightly, though it must have been only his imagination.

"Ah, young love…but don't you already have a girlfriend, Playboy-kun," teased a voice from the doorway. Leaning against the frame was the ever-personable Maya Ibuki, who seemed almost amused even in this place.

"What? I-I didn't think anyone was here," Shinji said with a nervous chuckle, wondering just how much the friendly bridge tech had learned. "What are you doing here, Ibuki-san?"

"Now that's no way to greet a concerned coworker," the mousy brunette chided, wagging a finger at him in disapproval. "I just make it part of my routine to come by every morning, since the room seems so cold and lonely, unsuited for the First, even if she is like a maiden of winter. It's a peaceful place in here, and my being here tends to keep the Second and Fourth Children out of mischief if they sometimes visit—but I must say, I never expected to hear anything as interesting as a confession."

"I—that is—uh—"

"Hehe, you really are fun to tease, Ikari-kun," the bridge bunny giggled, a soft look in her eyes as she sighed. "You've changed in these past few weeks, after the last two Angel battles. You're not as brittle as you used to be, though there's something of a shadow hanging over you. I wonder if that's how you were able to survive your last battle, when you were swallowed up by darkness—because you've already accepted the darkness as a part of you, and that is why you cannot yield."

"That's…actually quite possible," Shinji allowed, looking askance at the computer technician. "I learned some things about five years ago, Pluto Again…and then I learned how so many others besides myself were being affected. If it was just me suffering and no one else, I wouldn't have minded, but because of me, Rei-san was hurt…because of me, Reimeiki-chan was hurt. I won't let that happen again."

"You're a good person, Ikari-kun," Maya noted, her eyes looking somehow distant. "You remind me of someone else sometimes—a boy I came to know quite well in his own struggle with his inner darkness. He carried a burden no one could relieve, and each time he fought, the shadow grew, at the intersection of dusk and dawn. Only he did not have to face human adversaries, only what he thought were monsters…save for Mia, who was once his friend."

"Mia…you've mentioned that name before…" the Third Child recalled, his brows knitting together as he tried to recall the exact context of the conversation. "You said Mia…and Macha, outside the room of a coma victim."

"So I did…" she replied, giving a noncommittal response before delving into a little of the past. "You are familiar with The World by now, and I daresay you've learned of things such as Vagrant AIs? Mia was one of them, a digital being who existed only in that world, her past forgotten because of her former master's ruthlessness. She befriended…a certain phantom thief, a boy in red who found a book of divine magic that transformed him into an instrument of the Goddess."

'Could it be that she knows of…?'

"How much do you know about The World, Ibuki-san?" Shinji asked, now exceedingly curious as to the extent of the bridge tech's knowledge.

"Enough to have solved the final mystery once upon a time, Ikari-kun," the mousy brunette replied vaguely, the hint of a smile on her lips cluing him in to her deeper meaning. "Why? How much do you know of The World?"

"Altogether too much, and yet…not nearly enough" was the Third Child's response, one that made Maya smile despite herself.

"A fitting answer for someone in your position," she said at last, turning to leave. "And Ikari-kun?"

"Yes?"

"I wish you the best of luck in Arena, Dark Evangel," were the words that drifted out behind her.

"Wait—how—"

"You should know by now…someone is always watching."


Café, Tokyo-3

To an avid gamer, the routine of everyday life could sometimes be compared to maintaining a character in an MMORPG, with the one considered more real than the other reversed. Going to school and work was the equivalent of training one's character class, completing homework like level grinding, going out with friends and travelling being the sidequests offered by NPCs…the list of similarities could become very long, if one wished to go on.

'Perhaps this is why The World and other MMOs are so appealing to the masses,' Morganna mused, contemplating the past while sitting at her usual place in one of Tokyo-3's premier coffee shops. 'Because it makes the abstract rather more concrete, allowing individuals to see the impact their actions have on their characters, setting up a situation where the self that acts is separate from the self that watches. And very often, this splitting of the beast forces the self to recognize the hidden aspects of itself that it has so often suppressed…as seems to have been the case for the Third Child. Humans, after all, are shadowed ones, with one foot in each world, their perceptions of self weaving together into a new whole.'

