.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Forward Unto Dawn
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
A\N: To all of you who have taken the time to read ".hackEVA: Catharsis", thank you for sharing in this world, this tale that I have spun. It has been an interesting journey walking towards the End.
Δ Hidden Forbidden Radiation, Arche Koeln Waterfall
Sometime after the debacle of impact had passed, two figures stood across from one another upon a platform surrounded by water, in the place where power all to droplets turned, the famed Arche Kloen Waterfalls, the land of origin. It was a place of thought and quiet contemplation, where in legends, a young apprentice magician had given his life to summon the light of the gods back to a world plagued with shadow, the place to where power would return in the end, sealing away the end of land. And for now, things lay quiet, the white noise of water crashing upon rock drowning out the sound of breathing in this space outside of time.
"I thought I might find you here, Ovan," one of the figures intoned with a coolly musical voice. She was an enigmatic Shadow Warlock who had once been goddess of the dusk, who time had long passed by, one who had touched absolute power and lost it, but had come to terms with her loss. "It has been some time since we have spoken."
"Before the last wave of Siarl's power was broken," the other replied, a Steam Gunner, one dressed mostly in blue tones, with traces of leather scattered throughout his outfit, a long, flowing blue scarf, and a pair of orange sunglasses. "But unfortunately, not AIDA's."
"That much I can see…Tri-Edge," Morganna commented dryly, looking at the great metal cylinder binding the man's left arm. "Especially as Avatar Corbenik has three forms, of which only the first was defeated. It looks as if you have a ways to go before you may finally be free of your burden, guildmaster of the Twilight Brigade."
The man responded with a quiet 'harrumph' as he turned away from the sorceress in black to look out upon the waterfall.
"A guild created in the search for the Key of Twilight, the guide of the truth," Ovan said quietly, almost hopefully. "To avert Fidchell's prophecy, and bring salvation to the girl who sleeps."
"Be careful, Ovan, for you know as well as I that hope is merely the best spice to bring out despair," murmured the former goddess of dusk, reflecting on the last months. "But I will not begrudge you your chance at finding peace, not after what you have suffered, for in the end, you are the one who will walk the twilight path."
"Twilight, a curious state that may sometimes lead to darkness, and yet sometimes to dawn," the Epitaph User of Corbenik reflected, glancing over his shoulder at the Shadow Warlock behind him. "A state which many have sought over the ages of humanity, at great cost to self and world alike."
"The quest for liminality and the key to overturning everything," Morganna acknowledged. "An arduous one from which none might emerge unchanged, even if the opening action is as simple as not running away. It is a road upon which have walked many who have suffered loss, though not all triumph in the end."
"Triumph?" Ovan questioned, raising an eyebrow. "But what is it to triumph? Does that not vary for each person?"
"For some it is redemption, for some it is fulfillment of a long held goal," the Shadow Warlock allowed, "For some it is simply surviving, as your sister has thus far, restored to her chair in the cleansed Creator's Room, where she lies dreaming of The World and those within it, much like Aura, the goddess that you seek."
"Might you aid me in my quest, as a fellow penitent?" the Steam Gunner asked, turning around and holding out a Guild Key for the Twilight Brigade to the former goddess, who waved it off, shaking her head.
"I am afraid that I have no power to intervene in this world any longer," Morganna said at the last. "My time, the age of dusk, has now passed on, my avatar returned to the sea of data, and the Epitaph of Twilight to the sleeping one, who will find a use for it in time."
"Even so…"
"This is not the end, Ovan, merely the beginning," the once goddess of dusk stated clearly, an almost gentle expression on her face as she faded away in the morning light. "Besides, you must walk your own path, as your future lies at the ends of your will, and no other. User of Rebirth, a new day dawns…
Without another word, Morganna vanished, leaving the Steam Gunner alone with his thoughts.
"Hmm…what lies at the end of human will?"
Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground, Hulle Granz Cathedral
They stood quietly within the lost ground of Hulle Granz Cathedral, the place of destiny where many meetings and separations had come about, ruminating on the events of the past. Chaotic PK and newbie helper, they were those known as Unyielding Shadow and one-half of the (not so) Invincible Perverts, those who were mutual friends of a third youth in both worlds, one whose influence was most obvious in his absence.
