The Moon was "breathing."
A violent breath powerful enough to tear apart the structure of a celestial body.
The satellite that had once gazed down upon Earth with its cool, pale radiance was now unrecognizable.
Crustal material streamed endlessly into it from Earth's interior, like water forcibly pumped into a balloon.
It caused the Moon to swell rapidly in a short span of time, covering its surface in deep, spiderweb-like fissures, the deepest of which could swallow all of Mount Fuji.
The immense heat carried along with the transferred material erupted within the Lunar Core, triggering violent internal melting. Magma spewed from every crack like boiling blood.
The Lunar Surface churned like a lava cake fresh from the oven, black rock interwoven with crimson magma, displaying a grotesque splendor in the void.
These vast crustal upheavals defied all common sense and were clearly visible even from Earth.
In the lunar images captured by astronomical telescopes, its outline twisted and distorted without pause.
At times, erupting magma enveloped it in a crimson fireball; at others, its molten metallic core lay exposed, flickering with an eerie silver light.
The results of X-ray spectral analysis sent chills down the spines of the scientists at NERV ANIMA Headquarters.
What was happening on the Lunar Surface was no mere boiling of crustal material, but a transmutation of matter that defied the laws of physics, like alchemy.
Silicon-based rock fused with carbon and iron from Earth's crust, producing an unknown alloy far denser than diamond.
At the same time, it released powerful energy fluctuations that rendered the Moon's gravitational field extremely unstable.
And the true heart of this catastrophe lay hidden on the Far Side of the Moon, which always faced away from Earth.
The upheaval there was less intense than on the near side, yet