Chapter 3: Imminent danger.
9:45 am
Nina had just arrived in front of the tomb of Euphemia, once remembered by most as the princess of the massacre, killed 13 years earlier by Zero / Lelouch. She was holding a bunch of roses and had a sad expression on her face. She placed the flowers in front of the headstone and said:
"How are you, princess?"
Obviously there was no answer.
"I know we have not seen each other for long, but the work keeps me busy. Your sister, Cornelia, is not very kind to those who beat the sluggish, especially in this period of instability. "
She snorted, disconsolate.
Damn ... I feel ridiculous talking alone!
She looked around.
If someone were to see me it would definitely take me crazy.
When she was assured that no one was watching her, she returned to focus on the tomb of Euphemia, her goddess, the girl who had saved her life at the risk of her when they were taken hostage by the Liberation Front of Japan. She who had bewitched her heart, making her fall madly in love with her. When she learned of her death by the hand of Zero, she was literally crazy: she had tried to blow himself up with a large charge of liquid sakuradite aboard a KF, failing because of the malfunctioning command. Recruited by Schneizel, she created for him the FLEIJA, a bomb with an apocalyptic destructive power that had destroyed Tokyo, totaling 40 million deaths. Horrified by the massacre caused by her invention, and hunted by various governments willing to adopt the FLEIJA, she had taken refuge in the Ashford Institute, where she remained until Lelouch had hired her in his service. After the war she had left Japan, moving first to New York and then to the rebuilt Pendragon, where she had become the emperor's lover (one of many), though not entering his harem; later she had put it in charge of the imperial space program. After the coup of 2027 Cornelia, the new empress, had confirmed her as the director of the space agency. However, the space program was actually blocked, partly due to the internal problems of the empire and partly due to the destruction of the moon base Eowyn (the fact that every communication had been interrupted for three years led to thinking of the worst). So her real job, currently, was to turn her thumbs.
"Nina!" A male voice called her.
The girl turned around, looking at Rivalz, who was staring at her in surprise.
"Rivalz ..."
"Did you come to see Euphemia?"
"I come here once a week, if work permits."
"I was visiting Shirley."
"Do you do it often?"
"Every November 2nd."
"And the others?"
"Which others? Lelouch, Suzaku, Gino and Aya are dead, Rolo has been missing for years (and I doubt we'll see him again), Milly is busy with work ... The student council is gone. I'm the only one who goes here. "
Nina looked down, without replying. Officially, Lelouch died of an incurable disease in 2028. His funeral was held privately, that is to say only Cornelia, CC and a few others had participated. Apart from her only the coup leaders knew that Lelouch was still alive (though petrified) and locked up in the garage of the imperial palace, while in his tomb (not honored by anyone) there was an empty coffin.
"I see."
She said, adjusting her glasses.
"You look nervous."
"No not at all. It only makes me sad to know that many of our friends are dead. "
He shook the head, as if to drive away a harassing thought.
"I prefer not to think about it, especially after 12 years. It's okay to keep their memory alive, but basking in memories of the past only makes you feel bad." He said, his eyes shining.
"Rivalz ..."
The boy looked down.
"I do not want to live in the past!"
Now he had begun to tremble slightly. Nina felt guilty. With her words she had remembered memories related to a period of his life now closed, a period of serenity and carefree, brutally interrupted by the tragic events of 2017/18.
It is painful to lose one's friends one after another, and to see the girl whom you love forced into the arms of another. Yes, I can understand what he feels.
"Listen, Rivalz ..."
"What's up?"
"How about having lunch at my house for today?"
"In your house?"
"Yes ... If you agree."
Rivalz thought about it, then said:
"All right ... Also because Milly will be late for work today."
"Then we go."
The two boys walked.
10:00 am
Tony, Leila, Kyoko and Ajatar had just arrived at the gates of the imperial palace. Without hesitating, the blonde rang the intercom.
"Yes?" Sayoko's voice asked.
"I am Leila, I must speak to the empress immediately."
"Wait."
After a few minutes the gates opened and the quartet entered.
At the same instant, Cornelia was arguing with Loyd and Cecile in the throne room.
"How would it be to say disappearance?" Asked, incredulous.
"Communications broke down three days ago, and it was not possible to restore them." The scientist explained.
Damn ... All shipments sent to the Moon in the last three years have disappeared. And yet I can not understand what is behind these disappearances.
"And you inform me only now?"
"We thought it was a temporary problem, like a failure or something. We were wrong."Cecile admitted, embarrassed.
"This oversight is almost unforgivable ..."
