Chapter 20: All's End and a New Beginning

When the world revolves once around its axis, a new dawn breaks. In the new day, the past is the past and the present will shed new light onto the world.

-Lelouch vi Britannia

Part 45: Renaissance

Britannia our fatherland, Britannia the free; your skies forever shine, bands of valour and liberty! Tall mountains clean and white reflect off our heart's delight. Shape the rivers of brilliant light, cover the Fatherland eternally bright. The immortal beacon show us the way to infinite glory! The magnificent sun guides us to everlasting victory! Ecce Pax Britannia!

The new national hymn was constantly sung by people old and young. The entire empire exploded with national pride as the leader Lelouch vi Britannia announced the aftermath:

Peace! Let there be peace my beloved citizens of Britannia! The empire that once shook the world with its gripping reign of terror is finally no more! The face of the ancient Britannian tyranny has vanquished, paving the path to Britannia's glorious future as a constitution. The United Protectorate of Britannia for now it is called was not built by my ascension or victory; it was built by you, my faithful citizens. Your invaluable efforts have made life for the better! We are past the times of archaic monarchy and I abdicate the throne and transfer my leadership to my surviving siblings. The Protectorate Viceroy, Nunnally vi Britannia will maintain the peace and prosperity of Britannian domain, greater than I ever could. My brother Schneizel el Britannia will resume office as the first Prime Minister of the United Protectorate. For the love of our nation, rise subjects of this glorious land! All Hail Britannia! Ecce Pax Britannia!

The epoch of absolute monarchy was no more as Lelouch installed a new form of government in its place. The United Protectorate shall rise and bring Britannia back to its heydays in a Renaissance. The skies were blue and tranquil where the new capital was. He moved the capital once more to a metropolis which previously neighboured Pendragon and renamed it New Exelica. Throughout the nation, new institutions were built to network the growing population. Most of the excess wealth was input into the construction of new universities and hospitals. It was like a physical internet where culture and science fermented without end.

Suzaku returned to his native homeland of Japan and stood by a lone maple tree. He gazed at the old Shinjuku ghettoes being rebuilt in the distance and said, "Goodbye my friend, goodbye Lelouch" He turned around with his brown leather jacket hanging on his back and walked into the distance in solitude. Once again, he could speak his native tongue without being discriminated by authorities.

Kallen returned to Japan and lived with her mother at the women's shelter. She invested most of her time doing charity work and fundraising to help single mothers in Japan. She returned to school in Tokyo but everything changed. She entered the gates and walked alone down the familiar surroundings. Ashford academy was renamed Kokka Gakuin. She entered the old student council meeting room where her friends Milly, Shirley, Nina, Rivel and Lelouch were no longer there. The feeling of nostalgia filled the area as she sat down in her old seat beside Shirley Fenette's. She sighed and said with a smile, "I will make this year the best for everyone!" She modelled herself after the charismatic madam president Milly Ashford. No longer were there Britannian schoolchildren hanging around the campus but local Japanese who were once removed of their rights to get a proper education.

Part 46: Requiem for Lelouch

November 11, 2017 a.t.b.

Autumn leaves fluttered down to the moist soil. Their bright diversity paved a bed of orange, red and yellow for the occasional animal to run freely without resistance. The sweet autumn fragrance of fallen chestnuts filled the cool and crisp air, fermenting ever so slightly under the rainbow of autumn moisture. The sun's bright shadow shone gloriously over its vast domain, where the everyday peaceful happenings all occurred in harmony. Lelouch vi Britannia: former ninety-ninth emperor of Holy Britannia, founder of the United Federation of Nations and leader of the greatest rebellion against his forefather's injustice, sat on a plain wooden chair in a vacant room beside an opened window. The wide space was situated in a large Chateau in the Northern Appalachians. It was early dawn; Lelouch gazed out the window and embraced the awesome beam of light which entered his Geass eyes as they glow crimson red. The glow burdened his sleep at night so he rested in solitude. Lelouch faced the magnificent scenery out his window in fatigue and focussed his attention to the snow-capped mountains afar, beyond the blanket of fiery colours. The former leader of this great superpower began to meditate solemnly, "Ah, how wondrous the scene of pre-winter snow. Its purity, accompanied by fall's beauty makes me want to live for it stands out so boldly under the same sky…I have failed to preserve the lives of my dear brothers and sisters. Instead I have preserved my puny life in place of theirs. How sad am I to live a wretch, without my companions beside me."

"Who am I?" I shall inquire.

Nought one, wise or fool could inspire.

Whence, where and why I be,

Here to last, to live and to see.

Born into light I speak daresay,

To what hour should I stay?

To what minute should I go?

And lose my spot for you to sow.

Wherefore shall I go?

To seek, to search for what I know.

Once upon a moon, a star,

Carry me a ship from afar?

Why be it that I stand,

Alone at darkness and united by hand?

None doth spoken words of clarity,

Confuse me further to disparity.

"Who am I?" I shall inquire.

Not for others to mould or meld.

Put a parallel path for me to journey,

And a private portrait for me to see.

