Hyperdimension Neptunia - Across the Multiverse
A HyperDimension Neptunia Fanfiction by Dumbrarere1
Chapter 17 - The Ragnarök Connection
A portal opened up in a decently-sized library, mere meters off the ground, and the group fell out and to the ground with a thud.
"Well… that was better than the last time…" Andrew said as he got to his feet.
"Going through an interdimensional gateway is a… unique experience, to say the least…" Scourge said.
"We'll get used to it…" Asmund said, checking to make sure he had all of his equipment, and that it wasn't damaged in transit. Satisfied, he looked to Kira.
"Don't look at me. As much as I'd like to go through those gateways, I don't want to be the one being asked to open them." Kira said, half joking, before taking a good look at her surroundings.. "This library seems massive… about as big as the Jedi Archives on Tython." she remarked in complete awe. That's when Asmund turned at the sound of voices.
"Do you hear that?" he asked, looking in the direction of the voices.
"That's true. I've lied every step of the way, and not just about my name and past. I've lied about my true intentions, too." a voice said. Asmund couldn't tell if the voice was an inhabitant of the dimension, or a Sith trying to spread his influence. The group approached to see two men, one who looked to be in his sixties, and another who was around seventeen or eighteen. These people were Lelouch vi Britannia and his father, Charles zi Britannia. Rather than interfere in their conversation, they stayed back and let it continue. "But that's pragmatism, isn't it? People need to play along with each other. We melt into our place." Lelouch declared. Asriel and Neptune looked at each other, unsure of what they were hearing, while Scourge was more or less amused.
"If they didn't, the nations and people - these things called "communities" - wouldn't exist. EVERYONE uses lies… on family... on friends... on themselves... in society. And everyone wears a different face. But, is that a sin?" Lelouch said, bordering on the philosophical. "What is one's true face? Even you wear a mask: that of an emperor. None of us can make a move, now, without our respective personas." he concluded.
"You are wrong." Charles countered.
"Hmph." Lelouch hummed, discontent with the man's answer. Charles pulled out a book and began to read as he spoke.
"When we realize that lies have no meaning in the endless flow of eternity, those personas will vanish. When we understand each other, conflict will disappear." he said, glancing towards the newcomers from the book he was reading.
"That all sounds like metaphysical nonsense to me…" Lelouch said.
"It will soon be reality… You see, this is my Ragnarok Connection." Charles declared. "Soon, these masks known as "deceit" will be discarded by the world, revealing the truth." he continued, addressing both Lelouch and the newcomers. Asmund and Kira felt the ever persistent darkness radiating from the man with his words, and knew that he meant trouble. That was when the facade of a library was stripped away, revealing something slightly sinister about the world they were in.
"Interesting… Please, go on." Scourge said, trying to get as much information as he could about it. Charles went on to explain the Ragnarok Connection, what it was, and what it meant. Andrew began to realize, as the older man talked, that this Ragnarok Connection is what will destroy this dimension. That was when Lelouch was stunned to see his long dead mother, Marianne vi Britannia, appear before him.
"It… It can't be!" he exclaimed, looking upon the figure of his mother.
"My, Lelouch! How much you've grown!" Marianne said.
"Mo-... Mother?!" Lelouch asked, still in his stunned state. He was unsure if he was seeing a vision, or if she was real.
"Marianne. I see you've come." Charles said. Asmund was shocked to realize that the older man and woman were Lelouch's parents.
"Is this an illusion?! You'd do this?!" Lelouch asked, demanding an answer. He looked to the newcomers, unsure if they were an illusion as well.
"No. It really is me, Lelouch." Marianne declared with a smile. "However, I can only take on my original appearance within this system." she continued.
"It… really is...?" Lelouch asked.
"You're his mother… Earlier in the conversation with Lelouch and his father, it was said that you were murdered. What happened?" Andrew said, trying to make sense of what was going on.
"Half a century ago, my elder brother and I existed in a hell on earth. Our family was just rivals competing for the throne. Assassinations occurred with regularity. Daily betrayals spawned by lies. Killing each other off." Charles said, explaining everything.
"That's horrible… for an entire family to be at war with itself…" Kira gasped.
"Where we come from, such injustices rarely go unpunished." Asmund said.
