What We Live For

by Furiouswind

The continuation of my first story, What We Die For, the SSS2 continue to wage their bloody war but all is not what it seems. The war will end, and the question is by whose hand will it end by? And who will remain after?

58. Chapter 58

A/N: And... Oops. This chapter went WAAAYYYY too long. Really... I did not expect it to go that long. Too much stuff that needs to be written down. More philosophical stuff. If it hurts your brain, go outside, take a good whiff of sunshine and continue reading. Otherwise you will be left with more questions than answers.

This chapter explains a whole lot of things and serves to tie up the whole story. Enjoy!

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Angel Beats!

What We Live For

Operation 58

Order and Chaos

The thing called 'Sin;Chaos' was the pure opposite of Rei. While Katsuragi Rei was the embodiment of Order, Kou had used her own body and transformed herself into Chaos. No, not just transformed. Rei could no longer sense any part of the being that stood before him containing Kurogane Kou. It had completely consumed her. Only her body, despite being twisted and changed drastically, still held some resemblance to her. But within 'Sin;Chaos', Kurogane Kou was no more. Rei felt his heart sink. Why did Kou do this? Why would she go so far as to sacrifice herself to become Chaos? The greatest Sin is to commit violence to ones own self, suicide. No one who came to this Afterlife had committed suicide for those who did had rejected life completely, rejecting everything that life could be, could offer, and therefore they would close themselves off to the Afterlife. The Afterlife is, essentially, a place of human thoughts and memories, a place where humans go to in search for closure and meaning to their lives.

But people who rejected such lives would not be able to go to the Afterlife and therefore they cannot reincarnate. They would be 'lost' forever, their existence ended. But what if a person does so after they enter this World? It was different from those who would shoot themselves to escape the fear of being consumed by Shadows for that action was not a way to end ones own life, but rather used as a means of escape with the knowledge that they will revive. But what if a person who has lost all will and reason to live after they had gotten to the Afterlife? To give up on the hope of salvation and the reason they went to the Afterlife? This would produce a paradox, a contradiction that should not exist. To enter the Afterlife is to still cling onto life and hope. It is ingrained into their souls that they must live, they must find the answer to their lost lives. To lose that will to live is impossible.

But it did happen. Kou became that contradiction, and by using it, was able to summon within herself the ultimate form of darkness, Chaos. This being, Sin;Chaos, was not only made up of 'Chaos', but also contained the seven deadly Sins merged into one, forming the single power of 'SIN'. Where it walked, the floor turned black and withered, crumbling into dust. The air around it decayed and rotted. Its movements were followed by flames that singed and then froze. Its breath were filled with whispers of screams and curses. This was a being that defied the laws of natures, defied anything that was known as 'Truth'. Nothing made sense with it. Everything disagreed with it.

It was not normal in any form or sense and it was more than abnormal. Sin;Chaos was a 'non-entity', something that existed beyond the understanding of humans as humans lived within the confines of 'LAW', be it the law of man, or the law of nature. As Sin;Chaos was something that existed beyond those boundaries, it has become a 'non-entity'. Sin;Chaos raised its hand and multiple swords that were stuck in the ground flew up, joining some of the swords that were hovering in mid-air. Together they merged, melted into one another, forming one giant blade that towered above everything. So high was it that it seemed to be able to 'touch' the sky. It was a rectangular in shape, having not sharp point. Its body was translucent as though made from frosted glass. Etched upon its surface were multiple symbols that snaked across the entire blade. It had no hilt guard and the hilt itself was a mere handle wrapped in blood drenched cloth. Dangling by its end was a chain link made of black metal and within each link was a small crystal that emitted with such hate that it threatened to corrode the links that held them. The giant weapon floated down into Sin;Chaos's hand and Sin;Chaos lightly grabbed it.

[Sin;Chaos equips END]

The moment it touched the blade, more blades flew towards it and hovered behind Sin;Chaos, merging to become ten identical silver blades that had no hilts or guards, just simple blades, creating an image of wings behind Sin;Chaos.

[Sin;Chaos equips Heaven's Keys]

Raising its hand to Rei, the ten Heaven's keys flew straight at Rei.

"Tch!"

Rei raised Heaven's Veil to stop the blades, but instead, the weapons that flew at him went right through the veil. Rei was forced to jump to one side as the blades flew past him for some distance before disappearing, reappearing behind Sin;Chaos. Heaven's veil was suppose to prevent anything from harming him, but those blades called Heaven's keys were able to go through them. Were they 'conceptual' weapons as well? Or was it because they were part of 'Heaven' as well? By having a 'conceptual' weapon meant nothing could affect them but other 'concepts'. Even so 'conceptual' weapons are unable to interact with one another unless they were part of the same or similar 'concept'.

It was like having a theory on mathematics. It can only be challenged by other concepts in mathematics, and not by theories pertaining to another subject like History. In order for two theories to affect one another, they would have to be on the same field or at the very least, find middle ground where they both have influence. If this was the case, then it would explain why those blades, who carry the same name as Heaven's Veil, would be able to deny the power of the Veil. The Angel Program itself is a 'conceptual' ability, granting 'conceptual' powers to those who used it but by its own concept, it will corrupt those who used it through madness.

"... It's all or nothing."

Rei muttered to himself, looking at his sword. He was the embodiment of Order, he must face Sin;Chaos with all he is as they stood at the two ends of the field. He knew he might kill Kou and forever destroy her soul, but Sin;Chaos was something that must not be brought into existence. The longer it remained in existence, the more it shall destroy Order and Law. As Chaos, it will only bring everything to ruin and destruction and it will eventually destroy all existence. A non-entity will only destroy all entities. And unlike most shounen manga, Rei had no more power-ups, no comrades who would come to help him. It was just him, and Sin;Chaos.

He opened the ammunition catch of his hilt and inserted in a new magazine. He looked at his opponent and pulled the trigger. But he stayed his hand. The magazine rounds increased speed for the next swing. He pulled the trigger again. And again. and again. He pulled the trigger until the magazine was empty. He ejected the empty magazine and slotted in a fresh one, firing everything he had in it. He unlatched the upper catch and slotted in two larger rounds. The power rounds increased the power of his swing for a short period of time, but it was normal that the two types of power would not be a match with one another and refuse to fire.

But that under normal circumstances. He used his other hand and held it the guard of the sword's hilt guard. With a slight power, the hilt guard glowed and disappeared. This unleashed all limitations of his blade. He looked back at Sin;Chaos, who raised its sword, END, high into the air. He pulled the trigger once, feeling the immense power of the power shots vibrating through the blade.