Lelouch held a mirror in his hand and looked at the reflection of his handsome face. The partly cloudy sky darkened the room through the window which consequently darkened the image on his mirror.

A slight chuckle escaped from his mouth as he spoke, "I am a monster who gave the world too much it deserved, a fool among fools. I have fulfilled all of my contracts and promises, my reasons have all evaporated from my soul. Now I must perish into the light unseen."

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia command you to die a slow and painful death," this was his final order.

C.C. came out of the washroom with a pregnancy tester in one hand and an overjoyed face. She went into every room in the chateau in search for Lelouch until she hit the correct door. She discovered Lelouch lying on the chair all limp and weak.

"Lelouch, you will be a…," she stopped after finding Lelouch's body on a chair. She gaped at the scene of her dying husband.

"Lelouch!" C.C. cried as she ran to his side.

Lelouch turned to meet her and gave out a weak smile.

"Lelouch what happened?" C.C. asked.

"I am free. I am finally free from this world," he spoke weakly, simultaneously dropping the mirror onto the floor.

C.C. looked into the cracked surface of the mirror and cried, "No! No! NO! Why are you doing this Lelouch? How can you be such an idiot?"

Lelouch released a weak laugh, "Heh heh, I am an idiot aren't I?" he choked on his laugh but continued, "I have no purpose in this world anymore. Shirley is dead, Milly, Rivel and Nina as well. I guess it is my turn now. I have given everybody everything. I have given you what you want," Lelouch said as he coughed out a tremendous amount of blood from his lungs.

"Lelouch, you are going to be a father!" C.C. wept on his limp hand, "You should be happy. You must live!"

Her husband shook his head and replied very weakly, "I know now, and that is good to hear. I am really happy."

"You can't leave me now, what about our child? You can't leave our child without a father," C.C. was heartbroken by the look of his fatal condition.

"I am sorry my love but I must move on to the other side. C.C., just promise me that you will find a better life somewhere else," Lelouch's voice was beginning to get hoarse.

"I don't want to live alone again," C.C. cried, "I want you to stay with me forever."

"You know I cannot stay with you forever C.C. and you won't be alone because I will always be there for you," he held her hand by swinging his arm like a ragdoll.

"I want to be with you Lelouch no matter what. I can protect you when you are in danger," C.C. said.

"You have protected me too many times, and I have cheated death too many times as well," Lelouch returned, "I thank you with my life and what remains of my heart," he handed her an origami crane as his voice was dying.

"Don't leave me here my love, not after all we have been through! I love you Lelouch! You were special to me! Don't walk away like a fool," C.C. was pouring tears down to her dearest.

"Take this as a token of appreciation and leave me here, I beg of you. I do not want to see you sad my lovely wife, I will always be with y..." Lelouch's eyes faded and shut peacefully as he gave out his final breath.

"No Lelouch, don't leave me? Why do you want to do this to me? Why?" C.C. asked in agony. Her tears dripped all over his face as she held him on his chair.

"Lelouch don't go! Lelouch don't go! Lelouch don't go!" she bawled as her heart sank. She grieved and grieved over the lifeless body of her first true lover, probably her last.

C.C. laid the corpse of Lelouch on the floor and held it until it became cold. She bent down and kissed gently on his clay cold lips and said, "Lelouch, I will always think of you. I will do as you ask of me and live a happy life, as you like it." She continued to kiss him in hope that he will come back to life but unlike fairy tales, it didn't work.

Some rumoured he was just weak, others said he died for the deaths of innocent lives. Nobody knew but that was the end of his short life. The profound legacy of Lelouch would endure for generations to come as he was "The Hero of the Masses." He was the destroyer of inequality and war.

Leaves continued to fall on that sombre autumn afternoon. But as the autumn leaves began to fade, so did his existence. But his name will forever be recorded in the annals of history as the Hero of Promises. Strangely, over the months, nobody could recover the body after that day as if his body left alongside his soul. As if his body transcended to another realm to fight a greater injustice.

Part 47: C.C's Path

It has been four months after the death of Lelouch vi Britannia and it was a glorious day like a gift from nature's benevolence. C.C. carried a suitcase in her right and clinging to a Chizu Kun doll around her left arm and said, "What a fine day it is today. The birds are singing, inspirited by the warmth around them. The sweet fragrances of lavender and chrysanthemum filled the air as they shower off their elegant petals. The trees blew gently, tranquil and beautiful beyond words. Lelouch, could your sacrifice be the cause of this bliss? Can you answer me, O lovely accomplice, O wonderful husband?"

Without any pollution from noise or artificial lighting, C.C. sat on a rock underneath the largest tree in the countryside, enjoying her time slowly and admiring Mother Nature's beauty when she was caring. C.C. plucked a little dandelion off the ground as she rubbed her pregnant belly and inhaled the fresh scent of the delicate flower. The green haired girl noticed a cottage from her spot over the horizon, unblocked by the winding hills afar. A horse drawn cart rolled laboriously and caught her attention. She decided to catch a ride on the cart as it travelled on the winding path that lasted miles ahead into a county.

