Disclaimer: Don't own NGE, nough said.
Author's Notes: First off I'm sorry about how long this chapter took, I have no excuse except that I had a lot of trouble making it sound the way I wanted it too. This chapter is shorter than previous ones by a good few thousand words and originally I was going to attach the epilogue straight onto the end but since I've already taken so long I though I might as well release this chapter now and release the epilogue separately later. Anyway, here's Chapter 11 of 'The Angels Return', the second last chapter of this fic.
11. The Lilim Paradox
(Terminal Dogma, LCL Chamber)
Naoki Ikari sat just inside of Heaven's Gate, staring up at the blue haired teen who had placed her on the cold floor. The little girl did not understand why she had been deprived of the warmth of her mother's arms.
Rei smiled at her daughter, reaching down to softly caress the baby's cheek. "Stay here Naoki-chan. I promise I'll come back for you. Be patient, and calm." The red eyed girl transferred as much calmness as she could through the link that bonded her to her child.
Naoki smiled happily at her mother's caress, leaning her head into the soft palm. She pouted slightly when the hand was removed but remained relatively calm, watching silently as Rei turned and walked away.
Rei moved to the LCL lake that dominated the chamber's floor, placing one foot and then the other onto the orange liquid's surface. The girl's AT field stoped her feet from sinking below the lake's surface, causing only the slightest of ripples as she strode across the LCL.
The winged teen eventually came to a stop standing in the exact center of the LCL Chamber, where Shinji was already waiting for her. Rei turned so that her back was facing her companion, spreading her blue wings wide.
Shinji spread his own wings, wrapping his arms around Rei's waist at the same time and drawing her closer to him.
For a moment nothing happened, the two teens standing silent and motionless, then ripples began to spread across the LCL's surface. The ripples did not radiate from the teens however, instead they began at the lake's edges and radiated inwards towards the chamber's center.
The ripples slowly began to increase in size and frequency, forming into small waves. As the waves grew in height sprays of LCL began to rise around the two red eyed teens.
Shinji and Rei looked directly forward, their eyes focused on some distant point. Their irises appeared to expand slightly and then their entire eyes glowed an iridescent white.
LCL rose up from the lake, spiralling around the two motionless figures and quickly obscuring them from site. The blood-like liquid formed into a hollow column, Rei and Shinji entombed at its center. Sucking up more LCL, the orange pillar rapidly grew in size, expanding in both width and height.
The LCL Column soon reached the ceiling, but it did not stop there. Rock and metal alike seemed to simply melt away as the LCL shot up, forcing its way towards the surface above.
Within the column, the bodies of Rei and Shinji began to shine brightly, lightening the orange liquid around them. As the intensity of the light increased the two forms seemingly began to meld together, before vanishing completely in a vivid flash.
The flash of light spread out to the surrounding liquid, temporarily turning it white and bathing the chamber outside in the radiant glow.
When the light finally faded, it revealed a single figure hovering in the LCL Column's center. The figure was entirely white, its skin, hair and eyes all the same uniform colour. It had no distinctive features to identify it as either male or female and its general physique appeared to be somewhat of a cross between the two genders. It was tall and sleek but with a nevertheless noticeably developed muscular system.
The figure's white hair was short and lay flat along the sides of its head in a style largely reminiscent of Rei's. The figure sported six wings formed entirely out of a white coursing energy, which stretched to the walls of the orange column surrounding it. Throbbing white cords extended from the figures arms, legs and back, disappearing into the swirling LCL.
White eyes staring vacantly forward, the figure opened its mouth, revealing its tongue, gums and throat to be as white as the rest of its body. When it spoke, its voice was a mixture of Rei and Shinji's tones, harmoniously fused into one. "We are one, and the time of destiny has come. The end of the Lilim."
(Tokyo-3 Surface)
Still on her hands and knees, Asuka became aware of a powerful vibration running through the ground below her. She raised her tear stained face just in time to see a section of ground roughly a hundred meters away from her seemingly melt away. No sooner had the dirt and rock disappeared then a large flow of LCL burst from the resulting hole, rising towards the sky in a thick column.
As Asuka looked on in awe, the massive column finally tapered to a point a few hundred meters above the surface, the orange liquid from which it was made continually moving in a spirally pattern.