"Here we go."

Rei took a deep breath, and disappeared. He reappeared right in-front of Sin;Chaos, his blade moving so fast that it was a blur. The blade cut through flesh, but instead of blood, a thick black liquor sprayed out from the cut. The black liquor seemed to ensnare Blue Gear but he used another power shot to break out. He disappeared and reappeared behind the bleeding Sin;Chaos, who had not even flinched from the first cut. He threw another slice and the same occurred. He disappeared and reappeared at another angle, cutting before disappearing and reappearing to repeat the process. Moving so fast his movements were a blur, his attacks continued without pause.

But something was wrong, each attack he did was slowly corrupting his blade and at the same time, his attacks did not even seem to make Sin;Chaos react once, much less flinch. It was as if his attacks were doing nothing at all. He reappeared some distance away from his opponent, having run out of the speed shots. But his opponent stood there, still not moving. The black liquor that was spilling from its wounds were like oil, thick and spilling everywhere. Sin;Chaos's body suddenly burst into flames, igniting all of the black liquor and turning Sin;Chaos into a tornado of fire that suddenly froze over into a solid block of ice before shattering.

Sin;Chaos stood there without a single scratch on its body. Sin;Chaos stepped forward, sword still raised, before bringing it down. For a weapon of its size, END moved as fast as any bladed weapon and Rei had to use a speed shot to dodge the attack, but in doing so, he saw that the weapon called END, was able to cleave through the air, causing it to turn the air black in its wake. It went through the thick walls and ground of the black tower they stood on like a knife through butter, corroding everything it touched. It was a plague, it was the void, it was the opposite of existence and everything it touched would be 'undone'. Broken back down into nothingness. The giant blade nearly went through the entire ground but Sin;Chaos suddenly turned the angle of the attack, now sweeping horizontally towards him.

Rei jumped up just in time to have the blade swing underneath him. He landed on the ground, now turned soft and wet like a decaying swamp. He looked up and saw Sin;Chaos swing END down from above. He immediately brought up Heaven's Veil, and this time, it worked against END. But then Heaven's Keys flew at him and forced him to dodge to one side, pulling Heaven's Veil away. If he wanted to fight Sin;Chaos and END, he had to deal with those ten Heaven's Keys first. Unlike Heaven's Veil, those ten Heaven's Keys were conceptual weapons that had their concepts in killing the enemy. He did not know just what sort of 'concept' they were based upon but their power to cut through Heaven's Veil was not to be taken lightly.

He readied his sword, inserting another magazine and emptying all speed shots into his strike. With this one strike, he had to charge straight from behind Sin;Chaos. He disappeared and reappeared right before the ten Heaven's Keys. He swung his blade at them but the ten Keys gathered together and parried his attack. The power of the blow sent a tremor into the ground but it wasn't enough to break even one of the Heaven's Keys. He jumped back just in time to avoid an attack from Sin;Chaos with END. It knows his objective and would probably go all out against him to prevent it. The only thing is-

"... It's so slow."

He stared at Sin;Chaos as it readied its blade at him. Though END may cut through the air much faster than how it looks, the user itself is rather slow. Perhaps it was due to the fact that it was formerly a non-entity and now that it has been brought into existence, it needed time to adjust? Or was it not compatible in the first place with being in existence? He had no idea and he did not really want to know. All he needed to know was that Sin;Chaos is slow. He rushed out at the ten Heaven's Keys once more, trying to take them out once more but history simply repeated itself as the ten floating blades merely came together and parried his attack. He had to rethink his strategy.

What was it that he could use to win? Heaven's Keys had to come together to defend just one of his attacks, so does that mean that they were weak individually? If so, how could he isolate them in order to destroy them? Use Heaven's Veil? But Heaven's Keys would simply go through the Veil, ignoring its ability to deflect anything. Just what were those Keys? Were they not normal conceptual weapons? He had to find a way to destroy them. But how? Then he remembered something. When he first sent out Heaven's Veil against the Keys, the Keys were aiming directly for the Veil before changing their trajectory slightly to aim for him. The Keys themselves were attracted to the Veil. He could use that attraction to his advantage. Sin;Chaos turned and faced him, raising its sword once more to strike down at him.

'Why do you still persist?'

A cold voice rasped throughout the air. Sin;Chaos did not open its mouth but its thoughts were ringing out like church bells. Loud, commanding, cold, vicious. Such a dark voice that spoke in a voice neither man nor woman nor beast. It was a voice of a million howls, screams and curses. It was something he knew. Something familiar that within him recognised.

'We have fought countless times, Order. Across an infinite number of possibilities, we have waged countless battles. Each time we fought, Chaos will always remain while Order perishes. Why do you believe in such futile efforts?'

"... Because man still deserves a chance."

'Man did nothing but sit idle and waste away with their petty squabbles. They see not how insignificant their bickering is for they see not anything beyond their own sight.'

"And they can still be able to do good and build for a better future."

'My powers are infinite. They draw upon the past, present and future of man. Humans can endure, but they will not change their selfishness. For that, I hold within me an infinite power. I will use that infinite power to break the cycle here, and with it, past, present and future of all existence shall crumble. Nothing can stop me for it is the inevitable fate that awaits all things. Yet you still stand before me, knowing this.'

"Because I can."

His answer seemed to make Sin;Chaos pause, slightly puzzled despite it not showing on its face.

'Fate cannot be changed, Order.'

Sin;Chaos started to bring down its blade on him.

"It can be changed... It does not take nations nor generations of people to move the World. All it takes... is the will of a single man."

This was his chance. He jumped aside to dodge the attack, leaving Sin;Chaos open. He charged forward and went straight for the ten floating blades. As expected, the blades rushed at him. He threw Heaven's veil at the flying blades and they flew at the Veil. Using this chance, he fired off a speed shot for one additional speed movement, disappearing and reappearing right behind the last Key and bringing his sword down on it. The Key cracked with his hit, flying off wildly into the air. The crack in the blade spread and grew until it covered the entire blade and it shattered into pieces.

"And all it takes... is for that man to take the first step. A single step in the right direction is all it takes to start it all. Though he may be alone, ostracised and forgotten, that man had taken the first step down a path not taken, so that others may follow."

'Foolish ideology.'

From the shattered pieces of the Key came a giant explosion that sent Rei flying backwards. Crashing into the ground, he quickly rolled back to his feet. Sin;Chaos stepped forward towards him.

'That single step may start a chain of events that will spiral out of control. Those who follow him may not hold the same agenda as him.'

"The path that he took may be the same as those who follow him behind, but it will be in the same direction."

