Evangelion Fan Fiction

The Difference Of A Life

By Kraven Ergeist

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva. Eva, on the other hand, seems to have a pretty solid ownership over me…

xxxxx

Book Two: The Sound Of A Crying Angel

September 5th, 2015

Seated in their docked war machines deep within the compound of the Geo-Front, Shinji, Rei and Asuka watched in a mixture fascination, horror and, in Asuka's case, condescending elitism, as what they had just been told was an angel proceeded to tear up, mangle and maim what had to be two dozen JSSDF VTOL craft, before the live feed was cut when the Angel knocked out the camera.

"So that's what we're up against?" Shinji mumbled, pensively. His screen switched over to a secondary camera angle. "I can see why you'd need an Evangelion to be able to beat something like that."

"Heh," Asuka smirked. "They actually think a couple of helicopters are going to do the trick?"

"The VTOL are clearing away," Rei noted, watching the scene through the screen inside her entry plug. "I suspect they are planning on dropping an N2 mine."

Shinji and Asuka had about two seconds to blink before the image of the angel was replaced by static.

"What's an N2 mine?" Shinji asked, after staring at the snow for a few seconds.

"Are you serious?" Asuka gawked. "They let you pilot an Eva without knowing what an N2 mine is?"

"Asuka…" Shinji moaned.

"An N2 mine," Rei explained, "Is a highly advanced explosive device, capable of making devastating, isolated strikes against a target, accurate to within a city block. It's the most powerful weapon the UN controls."

Shinji nodded. "I see. Do you think it worked against the angel?"

"Doubtful," Rei shrugged.

About five seconds later, the video screen popped back up again.

"Guess not," Shinji muttered.

"Come on!" Asuka whined. "I want to get going already!"

"Don't worry, Asuka," Shinji smiled. "It doesn't look like there's anything stopping it from knocking on our door." Looking to Rei's screen, Shinji nodded. "Rei…what have you deciphered so far?"

Rei paused for a moment. "The Angel has limited mobility, but makes up for it with two very powerful long range weapons. Its first is what appears to be an optical laser, which can be fired several times in succession. Its second weapon is an insubstantial lance that emits from its arms, which can also be used several times in succession. I have yet to deduce it's maximum range, but until I do, we must assume it to be unlimited."

Asuka rested her face in her hands. "It doesn't matter what this angel thinks it can throw at us! I swear, it's going to be nightfall by the time this angel reaches Tokyo-3!"

Shinji sighed. "Calm down, Asuka…you'll get your chance to show off how awesome you are, I guarantee it."

Asuka threw a glare at the Second Child. "Did I catch a note of sarcasm escaping your lips?"

Shinji smirked. "Come on, Asuka. Sarcasm? Me?"

Asuka returned his smirk. "You just wait, Shinji! I'll crush this angel so fast, you won't even have time raise your gun!"

Shinji smiled. "For our sake, I hope that's true."

xxxxx

"Well, Ikari, I must confess, our weapons have proven ineffective," The Chief Commander of the JSSDF said to Yui and her crew. "However, I sincerely doubt that your organization will have any more success where we have failed."

Yui stood tall and proud (never mind the fact that she measured less than 180 centimeters), her husband, second in command stationed at her side. Naoko Akagi and Captain Katsuragi stood directly behind, while the bridge was controlled by Maya Ibuki, Hyuga Makoto, and Shigeru Aoba.

Yui smiled, crossing her arms tightly. "Don't worry, gentlemen…NERV was created for this exact purpose. There wouldn't exactly be a reason for our being here if we weren't capable of handling this situation."

"For all our sakes," the chief nodded, before their platform sunk into the compound, "I hope you're right."

Yui smiled, before bringing up all three pilot screens. "Okay, you guys, this is everything we've been planning for the past fourteen years. Are you ready?"

Asuka smiled. "Bring it on!"

"I shall perform to the best of my ability," Rei nodded.

"We're ready mo – er, Commander," Shinji nodded.

Yui nodded. "Good. Captain, if you please?"

Misato stepped into the pilots view. "Alright, pilots. The Angel's ETA is in two and a half hours. When it arrives, you'll each be placed into combat at three strategic locations around the city. You'll each be armed with two standard issue progressives knives, and there will be numerous fire arms stationed through the map."

Each pilot nodded, respectfully.

