273 My CO Stash #73 - Something Wicked This Way Comes by VereorFaux (Re:ZeroXCodeGeass)

-After 3 years of inactivity it's finally back~ I remember rereading this 5Head Lelouch-isekai but always in disappointment as the latest update was from freakin 2017! Thankfully, I had it favorited... You really just have to be patient with these fics! \(★ω★)/

Sypnosis: Lelouch thought his life over as the sword stabbed him. Instead, he woke up in a different world without his people, his power, and his money. Turning to the magic of this world to achieve his goals, Lelouch begins a crusade when the people he left behind are threatened. Even if it meant dying over and over again to achieve his goals.

Rated: T

Words: 116K

Posted on: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12016978/21/Something-Wicked-This-Way-Comes (VereorFaux)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1-2 (exceptional)

AN: I wanted Re:Zero fics. There were no Re:Zero fics. I wrote a Re:Zero fic.

The warmth of his sister's hand was the last thing Lelouch felt before he fell into eternal slumber. The one who destroys and creates worlds anew died, rejecting the gods, rejecting his parents.

Whatever awaited him in the end, after the end, he would accept it, knowing that he took all the sins of his empire with him into an early grave. Seconds after he closed his eyes, he was blinded.

Bright light flew through lidded eyes, making him grimace as all feeling returned to his body. Pressing his eyes shut, Lelouch lifted a hand, holding it over his eyes as he tried to get used to the sudden brightness.

"Oi," he heard someone speak. "You having a heat stroke? I can't have anyone dying in front of my shop."

Lelouch's eyebrows furrowed at the voice. The accent was without a doubt British, but there was something strange about it. When he finally opened his eyes, Lelouch looked to his left, where the voice came from.

A man with green hair and a strange three-spike goatee stood there, most of his hair hidden behind a black bandana. The way he was dressed, however, with an open vest and no shirt under it, reminded him of the peculiar shopkeepers in the middle eastern Bazaars he read about in history lessons.

"Fancy clothes there, though they might be a bit too much for a summer day," the man said. Lelouch didn't say anything, his tongue lying heavy in his mouth. Had he failed? Was he alive for some reason unknown? Had C.C. done something? The thoughts raced through his head, and left him confused.

Lelouch was not used to confusion. Shock, perhaps. Being surprised was something nobody could get rid off. Anger, he knew well, but confusion was not a feeling he wanted to get used to.

Finally done with contemplating, Lelouch moved.

"I apologize," he said, looking down at his clothes. Unmarred, completely fine, and without a drop of blood on them. Turning around, he used one arm to raise up and slowly stood, brushing off dirt and dust from his white robes. "Thank you for your concern, sir."

"Ahh, it's alright," the man said, grinning. "You seem like a polite kid. Name's Kadomon."

Lelouch took the slow ascension to his feet to look around. He would not stand for confusion, and instead would work towards surprise and understanding instead. A quick look around, to the chattering masses around them, revealed quite the sight to him.

If the strange beast drawing a carriage hadn't been enough, the fact that a man with cat ears stood near a woman that had two horns sprouting out of the sides of her head told him a lot.

"I am Lelouch," he introduced himself. "I suppose the heat was too much for me. I cannot remember where I ended up, I'm afraid. Could you answer some of my questions?"

The last sentence came out a bit forcefully, and swiped his eyes in an attempt to remove the contact lenses in them and activate his Geass.

It didn't work. He had no contact lenses stuck in his eyes, despite the strange pressure he felt on them, and the Geass in his eye did not flare up. Wiping any shock from his face quickly, Lelouch just smiled.

Kadomon blinked before crossing his arms, a small scowl washing over his face. It looked like he was thinking rather than actually scowling, an expression he was familiar with from working with people like Milly.

"Might want to get yourself checked by a water mage if it's that bad," Kadomon said. "We're in Lugnica, the Dragon Kingdom."

Lelouch tried not to twitch. There it was. Surprise. He thought he had crashed somewhere that was 'liberated' by Britannia years ago, which could've explained the accent. The strange cat ears and horns could've been cosplay. The beast had some rational explanation as well, if he had put his mind into it.

Lelouch hadn't studied all currencies of the world, so these coins that the people used might as well be something unfamiliar to him.

But actually hearing the name of a kingdom that he was sure doesn't exist confuses him.

"I see," Lelouch said, pursing his lips. "The king seems to be a benevolent ruler, what a prosperous city."

"Indeed." Kadomon grinned. "King Randohal did great work, he's been holding the reins since my parents were children."

"That long?" Lelouch asked surprised. "That's impressive."

"The royal election should be soon," Kadomon said, a twinge of sadness in his voice. Once again, surprise was the emotion that Lelouch felt. An election? Not a simple inheritance? "There's always hope that the next monarch will be better than the former, but it might be hard to surpass him."

Someone who could inspire such loyalty. Lelouch would have loved to meet him.

"Thank you," Lelouch said. The man gave a soft grin. Grabbing the green gem from the side of his fancy hat, he removed it and took a step towards the man. "I'm afraid I do not have any currency that would be accepted here, could I purchase some fruit with this gem?"

The man blinked, staring at the shining gem in shock before shaking his head strongly.

"That'd be too much, kid," he said. "I always value a paying customer, but you seem nice enough, just take one or two apples, I don't mind."

"Could you point me towards someone who could exchange this gem for money then?" Lelouch asked. "I might need some new clothes if I want to stand the heat."

Not like he wanted to walk around with gems on his body, or the fancy gold and white target this painted him as.

"I think so," he said. "Hmmm, there's some people not far from here, look there."

He pointed towards the left, and Lelouch followed his finger towards a red building with large symbols he couldn't read on it. "Down that way, there's an alley, an old man is gonna sit there, ask him for the Blue Swallow, and he'll point you towards a bar where you can ask the barkeeper for a special drink-"

"I'm sorry?" Lelouch said, trying to keep the smile on his face. The man laughed.

"I'm just kidding," Kadomon said. Lelouch laughed softly. "The red building there, you can probably exchange it there-"

It happened fast. Lelouch smiled, pulling his arm back and about to hold the gem in his fist before making his way to the red building, and before he could complete the motion, the gem was gone.

A yellow blur traveled in front of him, and Lelouch followed it with its eyes.

"Haaaa?" Kadomon summarized his thoughts rather well with a more than exaggerated noise. "I think you got robbed."