Rei spat out a loose tooth. It did not even take a second for a new tooth to grow in its place. The power that flowed in this area was immense and being able to absorb it was one of the perks of being an NPC.

'The future will still be the same, Order. It has repeated itself for many cycles, and it will only repeat itself for many more. Man will always walk down the path of destruction and Chaos. It has been the same since time began. Humans are beings of Chaos. Where they go, I shall be there.'

"And yet humans will still build societies and law no matter how many cycles it has repeated."

Rei ran forward, aiming for the second Key.

'They only form such laws to define what Chaos is.'

Sin;Chaos tried to bring in END through a diagonal cut but Rei simply jumped towards the giant blade and slid underneath.

"Humans desire order in Chaos."

Rei jumped up and threw Heaven's Veil at the Keys, distracting them once again to go in to his second target. He cut through the second Key, shattering it as well.

'Chaos will never be gone, no matter what man desires. When man has grown stagnant in order, they will desire Chaos once more.'

The pieces of the second Key exploded and Rei was forced back once more.

"That cycle can be broken. It will be broken."

Rei rushed in to take on the third target.

'That is only a delusion to the masses.'

Sin;Chaos changed its tactics, letting the remaining Heaven's Keys to fly high into the air and shoot down from above one at a time. Rei was forced to dodge each attack but before he could get his footing back and attack the Key, a second would come flying straight down while the first dislodged itself from the ground and went back up into the air.

'War, famine, disease, distrust, ignorance. Man's so-called society is crumbling underneath them. The only way for humans to survive is to strip themselves of free will. To give up their freedom and conform to a single idea. But they will never allow it. Not while they posses ideals and pride. They will continue to fight one another until they are all dead. That is Chaos. That is humans true nature.'

"Humans can learn to change."

Rei jumped to avoid the falling blade and just as the second blade was coming down, he readied his sword, and attacked the second blade. The two weapons clashed with one another, sparks flying as edge went against edge.

'Humans had many chances to learn. They had gone through many wars, many conflicts throughout their history. Yet they fail to learn anything from each battle. They fail to see that the more they fight, the closer they bring themselves to total destruction. Humans, as a species, are a failure. Humans, as a race, thrive through wars. Humans, on the whole, will never learn. For pride, for power, for greed, for their own ego. Humans are so predictable. Behind the lies of peace and cooperation, they yearn for Chaos.'

"There are humans who will do everything they can to make the World better."

Rei pushed harder and made the third Heaven's Key shatter.

'There is no such thing as charity. They give as they please in order to satisfy their ego, to ease their guilty conscience. But what are trying to achieve? They know their words will never change the World. They know that others do not listen to their ways. So they force it upon others. Rather than throw weapons of fire and metal, they throw weapons of guilt and words. They are just like all others. Their actions brought conflict to the World and like all other conflicts, they only serve to feed me... and their own demise.'

The third key exploded and Rei had to gain distance once again.

"Humans learned not to be bound by conflict. They have learned how to live cohesively."

'Is that the pretty lie that they tell themselves? That they can learn to live with tolerance? That is a mere façade The word itself shows how humans react. To 'tolerate' is not to accept another. It is to simply put up with it. You blind yourself to such ideals, Order, to the point it sickens me. Tell me, Order, if man desires to live together cohesively, if they so want to live without Chaos, why do they live differently? Why do they live and divide themselves with fences and borders, claiming 'land' and 'home'? Why create languages that differ so vastly? Why create 'countries'? They do not trust one another, they do not tolerate one another. They live in a lie called 'life'.'

To Rei, it did not matter what Sin;Chaos thought or said. He and it were different from the beginning and to try to counter every one of its arguments would be futile and endless. But... it was not Sin;Chaos he had to argue with. It was Kou. Though Kou's essence was no longer detectable in Sin;Chaos, he believed in her will and tenacity to live. What he was doing was weakening Sin;Chaos enough to get his words through to Kou. At heart of Sin;Chaos was still Kou's beliefs of the World. An 'empty' existence like Kou was the source of Sin;Chaos. He promised that he would find her, that he would save her. No matter what, he will fulfil that promise. He readied his sword and charged forward once more at Sin;Chaos, who raised the remaining Keys into the air, letting them dance around and throw them at random towards him.

'Humans who have reached the point of realisation are few and they know within themselves that they are too powerless to stop the tides of destruction. Most humans do not have time to waste around thinking about their lives and situations. They are forced by society, by the reality of living within societies that require them to work and slave away for the sake of money. They do not have time to think critically about politics, about philosophy, about how the World is ending. All they think about is the small World that they can see. They do not see the consequences of actions taken by others, and simply blindly believe the lies of others that is told to them. They believe wild speculations when their emotions are flared, and will turn blind eyes to all other possibilities. Only those who have money, resources and time can ponder of such things, but the ones who are unable to afford such luxuries will never listen nor believe those who have, because those who cannot afford such luxuries do not have time to listen and think of such things. Tell me, Order, if these are not proof of humans being vile and disgusting, what is?'

"I will not deny that humans are quick to jump to conclusions, and that they are stubborn in their views."

Rei jumped to avoid another attack before pulling the trigger on Blue Gear and disappearing and reappearing next to one of the Keys in mid-air, bringing his sword down through it and shattering it.

"But that is only because humans constantly seek to know more. They do not want to live in constant doubt and uncertainty."

'It only proves their ignorance.'

The pieces of the Key exploded and Rei had to back up. Sin;Chaos raised END and tried to swing it down at him but Rei used his speed shot to avoid that attack, at the cost of the giant sword cutting through the tower again.

'For how long has man lived through eras of falsehood? Of false claims of right and justice? How many innocents were condemned to die for the sake of 'justice' that were fabricated by the few? Let me post a question for you, Order, to see if you can still remain as righteous as you are now. Assumption: All outcomes are absolute. Let us say one country had stolen an ancient treasure of another years ago but has hidden it for a long time under time and dust. If this treasure is returned, it will cause mayhem and destruction. It will cause the collapse of Worlds and Countries and millions will die. But still, it is an important treasure to millions in World. Justice demands that the treasure be revealed and returned, or should it remain hidden and unknown for all eternity, to ensure that the future destruction of the World is secured?'

He had no answer as he dodged more attacks to charge at the remaining Keys.

'Assumption: All outcomes are absolute. If there was one absolute evil that must be destroyed, yet it exists to protect the good of millions, would you be able to ignore it? Or would you kill it for the sake of justice and kill the lives the millions of innocent that the evil protects?'

