On the move

Charles Zi Britannia, the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, stood on a platform that seemed to be suspended in mid-air and surrounded by nothing but clouds and a limitless horizon.

This place was the platform of the Sword of Akasha.

Its true origins were unknown, as it has existed long before modern civilization.

The sword was a weapon to slay God and unite humanity into a singular entity while eliminating all lies in the world.

While that was the sword's theorized ultimate purpose, that was just one of the uses this place enabled a person to do.

In reality, the sword of Akasha was a tool to enable one to interact with the god's or humanity's collective unconscious, bridging the gap that separates the physical and mental/spiritual planes of existence.

For most humans, trying to interact with the collective will of every human soul and mind would be impossible to perceive and understand.

But for Charles, who was in possession of geass the power of the kings, he was no ordinary human being.

Geass for all its many forms and uses is an expression of the inner desire and personality of the user.

For those who mature and have the willpower to control their geass, they raise themselves above their fellow man like a king among plebeians.

If the user is not consumed by their power, they may be able to take on a code of immortality and become a being that exists outside of the concept of reality.

They remain anchored to the world and cannot leave unless their code is passed on.

To interact with the collective unconscious one would need to be a geass user or a code bearer.

A geass user can interact with the gods or humanity by using their power while a code bearer was capable of great power and the ability to grant the power of geass to others was an independent being closer to God than any mortal existence ever could be.

For Charles, his geass of memory manipulation, which he had full control of thanks to his willpower and commitment to his goal of a world without lies, allowed him to interact with the collective unconsciousness.

He was able to use his control over memory to sift through the collective unconsciousness of both the living and dead to find his recently departed son which he had a connection or memory of.

It was through this method he was able to learn the truth behind the demise of his insolent son Clovis.

He merely learned what he wanted to know and let his son's soul return to the collective until the day he would merge humanity and all conflict would end with everyone becoming one both the living and dead.

So his favorite son Lelouch had decided to make a move, no matter he will not stop the things to come.

Just as he finished what he had come to do a man dressed in the robe of the geass Directorate came into the temple.

"Your Majesty the remains have arrived."

"I was just conversing with Clovis actually."

The member of the directorate was surprised at the emperor's statement, but his lack of understanding did not matter.

"The project must proceed without a moment's delay."

Because not only was his favorite son making his move but his least favorite son was also beginning to make his move as well.

And that person must never reach this place lest all the work for the Ragnarok connection could be for nothing.

Lelouch p.o.v

I was roused from my thoughts of my next move as Zero when the teacher announced that we were getting a new transfer student today.

Looking to the front of the room I was shocked to see my friend Suzaku Kururugi standing in front of the class dressed in the Ashford Academy uniform.

"I'll be joining the student body, my name is Suzaku Kururugi it's a pleasure to meet you."

Cue whispers and gossip from my best friends revelation that he a Japanese honorary Britannian and a former suspect in my brother Clovis's murder was going to be in the same class as them.

Class went on with side-glances and shrewd looks at my best friend.

After class, the rumor mill started up again whether he was a terrorist even though my older brother Claudius absolved him of all guilt.

That still bugged me, though.

Why would my brother Claudius go out of his way to free Suzaku even when I revealed Zero to be the real murderer?

So as I got up and was about to leave but I pulled my collar signaling Suzaku to meet me on the roof.

Sure enough, Suzaku noticed my signal and walked up onto the roof so we could properly catch up after seven years.

"Seven years since we used this signal long time huh," I said to my best friend.

"Meeting on the roof like the old days." Yeah back before Britannia invaded where Nunnally and I lived with Suzaku's family.

"Yeah."

"I'm glad you're okay, I've been worried." Funny because you were facing charges for killing a prince until I saved you.

"Alive and kicking thanks to you, you almost died, trying to protect me," I said as I remembered my best friend being shot by Clovis's royal guard when he refused to kill me.

Wait, what about the girl from the capsule?" Suzaku asked concerned about C.C., who was currently in my room at the clubhouse.

