Disclaimer : All characters and places belong to Sunrise Inc., ©2007-2008.

A/N: Finally! I'm finished with this chapter! I've been trying to get this out since last week, what with a bit of writer's block and watching Code Geass R2. But it's done; I don't have to do anymore to it (except in the case of editing)! So next chapter will be started on next week. Keep those reviews coming!


"Audi famam illius
Solus in hostes ruit

et patriam servavit.

Audi famam illius

Cucurrit cuaeque
tetigit destruens."

(I've heard legends of this person,
How he plunged into enemy territory,
And how he saved his homeland.
I've heard legends of this person,

How he traveled the breadth of the land
Reducing all he touched to rubble.)

-- Super Smash Bros. BRAWL Main Theme (Partial)


I.

Alea Iacta Est
(The Die Is Cast)


"People of the World! Fear us, and seek us out! We are the Order of the Black Knights!"

The eyes of Britannia and its denizens fell upon them like the stony, grim gaze of the Great King Ozymandias. Their attention, once held captivated by the crumbling Kawaguchi Lake Convention Center and the White Knight Lancelot, was now averted to the landing craft floating on the calm waters.

Their gaze was all-powerful, dreadful and withering as the fair kings of old folklore, but Kallen Stadtfeld willed away the uneasiness to the far depths of her mind. With anxiety worming in her gut and the irrational fear of the unknown making her frantic heart pound, the young'in focused solely on the star-studded horizon.

But those words would not stop echoing. While the tinted visor covering her eyes gave the impression of deep thought, she could not help the insistent tugging in the back of her head. This force, this supernatural occurrence defying the laws of physics, pulled Kallen's field of vision to the man swathed in darkness. She did not know why the need to look upon this stranger was so strong, but somewhere buried in the primal part of her psyche, a place new and ancient as the budding of spring flowers, it felt important that she should.

She held this stranger, this man named Zero, in her periphery. She studied him head to toe, her thoughts complying to individual sets of lingering heresies and parables resounding after a second hasty examination.

His shoulders were relaxed and his back ramrod straight. He sported a tall, wiry build with tell-tale signs of lanky musculature. His stance was rigid and immobile like a pillar of rock braving the fury of Mother Nature.

For whatever reason she could not define, Kallen could not help but feel that the masked one looked noble, almost kingly, in the black suit and cape. The sound of his voice, rich and full with youth, radiated a strength unlike anything she had ever heard. When the Britannians spoke it was loud and menacing, laced with the venom of control and superiority. But this man, this mysterious fellow who appeared out of nowhere, was nothing like them. He sounded firm and just with the air of a nobleman. There was no fear, no hesitance.

Who was Zero? What was he? Questions invaded the young'in and curiosity poked her in the side. Perhaps he was a very important person, a turncoat who abandoned Britannia, or an Eleven who could no longer stand the mistreatment his people were given. Who knew?

'Who could he possibly be?' Kallen wondered. She was ready to slip from reality to the forefront of her concerns when Zero continued.

"We are allies to those who are without power, be they Elevens or Britannians! The Japan Liberation Front took many Britannian civilians as hostages and murdered them in cold blood. It was a meaningless act, a coward's method of justice, and for that they were punished."

For a moment in time shame found its way into Kallen's core, clutching and caressing her with heavy, grease-laden fingers. She bowed her head and frowned. The contingent held against their will were innocent; what did they do to deserve death? Yes, they were despised for stripping the Japanese of everything they held dear, for raping their country and planting their flag in blood-soaked soil. Elevens had every right to be angry, so why did the JLF go to such extremes? There was good and bad in everyone, including (albeit to her reluctance) the ill-bred Britannians. If the Front really wanted to show their opposition, they would have attacked directly at the heart of the Empire's most prominent places of resource and mobilization.

There was no point in taking innocent people hostage. What good would it be to face the enemy head-on when many brave (and foolish) Elevens fell? What good came from seven years of war? Where were the strong, hard-headed warriors of Old Japan?

"The former Vicereine, Prince Clovis, was the same," said Zero. "He ordered the slaughter of unarmed Elevens."

'Japanese,' stressed Kallen, fists clenching tightly. 'Japanese, not Eleven!' What were they in the eyes of the Holy Empire? Animals? Subhumans? Slaves? No! They were Human, people with hearts and minds and feelings! They were not ideas, not tools or creatures left to shrivel and die in the dust!

