Nothing here is owned by me. It is all owned by Studio Khara and 07th Expansion.

The first chapter was originally a oneshot so, stylistically, it is a bit disconnected from the rest of the story. This chapter is really the first true chapter of the story. The prologue is nothing more than set-up, really.

"What a bad ending." Bernkastel states. To be honest, I'm not really sure why she felt the need to state it. We both just lived through it.

"I wasn't expecting Kaworu-kun to be so… ruthless."

"Naive. He was willing to die because you wouldn't survive if he lived but now, in this Gameboard, killing you will only increase the amount of times he gets to see you. That Angel likes to pretend that he cares for your wellbeing but he is deeply selfish. He only cares about spending time with you and not about how his actions might impact your life." Bernkastel's rather harsh lecture leaves me quite irritated. Kaworu-kun may be an enemy I have to defeat to escape this hell of looping but he's still a nice person.

…He's a far better person than I am.

I tell the Witch as much and her response?

"*giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*. If that's what you want to think, then feel free but don't let naive thoughts like that overwhelm you when you need to do what must be done."

I send a soft glare at Bernkastel and sit in a foetal position. The cold eyes that Kaworu had as he dismantled Asuka and I's Evas was… scary. He was a far stronger Angel than he first appeared to be. I'd have to try and… kill him without a shred of mercy to defeat him and win this 'Gameboard' as Bernkastel calls it.

Can I do that?

I'm not sure.

"I understand your desire to just sit there and hug your knees but that won't achieve anything." Bernkastel begins, "This gameboard really is cruel. It was never designed to be played through this many times but Lambda didn't care. She's going to make you do this for all eternity until you succeed at preventing the Third Impact.
"Furthermore, she's also the Witch of Certainty. Her strong will gives her a 'Certain' chance of victory with practically no way for her opponent to win. That is not something to fear, however. I told you back when you were attacked by the 15th Angel, didn't I? You needed a Miracle to win.
"Lambda's 'Certainty' doesn't give her a complete, absolute 100% chance of victory. It's just infinitely close to that. For most Witches, that wouldn't matter but, for me, it makes all the difference. I can achieve an absolute 100% chance of victory so long as the odds of losing aren't 100%.
"Understand? I am the perfect opponent for defeating Lambdadelta. Furthermore, I have decided to officially become a player in this game instead of merely being an observer. I am your ally but you know what? Miracles can only exist when everyone believes. Victory is impossible unless we both work as hard as we can so give it your best and try not to bore me. Understand?"

I sat in silence listening to Bernkastel's monologue. A lot of it went over my head but I understood what she was trying to say. She and I can't win unless we both try as hard as we can.

In other words, I mustn't run away.

I nod my head reluctantly and begin to get off of my bed. My feet hit the carpet and I stand next to Bernkastel.

"I-I'll do my best."

"That's nice to hear." Bernkastel said plainly before turning to the door, "Lambda's waiting in the living room."

That Witch? This Witch that I've only just heard of that's responsible for all of the suffering I've had to endure. I clench my fists at the thought of her and follow Bernkastel.

To be honest, I don't want to meet her. She sounds powerful and cruel and I'm also not sure if I can stop myself from doing something rash to her. I doubt Bernkastel would bother saving someone who can't even keep their emotions in check so it'd probably mean death.

I take a deep breath and try to quell the mixture of fear and rage in my heart.

The Witch of Miracles and I exit the hallway with the bedrooms and enter the sitting room and we are greeted with the sight of…

…A travesty.

There are no words to describe my disappointment, my sorrow. The sitting room that I've always tried to keep clean has turned into an absolute mess. Brightly coloured candy has been strewn everywhere and all sorts of halloween-styled decorations have been placed without any sense of thought. Not to mention, popcorn crumbs are everywhere.

This is as bad as whenever I first move into Misato's apartment. Actually, on second thought, it's worse. At least the mess that Misato leaves isn't so brightly coloured that it hurts my eyes.

"Ohohoho! If it isn't the man and woman of the hour, here at last!" I jump at the sudden and loud voice that rings out from seemingly nowhere.

"W-What was that?" I timidly ask Bernkastel. I look at her when she doesn't respond and I see an exasperated expression on her face.

"'What was that' indeed! Why if you must know…" A bright light flashes in the room and standing at the other end is a girl in a bright-pink dress, "It is none other than the Witch of Certainty, the pop, cute Super Paper Great Lady Lambdadelta-samaaaaa!"

...

"Is there really a need for such an over the top introduction?" Bernkastel asks.

"Of course there is! I need to make a good impression on the duo I'll be kicking the sweets out of for the next century or so!" Lambdadelta exclaims. Does she need to end every sentence with an exclamation mark?