The redhead of course was not the only observer of this event. The two jets responsible for the N2 mines which had destroyed Unit-02 and almost ended Asuka's life turned sharply and began to circle around the ominous pillar at a altitude roughly two-thirds of the LCL's above-ground height. The MAGI immediately trained the planes' sensors on the strange phenomenon, attempting to ascertain its purpose.
Before any definite readings could be gathered however, the sides of the column directly across from the two planes suddenly ruptured, sending out streams of LCL that consumed the jets whole. The MAGI immediately lost all visual and audio feeds, essentially cutting them off from the outside world.
The aircrafts had been on opposite sides of the pillar when the ruptures occurred, so as the LCL streams solidified they formed into symmetrical arms. This gave the LCL Column the appearance of a gigantic cross, dominating the devastated surface of Tokyo-3.
(Within LCL Column)
Shinji/Rei hung in the very center of the LCL Column, its eyes still trained on some distance, unseen point. Though its eyes were certainly open it was not using them to see, instead it saw everything that surrounded the LCL Column, the many images downloaded directly into the white being's mind. That was how it had seen the two planes. How it had destroyed them with such accuracy.
The jets were gone now though and the three computers which had controlled them were powerless. Shinji/Rei had far more important things to attend too. The Third Impact had to continue.
The process had already begun. Thin strings of light, invisible to anyone who didn't already know they were there, were spreading out from the orange cross. The invisible cords rushed across the landscape, streaking towards the nearest populated areas.
As the seconds passed more and more strings extended out from the massive cross, shooting of in all directions. One particular group of threads converged on Tokyo-2, breaking off from the main mass to pursue their own course.
The ultra-thin stings swooped in over the houses of the large city, passing through the walls without difficulty. Each thread zeroed in on an individual person, attaching themselves to the base of their target's skull, where the spinal column began. The people were not even aware that the attachment had taken place, continuing on as if nothing had happened.
This process was repeated again and again throughout Tokyo-2, until every last person was attached to a string. To anyone who could have seen the strings the city would have appeared spider-webbed with streams of light, many of the larger skyscrapers resembling massive pin cushions.
Tokyo-2 was only the first city to suffer this fate, as time went on more and more cities were blanketed in an ever expanding circle of invisible cords. It wasn't only the cities however. Any inhabited location, no matter how few people inhabited it, was targeted by the threads. Even people who were in the middle of nowhere, were quickly tracked down.
Soon all of Japan was covered, but the cords did not stop their. They raced out across the sea, heading for all of the worlds islands and continents, near or far.
(Meanwhile, Nerv, Central Dogma)
A handful of strings had not spread out like the others. Instead they had gone straight down, heading for the survivors of Nerv.
One particular string entered the Eva Catapult Control Station. It passed over the two dead bodies just within the doorway, heading for the only living occupant of the room. That the purple-haired woman was kneeling in a pool of her own blood and was supported only by the console she leant against was unimportant, she was alive and therefore she had to be connected. Everyone had to be connected.
Misato didn't feel a thing as the cord attached itself to her neck. She was however, soon aware of the effect. Her loss of blood had been causing the major to slip in and out of consciousness but the newly established connection brought a surprising clarity to her mind.
Still kneeling in front of the room's control console, Misato experienced a strange sensation of being reenergised by some outside source. Her wounds no longer stung her with pain. In fact she could barely feel them at all. She was no longer experiencing the disorienting side effects from her substantial loss of blood, and though she was not physically able to rise she felt like she should be able to.
For a brief moment an image formed in Misato's mind. An image of a completely white human being, sporting six glowing wings and connected by throbbing white cords to some sort of orange liquid swirling around it. The image faded quickly but not so quickly that the lavender haired major didn't have time to study it. She was easily able to identify the swirling liquid as LCL but the being at its center was more difficult to discern.
At first she thought it might be Rei, though it lacked some of the young girl's more feminine features it wouldn't be the first time the red eyed teen had changed her appearance. However, although it certainly beared a resemblance to Rei it also had a resemblance to Shinji, perhaps he had transformed again.