"In some ways, it was hard to believe that he's really gone," Arano sighed, mind still awhirl with a tangled thistle of emotions and images. Though he was dressed in a fool's ensemble, with jester's cap, breeches, and other similar vestments, his face, unrepentantly grieving, belied his true feelings. "I mean, he was always the loud jock who needed holding back, and without him—"
"—it's lonely, isn't it?" Tomoyami finished for him, her voice not much more than a whisper. She had traded the flowing white dress she normally wore for a jet-black gown in the same style, which if anything made her look more like a vengeful wraith of destruction, especially with the long pigtails of lustrous black hair and the sigil of darkness on her face.
"Yeah…and when I think of what he must have gone through as an AIDA-PC…"
The little blond Arano trailed off, unable to continue in the face of the press of memories.
"Heh…you know, when you don't act like a major otaku, you're actually a pretty decent guy," the Chaotic PK commented wryly. "I guess that's why you and Aruna were the Invincible Pervert Duo, because between the two of you, you had the skills for at least one good player of The World."
"Yea—hey wait a minute, that's kind of cold, Class Rep," the diminutive Shadow Warlock complained, only to fall silent at the sight of a scythe's serrated edge about a centimeter in front of his face.
"What did I say about online and offline names? Hmm?" the Flick Reaper asked in a deceptively mellow tone. It was when her anger drew inwards that things would be messiest, since no one could predict how big the eventual explosion would be.
"I—I—uh, sorry, Tomoyami, I forgot about that for a moment," the little jester boy backpedaled, frantically praying that his 'friend' wasn't planning on PKing him on the spot.
'Not that that would be unexpected for an infamous Chaotic PK…they've even begun calling her the Shadow of Death, now, since those who have faced her in the fields have fallen one after another.'
To his surprise, he was not struck down as he had been so many other times in the name of "training", with the dread figure of Tomoyami of the Shadow withdrawing her scythe with a flicker of amusement.
"I will restrain myself just this once, because this is something of a holy place in The World," the Chaotic PK grudgingly allowed. "And of course, since we came here to think about times past and future. Speaking of which, what will you do in The World now that Aruna is gone? You can't exactly play as the sole 'Invincible Pervert', not as a Shadow Warlock, anyway…you're a little weak to physical attackers."
Considering that the duo referred to as the Invincible Perverts had always lived in the present, without making many plans for times to come, and that they relied on each other to a large degree…it was hard thinking about the uncertain future.
"I was actually thinking about joining TaN," the little newbie helper said hesitantly. As an avid gamer and information collector, the rapidly-growing trade and information based guild would fit him well, but…. "But I don't know, really…I have more of an independent streak, and anyway, it's pretty sudden to be thinking about that so soon after…"
He took a deep, shuddering breath, shaking his head as he closed his eyes.
"Why do you ask, anyway?" he inquired, wondering as to the notorious PK's motivations. In the past, when the two had worked together, it had been Tomoyami giving orders, and the Idiot Duo replying with cries of "Ma'am, yes ma'am!" to avoid dangerous levels of punishment.
'Even though I'm a mage in The World, it seems like I'm more of a familiar sometimes, a servant doing the Mistress' bidding…'
"Well, I have a proposition for you," the Flick Reaper said after a moment, confirming the Shadow Warlock's suspicions that she had an ulterior motive of a sort. "As of late, I've grown a little tired of being a Chaotic PK, since the rest of the people on the list are either…a little strange, or just annoying to be around. That and there's really no challenge in that sort of thing, especially after having fought against the threat of AIDA…"
"And having had some truly incredible battles in the Arena, as well, I imagine," conceded Arano, eyes narrowing fractionally in curiosity. "So does that mean you're leaving The World? Or that you're going to join Moon Tree?"
In response, Tomoyami simply rolled her eyes and snorted once.
