The way she said it seemed spiteful. Not at him, but more for Alaya and Gaia. It seems, though she had to work with them due to the machinations of the Grail system, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern's magus side, that which rebelled against the safeguarding entities of mankind, still lived within this apparition of hers.
Still, spite aside, it made things clearer. He was a Heroic Spirit. Or an unconventional one, at least.
It was a lot to take in, but if what Justeaze says was precisely that, he'd been grafted onto this reality, literally as well as metaphysically. His past, his present… his future… would all now take place within this world. Or so far as how 'reality; stretched to include Gaia and Alaya, his sponsors as well as captors.
As a new member of the Throne of Heroes, he was practically tied to them. For better or for worse.
'And that's why they're afraid.' Having summoned and integrated him to their plane of existence for the purpose of making him their champion, they unknowingly invited the power of Geass to follow after him.
For being told that he was going to be used for someone else's gain, to find out that his very existence brought fear to them had neutralized his initial surprise. Though he'd heard of ancient myths depicting Mother Earth, now hearing that the deity was very wary of her mistake changed Lelouch's impressions of it all.
It also explained a lot more.
His presence and power are able to affect Angra Mainyu, another deity of this plane. Not to mention, Gilgamesh's perception of him. If one were to instate him as a non-traditional Servant, it would be the best explanation.
A slight sight almost escaped him.
'I guess… this means the King of Heroes will get his wish.' Meeting Gilgamesh and dealing with the arrogant king again aside, there was another thought to come to mind. 'If… If I die again or am forced to disappear, I guess I'll be returning not to my home but to the Throne. Meaning, in the worst possible scenario, I'll still be reunited with Nobu again.'
It was good news. Good enough to force the frustrated sigh out as a relieved one.
"Tell me, Lady Justeaze," Running out of woes to address, Lelouch decided to continue his questions. "Now that I have been made part of the Throne, does this, in any way, affect my ancestry at all? Specifically, does this mean I am, in some form or another, related to the Saber, Arturia Pendragon? It may just be me, but I've felt something akin to… familiarity… concerning that woman. I'm unsure it is a familial feeling, however."
"I cannot be certain, your highness." Snapped out of her earlier musings to spite Alaya and Gaia, she promptly answered. "Perhaps your ancestry may have been related to someone like hers in the past. Though the worlds are different, the bloodlines far more so, similar legends beget a… slight connection to adjacent World Lines. In a sense, it is how alter egos are born."
"'Alter'… you mean alternate personalities?"
"It is not impossible. Many legends tell of saints that died for a cause. Yet still, there exist stories of how they fell from grace rather than accept their martyrdom. Or perhaps some would rise and be called heroes by their people when others would decry them to be villains. Such divergence in identity is due to the planet's meddling. They do exist, although, with my current state, I cannot summon an example for your highness to see."
"You mean to say that there are variations of heroes, legends of them that branch down a different path. And due to that variation in myth, does there exist more than one of the same Heroic Spirit? Does that not mean the same person could exist but as a different form?"
Justeaze simply stared at him, expression downcast as she was unable to agree.
"Forgive me, your highness. I can surmise, however, I cannot substantiate it. Even I do not have a clear grasp of the universe's rules, I only know now that they do through my connection to the Throne. I'd lost my life for the sake of the search of the Root, after all. And none have yet managed to reach the Truth that I and so many magi desire. Perhaps… no one will, considering the two entities that barred entry to it for eternity."
Those words hid a small contempt for the beings on high. A reminder of her past as a magus. With a soft sigh, she continued on.
"Perhaps your connection was merely one of fate. For an idealist king to meet the realist emperor that fulfilled her dream that drowned in failures. A subtle nudge at the irony. Or maybe… someone carrying the blood of another King Arthur who died without a true heir was conceivably an extreme surprise for that woman."
"She… she never had an heir?" Lelouch murmured to himself, slightly bemused at missing that fact. 'Going with my story must've been a shocker then. If she'd never had a child or even a relative that shared her lineage with proper descendants, then… it'd be reasonable for her reaction then.'
It still didn't explain why she went along with it, however. She must've had a nephew, the one who slew her in Camlann, Sir Mordred. But… if the heir belonged to the line that betrayed her, why did she let him live? Why… did she not bare her fangs at the descendant of the one who shattered her kingdom?
"I pray you do not lose yourself to pointless deliberation, your majesty. In all simpleness, there could still yet be a hidden story. Another legend unknown to most." Justeaze remained composed even as she eyed him warily. "After all, myths lost even to the flow of time still carry heavy weight to the machinations of the Throne. That device is even more powerful than the Grail in that it can call upon heroes and legends like yourself beyond time and space. Past, present… even future. No myth can escape its call. All it needs… is for such a myth to exist. Ingraining yours into another's myth is but a simple thing for it."