Distance, it was often said, was an important catalyst for objectivity, and if there was one thing that Morganna had now, it was a bit of distance from her past life as fallen Goddess of The World. True, she continued to work with her old enemy, as well as using many of her former self's abilities, but she was no longer a goddess.

'It is a markedly different experience to have a human vessel, as role maintenance is decidedly more difficult. Finding a job, setting oneself a goal, acting to complete a scenario or twenty while being limited to this aspect of one's existence—I am beginning to understand Harald's frustration with the living flesh.'

As Yumi Aranami, Morganna played a number of roles…teacher, dothacker (and more generally, a hacker), multi-classing as few were able to do, while continuing her observations of both worlds. To her, a being once born entirely of data, knowledge literally was power, as she innately understood the connection between understanding something and being able to control it.

'Human beings do have such a fascination with control and immortality, quite possibly because they are far more limited than those who already have nigh-omnipotent power,' the former goddess of The World noted, now looking around to see if she could find a certain unshaven man. 'Ah, the games of power in this womb of life and death, scenarios entwining, interweaving as some desire divinity—enough to destroy their reality, the fools.'

The woman in black chuckled then, recalling that she had not been immune to that tendency even when she had been integrated into The World, with it having been an emotion that ultimately drove her to destruction—ironically enough, the terror of death and the various other deceptions leading to the final death and rebirth.

'I learned of emotion from the concentrated essence of millions of human voices, their memories, experiences tied to me—perhaps that is why my reactions were as severe as they were then, because I knew their thoughts and emotions as if they were my own, and the fundamental terror of all living things is to die. Now, having died and reborn not through my power into this mortal form, I am considerably more limited, and there is a part of me that yearns to return to what I used to be, to take up the abandoned mantle of Aura…'

For anyone else, the desire to become a god would have been a hubris that would result in their destruction, but this walking in both worlds had brought to Morganna a certain understanding of mortality and divinity that few could match—the simple pleasure of eating, drinking, and so forth that she had not appreciated, as well as the limits of her body.

'I must admit that it is somewhat of a nuisance to have to access The World through a headset, and then to be bound there in the form of a character, no matter how powerful—there was a time when I was integrated into The World, linked to every part of the Sea of Data. It is an entirely different experience to stand in my former home as a Shadowed One, a Sliver of Infinity enacting my stratagems without the power of before. And these limits are—almost—more interesting than their lack, as each boundary forces adaptation, evolution, shaping an individual's responses…Lycoris understood that better than I, as she was a failure as a goddess, but not as an individual. And to think that Helba dared to face me in the days of old and even matched me for a time…she and the others like her…like that boy…have a strength of will only a mortal can possess…'

Indeed, without having come up against limits, one could never understand what it meant to surpass them, to defy odds and constantly reach for something beyond one's grasp, walking forward towards a goal no matter how illogical or suicidal it might seem.

'Much as in the case of…'

Out of the corner of her eye, she noted the approach of an unscrupulous and unshaven man, a certain agent winding his way through the midday crowd towards the table at which she sat, at last, coming to a stop before her.

"You are quite late, ruffian," Morganna commented idly, glancing up at him, then at the menu. "It does not do to keep me waiting, even if I am but an investigative subject for you. Have a seat, while we dine, seeker of Twilight. And tell me…have you found the night sprite in the end of doctrine?"

"So you know about that too…" the spy stated casually. "Tell me, what is it that you do not know?"

"In which variety, dear Kaji? The known unknowns that can be planned for, or the unknown unknowns that cannot?" the dark haired woman asked with a smirk. "There is much I do not know, to be perfectly honest, for can a mere human hope to know everything?"

"Between my…various employers and benefactors, I do wonder sometimes," Kaji acknowledged, not particularly surprised the answer would be an evasion. "As for myself, I simply seek the truth."

"Ah, but what is truth?" Morganna questioned, glancing at the tip of her fingers. "The objective truth of logic that underlies the world? The truth of emotion, of the guilt that drives you to atone for your many sins? The truth of the past? Or the truth of the present—the truth that one defines for oneself?"