"My own mother fell victim to it. My brother and I were sickened and angered by the world. We therefore both swore an oath: to create a world without lies." Charles proclaimed.
"Both C2 and I agreed to this as well. V2, however…" Marianne began. She went on to explain her assassination, down to every last detail. "...Anya Alstreim. The young girl who arrived earlier to be schooled in etiquette…" she said. "My Geass power was to cross over into another person's mind." she added.
"Like how the Force could be used to forcefully enter a person's mind in search of memories and information by Sith Lords…" Scourge mused.
"The power that had been dormant for so long had activated as I was dying… I hid myself inside Anya to save myself from being killed by V2, and then I realized… realized that when my consciousness surfaced, I could communicate mind to mind with C2. When she discovered the truth, C2 left the directorship to V2 and then disappeared." Marianne said. Asriel and Kira both began to wonder if Charles and Marianne knew the truth about them, as they hadn't once questioned their appearance, the things that they have said, or their presence in general.
"I spoke with my brother about it. However… MY BROTHER LIED TO ME! AFTER WE HAD SWORN TO CREATE A WORLD WITHOUT DECEIT!" Charles exclaimed in a fit of anger.
"HOW DARE YOU! Don't try to pass on blame for everything on the dead!" Lelouch shouted. "Nunnally and I… You sent us to Japan as hostages!" he continued, showing the truth of what happened.
"IT WAS NECESSARY!" Charles boomed.
"How is sending someone to a foreign land as a hostage necessary?!" Asmund asked, knowing the truth of the man before him.
"If you have someone you don't want to lose, you should keep them at a distance." Charles said, angering Lelouch. Kira had to bite her tongue to keep herself from lashing out at him in anger. "That's right. I sent you and your sister to Japan to escape my brother's sight. That's also why I had Marianne's body secretly taken away." Charles continued.
"As long as my body still exists, there's the possibility that I'll be able to return to it." Marianne said.
"How do you keep your own son alive in a world without deceit by breaking your own rules and spreading more lies?" Andrew asked, displeased with what he has heard.
"As a CPU, you know full well the lengths you must go through to keep your world safe." Charles said, startling everyone there.
"How did you know about us?" Neptune asked.
"Kurome came to me in my dreams, telling me about you people… how the CPUs trekked through the Multiverse, learning the value of mercy, and saving the lives of those too weak to protect themselves… She told me of how the Jedi Knights saved their galaxy. You accepted the risks involved in interfering with the affairs of other dimensions to save your friends' lives, learning of the True Goddess's eventual resurrection in the process." Charles said, explaining how he and Marianne came to know the CPUs and Jedi. "You did what was necessary, for the sake of Gamindustri." he concluded.
"And what does this have to do with me and Nunnally?!" Lelouch demanded.
"Anya and Nunnally became witnesses. Therefore, it was necessary to rewrite their memories to protect everything." Charles said, stating a false sense of protection to his heir.
"Nunnally…? You mean her blindness isn't psychosomatic, after all?" Lelouch asked with a mix of astonishment and anger.
"Even though she was the false witness, there remained a very real danger she would be killed." Marianne said.
"To ensure Nunnally's safety, proof was needed that would lead far away from the truth." Charles said, adding onto Marianne's words.
"Keeping secrets is one thing… outright deceit is another. The ends don't always justify the means." Asmund said. Charles and Marianne then began to discuss the concept of, and research into, immortality, as well as how it fits in with their plans.
"The original plan came for only one immortal code. However, for research to progress, we had to have an additional code. In other words, without C2, we didn't have a one hundred percent guarantee that it would succeed." Marianne said.
"When Marianne was unable to persuade C2 to help us, we were left with no choice. We were forced to use you, Lelouch." Charles admitted, albeit proudly.
"How you can say that with pride is beyond me. Only a Sith Lord would deal in such absolutes." Scourge said in a very Jedi-like manner, to the bewilderment of his Jedi companions.
"Then… what was the point of me doing this?!" Lelouch demanded, looking for an answer.
"These tragedies will no longer be necessary once the Ragnarok Connection is established. Kurome has shown us the way." Charles said.
"Masks will vanish. Then everyone can be exactly who they're supposed to be." Marianne said.
"But at what cost? You're meddling in things that will only serve to destroy this dimension. You're falling for Kurome's own lies." Andrew warned.