"This is our darkest hour yet, guys," Misato frowned. "I need to know if any of you have any reservations, or anything else that might make you hesitate on the battlefield."

Asuka laughed out loud. "Reservations? Are you joking? I've been itching for this my whole life!"

"We are the only ones capable of this task," Rei muttered. "For that reason, we must fight."

"I would like to know about what it is we're fighting," Shinji sighed. "But I already know that's not really an option. Don't worry – I won't let you down, Captain."

Misato nodded. "That will do. Commander, if we're ready to begin?"

Yui nodded. "Proceed."

Misato turned back to the deck. "Begin primary activation protocol!"

All at one, the three Evangelion units began to hum to life, their entry plugs calmly resonating down their respective Eva's spinal column. Rei sighed lightly, as her mind expanded to encompass that of her Eva.

"First Child synchronizing at 38 percent!"

Shinji let an easy breath loose as the surrounding tube turned into an Omni-max theatre complex in a matter of seconds, spinning lights and colors fading in and out of existence as his whole world got larger and smaller at once, and all of the sudden, it was if he himself was stuck in the Eva cages with a plug in his back.

"Second Child synchronizing at 43 percent!"

Asuka couldn't help but grin as her Eva came to life in her grip, her war machine powering up to a level unmatched by any in the entire world.

"Third Child synchronizing at 49 percent!"

"Alright!" Asuka shouted. "Let's kick some ass!"

Rei blinked, turning to Shinji's panel. "Asuka is…enthusiastic, yes?"

Shinji sweat dropped. "'Enthusiastic' doesn't even begin to describe it…"

xxxxx

"Alright, guys," Misato intoned as the Eva's finally unlocked from their catapults amidst the dark city. "The Angel's almost here. Is everyone in position?"

"Roger," was the unanimous reply.

"Very good," Misato nodded. "Now, remember, the first priority is beating the angel. Do not give a second's regard to the city – all civilians have been evacuated to safety, and buildings can always be repaired. The best course of action of course would be to take out the angel without incurring any damage to your Eva's or the city, but I'd like to think realistically about this. Basically, kill the angel, do it in as efficient a manner as possible without making any unnecessary risks. Are you ready?"

Again, "Roger," though Shinji's was a little forced.

"Second Child's blood pressure is 112 over 80," an announcement made itself known to Misato.

"Shinji, what's wrong?" the Captain demanded.

"Nothing!" Shinji hiccoughed. "Just a little tense. I'll manage."

Asuka laughed. "Relax, Shinji! You've got me at your back! What could go wrong?"

"Incoming!"

Before anyone could cry uncle, a plume of energy shot down the street, just missing Asuka as she dodged into an intersecting avenue. The blast continued onward, before splitting off in three perpendicular directions.

"Asuka, are you all right?" Shinji hollered, bringing his rifle to bear, scanning every direction.

"Just fine," Asuka laughed. "That Angel's going to have to try harder if he wants to his me with that!"

A second blast came. This time, Asuka wasn't so lucky.

"Unit 02's left arm from the shoulder down have received damage," came one of many innocuous alerts from within NERV.

"Come on, you guys, help me out here!" Asuka commanded.

"We could if we could see it, Asuka!" Shinji protested. "It's using a ranged weapon!"

"Then what the hell is your rifle for, dummkopf!"

Shinji didn't respond as another blast from the Angel made its way to him. He leapt, scaling a building whose top most portion was fortunately (or unfortunately, from the building's point of view) not entirely underground.

Shinji reached the top, and bared his rifle. With the higher ground now in possession, Shinji found the Angel easily, returning fire.

"I got it!" Shinji shouted, steel determination and accomplishment in his voice.

"Angel spotted at point R-27!" Misato hollered. "All units, target that point!"

Rei and Asuka found their way to him, just in time for him to dodge a very specifically aimed eye laser. Apparently, achieving high ground also meant making yourself into a target.

Rei and Asuka released a volley of bullet fire, hitting the Angel hard enough to knock it back. Their AT fields weren't close enough to neutralize each other, so the fire had no real lasting effect on the Angel.

"Shinji," Rei opened up communication in a hushed voice. "In the future, would you please not make yourself into such an easy target? I would prefer it if you did not die during our maiden campaign."

Shinji cringed. "Uh…sorry, Rei. I'll be more careful."

