An AU that follows along the line of the canon roughly and certain aspects of the movie continuity.

2038 ATB

New Pendragon, Principality of Britannia

It all began few months ago at Japan, though he'd argue it all began several years ago when the Kozuki-Stadtfeld home in Australia was bombed. And the subsequent relief and elation that followed for many throughout the world at the death of the Demon Emperor's spawn when their burnt remains were discovered. Lelouch Vi Britannia's final taint upon the world was finally wiped out.

Conveniently ignoring Kallen and Naho Kozuki-Stadtfeld were murdered alongside with them but that was quietly ignored… And how it resulted in many Black Knights officers and enlisted resigning in disgust.

Nunnally isolated herself for few weeks barely eating or drinking anything. Haunted by the wrongful deaths of her nephew and sister-in-law and her inability to protect them. The strain of having to put up a mask of seemly in approval of her nephew's death was too much for her.

As Zero the only thing he could do was disapprove of the measure but nobody listened to him. They were hypocritically patting themselves on their back and glad that the demon's spawns wouldn't be a threat. And all he could do was be silent and guide the world to peace while asking for forgiveness for those dwelling in C's World.

The following several years after the tragedy was relatively 'peaceful' other than dealing with several insurgencies in Britannia, the crisis with Zilkhstan, the global economic depression, terrorism, and so many others that made him wonder if Zero Requiem was going to work.

That was when the first death appeared in Japan, when Shinichiro Tamaki died within his Café Zero, his burnt body pinned to the ground by various knives and sharp tools. Autopsy revealing he was alive when his body was set ablaze, and the investigation revealing nothing as the cameras around the area of his death showing nothing and no footprints or DNA traces of the suspect found. Other than a message written outside of his bistro written in Tamaki's blood, one that sent shivers down his spine.

Traitors and sinners beware his majesty will enact his judgement upon the world.

While most assumed it was done by some former Imperial Guardsmen of Lelouch, Suzaku felt otherwise and more so when he was informed by Jeremiah none of the surviving members were in Japan.

He and others thought this was an abnormal murder that happed, nothing particular that would indicate a conspiracy to undermine the Black Knights or the UFN.

Then the deaths of Sugiyama Kento and Minami Yoshitaka happened: The former found on the streets reduced to a traumatic, broken wreck spluttering all kinds of nonsense and words before dying of shock, his last words being "They're everywhere!". While the latter's corpse was found in his office by his family apparently melted and crushed from the inside…

Eventually there was a growing concern that the killings were linked even with lack of evidence or how the killer got to them, especially Minami's death within the Black Knight HQ in Hawaii. There was no lead, no message, no traces of the killer, nothing but the result of his or her action.

Tohdoh's death came next with him with his being brutal and graphic than the previous deaths. His son came home to find his vivisected body with his intestine strangled around his neck and his blade stabbed through his mouth, his face froze in eternal horror and pain. Nagisa Chiba's body was found the next day at a sewage facility where her fingers, toes, and limbs were twisted at un unnatural angle, as well as her body bloated with sewage water and toxic chemicals.

The media and the citizens were crying out at the lack of any progress from the Black Knights on the mysterious killings. The people were questioning the Black Knight's competency if they couldn't protect their founding members from the mysterious murder as well as Zero's newfound impotency in this supposed era of peace. While many thought it to be done by the Britannian members of the Black Knights who harbored loyalty to Emperor Charles or Lelouch; some quietly believed it was the ghost of the demon emperor haunting the world. For Zero he knew the sign of Geass when he saw one.

He had the Prime Minister of Japan and his family to a secure site to prevent any Geass user from getting to them, as well as Schneizel, Cornelia, and Nunnally. After that he contacted Jeremiah if he knew where C.C was at so he could request her aid on identifying this possible geass user. About a week later he found himself face-to-face with C.C at the abandoned Kururugi shrine, nearly two decades since they last saw one another.

"C.C, it's been a long time." Suzaku started off as his modulated voice concealed his actual voice.

The green-haired witch scoffed. "Cut to the chase Suzaku Kururugi. I don't have all day here in Japan." Was it him or did C.C looked a bit tensed for some reason and tired?

Ignoring the green-haired code bear's casually revealing his identity. "I need your assistance with the possible geass user behind the killing, no matter what we do he or she seems to bypass secur–."

