The Power of the King

"Though there are worlds without end, there is but one being - in the past, in the future, and now. Only one."

• Emperor Charles vi Brittania

“Behold. It’s begun,” said a lady in orange. “The Sword of Akasha is slaying god.”

“Now, once our marks of Geass become one, the old world will cease and the new world shall spring forth,” said the king of the past to an immortal witch.

“Lelouch,” began the betrayer. “What was your motivation for wanting to control the world?”

The king of the future responded. “Don’t waste my time, Suzaku. You know it was Nunnally-”

“Or are you just using her as your excuse,” interrupted the betrayer.

The king of the future briefly chuckled. “Yes, you’re right. I am. I have fought to protect everything I thought I wanted to protect.”

“If you’re going to achieve that,” the betrayer responded, “then you need to take action.”

“Yes. The means to that end requires me to reject something.”

“Which is?”

“That I... I reject you,” began the king of the future towards the king of the past, “and I reject everything you believe. Why do people lie? It isn’t only because they struggle against each other. It’s also because there’s something that they’re seeking. You now want a world without change. How stagnant. You could hardly call it life. It’s the same as a world of memories, just a world that’s closed and completed. That’s a place I wouldn’t want to live in.”

“But Lelouch,” began the lady in orange, “are you saying you’re rejecting me as well?”

“That depends. Is your desire the same as His Majesty’s, mother?”

“It will be so good to rejoin all of the people from whom we’ve been separated. You can be reunited with those who have died, even Euphemia!” the lady in orange explained.

“As I expected. You both believe that this new world you envision will be best for all. But forcing your good intentions on others is no different from an evil act.”

“In time, the people will come to accept it,” declared the king of the past.

“That time will never come! One thing is undeniably certain. I understand now that what you did to Nunnally and me may have been done out of good intentions. But, the hard fact remains that you abandoned us in a foreign land!”

“But we did that to protect you-” the lady in orange began to defend.

“Then why didn’t you stop the war between Japan and Brittania?”

The lady in orange was silent.

“The plan was such a priority for you both that it didn’t matter to either of you if Nunally and I were alive or dead. That’s why you abandoned us. All you have left are self-serving excuses.”

“Lelouch, you’re wrong-” the lady in orange attempted again.

“You just told me! You said that the dead would rejoin the living. You don’t give a damn about the future!”

“The future is the Ragnarok Connection,” the king of the past stated. “Once it’s finally done, the gentler existence that Nunnally spoke of will-”

“Stop it!” the king of the future exclaimed. “The world you speak of will be kinder and gentler only for you! The world that my sister wished for… is one in which kindness is extended to everyone, even strangers!”

“Let’s say it was true… what of it?” questioned the king of the past. “There’s nothing to be done about it. The Ragnarok Connection has begun.”

“You think so,” began the king of the future. “I am Zero, the man who works miracles.”

“Your Geass power will have no effect on me, nor will it on anyone else here-”

“No. But there is someone else here, isn’t there?”

The king of the past shuddered in realization.

“C’s world is the will of mankind itself,” the king of the future continued, “and all men are not equal, remember those words? They’re your own. Because of that, I’m sure you realize that my power will work.”

“You’re a fool, Lelouch! God cannot be defeated by the Power of the King-”

“I don’t intend to defeat god, this is a request!” declared the king of the future. “Yes, now I know who I really am.”

“God! Collective unconscious!” addressed the king of the future.

All present could feel reality’s attention shift.

“Don’t stop the march of time!”

“Lelouch, you ungrateful child-” began the enraged lady in orange.

“Nobody would have wanted this!” the betrayer interrupted. “No one, and especially not Euphie!”

“And I saved you so that you could talk to Euphie again!”

“Meaning you were going to force me to, right?”

“You can’t do this, boy!” the king of the past exclaimed. “Not against god, nor all of humanity itself!”

“Regardless, what I want...” commanded the king of the future. “Is tomorrow!”

Reality ignored his request. All in C’s World were silent.

“It can’t be…” uttered the king of the future, single cursed eye still blazing.

“The Ragnarok Connection is complete,” began the king of the past. “The dream that I, and Marianne, and my brother all shared will be seen to.”

“But-” the king of the future despaired.

“Lelouch, just stop already,” the immortal witch pleaded. “It was foolish of us to even attempt this.”

The king of the future, the immortal witch, and the betrayer began to fade.

“This isn’t a falsehood, my son,” stated the king of the past. “This is reality’s response.”

“But Charles,” wondered the lady in orange, “why is C.C. disappearing as well? She supported our plan as much as we did.”

“I’m sorry, but I’d already realized…” muttered the immortal witch. “The love you have is only for yourselves…”

“No, that’s not true at all. We love our children very much.” stated the lady in orange.

“Do you have any idea what the meaning is behind Nunnally's beautiful smile?” questioned the king of the future as he faded away.

“Uh… the meaning?”

“Why don’t you understand? Nunnally was blinded. My own sister was crippled! She knew… she knew that there were things in this world that she would never be able to do by herself. So her smile… Nunnally's smile… was her way of expressing gratitude!”

“Lelouch, you’re laboring under a delusion-” began the king of the past.

“I will not let you call that a lie!”

The king of the future, the immortal witch, and the betrayer ceased to exist.

All that remained in C’s World were a king, a lady, and an echo.

“Over my dead body…”