And you thought Evangelion was already dark?
Fading Into The Stolen Light
is a Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fic written by Silvermoonlight GJ. It takes place in an alternate universe from the actual anime, where the pilots are all adults in their 20s. The other major divergence from canon—and the driving force of the plot—is that a fragment of the angel Bardiel survived NERV's attempt to kill it and began to parasitically inhabit Asuka Langley Soryu's body, eventually driving her deep into depression and insanity. And things just get worse from there...
This is very much a Dark Fic, filled to the brim with graphic violence, sex, and disturbing imagery, to an even greater extent than the anime on which it was based. Its morality is of the black and grey variety, frequently dipping into grey and gray territory. It is now complete, with 70 chapters. Illustrations can be found on the author's DeviantArt account as well as the Archive Of Our Own version''. It should be noted that the grammar and spelling of the story is not always consistent (due to the author having dyspraxia), but this does not take away from its overall narrative quality.
The sequel came out in March 2020 and is called As The Divine Light Breaks which is also has an Archive Of Our Own version There are also a few spinoff short stories, which are generally lighter in tone than the main one, as well as a short five-chapter prequel.
The fan comic created by Sha Yurigami which adapts chapter 46. can be found on pixiv and some of the comic pages are on the Archive Of Our Own version; it is also the page image. The series is called Divine Light this includes book one and two and the prequel.
Compare Scar Tissue (another Evangelion Dark Fic), and contrast with Nobody Dies (pretty much its antithesis in terms of tone). If you are easily depressed, this is probably not the fanfic for you.
Tropes found in the main story
- Adaptational Villainy: Ritsuko and Mari are both antagonists in this fanfic, but for different reasons.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: Rei's hair is brown, like Shinji's, rather than blue, since she isn't part-Angel. Her eyes are also green. This is due to Yui being her mother as she was born after Shinji and is the younger sibling.
- Adaptational Species Change: Kaworu and Rei. Kaworu was an Angel in the anime, but here he's a normal human. Rei is also a normal human instead of a part-Angel clone—in fact, she's Shinji's sister.
- Age Lift: The Eva Pilots are in their twenties in this story. This was necessary to make the pregnancy aspect of the plot less
squicky. - Animal Mecha: All of the Evas have a "Beast Mode" in this story. Unlike the movies, it's permanent—once the EVA shifts into it, it can't change back.
- Animal Motifs: Asuka is strongly identified with cats. Her actions are described as cat-like several times, her EVA unit's form is based on the Nekomata, and she also has one as a pet. She even goes full were-tiger during her Battle in the Center of the Mind with Bardiel.
- Bakeneko and Nekomata: Unit 02's Beast Mode is based on the Nekomata. Bardiel too, by virtue of being an "evil twin" of Unit 02.
- Battle in the Center of the Mind: Asuka's first fight with Bardiel.
- Cats Are Mean: Bardiel's preferred physical form looks like an enormous black panther with no fur or ears. Downplayed with Asuka's cat Erika, who's friendly to people she likes (mostly Asuka and Rei) but a bit rough around the edges.
- Cat Stereotype: Erika has the stereotypical "strong-willed, feisty, and hot-tempered" tortoiseshell personality.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Several. Asuka's Unit 02 both gives these out and receives them.
- Demoted to Extra: Shinji himself. This is mostly a story about Asuka and Rei.
- Downer Ending: Most chapters have one. This is due to Asuka's depression and difficulty in asking for help as she believes she will be become a lab rat at Nerv or end up like her mother Kyoko who died in a mental ward.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Asuka, full stop. Despite the pain and struggle the ending is one both Rei and Asuka earn and it is a happy one.
- Eaten Alive: How Bardiel finally checks out, courtesy of Unit 02
- Eyepatch of Power: Asuka wears an eye-patch just as she does in the third movie. Here, though, its purpose is clear — it covers the piece of Bardiel that resides in her head.
- Fetus Terrible: Bardiel attempts to impregnate Unit 02 with his offspring. He eventually succeeds.
- From Bad to Worse: And the way things are going, it's only going to get worse.
- Heroic BSoD: Asuka undergoes this quite often. This happens when Bardiel starts appearing and following Asuka around in her daily life causing her to become deeply distracted and feel deep anxiety.
- Hope Spot: The first time Bardiel is defeated. It doesn't last.
- Heel–Face Turn: Mari. Mari has problems and tends to vent it out on the other piolts though as the story progresses it becomes clear that troubles in her personal life are causing these issues.
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Asuka owns a tortoiseshell cat named Erika, who she adopted from a shelter.
- Lecherous Licking: Bardiel licks Asuka's face in a perverted manner while taunting her. In a teaser image for the sequel, Asuka herself is shown doing this to Rei.
- Morality Pet: Asuka can be very harsh and short-tempered with people close to her, but she does genuinely have a bond with Rei. Her cat Erika also serves as this.
- More Teeth than the Osmond Family: The EVA's Beast Modes and Bardiel's physical form all have mouths full of large, terrifying teeth.