"That's… unfortunate," Lelouch said. "But I do have a second one-"

His hand moved to the other side of his hat, where the gem was supposed to hang. It was gone. Lelouch closed his eyes, drawing a shuddering breath. His shoulders sagging, he stared into the direction the yellow blur had vanished towards.

"I… suppose I will have to take you up on your offer, sir," Lelouch said. "I apologize for the inconvinience."

"It's alright, kid, I feel kind of bad for you," Kadomon said. Lelouch was grateful for the pity this stranger took on him, even a pang of regret at the fact that he wanted to just take over his mind to get answers.

The mystery of the missing Geass was something that could be solved later. He had more important things to worry about, such as finding out just how he ended up here, and how he might be able to get back.

If he should.

Lelouch was sure that this place could not be on the continents he was aware of. Dragon kingdom? Cat people? Preposterous. It was impossible that nobody here had heard of him if he didn't.

The first possibility was that this is some kind of afterlife.

The second was that the World of C was playing a prank on him.

Whichever it was, if he managed to find a way to return to his world, if he dared to call it that, the people would recognize him.

And that would mean fear. Panic. Hatred. Suspicion towards Zero's assassination being legitimate. With a resigned sigh, as soft as possible through barely open lips, Lelouch accepted the apples in a small bag.

"Thank you, sir," Lelouch said. The man nodded, grinning.

"Hope my daughter grows up to be someone like you," Kadomon said. "Polite to the elders, to a fault, your parents must've raised you well."

"Ah," Lelouch said. The inner turmoil he felt at the simple statement was not visible on his face, but nonetheless giving him a reason to pause before formulating the next sentence. "I suppose they have. If your daughter grows up to be a person like you, the people will tell your daughter the same."

"Aw, shucks," the man said, scratching the back of his head. "You think so? Really?"

"I'm sure," Lelouch said. "Thank you for your generosity."

He bowed slightly, and the man just gave him a thumbs up before Lelouch began walking towards the red building. The yellow blur had vanished there, maybe he could find it. Giving one of the apples in the bag a taste, Lelouch began walking.

Perhaps it was the wrong approach. The two red stones on him could also be worth something, though not actual gemstones like the two that had hung from his hat. He didn't like the pompous outfit at all and would've liked to simply buy a new one as soon as possible for the off chance that someone did recognize him, and if not, to avoid looking like an easy target.

If the swords he saw on the hips and backs of some people were not fake, he wasn't looking forward to being accosted simply because he looked rich. Or ridiculous. The outfit had been part of his plan, presentation is half the emperor after all, and people would scorn him even easier.

Now, it was nothing more than a bother. Kadomon hadn't been wrong, it wasn't quite the right outfit for a hot summer day, and he could feel himself sweating even after he opened his robes slightly and took off the hat.

Unfortunately, everything that went with him to this strange place did not include his gun and he doubted that he would be able to use a sword correctly.

Knightmare Frames were a luxury for a king that wanted to step forward with his servants. With no troops and the physical ability of a student who never exercised, Lelouch felt himself disadvantaged. Considering he lost all of it on purpose, he had no right to complain, yet felt that pang of regret when thinking about all the people he left behind.

And the technology.

While the people seemed happy, there was nobody who had a phone, and he did not see any cars or other technology since he arrived. The road of stone looked well made and kept, yet was a far cry from Japan's infrastructure after repairs to the war-torn country. What the British repaired, they repaired well, on the labor of the people they've crushed.

However, Lelouch believed strongly in the monarchy. As someone born into a noblehouse, he knows that one person with absolute power has the power to change things absolutely. The equivalent of that would be a mad ruler, or a power-hungry fool like his father had been, that kept taking and taking without giving, inciting rebellion they kept crushing again and again, destroying local land and population until there was nobody to rise up.

Until there was nobody to exploit anymore.

A good king who didn't have to jump through hoops was superior to a democracy that changed hands every few years. The EU was able to fight back for most of the time until the attrition hit them, poor planning and management of resources led to a lot of deaths of great pilots that could have fought on equal foot with some of the best Britannia had to offer, and then Schneizel took over the campaign.

They didn't even last a year afterwards. Because the EU had 'states' like Britannia had 'Areas'. Only these sovereign states, members of the EU, had their own armies, their own commanders, and their own leaders, and nobody could work together well enough to repel them.

It didn't help that people such as Lloyd were capable of creating weapons that could turn the tide of battle with the right funds.

In hindsight, Lelouch realized, even if they had less, and the technology was abysmal in this kingdom, they also had less to fear.

There was no person here who could hit one button and destroy half the world, after all, and if these people prospered for well over three, or maybe even four score years, then he was happy for them.

This might be the world that Nunnally was dreaming of.

Lelouch sighed as he reached the red building, turning right towards another, smaller street, the apples already gone. He was famished, and he might need some money if he didn't want to starve in the coming days.

A woman with slightly disheveled clothes stood nearby, looking upset as she tried to straighten them out. Lelouch put on his most charming smile as he approached her, the bag in his hands gone.

"Excuse me," he said. "Would you mind if I asked you a question?"

The woman glared at him before the gaze softened, letting her guard down. She looked middle aged, and if the clothes were anything to go by, probably well-off. "Hello, sir knight, have you come to catch the thief?"

"Knight?" Lelouch asked. He looked down on himself, no sword, no armor. He wasn't sure just how exactly she confused him for a knight.

"Oh, I apologize," the woman said, touching her cheek. "Your robes reminded me of the Royal Guard, they also wear white uniforms."

That was information he could work with. So the clothes didn't make him look like an easy target? Or perhaps this woman just confused him because she didn't know the actual look of the uniform. Kadomon hadn't mentioned anything in that direction, after all. Lelouch shrugged.

"That's alright, miss," Lelouch said. The woman looked rather pleased to be called such. "I have been robbed as well, it seems, and I've been looking for the thief."

The woman immediately scowled when she was reminded of the situation. "Of course, yes, she went that way," she pointed at an alley nearby, next to a shop with strange grilled foods he never saw before.

"She?" Lelouch asked.

"A blonde girl," the woman nodded. "She took my handbag and just ran off. The nerve of some people-"

"I see," Lelouch interrupted a bit too quickly. A girl, hm, that narrowed the search down slightly, and blonde? He hadn't seen that hair color crop up often here. It was possible that Lelouch might be able to find the thief quickly. The question was how easy it would be to get the gems back. "Thank you, miss. If it were possible, could you call a knight and point them towards the same direction? I wouldn't want to go to a thief's den alone, but I'm afraid they might flee if I don't pursue them swiftly."