"Wait! May I ride on your cart?" C.C. asked the driver who concealed his face with a wide hat and cloth around his mouth. The driver stopped the cart after her holler.

With her bag and doll, she caught up to the cart, threw her belongings on the cart and carefully climbed up the back of the cart. The cart resumed as soon as she got on.

C.C. took the paper crane Lelouch folded for her out of her pocket and placed the memento carefully in front of her, facing directly where the cart was going, like a compass or weather vane, leading her to another town. She lay back, using her doll as a comforting cushion and gazed at the wide blue sky. The clouds moved slowly as this allured her immortal senses. She reminisced upon all her life with Lelouch and said, "Geass, the power of kings, brings one to solitude. That is not quite true, right Lelouch?" A slight giggle escaped from her mouth after her final remark. She let out a sigh of relief and started to sing a melodic hymn from the Code's world:

Vinlas Vinlas si soranen, Farewell, farewell my friend,

Tys lago vi loki sin torien, This journey of glory has an end,

Ie sola se ior'um The sunsets are golden,

Ie ra'e tin ye ten, The rays bring ye warmth

I'i vils tae till torien. You will stay to the end.

Yon' ge yon'ge si kari ei lai, Forever, forever my heart will not lie,

Yon'ge yon'ge si spiir'te ei dai, Forever, forever my spirit won't die,

Svindis si Svindis si fuil il sei vispar, Forgive me, forgive me if I shed despair,

Ilu vit nu vise'ii sar. I'll meet you over there.

The driver interjected her singing with a question in a muffled voice, "What is that beautiful song? Is it in Latin?"

C.C. was so absorbed in her singing that she forgot the driver would listen. She replied, "It is my favourite song from a distant land long ago. I loved it from the bottom of my heart when living was of worth to me. Now I am free and I love it once more." She relinquished all her woes thereafter.

She then whispered to herself, "Goodbye my love, I will see you again. Farewell Lelouch."

Epilogue

Over two year has passed since the birth of The United Protectorate. And ever since, there was no war between two nations or revolt of any sort. Life and society progressed liberally as people lived joyously under the guidance of the almighty sun. Lelouch's death remained a mystery to the public but his shadow remained evidently impressed into the hearts and minds of every individual. In the previous months, a "Memorial of Lelouch" was erected to commemorate his struggle to change the world for the better. It was an alter and Lelouch's inspirational megalith carved out of one granite stone on top of a one square kilometre platform. A flame was occasionally lit on civic holidays for the freedom he gave to everyone.

As for C.C., she settled in a small cottage in Australia, living felicitously with her daughter Beatrice. The baby girl had ink black hair like her father and the beautiful amber eyes of her mother. The newborn was cooing in wonder as C.C. gazed lovingly into her wide and curious eyes. C.C. rocked the cradle gently and sung an ancient berceuse to sooth her little angel.

Knock! Knock!

The knocking disturbed the infant and she began to cry. C.C. tickled the baby's tiny philtrum and miraculously pacified the room. She walked to the door in front and opened it with a smile.

"G'day mam, I am sorry to disturb your child but here's your mail," the postman apologized.

C.C. looked at the package and noticed something odd about it. The package bore no address to and from but brought back memories of a vivid and lovely past.

"May I ask who delivered this package?" C.C. asked.

"I do not know for sure but the person goes by Brian Theovil Alcuin," the postman humbly replied as he checked the manually registered name on his clipboard.

"I've never heard of such a person. Could it be a processing error?" C.C. asked.

"Are you not Miss Aelfgifu Loraleah?" the postman mispronounced while scratching his head.

C.C.'s heart skipped a beat at the postman's words and replied calmly, "Why yes I am. Toodles," she replied.

"G'day Miss Aelfgifu Loraleah," he squinted at the odd name on his clipboard.

C.C. turned around and marched into her humble cottage with a bright smile. She placed her index finger on her lips and said, "Lelouch, I do not know where you are but you really enjoy teasing me like this!"

"Must I remind you are Mrs. Aelfgifu Alcuin now and I did not tease you at all," a familiar voice echoed.

C.C's turned around with a startled look and was dazed by the man's presence. It was her lover in the flesh, wearing a classical coat and vest. His revival was unbeknownst by even his closest siblings and friends.

"Lelouch!" C.C.'s heart stopped for a moment there as her eyes filled with tears of solace and joy.

"Call me Brian from now on okay?" was his simple request.

C.C. ignored what he said and ran to embrace him. He held her in the arms and swung her around in circles. Her dress whirled around and wrapped around Lelouch's coat. They kissed passionately like the way they used to and whispered something into each other's ears.

"C.C. I told you so, if you fell in love again, it will be me," Lelouch said.

"Oh Lelouch, you never cease to amaze me," C.C. said and kissed him more, "Lelouch, just let me be with you, forever and forever."

They held hands merrily under the hot Southern sun and vowed to never leave each other again. Lelouch carried C.C. into the cottage like a new bride as they will live together as the mysterious immortal couple: Brian Theovil Alcuin and Aelfgifu Loraleah.