Chapter 183: Silent Night
Ever since the loss of EVANGELION-01 and Aeolia's comeback, Ikari Gendou's job had become more like that of a mere warehouse custodian of Lilith. So C.C. only needed to tell Aeolia and could lead Ange down the staff aisle, no longer having to sneak around like a thief before.
This is the first time Ange came to the final dogma in NERV's underground city. Except for "wow" and "so big", she probably can not think of any appropriate words to express her shock. It was the first time for her to see a humanoid white giant fixed on a cross, with less than half of its body left intact, looking flimsy as if it would melt at any moment.
"Is this strange thing Lilith?" Ange noticed the strange look in C.C.'s eyes, "What's wrong, is something wrong?"
"No, it's not supposed to be like this." C.C. showed an incredulous expression, slowly swinging her head from side to side, "She refuses to answer me, and she shouldn't look like she's going to disintegrate at any moment, isn't this… isn't this simply … "
"'Isn't this simply the same as Ade?' I guess you want to say that?" A voice came from the shadows in the corner, and Ange took a wary stance to face the direction from which the voice emanated, "I suggest you hurry back and maybe see him one last time instead of wasting your time here."
Kaworu Nagisa walked out of the darkness with an indifferent smile, taking off his Bluetooth headset and putting it in his pocket. He was still wearing the white shirt that he never seemed to change, and his crimson eyes shone with joy.
C.C. reached out to stop Ange, took a deep breath, and said in the most sincere voice she could muster, "Please give me an explanation."
"Explain what? The reason why I am here?" Kaworu Nagisa smiled helplessly, "It shouldn't be hard to understand that I don't want to follow my instincts to destroy Lilin, but I can't bear to watch my compatriots being lured out one by one to be booby-trapped, so I close my eyes, plug my ears, and hide underground, right?"
"Booby-trapped?" C.C. noticed a key word, but now is not the time to dwell on this, "What I want to ask is how do you know Ade's current situation, do you know what happened to Lilith and what it would take to save him? Please tell me."
"Why should I heed your request? Or am I some kind of character in your eyes that specializes in explaining the setting?" Kaworu Nagisa walked faithfully to the edge of the pool filled with LCL and looked up at Lilith who was about to lose her form, "You know, he's an outsider."
C.C. and Ange looked at each other and nodded silently.
"Unlike you, the created fake, and unlike Lilith's children on Earth, he's simply not of the same species as Lilin, so his soul … won't fit inside Lilin's body." Kaworu Nagisa turned to look at C.C., "I remember there was an NT called Tiffa on the moon, right? That's what he should look like."
While Ange looked confused and didn't understand what Kaworu Nagisa was talking about, C.C. took a tumble, "He should have maintained his existence with the AT field that entirely from his own self, instead of inheriting fragments from Lilin like… us remnants."
"Yes, us remnants, that's a very accurate description coming from you." Kaworu Nagisa sneered, "He probably shed everything other than his memories when he came over, however, the fragments of Lilin didn't help maintain his human posture for a soul as strong and independent as him, so Lilith thought of a way."
C.C. finally understood what the entity she first smelled closeness in Ade was, she was just a puppet that Lilith had pinched out to experience life, and in no way was she any kind of Lilith's incarnation. On the contrary, he is. Thinking of this, her body couldn't help but start to sway slightly, Ange hurriedly reached her hands to hold her.
"See? You understand, right?" Kaworu Nagisa raised the corners of his mouth pleasantly, "As a toy created by Lilith, it's only normal to be close to your own creator."
"Lilith gave …," C.C. gulped and shuddered, "her body to him?"
"I told you a long time ago, he is an angel, from the body to the soul." Kaworu Nagisa raised his arm and pointed at the remains of Lilith's body, "She separated a third of her flesh and blood — what you call the AT field — for the completion of Ade, and his anti-AT field is greater than two-thirds of Lilith at this moment, so he can't maintain his form anymore."
"Wait, no, there's something wrong." C.C. calculated in her heart, trying in vain to refute Kaworu Nagisa's theory, "Ade is only in his twenties this year, Lilith should have been controlled by Aeolia with the Spear of Longinus long ago when he came over. If she gave him a third of her body, wouldn't it have been noticed?"