A question that had no real answer.

'Assumption: All outcomes are absolute. If there was an evil that justice cannot defeat, what will you do? What would humans do?'

"... Because humans are able to, they will become evil to defeat that evil."

'And so evil shall remain.'

"But the definition of 'Good' and 'Evil' are made by man."

Rei swung his blade and hit not one, but two of the Keys, before pulling the trigger and unleashing a power shot, breaking both keys in one go.

"You said so yourself, that man will decide what is good and what is evil. Man's perception of justice has changed over the years and across nations. However they do so because each human is unique. Each of them are an individual. They have to decide what is justice and what is evil in order to survive, in order to progress in life and carry on as a species."

'The so-called 'justice' of individuals has led to the endless conflicts across time. One man's justice is another man's crime.'

The two Keys exploded but Rei was already out of their blast radius by then. Those words were by Kou. He knew Kou was still within Sin;Chaos.

"That does not eliminate the possibility of a justice where all can agree upon, despite holding onto their own beliefs."

'Such a compromise is a fatal flaw to the sense of individuality. Are you able to pass evil off as justice? Humans themselves have blurred the lines of both evil and justice. They use 'evil' as a form of 'justice', for the 'sake of the greater good', as they say. 'An eye for an eye' makes no sense in justice yet it is the basis of justice. A man who had been wronged by evil is unable to seek justice on his own, but must rely on a 'system' of justice to bring evil to justice? In the end, it still lies in the hands of man, albeit another man, to decide the fate of evil. The third party, though unrelated to the deed that had been performed, has to be dragged in and will be the one with blood of his hands to rid of evil. He became 'evil', to kill the 'evil' of a man who seeks justice, in doing so, he becomes 'justice'. But blood is blood. Who is he to perform that act of 'justice'?'

"He is the 'impartial', the judge. Why would he become evil to kill 'evil'?"

'Because to humans, the act of killing and anything associated with 'death' is 'evil'. If this judge were to condemn 'evil', then he would have to be 'evil' to end the life of another. Evil still remains. If the judge were to see the 'evil' as 'innocent', the man who had been wronged will refuse to accept the judgement due to his stubbornness and ignorance, which are both blinded by rage, and will become 'evil' in order to enact his own 'justice'. Evil still remains.'

"That goes back to an earlier statement, if there was an evil that justice cannot defeat, then what would humans do? By doing so, Evil will always remain no matter what. To kill is to be evil. To result in death is to be evil. If that were the case, then why is it 'bad' to be 'evil'?"

Sin;Chaos's swing went slightly off course.

'You are contradicting your nature, Order.'

"I have not contradicted anything. Assumption: All outcomes are absolute. When Justice is forced to stain its hand in evil, it is still Justice covered with a veil called evil. And just as how Justice can be turned easily to evil, so can evil turn into Justice."

'Impossible statement.'

"Not impossible."

Rei slid across the floor to dodge all of the attacks that came at him, grabbing one of the many swords still stuck in the ground from Kou's attack with Wrath, and threw it at the Keys. While the sword did not manage to shatter another Key, it made one of the Keys fly off course. Rei used this and reappeared next to it, cutting through it before jumping away to avoid the inevitable explosion.

"It is not irrational for evil to kill another evil if that second evil is preventing the first from doing what it wants. In this instance, though the evil is doing what it must to achieve its goals, it still becomes justice to eradicate another evil. Not all actions of man are evil in the long run. Should you hide information from the public to prevent wide-spread panic? Or should you tell the truth to them because they want to know? Do you listen to the people and shut down your projects because they do not like it? Or do you carry on because you know that the project will provide much more for the people in the future? Must you sacrifice all the freedom you have for more security?

Humans want to see things as simple. That 'A' must equal to 'B'. But they know that 'A' can also be equal to 'C' or 'D'. Anything and everything that man does is up to their own perception of reality. I will admit, people are often blinded by emotion and caught up in the spur of the moment that they will believe just about anything. They blind themselves to the consequences of actions and only want to see immediate results. I will admit that humans have learned to use this emotion to influence other humans to join their cause, to get others to agree with their views because the opportune moment arrived for them to manipulate others. But all of that and more are simply what man is."

'Order... you agree to my statements.'

"I agree to what is right."

Sin;Chaos seemed to hesitate. He used this chance to aim for the last three Keys. Sin;Chaos tried to get the Keys to fly about in random but Rei would not be stopped.

'Of the countless cycles we went through, you never agreed with me once, Order. You had always stood as my equal, my opposite. This is not what is suppose to happen. You... you are not Order. What are you?'

"I never said I was 'Order'."

Rei used this moment of hesitation and sliced through another Key.

"Like how you are both Sin and Chaos, I have within me Order and Law. But I am more than that. Weren't you paying attention before?"

Sin;Chaos seemed to understand now as it took a step back away from Rei.

'No... It cannot be... you cannot be here... You... you are 'TRUTH'.'

---

"I never said I made the ultimate 'Good'."

Otonashi smiled.

"I only said I made something that would transcend all. I made 'TRUTH'. 'TRUTH' is neither good, nor evil. 'TRUTH' is what you make of it. It is the sole overriding force of everything. At times it can be the salvation for corruption, it can heal and save lives and bring the wicked to justice. But at other times, it can be harsh and unforgiving; a dark sword that will cut away any ray of hope. They often say that 'TRUTH' is the first victim in war. I beg to disagree. 'TRUTH' is not the first victim. It the one who has to create such a 'lie' for he knows the 'TRUTH' yet must bear the burden of both it and the 'lie' he created. For what reasons do humans fabricate lies and hide truth? If it would only cause to hinder what they had planned.

What if the lie that they created was meant to protect millions? Must the truth still be known? Leaders of men must know that society is built upon a fragile system that is so intricate and delicate that if one part fails, the rest will fall like a house of cards. One misstep, one wrong turn, and the modern World as we know will collapse. There are some who see this and will remain silent in order to maintain the stability that is their World. Others will try to reveal it to the masses, spreading chaos like a wild fire. Why? Because man does not wish for stagnation Humans thrive in the moment. Wars, though harsh and destructive, has more than one way revolutionised technology. It killed millions yet paved the way for man reach the stars.

Nothing is inherently good or evil. 'TRUTH' is no exception. When people lie, they do it for a reason. The reason may be for the good of many, or for the good of that one person. 'TRUTH' is not the first victim. It never is. Because 'TRUTH' is what you make of it. If there was a lie that everyone in the World believed were true, would it still be a lie? For thousands of years, people believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth. To them, it was the TRUTH. Now we know it as a lie but for years that was the TRUTH.

