Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ EXITUS ACTA PROBAT ❯ Prelude ( Prologue )

EXITUS ACTA PROBAT

 

Notes: this story is an alternate universe directly inspired by the work of Daniel J Gibson: Sic Semper Morituri. When I red his story, I have thought: What if a seventh Children was here. After all the story incorporated elements of the conflict between Heaven and Hell and seven is the sacred number. This story is the direct suite of the side story “the Valkyrie's frustration”.

 

Warning: I don't own Valkyrie Profile, Sic Semper Morituri, Ah My Goddess, Evangelion, the Call of Cthulhu or Ranma.

 

Thank you to Daniel Gibson for his pre-reading and correction.

 

Dedicated to my little sister Aude and my grand-father Marius. Dreams are forever.

 

PRELUDE

 

Peorth was nervous. It was one thing to report a problem to her peers or superiors in the hierarchy of Heaven it was another to report to such a panel. In front of her, seated five deities of the first class unlimited and she didn't even count the crowd in the Great Hall.

 

The president of the board of Inquiry was Amaterasu, the sun goddess of Japan who seemed rather calm for such circumstances. Shang-Ti of the Chinese pantheon and Thoth for the Egyptians divinities were here to counsel the board with their extensive wisdom, looking grim. Athena, Greek goddess of warfare stood solemn as witness and finally Hela northern death-goddess was here because of …

 

`I can't believe she's just done that. And yet I was here. Ah ! Kami-Sama ! And Lenneth who is still crying. I don't think that even Frey will be able to rescue her from her depression this time. In fact I don't know why I am not turning myself into a pool of tears.'

 

The abrupt sound of the little silver hammer in the hand of Amaterasu stilled the room almost instantly. “Order in the hall! The board is in session. Goddess first class unlimited Amaterasu Omikami, president. We're here to discover precisely what happened during the last activation of the Exitus Protocols by the goddess second class unlimited Silmeria of Asgard.” The sun goddess turned her fiery gaze upon Peorth. “We are listening to your report, current Master Sysop Peorth.”

 

Peorth sighed internally. “I'm afraid that I can't make a full report at this moment, Amaterasu-sama.”

 

Shang-Ti raised an eyebrow. “Why is that, Peorth? Even with the activation of the protocols, we can always ask Yggdrasil about the results or simply consult the back-up files or even then research the hard-copy.”

 

The eyes of the goddess became troubled. “Correct, but… the programs launched by Silmeria are still active and working.”

 

The entire board stiffened and Hela turned her living eye on the goddess of Moments. “Impossible!” Her living-dead hand cut through the air. “The only two possibilities will be that the programmer is still alive and that the entire matrix has been approved by the Ultimate Force or that someone has taken upon himself or herself to assume her portfolio and the full responsibility of her actions.”

 

Peorth shake her head. “No one has taken her portfolio.” She sighed visibly. “In fact her portfolio is still registered as active and assigned.”

 

Thoth turned his ibis-head on Hela. “There is a contradiction here. The real question is if Silmeria is still alive in any form or substance.”

 

“No.” The word was as final and cold as the death of the goddess it symbolizes. Lenneth crumbled in her seat weeping softly. Until the last moment she had hoped for a miracle. “Her primary link with me has been shut down, not cut or transferred, but shut on her extremity and only True Death can do it.”

 

“We are lacking some solid facts here. Peorth? Can we have access to the surveillance of the main control room during the…incident?”

 

“Yes Athena-sama.”

 

A giant screen appeared by itself and the assembly of divinities gazed on the playback of what happened.

 

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Everything was all right in the control room of Yggdrasil. The computer responsible for the eternal continuity of all of existence was purring like a well oiled mechanism. Peorth and her staff were working diligently.

 

As you can see, everything was working smoothly. In fact, according to the files, it was working much better than before the incident between Belldandy and Sharon.

 

Why is that?

 

Unknown for now.

 

Then, one operator signals something. “Peorth, we have an unauthorised entry… Correction, the entry is approved under…the Emergency Protocols?”

 

“Where and who?”

 

“Launching research programs…Working…Got it, it's…”

 

“Well, it's where?”

 

“Kami-Sama…It's in the central core of the old auxiliary control room…The operator is designed as…Silmeria?”

 

“The auxiliary control room? But it has been abandoned for eons. Everything in there is completely out of date and non-functional except for…”

 

“We have a video of the control room.”

 

On the central screen, a hologram of Silmeria appears as she finishes an incantation on an old style riveted steel door.

 

“What is she doing?”

 

“I don't know, but she just launched an alpha class seal. The auxiliary control room is now cut off from our sphere of control.”

 

“An alpha class seal? Impossible, she doesn't have the authorization necessary for that kind of…”

 

“She didn't use Yggdrasil. The spell was cast on her personal reserve.”

 

Where did she find the energy?

 

According to this file, she had this seal prepared from a long time.

 

Such a specific seal? I don't think so. Check the timestamp.

 

You're right. She used a favour from Chronos to have the spell created with a time potential sufficient to have such a level.

 

Silmeria looks sorrowfully to the screen as if she knows who is looking at her. Among the gutted remains of old-style consoles with mercury gauges, sticks and metallic buttons she approaches a central sphere of shimmering gold.

 

“Silmeria is approaching the direct link to Yggdrasil…She is initialising contact…Contact has been established.”

 

“Quick, launch a full shutdown of the sector pending examination.”

 

“Command launched…Command rejected…IT CAN NOT BE…EXITUS PROTOCOLS ARE BEING USED!!!”

 

On the screen, Silmeria reveals herself in her full regalia as the third Valkyrie of Asgard. Shining wings fully deployed. Her sword is drawn. And she begins to sing.