"I see… all that fighting and bloodshed between Britannia and the Black Knights… was just to lure out C2… to destroy our world..." Lelouch said, realizing he was used. "Well then… It seems that, from the very beginning, I was merely a nuisance… Just a ruckus in the world..." he continued, sounding defeated. He then laughed, turning around to see C2 and another young man, Suzaku Kururugi.
"Did you already know that I was going to come here, Lelouch?" C2 asked.
"And that you regained your memories, too." Lelouch said, staring into her eyes with a sort of empty glare. "It was necessary for this plan, wasn't it?" he asked.
"Precisely. Therefore, I cannot find any sense in your coming here as well, Kururugi." Charles said.
"I'm sure you can't. I heard you were already immortal." Suzaku said. "That's why there's something I want to know for certain: Why did you make this thing? For what reason?" he asked.
"Why? Because it's what Nunnally and Euphemia both desired." Charles said. "They wanted a gentle world." he continued.
"Now I see... it's obvious…" Lelouch said.
"Is this what you really believe? Or a lie you tell yourself to justify your actions?" Kira asked, shooting a stern look at Charles.
"The time is here. C2, since we are all assembled, the plan can commence now." Charles declared, ignoring Kira's question.
"Not if we stop you, first!" Andrew said, summoning his sword.
"I will grant your wish after everything has been completed." Charles declared, raising his hand, to reveal the Geass symbol, which glowed a violent crimson. A similar symbol appeared on C.C.'s forehead. That's when the entire sky in the world they were in, and what remained of the twisted facade of a building, shattered. This revealed the world they were in to be something much more sinister: A localized pocket dimension called the Sword of Akasha, which rested within the heart of Lelouch's world.
"Stop this! You don't know what you're doing!" Asriel yelled, warning Charles against his actions.
"Behold… It's begun!" Marianne said with praise. Suzaku looked directly at the Ragnarok Connection, and noticed a Sharicite Fragment in the middle.
"That crystal… There, in the Connection!" Suzaku exclaimed, pointing to the Fragment.
"They're using a Sharicite Fragment as a catalyst!" Andrew said, realizing what was happening.
"The Sword of Akasha is slaying God!" Marianne declared with joy.
"Now, once our marks of Geass become one… the old world will cease and the new one will spring forth!" Charles declared, approaching C.C. Asmund drew his lightsaber, staring at Charles with the resolve to stop this madness.
"Lelouch… What was your motivation for wanting to control the world?" Suzaku asked.
"Don't waste my time, Suzaku. You know it was Nunnally." Lelouch said.
"Or is that using her as an excuse?" Suzaku countered.
"Yes, you're right… I am. I have fought to protect everything I thought I wanted to protect." Lelouch said, admitting the full truth of his apparent conquest.
"If you're going to achieve that end, you're going to need to take action." Scourge said. "Your parents' actions are very much akin to that of the Sith Emperor we defeated in the galaxy… The ends and means may be different, but the results are the same: complete and utter destruction of all life." he continued.
"Yes. The means to that end requires me to reject something." Lelouch said.
"Which is?" Suzaku asked.
"That… I!" Lelouch began, to the unamusement of his father. "I reject you, father! And I reject everything you believe!" he declared as he moved to halt Charles' efforts. Kira and Scourge drew their weapons next, followed by Neptune and Asriel, the latter of whom activated HDD to make use of the Trinity Blade. "Why do people lie? It isn't only because they struggle against each other. It's also because there's something that they're seeking!" Lelouch continued.
Charles, growing angry, glared at each of them.
"You now want a world without change… how stagnant! You can hardly call it "life", the same as a world of memories. Just a world that's closed and completed. That's a place I wouldn't want to live in." Lelouch said.
"But, Lelouch! Are you saying you're rejecting me, as well?" Marianne asked.
"That depends. Is your desire the same as his majesty's mother?" Lelouch countered.
"It would be so good to rejoin the people from whom we've been separated. You can be reunited with those who have died, even Euphemia!" Marianne declared.
"As I expected… You both believe that this new world you envisioned will be best for all... " Lelouch said.
"You're just as delusional as your husband, Marianne. Can't you see that what you're doing is wrong?" Asmund asked. "Forcing your good intentions on others is no different from an evil act." he added.
"In time, the people will come to accept it." Charles said, countering Asmund's words.