"Excuse us, majesty, but we wanted to be sure before confirming the disappearance."
Cornelia snorted and ran a hand over her face.
"Something strange is happening up there, and not knowing what's bothering me!" She exclaimed, furious.
"Majesty…"
"What's up, Sayoko? I'm engaged!"
"Forgive the intrusion, but Prime Minister Leila Breisgau and some of her friends would like to talk to you."
"Tell them to wait!"
"She says it's urgent."
"Okay ... Get her in!"
The maid stepped aside, letting four people enter; Cornelia recognized them all but one.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"My name is Ajatar, and I come from Scandinavia. I'm here to warn you of a serious danger, "the girl replied.
"What danger?"
"Gerel, the creator of the geass, is back. And I'm afraid she's going to finish the work that was interrupted two millennia ago. "
"Ok, let's go in order ... Tell me everything from the beginning."
"I do not have much time."
"Do it anyway."
"Gerel is a goddess come from the stars; she arrived in a wheel of fire, landing near my home village. Everyone was scared ... Everyone but me. without hesitating, I headed for the spot where she had landed, and it was then that I met her: she had long black hair, red skin, black eyes. After the initial loss, I asked her who she was, where she came from and what she wanted. She smiled at me, and told me to call herself Gerel, sovereign of the Rathúnas empire, and reassured me that she had benevolent intentions. "
"What intentions?"
"Giving me the code, immortality and eternal youth, and the geass. In return she wanted me to worship her as my goddess. "
"And you accepted?"
"We do not say no to a deity."
"Go on."
"I succeeded in convincing my villagers, after a long work of persuasion, and I was named first great priestess of the cult of the geass."
In hearing that statement Cornelia was not a little surprised.
The cult of geass ... The same against which I fought 12 years ago!
She think.
"She stayed with us for some moon, then left, entrusting me with the task of conferring the power of geass to anyone I thought worthy. From time to time she lived again, to see the use we were making of geass, a power used only by cult members. One day, satisfied with my work and my loyalty, she elevated me to the rank of demigoddess, endowing me with some powers. It was on that occasion that I became a sort of living idol for the village, while I entrusted the role of high priestess to my elder sister Akka. To make sure that the cult was not extinguished, we recruited new adepts from neighboring villages; these, in turn, recruited new followers among their neighbors. Thanks to this system the cult spread more and more, reaching lands unknown to us. The centuries passed, the millennia ... The cult extended to a large part of Eurasia, and in North Africa. It also included some famous people, such as Eowyn, Alexander the Great, Qin Shi Huangdi (who aspired to obtain the Code) and so on. Then one day ... "She paused, as if she found it unpleasant to recall those memories.
"Come on, go on!" Leila spurred her.
"Gerel is introduced to me while I was in Dacia to check the local seat of the Ministry. She was furious. She said that the humans were guilty of an unforgivable crime, and that she intended to punish them severely. She warned me that soon her armies would come to conquer the world and annihilate mankind, only the members of the cult would be spared. "
"But this did not happen."
"No ... She left for the sky, swearing she would be back. Then ... Then I did not see her again. But I have recently felt her presence, and I fear she wants to take revenge for the wrong right away. "
"All this for something that happened two millennia ago? It's really rancorous! "Tony commented.
"More than you think." Ajatar confirmed.
"Did you come to tell me this?"
"Yes."
"Assuming that the story is true, where is Gerel?"
"I have no idea ... Surely in a place where I can not spot it."
"And how can the Earth invade alone?"
"I already said that, she has an army."
"But it's been two thousand years, no? The fact that in all this time has not invaded us means only one thing: that has abandoned its intentions of revenge and that has long since died. Furthermore, according to information received from the OSI and Nina, the Rathúnas empire has long since fallen. We only found ruins on the Moon and on Mars. Ergo, that civilization no longer exists and there is no danger. "
"I tell you that it is still alive, I perceive its presence!"
"Well, I do not believe it!"
"Yet you should ... Your sister Euphemia was a victim of the geass, did you forget it?"
Everyone turned to the entrance, noting CC in the company of Edward.
"One thing is the geass, another is to believe in an extraterrestrial divinity thirsty for revenge, which as far as I know could exist only in the mind of this mad girl."
"Who would you be?" Ajatar asked.
"My name is CC, former high priestess of the now dissolved cult of the geass."
"But yes ... Now I remember ... You took part in its destruction."
"I was running Lelouch's orders ..."
"What time is reduced to a stone statue. I know."
"Listen, you two ... This place is already quite crowded, if you want to discuss, get it out of here!" She told them the empress.