Misato considered one last possibility, that perhaps the two teens had fused together into one body. As strange as such an event seemed to her, she considered that it was probably within Shinji and Rei's power to perform such a feat. Despite now knowing what their true identities, the major was totally aware that she had no idea how powerful those two really were. For all she knew they might be able to do anything.
Wether or not the being that had appeared in her mind was truly them fused, Misato had no doubt that Shinji and Rei were somehow involved in what was going on. What they intended, she had no idea, and still unable to move she knelt and awaited her fate, whatever it might be.
(Within LCL Column)
Shinji/Rei felt its mind expand as more and more people were connected by the threads, giving it access to all of those people's minds. Its own mind was a perfect compilation of the minds of its two component parts and with so many minds being linked to its own its scope of vision was ever increasing. It absorbed the knowledge from the minds of those connected, effectively forcing them to share all they knew with it without even alerting them to what it was doing.
The threads had spread across most of the globe by now. Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Australia, all of them were blanketed with glowing strings. One by one, the last vestiges of humanity were being hunted down and connected to the whole. Some threads rushed across the oceans, searching for the small inhabited islands that existed in the vast blue expanses, others searched remote mountain ranges, distant beaches and secluded meadows, searching for those who preferred to live alone.
With the help of the knowledge gained from those already connected, everyone on the planet was eventually tracked down and attached to the strings, even the most solitary hermit becoming part of a greater whole.
Before proceeding to the next step though Shinji/Rei sent a small group of threads rocketing through the earth's atmosphere and up into space, heading straight for those few manned satellites orbiting the planet. The satellites' locations pulled from the minds of those monitoring them from the surface.
That was it, every human being in existence was now connected to the towering LCL Column. They did not know it but they were all linked to a single being of indescribable power. It was something they would soon find out.
At the heart of the LCL Column Shinji/Rei smiled widely. It was done, now the next stage could begin. The being's white eyes snapped shut and it concentrated, projecting its mind across the threads. It established its presence in the minds of every living human being. And then it spoke, not with its mouth but with its mind.
'Hear us Lilim.'
(Tokyo-2, Shopping District)
Hikari Horaki stopped in her tracks, her hand hovering in mid-air inches from a skirt she had been about to grab from a clothes rack. She had been out shopping, trying to keep her mind off her friends in Tokyo-3. It was painful to think about them, wondering if they were still alive.
Reports had come through a few days ago that the nearby city had been completely destroyed, having been reduced to nothing more than a crater in the ground. According to the press release that came soon after however, Nerv had survived relatively intact, with only a handful of casualties reported. Hikari hoped desperately that her friends were not among them. She had lost too many friends already.
But now Hikari was hearing the impossible. That voice, it sounded so familiar to her, and yet she also knew she had never heard it before. It took her barely a second to figure out why the voice was familiar to her, it sounded like someone had taken the voices of two of her dead friends and fused them together. The voices of Shinji and Rei.
'We are the harbingers of the end of your civilization. Of the world you know. All of it will end today. All of it will end know.'
Other people in the shop were looking around in confusion, searching for the source of the voice they had all heard. Hikari stayed still however, she knew that voice had sounded in her mind and although her knowledge of the Angels and Evas was limited, she knew enough to believe that such a thing was possible. The brunette didn't focus on what the voice had said. That wasn't important. All she cared about was what the voice sounded like, what it reminded her off. A pair of silent tears rolled down her cheeks. She had wanted so much to hear her dead friend's voices again but know that she could she just wished it would stop. It brought up too many memories.
'The Third Impact was always destined to end your lives as you know them, and today that destiny will be fulfilled. The Third Impact will succeed.'
(Nerv, Commander's Office)
Kozo Fuyutsuki sat in Gendo's customary chair, a small glass of whiskey held in his right hand. A slight smile crossed his face as he took another sip from the glass. It had begun, as he knew it would. He looked up at the office's ceiling. "I told you your plan was unnecessary Gendo. All you were able to achieve was more death."
Fuyutsuki hadn't been surprised when a Nerv agent radioed in to report the commander's death, he had expecting such news since Gendo began his foolish plan. He had known the plan would fail from the start. The power of the Angel's could not be so easily defeated. Even if some of them had changed sides.
Closing his eyes Fuyutsuki focused on the mental broadcast that echoed through his skull. He had always been curious about how the world would end. Well now he knew.