"If the soap opera's done now, I could use some help here!" Asuka hollered.

She was currently engaged in hand-to-hand combat against the Angel, and the Angel – though the Eva possessed greater muscle strength, the Angel's weapons were its arms – was winning.

"Damn it!" Asuka screamed, dodging extending and recoiling arm lances like she was Neo from the Matrix. "It's not going to take this thing long to connect with one of those things!"

"Hang on!" Shinji cried, coming up behind her. "We're on our way!"

"Idiot!" Asuka screamed. "Don't get in the same line of fire!"

Shinji had about a millisecond to think "huh?" before the Angel activated its eye laser at close range. Shinji and Asuka were thrown back, while Rei, ever the tactical genius, had already positioned herself atop another fortunately, or unfortunately, placed building, launching herself at the Angel.

Flipping through the air, she knocked the Angel senseless with direct blow with the kneecaps, landing on its far side. Catching the Angel stunned, Rei shot her arms under the Angel's, twisting its arms back into a nelson of sorts.

A total gamble, but it seemed to work.

"Now!" Rei shouted.

Asuka swore as she tore to her feet, grabbing her knife, lunging at the Angel's exposed core.

Rei tensed as she felt, more than saw, the angel charge up its eye laser again, and she put her Eva's whole body into her strangle holding, shoving the Angel so that its "face" was staring straight at the ground.

Big mistake.

The force of the eye laser threw both Angel and Unit 00 into the air, sending them both tumbling to the ground. The Angel, by some twist of fate, or perhaps by its own volition (who could really say the two were not one in the same?) had landed behind the Eva's defense line, and was literally steps away from the center of Tokyo-3, where it prepared to burrow its way into the compound, trying to find the source that endlessly called to it.

Shinji interposed himself before it could, knife in hand. With a shout, he rammed it into the angel's core. The force of his jab, however, was not nearly enough to break it. Unfazed by the Eva's attack, Sachiel prepared its eye laser once again.

Shinji cringed. "Take it, Shinji! Just take it!"

Seizing a hold of the Angel's right arm, the optical blast hit Shinji at full force, pushing him with a tidal wave of pressure. That Shinji had expected. What he hadn't expected was the singing burning that his entire body felt as the blast hit. It was if every fiber of his skin was aflame, and the burn did not go away once the blast had resided.

"Damn it!" Shinji screamed. "Just die!"

Using his leverage of the Angel's arm, he dug his knife deeper and deeper in the Angel's core, praying to whatever God would listen that it would drop before it could fire another one of those blasts.

It didn't. Instead, the Angel grabbed his knife arm with its one free hand, and squeezed. The entire arm swelled as the Angel's muscled mass quintupled, delivering what felt like, a gigaton of force.

Shinji swore that he felt his forearm crumble, and almost lost his grip on his knife, but kept his hold. At this rate, he'd run out of sufficient strength to push it that extra inch or two needed to suffuse the Angel's core. And the throbbing in his arm was getting worse and worse.

Two things suddenly happened, neither of which Shinji was very pleased with.

One, his Eva's right arm snapped.

Two, the Angel fired its eye laser again.

Shinji, for one, was not happy.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

His shout of twisted agony was heard throughout the entire facility. Suddenly weak and small, the blast carried him away, ramming him into yet another unfortunate piece of civilian architecture.

His arm felt like it was in tatters, and his whole body scream as the burning stinging of the Angel's eye laser delivered a sensation much akin to peeling off one's skin, before dunking them in salt water.

Hearing faint sounds coming from his radio, indicating his weakening synchro-graph, pulse rate, ego level among other such signs that made him and Eva at all compatible, Shinji sat back, unsure of what he could possibly do under that kind of physical duress. He really couldn't focus on anything; his mind could only shrink in terror as he saw the angel charge up a third blast.

The first had been agonizing. The second had taught him the definition of pain. There was no doubt in Shinji's mind that he would not survive a third.

The last thing he saw before slipping into unconsciousness was Unit 00 suddenly seizing the Angel's arms once again, and Unit 02 appearing before it, delivering a spinning kick that struck the butt of Unit 01's progressive knife, ramming it all the way into Sachiel's core.

xxxxx

September 6th, 2015

Shinji awoke with a start, clutching his right arm, convinced that it possessed a second elbow where his forearm was, a shout of panic clear and loud. His eyes slowly regained focus, as pale yellow light began flooding his vision, marred by a sudden splotch of blue.