"No to both of those possibilities," she said flatly, turning her face up towards the stained glass window in the cathedral. "While I do have an open invitation from Zelkova to join Moon Tree and become a Captain of one of the divisions, I'm not going to take him up on it, at least, not for now. I was actually thinking about becoming a professional victim."
"A professional victim…," Arano repeated, thinking through the unfamiliar term. "You mean you'll offer a reward for anyone who can defeat you?"
"Something like that," the Flick Reaper confirmed, a far off look in her eyes. "Most PKs want to boast about the victims they've taken out, right? Well, what better way to thin the population than to give them an incentive to tackle a target that's a little harder to defeat than most?"
"Sounds interesting, but I don't see what this has to do with me," the Shadow Warlock said archly, wondering just where Tomoyami was going with this. "I'm not a PK, just a newbie helper."
"Simply put, I want you to be my manager for the professional victim business," she said bluntly, one of the very few times she could be caught doing so.
Perhaps somewhat predictably, Arano's jaw dropped open in shock, hanging there for several long seconds before he closed it with an audible click.
"Me?"
"Yes, you," Tomoyami insisted, turning to fix the boy in place with her piercing gaze. "You're good at keeping track of small details when you want to be, and you're one of the few people I know who isn't a notorious PK or PKK. In that regard, you're reliable, and well, to be perfectly honest, you knew Aruna too, and how much he liked helping out newbies and how much he disliked PKs, in his rough way."
"So you're doing this in his memory then."
"I am…because I believe that no one is truly dead if we remember them and the ideals they lived for, if we the living carry on," the once PK said with a gentle smile. "Immortality through the legacy and memories we leave behind…that is the only kind permitted to us as people. Each of us has a time to be born and a time to die, it is what we make of the time we have in between that defines our nature."
"You were always the most mature out of all of us, Cl—Tomoyami," he corrected hastily, hoping his error hadn't been caught. "Fine, I accept."
No such luck, though, as expected from the dictator of Class 2-A. But this time, she let him off with only a death glare and a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I guess I can't go around killing my business partner, now can I?" she asked into the air. "Well, now that that's settled…let's head over to Hy Brasil. We wouldn't want to miss the ceremony, now would we?"
"Heh heh heh…wouldn't miss it for The World—"
"If you make one more bad pun, I'll make an exception to my last statement, understand?"
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!"
Apartment 402
It was strange how different life could be without an overarching purpose, how in the aftermath of the aborted Third Impact, Rei Ayanami had begun to realize just how hollow her existence had been. With her role as an Evangelion Pilot and as an instrument of Third Impact now over, she found that those bonds to humanity were no more—and with the loss of purpose, she had been almost ready to die. Almost.
The blue-haired girl had awakened on the shore of the azure sea, naked but surprisingly whole, with all that remained of Lilith's body scattered motes of light drifting off into the heavens like spiritual fireflies lazily spiraling out across the river of time.
'Was this Ikari-kun's will, that I should live on? Or was it…'
While all human minds had been linked together in Instrumentality, the First Child had also felt another set of minds voluntarily join the link, minds that at that instant had possessed power on par with the divine. With humanity having shed the physical vessels that kept one being apart from another, existing as pure consciousness during that period of time, the power of will was essentially a sword that could create the heavens and earth—and three vast consciousnesses had linked with that of humanity, subtly directing its flows of power.
'I thought I saw The World in Ikari-kun's mind, with Hakubo-san and Aranami-sensei there. And in their memories, I learned of their truths too…of their pasts, of their great power. Hakubo-san was known to say that The World was her bond to all people…after the failure of Instrumentality, after being bonded to AIDA for a time, I have come to understand what she meant. How curious that there was another like me…'
Staring out the window, the blue-haired girl considered the world she had been reborn into, with all the changes that had been wrought by the cataclysm that she had helped to instigate. The old men of SEELE was gone, along with most of NERV (and as such there were no more EVAs), the soul of Yui Ikari had left the confinement of the former EVA-01, and…perhaps most surprisingly of all, seasons had returned.
'The axis of earth was tilted back to its normal orientation, undoing the effect of Adam in dooming the world…a curious thing. Perhaps humanity is not fated to die, as Ikari-kun believed, and so as of late, I have returned to watching what face they show in The World, where few know who another truly is.'
