Record That Chapter 17, an evangelion fanfic

Record That

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN EVANGELION, NOR ANY OF THE SONGS! DON'T SUE ME!

Chapter 17: Blind

The Reflection did not plan for its inability to move to last for this Goddamn long. It didn't fully know if things were going well. Nor could it control where it ended up when the ground started shaking again. Resulting in it being forced to land on its belly, barely able to breathe because of its face being pushed into the dirt.

Numbness and a feeling of nothingness was something it was expected to feel after it had killed itself. And it seemed to be pretty close to becoming that way. Considering the overload of information it just shot into its past self's head. Perhaps the Reflection could die here, Diligentia seemed to have been killed. Everybody else who was unconscious was, mostly, unharmed. Some were going to wake up with plenty of bruises and amnesia.

Maybe, this was it. The mighty Dominus would meet its end, face down in a pile of dirt. Suffocating alongside its dying counterpart. With the army of alternate versions to help deal with whatever minor problems it didn't deal with. Before they too all eventually faded away with time. The world started to fade to black, as the laughter of Sakura talking with the band in the distance filled the Reflection's ears.

Today was a good day to die.

Then, Dominus could hear Diligentia's mangled body twitch. Nothing had touched it, no manner of instrument nor element could make its nerves move like that. Any other person, or lazy ancestral would chalk it up to pure coincidence. Though Dominus didn't take risks like that, not anymore. So, through sheer sense of will, it moved its neck to view the dead body.

Sure enough, it could sense some form of life in the body. It would reform in the next five or so minutes. Now, Dominus started hoping and begging to fate to have the band notice the body twitching. So they could focus their power on Diligentia to fully invisirate his body. But no, instead, they decided to show off to Sakura Along to the rest of the people watching on the cameras the extent of their illusionary powers.

"God damn it." Dominus muttered, disappointed in his allies.

The Reflection sighed and realized that it needed to move. It didn't have any real power right now, but it had to try something. Not that the dummies in the Limp Bizkit tribute band were going to do anything. So, it slowly started to stand up. Once it got on its feet, it fell right back down again. Things weren't looking too good, the clock was ticking and it could barely stand.

It had done it to itself after all, not taking in the fact that it would've hurt itself so much when it gave Shinji all that information. With that deed haunting its mind, knowing full well that it couldn't afford making mistakes like that. Any normal damage done to Shinji's body would've at most staggered the Reflection a little bit. Though this was clearly too much to handle.

After Shinji would've taken enough damage to die, the Reflection could've lived on for a minute or so before inevitably fading away. Yet here, if it didn't want that to happen. Then it needed to use what little power it had to maintain Shinji. While at the same letting its body heal, which was taking too long.

Meaning, that if Dominus wanted to actually help the unconscious people of Tokyo-3 from being killed. It would have to sacrifice Shinji's life support, and pray to fate that he managed to survive. So, with a not so heavy heart. Mainly a concern for if it lived long enough. It let go of the power maintaining Shinji's heartbeat.

Like that, it could now properly move around. Though, that still didn't give Dominus the power to move hundreds of bodies to a safe place. The most it could do was pretend they weren't there and hope that Diligentia would be more interested in killing Dominus instead of eating them.

Not only that, but the Reflection's power was still only slowly returning. Meaning that if it wanted to go toe to toe with the giant ancestral. It would need to stall for time. Using the music and illusions. And only the music and illusions to distract him. Though that would only be so effective. Dominus would need an entire army to distract Diligentia before it could fully fight him.

The Reflection almost started to panic, before it slowed down. Thought about the big picture and decided to think on its feet instead of just standing still. Despite not caring for Shinji's physical state until after it's work was done. The Reflection needed to keep him safe. If the boy was fully crushed underneath Diligentia's foot, completely destroying his body. Then it would disappear faster.

So, first thing first, get Shinji to safety. As the band started playing Come Out and Play, Dominus was running Shinji into the nearby shelter. It wasn't perfect, though it was better than the buildings which Diligentia loved to throw. Shinji barely had a pulse, so the Reflection used a nearby first aid kit to resuscitate his heart.

With only the confines and strength of a human body to move around in. It was no surprise that by the time Dominus managed to keep Shinji stable. The song the band was playing was halfway done. Meaning it now had only had a minute and a half before it was over and Diligentia woke back up.

Though, within that time, Dominus did think of a plan. Because it knew how these creatures acted. Even without its powers, it had fought enough of them to understand that at this stage in the fight. They wouldn't be taking any risks, much like it would. So, why not play into that psychology. Not only that, why not get an army. It would fit with a certain song.