"Of course," she said, nodding. "I will do so immediately."

"Thank you," he said. Moving his hand forward slightly, and grabbing hers as she still straightened out her clothes, she knelt slightly and put his lips onto her knuckles. "It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The woman made a strange noise as he raised himself from his position and he saw her red face before she rushed off to find a knight. Lelouch tried not to grimace at her retreating form and moved towards the brightly lit alley, the position of the sun fortunate enough to throw light into the nook between the buildings.

The smell of grilled food was brought towards him with the breeze as he walked towards the alley with slow but deliberate steps. The woman who stood next to a small fire and prepared the food gave him a smile in greeting when he passed her, which he returned before stepping into the alley. Lines of thin rope went from one building to the other, clothes hanging from them.

It was… simple. The whole city, the streets, the alleys and the people. Everything seemed simple, most people seemed to be happy.

If he was to survive here, he might as well find a way to gamble himself some money, if he could get his gems back.

And if that wasn't possible, he could simply sell the clothes and get something simpler and a bit of coin. The currency these people used was simplistic, without bills, but still a step above primitive trading.

The alley narrowed towards the end and Lelouch slowed down slightly to avoid running into someone that moved on the street in front of him. He could feel himself tire slightly, already, it wasn't in him to take walks like these, and the sun was strong. When he stopped for just a second to catch his breath, he could hear steps behind him.

"Out of the way-" he heard just a second too late. The female voice echoed through the narrow alley and the person who had called out to him jumped.

Right into a clothes line. The line held stronger than she did, it seemed, and Lelouch stared up quick enough to catch a glimpse of shoes and legs before the heels of the shoes smashed right into his face.

He could feel the heels digging into his skin as he fell backwards, and his head smashing against the paved street. His head hurt, his ears were ringing, and his vision was turning black.

What a great way to die. Lelouch wanted to scoff, but he couldn't tell where his mouth was.

A dull ache spread through Lelouch's forehead, accompanied by a soft blue glow in front of his still closed eyes. Whatever the glow was doing, it helped, and the dull ache slowly left him.

"I know you're not familiar with cities, Lia," he heard someone speak. The voice was that of a child, not the young woman from before. He tried to open his eyes, but the pain returned as the sunlight went through the soft blue glow and blinded him. "That's why you need to be careful, there's a lot of people here!"

"I know," 'Lia' said. She sounded resigned, like a scolded child, but her voice Lelouch was familiar with already. The girl who had knocked me out. "That's why I'm healing him."

Healing, hm. The soft blue glow was healing then.

Lelouch wouldn't really call himself a sceptic. Far from it, after all he had seen, he could accept some things easier than others. A concept such as the Geass and the Code wasn't something he would have believed in prior to meeting C.C., but nowadays, he was more liberal with his thinking.

Opening his mouth slightly, he spoke.

"Is this magic?" he asked, still keeping his eyes closed. The two people above him made a surprised noise and Lelouch sighed. "I seem to be feeling a lot better than I should after a fall like that."

"Yes, it's water magic," the child said. "Healing magic for the laymen."

"I see," Lelouch said. "Thank you, Miss Lia was it?"

"Oh, n-no," the girl stuttered. "I'm sorry, I was the one who hurt you. Please accept my apology."

"I don't hold grudges," Lelouch lied. "You took the time to help me despite the fact that you were in such a hurry. Let us call it even."

"Alright," the child said. "But only I get to call her Lia! Her actual name's-"

"Puck!" the girl chided. The now named Puck hesitated. "It's alright, just keep calling me Lia."

"As you wish, Miss Lia," Lelouch said. When the pain finally subsided, the young woman let go of his forehead, the soft blue glow vanishing. When he opened his eyes, however, he looked up and found himself surprised once more by this strange world.

He was lying in the lap of what looked like a giant cat. Milly would probably have an heart attack by now, but Lelouch simply gasped.

"Hi!" the childish voice of Puck came out of the giant monster. "I'm Puck!"

Lelouch still looked flabbergasted, and tried to school his features into a more professional appearance. He sat up, looking back at the monster and found a young girl with silver hair sitting next to it.

"Is this your first time meeting a spirit?" Puck asked. Lelouch nodded. Cat people he understood. A giant cat, though? One that walked in two legs, that was… strange. It seemed sentient and capable of speech, so not as much of a monster as he thought it was?

"I apologize for my reaction," Lelouch said. "I have never met any spirits, and I'm surprised you are so large."

"I'm not usually," Puck said, shrinking slowly. When he was around the size of Lelouch's palm, he stopped, grinning at him. "Hi again!"

Lelouch sighed. He really had enough surprises for today. "Hello, Mister Puck. I'm Lelouch."

"Just call me Puck!" the spirit said in an upbeat voice. Lia next to him had a hood up, hiding most of her features except for the distinct color of her long hair and unblemished pale skin from her nose downwards.

"Of course," Lelouch said. "Thank you again, Miss Lia, Puck. If you don't mind me asking, why were you in such a hurry?"

The girl breathed in sharply, quickly climbing to her feet and looking out of the alley towards the direction he has been walking towards. "The thief! Puck! We have to hurry!"

"Oh?" Lelouch said, standing up as well as the spirit began floating up towards Lia's hood. "You are looking for her as well?"

Lia turned to him again. "You too?"

"She stole two of my gems," Lelouch explained. "And I'm afraid that I'm without coin or food, which means that she stole everything I had except for the clothes on me."

"Those look like they'd catch a decent price, though," Puck said. Lelouch nodded, a soft smile on his face.

"They probably would, but I'd still like to get my belongings back. What did she steal from you?"

"Something important," Lia said simply. "I need it back, or I'm in big trouble!"

Not going into details, just like with her name. Lelouch couldn't tell just how much he could trust them, and he very much disliked the fact that he had no Geass available to him anymore.

"How about we travel together?" Lelouch suggested, dusting himself off. "We have the same destination, after all, and going alone could be dangerous."

"I'm not alone, though," Lia said. "I have Puck."

"That's not what he meant, Lia," Puck said, sitting on her shoulder. "Let's take him with us, he doesn't look very strong, but he might make a good distraction."

Lelouch laughed. The spirit was open and blunt, while the girl seemed rather literally minded. Both reminded him of a child, though Puck seemed to be the adult one with this pair.

"Alright," Lia conceded. Lelouch nodded as he followed her out of the alley. The sun was beginning to set behind them, he noticed.