"It's not a geass user." C.C abruptly interrupted him.

"Then who or what is behind the killing then!?" He demanded.

He then felt the wind around them suddenly stop, the rustling trees suddenly stopping as things became too quiet. Too quiet for his comfort level. The leaves blew around them as the new Zero felt a slight chill around his body, as if someone was breathing around him.

"You should leave Zero, I believe we overstayed our welcome." She said with a tiny sense of urgency, subtly glancing around as if expecting an ambush. She then turned around and Suzaku wanted to stop her, but his live command entered preventing him from doing so.

"And to answer your question Suzaku. You can't stop them, you can't. I tried and they killed me multiple times." C.C answered with her back facing him, and Suzaku swore he saw what appeared to be a tear drop landing on the earth. "If I were you, I'd prepare yourself for the grim reaper to come."

That was the final time he ever saw her again.

And the forest become alive again and the chilling sensation disappearing. He let out a breath he never knew he was holding in.

Cornelia was the next victim alongside her husband and knight. The infamous Witch of Britannia as retold by witness suddenly screaming hysterically begging for them to stop and pleading for mercy. She tore apart the manor as if trying to escape from an invisible enemy, swinging her gunblade around as if her entire life depended on it. Later resulting in Cornelia wailing around as if possessed before ripping her face apart with her bare hands.

Guliford was next after seeing in horror of his princess and wife dying before him the witnesses answered him. His body started to move towards the fireplace with him reacting in terror, acting as if his body was moving against his will before he threw himself into the fire. Their children could only react in horror helpless to do anything to save their parents. When he questioned them, they only hesitantly replied in a haunted fashion – as if something was going to kill them for speaking out.

"Their eyes…"

It was after this that Suzaku felt like something was following him everywhere no matter where he was. Even sleep seemed to slowly evade him after that event.

"I heard brother Schneizel died today." Nunnally spoke out.

"He was killed by a rogue soldier who was part of Neo-Britannia." Suzaku replied taking of his helmet, sitting opposite to Nunnally. "Things are chaotic with Schneizel dead considering he was the leader of the Principality."

"The truth Suzaku." The honorary adviser of the World Humanitarian Agency asked flatly.

"A Sutherland II stepped on him suddenly while a Vincent Ward crushed Kanon before gunning down most of the officials nearby. The knightmares suddenly stopped what they were doing as if they were turned off, which allowed us to forcibly open their cockpit open, only to see there was nobody in them." Suzaku started off with a confused sigh. "No keys inside the access port or the system even accessed, with remote operation being impossible. It's been covered up, but everybody is panicking at the possibility of an enemy hacking KMFs remotely without access."

"What do you think?"

"The sins of our past and Zero Requiem coming to destroy us." Suzaku said with a sense of despair. Looking outside of the window to see two pair of purple eyes of the two innocent lives he failed to protect.

The illusions or not smiled at him, disappearing away when he blinked.

Then Viletta Ohgi was next.

When he and several UFN officials were visiting the Ohgi at a secure location. Viletta Ohgi was suddenly taken up in the air as if someone invisible was holding her up, who could only scream in sheer terror and agony as her mouth was forcibly pried open wide, flailing her limbs around. Kanama Ohgi and others tried to pull her down, but some invisible force pushed them away or reduced them to sobbing wrecks. The former Purist woman's scream only grew higher and more terrifying as something unseen to their eyes slowly and brutally dragged her organs out…

It was the most horrifying scene he ever witnessed, and the worst was the knowledge that there was nothing he could do to help them, and that the former Prime Minister of Japan was next.

Soon enough Kaname Ohgi find himself pinned to the ceiling when he felt his very skins rip itself off as he was skinned alive. His blood curling scream was something Suzaku could forget nor the sight of him brutally skinned alive, and how long his life was forced to be prolonged to suffer more.

"Nunnally!" Suzaku shouted in fear barged into her chamber. The fighting within the city was getting closer to the palace.

How did everything turn this catastrophic? How did the Darwinists managed to get immense amount of support so quick? Why did the UFN collapse and descend into brutal civil war with one another when there was peace between all? Were the mysterious killings and similar events responsible for all of this?