- Oral Fixation: Asuka has a habit of running her tongue over her front teeth when anticipating a fight.
- Our Werebeasts Are Different: During her mental fight with Bardiel, Asuka (within her own mind) assumes the form of a were-tiger.
- Panthera Awesome: See above. Both Bardiel and Unit 02 count, as does Asuka herself during her mental battle with Bardiel.
- Shapeshifter Mode Lock: What happens to Unit 02 after using its Beast Mode too much.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Toji and Kensuke are not killed off, though they also have a smaller role as a result.
- The Merch: In-Universe, the Eva pilots license their own images to merchandising companies.
- Youkai: Each Eva Unit's Beast Mode is named after one. Sometimes there is a physical similarity (i.e. Asuka's Beast Mode is named Nekomata and resembles a two-tailed cat), but other times there is not.
Tropes found in the sequel divine light
- Alternate History: Some world event are different to the normal world, and by extension the main anime. World War 2 was started by the Soviet Union. Ukraine had a civil war later on, with the England, Germany and France being pulled in. The White Star line still has ships, including the Titanic, which never sank in this timeline and has a modern version along with the White Star sister ships.
- Eldritch Abomination: The Destroyer of Worlds, whose true form is unlike anything the world has ever seen. Even compared to the Angels.
- Godof Evil: The Destroyer of worlds has many forms. One skeleton-like, one as Baphomet.
- The Old Gods: One of the signs that this isn't the main Evangelion universe is the mention that the the "old gods" are still actively worshipped.
- Fantastic Terrorists: The three terror groups who want very different things in the story. Ankh, Cerberus and Ouroboros
- Balance Between Goodand Evil: The views between Asuka and her counter self.
- Sealed Evilina Can: This happens when Ankh try to awaken the destroyer of worlds for the first time as Asuka in a sleeping god in human form who has no idea about herself and what she did in the past cycle
- Crapsack World: Asuka's sleeping counterpart believes Earth is this by default. She hates humanity and thinks no good can ever come of it.
- Bewarethe Quiet Ones: It takes a lot to get Rei angry, but if you do. . . watch out. Especially if you're Gendo.
- The Siege: The first great battle of the story meant to mirror The End Of Evangelion Though there are some mayor differences from the canon version
- Bloodierand Gorier: There are more horror themes in the second book.
- Sharinga Body: Due to Ankh not doing the awakening ritual correctly The two Asuka's are sharing the same body with one hijacking the other.
- Missing Time: What happens when Asuka Is taken over she has no memory of what happened
- Godin Human Form: Asuka but also Rei who is awoken same as Asuka but takes more of a role for good.
- Divine Date: Happens when Rei sleeps with Asuka even though they were told not to This has long term consequences for both.
- Circlesof Hell: The place the destroyer creates to contain stolen souls of those from the past and those ascended by force.
- Bodyof Bodies: The destroyers final form.
- Deityof Human Origin: Applies to the Seele 6. And the Ouroboros 6. Who can take the form of gods and use it to influence humanity. Though they are demigods and not full gods. They are immortal and remember all 20 previous cycles. They were created by Lilith in the 1st cycle before normal humans were created
- Being God Is Hard: Applies to Asuka. Who does not want the power that godhood gives her. While becoming more a god of war and the opposite to her counterpart. Also applies to the missing Seele 13th member
- Mother Goddess: Refers to The god Rei who shows up in both books. She was created in the 1st cycle by the oringal and first clone Rei. She is a full god and very powerful and has lived for eons
- Swallowed Whole: Happened to Keel in the last cycle when the destroyer of worlds eat him whole and alive. As he was a demi god he didn't die but suffered for eons in side her stomach as a form of torture
Tropes found in the spinoffs and the prequel
- Alternate Universe: The fanfic itself is an Alternate Universe to the anime, but several of the spinoffs are likewise this to the fanfic, since they contradict it in a number of ways.
- Breather Episode: The spinoff stories, with very little exception, do not deal with the heavy issues and traumatic events that the main story does.
- Christmas Special: One of the stories takes place at Christmas time. It involves Rei and Asuka bonding over presents and hot chocolate.
- Covered in Gunge: Happens to Asuka twice in one of the sillier short stories—first when she gets covered in sludge while working on Nekomata/Unit 02, and then again when the cat-like EVA unit "grooms" her by licking her.
- Denser and Wackier: There's a lot more comedy to be found in the spinoffs than the main story.
- Foregone Conclusion: In the prequel, it's a given that Bardiel will end up infecting Asuka, since this is what drives the plot of the main story.
- From Stray to Pet: How Asuka's cat Erika was adopted. She was actually in an animal shelter for a while, but was scheduled to be euthanized because her aggressive personality meant nobody wanted to adopt her—until Asuka showed up.
- Hotter and Sexier: While the main story contains some explicit sexual scenes, there are three spinoff stories that take this even further. As a result, they are not available to read on FanFiction.net or DeviantArt, and can only be found on Archive Of Our Own.
- Lighter and Softer: Some of the spinoff stories qualify, but others do not.