"How long have I been out?" Lelouch asked. Puck answered him as Lia looked around outside.

"An hour or so," he said. Lelouch hummed. He hadn't really paid attention to the position of the sun, but Puck had no reason lie to a question like this. Maybe he had been wandering around longer than he thought, the densely populated streets making it hard for a sense of progression to be found.

"I see, I don't think the thief will be nearby anymore, then," Lelouch said. "I had asked a woman to call for a knight and send him here, if she hadn't found one until now, I would be surprised."

"The knights have been rather sparse lately," Lia said. "So if you can't find one patroling, you have to call for one at their headquarters near the residental district, away from the markets."

"That seems like a bad place to put it if one wanted to stop thieves," Lelouch commented, looking around. "Perhaps we should try to look at the opposite side of the market, then? As far away from the knights as possible."

"Why?" Lia asked.

"Because if I were a thief," Lelouch said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "Then I'd want to be as far away from knights as possible. The most common places for thieves are where nobody would look, and where it would be too much of a bother to scout."

"So either near the headquarters," Puck concluded. "Or as far away as possible."

Lelouch nodded. "I'm not sure where the headquarters are, though. If the woman I asked to call for a knight moved towards it, I'm sure that the second possibility is far more likely."

"You're more than just a pretty face, hm?" Puck teased, a very humanlike fiendish grin on his face. Lelouch brushed the friendly jab off.

"I was a good student," Lelouch said. "But you are right, physically, I'm a failure."

"Nothing you can't fix with some good exercise," Puck commented. "Alright! Towards the other side of the city! Lelouch's gonna raise his stamina!"

Lelouch felt himself relax more. The spirit reminded him of Milly in more ways than one. The only thing missing was shouting 'Guts!' at the top of his lungs and the image would be perfect.

"Let's," Lelouch said, taking the lead into the opposite direction the woman had run off towards. If he was right, they would find themselves a place that looked like it could be for thieves, something like an abandoned building. He couldn't just let the opportunity to get some answers slip, however. "Say, Miss Lia…"

"Yes?" she glanced towards him, though he couldn't see her eyes under the hood.

"I'm wondering how common magic is," Lelouch said. "I must admit that I have lived a rather sheltered life and am not aware of a lot of things."

"You're like Lia, then," Puck commented. "She doesn't know a lot of things too."

"Puck!" Lia said, indignantly. "I'm learning!"

"Don't worry, you're improving," Puck said. "Won't you answer his question, then? Having you teach someone would be a first~"

"No need to tease me about it," Lia muttered. "Magic is very common. Everyone can do it if they put enough work into it. Some people are more talented than others, and improve at a faster rate, or have a certain blessing."

"Blessing?" Lelouch asked.

"I think it's more commonly known as 'Divine Protection'," Puck said. "Gods favor people and grant them special powers, they say. It's just something you are born with. One in a hundred people have one, most of them useless."

"So they can be useful?" Lelouch asked, geninuely curious.

"The chance for a useful one is one in a thousand," Puck said. "Add more and more zeroes for rarity and effectiveness. The most rare chance is over one in ten million of having more than one."

"Interesting," Lelouch said. "And how would one know of their Blessing?"

"You just know," Lia said, sounding resigned. "If you don't have one, you would know as well, obviously."

"Oh?" Lelouch said. That was bad, then. "I suppose I have none, then, that's too bad."

"You're so sheltered you never heard of Divine Protection and barely know anything about magic," Puck said, shrugging. "Maybe you just have the Divine Protection of Cluelessness."

Lia sighed slightly, and Lelouch just laughed at the spirit. "Maybe. Do you have the Divine Blessing of being adorable?"

"Of course," Puck said, floating off Lia's shoulder and settling on Lelouch's. "I'm the most adorable thing there is."

"Oh, I'm not sure, I met more adorable people," Lelouch said, making Puck purse his small lips.

"Oh yeah? Who would be better than this cute and cuddly spirit?"

"My little sister," Lelouch said. "The most adorable person in the world."

"Ah!" Puck said, pointing his paw at him and poking into his cheek. "The Divine Protection of a Sister Complex!"

Lelouch flicked at Puck's face with a finger, making the spirit mewl and float back to Lia.

"Lia! Liaaaa! Lelouch is being mean to me!" Puck wailed. Some people gave them a strange look as they heard the small thing on her shoulder speak, but nobody reacted strongly. "Tell him to stop."

"Both of you should stop," Lia said, suddenly sounding like the mature one. "Why do you want to know about magic anyway, Mr. Lelouch?"

"Just Lelouch, please," he said. "As I told you, I am not a very strong person, I wish to improve and find a way to defend myself. Perhaps learning magic could help me with that."

"Defend yourself?" she asked, sounding concerned. "Are you in danger?"

"I wouldn't want to be defenseless if I was," Lelouch said. "Are you capable of using your own spells to fight, Miss Lia?"

"Yes." Lia nodded.

"That way, you are more safe than anyone who couldn't, and perhaps I have some talent I do not know about."

"Might be worth a try," Puck said. "Not everyone is compatible with every element, you'll have to learn from someone who can tell you which you are compatible with, and you'll need to practice for years."

"Years?" Lelouch asked. Of course, it couldn't be that simple. "I suppose that there is a reason not everyone is capable of using magic."

"No, without a right teacher, some people actually kill themselves practicing," Lia explained. "Draining all the mana in their bodies until they are unable to move, sometimes taking days to recover and dying of dehydration."

That gave Lelouch a reason to pause. It seems that he might have been jumping the gun a bit early. Maybe the money could hire a good teacher if he was able to make some.

"Are you capable of finding out which type of magic I'm compatible with?" Lelouch asked Lia. She shook her head, but Puck crossed his arms pouting.

"I am, but you were mean, Lelouch," Puck said. Lelouch grinned slightly, poking Puck off Lia's shoulder. "Ow! Liaaaa-"

"What kinds of magic are there anyway?" Lelouch asked. "You mentioned water magic, so there is fire magic as well?"

"Yes," Lia answered, ignoring Puck's childish moaning. "Water, fire, earth, wind, yin and yang."

"And after I learn my element, I study spells?"

"Yes," Lia said again. "Everyone has a 'Gate', it's what you use when you call on your magic. The more you use your Gate, the stronger you will become, and the stronger your magic."