"That time will never come!" Lelouch declared. "Only one thing is undeniably certain… I understand now that what you did to Nunnally and me may have been done out of good intentions…" he continued. "But… the hard fact is that you abandoned us in a foreign land!" he concluded, certain of the truth.
"But we did that to protect you!" Marianne said, trying to persuade Lelouch to join them.
"Then why didn't you stop the war between Japan and Britannia?!" Lelouch countered, his emotions taking over. Marianne knew that he was right about that, at the very least, and felt guilty.
"You've both been so focused on this, that you neglected your own heirs… And yet even now, you ignore the fact that this is affecting him negatively." Andrew said.
"The plan was such a priority for you both, that it didn't matter to either of you if Nunnally and I were alive or dead! That's why you abandoned us! All you have left are self-serving excuses!" Lelouch said.
"Lelouch! You're wrong!" Marianne said.
"YOU JUST TOLD ME! You said that the dead would rejoin the living! You don't give a damn about the future!" Lelouch countered, on the brink of rage.
"The future is the Ragnarok Connection. Once it's finally done, the gentler existence that Nunnally spoke of will-" Charles said, trying again to delude his own son.
"STOP IT! The world you're speaking of will be kinder and gentler only for you! The world that my sister wished for… is one in which kindness is extended to everyone, even strangers!" Lelouch countered, his rage boiling over as he was filled with disgust over his parents' own delusions.
"Let's say it was true, what of it? There's nothing to be done about it, the Ragnarok Connection has begun!" Charles said. That's when a number of monsters jumped out of the Connection to stop Lelouch and the others, to which Kira, Scourge, Neptune and Asriel intervened and destroyed them.
"Maybe… But the Sharicite Fragment you're using to catalyze the Connection… You forget that we CPUs have been collecting them. We can take the Fragment and stop the Connection in its tracks." Andrew said in spite of what Charles claimed.
"Even if you could do it, you would be harming yourself in the process. The Sword of Akasha is filled with Negative energy, all focused on the Fragment from which the Connection stems. You could end up killing yourselves in the process, and your powers in HDD are limited." Charles countered, and Asriel knew he was right.
"But you forget… I am Zero! The man who works miracles!" Lelouch declared, proclaiming himself the local legend.
"Your Geass' power will have no effect on me, nor will it on anyone else here!" Charles said.
"No… There's someone else here, isn't there?" Lelouch asked. "That's right. C's world, and the power of the CPUs, is the will of mankind itself! And "all men are not equal!" Remember those words?!" he proclaimed. "They're your own! And because of that, I'm sure you realize that my power will work!" he concluded.
"You're a fool, Lelouch! God cannot be defeated by the power of the king!" Charles said, trying in vain to talk his son down.
"I don't intend to defeat God! This is a request!" Lelouch shouted, looking into the sky. "Yes… Now I know who I really am!" he said, before calling out to the sky. "GOD! COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS! PLEASE, HELP THE CPUS FIGHT THE RAGNAROK CONNECTION! DON'T STOP THE MARCH OF TIME!" he begged. In an instant, the sky glowed brilliantly, as his Geass empowered the collective unconscious to keep going.
"Lelouch, you ungrateful child!" Marianne shouted as she ran to stop him, only to be stopped, herself, by Suzaku and Asmund, who had their weapons drawn.
"Nobody would have wanted this! No one, and especially not Euphie!" Suzaku declared.
"And I saved you so that you can talk to Euphie again!" Marianne countered.
"Meaning you were going to force me to, right?!" Suzaku snapped.
"You can't do this! Not against God, nor all of Humanity, itself!" Charles said.
"You think you know what Humanity wants…" Andrew said, before he and Neptune transformed. "But you are mistaken! I can feel everyone in this dimension praying to us… and what they want… is tomorrow!" he declared. In an instant, the prayers of everyone reached the CPUs, empowering them. Despite Charles' attempt to stop them, they dashed toward the Sharicite Fragment and began to collect it, overpowering the Negative Energy focused on that one point. They found themselves successful in spite of the intense pain, and the Connection shattered, dispersing and destroying the Negative Energy.
"It can't be!" Marianne declared in horror.
"The thought elevator is falling! The dream that Marianne and I and my brother all shared…" Charles said, equally horrified.