"That's the ironic part of the story." Kaworu Nagisa sneered, "They were the ones who took Lilith's fruit of life with their own hands, so it sounds reasonable that a third of Lilith's body disintegrated on its own, doesn't it? That's why they had to rush to create Lilith's replacement before she completely collapsed, isn't it?"
C.C. sniffed and stood stunned in place, with a soulful look.
"Hey, what are you staring at?" Ange gave C.C.'s face a strong twist, and the latter screamed out in pain as she knocked Ange's hand away, "What's the problem with that? When you get back, you two can slowly study these questions in bed, can't you? There are obviously more important things right now, right?"
"… ah! Sorry." C.C. misplaced her gaze, not daring to look Ange in the eyes. Her volume was so low that her words could be barely heard, "… and … that… that… well … thanks."
"If you occasionally did this to Ade, he must be very excited? Uh, it doesn't seem very auspicious to say this now." Ange shook off her hair and stopped thinking this, returning her attention to Kaworu Nagisa, "Let me ask, is this Lilith, how shall I say it, using herself to help Ade renew his life? At least that's what it looks like to me."
"Very perceptive, or intuitive?" Kaworu Nagisa's pupils widened slightly, "You're right. Lilith and he has been connected in some way, and what you see before you is Lilith's choice. Unfortunately, he is growing too fast, and two-thirds of Lilith will not help. There is no point in what she is doing, both of them will eventually lose their form."
"Isn't there any way out?" Ange questioned in a loud voice, "And why do you look like you're gloating? Do you and Ade have a grudge? Are you so happy that something happened to him?"
"You are incapable of understanding." Kaworu Nagisa laughed and shook his head, "He and I held almost the exact same script, just like Yui and Lilith. I looked at him like I was looking at myself in the mirror, so I felt heartfelt joy for the fact that he was able to get relief. There may be a way to 'save him', who knows, but that doesn't seem to me to be 'saving him'."
"You bastard!" Ange clenched her fists in anger, "Then don't blame me for torturing you!"
"Ange!" C.C. desperately pulled on her arm to keep the blonde girl from messing up, "He's an angel, he's an angel! Don't be impulsive!"
"But …!" Ange gritted her teeth and shook off C.C.'s hand, "Who are you to make decisions for Ade!"
"Of course, I'm not qualified to decide his life, not even mine. But I guess I still have a little freedom, right?" Kaworu Nagisa smiled to himself and craned his neck up to look at the cross, "Not to mention that there wouldn't have been enough time, it's over."
With the words he dropped, Lilith's fragile AT field finally couldn't support her huge body and disintegrated into a puddle of orange liquid without warning, leaving only the lone Spear of Longinus still nailed to the bare cross.
Kaworu Nagisa raised his arm and waved it casually, and a cloud of orange liquid that didn't look any different from the other LCLs floated and flew in front of him. He stared at the liquid, and his crimson eyes were filled with indefinable meaning.
"… is over?" C.C. went limp and was held by Ange before she sat down on the floor, "Is it too late to rush back… to see him for the last time now?"
"You can take Lilith back to be a companion with him, her soul is still here." Kaworu Nagisa gestured with his eyes at the liquid flying in front of him, "But I would rather suggest that you just kill him, after all, no one understands the pain of living forever better than you do, right? The only one who knows how to paInlessly kill an NT living in Lilith's bodily fluids is Yui, ask her if you don't know the way."
"Shut up! Ade just melted and didn't die!" Ange hugged C.C. who was so weak that she couldn't even stand up on her own and roared, "I'll find a way to bring him back, even if he dies, I'll find a way to bring him back to life!"
"You or the fake in your arms have a very great reaction, you have no idea how happy she is at this moment, if she has emotions like happiness." Kaworu Nagisa ignored Ange's shouting and continued to admire Lilith's fluids suspended in his hands, "By the way, Ikari Gendou is sort of unemployed? Then he can spend more time with his son. I think I can stay at this place for a period of time."
…
"Uncle Ade, can I talk to someone about you? I just need to … I just can't handle it alone sometimes." Mineva asked cautiously, "She's my friend, I promise she won't say anything."
Ade knew without asking that she was talking about Ple and agreed without even thinking about it.
That child, although she looked not smart, as an NT, no one could fool her and she was just too innocent.
"Then Uncle Ade, if … I mean if." Mineva paused, "If you were really neutralized by yourself, would you still be living at home? Would I still be able to talk to you?"