"So it rewards use? Interesting," Lelouch said. This reminded him of the Geass, in a way. The more he used it, the closer he came to 'perfecting' it. The perfect mistake that killed his sister. They reached the edge of the more populated market and the buildings became more and more sparse, and the sun was only sending the faintest of red rays forward over the buildings. "I can assume that water magic is there for healing-"

"Not really," Puck said. "Water magic is used for healing, but there's also four manas. Water mana is used for healing, water magic channels water mana. If you wished to, you could use water magic to create ice and use it to fight."

"And the other three manas?"

"Fire for heat, instead of simply burning things, wind mana is a part of 'outwards' Divine Protections, such as things that make arrows miss you. Earth mana is a part of 'inwards' Divine Protection, such as having knowledge in certain fields without ever practicing them."

"So people without Divine Protection cannot use earth and wind mana?"

"Not as such, no," Lia confirmed. Lelouch hummed. "Most magic is used offensively, or in research, there's no need to go through the dangers of learning it if you're simply a normal person. Some clans have inherent talents in it due to racial Divine Protections, so they have more affinity to magic than humans."

"Clans? You mean different races?" Lelouch asked. "Like the cat people, or Puck?"

"More like the cat people," Puck said. "I'm a spirit. Not really the run of the mill normal person!"

"Truly, I have missed a lot of the world," Lelouch said, smiling. "Meeting a witch and a spirit in one day-"

That must have been the wrong word to say. The moment he said 'witch', Lia stopped, her head whipping around towards him so strongly that her eyes were revealed for just a moment. Purple irises glowed in the shadow of the hood through narrowed eyes.

"You know!" she said, accusingly, her voice rather heated. Puck grimaced as well, but put himself between them instead.

"He doesn't," Puck said. Lelouch blinked, and once again, he felt confusion coming up inside him. "He's really that clueless."

"But Puck-"

"Say, Lelouch," Puck said. "Do you know the name 'Satella'?"

Lelouch shook his head. "Is that someone I should know?"

"Yes," Puck said bluntly. "The Witch of Envy, a half-elf with silver hair that destroyed half the world."

Lelouch's eyebrows furrowed, the young man taking a sharp breath before holding it. Half the world? So the title of 'witch' was as dangerous here, that was good to know. But what did that have to do with… hm. Her hair, the unblemished skin?

"Are you Satella?" Lelouch asked, blinking twice. Lia shook her head.

"No!" she shouted. "I'm just… I'm just someone who shares that one thing with the Witch of Envy."

She grabbed her hood and pulled it back. Two pointed ears were revealed, and just like before, he could see a soft glow in the violet irises that her eyes held. She was undeniably beautiful, around eighteen if he had to guess her age, and looking very, very upset.

"I apologize," Lelouch said swiftly, bowing his head slightly. "I was unaware of my social faux pas and have upset you, I meant no offense."

Lia's glare softened slightly, and Puck just sighed, setting himself on her head.

"What kind of upbringing do you need to have to never hear about the Witch of Envy?" Puck asked. Lelouch chuckled weakly. "You said you were a good student."

"I know quite a lot about economy, playing chess and politics," Lelouch said. "But magic and history are not my strong suits, I apologize. Please, let us continue our conversation later. I believe we might have found what we were looking for."

Lia turned around, resigned, before taking a look around.

The entire place looked like a dump, and there were many buildings that looked abandoned and broken nearby. If there ever was anything as a stereotypical thieves district, this must be it, Lelouch was sure of it.

He could fool some of the people here easier than actual shopkeepers. Taking the red glass sphere from his hat, Lelouch stepped forward, Lia trailing behind him.

A group of men sat around a fire, talking with each other, laughing and drinking. When Lelouch approached, they stopped laughing, staring suspiciously at his white uniform which probably looked like the Royal Guard's uniform to them in the darkness.

"Excuse me," Lelouch said. "I'm looking for someone, and would like to ask if you might have seen her."

"Your girlfriend ran away, pretty boy?" a hulking man asked, a full beard jiggling under his face as he spoke. His arms were thicker than Lelouch's head.

"Not quite," Lelouch said. "I'm looking for a blonde girl, she took something from me."

"And you want to negotiate to get it back?" the man asked. The other men just shook their head. "Well, good luck with finding her then."

"Oh, I was so sure you could point me into the right direction," Lelouch said. Lia stood back, letting him do all the work. Holding the red glass sphere near the fire gave it a rather stunning look. "Whoever can help me find her gets this."

"That…" the bearded man said, sounding as if he was contemplating the offer.

"There's a building just a minute walk down there," a man next to him said, snatching the sphere from Lelouch's hand. "Knock on it, and tell them Brutus sent you for negotiation."

"Thank you," Lelouch said, moving back to Lia with a soft smile on his lips. The man with the beard looked at Brutus with annoyance, but said nothing more.

"See?" Lelouch asked. "That wasn't too hard."

"Won't they look for you when they realize that it's pretty much just glass?"

"You knew, hm?" Lelouch asked, walking into the direction Brutus pointed them to. Puck shrugged.

"Of course," Puck said. "I know my gemstones. That one was way too thin, it'll break in seconds."

"Yes," Lelouch said. "But I don't think I will stay here for long, so I'm not concerned about them."

A minute later, they arrived, standing in front of a wooden building that looked slightly less rundown than the rest around here.

Lelouch knocked on the door, only to notice that it was open already. Falling open slightly, Lelouch took a look into it.

"Hmm," Lelouch said, looking towards Lia. "Can you make a light? Or something like that?"

"Yes," Lia nodded. She raised her hands and blue lights began dancing around them. She slowly sent them forward, getting rid of the darkness.

Lelouch took a tentative step forward, rearing his head through the door and looking at the interior.

Before he could see anything, something dropped on his head. It was a warm liquid, and Lelouch grimaced, touching his head.

"L-lelouch," Lia said. Lelouch turned around as he took a step in. "Lelouch!"

"What is it?" he asked. There was a strange smell in the air. It was familiar, yet somehow twisted in a strange way.

"There's blood on your head!" she shouted. Lelouch's eyes widened and he stared at his hand. Blood was on it. When he swallowed and took a look up, it was already too late.

All he saw was the glint of a knife before he fell over, his belly cut open. He tried to look up, towards Lia, and she too was lying next to him, blood seeping out of her body.

"Y-you…" Lelouch gasped out. He could see a woman's legs. High heels accenting their length and a flash of her underwear before she stepped on his head, forcing him to look at Lia.

"What a resilient one," he heard the woman speak. "Your guts… they're so beautiful."