(Within LCL Column)
The smile had disappeared from Shinji/Rei's face, to be replaced by a somewhat solemn expression. It had gathered all the information it could from the people of the world and with that information it had come to a conclusion about what had to be done. Now it was time to inform the world of its decision. It sent out its thoughts once more.
'Lilim, you confuse us. Your very existence is a paradox.
You resort to violence to solve all of your problems, believing that you can prove your point through victory over those who oppose or disagree with you. The relative strengths of your nations are derived from their military power, their ability to destroy all those who oppose them.
Even when confronted with the undeniable power of the Angels you resorted to violence as a means to stopping them. You constructed your Evas in an attempt to fight them on even ground.
As long as you exist as you are now the fighting will never end. You will continue to kill each other until no-one is left alive. We cannot allow this to happen.
We have consumed the information from your minds. We know your deepest thoughts and desires. Your race as a whole desires peace, but you are willing to use war to achieve it. Somehow you have managed to convince yourselves that you can achieve peace by destroying all who disagree with your views of the world. But if we allowed you to do so then there would be nothing left. You would destroy this world and all who inhabit it.
You, all of you, desire paradise, yet where we to give it to you, you would destroy it with your anger and hate. You want paradise but you cannot handle it, you cannot truly believe it. Perfection is beyond your grasp, as it will always be.
You Lilim are afraid of truly being alone. You cannot survive in such a state. Interaction, you require it to survive, however little it is. And yet you cannot be trusted with each other, conflict inevitably ensues whenever you gather.
You all want something different from this world, but since you cannot agree on how the world should be, none of you will ever be able to achieve the world of your dreams, not here. You are joined primarily in your shared desire to shape the world around you according to your will, regardless of the will of others.
There is only one solution to the puzzle of your existence. And that is to separate you all, and give each of you what you truly desire. But such a thing is only possible if you all become one first. To be separated you must first be joined.'
Shinji/Rei began to gather the full strength of its AT field, melding the field's awesome power with the LCL that surrounded it and in turn to the more than a billion threads that extended out from the orange cross. It waited until the power had reached its zenith and then released it in a single wave.
A pulse of energy raced out along each string, travelling at a speed the human eye could not hope to follow. Accelerating more and more as their distance from the LCL increased, the pulses sped towards those connected to the threads.
'You will be reduced to your base components, and then absorbed into a greater whole.'
The first few pulses reached their targets and crashed into the base of their necks. A shudder ran through the body of those struck, and then moments later, they burst into floating puddles of LCL, puddles that immediately began to travel along the lengths of the threads.
'The LCL that composes your bodies will be fused into the LCL Column.'
The puddles of LCL were not the only things traversing the threads. A small ball of light followed each puddle, appearing fragile and insignificant. The strings began to retract behind them.
'As will your souls.'
As the threads had spread out, so now did the pulses, racing across fields and oceans alike as they followed the threads' paths. The process was faster this time, as it was no longer necessary to seek. Every single human being had already been found.
As more and more people exploded into LCL, many of the puddles began to arrive at the LCL Column. As soon as they touched the massive cross's surface they were simply swept away by the swirling current. The globes of light disappeared beneath the liquid's surface.
The absorption of the LCL caused the orange cross to swell in size, growing in both height and radius. A process that continued as the earth's population was systematically consumed.
'You can try to resist, but the effort will be a waste. No one can resist the inevitable.'
(Tokyo-3 Surface)
Asuka could feel the throbbing cord attached to her neck. She could even see the white thread, stretching out in front of her to the nearby LCL Column.
The redhead heard the voice in her mind, and could easily identify the tones of both Shinji and Rei. She heard and even understood what they were saying, but she didn't care. The disheartened teen was not simply going to allow her body to dissolve into nothingness. Whatever her friends had planned Asuka didn't want to be part of it. She just wanted to be left alone.
The few remnants of Unit-02 had already exploded into LCL, streaming into the nearby column along with the other Eva remains that littered the battle field. Although in her slightly delirious state she could not be certain, Asuka thought she had seen a glowing ball of light travelling with the LCL. But that didn't matter now.
As her gaze fell to her feet, Asuka felt the throbbing at the back of her neck lessen until it was little more than a seemingly distant twitching. If she thought however, that this meant her absorption was not to be completed then she was mistaken.