(They are Human! More Human than Britannia will ever be!)

Azure orbs hardened to chips of icy steel. 'We're not Numbers!'

"I cannot ignore such atrocities. Thus I have punished him, and returned him to the earth from whence he came."

Justice. . . where was the justice in their actions? Where was the justice in their attacks? What right did they have to imprison the Japanese? What right did they have to call themselves Gods, the Kings of Chaos and Perfection?

'Curse them all!' swore the freedom fighter. An array of emotions, varying from hate to anger to damning frustration, made itself known. The shame weighing on her heart vanished beneath the tide of fury, and a storm began to rage. 'I will put those bastards in their place, Brother. I will show them, so help me God!'

After all, they were machines. Nothing more than soulless vessels purging the humanity from those people. Her people, she corrected. Britannia would never rise above her ire.

'I'll never bow down to them. I'll never give myself to them. Not a chance in Hell will they force me to my knees and relinquish my honor as a Japanese! I am Nippon; no more, no less!'

It was times like these Kallen despised being a product of both worlds.

"I do not refuse to fight. However, I will never allow the strong to bully the weak!"

Suddenly she awoke, as if startled by a surreal fantasy. Who was that speaking? Kallen looked about the landing craft in a daze, passing glances at her comrades-in-arms. They each graced a small smile and a flickering flame in their eyes which could only be described as pride. Even Tamaki, with his shoulders slumped and his scowl ever present, was matching their demeanor. What caused this change?

"The only ones who can shoot are those who are prepared to be shot by others. No matter how powerful our enemy may be, when they attack the powerless, we shall appear again."

That's right. . . It was Zero. She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't realize he was still talking. However, it didn't mean she was deaf to his musings.

"We shall strike at the Heart of Evil and vanquish the demons! We shall banish the harlots who lust on your pain and grief! We shall pierce their wicked souls and deliver them unto the light!" His voice boomed across the lake, and every face -- young and old, Eleven and Britannian -- gazed upon him in shock and awe. "We shall never die! If we should fall we shall rise, rise from the ashes of Old Japan and bequeath on the Head of Britannia our Creed!

"You with power, fear us! You without power, find us! We, the Order of the Black Knights, will come and judge the World!" Zero spread forth his arms and bent his chin, an angel sent down from Heaven. Silence reigned as his words faded, and a chill breeze picked up the bulk of his cloak.

And then it happened. Kallen didn't know how or when it did, but as the cries and cheers from Elevens came to them on the wind she knew that something had changed for the better. The numbers were few, but she swore she heard their joy and consent from as far as the mainland.

She strained her ears and listened, every aspect of her being open to the melody of their unity. And what a sound it was! Such thunder! Such power! Kallen couldn't remember a time when her people felt so inspired by the thoughts of another person, much less a masked man. Yet it felt so right, so historic. The time had come for them wake up from their spiritual abyss and stand once more. Raise their fists and wave the flag, the Land of the Rising Sun would soon break through the ominous clouds and shine their defiance upon the Holy Empire!

"A Hero," she murmured through the emotion building in her throat. Her head felt light and her chest swelled with warmth, but by the Gods it felt wonderful! So alive and focused with life!

She sniffled, took a deep breath and exhaled, smiling good-naturedly. Yes, all was right in the world. So damn right.

"A Hero," Kallen repeated, "no. . . a Savior. A Savior of Justice. A passionate, long-awaited Savior of Justice." She brought her left hand up to her face, studying the lines and texture adorning her lovely sun-kissed complexion. Blood flowed in rivulets, wounds inflicted by nails digging into the skin while in the midst of her reflections, down her palm and past her wrist.

Kallen blinked, and slowly the realization dawned on her. The blood in every single human being on Earth may have shared the same color and some of the numerous blood types, but the blood that she and the entire Eleven population carried was theirs and theirs alone. It was their loyalty, their power, their fortitude, and their honor that kept them alive through centuries of war and inner turmoil. This latest addition in the history books had crushed their hopes and dreams, but it seemed that with the enigmatic Zero in their possession, all that would change.