He froze when he saw her beautiful body lying on her bed asleep with a serene expression. And he wasn't the only ones visiting her. They took the form of a pair of 10-year-old children: One appearing like a male version of the Ace of the Black Knight and the other the visage of the 99th Emperor of Britannia.

They were dressed in simple tank tops and shorts fitting for the Australian climate. Yet looking at them he felt a freezing shiver go down his spine seeing the deceased children in front of them, no longer human but something more unnatural and horrifying. One which has yet to found peace in death and bound down to enact its own twisted sense of justice they had done in the past month.

They smiled back at him, a simple innocent-looking smile that promised so much pain behind it. Suzaku found himself frozen, whether out of his own body or their doing, not even his live command going haywire could force him to move.

Betrayer… He felt the words rather than hearing them. It felt cold upon his skin, a feeling like that of his skin blistering, and their voices twisted with many emotions and beyond human.

Suzaku wasn't sure but seeing and being around their presence made him wonder the last moments of the Black Knight victims of the twin ghost's rampage. The terror in them in seeing the spirits of the sons of Lelouch Vi Britannia, the one who they decried as their betrayer and manipulator, whose sons were condemned as outcasts and later unjustly killed for the parentage they couldn't control. Did they have regrets of betraying Lelouch or failing to save Kallen's family when they left them to fend for themselves? The realization of their biggest mistakes coming to haunt them in the form of the vengeful spirits of two children seeking to tear down the world that brought them much suffering. Regrets and what ifs that only existed in their imagination at their last moments before their terrible demise?

For the Imperial family members, was it their own sins inflicted upon each other and the world? Failure to stand against their father when their own siblings was thrown to the pits of damnation without a care? Finding it easier to place blame on those they deemed inferior rather than facing the uncomfortable truth within themselves or their empire? The decades of evading their sins they committed with little remorse which was hidden and half-remembered under the guise of supposed 'heroism' against the former 99th Emperor of Britannia.

Finally, his own sins all starting from his guilt of killing his father to save his country and to save Lelouch and Nunnally's life. He wondered all this time why never told them the truth of why he killed his father, especially to Lelouch who thought he murdered Genbu Kururugi save Japan? Had he told the truth to Lelouch would things turn out for the better between the two of them and Euphemia still alive? Suzaku had no idea other than pondering the what ifs he could amuse himself in his mind, choices too late to go back on. How his wish for death and misguided question for redemption gave way to a road that only damn him further and everybody else around him. And looking at the twins before him he was sure his coming death would not bring him to Euphemia if the ghosts had a say in it.

Why are you alive?

Suzaku felt the words touch him again as the air around him began to chill, while the twins' smile and eyes became even colder and of deep contempt. Suzaku couldn't find himself speak out to answer their question.

Why did our family die for our father's foolishness?

Their face began to snarl ever so slightly as Suzaku saw their 'flesh' turn paler than ever.

"So you know of the Zero Requiem… Is this why you're doing this?" He questioned trying to muster some trace of courage.

Justice for us, justice for our family, and justice against those who unlawfully lived…

Scathing voice of the twins was followed up by their face changing as half of their turned into a state of decomposition as Suzaku's terrified eyes. Half of their faces turning into rotten brown flesh and exposed muscles and bones reflecting their spiritual state.

Death to the sinners and traitors!

Death to this wretched world!

The ghosts all but screamed at him their voices suddenly zig-zagging in pitch, tone, and loudness as Suzaku was more afraid than ever. Their faces becoming even more twisted and inhuman as did their chilling smile.

But you will live for now for we aren't here for you yet…

Suzaku realized what they were going to do as he saw them twist their head 180 degree towards a sleeping Nunnally.

"Wait, please don't kill your aunt, she's innocent!" He begged them. "I'm the one who's at fault!" He threw out his helmet fell upon his knees holding his hands together in utter desperation.

Why should we spare the guilty?

Their smile became inhumanely larger and twisted, full of dark range and spite, visage more of a demon from the deepest abyss of hell. Large daggers formed into shape in their hand before floating on top of Nunnally in a blink of an eye. Suzaku's world slowed down by the nanoseconds as the daggers was slowly brought upon her throat.

The horrified scream that came out of his throat was the only thing Suzaku could hear as another piece of himself died that very day. And it was the first of many things to come.