"Charles, just stop already… It was presumptuous of us to even attempt this…" C.C. said, having enough.
"C2, we still bear the marks of Geass! No matter what occurs, we-" Charles said, before he realized he was fading away as he was absorbed into C's world.
"This isn't a falsehood, father. It's reality's response." Lelouch said, glaring at Charles.
"Darling, you-" Marianne said, before she realized that she was meeting the same fate as her husband.
"No! It's not possible! I'm supposed to be immortal! We're being absorbed?! Consumed by C's world?!" Charles shouted in fear and anger.
"You and Marianne both made your choices, Charles. Whether or not you're willing to accept it, there are consequences." Andrew said, rather darkly, knowing there was nothing he or his friends could do to stop their disappearance.
"But what about C2? Why isn't she disappearing as well? You supported this plan as much as we did!" Marianne asked, looking towards C.C..
"Sorry… But I finally realized… the love you have, is only for yourselves…" C.C. said, looking down in shame and disgust.
"No! That's not true at all! We love our children very much!" Marianne countered in a vain attempt to stop what was happening.
"Do you have ANY idea what the meaning is behind Nunnally's beautiful smile?" Lelouch asked.
"The meaning?" Marianne asked.
"Why don't you understand? Nunnally was blinded… my own sister was crippled…" Lelouch began, explaining his sister's smile. "She knew… she knew there were things in this world she wouldn't be able to do by herself… so her smile… Nunnally's smile… was her way of expressing gratitude!" he concluded.
"You're laboring under a delusion!" Charles said, trying to break his own son.
"I WILL NOT LET YOU CALL THAT A LIE! Over my dead body!" Lelouch snapped, tears streaming from his face. "Your refusal to face reality… content to watch us from afar! Don't make me laugh! There's only one truth, here! You, my own parents... You abandoned us! You made pacts with a rogue CPU! Tried to destroy our world, under the delusion of creating a new one!" Lelouch shouted. That's when Charles lunged at him, going for his throat.
"YOU CLEVER LITTLE FOOL!" Lelouch's now-enraged father shouted. This act was enough for Marianne to realize that Lelouch was right all along, and that her husband abandoned them for selfish interests. Suzaku and Asmund quickly went to assist him.
"Suzaku… Jedi… Stay out of this…" Lelouch requested, staring into his father's eyes with unrepentant rage.
"Can't you understand that if you refuse me in what I offer, you will inherit HIS world?! SHNEIZEL'S world?!" Charles snapped. "Do not judge me! Good and evil intentions are on each side of the same card!" he continued.
"Good and evil may look similar at a glance. But when you look carefully, you realize that they are nothing alike." Asmund said.
"Even so, you still have-" Charles said, still trying to stop his own son.
"Charles, that's enough!" Marianne cried.
"No matter what… I'll always reject the world you envision! BEGONE, NOW!" Lelouch declared, before the absorption of Charles and Marianne Britannia was complete. He turned to the Jedi and CPUs. "I am truly sorry about my father… Kurome came to him not too long ago and told him and his wife about the Sword of Ashaka. She told him what to do to achieve what he thought was his dream…" he apologized.
"No need… He basically allowed himself to be deluded by her. It was his choice to continue down that path of madness." Andrew said.
"Man, that was the quickest I have ever seen something escalate…" Neptune chided. That was when Andrew was contacted by his N-Gear by Histoire.
"Histoire. What've you got for us?" he asked.
"I am happy to report, that you have found the last Sharicite Fragment, and that the other CPUs and Candidates have returned to full strength. Meet me and Master Satele in High Hrothgar, we will discuss our plan of action against Kurome." Histoire requested.
"Understood, Histoire. We'll arrive as soon as we can." Andrew replied, before ending the call and putting the N-Gear away.
"Does this mean you're leaving?" Suzaku asked.
"Unfortunately so. But the good news is, we're finally on an even playing field against Kurome and her schemes. It's regretful that we only just met, and under these circumstances, but… We'll meet again sometime down the line." Andrew replied.
"I see. For now, unfortunately, we must part ways… C2, are you coming as well?" Lelouch asked.
"When death comes, you want to at least be smiling, right?" C.C. asked. Lelouch wasn't expecting this question, but gave a curt nod. C.C. looked towards Suzaku. "And you too… what are you planning to do now?" she asked.