The teenager became aware of someone standing in front of her, and she raised her head slightly to investigate. She wasn't surprised when her eyes came to rest on feet of the purest white, nor was she surprised when those feet led to legs of the same colour. That the being that stood before her was entirely white was something that Asuka found unimpressive. What did surprise her was the figure's face.
Before the girl could voice her surprise though, a glowing hand reached down to cradle her right cheek. "Join us Asuka. You will never need to feel this pain again." Wether the figure was referring to the pain in Asuka's heart, or to the wound which leaked blood over its immaculate hand, the redhead didn't know. Nor did she care. The figure's hand felt so comfortable, so right.
Closing her eyes and taking a final, deep breath, Asuka allowed her body to disperse and her soul disappeared into the LCL Column.
(Within LCL Column)
Shinji/Rei smiled again as Asuka was finally absorbed, simultaneously noting the collapse of Misato's mental defences and her subsequent absorption.
'Soon all will be one and then a new world will dawn.'
At a single thought from the radiant figure, glowing portals of light were spawned around the LCL Column, placed at apparently random intervals. Though at first seemingly inactive the portals quickly began to spin, divulging a torrent of glowing orbs into the massive cross.
'The dead too, shall join this world. Where they shall be reborn.'
The flow of souls from the portals increased until each ball was only barely distinguishable from the next, and like those that came before they disappeared beneath the surface of the LCL.
'Hear us Lilim, and know your future. You will all become part of a single being of indescribable power, but you will not know it. For within this being the very fabric of our reality will be torn asunder, and each soul shall receive a reality to call its own.
Each and every one of you will be the controller of your own existence. The world around you will be shaped by your will and controlled by your subconscious. Your conscious mind however will be unable to tell the difference between your reality and true reality. You will believe everything around you to be as it should be and that it is ultimately beyond your control.
Your reality will be inhabited by soulless beings placed there by your subconscious, that exhibit the traits of souls. You will not know the difference, and as such you will not care. You will be alone, as you must, and yet you will have the interaction on which you depend.
Ultimately you will be able to achieve everything that you truly desire. Wether or not you do depends entirely on your own mindset.
For some of you your realities will collapse in upon themselves, as you will be unable to retain due to mental fatigue. Similarly they will collapse in the event of your death, however it should occur. If either of these events happen your soul will, for a time, return to a Central Control Reality. Once your soul has suitably recovered you will once again receive a reality of your own and start over. Each time this happens your memories will be wiped, so you will remember nothing that came before.
This is your destiny Lilim. This is how you will continue to exist for all eternity. We give you the gift of immortality, and in exchange we take from you the lives you know. To be replaced by a new life, in a reality of your own.'
(Terminal Dogma, LCL Chamber)
Two globes of light floated before the base of the LCL Column, able to resist the pull exerted on them by the towering cross. Indeed, instead of being pulled in they were able to pull on the pillar itself, causing two small streams of LCL to break off from the whole and fly towards them.
The LCL streams spiralled around the two orbs, beginning to condense and take shape. The orange liquid took human form from the ground up, condensing into feet first before continuing up to form legs. The process continued until both streams of LCL had condensed all the way up to shoulders, at which time the streams split into three, separating to form the arms and heads of the two individuals.
As the bodies finally became fully formed the orange sheen that had previously covered them slowly disappeared, seemingly retracting into the pale skin. When the LCL was finally fully absorbed, it left two teenagers in its wake.
One of the teenagers, a grey haired boy, stretched his muscles as he tested his resurrected body. His two, blood red eyes snapped open and turned to study the silver haired girl that stood beside him. A slight, almost invisible smile crossed his face. "Welcome back Xera."
Her own eyes slowly opening, Xera tilted her head to the side and looked at her companion. "What is happening Nara? Why have we returned?"
Nara motioned towards the LCL Column with his right arm. "Shinji and Rei have initiated the Third Impact. They seek to bring an end to the Lilim as we know them." His smile increased slightly. "They are doing what they believe is right, what they believe must be done."
Xera glanced around the base of the LCL Column, her eyes coming to rest on a small object at the edge of the large pillar. An object that was squirming. "It seems they have left their child behind."