If we think of a magic trick, we know it is an illusion and people will often try to figure out how it works. Yet while we know in TRUTH that there is a trick, we still want to believe in the 'lie' that is the trick. Because in the 'lie', we are able to enjoy ourselves and believe in something that is exciting Why destroy a 'lie' that we all created that has a purpose? TRUTH will change its shape and form over the years. It will shift from benevolent and forgiving, to harsh and murderous. Those who defend a TRUTH is neither right nor wrong, so long as he sole heartedly believes in it. TRUTH is a tool, it is a power and it will serve to end this madness once and for all. After all, who doesn't want the TRUTH?"

---

'No... 'TRUTH' is not suppose to be here.'

The voice of Sin;Chaos did not sound panicked, nor did it show on its face, but the words that it spoke had said everything. Sin;Chaos was afraid. This turn of events was not what it had expected.

"Yet I stand here before you."

Rei readied his sword at the remaining two Keys.

'This is a battle between Order and Chaos. TRUTH has no say in this matter.'

"I have all the say in this. You, Chaos, are not suppose to be here."

Sin;Chaos took another step back.

'You will not deny me, TRUTH. You cannot.'

The two remaining Keys flew straight at Rei. Flipping his sword in hand to a back-handed stance, Rei swung his blade multiple times, slicing the two remaining blades into pieces.

"No, I cannot. For 'seeing is believing', but what I said was that you are 'not suppose' to be here. Your existence is not suppose to be here. As Chaos, you have no definitive form."

'What are you trying say?'

"I had thought it was weird. Why did Kou go through all of this? Why did agree to help me stop the program and then later fight me? Why did she say she loved me and yet kill herself?"

Rei walked towards Sin;Chaos dangerously, making it shift nervously back.

'This vessel did as was created, its purpose was to summon me.'

"Exactly, she summoned you here, using her own body and soul as the catalyst. But you got one thing wrong, Chaos. Kou was never 'created' for your purpose. She was never part of your 'plan' or 'schemes' to destroy existence. Because 'plans' and 'schemes' are under the jurisdiction of 'Order'. Which you are not."

'Silence.'

Sin;Chaos swung its sword at Rei, who used his own sword, wrapped by Heaven's Veil, to block it. Sin;Chaos was weakened severely and its attacks no longer held the ultimate power it once had.

"Kou never strayed from her goals. She never broke her promises. She summoned you here using all of the darkness and madness in this Afterlife, but it was not enough, so she drew power from the real life as well. Yes, she summoned you here, but it was not for you to destroy everything."

'No... SILENCE.'

"She summoned you here, so that I can destroy you once and for all."

'NO. CHAOS CANNOT BE DESTROYED.'

Sin;Chaos tried to force END to cut through Rei. However END was not a sword that can defeat Blue Gear. Musashi had created Blue Gear as a form of perfection. To correct the mistake that he made. Kou's ultimate weapon, manifested by Sin;Chaos, is a sword that must never be drawn for it brings about disaster. Blue Gear is a blade that must never be sheathed for it is a blade whose edge protects life.

"You are right. Chaos cannot be destroyed."

Rei pulled the trigger, unleashing the power shot and his sword cleaved through END cleanly, the long end of the blade falling off the edge of the dark tower and disappearing into orbs of light.

"But it can be banished."

Swinging his sword, Rei pointed his blade at Sin;Chaos.

"It is time for this mad and long story to end."

Rei charged at Sin;Chaos, who raised what was left of END at Rei and charged at Rei as well.

'YOU WILL NOT WIN TRUTH. I WILL EMERGE AS THE VICTOR NO MATTER HOW MANY CYCLES PASS.'

Rei clashed with Sin;Chaos, but he twisted his body, releasing Blue Gear from his right hand. As he turned his body, his left hand grabbed his sword, switching it to a back-handed stance as his foot slammed into the ground, gaining traction.

[Shin-Shin-gi (True God skill), Tenge Mumei (Nameless under Heaven)]

With one strike, Rei cut through, using Heaven's Veil to guide his blade. A skill that dictates that no one is above one another. A skill that shows all man is equal as long as they live under the same sky, that their individual lives and problems were insignificant compared to the vastness of all. The great equaliser. It was a skill that would go through the darkness and madness of the Afterlife. It was a skill that would sever the Program at its core and destroy any impurities. It was a skill, that could kill a God.

[Sin;Chaos receives damage]

[Sin;Chaos is defeated]

'I... will not... be... denied...'

---

The last cry of Sin;Chaos filled the air as dark vapours started to seep out of its body. The vapours rose in the air towards the sky before changing into orbs of gentle light and disappear towards the sky. The body of Sin;Chaos then collapsed, causing Rei to run over and pick up the fading body in his arms. Despite the dark stains of taint and the black blood that smeared her, it was undoubted Kurogane Kou who lay in his arms. Her eyes looked at him with a soft comfort that he never knew she could show. No, she did show it before, but it was lost.

"You... found... me..."

Kou said with a smile.

"I told you I would."

Rei replied, forcing a smile on his own face.

"Yes... you did..."

Kou nodded and closed her eyes.

"And so... it... is over..."

Kou seemed to be satisfied. Her body starting to crumble away like dust. Her weight being lighter and lighter as more vapours were escaping her body.

"It is..."

Rei trailed off. The two simply sat there in silence. There was so much they want to say to one another, so much that they wanted to do. But time would not permit them. Words would not be spoken. The times they spent together flowed through their minds.

From the first time they met in the darkness when Kou was swallowed by a Shadow years ago,

the battle they fought against one another on the rooftop on EX Day,

the moment right after where he reappeared as a different person,

the accidental meeting in baths,

the day the two of them saw one another in that empty classroom where Kou sang to him,

the days after where they met one another several times.

Such days were a luxury, were like precious gems that seem to shine brightly and fondly and yet their distance would forever be too far to reach for them again.

"Why... why did you have to do all of this, Kou?"

Rei finally asked, his body shaking as he tried to hold back his tears, his emotions.

"You know why... Don't you?"

Kou merely answered with another question and a smile.

"You... knew that even if we stopped the Program, the taint in this World was too great. The only way was to force all of the darkness to congregate in one place and eliminate them."

Kou nodded to his answer.

"Correct... ten points."

"But why did it have to be you? ! Why did you have to sacrifice yourself for this? !"

"Because... it is the only way."

Kou said, closing her eyes.