"Huh?" Suzaku hummed.
"You rejected Charles' plan. Instead, you chose reality and the forward march of time. However…" C.C. said.
"I know." Suzaku interrupted. "Lelouch is the person who murdered Euphie." Suzaku said in slight anger.
"What of it? I admit that, yes, I did kill her… But it was not out of anger or spite. She made her choice, and so did I. Can you fault me for that?" Lelouch asked his friend, looking into his eyes.
"What's that mean?" Suzaku asked.
"She wished death upon herself, so that you and everyone she cared about could live on. If it were me… If I had to make that sacrifice… I'd have asked for the same thing." Lelouch replied, in full honesty.
"To seek death in order to save others, no matter how extreme it may seem, is a noble thing to do… You should look back on Euphie's life with happiness, rather than seek vengeance against Lelouch with anger." Asmund said. Suzaku thought about their words, and sheathed his weapon.
"You're right… I'm sorry, Lelouch… It's been hard, living without her." Suzaku admitted. "Let's go home…" he said, before the two groups parted ways. Andrew opened another gateway, heading to High Hrothgar. As they were in transit through the portal, the group got sidetracked, as though forcefully shoved away from their path of travel, and they were separated. Andrew and Neptune landed in the middle of a desert nearby what looked like a military fortress, separated from the rest of the group.
"Ouch… that sucked- Wait a minute... this isn't Tamriel. Where the heck are we?" Andrew asked.
"Ugh! I've got sand on my dress!" Neptune shouted as she dusted herself off. As they got to their feet, they were soon jumped by a small squad of soldiers, who had weapons drawn and pointed at them. They did not recognize the uniforms or colors.
"What's this about? What's going on?" Andrew asked.
"We have orders to bring you in. By the decree of His Excellency, you are hereby under arrest." one of the soldiers said. The man was a lieutenant, as Andrew guessed by the look of his armor versus the armor of those with him.
"On what grounds? What are we being charged with?" Andrew asked.
"That is for His Excellency to decide." the lieutenant declared. Andrew, knowing this could jeopardize their mission, drew his sword in defense. This met him with a slam on the back of the head from one of the soldiers, knocking him out cold. Neptune jumped at the sudden attack, before she too was knocked out.
Histoire was in High Hrothgar with Gonnaer, Arngier and Masters Satele and Revan. IF and Nepgear were with them, as were General Tullius and Ulfric Stormcloak. They were discussing the CPUs' sudden disappearance.
"We're still missing Neptune, Asriel and Andrew. They should have arrived by now." Histoire said.
"I sense that something is wrong…" Revan said.
"I'm afraid you might be correct in that assumption, my friend… It is possible they may have been interdicted in transit and forced into a world not along their path. Such things can only be done by a very powerful being… or by great powers alone." Arngier said.
"If that's true, then either Kurome interfered directly, or the True Goddess has regained some of her strength and has used her power in that interdiction." IF theorized.
"Given what the CPUs have told us, it is a great possibility." Master Satele said. She closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the echoes for Asmund. "I can sense where they went… A strange and dark world overcome with blood and fear." she said.
"They may be in trouble. We should help them." Nepgear said.
"Patience, Nepgear. All in due time. We must trust that the will of the Force and the prayers of those that believe in the CPUs will see them out of this dilemma." Revan said in a cool, level-headed nature.
"With a renewed war against the Aldmeri Dominion on the horizon, waiting may not be the best option." General Tullius countered.
"It may be our only option. Running across the Multiverse blindly without heed to its dangers is a fool's gamble… one that the Sith have pledged themselves to behind Lord Denzion." Master Satele said. Neither Tullius or Ulfric liked hearing this response, but knew there was some truth to it.
"We will send an expedition to find them, but it is as Master Satele put it. Careful planning and wisdom must be pursued before mortals meddle in the affairs of other worlds, lest we die in the unknown." Arngier said.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is a short chapter, much like Chapter 4: We Need to go Deeper, and very one sided. With its rushed feeling, I could not for the life of me get anywhere past the 4k word count despite the slight filler that was placed to expand the chapter.
For the reason above, the chapter once again ends at a cliffhanger. Hopefully it's not subpar. This is where I ask you, the readers, to tell me if this chapter will stand, or should be replaced.
This is about all.