Nara followed her gaze. "So it would seem. Still, I do not believe Rei would simply abandon her. She will be back." With that he began to walk towards the small figure.
Naoki blinked and looked up as the sound of footsteps approached and stopped beside her. Her eyes widened slightly as she identified the two teens looking down at her as those who had earlier tormented her, stealing her from her mother's arms. This situation did not make her comfortable.
The baby girl's discomfort only increased as Nara reached down towards her, scooping her up with his right arm. He was not rough however, in fact he was gentle, doing the best he could to make the child comfortable.
Nara smiled sadly at the little girl. "Heh kid, looks like they left you alone." He signed when he saw the fear in the baby's eyes. "I am sorry Naoki. When I hurt you, I was not myself. But I'm better now."
Xera reached over and stroked the baby's head. "I too owe you an apology Naoki. I did what I needed to do." She looked at Nara. "What he told me to do." The grey haired teen turned to face her and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a disturbance from the nearby LCL Column.
As three pairs of red eyes turn to face it, a section at the base of the massive pillar began to ripple strangely and glow with an inner light. One particular section began to bulge outwards, only to rupture seconds later as a glowing white hand burst through it. The hand was quickly followed by a forearm, which was accompanied by a white leg bursting from the LCL closer to the surface. As the exposed arm swept back an entire figure began to emerge from the swirling column, its whole body a vivid white.
Cocking her head slightly, and allowing her flowing hair to roll over her shoulder, Xera looked the emerging figure up and down. She knew who this was. "Rei." Her silver wings sprung from her back.
Looking the figure in the eye, Nara slowly shook his head. "It's not Rei, not entirely. That body is forming itself from the LCL." He spread his wings and watched as the figure finally emerged fully, noting the four throbbing cords that extended from its back to the turbulent liquid behind it. "See, it's still connected. It is nothing but a mindless body, controlled by the combined will of Shinji and Rei." He looked down at Naoki. "I'm guessing it has assumed that form because it is the one their daughter is most comfortable with."
Taking several steps forward, the Rei look-alike came to a stop in front of the two red eyed teens. Its eyes scanned over them briefly before coming to rest of the child in Nara's arms. It lifted its arms from its sides and held them up before it, the meaning of the gesture clear.
Nara didn't hesitate to hand Naoki over, who for her part had already been reaching out towards what she identified as her mother. As soon as she was placed in the replica's arms, the little girl snuggled up against its white chest.
The glowing Rei smiled, though the expression was somewhat foreign on its otherwise emotionless face. Having secured its target it quickly turned and headed back towards the LCL Column, the cords from its back melding through its body to emerge from its chest instead, bending around the small form of Naoki.
It stoped a single pace from the churning liquid and turned its eerily white eyes to the two teens behind it. It spoke with the combined voices of Shinji and Rei. "You are welcome to join us. We will give you a place in our new world. Come, and achieve everything you have ever dreamed of." With that the figure stepped into the LCL and immediately dispersed into the current, taking Naoki along with it.
As soon as glowing figure disappeared Xera once again turned her attention to Nara. "What are they going to do?"
The red eyed boy took a moment to respond, considering how best to explain the pairs' plans. "They are going to tear apart the fabric of our reality and create numerous separate realities, enough for every Lilim soul to receive its own personal world, where their subconscious controls everything."
Xera blinked, taking a moment to digest the information. "But their lives will be nothing but a lie, it won't be real."
Nara shrugged, not fully understanding himself. "It will be real to them, and in the end, that's all the Lilim need. They will not know the truth of their existence. They will be happy." He made direct eye contact with Xera. "If we join them however, we will know."
The silver haired teen kept eye contact for a moment then looked away, trying to hide the emotion in her eyes. "If we go, will you stay with me?" As strange as it was, she found that she needed Nara. She wasn't sure if she could live without him. In the short time-span between his and her deaths she had felt so…empty, like something inside her had died with him. She didn't want to feel that way again.
Nara reached over and lifted Xera's chin, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "If we go Xera, I will stay with you. I promise you that." He smiled brightly, the first genuine smile he had ever given the winged girl. "You stayed with me, in my darkest hours. There's no way I'll abandon you now."
