.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Willful Separation

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 copyrighted works I might reference here).

" " denotes speech

'italics' denotes thought

'bold' denotes location names

'bold italics' denotes skill use

Ω Warring City State Lumina Cloth

There was a price to fame, as the Dark Evangel was fast discovering in his own way. He had returned to the bustling city of Lumina Cloth for a necessary errand, accompanied by his friend and partner, the Unyielding Shadow, the two of them drawing looks and mutters as they appeared in azure rings of light. It had been some time since either one of the duo of Chaotic PK and feared PKK had been seen in their traditional roles in The World, and some had wondered if in the wake of their victory against Eris, Bringer of Strife, the two had turned their attention to the Arena full time.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" muttered Tomoyami of the Shadow to her companion, with the crowds unsure whether to press in closer to the nigh-legendary PK…or to avoid her like the plague in case she took notice of their individual identities and decided to go on a killing spree.

"We don't exactly have a choice, do we?" Skari asked by way of reply, his robes of silver etched with red billowing behind him as he strode on towards the Arena. "We're lucky to have come this far, and it's time for the final step. We'll need all our strength for the battle to come."

"Agreed…Siarl will be our most dangerous foe to date, given that—"

"—he was the puppetmaster behind Eris' actions, based on what Morganna told us during the breakfast a couple days ago," the blue-haired boy finished, his mouth set into a tight, grim line in an attempt to remain firm. "And that though the player behind him is now somehow in a coma, he continues to operate in The World…"

"So he does…" the Chaotic PK murmured, shaking her head, while keeping a strong face. Her insides were a tangled up mess of anger, regret, and confusion—as she wished that she had had the courage to tell Touji how she had felt before. 'Before Kaworu killed him—I don't have proof of it, but I know it to be true…' "You know, Skari…"

"Hm?"

"What did you feel after you beat Eris?" Tomoyami asked, getting right to the point. "Did you feel satisfaction at seeing her fall? Happiness that she was punished? Or maybe…"

"Nothing, really, not happiness, sadness, anger or regret," the Dark Evangel sighed, his words just barely audible above the hubbub of the crowds. "Some disappointment in the fact that I couldn't bring back the Lost Ones, but other than that, nothing. Just a hollow, a deep and endless hollow after long held rage has burned out."

"Almost like you've faltered, failed despite succeeding," the pigtailed girl noted, receiving a confirming nod from her friend. "But there's been something else I've been meaning to ask…B-ST Form…how did you awaken it? Isn't that a Job Extend that transcends the system?"

"I…I don't know, really," Skari reflected, recalling that he had only ever summoned it once before, and then only in desperation, after every other option was gone. "It just formed around me after Eris stabbed me with one of her AIDA lances. I haven't been able to summon it since then."

'Maybe the AIDA inside of me was awakened by the attacking AIDA and rose to meet the threat? Since, as that strange AIDA-PC told me, I am living on borrowed time…the Twilight Key and the Aberrant Key forging the key to victory? I don't know, but maybe Helba does, or Morganna.'

"Well, that certainly reduces our overall combat effectiveness," Tomoyami quipped dryly, shaking her head. "Which is one reason I suspect we're doing this today, ne?"

"Indeed…though if you don't want to…" the Adept Rogue trailed off, giving his companion the chance to object if she wished. What they were about to do wasn't something that most did lightly, after all.

'But then, we're not most people…we're Children who already bear everything in the world on our shoulders…'

"I do," the Flick Reaper replied brusquely, giving her friend a curt nod. "I have no regrets, this is the only path."

They walked along in silence, heads held high as they strode on through the whispering crowds towards the building that dominated the Warring City State physically and culturally: The Arena, the place where it was said that even ordinary players could become heroes, awakening the samurai in their hearts. A symbol of individual might and ability to most in The World, the Arena was the proof that no matter who a person was or what she had done in the past, she could stand on equal footing with anyone else, as long as one had the strength of will to do so.

Fame, fortune, reputation…none of these mattered in the Arena, only one's skill and one's determination to eke out a victory, testing a player's personal strength as well as a character's. Within the battle isle, combatants existed in a closed circle, where outside influences were largely ignored, save for the cheering/jeering of the crowds. It was a catalyst of sorts for the awakening of one's true nature, as the two dothackers who had taken the crown of Holy Palace Emperor knew full well, perhaps speeding a person's transformation into something new, but not if the person did not so desire.