"What pretty words…for a simple teacher, you certainly ask the most penetrating questions," the unshaven man replied, not particularly wanting to be drawn into a philosophical discussion. "As you seem to far too observant and aware of others."

"Much like yourself, you mean," the former goddess quipped, somewhat amused. "I simply have the power to make out patterns in behavior, seeing the infinite layers of thought that underlie most human acts. Consider, if you will, the Epitaph of Twilight as a tale describing not only The World, but the story of an individual's mind as he or she seeks a truth that cannot be properly spoken. The Phases of the Cursed Wave are defense mechanisms and traits in us all that keep us moving on, with things such as the Terror of Death, the Mirage of Deceit, the Propagation, being most common in the human population. This is why their names, Skeith, Innis, Magus—Shadow, Meaningless, Knowledge—are so well known in the population at large, why during the various crises of belief, the knowledge that one's existence is but that of an empty shadow is so terribly destructive."

"That's…certainly an interesting way to look at it…" Kaji admitted, intrigued by the spin this "simple teacher" placed on things. "And the others?"

"There is of course Fidchell, the Prophet, one's acceptance of cause and effect, of limits, where knowledge corrupts and destroys…turning those once human into beings not far removed from monoliths of stone plotting a world's demise," Morganna replied, a half-smile on her face as she reflected on her own tendencies towards this. "Gorre the Machinator, scheming with many faces to as many sides—rather like you, dear ruffian. Macha the Temptress, the avatar of unrequited love and connection—the other absolute terror of humanity, that one is doomed to be alone, separated from others by a terror that the self will not be accepted, as most do not even accept themselves. Tarvos the Avenger—the bitter shell of anger and cruelty humans use to ward others away, to keep themselves from looking upon their own blessed truth. Which brings us to—"

"Corbenik the Rebirth, who arrives in the void left behind after the Wave," the rogue spy filled in, wanting to see where this conversation was going. "The blessed body, and in Arthurian legend, the castle that held the Holy Grail. But how can one struggle against a creature that is only the void?"

"Yes indeed, for while one can grapple with the others, pitting logic against emotion, or overcoming with sheer strength of will…can one become the void itself, taking in the power of darkness?" the former goddess asked, thinking back to the final battle against Kite all those years ago. "No matter how hard one strives, one cannot win unless one becomes the void, in a sense dying and being reborn. That is the journey described in the Epitaph… the journey of each of us in turn, whether one serves the light, the dark, or the Cursed Wave."

'Or whether one IS the Cursed Wave, at that…'

"So it seems, I suppose," Kaji responded noncommittally. "And is this related to what you teach, and how you have shaped the Dark Evangel?"

"To teach, I feel, is not to fill another's head with one's thoughts, but to allow that individual to discover their own path, their own essential truth," Morganna said obliquely. "For no two paths are the same, which is why one can only go so far by chasing a shadow…why our mutual friend had you confront Skari as…well, you know who. Teaching in a way, is but another form of manipulation, but when has manipulation not been a part of human interaction…in showing students The World, I open their eyes to the world within themselves and the world without."

'Though which is which to me is a tangled up notion altogether. Neither is a game that can be toyed with idly, for in our actions, we define ourselves…and I too, have a scenario that must be played out.'

"The city of humanity, man's Fortress against the Angels, would you say that it is built because of fear?" the spy asked after a long moment. "Even knowing what lies beneath that doctrine?"

"Especially so, for is there anything that we hate as much as ourselves?" the fallen goddess voiced, peering into the hazy distance. "The world is constantly changing, shifting in infinitely subtle ways with or without any of us…and we fear change without because we fear change within, the unknown in us calling out to the unknown around us. And so we find ourselves at a crossroads…do we accept the status quo because we fear the future that may come, caving in to the Wave? Or do we push the envelope, watch it bend as we transcend reason, swinging on the spiral of divinity and yet still being human?"

"Divinity, is it? You sound like a certain group of Old Men I know."