"The taint is... in all humans... it is a natural part of our lives... humans are made of both good... and bad... light... and darkness... When that darkness becomes too strong... we despair. When we die in despair... we regret... and regret only serves to drag us further down into the darkness... Humans are the only things that can hold onto regrets... because we are the ones who created them."

"But that does not mean you had to be the one!"

Kou shook her head slowly.

"No... It has to be me... I am sure you remember... who I am... What I am... I am Kurogane Kou... The empty Soul... In life I had no goals... no aspirations... I was made as a shadow of my brother... To be someone else but myself... In death... I became Wrath, the purest of all Sins... being the purest meant all taint can be controlled and pulled towards it... An empty vessel of Wrath... This was planned... it was all meant to happen..."

"'Planned'? What do you mean-"

Rei stopped mid-sentence. This was odd. This entire situation was odd. Why was Kurogane Kou brought into this World? As an NPC with administrative rights, he accessed Kou's data and it was stated that she died with the regret of not gaining recognition from her mother. But it was weird. Why did she need recognition from her mother? And the sudden appearance of Angels. Angels were never meant to appear, they were unnatural even by the entire programming of the Angel Program. Why was Kurogane Kei brought to this World as well? Why was Kou made into Wrath? She became Wrath after losing Fudou Akira to the Angels. Angels that appeared almost too coincidentally.

Why was he brought into existence? Why was he created? Merely because his creator, Otonashi, was fooling around with the Program? Trying to play God? No... it was not right. Kou's words... 'this was all planned'. Someone planned the entire War, planned the entire battles, the corruptions, the fall of the SSS2. Someone planned it all. Someone who knew how and where the pieces would move across the chess board. Someone who knew how to manipulate and direct people to do their bidding. It was someone who sat behind everything in the shadows.

"... Otonashi... Yuzuru."

---

"It was hard, you know, to get everything in just the right position."

He smiled, snapping his fingers and having a chair appear out of thin air. He sat down on the chair and crossed his legs as he smiled to the two who stood before him. Kamiya Yuzuru and Tachibana Kanade.

"You did all of this. You planned this from the very beginning."

Kamiya angrily said, pointing his finger at his other half accusingly. Otonashi smiled, resting his head against his hand and snapping his fingers again. Amagami Futayo, the Kanade look-a-like, walked over to his side and poured a cup of tea, handing it to Otonashi quietly.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't."

"Don't play games with us."

Kamiya glared angrily.

"Struck a nerve, have I? Well, no matter. It will not matter soon enough."

Otonashi replied, taking a sip from his cup.

"You keep avoiding the question."

Kamiya said, and Otonashi smiled.

"Makes me more mysterious, doesn't it?"

"Makes you look like an idiot."

"That hurt my feelings, you know."

"As if."

Otonashi smiled devilishly at Kamiya, obviously having fun at the other's expense.

"You made that girl, Kurogane Kou, the vessel to absorb this entire World's regrets and despair, and had your NPC, Katsuragi Rei, to infiltrate the SSS2 in order to grow and gain enough power to defeat the gathered darkness."

Kamiya said.

"Did I? Sounds like a whole lot of trouble just to do that."

Otonashi answered innocently despite his face saying otherwise.

"You-"

"Now now, calm yourself down and maybe have a nice cup of tea?"

Otonashi pointed in front of himself where two more chairs appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't give me this crap!"

Kamiya angrily shouted, pushing the chair aside. Otonashi silently looked at Kamiya, sipping on his tea before closing his eyes.

"... Let us say, for the sake of your argument, that I did engineer all of this. Let us say that I did drag the Kurogane twins into this World. Kurogane Kei's soul was pure and strong, so it would serve to be the best candidate for my NPC, Katsuragi Rei. Kurogane Kou, the complete opposite, is the perfect vessel to attract and contain all of the darkness in this World. Let us say that I engineered the entire War of the SSS2, the rising of the Angel NPCs, the murder of Kurogane Kou's lover, Fudou Akira, in-front of her, all simply to make Kou the ultimate vessel. Let us say that I also made my NPC, Katsuragi Rei, infiltrate the SSS2 in order to learn and grow with the soul of Kurogane Kei. Make him strong enough to face the darkness in the final battle. Let us say I did all this... What are you going to do about it when it has already ended?"

At this, Kamiya became enraged.

"WHY YOU-"

He was held back by Kanade but Otonashi did not even seem to flinch from Kamiya's outburst.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY LIVES WERE LOST IN YOUR MEDDLING GAMES? ! HOW MANY PEOPLE HAD DISAPPEARED AND LOST THEMSELVES IN DESPAIR BECAUSE OF YOU? ! AND TO MAKE A YOUNG GIRL LIKE KUROGANE KOU TO BE YOUR SACRIFICIAL LAMB! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? !"

BANG

Otonashi took his fist and slammed it down hard on the chair's arm. Otonashi's face turned sour and dark, glaring menacingly at Kamiya.

"Does it LOOK like a GAME to you?"

Otonashi growled at Kamiya.

"Do you THINK that those lives lost were wanted? That I enjoy ending the lives of those people? I may have been trapped in this World for so long that I may be a little short of a few screws but I am still OTONASHI YUZURU. Every death is another reason why I must complete what I had started. I have come too far to stop half way. If I had to repeat everything, I will not change a single thing. I will not let this World or any other be consumed by hate and despair just because some people have to die to set things right."

Otonashi leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"... That girl... will never be able to pass on... she contained too much regrets, too much despair within her that it altered her very existence. She cannot pass on as a normal human soul any longer."

"You-"

"I had no choice... Either her... or the entire World will be consumed by darkness... Save one... or save the billions... It was an easy choice to make."

Otonashi smiled sadly at his own words, showing the weight of his own decisions wearing him down.

"But after all of this... I realised that I had underestimated four things."

"Four?"

"... When I brought Kurogane Kei's soul to this World, I had expected to only draw upon the essence of the Soul, not the entire person."

Otonashi explained.

"Kurogane Kei is not like most people. He is extremely strong in will and mind, so much so that it is actually very irritating. Luckily for me, he was willing to go along with my plans. Because he lacks the essence of his own soul, he cannot enter this Afterlife and is trapped in the limbo World that I had created. For him, everything was for his sister."

"Kurogane Kou?"

Otonashi nodded.

"Yes... her. She is the second one I had underestimated. Her power and cunning that she had within her far exceeded anything I was capable of predicting. Her ferocity nearly destroyed my plans when she took on her position as the Sixth Division head. I had to intervene and therefore I sent Rei, who was not yet ready to infiltrate the SSS2, to confront her. It was a gamble, whether she would ally herself with Rei or not. Kou is not a dumb girl... she is clever... too clever. In the end, she did go along with my plans willingly... which was the third thing I had underestimated."