"I don't really know, we got separated during the fray, but you would know about her more than I do right?" I asked feigning interest, as I doubted Suzaku knew anything.

However, Suzaku got a conflicted look on his face and seemed to swallow his tongue.

"No anyone who knew the truth about her was the inner circle of the royal guard." I accepted his honest answer until.

"But, after I was rescued by Zero, I was on my way to my court martial I ran into your older brother Claudius."

What, Suzaku met with Claudius, how was I followed, no the escape was perfect, but could he have had a tracker on Suzaku but then why not come after me as well?

In fact, he picked me up at the edge of the settlement and drove me to the courthouse and absolved me of my crimes himself."

Outside I looked to be an interested friend, but on the inside, I was stunned at my brother's actions.

"It wasn't even the first time we met, he even visited me and prison and we had a dinner on the roof. He said it was the last meal and that he wanted to meet me."

Now I'm wondering if my older brother is insane for doing something like that and why did he really do it.

"What did you talk about?" I asked trying to probe Suzaku for more information.

"Not much, but he did tell me that the girl was a part of a project of Prince Clovis's running human experiments on her."

Well, I could see why since C.C. is immortal and gave me my power, but how did Claudius know that and did he know what C.C. really is in that case?

"Also, he told me that I was a free man even before the trial because he knew I didn't kill his brother."

By now I was sweating at the fact that Claudius knew so much about C.C. and that Suzaku was never the killer, but how did he know so much?

"But that's all I know, I'm not even sure why he even took such an interest in me in the first place."

Why indeed Suzaku, it seems I would have to speak with my older brother in the future soon because he seemed to know a lot about what's going on.

Either my older brother was in control of an underground spy network surpassing that of the O.S.I. or he some way of knowing where and when to be.

So it seems that I would have to have a discussion with my older brother at some point.

"Besides that do I still call you Lelouch?"

I debated whether to press Suzaku for more information, but I couldn't do that to him and besides that is all Claudius probably told him.

"My record account my old identity among the dead, I go by the name Lelouch Lamperouge now." I did it in part to hide and to help me remember my mother as I had taken up her maiden name and shunned my father's name to survive for my sake and Nunnally.

"Oh, I see," Suzaku said as he remembered how I was bitter and anger with my family seven years ago and that anger had not disappeared after seven years in exile.

"I'm surprised as you are, the truth is someone who believed me to be innocent as well said a seventeen-year-old should be in school."

After our short reunion, we then began to make our way back down to classes after the warning bell had rung.

But Suzaku didn't say it was Claudius who told him to be in school, so who was it?

Britannian Military Prison

Jeremiah p.o.v.

After being rescued by Suzaku, Viletta, and watching the demise of my insolent subordinate Kewell.

Both Princesses Euphemia, as well as Prince Claudius, came upon the arena where Kewell had tried to kill me.

We all were ordered to disarm and I was taken in to be debriefed and give a report on my actions.

I told my story to the MP's but as I was being questioned, men from Princess Cornelia's forces came and put me under arrest for something I can't remember doing.

Their reason, "you should know Orange."

Orange, that was all it took to slander my name, ruin my reputation, and paint me as a traitor in everyone's eyes.

So I waited in this cell for my fate that was unknown as I thought how could this have all happened and gone wrong so fast.

What I did know was, that it was all zero's fault.

Suddenly the shatterproof glass wall of my cell opened revealing Princess Cornelia's personal knight Sir Guilford.

"You're getting out Jeremiah," Guilford said as he was flanked by two of the princess's men on either side,

"Lord Guilford, you see I'm innocent don't you?" I asked hoping that I could finally move on past this fiasco that has caused my life to spiral out of control.

However, Guilford only sneered.

"Well, it seems in the eyes of the court you are anyway orange boy."

I recoiled at his words as I was not innocent in their eyes, they just couldn't find the proof to put me away.

"It was only thanks to Prince Claudius' good word that you are getting out."

The prince, the one who chastised and threw me out of office was the only one believed me to be innocent.