'Of all the truths I have learned in The World and in the world of mind, one is deeper set than all the others: that I am the bone of my sword,' Skari mused to himself. 'Power without will is meaningless, for true strength comes not from without but from within. My shadow taught me that, as did the many fights I've been a party to…for was it not my refusal to give up that let me defeat the Angels up to now, and call the power of B-ST form?'

For while making someone angry was an excellent way to break their concentration, it also tended to provoke bouts of nearly unstoppable rage, especially if the person involved happened to be either meek to start with, or emotionally broken. In those cases, when said individual's rage was unleashed, the best thing to do would be to run away—very quickly, at that.

'Is that why Kaworu wanted to sow the seeds of discontent?' he wondered, as a far more effective way to disable someone was to cause them to doubt their cause, manipulating a situation where they would face acute despair. 'I can't be sure, but I think I might have turned out that way, had I never discovered The World and met everyone I do now. If I hadn't learned to open up, who knows where I'd be?'

Since he didn't have access to some true magic that would let him see other worlds and possibilities, it was impossible to know how else he could have been. Here and now, he knew one thing: that people were counting on him.

'Lycoris entrusted everything to me, Tomoyami trusts me as her partner to fight by her side, Helba and Morganna trust that I will persevere…I cannot betray that trust. Not because I need the praise of others, but because…I could not live with myself otherwise.'

The two arrived in front of the NPC that governed entrants into the arena, halted, and looked at one another one final time, before Skari stepped forward and spoke the fateful words he'd come to say:

"I, Skari the Dark Evangel, relinquish my title of Emperor of the Holy Palace."


Undisclosed Location

Within the mind of Asuka Langley Soryu, the battle between the three factions continued, with Eris warring against the five year old Asuka, while Skari and Siarl, avatars of animus and destrudo, clashed in the center of the field of blades, B-ST Form against AIDA-Angel. Sibilant hisses, ferocious snarls emanated from the field as razor-sharp war fans locked with dual sword and metal claws, a being of living shadow opposed by fire and steel, twin messengers of destruction warring.

"Prepare yourself, false Evangel, for your eternal rest!" sneered Siarl, as a thousand spears of AIDA solidified from thin air, hurling themselves at the body of the Adept Rogue—only for the Dark Evangel to slam his armored boot into Siarl's crotch and leap backwards, summoning a spinning shield of blades that whirred and clanged as they knocked the AIDA spears away and turned to point at the offending wretch, flying out all at once—to be blocked by an AIDA shield.

Essentially, as things were now, it was a stalemate.

"You know, this battle is beginning to verge on ridiculous," Eris commented as she unleashed a flurry of blows against her opponent, a little redhead girl in a yellow sundress—only for several doll-like familiars to rise up around the girl and parry the blade. "If you and I keep fighting while Siarl and Skari clash, no one is going to win...and as much as I dislike you and Skari, I would prefer to crush that fatalistic puppetmaster Siarl."

The little girl remained silent, but as if agreeing with her Shadow's proposal, ordered her doll familiars back with a flick of her finger. Apparently, she had split her offensive abilities, gifting herself with magic in this mental world, while using her summoned servants for more physical offense.

'Why am I not surprised that some part of my inner mind has become a Doll Master?' Eris thought,

springing backwards and licking the edge of her broadsword as she turned her attention to the detested Macabre Dancer.

"VAK DON!" she cried out, a fireball hurtling from her fingertips towards the shadowed form as she herself charged forward, leaping high into the air whilst brandishing her sword, intending to at last get sweet revenge on the Siarl inside her mind—only to smash into a powerful AT Field and slide rather unceremoniously onto the ground.

'But where is…ah…'

The Edge Punisher rolled quickly out of the way of a barrage of claws rushing out to ensnare her, noting that Siarl's attention had not wavered from his primary foe—the B-ST Form, who if left unwatched, might actually be the Macabre Dancer's undoing.