"What is that?"

"... Love."

Otonashi said, making Kamiya somewhat surprised.

"Love?"

"Yes... Love. I had believed it to be a simple emotion, driven by basic needs of humans... But it turned out I was wrong... sorely wrong. I had believed that because an Angel was the one who took Akira away from Kou, that Kou would forever vow to kill all Angels... but she did not kill Rei. No matter what, she did not turn her blade against him after she agreed to my plans. It soon became apparent that she was starting to have feelings for Rei. It may have started out as a certain 'nostalgic' feeling as Rei held onto her brother's soul, but it grew into something... more."

"And the last thing you underestimated?"

"... My own creation. Katsuragi Rei."

---

"My... father... was the cause of all this?"

Rei felt betrayed, used, angry, but Kou reached out to his face, her hand now translucent as it started to fade away.

"There is no need... to be angry..."

"But-"

Kou simply shook her head.

"This is all... according to plan..."

"You knew all of this would happen... and yet still went along with it?"

Rei did not understand why she would do this.

"Because... the darkness is not... something that must outweigh... the light... Chaos will return... like the many cycles before... the fight between Order... and Chaos... will repeat."

He knew it to be true as well. Sin;Chaos had said it as well, that it had fought with Order for countless cycles. But because it was not just Chaos, but Sin and Chaos combined, Order itself would not be enough to defeat it. He had to become more than Order to defeat it.

"... It was all... suppose to happen... That man... knew that Chaos... would be too strong... for Order... to defeat... so he made Order... become something else.. Everything... was to lead up... to this."

Rei understood. He understood, but still did not want to accept. Why must it be Kou? Why choose Kou? Kou felt something hit her face. She looked up and saw... tears.

"... Why... are you... crying?"

Kou asked.

"... It's... it's because I couldn't save you."

Rei said, unable to hold back his emotions.

"I said that I would definitely save you... but in the end I couldn't do anything."

The struggles that Rei faced, the hurdles before him. He had defeat Sin;Chaos to save existence, but in doing so, he condemned Kou to disappear. His actions, though directed by Otonashi, were the indirect cause of Kou's demise.

"I... I failed... I failed myself... I failed Kei... I failed you."

Kou lay there in his arms, letting his tears fall onto her face. She reached up and wiped away his tears gently.

"You saved... the World... not many can... say that."

"But to save it I had to lose you! What is the point of saving it all if you cannot be saved? ! I was a simple NPC, just a by-product of a mad man experimenting with a program with powers beyond his own... yet I was given a soul... I learned to live... I learned to love... But then the love that I learned must be torn away from me... killed by my own hands... is he trying to torment me? Is he trying to punish me? WHY? ! WHY MUST I GO THROUGH THIS PAIN! THIS AGONY? ! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF I DIDN'T FEEL ANYTHING! IF I WERE JUST A SIMPLE NPC!"

Kou silently listened to his cries, to his frustrations. She knew his thoughts, his pain, his suffering. She knew it all because she too, at one point, had gone through the same thing. But then he came to her. He gave back what she had lost. He was the one who brought back the light into her dark life.

"... It is better... to have loved... and lost... then to have never loved... at all."

Kou said.

"For once... you have loved... you will understand... the value of time... of life... of pain... of suffering... To love... and understand... to prevent others from... making the same mistake... as before... that is... what 'he'... your father... wanted you... to learn."

Kou brushed aside his bangs, looking straight into his bright blue eyes.

"No sacrifice... is too great... if the World... is consumed... then nothing... will matter. No matter what... you must not... despair... do not regret... the choices you make... for those choices... are the ones that made you... into what you are now... And I... chose to love... for the one... who is holding me... now. "

Kou smiled at him.

"... I promised you a song... didn't I?"

Kou closed her eyes as she started to hum. A soft tune, a melody that danced in the air gently, being played around by the winds as the entire Afterlife seemed to resonate with the song. A song that made everything seem calm and serene. A song of emotions. Of colours. Of love.

[Kimi ga Tame]

[Singer: Suara]

Kimi no hitomi ni utsuru Watashi wa nani iro desuka

Aka fukaki nozomu nara Watasou hi no hikari wo

[Reflected in your eyes, what colour am I?

If you wish for a deep red, then I shall give you the light of the sun.]

Kanashimi ga afure Mabuta tojimashita

Koboreta shizuku wa Kokoro ni shimi yuku

[As sadness overflowed, I closed my eyelids.

The drops that fall stain my heart.]

Iki wataru nami wa Yowaku majiemasu

Todoke shi yurikago Nemuri wo sasou

[The waves that spread weakly mix together

And send you off to sleep in a cradle.]

Yume ni natsukashi Omokage wo sagasu

Te wo nobashi Tsuyoku Dakishimetaku naru ha-

[In my dreams, I search for that nostalgic trace of a memory.

And then I begin to want to reach my hand and embrace you tightly. Ah...]

Kimi no hitomi ni utsuru Watashi wa nani iro desuka

Ai fukaki nozomu nara Watasou takaki sora wo

[Reflected in your eyes, what colour am I?

If you wish for a deep indigo, then I shall give you the sky high above.]

Yorokobi ga afure Meguri aimashita

Kobore otsu hohoemi Wakare wo kakusu

[As happiness overflowed, we met by chance.

A smile that fades in hides a farewell.]

Hito wa itsushika kuchi hateru keredo

Uta to nari katari tsugarete yuku deshou ha-

[People will someday meet their ruin, but

They will become a song and be spoken of throughout time. Ah...]

Kimi no hitomi ni utsuru Watashi wa nani iro desuka

Ryoku fukaki nozomu nara Watasou kono daichi wo

[Reflected in your eyes, what colour am I?

If you wish for a deep green, then I shall give you the very earth.]

Moroku hakanagena mono yo Tsuyoku utsukushiki mono yo Aru ga mama ha-

[Oh, fragile, fleeting ones. Oh, strong, beautiful ones. Be as you are. Ah...]

Kimi no hitomi ni utsuru Watashi wa nani iro desuka

Yasuragi wo oboeta nara Soko ni watashi wa iru

[Reflected in your eyes, what colour am I?

If you remember peace, then I shall be there.]

Kimi no hitomi ni utsuru Watashi wa nani iro desuka

Ura fukaki nozomu nara Watasou kono omoi wo

Watasou Kono subete wo

[Reflected in your eyes, what colour am I?

If you wish for the deep past, then I shall give you my feelings.

