Chapter Text
This story is a work of fanfiction.
Similarities between characters or events to persons living or dead in your world are purely coincidental.
Code Geass and Persona 5 belong to their respective owners.
Only those who have agreed to the above have the privilege of partaking in this story.
The world is distorted. Ragnarok is imminent.
Yet there are those in the world who desire change.
Though they lack the Power of the King, they challenge fate.
Those who do so are sometimes referred to as Tricksters.
Rise up, Trickster.
A new destiny lies before you.
Confront the abyss of distortion, and stop Ragnarok.
The boy came to in a dimly lit room, his vision swimming, and his body aching all over. Memories of happier times flashed through his mind, but most were so jumbled that he could hardly make sense of them. He could clearly recall his taking care of his sister, back at Ashford Academy… that was clear at least. There were others who he saw, but their features were blurred. He tried to bring them into focus too, but all he earned for the trouble was a headache that got worse the harder he tried.
But there was another question at hand: where was he?
"He's awake," said a voice. "Looks like you used too much Refrain on him.”
He tried to move, but he found he was restrained by a straitjacket. Even this feeble effort felt exhausting to him, and he felt his consciousness slipping away once again.
The men splashed a bucket of icy cold water over him.
"No dozing off!”
He blinked, a measure of strength and alertness returning to him. The men were Britannian intelligence officers! He had been captured! Where was Nunnally, and…
"Let me go!" With renewed vigor, he began fighting against his bonds, but physical strength had never been his forte, so his effort was futile from the start.
"And why would we do that? You've got yourself quite a record," one of them said, reading from a clipboard. "Obstruction of justice, possession of weapons, defamation, blackmail, murder, terrorism, sedition, and treason. It's hard to think that a Britannian schoolboy could be the mastermind behind all of those crimes, yet you were enjoying every second of it.”
That jogged his memories a bit. There had been a thrill of rebellion in his earlier drug-induced flashbacks… the charges certainly sounded like something he would do if he had the power to fight back against Britannia. But the specifics still eluded him. Had he really done all of those things?
"You'll sign this confession," the officer said, freeing one of his hands, and handing him a pen and the clipboard.
The boy put the pen down. "I don't think so.”
He received a vicious kick in the leg from the officer, knocking him from his chair.
"What makes you think you have any rights, terrorist?" the officer yelled at him. "Look where you are! No one is going to help you. Your friends abandoned you! One of them even sold you out! So we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. But you will sign that confession, and no one is going to care if we have to break a few bones to make that happen.”
The boy grimaced. It seemed he didn't have a choice, not if he wanted to live long enough to find a way out of captivity. There was no point in putting a false name on the confession either; the Viceroy would know who he was. That much was certain.
Lelouch vi Britannia.
"vi Britannia…. Yes… the Eleventh Prince, killed during the invasion of Japan. I must admit, I was surprised. But do you know what that means, schoolboy? As far as the public is concerned, you do not exist. The penalty for your crimes is of course execution, but since you are already dead, I wonder if our Emperor will find another use for you.”
The officers left the cell, laughing, and Lelouch was alone in the soundproofed room.
Lelouch didn't know how much time had passed, but soon the door opened once again, and someone entered.
It was Cornelia li Britannia, one of his older half-sisters, and the Viceroy of Area 11.
"To think you were Zero all along, Lelouch," she said contemptuously. “This is hardly the reunion I hoped for.”
He stared back at her in silence.
"Say something!" Cornelia demanded. "Where is Nunnally? Did you get Euphemia involved in this? And why would you sink to becoming a terrorist and a thief? Do you hate us that much?”
Cornelia's eyes flicked to the floor, noticing a discarded vial and syringe there. "So they used Refrain," she said distastefully. Her eyes then returned to Lelouch, her words more forceful now.
”Listen, Lelouch! Unless you cooperate to the fullest, there's nothing that I will be able to do to help you. I may be the Viceroy, but this is out of my hands. Do you understand the gravity of what you've done?”
"Of course. I rebelled against Britannia, didn't I?” he said, starting slowly but regaining some of his strength. “But can you say the same, Cornelia? Do you even really understand what’s been going on here yourself?”
Anger flashed across Cornelia's features. "You will address me as ‘Viceroy'. But it seems that you're lucid now at least."
She took a seat across from him.
"Let's start from the beginning, Lelouch. Or should I call you ‘Zero'? For almost half a year, you led a terrorist group that called themselves the Black Knights. They targeted several high-profile individuals in the Tokyo Settlement, and last month caused a major international incident.”
Cornelia paused. “The official story is that you blackmailed your victims. But that doesn't add up. They really did have changes of heart, didn't they? And then there are all of those other incidents….”
She grimaced, but quickly buried that expression, replacing it with a stern glare. “As Viceroy, maintaining order in Area 11 is my responsibility, and I'm sure you have valuable information. So how did you do it? Answer me!”
In spite of his earlier bravado, Lelouch couldn't answer that question right now. His recollections were still too foggy, so he didn't know what to tell Cornelia, whether it be the truth or a convincing lie.
But then, a shining blue butterfly seemed to flutter before Lelouch's eyes. Yet from Cornelia’s lack of reaction to it, she clearly could not see it. Was it another hallucination from the Refrain?
"Hmmm… it seems your luck has just about run out," an oddly familiar female voice said into his mind. "Like me, you are shackled to an unjust fate. Your chances of winning this game are nearly none, for you have been in check from the start. But if you can still hear my voice, you may yet find a way. Remember our contract, and the bonds you forged, and you may yet claim victory from the jaws of defeat.” The voice took on an impudent sound. “And when this is all over, you had better get me a pizza.”
That was right…. His thoughts were getting clearer now…. At last, he could remember.
"I'll tell you," he said, meeting Cornelia's gaze once again. "It's been nearly eight years since we last talked like this, but as you said, it really began about half a year ago…”