After waking on the shore of the sea, she had promptly returned to her apartment and locked herself within to process the memories and thoughts in her mind, avoiding others by immersing herself in The World for time to think.
'And now Ikari-kun has sent me a very strange email…I will have to meet him and find out what it is he wishes of me…and whether or not he accepts me, now that he knows my essential truth.'
Tokyo-3 General Hospital
Bith the Black and Fili the White leaned against the wall outside the hospital room where Maya Ibuki lay sleeping, softly discussing what it was that the Queen of the Dark would have wanted them to do. Having been briefed by the Phantom Queen about the situation shortly after the failure of Third Impact, they knew of how the Mistress of Net Slum's mind had been lost in The World, and now wondered what to do, since she had in effect been their patron—even if they had not known her true identity until the very end.
"I never thought this day would come," reflected Bith the Black, the man formerly known as Lt. Makoto Hygua of NERV. "It is odd to think that the Queen of the Dark is now no more, after all that she has wrought."
"Indeed," affirmed Fili the White, who in life had once been known as Ryoji Kaji, mulling over the direction life had taken him. "And now the karmic debt we owe can never quite be repaid, can it? At least, it cannot be repaid to Maya as she was, only the person she will become."
Bith the Black, right hand to the Queen of the Dark, took a sip of the espresso he had obtained on his way to the hospital.
"In the end, it was an excellent cover, allowing her to execute her scenario," the hacker commented, adjusting his glasses ever so slightly. "This was aided slightly by the fact that she and I had never previously met in person, of course. She was a disarming individual, though canny and cunning through many layers of thought and deed, with a plan for almost every contingency."
"Oh?" the rogue agent asked, actually curious as to her fallback plans, considering that SEELE and NERV had never really considered that they might fail. "Did she have one for amnesia and loss of identity?"
Bith let out a small, brittle laugh.
"Yes, actually…at least to a certain extent," he answered, to Fili the White's surprise. "In the event that she lost the ability to be Helba due to extenuating circumstances, I was to take over her work, while she retires to a cover identity, at least for a time. With the recent events in The World, it seems that this plan must be carried out."
The quiet sound of footsteps down the floor drew the attention of both men, and then looked towards the source of the sound, both raising an eyebrow as they came face to face with Yui Ikari, who up until Third Impact had been the soul inside EVA-01.
"Greetings to you both," the soft-spoken brunette said unto them, giving the two men a pleasant smile. "Is Ms. Ibuki awake yet? I would like to speak to her, or at least to see the one behind legendary Queen of the Dark—who was like me in her desire to protect a world."
"Greetings to you as well," replied Bith the Black, raising his cup of coffee in a sort of salute. "You can go in to see her, but I'm afraid that the Maya Ibuki you may have seen in memory does not exist any longer. This particular patient goes by the name of Kyouko Kaga, and is suffering from amnesia after a car accident."
"I see I have my answer to which role was the mask and which was real," Yui Ikari said to no one in particular. "I will simply say this…that after all that she has done for the sake of both worlds, she deserves a measure of happiness, and a time to rest. In her own way, she is a mother who has lost a son…"
"So she was, and so she will be given," acknowledged Fili the White with a respectful nod. "Though I wonder what her life will be like with all this passed on."
"No doubt she will find The World once again," quipped Bith with a trace of a smile. "That is one thing that has always remained constant, no matter her identity."
"Then I will leave you two in peace, along with your Queen," Yui spoke quietly, bowing and vanishing down the hallway.
"It is almost time to wake her, but before that…"
"Yes, Sato?"
"Shall we go into business together?" asked the hacker who had once been Helba's assistant. "You do have experience in the field, and you could like a source of income, even as a 'dead man.'"
"Yes, I could, since I wish to tell Misato the words I couldn't say 8 years ago, as I promised," Ryoji Kaji voiced solemnly, a ghost of something passing over his face. "It is because of you and…Kaede that I have this chance. So yes, I agree."
"Welcome to my world then, Fili," responded Bith the Black. "Of course, you will need an alias…"
"How about Ichiro Sato?" Fili questioned archly, only for Bith to shoot the rogue agent a look.
