Mattt1933
The hum of the Entry Plug was a dull, rhythmic vibration that vibrated straight through Shinji's spine. Inside the cockpit of EVA Unit-01, the smell of LCL fluid-metallic and thick-filled his lungs.
It was supposed to be the end. The final impact. The moment where everything dissolved into a sea of collective consciousness where no one could ever hurt him again.
But looking at the holographic monitors flickering around him, Shinji didn't feel the relief he thought he would. He just felt an ache.
"Shinji."
The voice didn't come from the radio. It came from everywhere.
Mari's pink EVA Unit-08 pulsed on his radar, cutting through the red, apocalyptic haze of the anti-universe. She was pushing her machine to the absolute limit, her usual playful smirk replaced by sheer, unyielding determination.
"Don't you dare give up now, puppy," her voice echoed, laced with that fierce, chaotic energy that always threw him off balance. "We've come too far to let it all restart."
Across the digital expanse, the ghost of Asuka's fierce glare seemed to linger in the empty space beside him. He could still hear her voice, arrogant but fragile, demanding to know why he always waited for someone else to save him. And Rei... the girl who was a question mark wrapped in a uniform, who had only wanted a world where she could just *be*.
They had all carried so much weight. Too much for teenagers who just wanted to be loved.
Shinji gripped the control levers, his knuckles turning white. The weight of the world-literally-rested on his shoulders, but for the first time in his life, he wasn't running away.
"I won't," Shinji whispered, his voice cracking but firming up as he looked out into the neon-lit abyss. "I'm going to rewrite it. A world without EVAs. A world where everyone can just breathe."
The sync ratio spiked. The monitors went wild, flashing warnings in bright crimson, but Shinji just closed his eyes. It was time to say goodbye to all of Evangelion.