 

How can she use the Exitus Protocols? Those protocols are reserved only for terminal emergency when the works of Creation is menaced by the true death of one of us.

 

I fear that was the point she was using.

 

You mean…

 

Yes, she has planed her own death.

 

“There's no time for us”

“There's no place for us”

“What is this thing that builds our dreams”

“Yet slips away from us?”

 

“Who wants to live forever?”

“Who wants to live forever?”

 

“There's no chance for us”

“It's all decided for us”

“This world has only one sweet moment”

“Set aside for us”

 

“Who wants to live forever?”

“Who dares to love forever”

“When love must die?”

 

“But touch my tears with your lips”

“Touch my world with your fingertips”

 

“And we can have forever”

“And we can love forever”

“Forever is our today”

 

“Who wants to live forever?”

“Who wants to live forever?”

“Forever is our today”

 

“Who waits forever anyway?”

 

As she sings, the golden haired goddess reaches her middle and suddenly as her chant crescendoed with emotion, she plunges her hand into her being.

 

“She is opening all her barriers. Central core is visible…KOA IS BEING ACCESSED!”

 

“WHAT?!”

 

Under the horrified gaze of her peers, the Valkyrie of Tomorrow drew from herself, without hesitation, the shimmering blue line of symbols that define her very existence.

 

“Detecting multiple programs matrices activated…It's all across the board…Impossible to stop any of them because of the Exitus Protocols.”

 

“That impossible, Yggdrasil cannot be used like this. It will jeopardize Reality itself.”

 

“I think I know…Bingo! Only emergency and auxiliary powers and resources are being used. The central system is not, I repeat, is not in danger!”

 

“But why would she need such a massive effort of the Worlds-Engine?”

 

So what was she doing?

 

According to our files, she has launched multiples personal operations with…her own avatar.

 

More, she used absolutely every favour of owed her in order to obtain everything she needs.

 

Why has all of this has been concealed from the central room.

 

Because, in each case, she used the old rule of one service for another. We almost never signal the use of those resources to the central room because the old system is no longer employed now.

 

What sort of operation?

 

Indirect support of the main timeline of the Children across time itself, sometimes with simultaneous operations launched. Most were mainly diversion raids, data dumping, appropriate ammunitions delivered or access to relics. A few operations were…direct termination of some targets.

 

WHAT?

 

Yes. But according to Yggdrasil, no targets were of the Great Old Ones level or more.

 

“KAMI-SAMA…GUNGNIR IS BEING ACTIVATED!”

 

This throws the entire control room in a frenzy of console clicking, furious programming and shouting across the place.

 

“KEEP CALM EVERYONE! ...Now, what is the target of Gungnir?”

 

“No target assigned for now…Gungnir is in charge standby…Huh? … Correction, Gungnir is receiving an…AMMUNITION!”

 

On the screen, Silmeria continue to draw symbols of power around the central access to Yggdrasil. Finally, as the complex structure begins to pulse, she lovingly gazes on her central line of code.

 

“Ammunition is…her Koa line…Ammunition is being charged…Ammunition charged…I…I can't go on…”

 

“I'm taking central decision tree. Begin to locate the targeting program and prepare for an emergency dump.

 

“It's useless Peorth. Targeting program is her Koa line. Why? Why is she using our most powerful weapon with…with her very life?”

 

“I HAVE ACCESS TO TARGET COORDINATES!”

 

“Quick, synchronize with Yggdrasil main core to delay the activation. I want a full analysis of the target and solutions to protect it.”

 

“Target is…What...? It's the very life cycle of another timeline.”

 

“Modification to the emitter of Gungnir is implemented. She is transforming it into a giant injector.”

 

“What timeline is targeted? Quick, people, it's a question of seconds.”

 

“Timeline is main support seven of the main Children timeline.”

 

“What? But this timeline only treats the Children as replacement. It is just a collection of alternate universes where some or all the Children are replaced by others.”

 

“Command is being rejected by Yggdrasil. It refused to stop Gungnir because of the Exitus Protocols and because the Creation is not endangered.”

 

“SHE'S FIRING!!”

 

Silmeria smiles in the direction of the screen as the mighty weapon fire in the infinity of Creation and begin to fade as billions of pixels which disappeared in the air.

 

“Final…discorporation…emergency programs are not responding…Koa integrity is weakening…failing…Koa…Koa integrity…is…failed.”

 

“Oh, Kami-Sama! What she had done?”

 

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“That was her last personal action recorded. The rest is the application of all the programs launched.”

 

There was a quality of silence rarely heard in the Assembly Hall. A goddess had killed herself.

 

Amaterasu looked squarely into the red eyes of Peorth. “Any explanation?”

 

“Only one which can fit with her profile: a military operation.”

 

“Of course, as the goddess of warfare, I should have known in the very beginning.”

 

“What do you mean Athena?”

 

“Well, Shang-Ti, all of this is an operation against the Mythos.”

 

“But, we can't intervene directly in the conflict. I even don't know yet how she has been able to launch those precedent operations.”

 

“This is why she has sacrificed her being with Gungnir.”

 

Everyone turned in the direction of Hela. “She used the oldest rule of the Creation to permit the impossible possible: a life for a life.”

 

“I see now.” Thoth focused on the facts. “Yes, it can work. She created a Children!”

 

“What? How?”

 

“Too many possibilities for now. But I think we should concentrate on the births of all the candidates for the mantle of the Children of the seventh support timeline.”

 

“All right, this séance is adjourned pending new developments. Courage people, I don't think she would have launched such an operation without taking all precautions.”

 

Still sitting in the box for the spectators, Lenneth let herself feel a hope. Her sister couldn't have thrown away her life like this. Not after all the sacrifices she had made or she had witnessed. She once held all the power of Creation for her own world when everything was on the verge of the Abyss. No, there was still Hope.