"Already taken. Now let's wake up…our relative Kyouko for the first time."
Δ Hidden Forbidden Dead Wood, Dead World of Indieglut Lugh
Drip-drip-drip was the sound of water falling from the roof of the dark cavern into the vast underground lake that took up most of the interior. A place with stale air and a sense of almost overwhelming age, this was the entrance to the underworld in the lore of The World, with the Tree of Light sitting above the gate to where the God of Death was sealed.
Shadows lived at the edges of the grotto, and one could almost think that this was a place that knew nothing but gloom, especially as one set eyes upon the cold Blade Brandier sitting at the foot of the glowing tree, his tight fitting purple armor serving as sharp contrast to his long braided blue hair, and his cap, lavishly decorated with roses.
Still, there was a sort of strength about him, not like ice but diamond, sharp and biting, frozen forever as if the arctic winds themselves were his companions. For he was a solitary man, a being who had little interest in other players of The World, considering them only ugly dolls, much like the one who had defeated him long ago.
Or so it seemed, until a cat's quiet meow sounded beside him, and the swordsman looked down to see a small white cat looking up at him, a spot of shadow or two trailing in the air behind it.
"Mia…" he whispered, picking up the cat and holding it close to him. "Mia…"
Net Slum Tartarga
The new Master of Net Slum stood alone on the grand bridge in the center of his domain, golden eyes and blue-silver hair shining in the afternoon sun as he surveyed The World which was his home, and the city that was his to protect. It was somewhat strange to think that instead of a Queen, the paradise of hackers now had a King, that the person he had long admired as something of a mother had now passed on.
'Knowing that I was the heir to Net Slum gave Helba's final mission a sort of finality that weighs heavily on me…now the mantle of Chaos has passed to me, as I hold the key to this city in the sky, the place of sanctuary to those who are opposed by the system—as long as they truly love The World, and did not try to mar its beauty with actions born of greed and loathing.'
His part in the war against the AIDA-Angels had passed, and now, in the aftermath, the boy in white had been given the responsibility of rebuilding, of helping to shape The World through his actions, whether as guildmaster of Moon Tree, or as the master of the Slums.
"This world has changed from the world that I once knew," he murmured into the swirling winds, "and yet, it is still worth protecting, because this world is the land of the Goddess, the land of eternal Twilight."
To be certain, roles had changed, with the embodiment of Rumor now becoming the rock of The World, the anchor of a great tree of the moon that inspired others to reach for the stars. He still roamed freely, but—
"Weaver of legends, collector of rumors," spoke a voice from behind him, with the young boy turning slightly to see the figure of Morganna. "You have ever been a guide to those lost and who sought succor, and I know that in the times to come, you will help to lead this world to a new Golden Age."
"And yourself?" Zelkova asked quietly of the former goddess of dusk. "What will you do in this world as a shadowed one, Morganna?"
"I may yet choose to explore the world of the shadowed ones, Lord Zelkova," the sorceress in black said with a wan smile. "That is a world I have not yet seen too much of, though I will never be far from the land of Twilight under the moon. Like Plaird of the Seven Sisters, I have become a Shadowed one, and at last my wanderings in this world come largely to an end."
"To each our roles, to each our fates, to each the path we choose," the Flick Reaper acknowledged with a grim little smile. "May you find peace…"
"And may you find happiness, my friend," Morganna said, speaking her parting words to the ruler of the Net Slums. "You have my blessing, and that of Twilight Goddess."
A flurry of golden light, and the Phantom Queen vanished as if she had never been there in the first place.
Hy Brasil, the Isle of Kings
Azure rings of light shimmered into existence near the Chaos Gate of the Isle of Kings, fading away to reveal a pale figure clad in a midnight blue yukata, her crimson eyes glinting in the light of dusk from beneath a mop of azure hair. She looked around, surveying her surroundings to see the silver-haired form of the Child of Twilight Lycoris, golden eyes looking fondly into crimson.