"…Rei?" Shinji coughed. "Is that you?"

A hand touched his, and Shinji recoiled.

"Shinji – it's me."

Shinji's heart was in his throat as panicked all over again. He stuttered out an apology, as he caught his breath. He felt Rei's touch again, and still flinched away.

"Calm down, Shinji…" came Rei's soothing voice. "Everything's all right."

Shinji clenched his eyes shut, beads of sweat collecting on his face. It's just Rei… he told himself. It's just Rei…it's just Rei…

Slowly, Shinji opened his eyes, trying to make out the blurry blue blotch, as it slowly came back into focus. As definition returned to his world, he saw Rei's worried face, as he reached up to where she was, feeling her take his hand.

"…Sorry, Rei…" Shinji muttered. "I guess I'm a little jittery…"

Rei made no response. She just stood by his bedside, content to hold his hand, offering what comfort she could.

Slowly, Shinji's scattered memory pieced itself together. "Did we win?"

Rei nodded, reaching up with her other hand, stroking his face. "You provided Asuka and I the necessary edge to stop the Angel. And at no small price. The damage you sustained was tremendous – to you and Unit 01."

Shinji nodded, lying back down. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to do this Rei."

Rei shook her head. "Statistically, you sustained an unusually large bulk of the Angel's assault. It will not always be this hard for you."

Shinji shook his head. "You don't understand Rei…I don't perform well under that kind of duress."

Rei squeezed his hand tightly. "Shinji…"

"They taught me how to fight, Rei…" Shinji muttered, still shivering. "They taught me how to fight…they taught me how to kill…" Shinji covered his face with his hands. "…But they never taught me…how to handle pain…"

Rei frowned, placing his hand against her cheek. "Try not to remember that right now, Shinji… Are you well enough to stand?"

Shinji sat up, slowly dropping his legs over the bed, shifting his weight onto the floor. He took a few steps back and forth, before nodding.

Rei smiled. "Good. The Commander…your mother…wishes to speak with you."

Shinji nodded, icily. "I bet she does."

Glancing up, Shinji saw Asuka peeking through the open door at him. Their eyes met for an instant, before a faint "eep" was heard and her eyes disappeared.

Shinji allowed himself a brief chuckle before following Rei out of the hospital room.

xxxxx

Though it was nice to be recognized for his accomplishments, Shinji had never particularly enjoyed being the center of attention. As hard as it had been at school, here it was worse.

Here, there were adults.

Affection in front of strangers at school is one thing. Affection in front of all the staff at NERV, from the spunky captain, to the Rei's surrogate mother and creepy scientist, to the freshly graduated bridge bunnies (one of whom kept causing Shinji to blush with her smile), was something else entirely. Shinji could not imagine a worse time to be hugged so dearly – or repeatedly - by his mother.

"Uh…mom?" Shinji cringed. "You're, um…you're still the Commander of NERV, and, um…I'm still one of your pilots…"

Yui hardly acknowledged the boy's protests as she continued to bawl over him. "Oh, Shinji, I saw that Angel hurt you and I thought the worse! Are you sure that you're okay?"

As Shinji proclaimed for eighth time that he was fine, Asuka still stood at ease by Rei's side, practically neglected since arriving. "Rei and I helped too! I was the one who killed the Angel, after all!"

Receiving no comment from either the staff or her blue haired co-worker, Asuka blew a stray lock of hair out of her face. "I wish Daddy were here…"

Rei didn't respond to her. She did, however, give her surrogate mother a hopeful look. Naoko Akagi glanced up at her, frowned, and looked away.

Rei felt a cold chill run down her spine. After proving herself an effective pilot despite her relationship with Shinji, her mother still wouldn't recognize her. Or perhaps, that was precisely why she wouldn't – proving that, despite Naoko's desire for Rei to cease involvement with the "Ikari boy," she was still capable of piloting effectively probably earned her more credit than the washed up professor thought she was worth. Rei had always felt the distinct impression that the blonde did not like her – she never suspected, however, that she might ever be envious.

No, not envious. That was not the correct term for a master who finds that their charge does not need any contribution of theirs in order to remain successful.

Rei bit her lips pensively, as the Commander finally released her son from her death like hold.