"Do you need to end every sentence with an exclamation mark?" Bernkastel thinks the same thing.

"Of course I do. How else would everyone know that I'm full of energy? Why are you asking anyway? You know that I always end every sentence with an exclamation mark." Lambdadelta pouts at Bernkastel who just shrugs her shoulders in defeat.

"I think that's enough fooling around, Lambda. It's about time to explain to Shinji just what you've been doing for the past hour. The poor kid's had enough time to resolve himself to defeat you."

"Right, right but only because you asked, Bern!" Lambdadelta blows a kiss at Bernkastel and looks at me, "Now let's start 'Lambdadelta-sama's marvellous exposition scene'! So? How much do you know about this situation, Shinji?"

The way Lambdadelta leans forwards makes me feel nervous. I unconsciously gulp while trying to find the right words to say.

"...I-I'm uh… trapped in this game? that repeats again and again until… I stop Third Impact, …right?"

The clapping of an audience radiates from all around me as Lambdadelta begins to speak, "You are very much quite right, my dear Shinji! This is a Witch's Gameboard where you must play the game that the Game Master (the Super Duper cute Lambdadelta) has made. Don't worry. It is Certainly beatable. See? The Witch of Certainty said that it is Certainly beatable so you can be Certain that it is indeed beatable."

"...So that would make Bernkastel and I other players?" I ask, trying to understand what sort of twisted game I've been dragged into.

"That's right," Bernkastel speaks up, "We are the players and it is our duty to beat Lambdadelta's Gameboard or else we'll be trapped in a living hell for all eternity. You don't want that, do you?"

I nod at the Witch of Miracles.

"Then it's very important that you play by Lambda's rules. Undoubtedly she's made something that we 'Certainly' cannot beat or something."

"Correct! That's my Bern for you! This Gameboard is only beatable by technicality! You can struggle on as much as you like but you'll Certainly never beat this epic Gameboard I've made, especially now that I've altered it."

"Don't worry. Dealing with technicalities is one of my specialities. Lambda can proclaim that this Gameboard is as 'Certainly unbeatable' as she wants but I've defeated her before so I know better than anyone that she's just grandstanding." Bernkastel reassures me. We already went over something like this earlier but I don't mention it since it'd probably irritate her.

"Hey! Don't be such a meanie! You always spoil my fun!" Lambdadelta teleports in front of Bernkastel in a flash of bright light and shakes her shoulders while pouting. Bernkastel just giggles.

"Oh!" Lambdadelta suddenly straightens up as if struck by some sort of revelation, "That's right, that's right. I almost forgot. This version of Misato's apartment that we're in now is outside of the Gameboard. You can think of it as the place where the players interact with Game Master directly and take breaks from the Gameboard. Feel free to use this place as you want and I'll always be around here so if you want some free popcorn or something."

"I see…" I didn't really know how to respond to that. I'm not sure how this would be too useful since our enemy is here at all times. I'm sure Bernkastel would know. Also the things that Lambdadelta has done to the place I call home makes me want to cry.

"By the way," Bernkastel addresses me, "You may exist outside the Gameboard but you're still just a Witch's piece. Even if you have free will and are aware of the Gameboard, you're ultimately not much different from the characters that appear in the Gameboard. You're my piece so it'd be wise if you did what I say like a good chess piece should."

I send a slight glare at Bernkastel. I'm not really too happy with the idea that I'm nothing more than a plaything for her. As much as I want to object to all of this, I understand my position here. The only way to break free from this insanity is to play along with this sick and twisted 'game' since I'm powerless to do anything else.

Not much has changed, really.

"So with all of that settled, let's get to the meat of this story!" Lambdadelta exclaims.

"You're not going to tell us about the differences between the two versions of the Gameboard?" Bernkastel asks. Lambdadelta puts a finger on her lip while saying 'Spoilers' with a grin plastered on her face.

"Are you all ready to begin this tale of tragedy that the great Lady Lambdadelta, Witch of Certainty has created? I don't care. We're starting now!"

"1st Game: The Entrance of Bernkastel, Begin!"

"Ohohohohoho!"

If you're not familiar with Umineko and don't understand why some words are surrounded with , it's because they're spoken in Engrish. It's one of Umineko's little things like the *giggle*giggle*cackle*cackle*.

This story won't really be split into Question Arcs and Answer Arcs like Ryukishi's works but it will cover several Games. Also things will be different from cannon Eva so there'll be some mysteries to figure out all over again.

Review Reply:

Knight of the Thorn crown: Why yes. You may indeed have some more.

I suppose that's all I have to say for this Author's note.

see you again have a nice day