There was even a way to easily contact them. That was provided so easily by the band. The Reflection ran out of the bunker, full speed. Not really feeling exhausted, but still feeling the limits of its current power state. It was a sobering experience. Like a bucket of cold water falling on its face. A wake up call, to make sure that it got things right.

The words of Dominus mocking him rang through Diligentia's head.

'There you go, forgetting your own creation. You should've considered this when you were creating us mortals.'

He had been losing too much to this little mistake of a being.

'I would rather be a mortal observer, and the occasional interfering little shit that you think I am. Then the immortal, overseeing, contempt with their place in the universe. Living off the foolish slaves that you force into your body. Barely creating anything these days, but making sure nothing interferes with your precious system.'

It was now time to show that he didn't need the extra help. That he could kill Dominus with just his pure strength. Lying there, with his brain splattered across the ground. Yet his soul still intact, that allowed him to sense how weak the Reflection was.

'You….you…..there are no other words for this. You're so fucking dumb.'

"You gotta keep 'em separated." Was the phrase that Diligentia heard being sung all around him.

It gave him an anchor to help guide him. As well as a distraction for the band that had beaten him. While he slowly regenerated his head. By the end of the song, his body was fully formed and rebuilt. His head wasn't even fully healed yet, but he still had enough strength now to strike back. Which he did in kind, by throwing a building right onto their location.

The building seemed to have crushed them all. Though he wasn't taking any chances. So, Diligentia walked on over to where it landed. To see that the only one who seemed to not be under the big slab of concrete and glass. Was none other than that little girl with the guitar from earlier. Who seemed to be dead due to the high amount of debris that flew in her direction.

Though, the Ancestral wasn't going to take any chances. Any normal human that could wield even one percent the same power as Dominus. Was a threat to him and the few remaining of his kind. So, Diligentia closed in on her location. Then leaned in to crush her with his foot. However, once he did so and pulled the foot away. She was gone.

Diligentia chuckled.

"You're not going to fool me that easily." He said.

Then, using his strength, he stomped the ground with all his force. Causing a miniature Earthquake, with rocks sticking out in multiple directions. He soon saw Dominus flying through the air with Sakura in its arms. They landed on the top of a nearby building, with Dominus taking as much of the fall as it could.

"The hand might be quicker than the eye. Though when you know the magician involved. You tend to be able to predict how they'll do the trick. Especially when they're in a weakened state."

Dominus just ignored Diligentia's speech in order to put Sakura in as comfortable of a position as she could be. It couldn't hide the fact that it was pretty beaten up and even limping a little bit. Which amused the massive being watching it.

"Oh, aren't you the precious little guardian? When that shouldn't be the one you're looking out for."

The giant then took a nearby chunk of the building and threw it at the bunker Shinji was in. It hit the hillside and made the entrance collapse. Practically trapping the boy inside.

"I now see you for what you really are, Dominus. A scared boy, trying to set things right. Though you can never really change the past. You can only move forward, even with something as complicated as time travel."

Diligentia's words hurt just as much as the image of Shinji's bunker collapsing. Though, Dominus tried to keep a straight face.

"What? No poetry? Just going back to throwing things?" It tried to snap back.

"I was always about throwing things. Because I know who I am. Your thing is illusions, and illusions aren't real. Strength is reality." Diligentia said that with such confidence.

Which made Dominus smirk. The giant then leaned in to look Dominus in the eye, just like before.

"You might be strong, but you burn out your power a lot faster. I will keep coming back no matter how many times you put me down. The only way to kill me, would be to blow up every particle of my body. Which you now lack the power of doing. At least for the next couple of hours. That gives me plenty of time to watch you slowly die and for me to take my fill."

Diligentia started walking to the hillside covered in unconscious people.

"Please don't do that." Dominus begged, half-heartedly.

Diligentia turned around, in curiosity for how he was about to beg.

"It's me you want, right? There are so many other worlds. Take me, and I'll be gone forever. Meanwhile, just leave this world untouched. For an old rival's sake."

Diligentia made a visual sign that he was considering it. Though immediately cast it aside.

"It's that rival that has killed so many of my kind. Consider this a courtesy, from an old rival."

He then scooped up a bunch of the unconscious people. At first, intending to put them all in his mouth. Only to stop, think for a minute, then close his hand. Crushing the people instead, only for when he opened his hand. The people weren't there any more.

"Really?" Diligentia looked at Dominus with a snarky look. "That's your best?"