"Perhaps, though I embrace humanity's truth…while they, only their own," she rebutted with a soft harrumph. "The pieces move by their own will as I have foreseen, as have you, Ryoji Kaji. As you will see from this document…"

'Like all things I search for the end, knowing the path I must walk…one that I have chosen to make amends for past failings, doing what I must because I can. The webs that bind me to death and rebirth, silken strands finespun with my own hands…the Dusk draws near.'

From the large book sitting upon the table, she extracted a folded manila envelope and handed it to the unshaven man.

"Read this tonight, when you return home," the former goddess said with a smirk. "You may find the contents rather…interesting."

Θ Hidden Forbidden Battlefield, Coite-Bodher Battlefield

The pall of perpetual night shrouded the site of the final battle between humans and Mag Mell, the battle dragon of the gods. Unable to best the monstrous form beyond compare in combat, they had lured it to the plains of Coite-Bodher, where they had trapped it with petrifaction spell powered by a heroic sacrifice.

For Mag Mell was the Hidden One, a creature of many names, manifesting most prominently as the anti-existence Cubia in times long past. When the Hidden One had faced the seekers for the first time, this vast field had been a swamp near the Dividing Forest, but a roar of anger from the Shadow had twisted it into this desert wasteland, strewn with ruins about a lake—an eye ever glancing at the heavens, as if to longing to return to a place far from paradise.

In this dimness, rings of golden light shimmered into existence, leaving behind Tribal Grappler Aruna and Shadow Warlock Arano, both of who strode with purpose down the ruined stone steps to stand upon the battlefield where no one else was present.

"There's no one here…" the blond little jester boy noted, narrowing his eyes at the desolate expanse that lay before him. "No PKs, no newbie asking for help, no strange markings on the field. And no informant either…"

"Yeah, dis better not be a prank," the bare-chested Tribal Grappler replied gruffly, not at all pleased about having been called here from other business. "Whoever it was that the Flash Mail said he knew who had been behind all these mass PK incidents that people were blaming on Skari. And while we might not be able to help him fight Eris, we can find this out, right?"

"Right," the Shadow Warlock affirmed, as sudden chime interrupted the silence of the field.

'I know that sound…'

With a warped musical tone, an orb of smoky light blinked into existence, smashing itself onto the ground before them to reveal a strange steam gunner in black and silver robes etched with powerful magical runes, bayonet at her side. But after emerging from the sphere of light, the new arrival simply stood there, regarding the duo impassively.

'Definitely not the talkative type…' Arano figured, half-frowning as he looked at the stranger. 'And from the looks of it, a hacker of some skill.'

It appeared that the other party was not going to be the first to break the silence, so the impulsive Tribal Grappler decided to do it for her.

"Were you the one who contacted us about the recent PK Incidents?" Aruna asked, stepping forward, but not letting his guard down. "You said you knew who was responsible for—erk!"

In the corner of his vision, a figure zoomed past, as Siarl of the Seven Eyes emerged seemingly out of nowhere, jamming a gleaming egg of fiery shadow into Aruna's unprotected back and springing away to stand besides the strange Steam Gunner, his movements accompanied by the strains of the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah.

"AUUUGGGGHHHHHHHH! NO…don't…its…I can't…."

The mighty Tribal Grappler Aruna collapsed to his knees, screaming in such anguish, as liquid shadow began to leak out of his character, bare skin warped and twisted by a second membrane borne of darkness.

"You," breathed Arano, glaring at the Macabre Dancer, opening his grimoire as he prepared to cast a distraction. "You're that…"

Then a wave of AIDA's living shadow blasted out of the staggered man beside him, hurling the Shadow Warlock back towards the Chaos Gate, with the now possessed Aruna striding after him, his face contorted with pain and regret as his character moved relentlessly forward.

"Aruna, stop, what are you…what happened to—"

"Run…Arano," the Tribal Grappler choked out with his last bit of control, just as he fully succumbed to dark infection, and went mad.

A blur of motion, orbs of oozing black corruption, gut wrenching bitter pain—light.

Collapse.

"Yes, a fine defender you will make, Aruna," spoke a voice in the distance, as the three AIDA-PCs vanished from the field in rings of azure light.