Shinji blushed, furiously, as he returned to the ranks with his fellow pilots. Offering Asuka a pitiful look, he shrugged. "Really, I'd have thought she'd be professional enough to contain herself until she was off duty."

Before Asuka could offer her unavoidable teasing, Rei shook her head. "Mothers are…obligated to care for their children. When their brood is placed in dire circumstances, a mother's psychology can becomes very…unstable. It is understandable that she would behave this way. If not for her duty as Commander, you would have woken to her face and not my own."

Shinji nodded, understanding, as Asuka's teasing fell on deaf ears. He knew deep inside how his mother felt about him. He knew that it couldn't be easy for her to watch him go into battle. He also admired her strength and adherence to duty. To allow your own young into harms way without any action to prevent it…

Rei had been staring at Professor Akagi for the entirety of her speech. The scientist, for her part, refused to even look at her.

"Well done, pilots, well done," Yui nodded, recomposing herself. "You all performed remarkably well. Rei, for a sync ratio of only 38 percent, your acrobatics were astounding. And Asuka, brilliant finishing move. If not for your mastery of combat arts, it's not likely any of us would be here."

Asuka held herself proudly, while Rei merely allowed herself to smile.

"Unfortunately, I have other duties to attend to, so I will defer you to the Captain for the time being. Until we meet again, I bid you all farewell."

All three pilots respectfully saluted as their Commander's platform sunk into the complex.

Shinji noticed that his father was absent from his usual stance at his mother's side. Tucking that bit of information away for later, he turned with his co-workers to face his Captain.

"Just to reiterate, well done, pilots," Misato beamed, proudly. "You've each performed above and beyond our expectations. Now, I know that all of you are exhausted form your first battle, but I needn't remind you that Angel attacks are sometimes unanticipated. So, I'll need you all in tiptop condition, and ready to fight at any time. That being said, I expect each of you to show up to sync training on a regular basis. That will be all. I'll see you all tomorrow."

The three pilots politely bowed, before turning to go.

Shinji let go of a breath hadn't known he was holding. "We…we just walked away from out first victory…"

Asuka crossed her arms, proudly. "What did you expect? I'm the best there is, and you two aren't shabby! We crushed that Angel like it was tin foil!"

Rei nodded. "We were victorious today. I hope that we may walk away from future battles in such a manner."

Shinji hung his head, involuntarily. "I don't. I don't ever want to have to go through something like that again."

Asuka slapped him hard on the back. "Oh, buck up, Second Child! So you got a little singed! You're alive, aren't you? Don't be such a whiner!"

Shinji threw her a glare. "Don't even think about telling me what and what not to handle, Asuka! You weren't the one who - who was hit at point blank range – twice – by a freaking heat ray! You – you try taking one of those things! I've never hurt so - so badly in my entire life!"

Asuka stared, a disappointed frown on her face. "Shinji…"

Shinji turned away, breath increasing. "Do you have - do you have any idea how much it hurts have one of your arms broken? To – to have it snapped in two, right in front of your face?"

Rei took initiative and placed her hands over his shoulders, coolly massaging him, trying her hardest to get him to relax. "Stop this, Shinji…I told you before, you were simply unlucky today. Tomorrow will be better."

Shinji threw her a pained looked. "How do you know that? How do you know there won't be another Angel attack tomorrow? Or the day after?"

Rei frowned.

"Oh, that's right – you already do!" Shinji scoffed. "You were just ordered not to tell me!"

Rei scowled. "Shinji…that's not fair…"

Shinji pulled away from her. "You know what's not fair? Keeping things from the person who cares about you! I don't care if you think it's in my best interests, or if my mother order your or what…but I don't like being lied to!"

Rei frowned. "Shinji…I'm not lying to you…"

Shinji shook his head. "Of course, it's really not that simple, is it? Who am I to question your honesty, when I can't even be honest with myself?"

Rei and Asuka gave him a puzzled look.

"This isn't the life for me, Rei," Shinji frowned, biting his lip. "I'm…I'm no good a soldier…I mean, here I am, trying to pilot Eva and save the world…when all I ever wanted was to be closer to the girl I liked…"

Asuka took that moment to step in. "If I may interject your little lover's spat to say something…Shinji, I haven't been all that honest either."

Shinji and Rei blinked, confused.