He then kicked the ground, sending chunks of dirt flying through the air. Making the illusionary people disappear, and when the dirt fell down. They fell on top of the invisible people, giving away their positions due to how the dirt fell on the ground.

"You couldn't move them, or even replace them with something else that would hurt me? You must truly be in a terribly weakened state. Granted, I would've found them anyway. My victory is inevitable, you fool."

Diligentia started to laugh, but so did Dominus. Which made the giant confused and then slightly apprehensive.

"You know, it's amazing how much you can learn. Yet still you make the same mistakes over and over again."

Dominus explained, while pulling a microphone out of thin air.

"It's true that I can't hurt you with physical attacks like last time." It said, while it hooked the microphone up to a nearby electrical system.

"It's also true that I can't move people fully out of the way. I can only use minor illusions."

Dominus then tested the microphone, hearing his finger taps ring out across all of the audio systems in Tokyo-3. Not even speakers that were plugged into anything seemed to turn on.

"But you know what is also true? All you have is physical attacks right now." It said into its microphone. Its voice now echoing across the city, making Diligentia cringe at the reverb.

"When one becomes as powerful as us, they lose their senses to ignore the immense amount of pain that we have to go through. When fighting and interfering with another. Meaning, you can't fully sense where things are. You can also barely tell where things went. All you rely on is your years experience. "

Diligentia didn't know where this was going. Even with all this in mind, he still held the advantage.

"It doesn't matter what minor illusion you put in front of me, Dominus. I'll see right through it, and if you truly wish to die that quickly. Then fine, I will take you up on that offer, but these fools are still my after battle feast."

The giant then started to walk on over.

"Wait!" Dominus shouted.

Diligentia didn't stop because of the boy-like entity's begging. Mainly because of the screeching noise coming in from the speakers settling in to the new sound. Something that even Dominus tried to fix by going over to the electrical panel. Though, all it did was hit it with his fist. Causing electricity to shock him.

Normally, this would send someone into an extreme state of pain. Though, Dominus simply shrugged it off. With his hair now standing straight up. Making him look as if he were part of an emo band.

"You still don't get it? Alright, how about this? I'll explain it in simpler terms. It's true that no matter what illusion I put in front of you right now. You'll be able to tell that it's not real. Though, that doesn't mean that you wouldn't be able to tell if it's actually physically happening. Meaning, if you were to rely on just your senses alone and not your brain, or at least what's left of it. You'd be screwed in your weakened state.

Hell, even the military would be able to take a few chunks out of you. All you are is just big guys with superhuman agility, and that's not even saying much by our standards."

Diligentia sighed, disappointed in how long this was taking to explain. Not to mention, he still didn't understand where this was going.

"Our standards?" He asked. "I'm not the one whose only weakness is suffocating underneath piles of earth. Your only comparison to me is that you have a similar power level to me. That's it."

The Reflection's wicked smile came back to it with a crackling laugh.

"No, that's just insulting to me. Even in this state."

It leaned into the microphone.

"I'm leagues stronger than you."

Before Diligentia could respond, everything went dark. He couldn't see anything, his eyes couldn't seem to adjust to the darkness either. Yet, he could still hear the Reflection's laugh. As the giant flailed his limbs around, he realized he wasn't anywhere near any buildings. Nor any recognizable landmarks, he was completely in the dark on where he was.

"BASTARD!" He shouted. Only for his voice to be drowned out by the music.

(Blind - Korn)

(0:00 to 0:06)

Diligentia couldn't tell if the shadows had returned to play along with Dominus. However, the drumming sounded isolated. As if it was coming from another place from where the Reflection had been speaking from. So, the giant followed the music. Stepping carefully to avoid tripping.

(0:07 to 0:14)

The sound of a guitar came from behind him. Causing the giant to turn around quickly, wondering if they were actually there.

"Where….where are you-AAAHHH!"

Diligentia made the mistake walking backwards at the same time. Causing him to fall on top of buildings, with concrete and steel all piercing his skin. Spilling LCL all over the place that seeped from his wounds.

(0:15 to 0:29)

All of a sudden, a beat so low made the entire ground shake. Causing Diligentia to briefly levitate off the ground. Then fall back down when it stopped. Causing more things stabbing into the giant's skin to go deeper. His screams were silenced by the overbearing sound of the instruments.

"Please, mercy. Bring my sight back and I'll leave you alone."

Diligentia crying and begging was met with silence.

(0:30 to 0:39)

The giant tried to stand up, but with every guitar riff and low beat. He was knocked back by the constantly shaking ground.