"Impudent Lilim, all of you!" the AIDA-Angel snarled, the mental world rippling as he conjured in his hands a final wave of shadow greater than anything that had come before, a concentrated curse born of the desire for destruction of everything, including the self. In other words, it was the chill of the void itself, the siren song of futility. "Let me reveal to you your final fate!"

In an instant, he loosed the ultimate destructive potential of the curse upon Skari, a curse which struck true at the last, consuming and corrupting the Adept Rogue's form as flesh boiled—and yet, even in the throes of death, the servant of animus dashed forward, until his hands gripped the robes of the Macabre Dancer. And for once, Siarl knew fear, as the Adept Rogue looked upon his foe with unblinking eyes, lips whispering an ancient chant even as his body weakened and dissolved.

"…my whole life has been…" came the words dripping from the mouth of the doomed warrior, as the AIDA-Angel raised his razor fans to decapitate Skari once and for all.

"Nothing, so let this be an end, mongrel!" Tabris laughed in derision.

"No!" cried Eris, seeing Siarl seemingly about to triumph over a necessary distraction, though strangely enough Skari's summoner just stood by, as if she had expected this all along.

'Are you really that cold?'

Down the razor fans came, biting with savage force into the Adept Rogue's neck, even as the mental battlefield shook and rattled, with every single sword planted into the ground lifting into the air to point at the duo at field's center.

"…harbinger of twilight."

In that moment, the field was engulfed with a nigh-endless storm of blades, snaking through the air and slamming into the two figures one after another, the sudden onslaught ripping both to shreds. One after another they surged forward, impaling the bodies of Adept Rogue and AIDA-Angel, lacerating, puncturing, carving deep furrows into their limbs, guts, and chest, with a last spinning blade lopping off both their heads.

When the dust and rubble faded away, Eris and the young Asuka were left alone in the battlefield, with Siarl and Skari both vanquished by the other's hand.

'Holy SHEIßE…he took the Angel with him…'

"You…just your servant had that much power? And you just let him be sacrificed for your own ends, Doll Master?" the Edge Punisher asked incredulously of her younger counterpart. "You are truly a master in your own right…"

The little girl just threw back her head and laughed, beginning with a fiendish giggle and building to hysterical peals of mirth that echoed in the empty world.

"Of course I am, Eris," the young one spoke at last, giving her a smile. "And you know why that is so…because this is my mind, where the battle has raged. Because I am the truth of Asuka Langley Soryu, from which you were created."

"Then this entire struggle…"

"It was real enough, a test to see which part of mind was strongest, whether the desire to live would overcome the desire to die…and more than that, a test for you, Eris," the little girl reflected. "You of the shadow recognized the true enemy to be the avatar of Destrudo, rather than the servant I summoned to fight on my behalf."

In the very center of the broken wasteland, a vortex of light and shadow had finally formed and solidified, becoming something very much like a Chaos Gate.

"Now, shall we continue this pointless struggle in which we are matched?" the young girl asked, dismissing her familiars, "or shall we wake from the nightmare at long last?"

"Heh…"

Rings of azure light enfolded both their forms, as the mental world was left still once again.


NERV HQ, Break Room

"They have begun construction of Evangelion units up to Unit 13?" repeated Misato Katsuragi, wishing to confirm once more what a certain bespectacled bridge tech had revealed to her. "In seven places around the world?"

After the loss of Kaji, the Operations Director had taken on an informal 'part-time' job as an information seeker, dedicating herself to discovering the truth so that she might be able to do something about it. So, like the late pony-tailed man, she had sought out a hacker of great skill to assist her in her quest, eventually settling on one Makoto Hygua, who she knew to have a crush on her (and who she had used in the past to take care of chores such as laundry).

It really was the best choice she could have made under the circumstances, as said tech also happened to be Bith the Black, the infamous assistant to the Queen of the Dark, but then, that was something the purple-haired woman neither knew about nor counted on.

"This information came via Shanghai," the tech in question commented quietly. "And I can assure you that the source is reliable."

The Director of Operations appeared puzzled for a moment, wondering just why the Committee would bother ordering the construction of more Units when their limited number had done well enough. It wasn't as if she enjoyed having to use the large bio-mechs, since they were copies of the 1st Angel, and if there was one thing that Misato Katsuragi detested, it was the Angel threat.