"All those times I said it was easy for me?" Asuka offered. "Well, it wasn't. Piloting Eva is anything but easy for me. It doesn't come naturally for me. It took me eight years to even get it to start up. After I finally got it moving, I told myself it was easy…I poured myself into my training, but really…I've been struggling ever since…"

Asuka shook her head. "I know it doesn't sound fair to tell you not to be selfish…but you're not the only one struggling here. Rei and I…we're putting in just as much as you are. And besides, Rei's got a point – it won't always be you getting hurt. It could have just as easily been me getting blasted by those heat rays. And I was hit by one of them, albeit glancingly, in case you forgot. It's not any easier for me…or for Rei."

Asuka managed a smile. "On that note, aren't you glad it was you in the path of that blast, and not her? Or me, if you can bring yourself to admit that you're crazy over me?"

Surprising even himself, Shinji managed a laugh. "Yeah…I guess you're right. Thanks, Asuka…that really puts things into perspective for me…"

Rei nodded, leaving a mental note to personally thank the red-head later.

Asuka wrapped her arms around both pilot's shoulders. "Now, if all the angst and self pity are out of the way…who wants ice cream?"

xxxxx

Yui descended into the bowels of NERV where Gendo and Ritsuko stood in the dark laboratory.

"H-hello, Commander," Ritsuko stuttered, looking embarrassed.

Yui stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "Ritsuko, must you continue to address me that way? And please, hold yourself straight! Hasn't your mother taught you anything?"

Ritsuko stood up, rigidly. "Yes ma'am!"

Yui let out a sigh, before nodding to her husband. "Sorry, dear…I know you think coddling Shinji is a waste of time, but I truly feel that he needs it in order to persevere. You understand, don't you?"

Gendo nodded, returning the kiss that his wife gave to him. "Do whatever pleases you, dear. You are the Commander of NERV, after all."

Noticing the jealous blush on Ritsuko's face, Yui nodded. "Of course…now, on to business…"

Gendo nodded, before pressing a switch on a remote, which slowly lifted the steel casing up from over an enormous glass tube, much akin to the kind Rei was normally contained in – only much, much larger.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yui pondered. "We have no idea how it will react."

Gendo nodded. "We had no idea what trying to isolate Adam would do either. The result was the Second Impact. But you and are still alive, and so long as the Angel's continue to riddle us with their vagaries, we must continue to experiment until we understand them fully."

Yui nodded. "I know…but to-"

"Hush, my dear," Gendo chided. "I promise that once this is all done and over with, you will thank me for encouraging this."

Yui nodded, reluctantly accepting her husband's words. Looking up at the tube, she eyes it's specimen ruefully. She touched the glass, letting the cool surface moisten at her touch.

Staring down at her, with a cold empty, skeletal gaze, was the dead body of Sachiel. Off in the distance, more gigantic tanks loomed, unfilled, their numbers continuing on for an even sixteen plus.

In the background, Ritsuko's voice was like a fluttering of wings to the woman. "First Children cellular induction proceeding steadily at seventy percent…eighty percent…ninety percent…we have full induction, Commander."

Yui nodded, giving her husband a fearful nod. "Begin the operation, Ritsuko."

Slowly, the Lance of Longinus, attached to a sturdy waterproof crane, lowered down vertically into the pool, proceeding steadily, until it came into contact with Sachiel's broken core.

Yui threw her husband one last look, before cringing.

…Half a second later, the lance breached the core shell…

…And the depths of NERV echoed…

…With the sound of a crying Angel…

xxxxx

A/N: Just felt like leaving off on a dark note.

I wanted to build some tension between Shinji and Rei, but I wasn't ready to give them growing pains just yet. I also thought it appropriate that Asuka act as a savior of sorts. This sort of thing is bound to happen again, but of course, Asuka's resilience only lasts so long.

I also thought it was important to depict that, while still proud, Asuka was capable of admitting her weakness to her closest friends. It makes her much more of a human being, and much more practical to write with.

Hope everyone likes this new edition to my "Difference Of A Life" Story arc. Hopefully, this book will pull off another good eight chapters or more, before proceeding into Book Three. If things go as planned, Book Two should end at about the same time the series ends, while Book Three should encompass EoE and beyond.

Again, this is only speculative. As adverse as my plans have proven in the past, it would not surprise me if something entirely different transpired.

Read and review!

I'm out.