'Myths, huh…'
There was a connection, a myth. Or rather, it was a false belief that the Britannian Royal Family was related to King Arthur. Once growing up amongst the façade of that nobility, he knew that all the others purposefully enforced that lie by a long past emperor to advertise their legitimacy as rulers. History books were rewritten, generations were made to believe in propaganda. Even the masses had no choice but to accept it as fact.
Truth is born through repeating a lie. If that history was transported to this world to instate his own legend as a fallen prince, it might've explained why Lelouch felt he and Arturia connected in some way.
'To think magic could turn even falsehoods into power-bearing truth. It's pretty much nothing short of a miracle. But… does this mean that other aspects of my life in Britannia and Japan are now part of my legend as well?' His life as a student. His life as a rebel leader. Or his life as a cruel emperor. Which was him. Which wasn't. Or better yet, 'Did Alaya incorporate it all in one?'
If so, what were the consequences? What were his abilities now that he'd awoken as a Heroic Spirit? Would he be deemed a threat to be neutralized once again or… Even more concerning, which variant of the Heroic Spirit was he? So many more questions were born from one. Yet another Pandora's box had fallen to his lap. It felt like the time he'd been given Geass. The only difference, he wasn't in the middle of a warzone filled with a desperate need to survive.
"Rest assured, your highness. This place is the safest you could ever be in." Stepping away from him, she stared into the familiar void he knew to be the World of C. "For a Reality Marble, such a place exudes an alien aura even to one such as I. Truly, it is a fascinating marvel born from a soul of another reality."
"Reality… this place?" his eyes narrowed as he studied the place. Scrutinizing eyes roved all over the place he'd once extinguished the existence of his parents in.
"Indeed," Justeaze nodded as she stared up into the Jupiter-like being. Or rather, the copied image of the Collective Unconsciousness from his world. "For your inner world to embody the place where you wrested the reins from god itself… I must say, not even they can stomach your subconscious' creation."
'Is that supposed to be a compliment?' he thought as he eyed a wide smirk forming on her face.
"It is, your majesty." She admitted without hesitation, sounding a bit gleeful despite the monotone. Her stare to the heavens above seemed to only grow more expressive. "For me to sense their fear, their apprehension of this place… I must admit, I never expected such cathartic feelings about the ones who held off my kin and myself from the Root for millennia."
Ignoring the woman's rambling was a tad difficult, but after comprehending her words, it didn't take long for him to stare into the void alongside her.
His inner world… was cold. It wasn't empty, per se, but it lacked… something. Or… could it be better described as being grandiose without a purpose?
It was but an empty shell of what used to be the Sword of Akasha. What had resembled the metaphysical plane that his father used in an attempt to slay god was now but mimicry of that weapon. Even the empty clouds in the distance, the ever-growing expanse that was the horizon, and the planet whose swirl eyed him from above… all of it… felt pointless.
It was only due to the fact that he'd chosen to let go of his old world.
What had been the turning point, the first step into truly wielding his power for the betterment of mankind, this was that place. A reminder, this entire world was. A monolith to his beginning on the path for true salvation to the world.
The sentimentality of it all was laughable.
'To think another world's magic would ensure I never forget the past I left behind…' he smiled wryly at the scenery. 'But for it to look so… bland to me now… Guess it goes to show how inhuman I've become after all this time.'
A Reality Marble was supposed to be the materialization of one's inner world. For his to be that place from that moment, it just goes to show that, despite his earnest desire to move forward, his heart really wouldn't forget it.
Reawakening his Geass, receiving a Code, and now attaining a Reality Marble. Or had it happened the other way around? In any case, Lelouch had arrived at the precipice of his ascension as a Heroic Spirit.
Whether he wanted it or not, that was what he was now. All he could do… was move forward. With Nobu at his side, of course.
"You've answered my questions," he started, drawing Justeaze's attention back. "But now that I know all this… now what? I've fulfilled my end of the bargain to Alaya. What comes after now that it is all over?"
Would he be recalled to the Throne or would he be allowed to persist as a human for a little longer? In the first place, was he even needed beyond this point? As Gilgamesh stated, his presence at the moment was neither as a human nor Servant. That implied a somewhat mortal incarnation. But although that was the case, being attacked by Angra Mainyu and brought here left the dubious case of his mortality in question.
And that wasn't discounting the fact that he was feared by the World and its Protector. 'Would I even be allowed to roam free now that I've done my job?'
It wasn't really a question of how he'd be removed. But when. A threat was a threat. And, no matter how they leashed him to this plane, they still feared the possibility of him rebelling. It was, after all, a part of his legend to wrest away God's power, was it not?
Worst case scenario, he'd be erased. Second, that being if he was returned to the Throne, he'd be forced to seek out Nobu from there. Bar that, he'd be made to wait a few years… maybe even centuries… until he was called again alongside her.
By that point, he wouldn't know if she'd remember him… Or if she'd be friend or foe…
Justeaze, seemingly reading his mind again, merely smiled softly. "Worry not, your majesty. Neither Gaia nor Alaya would wish to earn your ire. Not after the favour you've granted them, heh."