"The odds are that there would be probably no problem with communication between NTs, like we have now." 'Probably' is the scientific way to describe it, and definitely not a lie, "As for where to live … I would probably live in the fridge. As long as you don't find it creepy and you don't accidentally drink me out when you get up in the middle of the night looking for a drink. "
Mineva couldn't help but puff out a laugh.
"Well, no more chit-chat." The Ade in the passenger seat leaned forward and opened the driver's side door with the hand that still worked, "I have things to do on my side, let's talk after I'm back."
After Mineva said goodbye, Ade then closed the chat room.
Loran sat down in the driver's seat with a lifeless look on his face and leaned against Ade's shoulder without saying a word.
"I'm sorry." Laura kept repeating, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, why do you have to apologize?" Ade tried to lighten the mood, "Uh, I'm actually quite content."
"What are you talking about!" Loran bounced up from him like he was electrocuted, "Ah, no, I'm … sorry, Ade, obviously you're the one who's hurt, but I…"
"Anyway, people outside can't see inside the car, it's okay." Ade said with a smile, "It's just that once I think of not being able to talk to you in the future, it makes me feel a little lonely."
"Is there really no way out?" Loran leaned back on his shoulder and closed his eyes painfully, "I can't stand a future like that."
"I can only hope Aeolia to live a little longer." Ade placed his hand on the thigh of the person beside him and patted it gently like coaxing a child, "He is the smartest of the remaining people and has the highest attainment in this field, we can only hope that he will make a breakthrough in the theory."
"Right, λ-drive!" Loran suddenly excitedly sat up, and after a short second, he dropped his head feebly, "It's no use, right? You're so smart, you must have thought of it at the beginning."
"It's okay, really, don't push yourself." Ade said softly, "It's normal for the plot to take a bit of a turn, although this turn is a bit … too big, I'm still alive, aren't I? There's always hope in living."
"Do not take such irresponsible words to me!" Loran's eyes were filled with tears, "I … we … we—"
"I'm sorry." Ade interrupted Loran with an apologetic look, "It's getting late, I have to go home, someone needs me more."
"I'm sorry." Loran wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes as if waking up from a dream, "Yeah, I can't be too selfish."
"I'm sorry." Ade could only say as much, "She needs me now."
He could feel a familiar and intimate presence supporting him from afar, but the effort would not last long, and he had very little time left. At this moment, only Lacus' sad and helpless expression was still clearly in his mind.
As he told Loran, he wishfully believed that Lacus needed him at this moment.
By the time he was driven home by Loran, Ange and C.C. had not returned, and Mineva had stayed in her room honestly. He went straight to the second floor and opened the door to Lacus's room, only to see her sitting on the bed with her knees in her arms, her head buried deep between her two strands, and her pretty pink hair covered her face.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, Lacus looked up with a surprised expression, "I thought you would … return later."
"Didn't we agree to talk more about it when I got back?" Ade sat down on the edge of the bed, "I rushed back as soon as things were done."
"How did it go?" Lacus turned her head sideways, playing mindlessly with her hairpin, "Any good news?"
"Aeolia can't help it, I'm running out of time, no, we're running out of time." Ade folded the hand that was still in solid shape in her hand, "Even if I disintegrate, I should still be able to talk with you, but what if we can't? The thought of that scared me so much that I didn't even dare to tell Mineva."
'This is the last chance, give yourself up, do you want to live the rest of your life with endless regret?' Lacus thought. But for some reason, when she opened her mouth, the words had become, "Mineva came back when you went out, you should go to see her."
"Right now, you are more important." Ade said in a firm voice while pulling out his phone and shaking it, "Let's turn it off this time, I'm tired of the dramas."
It's really the last chance, Ade has reached out to you. Are you even worse than Kamille? You're Siegel Klein's daughter! Courage, just a little courage is all that is needed, just a half step forward here and take his outstretched hand, and then I can—
"Ade, I—"
“君の姿は~仆に似ている~同じ世界を见てる、君がいる事って~”
"It's C.C.'s call." Her lowered eyes saw the caller ID. It's over, again, I should have known, "Maybe she found a solution, maybe she found no way to help you and just wanted to say the last word to you. In any case, it should be something important. I'm really okay with it, go ahead and deal with it."
Please, just once, say no, say no, say no!
Ade was silent for a moment, pressed a key on his phone and the music stopped abruptly, "No."