Then I shall give you everything of me.]

---

The last orb of light floated up to the sky and faded away. He sat there, not moving an inch, his hands grasping the cold air. Was this how it was suppose to end? It was too unfair. Too much for him to bear. And yet she told him not to despair. But how could he not? This pain in his chest was threatening to rip his heart apart. The pain of loss, the pain of despair. His mind went blank. His mouth opened and screamed. But no sound ever came out. He screamed till his lungs nearly tore themselves apart. He screamed so much that his throat almost bled. He wanted to scream so that the whole World would know his grief. He wanted all to suffer as he did, to have everyone go through the same pain. But... he didn't. He did not want to taint the World dark. He did not want to waste what he and Kou had fought so hard to achieve

"And that is important to remember what you have fought so hard for."

A voice from behind said. He turned and saw the face of someone who should not be here.

"Kuro... gane... Kei?"

The playful face of the elder Kurogane twin smiled at him.

"Good work, Rei. It's been a long and tiring fight, hasn't it?"

"But-... how?"

Rei was confused as to how Kei could be in the Afterlife if he had no soul?

"Perhaps you were not paying attention to your surroundings?"

Kei asked, pointing upwards. Rei looked around and saw that he was no longer at the top of the dark tower. Rather, they were in the 'white World'. The World where he and his two siblings were first created.

"I had you isolated and pulled back into this World the moment you went all nuts and screaming like a German opera singer. You could have made a whole lot of things go wrong with that scream."

Kei explained, walking towards Rei.

"You almost went ahead and created Chaos part two, you know?"

"I..."

Rei did not know what to say. He had nothing to say. At that moment, two more people appeared in the 'white World'. Both were familiar to him.

"Good job, Rei."

"... Father."

Otonashi Yuzuru smiled as he walked over to where Kei and him were. Following behind him was Amagami Futayo, one of the two berserk NPCs that Otonashi created.

"Had 'fun' collecting your doll?"

Kei asked, crossing his arms. Otonashi smiled.

"It was a simple matter to re-write the corruption of an NPC I created. Too bad the other one was already facing off with Kou at that time so retrieval was impossible."

"You weren't planning on retrieving him in the first place."

Kei pointed out, make Otonashi shrug.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Kei sighed, shaking his head in dismay as he knew he would never get an answer out of Otonashi like this.

"So? Is your 'side' done?"

Kei changed the subject. Otonashi smiled, snapping his fingers and making a chair appear, seating himself on it.

"Yes, it is done. Still, it is much harder than I had first anticipated. Sending every single one of those souls back to the real World is no easy feat. Both the SSS and the SSS2 are gone."

Otonashi said.

"For you, such a thing was an easy task."

Kei pointed out, making Otonashi smile.

"Well, I did not say it was 'impossible'. Also, I've erased all of their memories of this place."

Otonashi added, taking a sip of tea poured by Amagami Futayo.

"What about those on the 'outside'? Those... Shadow Workers?"

"They will not bother us for sometime. I've sent them a message to destroy their data about this World."

"We do not need anyone to know of this World. People are better off without the knowledge that a World like this exists."

Kei nodded in agreement, making Otonashi raise an eyebrow.

"Who said anything about that? I just didn't want any more of those idiots to come back here and disturb my rest."

"Sure, sure, old man."

Kei laughed before turning to Rei.

"Now then, it is time for the final part."

Rei looked at Kei, puzzled.

"Final.. part? It's not over?"

Kei looked back at Rei quizzically.

"Of course it isn't. You certainly did not think that there would not be any clean-up necessary?"

Kei asked.

"Just as how Chaos was never meant to exist in a physical form, the same must be applied to Order and Truth."

Otonashi said.

"... You mean to destroy me."

Rei deduced, making Otonashi smile.

"I knew you were smart. As expected. Imagine if all of World's Order and Truth were concentrated and kept in a single person. Only that one person had the power over Order and Truth. That person could rule over everything else and that is no better than a tyrant. At least in the eyes of the masses."

"... Humans hate to see 'unfairness'."

Rei said.

"Exactly. Humans want to believe that everything is fair and that everything is equal. The only thing that is equal for humans is the fact that they are given life. But the life they were born into, the type of life they choose to live, these are all unequal. Dictators, tyrants, monopoly. These are terms often associated with evil. Putting tyranny aside, a 'Dictator' is one who rules through force while a 'Monopoly' is to have one person or group have complete dominance and control of a certain area. Are these necessary evil? No. A skilled dictator is always better than a democracy of idiots. However it is not whether it would serve the people 'better' or not. Humans are superficial creatures, after all. If they don't like the look of it, don't like the sound it, they will associate with evil. Your existence, though made up of everything that is 'good', is considered 'evil' because of what you are. Of course, while we cannot have you remain as you are now, we will have to call upon you when Chaos returns."

Otonashi's words did not make Rei any more satisfied with that it all meant in the end.

"... So... you're going to just throw aside anything that has fulfilled their usefulness."

Rei said, making Otonashi lean back in his chair.

"I will do what is right... not what people want."

Rei knew that it was pointless to talk to Otonashi at this point. In any case, Rei did not feel like he had any right to exist any more.

"Just get it over with. An NPC like me will only cause more disturbances in the World if I am left like this."

Rei sighed. Otonashi got up from his chair and walked over to Rei, placing both of his hands on Rei's shoulders. A soft smile came on Otonashi's face, the only time Rei would see Otonashi with an expression fitting for a 'father'.

"Katsuragi Rei... my brightest and best child. You were everything I had hoped for and more. You exceeded my expectations and went beyond what you were meant to be. You are no NPC, Rei, remember that. You have a mind to understand the World. You have courage to face the unknown and the powerful. You have the soul to accept those who stand beside you. You have a heart that loved. Sleep now, my child... sleep and dream and peacefully dream."

Otonashi's words made Rei feel drowsy. His strength being drained from him. His mind turning blank and being light.

"I pray for a good dream that will last... that is the least I can do for you. Dream of happy times. Dream of sad times. Dream of times of regret. Dream of times of victory. Dream of times in love. Dream of times in pain."

Rei could not fight back the fatigue as his vision started to go black. He felt himself being pulled away from his own body. A lightness that he did not know filled him. And the last things that he heard were Otonashi's.

"Dream of times that will let you live the life you always wanted."

[Program: Katsuragi Rei has been deleted]

---

A/N: Sin;Chaos never used any exclamation marks, if you noticed. That is intentional. Everything that Sin;Chaos does is not suppose to make sense.

For those who have questions about this ending:

Everything has a purpose.