I didn't know what to say I was shocked at the prince who stood against all I had worked for had been the only one to speak in my defense and doubted the allegations of zero about orange.

It seems I owed not only Suzaku Kururugi my life but the prince as well because without him I may have been stuck in a prison cell the rest of my life or executed for treason.

"Whatever the truth is Zero got away and you purebloods let it happen. You've been demoted three ranks for failure, you have two options, starting over as a pilot, or cultivating an orange farm." Said Guilford mockingly.

And with that, my legacy was tarnished and I had lost almost all the power and respect I had earned in these past seven years.

I'm sorry lady Marianne, I will redeem myself, and I will have my revenge on Zero.

Britannian Military Base

Claudius p.o.v.

I looked over to an octagon cage that was built for mixed martial arts matches to help train the men in CQC and martial arts from many parts of the world.

"I give, I GIVE!"

However the one who seemed to dominate it was my knight Mary.

She was currently making quick work of her current sparring partner Naoto being her current victim as he was currently having his arm nearly broken by an arm bar courteous of the local champion of the Ouroboros Corps Mary Taylors.

Mary growing up was a champion martial artist growing up who could have gone to the Olympics if she chose to, or if they even existed. But she had won many titles in her youth until giving up the pursuit of completion for the glory of the military.

I learned that Mary was a woman of many talents who put most people to shame, and I was fortunate to have her on my side otherwise, I'm sure she could have become a knight of the round or a general in her own right. Still regardless of knowing her for many years she was still shrouded in mystery, I can only hope that one day she would tell me the truth.

It was common practice to bet on how long new recruits would last against their superior, but like in battle Mary had a tendency to finish things quick and clean.

She took every opportunity you gave her whether it was an exposed flank or a vulnerable arm she took it and in this case nearly tore Naoto's arm out of its socket again.

Finishing up my workout I watched Mary make the rounds of defeating her daily challenges with ease I thought of what was going on at the moment.

Naoto was nursing a sore arm with an ice pack from his hazing experience of being the newbie to fight Mary.

My sister Cornelia was off hunting terrorists and doing her pointless duty with great vigor and intensity, which made me glad that I was not sitting inside of a stuffy G-1 command center with my grizzled mentor Darlton watching her rush into terrorist hideaways thinking that she'll magically find zero.

I had put in a good word for Jeremiah to gain the favor of the now former margrave. Because even though he has his many faults, I couldn't dismiss his skill and resolve especially when he was turned into a cyborg and was given the Siegfried he was a force of nature in that thing.

Euphie was taking a tour of my brother Clovis's collection of paintings, which mostly were pretty bad when compared to the work of real artists, and painters that actually had a shred of artistic vision and talent in their body.

It was also because of my sister that Suzaku was now attending Ashford Academy and not here getting his limbs dislocated though I would enjoy watching that fight between two seemingly superhuman soldiers in a cage match.

I would pay to see that, as I thought of an arranged match between the undefeated champion Mary the assassin and spin kick Suzaku. Thinking of thjs I can't help but smile.

Dismissing my inner promoter I had accepted my younger sister's suggestion that Suzaku goes to school.

Even though that meant less time to win him over, it did prevent a few bad things that would happen if he weren't there.

Shaking myself from my thoughts of events yet to come, I grabbed a water bottle handed to me by one of the men who was holding the heavy bag and took a drink.

I then walked over to the ring after Mary had finished off her fourth opponent, this time, a woman, by knocking her out with a spinning back heel kick.

"Mary, that enough victims enough for today don't know you think." Some of the men had grateful looks, others just chuckled.

She merely walked off with a small satisfied grin at her handiwork and climbed out of the cage to go shower.

It was a damn shame that she was both so hot and so dangerous I might have been tempted to try and join her.

However after watching how she could take on men twice her size and rip their limbs from their joints I feared any sort of reprisal I may receive from my honey badger of a knight would lead me to a full-body cast.

Fear won out today as I retreated to my own shower to freshen up before I went to visit an old friend.