(0:40 to 0:48)

With shaky hands and a constantly regenerating body. Diligentia was finally able to stand up again. Using the buildings as an aid. It also helped that the low beat had disappeared. Though the slowly building guitar riff only made Diligentia even more worried. The once incredibly confident giant looked around like a scared fool, until….

(0:49 to 1:22)

A face appeared, it was all that Diligentia could see was the horrific, more teeth than flesh expression of the Reflection. Which asked him one question.

ARE YOU READY!?

Gravity seemed to fall, as the ground vibrated so much he flew into the air. Lose parts of the building joining him. So as he flailed around, more stuff started to pierce his skin. Then, when the music briefly stopped, he fell back down. Causing stuff to fall, resulting in Diligentia being impaled upon a spire on top of another building.

Each riff and low beat seemed to liquify his bones. Causing unbearable pain that the ancestral had never felt in his millions of years of life. It was as if every part of his body was being violated by metal. Then, the spire came loose and started spinning in mid air with Diligentia still on it. Causing an immense amount of vertigo.

Though, this was at least something that he was used to. After millions of years of observing mortals from space, Diligentia could at least adapt to this. Thus, he was able to shift his weight to one side of the spire. Causing him to fall off and hit the ground. The spire soon joined him, so he picked it up. Using it as a cane for walking, and possibly later as a weapon.

(1:23 to 1:55)

The place inside my mind.

A place I like to hide.

The vocals seemed to be coming from a singular place. So, Diligentia made his way towards it. Using the spire to guide him on where he was going. The ground was still vibrating, but it was at an amount to which the giant could adjust too.

You don't know the chances.

What if I should die!?

All of a sudden, it sounded as if it was right behind Diligentia. To which he swung his makeshift weapon, only to hit a building. Making him lose it in the process. He couldn't even listen to make out where it might have fallen.

A place inside my brain.

Another kind of pain.

It sounded like the Reflection went back to singing from the same location. So, the ancestral, despite it lacking a weapon. Tried to close in on the location again. Crawling on all fours and attempting to use just his dulled senses. That were worsed by the constant torture and continued regeneration, to help him figure out where to go.

You don't know the chances.

I'm so blind.

Now, it sounded as if the Reflection was traveling further away. Diligentia thought it was retreating, but the music continued to play. Perhaps it was all a bluff and he was close and all he needed to do was crush one of the buildings.

Blind, blind.

Slowly, the music became quieter and quieter. For a second, Diligentia thought he had won.

(1:56 to 2:28)

Another place I find,

to escape the pain inside.

The music started to build again, but Diligentia couldn't exactly figure out where it was coming from. It was as if it was coming from all around him.

You don't know the chances.

What if I should die!?

It was becoming so loud, Diligentia couldn't even cover his ears to make it a little quieter.

A place inside my brain.
Another kind of pain.

The way the Reflection began to sing that. Made it feel as if it was right up against the giant. Slithering around his body and singing directly into his hollow holes of ears.

You don't know the chances.

I'm so blind!

Diligentia started to feel insane and claw at his own body. Ripping off pieces of skin, only for them to grow back. In a never ending battle to silence this maddening noise. As it now felt as if Dominus had crawled its way through the giant's ear. And was now blaring the music inside his own head.

Blind, blind.

A brief moment of silence, that Diligentia cried in because he sort of knew what was going to happen.

(2:29 to 2:59)

All Diligentia could see went from black to red. As the Reflection with more teeth than face appeared again. With a snake-like body and giant arms with claws. Which sang as it burst out the giant's chest and proceeded to wrap itself around the ancestral. Slowly crushing and clawing at him.

DEEPER AND DEEPER AND DEEPER!

AS I JOURNEY TO LIVE A LIFE THAT SEEMS TO BE!

A LOST REALITY!

THAT CAN NEVER FIND A WAY TO REACH MY INNER…

SELF ESTEEM IS SO LOW, HOW DEEP CAN I GO!?

IN THE GROUND THAT I LAY, IF I DON'T FIND A WAY TO.

SEE THROUGH THE GRAY THAT CLOUDS MY MIND!

THIS TIME I LOOK TO SEE WHAT'S BETWEEN THE LINES!

Then, the snake disappeared and it felt as if Diligentia's body was completely healed. Though the ancestral was shaken to his core. Not understanding what had just happened. Perhaps it was all an illusion, but the pain was so real. And the music didn't seem to be stopping. Not only that, but it felt like the song was coming from inside of him still.

It was as if he was the cause of the music. He was the cause of his own suffering. Every part of him was shaking, as he tried to make sense of the universe that he could not fully touch, hear, or see.

(3:00 to 3:52)