"Why are they speeding up construction now?" she asked of her informant, only for the man to sigh as he looked down at his terminal.

'I could tell you some of what they have planned, but somehow, I don't think you'd take it well…'

"Considering the loss of Units 03 and 04, as well as the freeze on Unit-01 and the damage done to Unit-02," he allowed, spinning out a plausible theory. "It is possible that they are creating a spare force to enforce their scena—as a backup plan."

While the purple haired Major tended to come across as a drunken lush, there were times when she could be painfully sharp.

"Wait…you said scenario, didn't you?" she inquired with a bit of an edge to her voice. "Have you already been investigating this beforehand?"

"Sorry, that just slipped out," he replied sheepishly. "You see, in the giant robot manga I follow, the organization fighting off the kaiju threat to mankind is being manipulated by a secret council of old men plotting the end of the world—and that woke the ancient monsters by trying to steal the powers of the Kaiju King, causing a massive Impact-like explosion. The last volume came out a few days ago, so I've been catching up on what I've missed."

'I suppose this is one area where my known interest in manga—'

"Somehow, I doubt that that's the whole story," Major Katsuragi broke in, with a snort of amusement. "Do you think they're funding these extra EVAs because they anticipate cases of several Angels attacking at once, and not just one at a time?"

"That's a possibility…or perhaps they think that there's a possibility that more rogue EVAs will need to be suppressed, as in Nobeyama," the bespectacled bridge tech noted. 'And not too far from the mark, considering that each EVA is essentially an Angel…'

Unfortunately for their continued conversation, a series of klaxons blared throughout the base, as the voice of Shigeru Aoba came over the intercom.

"All personnel, level one combat alert. Prepare for aerial assault."

NERV HQ, Bridge

"We have visual confirmation of the Angel," Aoba spoke, putting the image of the Fifteenth Angel on screen. "This is at maximum zoom."

Having arrived at the bridge shortly after the alert, Makoto Hygua reported to his duty station and pulled up the information from those of their satellites and sensors that remained in orbit after the unrecorded Nobeyama incident (that even he had not been filled in on).

"It's not moving from orbit," the tech reported, checking the position data he was receiving. "It is maintaining a constant distance from us."

'Well, on the bright side, it won't be throwing pieces of itself down on us like the Tenth…on the other hand, it might have a powerful energy weapon like the Fifth…'

"So does that mean that it's waiting for a chance to come down?" Major Katsuragi asked, all business now, entirely focused on revenging herself upon the Angels. "Or…is it going to destroy us without approaching?"

"Either way, we can't get at it easily," responded Lt. Hygua, recalling the stats of EVA's main weapons. The progressive knife was out of the question, as were the rifles. The standard positron rifle wouldn't work, and the JSSDF positron rifle…well, it might work, but likely not, considering the much larger distances involved. "We really can't do anything unless it moves to within our firing range."

'And we definitely can't get an Eva close enough to negate its AT-Field…unless Unit-01 goes berserk and forms those wings of light again. Then again, Unit-01 has been placed on a freeze by the orders of the Commander, so that's a moot point.'

Misato had a slightly troubled look on her face as she considered this information and formulated another of her plans to counter the Angel.

'It is fortunate that Rei has returned from EVA-01, especially since Kaworu collapsed into a coma not too long ago. We need every pilot we can spare…'

"Eva cannot defeat an enemy in orbit," she muttered, weighing her options. "How's Rei?"

"She and Unit-00 are in good condition," reported the calm Maya Ibuki, almost expectantly. "They will be OK."

"Roger," acknowledged the purple-haired Major. "Unit-00, move out! Prepare for extreme long distance firing. Unit-02, Hikari, be ready to sortie as back-up."

Tokyo-3

Sitting in the entry plug of Unit-00, Zefie felt an unusual sense of peace, as she had accepted this as her last mission before returning to The World. With Tabris incapacitated in the "real world", and (part of) Operation Wavebreak explained to the dothackers, it was now time to focus once more on AIDA-Angel Tabris' presence in The World, gathering forces for the final battle.

As for the method of return, it would be unnecessarily suspicious for an EVA Pilot to just suddenly fall into a coma (again), so logically, it only made sense for this to come as a result of another Angel battle.