The sheer bliss in the woman's moans made him shiver. Or maybe it was the fact that he had lost so much blood already that he felt himself slipping into a cold death.

'Not again,' Lelouch thought. 'Dying twice in the same way… is this really the end of my second chance?'

"Oi, you having a stroke?"

Chapter 2

Lelouch's eyes shot open as he righted himself up, taking a deep breath and grabbing his stomach. No wound. No cut. The quick motion sent his hat off his head and it fell down with the sound of shattering glass as the red sphere in the middle of it broke apart. People took a curious glance towards him, but didn't react otherwise, and the man who had called out to him was looking rather worried.

"I'm… alive," Lelouch muttered. He was alive. Again. Again.

The man who had died twice returned twice from death. There was no way Lia had just survived that attack and healed them both, only to drag him off back where he started. Lelouch grimaced, the phantom pain of the wound still fresh.

"Uh, you sure look alive," Kadomon said. "Though you might wanna lie down somewhere if you're feeling unwell."

"Yes, yes," Lelouch muttered. "Thank you, sir."

Lelouch stood up, his knees weak. Had he been a bit less attentive, he might have missed it, but it was clear what had happened simply by grabbing his hat off the ground. The two gems hung from the side like they did before the robbery. The people outside, the cat eared person next to the side street, speaking with a horned person in the exact same spot, the position of the sun.

"Sir?" Lelouch turned to Kadomon. "Have I been here before? I think I got lost."

The man blinked, before crossing his arms and getting that exaggerated 'thinking' look on his face again.

"Never seen you before, kid," he said after a few seconds. "Pretty sure I'd recognize an outfit like yours."

"I see," Lelouch said, successfully keeping himself from frowning at the older man. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Sure, sure," Kadomon said. "Just don't go dying in front of my shop, can't afford to have that kind publicity."

"I understand," Lelouch said, an uneasy chuckle leaving his throat. He was back to the point where he arrived in this strange world. Even though he lost his Geass, it was unlikely that this had to do with the Code, considering that the clock moved backwards as well.

He could test it, of course. Kill himself and see if he wakes up again, but Lelouch didn't want to test that hypothetical new power of his until he could be sure.

For all he knew, it might have been a one-off thing. If things happened like the Zero Requiem, he should be staring at the people of a different world right now.

The only correct course of action from this point on was to avoid doing what he did before.

But Lelouch wasn't a fan of standing aside. He also wasn't someone who foolishly charged ahead into an unknown situation. Instead, Lelouch would walk the most reasonable course of action. The one where he had the most to gain.

And saving the life of a young woman and Puck might earn him a magic teacher. Taking off the gems from the hat, he hid them inside his robes just in case and bowed to the shopkeeper.

"Thank you for your concern, sir," he said. He felt hungry, but he didn't really want to have a longer conversation than necessary for the man to just offer him two apples again, and Lelouch could see he didn't earn the same trust as before. "I will be going."

"See ya," Kadomon waved him off. Lelouch didn't know where to begin his search, but he didn't have to. Instead, he took one of the gems out of his pocket and walked away from the red building. Holding the gem in his hands, Lelouch took step after step forward.

As fast as the yellow blur was, it was something visible, so it could get caught. It didn't take very long for him to catch a glance of Lia, hiding her features under the hood, and a girl that jumped her from the roof.

Grabbing something from Lia, the girl glanced towards him, and became a blur. She was like the wind.

But Lelouch saw her coming. Letting go of the gem in feigned shock, he spread his arms and stepped forward the moment she grabbed it, catching her.

She didn't seem to notice, and when Lia rushed towards them, the blonde girl's progress was halted as Lelouch lifted her off the ground.

"Got you," Lelouch said. The blonde girl finally noticed that she had been caught, her legs kicking the air under her as if she could walk on it, and struggled against him.

"Hold on you thief!" Lia shouted. Ice appeared in the air, small pillars with sharp tips that could rend flesh from bone. Despite his knowledge of the half-elf's status as mage, it was an impressive display.

And Lelouch couldn't help but shiver at the idea of using a power like this. Something so malleable. Something so impressive.

"Let me go!" the young girl shouted. "Stranger danger! STRANGER DANGER!"

Lelouch looked towards Lia as people in the street began to run away from the display of magic.

"I could let you go," Lelouch said. "But then you would have to deal with that mage over there."

The girl glared at him, her arms on her sides before glaring towards Lia.

Instead of just resigning to her fate, the blonde grabbed something from behind her back. Pain shot up in his legs, and a glance down revealed two daggers stabbed into him. Grunting in pain as he let go, Lelouch barely managed to keep himself standing.

The girl tried to run, but Lia had sealed off any escape route.

"Give it back!" Lia shouted. "And I won't hurt you!"

"As if!" the young girl shouted, her daggers stained in Lelouch's blood as she turned around, ready to fight. One of the ice pillars flew towards the blonde, and the young girl dodged. More appeared, faster, in an attempt to prevent the girl from catching her breath.

This young girl was so fast, she could probably outrun Suzaku. Becoming a blur to dodge the next volley, Lelouch tried to follow the fight, and failed.

"Puck," Lia said. The young girl was right in the half-elf's face, a dagger aimed at the young woman's chest. A shield appeared, blocking the dagger and forcing the blonde to jump back.

Puck raised his hands, and two spears of ice appeared, rushing towards the blonde girl. Towards Lelouch.

He was unable to dodge, the pain in his legs too much, and when the young thief dodged, he was struck.

The pillars of ice broke. The thief escaped. Lelouch fell onto his back, gasping in pain as the spears stayed stuck his chest and kept him in an uncomfortable twisted position when the tips got stuck in the ground.

"Lia-" he heard Puck's voice. A blue glow appeared in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, so sorry, I'm so sorry-"

"You have to warn me before you summon me-"

"This isn't time for a lesson, Puck! I killed someone-"

Lelouch felt weak. Again. He couldn't breathe, and only darkness was filling his vision. For someone who had survived years of war, for someone to took over the world, only to die this quickly?

Thrice in succession?

"Oi, you having a stroke?"

Lelouch grimaced, opening his eyes to stare at Kadomon.

"Yes," Lelouch said, standing up. "I apologize for the inconvenience, thank you for your concern, sir."

Kadomon waved him off, shrugging.

"Eh, it's alright," he said. "Can't have anyone dying in front of my shop. What'd the people say?"

"Of course," Lelouch said, schooling his features. Once was strange, the new world confused him. Twice could have still been a chance, maybe the way he died, maybe the person who killed him.