Xera was momentarily stunned by the expression on the boy's face but then found herself almost involuntarily returning the smile. "Let's go then."
Still smiling, Nara extended his hand. "Let's." Xera gripped the hand tightly and the two stepped up to the LCL Column, taking one last look at each before plunging into its surface. The moment they touched the swirling liquid their newly required bodies were once again reduced to LCL and their souls were sucked below the surface.
(Within LCL Column)
Sensing the absorption of Nara and Xera, Shinji/Rei smiled down at the small figure wrapped in its arms. Naoki, her body now the same white as her parent, looked back, a confused expression on her face. She was confused because the figure holding her was not her mother and yet she could still feel her mother's warmth. It wasn't her father either, yet she could feel him too. Though bewildered, she wasn't frightened. Whoever this figure was, it imparted more warmth to her than she had ever felt in her short life. As such the baby's face split into her somewhat lopsided imitation of a smile and she snuggled closer to the figure's chest.
Shinji/Rei's six energy wings folded around its body enfolding Naoki in their embrace and bathing both bodies in their coursing light. The cords on its back throbbed faster as the LCL Column once again swelled in size, carving a wider hole for itself in the ground.
Outside, a constant flow of LCL poured into the massive cross, continuing to increase its already impressive size. Every trace of the orange liquid that was absorbed was immediately condensed in volume but even that could only slow down the expansion rate.
Within the boundaries of the column, the absorbed souls of the Lilim spiralled upwards in a winding path that hugged the cross's walls. The highest concentration of souls spiralled around Shinji/Rei, obscuring its view of the surrounding LCL. This of course was meaningless, since the glowing figure didn't need its eyes to see.
Looking out from the cross itself, Shinji/Rei watched as the last of the LCL was finally absorbed, and with it the last of the souls. The last of the Lilim.
'Finally it is done, now the final absorption can be completed. All will be one.'
There was a rumbling from the depths of Terminal Dogma, now consumed by the LCL Column, and then a large object rocketed up from the pillar's base. An object with dark grey skin and blood red eyes, its humanoid body covered in blades and spikes.
Its six glowing wings streaking behind it, Unit-01 raced up the LCL Column, coming to a stop behind Shinji/Rei and Naoki. As its body came to a complete stop its chest split open, revealing an abyss of seemingly endless darkness.
At a single thought from Shinji/Rei, the hole in Unit-01's chest began to suck in the surrounding LCL, pulling in the many souls at the same time. As quickly as it had grown, the orange cross began to diminish as it flowed into the abyss.
'Welcome to your new home Lilim, you will spend eternity here. Unit-01 will be the vessel for mankind.'
Shinji/Rei had twisted reality within Unit-01's body, creating a myriad of separate, blank realities. As the LCL flowed in it was siphoned back into the Eva's body, while the souls were sucked in deeper, each hurled into a separate reality. Realities that began to take form around them.
As the LCL Column began to thin out around it, Shinji/Rei propelled itself backwards and towards Unit-01's gaping chest.
'We will enter the Central Control Reality, where we will oversee your existence and ensure all goes to plan.'
With that Shinji/Rei was sucked into the abyss, taking Naoki along with them. The reality they retreated too was one which they had created to bind the other realities together and to anchor those realities to Unit-01 and the real world. It was known as the Central Control Reality.
As the last of the LCL Column was sucked up, Unit-01's chest sealed over and the large Eva floated in the now empty sky. Although the LCL had been condensed even more upon entering its body, the Eva had nevertheless swelled in size, having almost three times its original dimensions. Its red eyes glowed more than ever before, a testament to the power now within it.
As it lowered itself to the edge of the chasm leading to what was left of Nerv, the mutated Eva threw back its head and roared, a sound that would have chilled people to their souls had anyone still been alive to hear it.
Mankind had now been reduced to a single being, a fusion of man and Angel. This was the destiny of mankind, to live on in a world of their own making, where nothing was truly real but they themselves. It had come to this, the violence and folly of the human race had finally come to this.
End Notes: Okay, hope you liked this chapter. I know it was short compared to previous chapters but I didn't want to needlessly drag out the story anymore than I had too. All that's left now is the epilogue and I'll try to get that up by Christmas. As always please review but don't flame.