'And I'm not afraid of whatever Arael can throw at me…' the blue-haired girl mused, concealing a hint of a smile behind her usual poker face. 'I beat Tabris, after all, and in all likelihood, Arael will not be as powerful as Tabris in terms of sheer offensive capabilities…'

Such were her thoughts as EVA-00 stood in a cleared plain, holding the JSSDF prototype positron rifle in its hands and waiting for a clear shot.

"Target is still out of firing range," a voice reported over the radio.

'Yeah? Well, tell me something I don't know…'

When it emerged moments later, Zefie fired, only for her particle beam and EVA to be engulfed by a great shaft of light shining down from the heavens…an immensely powerful psychic attack intended to make contact with the human mind and break it. Perhaps it was a good thing then, that Zefie's mind was not nearly human…

The beam lanced up towards the Angel, but…

"No effect!" came a frenetic voice. "There is not enough energy to break through the AT field from this great a distance."

"But the power output is at maximum," noted another. "We cannot get more power."

'Well, I suppose I can play along for a bit…' she thought to herself, sending a tendril of her consciousness towards the vast and alien mind that was trying to join with her own. 'Might as well speed things up a bit…'

Contact made, Zefie found herself immersed in an endless sea to her waist, with whispers, murmurs seeping up from all around.

'DEATH. Death by strangulation, death by shame, death by suicide. DEATH. Death as escape, death as pain, death as inevitability. DEATH. Unworthy unworthy unworthy, FAILURE you are FAILURE, cannot become god, LOSS INSANITY REQUIEM, selfish selfish selfish, driven to end, driven to vengeance, driven to nothingness.'

"Don't you dare try to enter my mind!" the Child of Dawn intoned firmly, raising mental shields against the onslaught of the psychic assault. And yet, it continued to whisper all around her, soft sibilant hisses that lay at the edge of perception, making one listen in spite of one's desires.

'UNWANTED UNWANTED UNWANTED, you are unwanted, selfish child, broken child, scorned by friend and scorned by foe, forgotten forgotten forgotten, twilight of the gods, shadows rising, torment torment torment unable to be stopped, destruction, the end of all, end of hope, end of justice, fate fate fate, yield to fate, driven to NOTHINGNESS.'

"Heh…if that's the way you want to play…if you want to see pain that badly, then here you go!"

She called forward every memory of darkness and despair that she had gleaned from her existence and brought them to the forefront, hurling them screaming towards the Angel's mind like a thousand broken phantasms.

'FAKE FAKE FAKE, you are fake, false life, false soul, false everything, artificial artificial artificial, useless to the world, useless to your Mother, useless to your friends. Thief of love, thief of identity, thief of life, deceiver deceiver deceiver, doomed to BURN at world's end, to burn in the fires of darkness, to be consigned at last to shadow.'

Laughter, mocking laughter, echoing in the bleak expanse.

Back in the control center, some of the officers were on the verge of panic as they noted irregularities forming in the psychograph of the First Child.

"The ray is an energy wave of visible wavelength, similar to an AT Field, though the details are unknown," reported Lt. Hyuga, in response to an unasked question.

"And Rei?" inquired Dr. Akagi, concerned about how this might alter the scenario.

"The situation is dangerous," replied Maya Ibuki, analyzing the data as quickly as it came streaming in. "Mental contamination has broken the borderline…"

'Interesting, so this is a completely different type of Angel than the others before it. I suppose I will simply have to have faith that Zefie can withstand this, as she has faced worse in the past.'

"What about the mental barrier from the LCL?" Dr. Akagi asked, hoping that that might provide a layer of protection, only to be disappointed by the answer.

"No effect," Maya noted. "We cannot even expect the buffering effect."

"Rei, retreat!" ordered Misato, urging the blue-haired girl to flee, rather than risk further damage.

"I cannot," the First Child replied. "I will hold the enemy's attention, while Unit-02 engages."

"Rei, that's an order," the purple-haired Major objected, her voice harsh. "Retreat now."

"I am unable to comply," responded the soft voice of Rei Ayanami, somewhat strained, but mostly peaceful. "Another would be more gravely affected than myself."

"Then we have no other choice," Commander Ikari's voice broke into the hubbub. "Pilot Horaki, descent to Terminal Dogma and use the Lance."