But three times? He was pretty sure now, especially considering the fact that he woke up here again.

He had a Divine Blessing, it seemed. A twisted grin made itself visible on his face, and he hid it behind a hand, staring down. A power like this could be awfully useful. Something that made victory an inevitability. Lelouch felt strangely happy. Even the pain in his chest couldn't take that away.

He could afford to be reckless. Something he could never do before was now possible, and Lelouch could test and make mistakes as often as he wanted. He could ask questions as favors and make it so he never asked them.

But if he always returned back to this spot, surviving the day might actually end up becoming a bother. He would have to repeat his performance again and again…

Or perhaps, he just had to do it long enough to learn magic, before avoiding the trip back into the past by staying away from Lia and the thief.

But now, he had the advantage. Hiding the gems inside his robes, Lelouch made sure to avoid being a target.

Lelouch moved towards the red building, ignoring the noblewoman and made his way to the ghetto as quickly as possible. If he could find out the identity of the murderer, he would have an ace up his sleeve. He could even look for an actual knight if necessary.

Of course, he wasn't very fast, and the yellow blur appeared not long after he reached the edge of the ghetto. She once again stole something from him, this time his hat, the kleptomaniac little girl apparently too busy taking something rather than worrying what it might be worth.

Lelouch didn't bother saying anything, instead, he follow the yellow blur with his eyes and watched as the girl moved somewhere away from the building he had been pointed towards earlier.

Rather than bothering with her, though, he approached the building instead.

Knocking on the door, a gruff voice from the other side echoed loudly. "Password?"

"Brutus sent me here to negotiate," Lelouch said. The voice on the other side hummed, and after a few seconds, a dark skinned hulk of an old man opened the door. He was bald and without beard, yet had long eyebrows which hung down at the sides of his face, braided. A swirl-shaped tattoo sat above his left eye.

A vest without anything under it revealed a very muscled and hairy body. This was a man who could crush him in one hand.

"Hello," Lelouch said. The old man scowled at the look of his outfit before relaxing slightly, letting him in.

"Brutus, hm?" the large man asked, sitting down at a table. "Must've offered him quite something. So, what do you want?"

"I saw a young girl stealing something today," Lelouch said, sitting down across the old man. "I'm interested in this item, and I know that this place is for negotiation about buying the goods."

"You're well informed about our ghetto for a foreigner," the old man said. "I'm Rom, I keep order here. Don't give me a reason to be unhappy."

"Of course." Lelouch smiled at Rom, crossing his arms. "How do you know I'm a foreigner?"

"When you grow as old as me," Rom said. "You meet many people, sell many goods. I've never seen something like your outfit before, so you must be from outside."

"I see," Lelouch said. "Yes, I'm not from around here. Please, call me Zero."

"Strange name," Rom said, grunting. Lelouch was sure the old man knew that he didn't give his real name. "But alright. You want some of Felt's goods, I can talk to her for the negotiation. But you should know that she got a great offer for the item, which means you'll have to surpass that."

So her name was Felt.

"I see," Lelouch said, grabbing into his robes. Taking the two gems out, he put them on the table. "I'm afraid that I don't have any money on my person, and these gems are the only things I can offer. Could I inquire just how it compares to the offer she received?"

"I'm sorry to tell you kid, but while those gems are worth quite some gold, they don't compare to ten pieces of sacred gold," Rom said. Lelouch blinked.

"Sacred gold?" he asked. Rom nodded.

"Sacred gold has twice the value of normal gold, fifty can buy you a plot of land and pay for the labor to have a house built on it," Rom explained. Lelouch frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. That was one course of action gone. The least he could do now was gather information.

"What was the item she stole anyway?" Lelouch asked. "It looked very interesting, a badge of some kind?"

"You wanted to buy it but don't even know what it is?" Rom asked.

"What can I say?" Lelouch shrugged. "I love shiny things. And when she held it, it shone very brightly."

"Hmmm, I'm not sure what exactly it is, I just know she got the job and was very excited about the pay," Rom said. "If you have nothing else to offer, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."

"Of course," Lelouch said, disappointed by the events. Someone was bleeding here the first time before he got killed. The murderer was a woman, which means that Rom and Felt weren't actually the true problem. "I would wish to give you a word of warning, however. The woman that Felt had struck a deal with is not going to follow up on her offer. She will kill you."

That made Rom react. Lelouch, for the first time, could be reckless, and recklessness meant that he could throw suggestions and information at people simply to see how they'd react.

"You know it's a woman, then?" Rom asked. "I think you might have to explain a bit more."

"Of course," Lelouch said, smiling. "You see, this isn't the first time I've been here. Due to some strange magic, I'm able to- hrk-"

His teeth snapped shut, and he bit his tongue. Lelouch keeled over the table, grabbing his chest. It was like two hands holding onto his heart and ready to crush it at any minute. The pain was unbearable.

"Hey, you alright?" Rom asked. "Want a drink or something? Can't really have people dying around here, this is an honest business."

Lelouch relaxed as the pain subsided, the hands letting go.

"I…" Lelouch gasped out. "Can't seem to tell you how I know. I apologize."

"If you can't tell me, I can't trust you," Rom stated simply.

"Then, could I ask to stay here for the deal?" Lelouch asked. Rom's nostrils flared, and he glared at the younger man. "I'm weak, as you can see, all I wish is to meet the woman. If I just lied, then nothing will happen, right?"

"Keh, might as well," Rom said, scoffing at Lelouch. "Try something, and I'll crush you under my heel."

A threat spoken out of concern, not hostility. It was something Lelouch himself was very familiar with. Felt and the old man were close.

"Of course," Lelouch agreed.

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Rom stood. "Password?"

"Go ahead, old man!" came Felt's voice from outside.

"Large Rat," Rom said.

"Poison," Felt said loudly.

"White Whale."

"Fish Hook."

"Our revered dragon."

"Just screw it!" Felt shouted. Rom nodded, opening the door and letting the little girl that led to Lelouch's latest death in. "Who's that, old man Rom?"

"Someone who wanted to negotiate with you," Rom said. "Not enough to beat that offer you got, though."

"Ohh, that's too bad," Felt said, grinning widely. "What is he doing here then?"

"I'm feeling rather unwell," Lelouch said. "I'm waiting until I feel better before making my way home."

Rom glanced at him, but didn't say anything more. When she sat down across him, Lelouch took a good look at her. She was dressed rather provocatively. Her blonde hair was done up in a short ponytail, with a braid over her head, and all that remained open hanging towards her chin.