'Of course! What was I thinking? Zero's an Eleven! That's why he came to us. To fulfill a dream denied by time. . . He is truly a son of Nippon.'

Her grin broadened. Blood was thicker than water. There wasn't a chance in hell he was Britannian, but none of that matter.

They had a fighting chance to win the battle; land, name, and all.


Ahh yes, I remember that day very well. The day the Order of the Black Knights was established, the day a new era was ushered into the savaged World and its fate was decided. It was the day Lelouch walked on the path of carnage and never looked back.

He had no regrets.

He knew full well the dangers he would put himself and those around him in. He knew that to reveal himself would be outrageous to all who followed him, to those who despise him and to those who view him as the Messiah delivered ab ovo(1). If the public found out he was more than just a Britannian student, it would not just be hell that would break loose.

You, as well, know the consequences. To admit yourself to Miss Ashford and her coupe was a bold and costly move. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

You are a proud person, Kallen. A proud and honorable person fitting of the warrior name. Your heart is true to the nation shadowed by law, holding it with the greatest tension. I look at you and see a strength unbridled from crimson chains, and in your eyes there lays a fire burning brightly among the darkness and decay of your fallen land.

I kid you not when I say this. There is no hesitance, no doubt, of the decision you have made. But it is a long and tiresome road, one that will test the limits of your heart and the very center of your soul. You will make choices that may shatter the trust of your allies and turn newly forged friendships into long-lasting animosities. Events will shape you into something wholly desired or mostly fear. Each and every path is open, but it is you who must decide which of these realities you will make happen.

Only you, Kallen. No one can guide you to this time-defying dream save yourself. We may help you consider the options, but we cannot lead you. The fate of the future, your future, rests in your hands.

. . . Oh, really? You believed Zero lead you on the right path? You believed he was showing you the light to Old Japan's salvation? Heh, you are so naive. Only children are wont to do that. And you, my friend, are no longer a child.

You're a soldier. Think like one. Lelouch abandoned the Black Rebellion to ascertain a piece of his existence. Would you have continued fighting if someone close to you was in danger? Even if it was at the cost of a hundred, a thousand, or a million lives, would you still do it?

What if it was your mother, Kallen? What, then, would you do? Would you go and rescue your flesh and blood or defend your country as you so strongly wish?

Not an easy two-way street, is it? Either way it's a lost cause. People will die in the process. The world will still be awash in sorrow and anger. And it'll just keep repeating, over and over and over.

In war, no one is spared.

So why do you keep going? Why fight against the Holy Empire? To them you are just a Number, a fish without water. They'll tear you apart; they'll rip you and maim you and humiliate you like the sharks they are. You and every Eleven on the face of the four islands are at the bottom of the food chain. . . . and yet you still fight.

Why? Is it because you have nothing else to live for? Is it because you want to make a name for yourself? To right a wrong? Or is it because you want the Britannians to feel the same pain that you were put through since the dawn of war?

. . . Look at me, Kallen. Look at me. Look at me, Kallen, straight in the eye. Tell me the truth. What were you doing before Lelouch arrived? What were you doing after Naoto died? Where were you when your mother cried herself to sleep, dreaming of days bygone when the world was right? Where were you when she pricked her skin and slipped that needle in her Eleven blood? Where were you when she needed you the most?

. . . I see. I find it funny that a half-ling helps her fellow patriots in the heat of combat, but never bothers to lift a finger when her kin is at the glaring end of her stepmother's gaze. Sounds like someone awfully familiar, doesn't it?

. . . Part of fighting is having a purpose or goal in mind. To justly avenge a loved one, to defend his country, to sacrifice himself for the sake of another. Those are purposes. Revenge, however, is not. Vengeance is a devil that will get you nowhere in life. If it does not lead you to oblivion, it will lead you to your death.

Your hate for Britannia is unfathomable, and I know not if it will ever fade. But one thing I do know is that you have to let go this idea of divine justice.

Let it go, Kallen. Do not cling to it! If you do not wish to die young, I suggest you buck up and get your act together. Time waits for no one, not even you.


(1) In Latin, this means 'from the egg'. In literature, this is used as the absolute beginning of events, the earliest point in the story. C.C.'s explanation of ab ovo refers to the first time Lelouch decided to destroy Britannia (pre-series, Episode 1).