"Lancea Longini?" questioned Subcommander Fuyutsuki, remembering all too well the ire of the Committee. "Ikari, that is…"

"We have no other choice to destroy a target in orbit, as an AT Field from here cannot reach that point," the Commander rationalized. "Now hurry!"

With that, Unit-02 began its descent into the bowels of NERV, even as the First Child was enduring Arael's assault with more annoyance than anything else.

'PENALTY PENALTY PENALTY, give the penalty that extends so much punishment, mud, darkness, malice, elimination of right, elimination of wrong, elimination of existence, torture and sadism upon the body through digestion, denial denial denial by consensus of the colony that eliminates all honor, DIE, crimes of grudge, crimes of self-interest, unconscious crime, self-conscious crime, DIRTY DIRTY you are DIRTY—'

"I'm dirty?" Zefie scoffed to herself. "Excuse me, I'm not exactly the one trying to rape someone's mind, now am I? Someone isn't keeping things in perspective. Counterattack…LOVING BOOMERANG TACKLE: FINAL SMASH!"

The mental avatar of the Child of Dawn was immediately engulfed in a tornado of water, water that shaped itself into the form of the Spectrum Dragon and took flight with Zefie sitting atop it, wielding her projected Lancea Longini, shrieking towards Arael's mental barrier. For the connection of minds went both ways, and if one was powerful enough (say, if one was an Angel or a Goddess), one could contest the will of the invader.

'Let's see how you like being violated, Arael!' she called out mentally, challenging the Angel of Birds to its own devious little game. 'Yield to your fate!'

Alas, before the Child of Dawn could make contact and utterly shred the Angel's mind and soul as it had tried to do to her, the mental Avatar Space shattered, a physical Lancea Longini crashing into and destroying the Fifteenth Angel, obliterating it and hurtling onwards towards the moon.

"Target annihilated," a voice reported over the radio. "Unit-00 is free."

"And Lancea Longini?" questioned another, rather sharply at that.

"It surpassed escape velocity and is now moving into lunar orbit," one tech or another said. "There is currently no way to retrieve it."

"What about Rei?"

"We have confirmation that the pilot is alive," answered Lt. Hyuga. "Quarantine measures for contamination ready."

NERV Medical

The First Child had been placed back in her normal room, where she was once again hooked to a number of monitors to analyze her mental patterns. It seemed that her psychograph had returned to acceptable limits, and that there was no physical damage caused by the battle, though it was impossible to determine what exactly the Child had seen in her memories. That unknown disturbed most of the onlookers, who didn't know exactly how to take what had happened, but given that the First was usually more or less unflappable, they didn't question her about it.

As always, the room was sterile, cold and utilitarian, as rather fit the nature of the First—though not of the brown-haired boy standing by the bedside of the sleeping girl.

"I'm…I'm glad you're OK, Rei-chan," Shinji murmured, taking hold of the blue-haired girl's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, one that was returned, much to his surprise.

"Ikari-kun…" she whispered quietly.

"Rei-chan…you're awake…"

"…yes," the blue-haired girl answered in a faint but warm voice. "I was watching a dream…"

"A dream?" Shinji repeated searchingly, slightly puzzled. Could she be only half-awake after the mental strain of the last battle?

"Yes, normally, I do not dream, so it was a valuable experience," came the enigmatic reply, as the blue-haired girl smiled ever so slightly.

"That's…wonderful, especially after what you just went through," the Third Child allowed hesitantly. "Then please rest and be well…I'll go get Hikari, since I know she wants to see how you are too."

'My mission here is over…the battle may go on, but my role is in the other World, The World where I was born…' Zefie thought to herself, keeping this secret. 'To the last moment, I have fulfilled my duty in this world. A battle fought and now over, time then to place the sword back in the ground…'

She gives the Third Child one last glance filled with warmth, then sighs, strength fleeing from her form with the completion of her task.

"…I am sorry, Ikari-kun, be patient…my sleep this time will be…" Zefie murmurs drowsily, gradually closing her eyes as if going to rest once more, her face perfectly at peace. "…a long…"

And with that, the mind of the Child of Dawn returned to The World, as in another room, the Second awoke.