Ripped pants and a short vest showed off a lot of skin, at least wearing something over her chest that still kept her stomach exposed. The entire outfit was accented by an incredibly long red scarf around her neck which hung down to her ankles.

The daggers she had with her were on her hip, hidden behind her. She was dangerous. Everything here seemed to be. In a world of magic, even those who can't use it seem to have their own advantages. Maybe it was one of those racial blessings that Lia was talking about.

"What did you offer?" Felt asked, sitting across Lelouch with her legs wide.

"Two gems I have," Lelouch said. "I'm afraid you stole my hat, so I couldn't have offered it to you as well."

"Ah!" she pointed at Lelouch, making a loud noise. "It's you!"

"Yes," Lelouch said dryly. "Me. You can keep the hat, I'm not a fan of it anyway."

"Yeah, I thought i could sell that red stone in it, but it just shattered when I grabbed it," she said, not sounding apologetic. "So you can have it back."

"No, really, keep it," Lelouch said. "It's worth nothing to me."

"Why did you wear it then?"

Lelouch grinned. "I was at an event and had to be dressed fancy. Not something I do very often."

Being dressed as Zero wasn't being fancy after all. There's nothing more humble than a cape and a mask.

"Right, right," she said. "Could you piss off while I talk with my customer, then? I told her to be here after the sun sets, so she should be here soon."

"How crude." Lelouch shook his head, standing up. "I won't get between you and your customer. I'm just here to rest a while."

"Sure, and if you try something, old man Rom will take care of you," Felt said, grinning. Lelouch's stomach churned at the thought. He knew she wasn't lying. Moving towards where Rom was sitting, near a table that was sitting in the corner, Lelouch leaned against the wall.

Then someone knocked on the door.

"Ah!" Felt shouted. "I think that's her."

The young girl rushed towards the door, as Rom stared at him.

"You lied to her," Rom said.

"You did as well," Lelouch said.

"I'm suspicious of everyone," he said. "At least I can keep an eye on you if you stay here. Don't make me regret it."

"I would never betray the trust that someone has invested in me," Lelouch lied. "Please, allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge."

"That doesn't sound like any noble family I've heard of," Rom said.

"Of course not," Lelouch said. "I'm not a noble, after all."

"Good riddance," Rom muttered.

"There she is," Felt shouted, walking in. Taking a seat at the table that Lelouch and Rom had been sitting at earlier, someone entered through the door.

The woman who stepped in looked more out of place than Lelouch. Where Lelouch was dressed in a 'fancy' way, holding himself like a noble, this woman had the presence he lacked... it was like an electricity in the air.

Her raven hair hugged her face and curled towards the end. Her dark purple eyes were fixated on him as she stepped towards the table.

The woman's dark dress was cut just right to reveal her long legs, and a flower the color of her eyes sat on the side of her head, woven into her hair. The mantle she wore around it had a long collar with purple fur.

"There's a disgusting smell," she commented, her eyes still focused on him. Lelouch felt his heartbeat quicken. The woman was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had ever met - yet he felt sick just looking at her. He idly wondered if this is what people under his Geass felt.

The heels, the legs. The voice.

This was his murderer.

This woman could kill him in a second.

"I apologize," Lelouch commented, keeping the worry out of his voice. And the disgust. Lelouch wanted to throw up at the unnaturalness that the woman spread throughout the room. "I have not taken a shower in a while."

The woman's eyes narrowed, her nostrils flaring. What was it about his scent? She hadn't mentioned anything in that direction before.

"Ignoring that fart over there," Felt said before the woman could say anything else. "You have the money?"

"Of course," the beauty said, taking a bag of coins from… somewhere. He didn't really see where in the dress she could have hidden it. Pushing the bag of coins halfway over the table, she nodded at Felt.

The young girl grinned, taking the emblem from inside her pocket. The design was strange, a stone in the middle of it shining brightly as Felt held it towards the woman, reading to grab the gold.

"Ah," the woman said, grabbing Felt's wrist. "You are one as well…"

"Huh?" Felt asked. Lelouch blinked. Was that where the deal went wrong? The woman chuckled, and Rom moved towards them. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know what this emblem is?" the woman asked, a sadistic grin splitting her face. "It's there to reveal those of royal lineage, if the stone shines, you are a candidate-"

"What the fuck are you talking-"

Lelouch stood swiftly, information, finally. "Rom! Don't!"

Rom grabbed the woman and tried to pull her away from Felt. It proved to be a mistake. The moment he pulled, his arm fell off. Rom grunted in pain, grabbing the stump where his arm was earlier. Felt freed herself, grabbing her dagger and almost stabbing through the beauty's arm.

Lelouch didn't hesitate, he made a rush for the door, even though he couldn't die, so to speak, his body had other plans, and hit the flight response repeatedly. Before he could touch the door, one of Felt's knives hit his hand, pinning him to the door.

He turned his head, staring towards the table where Felt was lying, her head rolling off onto the ground as a pool of blood formed.

"My, my," she said. "What a despicable thing… an Archbishop… here of all places?"

Lelouch panicked. He tried to remove the knife from his hand, but was unable to as the woman walked forward, strange knives in her hands, drenched in blood.

"I'm not with them," Lelouch tried.

"You aren't?" she asked. "Then why do you smell like the Witch, I wonder…"

She misunderstood him, it seemed. While he meant Rom and Felt, she seemed to have drawn her own conclusion to what group he belonged to.

"I wonder," she said, shivering. "Ohhh, I wonder, I wonder…"

She was right in front of him, her hand on his face, tracing his features with a finger as the stench of blood filled his nose from the knife she held towards his nose. The woman all but moaned as she continued.

"I wonder what your guts look like, Archbishop!" she shouted in glee. "Are they black? Are they red?"

She stabbed him in the side. He was unable to resist, unable to run away. He was unable to fight back.

"You… monster," Lelouch gasped out. The most beautiful monster he had ever seen.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear, drawing a line under his stomach with her knife. He screamed as the pain became too much. Looking down, he stared at the blood that left his body. "How beautiful…"

She grabbed his organs through the wound she inflicted, and Lelouch lurched forward, throwing up blood and stomach acid onto her before passing out.

And once again, he returned to zero.

This time, though, he knew a lot more.

Lia and Felt were candidates to become queens. People that could help him a lot if they were on his side.

"Oi, you having a stroke there?"

Lelouch grinned. Kadomon gave him a wary glance.