"So you entrusted Skari with your fate," the silver-haired girl spoke without preamble. "Because you loved him…you who are like me, a being of Twilight, shaped from poignant memories."
"As did you, Lycoris," the blue-haired girl replied simply. "The twilight…the guide to the truth somewhere beyond the looking glass."
"Spider lilies line the path of past, as if to a hazy far off dream," Lycoris murmured, kindly smiling. "The twilight of both worlds has come and gone, giving way to dawn."
"Time, ever shifting is time, changing all around it," Skadi whispered, a part of her reflections that had not come to mind in a long time. "I saw through eyes of AIDA…sacrifice, a miracle, death and rebirth."
"I saw through eyes of Eve," the Child of Twilight said in turn, "Possibilities, glimmerings, warmth."
"Moonlight under twilit skies, a smile in the mind. Love."
"Who am I?" both asked the other. "What is human? A smile, a touch, warm hands? Beyond the looking glass…"
The whirr of a gate-in sounded, with Skadi turning sharply in the direction of the sound to find herself gazing into a set of crimson eyes, a set belonging to a certain Adept Rogue, whose frame and face resembled hers to the extreme, save for longer hair and the choice of charcoal-gray robes over dark chain mail instead of a yukata as attire.
It was their first meeting in a very long time, and the two stood very close now, nose to nose, both a little uncomfortable, gazing into each other's eyes as if caught in a trance, each an imperfect mirror of the other.
"Ikari-kun…" the blue haired girl asked in her usual tone of voice. "Why did you send me that email? You know of my truth, so how can you…"
"What I sent you wasn't just an email," Skari began, taking a deep breath. "It was—"
"You had better not say your heart, playboy-kun," the silver-haired girl said playfully, giving the Adept Rogue an impish grin, causing the boy to blush furiously. "Go on, my Ecchi-kun, I know how you feel…and she gave you her fate as well…"
She trailed off, letting the Dark Evangel speak once more.
"Rei-chan…I'm sorry it took so long to save you," he started again. "I do know the truth of Third Impact, but that doesn't change who you are…who I am, how I feel."
"…warmth," the blue-haired girl said suddenly, a hint of a smile on her face.
"Hm?" Skari asked.
"The sensation of warmth here when one thinks of another, when one feels the touch of another," Skadi spoke hesitantly, placing a hand onto Skari's chest. "Do you feel it, Ikari-kun?"
He blushed again at the sudden closeness, and finally found the words he sought.
"I'll make you happy…" the Adept Rogue murmured, and at his words the blue-haired girl looked down and flushed prettily as she reached down and took one of his hands.
Not about to lose out, the silver-haired girl took his other hand, and smiled.
"Come on," Lycoris said to both of her companions. "Everyone's waiting, waiting for us…"
They walked through the great double doors together, as their attire was shifted to formalwear, and outside the chimes of blessing rang loudly. Side by side, the three walked down the red carpet, not knowing what was to come in the future, only that whatever it was, it would be of their making.
And in the distance—
"WHY DOES HE GET ALL THE—WAHHHHHHHHH."
Splat!
—was the sound of a jester-like Shadow Warlock being shoved off the ramparts of the Isle of Kings by an irate ex-PK, making an exception to her normal rule.
Δ Server, Eternal City Mac Anu
The city of Mac Anu was a place of many memories for Morganna, as it would have been for any who had known The World as long as she. With a wistful look upon her face, the former goddess of dusk made her way along the river, taking in the cobbles and stones of the Eternal City as if imprinting it into her eyes for the last time.
'Surely I will return one day, shunning the field broken by Wave,' she thought to herself, as her footsteps carried her to the building where the Chaos Gate was housed.
Without hesitation, she entered, and was just about to log out, when a new player logged into The World for the first time, a teenage boy with red eyes and shaggy gray hair, wearing a black leather outfit that exposed a midriff and shoulders decorated with wave tattoos.
'Ah, so you have returned to this world…Terror of Death...Haseo...'
Giving the boy a look filled with a tangle of emotions, the Shadow Warlock tilted her head and smiled, leaving him with four words she found…appropriate, as she vanished at last into the world of shadowed ones.
"Welcome…to The World."