The voices of the Throne of Souls

Inside an abandoned laboratory, a yellow EVA stood with its entry plug sealed off by cruciform pins and its limbs held in restraints.

Through a shattered window, Gendo Ikari watched the enormous humanoid weapon kneeling before him like an angel in torment.

His gaze was cold and inscrutable. Ritsuko Akagi walked up beside him and followed his gaze downward.

"Shinji's records have been uploaded to the MAGI System. Are you sure you want to lift the freeze on Unit-00? As for the elders..."

"Rei's physical condition is sufficient for testing now. You can start making preparations. The rest is none of your concern."

Gendo Ikari handed Ritsuko Akagi the documents, then thrust both hands into his pockets with an air of smug arrogance.

As soon as Ritsuko Akagi took the documents, she noticed the particularly conspicuous half-length photograph of Shinji Ikari on them.

She could not help frowning. "Is your son all right? His mental state deviates severely from our expectations."

"Never mind him. This is an excellent excuse to lift the freeze on Unit-00." With the simplest of words, Gendo Ikari assigned value to the problem Ritsuko Akagi had raised.

Once their brief conversation ended, neither lingered.

Ritsuko Akagi returned to her familiar laboratory, while Gendo Ikari headed deeper underground, his figure gradually disappearing into the darkness.

The room was extraordinarily spacious and deep, surrounded by pitch-black darkness broken only by a few striking bands of white light.

Seven black monoliths encircled a white-lit section of floor at the center of the room, forming a cage.

Red lines lit up on the black monoliths, spelling out "SEELE SOUND ONLY." They were the voices of the Throne of Souls.

Each monolith bore a different number, with SEELE's emblem at the top... an inverted triangle, seven eyes, a serpent, and an apple combined into one design.

Those interested in studying religion might have drawn any number of associations.

In Genesis, God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden.

They could eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

But one day, the cunning Satan took the form of a venomous serpent and used honeyed words to tempt Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit.

From then on, humanity bore the burden of original sin from birth.

Gendo Ikari knew these religious stories backward and forward, all to placate the old men represented by these monoliths.

Overhead, everything was shrouded in endless darkness. Looking down, one could see only the tiny space beneath one's feet, as white and flawless as snow.

There was no denying how oppressive the atmosphere was. It made it hard to breathe.

The old men enjoyed using this sort of tiresome imagery, as though they were passing judgment on sinners abandoned by the world. Gendo Ikari sat at the long table in the center of the room, seemingly awaiting that judgment.

A voice came from the SEELE-03 monolith. "Three minutes and thirty-three seconds. What a beautiful number. Shinji Ikari defeated Shamshel in that time alone. Most impressive."

"The Fourth Angel has been confirmed silent. The prologue to the scenario is proceeding according to the Dead Sea Scrolls," the first monolith said. "But there has been a deviation from the scenario."

"Your son is now the only key that can open the door of fate, Ikari!" the second monolith said.

Gendo Ikari adjusted his glasses. "The deviation is within controllable limits. The outcome is certain. The Angel was annihilated, and Unit-01 and its pilot fulfilled their appointed destiny."

"Yet if the key is not held by the master of the house, it may open a door that should never be opened," the third monolith spoke again.

Gendo Ikari's expression did not change. "There is no need for concern. While Unit-01 is being deployed in actual combat, Unit-02 and its assigned pilot are undergoing evaluation tests in Germany. The First Child has also recovered physically and can resume testing with Unit-00."

"Development projects for Unit-03 and beyond are proceeding as planned as well, correct?" the fourth monolith asked.

"We entrusted NERV and the EVAs to you because we believe in your abilities. Be sure you do not disappoint us, Ikari," the seventh monolith said.

The second monolith spoke. "Shinji Ikari is not entirely unusable, either. Defeating the Angels is merely part of the process. All he needs to do is serve his purpose when the Fifth Angel appears."

"Precisely. A skilled player should make good use of every piece," the first monolith said.

The sixth monolith spoke. "Annihilating the Angels is only a small part of our covenant with Lilith. Carrying out the human instrumentality project is our ultimate wish."

After the old men spoke in succession, Gendo Ikari's expression remained inscrutable, but he lowered his head as though demonstrating humility and obedience.

"Understood. Everything will proceed according to SEELE's scenario."

New Shinjuku District 7, Tokyo-3.

The car sped along the surface road, its tires making a faint rustling sound against the pavement.

Shinji Ikari was wondering how Misato Katsuragi planned to treat him at his welcome party when the blue Renault stopped outside a convenience store.

"Even if you aren't going to show me the local sights and culture, couldn't you at least find a decent little restaurant?" Shinji Ikari leaned against the window.

"Don't expect too much from a working girl's salary! You'll understand once you get your paycheck..." Misato Katsuragi blushed.

Misato Katsuragi

"I almost forgot you still have twelve loan installments to pay." Of course, Shinji Ikari did not understand. The "human civilization continuation insurance fee" listed in his employment contract made him feel as though he could never spend it all, even by the time the world ended.

They got out and went inside together. Misato Katsuragi made straight for the back of the convenience store, ignoring everything else as she grabbed a case of bottled beer.

Shinji Ikari picked out two pork cutlet bento boxes and two beef bento boxes to suit his tastes. Those would serve as the main dishes for their lunch and dinner that day.

One look at Misato Katsuragi's behavior told him there was no chance of figuring out their daily meals once they got home.

Still, he was used to it. Fortunately, Gendo Ikari had never shortchanged him on his allowance, and he was a regular at convenience stores and roadside ramen stalls.

Then he picked up some extra snacks, such as fried skewers and croquettes. Cheap, but enough to make the spread as generous as possible-this was already the limit for a salaried worker burdened with twelve loan installments.

It was nearly noon when they returned to the NERV staff dormitory.

As they opened the door with their shopping bags stuffed full, a complex, layered, and aggressively foul odor hit them in the face.

It was not a single smell, but a "cocktail" of stenches mixed together from multiple sources.

"Your luggage is already here. Actually, I only moved to this city a few days ago myself," Misato Katsuragi said as she strode into the apartment.

"Getting the place into this state in just a few days must have taken some doing," Shinji Ikari remarked as he stepped inside.

Clothes lay scattered all over the floor. Beer bottles and cans stood or lay tipped over everywhere, while snack wrappers carpeted every corner.

Misato Katsuragi, already accustomed to living this way, had thought nothing of it. But at Shinji Ikari's words, her face immediately reddened again.