The woman couldn't help but sneer, it seems. Lelouch guessed she really had it in for the two who blocked her mortal pursuit of the Root.
"So you say, Lady Justeaze, but I don't really have anything to serve as proof except your word for it." He didn't have a direct line to the World or Alaya. He may not be human, but he certainly wasn't anything more. Counter Guardians, she called them. He wasn't that either.
"I'd hope my word would suffice, at least. However, I fully understand the thought that worries you, your highness." Offering a bow, she returned to her monotonous poker face. "But may I remind you, milord, I am their messenger. As your current liaison to them, I bring word of their… intentions for you in the future."
He had nothing to lose. Well, apart from Nobunaga. But knowing that they were wary of his power, Lelouch knew they wouldn't try and piss him off from the get-go. If they wanted to talk, then he'd accept. "Let's hear it then."
"On the matter of your mission, you have done exemplary well. Not only have you fulfilled your original task of preventing any clear winners, but you've also purified this Grail from the taint that hijacked it. Impressively, you also managed to… shall we say, avert another fate from falling deep into tragedy. Considering Gaia's designs for this singularity to branch off in the future, you have reduced the number of threats for the foreseeable future. For this, she wishes to thank you."
"'Averting a tragic fate', is it?" Lelouch took those words with a grain of salt. The inference that his actions seemed to have 'meddled' in what had been a predicted disaster implied more than a mere 'saving another life'. He'd have to contemplate on this later. "And? What awaits me now that it is done?"
"Forgive me for correcting you, milord Emperor. However, the task is not simply 'done'."
'Hm?' Lelouch's eyes narrowed at that. "And what exactly do you mean by that I wonder?"
"It is on the topic of Singularities, your majesty. But that can wait. As I've said, Gaia wishes to reward you for your endeavours. It is a courtesy she insisted on for someone she wishes to be a guide for humanity in the future."
'A point of gratitude to placate me, is it?' Lelouch smiled, knowing he was being offered a clear bribe. Whatever the entities wanted, it was clear they didn't wish to get on his bad side. That being said, "And just how would they wish to reward me, Lady Justeaze? Quite frankly, I'm not exactly the type of person who'd so easily be swayed by mere gifts."
"But of course, your highness," Justeaze seemed to take a liking to his mindset as the smile resurfaced for a moment. "Neither of them wish for you to refuse. However, it seems they desire for you to continue living as you were. That being removing as many threats to humanity's survival with whatever skills you could muster. This being as a mortal or as a Servant in the coming future."
Meaning he wouldn't be playing another life for long. Sooner or later, it would end as all lives should. But in the meantime, he'd be allowed to live so long as he did as requested. "And I assume the mentioned threats would include things apart from another Grail War?"
"It would indeed mean so. Grail Wars, yes, but it wouldn't necessarily mean the same Grail, my liege." The choice of words had him staring hard. Suggesting there were more corrupted wish-granting cups around meant more work akin to the gauntlet he'd just run through. He had his work cut out for him and it wasn't really shaping up to be a good thing. "You need not fret so much, milord Lelouch. Gaia herself has designed to allow your power to persist. So long as… you do not turn it on humanity for destructive ends, of course."
"Hmph, a consolation for giving me more work, is it?" He was free to do as he pleased then. So long as he kept in line with the duo entities' vision of preserving humanity. It wasn't impossible as he didn't have much disdain towards people of this world, to begin with. But that in itself could lead to a boring life, did it not?
"The freedom to reign over humanity is still free to you, your majesty." Cheekily, Justeaze gave him a smirk, reading his intentions from the get-go. "That and you still have a wish to avail of the Grail, your highness. You are the Fourth Grail War's victor, after all."
The way the doll-like woman smiled his way, he could tell she was insisting he make one that stuck it to those who sent her. Despite being their messenger, there was no love for the World and Alaya within the former Einzbern head.
Knowing full well where his thoughts lay throughout this whole exposition, Lelouch shared the woman's sneer. Albeit, his smile was born more from relief than actual mirth. "Well then, I guess I shall have to avail that wish, don't I? Are there any rules or limitations I should worry about?"
"There exist laws to prevent the corruption of the Throne, yes," Justeaze didn't bother hiding her chuckle under a mask of indifference. "However, knowing how wary they are of you, milord emperor, I'm certain they would allow a… minor exception… for this case."
He didn't mind her blatant desire for him to do just that. The spite was but a small price to pay for their inconveniencing him. Asking for his help yet leaving him mostly in the dark… they deserved it somewhat.
But more than that, he had a contract to fulfil. Not to some god wanting the preservation of the world or the ethereal entity that safeguarded reality. Touching the mark on his neck, the boy couldn't help but smile slightly.
The past no longer weighed on his mind as he looked forward, ready to march on towards his new future. "Well then, Lady Justeaze. I shall state my wish."
"I am yours to command."
That being said, it'd be boring for him to go at it alone, no?