Numbness spreading.

"…what is this? This is…AIDA…must warn…Tomoyami…"

Character dissolving, tendrils of data evaporating, hands racing to write an urgent flash mail.

"Must…"

A strangled gasp, the fading of form.

"Sent…"

Lost.


Kaji's Residence

It had been an interesting day in the unshaven man's eyes, as he returned to his residence after a long afternoon of discussion with the enigmatic Yumi Aranami. That she knew of Helba, he was certain, but what else, he did not know, as she literally was a faction in her right. Granted, it would be easy to eliminate her, but…he wanted to find out how much she knew, and what her objectives were.

'Perhaps it is time to read what she gave me,' he thought to himself, sitting down in his study and opening the manila envelope he had been handed.

There was enclosed a single sheet of paper, with the content as follows:

(Document start)

Summary, World Network Council Report, re: 'Dark Evangel' Inquiry

In the wake of the recent spike in coma incidents involving the CyberConnect Corporation MMORPG known as "The World: R2", with a sheer scale of effect unheard of since the Second Network Crisis, an full investigation was launched by the WNC to determine the root cause, if any, beginning with a careful re-examination of records from study of records of five years ago.

The Second Network Crisis was a time of great upheaval, with events similar nature to Pluto's Kiss, if smaller in scale. Some of these included a network overloads, corruption of data in the Online Stock Exchange, large scale blackouts, and a rash of coma incidents related to the MMORPG "The World". At the time, it was believed that these happenings were the result of hackers spreading viruses similar in make to "Deadly Flash", the infamous program that triggered seizures in users of infected systems. These events continued up until December 24, 2010, when all network issues ceased.

The alleged hackers responsible for the incident were never caught, with Kazushi Watarai, leader of CyberConnect Corporation's debugging team—himself hospitalized for the majority of the incident—forced to resign for his failure to prevent it. The inquiry conducted at that time proved inconclusive, and the case was closed due to lack of information.

The file has since been reopened, as the recent outbreaks of Doll Syndrome and associated conditions involving "The World: R2" strongly indicate that the individuals involved five years ago have returned. At this time, a report was received from a member of United Nations Special Agency NERV claiming that Shinji Ikari, the Third Child, was a skilled hacker that had developed a virus capable of inducing nocebo comas in others by simulating mind death, and further that he was the culprit in at least one coma incident. However, initial attempts to investigate the matter were rebuffed by NERV, with the stated reason behind the refusal of access being international security.

With this line of inquiry blocked, the WNC pursued alternative avenues of study, which included monitoring the message boards for any mention of the term "Unreturners", as coma victims are commonly known by users of "The World." Several postings quickly came to our attention, as they linked the cases of unreturners to the player 'Skari', titled the 'Dark Evangel', with a number of individuals confirming that said player was involved in mass in-game Player Killing incidents leading to the victims falling into comas.

Upon receipt of this information, a subpoena was issued to CyberConnect Corporation for access to the network logs and user data. These were cross-referenced with the list of coma victims and the words 'Dark Evangel' to determine if a common link existed between a majority of these cases, and indeed, one name quickly emerged: an Edge Punisher named Eris had been present at each encounter, with a study of the relevant character interaction data showing that she had been responsible for the most recent terminations of each character associated with the coma victims.

Further analysis revealed that the player behind Eris, a certain Asuka Langley Soryu of NERV, had also been responsible for the fraudulent postings, as well as the initial report to the World Network Council denouncing Shinji Ikari.

Asuka Langley Soryu is now strongly suspected as the hacker behind both the Second Network Crisis and these recent incidents, and the World Network Council has issued a warrant for her immediate arrest on the charges of Cyberterrorism, Conspiracy, Wrongful infiltration of computerized material, Disruption of computer use, Destroying Evidence, Perjury, and Attempted Murder.

(Document end)

He looked up from the document, the blood literally drained from his face at the revelations it had contained, just the phone rang.

"Greetings, Fili," spoke the voice on the other end. "By now you should have read the document. Perhaps you now understand the nature of the weapon being forged...if not, come to the Arena, where tonight the two will clash."