Chapter One
Update as of 10/21/2018 this chapter has been rebeta by thebestofall and Shrine Keeper of Rei Ayanami. If everyone can give a shout out to them for his help that would be great.
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The world was rotting from the inside. On the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms sat an obese, incompetent king. Where once a man of honor and dignity sat, now only a shadow of his former self remained. After his victory over the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen and the Crown Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, the new king began to spiral down into a darkness that placed him only slightly above his predecessor. Now he was surrounded by snakes, waiting for their time to strike at this man who was but a pathetic shell of his glory days.
This is what the Stranger saw when it looked down at the world. It was doomed to die from the cold of the far north, as there were not enough good men to stop it. The prophecy of the Prince That Was Promised given by the other Gods would come far too late to change its fate. No, in order to stop this world from ending before its natural time, it would have to step in to halt it. The Stranger would send something, no someone to fix this dying world and it knew just who to send. In this man's world, he was known as a devil, a demon, someone who would do anything and everything to see his task done. Yes, he would do nicely, for he could turn their little game upside down. He would tear their world apart and rebuild it while they looked on, helpless to stop him.
-Unknown-
He found himself in a cold, dark void. He could find no hint of light but that was fine by him. After all the evil he had committed, it was fitting that he would find himself in a place such as this. He held no thought of going to heaven to be with his loved ones. He may have saved the world and ushered in a time of peace that would last for hundreds, if not thousands of years, but that still did not make up for the crimes he had committed. For the lives he took.
So, he accepted this place as his prison, his hell for the crimes he had committed. It was fitting in its own way.
Suddenly, in this timeless space, a presence made itself known to him. He could not see anything, but he felt a powerful presence around him. It was as if a million eyes were trained on him all at once, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
"This is not your punishment, Lelouch Vi Britannia." A voice from the darkness called out. The voice seemed otherworldly and held untold power within it.
"Who's there?" Lelouch ask, in a surprised tone of voice, searching for the source of this otherworldly being.
The voice chuckled, the sound echoing in the void.
"Who am I? I… I am that which was there from the beginning and what will be there when it all comes to an end?" The voice said in a chilling tone, sending shivers up his spine.
Lelouch's mind began working, trying to decipher the cryptic words of this strange presence. It did not take long for his sharp mind to find an answer. "Then that would make you either God or Death. Seeing as I am dead, I would wager you to be the latter."
A light chuckle came from the void, the quiet sound resonating like a cannon through the oppressive darkness. "Very good Lelouch. You are correct, I am that which man calls Death and I have an offer for you."
"And what offer does Death have for me?" Lelouch asked, fear absent from his voice. After all, why should he fear death, when he was already dead?
"What I offer you, is the chance of at a new life. One where you may be able to find happiness and contentment." The Stranger answered.
Lelouch thought over the words of the entity before him. "And what would be the price I'd have to pay for this opportunity? I find it hard to believe that you would offer me such a thing out of mere kindness."
An amused laugh was his response. The Stranger was not surprised by the question. He had anticipated that Lelouch would know that there was a price for such a deal and was glad that he saw that for it showed that it had chosen the right man for the task. "The price would be simple, Lelouch. I only need you to repeat your actions from your previous world."
Now it was Lelouch's turn to laugh. "Why would I do that? While the offer is tempting, I have no desire to commit those actions once again."
"Even if by doing so, it would ensure lasting peace for your old world?" The Stranger replied.
Lelouch's eyes narrowed at those words. "Lasting peace has already come to my world."
This time, a booming laugh echoed through the darkness. "Come now Lelouch, stop acting the fool. It is unbecoming of you. How long do you really think the peace will last? A year, ten years, perhaps a hundred? We both know that man easily forgets the past." The voice turned sinister. "We both know that one day, they will once more take up the sword and start their cycle of hatred once more. It is only a matter of time."
Lelouch closed his eyes. It was not like he hadn't thought of that possibility before the Zero Requiem, but he had still hoped that peace would last. However, being told by a being that surpassed even his imagination that it would fail, he could not help but acknowledge it was indeed true. "I'll admit you could be right. It would be foolish to deny the wisdom of something like you. However, before I answer, I must ask the real reason for you to send me to this new world. Why must I repeat my actions?"
The presence began to focus itself on a point in front of Lelouch, revealing the figure of what looked to be a man but covered in a robe, a hood encasing his features in darkness. "Truly nothing escapes you, does it." The Stranger announced. "The reason I am sending you is that this world is coming to its end."
Lelouch scoffed slightly. "All things must end, sooner or later."
"True, whether it be life, worlds, or universes, everything comes to an end. There are no exceptions to this law. However, there is always a time for something to expire, and this world's end is coming before it's designated time." The voice said in a such a chilling way that anyone would find themselves frightened, but Lelouch just stood there, unafraid of this being in front of him.
"Is there no one else in this world that can stop it themselves?" Lelouch questioned.
The Stranger just shook its head at that. "While a few good men still exist, they are too few and too naïve to stop it. The evil, greedy and pathetic parasites of this world will never let them succeed. The gods themselves are no better. They fight each other as much as the humans do. Their promises and prophecies have become useless." The deathly chill in the voice spoke volumes of the distaste the Stranger held for his fellow gods.
"So, you would send me, an evil far worse than them, to fix it?" Lelouch raised his eyebrow in question of the Stranger's choice.
"Yes. After all, was it not you who once said that to defeat evil, one must become an even greater evil?" the Stranger questioned.
A cold and evil laugh echoed through the empty void, but it was not the Stranger. Lelouch looked at the face of the Stranger, staring deeply into the darkness of the hood. "Indeed, I did say that. I guess the only question I have left… is when do I begin?"
A ghostly grin made itself known across the Strangers face.